Lions Remain In Contact With Za’Darius Smith; Reunion On Radar
A trade rental in the wake of what turned out to be a season-ending Aidan Hutchinson injury, Za’Darius Smith made some notable contributions for a depleted Lions team. Detroit, however, released the veteran edge rusher prior to a $7MM option bonus kicking in.
This marked the second time an NFC North team had made Smith a cap casualty in four years, as the Packers made the same move in 2022. That led Smith to Minnesota, Cleveland and then Detroit. The Browns huddled up on a new contract with Smith a year after trading for him, and the Lions are not closing the book on doing the same.
GM Brad Holmes has remained in contact with Smith’s camp about a potential reunion, per Detroitfootball.net’s Justin Rogers. Holmes said the veteran pass rusher’s price will need to come down before a reunion becomes a strong possibility.
“We couldn’t afford it is the bottom line. You know? That was my communication with him and he understood that,” Holmes said. “... Look, he played some good snaps for us and he made plays for us when we acquired him, so we would have loved to be able to keep him. We just weren’t able to.”
The Lions included a 2025 fifth-rounder and a 2026 sixth in a pick-swap deal for Smith at the deadline last year; the terms were similar to the Vikings-Browns trade from 2023. Smith finished with a nine-sack 2024; he registered four to go with 10 QB hits as a Lion. Altogether, Smith was more productive last season than he was in 2023. He also has stayed healthy since a back injury wiped out most of his 2021 season, having missed just two games over the past three years. That said, Smith will turn 33 just before Week 1. And the Lions have a market-setting Hutchinson payment on their radar.
“We had so many of these young players that have been on rookie deals, and we’ve been enjoying the impact that they’ve all been bringing,” Holmes said. “But now, a bill is coming. What you spend this year is going to impact next year. It even impacts 2027. So, that’s the discipline that we have to adhere to.”
In addition to hopeful paydays for Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta will become extension-eligible in 2026. The 2024 deals for Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jared Goff and Taylor Decker will produce higher cap numbers down the road as well. These matters may not interfere much with another Smith contract, due to the nomadic EDGE being close to year-to-year status at this point, but Holmes is certainly cognizant of his team’s evolving financial model.
Detroit brought back Marcus Davenport despite back-to-back seasons marred by major injuries. Davenport is on a one-year, $2.5MM deal. Smith, who has three double-digit sack seasons on his resume, will be aiming higher. But the 10-year vet returning on a lower-cost deal will be a storyline to monitor in Detroit this offseason. How the Lions fare in the draft, as a low-cost Hutchinson complementary rusher will be vital once the ace pass rusher is on a $40MM-plus-AAV extension, will also play a central role in determining if the team still needs Smith for 2025.
Chargers To Sign QB Trey Lance
Trey Lance will receive another chance in the NFL. The former No. 3 overall pick is signing with the Chargers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
This will give the former North Dakota State star an opportunity to become Justin Herbert‘s backup, though Taylor Heinicke also re-signed last month. Lance will join the Bolts on a one-year deal worth up to $6.2MM. This now takes all four of the 2021 first-round QBs who hit free agency off the board, as Justin Fields (Jets), Zach Wilson (Dolphins) and Mac Jones (49ers) had found homes already.
Talk of a potential Cowboys-Lance reunion did commence, but the team made other plans post-Cooper Rush. Dallas let the 2023 trade acquisition hit free agency and has since traded for Joe Milton. Lance came up as a Colts option, but Indy paid up for Daniel Jones on a one-year deal to push Anthony Richardson.
Lance’s career arc has doubled as one of the strangest in modern QB history. His breakthrough college season occurred back in 2019 — a stupendous 28-touchdown, zero-interception slate that brought another Bison Division I-FCS title — but the COVID-19 pandemic nixed the FCS 2020 fall slate. Lance declared for the 2021 draft and commanded considerable interest, leading to a 49ers misstep. Amazingly, San Francisco did not lose much ground thanks to the Lance trade-up — a move that cost two first-round picks and a third — but the dual-threat QB’s fall in San Francisco was certainly a notable development for one of the 2020s’ top teams.
Lance is still just 24, and even after seeing some time following Dak Prescott‘s 2024 hamstring injury, he has thrown just 143 passes in four seasons. Considering how light his college workload was, Lance has simply not seen much action since a dominant season at just 19. The 49ers gave Lance their Week 1 starting job in 2022 but did so after regrouping with Jimmy Garoppolo — a player who spent months on the trade block as Lance readied for stater work. Lance’s ankle fracture in Week 2 of that season moved Garoppolo back into action, and after Brock Purdy‘s stunning emergence, Sam Darnold beat out Lance for San Francisco’s QB2 job in 2023, leading to the Dallas trade.
It is notable that Mike McCarthy did not turn to Lance following Prescott’s injury, instead going with a known commodity (Rush) for most of the season’s second half. Lance started just one game last season, a Week 18 encounter against Washington. Facing a playoff-bound Commanders team, Lance completed 20 of 34 passes for 244 yards. This did involve a fourth-quarter go-ahead drive against a Washington team playing defensive starters (and the Cowboys resting CeeDee Lamb), but Lance had thrown just seven 2024 passes prior to that game.
It appears Lance will have another chance to win a backup gig, one Heinicke (32) held after the Bolts were not satisfied with Easton Stick‘s work during the summer. Heinicke re-signed on a one-year, $2.5MM deal, so it will be interesting to learn the base value of Lance’s pact.
Lance brings upside still, but his ceiling has certainly caved in after underwhelming rookie-contract work. Lance, who rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 TDs during his redshirt-freshman performance, already made $34.1MM on his rookie deal. Jim Harbaugh and Co. will now take a look at the depressed asset on what amounts to a flier.
Growing Tension Between Giants’ Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll?
Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have been working together since 2018, when the latter arrived as Bills OC to start the Josh Allen era. The quarterback’s rise placed both in position to work in leadership roles, and the Giants signed off on bringing the pair in to steer a rebuild. The Giants’ own QB plan has played the lead role in that rebuild not taking off.
Daniel Jones did not play well before a 2023 ACL tear doomed that Giants season, and the since-departed QB did not move back on track in 2024. That called into question the Giants’ decision to pass on three QBs (Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix) at No. 6 overall last year. Now, the team is amid another deep dive into a QB class — this one a lower-regarded contingent compared to 2024. How the Giants come out of this draft may play the biggest role in determining how much longer John Mara sticks with his current regime.
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Mara joined Jimmy Haslam in retaining both his team’s power brokers after a 3-14 season, but the Giants have trended downward since their surprising 2022 divisional-round appearance. That run his propping up a regime that has been unable to remotely approach that success level since. Entering Year 4, the Schoen-Daboll partnership may be seeing cracks emerge. Months after the HC and GM conducted separate press conferences — breaking from recent norms — on Black Monday, the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard notes the two have veered closer to working as “separate entities.”
HC-GM disputes are commonplace in the NFL, especially among struggling teams, but if the Giants are not currently aligned, fingers could point back at Mara for retaining this partnership when a momentous decision awaits. The Giants mistakenly gave Jones six seasons, despite most of that tenure producing unremarkable returns, and are still attempting to recover from choosing the wrong Eli Manning successor. This offseason represents the Schoen-Daboll pair’s first chance to identify its own QB, but so far, a Russell Wilson–Jameis Winston duo headlines the depth chart. Giants will-they/won’t-they rumors regarding Shedeur Sanders are swirling, but the Colorado passer’s value may not align with the No. 3 overall draft slot.
Both Schoen and Daboll are at Colorado’s pro day today, per SI.com’s Albert Breer. This represents a course change for Daboll, who did not attend Miami’s pro day. Schoen said the fourth-year HC prefers to study QBs at private workouts, but after Leonard noted Daboll was not scheduled to trek to Boulder, his showing up — along with the GM, assistant GM Brandon Brown, OC Mike Kafka, DC Shane Bowen and player personnel director Tim McDonnell — is certainly notable. A seminal Sanders-or-Travis Hunter decision may await Big Blue at No. 3, provided the Browns pick Abdul Carter at 2. The Giants are not working out Sanders in Boulder, the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz adds, noting one could be scheduled before the mid-April deadline.
A scenario in which Schoen and Daboll take a best-player-available route, by choosing Hunter or Carter, over Sanders is logical after Mara left two embattled decision-makers in charge. A job-preservation play would stand to be strongly considered, potentially forcing ownership to intervene.
Mara’s decision to retain both, rather than make another quick-trigger firing, did not appear to satisfy all in the team’s building. Some hope existed at the front office and personnel levels, per Leonard, Mara would move on from Daboll after last season. We heard late last season Schoen and Daboll were not a package deal, and the owner has traditionally been more patient with GMs than HCs.
The 2022 Coach of the Year took over play-calling duties last season, despite Kafka serving in that role for most of his first two years on the job, but Mara suggested his HC give the play sheet back to Kafka in January. Some uncertainty about whether Mara or Daboll suggested it emerged, thanks to Daboll’s comments. Schoen has not done well in the draft since taking over, seeing early-round picks Evan Neal, Joshua Ezeudu, Wan’Dale Robinson, Deonte Banks, John Michael Schmitz and Jalin Hyatt have not offered solutions just yet. But ownership, in Leonard’s view, appeared to place more of the blame on the Giants’ coaching.
Daboll and Schoen’s separate pressers in January caught considerable attention from those inside and outside the building, Leonard adds, and this will be a storyline to monitor this offseason. Both decision-makers will be candidates for in-season firings should the Giants not show early-season signs of life.
Julio Jones Announces Retirement
Julio Jones bounced around the NFL during the 2020s, but the former Falcons first-rounder authored one of the most productive careers in the history of the wide receiver position. After not playing in 2024, Jones is retiring.
The 13-year veteran confirmed his NFL exit Friday via social media. Rivaling Hall of Fame defensive end Claude Humphrey and perhaps Matt Ryan as the greatest players in Falcons history, Jones retires after earning All-Decade honors for the 2010s. His prolific stretch from 2014-19 remains unmatched at the position in terms of receiving yardage.
A five-time All-Pro with two first-team honors (2015, 2016), Jones rivaled Antonio Brown as the top receiver of the 2010s. From 2014-19, the all-around great accumulated 9,388 receiving yards. That is the most during a six-season stretch in NFL history. While hamstring injuries slowed Jones in the early 2020s, he finished his career with 914 receptions for 13,703 yards and 66 touchdowns. Jones’ yardage total ranks 16th in NFL annals.
It took a blockbuster trade package for the Falcons to obtain Jones in the first place. Then-Atlanta GM Thomas Dimitroff sent Nos. 26, 59 and 124, along with 2012 first- and fourth-rounders, to Cleveland for No. 6. The Browns did not make out well in that trade, but the Falcons gave Roddy White a wingman who eventually became their aerial ace. Jones played a lead role for a Falcons team that booked the NFC’s No. 1 seed in 2012 and was even better two years later, when the franchise assembled one of the greatest offenses in NFL history.
Kyle Shanahan‘s second season as OC produced 33.8 points per game; that remains tied for eighth in the Super Bowl era. After a career-best 1,871 yards in 2015, Jones posted 1,409 in just 14 games to rocket the ’16 Falcons to the NFC’s No. 2 seed. Along with MVP Ryan, Jones powered that squad to Super Bowl LI with a 180-yard, two-TD showing in an NFC championship game romp over the Packers. Jones added 87 yards in the Super Bowl, including a marvelous sideline reception, but that game is obviously better known for the Falcons’ 25-point collapse.
During Atlanta’s dominant 2016 offensive run, the 6-foot-3 dynamo delivered a 300-yard receiving game against the Panthers. This came two years after he scorched a playoff-bound Packers team for 259. He added a 253-yard outing against the Buccaneers in 2017.
Jones again led the NFL in receiving in 2018, with 1,677 yards, and reset the market at his position just before the ’19 season. Lengthy extension talks produced a three-year, $66MM deal (which came with $64MM guaranteed), making Jones the first $20MM-AAV receiver. He was unable to play out that contract — his second lucrative re-up — after suffering hamstring injuries in 2020 and ’21. The Falcons traded Jones to the Titans for a second-round pick in 2021, soon seeing Calvin Ridley leave the team due to mental health reasons, and dealt Ryan a year later. Jones contributed to Tennessee’s No. 1 seed that year but only totaled 434 yards in 10 games. The Titans designated him a post-June 1 cut in 2022.
Venturing to Tampa in 2022 and Philly in ’23, Jones was unable to show much of his pre-injuries form. He combined for just 373 yards over his final two seasons, and no team signed him last year. That said, Jones will earn Canton induction; by not playing in 2024, he will be eligible for the 2029 class.
Over the course of his career, the Alabama alum earned $147.3MM. Much of this came on his first extension, a five-year, $71.25MM deal agreed to just before the 2015 season. The Falcons employed a White-Jones-Tony Gonzalez aerial armada from 2011-13, but Jones was alone as the team’s receiving anchor by 2016. White’s 63 receiving TDs still rank first in franchise history, but Jones surpassed his former mentor in receptions and yardage with Atlanta.
Courtland Sutton To Attend OTAs; Broncos GM Confirms Team Will Draft RB
The Broncos reached extension agreements with Patrick Surtain, Garett Bolles, Quinn Meinerz and Jonathon Cooper last year, but more payday candidates are on Denver’s 2025 docket. Among them: Courtland Sutton, who has graduated from trade-rumor fixture to surefire extension candidate.
After Sutton’s second 1,000-yard season helped Bo Nix finish with 29 touchdown passes — the second-most ever by a rookie — the Broncos will see him report to their offseason program earlier. Sutton had angled for a raise in 2024 but saw the Broncos only agree to an incentive package. Sutton triggered the incentives during a 1,081-yard year, and as the Broncos have 2025 pinpointed for extension talks, goodwill has emerged with their top wideout.
Sutton will report to OTAs in a sign of good faith, 9News’ Mike Klis notes. Even though extension talks will not start with any Broncos candidate until after the draft, Sutton reporting for voluntary work represents confidence a new deal will be struck. Broncos brass ensured Sutton’s camp at the Combine they will engage in good-faith negotiations this offseason, Klis adds.
The 29-year-old pass catcher will be expected to force the issue, not planning to play on his current contract for a final season, but the sides have a few months to hammer out a deal. Sutton, who is due a nonguaranteed $13.5MM (on a four-year, $60MM deal agreed to in November 2021), did not report to Broncos workouts until minicamp last year.
A Sutton extension would provide some clarity for the Broncos at receiver, though his age (30 in October) and the team’s lack of proven pass catchers behind him points to this being a need area. Thus far, however, Denver has stood down. The team showed minor interest in Cooper Kupp and Stefon Diggs, and while Keenan Allen was mentioned as a player who could fit, no Amari Cooper connections have emerged.
The Broncos have Marvin Mims positioned as their No. 2 receiver, but he has brought inconsistency — last year’s strong finish notwithstanding — on offense. Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin are in place as tertiary targets whose roles would be reduced if Denver adds a veteran or uses an early-round choice on a receiver.
Denver already bolstered its skill-position group by outdueling the Chargers for Evan Engram, but a running back need appears ahead of the draft. The team had already been expected to add to its backfield in the draft, and George Paton took the interesting step of confirming that would happen. The fifth-year Broncos GM said (via the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel) the team will draft a back.
The team scheduled a Quinshon Judkins “30” visit and has been mocked Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) at No. 20 overall by some. The Broncos hold their first-, second- and third-round picks for the first time since 2021, having seen the Wilson and Sean Payton trades deplete their capital previously. Kaleb Johnson (Iowa) and Judkins’ Ohio State teammate (TreVeyon Henderson) are other potential second-round options, though the Broncos’ No. 51 overall pick might be insufficient to nab the Big Ten standouts. Fortunately for Denver and other RB-needy teams, this class offers the most depth in many years at the position.
That appears to have influenced the team in free agency. Payton said (via Gabriel) the team viewed this year’s FA crop as thin. The Saints took an Alvin Kamara reunion off the table by completing an in-season extension, preventing him from being a 2025 cap casualty. Kamara peer Aaron Jones re-signed with the Vikings, and this year’s RB market did not move the needle like last year’s star-studded class did. The Patriots, Cardinals and Panthers depleted the group by respectively extending Rhamondre Stevenson, James Conner and Chuba Hubbard as well.
While Payton will observe holdovers Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime, it is certainly possible Denver’s primary RB1 is on the roster yet. The Broncos have not used a first-round pick on a back since Knowshon Moreno in 2009; Paton chose now-Cowboys RB Javonte Williams in the 2021 second round. Perhaps more applicable given Payton’s power in Denver, the Saints used two first-round picks on RBs (Reggie Bush, Mark Ingram) during Payton’s tenure.
NFC North Notes: Watson, Lions, Vikings
An ill-timed ACL tear could prove costly for Christian Watson. Not only is the Packers wide receiver entering a contract year, his injury occurring in January has been expected to keep him off the field into next season. A tentative timetable has emerged, with The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman pointing to a likelihood of at least a half-season absence taking place. Brian Gutekunst offered support for a potential return earlier but did not provide specifics, and the Packers are generally cautious with injury returns. Gutekunst had already confirmed Watson would miss time in 2025, which represents a key window for the injury-prone North Dakota State alum to impress ahead of a potential free agency run. His history of hamstring injuries preceding this ACL tear could well lead to a “prove it” deal taking place come 2026.
Here is the latest from the NFC North:
- The Lions lost Kevin Zeitler to the Titans, and GM Brad Holmes said (via Detroit Football’s Justin Rogers) a veteran guard addition and/or a rookie move is still in play. Graham Glasgow is set as a starter, while 2024 sixth-round pick Christian Mahogany appears the top internal option — barring a veteran addition or early-round draft choice. Holmes called Mahogany’s 2024 work (75 offensive snaps, one start) encourating.
- The Eagles stood down on Isaiah Rodgers, after aiming to re-sign their post-suspension flier, after the Vikings made him a two-year, $11.1MM deal that came with $7.99MM guaranteed. Rodgers will play a regular role defensively, as Kevin O’Connell referred to the 2024 Philly rotational CB as a player ticketed for an every-down role. This would point to Rodgers having a clear runway to earn the starting job opposite re-signed CB Byron Murphy. When Murphy shifts into the slot, Jeff Okudah would be set to come off the bench and man a perimeter post, O’Connell added (via the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling).
- Minnesota lost Camryn Bynum to Indianapolis but reached an agreement to retain Harrison Smith for a 14th season, after the latter had considered retirement. Smith (192 career games) can move into third place for Vikings defender longevity with nine more games played; he is back on a one-year, $10.25MM deal that (per Goessling) comes with $8MM fully guaranteed. There are $750K in playing-time incentives, per Goessling, who adds Smith can collect additional $500K bonuses by reaching the four-INT and three-sack benchmarks. A $1MM bump would come if Smith lands a first-team All-Pro nod; that number drops to $500K for a second-team accolade. Smith, 36, last earned All-Pro honors in 2018. The Vikings are again using void years, meaning a Smith departure in 2026 would bring a $12MM dead money hit.
- Jonathan Allen‘s three-year, $51MM Minnesota deal includes snap- and sack-based incentives. The longtime Washington DT can earn $3MM if he plays 70% of Minnesota’s defensive snaps; that tiered structure begins with a $500K payout by reaching 50% usage. Allen played between 68-82% of Washington’s snaps from 2018-23 but came in at 59% during an injury-altered 2024. The soon-to-be 30-year-old lineman can earn $500K with five sacks, another $1MM with seven and another $1.5MM with 10, Goessling tweets.
- While Allen, Will Fries (tibia fracture) and Javon Hargrave (triceps tear) are expected to be ready for Vikes camp, O’Connell stopped short of guaranteeing Rondale Moore will be. Moore suffered an unspecified knee injury during Falcons camp last year, and O’Connell said he wants to see how the $2MM investment looks in his first weeks with the team before making a determination on camp.
- Jordan Addison‘s DUI case continues. The Vikings wideout took part in a pretrial hearing last month, and ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert indicates a pretrial conference is set for April 10. This matter, stemming from an August 2024 arrest, puts the former first-round pick in play to serve a 2025 suspension.
- Lastly, the Vikes are hiring former QB Charlie Frye as a defensive assistant. This interesting role, for a 23-start QB, comes after a two-year run as Florida Atlantic’s OC. Frye, 43, was also the Dolphins’ QBs coach in 2021 under current Vikings DC Brian Flores. That represents the ex-Browns starter’s only previous NFL coaching work.
Cowboys Meet With Quinshon Judkins; Bengals, Browns, Giants, Texans Visits On RB’s Schedule
Not viewed as one of the better draft classes in recent NFL history, the 2025 crop does bring considerable running back depth. After a 2024 draft saw only one back chosen in Rounds 1 and 2 (Jonathon Brooks), this year should feature several going before Day 2’s second half starts.
Ashton Jeanty is a mortal lock to be a first-rounder, perhaps a top-10 pick, while North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton is on the first-round radar as well. Should those two be off the board after the first round, the second opens the door to three Big Ten options — Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson and Ohio State’s 1,000-1,000 pair (Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson). Judkins’ pre-draft itinerary is forming fast.
The Cowboys have met with the three-year college RB, who posed for a photo with Jerry Jones (via SB Nation’s Brandon Loree) after his meeting this week. News of Judkins’ Broncos visit already surfaced, but the former Ole Miss recruit is also set to meet with the Bengals, Browns, Giants and Texans, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz tweets.
A three-time 1,000-yard rusher in college, Judkins scored an eye-popping 50 touchdowns despite declaring for the draft after his junior season. The 2024 transfer helped Ohio State to a national title, leading the team in rushing despite Henderson having played in Columbus for three seasons already. Although Henderson is viewed as a superior pass catcher, the one-year Buckeyes teammates may not be separated by too many picks. Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board lists Henderson 34th and Judkins 38th.
The Bengals turned to Chase Brown as their primary back last season, as Zack Moss went down midway through his Cincinnati debut. Moss remains on Cincy’s roster, despite being mentioned as a potential cut. As Nick Chubb has seen injuries sidetrack his career, the Browns did not re-sign the decorated RB, who remains in free agency. Holdovers Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong remain, as Cleveland appears to be eyeing an addition in the draft. Though, the Browns obviously have higher priorities entering the late-April event.
Saquon Barkley‘s transcendent Eagles debut came after the Giants did not make an offer in 2024, but the team did see some early promise from fifth-rounder Tyrone Tracy. Devin Singletary also remains on Big Blue’s roster, though the rookie usurped him on the team’s depth chart. The Texans made Barkley a lucrative offer, then pivoting to Joe Mixon. Although Mixon boosted Houston’s ground attack after Singletary’s exit, he is 174 carries away from 2,000 for his career. A younger option makes sense, as Dameon Pierce did not follow his promising rookie season with much of note.
The Cowboys lost Rico Dowdle but added Javonte Williams. Scheduling a Jeanty visit, Dallas should be expected — after passing on last year’s RB class — to make an addition during this year’s event. Williams has not looked quite the same since his 2022 ACL and LCL tears, and Dowdle had delivered a 1,000-yard season after Tony Pollard‘s exit.
Panthers Showed Interest In D.K. Metcalf, Eyeing Pass-Catching Help
The Panthers changed course at wide receiver midway through last season, trading both Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo before the deadline. Although Adam Thielen is coming back, he is going into an age-35 season. It appears likely Carolina will go back to the receiver well in this draft.
This has been a trend for the post-D.J. Moore Panthers, who chose Mingo in the 2023 second round and Xavier Legette in last year’s first. This came after a miss on Terrace Marshall in the 2021 second. Legette will obviously still be given a chance to be a regular, though UDFA Jalen Coker showed a bit more promise as a rookie, but key supplementation is almost definitely coming.
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Carolina made an understandable inquiry into the Seattle receiver situation recently. Seeing as Dave Canales was D.K. Metcalf‘s former position coach, he told Kay Adams (during an Up & Adams appearance) with Dan Morgan about a potential trade after the receiver’s request to be moved. Morgan also spent time in Seattle, operating as a scout and front office exec there for eight years. Though, that was before Metcalf’s arrival. Canales overlapped with Metcalf for four seasons; the big-bodied WR’s career began with Canales as his position coach.
While Carolina showed interest, The Athletic’s Joe Person indicates no offer was made. The Panthers join the Patriots and Packers among teams that did not make an offer. The Seahawks ended up letting Metcalf go for a second-round pick, and the Steelers have authorized a top-five extension. The Panthers do not have an eight-figure AAV at receiver, and that seems likely to continue in 2025. Giving Moore a lucrative deal in 2022, the team still needs help here. It should be expected to draft a pass-catching weapon early, Person adds, with Canales indicating he “would love” to draft another playmaker to boost Bryce Young‘s development. The team scheduled a Tetairoa McMillan meeting already.
The playmaker Carolina traded up for in last year’s second round, Jonathon Brooks, is expected to miss much of the season after a second ACL tear. The Panthers, though, have running back covered via their Chuba Hubbard extension and Rico Dowdle signing. Coker led all UDFAs in receptions, yards and TD grabs last season and still figures to have a role. But the Panthers figure to bring in either a starting wideout or tight end (or both) during this draft, with Person adding the team is doing due diligence on Tyler Warren — a Penn State product that has generated interest from several teams. The Panthers, who have not seen too much from the TE spot since Greg Olsen, could outflank much of this lot, as they hold the No. 8 overall pick.
Thielen agreed to stay on a revised deal, representing perhaps a slight surprise due to his 2024 injuries and the cap savings that would have come had Carolina moved on. Though, the terms of Thielen’s return do give the team flexibility.
The Panthers have the former Pro Bowler tied to a $6.25MM base salary, but only $1.5MM of that is guaranteed. Carrying a $10.11MM cap number, Thielen could be cut to produce $5.1MM in cap savings. The Panthers would eat some dead money due to the $1.5MM guarantee and the two void years on the contract in that scenario.
Thielen remained productive when available last year. Missing seven games, he still nearly matched his per-game average from a 1,000-yard 2023 by posting 58.1 yards per contest in ’24. A former tryout body who caught on with his home-state Vikings, Thielen has become one of the better UDFA receivers in NFL history. He is now aiming for a 13th season in 2025.
Cardinals Re-Sign T Kelvin Beachum
Kelvin Beachum will enjoy a rare opportunity to play an age-36 season as an offensive lineman. The veteran blocker will stay in Arizona to do so.
The Cardinals are keeping their swing tackle around, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicating the parties have agreed on another contract. Returning to a role behind Paris Johnson Jr. and Jonah Williams, Beachum will enter his sixth season with the Cards and 14th in the NFL. This is a one-year contract.
Despite joining the Cardinals in 2020, Beachum has now agreed to four contracts with the team. He signed a one-year deal in July 2020 and completed two-year re-ups to keep him in place through 2024. Although most members of the 2012 draft class have retired, the former seventh-round selection will continue his career. This comes after the Cardinals needed Beachum extensively last season.
Williams’ Week 1 knee injury kept him off the field for most of last season, while Johnson also missed three games. Beachum, who had come to Arizona as a starter opposite D.J. Humphries before being demoted, made 12 starts in 2024, playing 519 snaps at right tackle and 213 at LT. Beachum has started 62 games with the Cardinals and 161 for his career. He will continue to provide the Cards with some insurance, as Williams has dealt with knee trouble in recent years. Pro Football Focus graded Johnson 51st among 81 tackle regulars last season.
The Johnson draft choice moved Beachum out of the starting lineup, and while the team cut its veteran LT last year, Beachum stayed on the backup level thanks to Williams’ two-year, $30MM deal. The ex-Bengals first-rounder will attempt to justify the contract this season. He and Johnson represent the big-ticket investments along Arizona’s O-line, as midlevel contracts are present at two other spots (Hjalte Froholdt, Evan Brown) up front.
Beachum began his career with the Steelers, moving his way into a regular role as the team’s LT starter, before signing with the Jaguars as a free agent in 2016. He then played three Jets seasons, leading to an initial Cardinals signing in 2020. Beachum has spent more time in Arizona than anywhere else during his pro career, and he is now the team’s fourth-longest-tenured player — behind LS Aaron Brewer, Budda Baker and Kyler Murray. Although the team made HC and GM changes in 2023, it has continued to prioritize Beachum, who has signed two contracts during Monti Ossenfort‘s tenure.
Raiders To Extend QB Geno Smith
APRIL 4: Smith’s 2025 compensation will jump from $31MM to $40MM, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. The 2026 season includes a $26.5MM base salary; $18.5MM of that figure is already locked in. The remainder will shift from an injury to a full guarantee of the third day of the ’26 league year.
None of Smith’s salary for 2027 ($39.5MM) is locked in, a sign of the short-term nature of this commitment. $3.5MM in annual incentives bring the maximum value of the pact to $116.5MM, but with an out after the 2026 season (and perhaps earlier) it is highly unlikely Smith will approach that figure.
APRIL 3: The Raiders have a deal done with Geno Smith. They are giving the trade acquisition a two-year extension, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. This will keep the ex-Seahawks starter under contract through 2027.
It appears initial reports, like when Smith signed his 2023 Seahawks contract, featured a slight inflation. Smith’s Raiders deal will be worth $75MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Earlier reports indicated the deal checked in at $85.5MM, though Schefter indicates that represents the pact’s max value. Smith’s new contract will come with $66.5MM guaranteed, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports.
This represents a bridge deal for both parties, though Smith’s age may well make this his final starter-level contract. Set to turn 35 in October, Smith had angled for a deal north of $40MM per year. That aim prompted the Seahawks to trade their three-year starter rather than agree to his price. The Raiders, after being prepared to give Matthew Stafford a big guarantee in a trade, pounced and reunited him with Pete Carroll.
This marks Carroll’s second time signing off on a Smith starter-level contract, as he was in place as the Seahawks’ top decision-maker when they gave him a three-year, $75MM deal in 2023. That turned out to bring good value for the Seahawks, who held Smith to the deal even as he pushed for a new one in 2024. Although Smith could not quite reach that $40MM-per-year point during his Raiders talks, the reclamation project did secure a significant raise.
At $37.5MM per year, Smith again will come in with a lower-middle-class contract on a skyrocketing QB market. When Smith signed his $25MM-AAV deal in March 2023, the league had not seen the $50MM-per-year club form. It has now, with 10 passers comprising it. Smith only moves up a few spots on the QB salary list, and it is certainly no coincidence his new AAV matches Derek Carr‘s Saints number.
Though, it is notable the Raiders were only comfortable matching that — as Carr secured those terms when the cap resided at barely $224MM. It is now at $279.2MM, inviting questions about the Raiders’ commitment level. The Raiders were ready to give Stafford a deal that included at least $90MM guaranteed. The Rams standing down and retaining their starter forced the Raiders and Giants to look elsewhere, and both teams approved cheaper contracts to address their QB voids.
Rather than dive into the free agent QB market and enter a draft chock full of maligned passing prospects, the Raiders traded a third-round pick for Smith. They are catching the former second-rounder going into his 13th NFL season, but these terms align with Carroll’s stopgap coaching contract. The Raiders gave Carroll a three-year deal, one aimed at bringing stability to an organization that has lacked it for many years. We now have a timeline on the latest Carroll-Smith partnership, as this contract buys the AFC West club some time to find a true long-term option.
It also should not be viewed as a random occurrence that Smith’s deal surpasses Sam Darnold‘s new Seattle AAV, which is $33.5MM. The Seahawks have been out of the franchise-QB payment game since trading Russell Wilson to the Broncos, and rather than reunite with Wilson, Carroll chose Smith and now has him tied to the NFL’s 16th-highest QB contract. This should give the Raiders some flexibility, though it will be interesting to learn what the guarantee at signing is.
The Raiders gave Carr two franchise-QB-level extensions, the first (in 2017) setting an NFL record and the second (in 2022) being a clear bridge deal while the Josh McDaniels-led regime evaluated the fit. As the fit proved poor, the Raiders soon lost their QB stability by cutting Carr. They have moved on from their past two Week 1 starters — Jimmy Garoppolo, Gardner Minshew — via post-June 1 cuts. Smith will enter 2025 — barring a surprise first-round QB draft choice — on steadier ground compared to his two veteran predecessors in Vegas, though this contract length does invite questions beyond 2025.
New Raiders GM John Spytek said recently the Raiders want Smith as their starter for “years to come.” Smith may well have the inside track to be the Silver and Black’s starter in 2026 as well, but the Raiders figure to do more QB homework ahead of next year’s draft; as of now, that crop looks better than what the 2025 draft presents. Smith, however, will have a chance to keep his post-30 momentum going.
Although Smith bettered his Comeback Player of the Year completion rate (69.8, a number that led the league in 2022) by connecting on 70.4% of his throws last season, he threw 15 interceptions. Smith’s yards-per-attempt number (7.5) matched his 2022 breakthrough, but he was also working with a skill-position group better than what he inherits in Las Vegas. Brock Bowers delivered a historic tight end rookie season, but questions about for the Raiders at the other spots. How Spytek, Carroll and Tom Brady address the receiver position will play a key role in how their QB trade asset fares.
Prior to acquiring Carr, the Raiders carried an extensive history of late-career QB projects — from Carson Palmer to Rich Gannon to Jeff George to Jeff Hostetler to Jim Plunkett. While the Garoppolo swing and miss highlighted an overmatched regime, Carroll’s familiarity with Smith should help the Raiders pick up the pieces after a rough period.