Patriots To Add Shane Bowen To Staff
Months after being fired as the Giants’ defensive coordinator, Shane Bowen has lined up a new gig. He will once again work with Mike Vrabel.
The former Titans DC is reuniting with Vrabel in New England, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports. Bowen will join a Patriots team that shuffled defensive coordinators recently, promoting Zak Kuhr after he worked in a de facto DC role last season. Terrell Williams, hired to be the Pats’ DC in 2025, remains on staff.
Prior to his New York move, Bowen spent six years on Vrabel’s Tennessee staff. The two go back beyond that, with Bowen working with Vrabel at Ohio State and during the latter’s time as a Texans assistant. Bowen served as a graduate assistant with the Buckeyes in 2012, when the recently retired Vrabel was in place as his alma mater’s defensive line coach. In total, Bowen has spent nine years working with Vrabel.
The Pats are hiring Bowen as a defensive analyst, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. No team interviewed Bowen for a DC role during this year’s hiring period. While OC-turned-interim HC Mike Kafka received coordinator meetings and Brian Daboll landed on his feet (as Titans OC), Bowen was not in demand after a two-season Big Apple run.
Dallas did meet with Bowen for a staff position in January, and he was naturally connected to the New England DC position when it became known Williams would not continue in that role. The Pats promoted Kuhr to DC shortly after the Super Bowl and shifted Williams — who returned to the team last year after a prostate cancer diagnosis led him to step away from DC duties — to an assistant HC position.
Bowen, 39, worked with Kuhr and Williams on Tennessee’s staff as well. The Titans elevated Bowen to succeed Dean Pees in 2021. Tennessee earned the AFC’s No. 1 seed that year, with the new defensive play-caller overseeing the NFL’s No. 6-ranked defense. Tennessee ranked 14th in scoring defense in 2022 and 16th in 2023, but Vrabel’s firing led Bowen to the Giants.
New York’s defense ranked outside the top 20 in scoring and yardage in each of Bowen’s two seasons in charge. Last season’s unit was particularly disappointing, with the Giants adding Paulson Adebo, Jevon Holland and Abdul Carter yet still ranking 21st in scoring (24th in yardage). While Brian Burns soared to a second-team All-Pro finish, Dexter Lawrence recorded only a half-sack. Kayvon Thibodeaux also struggled, and the Giants axed Bowen in late November. Kafka resurfaced as a Lions assistant, and now Bowen will receive another chance.
This move comes a year after Vrabel hired ex-Titans interim GM Ryan Cowden off the Giants’ staff. Bowen will provide aid to Kuhr after the duo worked together for four seasons with the Titans. Kuhr, 37, broke in as a quality control coach in Tennessee before serving as Titans inside linebackers coach during Bowen’s DC stay.
Eagles Expected To Target Offensive Help Early In Draft
With it looking likelier A.J. Brown will be elsewhere this coming season, the Eagles may be looking at a glaring void to fill at wide receiver. The team, which also lost No. 3 wideout Jahan Dotson (to the Falcons) in free agency, is expected to target that position early in the draft.
Two weeks away from the draft, Philadelphia has the same offense in place from the one that ranked 24th in yardage last season. The team was better in scoring (19th) and EPA per play (16th), but the Eagles tumbled off their Super Bowl perch due largely to the regression on offense. The Sean Mannion OC hire will be aimed at fixing a lot of what ailed Philly in 2025, but the team does not have a new starter just yet.
[RELATED: How Will Eagles Proceed With Brown?]
The Eagles may not be certain to add a locked-in starter on offense in the draft, but The Athletic’s Zack Berman notes the team is expected to target upgrades on this side of the ball early.
On one hand, the Eagles attempting to add a new starter at wide receiver by replacing Brown would seemingly be a downgrade — for 2026, at least. But there is something to be said for continuity here, as Philly soared to a dominant Super Bowl LIX win with this cast on offense. With the exception of Tyler Steen replacing Mekhi Becton at right guard (a move made last year) and Marquise Brown coming in after the Dotson defection, the rest of the Eagles’ regulars on offense started in that game.
Though, the team will be attempting to get by without highly acclaimed O-line coach Jeff Stoutland. And both Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson are coming off injury-plagued seasons, each considering retirement this offseason. Johnson will turn 36 next month.
“Bringing the band back together was also a year ago, the team that won a world championship, the offense won a world championship,” GM Howie Roseman said, via Berman. “Being {19th) in points scored isn’t really the standard that we’re looking to set. There’s a lot of growth in that area at the same time. We’ve got to continue to add, and I think that we’re looking at that group, and figuring out ways to add to every position group there. Some of those guys, we do think will be better here.
“… We’ll see how it all sorts out. But I understand, as it looks now… What I’m saying is, you can’t say we’re running it back until we actually do run it back. Let’s see how we add, and maybe that’s how we end up doing.”
The Eagles hold four picks in the first three rounds (Nos. 23, 54, 68 and 98); they acquired No. 68 in the 2024 Haason Reddick trade with the Jets. Known well as an aggressive trader, Roseman will also have that available as he looks to shuffle his team’s offensive lineup. Considerable pressure will be on Mannion’s shoulders, however, with much of the Eagles’ 2025 starting group reprising their roles. A meandering OC search featured trepidation among higher-profile options, and the Eagles will be counting on a former backup quarterback who retired after the 2023 season reviving their offense.
Vikings Expect To Retain OLB Jonathan Greenard; Team Seeking C Help?
Jonathan Greenard has come up in trade rumors recently. The Vikings were tied to potentially moving the Pro Bowl edge rusher ahead of free agency, and the Eagles were connected to the ex-Texan after failing to re-sign Jaelan Phillips.
The draft serves as a second trade window of sorts, keeping the possibility Minnesota moves on as reasonable. But Greenard is obviously a key piece in Brian Flores‘ defense — one currently deep at edge rusher — and Kevin O’Connell expects the seventh-year veteran to remain in place.
“Yeah, I expect him to be part of our team,” O’Connell said, via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert. “I know there’s always conversations. There’s conversations throughout the offseason, and we’ll continue to kind of attack things at the different phases. We’re getting ready to really jump heavily into draft meetings when we get back. But at the same time, we’re always going to try to do what’s best for our team and also what we think is best for each one of our individual players. And that’s an ongoing thing throughout every offseason.”
This certainly stops short of slamming the door shut on a potential trade, and last week’s league meetings brought staffers together for potential trade talks ahead of the draft. Minnesota was linked to wanting a Day 2 pick for Greenard, and Philadelphia was connected at multiple points. The Eagles have not made a splash addition here, though they have signed options in Arnold Ebitketie and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
Two years remain on Greenard’s four-year, $76MM contract. Only $4MM remains guaranteed, having locked in on Day 3 of the league year, though Greenard will lock in the rest of his base salary ($18.39MM) shortly before Week 1 as a vested veteran.
Minnesota added Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel in 2024, signing the vets shortly before using a first-round pick on Dallas Turner. The younger rusher impressed as a part-time starter last season, tallying eight sacks and 15 QB hits during a 10-start campaign. Both Greenard and Van Ginkel missed time due to injury, opening the door for Turner. The Vikings are in a good position with three quality edge rushers. Van Ginkel is also going into an age-31 season, and one year remains on the extension he signed in 2025. His status could influence Minnesota with Greenard, though Seifert adds a trade remains possible.
Greenard is believed to have an issue with his contract, which sits 21st among edge defenders after two more offseasons’ worth of deals. With the former Will Anderson Jr. complementary rusher having been voted a Pro Bowl starter in 2024, a push for a revised pact — not unlike where the Vikings were for years with Danielle Hunter — makes sense. Though, Greenard also took a step back in production last season. After a 12-sack 2024, Greenard tallied just three on 12 QB hits last season. He did sprinkle in 10 tackles for loss, which will help his case at an adjustment.
The Vikings are operating without a GM presently, with no official search on tap until after the draft. Minnesota’s next GM, should the team pass on a pre- or mid-draft trade, will have this matter to deal with. Training camp serves as another trade window, so this matter may linger even if Greenard makes it through the draft as a Viking.
Elsewhere on Minnesota’s roster, the team lost center Ryan Kelly to retirement. Kelly had signed a two-year, $18MM deal, but after a three-concussion 2025, the longtime Colts blocker opted to walk away. As of now, Blake Brandel is the starter. O’Connell labeled the utility lineman a center recently, but Seifert notes the team’s starter here may not be on the roster yet.
Tied to a three-year, $9.5MM contract that expires after this season, Brandel has made 31 career starts. He was Kelly’s primary sub last season, logging 383 center snaps, but had never made any snaps in the NFL prior to 2025. An injury to backup Michael Jurgens — a 2024 seventh-round pick — also affected Brandel’s standing last season.
Brandel, 29, was Minnesota’s full-time left guard in 2024, but the Vikings have Will Fries and Donovan Jackson at guard. The team used a first-round pick to bring in Jackson last year. O’Connell said the Vikings “wouldn’t hesitate” to bring in another center in the draft or free agency. Veteran starters Ethan Pocic and Andre James are among the available snappers. No center looks to be realistic for the Vikings in Round 1, but as Day 2 begins, Minnesota appears interested in adding a true Kelly replacement.
Titans Not Planning Much Alontae Taylor Slot Usage; Team Not Done Adding At CB
Alontae Taylor brought one of the most versatile profiles into this year’s free agent market. While that may have helped the former Saints second-rounder drive his price to the near-$20MM-per-year place his market settled, the team he signed with does not seem to have an intention of capitalizing too much on the hybrid skillset displayed with New Orleans.
Robert Saleh said (via veteran Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky) the team is preparing to use Taylor mostly as an outside cornerback. Considering the gulf between the slot and boundary markets, it is not too surprising that Tennessee had more of a perimeter role for Taylor in mind. That said, Taylor entered free agency as the rare corner to log more than 1,500 snaps inside and outside during his first four seasons.
The Titans also added Cor’Dale Flott on a three-year, $45MM deal, overhauling a cornerback cadre that had underperformed. Tennessee soon released the injury-prone L’Jarius Sneed, who did not deliver on a tag-and-trade transaction. In Taylor and Flott, the TItans are prepared to entrust their outside coverage responsibilities to two players with extensive slot experience.
Taylor has 1,664 career slot snaps and 1,597 as a boundary defender, creating an interesting profile that moved PFR to rank him atop the cornerback market entering free agency. The Titans gave him a three-year, $58MM deal that included $42MM guaranteed at signing. That said, Taylor indicated he had never worked as a regular nickel prior to 2023. The Saints used him extensively there over the past three seasons, however, creating a Byron Murphy– or Deommodore Lenoir-like hybrid role for the Tennessee alum. Also playing his high school ball in Tennessee, Taylor returns home with big responsibilities.
The Giants drafted Flott in the 2022 third round, having a slot role in mind, but the LSU alum ended up being primarily a perimeter cover man. A slot regular in 2023, Flott settled in on the boundary over the past two seasons. The 6-foot-2 CB will do so again in Tennessee, but with both he and the 6-foot Taylor set to play outside, an opening inside exists.
“We have two guys on the outside now that started games in Taylor and Flott,” GM Mike Borgonzi said, via ESPN.com’s Turron Davenport, at the annual NFL meeting. “And Marcus [Harris] has played inside. So we feel good about where we’re at there, but we’re not done.”
A 2025 sixth-round pick, Harris played 168 outside snaps and 128 in the slot as a rookie. Pro Football Focus ranked the former Cal, Idaho and Oregon State corner 32nd among all CBs in 2025, creating some promise. The Titans scrapped their plan for Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie to team up quickly, cutting Awuzie (who had signed a three-year, $36MM deal) after one season. A year later, Sneed — who was on a four-year, $76.4MM extension — was out. For depth purposes, the Titans also added Joshua Williams — a four-year Chief who overlapped with Borgonzi in Kansas City — on a lower-cost deal (two years, $6.75MM).
Borgonzi confirmed (via TennesseeTitans.com’s Jim Wyatt) the team is not done at corner. It would stand to reason the Titans are eyeing at least competition for Harris in the slot, seeing as they devoted considerable free agency resources to Taylor and Flott. Saleh also did not rule out some slot usage for Taylor to capitalize on his blitz prowess (six sacks from 2024-25). This will be an area to monitor after Round 1, as the Titans assuredly will not address the position at No. 4 overall.
Giants Not Eyeing Dexter Lawrence Raise
The 2023 offseason established a new salary bracket among interior defensive linemen, bridging the sizable gap between Aaron Donald and the field at the time. Dexter Lawrence was among the ascending D-tackles who did so, joining Quinnen Williams, Jeffery Simmons and Daron Payne in being given top-five DT deals that offseason.
Lawrence, Payne, Simmons and Williams remain tied to those extensions. As could be expected, some other interior D-linemen have passed this quartet as the salary cap has soared. Milton Williams, Jordan Davis and Zach Allen each passed $25MM per year; Davis and his ex-Eagles teammate are at $26MM AAV. Alim McNeill and Nnamdi Madubuike surpassed the above-referenced foursome as well.
By far the best piece of the 2019 Odell Beckham Jr. trade for either the Giants or Browns, Lawrence proved worthy of the four-year, $90MM extension he signed in May 2023. He ventured to three straight Pro Bowls and booked two second-team All-Pro spots (2022, ’23). The popular New York nose tackle then tallied nine sacks in just 12 games in 2024. That led to a push for at least a deal revision in 2025, but the Giants only provided incentives.
While Lawrence has requested a trade based largely on extension talks not progressing, his timing is not great. The Clemson alum is coming off a regression, totaling just a half-sack and a career-low eight QB hits. Lawrence eclipsed 20 hits in 2022 and ’23, and even with Leonard Williams gone by 2024, Lawrence remained in high gear. Joe Schoen also posited some of Lawrence’s 2025 statistical issues stemmed from the elbow dislocation he sustained in 2024. That comment likely resonated with Lawrence’s camp, but the Giants do not seem eager to appease the disgruntled player.
The Giants are eyeing neither a trade nor a raise, with the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz indicating the team does not look to have a strong desire to reward Lawrence after last season. The team would prefer Lawrence play out his current deal, which has two years remaining. No guaranteed money is left on the contract, and John Harbaugh said he anticipated Lawrence skipping the start of the team’s offseason program.
“The Giants, speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here,” Harbaugh said, via Schwartz. “I believe Dexter wants to be here. That’s a good formula. But there’s business involved. It’s a business proposition. We know it’s pro football. These things happen every year pretty much on every team. Not surprised by it. Saw it coming a few weeks back probably.”
The new Giants HC called Lawrence “super important” earlier this year, as the Giants made it clear he would not be traded to free up any cap space. Rumblings about a trade price matching or exceeding what the Cowboys sent the Jets for Quinnen Williams — a 2027 first-rounder, a 2026 second along with DT Mazi Smith — has surfaced, but Schwartz adds the Giants would need to be “blown away” by a proposal to consider moving on.
“I don’t know that granting a request is really the right way to say it, because it doesn’t really work that way,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not like a Christmas gift, it just doesn’t work like that.”
As the DT market shifted in 2023, Harbaugh was part of a key standoff that offseason. He and the Ravens held firm against Lamar Jackson‘s trade request and worked out an extension for the superstar quarterback. This Lawrence situation represents Harbaugh’s first notable test on the contract front as the Giants’ top decisionmaker.
How New York proceeds could reveal how much power Schoen still has. The hire of longtime NFL exec Dawn Aponte as VP of football ops undercut the GM’s organizational influence. She and Harbaugh running the show may not be great news for Lawrence, a Dave Gettleman draftee whom Schoen extended.
A hardline stance will not go over well with the decorated D-lineman’s camp, either, as he has fallen to No. 11 in terms of DT AAV ($22.5MM). Lawrence, 28, also played out the guarantees on his contract. That point of a deal regularly spurs action, and Lawrence is proceeding down this path.
It sounds like the Giants are prepared to wait out the eighth-year standout, who is due a nonguaranteed $18.5MM base salary this season. Lawrence’s next step will be to withhold services at mandatory minicamp. That would bring a small fine. This dragging to training camp would certainly be interesting, as Lawrence would then be put to a hold-in or holdout decision.
Players almost never sit out regular-season games in contract stalemates, though Chris Jones — the DT position’s current salary kingpin — did so in 2023. We are a ways away from Lawrence needing to make that call, but as an impact player on a defense that ranked 31st against the run last season, staying away from workouts will certainly command the attention of the new Giants regime.
Texans Exercise Will Anderson Jr., C.J. Stroud’s Fifth-Year Options
The Texans will be committing nearly $50MM in guaranteed money to their two first-round draft choices from 2023. Both Will Anderson Jr. and C.J. Stroud are extension candidates, and each is now signed through the 2027 season.
Houston is exercising both players’ fifth-year options, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates. Stroud’s option checks in at $25.9MM, while Anderson’s comes in at $21.51MM. Anderson is on the Texans’ extension docket this offseason, and while a Stroud payday may now be pushed to 2027, the Texans are making the expected one-year commitment to the former Offensive Rookie of the Year.
[RELATED: 2027 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
Anderson’s fifth-year number comes in on the third tier of the option ladder, with the former Alabama standout being named to one original-ballot Pro Bowl. Stroud has not been invited to a Pro Bowl on the original ballot, so he qualifies for the second rung on the QB ladder. That is still a hefty chunk of change for the quarterback. If Stroud indeed plays the 2027 season in Houston, he will be the franchise’s first five-year starting quarterback since Matt Schaub.
Soaring to the first-team All-Pro level last season as a dominant pass rusher on a menacing Texans defense, Anderson has generated extension buzz for months. The Texans paid Derek Stingley Jr. early, giving him a record-setting extension in his first offseason of eligibility. Anderson may well follow suit, as rumors have trended in that direction. The Texans paid J.J. Watt in his first year of extension eligibility back in 2014. Anderson does not have a Defensive Player of the Year honor under his belt like Watt did when Houston paid him, but the 2023 No. 3 pick has become one of the NFL’s best edge rushers.
Discussions have begun with Anderson, who will be a candidate to at least approach where Micah Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson took the market to close a transformative year on the EDGE market. Anderson will not turn 25 until September, and he has totaled 23 sacks over the past two seasons. The 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year racked up 12 sacks last season opposite perennial sack ace Danielle Hunter, forming one of the NFL’s best rush tandems in recent memory. This duo joined Stingley in powering Houston to a third straight playoff berth, with the Texans’ defense smothering the Steelers in Round 1 after a strong regular-season surge to reach 12 wins.
Parsons’ market reached $46.5MM per year, with his Packers extension stalling Hutchinson’s Lions talks. Hutchinson scored a defender-record $141MM guaranteed, while Parsons came in at $136MM. Anderson’s camp will be eyeing those figures, though the Texans have shown a willingness — as Stingley’s deal showed — to complete three-year extensions. That would reduce the total cash figure while allowing Anderson a chance at a third contract sooner. This easy option decision, however, reflects how well the Texans did choosing Anderson — whom they traded up nine spots for after selecting Stroud at No. 2.
Stroud came off the board one pick after former Alabama QB Bryce Young, whom the Panthers chose first overall. While Stroud has been the better of the two, it is not sure a thing either team will commit to a long-term deal this offseason. Rather, both clubs may want to wait another year to evaluate their signal-callers. Stroud and Young have put together uneven careers thus far.
Although the Texans have gone a terrific 28-18 in Stroud’s starts, the 24-year-old’s effectiveness has arguably dipped since a stellar 2023 introduction. A concussion sidelined Stroud for three games last season. The team kept its once-floundering season afloat by winning all three of backup Davis Mills‘ starts. Meanwhile, the Texans won nine of Stroud’s 14 outings. He completed 64.5% of passes, averaged 7.2 yards per attempt and tossed 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions. While his traditional passer rating (92.9) checked in at 17th, he finished a much more impressive 11th in QBR (61.7).
Stroud has helped the Texans to the playoffs in each of his seasons, but they have not gotten past the divisional round. The Stroud-led team suffered particularly ugly second-round defeats to the Ravens in 2023 (34-10) and the Patriots last January (28-16). Stroud had one of the worst games of his career in New England, where he completed 20 of 47 passes and threw four picks in miserable weather.
Discussing Stroud’s playoff struggles, head coach DeMeco Ryans said (via Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2): “Being young in his career, he’s gained a ton of valuable experience and a ton of playoff experience and seeing that it hasn’t gone as we would like it to go there in the playoffs. Of course, you always want to win it all. But when you go through those difficult moments, those tough times, you learn from them. I know C.J. has learned from those moments.”
Heading into a pivotal fourth year, Ryans believes Stroud is “dialed in,” adding, “I’m excited to see how this continues to transition to him having a really great year for us.”
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
Seahawks Not Expected To Adjust Uchenna Nwosu’s Contract
Neither Uchenna Nwosu nor DeMarcus Lawrence were healthy for much of the 2024 season. Nwosu missed a sizable chunk of the 2023 campaign as well. But the Seahawks saw both their top edge rushers hold up last season, doing plenty to pave a path to the franchise’s second Super Bowl title.
Missing 22 games between the 2023 and ’24 seasons, Nwosu accepted a pay cut in 2025. The deal reduced Nwosu’s 2025 compensation by $6.99MM and dropped his ’25 cap number to $12.45MM. The shift to a two-year, $19.51MM deal, however, left a $20MM cap hit for 2026. Considering Nwosu’s past unavailability, the veteran edge defender’s contract loomed as one to monitor this offseason.
But John Schneider does not anticipate the Seahawks adjusting the deal, per ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson. Nwosu returning to full strength after back-to-back six-game seasons made an impression for the Hawks, and Henderson notes Schneider appears comfortable with the player’s increased cap hit. This is the final year of Nwosu’s deal.
The Seahawks initially brought in Nwosu on a two-year, $19.1MM contract in 2022, bringing him over from the Chargers after a contract year spent as Joey Bosa‘s top sidekick. Nwosu impressed in his first Seattle season, posting career-high numbers in sacks (9.5) and QB hits (26). That led Seattle — in Pete Carroll‘s final offseason at the helm — to reward Nwosu with a three-year, $45MM extension. A pectoral strain ended Nwosu’s 2023 season midway through, and he missed time in 2024 because of knee and thigh trouble.
Last season, Nwosu played 16 regular-season games and tallied seven sacks. That tied for the team lead. Nwosu then scored a Super Bowl touchdown, returning a Drake Maye INT 45 yards for an easy TD. Nwosu, 29, did not record a sack in the playoffs. With Boye Mafe defecting to the Bengals — on a three-year, $60MM deal — amplifies Nwosu’s importance for 2026, though considering Lawrence has pondered retirement, it would not surprise to see the defending champions seek EDGE help early in the draft. Lawrence will turn 34 this year, and one season remains on Derick Hall‘s second-round rookie contract.
Interior rushers Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy tied Nwosu for the team lead with seven sacks. The Seahawks were not too active in adding talent in free agency. They lost several key players, however, with Kenneth Walker, Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen departing. Nwosu no longer looks like a release candidate, as the Seahawks will hope their 2022 offseason addition can replicate his healthy 2025. Nwosu doing so would position him for a solid short- or medium-term contract — be it from Seattle or elsewhere — in 2027. For now, the Seahawks have $32.95MM in cap space — eighth-most in the league.
Packers Made Previous Efforts To Acquire Zaire Franklin From Colts
The Colts’ 2018 draft class resided as one of this era’s best hauls before Zaire Franklin‘s early-2020s emergence. Indianapolis’ second Chris Ballard draft included Quenton Nelson, Braden Smith, Shaquille Leonard, Nyheim Miller-Hines and Tyquan Lewis. Franklin moving to the All-Pro tier from Round 7 provided a bonus.
Indianapolis bid farewell to a few members of its long-held core this offseason. Beyond the Michael Pittman Jr. trade, the Colts parted with two members of their ’18 class — Smith and Franklin — and they have not re-signed Lewis. It took Franklin a few years to transition from special-teamer to every-down linebacker, but his new team’s front office boss was a fan during that stage of his career.
Brian Gutekunst said (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman) he attempted to trade for Franklin before he became a starter. Franklin did not become a regular starter until his 2021 contract year. He heads to Green Bay, being acquired for defensive tackle Colby Wooden, with 82 career starts and a second-team All-Pro selection (in 2024) on his resume. Like the Steelers, the Packers caught a Colts team looking to shed salary to afford new deals for Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce.
“He was a really good special teams player,” Gutekunst said. “We kind of tried to acquire him then, so (he’s) been a really good player for a long time. Obviously, a very good leader as well, captain there, so I think as we kind of went down and we realized it was gonna be really tough to get Quay (Walker) back, I wanted to make sure we had an answer at middle linebacker, particularly one that might have some veteran presence, and I think we were excited to accomplish that.”
Making Franklin sound like an indie band that later hit big, Gutekunst alluding to a past attempt to acquire the special-teamer version of him certainly points to the Packers potentially eyeing the Syracuse product (drafted 235th overall) as a UDFA in 2018 — Gutekunst’s first draft as a GM. With Ballard holding firm on Franklin and allowing him to blossom, the Packers drafted Walker in the 2022 first round. Gutekunst said multiple times last year he was interested in a Walker extension, and the sides discussed a deal both last summer and earlier this year. But the four-year starter defected in free agency, joining the Raiders. A lofty fifth-year option number ($14.75MM) helped lead Walker out of Wisconsin.
The linebacker fifth-year option figure has been an issue for several teams this decade. No team has picked up an off-ball linebacker’s fifth-year option since the Buccaneers exercised Devin White‘s in 2022. The Packers and Jaguars were the latest teams to lose first-round ILBs in free agency after declining options; Devin Lloyd joined the Panthers a day after Walker’s Raiders pledge. Walker signed a three-year, $40.5MM deal with Las Vegas; that pact includes $28MM guaranteed at signing.
Upon acquiring Franklin, Green Bay adjusted his contract. Franklin, who signed a Colts extension in 2024, is now on a two-year, $18MM deal. That contract only includes $3.75MM at signing. Franklin agreed to this to facilitate a swap. He had been tied to a three-year, $31.26MM accord. The only guarantees present in the deal come via a signing bonus, but as a vested veteran, Franklin will see his 2026 base salary ($4.24MM) lock in shortly before Week 1.
Franklin did not fit Lou Anarumo‘s defensive system as well as he did Gus Bradley‘s, with Pro Football Focus ranking the prolific tackler as the NFL’s second-worst full-time ILB last year. Then again, PFF has never been too high on Franklin, who graded outside the top 10 even as he was among the league’s top tacklers. Franklin posted at least 167 stops each year from 2022-24. The Packers will hope Franklin still has this gear, as they will replace Walker with a player nearly four years older (30 in July).
The Pack have committed more resources to the linebacker position in recent years than they did during Gutekunst’s early GM days and during the final offseasons under Ted Thompson. They have now used three first- or second-round picks on the position (Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, Ty’Ron Hopper) and re-signed De’Vondre Campbell (five years, $50MM). Both the Campbell deal and this Franklin rework carried team-friendly structures, however, and Green Bay will have a longtime Gutekunst favorite teaming with Cooper’s rookie contract in 2026.
Patriots To Trade Marte Mapu To Texans
Rather than waive Marte Mapu, the Patriots have found a trade partner. The Texans are acquiring the young defender, the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Alexander reports.
The AFC teams will swap late-round 2027 picks in this trade, Alexander adds. One year remains on Mapu’s rookie contract. The Pats were set to waive the linebacker/special-teamer as of Tuesday morning, but the Texans will add a piece to their top-flight defense.
Seeing as he was on the verge of being waived, Mapu will not fetch much in this trade. The Texans will acquire Mapu and a 2027 seventh-round pick for a 2027 sixth-rounder, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss. A former third-round pick, Mapu brings experience as a linebacker and a safety. The Patriots will save $1.51MM by making this trade, with that figure doubling as Mapu’s 2026 base salary.
New England took advantage of Mapu’s versatility by using him at safety and linebacker. Mapu made nine starts in 2024, doing so despite beginning that season on IR. He played 161 free safety snaps and 219 box snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. With a stronger Pats roster fielded in 2025, Mapu did not see as much time. The Bill Belichick-era draftee played 73 snaps as a box defender and just six at free safety. Ex-Belichick right-hand man Nick Caserio will take a low-cost flier here to see what the Sacramento State alum can contribute in Houston.
While PFF graded Mapu 56th among qualified safeties in 2024, the advanced metrics site viewed his 2025 work in a better light. Although Mapu (career-low 120 snaps last season) was classified as a part-time linebacker, PFF would have slotted him inside the top 10 at the position. The 230-pound defender intercepted a pass in each of his three NFL seasons and has forced five fumbles, including three in 2024. Mapu, 26, played in all four Patriots playoff games as a reserve.
Mapu’s past flashes make this a reasonable bet to make for the Texans, who are fairly well situated at linebacker and safety. Houston re-signed E.J. Speed to work with regulars Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o at linebacker; at safety, the Texans added Reed Blankenship to join Calen Bullock as starters. The Patriots have jettisoned many Belichick draftees over the past year and change, with Mike Vrabel overhauling much of the roster. The Pats still roster starters Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss, and they added K.J. Britt as a backup linebacker in free agency.
Mark Davis Did Not Want Raiders To Trade OLB Maxx Crosby
Either the Raiders are in a holding pattern with Maxx Crosby, waiting until the trade window that reopens through the draft annually to accept another offer, or they are truly prepared to move forward with a player they were ready to unload in a blockbuster.
The fallout from Baltimore’s nixing of a trade agreement has mostly brought quiet on the Crosby trade front. Teams like the Bears, Cowboys, Jaguars, Patriots and Seahawks have been tied to Crosby. The Bears, Jags and Cowboys were more aggressive during the initial trade derby — one thought to have ended with the Ravens’ offer of two first-round picks. Baltimore infamously backing out of the deal due to long-term concerns about Crosby’s health prompted a terse statement from the Raiders and a quick return to the team facility from Crosby.
Crosby had made a quiet trade request, as he wanted the Raiders to collect full value for him rather than create a situation where it became an impasse that potentially depressed his trade cost. (It is rather interesting that Crosby’s request became known after the Ravens agreement was done; that would seemingly change things for the Raiders if/when they talk to other teams about the ninth-year EDGE.)
Mark Davis, however, has long voiced a preference to retain Crosby. He did so at multiple trade deadlines, shutting down interest in his top player, and called Crosby “a great Raider” in February, indicating he wanted the All-Pro edge rusher to be “part of our success moving forward.”
Although Davis signed off on the Crosby-Ravens swap, the longtime owner said recently (via Raiders.com’s Paul Gutierrez) he “never wanted Maxx to leave.” That said, when asked if he could envision a scenario in which Crosby is dealt again, Davis said to “ask John [Spytek] and Maxx and Klint [Kubiak].”
The Patriots came up as a team that could circle back to Crosby, while Jerry Jones has said such a pursuit is unlikely (though, Jones did not slam the door shut there). Jacksonville now has two big-ticket contracts at the position, extending Travon Walker to join Josh Hines-Allen among the NFL’s top-12 highest-paid edge defenders. The Bears added Dayo Odeyingbo on a $16MM-per-year deal to accompany Montez Sweat but watched the ex-Colt suffer an Achilles tear in November.
New England lost K’Lavon Chaisson in free agency (to Washington) but added Dre’Mont Jones on a three-year, $36.5MM deal to play opposite Harold Landry. Jones does have an extensive past as an interior pass rusher, potentially keeping the door open for Crosby to join he and Landry in Foxborough. The Pats would seemingly balk at the idea of acquiring both Crosby and A.J. Brown due to the draft capital required to pull off those moves. This might be an either/or scenario.
Crosby, 28, is back rehabbing with a Raiders team he had wanted to leave. How the remaining lot of EDGE-needy teams address their respective issues in the draft could create a summer trade sweepstakes, a la the Micah Parsons or Khalil Mack derbies (each wrapped in August). It would stand to reason the Raiders would be interested in another trade, seeing as they were ready to move on.
For the time being, Crosby joins FA addition Kwity Paye, the re-signed Malcolm Koonce and underwhelming former top-10 pick Tyree Wilson with the Raiders. If a trade does not take place before the draft — and signs point to that indeed not happening — the August roster-setting date and the November trade deadline will be points on the calendar to monitor.