NFC North Contract Details: Pierre, Jackson, Lewis, Brooks, Jones
Here are reported details from recently signed contracts across the NFC North:
- James Pierre, CB (Vikings): Two years, $8.5MM. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Pierre’s previously reported guaranteed amount of $3.72MM is made up of his signing bonus ($2.5MM) and his 2026 base salary ($1.22MM). Also, originally reported to have a maximum value of $8.5MM, that amount is actually the base. Pierre has the ability to add up to $510K per season with a $30K per game active roster bonus.
- D’Marco Jackson, LB (Bears): Two years, $7.5MM. Per OvertheCap.com, Jackson’s new contract includes $3.63MM in guaranteed money comprised of a $1.88MM signing bonus and his base salary for the 2026 season ($1.75MM). His deal’s per game active roster bonus pays out only half of what Pierre’s does, but Jackson will be able to earn a 2027 roster bonus of $425K, if he’s still on the team by the fifth day of the new league year in 2027. The rest of the potential maximum value of the contract will be available in $1.5MM of incentives.
- Cam Lewis, CB (Bears): Two years, $6MM. Per Wilson, Lewis’ compensation could reach up to $7MM and includes $2.75MM in guaranteed money with a $1.5MM signing bonus and $1.25MM base salary in 2026. Lewis’ per game active roster bonus starts out at $10K in 2026 ($170K full season) and elevates to $20K in Year 2 ($340K full season). On the same timing as Jackson, Lewis would get a 2027 roster bonus of $250K. The $1MM of incentives Lewis can make are based on playing time and playoff qualification and include escalators for his potential second year.
- Chris Brooks, RB (Packers): Two years, $4.85MM. Wilson reports that Brooks’ deal to return to Green Bay includes a $650K signing bonus (the only guaranteed money). His base salary starts at $1.25MM and elevates to $1.41MM in Year 2, and he’ll be able to add $170K in each season with a $10K per game active roster bonus.
- Braxton Jones, LT (Bears): One year, $5MM. Originally reported at its maximum $10MM value, the base value of Jones deal is half that. Per OvertheCap.com, the contract includes $3MM in guaranteed money consisting of a $1.5MM signing bonus and $1.5MM of Jones’ 2026 base salary ($2MM). His per game active roster bonus is double that of Pierre’s, meaning it can net him an additional $1.02MM for a full season. The remaining potential value will have to be earned through incentives.
WR DeAndre Hopkins Would Welcome Vikings Deal
The first wave of free agency brought no reported interest in three-time First Team All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins. But if the Vikings come calling, Hopkins will listen, as the player himself recently told TMZ Sports.
Minnesota recently added both Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz to its quarterback room, and it is fair to expect Murray to win the QB1 battle over Wentz and incumbent J.J. McCarthy. Of course, Murray and Hopkins were teammates with the Cardinals from 2020-22, and it sounds as if that relationship is a good one.
“Kyler … that’s my bro, man. Kyler is like family,” Hopkins said. “Whatever I can do for someone like that — if Kyler needed me, if the Vikings need me, they know I’ll be there.”
Murray was only available to the Vikings this offseason because he was unable to replicate his early-career success with Arizona, which made him the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 draft and released him earlier this month, taking on a considerable dead money hit in the process. The Cards acquired Hopkins via trade with the Texans prior to Murray’s second professional campaign, and Murray enjoyed the best seasons of his career when Hopkins was one of his top weapons, earning Pro Bowl nods in both 2020 and 2021.
Much has changed since then, however. While Murray has struggled with health and consistency, Hopkins has bounced from the Cardinals to the Titans to the Chiefs to the Ravens, and despite appearing in all 17 games for Baltimore last season, he was largely absent from the club’s offensive attack.
After catching four balls for 99 yards and two touchdowns over the first two weeks of the 2025 schedule, Hopkins totaled just 18 receptions for 231 scoreless yards the rest of the way. Even though quarterback Lamar Jackson’s inconsistent, injury-plagued season doubtlessly played some role in that, Hopkins’ age (34 in June) and diminished production explain the lack of interest in his services to date.
At some point, though, he should be able to catch on with a team in need of receiving help. Hopkins still profiles as a viable red zone threat, and with the Vikings boasting Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison on their roster, they do not need Hopkins to be the player he was during his heyday. They merely need him to be a consistent ancillary target.
Hopkins is not in a position to rebuff overtures from any team, and there is no guarantee Minnesota will reciprocate his interest. Still, there is some logic to a partnership, as the Vikes – who lost Jalen Nailor to the Raiders in free agency – currently have no proven WR depth behind Jefferson and Addison.
Hopkins has also expressed a willingness to re-up with Baltimore, which completely overhauled its coaching staff this offseason.
Brian Flores’ Suit Allowed To Move Forward Despite Possible SCOTUS Review; Flores Amends Complaint
Brian Flores’ suit against the NFL and six of its clubs is inching forward; sort of. Although the league is presently attempting to secure United States Supreme Court review of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision that Flores’ claims against the Broncos, Giants, and Texans shall be heard in open court rather than remain in arbitration, the presiding trial court judge has denied the league’s request to stay the matter pending a SCOTUS resolution (per sports business reporter Daniel Kaplan). In other words, even as the “arbitration versus open forum” battle continues to play out, the underlying proceeding – which was filed over four years ago – has been allowed to continue into its next phases.
This represents another win for Flores, the current defensive coordinator of the Vikings, and co-plaintiffs Steve Wilks and Ray Horton. Successfully removing a lawsuit against the NFL from the hands of an NFL-appointed arbitrator and into the more objective purview of a trial court judge is obviously critical, and now the league will need to start defending the case on a more substantive level.
Of course, the NFL could still prevail on its last-ditch effort to keep the case in arbitration. In order for that to happen, however, SCOTUS would first need to grant the league’s pending petition to hear the appeal and would then need to rule in the league’s favor, both of which are far from sure things. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, a decision as to whether the highest court in the land will hear the appeal will be made within the next month or so (but that is only for the Broncos, Giants, and Texans portion of the suit; the league’s efforts to keep the Dolphins, Cardinals, and Titans portion of the claim in arbitration were denied more recently, and the NFL will likely try to obtain SCOTUS review of that decision as well).
This case has now officially evolved into a war on two fronts, and Flores & Co. have also made a potentially-significant addition to their request for relief. As Kaplan details, the plaintiffs are amending their complaint to include a count under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which banned discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.
As sports attorney Chris Deubert explains, the Title VII count is significant because it allows a successful plaintiff to recover even if he cannot prove intent. Rather, recovery is still possible as long as the plaintiff can prove a policy that is race-neutral on its face has a discriminatory impact in practice.
The addition of the Title VII count was not made earlier in part because of the lengthy battle over the proper venue and in part because the plaintiffs had to receive a “right to sue” letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which was not issued until June 2024. With hundreds of NFL head coaching hires having been made over the course of league history, Kaplan believes Flores will have a statistically-significant sample to draw from and will thus stand a good chance of prevailing on his “disparate impact” claim.
After interviewing for head coaching jobs with three different clubs this year, Flores will remain in Minnesota on a $6MM salary. That may make him the highest-paid coordinator in the league, but the former head coach of the Dolphins still wants another opportunity to run a team.
NFL Draft Rumors: Cardinals, RBs, Downs, Woods, Terrell
As free agency slows, the general focus of the NFL is starting to shift to the 2026 NFL Draft. For one team, though, the focus appears to be the 2027 NFL Draft, per Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom. As several teams work to secure optimal situations in their quarterbacks rooms, the Cardinals appear to be working around it.
After cutting veteran quarterback Kyler Murray, Arizona seems content to move forward in 2026 with journeyman backup Jacoby Brissett, who went 1-11 as the Cardinals’ starter last year. They supplemented the room with another frequent flier with starting experience in Gardner Minshew. Neither passer is viewed as the team’s future at the position but more as bridge options until that future comes along. The prevailing opinion throughout league circles appears to be that Arizona is tanking the 2026 season in hopes of setting themselves up well for a draft projected to be a bit more rich in quarterback prospects than this year’s draft.
With that in mind, the remainder of their offseason will be focused on building an offense around their future quarterback, starting with the construction of a reliable wall in front of him. For this reason, there’s belief the Cardinals will be targeting an offensive lineman with their No. 3 overall pick, and the popular opinion is that Hurricanes top tackle prospect Francis Mauigoa could be that target. The three-year starter out of Miami (FL) has a strong chance of being available as Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is expected to go No. 1 to Las Vegas, and the Jets are expected to add to their defense with the second overall pick.
Here are a few other draft rumors from around the NFL:
- While only one or two running backs project to be top prospects in the draft, there are plenty of options for teams looking to build depth or add some fresher legs to their room. With Alvin Kamara‘s future in New Orleans in doubt, Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports reports that the Saints have shown interest in Arkansas running back Mike Washington. A Buffalo- and New Mexico State-transfer, Washington rushed for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns for the Razorbacks last year.
- When it was thought that Aaron Jones would be departing from Minnesota, some at ESPN believed the team would go to the draft, as opposed to the free agent market, to fill out the room. With Jones returning on a re-worked contract that expires after this year, running back may still be a focus for the Vikings in this year’s draft.
- Despite re-signing J.K. Dobbins and restricted free agent Jaleel McLaughlin and having spent a second-round pick on RJ Harvey last year, the Broncos are doing research on the draft’s offerings at the position. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the team hosted Indiana running back Kaelon Black for a top 30 visit. The national champion rushed for 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns and has visited the Jets with visits with the Panthers, Bengals, and Raiders set in the future.
- According to ESPN’s Matt Miller, some post-combine conversations with scouts revealed a dramatic range of opinions for Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods. The former five-star recruit took over a full-time starting position in his sophomore season and grabbed the attention of scouts everywhere with three sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in 11 games while proving to be an elite run-stopper. His production declined in his junior year, which Pro Football Focus (subscription required) still saw as good but graded as his worst campaign in Clemson. As a result, some scouts still see the potential and view him as a top 15 prospect, while others have him “solidly” as a Day 2 prospect.
- The Giants have had an incredibly busy (and in many views productive) offseason thus far, so many are eager to see what approach they will take with their fifth overall pick in the draft. According to La Canfora, despite their success rebuilding so far, New York still has a glaring hole in the secondary. New head coach John Harbaugh‘s former organization invested heavily in the safety position over the course of his tenure with the team, and it’s believed that that mentality has followed him to New York. Ohio State’s Caleb Downs has been tied to the Giants before, and La Canfora doubles down on the opinion that he could be the selection at No. 5 overall.
- Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell, the younger brother of Falcons first-round cornerback and one-time second-team All-Pro AJ Terrell, is widely viewed as a top five prospect at his position. After suffering a minor hamstring injury at the combine, though, the younger Terrell will not be participating in the Tigers’ pro day, according to Jordan Reid of ESPN. Instead, he has scheduled a separate workout for scouts that will take place March 30.
Bills Decline To Match Vikings’ Ryan Van Demark Offer Sheet
After signing an offer sheet with the Vikings on Wednesday, offensive tackle Ryan Van Demark will officially leave Buffalo for Minnesota. The Bills have declined to match the Vikings’ one-year offer worth a fully guaranteed $4.2MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The deal includes a $2.5MM signing bonus, per Pelissero.
Van Demark, who will turn 28 on Sunday, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2022. Because the Bills gave Van Demark an original-round tender worth $3.52MM, they will not receive compensation for losing him.
The Bills were in a similar position in 2022 when they tendered former undrafted lineman Ryan Bates at the original-round level. The Bears signed Bates to an offer sheet, but the Bills matched in his case. Now, with just $9.85MM in cap space, the Bills will let Van Demark depart.
A 43-game starter at UConn, Van Demark began his career with the Colts, though he did not survive final roster cuts as a rookie. The 6-foot-6, 307-pounder wound up spending his first year on the Bills’ practice squad. He made his pro debut the next season and has since registered 43 appearances and six starts. In 2025, his first 17-game season, Van Demark racked up a career-high 312 offensive snaps and added another 75 on special teams. Pro Football Focus gave Van Demark, who primarily played right tackle last year, a strong 74.4 grade.
The Bills will continue with Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown locked in at tackle, but their depth will take a hit with the loss of Van Demark. They are down to the inexperienced Tylan Grable–Chase Lundt–Travis Clayton trio behind Dawkins and Brown. Grable, Lundt and Clayton have combined to play in just seven NFL games.
As is the case with the Bills, the Vikings have starting tackles in place. Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill are effective players, but neither has been the picture of health in recent years. Darrisaw has missed at least two games in all five of his seasons, including 10 in 2024 and seven last year. O’Neill logged a 17-game season as recently as 2024, but he missed three games the year before and another three last season.
With Darrisaw and O’Neill struggling to stay healthy in 2025, swing tackle Justin Skule stepped in for 578 snaps and nine starts. Skule is now a free agent, paving the way for Van Demark to replace him in Minnesota.
Vikings Bring Back QB Carson Wentz
As expected, a reunion between Carson Wentz and the Vikings will be taking place. Team and player agreed to terms on Thursday, Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report. The team has since announced the news. 
It was recently reported a mutual interest existed between Minnesota and the veteran quarterback. Wentz saw time in 2025 filling in for J.J. McCarthy before a shoulder injury required season-ending surgery. McCarthy is still in the fold, but so is free agent signing Kyler Murray.
Murray is widely expected to win out a competition for the starting gig this summer as he looks to rebuild his value working with head coach Kevin O’Connell. McCarthy’s rookie contract runs through 2027, but a path to the QB1 spot may not exist with the Vikings if Murray’s debut campaign goes well. In any event, Wentz’s return will give the team another experienced option as it seeks out improved play under center. Wentz, 33, has totaled 99 starts in his career.
The former second overall pick was linked to the Jets earlier this month. Wentz has a history with Frank Reich, who became New York’s offensive coordinator during this year’s hiring cycle. Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic confirms the Jets had interest in Wentz. He adds, however, Wentz’s preference was to return to the Vikings. Today’s news limits the number of veteran passers still on the market for the Jets if they aim to add another one.
Wentz made a strong Vikings debut in Week 3, but the injury suffered two games later proved to be a major impediment. With McCarthy still sidelined at the time, Wentz made another two starts and struggled with accuracy. Surgery ended his campaign, one during which Minnesota was unable to find a sustainable answer under center. After falling short of a playoff spot at 9-8, increased efficiency on offense will be critical in 2026 for the Vikings. Murray will likely be tasked with helping the unit take a step forward, but it is certainly not a good sign for McCarthy’s prospects of playing time next season that another veteran has been acquired early in the new league year.
The Vikings entered Thursday near the bottom of the league in cap space. This Wentz deal will no doubt be a low-cost investment, and it will presumably be similar in terms to the one-year, $1.42MM pact he played on in 2025.
Vikings Sign Bills T Ryan Van Demark To Offer Sheet
MARCH 18: Minnesota’s offer sheet hit the transaction wire today, per ESPN.com’s Alaina Getzenberg. That gives the Bills until Monday to match. The Bills, who did match a 2022 Bears RFA offer sheet for guard Ryan Bates, will not receive any compensation if they fail to match the Vikings’ offer.
MARCH 17: The Vikings have signed Bills restricted free agent offensive tackle Ryan Van Demark to an offer sheet, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Buffalo has five days to match, but the team will not receive compensation if it allows Van Demark to leave.
The Bills gave Van Demark, who went undrafted, an original-round tender worth $3.52MM. The Vikings offered Van Demark a one-year, fully guaranteed deal worth $4.2MM, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports.
After starting 43 games at UConn, Van Demark signed with the Colts in 2022. The 6-foot-6, 307-pounder was part of their final roster cuts that year, but he caught on with the Bills’ practice squad.
Although Van Demark did not appear in any games as a rookie, he played 43 and started six from 2023-25. He combined for 511 offensive snaps over the past two seasons. During his first career 17-game campaign in 2025, Van Demark logged 154 snaps at right tackle and 43 at left tackle.
With Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown entrenched as the Bills’ starting bookends, Van Demark will continue to fill a swing tackle role if they match the Vikings’ offer sheet. In the event the cap-strapped Bills deem it too pricey, Tylan Grable and Chase Lundt are among in-house options who could take over for Van Demark.
Like the Bills, the Vikings have a pair of established and expensive tackles in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. But injuries have been a problem for Darrisaw, who has never played in more than 15 games in any of his five seasons. The 26-year-old tore his ACL and MCL in 2024, limiting him to seven games then, and his recovery dragged into ’25.
Darrisaw played just 10 games last year, and with the Vikings managing his workload, they put him on season-ending IR in late December. O’Neill posted perfect attendance during his second Pro Bowl campaign in 2024, but it was sandwiched between two 14-game seasons. Adding Van Demark would give the Vikings some insurance behind Darrisaw and O’Neill in 2026.
Vikings Blocked Giants From Josh McCown Hire
Josh McCown is heading into his third season as Vikings quarterbacks coach. In addition to continuing the J.J. McCarthy developmental process, McCown will be coaching Kyler Murray in 2026.
Kevin O’Connell has lost Grant Udinski and Brian Angelichio from his offensive staff — to AFC OC gigs — over the past two offseasons, and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo indicated (h/t The Athletic’s Dan Duggan) the Giants interviewed McCown for their OC post. While that could be something to keep in mind in the event Matt Nagy can move up the ladder in 2027, the Giants did not stop there with McCown.
John Harbaugh‘s team attempted to hire McCown as pass-game coordinator, making the former quarterback an offer. The Vikings, per Garafolo, blocked that move. Teams are allowed to block lateral moves involving contracted assistants; McCown also serves as Vikes pass-game coordinator.
No other team met with McCown about an OC position this offseason. Considering McCarthy’s issues last year, it is somewhat understandable teams were not eager to poach his position coach for a potential play-calling role. Then again, McCown was Sam Darnold‘s position coach during his breakthrough 2024 Pro Bowl campaign. McCown has yet to interview for an OC job since taking the Vikings position, but he did meet with the Jets about their HC post last year.
We heard in early January the Giants had McCown on their radar, though they eventually hired Nagy to call plays under Harbaugh. McCown’s career included no Ravens stops, though both he and GM Joe Schoen were with the Dolphins in 2008.
The Giants hired Brian Callahan for their QBs coach/PGC role. This McCown update points to the ex-Titans HC being at least New York’s second choice. Callahan did receive OC consideration this offseason, interviewing for the Buccaneers and Chargers’ play-calling positions. He will instead work as a top Nagy lieutenant. Should Nagy be a one-and-done, however, Callahan could find himself competing with McCown for Big Blue’s play-calling post in 2027.
McCown, 46, has been on NFL staffs since 2023. The Texans, however, interviewed him for their HC job in 2021 and ’22. The Panthers fired McCown after one season on Frank Reich‘s staff, but he found a quick landing spot under O’Connell. The former 19-year NFL vet will work as a key staffer under O’Connell and OC Wes Phillips once again.
Vikings To Sign P Johnny Hekker
The Vikings boasted one of the league’s best punting units in 2025, but they were set to take a hit with the departure of punter Ryan Wright, who signed a four-year, $14MM deal with the Saints last week.
Minnesota has now found a replacement, and a good one at that. Four-time Pro Bowler Johnny Hekker is set to join the Vikings on a one-year deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Hekker, 36, is the most decorated punter in the league. He originally signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and broke out in 2013 with Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors. That kicked off one of the more impressive specialist stretches in recent memory. Hekker added three more Pro Bowls and five All-Pro selections (three first-team, two second-team) in the next five years and was rightfully named to the Hall of Fame’s All-2010s Team at the end of the decade.
The Rams won the Super Bowl in 2021, Hekker’s last year in Los Angeles. He signed a three-year deal with the Panthers and set a new career-high in his debut season in Carolina with 48.5 yards per punt. The 14-year veteran saw some regression in the next two years and spent the 2025 season with the Titans, during which he averaged the fewest net yards per punt of his career.
In addition to his punting duties in Minnesota, Hekker will also become the holder in the Vikings’ kicking battery with kicker Will Reichard and long snapper Andrew DePaola. Reicard, a 2024 sixth-round pick, earned a first-team All-Pro nod in his sophomore season – like his new teammate – after making 33 of his 35 field goal attempts and all of his extra points. His only two misses came from over 50 yards, and he made another 13 kicks from that distance or longer. DePaola is in the midst of his own impressive run with three Pro Bowls and four All-Pro (two first-team, two second-team) nods in the last four years.
The trio will look to continue the Vikings’ special teams success into 2026 with the entire team hungry for a playoff berth after a disappointing 2025 campaign.
Fallout From Vikings’ Kyler Murray Signing; Team To Re-Sign Carson Wentz?
The Vikings entered the offseason seeking competition for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, whose first year as a starter went awry. They found it in signing former Cardinals franchise signal-caller Kyler Murray to a one-year, prove-it deal last Wednesday.
Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort tried to find a trade partner for Murray before releasing him, but it was too difficult to pull off because of the two-time Pro Bowler’s bloated contract. Had Murray been on someone’s roster on March 15, $19.5MM of his 2027 salary would have vested. Nobody was willing to take that chance on Murray, who struggled during a limited 2025. He played just five games, none after Week 5, as a result of a Lisfranc injury.
Murray’s tenure in Arizona did not go as planned, though the 2019 No. 1 overall pick was open to staying there before the team released him. While Murray was “genuinely surprised” the Cardinals fired head coach Jonathan Gannon, he approved of the hiring of Mike LaFleur as his replacement, Albert Breer of SI.com writes. But it turns out Murray will not play for LaFleur, who will try to lead a franchise turnaround after Gannon mustered a disastrous 15-36 record in three years.
By the time the Cardinals officially cut Murray last Wednesday, he and agent Erik Burkhardt had already identified the Vikings as their ideal option, per Breer. Vikings executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski and head coach Kevin O’Connell quickly invited Murray and Burkhardt to Minnesota for a visit.
Murray was among a “handful” of experienced signal-callers the Vikings studied, according to Breer, but it appealed to both team and player that he could be more than a one-year solution. An inexpensive pact between the sides came together in short order, which prevented other clubs from meeting with Murray.
“O’Connell made sure he got first crack at him,” one GM told Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom.
Set to turn 29 in August, Murray is not the Vikings’ QB1 yet. He still has to beat out McCarthy, 23, for the role. Although the Vikings invested the 10th pick in the 2024 draft on McCarthy, multiple “high-level NFL offensive coaches” informed La Canfora that they expect Murray to win the job. If that happens, the O’Connell-led Vikings will hope for a Sam Darnold-like revival from Murray.
Darnold resurrected his career during his one season in Minnesota in 2024, but with the Vikings ready to turn the keys over to McCarthy, they let him walk in free agency a year ago. He went on to win a Super Bowl with the Seahawks in 2025, while the Vikings fell from 14-3 to 9-8 and missed the playoffs. McCarthy posted rough numbers over 10 starts and missed seven games with injuries to his ankle, head and hand.
While Murray and McCarthy will do battle this summer, they may have company in Minnesota’s QB derby. Carson Wentz, who spent 2025 with the Vikings, is among free agent possibilities. Even after the Vikings added Murray, there is “mutual interest” between the team and Wentz, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
Wentz, a late-August signing last year, filled in for an injured McCarthy for five starts. The 33-year-old journeyman was the more productive of the pair, but he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in late October. Wentz’s injury left McCarthy and overmatched rookie Max Brosmer as the Vikings’ starting QB choices for the rest of a disappointing campaign.