Newsstand News & Rumors

Jaguars Acquire No. 2 Pick, Select WR/CB Travis Hunter

April 24th, 2025 at 11:20pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jaguars are making major moves up the draft board. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Jacksonville has acquired the No. 2 pick from the Browns. The Jaguars are using that second overall selection on Colorado’s Travis Hunter.

Full details of the trade:

Jaguars acquire:

2025 first-round pick (No. 2)
2025 fourth-round pick (No. 104)
2025 sixth-round pick (No. 200)

Browns acquire:

2025 first-round pick (No. 5)
2025 second-round pick (No. 36)
2025 fourth-round pick (No. 126)
Browns 2026 first-round pick

It’s a stunning development, although not completely unfounded. We heard earlier today that the Jaguars were sniffing around at a trade up the draft board, with their sights set on Hunter. There were occasional rumblings that the Browns would consider moving back, but it was assumed they’d stay put and select one of the draft’s few blue chip prospects.

Cleveland was a popular potential landing spot for Hunter, but instead the two-way threat will suddenly land in Jacksonville. The Heisman winner has remained insistent that he aims to continue playing at both receiver and cornerback as a pro. Hunter also indicated that teams were receptive to that idea, stating that the concept of playing on offense and defense in the NFL has not been an issue for the teams he has spoken with.

The Jaguars are coming off a disappointing season that led to sweeping changes in leadership. Liam Coen has been brought in as head coach, with ex-Rams exec James Gladstone guiding the front office. That duo is making an immediate swing that they’re hoping will turn around the fortunes of the organization.

On offense, Hunter would provide Trevor Lawrence with another dynamic option. 2024 first-round pick Brian Thomas was a hit, as the wideout finished his rookie campaign with 1,330 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns. Hunter and Thomas will form perhaps the best young receiver duo in the NFL, and there’s a belief the 2025 second-overall pick will ultimately settle into an offensive role.

The team may not feel as much urgency to use the rookie on the defensive side of the ball, although Hunter is also considered an elite prospect at cornerback. He split snaps nearly evenly during his Heisman-winning 2024 season. The team returns their top three CBs from 2024 (Tyson Campbell, Jarrian Jones, Montaric Brown) and they added Jourdan Lewis in free agency. That could allow Hunter to serve in a rotational role as he juggles playing both sides of the ball as a professional.

Hunter was considered one of the draft’s elite prospects following his headline-grabbing 2024 campaign. The Colorado star finished the season with 1,263 yards from scrimmage and 16 touchdowns, and he added another 36 tackles and four interceptions on defense. He beat out Ashton Jeanty narrowly for the Heisman and had been earmarked for the No. 2 draft slot for weeks.

After making a pre-draft trade with Houston involving Day 3 picks — including a fifth-rounder this year — Cleveland will now land the fifth overall pick, plus an early second and a future first. The Browns were often connected to Hunter or Abdul Carter, and it was expected that they’d resist trade inquiries and opt for the blue chip prospect. Instead, the Browns will turn to the second tier of draft options.

Lions Sign S Kerby Joseph To Record-Setting Extension

April 23rd, 2025 at 11:25pm CST by Ely Allen

Just before last year’s draft, the Lions secured their future by signing both offensive tackle Penei Sewell and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to long-term extensions. This year, they’ve decided to do the same, rewarding a first-team All-Pro season by making Kerby Joseph the highest-paid safety in the NFL. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Joseph and Detroit have agreed to a four-year, $86MM extension.

We don’t have any guaranteed numbers on the deal yet to stack against the current top deals in the league, but Joseph’s $86MM in total value is more that Antoine Winfield Jr.‘s $84.1MM. Winfield also held the highest average annual value at $21.03MM per year, which will be eclipsed by Joseph’s $21.5MM per annum.

We knew all the way back when the Lions got eliminated from the playoffs that they would be exploring an extension for their All-Pro safety this offseason. They reiterated those intentions earlier this month, as well, adding that star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson‘s expected extension was also on the docket.

The reason Joseph’s extension likely took priority over Hutchinson’s is because, unlike Hutchinson, Joseph was not a first-round pick. As a first-round selection, Hutchinson’s rookie contract includes a fifth-year option that the team can exercise to extend his obligations to the team for a year longer than the standard four-year rookie deal. Because of this, Hutchinson and the Lions will likely have plenty more time to work out an extension. Joesph, on the other hand, was headed into the final year of his rookie contract.

In just three years of play, Joseph has already established himself as one of the league’s best at the position. Not only did he lead the NFL with nine interceptions in 2024, but he also leads the league in interceptions since he entered the NFL in 2022 with 17. Add in 31 passes defensed and 247 tackles and Joseph has proven that he deserved to be awarded with an All-Pro selection and a record-setting extension this year.

The Lions will hope that securing Joseph will give them the league’s top defensive backfield duo in the NFL for years to come. Today’s extension ensures that Joseph will return alongside Brian Branch next year. Branch, a Pro Bowler last year with seven interceptions and 29 passes defensed in his first two seasons, was drafted in the second round a year after Joseph. Both safeties were ranked as top-five safeties per Pro Football Focus (subscription required) with Joseph notching the position’s highest overall and coverage grades and Branch notching the positions best run defense grade. Branch will likely be a target for extension himself in the next offseason.

For now, though, the Lions will rejoice in their securing of Joseph and the elimination of safety as a position of need in the draft. It was never considered a position that needed improvement, but with Joseph on a long-term deal, there’s no danger of needing to draft a safety to eventually take over for a free agent departure.

Eagles Extend C Cam Jurgens

April 21st, 2025 at 9:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles have made yet another lucrative commitment along the offensive line. Center Cam Jurgens has a new deal in place, the team announced on Monday.

This will be a four-year, $68MM extension, per Jurgens’ agent (h/t ESPN’s Adam Schefter). The pact includes $39.4MM guaranteed. As a result of the agreement, Jurgens is now on the books with Philadelphia through the 2029 season.

Jurgens did not log any starts during his rookie campaign, but he saw plenty of time in 2023, operating as a full-time starter at right guard when healthy. Last offseason, the retirement of center Jason Kelce created a vacancy at center. As expected, Jurgens took over in that role. The 25-year-old thrived while doing so, earning a Pro Bowl nod and helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl.

In the wake of that success, Philadelphia has proceeded with yet another big-ticket commitment up front. This deal carries an average annual value of $17MM, which ranks second amongst centers. Only Creed Humphrey ($18MM per season) is attached to a more lucrative pact in terms of AAV. Jurgens has moved to the top of the position’s pecking order in terms of guaranteed compensation, however.

The Nebraska product ranked 31st amongst qualifying guards in 2023 with respect to his PFF evaluation. Jurgens took a step forward last season, grading out as PFF’s 14th-best center. Continued development will be key as the Eagles look to remain dominant along the O-line. The defending champions now have four major contracts on the books up front.

Left tackle Jordan Mailata and left guard Landon Dickerson each received long-term extensions last offseason, and as a result they are set to remain in the fold for years to come. Right tackle Lane Johnson recently had one year added to his pact, putting him on track to continue playing through 2027. Jurgens will aim to remain a key figure up front moving forward as Philadelphia looks to replace Mekhi Becton at the right guard spot with incumbent Tyler Steen, trade acquisition Kenyon Green or a rookie added this week.

Jurgens played through back issues during the Eagles’ postseason run, and he underwent surgery shortly after the Super Bowl. A full recovery in time for training camp was expected at the time of the procedure, and today’s news obviously marks a sign of confidence the former second-rounder will not be affected by the injury in the future. Provided that proves to be the case, Jurgens will be counted on to operate as Philadelphia’s center for years to come.

Bears Extend CB Kyler Gordon

April 17th, 2025 at 9:45am CST by Nikhil Mehta

APRIL 17: Gordon’s pact contains $28MM in new guarantees, as detailed by Over the Cap. That figure includes a $10MM signing bonus; his base salaries for 2025 ($1.26MM) and ’26 ($10MM) are locked in as well. The deal also contains $510K in per-game roster bonuses from 2026-28, and Gordon will receive a $1MM roster bonus if he is on the team by the third day of the league year in 2028.

APRIL 13: The Bears agreed to terms with cornerback Kyler Gordon on a three-year, $40MM contract extension, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Gordon, the 39th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was entering the final year of his rookie contract and Bears general manager Ryan Poles identified an extension as a “priority” at league meetings at the beginning of April. Less than two weeks later, the 25-year-old is under contract through the 2028 season as a vital piece of Chicago’s secondary.

Gordon’s $13.33MM APY and $31.25MM in guaranteed money are the highest of any nickel defender in the NFL, surpassing the deal signed by Jalen Pitre last week. Gordon’s salary still places him outside of the league’s top-20 highest-paid cornerbacks, reflecting the smaller market for players who line up almost exclusively in the slot.

Gordon hasn’t spent a significant amount of time on the boundary since his rookie year, when he started 14 games and notched three interceptions. He then moved into the slot full-time in 2023, which featured two more interceptions in 13 appearances as well as a stint on injured reserve. Gordon appeared in 15 games in 2024 and finished the year as the Bears’ second-highest-graded defender by Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

This is the second straight offseason in which Chicago extended one of its young starting cornerbacks. The team signed 2020 second-rounder Jaylon Johnson to a four-year, $76MM extension in March 2024, and another second-round corner, Tyrique Stevenson, will be extension-eligible after the 2025 season. After extending Gordon, the Bears now have all three signed through 2026.

The Bears’ remaining candidates for offseason extensions are left tackle Braxton Jones and linebacker T.J. Edwards, both of whom are entering the last year of their rookie deals.

Dolphins, CB Jalen Ramsey To Explore Trade

April 15th, 2025 at 10:29pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jalen Ramsey has been with the Dolphins for the past two seasons, but his time in Miami may soon be coming to an end. Team and player have mutually agreed to “explore trade options,” Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report.

No deadline is in place for a potential deal to be worked out, per the report, but the draft looms as a logical deadline on that front. Cornerback already represents a position of need for the Dolphins with Ramsey in the fold. Moving on from the seven-time Pro Bowler would create an even larger vacancy at that spot, but Rapoport and Pelissero note it would not come as a surprise if a trade were to take place.

The No. 5 pick in the 2016 draft, Ramsey quickly established himself as one of the league’s top cover men during his tenure with the Jaguars. Midway through his fourth season in Jacksonville, he was traded to the Rams and subsequently extended on a five-year, $100MM deal. Ramsey remained in Los Angeles through the end of the 2022 campaign, earning a pair of his three first-team All-Pro nods along the way. He was then traded again, however, this time to the Dolphins.

Upon arrival in Miami, Ramsey agreed to a restructure but he later worked out another lucrative accord. This past September, the Florida State product signed a three-year extension averaging $24.1MM. That figure moved him back to the top of the pecking order in terms of annual compensation for corners at the time, although the market has since continued to move upward. Ramsey is on the books for four more years, although he is only due a guaranteed base salary for 2025.

The 30-year-old already collected a $4MM roster bonus last month, but the remainder of his compensation – including $21.1MM fully locked in – would become the responsibility of his new team in the event of a trade. Miami would be hit with a $25.21MM dead money charge if a deal were to be worked out before June 1, making a pre-draft deal financially challenging. If a swap were to occur after June 1, by contrast, the Dolphins would see $9.92MM in cap savings while generating only a $6.75MM dead money hit.

Ramsey is set to carry a cap charge of $16.66MM in 2025, but that figure is scheduled to spike in the coming years. Another restructure of his pact on the part of an acquiring team would thus come as no surprise, although the number of suitors will be limited based on finances. As teams prepare to add their draft classes to their offseason rosters and make late-stage free agent moves, few have enough idle cap space to comfortably absorb Ramsey’s deal; it will be interesting to see how much of a market exists on the trade front.

After being limited to 10 games by a knee injury in 2023, Ramsey logged a full campaign last season. He notched a pair of interceptions (continuing his streak of recording at least one every year in the league), and added 11 pass deflections. Pro Football Reference listed Ramsey with underwhelming numbers in coverage, but PFF evaluation in that department helped him land a top-10 grade for corners. While age and finances will give plenty of teams pause, Ramsey (when healthy) will still be counted on to operate as a versatile No. 1 corner if he lands on a fourth career team.

The Dolphins will once again have Kader Kohou in place to handle slot cornerback duties next season, but their decision to cut Kendall Fuller left them in need of drafting a starting-caliber option on the perimeter. That situation will be duplicated if Ramsey winds up being dealt, a scenario worth watching for over the coming days.

Saints’ Derek Carr Battling Shoulder Injury, Weighing Surgery

April 14th, 2025 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

APRIL 14: With plenty of uncertainty looming over this situation, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports Carr’s camp has informed the team the current issue stems from the fact his 2023 AC joint sprain never healed in full. Especially if that is the case, surgery will no doubt receive strong consideration. As the draft draws nearer, New Orleans’ 2025 outlook under center remains uncertain.

APRIL 11: As the Saints determine if they want to make a significant quarterback investment, they have another issue to deal with regarding their current starter. While coming to New Orleans as one of the NFL’s most durable players, Derek Carr has run into frequent health concerns.

His latest involves a shoulder malady, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. This issue could affect Carr’s regular-season availability, Rapoport adds, as surgery is being considered. Carr missed seven games last season, seeing oblique and hand injuries lead to the low attendance number. The Saints restructured Carr’s contract recently, locking in the 11-year veteran for at least one more season and making a 2026 separation more costly.

Prior to coming to New Orleans, Carr had missed just three games due to injury in nine Oakland/Las Vegas seasons. One of those was a playoff game due to a broken leg suffered in Week 16 of the 2016 season. Carr returned in time for the 2017 campaign. With the Saints, however, the experienced starter continues to see hurdles appear. This latest comes at a rather significant time, as a Saints franchise that has not selected a quarterback in the first round since Archie Manning (1971) considers breaking that streak.

It is unclear how or when Carr sustained this injury. While “what they knew and when they knew it” questions are natural here, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini adds the possibility of shoulder surgery has not surprised the Saints. With the Saints’ massive dead money numbers tied to Carr’s contract stemming from signing bonus proration and void years, an offsite injury affecting guarantees would not matter significantly with regards to an earlier-than-expected separation. But Carr’s offseason outlook certainly looks cloudy in light of this news, with Russini noting there is curiosity around the league about there being more to this story. The 2023 signee remains signed through 2026.

Carr sustained an oblique tear in Week 5 last season; the issue sidelined him for three games. A fracture on his nonthrowing hand, sustained in Week 14, moved Carr out of the picture to close the season. While some uncertainty cropped up between the Saints’ Kellen Moore HC hire and the team’s decision to go through with another restructure, Carr had been penciled in to continue as the team’s starter for a while. As it stands, the Saints are not prepared to be without their first-stringer.

The team has resisted calls for a rebuild, with Carr the main impediment at this point. A surgery that could sideline the starter for part of the 2025 season would stand to impact the team’s thinking in the draft, though a priority of finding a long-term successor will naturally be more important during the late-April event.

The Saints have been closely tied to Quinn Ewers as a potential Day 2 option, while a recent report did not peg them as surefire Shedeur Sanders suitors. As presently constructed, the Saints would not present Sanders or another rookie with a great opportunity to hit the ground running. They are coming off a 5-12 season and did add much of note to their roster on offense. The perennially cap-strapped team is again out of those woods, but the options for adding a short-term stopgap are minimal right now. Ex-Day 3 picks Spencer Rattler, the team’s primary Carr replacement in 2024, and Jake Haener remain rostered.

Joe Flacco joined the Browns today, and the Seahawks completed a QB reunion of their own — with Drew Lock. That takes two clear options off the table, leaving Carson Wentz and a potential Ryan Tannehill unretirement as unexciting solutions. Aaron Rodgers technically remains a free agent, but he has been hesitant on any non-Vikings-based chance to continue his career.

Rodgers showing much interest in the Saints would surprise, and it is still too early to speculate on full-fledged solutions due to the lack of information about Carr’s injury. But this is obviously a concern that will need to be closely monitored. The Saints begin their offseason program Monday.

Browns Bring Back QB Joe Flacco

April 11th, 2025 at 10:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

10:50pm: Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports the Flacco deal will pay out $6MM if he operates as the Browns’ starter and the team does not reach the playoffs. A starting gig which does produce a postseason berth, meanwhile, will see him earn $8MM. Flacco would need to earn first-team All-Pro honors to achieve the maximum $13MM, an entirely unrealistic scenario for the zero-time Pro Bowler. If he can duplicate the success of his first Cleveland stint, though, Flacco can notably add to his career earnings.

8:02am: Joe Flacco will return to Cleveland for 2025. The 40-year-old quarterback has an agreement in place with the Browns, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The move is now official.

This will be a one-year deal with a base value of $4MM, per Flacco’s agency. The pact can be worth up to $13MM thanks to incentives. After taking over starting duties late in the 2023 campaign, the former Super Bowl MVP will now return to the Browns as they continue to sort out their quarterback situation.

Deshaun Watson‘s second Achilles tear threatens to keep him sidelined for the entire 2025 campaign. As a result, the Browns have been active in pursuing veteran help under center, trading for former Steelers first-rounder Kenny Pickett earlier this offseason. More moves were expected, although signs pointed against the No. 2 pick in this month’s draft being devoted to a signal-caller. This deal represents another indication that will be the case.

Flacco’s time atop the depth chart with the Ravens ended with a knee injury midway through the 2018 campaign. Then-rookie Lamar Jackson replaced him in the lineup and has remained the starter ever since. After the season, Flacco was dealt to the Broncos, although his one-and-done Denver campaign did not go according to plan. The former first-rounder then saw time with the Jets and Eagles, making nine starts between 2020-22.

Uncertainty loomed over Flacco’s NFL future, but the Browns represented an opportunity to continue his career once Watson went down in 2023. The Delaware product was initially brought in as veteran insurance, but he quickly locked down the QB1 gig and helped lead Cleveland to the playoffs. Flacco averaged 323 yards per game and threw 13 touchdown passes in five regular season games, but interceptions proved to be a problem then and in the team’s wild-card loss to the Texans.

Flacco preferred to remain with the Browns for 2024, but he wound up taking a one-year Colts deal after Indianapolis was priced out of Gardner Minshew‘s market. Anthony Richardson began the season atop the depth chart, but the former No. 4 pick was benched at one point and again missed time due to injury. That allowed Flacco to made six starts, bringing his career total to 191. That figure could rise even further in 2025.

Pickett is now joined by Flacco as a healthy Browns quarterback option. Cleveland has been linked to a pursuit of Kirk Cousins, who is seeking a fresh start after being demoted to backup by the Falcons. A trade after the draft is still possible at this point since Atlanta is open to entertaining it, but especially if the Browns add a developmental passer sometime during the draft the market for Cousins will be quite limited. In any case, Flacco – who posted a 90.5 passer rating in 2024 – will be a familiar option for head coach Kevin Stefanski and Co.

Interestingly, Schefter adds Flacco also spoke with the Steelers and Vikings prior to making his Cleveland return. Pittsburgh is of course still linked to Aaron Rodgers as the team seeks a short-term starter; Rodgers’ preferred destination, meanwhile is Minnesota. The Vikings (barring a Rodgers deal) are set to hand the reins over to J.J. McCarthy in 2025, but they are clearly on the lookout for a veteran. Flacco could have fulfilled that role, but instead he will compete for playing time in Cleveland.

Cardinals, Trey McBride Agree On Record-Setting TE Extension

April 8th, 2025 at 8:57am CST by Sam Robinson

APRIL 8: McBride’s deal includes $32.5MM locked in at signing, as detailed by Over the Cap. That figure includes a $16.75MM signing bonus as well as his base salaries for 2025 and 2026, along with a ’26 option bonus. A $1.5MM roster bonus will vest if McBride is on the roster for the fifth day of the league year in 2029, the final year of the pact. Annual per-game and roster bonuses are present in the pact.

APRIL 3: Trey McBride loomed as a Cardinals extension candidate, and the team will take care of this important business early. The sides are in agreement on a record-setting deal.

The Cardinals are giving McBride a four-year, $76M extension, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. This deal, which includes $43MM guaranteed, brings the tight end market to $19MM AAV. NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo had reported during an appearance with PHNX Sports a deal was close.

A gargantuan gap still exists between the wide receiver market and tight ends, one that has grown over the past several years, but McBride will become the league’s highest-paid TE by nearly $2MM per year. The Chiefs’ 2024 Travis Kelce raise had elevated the market to $17.1MM AAV; otherwise, no other tight end was attached to a deal that surpassed $16.5MM. While still arguably underpaid, tight ends have at least now approached $20MM-per-year territory. A once-TE-desperate team, which received a long-awaited boost via McBride, is authorizing it.

Between moving to Phoenix in 1988 and acquiring Zach Ertz in 2021, the Cardinals had never seen a tight end eclipse 570 receiving yards in a season. Eventual Cowboys Super Bowl winner Jay Novacek had held the franchise’s top Arizona-years TE yardage number (569) for 33 years prior to Ertz narrowly eclipsing it (574). Taking over for Ertz as the team’s top tight end midway through the 2023 season, McBride smashed through that ceiling by accumulating 825 yards. He became only the second tight end in team history — following St. Louis-years great Jackie Smith — to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season by reaching 1,146 last season.

A second-round pick during Steve Keim‘s final draft at the helm, McBride is 10 years younger than Kelce; the 25-year-old pass catcher represents a central part of the Cardinals’ passing attack, accompanying 2024 top-five pick Marvin Harrison Jr. as the team’s aerial cornerstones. Harrison is tied to a rookie-scale deal through at least 2026; that period will now overlap with the guarantees on McBride’s accord. Though, the Cardinals are likely eyeing a true long-term partnership with their long-awaited TE find.

Though establishing himself as a prolific receiving option in the desert, McBride only totaled five combined touchdowns from 2023-24. Drawing the ire of fantasy GMs, the Cardinals did not see a McBride TD occur until Week 17 last season. He added another in Week 18. The Colorado State alum had posted three 100-yard games, however, and his 111 receptions in 2024 sit second only to DeAndre Hopkins‘ 2020 total (115) in the Cardinals’ 100-plus-year history.

The NFL saw Rob Gronkowski‘s Patriots-friendly extension (six years, $54MM) gridlock the tight end market for most of the 2010s; it took until 2020 for a player at the position (Austin Hooper, interestingly enough) to reach $10.5MM per year. Kelce accepting Chiefs-friendly deals (in 2015 and 2020) also played a role in restricting this market while WR paydays soared.

Even during Gronk’s stranglehold on the market, receivers and tight ends were not nearly as far apart in value as they are today. Ja’Marr Chase‘s new Bengals deal more than doubles McBride’s, leaving the next wave of TEs with work to do. McBride’s contract closed a small portion of this gap, however, and it can still be argued — due to the fourth-year player’s importance in Arizona’s passing attack — this is a Cards-friendly agreement.

The Cards are still waiting for Kyler Murray to show the Pro Bowl-level form he did earlier in his career, but the team has two high-end weapons for the well-compensated passer to target. And Thursday’s agreement ensures no concerns will be in place about the duo’s status as long-term linchpins going into the Cardinals’ offseason program.

Raiders To Extend QB Geno Smith

April 4th, 2025 at 11:10am CST by Sam Robinson

APRIL 4: Smith’s 2025 compensation will jump from $31MM to $40MM, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. The 2026 season includes a $26.5MM base salary; $18.5MM of that figure is already locked in. The remainder will shift from an injury to a full guarantee of the third day of the ’26 league year.

None of Smith’s salary for 2027 ($39.5MM) is locked in, a sign of the short-term nature of this commitment. $3.5MM in annual incentives bring the maximum value of the pact to $116.5MM, but with an out after the 2026 season (and perhaps earlier) it is highly unlikely Smith will approach that figure.

APRIL 3: The Raiders have a deal done with Geno Smith. They are giving the trade acquisition a two-year extension, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. This will keep the ex-Seahawks starter under contract through 2027.

It appears initial reports, like when Smith signed his 2023 Seahawks contract, featured a slight inflation. Smith’s Raiders deal will be worth $75MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Earlier reports indicated the deal checked in at $85.5MM, though Schefter indicates that represents the pact’s max value. Smith’s new contract will come with $66.5MM guaranteed, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports.

This represents a bridge deal for both parties, though Smith’s age may well make this his final starter-level contract. Set to turn 35 in October, Smith had angled for a deal north of $40MM per year. That aim prompted the Seahawks to trade their three-year starter rather than agree to his price. The Raiders, after being prepared to give Matthew Stafford a big guarantee in a trade, pounced and reunited him with Pete Carroll.

This marks Carroll’s second time signing off on a Smith starter-level contract, as he was in place as the Seahawks’ top decision-maker when they gave him a three-year, $75MM deal in 2023. That turned out to bring good value for the Seahawks, who held Smith to the deal even as he pushed for a new one in 2024. Although Smith could not quite reach that $40MM-per-year point during his Raiders talks, the reclamation project did secure a significant raise.

At $37.5MM per year, Smith again will come in with a lower-middle-class contract on a skyrocketing QB market. When Smith signed his $25MM-AAV deal in March 2023, the league had not seen the $50MM-per-year club form. It has now, with 10 passers comprising it. Smith only moves up a few spots on the QB salary list, and it is certainly no coincidence his new AAV matches Derek Carr‘s Saints number.

Though, it is notable the Raiders were only comfortable matching that — as Carr secured those terms when the cap resided at barely $224MM. It is now at $279.2MM, inviting questions about the Raiders’ commitment level. The Raiders were ready to give Stafford a deal that included at least $90MM guaranteed. The Rams standing down and retaining their starter forced the Raiders and Giants to look elsewhere, and both teams approved cheaper contracts to address their QB voids.

Rather than dive into the free agent QB market and enter a draft chock full of maligned passing prospects, the Raiders traded a third-round pick for Smith. They are catching the former second-rounder going into his 13th NFL season, but these terms align with Carroll’s stopgap coaching contract. The Raiders gave Carroll a three-year deal, one aimed at bringing stability to an organization that has lacked it for many years. We now have a timeline on the latest Carroll-Smith partnership, as this contract buys the AFC West club some time to find a true long-term option.

It also should not be viewed as a random occurrence that Smith’s deal surpasses Sam Darnold‘s new Seattle AAV, which is $33.5MM. The Seahawks have been out of the franchise-QB payment game since trading Russell Wilson to the Broncos, and rather than reunite with Wilson, Carroll chose Smith and now has him tied to the NFL’s 16th-highest QB contract. This should give the Raiders some flexibility, though it will be interesting to learn what the guarantee at signing is.

The Raiders gave Carr two franchise-QB-level extensions, the first (in 2017) setting an NFL record and the second (in 2022) being a clear bridge deal while the Josh McDaniels-led regime evaluated the fit. As the fit proved poor, the Raiders soon lost their QB stability by cutting Carr. They have moved on from their past two Week 1 starters — Jimmy Garoppolo, Gardner Minshew — via post-June 1 cuts. Smith will enter 2025 — barring a surprise first-round QB draft choice — on steadier ground compared to his two veteran predecessors in Vegas, though this contract length does invite questions beyond 2025.

New Raiders GM John Spytek said recently the Raiders want Smith as their starter for “years to come.” Smith may well have the inside track to be the Silver and Black’s starter in 2026 as well, but the Raiders figure to do more QB homework ahead of next year’s draft; as of now, that crop looks better than what the 2025 draft presents. Smith, however, will have a chance to keep his post-30 momentum going.

Although Smith bettered his Comeback Player of the Year completion rate (69.8, a number that led the league in 2022) by connecting on 70.4% of his throws last season, he threw 15 interceptions. Smith’s yards-per-attempt number (7.5) matched his 2022 breakthrough, but he was also working with a skill-position group better than what he inherits in Las Vegas. Brock Bowers delivered a historic tight end rookie season, but questions about for the Raiders at the other spots. How Spytek, Carroll and Tom Brady address the receiver position will play a key role in how their QB trade asset fares.

Prior to acquiring Carr, the Raiders carried an extensive history of late-career QB projects — from Carson Palmer to Rich Gannon to Jeff George to Jeff Hostetler to Jim Plunkett. While the Garoppolo swing and miss highlighted an overmatched regime, Carroll’s familiarity with Smith should help the Raiders pick up the pieces after a rough period.

Bills, Christian Benford Agree On Extension

April 3rd, 2025 at 1:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

APRIL 3: Benford’s deal does not quite check in at $76MM, but rather $69MM, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. The contract includes just $18.85MM at signing. While Benford’s updated AAV ($17.25MM) ranks 19th among cornerbacks, his full guarantee sits 24th at the position. Though, there are mechanisms in place for Buffalo’s top cover man to pick up more guarantees.

The Bills used option bonuses in this deal, helping to keep Benford’s cap numbers below $9MM until 2027, and the CB will see $4.29MM of his 2026 compensation shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Feb. 9, 2026. Additionally, $2.5MM of Benford’s 2027 base salary ($14.49MM) locks in on that date. The remaining $11.99MM becomes fully guaranteed on Day 5 of the 2026 league year in March. $3.16MM of Benford’s 2028 base salary ($15.24MM) is guaranteed for injury at signing; that represents his only post-2027 guarantee. Another $7MM is available via incentives and escalators.

MARCH 29: An offseason spree of Bills extensions will continue with a Christian Benford payday. Buffalo’s top cornerback is re-signing with the team on a four-year deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

The Bills will lock down the former sixth-round pick for less than $20MM per year, with Schefter adding the contract checks in at $76MM in total. Benford’s deal follows those given to Khalil Shakir, Gregory Rousseau and Terrel Bernard, as the Bills are showing tremendous faith in the emerging standouts from their early-2020s drafts.

Buffalo has convinced each of these performers to agree to four-year deals. Doing so as the salary cap continues to rise by more than $20MM annually could represent good business for the perennial AFC East champions. While James Cook remains an extension candidate, the team has taken care of the other core homegrown performers it wanted to extend this offseason.

Like Shakir and Bernard, Benford was entering a contract year as a player the team wanted to pay. The Bills will reward a player who had taken an unlikely route to becoming their No. 1 cornerback. Benford’s emergence helped bail the Bills out on their Kaiir Elam miss, with the former No. 185 overall pick usurping the ex-first-rounder and helping Buffalo cover for Tre’Davious White‘s injury trouble as well. While the Bills’ pattern of having key CB personnel unavailable for Chiefs playoffs games has persisted, Benford has still brought the team strong value on what amounted to a late-round flier.

In addition to coming from Round 6, Benford has become a Bills pillar after emerging from the Division I-FCS ranks. Playing at Villanova, Benford started five games as a rookie but turned into a full-timer in his second season. Starting 29 games over the past two years, Benford teamed with Rasul Douglas to give their Bills their post-White CB duo. White did not return from his Thanksgiving 2021 ACL tear for an entire year, and he was not the same upon coming back. White later went down for the season in October 2023, leading to the Douglas trade. Benford, however, grew into Buffalo’s top option on the outside in that time. Douglas remains in free agency, creating a need for the Bills, but the team locked down its younger perimeter starter.

The 2024 season brought more growth from Benford, who graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 overall corner. The 6-foot-1 defender allowed merely 5.4 yards per target last season, and his passer rating-against numbers have never surpassed 89.0. Yielding an 86.6 number last season, Benford intercepted two passes, forced two fumbles and notched 10 pass breakups for the second straight season.

Moving early on Benford makes sense, as he will not turn 25 until September, and finalizing this extension for less than $20MM AAV could age quite well for the team — especially after Derek Stingley Jr. just took the market to $30MM per year. As Sauce Gardner undoubtedly angles for a similar number, Benford’s $19MM AAV — if that is the deal’s true base value — checks in only 13th among corners.

Ill-timed Benford injuries have brought a key footnote in the Bills-Chiefs rivalry. After seeing Benford help Buffalo to regular-season wins over Kansas City in 2023 and ’24, the five-time reigning division champs did not have him available for the bulk of the two playoff matchups. Benford missed the Bills’ 2023 divisional-round Chiefs outing — a 27-24 Kansas City road win — due to a knee injury sustained in the wild-card round. Benford then suffered a concussion on a Baltimore onside-kick attempt to close a divisional-round win last season. He left the subsequent Kansas City outing early with a head injury. As the Chiefs picked on Elam — who has since been traded to the Cowboys — another Benford “what if?” loomed for the Bills after another three-point loss ensued.

The Bills will attempt to move past their persistent Missouri-based roadblock again in 2025, and they will have several well-paid young performers rostered upon doing so. While Cook’s contract now shifts to the forefront, the Bills have locked down their 2021 first-round pick (Rousseau) along with 2022 third- (Bernard), fifth- (Shakir) and sixth-round choices, doing so after giving Josh Allen a record-setting raise.

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