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Giants Sign First-Round QB Jaxson Dart

May 30th, 2025 at 2:58pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Giants’ offseason quest to find a long-term franchise quarterback is finally and formally complete.

First-round pick Jaxson Dart put pen to paper on his rookie contract, per a team announcement, locking in a fully guaranteed four-year deal with a fifth-year option for the 2029 season.

Dart, the 25th overall selection in last month’s draft, will earn $16.954MM on his first NFL contract with an $8.97MM signing bonus, according to Art Stapleton of NJ.com. He may not start as a rookie with veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston also in the quarterback room, but the Giants are likely expecting Dart to take over as the team’s signal-caller in 2026.

A redshirt rookie year might be ideal for his long-term development. Dart played in a quarterback-friendly offense at Ole Miss with heavy use of play-action and RPOs to streamline his reads, but the NFL will required faster, more complicated processing. He also has a tendency to hold onto the ball, which might be especially dangerous behind a Giants offensive line that lacks elite talent outside of left tackle Andrew Thomas.

However, Dart’s arm talent, mobility, and competitive toughness form a solid foundation for a future starter. The Giants’ offensive braintrust of Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka struggled to get the best out of Daniel Jones, but they may have better luck with a quarterback they wanted to bring in. New York still needs better protection and another playmaker or two on offense, but Dart will have two reliable targets through at least 2027 in Malik Nabers and the recently re-signed Darius Slayton. Nabers exploded for 1,204 yards on 109 receptions as a rookie in 2024, while the underrated Slayton has been a solid if unspectacular pass-catcher throughout his career.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/29/25

May 29th, 2025 at 7:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Green Bay Packers

Seattle Seahawks

The Packers added a wideout to their squad today, as the team signed UDFA Sam Brown Jr. The receiver bounced around during his collegiate career, with his best showing coming during his time in Houston. Between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Brown hauled in 103 catches for 1,286 yards and seven touchdowns. He transferred to Miami (FL) for the 2024 campaign and proceeded to catch 36 passes for 509 yards and a pair of scores.

Ravens Sign Round 1 S Malaki Starks

May 29th, 2025 at 4:59pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Ravens first-round safety Malaki Starks has signed his four-year, fully guaranteed rookie deal, per a team announcement.

Starks, the No. 27 overall pick in April’s draft, will receive $16.58MM on his first NFL contract including a $8.7MM signing bonus, according to KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson. The Ravens also have a fifth-year option they can exercise in 2028 that will keep Starks under contract through 2029.

The former Georgia Bulldog was already expected to have an impactful rookie year as a versatile third safety in defensive coordinator Zach Orr‘s scheme. An Achilles injury to 2024 starter Ar’Darius Washington will likely press Starks into a full-time role, something head coach John Harbaugh mentioned after Wednesday’s practice.

“It’s a lot on his plate right now,” said Harbaugh. “He’s going to have to step up, but that’s why we drafted him in the first round.” The longtime head coach added that he had yet to see Starks make a mistake on the field.

Having Starks on a cost-controlled rookie contract for the next four years should allow the Ravens to make Hamilton the highest-paid safety in the NFL sometime in the next year. The team picked up the 2022 first-rounder’s fifth-year option, ensuring he will stay in Baltimore for at least two more seasons, but general manager Eric DeCosta‘s history of rewarding his best players suggests that Hamilton will be a Raven for a long time. That will allow him to mentor Starks as the two develop chemistry with the intention of becoming the best safety duo in the NFL.

Rams Sign OT David Quessenberry

May 29th, 2025 at 4:33pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Rams have signed veteran offensive tackle David Quessenberry to a one-year deal, per a team announcement.

Quessenberry played for the Vikings in 2024, his seventh NFL season. He appeared in every game as Minnesota’s swing tackle, but logged only 110 snaps during the regular season. He filled in for left tackle Christian Darrisaw after his injury in Week 8 and was expected to take over the starting job until the Vikings traded for Cam Robinson. Quessenberry played most of the game in Week 12 after Robinson left with an injury and added another 14 snaps in relief of right tackle Brian O’Neill in Week 15. He also closed out the Vikings’ wild card loss in January after O’Neill tore his Achilles during the game.

The 34-year-old Quessenberry will likely fill a similar role in Los Angeles backing up starting tackles Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein. His experience on the blind side will be crucial to the Rams after the departure of Joseph Noteboom this offseason. The team’s other backup OT, Warren McClendon, primarily played right tackle in college and his first two NFL seasons with just 52 snaps at left tackle last year.

Quessenberry has played a handful of snaps at guard in his career, though not since 2022. The Rams have more depth along the interior of their O-line, so he likely wouldn’t be needed there unless an emergency arises.

Originally a Texans sixth-round pick in 2013, Quessenberry spent his rookie year on injured reserve due to a foot injury. He was diagnosed with Lymphoma during the following offseason; his treatment sidelined him for three years. He finally made his NFL debut in 2017 with two appearances for the Texans. He didn’t play in 2018 and eventually landed with the Titans in 2019. Quessenberry took over Tennessee’s starting left tackle job halfway through the 2020 season and started all 17 games at right tackle in 2021. He then started three games for the Bills in 2022 before signing with one-year deals with the Vikings in 2023 and 2024.

Ravens Sign DT John Jenkins

May 29th, 2025 at 8:58am CST by Ely Allen

MAY 29: Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said (via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic) Jenkins will join the team after June 1. The veteran will thus be able to participate in many of Baltimore’s OTAs in addition to mandatory minicamp (which runs from June 17-19).

MAY 16: For seven of the last nine years, the Ravens have had a stout nose tackle in Michael Pierce plugging up the middle of the defense. Just two months after the 32-year-old retired, Baltimore will welcome a new veteran to man the middle. The Ravens announced today that John Jenkins will join the team on a one-year deal.

At 35 years old, Jenkins has played in the NFL for 12 years. Originally a third-round pick out of Georgia, Jenkins very quickly became a main contributor on the Saints defensive line. His play plateaued a bit over the next two years, resulting in New Orleans drafting Sheldon Rankins in the first round, benching Jenkins, and ultimately, waiving him in the final year of his rookie deal. He signed a few days later with the Seahawks but only appeared in two games for the rest of the year.

After that, Jenkins bounced around the league, playing one-year deals with the Bears, Giants, Dolphins, and Bears a second time. He then spent two more years in Miami before signing with the Raiders in 2023. In his first 10 years of NFL play, Jenkins only started 30 games, 22 of which came on his rookie contract with the Saints while the remaining eight were spread over seven seasons. In Las Vegas for the past two years, Jenkins started all 34 of the Raiders’ contests.

Jenkins has never been much of a pass rusher, only collecting 4.5 sacks over his 12-year career. His best seasons, though, have been highlighted with impressive run defense. His play has dipped a bit in recent years as his snap count has increased, but luckily, he’ll return to more of a rotational role in Baltimore.

This year will see the Ravens return their main three defensive linemen from 2024. Nnamdi Madubuike led the group in playing time last season, followed closely by Travis Jones. Broderick Washington is the third contributor who saw more playing time than Pierce last year. Jenkins will likely slide in for Pierce in the rotation, and after playing 595 snaps in 2023 and 606 snaps in 2024 for the Raiders, covering Pierce’s 254 snaps from last year should be no problem.

Falcons Sign RFA C Ryan Neuzil

May 28th, 2025 at 7:46pm CST by Ely Allen

Last year, the Falcons were able to avoid tendering center Ryan Neuzil as an exclusive rights free agent with a one-year extension. With Neuzil as a restricted free agent this offseason, Atlanta ended up tendering him. That tender is a thing of the past, though, as Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Neuzil and the Falcons have agreed to a two-year, $9.5MM deal.

Neuzil signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent out of Appalachian State in 2021. After spending his rookie year on the practice squad, Neuzil made his NFL debut in Week 9 of his sophomore campaign, getting called up as a practice squad elevation. He would appear in every game for the rest of the 2022 season, appearing only on special teams, except for five offensive snaps in the team’s regular season finale.

In 2023, injuries to starting guard and primary backup center Matt Hennessy opened the door for Neuzil to climb the depth chart as the new top option to back up then-starter Drew Dalman. Neuzil entered the year playing the same special teams role in which he ended 2022, but he earned his first career start in Week 6, though only as a technicality as he was an extra lineman on the first play of the game and only played five offensive snaps.

Later in the season, though, Dalman would be forced to miss three games, opening the door for Neuzil to finally start a full game at center and earn snaps on the line during games in which he didn’t start. Ending the season with four starts under his belt likely helped him earn his extension as the primary backup to Dalman. When Dalman missed eight games with a high ankle sprain this past season, Neuzil was the one to fill in. Dalman wanted to return to Atlanta this offseason, and the two sides even met to discuss a new deal, but ultimately, Dalman ended up signing with the Bears, leaving the Falcons seemingly no choice but to sign Neuzil as the team’s new primary center.

According to Josh Kendall of The Athletic, Neuzil had been working out and practicing with the team without a deal signed, but likely under the impression that he would, at the very least, sign his restricted free agent tender. Now, with a new contract in hand, Neuzil officially rejoins the roster to likely serve as the Falcons’ starting center in 2025.

NFL Minor Transactions: 5/28/25

May 28th, 2025 at 6:50pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s only minor moves:

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers already swapped punters today, and strangely, that transaction was the one to make headlines. It’s likely because Surratt and White have also primarily been special teamers so far in their careers. White, an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma in 2023, has split the last two years between the UFL and NFL, spending short stints with the Bills and Raiders before finally seeing an active roster in San Francisco, where he made his NFL debut.

Surratt’s special teams status is a bit more surprising. After switching from starting quarterback to linebacker after a season-ending injury and a head coaching change at North Carolina, Surratt became an All-American defender, racking up 206 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, and 12.5 sacks in his two years at the position. Those two impressive seasons helped convince the Vikings to draft him in the third round.

After only appearing on special teams in nine games as a rookie, Surratt was waived before his sophomore season, rebounding with the Jets. He made five starts while playing in all 17 games last year, but he’s only got 37 total tackles in his four-year career.

49ers Sign P Thomas Morstead, Release P Mitch Wishnowsky

May 28th, 2025 at 4:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

4:40pm: The Morstead signing is now official, and it will not spark a punter competition. Wishnowsky was released on Wednesday, per a team announcement. The latter move will generate just $266K in cap savings for San Francisco, and in the wake of Wishnowsky’s 2024 struggles and back injury questions will be raised about his NFL future.

9:06am: Thomas Morstead looks to have secured a chance to play a 17th NFL season. Once again released by the Jets, the veteran punter appears set to land with a 49ers team that has gathered some recent Jets personnel.

The former Super Bowl-winning specialist revealed Wednesday morning a 49ers commitment looms. This will reunite Morstead with Robert Saleh and former Jets special teams coordinator Brant Boyer. One of the Jets’ Greg Zuerlein fill-ins, Greg Joseph, is also set to vie for the 49ers’ kicker job.

Although Morstead held his Jets gig during the first several weeks of the 2025 league year, he received walking papers two weeks after the draft. The Jets dumped he and Zuerlein; the latter remains unsigned after an injury-marred season. Morstead punted in 34 games for the Jets over the past two seasons, completing a second stint with the team. The longtime Saint’s first Jets work came in Saleh’s debut season as HC (2021); Boyer coached Morstead during both his Jets tours as well.

The 49ers roster seventh-year punter Mitch Wishnowsky, who is tied to a four-year, $11.2MM contract that runs through the 2026 season. But the veteran’s 2024 season ended early due to a back injury. Wishnowsky landed on IR after nine games, the first absences of the Australian punter’s career.

Wishnowsky, 33, is set to carry a $2.25MM cap number, though the 49ers would take on nearly $2MM by releasing him due to signing bonus proration. Nevertheless, it appears he will have competition to retain his longtime role this offseason.

Going into what would be an age-39 season, Morstead averaged 47.2 yards per punt in 2024. That was down slightly from his 48.8-yard average in 2023. Wishnowsky finished at 45.2 last season. Morstead punted for the Dolphins in 2022, after splitting the 2021 season between New York and Atlanta. He is still best known for a 12-season Saints tenure, which began with the SMU alum punting for the Super Bowl XLIV-winning New Orleans squad as a rookie.

Cardinals Place CB Sean Murphy-Bunting On NFI List

May 28th, 2025 at 12:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

MAY 27: A knee injury will send Murphy-Bunting to the NFI list, Jonathan Gannon said. The former Buccaneers and Titans cornerback needed to have surgery to repair the malady, which occurred away from the Cardinals’ facility (via AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban).

MAY 22: Sean Murphy-Bunting has landed on the reserve/non-football injury list, per the transactions wire. As a result, the Cardinals corner will miss the entire 2025 campaign.

Murphy-Bunting began his career with the Buccaneers, and he made 36 starts during his time in Tampa Bay (although only five of those came during his final year with the team). That spell was followed by a one-year Titans pact, and the former second-rounder returned to full-time starting duties. His Tennessee performance resulted in a much stronger free agent market.

The Cardinals inked Murphy-Bunting to a three-year, $22.5MM deal last March. $17.39MM of that figure consisted of guarantees, including the entirety of the 27-year-old’s 2025 base salary ($7.7MM). This news will leave Arizona without a first-team option at the cornerback spot after Murphy-Bunting started all 15 of his appearances last year. He notched three interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles along the way, and the Cardinals will be tasked with replacing that production this season.

Arizona has finished mid-pack against the pass over each of the two years with Jonathan Gannon in place as head coach and Nick Rallis as defensive coordinator. Murphy-Bunting delivered positives and negatives in terms of coverage in 2024; the Central Michigan product allowed a passer rating of 84.1 as the nearest defender (the second-lowest of his career) but also surrendered a 70.7% completion percentage (the second-highest of his career). His attention will now turn to recovery in advance of the 2026 season, in which none of his base salary is guaranteed.

The Cardinals have made a number of draft investments at the cornerback spot in recent years. That includes Garrett Williams in the third round in 2023; after seeing his snap share jump to 76% last season, another notable workload can be expected for the Syracuse product. Arizona then added Max Melton and Elijah Jones on Day 2 of last year’s draft, and the team double-dipped once again (Will Johnson, Denzel Burke) in April.

A number of options will therefore be in place for the Cardinals as they look to replace Murphy-Bunting internally. Taking another step forward and reaching the postseason in Year 3 of the regime led by Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort will require further improvement on defense (and other areas), though, and this news represents a blow. If Arizona seeks an outside addition at the CB spot, one will certainly be feasible given the team’s $32MM in cap space.

Commanders Re-Sign DT Carl Davis

May 27th, 2025 at 9:17pm CST by Ben Levine

The Commanders are hanging on to some extra depth on the defensive line. The team announced that they’ve signed defensive tackle Carl Davis.

A former third-round pick by the Ravens, Davis has settled into true journeyman status at this point of his career. The Commanders represent the defensive tackle’s eighth NFL team; in addition to his time in Baltimore and Washington, the veteran has had stints with the Browns, Colts, Jaguars, Patriots, Seahawks, and Cowboys.

His most productive stretch came in New England between 2021 and 2022. He got into 33 games over that span, collecting 30 tackles and a pair of sacks. After getting cut by the Cowboys at the end of the 2024 preseason, he caught on with Washington’s practice squad. He ended up getting into three games with the big-league club last season, collecting three stops.

The Commanders aren’t in desperate need of defensive tackle help, even after the team moved on from Jonathan Allen this offseason. Daron Payne and Jer’Zhan Newton return after leading the position grouping in snaps last year, and the organization also brought in Javon Kinlaw via free agency. Davis will likely be competing for a spot with fellow free agent acquisition Eddie Goldman, who also inked a deal for the vet minimum.

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