Chiefs Activate RB Isiah Pacheco, DE Charles Omenihu
NOVEMBER 28: To no surprise, Pacheco and Omenihu will be back in the fold tomorrow. Both players have officially been activated, per a team announcement. Kansas City still has plenty of flexibility with respect to future IR activations over the closing weeks of the campaign.
NOVEMBER 27: One game up on the Bills but lacking the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Chiefs have some work to do in their pursuit of earning home-field advantage for a fourth time in the Patrick Mahomes QB1 era. They look set to have some reinforcements coming soon.
Respectively in the IR- and PUP-return windows, Isiah Pacheco and Charles Omenihu are expected to play Friday against the Raiders, Andy Reid said (via ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher). The Chiefs are in good shape for injury activations, and since Omenihu is coming off the PUP list, he will not count toward the eight-activation total. Pacheco coming back will still leave Kansas City with six such moves available.
Pacheco has been out since Week 2, suffering a fractured fibula, while Omenihu has not played since going down with a torn ACL in last season’s AFC championship game. The Chiefs opened both contributors’ practice windows November 13. While this would have given the duo another week to return before re-emerging on the active roster, the team is prepared to deploy both against the Raiders.
Pacheco’s comeback represents a more important development, as the Chiefs have turned to retread Kareem Hunt in his place. A former seventh-round pick, Pacheco underwent surgery but had been a candidate to come back in late November. His return will check in within that timeframe and provide the Chiefs with the option of either turning back to Pacheco in a full-time role or forming a committee with Hunt — reacquired in the wake of Pacheco’s injury — down the stretch. Hunt leads the Chiefs with 577 rushing yards, though he is averaging just 3.7 per carry and ranks last in rush yards over expected (minus-74), per Next Gen Stats.
Quickly usurping Clyde Edwards-Helaire as Kansas City’s top back in 2022, Pacheco will have a chance to make a push for a second contract in the coming weeks. The Chiefs have Pacheco — a two-time 800-plus-yard rusher, combining for 12 rushing TDs from 2022-23 — signed through the 2025 season, but the Rutgers alum becomes extension-eligible in January. The Chiefs have not signed off on a notable RB contract since Jamaal Charles‘ two-year, $18MM extension in 2014, though they were believed to have pursued Josh Jacobs this offseason. Pacheco will bring an eventual decision for the AFC power, having provided tremendous value from his No. 251 overall draft slot.
Attached to a three-year, $24MM deal, Omenihu has started the past two seasons late. The Chiefs signed the defensive end with the expectation he would be suspended for a domestic violence arrest, and Omenihu made an impact during an abbreviated first season in Kansas City. He registered a career-high seven sacks last season, adding another in the Baltimore matchup before the ACL tear. No Chief has more than four sacks thus far this season, with George Karlaftis leading way (four) on a Chris Jones-centered D-line. Offseason re-signing Michael Danna continues to start at Kansas City’s other D-end spot, but Omenihu stands to provide a potentially impactful rotational presence alongside trade addition Josh Uche.
Giants To Start Drew Lock In Week 13
NOVEMBER 28: Raanan and colleague Adam Schefter report DeVito is expected to be out today, leaving Lock in position to start. Depending on how his pregame warm-up goes, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes DeVito could serve as New York’s backup or emergency third quarterback. With hours remaining until kickoff, though, today’s updates point further toward Lock getting the nod.
NOVEMBER 27: Although Brian Daboll declared Tommy DeVito would remain the Giants’ starter for their Week 13 Thanksgiving matchup in Dallas, the popular New York passer has run into injury trouble.
DeVito is not traveling with the Giants to Dallas today, the team announced. A forearm injury has required more testing, with NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo noting the team’s current QB1 is on track to depart for Dallas later today. But DeVito may ultimately end up taking a seat.
It looks like a long shot DeVito will be ready to play on a short week, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan tweets. That will move Drew Lock into the lineup. Lock had been Daniel Jones‘ backup all season, only to see Daboll look past him for DeVito in Week 12. Lock, who is tied to a one-year contract, is now on track to make his first start with the Giants. Tim Boyle, signed shortly after the Giants benched Jones, would be Lock’s backup if DeVito is inactive.
DeVito did not appear on the Giants’ injury report going into Tuesday but has since been listed as questionable for the team’s Cowboys rematch. The injury is to DeVito’s right arm, Daboll said (via SNY’s Connor Hughes), raising the hurdle for the 2023 UDFA to clear in time for Thursday. Multiple Giants reporters, Hughes among them, have speculated DeVito sustained the injury on a play with 11 seconds remaining in the Giants’ 30-7 loss to the Buccaneers.
Lock signed a one-year, $5MM deal with the Giants in March. While Seahawks GM John Schneider suggested the move was based largely on Lock receiving a chance to compete with Jones, that never ended up happening. The team did not hold a competition, and Lock settled into a backup role for the fourth straight season. A Broncos starter to close the 2019 season and throughout 2020, Lock ended up demoted — for Teddy Bridgewater — after an erratic 2020 slate in which he led the NFL in INTs. He did not beat out Geno Smith in 2022, upon being included in the Russell Wilson trade, through he did re-sign with the Seahawks last year.
DeVito leads Lock in starts over the past two seasons, making seven to Lock’s two, but the latter has 23 over the course of his career. The former second-round pick also led the Seahawks to a Monday-night win over the Eagles last season, with that victory coming as Philadelphia’s defense was mid-freefall. Lock can boost his 2025 free agency stock by playing well Thursday, in what is regularly the NFL’s most-watched regular-season game, and could certainly influence Daboll to give him more starts to close this season.
As Jones has since signed with the Vikings, DeVito and Lock may well need to offer competence in order for Daboll to keep his job. The Giants are rumored to be prepared to keep both GM Joe Schoen and Daboll, but an ugly Bucs loss coming out of a bye week did not present good optics. With the Jones re-signing backfiring, neither New York power broker should be too comfortable over this season’s homestretch.
Vikings Sign QB Daniel Jones
Rumored early as a Daniel Jones suitor, the Vikings are indeed making the move. The six-year Giants starter is set to land in Minnesota, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports.
Ten-plus teams were connected to Jones, though money was not believed to be a factor. His first rebound spot will emerge in the Twin Cities, where he will step in as Sam Darnold‘s backup. Jones is expected to sign for the prorated veteran minimum, per ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. That amount will provide a small offset for the Giants, who are eating eight figures in 2024 guarantees from their release and Jones then clearing waivers.
Although Jones will be positioned to back up Darnold, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Cameron Wolfe note this will first be a practice squad agreement. The Vikings would have the option to elevate Jones three times, but given his experience, it would surprise if the former Eli Manning successor is on Minnesota’s taxi squad for too long. That $375K number from the Vikings will cover Jones once he is on the active roster, though veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson indicates the sides are still finalizing compensation — perhaps a bump from a standard practice squad salary for the near term.
This contract’s active-roster salary will indeed be just $375K, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, who confirms this is the expected one-year agreement. Jones could still technically bolt Minnesota’s practice squad if another opportunity — via an injury — opens up in the near future. Teams attempted to poach Joe Flacco from Cleveland’s P-squad last year, but with plenty of interest coming in for Jones already, it would surprise if he left the team he carefully selected in order to learn a new playbook elsewhere.
Jones, 27, enjoyed his finest hour as a pro at U.S. Bank Stadium, piloting the Giants to a wild-card upset to eliminate a 13-4 Vikings team in Kevin O’Connell‘s first season. O’Connell, however, has shown an ability to coax quality play from quarterbacks. Darnold’s bounce-back season has most recently revealed this, and Schultz adds Jones wanted to end up in a QB-friendly system with a coaching staff capable of generating the best from passers.
While Baker Mayfield ended up in Sean McVay‘s QB-friendly system via waiver claim, Jones having $13.81MM in remaining 2024 salary made that route a non-starter for teams. This situation resembles Mayfield’s in terms of a fit, with Jones likely hoping he can use a Vikings stay as a springboard to a 2025 starter opportunity. Contractually, this reminds of Russell Wilson‘s Steelers signing. Wilson’s Denver deal covered him, and after he visited the Giants, the 13th-year veteran landed in Pittsburgh for the veteran minimum.
Jones, whose comeback from ACL surgery began with a Vikings matchup in Week 1, will join a Minnesota team that has two backup QBs on its active roster. Nick Mullens is Darnold’s backup, while late-summer addition Brett Rypien sits as the team’s emergency option. It looks like Rypien’s roster spot will be threatened by the Wednesday agreement.
The Vikings joined nearly a dozen teams in being connected to Jones. The Ravens, Lions, Dolphins, 49ers and Raiders were among the closely tied teams. Jones was believed to have preferred a contending team, and despite the Raiders losing Gardner Minshew on Sunday (thus opening a potential starting role), the free agent was believed to have ruled out Las Vegas. Dan Campbell said Tuesday (via DetroitFootball.net’s Justin Rogers) the Lions had not engaged in serious internal discussions on the newly available QB, praising Hendon Hooker‘s development behind Jared Goff. While some in the league viewed the 49ers as a viable Jones destination, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, he will instead join a 9-2 Vikings team on its way to a second playoff berth under O’Connell.
The Giants benched Jones after he was unable to position this year’s team among the NFC’s contender contingent. For the season, Jones ranks 28th in QBR (Darnold is 14th) and threw eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions in 10 starts. Jones also averaged only 6.1 yards per attempt — 33rd this season — and has never ended a season north of 7.0. The Giants still gave the scrutinized starter six seasons to prove himself, representing a much longer runway than Jones’ performance warranted. Big Blue has turned to Tommy DeVito, though it would not surprise to see UFA addition Drew Lock see time as well. Jones now will get to work developing in O’Connell’s offense.
Both Jones and Darnold are due for free agency in 2025, still clearing the runway for J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota’s first-round pick has undergone a second surgery on his injured meniscus but remains on schedule to be ready for the 2025 season. The Vikings are fine with Darnold pricing himself out of town next year, Graziano adds, as it will mean a successful season for the team. Jones could also provide potential cover and a McCarthy insurance option beyond 2024, though it would stand to reason the former No. 6 overall pick’s primary aim will be to land somewhere with a chance to start next year.
O’Connell saw his 2022 team’s defense struggle to contain Jones twice. The then-fourth-year quarterback played well in a narrow loss to the Vikings in Week 16 that season then return to Minneapolis to deliver a versatile effort to propel the Giants to the divisional round. In that first-round playoff tilt, Jones was 24 of 35 for 301 yards through the air — despite the Giants not having much of note in terms of pass-catching help at the time — and offered a 17-carry, 78-yard rushing performance. That keyed a 31-24 upset win, one that brought long-term repercussions for the Giants.
Prioritizing Jones over Saquon Barkley due to positional value, GM Joe Schoen authorized a four-year, $160MM deal that included $81MM guaranteed at signing. The latter figure will be paid out this year, but the Giants will eat $22.2MM in 2025 dead money due to prorated signing bonus money. Jones did not remotely justify the contract on the field, playing poorly — albeit behind an injury-riddled offensive line — before suffering an ACL tear last season and not rebounding at the level the Giants hoped this year. As the Giants’ effort to land Drake Maye as a Jones replacement failed, Barkley has become an MVP candidate with Philadelphia.
Darnold and Jones will be two of the top free agent QBs available come March, though the Vikings will now hold exclusive negotiating rights with both until the legal tampering period begins March 10. Should Darnold suffer an injury or see his play decline significantly, the Vikings now would have Jones to deploy rather than Mullens, who was among the three QBs to make a Minnesota start last year after Kirk Cousins‘ Achilles tear.
As Jones hopes a stay in a strong offensive system can boost his long-term value, the Vikings have a much better QB2 option as they assemble their pieces for a potential playoff run this season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/27/24
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad moves:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OL Calvin Throckmorton
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Nick Muse
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Kyle Philips
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Cameron Erving
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from practice squad IR: RB George Holani
The Vikings used an injury activation on Muse but waived him Tuesday. This will at least keep a player they prioritized via the activation around. A 2022 seventh-round pick, Muse played in 10 games as a Vikings rookie but just five over the past two seasons.
Also waived Tuesday, Throckmorton will end up sticking around as one of the many ex-Saints players and coaches on Sean Payton‘s second Broncos roster. The veteran backup O-lineman joins ex-New Orleans starter Kwon Alexander and 2023 Saints draftee A.T. Perry on Denver’s practice squad, with the likes of Wil Lutz, Adam Trautman, Malcolm Roach, Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Lucas Krull comprising the contingent of former Saints on the Broncos’ 53-man roster.
Chargers Claim S Marcus Maye
Marcus Maye will join a fourth NFL team, not reaching free agency after the Dolphins waived him. The veteran safety is on his way to Los Angeles.
The former Jets, Saints and Dolphins defender did not make it past the Chargers on the waiver wire, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. Maye is due just more than $400K over the season’s remainder. To make room for Maye on the roster, Pelissero notes the Bolts placed Eli Apple on IR.
Miami became the second franchise to cut Maye this year, following New Orleans, who used Maye’s deal as help toward cap compliance during an annual journey for the NFC South club. Maye played 11 games for the Dolphins. This has marked the first year the former second-round pick has not been a regular starter, but Miami used him on 293 defensive plays. Pro Football Focus graded Maye as having bounced back from a down 2023, slotting him 21st among safeties this season.
Maye’s stock soared in 2021, as the Jets — after trading Jamal Adams months earlier — franchise-tagged him. It has not reached that level since. An Achilles tear and DUI arrest plagued Maye during his final months as a Jet. New York let Maye walk in 2022, and New Orleans signed off on a three-year, $22.5MM deal. Maye, 31, did not live up to that pact; most notably, he missed 10 games in 2023 due to injury and a suspension. The Dolphins used Maye as a third safety alongside Jevon Holland and Jordan Poyer this season.
Wednesday’s claim does mark an interesting bounce-back effort for Maye, as other veteran safeties recently cut — Adams, Eddie Jackson — have not found new homes yet. Maye will join a Chargers team that employs the NFL’s second-highest-paid safety (Derwin James) along with recently re-signed sidekick Alohi Gilman. The latter missed practice Wednesday. Trade pickup Elijah Molden also plays a regular role in the Bolts’ secondary, potentially making Maye an overqualified insurance option.
Maye has started 80 of the 88 career games he has played. He will now step into a high-end defense, with Jesse Minter elevating the unit from 24th in points allowed in 2023 to first through 11 games this season. This represents an interesting opportunity for Maye, who figures to play an auxiliary role for a playoff contender. Apple played in four Chargers games, seeing action on 47 defensive plays.
Browns Claim James Houston, Cam Thomas
Less than a month after the Browns traded Za’Darius Smith to the Lions, the AFC North team will pick up a player Detroit discarded following that swap.
Waived Tuesday, James Houston is heading to Cleveland. The Browns submitted a successful waiver claim for the third-year edge rusher, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Houston is controllable through 2025 via restricted free agency.
Busy today on the wire, the Browns made another claim for a pass rusher. Cleveland added defensive end Cameron Thomas after Kansas City cut him (to make room for D.J. Humphries), cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot adds. The Browns waived defensive end Elerson Smith to clear a roster spot for Thomas.
Neither Houston nor Thomas has produced much of consequence over the past two seasons. Houston has tallied one sack in that span; Thomas has not recorded any. This will be Thomas’ third team this year, as the Chiefs acquired the former third-round pick from the Cardinals in a trade just before the season. With Alex Wright on IR, this duo will join Ogbo Okoronkwo among the Browns’ pack of supplementary edge rushers.
Most notably on this action-packed afternoon for potential Myles Garrett sidekicks, Houston has a prolific stretch on his NFL resume. The former Lions sixth-round pick did not debut until Thanksgiving Day during his rookie year. From that week on, he racked up eight sacks to show considerable promise. Houston notched two sacks against the Bills and three against the Bears during that torrid run, but he has been unable to sustain it — or really anything close — in the time since.
Houston only saw action in two games last season, going down in Week 2 of last season and not returning to action until the NFC championship game. The Jackson State product suffered a broken fibula that blunted his momentum, and while he did play a rotational role in the NFC decider, he played only 116 snaps this season. Houston does have a sack this year, but he has only two QB hits. The Lions now have Smith in place of Aidan Hutchinson leading their pass rush, with Josh Paschal also back from a midseason absence. Despite Marcus Davenport also being down for the season due to injury, the Lions did not have room to keep Houston around.
The Chiefs had been without Charles Omenihu all season, but the veteran edge player is coming back from an ACL tear this week. Thomas, who also saw the defending champs trade for Josh Uche at the deadline, played all of six defensive snaps this season. The former Steve Keim third-round pick notched three sacks as a rookie but fell out of favor in Jonthan Gannon‘s scheme, being traded despite the Cardinals losing BJ Ojulari for the season in August. Thomas remains attached to his third-round rookie deal, however; that contract runs through 2025.
Cowboys Activate WR Brandin Cooks From IR
After a week back at practice, Brandin Cooks is ready to go. The Cowboys will have the veteran wide receiver for their Thanksgiving Day game.
The team activated Cooks from IR on Wednesday. Cooks will certainly return to a team with a different outlook, as he has been out since Week 4. The Cowboys are now 4-7 and teetering on the brink of falling out of even fringe contention this season.
This is the second year of Cooks’ reworked Cowboys deal; he is due for free agency in 2025. Traded an NFL-record-tying four times, Cooks has never hit the market. The Saints (2017), Patriots (2018), Rams (2020) and Texans (2023) have traded him, with the returns lowering as the 2014 first-round pick has moved into the latter part of his career. Cooks, 31, can attempt to create a decent market for himself with a nice finish.
The 11th-year pass catcher will not be working with Dak Prescott, as he had in every other game in his Cowboys career. Cooper Rush is currently taking the snaps, with Trey Lance set for situational work. Prescott is out for the season after undergoing hamstring surgery.
Following Brandon Marshall in tallying 1,000-yard seasons for four different teams, Cooks did not run that number to five last season. He did serve as the Cowboys’ No. 2 wideout, accumulating 657 yards and eight touchdowns — his most since 2016 — in 16 games last season. Dallas has seen third-year player Jalen Tolbert (37 receptions, 410 yards, four TDs) become a regularly used contributor since Cooks’ injury, but a sizable gulf still exists between CeeDee Lamb and everyone else in Dallas’ passing attack.
The Cowboys also announced they placed tackle Asim Richards and cornerback Caelen Carson on IR. Carson, a rookie fifth-round pick, played a regular role for a stretch this season, seeing 252 defensive snaps in five games. A 2023 fifth-rounder, Richards played 128 snaps on offense this season. He made one start. Both players could return after four missed games, but the Cowboys have four injury activations remaining. One may still go to DeMarcus Lawrence, who joins Cooks in being out since the Cowboys’ first Giants matchup.
Seahawks Place G Anthony Bradford On IR, Designate T Stone Forsythe For Return
The Seahawks have officially designated Uchenna Nwosu for return from IR, as Mike Macdonald indicated would happen. They have also designated tackle Stone Forsythe for return from IR, The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar tweets.
With the Seahawks missing Abraham Lucas and George Fant for most of the season’s first half, Forsythe logged five starts before going down with a hand injury. Lucas has since return after a long rehab effort, which would make Forsythe a backup once he is activated. Fant is amid a second IR stint.
While the Seahawks could soon have some tackle depth back, they will be down a starting guard. Anthony Bradford sustained an ankle injury during Seattle’s win over Arizona and is heading to IR. Playing opposite free agency addition Laken Tomlinson, Bradford has started every game for the Seahawks this season. Week 13 will be the first game either of Seattle’s starting guards misses. Bradford suffered a “pretty severe” high ankle sprain, Macdonald said (via Dugar). The Seahawks hope he can come back after the required four-week absence period.
Bradford won the right guard job out of training camp, keeping a place in the starting lineup after the Seahawks moved on from both their 2023 guard starters (Damien Lewis, Phil Haynes). Bradford spent much of last season filling in for Haynes, who has not resurfaced since his Seahawks contract expired, while Lewis manned the LG job. Lewis defected to the Panthers on an eight-figure-per-year deal, and the Seahawks kept cost low by signing Tomlinson to a veteran-minimum deal. Bradford remains tied to a rookie contract.
A 2023 fourth-round pick, Bradford has struggled in moving to full-time duty this year. Pro Football Focus rates the LSU alum as the NFL’s fourth-worst guard among regulars in 2024. ESPN’s run block win rate metric ranks the Seahawks in the bottom five. Another Haynes, third-rounder Christian, is set to replace Bradford, who appeared on the Seattle sideline in a walking boot and using crutches. Despite not starting any games, Christian Haynes has logged 164 offensive snaps.
Nwosu and Forsythe being activated would leave the Seahawks with three such moves remaining during the regular season. The team also moved linebacker Patrick O’Connell to the active roster.
2024 NFL Dead Money, By Team
The Giants making the decision to waive Daniel Jones, rather than keep him around ahead of a potential 2025 post-June 1 cut designation, changed their dead money outlook for this year and next. Here is how their new total fits in with the rest of the teams’ numbers for dead money — cap space allocated to players no longer on the roster — entering the final third of the regular season. Numbers courtesy of OverTheCap.
- Denver Broncos: $85.21MM
- New York Giants: $79.57MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $69.83MM
- Buffalo Bills: $68.47MM
- Carolina Panthers: $68.28MM
- Green Bay Packers: $65.53MM
- Tennessee Titans: $62.89MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $61.95MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $60.64MM
- New Orleans Saints: $59.44MM
- New York Jets: $59.24MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $58.62MM
- New England Patriots: $53.37MM
- Miami Dolphins: $52.28MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $52MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $51.2MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $49.37MM
- Washington Commanders: $42.81MM
- Houston Texans: $39.28MM
- Cleveland Browns: $38.79MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $34.63MM
- Detroit Lions: $33.71MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $30.18MM
- Chicago Bears: $29.65MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $29.35MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $26.91MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $26.79MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $21.35MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $12.65MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $11.8MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $11.55MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $9.11MM
The Jones release moved more than $13MM of dead cap onto the Giants’ 2024 payroll. More significantly, the Giants granting Jones an early exit — after a contract-driven benching — will prevent the team from designating him a post-June 1 cut next year. The Giants will take on $22.2MM in dead money in 2025, rather than being able to split that bill over two offseasons. The team also took on more than $10MM in dead money this year due to the 2023 Leonard Williams trade.
This year’s most egregious dead money offender has been known for months. The Broncos’ contract-driven Russell Wilson benching last year preceded a historic release, which saddled the team with more than $83MM in total dead money. A small cap credit is set to come in 2025 (via Wilson’s veteran-minimum Pittsburgh pact), but for this year, $53MM in dead cap hit Denver’s payroll as a result of the the quarterback’s release.
The Broncos more than doubled the previous single-player dead money record, which the Falcons held ($40.5MM) for trading Matt Ryan), and they will be on the hook for the final $30MM-plus in 2025. Beyond Wilson, no other ex-Bronco counts more than $7.5MM in dead money. In terms of total dead cap, however, the Broncos barely check in north of the Buccaneers and Rams’ 2023 totals. Denver is trying to follow those teams’ lead in rallying back to make the playoffs despite nearly a third of its 2024 payroll tied up in dead cap.
Twenty-two players represent dead money for the Saints, who have seen their total updated since the Marshon Lattimore trade. Rather than restructure-crazed GM Mickey Loomis using the Lattimore contract once again to create cap space next year, the Saints will take on the highest non-QB dead money hit in NFL history. Lattimore counts $14MM in that category this year before the contract shifts to a whopping $31.66MM in dead cap on New Orleans’ 2025 payroll. Considering the Saints are again in their own sector for cap trouble next year ($62MM-plus over), the Lattimore trade will create some issues as the team attempts to rebound post-Dennis Allen.
Two 2023 restructures ballooned the Vikings’ figure toward $70MM. Void years on Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter‘s deals combined for more than $43MM in dead money. Minnesota also ate nearly $7MM from the void years on Marcus Davenport‘s one-year contract, while the release of 2022 first-rounder Lewis Cine (currently on the Bills’ practice squad) accounted for more than $5MM.
Free from the Tom Brady dead money that comprised a chunk of their 2023 cap, the Bucs still have eight-figure hits from the Carlton Davis trade and Mike Evans‘ previous contract voiding not long before the sides agreed on a new deal. Elsewhere in the NFC South, three of the players given multiyear deals in 2023 — Vonn Bell, Hayden Hurst, Bradley Bozeman — being moved off the roster in GM Dan Morgan‘s first offseason represent nearly half of Carolina’s dead cap.
Jets’ Tyron Smith Likely Heading To IR?
Injuries continued to intervene during Tyron Smith‘s lengthy second Cowboys contract, playing a central role in why he remained attached to an eight-year deal over its duration. While the accomplished left tackle has been generally available for the Jets, that appears likely to change soon.
Interim Jets HC Jeff Ulbrich said Smith’s neck injury is not healing like the team hoped, calling him (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) “definitely becoming” an IR candidate. Smith has missed only one game this season, marking a better attendance rate than he usually produces. With the Jets disappointing this season, it would make sense if Smith was ultimately shelved.
Smith, 33, went down during the Jets’ Week 10 loss to the Cardinals and missed their Week 11 contest. The former Cowboys staple has missed 49 games since the start of the 2016 season. IR stays have not been too common for Smith, who has fought through nagging injuries for the most part. That said, Smith did miss most of the 2020 and ’22 seasons. The first of those extended IR stints came about because of a neck injury.
After playing two games for the Cowboys in 2020, Smith ended up needing neck surgery. He did return in time for the 2021 slate, a Pro Bowl season, and also bounced back from his 2022 hamstring injury to earn second-team All-Pro acclaim last season. But Smith has run into steady trouble on the injury front, affecting his value on this year’s market.
Then-Jets GM Joe Douglas was surprised Smith accepted a one-year, $6.5MM offer to become New York’s left tackle. He has excelled in the run game with New York, rating first in pass block win rate. He has also been charged with five sacks allowed during his 14th NFL season. With the Jets set to reboot (most likely without Aaron Rodgers) in 2025, it would appear Smith will also need to look for a new home.
As Smith moves closer to another free agency run, an IR stay would stand to hurt both his present and future values. Due to the injury past, the Jets designed a contract based largely on playing time-based incentives. Smith has cleared the first hurdle here (a 38% offensive snap share) and has done well to earn $1MM escalators for hitting the 44% and 50% snap thresholds this season. Smith can earn $1MM more by reaching the 56%, 62%, 68%, 74%, 80%, 86% and 92% benchmarks. An IR stay would restrict him from entering the upper reaches of this tiered structure while also likely giving 2025 suitors pause.
The 2011 first-round pick is likely on his way to the Hall of Fame, but the run of injuries also could prompt him to consider walking away a bit sooner than expected. Before this year’s incentives are factored in, Smith has earned more than $131MM during his career.