Steelers To Sign Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Aaron Rodgers has not thrown his weight around in Pittsburgh to the degree he did in New York, but one of his former targets will join him in Pennsylvania. Marquez Valdes-Scantling‘s Steelers workout will produce a deal, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.
This marks another nomadic year for Valdes-Scantling, who spent time with the Seahawks and 49ers. In 2024, he moved from Kansas City to Buffalo to New Orleans. This Pittsburgh trek does provide a notable reunion, as Rodgers and MVS played together from 2018-21 in Green Bay.
[RELATED: Steelers Eyeing Second Season With Rodgers]
The Buccaneers also showed interest in the veteran deep threat, according to veteran insider Jordan Schultz, who adds the Steelers were interested after his Seahawks release. Dropped by two teams since August, Valdes-Scantling preferred the Rodgers reunion at this stage, per Schultz.
Now 31, MVS has lost considerable value since his three-year, $30MM Chiefs pact. But the Steelers will hope some familiarity can help — even if this is probably not the end of their much-rumored wideout pursuit. They were previously linked to Jakobi Meyers and Calvin Ridley.
Valdes-Scantling is still collecting guaranteed money from the Seahawks, who gave him a one-year deal worth $4MM. Seattle ate $3MM fully guaranteed by cutting MVS out of training camp. The reunion with Klint Kubiak proved short-lived, but the receiver-needy 49ers gave him a shot. That partnership ended earlier this month with an injury settlement. The eighth-year veteran appears ready to contribute in Pittsburgh, though Fowler adds this is likely a practice squad deal to start.
After making aggressive pursuits of receivers — most notably Brandon Aiyuk — last year, the Steelers are at it again. They have not seen anyone emerge as a reliable D.K. Metcalf complementary piece. Months ago, they came up as a potential destination for ex-MVS/Rodgers Packers teammate Allen Lazard. No move has transpired, but the team has been tied to the WR market once again. With Jaylen Waddle and Chris Olave not expected to be moved, pickings appear slim for teams eyeing help here ahead of the November 4 deadline.
The Steelers, who did see Calvin Austin return to action Sunday night after a two-game absence, do not have a second wideout beyond 175 yards. Austin sits at 167, with Roman Wilson at 110. Tight ends have served as Rodgers auxiliary options. Valdes-Scantling played in five 49ers games this season, catching four passes for 40 yards. After being a Bills in-season release, MVS caught on with the Saints and impressed, posting 17 catches for 385 yards and four TDs.
This reunion comes after Rodgers influenced the Jets to sign Lazard and Randall Cobb in 2023, when they also hired ex-Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett to the same position and signed ex-Green Bay blocker Billy Turner. Rodgers later pushed for Davante Adams at the 2024 trade deadline, getting his wish. The Steelers are more or less throwing a dart by placating Rodgers via this transaction, but it would not surprise to see MVS — who was part of Rodgers’ third and fourth MVP seasons (2020-21) — see time soon due to his familiarity with Pittsburgh’s high-profile QB.
The Bucs are currently without Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan. And Emeka Egbuka recently returned from a hamstring injury. For now, they will hope Godwin — who is not on IR — can make a near-future return to complement Egbuka. The team still has Sterling Shepard as a No. 3 option in that reality, with rookie Tez Johnson being utilized amid the injuries as well.
Commanders Sign Matthew Wright To Practice Squad, Elevate K For Week 8
The Commanders will attempt to derail the Chiefs without Jayden Daniels tonight, but their Marcus Mariota-led effort will involve a backup kicker as well. Matt Gay is out for this matchup, leading a former Chief back to Arrowhead Stadium for emergency duty.
Washington added Matthew Wright to its practice squad today, and that move will precede a second transaction involving the nomadic fill-in specialist. Following this practice squad signing, the Commanders announced Wright will be one of their gameday elevations. He will kick for the visitors tonight.
Gay suffered a back injury during practice, being moved to the injury report Saturday. That forced the Commanders into this 11th-hour addition. Wright will join defensive tackle Sheldon Day as gameday elevations, per the team. Day, though, has been on the team’s P-squad throughout the season. This will be Wright’s first game action, though he does have a notable past in Kansas City.
A previous Harrison Butker fill-in, Wright once set the Arrowhead Stadium record for longest field goal by booting a 59-yard try before halftime in a 2022 win over the Raiders. Butker returned the following week and broke the record by hitting a 62-yarder before the half in a loss to the Bills. Wright later circled back to the Chiefs as a 2024 Butker replacement, kicking in two games. This included a 19-17 win over the Chargers, when Wright clanked a field goal off the upright and through for one of the Chiefs’ many close 2024 wins.
Overall, the six-year veteran has kicked for six teams. His only extended work came in a 14-game run with the 2021 Jaguars. Wright has also kicked for the Steelers, Panthers, 49ers and Titans. The Tennessee work has come over the past two seasons. He stopped through as a Joey Slye replacement in one game this season. Last year, he kicked for the Titans, 49ers and Chiefs, making 15 of 16 field goal tries.
Gay, who signed with Washington soon after his Indianapolis release, remains on the team’s active roster. Though, it is not known if the veteran will be ready to return for Week 9.
Broncos Eyeing TE Help; Lucas Krull Set For Surgery
Calls for the Broncos to improve Courtland Sutton‘s wingman situation have gone unheeded for a while, and the team quieted concerns about the situation in a blowout win over the Cowboys on Sunday. That game featured regular contributions from Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant and more tertiary work from Evan Engram, who has come along slowly in Sean Payton‘s offense.
Engram remains the Broncos’ starting tight end, but The Athletic’s Dianna Russini indicates the team has looked into the trade market at this position ahead of the November 4 deadline. Rather than add a player to challenge Engram atop the depth chart, the team may instead be aiming for a depth move.
Stationed on IR, Lucas Krull is not in position to be activated anytime soon. The backup is set to undergo foot surgery, 9News’ Mike Klis reports. Krull, a former Saints UDFA who has been with the Broncos for three seasons, has been on IR for four weeks.
He would be eligible to come off the injured list for Week 9, but this surgery is now on track to sideline him for roughly two more months, the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson notes, adding the surgery is on track for today. The initial plan of rehab did not end up working, leading to the surgery route.
Krull made some minor contributions to the 2023 and ’24 Broncos editions, squads that did not receive much from their tight end contingents. In 2024, Krull caught 19 passes for 152 yards. He has just two catches for 15 yards this year. Additionally, Klis notes tight end/fullback Nate Adkins sustained a knee injury that appears likely to cost him time. Categorizing Denver’s TE search as for a depth option, Klis reiterates Engram and ex-Saint Adam Trautman remain the top two for the 6-2 team at this position.
Denver has seventh-round rookie Caleb Lohner, a converted basketball player, on its practice squad. Patrick Murtaugh also resides on the Broncos’ taxi squad. A trade for a depth tight end would not exactly move the needle, but the Broncos have prioritized these roles. Trautman has played 48% of the Broncos’ offensive snaps this season; after returning from ankle surgery last month, Adkins has logged a 35% snap share.
Not rostering much receiving help at the position since including Noah Fant in the Russell Wilson trade, the Broncos gave Engram a two-year, $23MM deal. Two early-season injuries limited the former first-round pick, and while he has made some contributions during Denver’s five-game win streak, the eight-figure-per-year player is averaging just 8.3 yards per catch (26/215). To be fair, Engram was at just 8.4 in his 2023 Pro Bowl season in Jacksonville. But Payton had eyed the 31-year-old target as a potential field-stretching presence, his coveted “Joker” piece.
It does not, however, look like the Broncos are eyeing a player who would push Engram for time. It remains to be seen if the Broncos will make a move for receiving help — after two reports last week suggested teams had that on their radar — but some assistance is being pursued elsewhere on offense.
Bears Lose DT Shemar Turner For Season; DE Dominique Robinson To Miss Time
Seeing their four-game win streak snapped in Baltimore, the Bears came out of that game banged up on their defensive line. One of their pieces — rookie Shemar Turner — will not return this season.
Ben Johnson confirmed (via the Marquee Sports Network’s Scott Bair) Turner will miss the rest of the season with an ACL tear sustained Sunday. A second-round pick, Turner had worked as a backup for the team during his first batch of games. Additionally, Johnson mentioned Dominique Robinson is expected to miss a few weeks with a high ankle sprain.
Selected 62nd overall out of Texas A&M, Turner had played as a backup in five games this season. The Bears used him on 24% of their defensive snaps. A lengthy rehab effort will be required before Turner is considered for a bigger role. Chosen a round after Aggies D-line mate Shemar Stewart (Bengals), Turner made six tackles (two for loss) and tallied two quarterback hits in his brief rookie-year sample.
The Bears, who carried six D-tackles on their 53-man roster in Week 8, have Grady Jarrett and Gervon Dexter in place as starters. While free agency addition Dayo Odeyingbo regularly slid inside with the Colts, only 20 of the D-end’s 331 Bears snaps have come at DT. Chicago also rosters Andrew Billings, Jonathan Ford and 2024 trade pickup Chris Williams at the position.
At D-end, however, the team only rosters four players. A move will be needed to staff the backup level, as Robinson has spent his contract year in a second-string role. Chosen in Ryan Poles‘ first draft as GM, Robinson has not started more than one game in a season since his 2022 rookie year (when he made seven starts for a rebuilding team). Robinson has played 27% of Chicago’s defensive snaps this season, registering 1.5 sacks and three TFLs. Daniel Hardy resides as Chicago’s other active-roster backup at DE.
Enduring Colts Foundation Makes Surprise Return To Relevance
In 2018, the Colts submitted one of the more memorable turnarounds in recent NFL history. After Andrew Luck missed all of the 2017 season with a troublesome shoulder injury, he soared to Comeback Player of the Year honors and piloted an Indianapolis divisional-round run. The Colts zoomed from 1-5 to 10-6, eliminating the Texans in Houston's traditional Saturday-afternoon wild-card slot.
Not unlike the Saints' 2017 draft class that catalyzed a late-career Drew Brees return to postseason bookings, the Colts' 2018 group positioned Luck for a reemergence after an injury-plagued period. The Colts hit on several core players in that draft, plugging five rookies into regular roles for a franchise that appeared poised to vault to a Super Bowl-contending perch alongside the quickly forming Patrick Mahomes-Lamar Jackson-Josh Allen troika that came to define the post-Tom Brady AFC years.
Luck's abrupt retirement obviously scuttled those plans, setting the Colts back years and bringing about a nonstop quarterback carousel that moved the franchise into mediocrity. As this space foreshadowed this summer, the Colts became just the second team since the 1970 merger to use eight different Week 1 starting quarterbacks in a nine-season span (Washington is the other, doing so from 2017-24). The player that moved Indy toward this solo tier, Daniel Jones, has, to the surprise of just about everyone, restored the Luck-era core to relevancy and has benefited from the foundation Chris Ballard stubbornly clung to in subsequent years.
The Colts have glided to 6-1, toppling two five-win squads (Broncos, Chargers). Jones following Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold's resurgent path has required quality showings from much of Ballard's core, one essentially deemed inconsequential after the organization's QB carousel finally crashed during Anthony Richardson's historically inaccurate season.
Bengals LB Logan Wilson Requests Trade
Logan Wilson came up as a trade candidate this week, being mentioned as a player who could move after the Bengals reduced his role. Now, Wilson can be added to the growing list of Bengals to have asked to be moved in recent years.
The veteran linebacker has requested a trade, ESPN.com’s Ben Baby reports. Although Wilson has started all seven Cincinnati games this season, rookies Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter have cut into his role. Wilson is tied to a four-year, $36MM contract, a deal that runs through the 2027 season.
Since 2023, the Bengals have received trade requests from Jonah Williams, Tee Higgins, Trey Hendrickson and Germaine Pratt. Not known as being particularly accommodating on the trade or contract fronts, the team gave into none of those asks.
Williams played out his contract year — at right tackle, after the team signed Orlando Brown Jr. — and left as a 2024 free agent. Requesting a trade in March 2024, Higgins played last season on the franchise tag. Although Hendrickson trade drama did not become lead NFL story until this offseason, the All-Pro defensive end submitted his request in 2024. It did not move the needle. Weeks after Pratt requested a trade, the Bengals cut him.
The Pratt release came after the Bengals drafted both Knight (Round 2) and Carter (Round 4). With Wilson still rostered, those selections marginalized Pratt, who is now on his third team of the year (Bengals, Raiders, Colts). Carter has usurped Wilson in the Bengals’ linebacking hierarchy, playing 100% of the team’s defensive snaps over the past two games. Knight has held a steadier role this season, and he played almost every snap over Cincinnati’s past two contests.
A mainstay at linebacker since the Bengals drafted him in the 2020 third round, Wilson played 100% of the team’s defensive snaps in Week 5. Over the past two games, however, his usage has dipped considerably. Wilson played 19.7% of Cincy’s defensive snaps in Week 6 and 45.6% of the plays in Week 7. Al Golden has pivoted to the rookies on his second level, with Zac Taylor reiterating the team’s commitment to the Knight-Carter duo, leaving Wilson as a part-timer. Not long after that switch, the sixth-year veteran is attempting to force the issue.
While the Bengals are famous for not budging in these situations, a report this week indicated they would be open to dealing Wilson. The former Super Bowl starter signed a $9MM-per-year extension during the 2023 offseason, doing so weeks after the Bengals re-signed Pratt. With Lou Anarumo now in Indianapolis, the Bengals changed up at linebacker. Wilson (65 career starts) is tied to a $5.37MM base salary this season.
Just more than $3MM remains on that contract now, and if the Bengals move on just before the Nov. 4 deadline, barely $2.5MM in base salary would remain for 2025. No guarantees are in place, as this is a Bengals contract, beyond this season. That would give a team flexibility with a 29-year-old defender who had been a regular for years in Cincy. Wilson posted four straight 100-plus-tackle seasons, getting to 104 last season despite missing six games, and Pro Football Focus ranked him as a top-25 off-ball LB in 2022 and ’24. He sits 47th on that list this season.
Broncos In Market For WR Upgrade?
The Broncos just completed one of the most shocking comebacks in NFL history, reeling off a 33-point quarter to stun a Giants team that held a 19-0 lead at one point. The win moved Denver to 5-2, which remains good enough for the AFC West lead.
This franchise has not been in a strong buyer’s position ahead of a trade deadline in many years. Selling has been far more common here. Between 2018 and 2022, the Broncos unloaded Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Von Miller and Bradley Chubb at deadlines. Offers came in for Patrick Surtain and Jerry Jeudy after the team’s slow start in 2023, and while Denver was not exactly a seller last year, the team did move on from Baron Browning (to the Cardinals). This season, though, teams are monitoring the Broncos as a buyer.
Specifically, clubs have Denver on the radar to make a trade for a wide receiver upgrade, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes. Labeling the Broncos as “perhaps the biggest contender for a wide receiver” at the deadline, Jones indicates teams are looking at the division-leading team in terms of how aggressive it will be — as this is a rare spot for the Broncos.
The Broncos will attempt to hold off an increasingly high-powered Chiefs team that has won every division title since Denver’s 2015 Super Bowl season. Armed with a high-level defense once again, the Broncos will need to consider a move to bolster their offense.
Denver ranks 17th in scoring, 11th in yardage and 14th in EPA per play. The team, however, has looked sluggish (through three quarters, at least) on that side of the ball during much of its four-game win streak. It took a Herculean comeback to avoid a Giants upset, and the winless Jets held the Broncos to 13 points. The Giants rally reminded of the Broncos’ surge in Philadelphia. Bo Nix has struggled before catching fire in the fourth quarter. That would not appear sustainable, pointing to the team needing to examine need areas.
As this space mentioned this summer, the Broncos are highly Courtland Sutton-dependent at wide receiver. They have not seen a No. 2 option step up. Both Troy Franklin (269 receiving yards) and Marvin Mims (234) have produced at points, but neither is a particularly reliable target at this stage of their careers. Third-round rookie Pat Bryant has only five receptions for 46 yards, working as a clear backup. Evan Engram has not been the team’s de facto WR2 just yet, either, totaling 22 catches for 179 yards in six games played. While Sean Payton regularly centered Saints offenses around one receiver and used a rotating cast to fill out the corps, it is worth wondering if the Broncos are a man short here.
The team was loosely connected to Deebo Samuel, Cooper Kupp and Keenan Allen this offseason. Kupp exceeded Denver’s price range, while only the Commanders made an offer for Samuel. Perhaps more notably, the Broncos were eyeing Emeka Egbuka in Round 1. The Buccaneers, however, surprised many — given their WR depth at the time — by nabbing him at No. 19. Denver then drafted Jahdae Barron at No. 20.
With Nix tied to a rookie deal through at least 2026, the Broncos have some flexibility here. Though, they have just $5.1MM in cap space, with the second and final year of Russell Wilson dead money ($32MM) affecting the payroll.
Neither Chris Olave nor Rashid Shaheed were on the Saints’ roster under Payton, but Broncos senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael used a similar offense from 2022-23. Denver already dealt with New Orleans at WR this year, sending Devaughn Vele to the Saints for fourth- and seventh-round picks.
With the Raiders perhaps unwilling to send Jakobi Meyers to a division rival, Payton’s Saints ties could be notable. Though, the Saints have shown interest in extending Olave. If the Dolphins hang onto Jaylen Waddle, too, there might not be many big names that move this year at receiver. It will be interesting to see if the Broncos join the buyer fray.
NFL Dissatisfied With Onside Kick Setup
Offseason rule changes are regularly dictated by which way the league office leans on a particular issue. The 2026 offseason may bring legitimate momentum to changing the onside kick.
NFL executive VP Troy Vincent said it may be time for a true discussion about altering the play, with CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones noting the onside kick’s increasingly anticlimactic status has disappointed the league. This language once applied to the extra point, and it was then moved back to the 15-yard line. That has brought far more compelling sequences compared to the setup still used at the college level.
Vincent indicated it may be time to revisit a fourth-and-15 alternative here. A frequent offseason topic, the fourth-and-15 alternative has not gained serious traction in the recent past. The league tabled the matter this offseason. Back in 2020, however, some support for the fourth-and-15 play existed. Vincent’s comments are certainly notable from that angle, and the onside kick recovery data has shifted toward the play being a near-foregone conclusion since the seminal rule change banned running starts from kickoff coverage units.
Only one onside kick (out of 21 tries) produced a recovery this season. In 2024, teams trying them were 3-for-50. Prior to the dynamic kickoff’s 2024 implementation — which removed surprise onside efforts and limited declared onside tries to fourth quarters — success rate fell below 8% four times from 2018-23 (per Odds Shark). The NFL banned running starts on kickoffs, as a safety measure, in 2018. From 2010-17, non-surprise onside kicks were recovered by kicking teams 13.2% of the time.
The league will be highly unlikely to reintroduce running starts on onside plays, and the dynamic kickoff looks here to stay. Kick returns are up significantly, thanks to the league moving the touchback line from the 30 to the 35 this offseason, so the fourth-and-15 alternative — or something comparable — will be a storyline to monitor going into the spring meetings, where rule changes launch.
It can be argued teams should not have a play that gives them a reasonable chance of stealing a possession, but the running-start era did provide better odds at recoveries. Fourth-and-15 plays would favor those with high-end passing attacks, but they would undoubtedly inject more drama into late-game sequences.
From changing the extra point to adding a seventh playoff team per conference to adjusting the late-season schedule to ensure Christmas Day games occur, the league acts frequently to make viewer-friendly changes. It appears momentum exists for a significant change on special teams, one that will make the quarterback position slightly more valuable than it already is.
NFC North Notes: Bears, Decker, Vikings
After three years as the Bears‘ left tackle starter, Braxton Jones won a competition to keep the gig during training camp. But the contract-year blocker has since been benched, ceding his blindside spot to Theo Benedet. This leaves the former fifth-round pick in limbo. Teams are now monitoring Jones as a potential trade chip, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Rival clubs are viewing Jones as a “sensible” trade candidate, per Fowler, as the Division I-FCS find has 44 career starts on his resume.
Being benched early in a contract year, Jones does not figure to feature in Chicago’s post-2025 plans. A path to the 2026 free agent market appears clear. Teams are generally reluctant to part with proven O-linemen in trades, but with Chicago having Benedet in place and having used a second-round pick on tackle Ozzy Trapilo, Jones could be deemed expendable. This chain of events has led teams to at least monitor this situation, as Jones’ experience would be intriguing to a team with a tackle need. Pro Football Focus ranks Jones 57th among tackle regulars this season; the advanced metrics site, however, bestowed top-25 marks on the Southern Utah alum in 2022 and ’24.
Here is the latest from the NFC North:
- In and out of the Lions‘ lineup this season, Taylor Decker is battling a shoulder injury. After missing Weeks 5 and 6, Decker reemerged to start against the Buccaneers on Monday night. Decker allowed a sack-strip in protection in the Lions’ Week 7 win but graded out well in PFF’s view. Dan Campbell cast some doubt (via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett) about Decker returning to 100% this season, considering the unspecified shoulder injury he is battling. Following Frank Ragnow in playing through an injury (as the since-retired center did in 2024), Decker is tied to a three-year, $60MM contract that runs through 2027. The 32-year-old blocker has been the Lions’ starting left tackle since 2016.
- Staying with the O-line theme here, the Vikings are considering moving Blake Brandel to the center position on a full-time basis. Brandel has started at both center and left guard this season, having filled in for Ryan Kelly at center, but has primarily been a guard in the pros. Vikings OC Wes Phillips said (via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert) center might be his best position. Kelly suffering two concussions early this season makes his IR-return timetable murky, amplifying the importance of the Vikes having Brandel as a swingman. Brandel made 17 starts at guard last season, being demoted due to the Kelly, Will Fries and Donovan Jackson additions this offseason. But he is back in a first-string role as the Vikings face the Chargers tonight.
- Leading up to the 2024 draft, the Giants and Vikings aggressively pursued Drake Maye. Both made strong trade offers for the Patriots’ No. 3 overall pick. Minnesota offered its Nos. 11 and 23 picks, along with its 2025 first-rounder. That rivaled the Giants’ proposal (Nos. 6 and 47, along with a 2025 first). In addition to the Vikes’ first-round choices included in the offer, they and the Pats would have swapped Day 3 picks in the deal, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Though, the third-day component in this offer brought Minnesota-favored terms, Breer adds. The Pats held onto the pick and chose Maye, which certainly looks like a wise decision. The Vikings moved up one spot to No. 10 for J.J. McCarthy, passing on Bo Nix. The jury is still out on McCarthy’s NFL trajectory.
Vikings Activate RB Aaron Jones From IR
The Vikings are now halfway through their injury activations for the regular season. The fourth is being used on a quick activation. Aaron Jones is back on Minnesota’s active roster two days after being designated for return.
This certainly reveals the team’s confidence in its highest-paid running back, who will come off IR in time for tonight’s Vikings-Chargers matchup. The Vikings waived linebacker Kobe King to clear roster space. They are also making guard Henry Byrd a gameday elevation.
Minnesota used two of its injury activations this summer, taking advantage of the NFL’s 2024 rule change that allows for up to two IR-return slots to be used to preserve roster spots on cutdown day. Those went to fullback C.J. Ham and linebacker Tyler Batty. The team also activated linebacker Blake Cashman off IR. Jones, though, profiles as the most significant of Minnesota’s early-season IR-return moves.
Thursday’s move marks the second time Jones, who is coming off a hamstring injury sustained in Week 2, has been activated from IR. The Packers did so in 2023 and proceeded to watch him finish the season with five straight 100-yard rushing efforts. Jones is now 30, and trade pickup Jordan Mason has been the Vikings’ lead back this season. It will be interesting to see how Minnesota reintegrates Jones, who delivered a strong season in his Twin Cities debut.
On a one-year, $7MM deal in 2024, Jones posted a career-high 1,138 rushing yards and scored five touchdowns on the ground. The Vikings gave him a two-year, $20MM contract to re-sign, though they traded for Mason days later. Mason has played well in Jones’ absence, totaling 380 yards (4.5 per tote) and four rushing TDs. The duo will work in tandem again beginning tonight in Los Angeles, which will feature another Carson Wentz start. The team has still deemed J.J. McCarthy unready to return from a Week 2 high ankle sprain.
Only a one-time Pro Bowler despite having four 1,000-yard seasons on his resume and remaining a productive starting back into his early 30s, Jones has a chance to reestablish the momentum he did in Year 1 with Kevin O’Connell. A strong second half would give the ninth-year veteran a chance to stick in Minnesota for a third year.
The Vikings will see $2MM of Jones’ $9MM 2026 base salary become guaranteed on Day 3 of the ’26 league year. Jones may not be able to afford another injury absence, as that $9MM number — coupled with Mason’s more affordable deal and far lower mileage — makes the vet a cut candidate. For now, Jones will attempt to play a key role in the Vikings booking their third O’Connell-era playoff berth.