Headlines

Author: Sam Robinson

Kyle Pitts Extension Not On Falcons’ Radar

By | at July 15, 2025 5:06 pm

Earlier this decade, Kyle Pitts looked like a candidate to be the player who dragged the tight end market past $20MM per year. With Trey McBride and George Kittle not getting there with their respective extensions this offseason, a 2023 or ’24 draftee likely becomes the lead candidate.

Pitts has not delivered the kind of consistency necessary to warrant such a commitment, following his 2021 1,000-yard season with an injury-plagued 2022 and moderately productive 2023 and ’24 slates. Still, Pitts has proven to be a starter-level player — even if the return has not quite justified the Falcons’ No. 4 overall investment. But an extension does not appear on the radar ahead of training camp.

[RELATED: Kirk Cousins Felt Falcons Misled Him In 2024]

“No whispers” of a Falcons-Pitts accord have come out, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter. Pitts is set to play the season on a $10.88MM fifth-year option. An opportunity to cash in come 2026 would await the Florida product, though his path toward the tight end market’s upper reaches is murky.

Even if Pitts has not approached the heights of his 2021 season with Matt Ryan, he is among a small group of tight ends to clear 600 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons. Only Kittle, McBride, Travis Kelce, Sam LaPorta and Pitts have accomplished this. Pitts’ perfect attendance has helped in compiling yardage, and he said during the 2023 season he had not fully recovered from the MCL tear sustained in 2022. Nearly three years removed from that setback, the 6-foot-6 pass catcher should have a good chance at putting together a quality contract year.

The Falcons’ staff wanting to see more makes sense, as OC Zac Robinson was not in place when the team drafted Pitts or when his best season (the 1,066-yard rookie showing) occurred. Atlanta also did not give Pitts much to work with at quarterback during most of his rookie contract. Following the March 2022 Ryan trade, run-oriented offenses centered around Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder. Kirk Cousins elevated the team’s passing attack for a stretch, but poor play led Raheem Morris to bench the aging passer. As Cousins reluctantly settles into a backup role (for the time being), Pitts will be a key component in Michael Penix Jr.‘s development.

Penix making strides would stand to help Pitts as well, as he is only going into his age-25 season. Delivering this year will make Pitts an attractive free agent commodity, but the Falcons could also cuff him via the franchise tag. A few teams have unholstered the tag on a tight end in recent years. Since 2022, Evan Engram, David Njoku, Mike Gesicki and Dalton Schultz received tags. All four eventually scored an eight-figure-per-year deal — either with that team or in free agency down the road. Hunter Henry did as well after being tagged in 2020.

It cost $13.8MM to tag a tight end this year; a comparable 2026 price could be appealing to the Falcons, but their front office certainly has enjoyed plenty of time to evaluate Pitts by this point. Trade rumors circled Pitts for a bit, but no deal — Atlanta sought at least a Day 2 pick — appeared close. Should the Falcons start slowly, however, more trade buzz should be expected regarding the contract-year player. His summer foot injury will be something to monitor, however.

Next year could present a crowded TE market. Mark Andrews and Dallas Goedert are on track for free agency, after trade rumors followed both this offseason, while Kelce’s age-37 season would be available — though, the future Hall of Famer appears unlikely to leave Kansas City. Njoku and Noah Fant would also be available, barring extensions. Pitts’ age, however, would make him an appealing option were he to reach the market.

The Falcons have some time to make a decision here, but Pitts undoubtedly residing behind Drake London and Bijan Robinson in Atlanta’s extension queue come 2026 further complicates this situation.

6 comments Atlanta Falcons

Terry McLaurin Unlikely To Practice Without New Deal

By | at July 15, 2025 3:56 pm

Failing to develop a reliable Terry McLaurin sidekick for the first six years of the standout wide receiver’s career, the Commanders took on Deebo Samuel‘s salary in their most notable attempt to resolve the issue. As Samuel readies for training camp, Washington appears unlikely — based on how things are going, at least — to have McLaurin on the practice field to open its set of preseason workouts.

After a report last week indicated McLaurin is unhappy with the tone of extension talks, the Pro Bowl receiver confirmed as such Tuesday. McLaurin added (via ESPN.com’s John Keim) “without any progress in discussions it’s kind of hard to see how I step on the field.”

McLaurin mentioned that talks between he and the Commanders have not transpired over the past month. While the perennial 1,000-yard target is not pushing for a trade, he appears ready to force the issue in some way fairly soon.

“I want to be here. I want to make that abundantly clear,” McLaurin said. “… I guess you can say there is a point of no return. I don’t think it’s at that now but … time is kind of ticking.

“When you have that type of production, when you know how people value you and see you have told you to your face and then you see how it’s progressing until this point, that’s very disappointing. I’m just trying to get some clarity. Shoot it to me straight.”

Skipping OTAs, McLaurin received a $104K fine for failing to report to Commanders minicamp last month. Were he to miss training camp workouts, he would face $50K-per-day penalties. This has generally deterred players from holding out, as teams can no longer — as of the 2020 CBA — waive the fines for players on veteran contracts. That said, a holdout uptick has occurred over the past two years. Chris Jones, Zack Martin and Nick Bosa stayed away from training camp in 2023; Trent Williams and Haason Reddick followed suit last year. The hold-in measure has brought a sweet spot for disgruntled players, and McLaurin certainly seems set to exercise that option while he angles for a new contract.

McLaurin’s dissatisfaction with the Commanders’ negotiations has come up a few times this offseason. He was surprised by the difficulties this process has brought, but two weeks later, no progress had been made. McLaurin is tied to the three-year, $69.6MM deal agreed to during the 2022 offseason. That year brought a sea change in the WR market, and McLaurin joined 2019 draft classmates A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, Diontae Johnson and Samuel in cashing in. However, Brown and Metcalf have since inked third contracts. McLaurin has been more consistent than Samuel and Metcalf on their respective second contracts as well, not missing a game and earning two Pro Bowl nods on the deal. McLaurin’s $23.2MM AAV has fallen to 16th among receivers.

McLaurin has amassed a string of 1,000-yard seasons but without a 1,200-yard year, though his QB draw was rather poor before Jayden Daniels‘ arrival. He then posted a second-team All-Pro showing in Daniels’ rookie year. The former third-round find also is heading into an age-30 season, and our Ely Allen highlighted the issue — upon seeing what an extension might look like — that brings for the Commanders. Though, McLaurin’s durability stands to mitigate some concerns about him aging out of WR1 territory in the near future. Term length and guarantee structure likely represent issues here.

“I’m not dismissing [age] completely,” McLaurin said. “There are data points to support that, but how come it’s not OK to say this may be a different case and based on what he’s proven, showing no signs of deterioration, I feel that should be acknowledged as well.”

The Commanders also could frame part of a third McLaurin contract around Daniels’ rookie deal. The 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year cannot sign an extension until 2027, giving the Commanders some time to pair that team-friendly agreement with another McLaurin pact. GM Adam Peters has not completed many extensions yet in Washington, but he did pay guard Sam Cosmi just before last season. The 49ers also developed a pattern — one that often produced unnecessary drama — of completing big-ticket extensions well into training camp during Peters’ time with the team.

If no deal is reached by Week 1, McLaurin will be attached to a $15.5MM base salary. Plenty of time, however, remains between now and Washington’s season opener. As the team has established rare modern-era momentum, it will naturally want to keep its top skill-position player happy before a Super Bowl push commences.

10 comments Washington Commanders

Offseason In Review: Houston Texans

By | at July 14, 2025 10:07 pm

Although the Texans showed their 2023 rebound was far from a fluke, DeMeco Ryans‘ second season saw the team plateau. C.J. Stroud did not take the second-year step many anticipated, and Houston finished with an even point differential despite playing in one of the NFL’s worst divisions. After a second straight 10-7 season, the Texans made widespread offensive changes while fortifying Ryans’ defense for the long term.

As Houston attempts to infiltrate the AFC’s upper crust and reach the first conference championship game in franchise history, some points of emphasis emerged between free agency and the draft.

Trades:

The Texans made the interesting decision to both label their offensive line a problem, the correct determination, while also trading away the best piece from it. Tunsil is out after six Texans seasons, having commanded two monster contracts since the 2019 blockbuster trade brought him in from Miami.

ESPN’s pass block win rate metric slotted Tunsil just outside the top 10 in 2023 and ’24, and the nine-year veteran had stayed mostly healthy since his injury-plagued 2021. Tunsil represented a key component in the Texans’ Stroud developmental effort, and they will pivot from a five-time Pro bowler (all five nods coming in Houston) to an eight-year vet (Cam Robinson) without any honors on his resume. Though, the Texans addressed this position early in the draft as well.

Tunsil is also weeks from his 31st birthday and would have been a candidate for an even higher-priced extension, as two seasons remain on his three-year, $75MM accord. Even though the Texans are light in terms of salary along their O-line — beyond Tytus Howard‘s three-year, $54MM deal — Tunsil said the team was prioritizing younger players over his fourth contract. That could have become a disruption along an O-line that had become a problem in 2024.

That said, this is a gamble due to the potential downgrade Tunsil to Robinson could bring. Still, the Texans fetched a nice haul for a player acquired before Nick Caserio‘s GM tenure began.

One of Caserio’s failed O-line projects is now in Philadelphia, being dealt for a proven safety. As Green did not pan out, the Texans will bet against the Eagles resurrecting his career a la their Mekhi Becton effort. Green struggled during his two seasons on the field while missing all of 2023 due to an offseason injury. A midseason IR trip ended Green’s starter run last season, as the Texas A&M product returned as a seldom-used backup by year’s end. One year remains on Green’s rookie deal; the Eagles declined his fifth-year option.

Gardner-Johnson is an interesting bet, especially in giving up an underperforming guard. Two years also remain on the two-time Super Bowl starter/renowned trash talker’s three-year, $27MM contract. No guaranteed money remains on Gardner-Johnson’s deal post-2025, giving the Texans flexibility if this fit does not work out. The Eagles have now ended both CJGJ’s stints at one season, letting him walk (to the Lions) in 2023 and trading him for a Becton replacement option after the second season.

Philly did see Gardner-Johnson prove an important piece. He tied for the NFL INT lead, with six, in 2022 despite missing five games. Although the Eagles had changed their defensive scheme yet again by the time Gardner-Johnson re-signed, he matched that six-INT season for a No. 1-ranked defense in 2024. Pro Football Focus graded Gardner-Johnson 14th among safety regulars last season, ranking him sixth in terms of coverage.

The former Saints draftee is also still just 27, creating upside in Ryans’ defense. Gardner-Johnson’s arrival could be much more important after Jimmie Ward‘s recent arrest, but he adds to an equation featuring Ward and emerging talent Calen Bullock at safety.

Capitalizing on Stroud’s rookie contract, the Texans parted with low-end compensation to add Kirk. This flier carries considerable upside, as the veteran slot receiver had been the Jaguars’ top Trevor Lawrence-era target. The retooling Jags were prepared to cut Kirk; the Texans made sure they would obtain his rights, picking up the final season of the 1,000-yard weapon’s four-year, $72MM contract.

The Jags’ 2023 freefall came just after Kirk’s season-ending core muscle malady. They went 1-5 without Kirk available down the stretch. The former Cardinals second-round pick had notched his first 1,000-yard season (1,108) in 2022 to justify a contract most labeled outlandish earlier that year. Kirk then beat that per-game yardage number by averaging a career-best 57.6 in 2023.

While Kirk was not as productive to start 2024, he drew trade interest before suffering a broken collarbone. A year after trading for Stefon Diggs, the Texans made a lower-stakes move with a younger cog; Kirk will not turn 29 until November. Given Diggs’ departure and Tank Dell‘s uncertain future, Kirk is probably a low-cost bet worth making.

Ingram is a true flier, having been benched by the Vikings last season. A former second-round pick out of LSU, Ingram made 41 starts with Minnesota. He factors into a crowded Houston guard mix. PFF ranked Ingram 66th among guard regulars last season, and while the advanced metrics site did slot him inside the top 40 in 2023, the Texans are attempting to revive a depressed asset.

Extensions and restructures:

This offseason featured the first batch of highly drafted Caserio players become extension-eligible, marking a turning point for an organization that had bottomed out earlier this decade. Once deploying rosters chock full of average or subaverage veterans, Caserio restocked it with several extension-worthy performers. The fifth-year GM operated proactively, potentially establishing a blueprint for when Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. are up for new deals in 2026.

After an abbreviated rookie season, Stingley has become one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks. Caserio’s initial first-round pick as a GM hit big, intercepting five passes in back-to-back seasons and reaching the first-team All-Pro level. The Texans chose Stingley one spot over Sauce Gardner in 2022, and while the LSU product initially trailed the physical Jets cover man, a changing of the guard occurred — as the No. 1 contender for Patrick Surtain‘s belt, if you will — in 2024.

Pro Football Focus rated Stingley fifth among CB regulars last season, after placing him ninth in 2024, while Gardner struggled. Stingley, 24, already established himself by 2023, though, as his coverage metrics from last season closely resemble his second-year work. After allowing a 47.9% completion rate as the closest defender in 2023, Stingley posted a 47.1 number last year. His passer rating allowed only climbed from 41.3 to a still-elite 51.2, and the boundary defender’s yards-per-target number dropped significantly — from 12.5 to 9.6. A natural in Ryans’ defense, Stingley has become the Texans’ top player. Houston paid him as such.

Despite Surtain’s Defensive Player of the Year season, he now trails Stingley by $6MM in terms of AAV. Both players are signed through 2029, as the Texans still had two years of control on Stingley’s rookie deal (via a fifth-year option that would have been exercised), and the extension includes no full guarantees beyond 2026. Though, a rolling guarantee structure makes this a more player-friendly agreement. Stingley’s 2027 base salary locks in by March 2026; that pattern recurs a year later for his 2028 paragraph 5 number.

Although Stingley does not have a runaway lead in terms of two- and three-year cash flows like he does in CB AAV, it was still surprising to see the Texans agree to make him the NFL’s first $30MM-per-year DB on just a three-year contract. The corner market did not move between May 2022 and September 2024, needing Surtain to break through a $21MM-per-year ceiling — one that had fallen behind safeties by spring 2024. Seeing Surtain and Jalen Ramsey set the table, Stingley collected the final piece of leverage when Jaycee Horn scored a then-market-setting $25MM-per-year deal in early March.

Is Hunter quietly building a Hall of Fame resume? No first-team All-Pro accolades hurt that potential case, but the consistent sack artist’s prime has gone against those of Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt, Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons. The youngest player to reach 50 sacks also saw his prime interrupted by injury, as he missed 26 games between the 2020 and ’21 seasons. Despite this sizable chunk of missed time, Hunter ranks 11th in career sacks through an age-30 season (99.5) in NFL history. Houston could be ground zero for a back-door Canton ascent, and Caserio ensured the Hunter-Anderson duo would last longer.

The Texans gave the 2024 free agent signee a deal that narrowly eclipsed Maxx Crosby‘s $35.5MM AAV number, though this obviously differs from the Raiders’ three-year extension. After griping about his Vikings extension — a deal that was team-friendly at the time and only swung further in that direction — for years, Hunter has done well for himself in Houston. He scored a near-fully guaranteed first Texans contract (two years, $49MM; $48MM guaranteed), and the team effectively gave him a $6.1MM raise for 2025. More importantly, Hunter’s re-up secured a near-fully guaranteed 2026.

Hunter, 30, tacked a fifth Pro Bowl onto his resume with a 12.5-sack season. The Texans-Vikings’ Hunter-Jonathan Greenard free agency switch proved a win-win, as the latter earned Pro Bowl recognition as part of a top-five Minnesota defense. Since returning from a 2021 chest injury, Hunter has not missed a game and has displayed consistency by staying between 22 and 23 QB hits in each of those three seasons. Being paired with Anderson will allow a good chance at a seventh double-digit sack season, while his presence helped the younger rusher make strides forward.

Houston moved Pitre from safety to the slot last year, and the early extension reflects a belief that change worked. Shortly after making Stingley the NFL’s highest-paid perimeter corner, the Texans moved Pitre to the top of the slot salary list. This set the bar for Kyler Gordon‘s Bears extension to raise the ceiling to $13.3MM per year.

The slot market keeps growing, as teams are taking advantage of a bargain rate attached to this underrated position. As recently as March 2024, no pure slot had crossed the eight-figure-per-year barrier; after historic cap spikes in 2024 and ’25, six pure slot CBs are there now.

This came after Pitre’s season-ending pectoral injury, which required surgery. The contract certainly renders that a nonissue, as the Texans have the makings of a long-term CB trio. These two deals pair well with Kamari Lassiter‘s rookie pact. The 2024 second-rounder’s rookie deal runs through 2027.

Free agency additions:

Having a biannual look at Robinson through his AFC South past, the Texans decided to add one of this market’s top players days into free agency. While it appeared Robinson’s market — thanks to Ronnie Stanley and Alaric Jackson taking themselves off the table via pre-free agency agreements — would rival Dan Moore Jr.‘s, the longtime Jags LT-turned-Vikings stopgap took a one-year accord with an eye on 2026. Based on the Texans’ offseason, this looks set to be a one-year partnership.

The pure left tackle carrying 101 career starts divided some entering free agency, as no Pro Bowls are on his resume. Then again, Pro Bowl LTs entering age-30 seasons rarely hit the market barring noteworthy injury concerns. PFF slotted Robinson outside the top 50 among tackles last season, and his 88.2% pass block win rate did not wow. But the Texans will add the twice-franchise-tagged blocker as a stopgap while second-round pick Aireontae Ersery develops.

The Hall of Fame will need to adjust its criteria if modern running backs are to be enshrined, as workloads plummeted compared to prior eras. Chubb looked to be one of the players who could create a case, provided the goalposts are moved to accommodate some of this period’s best ballcarriers, but the injuries he sustained in 2023 and ’24 altered that path. The former Browns dynamo missed 15 games in 2023 due to a severe knee injury, one that kept him from debuting until late October of 2024. He then saw a broken foot shelve him after eight games last season. As a result, Chubb’s free agency predictably tanked.

Chubb, 29, had taken a steep Browns pay cut after his 2023 knee injuries — a partially torn ACL, a fully torn MCL along with medial capsule and meniscus damage — and is certainly at a make-or-break point. The former second-round pick had zoomed to four straight Pro Bowls, running behind a well-built Browns O-line. This included two 1,400-plus-yard rushing seasons (2019, 2022), the first of which coming before the team rebuilt its O-line.

One of the NFL’s top pure runners of the past several years, Chubb now joins Joe Mixon — who is nearly a year younger despite being drafted a year earlier — in Houston’s backfield. After not seeing Dameon Pierce pan out, the Texans have one of the more experienced backfields in recent NFL history.

Chubb did not look himself before going down with the foot injury last season. He averaged 3.3 yards per carry, after topping 5.0 in each of his first five seasons, and is likely done as a regular starter. Still, the Texans have a former top-tier RB on a low-cost contract; they will hope the eighth-year vet being nearly two years removed from the major knee injury can spark a resurgence.

Read more

6 comments Houston Texans Offseason Outlook PFR Originals

Players To Spend Season On Franchise Tag Since 2015

By | at July 13, 2025 10:07 pm

The Chiefs and Trey Smith have just less than 48 hours to agree on a long-term extension; otherwise, the Pro Bowl guard will play on the franchise tag and negotiations will be tabled until 2026. That is 2025’s only tag situation as the July 15 deadline approaches.

Over the previous 10 offseasons, 77 players received the franchise tag. Many of those signed extensions before the midsummer deadline. Here are the players who did not and ended up playing the season for the tag price:

2015

Pierre-Paul’s infamous fireworks accident led to Giants rescinding $14.8MM tag, setting up revised agreement 

2016

2017

2018

Bell did not collect any money on his 2018 tag, being the 21st century’s lone franchise-tagged player to skip season

2019

Texans applied $15.9MM linebacker tag on Clowney, trading him to Seahawks in August 2019; edge rusher agreed to salary reduction upon being dealt

2020

Ravens, Judon agreed on compromise between defensive end, linebacker tag prices. Ngakoue agreed to salary reduction to facilitate trade from Jaguars. Vikings traded edge rusher to Ravens before 2020 deadline. Prescott received exclusive franchise tag from Cowboys.

2021

2022

2023

Raiders provided raise to Jacobs to bring him into training camp

2024

9 comments Baltimore Ravens Chicago Bears Cincinnati Bengals Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Houston Texans Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Rams Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots New Orleans Saints New York Giants New York Jets PFR Originals Pittsburgh Steelers Seattle Seahawks Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Extension Candidate: Courtland Sutton

By | at July 13, 2025 10:06 pm

As the Broncos have rebounded from their disastrous 2022 situation, some of the key players to help them climb out of that hole are entering contract years. Nik Bonitto is a traditional extension candidate, coming off a breakout season ahead of the final year of his rookie contract, while Zach Allen jumped a level ahead of his age-28 season. A significant raise will be necessary for the Broncos to keep the ascending interior D-lineman on a third contract.

Denver, however, has a homegrown player residing as a more interesting extension candidate. Courtland Sutton carries a few unusual markers along his journey to another extension case. Even though Bonitto and Allen qualify as higher-value players due to their ages, Sutton stands as a pivotal piece considering the Broncos’ plan on offense. The former John Elway draftee has waited patiently for a deal, reporting to both OTAs and minicamp after skipping some offseason work while pursuing a raise last year. But he looks to have seen the younger defenders leapfrog him in Denver’s extension queue.

Sutton is going into his age-30 season, and he carries an atypical resume for a No. 1 receiver. The 2018 second-round pick’s two 1,000-yard seasons are spaced five years apart. He helped build an initial extension candidacy by eclipsing 1,000 yards in 2019. That 1,112-yard season still stands as Sutton’s career high; it came with Joe Flacco, Brandon Allen and a rookie-year Drew Lock making starts. A 2020 ACL tear paused Sutton’s ascent, and Denver’s QB quagmire lowered the receiver’s ceiling for an extended stretch.

As the Broncos assembled a low-octane Teddy Bridgewater offense, Sutton and Jerry Jeudy became info-graphic fodder due to Aaron Rodgers‘ interest in being traded to Denver in 2021. The Packers held onto the reigning MVP that year and in 2022, leading the Broncos to their blockbuster Russell Wilson trade. That move brought a spectacular failure, as an overmatched Nathaniel Hackett grounded Denver’s offense to 32nd in 2022. Sean Payton elevated Wilson back to respectability in 2023, however, and that season effectively launched Sutton’s second extension campaign.

Wilson’s 26-touchdown pass, eight-interception season ended ugly, with a contract-based benching taking place. But Wilson-to-Sutton became the team’s most notable connection since the Peyton Manning days; the 6-foot-4 WR totaled 10 TD receptions, displaying a penchant for acrobatic grabs. Sutton then submitted a second 1,000-yard season, being a linchpin on a 2024 offense bereft of other reliable pass catchers. This helped Sutton post a 1,081-yard 2024 season, boosting Bo Nix to 29 TD passes — the second-most by a rookie QB in NFL history.

So much happened between the Rodgers rumors and Nix’s rookie season, though. Sutton signed a four-year, $60MM extension days after Tim Patrick‘s three-year, $30MM deal. While injuries dogged Patrick in the years that followed, Sutton remained a productive starter. Being an Elway-era draftee extended under George Paton, Sutton became a trade-rumor mainstay during Payton’s initial months on the job. The Broncos listened closely on Sutton and Jeudy during the 2023 offseason, aiming for a second-round pick for Sutton and a first for Jeudy. Nothing on that level emerged, but the Ravens came close to acquiring Sutton — before pivoting to Odell Beckham Jr.‘s $15MM guarantee.

Denver declined a Jeudy offer that included third- and fifth-round picks before the 2023 deadline, holding onto Sutton as well. That Jeudy decision became a mistake, as the team both sold low in March 2024 (fifth- and sixth-round picks) before seeing him post a Pro Bowl season in Cleveland. Jeudy’s departure solidified Sutton’s WR1 standing, to the point the Broncos declined a third-round pick from the 49ers during the summer 2024 Brandon Aiyuk saga. Sutton more than doubling any other Broncos pass catcher in yardage last season strengthened his extension case.

Missing out on Emeka Egbuka in the draft, the Broncos did not address the receiver position until Round 3 (Pat Bryant). The Illinois prospect’s 4.61-second 40-yard dash time docked his value, and while Marvin Mims has flashed, the Broncos have mostly deployed him as a gadget cog on offense. The team’s 2024 rookies (Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin) also appear role players, even if Vele’s skillset resembles Sutton’s (Vele is also set to turn 28 before year’s end, complicating the second-year player’s long-term NFL future).

Everything since the 2023 season has boosted Sutton’s stock, but finding a price may be proving tricky. The Broncos agreed to only an incentive package with Sutton last year, telling his camp 2025 would be the window for true extension talks. We are here now, and nothing has transpired since Sutton labeled the 2025 talks positive in April. Denver completed summer extensions with Patrick Surtain and Quinn Meinerz last year; Sutton drama could resurface if no deal emerges this summer.

It would surprise if the Broncos revisited trade talks in the event they could not come to terms with Sutton before Week 1. The SMU product remains valuable due to the dearth of proven WR help ahead of Nix’s second season.

Finding contractual comps does prove difficult. Mike Evans and Davante Adams signed similar deals — two years, $41MM (Evans) and 2/44 (Adams) — while Calvin Ridley‘s resume did not match Sutton’s ahead of a four-year, $92MM Titans deal. Ridley signed that contract months before his 30th birthday, though his standing as last year’s top WR free agent — after the Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman Jr. tags — boosted his value. Evans and Adams are much more accomplished players, both of whom also being more than two years older.

Jeudy signed a Browns-friendly extension (three years, $52.5MM), but it came after the Broncos’ QB struggles suppressed his stats. Sutton is in a similar boat, but after being tied to an AAV ($15MM) that sits 25th at the position — following market booms in 2022 and ’24 — it would surprise if the eighth-year vet settled for anything south of $20MM per year.

Pittman’s three-year, $70MM accord could be a comp for Sutton, as the Colts’ No. 1 target is just two years younger and agreed to that deal before another salary cap spike commenced. Jeudy fetched $41MM guaranteed at signing, Pittman $46MM. That is probably beyond where the Broncos will go regarding locked-in compensation, though Sutton residing in a gray area due to age, production and importance makes that number harder to peg as well.

A short-term extension seems the most likely outcome here. The sides’ price points will be interesting to learn. Sutton would command reasonable value as a 2026 free agent, but will he want to chance negotiating ahead of an age-31 season? Many variables have led to this point, as the next several weeks figure to determine where this years-long saga ends.

1 comment Denver Broncos Extension Candidate PFR Originals

NFLPA Leadership Backing Executive Director Lloyd Howell

By | at July 13, 2025 8:23 pm

Lloyd Howell‘s tenure as the NFLPA’s executive director has run into choppy waters. As the prospect of an 18-game season looms, the staffer set to be tasked with shepherding those negotiations on the players’ side has seen multiple issues come up this offseason.

After a collusion grievance produced some eye-catching headlines, some of them shedding light on the quiet power transfer to Howell in 2023, DeMaurice Smith‘s successor has run into conflict-of-interest trouble. Howell has been working as a consultant for The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm approved by the league to pursue a minority ownership stake in an NFL team.

A recent report indicated a Change.org petition calling for Howell’s resignation had circulated among NFL players and NFLPA staff. Pushing back on that, NFLPA leadership released a statement backing its chief. The NFLPA allows player reps to remove the executive director with a two-thirds majority vote at a meeting with a two-thirds quorum, but with the executive committee holding the line for now, no change at the top of this pyramid is imminent.

“As members of the NFLPA Executive Committee, we categorically reject false reports insinuating doubts within this committee or suggestions that we have asked our Executive Director to step down,” the statement reads (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). “We further reject attempts to mischaracterize the committee’s views or divide our membership. We have established a deliberate process to carefully assess the issues that have been raised and will not engage in a rush to judgement.

“We believe in and remain committed to working with our Executive Director and other members of NFLPA staff and player leadership who have a shared mission to advance the best interests of players. As we approach the 2025 season, we look forward to continuing our important work together and ensuring the strength and unity of our association.”

Howell received $3.4MM consulting for Carlyle in 2024, and although the firm (via an emailed statement) indicated Howell had “no access to information about the NFL and Carlyle process beyond public news reports,” the optics are obviously not ideal for the third-year union chief. Howell also received almost $700K from board positions at GE HealthCare and Moody’s, according to ESPN. This multi-front workload differs from previous NFLPA executive directors, who had neither outside jobs nor paid board seats during their respective tenures.

Smith was at the wheel when the NFLPA ratified the 2011 and 2020 CBAs, the second of those accords running through the 2030 season. Howell and NFLPA president Jalen Reeves-Maybin are unlikely to be in position to negotiate a new CBA for a few years at least. But Howell is positioned to be the union’s point man when that time comes. Based on the stakes, scrutiny from NFLPA ranks would be understandable.

The appeal of the recent grievance ruling — one that determined owners likely aimed to reduce guaranteed money in high-profile contracts (while stopping short of deeming collusion occurred) — surfaced days after veteran reporter Pablo Torre made the grievance findings public. The ruling came down in January, however, meaning it took the release of the report to prompt the union to act here.

Howell having quietly added former NFLPA president J.C. Tretter as the union’s chief strategy officer has drawn scrutiny due to the latter’s involvement in the Russell Wilson leg of the collusion grievance. Tretter not wanting his texts to Smith about Wilson being “a wuss” for not sticking to his ask for a fully guaranteed Broncos extension (in 2022) to be made public was believed to be a driving force behind an NFLPA effort to conceal the report’s findings.

Howell conducted a conference call with the executive committee (which includes 10 members and Reeves-Maybin) shortly after the ruling was made. He passed along the outcome of the case but did not mention specifics or distribute copies of the findings from Droney. The lack of transparency during the early part of Howell’s tenure has certainly generated questions about his leadership, especially as these developments have come after he was elected in relative secrecy in June 2023. As the appeal process begins, however, the NFLPA is sticking with the leader it tabbed.

10 comments Uncategorized

Offseason In Review: Jacksonville Jaguars

By | at July 11, 2025 10:30 pm

After authorizing the three biggest contracts in team history, the Jaguars moved through a disastrous season. The team’s 4-13 campaign led to Doug Pederson‘s ouster, as the former Super Bowl-winning HC’s fate became easy to predict as the season’s final weeks transpired. The team’s initial offseason plan, however, took on water as it became clear GM Trent Baalke‘s presence was interfering with the search to replace Pederson.

A course change midway through led the Jaguars to their eventual Liam Coen–James Gladstone pairing. This brings far less experience compared to Pederson-Baalke, but Jacksonville had seen its fortunes worsen as that pair’s third season ended. Coen will be asked to elevate Trevor Lawrence to justify the $55MM-per-year contract awarded last year, and the new regime’s defining move equipped the former No. 1 overall pick with one of the most unique weapons in NFL history.

Coaching/Front Office:

Before Travis Hunter became in play for the Jaguars, they needed to sort out their leadership positions. It took a bit. Pederson, though, received an early pink slip. He was the only coach fired on Black Monday this year, and although reports of uncertainty did emerge late in the season, it was not hard to see where the situation was heading. After a 9-8 2022 season that featured a Lawrence-led 27-point comeback win over the Chargers in the wild-card round, the Jags were 8-3 and sniffing the AFC’s No. 1 seed a year later. They finished Pederson’s tenure with five wins in their final 23 games.

Lawrence’s health, a non-issue until his third season, hurt the Jags in this span. But the former Clemson super-prospect has not developed as the team hoped. The Jags ranked 24th offensively last season, one that ended with Lawrence sidelined due to a concussion and a nonthrowing shoulder injury that required surgery.

Pederson’s first Jacksonville season brought a 10th-place offensive ranking, the best of his tenure, with the HC being the primary play-caller. The veteran coach, however, gave OC Press Taylor the call sheet before the 2023 season and kept outsiders in suspense about his play-calling plans for 2024. Shad Khan even voiced support for Pederson taking the reins back, but Pederson stuck with Taylor — a development that reminded of the HC’s Eagles undoing.

Pederson had aimed to have Taylor promoted to Eagles OC in 2021, but ownership was not onboard. This helped lead to a split. Pederson brought Taylor with him to Jacksonville and stuck with him as play-caller for the past two seasons, even as the walls tumbled down. Pederson firing Mike Caldwell as DC did not bring a 2024 boost, as the Jags regressed in both points and yards allowed (dropping to 27th and 31st in those categories, respectively) under Ryan Nielsen. Josh Hines-Allen and Tyson Campbell joined Lawrence in failing to justify their 2024 paydays.

While Pederson’s tenure did not reach the depths of Gus Bradley‘s or Doug Marrone‘s, Khan gave him less time by moving on after three years. That came months after the owner labeled the 2024 Jags as the most talented roster in team history. Khan attempted to have only Pederson take the fall, keeping Baalke on to help hire the next HC. Although Khan stopped short of guaranteeing Baalke would remain GM, coaching candidates certainly assumed that would be the case (even Pederson had been hesitant about the then-GM in 2022).

This created a disjointed search, as both Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson had reservations about Baalke. This contributed to Johnson choosing the Bears despite the coveted candidate’s reported Jags interest. The Jags then saw Coen decline a second interview, bowing out of their search and agreeing to a Buccaneers extension worth roughly $4.5MM per year on January 22nd. The Bucs’ extension offer was contingent on Coen not taking a second Jaguars meeting, but once he realized he held a strong chance at landing the Jags gig, another raise ask occurred. Bucs ownership declined it, however. This sequence proved to be an important stretch regarding the Jaguars’ big-picture direction.

Hours after Coen backed out on his second meeting, Khan fired Baalke. The owner did so despite claiming a full-on overhaul would be “suicide” for the franchise. Signaling the GM was the primary hang-up, Coen circled back and met with the Jags. This then involved Coen avoiding Bucs contact, telling Todd Bowles he was dealing with a personal matter, as a clandestine mission in north Florida commenced.

An agreement emerged Jan. 23. The one-and-done Tampa Bay OC certainly burned bridges on the way out of town — to the point the Bucs blocked two assistants from becoming Coen’s O-line coach — but he secured stunning power given his limited experience and history of leaving jobs quickly.

The Jaguars’ 2024 struggles prompted Khan to hand the keys to Coen. This came four years after the owner placed Urban Meyer atop the personnel pyramid. With Pederson not doing enough in between, the Jags are a coach-centric operation again.

Coen, 39, has not stayed in the same job since his first Rams stint in the late 2010s. Sean McVay hired Coen as assistant wide receivers coach in 2018 and moved him to assistant QBs coach in 2020. Coen then bounced from Kentucky to the Rams and back to Kentucky — all in OC roles — before yo-yoing back to the NFL with the Bucs, who gave the young coach his first NFL play-calling shot.

The 2022 Rams did not impress, but Coen coaxed a breakout Will Levis junior season (2021) and later helped Baker Mayfield build on his 2023 resurgence. Mayfield established career-high marks across the board last season, throwing 41 TD passes and completing 71.4% of his throws. This came as he reached a career-best 7.9 yards per attempt, checking enough boxes for Coen to follow Dave Canales in receiving a head coaching offer after one season as Bucs OC. Robert Saleh, who worked under Bradley in Jacksonville, was believed to be the team’s fallback option if Coen did not reconsider his stance.

Rumors over the past several years paint a grim picture of life during a Baalke GM stay. The 49ers keeping their GM over Jim Harbaugh in 2015 proved a mistake, as the team sunk to its lowest depth since the late 1970s, and the Jags’ 2022 HC search featured hiccups involving the GM. Khan firing Meyer increased Baalke’s organizational power ahead of a draft that brought a Travon Walker-over-Aidan Hutchinson pick. An early-season report last year also depicted friction between Baalke and Pederson, with Taylor’s status a point of contention.

Baalke following Tom Telesco off the GM tier this offseason means no second-chance GMs are currently employed, illustrating the high stakes these jobs carry. No team has hired Baalke or Pederson, and the Jags’ midwinter changeup brought in Gladstone, who is the NFL’s youngest GM (at 34).

Gladstone spent nine years in Los Angeles, rising from an assistant to the general manager position to director of scouting strategy. The Jags were Gladstone’s only GM connection, and it came after reported Coen preference Mike Greenberg, the Bucs’ assistant GM, declined an interview. Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham also checked in as an early frontrunner. Gladstone and Coen worked together for four nonconsecutive seasons in L.A., and the former had worked under Brad Holmes before he became the Lions’ GM.

The Rams have an established history of finding draft gems in the McVay era, and their 2023 and ’24 drafts — efforts that helped create a formidable pass rush as Aaron Donald exited — reflected well on their scouting strategy chief. Seeing Holmes do wonders in Detroit, the Jags will roll the dice on a young exec. He joins Coen and Boselli as part of a decision-making troika, but the HC is atop the pyramid.

Coen did not hire an experienced OC. Udinski rises from Vikings assistant quarterbacks coach to this post. Even though the Jags’ OC position is currently a non-play-calling gig, this represents quite the vault for a 29-year-old assistant. Udinski landed this job after candidate Nate Scheelhaase bowed out to stay with the Rams.

Like Gladstone, Udinski rose from the “assistant to the” level. This climb, however, occurred within a two-year span. Kevin O’Connell made Udinski his assistant QBs coach in 2023, and Sam Darnold‘s belated breakthrough garnered attention for the staff. Udinski becoming an OC before Vikes QBs coach Josh McCown is interesting, but O’Connell — Coen’s Rams boss in 2020 — has become one of the NFL’s most respected coaches. This represents the first major branch off his coaching tree.

Campanile, 42, has no history with Coen or Gladstone. He spent four years in Miami as linebackers coach, arriving under Brian Flores and being retained by both of Mike McDaniel‘s first two DCs. Campanile only interviewed for the Jags’ DC job this year but met with the Dolphins and Giants about their positions in 2024. The Jaguars are now on their fifth DC of the 2020s. Nielsen has now been a one-and-done DC in New Orleans, Atlanta and Jacksonville over the past three years, managing to pull this off without technically being fired. The 2022 Saints co-DC took the Falcons’ job in 2023 and was subsequently tied to two canned HCs.

Trades:

Among the extensive receiver turnover in Jacksonville, this move stands out. The team was prepared to release Kirk, who turned heads with his $18MM-per-year contract as a 2022 free agent, but collected a low-end return from a division rival. While dealing Kirk to the Texans may have signaled the new staff’s view of his abilities, this is more of a salary dump from a regime that had no ties to Lawrence’s previous top target.

Kirk is still just 28 and delivered two impressive seasons in Jacksonville. Proving the Baalke-Pederson regime right for a market-reshaping contract — via the wave of deals made after Kirk’s — the former Cardinals second-round pick helped elevate Lawrence with an 1,108-yard 2022 showing and was more productive on a per-game basis in 2023. The slot weapon averaged a career-high 57.6 yards per game in 2023 but went down with a core muscle injury early in Week 13. That setback coincided with the Jags’ swoon, as they were 8-3 in the games Kirk finished that season.

A broken collarbone shelved Kirk last season, denying teams — including the then-WR-fixated Steelers — a chance to make trade offers near the deadline. The Jags moved on from Kirk’s $15.5MM 2025 salary in the final year of the contract, saving $10.44MM as a result. Though, the Coen-Gladstone regime did OK a $13MM-plus dead money hit via this trade. The Jags have made two significant WR investments in the past two drafts, lessening the blow to Lawrence.

Free agency additions:

One of the league’s most versatile players, Mekari has seen at least 200 snaps at all five O-line positions. His work at guard in 2024, however, set a quality free agent market in March. The Ravens had slotted Mekari as a swing backup but needed him at left guard last season. Jacksonville will slide Mekari to right guard, as Ezra Cleveland is in place at LG. This contract represented a value vault for Mekari, who played out a three-year, $15.45MM deal.

ESPN’s pass block win rate metric ranked Mekari fifth among guards last season, marking an impressive showing given that the versatile blocker’s primary position was tackle from 2021-23. The Jags are not certain 2023 first-round pick Anton Harrison will remain their RT starter, so it is possible Mekari could be tapped to take over there. His projected 2025 spot will be RG, however.

A $7MM-per-year deal looks like a win for Hainsey, who joined Murray and Brown among the Jags’ curious contracts on Day 1 of free agency. The Buccaneers demoted Hainsey, Ryan Jensen‘s center replacement, for first-rounder Graham Barton last year. Hainsey started a game in his contract year but played only 95 offensive snaps. Pro Football Focus was down on the former third-rounder’s center work in 2023, ranking him 32nd at the position, but viewed him as a top-15 snapper in 2022. Even as Coen only stopped through during Hainsey’s second-string season, the one-year Bucs OC signed off on a top-10 center contract to bring him to Jacksonville.

After the slot cornerback market received updates to move it past eight figures per year for the first time, a few more inside contributors cashed in. Kenny Moore and Taron Johnson did the early damage in March 2024, and Michael Carter passed them months later. This year, Lewis helped set the table for Jalen Pitre and Kyler Gordon. Lewis’ situation reminds more of Moore and Johnson’s, as Carter, Pitre and Gordon are second-contract players. Entering his age-30 season, Lewis is on his fourth contract. The Jags looked into reuniting Coen and Carlton Davis, but that market reached $16MM per year. Lewis instead became the team’s CB addition.

Read more

4 comments Jacksonville Jaguars Offseason In Review PFR Originals

Checking In On Unresolved Edge Rusher Situations

By | at July 8, 2025 10:14 pm

At the offseason’s outset, we projected the edge rusher market — which had not moved too much aside from Nick Bosa‘s contract since T.J. Watt‘s 2021 extension — would take center stage due to the volume of marquee players entering contract years. The fireworks have not disappointed.

The Raiders entered the fray despite having Maxx Crosby contracted for two more seasons, and their early play led the Browns to make the same move — one that took Myles Garrett off the trade block. Garrett’s $40MM-per-year number — which led to Ja’Marr Chase‘s asking price changing, as the title of “highest-paid non-quarterback” gains steam in the NFL — still leads the way at his position, but a glut of edge rushers are still deep in negotiations.

Although both Odafe Oweh and Kwity Paye are heading into their fifth-year option seasons, rumors of negotiations have not emerged involving the Ravens and Colts edge players. Those situations are worth monitoring, but front-burner matters involving All-Pro-caliber rushers — and one curious rookie case — have produced a wave of headlines this offseason. As training camps near, here is where everything stands:

Trey Hendrickson, Bengals

The messiest of these situations has brought a staredown. Although the Bengals have seen a few players (Tee Higgins, Jonah Williams, Germaine Pratt) request trades in recent years, they have not buckled. Hendrickson, though, levied accusations against the team at OTAs and is prepared to sit out regular-season games. This came after executive VP Katie Blackburn‘s comments taking issue with Hendrickson’s stance. Highlighted by the Carson Palmer standoff 14 years ago, the Bengals have not been known to cave. But the team seemingly went from being prepared to move on from Higgins to paying its No. 2 wideout after Joe Burrow‘s crusade. Burrow has stumped for Hendrickson as well.

Trade rumors here have died down, despite the Bengals giving Hendrickson’s camp permission to shop around. The Bengals rejected multiple offers, and teams viewed the Bengals’ asking price — believed to be at least a first-round pick — as unrealistic since an acquiring team would need to hand out a monster extension as well. Hendrickson made it clear early in the offseason he wanted either a Bengals extension or to be traded to a team that would authorize one; months have passed without either resolution, leading to frustration from a player who has anchored Cincinnati’s pass rush since signing in 2021.

Hendrickson, 30, went public after no talks commenced in the weeks following the draft and made it known he would extend his holdout into the regular season. The Bengals are likely betting the 2024 sack leader will cave rather than miss game checks, and they have not offered a $35MM-per-year deal — which would surpass Bosa and land in the range Crosby set — to their top defender.

The Bengals also have a long-held precedent of not guaranteeing salary beyond Year 1, joining the Packers and Steelers in that approach. Though, Cincy bent for Chase and Burrow. The team is aiming to give Hendrickson another one-year deal, after extending him (one year, $21MM) in 2023; the ninth-year vet wants a true extension, even if he is not expecting to match Garrett’s Browns terms.

Cincinnati paid Geno Atkins at 30 and Carlos Dunlap at 29 in 2018, authorizing third contracts for both. Hendrickson will be 31 by season’s end, adding urgency to his situation. The team saw its defense regress in 2024, denying an MVP-caliber Burrow season and Chase’s triple-crown showing from producing a playoff berth. Hendrickson has leverage of denying his services to prop up a defense that needs to improve to better the Bengals’ chances at making the playoffs for the first time since 2022. But the sides are not close to an agreement.

Aidan Hutchinson, Lions

Hendrickson’s price may well change if other rushers land deals that move the bar; Hutchinson is a player to monitor here. The Lions acted early with Penei Sewell, giving the All-Pro right tackle a deal that topped both tackle markets in April 2024. Sewell still resides as the NFL’s highest-paid RT. Hutchinson enters his fourth training camp in position to top the EDGE market, as he is going into an age-25 season. He is also now fully cleared from the broken leg that ended his 2024 season early.

The Lions made it known they were preparing to extend Hutchinson, and fifth-year GM Brad Holmes acknowledged the price could change as other extensions are completed at the position around the league. Hutchinson’s second contract will almost definitely come in north of $40MM per year, as he is nearly five years younger than Garrett. The Lions lacking a proven presence opposite the former No. 2 overall pick also increases his leverage, and the sides are expected to accelerate talks now that a full recovery has taken place.

Detroit striking first here likely would provide a discount. The NFL’s 2023 pressures leader, Hutchinson showing All-Pro-level form again would up his price come 2026. Even with the team having Hutchinson signed through 2026 via the fifth-year option, waiting until the option year could lead to a notably higher price if/once Micah Parsons and T.J. Watt receive their big-ticket extensions before Week 1.

Micah Parsons, Cowboys

Considering how the Cowboys played it with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, this situation has generated headlines since Parsons became extension-eligible in January 2024. Parsons, 26, is a three-time All-Pro who is the top player on a team. Trade rumors emerged in 2024, but they fizzled fairly early. Even as the Cowboys paid Prescott and Lamb on top-market deals, with the QB breaking new ground by reaching $60MM AAV, Parsons has long been expected to receive an extension. Once again, however, the Cowboys are dragging their feet. This routine has even surprised Parsons, who said the Cowboys waiting once again will lead his price to rise.

Parsons said during the Cowboys’ 2024 offseason program he was fine waiting until his contract year to sign a new deal, and he expected to become the NFL’s highest-paid defender. Although the Penn State-developed dynamo missed time due to injury in 2024, nothing has really changed regarding that ask. Parsons floated out what appeared to be a $50MM-per-year ask by the spring. It is unlikely the Cowboys will go there, but the fifth-year rusher admitted his price has already risen based on the Crosby and Garrett deals. Parsons’ age and early-career performance work in his favor, and he just saw his top two teammates lead the Cowboys to breaking on their usual term-length aim.

Both Prescott and Lamb secured four-year extensions, being the rare high-profile Cowboys to land deals shorter than five years. Term length is an issue for Dallas with Parsons, but five- and six-year deals are largely avoided now. Only one free agent (Will Fries) agreed to even a five-year deal this year; the cap’s record growth has led players to prefer shorter-term pacts to cash in again sooner. Rumblings of Parsons and Jerry Jones being in step on price emerged, but no reports of a true agreement have come out.

Parsons is still holding out hope for an extension to be done by training camp, even as Cowboys delays have been much discussed, and it represented a good sign he attended the team’s offseason program and participated at points. A hold-in still should be considered likely until a deal is done.

Shemar Stewart, Bengals

The Bengals have managed to pay both Chase and Higgins while still seeing many question their commitment. The team has attempted to distance itself from a frugal reputation; its handling of the Hendrickson and Stewart situations has made that difficult.

While Hendrickson is amid a classic holdout, Stewart is at odds with his new team over minor contract language. He and Broncos safety Jahdae Barron are the only unsigned first-rounders. Barron signed a waiver that allowed him to participate in Denver’s offseason program; Stewart and the Bengals could not accomplish that. This created a situation in which the Bengals’ top two D-ends were not on the field for offseason work.

Language included in the Bengals’ rookie waiver did not sit well with Stewart, who left minicamp early after voicing confusion about the team’s overall goal. The Bengals want to include a clause in Stewart’s contract “that causes a default in the current year to trigger a default in all remaining years.” Stewart also expressed an issue with bonus payments, as his contract would not match the bonus schedule of 2023 and ’24 Cincy first-rounders Myles Murphy and Amarius Mims. Stewart’s agent wants to negotiate this or potentially secure his client a concession rather than the Bengals making an all-or-nothing crusade on this minor matter.

Regardless of how the sides got here, this is not a good place to start — especially given the Hendrickson situation and the team’s poor 2024 defensive showing. Stewart will be attached to a fully guaranteed $18.96MM rookie deal. Offset language has played a role in some of the few holdouts in the rookie-scale era, but the 2011 CBA largely did away with rookie standoffs. The Bengals’ past shows they are unlikely to budge here, putting the onus on Stewart to accept the team’s terms. But this relationship has endured a seemingly unnecessary early hiccup.

T.J. Watt, Steelers

Watt separated from Parsons’ track by skipping minicamp. This also diverges from the All-Pro’s 2021 course, when he staged a hold-in at minicamp and training camp. More material on Watt’s negotiations has come out this time around; the prospect of a training camp holdout — a practice largely curbed by the 2020 CBA — looms. Watt, 30, is aiming to become the NFL’s highest-paid defender. His resume warrants a commitment on this level, but as of this week, no deal is close. Guarantees are an issue this time around.

The Steelers ended Watt’s hold-in days before the 2021 season, reaching a then-market-setting extension (four years, $112MM). More importantly, Pittsburgh gave Watt $80MM fully guaranteed. This broke the team’s non-QB precedent of not providing guaranteed salary beyond Year 1. With Garrett securing $40MM ahead of his age-30 season, Watt (31 in October) naturally wants what his 2017 draft classmate received. Watt can use the threat of not playing — the Steelers are 1-10 in games he has missed — against a team hellbent on changing its recent one-and-done playoff pattern, having signed Aaron Rodgers and traded for D.K. Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, and Jonnu Smith.

With this situation still unresolved when the team made the trades with the Dolphins, buzz about teams looking into Watt circulated. The team is undeterred. Moving Watt would seemingly be a nonstarter for the Steelers, as it would make little sense to add the cast of veterans they have only to deal away their best player. Even if the Steelers could use a second first-round pick as ammo to trade up for a 2026 QB prospect — after Rodgers’ expected retirement — trading Watt now would severely wound the 2025 team’s chances.

It will be interesting to see if Watt holds out, as the Steelers famously do not negotiate in-season. That separates these talks from the other three veterans’ negotiations. A resolution will happen by Week 1, and it is still expected Pittsburgh will pay up. As it stands, though, the sides are apart on both guarantees and term length. A 2026 franchise tag would become necessary in the event no agreement is reached, but with the team not having negotiated in-season since 1993, a Watt threat to miss regular-season games — no such threat has come out yet — would carry more weight. Both parties want an extension done by camp, but hurdles remain.

3 comments Cincinnati Bengals Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions PFR Originals Pittsburgh Steelers

Broncos Likely To Use Marvin Mims As WR2

By | at July 8, 2025 4:03 pm

Courtland Sutton‘s extension talks certainly can include a point that the former John Elway draftee’s 1,081 receiving yards last season more than doubled the next-closest Broncos weapon. Although Denver was linked to Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka in Round 1, the team did not make a significant investment at the position this offseason.

As Sutton’s negotiations continue, a sizable gap still appears between he and the rest of the Broncos’ wideouts. One of the team’s holdovers, though, did make noticeable progress during last season’s second half. The stretch run Marvin Mims put together last season looks to have him positioned to be Sutton’s top sidekick in 2025, as the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel notes the former second-round pick is the Broncos’ most likely WR2.

[RELATED: Assessing DL Zach Allen’s Extension Case]

Mims did not see too much time at receiver as a rookie, playing 38% of the Broncos’ offensive snaps. Denver was believed to be eyeing an increased role for the Oklahoma product after trading Jerry Jeudy, but Mims actually ended up with a lower snap rate (27%) in his second season. The deep threat, though, made considerable progress during the season’s second half.

After sitting on just 15 receptions for 56 yards through nine games, Mims totaled 32 grabs and 447 yards during the final eight. This included a 93-yard score in a shootout win over the Browns and two crucial TDs to force overtime in a Week 17 loss to the Bengals. Mims, 23, has been more impactful as a return-game presence in earning back-to-back first-team All-Pro honors as a kick returner. But his elusiveness jumps out among the current Broncos’ receiving corps.

Sean Payton‘s first draft featured the Broncos lacking first- and second-round picks, thanks to the Russell Wilson trade, but the team traded back into Round 2 for Mims at No. 63. While the Broncos could certainly use Mims’ explosiveness in an offense that features some big-bodied contributors at the position, the dynamic returner has yet to command a starter-level usage rate through two seasons.

The Broncos used fourth- and seventh-round picks on Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele, respectively, last year and saw each log more offensive snaps than Mims’ 297. Franklin played 37% of Denver’s offensive snaps as a rookie, while Vele — his final-round status notwithstanding — trailed only Sutton in terms of WR usage by playing 54% of the team’s snaps on offense. Vele, who is already 27 despite going into his second season, impressed during OTAs. The Broncos also used a third-round pick on Illinois’ Pat Bryant, a 204-pound prospect who posted just a 4.61-second 40-yard time at the Combine. The presences of Vele, who goes 6-5 and 210 pounds, and Bryant along with the 6-4 Sutton leave room for Mims’ explosiveness in Denver’s offense.

Connections to Cooper Kupp and Stefon Diggs surfaced earlier this offseason for the Broncos, but no close ties to Keenan Allen or Amari Cooper emerged. It appears Denver will go with its in-house group; Payton pointed in this direction before free agency. Though, the Evan Engram addition will be important to how Bo Nix‘s second-year targets are dispersed. The Broncos still appear to be counting on Mims to build on his late-season form and be a regular offensive contributor for the first time in his career.

8 comments Denver Broncos

Offseason In Review: Carolina Panthers

By | at July 7, 2025 10:15 pm

Within a 10-month span, the Panthers had seen their owner throw a drink at a fan — amid a string of headlines involving the Carolina boss — and the team’s handpicked quarterback benched by Week 3. This came after the Panthers’ 2024 coaching search, due in part to David Tepper‘s past meddling, saw some big names bow out. As bleak as the franchise’s outlook appeared after Bryce Young‘s September struggles, signs of life emerged as the season wound down.

Carolina’s defense still ranked last, as the season ended with an NFL-worst minus-193 point differential, but the team saw Young make strides weeks after reentering the lineup. The Young-Dave Canales partnership began to pay some dividends, moving the team’s nearly scrapped plan back into focus. Coming out of the season, no Tepper- or Young-driven headlines have dragged down the NFC South club. The Panthers made significant updates to their defense, while Young will enter the season with another first-round wide receiver to target.

Extensions and restructures:

In a remarkable turnaround, Horn managed to score a $25MM-per-year deal that briefly topped the cornerback market. The Panthers had seen the former No. 8 overall pick fall well behind the No. 9 pick in that draft (Patrick Surtain), with injuries frequently impeding the South Carolina alum. Horn exited 2024 having played in just 37 of a possible 68 games as a pro. Up until days before last season, the cornerback market had remained frozen for more than two years. Jaire Alexander‘s $21MM-AAV Packers deal topped the market, but Surtain and Jalen Ramsey changed that. Horn submitting his healthiest NFL season placed him in position to receive a monster raise as well.

Pro Football Focus ranked Horn 60th among CB regulars last season, and Pro-Football-Reference charged him with six touchdowns allowed to go with the highest passer rating (as the closest defender) yielded of his career. Even as Ejiro Evero‘s defense sunk to 32nd in points and yards allowed, Horn made his first Pro Bowl. Perhaps more importantly, he missed only two games. Rather than have Horn play on a fifth-year option, the Panthers extended him at a top-market rate.

NFL contract value is not always a merit-based; timing matters significantly as markets are established. Horn had seen a broken foot sideline him for 14 games as a rookie and then a hamstring injury shelve him for 10 games during a 2023 in which the second-generation NFLer missed 11. Horn has delivered flashes, and the Panthers had a big-ticket salary slot open after trading Brian Burns in 2024.

Ahead of his age-26 season, Horn managed to eclipse Surtain in terms of AAV ($24MM) and fully guaranteed money ($40.7MM) despite the Denver ace’s Defensive Player of the Year season. After the cap spiked by another $24MM, however, Horn and then Derek Stingley Jr. pounced.

The Panthers are making an expensive bet on Horn shaking his early-career injury trouble. This represents a course change for the team, which let both Josh Norman and James Bradberry walk in free agency (under Dave Gettleman and Matt Rhule, respectively) rather than authorize an extension. Guarantees here only go through 2026, however, providing some protection for the team in case Horn cannot shake the injury trouble that largely defined his rookie-deal tenure. Horn receiving Pro Bowl recognition given the Panthers’ anemic 2024 pass rush also undoubtedly raised the team’s confidence in the Rhule-era draftee.

Thielen’s underdog story is poised to continue into a 13th NFL season, as the former Vikings rookie-camp tryout body heads into a third Panthers campaign. Despite the team making three first- or second-round receiver investments over the past three drafts, Thielen has persisted. He entered the offseason with no guarantees remaining on his contract. The Panthers gave him a slight bump, though not one that would prevent a release in the event the aging pass catcher (35 in August) showed a notable decline in camp.

Outlasting the likes of Jonathan Mingo and Diontae Johnson in Charlotte, Thielen produced after the Panthers opted against trading him at the 2024 deadline. Thielen accumulated at least 99 receiving yards in three of the seven games after he came back from a hamstring injury, providing a reliable option as Young made late-season strides.

The Panthers asked about D.K. Metcalf, a former Canales Seahawks pupil, but did not make an offer. They then chose Tetairoa McMillan eighth overall. Thielen could find himself in trade rumors again this year, which may well be his NFL finale, but the three-time 1,000-yard target also is positioned to continue serving as a Young security blanket and mentor to a cast now comprised of three first- or second-year receivers.

Free agency additions:

Losing Derrick Brown in Week 1 came after the Panthers devoted curiously modest resources to replacing Brian Burns. The result: a defense that allowed by far the most points in franchise history. Carolina yielded 534 points; the 30-year-old franchise’s previous-worst was 470 (in 2019). Even if the 17th game is factored in, Evero’s second Panthers defense allowed a team-worst 31.4 points per game. Horn managed an extension coming out of this mess, and Evero has a chance to rebound. Carolina devoted plenty of resources to fixing this broken unit this offseason.

The team chased the biggest fish in the D-line waters in free agency, coming close to having a deal done with Milton Williams. The ascending Eagles supporting-caster, PFR’s No. 3 free agent, was deep in talks with the Panthers. ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicated the sides were working to finalize a deal hours into the legal tampering period. The talks took a turn when the Patriots swooped in, submitting an offer the Panthers did not match. Both New England (Christian Barmore) and Carolina (Brown) already rostered D-tackles at $20MM-plus per year, and the Panthers stood down.

The Pats have Milton on a four-year, $104MM deal that came with $51MM fully guaranteed. Williams sits behind only Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins for DT AAV and full guarantees, and the cap-rich Pats’ actions led the Panthers elsewhere in this market. Wharton used a big contract year alongside Jones to land a monster payday given his UDFA NFL entrance. Dan Morgan‘s right-hand man, Brandt Tilis, was on the Chiefs’ staff when they plucked Wharton out of Division II Missouri S&T in 2020.

PFR’s No. 46 free agent, Wharton saw his market form after both Williams and Osa Odighizuwa were signed early (the latter re-signed with the Cowboys before free agency). The Chiefs wanted to retain him but saw that become unrealistic, due to Jones’ DT-record deal, early in free agency. The Panthers added another interior rusher, albeit one without much pre-2024 production.

Never clearing two sacks or five QB hits in a season before 2024, Wharton broke through in a contract year by registering 6.5 sacks and 11 hits alongside Jones. He added two more sacks in the playoffs. In Wharton’s defense, he had never started more than one game in a season until last year. The increased usage attracted FA interest. It will be interesting to see if the attention Brown will command from O-lines can help Wharton in a similar way.

PFF did not rank Wharton as a strong run defender last season, but the Panthers landed on Bobby Brown to help in that department. Squeezing into our top 50, Brown overlapped with Evero as a rookie in 2021. The former Rams fourth-round pick became a starter after the 2023 losses of Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson, and PFF graded him as a top-30 run stopper (among interior D-linemen) in each of the past two seasons.

Brown remaining productive in this area post-Aaron Donald helped his free agency cause, and only going into his age-25 season helped his cause as well. Though, the Panthers are holding onto some guaranteed money until they observe his 2025 work. Whereas Wharton received two years fully guaranteed, half of Brown’s $5.55MM base salary will lock in on Day 3 of the 2026 league year.

This year’s safety market saw an upswing for the position; no player did better than Moehrig. As the cap ballooned by another $24MM, Moehrig fared better than the top free agent safeties in 2023 (Jessie Bates) and ’24 (Xavier McKinney). Moehrig is now the NFL’s sixth-highest-paid safety. Like Wharton, he used a big contract year to secure a nice FA payday. Unlike Wharton, Moehrig was a four-year starter on his rookie deal. The Raiders’ struggles after their 2021 playoff berth dimmed Moehrig’s profile, but teams were waiting in free agency.

Marcus Epps going down in Week 3 allowed for more Moehrig plays near the line of scrimmage (439 box snaps in 2024 compared to 326 in ’23), and he responded with a career-best 104 tackles to go with five TFLs and a sack. Moehrig also snared two interceptions, giving him five over the past two seasons. The Panthers still hosted Julian Blackmon on a visit after this signing, and an Evero-Justin Simmons reunion — the DC already has several former Rams and a Bronco (Josey Jewell) on this defense — came up recently despite the team choosing a safety (Ohio State’s Lathan Ransom) in Round 4.

Although the draft became the gateway to the Panthers attempting to solve their post-Burns EDGE issue, the team took a flier on Jones. Formerly a D.J. Wonnum teammate in Minnesota, Jones made an impact as a rotational rusher for a top-five defense last season. While backing up Pro Bowlers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard, Jones tallied seven sacks and 12 QB hits. The Vikings, who also drafted Dallas Turner in the 2024 first round, were not in a position to re-sign Jones. The Panthers will provide more playing time for a player with just five career starts.

Dowdle entered free agency with an interesting resume. With the Cowboys for five years, he logged only seven carries from 2020-22. Waiting behind the Ezekiel Elliott–Tony Pollard pair, Dowdle served as a special-teamer. But the Cowboys used him as a Pollard backup in 2023 and then needed him to start a year later. Dallas letting Pollard walk and not drafting a running back opened a door for Dowdle, who quickly overtook a shopworn Elliott, who had returned on a low-cost deal.

Dowdle glided for 1,079 yards (4.6 per carry) last season. While the former UDFA’s 61 rush yards over expected (per Next Gen Stats) was a mid-pack number, the South Carolina native carries low tread on his tires — at 331 career carries — entering an age-27 season. He will be positioned as a Chuba Hubbard backup likely to see notable work with Jonathon Brooks out for the season.

Renfrow, 29, is back after spending the 2024 season out of football. A post-June 1 Raiders cut last year, Renfrow quickly fell out of favor with the team during Josh McDaniels‘ HC tenure. Bizarrely going from 1,000-yard receiver to $16MM-per-year extension recipient — a deal McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler authorized — to a cog that did not fit into McDaniels’ scheme, Renfrow totaled only 585 yards from 2022-23. An ulcerative colitis diagnosis helped keep Renfrow out of football last year, but the Clemson alum — a player who led the 2021 Raiders playoff team in receiving — has recovered from the autoimmune disease and will attempt a comeback.

Re-signings:

Dalton’s Charlotte trajectory took a turn last season. Brought in to mentor a to-be-determined first-round QB in 2023, Dalton did so until Week 3 of last season. The Panthers benched Young, and trade rumors swirled after the former No. 1 overall pick’s shocking freefall. It did not appear Canales and Co. had immediate plans to give Young more time, as the undersized passer had looked terrible in Weeks 1 and 2. A Dalton car accident, however, changed the team’s QB course.

Read more

8 comments Carolina Panthers Offseason In Review PFR Originals
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors