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Ravens Gave Rashod Bateman Permission To Seek Trade; Packers, Patriots Showed Interest

June 7th, 2025 at 10:19pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

When the Cowboys traded for George Pickens in May, it was revealed that they also looked into a deal for Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman.

Apparently, Dallas wasn’t Bateman’s only suitor this offseason; according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, he drew interest from multiple teams before agreeing to terms earlier this week to stay in Baltimore through the 2029 season.

After a breakout 2024 with career-highs in yards (756) and touchdowns (nine) that both ranked second on the Ravens, Bateman wanted a raise on the inexpensive extension he signed last offseason. With two years and $10.25MM remaining on that deal, the Ravens had all the leverage and refused to meet Bateman’s initial asking price. But, as they have done in the past, the team allowed Bateman explore the trade market to assess his value.

In addition to the Cowboys, the Packers and the Patriots expressed interest, which likely helped to clarify Bateman’s market and bring the Ravens back to the negotiating table. Rather than pursue a trade, they opted to pay Bateman themselves, adding three years and $36.75MM to his current contract for an average of $9.5MM over the next five years.

Green Bay’s interest is certainly notable given the number of affordable regulars on its roster at the receiver position. The Packers later turned to the draft to address the position, using first- and third-round picks to load up. Aggressively searching for wideout help over the past two offseasons, the Patriots ended up with Stefon Diggs this year. Diggs, however, will turn 32 before season’s end. Bateman, 26 in November, would have provided a much younger weapon on the rise. Despite Bateman’s inconsistency — to the point his belated emergence brought a No. 2 wideout role — the former first-rounder clearly still has admirers around the league. The Cowboys later turned to Pickens, who has outproduced Bateman to this point in their respective careers.

At barely $12MM per year, it’s easy to see why the Ravens preferred to keep Bateman rather than move him for draft capital. Baltimore has struggled to draft and develop wide receivers in the Lamar Jackson era – something Bateman alluded to during a Thursday press conference – so it wouldn’t make sense to move on after finally finding some success at the position.

Bateman’s willingness to ask for a raise just one year into a new contract should signal to the Ravens that this situation could repeat itself in future offseasons if his production continues to trend upwards. However, he is now under contract for the next five seasons, which will make it hard to get back to the negotiating table anytime soon.

Aaron Rodgers’ ‘$10MM’ Offer Exclusive To Rams?

June 7th, 2025 at 10:09pm CST by Ely Allen

Back in April, when veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers was still mulling his options with several teams, we saw a number of reports quoting that Rodgers had said he’d be willing to play for $10MM on a one-year contract in 2025. While the Steelers are still getting a pretty good bargain on the reported numbers we saw this afternoon (one-year, $13.5MM with $10MM guaranteed and $6MM in incentives), it’s still more than the $10MM number that was so often quoted.

An easy way to reconcile this could simply be to say that Pittsburgh wanted to honor his commitment to play on a lower-end, try-out deal while adding a little incentive to ensure he found his way to the Steel City. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer has a different theory.

In a post on X, shortly following the announcement of details on Rodgers’ new contract, Breer wrote, “For what it’s worth, I’d heard the $10 million number, at the time, was sort of exclusive to the Rams. As in, an example of how badly he wanted to go there in March.”

As the Rams were allowing their Super Bowl-winning passer Matthew Stafford to talk to other teams and gauge his market, a link seemingly emerged between the team and Rodgers. A northern California native and Cal alumnus, Rodgers has always been drawn to the potential of returning to his home state. A report in late February delivered rumors that Rodgers had the Rams in his cross hairs, and that he intended to, once again, take long-time teammate Davante Adams with him.

This rumor held a lot of weight at the time, considering that the wide receiver had already expressed interest in returning to the west coast earlier that month, specifically calling out the Rams and Chargers in the process. Ultimately, Adams did end up signing with the Rams, but at that point, the team had already agreed to secure Stafford for another season.

So, according to Breer, Rodgers’ quote may have been taken a bit out of context. While it may have just been a way to express how badly he would’ve loved to play alongside Adams in their home state, Rodgers still accepted a frugal, team-friendly deal in Pittsburgh on similar terms.

Texans S C.J. Gardner-Johnson Addresses Eagles Departure

June 7th, 2025 at 9:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

2025 will mark the fourth different team C.J. Gardner-Johnson plays for in his seventh NFL season. The journeyman safety delivered another productive campaign during his second Eagles stint, one which would up lasting only one year.

Despite posting six interceptions and 12 pass deflections en route to helping Philadelphia win the Super Bowl, Gardner-Johnson was traded in March. The Texans acquired him in a deal which saw guard Kenyon Green head the other way with a swap of Day 3 picks also taking place. Finances have been cited on multiple occasions as the key reason why Philadelphia moved forward with the trade.

General manager Howie Roseman noted how several players set to return from the 2024 team are attached to big-ticket contracts. The likes of running back Saquon Barkley and linebacker Zack Baun landed raises this offseason, and their new financial situations will obviously have salary cap implications. Roseman added that creating room for looming extensions which will keep recent draft picks in place was a factor in the decision to move on from Gardner-Johnson.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, meanwhile, recently noted the trade was a “salary cap thing” which he supported. Gardner-Johnson took to social media to offer a rebuke in that case. The 27-year-old has also taken issue with Roseman’s comments on the subject.

“It wasn’t about money,” Gardner-Johnson said (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson). “If it was about money, everybody would have been gone. How can I say this? Saquon deserved it. Zack deserved it, but the reasons behind it, the fans don’t deserve the reason. It’s deeper than that.”

Gardner-Johnson is owed $8.5MM in 2025 and another $10.5MM the following year; especially considering his scheduled cap hit for the coming season ($4.91MM), keeping the former fourth-rounder in place for at least one more year would likely not have been challenging for the Eagles. Reed Blankenship will remain a safety starter in 2025, with Sydney Brown and second-round rookie Andrew Mukuba set to compete for a first-team role alongside him during training camp.

In Houston, Gardner-Johnson will be counted on to remain productive against the pass. His 18 career interceptions put him in a tie for eighth in the league since he entered the NFL. Expectations will be high once again for the Texans’ and Eagles’ defenses in 2025, and it will be interesting to see how Gardner-Johnson performs on his latest team and how Philadelphia fares in replacing him.

Lingering Knee Injury Drove LT Terron Armstead’s Retirement

June 7th, 2025 at 8:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

Retirement was known to be a distinct possibility in Terron Armstead‘s case this offseason well before it became official he will no longer play in the NFL. The 12-year veteran addressed his injury issues and their role in his playing days coming to an end.

Armstead was consistently one of the league’s top blindside protectors when healthy during his time with the Saints (2013-21) and Dolphins (2022-24). Remaining available proved to be a problem on both teams, however, as he played 10 or fewer games six times in his career. In particular, a knee ailment suffered in 2015 led to lingering problems through the remainder of Armstead’s tenure.

“I’ve been dealing with a knee since my third year in the league,” the 33-year-old said during an appearance on The Nightcap Show (video link). “I didn’t see a practice field at all, and not because I didn’t want to or the Dolphins just wanted me to rest. It’s like I literally couldn’t walk. After a game on Sunday, I wouldn’t be able to walk on my own, under my own power, until Wednesday, Thursday.

“So I was only able to play under the pain meds. I couldn’t put any pressure on my knee, so it was like, I can’t keep doing that to myself.”

Considering Armstead managed to collect five Pro Bowl nods between 2018 and 2023, he was certainly able to maintain a high level of play well after suffering the initial injury. His inability to recover in full makes his decision to hang up his cleats an understandable one, however. The former third-rounder amassed over $115MM in earnings during his NFL tenure.

The Saints’ decision to allow Armstead to depart in free agency in 2022 created a notable vacancy at the left tackle spot. First-round picks have since been used on Trevor Penning (who will shift to guard in 2025) and Taliese Fuaga (who will move to right tackle after operating on the blindside last season). No. 9 pick Kelvin Banks is in position to start at left tackle as a rookie with New Orleans still attempting to find a long-term Armstead replacement.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, will rely on Patrick Paul to handle blindside duties in 2025. Selected in the second round of last year’s draft, Paul made three starts during his rookie season. A strong showing this year would set him up to provide Miami with a left tackle starter for years to come.

Armstead’s plans for his post-playing future are unclear at this point. Needless to say, though, he will aim to move past the issues related to his knee which proved to be prevalent through much of his career.

Giants’ Paulson Adebo Signing Stemmed From Optimistic Recovery Outlook

June 7th, 2025 at 6:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

The most lucrative free agent addition for the Giants this offseason was their deal for cornerback Paulson Adebo. The former Saints starter will be counted on to operate as a key member of his new team’s secondary, having inked a three-year, $54MM pact on the open market.

The broken leg Adebo suffered midway through the 2024 campaign threatened to hurt his market. Instead, the 25-year-old landed $34.75MM guaranteed at signing by joining the Giants. A large factor in Adebo’s decision to head to New York was the team’s belief in his ability to heal faster than other suitors.

“The Giants were ahead of other teams in that regard,” agent Ryan Tollner told Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com. “They were confident from the get-go.”

Shortly after signing, Adebo said he hoped to be able to return to action in time for OTAs. Other suitors believed an absence closer to one year in length would be in store, but as Novozinsky notes he has indeed been a participant in practices this spring. Provided the former third-rounder can remain healthy through the summer, he will face high expectations for his debut Giants campaign.

Adebo was a full-time starter during each of his four seasons in New Orleans. He totaled 10 interceptions and 43 pass deflections over that span, reaching double-digits in the latter category for each of the past two years. The Stanford product will handle first-team duties on a Giants secondary which also added safety Jevon Holland this spring as the team looks to duplicate its top-10 finish in passing yards allowed from last season.

Given Tollner’s remarks, it is safe to assume a much less lucrative contract would have been in play in this case if not for the Giants’ confidence that Adebo would be fully recovered in time for Week 1. It will be interesting to see if the team’s investment pays off as hoped.

49ers Announce Three Staff Promotions

June 7th, 2025 at 5:59pm CST by Ely Allen

Earlier this week, the 49ers announced the promotion of three members of their staff, according to Jonthan Jones of CBS Sports. In the personnel department, Tariq Ahmad and R.J. Gillen have both been promoted in the shared role of vice president of player personnel, and in analytics, Matt Ploenzke was elevated into the position of vice president of football research and development.

Ahmad joined the team in 2014 as a scouting assistant, after a collegiate career that saw him serve as an offensive graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, Ithaca College, and as director of football recruiting operations at Rutgers, where he earned his master’s degree. A year later, he was promoted to area scout, holding the role for five seasons before earning another promotion to assistant director of college scouting in 2020. Ahmad would only spend a year in that role, as well, before being named director and serving in that role for three years.

Where Ahmad’s experience is solidly in scouting, Gillen has experience in scouting, law, and technology. Following time as a walk-on athlete at LSU, where he was a part of the 2007 BCS National Championship team, Gillen earned his law degree from Marquette; he’s still a member of the bar in Texas and Wisconsin. His uniquely diverse background helps him in regard to personnel evaluation, roster management, and contract negotiation. Gillen even interned at the Shapiro Negotiations Institute where he assisted in consulting and coaching for NBA, NFL, and MLB front offices. He followed that with a front office internship with the San Antonio Spurs before joining the 49ers in 2015.

In San Francisco, Gillen started as a scouting assistant before getting promoted to pro personnel scout. After five years in that role, he was named director of pro personnel, while Ahmad served in the equal role for college scouting. The two shared the title of director of player personnel for a year last season before earning this joint promotion.

Ploenzke holds two bachelor’s degrees in statistics and economics from the University of Minnestoa, Duluth, and a Ph.D. in biostatistics from Harvard. He logged experience working for the Office of Institutional Research at Minnesota, Duluth, and as a head research analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York before turning to football.

After being a part of the winning team in the NFL’s 2020 Big Data Bowl, per Michael Lopez of the NFL’s data & analytics department, Ploenzke joined the 49ers as a football data scientist. He was elevated to manager of football research and development in 2022 and director in 2023. Like Ahmad and Gillen, he, too, now sports the vice president designation for his department.

Former NFL CB Kelvin Joseph Arrested In Fatal Motorcycle Crash

June 7th, 2025 at 5:13pm CST by Ely Allen

It’s fair to say that former NFL cornerback Kelvin Joseph‘s career did not pan out quite as planned. Unfortunately, the downward trend continued this morning when he was involved in a collision with a motorcycle that resulted in the death of the 27-year-old rider, Cody Morris, per Paul Livengood of WFAA.

The collision occurred before 5am this morning. When Richardson police arrived, they pronounced the female motorcyclist dead at the scene, believing that no other vehicles were involved in the fatal accident. Around 5:39am, though, the Plano Police Department reported that Joseph called them to inform them that he’d been involved in a crash. Richardson police reached out to Joseph and were able to determine that it was he who had been involved in the accident.

Officers reportedly observed signs of intoxication when speaking with Joseph, and they made the decision to arrest him and charge him with DWI and collision involving personal injury or death. According to NFL Insider Josina Anderson, Joseph will remain in Richardson jail until he faces a judge tomorrow to hear his charges, enter a plea, and set bail.

Joseph’s future once looked much brighter as a second-round pick out of Kentucky. After playing a year at LSU, Joseph’s freshman year ended under suspension after violating team rules. He made the decision to transfer to Kentucky, and after sitting out for a year (as required by the NCAA at the time), Joseph started nine games, logging four interceptions and a pass defensed for the Wildcats. Two years of tape were enough for the Cowboys, who made Joseph their second draft selection in 2021, sandwiching him between Micah Parsons and Osa Odighizuwa as he dropped to the second round because of character concerns.

A mixture of COVID-19 and a groin injury kept him off the field for a good portion of his rookie season, which he spent most of on special teams before starting two of the final three contests of the year. His sophomore campaign was healthier, but he remained a special teamer, only seeing one start and significant time on defense in only four games.

With the emergence of DaRon Bland in 2023, Dallas traded Joseph to Miami in exchange for another struggling, highly drafted cornerback, Noah Igbinoghene. Joseph played a backup role in only four contests before getting waived by the Dolphins. This would start a string of short-term partnerships in which he would sign to and be released from the Seahawks’ practice squad, sign a reserve/futures deal with the Chiefs but get waived, sign to and get released from the Colts’ practice squad twice, and sign to and get released from the Vikings’ practice squad before ultimately signing a deal with the DC Defenders of the United Football League this February. He’d played in nine of the Defenders’ 10 games this season, and the team is preparing to play in the XFL Conference championship tomorrow in St. Louis.

This wasn’t Joseph’s first run-in with the law. Back in 2022, Joseph was questioned as a person of interest in a murder investigation from a shooting that had occurred in March of that year. As it turned out, Joseph was a passenger in the vehicle from which the fatal gunshots were fired, but he was not the shooter. Joseph was never charged or arrested in connection with that incident, but two men from his hometown were.

While Joseph did the right thing in reporting his involvement in the accident, perhaps saving him from charges of fleeing the scene of an accident, his intoxication and the result of the accident could result in jailtime.

We at Pro Football Rumors extend our thoughts and condolences to Cody Morris and the family and friends who survive her.

NFL Contract Notes: Fatukasi, Jackson, Diggs

June 7th, 2025 at 3:32pm CST by Ely Allen

A month ago, we saw the Texans re-sign defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi to keep him in Houston for the second straight season. After watching the Jaguars terminate his three-year, $30MM deal a year early, Houston added him to the roster last year for only $5.13MM on a one-year contract.

In his second year with the team, Fatukasi has taken a discount to remain a Texan. In 2025, he’ll play on a reduced one-year, $3MM contract, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Wilson adds that the deal includes $1.5MM in guarantees comprised of a $1MM signing bonus and $500K of his base salary (worth $1.5MM in 2025). Fatukaski will represent a $2.82MM hit to Houston’s salary cap. He’ll also have the opportunity to earn an additional $500K over the course of the deal with $29,411 per game active roster bonuses.

Here are a few other interesting contract notes from around the AFC:

  • For the second straight offseason, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been absent from team activities in Baltimore. Mike Florio of NBC Sports notes that the absence will reduce Jackson’s 2025 compensation $750K from $43.5MM to $42.75MM. The reduction is a result of Jackson not fulfilling a clause to participate in 27 of 32 team workouts. Obviously, over the course of a five-year, $260MM deal, one would hardly notice a $1.5MM drop over two years, but he may not be without it for long. As rumors begin to form focusing on a new extension to keep Jackson in line with the constantly inflating market, the $1.5MM bonuses would be an easy throw-in somewhere within the likely $60+MM per year deal.
  • Jackson isn’t alone losing out on money this offseason. Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs and Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs each decided to surrender their bonuses in order to work out together in Miami this summer, per Ben Volin of The Boston Globe. Dallas will avoid paying Diggs $500K due to the absence. Volin posits that New England likely didn’t expect to see Diggs in workouts this summer, noting that, if they had wanted to see him there, they could have offered him more than the $200K he’s now missing out on. Following a bit of controversy in Miami, he’s now present in New England and should be at mandatory minicamp this week.

Xavier Worthy Could Take Over As Chiefs’ PR

June 7th, 2025 at 1:10pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

2024 first-rounder Xavier Worthy established himself as a dynamic offensive playmaker as a rookie, and the Chiefs are hoping he can translate that into success on special teams this season.

“He’s the best punt returner nobody knows about right now in the league,” said special teams coordinator Dave Toub (via Ed Easton Jr. of Chiefs Wire).

Kansas City originally planned for Worthy to be their primary punt returner last season before Rashee Rice‘s injury pressed the rookie into a full-time role on offense. Worthy dazzled with 742 yards and nine touchdowns on 79 touches during the regular season before pacing the league in the playoffs with 19 receptions for 287 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the year without a single snap on special teams, though he had experience returning punts in college. The former Texas Longhorn led the SEC with 22 returns, 371 yards, and 16.9 yards per return in 2023.

Toub is expecting a “great battle” for the Chiefs’ punt returning job this summer. Other contenders include 2024 UDFA wide receiver Nikko Remigio, who took over the role after Mecole Hardman landed on injured reserve in December, and rookie running back Brashard Smith, who only returned five punts in college but has a strong history as a kick returner.

“Remigio continues to get better, and he will be a hard guy to beat out,” said Toub, who praised the second-year wideout’s “ball reads” and “catching ability.” Remigio returned 14 punts for 161 yards as a rookie across the Chiefs’ final eight games of the year (including the postseason).

Toub also mentioned Smith’s “top-end speed” as a reason for his candidacy. The 22-year old ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the Combine after racked up 1,295 kick return yards in his four college seasons, including an ACC-high 579 yards and 29.0 YPR while at Miami in 2023.

WR Chris Conley Announces Retirement

June 7th, 2025 at 11:10am CST by Nikhil Mehta

After a decade in the NFL, wide receiver Chris Conley is retiring to pursue a post-playing career as a filmmaker, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

“When I was a kid I wrote down a set of goals,” wrote Conley on Instagram (via KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson). “On that list was ‘Play 10 years in the NFL.’ Now that this goal has been accomplished it’s time to set sights on something new.”

Conley’s “something new” is film school at his alma mater, the University of Georgia, where he was a student filmmaker in addition to his pursuit of a journalism degree and his football career, per his LinkedIn profile. His YouTube page features multiple short films, including a “Star Wars” fan film entitled “Retribution.” Conley also worked as a stuntman during his time in the NFL, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The 32-year-old played for five different teams in his career, most recently the 49ers in 2023 and 2024. Originally a 2015 third-round pick out of Georgia, Conley started 34 games for the Chiefs on his rookie contract before signing with the Jaguars in 2019. He posted career-highs of 47 catches and 775 yards during his first year in Jacksonville, but took a clear step back in 2020.

Conley signed with the Texans in 2021 and posted 22 catches for 232 yards in 16 appearances (10 starts). In the three years since, he’s only made 13 catches for 191 yards across 32 games for the Texans, Titans, and 49ers. He retires with 226 receptions for 2,998 yards and 15 touchdowns across 132 games played and 65 starts. Conley’s career earnings fell just shy of $16MM across his 10 years as a pro.

“The past 10 years have been a dream,” continued Conley’s retirement announcement. “Getting the opportunity to play in the league was an honor and whether it was catching touchdowns or blocking for them I truly gave it my all.”

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