HEADLINES

Bengals’ Shemar Stewart Departs Final Day Of Minicamp

June 12th, 2025 at 10:32pm CST by Adam La Rose

Shemar Stewart has yet to take the field in spring practices, and he remains unsigned at this point. The first-round Bengals rookie had remained with the team up to this point, but that changed on Thursday.

Stewart departed the Bengals this morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Team and player remain engaged in a stalemate stemming from certain clauses in his rookie contract. Stewart has yet to sign his pact, one which the Bengals are attempting to differentiate from that of recent Day 1 selections Myles Murphy and Amarius Mims.

Specifically, Cincinnati’s stance that a default at any point of the contract will automatically void the remainder of the pact has become a public point of contention in this situation. Stewart attended the first two days of minicamp while remaining sidelined, drawing praise from his teammates for taking a stand against the team’s proposed contract structure. With it becoming clear no resolution would be coming in the immediate future, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes Stewart’s departure was aimed at not creating a further distraction.

Thursday marks the third and final day of minicamp and thus the last practice session before training camp next month. No major team meetings or other events will be missed as a result of Stewart’s absence (h/t Sports Illustrated’s Jay Morrison). The Texas A&M product’s attention will remain focused on trying to leverage a deal congruent with those Murphy and Mims received, although he has limited leverage in doing so.

Nonetheless, today’s news means both Stewart and fellow edge rusher Trey Hendrickson will have missed all on-field work during OTAs and minicamp. The latter is angling for an extension after posting a second straight 17.5-sack season. Hendrickson is owed $16MM in the final year of his deal (whereas the top of the EDGE market now sits at $40MM annually) and has threatened to hold out into the regular season absent an extension. Such a development would place increased importance on Stewart, but this year’s No. 17 pick has yet to take any reps so far.

“I think for all the rookies, you’d like them to be on the field,” head coach Zac Taylor said of the Stewart situation (via Pro Football Talks’ Myles Simmons). “But certainly, there’s things that happen over the course of an NFL career and this is one of them right now. So, he’s been in the meetings, he’s been positive that way. He’s been a good learner. And we look forward to getting him back on the field quickly.”

Taylor declined to offer any predictions on when an agreement will be struck with Stewart. Plenty of time remains until training camp, though, meaning this standoff could continue for at least another several weeks.

Texans S Jimmie Ward Arrested On Family Violence Charge

June 12th, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

9:45pm: Providing further details on the matter, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes the alleged victim in this case is Ward’s fiancé. She informed police she had been “assaulted, strangled, and threatened” by Ward. The latter’s official charge is assault family violence impeding breath/circulation, which is a third-degree felony in Texas.

Ward’s fiancé has filed an emergency protective order in the wake of the incident. Meanwhile, Wilson adds Ward has since been released on $30K bail.

9:41am: Texans safety Jimmie Ward was arrested early Thursday morning following an incident at his home in Magnolia, Texas, as detailed by the Houston Chronicle’s Catherine Dominguez and Jonathan Alexander.

Ward is facing a felony assault family violence charge after being arrested around 5:30am. Per records from the Montgomery County Jail, the 33-year-old stands accused of strangulation stemming from the incident in question. Ward is currently being held without bond.

“We are aware of the report involving Jimmie Ward,” a team statement reads. “We are gathering more information and have no further comment at this time.”

Ward spent the first nine years of his career in San Francisco, spending plenty of time working with DeMeco Ryans along the way. Player and coach have continued their relationship over the past two years with Ryans at the helm of the Texans. Ward has been limited to 10 games in each of the 2023 and ’24 campaigns, but he has operated as a starter when healthy, logging a notable defensive snap share and totaling three interceptions during that time.

The Northern Illinois product originally joined the Texans on a two-year deal, but he received an extension last offseason. Ward is thus under contract for 2025 and is owed $3.25MM for the campaign. A foot injury ended his 2024 season in December, and while he has continued to recover Ward has been sidelined from spring practices. As he continues to work toward full health, his Texans future could now depend on this legal situation.

Patriots WR Ja’Lynn Polk On Roster Bubble?

June 12th, 2025 at 9:22pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots are facing a roster crunch at wide receiver, and there’s a chance they may move on from a recent second-round pick as they resolve their depth. As ESPN’s Mike Reiss writes, Ja’Lynn Polk is among the players competing for a final spot in the receivers room.

Reiss believes that each of the team’s offseason acquisitions, a grouping that includes Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, and rookie third-round pick Kyle Williams, are “viewed as safe,” and the writer also includes holdover DeMario Douglas in that grouping. Assuming the team will only hold six WRs, that leaves two more spots for at least four players.

In addition to Polk, the players fighting for a roster spot include Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte, and 2024 fourth-round pick Javon Baker. Bourne brings the track record, and Boutte flashed some potential as a sophomore, but Polk’s recent draft pedigree may make him the most surprising inclusion on this list.

A former Washington standout, Polk was the 37th-overall pick in last year’s draft. Thanks in part to inconsistent QB play and an ever-evolving receivers room, the rookie struggled to carve out a role in 2024. Polk finished the campaign with 12 catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns, and he ranked seventh on the team in total targets.

The Patriots are expecting another leap from Drake Maye in 2025, and it would make some sense to pair the young signal-caller with a young, high-upside receiver. However, with additional depth and a new coaching staff in place, Polk might not have that opportunity in New England.

Sticking with Patriots receivers, Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston revealed that Diggs still hasn’t taken a physical with the organization as he continues to rehab his torn ACL (via The Rich Eisen Show on YouTube). As a result, the wide receiver also hasn’t received his signing bonus, which is dependent on the player passing the physical.

NFL Minor Transactions: 6/12/25

June 12th, 2025 at 8:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Jets

The Jets made a handful of moves at the bottom of their roster, bringing in a pair of lineman on both sides of the ball. Kingsley Jonathan brings the most experience, as the defensive end has appeared in 20 career games, with the majority of his playing time coming on special teams. Marquis Hayes, a former seventh-round pick by the Cardinals, has yet to appear in an NFL game.

OT Kolton Miller Wants To Spend Rest Of Career With Raiders

June 12th, 2025 at 8:11pm CST by Ben Levine

Kolton Miller is one of the Raiders’ longest-tenured players, but the veteran lineman is heading into the 2025 season with lame-duck status. While it seems unlikely that the impending free agent will ink an extension before Week 1, Miller is making it clear that he wants to spend the rest of his career with the organization.

“I want to be a Raider for life,” Miller told Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I love it here. I don’t want to go anywhere else.”

Miller inked a three-year, $54MM extension with the Raiders back in 2021 that would keep him with the organization through the 2025 campaign. According to Bonsignore, the two sides aren’t close on a new deal, and Miller is currently attached to no guaranteed money. Still, the veteran was present for the start of mandatory minicamp earlier this week.

A former first-round pick, Miller has appeared in 109 games for the organization through seven professional seasons. He’s remained relatively healthy throughout his career, missing only seven regular-season contests. After being limited to a career-low 13 appearances in 2023, Miller rebounded by starting all 17 games for the Raiders this past season. Pro Football Focus ended up grading him 13th among 81 qualifying offensive tackles in 2024.

While Miller will still anchor the Raiders offensive line in 2025, the team may have started preparing for his potential exit. The team used a third-round pick in this year’s draft on Charles Grant, and this followed their 2024 third-round selection of OT Delmar Glaze. That latter lineman ended up starting 14 games as a rookie and is penciled in as the starting right tackle heading into the 2025 campaign.

Rams Sign OT D.J. Humphries

June 12th, 2025 at 6:36pm CST by Ben Levine

D.J. Humphries has found a new home. The offensive tackle is signing with the Rams, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

[RELATED: No Deal In Place Between 49ers, LT D.J. Humphries]

It’s been a bit of a turbulent offseason for the lineman. A late-April announcement from Humphries’ agency claimed that the lineman was joining the 49ers, but we later learned that there was no deal in place between the two sides. A contract didn’t end up coming to fruition, and now the 31-year-old will be heading to another NFC West squad.

Humphries brings plenty of experience to Los Angeles, with the former first-round pick having appeared in 100 career regular season contests. He had a long stint in Arizona to begin his career, although most of his Cardinals tenure was highlighted by injuries. To his credit, he remained mostly healthy from 2019 through 2021, but the injury bug started popping back up in 2022.

That season, Humphries was limited to eight games thanks to a back injury. He managed to return for 15 starts in 2023, but he suffered a torn ACL late in the season that put his 2024 availability in doubt. That ACL injury ultimately spelled the end of the player’s tenure in Arizona, as he was cut by the Cardinals last offseason.

He remained unsigned through the 2024 offseason and for the first few months of the season, but he eventually caught on with the Chiefs in November. He ended up appearing in a pair of games for Kansas City, and he made another pair of appearances during the postseason.

The Rams continue to load up on offensive line depth, especially at the tackle position. The team already added David Quessenberry as a dependable backup to Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein. Humphries will provide the team with yet another option at the position, and the veteran could end up pushing someone like former fifth-round pick Warren McClendon off the roster.

CB Shaquill Griffin Visits Raiders

June 12th, 2025 at 6:16pm CST by Ben Levine

Shaquill Griffin remains unsigned, but he’s apparently drawing some interest from his former coach. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the veteran cornerback visited the Raiders.

Griffin was a third-round pick by the Seahawks back in 2017 and proceeded to spend the first four seasons of his career playing under Pete Carroll. He left the Seahawks for a lucrative three-year offer from the Jaguars but he only made it through two seasons of that pact before getting released.

Since hitting free agency for the second time in his career in 2023, Griffin has bounced around the NFL a bit, spending time with the Texans, Panthers, and Vikings. He got into all 17 games for Minnesota this past season, collecting 41 tackles and a pair of interceptions while appearing in about half of his team’s defensive snaps.

Following the completion of his one-year deal with the Vikings, it’s been a relatively quiet offseason for the 29-year-old. He was briefly connected to a potential reunion with the Seahawks, although it’s been more than a month of zero progress on that front. Now, the veteran is apparently considering a reunion with his former head coach.

Besides the obvious connection to the coaching staff, Griffin would also fill a bit of a need for the Raiders. The team’s currently sorting through their options at cornerback, with the group including free agent acquisition Eric Stokes, rookie Darien Porter, and former starter Jakorian Bennett.

Titans’ Treylon Burks Ahead Of Schedule; Lloyd Cushenberry Targeting Week 1 Return

June 12th, 2025 at 4:22pm CST by Adam La Rose

Treylon Burks faces this year’s training camp as a pending free agent. The former first-rounder expectedly had his fifth-year option declined this spring, a move which came about in no small part due to his injury history.

Burks is rehabbing an ACL tear, the latest ailment to leave him sidelined in his career. After suffering the injury in October, it was eventually determined surgery would be required. The timing of the procedure led to questions about Burks’ availability for the offseason and the start of the 2025 campaign.

When speaking about the progress made so far in rehab, though, head coach Brian Callahan offered an encouraging update. Burks is ahead of schedule, Callahan said during this week’s minicamp (via team reporter Jim Wyatt). He added the 25-year-old is essentially at 80% right now, preventing him from participating in on-field work in a full capacity.

Callahan said he is hopeful Burks will be cleared in time for training camp next month. That would be a critical development for the Arkansas product, who might not be considered a roster lock at this point. Burks has played just 27 games to date, and his rookie campaign (33-444-1 statline) has been his most productive so far. Acquired to replace – at least in part – A.J. Brown, he has been unable to do so. A healthy camp could at least allow for Burks to carve out a role alongside the likes of Calvin Ridley and free agent pickup Tyler Lockett.

In other injury news, center Lloyd Cushenberry is making steady progress in his own rehab. A November Achilles tear ended the veteran center’s debut campaign in Tennessee and began a lengthy road to recovery. Cushenberry is aiming to be available in time for Week 1 of the 2025 season, though.

“I feel good, man,” the former Broncos starter said (via Wyatt). “I am close to being back, cleared and healthy and ready to go. The offseason has been good, I am locking in on my diet, getting in the best shape as I can. I am doing well.”

Cushenberry will reprise his role atop the center depth chart when he is cleared. Improved play up front will be a target for the Titans in 2025 after the team added left tackle Dan Moore Jr. and right guard Kevin Zeitler in free agency. Getting Cushenberry – who signed a four-year, $50MM pact last March – back in the fold would be key for Tennessee’s offense. It will be interesting to see if he manages to receive clearance in time to participate in training camp on at least a part-time basis.

Browns Discussed Re-Signing Nick Chubb Before Draft

June 12th, 2025 at 12:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

Once the 2025 draft had taken place, it was essentially guaranteed Nick Chubb would find himself on a new team this season. That is now officially the case, with his one-year Texans pact in place.

Chubb will collect a base value of $2.5MM, and incentives will allow him to double that figure. It comes as no surprise the four-time Pro Bowler was only able to land a pact of that nature given the uncertainty surrounding his health status. Chubb managed to briefly return from his massive knee injury in 2024, but his showing when on the field fell well short of his previous production.

That was a key factor in the expectation Cleveland would move on this offseason. Shortly after the draft, Browns general manager Andrew Berry all-but confirmed Chubb would not be back for an eighth season with the team. Few eyebrows were raised once it became clear the 29-year-old was headed to Houston as a result, but Cleveland did engage in talks about a new deal in this case.

The Browns discussed a re-signing with Chubb and his camp prior to the draft, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Team and player were unable to reach agreement, though, and in the wake of that development Cleveland’s attention turned to the highly-regarded pool of RBs in this year’s class. The team wound up adding Quinshon Judkins in the second round and then Dylan Sampson in the fourth. Both of them are now in place for the next four years as a result.

The Browns also have Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong as returnees from last year. Ford in particular should have a notable role in 2025, but a new Chubb agreement would have allowed him to continue operating as a key member of the backfield. Retaining the latter is something Myles Garrett lobbied for during his offseason talks with Berry, as Garrett recently noted (via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi). Conversations related to the direction of the franchise were part of Garrett’s offseason, one in which his trade request was rescinded in the wake of a $40MM-per-year extension being worked out.

No agreement came to bear in Chubb’s case, however, leaving him to remain on the open market deep into free agency. The four-time 1,000-yard rusher will look to regain his previous form in Houston while the Browns attempt to find an effective short- and long-term replacement for him in the backfield.

LT Charles Cross Hoping For Long-Term Seahawks Tenure; No Extension Imminent

June 12th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

Charles Cross has handled left tackle duties throughout his three seasons in Seattle. His performance in that role made it little surprise when his fifth-year option was exercised this spring.

That decision marked the first time the Seahawks picked up the option on a player they drafted. As a result, Cross is set to earn $17.56MM in 2026. That figure is guaranteed, but a long-term deal will cost more given the nature of the tackle market.

It remains to be seen if team and player will enter into negotiations on an extension as early as this offseason. The parties have plenty of time to work out an agreement, but Cross – who attended and took part in OTAs and minicamp – would welcome a long-term pact. Remaining in the Emerald City beyond 2026 is a stated goal of his.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but Seattle,” Cross said when asked about his future (via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic). “I love the fans here. I love the team. One of the greatest organizations in the NFL. I like it here a lot.”

Selected ninth overall in 2022, Cross has started each of his 48 appearances. Having missed only three games to date in his career, the 24-year-old has certainly enjoyed better luck on the health front than right tackle Abraham Lucas. The latter has missed double-digit games each of the past two years, making an extension commitment a difficult one for the Seahawks. Lucas is a pending 2026 free agent, so working out a new deal in his case could be seen as a more urgent matter if Seattle is content to wait until at least next offseason to negotiate with Cross.

The Mississippi State product has shown notable year-over-year improvement in terms of PFF grades. Cross posted an overall mark of 82.5 in 2024, good for ninth amongst qualifying tackles. Another strong outing this year would help his value on a long-term arrangement. A total of 15 offensive tackles (including 12 blindside blockers) are currently attached to a deal averaging $20MM or more per year, and Cross will no doubt look to join that group on his second NFL contract.

It will be interesting to see when serious talks on a long-term pact begin in this case (it should be noted Cross now has an agent for the first time in his career). Regardless, his preference would be a long-term stay in Seattle rather than a foray into free agency following the 2026 campaign.

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