Draft Notes: Carter, Colts, Cowboys, Bengals, Falcons, Vikings, Bills, Burden, Broncos, Bears, Campbell
Although Abdul Carter‘s foot injury created some early-offseason concern, the Penn State prospect has not run into any real hurdles toward becoming a surefire top-four pick. The edge defender did not see any emerge during a Combine medical recheck, either, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes Carter’s foot is improving and no surgery will be needed. The stress reaction Carter suffered kept him out of drills at the Nittany Lions’ pro day, but the potential Browns target has still built up enough capital pre-draft to turn down visit requests for teams holding picks outside the top four. He has met with the Browns and Titans and will stop his visits after the Giants (No. 3) and Patriots (No. 4).
Here is the latest from the draft:
- One of the top non-Carter edge players in this prospect crop, James Pearce Jr. is continuing his visit schedule. The Tennessee product conducted recent visits with the Bengals, Colts, Cowboys and Falcons, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Pearce has already met with the Cardinals, and a report of Saints interest emerged. The Colts came up as a team interested in D-line augmentation, while the Falcons are prioritizing defense in this draft after their Michael Penix Jr. pick last year. The Bengals are still in an uncertain place with Trey Hendrickson, and Sam Hubbard retired.
- Skill players have come up regarding the Broncos‘ first-round draft slot (No. 20), as the team added Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw on defense — after re-signing D.J. Jones. But strengthening a strength should not be ruled out here, per ESPN.com’s Jordan Reid. Viewing this running back class as deep enough the RB-seeking team can wait until after Round 1 to make that play, Reid mentions safety Nick Emmanwori as a wild-card option to watch. The No. 15 prospect on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board, Emmanwori is a South Carolina product who could shift into the box in sub packages. The Broncos have Hufanga, Brandon Jones and P.J. Locke at safety; they are thinner at linebacker, with both Greenlaw and 31-year-old Alex Singleton coming off injuries.
- Denver hosted Mizzou receiver Luther Burden, and it is possible the SEC pass catcher will be available on Day 2. Burden is likely to fall out of the first round, per ESPN.com’s Matt Miller, but the longtime draft expert views him as a first-round talent. A former top recruit, Burden fared much better as a sophomore in 2023 (1,212 yards, nine touchdown receptions) than 2024 (676/6), contributing to his potential second-round status. While Jeremiah labels Burden a slot player, Miller classifies the 5-foot-11 talent as someone who could make an impact outside.
- Another player who may end up sliding a bit, Jihaad Campbell has seen a post-Combine shoulder surgery change his draft trajectory. Teams are gathering intel on the Alabama linebacker, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates, who indicates it would not surprise to see a top-20 talent in this draft fall toward the end of Round 1 or into the second round.
- Mentioned as a team high on Ashton Jeanty, the Bears have more pressing needs than running back. Specifically, the team views defensive tackle as a bigger need than defensive end, Miller adds. This does not surprise, considering the team’s Dayo Odeyingbo deal. Despite the ex-Colt’s ability to rush from inside and the ensuing Grady Jarrett pickup, the Bears appear to have a clear interest in upgrading here. Miller ESPN colleague Courtney Cronin ponders a potential long-term play at left tackle, as Braxton Jones is in a contract year, in the first round as well.
- Still in place as a top cornerback prospect despite missing last season with an ACL tear, Shavon Revel continues to meet with teams interested in his rebound effort. The Bills, Colts and Vikings met with the East Carolina CB this week, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Buffalo is in need of a corner to replace Rasul Douglas, who remains in free agency, while Indianapolis may still be interested in adding despite giving Charvarius Ward $18MM per year. Minnesota added Isaiah Rodgers to go with Byron Murphy but could certainly benefit from a higher-level investment.
Draft Rumors: Dolphins, Johnson, Harmon
The Dolphins are reportedly doing some homework on high-ranked tight end prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft. Though, at No. 13 overall, Miami may be out of range of top tight end prospect Tyler Warren of Penn State, the team took a look at two options that could be around for their second-round pick.
According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, LSU’s Mason Taylor was onsite yesterday. Taylor is the son of Dolphins legend Jason Taylor. The younger Taylor is projected to be a fringe first-round prospect, but with tight ends, the ranges can certainly be wider. Taylor did a top-30 visit with the Browns on Monday and has also visited the Seahawks and Chargers.
Earlier this week, the Dolphins also hosted local tight prospect Elijah Arroyo out of Miami (FL), per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Arroyo had a breakout season for the Hurricanes this year and caught lots of attention at the Senior Bowl. After visiting Miami on Monday, Arroyo met with the Browns on Tuesday and Giants on Wednesday. Mike Cugno of CBS Sports adds that teammates Xavier Restrepo and Arroyo have both spent plenty of time around the Dolphins facility in the last couple of days.
Miami saw veteran Jonnu Smith rival Tyreek Hill in the receiving game for the Dolphins last year, but Smith’s contract expires after this season, so Taylor or Arroyo may be viewed as strong TE2 options or potential tight ends of the future.
Here are a few other draft visits we’ve seen reported in recent days:
- All-American running back Kaleb Johnson has been making the rounds lately. After visiting the Steelers last weekend, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 adds that Johnson has visited the Titans, Broncos, Texans, and Bengals. Johnson is widely considered the third-best running back prospect in the class behind Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton. Based on interest from the Titans, Johnson could go anywhere from the early-second to early-third round.
- Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon visited the Jets yesterday. He hasn’t often been mocked in range of the Jets‘ No. 7 overall pick so far, but he could certainly be a candidate to find New York early in the second round or perhaps in the late-first, should the Jets opt to trade back up. Garafolo notes that Harmon has also visited the Browns and Steelers this week.
Broncos, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Packers Host WR Matthew Golden
Not viewed as one of this decade’s better wide receiver classes, the 2025 crop is still expected to see a few of its best options go off the board in Round 1. Matthew Golden is becoming a player to watch here.
The Texas prospect has assembled a busy pre-draft itinerary after an impressive Combine showing. While he could not quite match 2024 Longhorns WR prospect Xavier Worthy‘s 4.21-second Combine record in the 40-yard dash, Golden blazed to a 4.29 clocking in Indianapolis. Teams are lining up to spend time with the Longhorn one-and-done.
The Broncos, Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers have brought the former Houston recruit in on “30” visits. Golden met with the Bucs on Monday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets, and stopped through Denver on Wednesday, 9News’ Mike Klis adds. He met with the Cowboys on Thursday, per Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz, with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein reporting the 2024 SEC standout’s Packers meeting occurred before these summits.
A Houston native, Golden spent his college career in Texas and is coming up as a Cowboys fit. Dallas is looking into receivers, with Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline indicating the team is viewed as a prime landing spot (at No. 12 overall) for a player NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah slots as his top wideout in this class. The Cowboys are targeting a receiver pick early, per Pauline, with Stephen Jones confirming the team is interested in augmenting its WR situation. They have met with Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka as well. While they have shown interest in Travis Hunter, Golden is a more realistic target.
The Packers (No. 23) have met with Egbuka and one-year Golden teammate Isaiah Bond. The team has long resisted calls to draft a receiver in the first round; it has still been since 2002 (Javon Walker) since such a move transpired. Green Bay has four rookie-deal receivers of note on its roster, but Christian Watson is expected to miss significant time due to a January ACL tear. Romeo Doubs joins Watson in a contract year.
Denver (No. 20) looked into Cooper Kupp and Stefon Diggs, and while Amari Cooper and Keenan Allen are among the vets who remain available, the Broncos are doing work on complementing Courtland Sutton with another young player. The team drafted Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele over the past two years but has now hosted Golden and Missouri’s Luther Burden. Running back remains an area the Broncos are focusing on, but a receiver addition makes sense as well. Sutton is entering his age-30 season.
A Bucs receiver move early would be rather interesting, considering the resources the team has devoted to this position. Tampa Bay (No. 19) drafted Jalen McMillan in last year’s third round and gave Chris Godwin a three-year, $66MM deal a year after re-signing Mike Evans. The latter is back in a contract year, though Tampa Bay has obviously made it a high priority to keep its all-time receiving leader a one-team player.
Golden is viewed as one of this draft’s fastest-rising players, Pauline adds, and he made an impression in Quinn Ewers‘ final season in Austin. Averaging 17 yards per catch, Golden went 58-987-9 for the Longhorns in 2025. While he did not put together a season like that in Houston, The 5-foot-11 prospect did combine for 13 TDs with the Cougars. With Tetairoa McMillan‘s grip on the top WR slot slipping, Golden could be poised to swoop in.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/8/25
Tuesday’s minor NFL transactions:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: CB Nahshon Wright
Cleveland Browns
- Signed ERFA tender: LB Winston Reid
Denver Broncos
- Signed: S Sam Franklin
Wright didn’t last long as a free agent. He signs with the Bears after being released by Minnesota yesterday.
Franklin had nine starts in his first four years of his career with the Panthers, but after being relegated to the practice squad in 2024, Franklin didn’t appear until the eighth game of the season and played primarily on special teams, only seeing four defensive snaps on the year. He’ll now bring his secondary and special teams experience to Denver.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/7/25
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed RFA tender: DL Chris Williams
- Signed ERFA tender: DL Jonathan Ford, DL Daniel Hardy, OL Bill Murray, DB Ameer Speed
Cleveland Browns
- Signed ERFA tender: TE Blake Whiteheart
Denver Broncos
- Signed ERFA tender: TE Lucas Krull
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: DE Arron Mosby
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed ERFA tender: DT Matthew Butler, LB LB Kana’i Mauga, G Jordan Meredith, DE Charles Snowden, CB Sam Webb
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: CB Nahshon Wright
2025 NFL Draft Visits: Schwesinger, Cowboys, Nolen, Ezeiruaku, Burden, Turner, Bond, Steelers, Emmanwori
This isn’t exactly a visit in the sense of top-30 visits, like most of the rest of bullets that follow this will be, but UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger held a private pro day earlier this week in Los Angeles and had 30 teams in attendance, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
While, obviously, not a comprehensive list, Schefter specifically mentions the Cowboys, Giants, Saints, Chargers, and Broncos, and notes that the linebackers coaches from Dallas, New York, and New Orleans all met privately with Schwesinger.
Schwesinger is not currently the top-ranked linebacker prospect in most analysts’ eyes, but he often slides in as the second-best off-ball linebacker in the class behind Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell — third if you count Georgia defender Jalon Walker, who has the ability to play every linebacker spot at the next level. Some thought Schwesinger may sneak into the back end of the first round at the end of the month, but more likely is that he hears his name on Day 2. Per Tony Pauline of sportskeeda, it would be surprising to see him fall past the first half of the second round.
Here are some more prospect-NFL team connections we’ve seen recent reports on:
- The Cowboys have certainly been very busy in the runup to the 2025 NFL Draft. On Friday, the team held their invite-only “Dallas Day,” hosting draft prospects without the visits counting towards their top-30 visits. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton met with the team at “Dallas Day.” The well-balanced rusher continues to skyrocket up draft boards, is likely to join Ashton Jeanty in the first round, and has several other visits lined up.
- Jeanty was also in attendance on Friday, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. We had relayed that Jeanty would be taking a top-30 visit with the Cowboys, but it’s unclear whether this is what was meant in that original report. Also in attendance for “Dallas Day” were Texas A&M defensive tackle Shemar Turner, Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon, TCU wide receivers Savion Williams and Jack Bech, Texas quarterback and offensive lineman Quinn Ewers and Cameron Williams, and Miami tight end and running back Elijah Arroyo and Damien Martinez.
- Also in attendance at “Dallas Day” was Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Nolen will follow up his Dallas visit with a visit with the Panthers on Monday and a visit with the Bengals some other time this week.
- Joining Nolen in Carolina on Monday will be Boston College pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku, per Joe Person of The Athletic. The ACC Defensive Player of the Year has been a hot topic with multiple scouts of late, per ESPN’s Jordan Reid. He’s currently viewed as an early-Day 2 prospect, and his stock continues to rise.
- Speaking of another “Dallas Day” athlete, Wilson of KPRC 2 provided an updated list of teams that Turner, from Texas A&M, is set to visit with. We already noted his recent visit in New Orleans, but Wilson tells us that Turner has also visited the Texans and plans to visit the Ravens, Rams, Eagles, Dolphins, Colts, Buccaneers, and Cardinals.
- According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS, the Broncos hosted Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden for a top-30 visit last week. The talented wideout fell off in 2024 after an incredible sophomore campaign with the Tigers, but his high ceiling makes him a borderline first-round prospect. Denver would love to bring in another talented weapon for young quarterback Bo Nix.
- We already reported recent visits for Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond in Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, and Los Angeles, but we now have a couple sources adding some new locations for the Longhorn. Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that Bond had dinner with the Bills before a private workout Friday and a top-30 visit as well as visits with the Browns and Packers. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds that Bond has visits scheduled with the Chiefs and Titans, as well.
- Brooke Pryor of ESPN tells us that the Steelers hosted a full house on Thursday. Prospects on hand last week included Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden, Florida State cornerback Azareye’h Thomas, Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, and Pittsburgh tight end Gavin Bartholomew.
- Lastly, Pryor adds that Pittsburgh was one of the recent teams to host South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori. The pre-draft standout had reportedly lined up visits with Atlanta, Carolina, Seattle, Cincinnati, and Miami already. The Steelers’ interest in the Gamecock is no surprise as he’s trending towards being a Day 1 selection at this point.
NFC West Notes: Greenlaw, Seahawks, Rams
Not only did the Broncos manage to withstand an 11th-hour 49ers push for Dre Greenlaw, the AFC West team appears to have won out for the talented linebacker despite submitting a lesser offer. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch trekked to Greenlaw’s Texas home to convince the longtime Fred Warner wingman to stay, and the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch notes this mid-March meeting involved the team topping the Broncos’ offer. It is not known if San Francisco beat Denver’s overall number ($31.5MM) or guarantee at signing ($11.5MM), but Branch points to Greenlaw’s injury history keeping the 49ers from a substantial effort to retain the six-year veteran, who was on the team’s radar for a third contract. Greenlaw, 27, missed most of the 2021 season with a groin injury and played only a handful of snaps after suffering an Achilles tear in the first half of Super Bowl LVIII.
The Broncos will bet on Greenlaw and ex-49ers teammate Talanoa Hufanga returning to full strength, while the 49ers have Dee Winters — a 2023 sixth-round pick who started 10 games last season — in place as the top internal option to complement Warner. The draft could change this equation, but the 49ers have stood down on the veteran front after their regrettable De’Vondre Campbell stopgap investment in 2024.
Here is the latest from the NFC West:
- Not on the level of Greenlaw’s departure, Laken Tomlinson‘s Texans defection still leaves the Seahawks with a guard need once again. The team hosted Teven Jenkins, Lucas Patrick, and John Schneider also said (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson) a meeting with Jaguars RFA Cole Van Lanen occurred. No offer sheet emerged for Van Lanen, who has three career starts. The Jags gave Van Lanen the low-end RFA tender ($3.26MM). Seattle still has RG starter Anthony Bradford contracted, but Schneider said no veteran addition would be likely until after the draft. That is when Tomlinson arrived last year, but the draft will be a place to look here for the Seahawks.
- Cooper Kupp‘s three-year, $45MM Seahawks deal features an important 2026 date. The team guaranteed the former All-Pro receiver $17.5MM at signing, but $26.5MM in total. Kupp will see the remaining $9MM shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the ’26 league year, Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer notes. Seattle could escape the Kupp contract, should the homecoming not prove a fit, for $8MM in 2026 dead money (due to signing bonus proration).
- Additionally, the Rams did not designate Kupp a post-June 1 cut, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue adds. This created a $22.26MM dead money bill for the team. It had been assumed the Rams would attempt to halve that by using the post-June 1 option, which would have spread part of the bill into the 2026 offseason. Although this is a lofty single-player dead cap hit, the Rams will be free of the Kupp contract after this year.
- The Seahawks will deviate from their usual approach by adding a fullback, it appears. Importing Klint Kubiak‘s offense will mean a likely fullback inclusion, as Schneider said (via The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar) the team is looking to add one via the draft or free agency. While the likes of Mack Strong and John L. Williams once thrived in Seattle, the team has not used a fullback regularly in many years. Kubiak’s offense, derived from his father’s attack, does make use of the niche position, however.
- Returning to the topic of Seahawks contracts, they made a much cheaper receiver investment by signing Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The brief Kubiak Saints option agreed to a one-year deal worth $4MM in base value ($3MM guaranteed), per ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson. While this is far less than MVS played for in Kansas City, it beats his Buffalo and New Orleans pacts.
- The Cardinals‘ second Zay Jones contract also checked in south of the initially reported value. Pegged at $4.4MM, Jones’ deal is worth $2.4MM in base value, Balzer notes. Arizona guaranteed the veteran only $1.3MM. Jones, who turned 30 last week, caught just eight passes for 84 yards with the Cards last season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/4/25
The NFL minor moves as we head into the weekend:
Denver Broncos
- Signed ERFA tender: OLB Dondrea Tillman
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DE Janarius Robinson
New York Jets
- Signed RFA tender: S Tony Adams
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.
Brock Purdy Extension Aim Influenced 49ers’ Free Agency Approach; Team Upped Dre Greenlaw Offer
Many of the players that helped the 49ers push the Chiefs near double overtime in Super Bowl LVIII exited San Francisco this offseason. After the team traded Deebo Samuel, it let a host of talent walk.
The Broncos poached Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga, while Aaron Banks‘ Packers deal eclipsed both the Denver pacts in base value. The 49ers traded Jordan Mason after slapping a second-round RFA tender on the backup running back and stood down as the Chiefs gave Jaylon Moore a $15MM-per-year deal to jump from the backup level to, in all likelihood, a starting job. The team also cut Javon Hargrave and Leonard Floyd while letting 2023 All-Pro Charvarius Ward join the Colts on a big-ticket deal.
While cornerstone players remain, Brock Purdy‘s fourth season at the controls will involve some new personnel. And it should be expected to come with a roster-reshaping contract. The 49ers expecting to go from paying Purdy a seventh-round salary to a top-market contract influenced their free agency approach.
“I get it. Fans care. You want to win. And when you’re in a world where everybody is watching the NFL the first week of free agency or at least the first few days of free agency, it’s a frenzy,” owner Jed York said, via ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner. “… When you’re not overly active in that space, it gets easy to say, ‘Oh, you don’t want to win.’ … I don’t know that, as we looked at the board, that there was somebody that we felt made that type of an impact more so than making the decision to try to go pay Brock.”
The 49ers used Purdy’s rookie deal to splurge on Hargrave in 2023, doing so after carving out cap room for Ward’s free agency deal in 2022 — a deal agreed to when the expectation remained Trey Lance would eventually succeed Jimmy Garoppolo. With Purdy on track to command more than $50MM per year, sacrifices will need to be made. Identifying more rookie-deal starters will become paramount as the draft approaches.
As for Purdy’s next contract, Wagoner floats a deal between $53MM and the $55MM number authorized for Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love last year as a potential sweet spot. That said, Purdy has accomplished more than both. Convincing the former Mr. Irrelevant to settle south of the Jaguars and Packers starters after the cap spiked by another $24MM — and after Dak Prescott reset the QB market at $60MM per year — may be difficult. The 49ers are confident they will sign Purdy, rather than allow him to play out his rookie contract, and negotiations have begun.
While the team is believed to be shying away from Prescott territory, a number north of $50MM per year — as should be expected — is firmly in play. The team has needed to go into training camp (or near Week 1) to extend George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa and Brandon Aiyuk in recent years. The 49ers appear to be aiming to avoid that timeline with Purdy, but nothing is imminent. Plans for a monster re-up are obviously in place, as the 49ers have not wavered from a stance in which the Iowa State alum remains in place for many years. That aim has already reshuffled the roster.
Kyle Shanahan confirmed (via The Athletic’s Matt Barrows) the 49ers attempted to retain Greenlaw before the legal tampering period, but the team saw him sign a three-year, $31.5MM Broncos accord. Denver has an out after Year 1, in guaranteeing only $11.5MM at signing, protecting itself after Greenlaw’s recent injury trouble.
San Francisco also kept its Greenlaw effort going after his Denver commitment, and the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel reports Lynch and Shanahan flew to Greenlaw’s home in Texas to continue recruitment. The 49ers upped their offer before seeing Greenlaw keep his pledge to join the Broncos. The 49ers power brokers flew out after Greenlaw had agree to Broncos terms, Gabriel adds, representing a more serious attempt to flip a commitment during the legal tampering period.
In addition to Greenlaw’s injury playing a central role in the 49ers’ Super Bowl LVIII loss, it may well have led him to the market. 49ers interest in retaining Greenlaw was known late last season, and the sides discussed terms in February. Had the longtime Fred Warner sidekick not suffered an Achilles tear, the team presumably would have made a stronger effort to retain him before he became free agency-eligible March 10. Sean Payton viewed (via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson) Greenlaw’s Achilles setback as a key reason he was available.
It is not like the 49ers stood down entirely in free agency. The team gave backup tight end Luke Farrell a three-year, $15.75MM deal and added safeties Jason Pinnock and Richie Grant. Returning Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha, the 49ers added the safety depth pieces at low rates. Pinnock could be more than depth, after starting 32 Giants games from 2023-24, but he signed with the 49ers for just $2.2MM over one year. The contract is fully guaranteed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. An ex-Falcons starter, Grant signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal, Wilson adds. Only $345K is guaranteed.