Falcons, Drake London Agree To Extension
The Falcons have locked in their top receiver for the foreseeable future. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the team has signed Drake London to a four-year extension.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter has the numbers. London’s four-year deal is worth $141MM and could reach $150MM via incentives. London will also earn $100MM in guaranteed money. That $35.25MM average annual salary is the highest in Falcons franchise history.
From a positional standpoint, London’s AAV will rank third behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($42.15MM) and Ja’Marr Chase ($40.25MM) and just ahead of Justin Jefferson ($35MM). The $141MM in total value also trails JSN and Chase and barely tops Jefferson’s $140MM. The $100MM in guaranteed money will rank behind all three of those aforementioned WRs and ties CeeDee Lamb for fourth at the position.
The eighth-overall pick in the 2022 draft, it took London a bit to emerge as a top-tier WR. Through his first two seasons, he averaged 70 catches for 885 yards and three touchdowns per season. However, he took his play to another level while receiving passes from Kirk Cousins in 2024. London finished that campaign with 100 catches for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns. Despite that standout campaign, he didn’t agree to an extension with the Falcons last offseason, even as his fellow 2022 draftee Garrett Wilson received a lucrative new contract from the Jets.
London increase his yards-per-game mark to a career-high 76.6 in 2025. Since he was limited to only 12 games, his counting stats suffered as a result, with the 24-year-old finishing with 68 catches for 919 yards and seven touchdowns. Pro Football Focus still graded London as the league’s fifth-best WR.
This extension means the Falcons can count on some offensive continuity in the coming seasons. The team is currently navigating a QB competition between Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa, and that duo will be throwing to a revamped WR depth chart that includes new addition Jahan Dotson and old friend Olamide Zaccheaus. This extension assures London will be present throughout crucial offseason practices.
The Falcons will now turn their attention their other offensive star, as running back Bijan Robinson is also eligible for an extension. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo notes that it was a goal of the front office to extend their two main offensive weapons, and all focus will now turn to the first-team RB. The team could also look to extend tight end Kyle Pitts, who is currently attached to the franchise tag for the 2026 season.
Steelers To Extend OLB Nick Herbig
The Steelers have agreed to an extension with outside linebacker Nick Herbig, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. It’s a four-year, $100MM deal with $42MM in guaranteed money. He is now under contract through 2030.
Herbig, who joined the Steelers as a fourth-round pick in 2023, had been in position to reach free agency next year. While Herbig came up as a potential trade candidate before April’s draft, general manager Omar Khan made it known he wanted to extend the former Wisconsin Badger. Several weeks later, Khan has achieved his goal.
Herbig is now the third expensive edge defender in Pittsburgh, which also has T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith on pricey deals. The Steelers are spending $84MM along the edge, which ranks second behind the Texans’ $96MM, Mike Ginnitti of Spotrac notes. Watt, who is signed through 2028, is owed a guaranteed $32MM this year. Meanwhile, Highsmith is due a nonguaranteed $14.5MM this season. He could become a free agent after 2027.
With Watt and Highsmith playing prominent roles throughout Herbig’s career, the 24-year-old has only started in 11 of 45 games in the pros. To Herbig’s credit, though, he has put up impressive production when on the field. Having totaled 16 sacks and nine forced fumbles, Herbig is expected to receive more playing time under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham in 2026.
Herbig played just 17% of defensive snaps as a rookie, but his snap share jumped under the former head coach-coordinator duo of Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin from 2024-25. He was on the field for 50% of plays in 2024 and 60% last season, a year in which the Steelers went without Watt for three games as a result of a collapsed lung.
Herbig took advantage of an increase in usage for the AFC North champions, leading all edge defenders in pass rush win rate and piling up a career-high 7.5 sacks in 15 games (six starts). He also tallied three forced fumbles and set career bests in tackles (30), QB hits (18), pass deflections (three) and interceptions (one). Pro Football Focus ranked Herbig’s performance a stellar sixth among 119 qualified edge defenders (Highsmith and Watt were 12th and 31st, respectively). Superstars Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Will Anderson, Aidan Hutchinson and Trey Hendrickson were the only players at the position who earned higher pass-rushing grades than Herbig.
With Herbig becoming the 10th current edge defender on a $100MM-plus contract, the 2027 free agent market has lost a big fish well in advance. Tuli Tuipulotu, Byron Young, Kayvon Thibodeaux, YaYa Diaby, Jermaine Johnson and Myles Murphy are still on track to become free agents in a year, but at least a few of those players will likely join Herbig in signing an extension this summer.
Now that Khan settled Herbig’s long-term future, his focus could turn to pending free agent cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Locking up the three-year starter is a priority for the Steelers, whose defense is currently the most expensive in the league.
Seahawks, Derick Hall Agree To Extension
The Seahawks have managed to take care of another extension priority well before training camp. Edge rusher Derick Hall has a new deal in place.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports team and player have finalized a three-year extension. The pact has a base value of $42MM and can reach a maximum of $46.5MM. Hall is set to collect $21MM guaranteed. Instead of spending the coming season as a pending free agent, he will now be under team control through 2029.
The Super Bowl champions expectedly saw Boye Mafe depart in free agency this spring. Hall would have been in danger of doing the same one year later, but he will remain in Seattle for the foreseeable future. The Auburn product saw a drop in defensive usage in 2025, although a return to a starting gig may now be in store.
The No. 37 pick of the 2023 draft was part of the package sent by Denver to Seattle as part of the Russell Wilson blockbuster in 2022. The Seahawks found a number of key contributors to build around via that swap, and Hall – taken with that selection – was one of them. He managed limited production as a rookie while handling backup duties before taking a notable step forward in both playing time and output in 2024.
That year, Hall notched eight sacks, 29 pressures and a pair of forced fumbles. A long-term run near the top of Seattle’s EDGE depth chart seemed to be in store, but the signing of DeMarcus Lawrence gave the team even more options in the pass rush department. Lawrence wound up working as a full-time starter during his debut Seahawks campaign, with Uchenna Nwosu also serving as a regular on defense. Hall, like Mafe, was relegated to part-time defensive duties during the regular season (although he posted two sacks and a forced fumble in Super Bowl LX).
Lawrence and Nwosu are still under contract for Seattle. The team also added Dante Fowler last month on a one-year pact. No draft investments were made along the edge, so those three, along with Hall, will be counted on to play key roles on the Seahawks’ vaunted defense. Considering the terms of this commitment, Hall can be expected to handle a notable workload during his age-25 season and beyond.
With an average annual value of $14MM, this extension is the most lucrative one for Seattle pass rushers as things stand. That figure falls well short of the upper echelon of a market which reached $50MM annually earlier this offseason, though. As the Seahawks aim to repeat as Super Bowl champions, the team will hope to gain value on an extension which could prove to be quite team-friendly over time.
Seattle already worked out a monster extension with receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba this spring, while another lucrative pact for cornerback Devon Witherspoon looms. There is still plenty of work to be done in the latter’s case, but another long-term agreement has nevertheless been reached with a different member of the team’s defense with plenty of time to spare.
Browns Trade Myles Garrett To Rams
11:20pm: Both teams have announced the trade. It is indeed Garrett for Verse, a 2027 first-rounder, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder.
12:23pm: Myles Garrett‘s time in Cleveland is coming to an end. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year is being traded from the Browns to the Rams, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero and ESPN’s Adam Schefter report.
The full trade terms, per Schefter, consist of Garrett being traded for Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a second-round selection in 2028 and a 2029 third-rounder. This swap is not official yet, as Browns GM Andrew Berry confirms (video link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). Once it is processed, though, it will no doubt go down as a seminal moment for both franchises.
[RELATED: Fallout From Browns-Rams Blockbuster]
Schefter reports Garrett has chosen to waive his no-trade clause to allow for this deal to take place. He will retain that clause upon arrival in Los Angeles. As Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports notes, today’s stunning swap represents the first time in history a reigning Defensive Play of the Year has been dealt.
Garrett has been the subject of trade speculation since he requested to be dealt last spring. That request was rescinded when a then-record extension was worked out. The seven-time Pro Bowler seemed to be in position to remain with Cleveland for years to come, but questions continued to be raised after the 2025 campaign saw him add further to his long list of accolades without any accompanying team success. Indeed, whispers about a trade lingered through the 2026 offseason.
In March, the Browns restructured Garrett’s contract in a way which did not add any new money or years to the pact. Nevertheless, the payment dates for his option bonuses were pushed back to one week before the start of the regular season. That move extended the window of opportunity for a trade – something Cleveland has denied would be taking place on multiple occasions – to be worked out.
June 1 is always a key checkpoint on the NFL calendar, and it was recently labeled the time after which a Garrett trade could occur. Just like the case of A.J. Brown, a deal formally being worked out any time after 3:00pm this afternoon will greatly impact the salary cap implications of the deal. Proceeding with this trade in a post-June 1 fashion will generate $8.34MM in cap savings for Cleveland with a $41MM dead money charge being spread out (and accounting for $15.53MM in 2026). Garrett’s contract runs through 2030.
Per Rapoport (video link), the Rams engaged in trade talks with the Browns shortly after the contract adjustment was made. Their efforts continued through the draft, with Cleveland remaining steadfast in rejecting offers. Things changed when Los Angeles general manager Les Snead offered to include Verse in the deal, though. Negotiations on an adjusted package of picks have now resulted in an agreement. Per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Rams informed Verse of the news earlier today.
Garrett has made clear his intention of playing on a contending team particularly toward the latter stages of his career. This blockbuster trade will help in that regard; the Rams fell just short of a Super Bowl appearance in 2025 and have made other win-now moves on defense since then. Garrett will join cornerback Trent McDuffie as a new face tasked with elevating Los Angeles’ defense while the teams seeks out another high-end campaign from quarterback Matthew Stafford and Co. on offense.
The Rams were a strong Brown suitor, but Breer notes their inability to acquire him helped set up this Garrett push. Another lucrative pact – one which averages $40MM per year – is now on the books, but Los Angeles will have a future Hall of Famer leading the way along a defensive front which was already among the league’s best. This acquisition will further deprive the Rams of draft capital (which was critical in establishing the post-Aaron Donald core on defense); then again, Snead’s stance when it comes to picks is rather well known.
Verse, whom Schefter notes was born in Dayton, Ohio, has enjoyed a strong start to his career. The 2024 first-rounder took home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors while thriving in a full-time starting role. Last season, the 25-year-old collected a second Pro Bowl nod in as many years while posting 7.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. His rookie contract runs through 2028, and Cleveland could keep him in place for a longer period via the fifth-year option.
Since Verse is five years younger than Garrett, he will align better with the roster reset Berry is overseeing. The 2025 class offered promising early results with respect to a new core emerging for Cleveland. The fate of the quarterback position beyond 2026 is unclear, but additional capital should help yield options on that front or at least provide upgrades at other spots.
In a series of remarks which have proved to provide noteworthy foreshadowing, new Browns head coach Todd Monken said earlier on Monday (video link via Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan) he was not given any assurances upon being hired about Garrett remaining with the team. Instead of having the single-season sack record holder in the fold for his first year leading an NFL team, Monken will be tasked with integrating Verse and developing the group of younger players brought in via Cleveland’s haul of draft picks.
Pats To Acquire A.J. Brown From Eagles
After months of speculation, the A.J. Brown saga will finally reach an expected conclusion. The Eagles are trading the star wide receiver to the Patriots for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The fifth-round selection will be the higher of the two New England owns (it also has Chicago’s), per Albert Breer of SI.com. Both teams have announced the trade, which is pending a physical.
This is the second trade centering on Brown, who entered the NFL as the Titans’ second-rounder in 2019. Brown excelled in his three years in Tennessee, but after a contract impasse, the team dealt him to the Eagles for a first- and third-rounder in 2022.
The swap worked out beautifully for Philadelphia, which gave Brown a four-year, $100MM extension and saw him turn into one of the greatest players in franchise history. He earned second-team All-Pro honors three times and picked up three Pro Bowl nods during his four years as an Eagle. Brown was also an integral part of a Super Bowl-winning team in 2024.
The soon-to-be 29-year-old Brown wrapped up his Eagles tenure with 339 receptions, 5,034 yards and 32 touchdowns in 62 regular-season games. He played full seasons in Philadelphia from 2022-23, but knee and ankle issues held him out of four games in 2024. He missed another two contests last year with a hamstring injury, but Brown still led the Eagles in targets (121) and catches (78).
Brown finished second on the Eagles’ 2025 squad in yards (1,003) and touchdowns (seven). However, Brown voiced displeasure over the Eagles’ struggling offense at various points in 2025. Owner Jeffrey Lurie met with Brown in mid-November and asked him to stop airing his grievances on social media.
The Eagles were an excellent 7-2 when Lurie visited with Brown, but they played .500 ball for the rest of the year. While that was enough for an 11-6 finish and a second straight NFC East title, the Eagles flamed out in the wild-card round. The offense looked lifeless in a 23-19 home loss to the 49ers, who held Brown to just three catches and 25 yards on seven targets. He dropped two passes and had a memorable first-half sideline dust-up with head coach Nick Sirianni. Although Sirianni downplayed it afterward and said the two “have a special relationship,” the incident added fuel to a potential trade at the outset of the Eagles’ offseason.
Despite Brown’s dissatisfaction with how last year went, general manager Howie Roseman was not going to give him away for anything less than a major offer. Roseman originally wanted a first- and second-rounder for Brown, who reportedly had the Patriots, Rams, Chiefs, Bills and Chargers on his wish list. However, only the Patriots and Rams were aggressive in talks for Brown.
After the draft passed with no deal, Roseman sought a first-rounder in what many expect to be a loaded 2027 class. Nobody bit, though, and the Rams wound up dropping out of the running. That left New England as the obvious destination for Brown, who will now reunite with head coach Mike Vrabel. The two formed a rapport when they were together in Tennessee for three years.
It was far more palatable from a financial standpoint for the Eagles to part with Brown after 4 p.m. ET on June 1, which largely explains the delay. Had Roseman traded Brown before then, the Eagles would have taken on a $43.51MM dead cap hit and lost $20.12MM in spending space. Waiting enables the Eagles to spread that money over the next two seasons ($16.35MM in 2026 and $27.1MM in ’27). They will also pick up $7MM in cap room this season. They entered the day with approximately $24.84MM available.
The Patriots came into the day with over $43MM in cap space, giving them plenty of room to take on Brown’s contract. He signed a second Eagles extension – a four-year, $96MM pact with $84MM in guarantees – in April 2024. That deal runs through 2029. While it remains to be seen if Brown will play it all the way through, he will give the Patriots and franchise quarterback Drake Maye a much-needed No. 1 receiver in the near term.
Stefon Diggs was New England’s most productive receiver during its shocking 14-3 regular season and run to Super Bowl LX in 2025. However, a few weeks after the Seahawks knocked off the Patriots in the Super Bowl, they released Diggs. The Pats subsequently brought in former Packer Romeo Doubs on a four-year, $68MM agreement in free agency, though he has been more of a No. 2/3 during his four-year career.
Brown and Doubs are in line to start for New England in 2026, while Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams are also among those in the fold. It is worth pointing out that the addition of Brown could bump someone from that group. Specifically, recent reports have named Boutte and Douglas as players who might be in jeopardy.
Joining the third team of his career, Brown will shoot for his seventh 1,000-yard season in 2026. His presence will be difficult for the Eagles to replace, but they did their best to prepare for his exit throughout the offseason. Before drafting former USC standout Makai Lemon 20th overall, the Eagles traded for ex-Packer Dontayvion Wicks and signed Marquise Brown and Elijah Moore in free agency.
Moore is not a lock to make the roster, but Lemon, Wicks and Marquise Brown are sure to give quarterback Jalen Hurts options behind new No. 1 wideout DeVonta Smith. The Eagles also have a pair of talented pass-catching tight ends in Dallas Goedert and second-rounder Eli Stowers, the 54th pick in the draft. It will be up to rookie offensive coordinator Sean Mannion to make it work as the Eagles begin life after Brown.
Russell Wilson Finalizing CBS Deal
Russell Wilson drew free agent interest from at least one NFL team this spring, but he will not continue his playing career in 2026. The veteran quarterback is instead set to try his hand at broadcasting.
Wilson is finalizing an agreement with CBS to work as an analyst, as first reported by Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. Wilson was linked one month ago to CBS, so today’s news comes as little surprise. It does, of course, also represent an indication his NFL career has come to an end.
In May, the Jets made an offer to the 37-year-old. No deal was reached, however, and no arrangements with other teams seemed imminent this spring. Wilson made clear his intention of continuing to play in 2026, and he expressed a desire to remain in New York after spending 2025 with the Giants. For at least one season, though, his attention will turn to a TV gig. Wilson will likely serve as Matt Ryan‘s replacement on CBS’ The NFL Today this fall.
Ryan had a short tenure in that capacity before choosing to take charge of the Falcons’ front office this offseason. That vacancy is now set to be filled by another quarterback with a decorated resume. Wilson has a Super Bowl championship to his name along with an appearance in another title game. The 10-time Pro Bowler enjoyed a highly successful run in Seattle which lasted from 2012-21; over that span, Wilson was widely viewed as being on a Hall of Fame track.
Things have taken a turn for the worse since that time. Wilson was dealt to the Broncos in a blockbuster trade, a swap which did not produce the desired result for Denver. After serving as QB1 during Nathaniel Hackett‘s disastrous campaign as head coach, Wilson clashed early and often with Sean Payton. His statistical output rebounded to an extent, but before the 2023 season ended it was clear the organization would be moving on. The Broncos proceeded with a release, allowing Wilson to take a low-cost deal with the Steelers.
Upon returning to the lineup following a calf injury, Wilson remained atop Pittsburgh’s depth chart. He led the team to a wild-card appearance, but team and player parted ways last spring. That resulted in the Giants lining up a deal as part of their QB changes. New York added Wilson and Jameis Winston along with the first-round selection of Jaxson Dart. Wilson opened the campaign as the Giants’ QB1, but he was benched after making three starts. Dart took over starting duties, while Winston is still in the fold as his backup.
A Wilson-Jets agreement would have given the team another experienced signal-caller to pair with Geno Smith, who was acquired via trade this spring. With no signing having taken place, though, a Jets backup competition is now set to take place. It will be interesting to see if injuries during training camp result in the Jets – or any other team – circling back to Wilson as an insurance option.
Failing that, attention will turn to how things play out on the analyst front. Wilson has played 222 combined regular and postseason games in the NFL, starting all but three of them. He has amassed over $315MM in career earnings, a figure which ranks fifth all time. Adding to either of those totals will not be possible provided Wilson spends the coming year with CBS, and doing so will increase the chances of him electing to hang up his cleats.
Vikings Hire Nolan Teasley As GM; Rob Brzezinski Staying On As EVP
The Vikings have landed on their next general manager. Seahawks assistant GM Nolan Teasley will be taking over the front office in Minnesota, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The news is now official.
Teasley is coming off Seattle’s Super Bowl victory, its second during his tenure. He first joined the Seahawks in 2013 as a scouting intern shortly before they won their first Lombardi Trophy. Now, 13 years later, he is headed for the GM job in Minnesota, where the Vikings are hoping he can bring two-time Super Bowl-winning GM John Schneider‘s roster-building expertise and put them on a championship path of their own.
Because Teasley is a minority candidate, the Seahawks will receive two third-round picks as compensation for his exit, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports.
A few weeks after the end of a disappointing 9-8 season, the Vikings fired GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in late January. The team opted against launching an immediate search and decided to wait until after the draft. Executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski, who has worked for the Vikings since 1999, took over for Adofo-Mensah on an interim basis.
Brzezinski guided the Vikings through the most important parts of the offseason and emerged as a candidate for the full-time GM job. He joined Teasley and three outside assistant GMs — Reed Burckhardt (Broncos), Terrance Gray (Bills), John McKay (Rams) — as finalists for the position. They all received second interviews. As Kevin Seifert of ESPN notes, Brzezinski was the only contender without a scouting background — something ownership (Zygi and Mark Wilf) valued in this search.
Like Brzezinski, each of Burckhardt, Gray and McKay entered the process with notable Vikings ties. Before joining the Broncos’ front office in 2022, Burckhardt was a 13-year Vikings employee who worked in various scouting and personnel roles. Gray was a Vikings scout from 2006-16. While McKay has no past experience in Minnesota, he has worked with head coach Kevin O’Connell. He was part of the Rams’ front office when O’Connell was their offensive coordinator from 2020-21.
Teasley will now be the one teaming with O’Connell, though Brzezinski is not leaving the organization (keeping in line with what Seifert predicted shortly before today’s news). Brzezinski will remain the Vikings’ EVP of football operations, Jones reports. He has served as a contract negotiator and salary cap analyst in that role.
Rumblings about the Vikings going with a two-pronged front office setup surfaced before this hire, and the team allowing Brzezinski to lead its draft effort proved telling. The interim GM working alongside an outside hire will certainly be an interesting setup, but the Vikings considering Buckhardt and Gray pointed to interest in having some familiarity atop their front office.
The Panthers and Lions have similar setups, with Brandt Tilis and Mike Disner working closely with GMs Dan Morgan and Brad Holmes. Though, Brzezinski’s stint as interim GM and having run a draft for the team does separate this instance from the other NFC teams’ plans. The Seahawks have now lost their offensive coordinator (Klint Kubiak) and AGM from the Super Bowl LX-winning team.
While Kubiak’s exit will generate more attention, it is unsurprising to see a Schneider right-hand man be hired. The Schneider-era Seahawks winning Super Bowls with two entirely different nuclei brought a historic NFL achievement, and the 17th-year GM will need a new second-in-command as a result.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
Texans, WR Nico Collins Agree On Reworked Deal
MAY 29: $57MM of the $60MM total from this two-year arrangement is fully guaranteed, as detailed by Over the Cap. That includes a $27MM signing bonus. Collins’ cap charge for the coming year was lowered to $14.94MM by the new deal, while his 2027 hit is set to check in at $42.12MM. $16.2MM in money present during the deal’s void years has been added.
MAY 26: The Texans shot down Nico Collins trade rumors during the draft, and they are now taking care of their top wide receiver. Collins and the team agreed on a reworked deal Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Collins will receive raises in 2026 and ’27 as a part of this agreement, per Schefter, who notes the sixth-year veteran will see a $9MM cash influx in 2026 and an $8MM bump in 2027. Both Collins’ 2026 and ’27 salaries are now guaranteed.
[RELATED: Texans Give Azeez Al-Shaiir Top-Five ILB Deal]
Houston’s May 2024 extension agreement with Collins has aged extraordinarily well. He is tied to a three-year, $72.75MM deal. Even at the time, that contract looked team-friendly, as A.J. Brown had moved the receiver market to $32MM per year weeks earlier. Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase and now Jaxon Smith-Njigba have taken the market onto new tiers since the Collins contract was finalized. The Texans’ top skill-position talent, in terms of AAV, had been tied to a salary nearly $20MM south of Smith-Njigba’s market-setting pact ($42.15MM per year).
No new years are being added to Collins’ deal, but the raises here are substantial — as are the guarantee bumps. Collins was due $20MM in guaranteed compensation this year but had no guarantees in place for 2027. Collins was tied to a nonguaranteed $21.25MM salary next year. That number will rise considerably, and it continues a pattern of Texans proactivity on the contract front.
Texans GM Nick Caserio gave Derek Stingley Jr. a market-resetting extension in March 2025 and did the same for Will Anderson Jr. this offseason. The team also has shown a willingness to guarantee cornerstone players’ money in future years. The Texans have extended Danielle Hunter twice on one-year bumps and reupped Dalton Schultz for an additional year in March. Collins will loom as a 2027 extension candidate in Houston, but Caserio has again rewarded a productive player with a significant guarantee increase.
The pay hikes agreed to Tuesday will move Collins near $30MM in compensation this year and next. That still puts him outside of the top five at his position, with the NFL’s $30MM-AAV receiver club now consisting of nine players (though, a 49ers Brandon Aiyuk release would trim it to eight). Collins is entering an age-27 season and is coming off three straight 1,000-yard campaigns. Although C.J. Stroud has not made big strides since his rookie-year breakthrough, the Texans have found a gem in Collins — a 2021 third-round pick.
Collins finished with 1,117 receiving yards in 2025 and cleared 1,000 yards (1,006) in just 12 games in 2024. The Michigan product broke out in 2023, tallying 1,297 yards after previously failing to eclipse 500 in each of his first two seasons.
The Texans added Stefon Diggs via trade in 2024 but saw him suffer an ACL tear midway through his only season with the team. Tank Dell missed all of last season because of a severe knee injury sustained late in the 2024 slate. The Texans have since made moves to complement Collins with young players, adding Iowa State’s Jayden HIggins and Jaylin Noel on Day 2 of last year’s draft.
Dell is tracking to return this season, which will give the Texans interesting depth around Collins and the ex-Cyclones. But the team’s top playmaker is not in question entering 2026. Collins wants to stay with the Texans long term, and the team certainly showed appreciation for his work today. It is notable no extension has been reached, but the raise looks to settle this matter for 2026.
Bolts, Derwin James Agree To Extension
MAY 27: Of James’ $57.5MM guarantee, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes $44MM is guaranteed at signing. That covers the deal’s first two years. James received early protection on 2028, however, with Florio adding $13.5MM of James’ $24.6MM salary is guaranteed for injury at signing. That will shift to a full guarantee in March 2027.
The early guarantee date virtually ensures James will remain with the Chargers through at least the 2028 season. His 2029 salary ($21.5MM) is nonguaranteed, but a 90-man roster bonus of $3MM will be due that year.
MAY 26: Derwin James has once again reset the safeties market. The Chargers star defender has agreed to an extension that will make him the highest-paid player at his position, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
James is getting a three-year, $75.6MM deal, per Rapoport. The contract includes $57.5MM in guaranteed money, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton set the positional market last offseason when he inked a deal worth $25.1MM per season. James just topped that mark, with his new deal coming in at a $25.2MM AAV. James was set to enter the final season of the four-year, $76.5MM extension he signed with the Chargers back in 2022, and he was scheduled to earn $17.5MM for 2026 with a cap hit of $24.61MM. That previous contract once made James the highest-paid safety in NFL history. The veteran has once again set a new benchmark at the position.
The 17th-overall pick in the 2018 draft, James has emerged as one of the best defenders in Chargers history. He’s earned five All-Pro nods through his first eight seasons. That includes a 2025 campaign where he earned a second-team spot after finishing with 94 tackles, two sacks, seven passes defended, and three interceptions. For his efforts, Pro Football Focus ranked James ninth among 91 qualifying safeties.
We heard just yesterday that the Chargers were prioritizing an extension for their defensive cornerstone, with general manager Joe Hortiz making it clear that they wanted James in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future. The 29-year-old also drew praise from his head coach, with Jim Harbaugh describing James as “the best safety I’ve ever seen in the history of the National Football League” (per Schefter).
The extension for Jim Harbaugh’s top DB comes several months after John Harbaugh‘s then-charge (Kyle Hamilton) raised the bar for the safety market. The Ravens gave Hamilton a four-year, $100.4MM extension in August. Prior to that point, no safety had ever seen an AAV north of $21.5MM. Hamilton’s windfall set the table for James, who will benefit from the latest NFL cap spike. Hortiz was in the Ravens’ front office when Hamilton was drafted, making it not especially surprising to see his new team prioritize the safety position to this degree.
James’ deal towers over the rest of the Bolts’ secondary contracts. No other Charger DB is tied to a contract worth $7MM per year, with its longtime anchor now tied to an accord worth more than quadruple per annum than any of his secondary mates. The Chargers also carried more than $43MM in cap space entering Tuesday, opening a window for James’ second extension.
James is now several years removed from his injury issues, having played 16 games in each of the past three seasons. The Chargers will bet on the Florida State alum, whose standout play certainly boosted now-Ravens HC Jesse Minter‘s stock over the past two years, going into his 30s.
With James now locked in for the next few seasons, the Chargers can turn their attention to other extension-eligible players. That includes edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu, who Hortiz also mentioned as a candidate for a new deal.
Packers RB Josh Jacobs Arrested
MAY 27: Jacobs will be released from jail on Wednesday, Schneidman reports. No formal charges have been filed yet, but that could change. In its official statement, the Brown County District Attorney’s Office announced: “After reviewing the available evidence in this case, the Brown County District Attorney’s Office is not yet prepared to make a formal charging decision. Our office has requested additional investigation, as there is reason to believe that additional evidence may exist that would impact whether criminal charges are appropriate, and what charges would be issued.”
MAY 26: Packers running back Josh Jacobs was arrested today and booked on five charges, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
The charges include battery/domestic abuse, criminal damage to property/domestic abuse, disorderly conduct/domestic abuse, strangulation and suffocation, and intimidation of a victim. The strangulation charge is a felony, with the other four charges being misdemeanors. Jacobs has denied the allegations.
According to the release from the Hobart/Lawrence, Wisconsin police department (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport), the arrest stems from a “disturbance complaint” involving Jacobs that took place on Saturday. Jacobs turned himself in today.
“Josh vehemently denies the allegations, and this matter is in the early stages of investigation with important evidence that has not yet been made public,” the player’s attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said in a statement (via Rapoport). “We ask for fairness and restraint while the judicial process takes its course.”
The Packers also released a statement (via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero):
“We are aware of the matter involving Josh Jacobs. As it is an ongoing legal situation, we will withhold further comment.”
The NFL released a similar statement (via Pelissero):
“We are aware of the report and have been in contact with the club.”
Following a five-year stint with the Raiders to begin his career, Jacobs inked a four-year, $48MM contract with the Packers ahead of the 2024 season. Through his first two years in Green Bay, the veteran has compiled 2,882 yards from scrimmage and 30 total touchdowns.
From a football standpoint, Jacobs will be subject to the league’s personal conduct policy. After losing Emanuel Wilson in free agency, the team’s depth behind their RB1 currently consists of Chris Brooks, MarShawn Lloyd, Pierre Strong, Damien Martinez, and UDFA Jaden Nixon.