Bengals To Give Amarius Mims ‘Every Opportunity’ To Beat Out Trent Brown At RT
The last of this year’s draftees to sign his rookie contract, Amarius Mims now finds himself in what may be the largest position battle in NFL history. It is certainly on the short list. The 6-foot-8, 340-pound rookie is set to challenge a 6-8, 370-pound veteran to round out the Bengals’ offensive line.
Cincinnati signed Trent Brown as a stopgap of sorts but soon addressed the position with its first-round pick, adding Mims in an upside-based bet at No. 18. The Bengals taking advantage of a tackle-rich draft has given them an interesting situation at right tackle, with the depth chart forming shortly after Jonah Williams — a converted left tackle — joined the Cardinals in free agency.
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Brown signed shortly after Williams’ defection, but Mims appears to be on near-equal footing with the recent Patriots starter. The Bengals will give the Georgia product “every opportunity” to overtake Brown, The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. writes (subscription required). Although Mims’ minimal college starter experience makes him a reasonable candidate as a developmental option behind Brown, it is notable the Bengals do not view their RT situation that way.
Mims made all of eight college starts in three Georgia seasons, showing immense potential when on the field. The SEC product battled injuries in college; the ankle injury he sustained last season required tightrope surgery and left him sidelined for much of the campaign, threatening to hurt his draft stock. Mims made his first starts during the 2022 College Football Playoff before logging six starts at right tackle in 2023. That is an interesting profile for a player chosen 18th overall, but the young blocker showcased tremendous potential during the draft run-up.
The Bengals gave Brown a one-year, $4.75MM deal a few days into free agency; that contract included $2MM guaranteed at signing. Brown, 31, carries significant injury risk and was at odds with the Patriots at points last season; some in New England viewed the mammoth tackle as protecting his stock for free agency rather than returning as quickly as he could have. Ankle and knee trouble limited Brown to 11 games last season, marking the fifth time in six seasons he has missed at least five games in a single campaign. That limited Brown’s market, and with the 10th-year lineman starting camp on the active/NFI list, the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway notes Mims will receive the bulk of the first-string reps.
Cincy saw its 2022 plan at right tackle fizzle when La’el Collins underwhelmed before ACL and MCL tears, leading to the Orlando Brown Jr. signing and Collins’ eventual release. Williams’ free agency exit, as big money went to a Tee Higgins franchise tag, opens the door for an interesting two-deep.
With Mims already in competition, Trent Brown shifting to a swing role — one Dehner notes is the better fit for the former Super Bowl starter at this point — may be on tap early in the season. Upon returning from the NFI list, Cincy’s older RT option will have work to do to book a 10th season as a starter.
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk Begins Hold-In
Brandon Aiyuk‘s 49ers impasse has veered closer to the arc Deebo Samuel‘s traversed two years ago. The younger San Francisco receiver standout has now requested a trade and begun a hold-in effort, mirroring where Samuel’s saga went in 2022.
The fifth-year wideout stood on the sideline and watched practice Wednesday, according to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows. John Lynch had said he expected everyone to practice, pointing to the Aiyuk matter taking this logical next step. Samuel held in for a few days two years ago but landed an extension. Aiyuk’s talks have continued to reveal a value gap, with his trade request emerging much later in the offseason compared to Samuel’s.
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But the 49ers’ leading wide receiver from last season is at training camp, avoiding fines. Since the 2020 CBA made holdouts harder to stage, players have gotten around that language by showing up and not participating. The 49ers have now seen Samuel and Aiyuk hold in and Nick Bosa stage a true holdout, one that did not end until days before last season began.
Samuel signed his three-year, $71.55MM extension on July 31, 2022. Both he and D.K. Metcalf held in that year, with each seeing three-year deals to wrap those short periods. Aiyuk, 26, has been tied to wanting far more. The 49ers have identified a $26-$27MM-per-year price range, and Aiyuk has been tied to wanting a deal at or around $30MM and guarantees that come in around A.J. Brown‘s $84MM. Extension talks, which have produced more rumors compared to Samuel’s two years ago, have not progressed despite having begun months ago.
The 49ers having come to terms with Samuel and Bosa after stretches of non-participation in camp provides a roadmap to an Aiyuk resolution, and the 2023 team’s leading receiver being at camp does as well. The 49ers have repeatedly said Aiyuk, who is tied to a $14.12MM fifth-year option, is in their 2024 plans.
Aiyuk signing an extension would move Samuel to uncertain territory, with the prospect of the elder wideout — who is heading into his age-28 season — being moved to the trade block to accommodate an Aiyuk deal and a Brock Purdy extension in 2025 having been rumored at points this offseason. Ricky Pearsall, who briefly played with Aiyuk at Arizona State, appears in place as a long-term successor to either Aiyuk or Samuel.
Although the 49ers listened on Aiyuk and Samuel during the draft, they are attempting to run it back with the receiving duo they assembled four years ago. Aiyuk can use the prospect of a 2025 franchise tag against the 49ers, who are projected to be nearly $40MM over the 2025 salary ceiling. He has indicated an expectation of playing for the 49ers this season. It may be a bit before Aiyuk goes through drills and team work, and how this latest WR negotiation concludes will have long-term implications for the franchise.
Colts Not Planning Ryan Kelly Extension Before Season
Going through a retention-heavy offseason, Chris Ballard showed a willingness to hand out third contracts to longtime Colts. Kenny Moore and Grover Stewart signed third contracts as Colts, each receiving raises from their initial extensions. This is not a uniform policy, however, and the Colts appear set to let their longest-tenured player enter a platform year with an uncertain future.
Predating the eighth-year GM’s arrival, Ryan Kelly has been in place as Indianapolis’ center since 2016. The former first-round pick has lobbied for a second extension to stay in Indianapolis, but he has not seen the team share his interest. No deal has come about, and Kelly said Wednesday the team rebuffed his effort to secure a third contract.
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“We made it known that we wanted to stay, that we wanted to have an extension, and they didn’t see it as part of their priorities,” Kelly said, via ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder. “From our standpoint, the Colts have basically made it pretty clear that they don’t want to do any early extension.”
The Colts did give Kelly his current contract — a four-year, $49.65MM deal — before the 2020 season, giving the Ryan Grigson-era draftee long-term security as the league’s highest-paid center. While Kelly’s contract no longer tops his position, the center market has not spiked like other positions have.
Nearly four years after Kelly’s extension was finalized, he remains the NFL’s third-highest-paid center. The Colts will run the risk of losing their Pro Bowl pivot — a reality the team explored early during the transition to Shane Steichen, when Kelly was dangled in trades — this offseason did show the team can retain talent when contracts expire.
Moore, Stewart, Tyquan Lewis and Julian Blackmon each re-signed after the legal tampering period began. The Colts previously hammered out big-ticket deals for the likes of Kelly, Quenton Nelson, Braden Smith, Jonathan Taylor and Shaquille Leonard months before they played a down in a contract year. Kelly, 31, may well need to show quality form once again to earn a third contract from the team.
The Alabama alum has made four of the past five Pro Bowls, earning an alternate nod last season. Pro Football Focus rated Kelly eighth among centers last season, while pass block win rate slotted him 20th among all interior O-linemen. The Colts did draft Tanor Bortolini as a potential successor, however, choosing the Wisconsin product in Round 4. Kelly has missed more than four games in a season just once — in 2017 — but he suffered two concussions last year. Kelly said in January he was not considering retirement.
Should Kelly stay healthy, he would stand to have a decent market in 2025. Based on how the Colts proceeded this offseason, they should not be ruled out from circling back to contract talks. For now, though, Kelly does not have assurances he will be back in Indiana next season.
Broncos, Quinn Meinerz Agree On Extension
JULY 24: The base value of Meinerz’s deal will leave the NFL’s $20MM-per-year guard count at four. This contract checks in at four years and $72MM, according to OverTheCap. Of Meinerz’s $45MM guarantee, $24MM is locked in at signing. Incentives cover $8MM in this deal, which could take it to $80MM if maxed out.
The improving guard secured a rolling guarantee structure for 2026 as well. If Meinerz is on Denver’s roster by Day 5 of the 2025 league year, his 2026 base salary ($14.86MM) becomes guaranteed. Meinerz’s 2024 and ’25 base salaries are guaranteed at signing. If Meinerz is on the Broncos’ roster by Day 5 of the 2027 league year, $6.14MM of his 2027 base ($17.49MM) will become guaranteed.
JULY 16: Already carrying three veteran contracts on their offensive line, the Broncos are adding a fourth. Quinn Meinerz is now Denver’s highest-paid blocker, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reporting the team’s ascending right guard has an extension in place.
The former third-round pick agreed to a four-year deal worth $80MM; $45MM will be guaranteed to the Division III product. Meinerz, who has become one of the NFL’s better guards over the past two seasons, is now signed through the 2028 season. This eclipses Garett Bolles‘ deal for the most lucrative pact handed to an O-lineman in Broncos history.
Earlier this offseason, we mentioned Meinerz as an extension candidate. The Broncos will have some more breathing room beginning in 2026, when the Russell Wilson dead money is off the books, and Meinerz will be paired with Bo Nix‘s rookie contract. While right tackle Mike McGlinchey is locked in through at least 2025, Bolles is playing on an expiring contract. Left guard Ben Powers‘ four-year deal also pays out its guarantees this season. Meinerz now sits as the top investment along Denver’s O-line, becoming the NFL’s fifth $20MM-per-year guard.
Meinerz’s deal follows Quenton Nelson, Chris Lindstrom, Landon Dickerson and Robert Hunt in the $20MM-AAV club at this increasingly valuable position. This contract matches the Hunt and Nelson deals for AAV; Dickerson remains the NFL’s highest-paid guard. Although Meinerz has yet to be selected for a Pro Bowl, the interior mauler — known at one point for his “The Belly” alias — has been one of the top-rated guards over the past two seasons.
While GM George Paton made some memorably bad decisions in 2022 — the Wilson trade/extension, the Nathaniel Hackett hire — his 2021 draft class has panned out thus far to help keep the team afloat. Meinerz joins Patrick Surtain as the anchors from that group, though the Broncos have a few other contributors from Paton’s first offering as a GM. Pro Football Focus graded Meinerz as a top-five guard in 2022 and slotted him third among guards last season. The advanced metrics site placed Meinerz, 25, as the NFL’s best run-blocking guard in 2023.
Sean Payton was not present for Meinerz’s arrival, but the second-year Broncos boss has long placed a premium on interior O-line success. Payton invested heavily in interior blockers to help protect Drew Brees; current Broncos O-line coach Zach Strief was part of that effort. Jahri Evans became a pillar for the Saints, while the team also used first-round picks to acquire Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz. Erik McCoy, who has become one of the NFL’s top centers, arrived via second-round pick during the end of Payton’s New Orleans run.
The Saints also signed Larry Warford to a big-ticket free agent deal in 2017, the same year the Broncos added Ronald Leary in free agency. Denver did not see Leary or 2020 free agent guard signee Graham Glasgow provide sufficient value, but the team continued down the free agent path with Powers. The late-blooming Ravens success story started 17 games alongside Meinerz last season. Powers, 27, is signed through 2026. The Broncos have bigger plans for Meinerz, who has become one of the NFL’s most unique success stories in recent years.
The COVID-19 pandemic nixed Division III’s 2020 season, leading Meinerz to train on his own ahead of the draft. A Senior Bowl invite, along with some mid-’80s Rocky Balboa-like training techniques, propelled the Wisconsin-Whitewater product to a Day 2 investment.
Replacing an injured Glasgow in 2021, Meinerz has started 39 career games. A Meinerz extension likely factored into the Broncos’ decision not to re-sign Dalton Risner last year — though, the four-year guard starter did not prove to be expensive in free agency — and the team will aim for Meinerz to block for Nix for many seasons moving forward.
Browns Place Nick Chubb, Jedrick Wills, Jack Conklin On PUP List
The Browns entered their wild-card game without Nick Chubb and both their starting tackles. Although Deshaun Watson has returned after missing the stretch run, Cleveland remains without its Pro Bowl running back and tackle tandem.
Chubb joined Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin on the Browns’ active/PUP list to open training camp Wednesday. Neither Wills nor Conklin participated in Browns minicamp, working off to the side. Conklin, however, said this month he expected to be a training camp participant. That will not take place at the outset. Chubb is coming off two knee surgeries, making his placement on the camp injured list unsurprising.
Players stationed on the active/PUP list can be activated at any point during camp, as teams do not have to make decisions pertaining to the reserve/PUP list — which sidelines players for at least four games — for a few weeks. Chubb can be considered a candidate for that list, but it would surprise if Conklin or Wills did not return to practice soon. Conklin sustained ACL and MCL tears in Week 1 of last season, while Wills went down with an MCL sprain in December.
Now in a contract year, Wills will need to bounce back to earn a lucrative deal — either via a Browns extension or as a 2025 free agent — after missing nine games last season. Given the nature of the former first-rounder’s injury, it is a bit surprising he remains out of the mix regarding full work. Wills’ MCL issue did lead to surgery, however. The 2020 draftee has started all 53 games he has played in Cleveland, joining Conklin — a 2020 free agency pickup — as the team’s starters in that span.
Conklin, 30 in August, has seen knee injuries play a regular role during his NFL career. He went down midway through the 2018 season with an ACL tear — a setback that contributed to the Titans declining his fifth-year option — and missed 10 Browns games due to a torn patella tendon in 2021. The knee maladies are piling up for Conklin, whom the Browns extended late in the 2022 season. But the former first-round pick is expected to man Cleveland’s RT post again soon.
Given a substantial pay cut this offseason, Chubb is attempting to make his way back from two knee surgeries performed last fall. Chubb did not sustain a full ACL tear, though he did tear an MCL fully, in Week 2 of last season. But the Browns are expected to be cautious with the perennial Pro Bowler. It is not yet known when Chubb will be unleashed this season, and it would not surprise to see the team stash him on the reserve/PUP list. Though, that would create questions at running back for the AFC North club.
In addition to Chubb, the Browns have free agent signing Nyheim Hines rehabbing a major knee injury. The former Colts and Bills RB landed on Cleveland’s active/NFI list, as the injury he sustained while on a jet ski in 2023 has sidelined him for over a year. Hines is aiming for a return during camp. The Browns, who added D’Onta Foreman as RB insurance, also placed DT Dalvin Tomlinson on their active/PUP list with a knee issue. Greg Newsome landed on Cleveland’s active/NFI list with a hamstring injury. Safety D’Anthony Bell is also on the Browns’ PUP list.
Jets Offered Haason Reddick Extension Before Eagles Trade
The Haason Reddick situation remains a front-burner Jets issue, as the offseason trade acquisition was a no-show to start training camp. While the Jets are open to adjusting Reddick’s deal via sweeteners, they are not believed to prefer a long-term extension before the accomplished edge rusher plays a down this season.
Though, the Jets are now believed to have offered some type of extension months ago. Receiving permission to speak with Reddick’s camp prior to the trade, the Jets made an offer Reddick declined, SNY’s Connor Hughes reports. While the proposal provided Reddick a raise from the $14.25MM salary he is due this year, the former first-round pick’s asking price is currently out of the Jets’ range.
Reddick is seeking a deal in $25-$28MM-per-year territory, Hughes adds. This would place Reddick in the top six among edge rusher AAVs, a sector his sack production would support. The Jets had expected the eighth-year vet to report for their offseason program and training camp. After incurring just more than $100K in fines for skipping minicamp, Reddick has continued to stay away from his new team. This has created an impasse, as the New York Post’s Brian Costello indicates the Jets are not interested in negotiating with Reddick until he reports.
The Jets traded a conditional 2026 third-round pick for Reddick in late March, and while the team has a regular role planned for him (as opposed to the situational role Bryce Huff held), GM Joe Douglas has been hesitant to authorize an extension. Reddick’s age (30 in September) has come up as one of the reasons the team is holding off here, but sending a Day 2 pick for a player — conditional or not — and then seeing that player hold out obviously presents a bad look.
As the Jets are eyeing short-term solutions with Reddick, Costello adds the former Cardinals, Panthers and Eagles edge is more focused on a long-term play. Reddick outplayed his three-year, $45MM deal in Philly, leading the 2022 NFC champions’ charge at the 1984 Bears’ long-running sack record. The Eagles fell just short of that mark but still produced a staggering 70 sacks. Reddick’s 50.5 sacks during the 2020s rank fourth in the NFL, yet his contract has fallen to 19th among edge rushers. Huff secured better terms than Reddick’s this offseason, inking a three-year, $51.1MM Eagles deal. The Jets’ reluctance to pay Huff has certainly affected their developing Reddick situation.
The team is not opposed to doing a deal in-season, per Hughes, and ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini indicates an extension coming to pass later in the season is still in play. The team wants to gauge the fit first. The Jets extended John Franklin-Myers in September 2021, though Reddick is a much higher-profile player compared to the former waiver claim. Due to Reddick coming aboard, the Jets traded Franklin-Myers to the Broncos in what amounted to a salary dump.
Reddick is also running short on time to cash in, as less productive (but younger) edge rushers Brian Burns and Josh Allen nearly doubled his AAV on extensions this offseason. Finally, Hughes notes the Jets have informed Reddick they have no plans to trade or release him. As such, this drama persists. The team must fine Reddick approximately $50K per day for his absences, as he is attached to a veteran contract.
Post-Franklin-Myers, the Jets have recent first-rounders Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald in the fold. Reddick’s holdout opens the door for McDonald, but the team obviously wants the veteran to anchor its defensive end contingent. For now, the sides are not in alignment on how to make that happen.
Saints Add Dave Ziegler To Staff
Brought in to advise the Saints before the draft, Dave Ziegler has landed a full-time gig with the NFC South organization. The Saints have officially added the former Raiders GM to their front office, per NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill.
The team has Ziegler in place as a personnel advisor in its Mickey Loomis-led front office. This will reunite Ziegler with Derek Carr, creating some interesting optics considering how the latter’s Raiders tenure ended. While Josh McDaniels does not currently hold a full-time NFL gig, the other Raiders bigwig canned midway through last season now does.
This continues Saints connections to Carr-era Raiders power brokers, as Jon Gruden has helped out the team on a temporary basis since Carr’s arrival. Gruden, however, does not hold a full-time role in New Orleans. Ziegler, whom the Raiders fired hours after last year’s trade deadline along with McDaniels, will aim to rebound after his GM opportunity ended in Year 2 of a six-year contract.
The Raiders remain on the hook for Ziegler and McDaniels’ deals, but Mark Davis moved on quickly. Ziegler, 46, held roster control in Las Vegas but will work a few rungs under Loomis moving forward. He joins Jeff Ireland as a former GM on the Saints’ staff. The Saints also hired Brandon Tamres as a scouting assistant, Underhill adds. Tamres was most recently at Georgia as a recruiting analyst.
While Ziegler controlled the Raiders’ 53-man roster, it was assumed he was riding shotgun to McDaniels in Vegas. This period included the end of Carr’s nine-season run as the team’s starting quarterback. The Raiders, with help from Davis, benched Carr before Week 17 of the 2022 season. The team parked Carr to ensure a $40MM-plus guarantee did not vest in 2023, with Jarrett Stidham — who has made a habit of replacing starters with injury guarantees clouding their futures — taking over. The Raiders then cut Carr, whom the Ziegler-McDaniels regime ultimately deemed a poor fit in the latter’s offense, to avoid the guarantee in February of last year.
Opinions were divided on Ziegler’s role in Nevada, but he joined McDaniels and OC Mick Lombardi in receiving the boot at last year’s midseason point. The Raiders, who made the playoffs in 2021, went 14-20 on Ziegler’s watch and handed out a few deals — for Carr, Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller and Chandler Jones — that did not age well. Ziegler’s handling of the Raiders’ QB position in 2023 played a central role in his ouster. Prior to Ziegler’s Raiders role, he held a key post in New England. Ziegler also worked with McDaniels in Denver and remained there following the HC’s ouster.
Patriots Inquire On Brandon Aiyuk; 49ers Eyeing $26-$27MM-Per-Year Deal
JULY 20: Following up on his Friday report regarding Aiyuk interest around the draft, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes the Patriots offered a second-round pick when first attempting to acquire the pending free agent. That was rejected, just as New England’s most recent overture was. With Aiyuk having now requested a trade, it will be interesting to see if the Patriots continue to make offers in the near future.
JULY 16: Brandon Aiyuk having not requested a trade during months-long negotiations with the 49ers separated this situation from the 2022 Deebo Samuel saga, but given the lack of progress on terms, it certainly did not seem out of the question Aiyuk would roll out a request to be moved. With a request coming Tuesday, outside interest has re-emerged.
Count the Patriots as a team that contacted the 49ers on Aiyuk. The AFC East club attempted to discuss Aiyuk with the 49ers, per veteran insider Josina Anderson. Unsurprisingly, the 49ers shut down the talks. San Francisco, as has been the case throughout these talks — with a bit of a hiccup during draft weekend — has maintained it would retain Aiyuk.
[RELATED: Checking In On Unresolved WR Situations]
Notably for this particular connection, the Patriots did discuss a receiver with the 49ers during the draft. Samuel, however, became New England’s focus between the first and second rounds. Other teams, like the Bills and Steelers, looked into Samuel as well. Nothing came of it, with John Lynch soon indicating the team was past trade talks involving its starting wide receivers. The trade talks having taken place, of course, would not close the book on the reigning NFC champions revisiting them.
The Patriots used the second round to add to their receiving corps, trading down and taking Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk at No. 37. They then chose Central Florida’s Javon Baker at No. 110. The Pats, who made a strong push for Calvin Ridley, also added K.J. Osborn in free agency. This trio joins JuJu Smith-Schuster, Demario Douglas, former second-rounder Tyquan Thornton, Jalen Reagor and the recently re-signed Kendrick Bourne in a crowded cast — albeit one lacking a surefire No. 1 target — in New England.
It has long seemed the 49ers are preparing for one more run with their current group, with cost complications coming in 2025. Brock Purdy will be come extension-eligible next year, and George Kittle‘s contract runs through 2025 as well. San Francisco does not have Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, Talanoa Hufanga or Dre Greenlaw signed beyond this season. Also unsigned beyond 2024, Aiyuk could be franchise-tagged next year. But the 49ers are well over the projected cap already. San Francisco sits with the NFL’s third-worst cap situation for 2025, being — months before the 2025 cap number emerges, at least — nearly $40MM over next year.
Aiyuk’s camp can use the impact a 2025 franchise tag number would have on the team to its advantage, but so far, the 49ers are holding their ground. A report earlier this offseason indicated the 49ers were not comfortable going into the $30MM-per-year range for Aiyuk, and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini notes the team is aiming to pay him in the $26-$27MM-per-year range. A subsequent meeting, requested by Aiyuk, did not bridge the value gap.
A deal between $26-$27MM per year checks in south of what Aiyuk wants, hence the trade request, and rumors have tied the fifth-year receiver to a price around Amon-Ra St. Brown‘s $30.01MM-AAV Lions accord. Aiyuk also has been tied to a guarantee aim beyond $80MM. That would stand to be the total guarantee ask, as only Justin Jefferson has secured more than $52MM fully guaranteed among WRs; the Vikings superstar landed $88.7MM at signing. Getting to $80MM guaranteed in total is a difficult request as well, as A.J. Brown ($84MM) is the only non-Jefferson receiver to clear that bar. St. Brown sits third for full guarantees among receivers, landing $77MM.
With Aiyuk’s 3,931 receiving yards 17th since 2020, it is understandable the 49ers are viewing the 2020 first-rounder — who has yet to be invited to a Pro Bowl event — as a non-$30MM-per-year player. The $26-$27MM AAV range would, however, put Aiyuk below where Jaylen Waddle ended up ($28MM per year, $76MM guaranteed) but higher than DeVonta Smith ($25MM, $69.99MM). That would seem a reasonable compromise, but Aiyuk did just lead a Super Bowl team in receiving by a wide margin. The 26-year-old weapon is attempting to capitalize.
A few of the 49ers’ big-ticket extensions have come to pass late in the summer. Kittle’s deal was finalized in July 2020, while Samuel held in an signed his extension in late July 2022. The Nick Bosa talks ran up to the 2023 season, but the sides reached a monster extension agreement last September.
The 49ers are disregarding Aiyuk’s trade request for the time being and will hope to complete an extension — one that moves Aiyuk from a fifth-year option salary ($14.1MM) to an agreement that makes him one of the NFL’s highest-paid wideouts — before the season begins. It will be interesting, of course, to see if a team tests the 49ers’ resolve with a big trade offer.
The NFL’s Eight-Figure Dead Money Hits For 2024
The NFL moved into new territory this offseason, with one Broncos decision creating a staggering gap between the most costly dead money hits and No. 2 on the all-time list. Beyond Denver’s Russell Wilson release, other teams are taking on notable dead cap hits in 2024. Here are the players who will account for more than $10MM in dead money on teams’ payrolls this year.
- Russell Wilson, QB (Broncos): $53MM
- Stefon Diggs, WR (Bills): $31.1MM
- Kirk Cousins, QB (Vikings): $28.5MM
- Haason Reddick, EDGE (Eagles) $21.52MM
- Jamal Adams, S (Seahawks) $20.83MM
- J.C. Jackson, CB (Chargers): $20.83MM
- David Bakhtiari, T (Packers): $18.15MM
- Danielle Hunter, EDGE (Vikings): $14.91MM
- Carlton Davis, CB (Buccaneers) $14.1MM
- Andrus Peat, OL (Saints): $13.64MM
- Kevin Byard, S (Titans): $13.36MM
- Mike Williams, WR (Chargers): $12.46MM
- Aaron Jones, RB (Packers): $12.36MM
- Chandler Jones, EDGE (Raiders): $12.27MM
- Mike Evans, WR (Buccaneers): $12.19MM
- Keenan Allen, WR (Chargers): $11.62MM
- Xavien Howard, CB (Dolphins): $11.41MM
- Michael Thomas, WR (Saints): $11.19MM
- Laken Tomlinson, G (Jets): $10.74MM
- Leonard Williams, DL (Giants): $10.64MM
- Arik Armstead, DL (49ers) $10.31MM
- Quandre Diggs, S (Seahawks): $10.26MM
- Byron Jones, CB (Dolphins): $10.1MM
- Maliek Collins, DT (Texans): $10MM
Months after trading for Wilson, the Broncos gave the decorated quarterback a five-year, $245MM extension. While Wilson offered something of a bounce-back effort from a shockingly mediocre 2022, Sean Payton‘s team still opted to designate him as a post-June 1 cut. Wilson’s $37MM injury guarantee, which the Broncos attempted to move in an effort that led to NFLPA involvement but no grievance, would have resulted in comparable dead money in 2025 had he remained on Denver’s roster on Day 5 of the 2024 league year and then been released next year.
The Broncos will receive a small cap credit — due to Wilson’s veteran minimum Steelers deal — in 2025, but the team will take on more than $83MM in total dead money from the release. This shatters the NFL record for dead money, which the Falcons previously held by trading Matt Ryan ($40.5MM), and the contract will remain on Denver’s books through the 2025 season. The Broncos opted to take on more dead money this year than next, separating this post-June 1 cut from most teams’ strategies.
The Bills’ decision to trade Diggs less than two years after giving him a four-year extension broke the non-QB dead money record. Unlike the Wilson matter, Buffalo will take on the Pro Bowl wide receiver’s full dead cap hit this year. Ditto Green Bay, which passed on a Bakhtiari post-June 1 designation. The Chargers will also be rid of the Allen and Williams responsibilities after 2024. The Seahawks also passed on post-June 1 designations with Adams and Diggs.
New Orleans has Thomas set to count more than $9MM in dead money in 2025 as well due to using the June 1 strategy. The Dolphins are still paying out the Jones contract from a 2023 post-June 1 designation, while Howard’s post-June 1 status will create a $15.7MM dead money penalty in 2025.
Void years created the Vikings’ Cousins cap hit. After attempting to negotiate a fourth contract with the veteran quarterback last year, the parties failing to come to terms resulted in void years being added in a restructure. The Falcons came in much higher than the Vikings were willing to go, guarantee-wise, leading Minnesota to a new QB path and significant Cousins dead money.
The Eagles also included three void years on Reddick’s contract, and the Buccaneers will eat some Evans dead money — despite re-signing the 11th-year wide receiver just before free agency — due to a void year-driven trigger before the latest contract was signed.
Saints Place Ryan Ramczyk On Reserve/PUP List; Chase Young Nearing Return
7:05pm: NFL network’s Ian Rapoport has provided a discouraging update, noting that Ramczyk’s placement on PUP means he’s out for the entire season. This applies to all vested veterans placed on reserve/PUP prior to the final roster reduction August 27.
4:00pm: Rumored to be in danger of missing the 2024 season, Ryan Ramczyk is already out of the picture for a chunk of it. The Saints placed the All-Pro right tackle on the reserve/PUP list Thursday, guaranteeing he will miss at least the season’s first four games.
A knee injury Ramczyk battled through last season has the eighth-year veteran at a career crossroads, and the Saints drafted a tackle in Round 1 (Taliese Fuaga). The former Oregon State right tackle is training on the left side, but it does not appear Ramczyk will be counted on in 2024. This transaction points to Ramczyk missing the season, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill tweets.
Teams have the option of placing players on the active/PUP list, which is a training camp-only designation that does not affect a player’s regular-season availability. The Saints taking this step with Ramczyk more than a month before they have to does not bode well for the decorated blocker’s chances of factoring into the 2024 campaign.
Ramczyk, who turned 30 this offseason, has started 101 games. Twelve of those came last season, but knee trouble has pointed to this reality for a bit. A cartilage defect in Ramczyk’s knee has led him to this crossroads, which compounds issues for a Saints team in dire straits at tackle. Dennis Allen had labeled Ramczyk’s offseason knee surgery as minor and projected he would be ready for camp but said in April he felt better about the veteran’s chances at the time of surgery.
The team has not seen 2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning pan out; an early-season benching occurred. The Saints then saw three-year starter James Hurst, who worked at left tackle for two seasons and left guard for most of last year, retire. This came shortly after Andrus Peat, a Pro Bowl guard who was Penning’s primary LT replacement last year, defected to the Raiders. This all but assured the Saints would take advantage of this year’s deep tackle crop, with Fuaga being the prize at No. 14 overall.
As recently as last season, the Saints rolled out an O-line with four first-rounders (Ramczyk, Penning, Peat, Cesar Ruiz) and second-round center Erik McCoy. The team went back to the Round 1 well via Fuaga, who is in line to start at left tackle, but the LG and RT spots are uncertain. Penning trained at right tackle this offseason and may well be the favorite to fill in for Ramczyk, but the Northern Iowa alum’s performance to date leaves that as an unstable position.
This will be a blow for a perennially cap-strapped team. The Saints gave Ramczyk a five-year, $96MM extension in 2021. That contract included $43MM guaranteed at signing and $60MM guaranteed in total. Part of a 2017 draft class that changed the Saints’ trajectory, Ramczyk is a three-time All-Pro (first team in 2019) who has given the Saints stability on the right side. Ramczyk reworked his contract this offseason, dropping his cap number from $27MM to $12.9MM. A dead money charge of $23.1MM would come the Saints’ way if Ramczyk moves off the roster via release, though that number could be split via a post-June 1 cut.
In less impactful Saints news, the team placed tight end Juwan Johnson, defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon, linebacker Nephi Sewell and free agency DE addition Chase Young on the active/PUP list. Chris Olave landed on the active/NFI list. Players moved to the active/PUP or active/NFI lists can be activated at any point. The Saints activated rookie wide receiver Bub Means from the active/NFI list Thursday.
Young is coming off offseason neck surgery, though the former No. 2 overall pick has been viewed as likely to be ready for Week 1. His recovery has gone well enough the team does not expect a lengthy stay on the active/PUP list, Underhill adds. A similar assessment emerged last month, pointing to Young — who saw a severe knee injury change his path in Washington — being ready in the not-too-distant future. Young signed a one-year, $13MM deal comprised largely of per-game roster bonuses.