Cowboys Passing On CB Kaiir Elam’s Fifth-Year Option
The Bills effectively admitted a mistake on Kaiir Elam, trading the former first-rounder in a pick-swap deal that only produced a 2025 fifth. The Cowboys took a flier on the fourth-year cornerback, but they will not authorize an eight-figure guarantee to conduct an extended evaluation.
One of this year’s easier fifth-year option decisions to predict, Elam will see his declined, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Elam will move into a contract year. Although Elam’s lack of playing time would have tied him to the lowest number on the CB option ladder ($12.68MM), that still represents a tough ask based on his performance to date.
[RELATED: 2026 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
Buffalo traded up to No. 23 for Elam in 2022, though it is believed the team’s top CB target was Trent McDuffie. The future Chiefs standout is now a two-time All-Pro (though, his lack of a Pro Bowl nod left him eligible for a cheaper fifth-year option price), and Elam’s Bills swan song featured Kansas City targeting the backup after Christian Benford‘s latest ill-timed injury. Elam’s chance to rebound after the extended AFC championship game cameo will come in Dallas.
While Elam was ticketed to play opposite Tre’Davious White once the former All-Pro recovered from a 2021 ACL tear, Benford’s rise impeded that. Elam was given more chances to start, but the Florida alum could not capitalize on them. Following White’s Achilles tear in October 2023, the Bills traded for Rasul Douglas to play opposite Benford. That setup lasted 1 1/2 years, as Elam only played as a backup during Douglas’ time in Buffalo.
The Cowboys have some questions at corner, having seen Trevon Diggs go down with a second major knee injury. The former All-Pro is not viewed as a lock to begin the season on time, opening a door for Elam. But the Cowboys also used a second-round pick on East Carolina’s Shavon Revel. A first-round talent, Revel slipped to the second because of an ACL tear sustained last year. Revel is expected to be ready before the regular season. Elam, then, profiles as a backup and potential insurance option for a Cowboys team that returns All-Pro DaRon Bland.
The recoveries of Diggs and Revel will open the door to extensive offseason work, and potentially training camp first-string reps, for Elam. The soon-to-be 24-year-old defender has made 12 career starts. It will be interesting to see if Dallas adds another starter-level option as Diggs insurance, but as of now, Elam is that player heading into OTAs.
J.J. McCarthy Addresses Recovery From Meniscus Procedures
J.J. McCarthy has seen the Vikings present him with a golden opportunity. The team passed on franchise-tagging Sam Darnold and then let the bounce-back starter walk, and it did not outbid the Colts for Daniel Jones.
The Vikings have since effectively stiff-armed Aaron Rodgers, who had informed the team it stood atop his destination list. Rodgers may be down to Steelers or retirement, though he has continued to keep the AFC North team at arm’s length. Minnesota, however, added a clear backup option during the draft by acquiring Sam Howell from the Seahawks. Howell’s full 2023 season as a Commanders starter notwithstanding, McCarthy’s path to a 2025 starting job remains clear.
As this chance awaits, McCarthy said he is fully recovered from the two meniscus procedures that defined his rookie year. Kevin O’Connell said (via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert) the second-year quarterback will have no restrictions during the Vikings’ offseason program. While pressure will await as McCarthy prepares to take the reins for a team that went 14-3 last season, the former national championship-winning passer expects to be at the controls in Week 1.
“I know I’m ready to start,” McCarthy said (via Seifert), “because of all the work I’ve put in and just the confidence in my skills and abilities and just being able to do my job. And to simplify things to the best of my ability every single day. I have a tremendous coaching staff, a tremendous group of guys around me that I can lean on and they can lean on me.”
Although McCarthy’s weight dropped into the 180s during his recovery, the Michigan product said he is back up to his 215 playing weight. This post-surgery road, though, included a November hiccup; swelling led to a PRP injection. Since that point, McCarthy has ramped up and will be ready to throw once the Vikings begin OTAs this month.
McCarthy, 22, was poised to challenge Darnold for Minnesota’s starting job at some point last year. While Darnold was to be the Vikes’ Week 1 starter, McCarthy was on track to put that status in question. Though, the way Darnold performed, a full-season redshirt for the rookie would have certainly been in the equation had McCarthy stayed healthy. Darnold signed a three-year, $100.5MM Seahawks deal, removing a bridge from the Vikings’ 2025 QB blueprint.
In addition to McCarthy, O’Connell said Christian Darrisaw has not endured any setbacks during rehab from ACL and MCL tears. With that injury occurring in late October, Darrisaw returning by Week 1 will be in play. The Vikings let fill-in Cam Robinson defect to the Texans in free agency. Cornerback Mekhi Blackmon, who suffered an ACL tear in July, will be expected to return to football activities by spring’s end, O’Connell added (via the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling). O’Connell added Javon Hargrave and Will Fries, free agents coming off season ending injuries (pectoral tear, broken leg), will likely be limited to start the offseason program.
Elsewhere on the Vikings’ roster, Isaiah Rodgers is set to compete for a starting job. The team re-signed Byron Murphy hours after it added Rodgers, but O’Connell confirmed (via Seifert) DC Brian Flores targeted the recent Eagles contributor for his defense. Flores also pushed for Blake Cashman and for an Andrew Van Ginkel reunion. Those additions helped Minnesota form a top-five defense, and they could help give the veteran coach some room to give Rodgers a long look as a starter.
A nine-game Colts starter in 2022, Rodgers has started three games since his 2023 gambling suspension. Veteran Jeff Okudah, given a one-year deal worth $2.35MM, is aboard as potential insurance. Rodgers signed a two-year, $11MM contract that came with nearly $8MM guaranteed at signing.
Packers To Decline LB Quay Walker’s Fifth-Year Option
The run of teams declining fifth-year options on off-ball linebackers will continue via a Green Bay decision. The Packers have expressed interest in a Quay Walker second contract, but their Thursday decision will put him on track for free agency sooner.
Green Bay will decline Walker’s 2026 option, ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky reports. Picking up the option would have meant authorizing a $14.75MM guarantee for next season. Considering the trend teams have set at the position in recent springs, it is unsurprising the Packers will proceed this way with Walker’s rookie contract. This comes a day after the Pack exercised Devonte Wyatt‘s option. Though, Demovsky adds Walker remains in the team’s long-term plans.
[RELATED: Packers Sign LB Isaiah Simmons]
Over the past three offseasons, Patrick Queen, Kenneth Murray, Isaiah Simmons, Jordyn Brooks and Jamin Davis had seen their options declined. The Jaguars passed on Devin Lloyd‘s on Wednesday. While some of these players did not justify a notable Year 5 guarantee, teams are passing on these payments in large part because the option formula groups all linebackers together. Thus, the ILB numbers are being boosted by the edge rusher market.
No team has picked up an off-ball LB’s fifth-year option since the Buccaneers exercised Devin White‘s in 2022. That decision did not end up paying off, and teams have strictly capped first-round ILB contracts at four years since.
Early-career maturity issues aside, Walker has proven a valuable player for the Packers. One of five Georgia defenders chosen in the 2022 first round, Walker arrived via the pick (No. 22) the Packers obtained from the Raiders in the Davante Adams trade. While the Packers have largely kept Wyatt a rotational player, they plugged Walker into the starting lineup early. Walker has started 43 of his 44 career games.
Walker is 3-for-3 in career 100-tackle seasons, and he notched a career-high nine TFLs last year. Like White, Pro Football Focus has never taken to Walker’s game. The advanced metrics website has yet to rank Walker as a top-60 off-ball LB in a season, slotting him 63rd in 2024. The Packers have deployed Walker as a regular throughout his career, and they respectively used him on 91% and 89% of their defensive snaps in 2023 and ’24. Though, lower-cost options being acquired could impact Green Bay’s decision on an extension.
Brian Gutekunst said on multiple occasions this offseason the team was interested in a second contract, but the Packers also used second- and third-round picks on ILBs last year. Second-rounder Edgerrin Cooper impressed as a rookie, becoming the team’s other three-down ‘backer. Third-rounder Ty’Ron Hopper did not see much playing time (18 defensive snaps in 17 games), but he also would profile as a potential option in the event Walker leaves as a 2026 free agent.
AFC West Rumors: Chiefs, Chargers, Miller
The Chiefs took a gamble on injured tackle Josh Simmons, who saw a patellar tendon tear ding his draft stock a bit. The Ohio State standout went down six games into the season, and some debate existed going into the draft about his availability for the season. Simmons said (via The Athletic’s Mike Jones) a July return point, potentially in time for training camp, is expected. The Chiefs have doubled up on tackles this offseason, adding Simmons after giving Jaylon Moore a two-year, $30MM deal in the early hours of the legal tampering period. Kansas City, which used four LT starters last season before its makeshift setup unraveled in the Super Bowl, has seen extensive turnover here since Eric Fisher‘s 2020 AFC championship game injury. If Simmons makes his way to the LT role early, it is worth wondering the team’s Moore plan.
Andy Reid said the Chiefs view Moore as capable of playing multiple O-line positions. Seeing as Moore has never played a guard snap in the NFL, this would mean those positions are LT and RT. Jawaan Taylor has underwhelmed at RT, becoming known for penalties and a phantom start that could draw more. The Chiefs guaranteed Taylor’s $20MM 2025 compensation in 2024, but Moore could potentially compete with the free agency miss this offseason. For now, Moore appears to be a Chiefs stopgap at left tackle.
Here is the latest from the AFC West:
- Although Kolton Miller has made it known he wants a new contract, The Athletic’s Tashan Reed notes the veteran Raiders left tackle has reported for voluntary workouts. The mid-April report pertaining to Miller’s interest in a raise suggested the eighth-year blocker would stay away; his reporting could be a sign the new Las Vegas regime is willing to play ball. One season remains on Miller’s deal, and he saw a few of his LT peers (Dion Dawkins, Taylor Decker, Garett Bolles) extended in their contract years. Those deals helped bump Miller ($18MM AAV), with assists to Ronnie Stanley and Alaric Jackson‘s March re-signings, to the 13th-highest-paid player at his position. The team did not use a first-round pick on a tackle, a rumored scenario, but did add developmental option Charles Grant (William & Mary) in Round 3.
- Alex Cappa is expected to start after signing a two-year deal, and Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline places the ex-Buccaneers and Bengals blocker at right guard. That is unsurprising, as Cappa has started for six years and never taken a left guard snap. The Raiders have Jackson Powers-Johnson, Jordan Meredith and Dylan Parham competing for interior jobs as well. All three are expected to have a say in the center battle, with third-round rookie Caleb Rogers also in this mix as well.
- The Chargers did not use a draft pick on an O-lineman until Round 6 (Pittsburgh’s Branson Taylor). The Day 3 draftee will play guard, but the Bolts still have Trey Pipkins in place as their left guard frontrunner, ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim notes. This points to Mekhi Becton moving from Eagles RG to the same spot in Los Angeles and Zion Johnson‘s rumored center foray closer to reality. This would create a logjam at center, as the Bolts signed longtime starter Andre James after his Raiders release. That said, James agreed to only a one-year, $1.17MM deal (zero guarantees). It would seem James and the re-signed Bradley Bozeman give L.A. some insurance at center, should Johnson remain at LG over Pipkins. James and Becton have provided flexibility the team did not have in 2024.
- Two Charger starters recently underwent surgeries. Daiyan Henley played through a torn labrum last season, per Rhim, but the linebacker is recovering from surgery. The injury occurred in Week 4, but the former third-round pick did not miss a game. Recently re-signed safety Elijah Molden missed the end of last season due to injury, but The Athletic’s Daniel Popper notes he is expected back for camp on time after a surgery.
Jets QB Jordan Travis To Retire
Jordan Travis will not end up continuing as a Jets reserve quarterback into a second season. He has informed the team of an intention to retire.
The former Florida State quarterback, who suffered a gruesome ankle injury in November 2023, will land on the Jets’ reserve/retired list. Chosen in last year’s fifth round, Travis said medical personnel have advised he leave the game.
“On November 18, 2023, my life took an unexpected turn,” Travis said in a statement. “I gave everything I had to the rehab process but despite all my efforts, my leg never responded the way we hoped. After much prayer and consultation with the doctors, medical experts and my agent, I’ve been medically advised to retire from the game I love so deeply.”
Multiple updates coming out of New York indicated Travis’ rehab route had not advanced as the team hoped. Then-interim HC Jeff Ulbrich said Travis had endured multiple setbacks during his rehab, and a pre-draft offering added that the team’s former coaching staff may have played a role in the effort not going smoothly. Travis’ agent said the pressure on last year’s coaching staff led to the team rushing the rookie, and the former high-end college passer’s ankle did not respond well.
Regardless of the timeline, it certainly appears Travis suffered a career-ending injury nearly 18 months ago. That injury kept Florida State out of the 2023 College Football Playoff field, which remained a four-team bracket that year, and hurt the QB’s draft stock. While Hendon Hooker rebounded to become the Lions’ backup QB last year, after a November 2022 ACL tear affected his draft stock, Travis will not be as fortunate. Travis sustained a fractured and dislocated ankle early in a game against Division I-FCS North Alabama, and extensive fallout emerged.
Travis, who transferred from Louisville to Florida State during a six-year college stay, spent last season on the Jets’ reserve/NFI list. He ended his Seminoles career No. 1 in school history in total offense (10,655 yards) and touchdowns (99), breaking former Heisman winner Chris Weinke‘s career records. Florida State had started 10-0 on the back of its veteran starter. When Travis went down, he was sitting on a 20-2 TD:INT ratio. The Jets believed he could have been a Day 2 pick had the injury not occurred, SNY’s Connor Hughes tweets.
The Jets have Tyrod Taylor positioned as Justin Fields‘ backup. While rumors persisted the team could use a Day 2 or Day 3 pick on a passer, no move materialized. One season remains on Taylor’s contract. Second-year UDFA Adrian Martinez is also on the team’s roster at quarterback.
Matthew Stafford’s Rams Reworking Includes Guarantee Bumps
The Rams and Matthew Stafford agreed on another reworked deal earlier this year, ending the trade storyline and ensuring the talented quarterback would return for a fifth season in Los Angeles. Some details on the QB’s contract adjustment have finally surfaced.
Stafford is still tied to a $40MM-per-year deal, but the Rams are boosting his guarantee total by a significant degree. Of the $80MM remaining on the contract, Stafford will see $56MM fully guaranteed, according to OverTheCap. This updated package includes $20MM guaranteed this year and, more significantly regarding the QB’s future, $16MM guaranteed in 2026.
It would now cost the Rams $35.37MM in 2026 dead money were they to trade Stafford before June 1 next year. The team also dropped Stafford’s cap number to $40.97MM via the use of void years. While Stafford’s contract still runs through 2026, eight void years are now included in the deal. They will spread out Stafford’s option bonuses through 2027, per OverTheCap. The QB’s 2025 cap hit was to be $49.67MM before this adjustment.
It took some doing to reach this point. The Rams allowed Stafford to explore trades, and the Giants and Raiders (among others) expressed interest to the point they had high-guarantee packages ready. New York and Las Vegas stayed in this race until the end, when the 37-year-old QB opted not to venture into an uncertain situation. After all, Sean McVay has played a big part in elevating the former No. 1 pick’s profile due to the team success the Rams have achieved since the January 2021 trade. Stafford leaving his L.A. setup to be part of less talented Giants or Raiders teams did not make that much sense, but the QB has sought a better deal in each of the past two offseasons. This included a $50MM-per-year ask this offseason. Rather than go there, the Rams will instead lock in much of the QB’s money remaining on his current contract.
Stafford landed here because he gave the Rams a discount upon signing a four-year, $160MM extension in 2022. The Super Bowl LVI winner could have pushed for more, given his status and where the market was headed at that time, but he left money on the table to help the Rams build a better roster around him. This soon led to the team rewarding Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald. Stafford, however, likely grew to regret his decision — based on two years of angling for better arrangements.
The Giants were prepared to give Stafford a deal that included at least $50MM in per-year salary, while the Raiders’ Tom Brady-powered push was also believed to be high on guarantees. Both teams were viewed as willing to guarantee Stafford at least $90MM over two years. The Rams have not done that, but the QB opted for comfort over uncertainty.
Those teams’ pursuits make this year’s Stafford reworking a more player-friendly adjustment compared to 2024, when the Rams agreed to move $5MM from future years into his ’24 package. This adjustment also included a $4MM roster bonus. The 2025 redo brings a much bigger commitment, which Stafford has been seeking from the Rams. It would seem likely the sides will be at it again in 2025, though the experienced passer is not assured of playing beyond this season. The updated guarantee numbers would provide a better reason to do so, however.
No strong retirement rumors have emerged just yet, however, and Stafford has bounced back from his injury-plagued 2022 to reestablish his value. The Rams also did not draft a quarterback this year, continuing to delay their search for an heir apparent. That decision and this contract reworking illustrates the team remains a Stafford-centric operation.
Ravens Exercise Kyle Hamilton’s Fifth-Year Option, Decline Tyler Linderbaum’s
One of the safest fifth-year option bets this year, the Ravens are indeed exercising Kyle Hamilton‘s. This will push the All-Pro safety’s contract through 2026.
Baltimore’s other 2022 first-round standout, however, will not see his deal extended beyond 2025. The Ravens declined center Tyler Linderbaum‘s option. The Ravens are interested in extensions with both, but the option decision may make a Linderbaum payday a front-burner matter for the defending AFC North champions, as he is now in a contract year.
Teams have until 3pm CT Thursday to decide on options for 2022 first-round picks. Hamilton becomes the 19th player in this class to see his option exercised. This marks an increase from 2021, when 15 players saw their options picked up. Though, teams were quicker to extend some of their 2021 first-rounders by last year’s option deadline. Thus far, only the Texans (Derek Stingley Jr.) have done so for a 2022 first-round pick.
Hamilton, 24, will see an $18.6MM fifth-year option number due to being named to two Pro Bowls on the original ballot. Although no safeties were franchise-tagged this year, that amount doubles as the tag number at the position. Hamilton has become one of the NFL’s best safeties, and his extension floor undoubtedly will be a record-setting deal. Linderbaum joins Hamilton in being a two-time Pro Bowler. That worked against the Ravens with the option, as it would have cost them $20.99MM. That matches Trey Smith‘s franchise tag value this year.
The Ravens landed Hamilton with their own draft choice (No. 14) three years ago; they picked up Linderbaum through a savvy trade. Although Baltimore’s draft-night wide receiver trade became overshadowed by Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown swap, the AFC North team managed to land a first-rounder in a deal involving Marquise Brown. The Cardinals sent the Ravens No. 23 overall as the headline asset in the Brown trade package, and Baltimore then moved down two spots (as Buffalo moved up for Kaiir Elam) to snag its next starting center at 25.
Excelling in myriad capacities for the Ravens, Hamilton has been as advertised for a Ravens team that just used another first-round pick on a safety (Georgia’s Malaki Starks). He will pair with Hamilton, whose role changed a bit because the Ravens were unable to rely on big-ticket free agent signing Marcus Williams and lower-end addition Eddie Jackson. Both are out of the picture, leaving Hamilton and Starks as the team’s back-line anchors.
Hamilton intercepted four passes, posted 10 tackles for loss and notched three sacks in 2023. This rocketed Mike Macdonald‘s defense to No. 1 overall, as the Notre Dame product soared to first-team All-Pro honors. Hamilton still secured second-team All-Pro accolades last season, but his INT and TFL counts (one, four) did not approach his lofty 2023 performance. Hamilton did force two fumbles last season, and the Ravens will count on him once again.
Another strong season will put Hamilton in line to perhaps approach $25MM per year, as a gap between he and the field — which is currently headlined by Kerby Joseph‘s $21.25MM AAV — may become warranted.
The only center chosen in the 2022 first round, Linderbaum has become a stalwart for a Ravens line that has seen changes persist around him. Although Baltimore has retained Ronnie Stanley, the team has seen its left tackle run into steady injury trouble. The LG, RG and RT positions have also fluctuated in Maryland, amplifying Linderbaum’s importance. The Iowa alum has started 49 games, earning Pro Bowl honors (on the original ballot, which triggered the first-tier option price) in each of the past two seasons.
ESPN’s pass block win rate metric slotted Linderbaum fourth among all O-linemen last season, while Pro Football Focus rated him third at the position. PFF highlighted Linderbaum’s run blocking, as Derrick Henry motored to a 1,900-yard season despite having turned 30. Linderbaum being instrumental in that effort stands to make him a candidate to eclipse Creed Humphrey‘s center-record $18MM-per-year extension.
The fourth-year Raven’s rising value likely made this a somewhat difficult call for Baltimore, which will need to work out a deal by next March. No center has been franchise-tagged in the past 15 years. The team has some breathing room with Hamilton, as a Linderbaum pact will be required earlier to keep him out of free agency. Barring a significant change, Hamilton has no realistic path to the market.
Bills To Sign WR Elijah Moore
Elijah Moore‘s Buffalo visit will produce a deal. The Bills are bringing in the former Jets and Browns wide receiver, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports.
The veteran slot receiver can earn up to $5MM on a one-year deal. Moore, who visited the Bills on Monday, will follow former Chargers starter Josh Palmer as Bills WR additions this offseason. While the Browns applied a UFA tender to Moore before Monday’s deadline (regarding the 2026 compensatory formula), he has a deal in place more than two months before that tender would have given Cleveland exclusive negotiating rights.
As Cleveland aims for a potential comp pick for Moore’s Buffalo defection, the Bills have added an intriguing piece to Josh Allen‘s weaponry cadre. Palmer has regularly played in the slot, though he has shown ability on the perimeter as well, while the team still employs ex-Carolina and Washington inside receiver Curtis Samuel. Moore joins a suddenly crowded position group, one headlined by recently extended slot anchor Khalil Shakir and 2024 second-rounder Keon Coleman.
A post-draft Brandon Beane radio interview (via ESPN.com’s Alaina Getzenberg) involved the Bills’ GM taking exception to hosts’ questioning of his receiver strategy. (The team waited until Round 7 to draft a wideout this year.) While no one among Buffalo’s receiving corps has proven to be on Stefon Diggs‘ level, Shakir has overachieved based on his fifth-round pedigree. Shakir has become Allen’s top target, while the Bills will be expecting Coleman to take a leap as an outside receiver this season. Though, Shakir, Palmer, Samuel and now Moore does create a bit of a logjam in the slot.
The Bills did not draft a receiver this year, helping explain this post-draft signing, and they have not re-signed Amari Cooper. While that was mentioned as a possibility months ago, the Palmer and Moore moves effectively point to Cooper being a 2024 rental. Cooper did not move the needle much in Buffalo, which will try younger options as Shakir complementary pieces.
Moore, 25, showed promise as a Jets rookie, despite playing in an offense featuring an erratic rookie-year Zach Wilson, but did not see eye-to-eye with OC Mike LaFleur by his second season. That brought a trade request. As the Jets moved toward their Aaron Rodgers-fronted roster, they traded Moore to the Browns in a pick-swap deal headlined by a second-rounder changing hands. Moore ran into more QB trouble in Cleveland, which saw its Deshaun Watson trade fail spectacularly. Last season later brought Jameis Winston‘s usual high-variance shtick and an overmatched Dorian Thompson-Robinson post-Watson. Moore finished his Browns tenure with 640- and 538-yard seasons. He totaled 538 with a career-high five TDs in 11 games as a rookie in New York.
There is reason to view Moore as having untapped potential, as he will not turn 26 until next year and has never played with an above-average quarterback (excepting perhaps Joe Flacco‘s Cleveland cameo). The Bills will hope so, and they have him at a low rate (compared to Palmer’s three-year, $30MM pact). Samuel’s three-year, $24MM deal a fully guaranteed $6.91MM 2025 salary, making it likely he is back. It will be interesting to see how this receiver situation shakes out this offseason, as Hollins played a regular role for the Bills despite Cooper’s addition.
Patriots To Decline G Cole Strange’s Fifth-Year Option
The Patriots’ Cole Strange pick generated scrutiny at the time for being a reach, and the young guard has yet to justify his first-round selection. New England will now shift Strange into a contract year.
As expected, Strange will not see his fifth-year option exercised, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. That would have brought a $16.69MM fully guaranteed 2026 salary, making it essentially a non-starter for the Pats.
Teams have less than 24 hours to make their fifth-year option calls, which has brought a flurry of updates on this front Wednesday. But Strange’s never appeared in doubt. He missed seven games in 2023 and 14 last season. A patellar tendon tear ended Strange’s sophomore season, and he did not return until December 2024. The Pats activated Strange from the reserve/PUP list in early December but did not give him an offensive snap until Week 17 more than two weeks later.
New England did, however, reinstall Strange as a starter — at center — to close last season. The pre-draft plan had been for the Chattanooga product to enter the offseason as a starter (back at left guard) as well. While that may still be a go, New England drafted Georgia interior O-lineman Jared Wilson in Round 3. Wilson is listed as a center, but a quicker path to the starting lineup may be at guard, where Strange has proven unreliable. The Pats signed Garrett Bradbury shortly after his Vikings release.
The Pats traded down from No. 22 (via the Chiefs, who climbed up for Trent McDuffie) in 2022, landing on Strange at 30 in Bill Belichick‘s penultimate draft running the team. Strange was not mocked as a first-rounder that year, but he started 17 games at left guard for the ’22 Pats. With the Morgan Moses signing set to entrench Michael Onwenu at right guard, the team will carry a left guard question into training camp.
For now, however, Strange will aim to prove he can hold down the gig. Doing so would put him on a path to free agency, though the Patriots will retain exclusive negotiating rights with the soon-to-be 27-year-old blocker until the 2026 legal tampering period. Strange has plenty to prove between now and then, but with the guard market taking off in free agency, he could secure a nice payday by staying healthy in 2025.
Raiders To Hire Broncos’ Brian Stark As Assistant GM
John Spytek came to Las Vegas from Tampa, but the former Tom Brady college teammate also has a past in Denver. Some of his hires reflect that.
The Raiders hired Broncos exec Mark Thewes to be their senior VP of football operations early this offseason, and they have since made a bigger addition from Denver’s staff. Brian Stark will join the Raiders as assistant general manager, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports.
Spytek and Stark worked together in Denver during the first half of the 2010s, serving under then-GM John Elway. Stark climbed to the Broncos’ director of college scouting post late in Elway’s tenure and stayed on under successor George Paton. The latter also lost his own assistant GM, Darren Mougey, this offseason. Mougey is now the Jets’ GM.
The Broncos interviewed Stark for their GM job in 2021, but Paton kept him around despite that. Stark had been viewed as a rising exec at the time, and this climb could potentially put him on the GM radar moving forward. Stark has not interviewed for a GM job since that Broncos meeting four years ago. He was likely to see a promotion in Denver this offseason, considering the turnover on the Broncos’ staff, Insidetheleague.com’s Neil Stratton adds.
Although it took a while for the Broncos to recover from Peyton Manning‘s retirement, they rebuilt around a new core that helped Bo Nix pilot the 2024 roster to the playoffs. The Broncos also gave up three first-round picks in trades for Russell Wilson and Sean Payton, limiting their draft capital this decade. The team has, however, found impact players in Patrick Surtain, Quinn Meinerz and Nik Bonitto this decade. Jonathon Cooper also recently earned an extension, after rising from seventh-round pick to starter. Marvin Mims, a 2023 second-round pick, has also earned back-to-back first-team All-Pro honors.
It is not known who holds the roster-control hammer in Las Vegas just yet, as a collaborative approach (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur) took place in the draft last week. This marked a change from recent drafts, per Tafur. Brady, Spytek and Pete Carroll each have significant input. That stands to limit the influence of an assistant GM, but Spytek is bringing aboard one of his former coworkers to help the cause.
In addition to Stark, the Raiders are hiring former Jets staffer Johnathon Stigall as their assistant director of college scouting, Stratton tweets. Stigall had been with the Jets since 2014, moving into the role of national scout last year. With the Jets restructuring under Mougey, he will head to Vegas to help out under Spytek. Stigall has been in the NFL since 1999, having worked previously with the Browns, Eagles, Dolphins and Bears.