Minor NFL Transactions: 5/15/26
Here is today’s only minor NFL move as we head into the weekend:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Reverted to IR: DT Brodric Martin
After getting waived on Wednesday to make room for veteran defensive tackle Benito Jones, Martin has cleared waivers and been reverted to the team’s injured reserve.If he stays there until the start of the regular season, he risks being placed on season-ending IR without the ability to be activated later on in the season.
Panthers DT Tershawn Wharton ‘Out Indefinitely’ After Neck Surgery
The Panthers operated for several games last year without starting defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton as he dealt with injury. According to Joe Person of The Athletic, Carolina will be without him for a bit more time as Wharton is reportedly “out indefinitely following neck surgery this month.”
Wharton came into the league as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri S&T, signing with the Chiefs out of college. He spent the first five years of his career in Kansas City, playing a significant role in the defensive rotation from Day 1. Where Derrick Nnadi served as a strong run defender next to star defensive lineman Chris Jones, Wharton stepped up as a more balanced option off the bench. The only changeups Wharton saw during his time with the Chiefs were when he tore his ACL and missed all but five games in 2022 and when he was asked to play a bigger role in 2024.
In that 2024 season, Wharton started 10 games for the Chiefs. With the additional play time, Wharton matched a career high with 29 total tackles and saw career highs in sacks (6.5), tackles for loss (7), and batted passes (2). The breakout campaign led Wharton to Carolina, where he signed a three-year, $54MM contract. Handed a full-time starting role for the first time in his career, Wharton’s absences were interspersed throughout the year. He played two games over the first six weeks of the season and missed the team’s final four games before returning for the playoffs.
It was hamstring and toe issues that lingered throughout the 2025 season, so news of Wharton’s neck surgery comes out of left field as a seemingly unrelated new situation. As neck injuries tend to have serious implications, Wharton’s indefinite timeline could be cause for concern. According to Person, though, Wharton is expected to play in 2026.
Set to open the summer on the active/physically unable to perform list, if Wharton is forced to miss any time in the regular season, rookie second-rounder Lee Hunter could see some early usage on the first-team defense. The Texas Tech-product could end up starting next to Derrick Brown and Bobby Brown III, but he’ll likely have to beat out LaBryan Ray and second-year players Cam Jackson and Jared Harrison-Hunte for playing time.
Panthers Sign Round 2 DT Lee Hunter, Wrap Draft Class
5:52pm: Hunter’s deal comes with full guarantees through 2028 and partial guarantees in ’29, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. The total percentage of guarantees is 94.39, a much higher number than the 78.94% last year’s 49th pick, Bengals linebacker Demetrius Knight, received.
12:39pm: The Panthers officially have their entire 2026 draft class under contract. Second-round defensive tackle Lee Hunter signed his four-year rookie deal on Friday, the team announced.
As the 49th overall pick, Hunter’s arrangement is worth approximately $10.07MM. There is likely a significant amount of guaranteed money in the pact. Falcons cornerback Avieon Terrell, who went one pick before Hunter, received a fully guaranteed accord. The 50th selection, Jets corner D’Angelo Ponds, landed $8.95MM in guarantees on a $9.84MM agreement.
Originally set to select 51st overall, the Panthers moved up two spots in a trade with the Vikings to secure Hunter. The 6-foot-3, 318-pounder came off the board early on the heels of a productive four-year college career divided between UCF and Texas Tech.
Hunter broke out in 2023, his second season at UCF, where he piled up 69 tackles, 11 TFL and three sacks in 13 games. He earned second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2024, a 12-game, 45-tackle campaign, and then transferred to Texas Tech. In his lone season as a Red Raider, Hunter notched 41 tackles, 10.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks in 14 contests. In addition to picking up a first-team All-Big 12 nod, he was a first-team All-American.
Thanks in part to Hunter, Texas Tech finished first in the nation in run defense last year. That is an area where the Panthers will hope to improve in 2026, as they ranked an underwhelming 20th against opposing ground attacks last season. They now have Hunter as a run-stuffing option on a Derrick Brown-led D-line that also features Bobby Brown and Tershawn Wharton.
Along with Hunter, the Panthers added six other rookies in the draft. Here is a refresher on the group:
- Round 1, No. 19: Monroe Freeling (T, Georgia)
- Round 2, No. 49 (from Vikings): Lee Hunter (DT, Texas Tech)
- Round 3, No. 83: Chris Brazzell II (WR, Tennessee)
- Round 4, No. 129 (from Bears): Will Lee III (CB, Texas A&M)
- Round 5, No. 144 (from Titans via Panthers): Sam Hecht (C, Kansas State)
- Round 5, No. 151 (from Dolphins): Zakee Wheatley (S, Penn State)
- Round 7, No. 227 (from Dolphins): Jackson Kuwatch (LB, Miami (OH)
AFC Notes: Jets, Bengals, Hopkins, Pats
More details have come in on Jets running back Breece Hall‘s three-year, $43.5MM contract, courtesy of Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Hall received a $5MM signing bonus, a fully guaranteed $5.16MM salary and a fully guaranteed $5MM roster bonus for 2026. Hall’s $13.16MM base salary for 2027 is also fully guaranteed. Additionally, he can earn up to $340K in per-game roster bonuses in each of the next three seasons. Hall’s 2028 salary checks in at $14.16MM, but it is non-guaranteed. The annual base value of the pact is $14.5MM, not the previously reported $15.25MM, per Florio. It will only climb to $15.25MM per season if Hall maxes out the incentives. Hall’s $14.5MM AAV ranks fifth at his position.
Here is more on New York and a couple of other AFC teams:
- Beginning with the mid-December firing of defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, head coach Aaron Glenn axed 12 members of his first Jets staff last winter. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it turns out owner Woody Johnson “had a heavy hand” in the shakeup, which ended with a late-January mutual parting of ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, according to Albert Breer of SI.com. It appeared the Jets would retain Engstrand, who endured a rough first year as a coordinator atop a talent-deprived offense, before replacing him with the more seasoned Frank Reich. It also looked as if the Jets were going to hire Don Martindale as their next defensive coordinator, but Breer suggests Johnson was unwilling to pony up for him. With Johnson stuck paying Wilks $3MM this year, the Jets hired a cheaper candidate in first-timer Brian Duker. Glenn, not Duker, will call the defensive plays.
- Speaking with Sports Illustrated earlier this month, free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins expressed interest in signing with the Bengals (via Jordan Schultz). Asked which quarterback he would like to play with for the first time, the soon-to-be 34-year-old said: “I’ve gotta go with Joe Burrow. I think Joe is one of the best. I love his game, his toughness. I mean, he took his team to a Super Bowl earlier in his career, and I feel like he can get back there with a little bit of help.” It is unknown whether there is mutual interest in this case. The Bengals have Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins entrenched as their top two receivers. Third option Andrei Iosivas had a more productive 2025 than Hopkins, who posted career lows in catches (22), targets (39) and yards (330) in 17 games with the AFC North rival Ravens. Despite his down year in Baltimore, the five-time Pro Bowler ranks 17th all-time in catches (1,006), 18th in yards (13,295) and tied for 19th in TDs (85). Hopkins will have a chance to continue climbing up the leaderboard if he plays a 14th season in 2026.
- A full-time starter for almost all of his six-year career, Patriots right guard Michael Onwenu will remain atop the depth chart entering his seventh season. However, with Onwenu unsigned past 2026, this will likely be his last season in New England, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald contends. The 28-year-old does not possess the speed-agility combo that Patriots executive vice president Eliot Wolf values, Kyed notes. That could lead Onwenu out of town for a raise in free agency next March. The Patriots already have one expensive guard contract on their books, having added Alijah Vera-Tucker on a three-year, $42MM deal earlier this offseason.
Steelers, Max Iheanachor Agree To Deal
The Steelers and first-round offensive tackle Max Iheanachor have agreed to a deal, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports. Iheanachor, the 21st overall pick, will earn a fully guaranteed $20.69MM on his four-year pact.
The Steelers intended to use their top pick on former USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, whom they called beforehand. However, while the Steelers were on the phone with Lemon, he got a call from the Eagles. They moved up from 23rd to 20th in a trade with the Cowboys and drafted Lemon, leaving the Steelers to turn to their Plan B. They pivoted to Iheanachor, whom they expect to emerge as a long-term building block up front.
Iheanachor spent the past two-plus years as the starting right tackle at Arizona State, where he earned second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2025. There is a chance Iheanachor will end up as the Steelers’ left tackle down the road, especially if Broderick Jones leaves in free agency next year. For now, though, they plan to keep Iheanachor on the right side.
It is up in the air whether the 6-foot-6, 321-pound Iheanachor will step in as an immediate starter as a rookie. The Steelers are returning last year’s full-time RT starter, 2024 first-rounder Troy Fautanu, but he could be needed on the left side if Jones’ recovery from neck surgery keeps him out for the start of the season. Dylan Cook is also an in-house possibility to fill in for Jones. Cook is the only member of the quartet who was not a first-round pick (he was undrafted), which illustrates how much draft capital the Steelers have spent on the position in recent years. The Jones selection has not gone as planned, though, as the team declined his fifth-year option for 2027 last month.
Along with Iheanachor, the Steelers drafted nine other rookies this year. They now have seven of those players under contract. Here is the defending AFC North champions’ full list of picks:
- Round 1, No. 21: Max Iheanachor (T, Arizona State) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 47 (from Colts): Germie Bernard (WR, Alabama)
- Round 3, No. 76 (from Cowboys): Drew Allar (QB, Penn State)
- Round 3, No. 85: Daylen Everette (CB, Georgia) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 96 (from Seahawks): Gennings Dunker (G, Iowa) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 121: Kaden Wetjen (WR, Iowa) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 169 (from Rams via Chiefs): Riley Nowakowski (TE, Indiana) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 210 (from Rams via Chiefs): Gabe Rubio (DL, Notre Dame) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 224 (from Saints via Patriots): Robert Spears-Jennings (S, Oklahoma) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 230 (from Colts): Eli Heidenreich (RB, Navy)
Titans Sign Round 2 LB Anthony Hill Jr.
The Titans are one step closer to getting their entire 2026 draft class under contract. They announced the signing of former Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. on Friday.
Hill, a second-round pick whom the Titans chose 60th overall, inked a four-year contract worth around $8.11MM. A total of 75.46% of the deal is fully guaranteed, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports. Last year’s 60th pick, Broncos running back RJ Harvey, received 63.23% in full guarantees.
Tennessee entered the draft as a potential first-round landing spot for former Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, but it instead used the No. 4 overall pick on wide receiver Carnell Tate. After addressing receiver and EDGE (Keldric Faulk, No. 31) with their first two choices, the Titans moved up nine spots in a second-round trade with the Bears to nab a potential long-term starting linebacker in Hill. He ended up as the last off-ball LB taken before the fourth round.
Hill is entering the NFL on the heels of a decorated three-year run at Texas, where he was a two-time second-team All-American and a two-time first-team All-SEC performer. The 6-foot-2, 238-pounder totaled 249 tackles, 31.5 TFL, 17 sacks, eight forced fumbles and three interceptions over 40 games. A hand injury limited Hill to 10 games last year, but he otherwise enjoyed a healthy college career.
With first-year head coach Robert Saleh at the controls, Hill is seemingly walking into a solid situation in Tennessee. The defensive-minded Saleh has an effective track record with linebackers, having coached up the likes of Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and Quincy Williams in recent years. As a rookie, Hill will vie for playing time as part of a group that includes returning starters Cody Barton and Cedric Gray. Barton was the Titans’ lone player to log a 100% defensive snap share last year, while Gray ranked second in that category (86.9%).
With Hill under contract, Faulk is the last unsigned member of the Titans’ eight-rookie class.
Chargers’ Chad Alexander Withdraws From Vikings’ GM Search
Chad Alexander was among the staffers who recently received an interview request from the Vikings in the early stages of their general manager search. A departure from the Chargers will not be taking place, however.
Alexander has declined the interview request and withdrawn his name from consideration, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports. As a result, Los Angeles’ assistant general manager will be remaining in place moving forward. Alexander has been a member of the Bolts’ front office since 2024, the year in which Joe Hortiz was hired as GM.
Hortiz and Alexander worked together in Baltimore, and they reunited in Los Angeles shortly after Hortiz was tapped to lead the Chargers. Alexander has been an NFL staffer since 1999, and he worked as a member of the Ravens’ front office until 2018. Over that span, he served as a scout but also a member of the team’s pro personnel department.
Alexander was with the Jets from 2019-23. He operated as New York’s director of player personnel during that time. Upon arrival with the Chargers, he took on his current AGM title. Alexander will now remain in that role for at least one more season, although it will of course be interesting to see if he receives further general manager interview requests during the 2027 hiring cycle.
The Vikings promoted Rob Brzezinski to the role of interim GM in the wake of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah‘s firing. He led Minnesota’s front office through free agency and the draft before the team’s outside search for a full-time general manager began. Brzezinski is interested in the GM gig, but interviews with other candidates will take place before a final decision is made.
Today’s news takes Alexander out of the running and thins the list of candidates – which was believed to be finalized – for the Vikings to choose from. John McKay (Rams), R.J. Gillen (49ers), Nolan Teasley (Seahawks) and Terrance Gray (Bills) are still in the running at this time.
49ers DE Mykel Williams Expected Back For Training Camp; Week 1 Status Unclear
The 49ers dealt with a number of major injuries over the course of the 2025 campaign. One of those was the ACL tear suffered by Mykel Williams, and his ability to start next season remains in question.
Williams’ rookie campaign ended in Week 9 when his ACL was torn. The No. 11 pick in last year’s draft had operated as a full-time starter up to that point, and a large workload can be expected once he is back on the field. 49ers GM John Lynch previously said a return at some point during training camp is likely in this case, and that still holds true.
As noted by The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, Williams remains on course to participate in at least a portion of training camp this summer. However, it is unclear at this time if the Georgia product will be able to play in Week 1. It would come as no surprise if Williams were to begin camp on the active/PUP list, something which could lead to a reserve/PUP designation during roster cuts. The latter would ensure at least a four-game absence to start the regular season.
Williams, 22 in June, was working out separate to the rest of the team during rookie minicamp, per Barrows. He adds clearance for full team drills should not be expected any time soon. The progress Williams makes over the coming months will be worth monitoring closely given his importance to San Francisco’s defense and also the fact fellow defensive end Nick Bosa is recovering from an ACL tear of his own. Bosa’s recovery timeline is further ahead, but a return to action in both cases will be critical to the 49ers’ 2026 outlook.
2025 trade acquisition Keion White, third-year 49er Sam Okuayinonu and free agent signing Cameron Sample are among the candidates to take on an increased workload early in the season provided Williams is unable to play right away in the fall. That is also true of rookie Romello Height, taken in the third round of April’s draft. In any event, development in Williams’ case after he managed just one sack and four quarterback pressures as a rookie will be key.
The 49ers currently lead the league with nearly $70MM in cap space, so a low-cost free agent signing could receive consideration if Williams and/or Bosa suffer setbacks in their rehabs. For now, though, those two are on course to operate as starters upon returning to action.
WR Nico Collins Aims To Continue Texans Career
Shortly before last month’s draft, Nico Collins was the subject of trade calls. To no surprise, Texans general manager Nick Caserio insisted the team’s No. 1 receiver will not be on the move.
A desire on the part of the team to keep Collins in the fold clearly exists, and that sentiment is mutual. The two-time Pro Bowler has spent each of his first five NFL seasons in Houston. If he has his way, Collins’ Texans run will continue well beyond 2026.
“I love the Texans,” the 27-year-old said (via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2). “I got drafted here. It’s somewhere I want to end. I love the city, the people, the community. There’s a lot of great positive vibes coming out of the city of Houston. So, it’s definitely a place I would like to retire.”
Collins flashed potential but delivered modest production over the course of his first two NFL campaigns. The arrival of quarterback C.J. Stroud offered a considerable boost, though, and the two have formed a strong connection during their time together. Collins has topped 1,000 yards in each of the past three seasons, totaling 21 touchdowns over that span. He inked an extension averaging $24.25MM per year in 2024.
The receiver market has continued to surge since then, and Collins has fallen down the pecking order in terms of WR compensation recently. Two years remain on the Michigan product’s deal, and he is owed $20MM in guaranteed salary for 2026. Collins is due $21.25MM in base pay for 2027, but that figure is not guaranteed. As Wilson notes, an extension being worked out prior to the start of next offseason would thus come as no surprise.
Houston’s defense will have a number of high-priced contracts on the defensive side of the ball to account for over the coming years. On offense, Stroud’s next deal (should one be finalized) will bring about a considerable raise, but it may not be in place this offseason. The receiver position is a highly affordable one for the Texans aside from Collins’ contract. That is likely to remain the case with several wideouts playing on their rookie deals.
Another standout showing in terms of production would of course help Collins’ case for a raise on his next pact. If the goal for team and player winds up being met whenever an extension is worked out, he will be in line to remain a focal point on offense for the Texans not only in 2026 but into the future as well.
Egon Durban’s Raiders Stake To Increase
Earlier this spring, the NFL’s owners voted on an ownership succession plan for the Raiders. Mark Davis is still the franchise’s controlling owner, but the share held by Egon Durban is set to increase.
Bloomberg reports the Durban-fronted group which already had a small stake in the Raiders is set to purchase an additional 25% of the franchise. Once the deal is finalized, the collection of owners led by the Silver Lake co-CEO will own a 40% stake. Durban alone will not be responsible for that amount, but this news points further toward him eventually taking on the role of controlling owner.
For now, that title still belongs to Davis. As a legacy owner, Al Davis‘ son is only required to hold a 20% stake to maintain his controlling interest. Even after the Durban purchase formally takes place, Davis will still control roughly 30% of the franchise. The NFL’s finance committee has already given the green light for the deal, which owners are set to vote on next week.
Davis has indicated the changes with respect to ownership stakes will not alter how the Raiders operate. The 70-year-old has held a controlling stake since Al’s passing in 2011. That is set to continue for the foreseeable future, but a firm succession plan has been instituted for whenever an ownership change takes place.
Durban and Discovery Land Co. founder Michael Meldman each bought a 7.5% stake in the Raiders late in 2024. Their respective roles in the franchise may not undergo a significant change once this latest purchase goes through, but the potential for larger influence down the road will increase.