Russell Wilson Asked Broncos For Fully Guaranteed Deal, Irked NFLPA Boss By Accepting Less
The NFLPA’s grievance aimed at proving NFL owners colluded to prevent other teams from matching the Browns’ fully guaranteed Deshaun Watson extension did not produce a win. A ruling by an independent arbitrator earlier this year did not find sufficient evidence to determine collusion definitively occurred.
But an investigation from veteran reporter Pablo Torre revealed a trove of information regarding some recent quarterback negotiations and the fallout they produced. The Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast’s report addresses the Cardinals’ 2022 Kyler Murray talks and the Ravens’ first wave of Lamar Jackson negotiations. It also delves into the Broncos’ seminal discussions with their then-hopeful long-term QB solution.
While the NFLPA could not ultimately prove collusion, the investigation featured System Arbitrator Christopher Droney concluding (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio), “There is little question that the NFL Management Council, with the blessing of the Commissioner, encouraged the 32 NFL Clubs to reduce guarantees in veterans’ contracts at the March 2022 annual owners’ meeting.”
Based on the blowback Jimmy and Dee Haslam received from owners upon agreeing to an ultimately disastrous Watson extension (five years, $230MM fully guaranteed), little doubt existed about owners’ desire to prevent such a deal from happening again. A key chapter in this saga occurred in Denver during Russell Wilson‘s summer 2022 extension talks.
Wilson arrived in Denver as the franchise’s biggest swing during a near-decade-long effort to find a long-term Peyton Manning replacement. The Broncos had tried free agents (Case Keenum), early-round draft choices (Paxton Lynch, Drew Lock) and lower-level trade acquisitions (Joe Flacco, Teddy Bridgewater) but did not see any of them become the primary starter for more than a season. Former seventh-rounder Trevor Siemian made the most starts for the team between its Super Bowl 50 victory and the conclusion of the 2021 season. Enter Wilson, whose trade to Denver emerged hours after Aaron Rodgers — a multiyear Broncos target after the future Hall of Famer had listed the team as an acceptable destination amid a standoff with Packers management — agreed to stay in Green Bay.
Through Torre and Florio’s pursuit, the NFLPA’s collusion case is now public (via Florio). A notable section of the case covers Wilson testimony indicating he requested a fully guaranteed seven-year extension from the Broncos that covered around $50MM per year. That would have covered around $350MM and reminded of a baseball contract. Wilson’s agent, Mark Rodgers, has otherwise repped MLB talent. The camp also drove hard bargains in Seattle during 2015 and 2019 negotiations; the Seahawks not wanting to partake in another round of re-up talks helped influence the trade.
Rodgers had just moved the QB market to $50MM per year via his March 2022 Packers extension, but that complex deal had been, as it turned out, designed to be traded rather than fully bringing the market to the $50MM-AAV place. It took until Jalen Hurts‘ April 2023 extension to move the barrier beyond $50MM on a long-term deal, as the Broncos and Wilson agreed on an accord just south of that place.
Wilson and the Broncos agreed on a five-year, $245MM pact in September 2022. The team’s ownership change, approved in August 2022, delayed an extension from becoming final. Wilson viewed the Broncos as “getting cold feet” regarding a fully guaranteed deal after acquiring him.
Communication uncovered via the investigation indicate Rich Hurtado, the Broncos’ VP of football administration and chief negotiator, emailed GM George Paton a series of talking points ahead of the latter’s meeting with incoming CEO Greg Penner. In the email, Hurtado said he believed the Broncos held leverage in Wilson talks and that he could not foresee another team going to the fully guaranteed well the Browns did with Watson.
Watson held unique leverage due to four finalists (the Browns, Falcons, Panthers and Saints) having agreed on trade terms with the Texans. Cleveland won out, after previously being eliminated, due to the whopping guarantee proposal. Wilson was tied to one team, and the Broncos — via the QB’s Seahawks deal (four years, $140MM) — had their new centerpiece player signed through the 2023 season. The franchise tag, which has been a key tool in efforts to limit players during its three-plus-decade history, also served as a tool the Broncos could have used down the line.
Another notable nugget from the Wilson sector of the report involves a Penner handwritten note questioning why the Broncos needed to force the issue with Wilson in 2022. The incoming boss cited the two years remaining on the Seahawks-constructed deal as a reason the Broncos did not need to extend him immediately. Paton had also informed Wilson’s agent a Watson-level guarantee was a “nonstarter.”
In an email sent from Penner to two other members of the Broncos’ ownership group, Penner said Paton informed him the Broncos’ final proposal, regarding guarantees, was “far less than Watson,” and addressed the “benchmark” it set for the rest of the NFL regarding future negotiations. Penner also stated, when forwarding one of the Broncos’ Wilson offers to some in the Broncos ownership ranks, nothing in the deal “other owners would consider off market.”
At the time, the Broncos were believed to want to beat the QB market to the punch by extending Wilson in 2022. Wilson’s concerning play that season made that a poor decision. Wilson received $124MM fully guaranteed — a number still relevant to the Broncos due to the $84MM-plus dead money bloodbath that ensued because of the declining QB’s March 2024 release — but that number checking in so far south of Watson’s $230MM irked then-NFLPA president J.C. Tretter.
In texts with former NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith on July 8, 2024, Tretter lampooned Wilson (via Torre) for not pushing harder for a fully guaranteed Broncos deal. “Instead of being the guy that made guaranteed contracts the norm, he’s the guy that ruined it for everyone,” Tretter said.
This exchange came after Tretter’s time as NFLPA president had ended; the union elected linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin as its new leader on March 8, 2024. Lloyd Howell succeeded Smith on June 28, 2023. (However, Howell had named Tretter as the NFLPA’s chief strategy officer by that point.) It is not exactly shocking to learn an NFLPA power broker was upset at a player not setting an impactful precedent — one that could have given other marquee players a gateway to land NBA- or MLB-style fully guaranteed contract structures — but Torre reports one of the texts referred to Wilson as a “wuss” for failing to do move his effort past the goal line.
Leadership referring to one of its players as such is obviously notable due to the responsibility the union holds. Part of the reason this document did not surface until now stemmed from Tretter not wanting this text exchange to be made public, Torre reports, citing NFLPA sources. This text exchange also impacted the collusion case as a whole, as Torre adds owners used Tretter’s Wilson remarks as evidence no ownership collusion took place.
Wilson did not live up to the trade return the Broncos sent the Seahawks, but the potential Hall of Fame passer has done incredibly well regardless of that two-year stint or failing to land a fully guaranteed Denver deal. Wilson has earned more than $313MM in his 13-year career. The Broncos are still carrying $32MM in dead money from Wilson’s post-June 1 cut, which came after he and the team feuded over a failed Paton effort to move his guarantee vesting date from 2024 to 2025. Wilson did step up in a precedent-setting effort on this front, a move that also protected him from potentially losing money.
Denver has moved on, via its Bo Nix draft investment, while Wilson signed with the Giants in late March. The Broncos would have tumbled into in a Browns-like abyss had they agreed on the QB’s short-lived full guarantee quest. Had the early Wilson momentum for a fully guaranteed extension — amid a desperate period for the Broncos at quarterback — succeeded, Nix probably is elsewhere. Like the Browns with Watson, the Broncos would have been unable to realistically move on due to the dead money consequences on a fully guaranteed deal.
The AFC West franchise succeeding in not matching the Browns’ guarantee structure for Wilson also helped future teams avoid such commitments, as a host of $50MM-per-year (and one $60MM AAV, via Dallas) contracts have been agreed to without coming close to Watson’s guarantee number since the Wilson-Broncos talks wrapped.
Daniel Jones Holds ‘Significant’ Lead On Anthony Richardson For Colts’ QB1 Job
Daniel Jones made the strange jump from a player who underwhelmed wildly on a pricey second contract to one who did not earn a backup job — after signing with the Vikings — into one who has the inside track to start for the Colts a year later.
The latest Trade Rumors Front Office piece explored this dynamic, noting how rare it is for a team to use eight Week 1 starting quarterbacks in a nine-season span (and the big-picture impact Jones suddenly seems to have in Indianapolis). As it stands, Jones is on track to become Indianapolis’ eighth Week 1 starting QB since Andrew Luck‘s shoulder injury shelved him for the entire 2017 season.
Because Richardson missed time during Indy’s offseason program due to reaggravating a shoulder issue that once required surgery, The Athletic’s James Boyd notes Jones has a “significant” lead to become the team’s Week 1 starter. This was set to be an even competition, but with one participant losing so much time and entering after glaring accuracy issues, Jones is poised to benefit.
Based on Richardson’s career arc, this should not surprise. The Colts expressed considerable disappointment in the former No. 4 overall pick last season, benching him for performance and maturity issues, and they have seen him miss 17 games — due to myriad issues — because of injury. Richardson joined first-round busts Akili Smith, JaMarcus Russell and Tim Tebow among the select few of 21st-century QBs to attempt at least 200 passes in a season and complete fewer than 50% of them. On the heels of the Florida product’s concerning 2024, the Colts signed Jones to a one-year, $14MM deal that included $13.15MM fully guaranteed.
The Giants demoted Jones after starting 2-8 last season, making the predictable move due in part because of a $23MM injury guaranteed that would have vested had the then-starter failed a March 2025 physical. While the Giants’ benching avoided that money from entering the equation, they cut their six-year starter in November and preempted a post-June 1 2025 release — one that would have allowed them to split the dead money (from Jones’ signing bonus) — as a tool to move on. The Vikings did not sign Jones from their practice squad until January 7, and they still made him a healthy scratch for their wild-card game against the Rams.
Indy’s issues finding a post-Luck solution, with Richardson struggling to become the answer after a line of veterans stopped through town, led to the team outbidding the Vikings for Jones in March. Minnesota made one-year offers to Jones and Darnold, undoubtedly extending a larger proposal to the latter, but did not end up — after passing on an interested Aaron Rodgers — adding a notable bridge option. J.J. McCarthy is almost certain to start in Week 1, as the Colts emerged in the Jones mix days before the legal tampering period. A viable path to a starting job sold Jones on Indy.
Although the Colts have not revealed a Richardson timetable, the third-year passer expects to be ready by the start of training camp. He has now been in Shane Steichen‘s system for three offseasons, but a player that only started one season in college has not logged the reps the team hoped for since being drafted. And his decision to ask out of a Texans game for a play became a flashpoint regarding simmering maturity issues.
Richardson will still have a shot to topple Jones in the fight for the Colts’ starting gig in camp, but he will reenter that pursuit behind on the scorecards.
Checking In On 2025 Fifth-Year Option Performers
The 2021 draft class has produced some of the NFL’s best players. Patrick Surtain claimed Defensive Player of the Year acclaim, after signing a monster extension that reset the cornerback market, and Ja’Marr Chase posted a triple-crown campaign that ended up pushing the wide receiver market past $40MM per year. Penei Sewell remains the NFL’s highest-paid tackle, and the DeVonta Smith/Jaylen Waddle deals helped shape other WR contracts over the past year.
Several players from that first round also did not pan out, with the quarterback crop being the most notable underachievers. Only Trevor Lawrence received an extension among the five 2021 first-round passers, though Justin Fields did do fairly well as a free agent this offseason. The 2021 first-round class did see 15 options exercised (and three players extended; Rashod Bateman has already been extended twice), marking a bump from the 2020 first-round contingent.
Nine players from that first round, however, exited this year’s offseason programs still tied to their rookie deals. Even though the 2020 CBA helped players on this front by making fifth-year options fully guaranteed, it can still be argued the options do first-rounders a disservice due to teams having five years of player control compared to four on deals ranging from Round 2 to Round 7. But the option system — now in its 15th year — is not going anywhere. And more than a fourth of the NFL’s franchises are moving toward training camp with big decisions to make.
Here is a look at where things stand between those teams and the batch of 2021 first-rounders on fifth-year options:
Kyle Pitts, TE (Falcons); option salary: $10.88MM
Flashes of upper-crust tight end play have emerged for Pitts, but Terry Fontenot leaving Chase on the board — months before the Falcons traded Julio Jones — was obviously a mistake. Pitts joined Mike Ditka (and now Brock Bowers) as the only rookie-year tight ends to clear 1,000 yards; the Florida product has not approached that range since. While Pitts has played 17 games in each of the past two seasons, the MCL injury he sustained in 2022 brought a hurdle that became difficult to negotiate. QB play has hurt Pitts, but the Falcons have not seen him justify the No. 4 overall investment. A contract-year uptick certainly could provide a gateway to a big 2026 free agency payday, however.
No Falcons extension rumors have surfaced this offseason, but Pitts has been the subject of trade talk. The Falcons are believed to have listened on Pitts earlier this offseason. A Day 2 pick was believed to be the desired asking price for the 24-year-old pass catcher. Barring a trade, Pitts will be counted on to help Michael Penix Jr.‘s development, alongside fellow Fontenot top-10 skill-position draftees Drake London and Bijan Robinson. Pitts’ age still points to a big-ticket 2026 deal being a reasonable outcome; he can remove notions of a “prove it” contract being necessary with a quality contract year.
Micah Parsons, DE (Cowboys); option salary: $24MM
In NFC East drama, the Cowboys traded the No. 10 overall pick to the Eagles, as Philly’s plan to outflank the Giants on Smith worked. Dallas won the prize here, landing Parsons at 12. Although Surtain has received the top honor among this draft class and Chase has become the highest-paid player, Parsons is also one of the NFL’s best players. He will be paid like it, and the Cowboys are operating on an eerily similar timeline compared to their slow-playing of other recent extensions.
A three-time All-Pro, Parsons is the best player still attached to a fifth-year option. And the EDGE market has changed significantly this offseason. Parsons, 26, confirmed the Cowboys’ latest delay will prove costly. A strange subplot between Jerry Jones and Parsons’ agent (David Mulugheta) also became known during these drawn-out negotiations. The former No. 12 overall pick has expected to become the NFL’s highest-paid defender, and it seems likely he will eclipse Chase’s $40.25MM-per-year deal as well. The Cowboys, whose slow-paced dealings with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb defined their 2024 offseason, have been in talks with Parsons.
Even after a value gap was revealed, a report of common ground surfaced. A franchise that accustomed to — prior to the Lamb and Prescott deals, that is — long-term contracts also looks to have hit a term-length snag here. Trade rumors came out here months ago, but nothing on that front has surfaced in a while.
After Maxx Crosby eclipsed Nick Bosa‘s defender AAV record, Danielle Hunter cleared $35MM (albeit on a one-year bump) as well. Myles Garrett‘s $40MM-per-year accord now sets the market, and T.J. Watt and Aidan Hutchinson should benefit. Parsons having waited boosts his prospects as well, and being nearly four years younger than Garrett will present a clear case for the Penn State alum’s second contract to come in noticeably higher. When will the Cowboys complete their latest arduous contractual journey?
Rashawn Slater, LT (Chargers); option salary: $19MM
The Bolts did well to add Slater at No. 13. Like Parsons, not much doubt appears to exist about Slater’s prospects for a mega-deal. The Northwestern alum, who joined Parsons and Sewell in opting out of the 2020 COVID-19-marred college season, has started every game he has played with the Chargers. After missing 14 games due to injury in 2022, Slater bounced back and earned his second Pro Bowl nod (in 2024).
Last year brought extensions for Sewell, Christian Darrisaw (chosen 10 spots after Slater) and 2020 first-rounder Tristan Wirfs. Slater’s market will check in at a similar place. Extension talks began early this offseason, as the Jim Harbaugh–Joe Hortiz regime has now observed him for a season. Slater skipped OTAs but expects his second contract to come from the Chargers.
The period between minicamp and Week 1 regularly brings extensions, and this will be the most likely window for the Chargers to come to terms with their O-line anchor. Slater signing a second contract soon would allow it to overlap with at least two Joe Alt rookie-deal years, providing a benefit to an L.A. team with a $53MM-per-year Justin Herbert deal on the books.
Alijah Vera-Tucker, G (Jets); option salary: $15.31MM
After bouncing between guard and tackle, Vera-Tucker has settled at his natural position. The USC product, whom the Jets chose 14th overall in 2021, worked exclusively at right guard last year. Although the Jets faceplanted in Aaron Rodgers‘ only full season leading the charge, Vera-Tucker stayed healthy after suffering season-ending injuries in 2022 and ’23. Vera-Tucker started 15 games last year; Pro Football Focus graded him as the NFL’s ninth-best guard.
The Jets are believed to be eyeing the post-draft period to discuss a second contract with Vera-Tucker, though the team — its struggles notwithstanding — has several extension candidates. Even if Breece Hall may not be one of them, the Jets have 2022 first-rounders Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Jermaine Johnson extension-eligible now.
Vera-Tucker, who turned 26 this week, could take precedence due to being in a contract year. It is also possible a new Jets regime would want to see more given the guard’s injury struggles. Another quality year would make Vera-Tucker one of the top 2026 free agents, but the Jets hold exclusive negotiating rights until March 2026.
Jaelan Phillips, OLB (Dolphins); option salary: $13.25MM
While Vera-Tucker created some distance from his injury issues last season, Phillips sank deeper into that abyss by suffering an ACL tear after a November 2023 Achilles tear sent him off course. Chosen 18th overall in 2021, Phillips already carried injury baggage based on his UCLA past. He rocketed onto the first-round radar following a transfer to Miami, and the ex-Hurricane showed promise during the early years of his rookie contract. Phillips posted 25 QB hits and seven sacks in 2022 and was on pace to clear that career-high sack mark by a comfy margin in ’23, but the Dolphins soon saw injuries derail their edge rusher plan.
Phillips and Bradley Chubb‘s returns from malady-marred stretches represent a central Dolphins storyline. Their returns, which are nearly complete, will be paramount for a regime suddenly in some hot water. The GM who selected Phillips (Chris Grier) 18th overall remains in place, potentially helping the 26-year-old OLB in the event he can shake the injury trouble. But no extension rumors have emerged. This season will be about Phillips reestablishing his old form. If he does, a 2026 franchise tag or a lucrative deal coming in just south of that rate may await.
Kwity Paye, DE (Colts); option salary: $13.39MM
Paye’s value checks in below the Parsons-Slater tier, but he may also not be in “prove it” territory like Phillips. The former No. 21 overall pick has not battled major injury trouble nor has he delivered A-list production. Settling in as an upper-middle-class edge rusher thus far, the Michigan alum has recorded 16.5 sacks since 2023.
Paye, 26, played a big role in the Colts setting an Indianapolis-era record for sacks in a season (51) in 2023 and has certainly not been a bust for Chris Ballard‘s team. A decision will need to be made soon, though, even as the Colts have bigger issues to sort out. The Colts have done well to extend or re-sign their core players, but Ballard backtracked on an inward-focused approach this offseason by paying Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum. Will those deals affect Paye’s standing?
Indianapolis also has two veteran D-tackle contracts on the books (for DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart), and the team used a first-round pick on D-end Laiatu Latu last year. A Paye payday would complement Latu’s rookie-deal years, and the Colts acting early could create a discount opportunity due to Paye never eclipsing nine sacks or 12 QB hits in a season. Those numbers also could give the team pause about Paye’s long-term viability. Paye was not interested in a 2024 extension, but it would stand to reason he would be prepared to talk terms now. No extension rumors have followed, though.
Travis Etienne, RB (Jaguars); option salary: $6.14MM
An Urban Meyer draftee, Etienne has now been a Lawrence teammate for eight years. The Clemson-developed running back delivered quality work for the 2022 and ’23 Jaguars teams, becoming a high-usage player under Doug Pederson in that span. Meyer had telegraphed a hope the Jags could draft Kadarius Toney in 2021, but Etienne proved the far better pick by posting back-to-back seasons of 1,400-plus yards from scrimmage after missing his rookie year with a foot injury. However, Etienne’s stock mirrored that of the team last year. Tank Bigsby cut into his RB1 role, and career-worst marks followed.
Etienne does not appear an extension candidate in Jacksonville, and trade rumors emerged before the draft. Linked to Ashton Jeanty at No. 5, the Jags pulled off a smokescreen operation centered around Travis Hunter. Even with Jacksonville going with Hunter over Jeanty, the team drafted two running backs (Bhayshul Tuten, LeQuint Allen) ahead of Liam Coen‘s first year in charge. Coen did throw cold water on an Etienne trade, but the 26-year-old RB appears set to play out his rookie contract and test free agency in 2026. It will be interesting to see if Coen, who coaxed a promising rookie-year season from Bucky Irving, can move Etienne back on track. But a post-draft report also indicated the new Jags HC is not especially high on the former No. 25 overall pick.
Greg Newsome, CB (Browns); option salary: $13.38MM
As Hunter headed to Jacksonville instead of Cleveland, Newsome saw his status receive an 11th-hour update ahead of the draft. Rather than see Hunter’s two-way role impact him, Newsome enters 2025 in a similar spot. The Browns traded down from No. 2 and took Mason Graham — in a draft that did not see Cleveland draft a cornerback — but Newsome still may not be long for Cleveland.
The Browns dangled the 25-year-old corner in trades before the draft; that followed a pre-deadline trade rumor. In April, it looked like Hunter’s part-time CB role would affect Newsome. But the Browns and Jags had been working on a trade for more than two weeks before the draft. Those trade talks may have been merely a reflection of the organization’s view of Newsome, the 2021 No. 26 overall pick.
Former third-rounder Martin Emerson has operated as Denzel Ward‘s perimeter complementary performer during his career, relegating Newsome to a slot role in sub-packages. Last season, that meant only three starts for Newsome, who described some frustration with his role during the winter. A trade may still be something to monitor ahead of the November deadline, especially if the Browns want to keep stockpiling ammo for a 2026 QB move.
Odafe Oweh, OLB (Ravens); option salary: $13.25MM
Like Paye, Oweh has submitted an extended sample of quality production. Neither had revealed themselves to be difference-making presences going into 2024, but after the Ravens moved on from Jadeveon Clowney, Oweh took a long-awaited step forward. The former No. 31 overall pick broke through for 10 sacks and 23 QB hits. Oweh had never previously surpassed five sacks or 15 hits in a season, with 2024 representing a significant development for a Ravens team that has otherwise relied on veteran stopgaps since Matt Judon‘s 2021 free agency departure.
With David Ojabo not yet panning out, Oweh still has a clear runway in Baltimore. An extension is in play for the ex-Parsons Penn State teammate. Not too much has come out on this front just yet, and the Ravens may also be interested in seeing if Oweh can replicate his 2024 production. Then again, the team has four years of intel on the 26-year-old pass rusher.
Waiting until 2026 to make a play here would run the risk of Oweh’s price rising beyond Baltimore’s comfort zone. No stranger to letting pass-rushing talent walk in free agency and recouping compensatory picks, the Ravens have also not been able to rely on a homegrown pass rusher since Judon. That would stand to make Oweh a reasonable priority in his contract year.
Elijah Moore Not Likely To Land On Bills’ Roster Bubble
Brandon Beane gave a notable post-draft interview taking exception to radio criticism of his team’s wide receiver depth chart. The Bills may not have a true No. 1-level wideout post-Stefon Diggs, but they did do some work at the position this offseason.
Buffalo signed Josh Palmer early in free agency, and while the ex-Charger’s contract details revealed a more team-friendly structure (three years, $29MM) than initial reports indicated, he will be expected to play a central role in an attack that will see heavy involvement from Keon Coleman and the recently extended Khalil Shakir. Curtis Samuel remains on the team as well, as the ex-Panther is tied to a guaranteed 2025 base salary ($6.91MM).
After the draft, though, the Bills made a modest investment in a fifth wideout. They signed Elijah Moore to a one-year, $2.5MM deal that came fully guaranteed. That figure would not make Moore bulletproof on cutdown day, but Moore does not appear in danger of being a quick cut. The ex-Jets and Browns contributor is “close to a lock” to land on the Bills’ 53-man roster, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia notes, adding that Samuel will be a lock to make the team.
Moore landing in Buffalo is interesting given the QB hands the former second-round pick has been dealt. Arriving in New York a round after the Jets chose Zach Wilson, Moore ended up in Cleveland as Aaron Rodgers (feat. then-GM Joe Douglas) pieced together a depth chart that included ex-Packer wideouts Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. The Browns did not have a reliable quarterback targeting Moore, as it turned out, with Deshaun Watson becoming a spectacular trade bust. Cleveland slogged through a 3-14 2024 season, and Moore did not generate too much free agency interest.
The Browns still applied a rarely used UFA tender to Moore before the late-spring deadline. This came before Cleveland’s Diontae Johnson signing, but the Browns’ Moore move ended up pertaining only to the 2026 compensatory formula after the slot weapon’s Bills signing. Moore is part of an interesting Buffalo receiver depth chart that now includes three slot types (along with Shakir and Samuel), while Palmer has some slot experience as well. Despite this heavy commitment to inside playmakers at the position, it appears the Bills — who did not re-sign Amari Cooper and saw Mack Hollins sign with the Patriots — are prepared to roster Moore and use him as a tertiary option.
ESPN’s Open Score metric ranked Moore 22nd in separation in 2021 and 37th in 2023. His other two seasons, marred by Wilson (and a clash with the Jets’ staff) and then the Browns starting four QBs, brought much worse rankings here. But the Ole Miss alum still produced 538 yards in 11 rookie-year games and then a career-high 640 in a mostly sluggish (pre-Joe Flacco) Browns attack in 2023. Going from this collection of QBs to Josh Allen could give the Bills an interesting weapon and provide Moore with a chance to boost his value for a 2026 free agency bid, though how the Bills divvy up playing time and targets to their bevy of slots — in an offense that also features receiving tight end Dalton Kincaid — will be an interesting subplot to follow.
Jawaan Taylor Not Certain To Retain Chiefs’ Starting RT Job; Latest On Team’s LG Battle
Jawaan Taylor carried considerable value as a 2023 free agent. Ranked third on PFR’s FA list heading into that league year, the four-season Jaguars right tackle starter fetched a player-friendly contract from a Chiefs team that paid up to replace Andrew Wylie.
The Chiefs gave Taylor a four-year, $80MM deal — one that brought an important date in March 2024. A rolling guarantee structure meant that if Taylor was on Kansas City’s roster by mid-March of last year, his 2025 base salary would become fully guaranteed. The Chiefs did not see Taylor justify the cost in 2023, but they were in no position to cut or trade him after one season. As a result, they are on the hook for his $19.5MM salary this year.
[RELATED: Josh Simmons Expected To Be Full Training Camp Participant]
Tackle issues hounded the Chiefs last season. Their tightrope walk to Super Bowl LIX featured four LT starters, as the team’s post-Orlando Brown Jr. setup there received more attention. Taylor has remained mostly healthy, and the former second-round pick made 19 starts for the AFC champions last season. Of course, Taylor has not played especially well in K.C. His 14 penalties last season ranked second in the NFL; that showing came after a 2023 season that featured Taylor being whistled for five more infractions (17) than anyone else that year.
Kansas City’s undoing in Super Bowl LIX brought worse optics compared to the team’s blowout loss in Super Bowl LV, as the latter matchup involved backup options at both tackle positions. The Chiefs had no injury issues up front against the Eagles, but their line endured an onslaught against a defense that did not blitz in the game. As a result of this rout, the Chiefs invested heavily at tackle by giving Jaylon Moore a two-year deal worth $30MM and then drafting Josh Simmons in Round 1. These moves may end up affecting Taylor.
Despite the lofty salary guarantee, Taylor could lose his starting RT job. The seventh-year blocker should not be considered a lock to retain it, per The Athletic’s Michael Silver. A scenario in which Simmons commandeers the Chiefs’ starting LT post and Moore earns the RT gig is in play. That would stand to provide an upgrade for the Chiefs, though both imports come with questions. Simmons fell to No. 31 because of a patellar tendon tear and character issues, while Moore did not grade well in limited duty in San Francisco. But Taylor’s struggles, which have also involved scrutiny on his alignment and phantom false starts, may point the Chiefs to preferring Moore take over at RT immediately — rather than after a cap casualty-based Taylor release in 2026.
The Chiefs also traded their most accomplished O-lineman, Joe Thuney, to the Bears for a 2026 fourth-round pick. They are giving 2024 second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia, whom Andy Reid quickly benched after he had won the job over Wanya Morris during training camp, an opportunity to replace Thuney at left guard.
Although Thuney drew a tough assignment by switching to tackle as the team’s emergency solution amid a string of failed options, he earned first-team All-Pro acclaim in 2022 and ’23. The Chiefs will need to brace for a significant step back at guard, though they will obviously hope improvement at tackle will help offset this.
The player who filled in for Thuney after his in-season move to LT, Mike Caliendo, is also competing for the left guard spot, Silver adds. A 2022 UDFA, Caliendo made six starts at guard last season and played in 17 games as a Chiefs backup in 2023. Suamataia did play 31 snaps at guard following his tackle demotion, but the former BYU tackle standout being given such a quick hook at his primary position and being asked to replace an All-Pro will be an interesting dynamic to follow as the Chiefs attempt to join only the early-1990s Bills as teams to book four straight Super Bowl berths.
Path Emerging For Evan Neal To Regain Giants Starting Job
A midseason ankle injury in 2023 moved Evan Neal out of the Giants’ starting lineup, and the former top-10 pick’s hopes of regaining his starting right tackle job did not produce a serious charge last summer. As a result, the Giants admitted partial defeat on their former No. 7 overall investment by greenlighting a much-rumored position change.
Neal is now a guard, and he took plenty of reps inside during the team’s offseason program — which wrapped this week. Although the Giants could well use the same starting five O-linemen they did in 2024, Neal is expected to be heard from during final training camp on a rookie contract.
The Giants re-signed Greg Van Roten, giving him a slight pay bump (one year, $3.25MM) to return. But the journeyman guard is heading into an age-35 season. A scenario in which the team’s primary 2024 right guard serves as Neal insurance has also emerged. Neal took plenty of reps at left guard during the offseason program, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, as the team managed Jon Runyan Jr.‘s return from two ankle surgeries. Once Runyan returns, the LG job is his. Van Roten’s RG job, however, should be considered in play for Neal, Duggan adds.
Giving Neal extensive work opens the door to the Giants preferring him to win the right guard gig, with Van Roten — who received $2.45MM guaranteed — in place in case the Alabama alum cannot stick the landing on his position change. Such aims have not reached desired conclusions for the Giants in the past, however. The team had hoped 2022 third-round pick Joshua Ezeudu would win a starting guard job in 2023, but that did not take place. (Ezeudu remains on Big Blue’s roster as a backup option, but O-line drafting has not been this regime’s forte.) Neal fared poorly as a right tackle and brought injury risk during his first three seasons, leading to the team predictably declining his $16.69MM fifth-year option.
Van Roten started all 17 games for the Giants last season and the Raiders in 2023. The Giants made the interesting move of importing the right side of the 2023 Raiders’ O-line last year, signing both Eluemunor and Van Roten. The latter, however, did not arrive until training camp — when it became clear Neal’s route back to RT had stalled. Pro Football Focus assigned Van Roten a mid-pack grade among guard regulars (42nd) in 2024.
Neal returned to the lineup at right tackle during the second half of last season, as the Giants kicked Eluemunor to LT as a belated post-Andrew Thomas solution. PFF graded Neal 58th (out of 81 qualified options) at tackle last year. That marked a step up from 2022 and ’23, when the advanced metrics site viewed Neal as the NFL’s second-worst tackle. Thomas (once he returns from Lisfranc surgery) and Eluemunor are entrenched at tackle, and James Hudson is now the swingman. Neal is returning to a position he has not played since his freshman year at Alabama; he was a 13-game RG starter for the Crimson Tide in 2019. Some viewed guard as his eventual destination, though the Giants resisted this position change for years.
As the Giants attempt to make the starter-to-bullpen-like Neal switch, they may also be readying Van Roten for potential swing duty. The 2012 UDFA, who stopped through the CFL for two seasons, took some first-string center reps during minicamp, Duggan notes in a separate piece. Mostly a guard as a pro, Van Roten took 138 center snaps last season and logged 159 there for the 2022 Raiders. Former second-round pick John Michael Schmitz has not established himself as a reliable presence just yet. If Neal supplants Van Roten at RG, the latter would stand to be the first option to replace Schmitz — PFF’s 36th- and 28th-ranked center, respectively, in 2023 and ’24 — falters this year.
Brian Daboll said (via the New York Post’s Zach Braziller) Neal has transitioned well inside thus far, though O-line competitions do not truly take shape until pads come on in training camp. This will be a storyline to follow in New York, as Braziller adds the Giants hope a Mekhi Becton– or Ereck Flowers-like rejuvenation at guard can commence. Both players earned themselves $10MM-per-year contracts after guard conversions. After a poor tackle career, Neal looks to have a big opportunity to boost his value ahead of a 2026 free agency bid.
Texans Sign CB Damon Arnette
JUNE 20: The Arnette deal is now official, per a team announcement. To no surprise, Wilson notes this pact is worth the veteran minimum. It will be interesting to see if Arnette’s showing in training camp and the preseason earns him another NFL roster spot.
JUNE 18: Both the Raiders’ 2020 first-round picks flamed out of the NFL quickly, but Damon Arnette will receive another chance. After drawing NFL interest, the recent UFL cornerback is signing a one-year deal with the Texans, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports.
This will allow Arnette to remain in Houston, as he played with the UFL’s Houston Roughnecks during the league’s second season. The Texans brought Arnette in for a visit earlier this month, and they saw enough from his UFL tape to sign off on what is a fourth NFL chance. Arnette has not played in the NFL since 2021.
Already struggling to justify his first-round value in Las Vegas, Arnette saw his NFL path change when he was shown brandishing a gun in a social media video during the 2021 season. The Raiders waived Arnette not long after cutting Henry Ruggs, whose involvement in a fatal drunk-driving accident led to a prison sentence. This came during a period in which the Raiders missed on a few first-rounders, with Clelin Ferrell, Johnathan Abram and Alex Leatherwood significant missteps during the Jon Gruden 2.0 period.
Multiple teams gave Arnette opportunities following his Vegas exit, as the Dolphins and Chiefs added him. But the Ohio State product did not make his way into any games following his Raiders tenure. Known for having a rather strong tolerance for off-field trouble, the Chiefs quickly cut bait on Arnette after a 2022 arrest for assault with a deadly weapon. He had been off the NFL radar since that January 2022 transaction. Arnette reached a plea bargain that led to community service as a result of that arrest, and Wilson adds another arrest — for possession of methamphetamine and the unlawful carrying of a firearm — occurred in January 2024, leading to uncertainty the UFL would provide him an opportunity.
Arnette started seven games as a rookie but did not lock down a starting job in Year 2; the Raiders used him in just four games during the latter season, as it became clear they needed to make other plans at corner. His rebound opportunity with the Roughnecks, however, will at least garner him another shot. This comes a year after the Cowboys signed former Raiders first-rounder Gareon Conley, though the ex-Buckeye did not make Dallas’ 53-man roster after his UFL stay.
Now 28, Arnette is coming off a UFL season in which he broke up five passes and notched a pick-six against the Birmingham Stallions. He joins a Texans team that recently saw Ronald Darby backtrack on a free agent signing and ultimately retire. The Texans have Kamari Lassiter and Jalen Pitre in place at corner alongside Derek Stingley Jr. Arnette joins Tremon Smith and Myles Bryant as notable backup options, as Houston did not draft a corner this year.
Ravens Sign CB Jaire Alexander
Regular participants in the summer free agent market, the Ravens will make another play for a veteran. They are bringing in Jaire Alexander, per a team announcement. Alexander was in Baltimore to sign his deal Wednesday.
Baltimore had not been closely linked to the high-profile cornerback since his Green Bay release, but the team appeared to have a need. Alexander will join Marlon Humphrey and 2024 first-rounder Nate Wiggins to give the Ravens a potentially formidable corner trio. Alexander has seen his stock dip in recent years due to unavailability, but his past two full seasons have brought second-team All-Pro honors. And a few teams were willing to bet on a return to form.
The sides agreed on a one-year deal worth $6MM, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. That represents the max value, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, who indicates the contract covers $4MM in base and includes an additional $2MM in incentives. These benchmarks are not exactly unrealistic, as NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds they are tied to playing time. Alexander can earn $500K by playing just 35% of the Ravens’ defensive snaps. The other thresholds here — all covering $500K — check in at 40%, 45% and 50%.
This will provide a potential platform for Alexander to reestablish his value ahead of a 2026 free agency bid. A report last week indicated a one-year pact with an eye on a 2026 market trip was the most likely outcome, and it is rather interesting Alexander will fetch a deal at this rate given his considerable injury struggles. But the 2018 first-round pick has shown a high ceiling when healthy. The Ravens, who had already done some CB work this offseason, will bite as they attempt to book an elusive Lamar Jackson-era Super Bowl berth.
A few teams had established themselves as apparent non-suitors, as the Rams and Dolphins were believed to be out on the former Pro Bowler. The Panthers also appeared unlikely to make a push, but the Bills had discussed trade terms with the Packers earlier this offseason. Buffalo, though, used a first-round pick on Maxwell Hairston (as Rasul Douglas remains unsigned). And a handful of teams did reach out to Alexander’s camp following his recent release. On that note, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports the Ravens did not submit the best offer. They will land him anyway.
This deal also comes a day after Jackson offered an endorsement, telling GM Eric DeCosta to “go get” his former college teammate. Jackson informed media at minicamp (including PFR’s Nikhil Mehta) he backed a reunion. Jackson and Alexander each entered the NFL in the 2018 first round out of Louisville, the latter going to the Packers 14 picks earlier (No. 18). Baltimore now has exclusive negotiating rights with Alexander until the 2026 legal tampering period, but this also stands to be an audition season after the talented cover man missed 20 games over the past two years.
The Packers offered Alexander a pay cut to stay, circling back to the injury-prone CB after dangling him in trades during free agency and the draft. Alexander, 28, balked a pay slash and ended up generating a market. He missed time with groin, back, shoulder and knee injuries from 2023-24 — a period that also included a one-game team-imposed suspension for a strange coin-toss incident against the Panthers in 2023. While the Packers gave the 5-foot-10 corner another chance in 2024, he burned them again with unavailability. Green Bay, which had given Alexander a then-CB-record four-year deal worth $84MM in May 2022, added Nate Hobbs in free agency.
Alexander’s $21MM-AAV contract came despite him missing most of Green Bay’s 2021 season — one in which the team booked the NFC’s No. 1 seed — due to a shoulder injury. Alexander did make it back for the Packers’ divisional-round game — a loss to the 49ers — but that season began a trend of unreliability. Though, Alexander has impressed when on the field.
Pro Football Focus graded Alexander as a top-10 corner upon his return in 2022, and the advanced metrics site viewed him as a plus defender during each of the past two injury-marred years. PFF slotted Alexander 22nd among CB regulars in 2023 and 19th last season. This will help a Ravens that improved during Zach Orr‘s first season in charge. The Ravens have gone to the summer free agent well largely to add edge rushers in recent years, bringing in the likes of Jadeveon Clowney, Kyle Van Noy, Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Houston. This addition will shake up a CB group that already included an injury reclamation project.
Baltimore added Chidobe Awuzie — on a one-year, $1.26MM deal — following his Titans release in March. Awuzie now represents the lower-profile of the Ravens’ two CB rebound bids, standing to work as the team’s top off-the-bench option. Our Adam La Rose broke down an Awuzie-T.J. Tampa battle for a starting spot Tuesday, but these performers now supply depth.
Awuzie, whom the Titans released after he missed much of last season (on a big-ticket contract) with another injury, could certainly be needed for extensive work based on Alexander’s medical sheet. But the Ravens will hope their Humphrey-Wiggins-Alexander trio holds up as they attempt to topple the Chiefs for the AFC title.
In a corresponding transaction, the Ravens have waived undrafted rookie running back Sone Ntoh.
Nikhil Mehta contributed to this post.
Cowboys To Sign CB Robert Rochell, DT Perrion Winfrey
The Cowboys are adding two potential depth pieces to their defense this week. Cornerback Robert Rochell and defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey are Dallas-bound, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. To clear roster space, Dallas waived cornerback Luq Barcoo and defensive tackle Justin Rogers.
A former Rams and Packers corner, Rochell is a fifth-year veteran who started five games for Los Angeles’ Super Bowl LVI-winning team. A former Browns fourth-round pick, Winfrey saw action in two seasons but has not made much of an impact. The Chiefs released Rochell earlier this month; he worked out for the Cowboys recently, per Wilson.
Rochell is the more notable name here, as he has four years’ worth of experience and made some contributions on a Super Bowl winner. While the Rams did not use the former fourth-round pick in the playoffs in 2021, Rochell logged three postseason appearances with the Packers — the first an upset win over the Cowboys — over the past two seasons.
The five rookie-year starts notwithstanding, Rochell’s best chance to make the Cowboys’ 53-man roster would be as a special-teamer. He has played just 27 defensive snaps since 2022 but was on the field for more than 70% of the Rams’ special snaps in 2022 and over 50% of the Packers’ ST plays in ’23.
This marks Winfrey’s first chance since the Jets placed him on IR in December 2023. No reserve/futures deal commenced following that move, and Winfrey was out of the NFL in 2024. The Browns chose Winfrey 108th overall in 2022, after he earned Senior Bowl MVP honors, but quickly saw him run into trouble. He was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge in Texas involving his girlfriend at the time (the case was dismissed in 2023). Cleveland did not see much from the Oklahoma alum on the field, using him as a backup as a rookie before waiving him in July 2023.
Dallas will enter training camp with health issues at corner, having drafted Shavon Revel after an ACL tear and having seen All-Pro Trevon Diggs run into more knee trouble. Revel will not be ready for the start of camp, while Diggs is a candidate to start the season on the reserve/PUP list. This leaves uncertainty around DaRon Bland — who missed much of the 2024 season due to injury — at the position. The team added former first-rounder Kaiir Elam in a trade and rosters backup-level options in Kemon Hall and Troy Pride. At D-tackle, Dallas signed Solomon Thomas and drafted seventh-rounders (Tommy Akingbesote, Jay Toia) as potential options behind Osa Odighizuwa and Mazi Smith.
Jets To Sign K Harrison Mevis
JUNE 18: The Jets officially signed Mevis on Wednesday and waived Carlson in a corresponding move, per a team announcement. That sets up Mevis and Davis to compete for New York’s starting kicker job this summer. Removing Carlson from this competition creates the rare kicker matchup consisting of two UDFAs without any regular-season experience. This marks the second time a team has waived Carlson in 10 months, as the Packers moved on just before last season.
JUNE 17: Moving on from Greg Zuerlein after three seasons, the Jets are set to hold a competition between far less experienced players. One of them is coming in from the UFL.
The spring/summer league finished its season Saturday, leaving players free to explore NFL opportunities. The Jets will look into one such performer. Birmingham Stallions kicker Harrison Mevis is signing with the Jets, according to NFL Draft Diamonds. ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini confirmed the signing, which will give Mevis another chance after he failed to make a roster in 2024.
Mevis made 20 of 21 field goals with the Stallions this season. He did not capture attention with 60-plus-yard makes like Jake Bates did last year, with the Birmingham kicker’s longest make being 54 yards. But the Lions seeing Bates make a considerable difference in his debut likely helped Mevis, who joined former NFL kickers Rodrigo Blankenship, Lucas Havrisik and Tristan Vizcaino in being UFL regulars this season.
Known as the “Thiccer Kicker” at Missouri, Mevis received an opportunity as a Panthers UDFA last year. That chance ended midway through training camp, however, as Carolina moved on and went with Eddy Pineiro, who played out his contract. Although Pineiro is a historically accurate option, he remains a free agent. The Jets are going younger post-Zuerlein.
New York has former Green Bay draftee Anders Carlson and rookie UDFA Caden Davis on its 90-man offseason roster. Carlson worked as a five-game Zuerlein fill-in for the Jets last season, after failing to keep his job as the Packers’ kicker during the preseason.
While Mevis did not produce Bates-like makes in the UFL, he has a strong leg that broke a near-40-year-old SEC record. He made a 61-yard field goal to lift Mizzou past former Big 12 rival Kansas State in 2023. Mevis’ best college season came in 2021, when he made 26 of 28 field goal tries for the Tigers. He is Mizzou’s all-time record holder with 86 career makes, and he earned second-team All-SEC acclaim as a senior in 2023.