Cowboys’ Jonathan Mingo Likely To Start Season On IR
One of the Cowboys’ IR-return spots next week looks like it will go to Jonathan Mingo. The 2024 trade acquisition sustained a knee injury that is expected to sideline him into the regular season, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports.
It is a PCL sprain, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins, who projects a four- to six-week return timetable. Although that timeline could have Mingo ready to go before Week 5, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer indicates the former second-round pick is likely to land on IR to open the season.
Mingo is not expected to need surgery, however, Archer adds. No surgery being in the cards represents a break for Mingo, who has not justified his second-round draft status. Two seasons remain on the ex-Panthers draftee’s rookie contract, one Carolina sent to Dallas before last year’s trade deadline.
Mingo, 24, caught just five passes in eight Cowboys games. Not exactly delivering a strong rookie season, that 418-yard year — one with an overmatched Bryce Young targeting him in a disjointed offense — was certainly preferable to what transpired in 2024. The Ole Miss product totaled just 167 yards in 17 games last season, seeing his snap share drop from 56% with the Panthers to 29% with the Cowboys. With George Pickens now in the fold, Mingo’s faces a more difficult path to a regular role on offense.
The Cowboys could also opt to carry Mingo to their active roster and then place him on IR. This would keep one of Dallas’ IR-return moves from going to a backup wide receiver. While Mingo is expected to return before the season’s midpoint, the Cowboys added Pickens to supplement CeeDee Lamb. More notably for Mingo, Jalen Tolbert and All-Pro returner/auxiliary receiver KaVontae Turpin remain rostered. The duo combined for 1,030 receiving yards last season.
Using one of their two allotted IR-return slots next week on Mingo makes sense to save a roster spot, but the third-year player has not done much to justify being prioritized to such a degree. The Cowboys also have Tyler Guyton as a candidate for an IR-return slot; using both IR-return slots next week would leave the team with six regular-season injury activations. Though, Guyton may be kept on the 53-man roster in the event the second-year left tackle is deemed ready before Week 5. Mingo would be eligible to practice in Week 5 in the IR-return scenario.
Nik Bonitto Optimistic On Broncos Extension
Returning from a short absence due to a bone spur in his foot, Nik Bonitto is now atop the Broncos’ extension queue. Denver extended Courtland Sutton and Zach Allen earlier during training camp, moving its other extension candidate’s negotiation to center stage.
Bonitto, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract, is optimistic a deal will be completed but said (via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson) it is not essential the extension comes before Week 1. The Broncos both completed a big-ticket late-summer extension last year and re-upped two starters in-season.
Denver came to terms with Patrick Surtain on a then-market setting payday days before last season, and the team reached an agreement to extend Jonathon Cooper shortly before the trade deadline — preceding a Baron Browning trade. The Broncos finished their 2024 extension business by giving Garett Bolles another deal, which came to pass in December. It would surprise if the Bonitto deal took that long to complete, but it does not appear a lock he will be paid before the season starts.
The Broncos and Bonitto have been in talks since early May, with steady rumors trickling out about the deal being a priority. Considering Bonitto’s breakout 2024, it is natural the Broncos would want to extend him. The team drafted him before Sean Payton‘s arrival, but current GM George Paton pulled the trigger on the second-round pick in 2022. The Payton-Paton tandem signed off on three deals for 2021 draftees (Paton’s first year with the team), extending Quinn Meinerz along with Surtain and Cooper. It stands to reason Bonitto will have a new deal before year’s end.
It represents a bit of a risk for Bonitto to play out a contract year, but his breakthrough 2024 points to an injury not derailing his place in the organization. The edge rusher market could soon have a new ceiling, however, should the Cowboys pay Micah Parsons before the season starts. Bonitto will not be a candidate for a deal in the Parsons-T.J. Watt–Myles Garrett range, but Parsons raising the bar would stand to help the Denver edge rusher.
Aidan Hutchinson may not have a deal done by Week 1, but if the Lions do come to terms with their ascending 2022 draftee, Bonitto would also benefit by waiting that negotiation out. The Oklahoma alum referenced the rising EDGE market Tuesday, pointing to a potential interest in waiting out the Parsons situation. If the sides do not hammer out an extension by early March, the franchise tag would assuredly come out here.
The Broncos are at just $5.6MM in cap space, but they also have the Russell Wilson dead money coming off the books come 2026. With Bo Nix not extension-eligible until 2027, the team’s recent extensions have capitalized on the rookie-QB contract window. Even though Denver’s window with Nix rookie money is narrower than most such situations (due to the historic dead money from the Wilson mistake), the team has paid several core players since last summer.
In less promising news, the Broncos placed backup interior offensive lineman Nick Gargiulo on IR over the weekend. Payton said Tuesday (via 9News’ Mike Klis) the 2024 seventh-rounder suffered an ACL tear. Denver has the likes of Alex Forsyth and Calvin Throckmorton as interior swingmen, and the team gave UDFA Clay Webb a $225K guarantee this offseason.
Buccaneers’ Jalen McMillan To Start Season On IR; DB Christian Izien To Miss Time
Doubling down at wide receiver this offseason by re-signing Chris Godwin and drafting Emeka Egbuka, the Buccaneers had the makings of one of the deepest receiving groups in recent NFL history. They will not open the season with their full arsenal.
Godwin’s recovery timeline from a second ankle surgery remains murky, and the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud reports the Bucs will not have Jalen McMillan for much of the season. A “severely sprained neck” will lead the second-year wideout to IR to open the season, and no immediate return is expected. McMillan landed on his head while making a leaping catch against the Steelers; he was transported to an area hospital, per ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine.
A 2024 third-round pick, McMillan showed promising replacing Godwin last season. The injury he sustained recently could sideline him until after Tampa Bay’s Week 9 bye, Stroud adds. Additionally, Todd Bowles said (via Stroud) DB Christian Izien sustained an oblique injury that could keep him out to open the season.
It looks more likely than not the Bucs will be without McMillan and Godwin to start the season. The team is not certain to stash Godwin on IR, but one of its IR-return spots next week figures to go to McMillan. The Bucs can place McMillan on IR upon setting their 53-man roster, losing one of their eight in-season activations in the process. This is not a career-threatening neck issue, per Bowles, but it stands to stunt the promising weapon’s growth due to the timing here.
McMillan scored seven touchdowns in the Bucs’ final five games last season, totaling 461 yards on 37 receptions and eight TDs on the year. Becoming Mike Evans‘ top sidekick when Godwin went down with a dislocated ankle, McMillan already stood to see his role diminish thanks to Godwin re-signing and Egbuka joining the team at No. 19 overall. Suddenly, any contributions the Washington alum makes in Year 2 could be viewed as a bonus.
While Tampa Bay’s potential Godwin-Egbuka-McMillan-Evans quartet would be dangerous, the team will be limited here for a while. Fortunately, Evans and Egbuka are healthy as the season nears. Egbuka has impressed, and it is fair to expect the Ohio State all-time receiving leader to have a major role to open the season. Godwin is not a lock to start the season on time, but the Bucs are not certain to stash him on the reserve/PUP list just yet. That is a clear possibility, however, which would put pressure on Egbuka to develop quickly alongside Evans.
Izien will make the Bucs’ 53-man roster, but his role is not locked down just yet. A super-utility player of sorts previously, Izien has seen Tykee Smith move toward the safety spot alongside Antoine Winfield Jr. and third-round rookie Jacob Parrish challenge for the Week 1 slot corner role. Izien would represent a valuable piece of the bench in a scenario in which Smith and Parrish lock in regular roles, and his recent injury could cement that status.
Offseason In Review: Buffalo Bills
Last season further entrenched the Bills in an impressive but unfortunate contingent in NFL history. In booking a seventh playoff berth in eight seasons (six of those with Josh Allen at the helm), this Buffalo nucleus is firmly among the best — along with the Air Coryell Chargers, Marty Schottenheimer‘s Browns and Chiefs squads, and probably the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson-era crew (among others) — to not reach a Super Bowl. After 2024 brought a retooling offseason that lowered expectations, last year’s run to the Super Bowl LIX precipice restored them for 2025.
As the Bills continue their agonizing trend of controlling the regular-season Chiefs rivalry before losing each playoff rematch, they went to work augmenting key areas. But ensuring a batch of early-2020s draft choices remained in Buffalo long term defined this offseason. One extension towered among the others in value and importance, but a host of reasonably priced paydays set up this Bills core for the decade’s remainder.
Extensions and restructures:
- Reached six-year, $330MM deal ($147MM guaranteed) with QB Josh Allen
- Agreed on four-year, $80MM ($49MM guaranteed) extension with DE Gregory Rousseau
- Gave CB Christian Benford four-year, $69MM extension ($18.85MM guaranteed)
- Struck four-year, $53MM ($18.1MM guaranteed) deal with WR Khalil Shakir
- Hammered out four-year, $46MM extension ($15.28MM guaranteed) with RB James Cook
- Finalized four-year, $42MM ($14.1MM guaranteed) extension with LB Terrel Bernard
- Agreed to reworked deal with Matt Milano; LB now on one-year, $6.31MM ($5.63MM guaranteed) deal
The Allen contract came without rumored talks. That theme persisted, with one notable exception, as the Bills planned their paydays. Allen entered the offseason tied to what had become a wildly team-friendly deal, as the QB market exploded beyond the $50MM-per-year rate and as Allen had established himself as a megastar. The Bills did not technically need to do anything after the seven-year veteran’s MVP season; his six-year extension (agreed to in August 2021) ran through the 2028 slate. But as the market had moved the Buffalo icon out of the top 10 among QBs, the team acted.
Allen’s new contract is more of a lucrative rework than a true extension. Only two new years are included; the QB is now tied to the Bills through the 2030 season. But the Bills rewarded their franchise cornerstone with a massive guarantee influx. Allen, 28, received what amounts to a $90MM raise on his previous deal. The fully guaranteed money represented the lead item here. Allen’s $147MM figure is well south of Deshaun Watson‘s $230MM, but this contract beats every other deal in terms of fully guaranteed money. Although Allen could not catch Dak Prescott‘s massive $60MM-AAV accord — one achieved with far more leverage than the Bills QB carried — he topped the Cowboys passer in upfront guarantees.
Some 14 months after Patrick Mahomes‘ outlier 10-year extension, Allen became the only quarterback to agree to a deal beyond five years. This helped the Bills, who have gone to the restructure well like the Chiefs have. Buffalo needed to make an adjustment, as Kansas City did with its megastar talent in September 2022, but the team still has Allen signed for six more seasons. That will help establish cost certainty — for a while, at least — at Allen’s apex.
Having Allen at the same AAV of Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love — even after a $24MM offseason cap surge — should age quite well. Mahomes’ historic Chiefs impact notwithstanding, the three-time Super Bowl champion has Andy Reid calling the shots and the perennially underrated Steve Spagnuolo providing defensive fortification. Travis Kelce, for most of Mahomes’ career at least, being a dominant tight end helped raise the QB’s floor as well. Allen has lacked these amenities, for the most part, and an argument can be made — as it was last year — he is the NFL’s most indispensable player.
The Bills have continued to receive full participation from their dual-threat dynamo, despite regular punishment on scrambles and designed runs. Allen has logged 759 regular-season carries and 112 more in the playoffs, signing up for hits Jackson deftly avoids in the process. Obviously important as a passer, Allen’s run-game prowess separates him as an all-time talent. Allen already ranks sixth in career QB carries; he will move into fourth early this season. While the Bills may need to rein in their do-it-all player on that front at some point to ensure he remains elite through the duration of this contract, the franchise is enjoying the spoils of its two-trade-up 2018 presently.
Dion Dawkins‘ NFL arrival predates Allen’s, but the Bills went to work on fortifying their younger core this year. That meant deals for starters drafted in 2021 and ’22. Shakir’s extension began this mission in February, and the blueprint (barring a late-summer accord perhaps with an interior O-lineman) ended with Cook’s hold-in leading to an agreement last week.
After five smooth negotiations, the Bills reached choppy waters during Cook’s. The 2024 Pro Bowler threw a $15MM-per-year price point out there, and initial talks in the spring did not progress. Brandon Beane then pointed to the two-year running back starter needing to begin his contract year unsigned. Fortunately for all parties, that did not end up happening. Cook skipped OTAs but reported for minicamp. This off-and-on work schedule persisted into training camp, when the former second-round pick participated initially before shifting to a hold-in strategy before returning to practice. A day after Cook suited up, a deal unsurprisingly emerged.
The 2024 running back resurgence did bring a market reset, thanks to Saquon Barkley‘s otherworldly season, and Derrick Henry receiving $25MM guaranteed at signing despite being 31. Beyond those Hall of Fame-caliber talents, no true shift occurred. Last fall established a second tier at the position, with James Conner, Chuba Hubbard and David Montgomery following Rhamondre Stevenson in landing extensions between $8.3MM and $9.5MM per year. Alvin Kamara‘s third Saints contract came in at $12.25MM AAV. This offseason brought two notable deals in between those goalposts.
Days after the Rams gave Kyren Williams a three-year, $33MM extension, the Bills found common ground with Cook. Although both players received full guarantees totaling just more than $15MM, each deal features vesting dates in early 2026. The Bills guaranteed $5MM of Cook’s 2026 compensation at signing; another $4.41MM locks in February 9. Cook also secured a rolling guarantee structure, which will pay out $6.22MM of his $9.13MM 2027 base salary on Day 5 of the 2026 league year. Although Cook’s $15.28MM full guarantee is just 10th at the position, more than $10MM in additional guarantees are due by mid-March.
Cook offered a second straight 1,000-yard rushing season last year and led the NFL with 16 rushing TDs. Cook received the first notable RB extension during the Beane-Sean McDermott era. The Bills had removed LeSean McCoy‘s Doug Whaley-era contract from the payroll and made Devin Singletary and Zack Moss one-contract players. Cook, 26 in September, did not do as well on his second contract as older brother Dalvin. But most teams have been stingier on RB paydays since the 2017 class cashed in years ago.
Cook and Shakir have been Allen’s steadiest weapons since Joe Brady replaced Ken Dorsey as OC midway through the 2023 season. While Stefon Diggs disappointed to close that campaign, Shakir emerged as a reliable target and developed further in 2024. The slot cog led a more egalitarian Bills pass-catching corps with 821 receiving yards. Seventy-six catches and four touchdowns to go with that yardage total did not provide Diggs-level numbers, but Shakir was not asked for such contributions. The extension reflects such a role.
Shakir’s $13.25MM AAV number sits 27th among receivers. It is difficult to extend core performers this far outside the upper crust at their respective positions, but Shakir is a former fifth-round pick who played sparingly as a rookie. Considering how valuable he is in Buffalo’s post-Diggs setup, this seems like a team-friendly deal. Shakir, 25, opted to pass on testing free agency — or at least waiting to see how the market changed by training camp — to lock in money early. The Bills made a few similar moves in the weeks that followed.
Like Bobby Okereke years prior, Bernard entered the NFL perhaps better known for an enthusiastic (via Kyle Brandt) third-round draft announcement than on-field play. Last season changed that, as Bernard established himself as Buffalo’s new linebacker pillar. Bernard, 26, has played at least 87% of the Bills’ defensive snaps over the past two seasons. With Milano missing most of that stretch, the Baylor product became a vital player on a defense known to run into ill-timed injury trouble. Although Pro Football Focus rated Bernard as a bottom-five full-time LB last season, the Bills disagreed and rewarded the productive Day 2 draftee.
Of the Shakir-Bernard-Rousseau-Benford quartet, Bernard did the best in terms of AAV at his position. His $10.5MM number still ranks only 12th among off-ball ‘backers, marking what looks like another solid compromise from the Bills. This deal reminds of Milano’s second contract (in 2021), but with the cap spiking by nearly $100MM since that offseason, Bernard’s is a much team-friendlier agreement. The Bills also did not guarantee any money beyond 2026, giving them an easy out — in the event this bet on an ascending player fails — by 2027.
The Bills did not receive what they hoped from Von Miller, leading Rousseau to go from an initial sidekick piece alongside the future Hall of Famer to the team’s lead pass rusher. Rousseau, 25, has not yet posted a nine-sack season; he reached eight in 2022 and ’24. But he has boosted his career-high in QB hits in each of the past three seasons, going from 14 to 18 to 24. Rousseau’s 35 pressures also ranked 11th last season, when he added career-high marks in TFLs (16) and forced fumbles (three). Barring injury, it is likely Rousseau’s best work is ahead of him.
The Bills did not exactly get in early here, as Rousseau had played four seasons on his rookie deal, but the 2021 first-rounder’s resume helped them close these negotiations with the No. 13 edge rusher AAV ($20MM). Continuing to equip Rousseau with veteran bookends (Miller, Leonard Floyd, Joey Bosa), the Bills have made the Miami alum their lead D-end with this extension. Rousseau would have been a franchise tag candidate in 2026 had he not signed early, but the Bills took care of this months before training camp. Rousseau’s AAV matches Miller’s 2022 number, but he is nearly eight years younger at the time of signing (at a lower percentage of the cap), pointing to better returns.
Identifying Cook, Shakir, Bernard and Rousseau as core players to extend, the Bills included Benford in that group after he had taken the longest road to such status. Chosen in the same 2022 draft as first-rounder Kaiir Elam, Benford quickly showed he was the better player. Also coming from Division I-FCS (Villanova), Benford entered his rookie season with minimal fanfare. But Benford earned a starting gig early, giving Tre’Davious White more time to rehab his first major injury. When the Bills acquired Rasul Douglas at the 2023 deadline, it was to give them an answer opposite Benford, not Elam.
PFF has ranked Benford as a top-10 corner in each of the past two seasons. The 6-foot-1 CB submitted his best work in terms of completion percentage (63.5) and yards per target (5.4) as the closest defender last season. Given the Chiefs’ narrow victory margins in both their past two playoff wins in this series, it can certainly be argued the series’ playoff record would be different had Benford finished either game. Benford missed the Bills’ 2023 divisional-round Chiefs loss and left with a concussion early in last season’s AFC championship game.
Despite his ill-timed absences, Benford secured what is now an upper-middle-class CB extension. Buffalo’s Benford deal came after both Jaycee Horn and Derek Stingley Jr. raised the market’s ceiling, but the team still has its top cover man tied to the 19th-most lucrative CB contract. Benford, 25 in September, likely would have done better by waiting until free agency (or a franchise tag). But the Bills, continuing their offseason theme, convinced him to re-up early.
Part of McDermott’s first draft (one that took place shortly before Beane’s GM hire), Milano delivered strong work on his rookie deal and second contract. Since Buffalo redid the All-Pro’s contract in 2023, injuries have thrown his career off course. Milano, 31, missed 12 games due to injury in each of the past two seasons. That has limited Buffalo’s defense, and keyed a reduction.
Rather than taking his chances on the market coming off these injury-marred years ahead of his age-31 season, Milano will attempt to rebound with the team that drafted him. As Bernard, Benford, Cook, Rousseau and Shakir became the offseason focus around Allen, one of the initial McDermott-era investments is now paid as a moderately priced starting linebacker.
Free agency additions:
- Josh Palmer, WR. Three years, $30MM ($15MM guaranteed)
- Michael Hoecht, DE. Three years, $21MM ($12.43MM guaranteed)
- Joey Bosa, DE. One year, $12.61MM ($12MM guaranteed)
- Larry Ogunjobi, DT. One year, $6.7MM ($5.43MM guaranteed)
- Elijah Moore, WR. One year, $2.5MM ($2.5MM guaranteed)
- Tre’Davious White, CB. One year, $3MM ($2.2MM guaranteed)
- Dane Jackson, CB. One year, $ 1.34MM ($568K guaranteed)
- Darrick Forrest, S. One year, $1.34MM ($168K guaranteed)
- Darrynton Evans, RB. One year, $1.21MM ($15K guaranteed)
- Laviska Shenault, WR. One year, $1.21MM ($15K guaranteed)
- Shaq Thompson, LB. One year, $1.26MM
- Kendrick Green, OL. One year, $1.2MM
- Tre Herndon, DB. One year, $1.17MM
- Deon Cain, WR. One year, $960K
- Brad Robbins, P. One year, $960K
- Dan Feeney, G. Signed 8/4
More undercard (to the extension cycle’s main event) in this Bills offseason, free agency still brought some important additions. The three most significant came from Los Angeles.
As they did with Von Miller in 2022, the Bills swooped in as a stealth contender to win an edge rusher sweepstakes. Joey Bosa was listed as close to reuniting with younger brother Nick in San Francisco, while the Miami native was also on the Dolphins’ radar. No Bills connections emerged until an agreement became known.
Bosa, 30, treks east as an injury-prone but productive pass rusher. The Bills will need to account for the health issues associated with this marquee free agent — a player the Chargers dropped after giving him a 2024 pay cut — and a calf issue already kept Bosa out for a stretch this offseason. When available, however, Bosa will be an upgrade.
It would seem Bosa will need to switch to a situational role earlier than most four-time Pro Bowlers do, because he has missed 40 regular-season games in nine years. He has already been on this track, having not eclipsed the 55% snap barrier on defense since 2021 — his most recent non-alternate Pro Bowl season. Bosa has four double-digit sack seasons on his resume — all from 2016-21. He missed much of the ’22 season after groin surgery and was down for eight 2023 games with foot trouble. Last season, Bosa posted modest numbers — five sacks, 13 QB hits, two forced fumbles — but generated a decent FA market.
Seahawks Moving Closer To Naming O-Line Starters
Charles Cross, Abraham Lucas and Grey Zabel are locked in as Seahawks offensive line starters. The team is still determining the routes it will take at center and right guard, however.
As it stands, incumbents look to have the best shot at fending off challengers for those jobs. Anthony Bradford has received the bulk of the first-team reps at RG and is probably the favorite for the gig, The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar notes. An injury to primary 2024 center starter Olusegun Oluwatimi has complicated the Seahawks’ center derby, but it does not appear a challenger has seized the gig yet.
[RELATED: Reviewing Seahawks’ 2025 Offseason]
Oluwatimi, who took over the position after Connor Williams‘ surprising in-season retirement last year, has missed nearly two weeks with a back injury. He did not suit up for the Seahawks’ second preseason game, against the Chiefs, leaving former UDFA Jalen Sundell more time to potentially usurp him.
Competing with Oluwatimi throughout camp and during Seattle’s offseason program, Sundell has not definitively taken the job, per ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson, who adds the Seahawks view Sundell as a valuable swing backup. Sundell has also seen RG reps, though Henderson concurs with Dugar in indicating the incumbent is the “heavy favorite.”
Bradford started opposite Laken Tomlinson last season, winning the job after being a Phil Haynes fill-in during the 2023 campaign. Pro Football Focus, however, graded Bradford as a bottom-10 guard option last season and viewed his 2023 performance as comparable. Tabbing Oluwatimi as a mid-pack center (19th), PFF graded Seattle’s O-line 31st last season. Weeks away from the 2025 slate, the team looks like it will return four starters from that unit. Tomlinson, whom Zabel is replacing at LG, joined the Texans in free agency.
A 2024 third-round pick, Christian Haynes has also mixed into both the center and right guard competitions. Haynes took early-camp reps at center, per the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta, but his stock looks to have dipped. Haynes has been working as the backup left guard, backup right guard and third-string center during camp, Dugar adds. A backup role appears likely for a player the Seahawks hoped would win a starting job by now. Haynes did not make any rookie-year starts. Mike Macdonald said (via Henderson) Oluwatimi should return to practice next week.
A new primary tight end, thanks to Noah Fant release, will flank the O-line soon. Although second-round rookie Elijah Arroyo figures to be heard from plenty as a rookie, Dugar notes AJ Barner is positioned as the likely Week 1 starter. A solid training camp has placed Barner in this role; the fourth-round pick started six games as a rookie.
Barner logged 242 snaps as a run blocker last season. Arroyo, who spent much of his time in the slot during his breakout 2024 Miami season, will likely not be asked to do that as often. Barner also caught 30 passes for 245 yards even as Fant worked as Seattle’s regular starter, representing another option for Sam Darnold this season.
Brian Schottenheimer Did Not Expect To Land Cowboys’ HC Job; Jets, Seahawks Surfaced As OC Options
After a two-man HC search in 2020, the Cowboys again veered off the usual search playbook by conducting a four-interview operation to replace Mike McCarthy. Their choice — Brian Schottenheimer — had not been part of a head coaching interview in over a decade, and the team announced the unorthodox promotion on a Friday night.
As term length became a sticking point in conversations to retain McCarthy, the Cowboys did not move on until a week after Black Monday passed. This reminded of the team’s delay in firing Jason Garrett in 2020. Labeling the Schottenheimer promotion “a risk, not a Hail Mary,” Jerry Jones had said the OC being in place as an option contributed to the delay in firing McCarthy.
Dak Prescott had endorsed McCarthy, but The Athletic’s Michael Silver notes the veteran quarterback’s rapport with Schottenheimer did well to lead to this unexpected promotion. His HC interviews came after the second-generation NFL staffer expected to be heading elsewhere. Both Aaron Glenn and Mike Macdonald had contacted Schottenheimer about their respective OC positions, Silver reports.
A Jets or Seahawks move would have brought a reunion for the well-traveled coach. Schottenheimer was the Jets’ OC from 2006-11 — a stint that saw him stick around in that role in 2009, despite Rex Ryan beating him out for the New York HC job — and helmed the Seahawks’ offense from 2018-20. But the Cowboys’ interest in Schottenheimer staying — either as an OC or HC — scuttled those respective reunion prospects. While Schottenheimer had told McCarthy he was planning to head elsewhere, confirming (via WFAA’s Ed Werder) he did not view himself as a likely HC option in Dallas, but Jones made it clear he wanted to retain him.
“I’m like, ‘What’s up, Jerry?’ Schottenheimer said (via Silver) of an ensuing phone call with Jones. “And he’s like, ‘Let’s see what this would look like … at the very least, I don’t want you to leave. I want you to stay here, be my play caller, and be the offensive coordinator. But let’s talk a little bit more in depth.’”
Schottenheimer, 51, had been a non-play-calling OC during McCarthy’s tenure. Even if Jones had insisted on Schottenheimer staying to call plays, that would have been a notable change. It would also not have been the first time Jones mandated a coordinator stay; upon hiring McCarthy, the Cowboys retained Kellen Moore as their play-caller. Though, Moore already called plays under Garrett for a season. Both the Jets and Seahawks’ 2025 OC gigs would have been for play-calling roles; Schottenheimer had called plays for both teams previously.
The Cowboys’ 2025 search consisted of Moore, Schottenheimer, Robert Saleh and Seahawks assistant Leslie Frazier. Moore was reported to be a frontrunner at one point, but while the Eagles were journeying to the Super Bowl LIX title, Schottenheimer impressed Cowboys brass. Three days after the Moore report emerged, word circulated the Cowboys were giving serious consideration to elevating Schotteneheimer — during a process that included two lengthy interviews with the three-year Dallas staffer.
Schottenheimer turned down avenues to become the Dolphins’ HC in 2007 — the job eventually went to Cam Cameron — and to land the Bills’ HC post in 2010 (the job went to Chan Gailey), passing on both AFC East situations. The Jets gave Schottenheimer a considerable raise to stay on as OC in 2007. He later interviewed for the Jaguars’ HC gig twice in two years, after the team hired Mike Mularkey over him in 2012 and then moved on after one season. The Bengals also reached out, according to Silver, in 2019 but backed off their pursuit before an interview occurred. Cincinnati hired Zac Taylor. A Texans rumor emerged in late 2020, but no interview commenced; Houston hired a new GM (Nick Caserio) weeks later.
The 2020 Seahawks season then featured tension between Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson, and the QB’s explosive start brought internal “hero ball” accusations. An end zone interception during a November 2020 loss to the Rams prompted Carroll to tell his then-third-year OC he did not recognize the offense the team was running. After Seattle tightened the reins on Wilson after his hot start cooled, Carroll fired Schottenheimer at season’s end. A disastrous one-year fit as Urban Meyer’s Jags QBs coach transpired in 2021.
“I thought I had missed my window,” Schottenheimer said, via Silver. “It’s a young man’s game. My wife and I would sit around at night sometimes talking about it during the offseason, like, ‘Damn, it would have been cool to lead my own team at some point,’ because I knew I would be good at it. I say that humbly. I knew that I’d be good at it because of my people skills, my ability to lead. But I had to come to peace with that.”
Schottenheimer’s ascent in Dallas represents one of the most surprising hires in recent NFL history, but the seasoned HC does carry 14 years of OC experience. The Cowboys will count on him to coax better play from Prescott compared to his 2024 start. McCarthy is not currently on an NFL staff, having backed out of the Saints’ HC pursuit — which Moore won — during that process.
Offseason In Review: Miami Dolphins
For a team that has made two playoff appearances over the past three years and has not lost 10 games since 2019, vibes sure don’t seem great in Miami. Mike McDaniel has moved closer to the hot seat, despite coaxing dramatic Tua Tagovailoa improvement and leading the Dolphins to back-to-back playoff berths for the first time since Dave Wannstedt‘s tenure more than 20 years ago. GM Chris Grier also has not enjoyed a banner year, having seen his Tyreek Hill rework and Jalen Ramsey extension not prove fruitful.
The Dolphins have battled cap trouble in multiple offseasons, and this one brought a historic dead money charge thanks to the Ramsey trade. McDaniel may need a third playoff berth in four seasons to keep his job — as odd as that sounds for a franchise that booked two playoff appearances from 2002-21 — pointing to Tagovailoa’s health potentially determining the HC’s long-term fate. Regardless of Tua’s status, the Dolphins have some questions to answer after some notable offseason roster subtractions and storylines.
Trades:
- Traded CB Jalen Ramsey, TE Jonnu Smith, 2027 seventh-round pick to Steelers for S Minkah Fitzpatrick, 2027 fifth-round pick
- Acquired TE Darren Waller, 2027 seventh-round pick from Giants for 2026 sixth-rounder
Reminding of the 2019 Odell Beckham Jr. trade that belatedly included an Olivier Vernon–Kevin Zeitler swap, the Dolphins and Steelers folded the Smith transaction into the Ramsey-Fitzpatrick blockbuster. Almost six years after he forced his way out of Jacksonville, Ramsey burned more bridges in Florida. After it was over, the former All-Pro cornerback set a non-quarterback dead money record, tagging the Dolphins with $35.86MM — spread between 2025 and ’26.
The latest Ramsey chapter of discontent emerged in April, when the Dolphins and the aging defender agreed to pursue a trade. This came months after Grier had signed off on a market-topping extension, representing the second time Ramsey had become the top CB earner.
Extended soon after Patrick Surtain reset the market in September, Ramsey played reasonably well in 2024. Pro Football Focus ranked him 11th among corners, but considering he missed nearly half the 2023 season, the nine-year veteran did not justify Grier’s decision to both rework his Rams deal upon arrival and then sign off on a new one 18 months later.
Grier has become the rare GM to cave repeatedly to disgruntled players. It was not even known if Ramsey was even disgruntled last year, but after Grier reworked the Xavien Howard and Tyreek Hill deals to throw significant guarantees their way, he paid Ramsey ahead of an age-30 season. Ramsey is tied to a three-year, $72.3MM extension that runs through 2028. This reminded of the Howard and Hill adjustments since Ramsey also had multiple seasons (two) left on a contract. The Dolphins doing that extension and then trading him less than a year later proved quite costly.
Teams balked at taking on all of Ramsey’s guaranteed money for 2025, depressing the value of a player probably headed to the Hall of Fame. More significantly, Ramsey was believed to be at odds with McDaniel’s leadership style, potentially calling into question the atypical HC personality’s fit in the locker room. The draft-day report called the Ramsey-McDaniel relationship “irreparably broken,” and the former Super Bowl winner had harbored issues with the Dolphins’ (in his view) “willingness to accept mediocrity.” but the team needed — rather than see the Ramsey dead money hit the 2025 payroll exclusively — to drag this out until after June 1.
While the buildup did not look great for the Dolphins, Grier crafted an interesting solution. The Dolphins agreed to pay $7MM of Ramsey’s 2025 compensation, sweetening the deal for the Steelers, who are paying nearly $20MM to the soon-to-be 31-year-old CB. This was a somewhat surprising salary split, but the Dolphins took on more money by reacquiring Fitzpatrick. That became the most fascinating component of that two-trade day, seeing as the Dolphins — in Grier’s first months as a GM with roster control — traded Fitzpatrick early in his second season.
A dispute between Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins led to his exit after just 18 games. The 2018 first-round pick (and his mother) objected to the Flores-led coaching staff using Fitzpatrick as a box player during the team’s 2019 training camp. This came after Miami primarily used Fitzpatrick at corner as a rookie.
While 2019 featured Grier at the controls, previous front office boss Mike Tannenbaum drafted Fitzpatrick. Grier traded him — days after giving the player’s camp permission to seek a trade — as the Dolphins continued a teardown that included swaps involving Ryan Tannehill and Laremy Tunsil. Six years later, Fitzpatrick joins a team that made strides in this rebuild but has not approached the ultimate goal.
Fitzpatrick, 28, should have more good football left than Ramsey. The three-time first-team All-Pro combined for 15 interceptions from 2019-22, excelling as a deep safety while helping to elevate the Steelers’ defense into a perennial top-10 unit. Over the past two years, the Steelers became underwhelmed by Fitzpatrick’s lack of splash plays; he has one INT since the start of the 2023 season. The 2023 slate, however, brought an increase in box snaps compared to his usual free safety role. Last season did not reverse Fitzpatrick’s downward playmaking trend, but he suited up for 17 games and will have a chance to play a lead role in a Dolphins team that lost Jevon Holland and Brandon Jones over the past two offseasons.
As a Dolphins rookie in 2018, Fitzpatrick primarily played corner. He rotated between the boundary and the slot, playing more inside. That will not be his role this time around. Set to deploy Fitzpatrick at safety, the Dolphins also reworked his contract.
Previously attached to a four-year, $72.98MM deal, the eighth-year vet is now on a two-year, $33.1MM accord that provided a new signing bonus and dropped his 2025 cap hit to $4.5MM. That provided a cash influx for a player who had played out the guarantees on his Steelers deal. Despite Grier trading him so early in his career, Fitzpatrick is now interested in a long-term Miami future.
The Dolphins showed interesting hesitation about paying Smith, whose Miami debut doubled as his best season. Smith smashed career-high marks with 88 receptions, 884 yards and eight TDs last year, helping a Dolphins team that saw Hill’s production nosedive and Jaylen Waddle regress as Tagovailoa missed time.
The Steelers came up as a Smith suitor in May, and while the veteran tight end expressed a desire to stay in Miami while the sides discussed an extension, the parties could not hammer out one. Roughly a month after the initial rumor, Jonnu and Arthur Smith — the former Titans OC and Falcons HC — reunited yet again.
This marks the second time an Arthur Smith team traded for Jonnu Smith, but this trade preceded an extension. Jonnu Smith had been tied to a two-year, $8.4MM deal — one agreed to after the Falcons made him a cap casualty soon after firing Arthur Smith. The Steelers gave Jonnu a one-year, $12MM extension, pushing his deal through 2026. The trade brought less than $3MM in Dolphins dead cap, but it leaves a significant question at tight end. With limited options in terms of proven receiving TEs by early July, the Dolphins threw a Hail Mary of sorts.
Waller, 33 next month, retired last summer after rumors pointed to an exit for weeks. The former Raiders Pro Bowler burned the Giants, having sustained another hamstring injury (leading to a five-game absence) and retired after the 2024 draft. No word about a Waller comeback had surfaced, but after the Dolphins acquired his rights via the pick-swap trade, Waller let it be known he wanted to play in Miami or stay retired.
The Dolphins stashed Waller on their active/PUP list for ramp-up purposes. Miami has him on a one-year, $2MM deal with no guarantees. While this profiles as a flier, the Dolphins’ TE depth chart is desperate for this Waller reemergence to commence in earnest. Miami did not draft a tight end and has none on the roster who have delivered a 210-yard season. Waller accumulated 552 in a disappointing Giants season and is among a select few with two 1,100-yard years on his resume.
The Dolphins will almost definitely not be getting prime Waller form, but something in the range of his Giants work would be a lifeline for a team desperate at this position. Waller missed eight Raiders games due to hamstring trouble in 2022, following a $17MM-per-year extension agreement, and some Las Vegas staffers expressed frustration about his slow recovery. Waller also missed six games in 2021. This is a buyer-beware situation, making the Dolphins’ visit with Noah Fant — who signed with the Bengals soon after — rather interesting.
Extensions and restructures:
- Reached three-year, $67.75MM extension ($44MM guaranteed in total) with DL Zach Sieler
- Bradley Chubb agreed to pay cut; OLB now tied to three-year, $54.49MM ($8.7MM guaranteed)
- Restructured RT Austin Jackson‘s contract, creating $7.8MM in cap space
Add Sieler to the list of Dolphins Grier has extended with more than one year left on a previous deal. Sieler did not hold in but let it be known he wanted a new deal after back-to-back 10-sack seasons. Because this extension is tacked onto a through-2026 pact, the veteran D-tackle is now signed through 2029.
Originally a waiver claim (from the Ravens) in December 2019, Sieler arrived to close out Grier’s first year as the team’s front office boss. Sieler operated as more of a Christian Wilkins sidekick from 2020-22, and the Dolphins did well to extend him at what turned out to be a below-market rate. Paying Sieler before being unable to come to terms with Wilkins, Miami observed its waiver-claim find combine for 24 TFLs over the past two seasons.
Grier’s latest early raise bumps Sieler from barely $10MM per year (31st among interior D-linemen) to over $22MM AAV. Sieler, 30 next month, is now being paid more than Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams and Daron Payne. This is quite the level jump for a former seventh-round pick, and the Dolphins will count on him once again ahead of an age-30 season. Though, he should have more help thanks to some returning edge rushers.
Chubb was delivering on the November 2022 trade/extension sequence. He posted 11 sacks — his most since a rookie season (12) opposite Von Miller — and led the NFL with six forced fumbles in 2023. Chubb, though, suffered an ACL tear late in a blowout loss to the Ravens in Week 17 of that season. He then missed all of last season, joining OLB mate Jaelan Phillips in seeing injury issues reshape his Miami trajectory. As a result of the missed season, an accepted pay-cut request transpired.
The Dolphins included incentives in Chubb’s rework, and since the former top-five pick missed all of last season, the escalators will be considered not likely to be earned — thus giving Miami 2025 cap relief. Chubb’s cap hit is down to $12.33MM. The two-time Pro Bowler is on track to return for the Dolphins, who have EDGE questions but more depth at the position compared to their Chubb- and (largely) Phillips-less 2024. Phillips, who suffered an ACL tear early last season, also avoided the active/PUP list ahead of training camp.
The veteran duo will accompany 2024 first-rounder Chop Robinson, giving Miami an intriguing pass-rushing boost — provided Chubb and Phillips stay on the field. Miami will be expected to either give Chubb another pay cut in 2026, when his cap hit balloons to $31.2MM, or release him. This will be a critical season for the 29-year-old pass rusher’s value. Phillips is tied to a $13.25MM fifth-year option, cashing in between his Achilles and ACL tears. This will be a pivotal year for him as well.
Free agency additions:
- James Daniels, G. Three years, $24MM ($7.26MM guaranteed)
- Zach Wilson, QB. One year, $6MM ($6MM guaranteed)
- Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR. Two years, $5.99MM ($3.2MM guaranteed)
- Larry Borom, T. One year, $2.5MM ($2.5MM guaranteed)
- Ifeatu Melifonwu, S. One year, $3MM ($2.45MM guaranteed)
- Ashtyn Davis, S. One year, $2.5MM ($1.23MM guaranteed)
- K.J. Britt, LB. One year, $1.34MM ($1.2MM guaranteed)
- Willie Gay, LB. One year, $1.34MM ($1.2MM guaranteed)
- Alexander Mattison, RB. One year, $1.34MM ($1.2MM guaranteed)
- Joe Cardona, LS. One year, $1.42MM ($484K guaranteed)
- Mike Hilton, CB. One year, $1.42MM ($168K guaranteed)
- Ryan Stonehouse, P. One year, $1.73MM ($75K guaranteed)
- Pharaoh Brown, TE. One year, $1.36MM ($20K guaranteed)
- Artie Burns, CB. One year, $1.36MM
- Germain Ifedi, T. One year, $1.26MM
- Daniel Brunskill, G. One year, $1.17MM
- Matt Dickerson, DL. One year, $1.17MM
- Kendall Sheffield, CB. One year, $1.17MM
- Jack Jones, CB. One year, $1.1MM
- Chris Myarick, TE. One year, $1.1MM
- Ben Stille, DL. One year, $1.1MM
After Isaiah Wynn joined Bradley Chubb in seeing a 2023 injury cost him the full 2024 season, the Dolphins retooled with a player who missed most of that campaign. Daniels would have been a less affordable option had he not suffered an Achilles tear in Week 4. While this is technically a three-year deal, it is more of a “prove it” pact due to its structure.
Even with three void years included in this accord, the Dolphins can cut Daniels (due a $3.48MM guarantee on Day 3 of the 2026 league year) for just a $4.8MM dead money charge in 2026. Despite being a seven-year veteran, Daniels had age on his side. The former second-round pick heads into an age-28 season. If he can recapture his pre-injury form, the Dolphins will gain considerable value.
Daniels finished ninth in pass block win rate in his 2022 Steelers debut and was second only to Quenton Nelson in run block win rate before going down last season. PFF ranked Daniels 33rd among guard regulars in 2023. He will be an upgrade from Robert Jones; the Dolphins hope the three-year Steelers starter can return to a form that saw him miss only two games from 2021-23.
Wilson nearly fetched as much guaranteed as Trey Lance and Mac Jones combined, representing a lingering belief in the former No. 2 overall pick’s arm talent. Even as Wilson did not threaten Jarrett Stidham for Denver’s backup job last season, he has made 33 career starts. Highlighting Wilson’s experience may not be the best way to go here, considering the Jets benched him three times — at one point demoting him to the third-string level — during an erratic tenure. Despite being supported by a top-five defense in 2022 and ’23, Wilson went 12-21 as a starter in his three-year New York run. The Jets needed to take on rookie-contract money in order to fetch a Day 3 draft pick from the Broncos last year.
The Jets saw a failure to add a veteran behind Aaron Rodgers prove costly in 2023, as Wilson’s reset program returned to center stage. Tua Tagovailoa‘s unreliability makes this situation resemble the Jets’ 2023 blueprint, but Wilson having shown more evidence in incapability that year makes this Miami setup perhaps even shakier.
If Tua goes down again, the Zach Wilson Experience will hit South Beach. That is a frightening proposition. But the Dolphins pounced on Wilson on Day 1 of the legal tampering period, rather than waiting out the veteran QB2 market. This points to McDaniel belief he can coax better play from the one-time top prospect, though the Dolphins were believed to be interested in Andy Dalton before he re-signed with the Panthers. Wilson, 26, is definitely another way to go.
A touchdown machine in 2024, Westbrook-Ikhine will almost definitely be an upgrade on last year’s Odell Beckham Jr. version. The tertiary Titans target caught nine TD passes on just 32 receptions. While that will be difficult to sustain, Westbrook-Ikhine (10 combined TDs from 2021-23) played a regular Tennessee role (between 370-480 yards each year from 2021-24) and is qualified to operate as Miami’s WR3 alongside Hill and Waddle. This is a much more affordable option than Cedrick Wilson Jr., who flopped on a three-year, $24MM deal. NWI’s consistency should matter for a Dolphins team that may need more from this spot after trading Jonnu Smith.
Disagreement On Suspension Length Leading To September Rashee Rice Hearing?
AUGUST 15: The league proposed a suspension spanning double-digit games in this case, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (video link). The NFLPA and Rice’s representatives took issue with such a ban given the lack of precedent for suspensions of that length in situations such as his. Time still remains for a compromise to be worked out, but in the absence of one the wait for finding out the exact length of Rice’s absence will stretch well into the campaign.
AUGUST 14:Rashee Rice is expected to be suspended for a chunk of the 2025 season. The Chiefs wide receiver’s criminal discipline has been levied, and it had been assumed an NFL suspension would be handed out before the season.
Now, Kansas City could have its top wideout to open the year but be without him for much of the midseason stretch. An NFL disciplinary hearing is set for September 30; the wideout’s suspension length will almost definitely emerge in the wake of that summit. While Rice’s case is certainly different from Deshaun Watson‘s high-profile 2022 suspension saga, the hearing component is similar.
The NFL, NFLPA and Rice’s camp could not agree on discipline in this case, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reports, leading to the hearing. The Sept. 30 date stemmed from disciplinary officer Sue Robinson’s availability. Robinson’s availability potentially determining which games Rice is available for certainly represents an interesting wrinkle here. Based on the lack of agreement here, it can be assumed the NFL is intending to suspend Rice for a significant stretch.
Rice was hit with eight felony charges in connection with a March 2024 hit-and-run incident. His criminal case concluded last month with a sentence of five years probation and a 30-day prison term. Rice received deferred adjudication, so completing the probation process will close the case and allow him to avoid serving time in prison.
However, Rice also was accused of punching a photographer at a nightclub following that freeway street-racing incident. While Rice was at SMU, Rice or a member of his party fired gunshots into an empty vehicle belonging to a Mustangs basketball player. That was believed to have been on the table to be folded into an NFL investigation. Although the accuser in the nightclub assault matter declined to press charges, these two lower-profile incidents may impact his NFL suspension duration.
The Chiefs’ September slate consists of games against the Chargers, Eagles, Giants and Ravens. The six games following the hearing go: Jaguars, Lions, Raiders, Commanders, Bills and Broncos. While Rice stands to be available for the three-time reigning AFC champions’ early slate, his reemergence from an LCL tear would then be paused due to a ban. The sides could preempt a hearing by reaching a settlement beforehand, however. That is how the Watson matter produced an 11-game ban, as the NFL was aiming to have the Browns trade acquisition suspended for all of the 2022 season. A compromise stopped the offseason-overshadowing matter from dragging on even longer than it had. In her role with the NFL, Robinson has only heard the Watson case.
The Chiefs have seen a number of regulars run into off-field trouble during Andy Reid‘s time at the helm; only some produced suspensions. While Tyreek Hill‘s domestic violence arrest occurred while he was in college, a separate scandal led to a 2019 NFL investigation. A lack of cooperation by a Kansas district attorney’s office, however, helped keep the wideout from being suspended. The Chiefs also waived Kareem Hunt — who has since returned to the team — after video surfaced of him shoving and kicking a woman at a Cleveland hotel. Hunt’s eight-game ban came when he was with the Browns in 2019. The Chiefs, however, saw Frank Clark banned two games midway through the 2022 season in connection with two gun-related arrests. One of their post-Clark options, free agent signee Charles Omenihu, was suspended six games for a domestic violence arrest to open the ’23 season. Backup wideout Justyn Ross also landed on the commissioner’s exempt list in 2023 for a domestic battery incident.
If/when Rice is suspended, the Chiefs will — as they did last year during his injury hiatus — lean on Xavier Worthy. Marquise Brown is also positioned to be available this year, after he missed most of last season. Those two will be Kansas City’s primary receiving weapons alongside Travis Kelce. It will be interesting to see if Rice joins these pass-game principals in Week 1 or reaches a resolution to serve his ban to open the season.
GMs Do Not Believe Cowboys Have Made Micah Parsons Available
When Micah Parsons rolled out his trade request two weeks ago, it quickly became known the Cowboys had no intention of granting it. Considering Parsons’ status as Dallas’ top player and one of the league’s best overall talents, no deal ever seemed realistic.
We have seen similar standoffs lead to blockbuster trades in the recent past. Khalil Mack‘s Raiders negotiations devolved into a blockbuster trade with the Bears. Jamal Adams‘ 2020 Jets talks ended up leading him to Seattle. Both trades required packages headlined by two first-round picks.
Both those instances involved a team trading a player a previous regime drafted, as Reggie McKenzie and Mike Maccagnan respectively drafted those defenders in the top 10 — before Jon Gruden– and Joe Douglas-orchestrated trades occurred. The Cowboys’ Jerry Jones–Stephen Jones–Will McClay operation, of course, drafted Parsons in 2021. Although the sides are not believed to be actively negotiating an extension right now, Parsons continues to show up for practice as an observer. The Cowboys will almost definitely not take the opportunity to cash out on one of the NFL’s top assets now.
GMs have not gotten the sense Parsons is available, according to Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson, who adds one anonymous front office boss informed him of a sense Parsons being available would have come with a trade price no team could realistically meet. Considering Parsons’ status as a three-time All-Pro and having posted four straight double-digit sack seasons to open his career — only Parsons and Reggie White have done that — the Cowboys would have been poised to ask for a historic trade package for an early-prime player.
The 2016 Defensive Player of the Year who was traded ahead of his fifth-year option season, Mack is the closest comp here. Mack’s Oakland tenure was not quite as consistent as Parsons’ first four Dallas seasons, despite ascending to a DPOY perch Parsons has yet to, and the superstar was going into an age-27 season at the time he was dealt to Chicago. Mack fetched two firsts, a third and a sixth (in a deal that sent the Raiders a second and a conditional fifth).
Were Parsons to be traded, he would be highly unlikely — given how cap growth has changed in the years since — to accept a six-year extension like Mack did. The defensive end’s preference for a shorter-term deal has brought a potential sticking point, as the Cowboys regularly prefer longer-term pacts. But the prospect of a team needing to give Parsons a deal perhaps near $45MM per year would naturally affect a trade price.
Trade rumors and speculation came up well before Parsons’ request surfaced, but it was never viewed as a likely outcome — even after the Cowboys gave Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb top-market deals. Parsons has not shifted to a holdout, which is interesting given that this process has differed from past Cowboys extension sagas due to a trade request emerging. The Cowboys could also waive Parsons’ daily fines in a holdout since he is attached to a rookie contract.
If this impasse persists, Parsons would effectively need to play the holdout card if it came down to remaining unhappy with the situation by Week 1. The Cowboys are banking on the impact pass rusher not being ready to miss out on $1.5MM game checks. The team did not complete its Lamb deal until August 26, 2024 and famously did not have Prescott’s done until hours before Week 1. Time remains during the latest overly long Dallas negotiation.
Court Rules Brian Flores Discrimination Case Against NFL, Three Teams Can Go To Trial
Brian Flores is an active NFL defensive coordinator, helping the Vikings into a top-five defensive ranking last season. His discrimination lawsuit, stemming from his Dolphins dismissal and time on the HC interview circuit, remains ongoing. And the veteran staffer scored a big victory Thursday.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld a prior ruling indicating Flores will be permitted to put the NFL on trial. Flores can take the league and the three teams he sued — the Broncos, Giants and Texans — to court, according to an ESPN.com report. A federal appeals court found “insurmountable flaws” with an NFL arbitration process that would have permitted Roger Goodell to be the arbitrator in this case. Rather than the deck being stacked against Flores, the third-year Minnesota DC is on track to proceed with his claims in a true courtroom.
Circuit Judge Jose A. Cabranes wrote Thursday NFL rules forcing Flores to take his claims to arbitration before Goodell represented “arbitration in name only.”
“The significance of the Second Circuit’s decision cannot be overstated,” Douglas H. Wigdor, David E. Gottlieb and John Elefterakis (Flores’ attorneys) said in a statement. “For too long, the NFL has relied on a fundamentally biased and unfair arbitration process — even in cases involving serious claims of discrimination. This ruling sends a clear message: that practice must end. This is a victory not only for NFL employees, but for workers across the country — and for anyone who believes in transparency, accountability and justice.”
Although NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy countered by saying the league disagrees with the panel’s ruling and that it will “seek further review,” an active assistant being set to take the league to court is a landmark ruling. Flores filed his suit in 2022, upon being fired from the Dolphins, and various legal developments have unfolded since.
The topic of Goodell potentially serving as arbitrator in this case dates back to mid-2022. Flores had initially included the Dolphins in his suit, but Judge Valerie Caproni ruled in 2023 he must pursue that discrimination claim through arbitration. Flores initially filed his suit Feb. 1, 2022. After a lengthy delay, he will operate in a rather unusual dual role: active defensive coordinator and plaintiff in a high-profile case. Flores, 44, also figures to land back on the HC carousel in January. An actual trial taking place could reinsert a hurdle in his path to such a job. It was thought Flores would see his coaching aspirations blocked while he pursued this case, but the Steelers hired him as linebackers coach in 2022. That propelled him to the Vikes’ DC gig a year later.
When Flores accused the quartet of teams and the NFL of discrimination, he was coming off a firing after back-to-back winning seasons with the Dolphins. The firing represented a shock at the time, as the Dolphins went from an overmatched 2019 roster — one that generated a Flores tanking accusation against owner Stephen Ross, one that did not lead to NFL punishment — to a 10-6 season in 2020. Flores accused the Giants of conducting a “sham” interview with him in the wake of his Dolphins firing; his Texans accusation also comes from 2022. His Broncos accusation stems from a 2019 interview.
The Cardinals have interviewed Flores for a head coaching job since, though he backed out of a second meeting about the position in 2023. He became a much more attractive candidate after the Vikings’ defensive improvement last season. After Minnesota’s defense climbed to fifth in scoring, Flores met about the Bears, Jaguars and Jets’ jobs. None of those teams are included in the suit, and Flores is still positioned as the architect of Kevin O’Connell‘s Vikes defense.