Giants Add 2025 Incentives To DT Dexter Lawrence’s Contract
In terms of average annual value, Dexter Lawrence‘s contract currently ranks 10th amongst defensive tackles. The Giants Pro Bowler is on the books for another three years, meaning an extension at this point would not entirely be feasible. 
Nevertheless, Lawrence could see an uptick in earnings for the coming campaign. The Giants have added $3MM in incentives for 2025, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Lawrence was already set to earn $17MM this season, but his compensation could increase as a result of this move.
The 2023 offseason saw a new group of high-profile defensive tackles sign nearly identical extensions with their respective teams. Lawrence was among them, and his pact averages $22.5MM annually. No incentives were originally included in the deal, but with that now the case for at least one year this situation could be set up for extension negotiations in 2026. Indeed, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan predicts “more serious” contract talks will likely take place next offseason.
Lawrence earned the first of three consecutive Pro Bowl nod in 2022, and he also landed a spot on the second All-Pro team. The same was true the following year as the Clemson product remained a standout contributor along the Giants’ defensive line. Despite missing five games in 2024, Lawrence set a new career high with nine sacks, something which would have helped his position in contract talks. Instead of an early attempt to move up the pecking order at his position, the 27-year-old will focus on hitting theses new incentives.
As a whole, the Giants will look to take a needed step forward across the board. The upcoming make-or-break season for head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen will no doubt be impacted by the play of New York’s defense. The team’s defensive front in particular will be a unit to watch in 2025, and Lawrence will be counted on to once again lead the way. If he manages to put together another productive campaign, a short-term boost in earnings will be seen along with increased leverage for any extension negotiations which take place.
TE Noah Fant Visiting Bengals; Other Teams Interested
Less than a week after being released by the Seahawks, tight end Noah Fant is already receiving interest from multiple teams, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.
Fant is visiting Cincinnati today, per Schultz, giving the Bengals the first crack at signing the former first-rounder.
Originally selected with the No. 20 pick in 2019, Fant is considered somewhat of a disappointment relative to his draft billing. He has still been a solid receiving tight end across his six-year career, but his blocking has left much to be desired. He ranked eighth among tight ends with 1,905 receiving yards over his first three seasons before he was sent to the Seahawks as part of the Russell Wilson trade in 2022. In his three years in Seattle, Fant fell to 21st among tight ends with just 1,400 receiving yards.
The Bengals, meanwhile, finally found a productive tight end last year in Mike Gesicki, who caught 65 passes for 665 yards. (Prior to that, no Bengals tight end had reached 55 receptions or 500 receiving yards in a season in the Joe Burrow era.) Gesicki was retained this offseason on a three-year, $25.5MM deal, solidifying him as the team’s starter, certainly for 2025 and likely for 2026 as well. 2019 second-rounder Drew Sample only has one season above 200 receiving yards, but he actually led the Bengals’ tight end room in 2024 with 655 starts (57.61% snap share) to Gesicki’s 523 (46% snap share). 2024 fourth-rounder Erick All is out for the year with a torn ACL, so the TE3 role currently belongs to Tanner Hudson, a reliable, inexpensive player who offers little upside.
Fant certainly offers more receiving prowess than Hudson, but it’s hard to imagine him eating into Gesicki’s role as a receiver, often in the slot, or Sample’s as an inline blocker. The Bengals will likely need to sell Fant on an appealing role (and/or contract) to get him to agree to terms before leaving Cincinnati. With other interested teams, however, Fant may look for a more clear-cut TE2 role elsewhere.
Titans Signing OLB Jihad Ward
July 24: The Titans waived defensive tackle Keondre Coburn in a corresponding move, according to Paul Kuharsky. Head coach Brian Callahan indicated (via Main Street Media’s Terry McCormick) that he wants to give the team’s younger defensive linemen more reps in training camp.
July 23: A day after watching their free agent pass rushing addition Lorenzo Carter announce his retirement, the Titans have moved on a body to replace him. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, Tennessee is signing veteran outside linebacker Jihad Ward.
The Titans had been hoping that Carter’s veteran starting experience would help improve a defensive unit that tied for third-worst in the NFL in team sacks in 2024 with only 32. Losing leading sack-getter Harold Landry this offseason — they released him when they were unable to find a suitable trade partner for him — didn’t help much in that regard, and Carter bowing out before training camp even started made the team’s job of improving that much more difficult.
Ward’s never exactly been a world-beater, but his recent production is not all that far off from Carter’s. Both are on the larger size for defensive ends, as well, so Ward is a curiously fitting replacement for Carter coming in. Where Ward brings a bit more potential, though, is his ability to learn new systems. Whereas Carter had only played for two teams before signing with Tennessee, the Titans will be Ward’s eighth franchise, and he’ll just need a stint in Houston now to check the entire AFC South off his list.
A second-round pick in 2016, Ward never quite lived up to his draft stock. The 13 games he started in his rookie campaign were the most in any season of his career, and they didn’t result in a single sack. After a left foot injury held him out of 10 contests in his second season, the Raiders traded Ward to Dallas, but the team waived him in final roster cuts. He landed on the Colts’ practice squad but was signed to the active roster a little over a week later. In six games of play, Ward recorded three sacks, but an ankle injury ended his season early once again. Indianapolis re-signed him based on the potential he showed but ended up releasing him four games into the following season.
Over the next three seasons, Ward spent time coming off the bench for the Ravens and Jaguars, but in 2022, Ward signed with the Giants and earned a starting role on the defense. In two seasons with New York, Ward started 20 of 34 contests recording eight sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 22 quarterback hits. He spent last season with the Vikings. Ward only made two starts while appearing in every game, and though he only recorded one sack, he was constantly getting to the passer with a career-high 14 quarterback hits.
The starters for Tennessee will still be Arden Key and Dre’Mont Jones, and the team will still mainly be relying on Key, Jones, and Jeffery Simmons for their sack numbers, but Ward acts as a decent depth piece to a defense that needs it. At worst, he’s a pretty perfect plug and play in lieu of Carter.
Jerry Jones: No Real Consideration Given To Stepping Down As GM
The Commanders’ surprising journey to last season’s NFC championship game left the Cowboys with the longest-running drought in the conference. Dallas has famously failed to reach the conference title round since its Super Bowl XXX victory nearly 30 years ago.
Only the Browns have the Cowboys beat here entering the season; the Texans have never reached an AFC title game, but they have only been in existence since 2002. In a scenario in which the Cowboys held a traditional power structure, there is next to no chance the same GM would be calling the shots from the mid-Troy Aikman period to now. The numerous playoff disappointments, even as a host of first-round gems have ascended to All-Pro status over the past 15 years, would have undoubtedly prompted Jerry Jones to make a change. Fortunately for Jones, he is the GM as well.
Jones will turn 83 in October, and while the iconic owner is in the Hall of Fame for his work in that area, his work in the front office draws annual scrutiny. Micah Parsons is now applying it from the inside, criticizing Jones for yet another delay in a high-profile contract negotiation. The Cowboys would assuredly be better off if a traditional exec were in place as GM under Jones, but the longtime owner remains against such a change.
When asked if he has considered removing himself as GM, Jones responded, “Uh… yes. Momentarily. Small fractions of seconds, I promise you that.” Jones named himself GM upon buying the team in 1989. He promptly fired Tom Landry, while Hall of Fame GM Tex Schramm moved on not long after. Jimmy Johnson then steered one of the great rebuilds in NFL history. Since the Jones-Johnson divorce (1994) centered around credit for that rebuild, a Jones-centric Cowboys operation has lost ground in the NFL hierarchy.
“I don’t apologize at all for the fact that I’ve got the passion to be in the spot I’m in or I have the background or I have the qualifications,” Jones said, via Fox4News.com. “I don’t apologize about that at all to my mirror.”
While Jerry Jones delegates considerable draft responsibilities to VP of player personnel Will McClay, his son Stephen serves as the Cowboys’ executive VP. McClay has led the way in providing the Cowboys with Parsons, Tyler Smith, CeeDee Lamb, Zack Martin, Travis Frederick and Tyron Smith. He has also turned down GM interest, highlighting his central role in the Cowboys’ front office. Jones gave McClay an extension this offseason.
Even as McClay has remained a constant, Jones has run into rampant criticism regarding roster management and his handling of head coaching situations. Jones kept Jason Garrett in place for nine-plus seasons as HC; of the 10 seasons he finished, Garrett produced three playoff berths. Jones then fired him days into the 2020 offseason, before conducting a narrow search that brought in Mike McCarthy. That sequence repeated this offseason, with the Cowboys waiting several days to separate from the five-year HC. They then promoted Brian Schottenheimer, who had not conducted a head coaching interview anywhere else since PFR’s 2014 launch.
Schottenheimer will be the latest HC to operate in a Jones-centric workspace. The Cowboys have posted 12-win seasons in each of the previous three slates Dak Prescott has finished, but two of those seasons ended with home playoff losses. Although the Bengals also have their owner (Mike Brown) in a GM role, Duke Tobin operates as a de facto GM for the AFC North club. Jones also has tenure on Brown, being the longest-serving active GM. Among non-owners, Mickey Loomis (hired in 2002) is the closest to the two owner/GM figures.
Texans’ Tank Dell Expected To Miss Season
Texans wide receiver Tank Dell is likely to miss the entire 2025 season as he continues his recovery from last year’s brutal knee injury, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.
Dell dislocated his knee and tore his ACL, MCL, and LCL in a Week 16 loss to the Chiefs. With such a severe injury, Houston’s focus is on Dell’s health and long-term career outlook. The team wants him to get healthy rather than rushing back to play this year.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said (via Wilson) that Dell is “crushing the rehab,” but declined to offer a specific timeline. His comments hinted that the team is not counting on Dell to return this season.
Injuries were always the biggest concern surrounding Dell. His 5-foot-7, 165-pound frame was already undersized by college standards; in the NFL, it’s minuscule. Sitting out this season will set up a major contract year in 2026. Dell will need to prove that he is back at full health and can remain there for an entire season while maintaining his production.
Dell was placed on the active/PUP list, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, along with teammates Trent Brown and Jimmie Ward.
Brown has been medically cleared to return to the field after missing most of the 2024 season due to a torn patellar tendon. Though he has recovered from surgery, the Texans are still expected to ease him into action in training camp, per Wilson.
Ward, however, is not medically cleared as he recovers from offseason foot surgery. He was sidelined throughout the spring, but has recently “resumed running and is making good progress,” according to Wilson. He is also facing a third-degree felony charge for domestic violence with an August 13 court date. The NFL is monitoring the case to prepare for potential discipline, though the league typically waits until legal matters have concluded before issuing a punishment.
Cardinals’ Rookie DT Walter Nolen Likely Out For Remainder Of Camp
The Cardinals have officially opened training camp and already the team is getting bad news on the injury front. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, rookie first-round defensive tackle Walter Nolen suffered a calf injury that will knock him out for most, if not all, of training camp. 
There are a few key points to this situation that make details very important. Rapoport reports that the injury occurred at the team facility, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter clarifies that Nolen was injured while getting ready for training camp, meaning he wasn’t participating in a team workout. Because of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, there are strict limitations on number of practice and rest days, daily time limits, and when practices can include equipment and contact.
The injury happening at the facility, with training camp having commenced, would in most cases be a clear-as-day football situation that would land Nolen on the active/physically unable to perform list. Schefter’s clarification, though, specifies that Nolen was reportedly training on his own in preparation for the start of camp. We’ve seen situations in the past where teams have argued about what constitutes a football activity, and with Nolen working out on his own, there’s a chance he may have been placed on the active/non-football injury list, on which he would not be entitled to receive his salary.
Instead, Nolen lands on the active/PUP list, per Rapoport, along with outside linebacker BJ Ojulari and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols. Ojulari is apparently still working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered a couple weeks into last year’s training camp, costing him the entire 2024 season. Nichols, at least, got to the regular season before suffering a season-ending stinger in mid-October.
Any of the three players will be able to come off the list by passing a physical. Nolen’s timetable for return, though, runs right up to the start of the regular season. He may be able to get better in time to play in Week 1, but most, if not all, of his rookie training camp will be spent recovering instead of getting adjusted to play at the NFL level. It’s an unfortunate development that may mean he has to ease his way into his rookie campaign, but it’s good news that there’s a chance he may not miss any games.
Cardinals Sign Second-Round CB Will Johnson, Complete Rookie Deals
JULY 23: Howard Balzer of Cards Wire reports that Johnson’s rookie deal is worth $9.41MM over four years. Johnson ended up getting $7.66MM of that money guaranteed, including his $3.48MM signing bonus. The rest of the guarantees come from his first three years’ full base salaries of $840K, $1.27MM, and $1.7MM, as well as 17.55 percent of his Year 4 base salary of $2.12MM, which amounts to $372.64K.
JULY 22: no surprise, Will Johnson is on the books in time for the start of the Cardinals’ training camp. The second-round corner signed his rookie deal Tuesday, per a team announcement. 
Last night, ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss reported an agreement was expected in this case. Rookies do not have the option of signing an injury waiver for training camp (unlike rookie minicamp, OTAs and mandatory minicamp). As a result, recent days have seen a flood of second-round picks sign their deals to be available for summer practices.
Johnson’s deal means that Browns running back Quinshon Judkins – whose attention is currently focused on a domestic violence arrest – and Bengals first-rounder Shemar Stewart – who remains engaged in a standoff over language in his pact – are the only rookies yet to sign in 2025. This offseason has been marked by a dramatic uptick in guaranteed compensation for the latter parts of rookie deals in the case of second-round picks. As the No. 47 pick in April’s draft, Johnson is in line to benefit from that development.
Over the course of his three years at Michigan, Johnson established himself as a pivotal figure in the team’s secondary. He played a key role in the Wolverines’ national title in 2023 and entered last season as a strong candidate to hear his name called on Day 1. Injuries limited Johnson to six games in 2024, however, and a knee ailment served as a deterrent for certain teams during the pre-draft process. Questions linger over Johnson’s ability to serve as a regular contributor on defense beyond his rookie contract.
If he can manage that, the All-American will prove to be a highly valuable draft investment on Arizona’s part. The Cardinals will be without Sean Murphy-Bunting for the entire season due to knee surgery, and their secondary will be missing a veteran as a result. Johnson will spend training camp looking to carve out a role amongst the remaining cornerback options, a list which includes other recent draftees in the form of Garrett Williams, Elijah Jones and Max Melton as well as fellow rookie Denzel Burke.
With Johnson signed, here is a final look at the Cardinals’ draft class:
- Round 1, No. 16: Walter Nolen (DT, Ole Miss) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 47: Will Johnson (CB, Michigan) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 78: Jordan Burch (OLB, Oregon) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 115: Cody Simon (LB, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 5, 174 (from Cowboys)*: Denzel Burke (CB, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 211 (from Cowboys)*: Hayden Conner (G, Texas) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 225 (from Jets through Chiefs): Kitan Crawford (S, Nevada) (signed)
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/25
With several training camps underway, here are today’s minor NFL transactions:
Baltimore Ravend
- Placed on active/NFI list: LB Jake Hummel
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on active/NFI list: WR Laviska Shenault
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Tre Swilling
- Waived: QB Ethan Garbers
Chicago Bears
- Released: S Tarvarius Moore
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed off waivers (from Eagles): DE K.J. Henry
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from active/PUP list: CB Micah Robinson, LB Quay Walker
Houston Texans
- Placed on active/PUP list: DE Denico Autry, DE Derek Barnett, C Eli Cox, DT Foley Fatukasi, DT Kurt Hinish, LB K.C. Ossai, RB Dameon Pierce, RB J.J. Taylor
- Placed on active/NFI list: CB Alijah Huzzie, RB Joe Mixon
- Waived: CB Keydrain Calligan
Los Angeles Chargers
- Reverted to reserve/PUP list: T Savion Washington
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on active/PUP list: WR Tru Edwards, TE Mark Redman
New England Patriots
- Activated from active/PUP list: LB Jahlani Tavai
- Activated from active/NFI list: CB Carlton Davis, WR Jeremiah Webb
New York Giants
- Reverted to reserve/PUP list: S Anthony Johnson
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Samuel Jackson
- Activated from active/NFI list: LB Aaron Smith
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Joe Evans
- Placed on active/PUP list: LB Nakobe Dean
- Waived (with injury designation): OL Marcus Tate
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on active/NFI list: DT Johnathan Hankins
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Timmy Horne, RB Jermar Jefferson
- Place on IR: QB Will Levis (story)
- Placed on reserve/retired list: OLB Lorenzo Carter (story)
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR Tay Martin
- Placed on active/PUP list: G Sam Cosmi (story)
- Placed on reserve/did not report list: WR Terry McLaurin (story)
Houston fans may be discouraged to see a few big names on injured lists, but all is not lost. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that Mixon’s “medical outlook is positive” as the team plans to gradually increase his activity throughout camp. Likewise, Autry is expected to ease his way back into camp workouts, as well. Pierce, on the other hand, is expected to be ready to come off the list at the start of camp.
Per ESPN’s John Keim, Cosmi likely won’t see much time on the field in camp, but he appears to be hitting all the mile markers en route to being healthy for the start of the regular season. With McLaurin officially beginning his holdout yesterday, the team has made the corresponding roster move. McLaurin will rack up fines of $50K per each day missed, but if the team can come to terms on an extension, they can make sure those fines are nullified.
Keenan Allen Drawing Free Agency Interest
Two of this era’s most accomplished wide receivers remain unattached as training camps begin. Amari Cooper and Keenan Allen have spent more than four months apiece in free agency.
Allen is two years older than Cooper, going into an age-33 season — should he choose to keep going — but teams remain interested in the polished route runner. Multiple teams have shown interest in Allen in recent weeks, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. This offering makes it sound like Allen does intend to play, as Schultz notes Allen is believed to have waited until camp to assess teams’ receiving situations.
An injury could shake up a team’s setup, but underperformance early in camp could as well. A number of teams could benefit from Allen, who is two years removed from averaging a career-high 95.6 receiving yards per game. Even on a disjointed Bears offense that featured two play-callers (and two Thomas Brown promotions), Allen churned out 744 yards and seven touchdown grabs in 15 games. The former Charger dynamo makes sense as a complementary option.
That said, Allen indicated early this year he would not want to play a 13th season in most of the NFL’s locales. He listed a Bears signing or a Los Angeles return as optimal, pointing to retirement if such a fit did not materialize. The Rams signed Davante Adams weeks after Allen’s comments, and they have the recently re-signed Tutu Atwell in place as a No. 3 option. The Bears drafted Luther Burden to pair with D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze, effectively finding a cheaper option after trading for Allen last March.
Jim Harbaugh did not close the door on circling back to Allen, though the second-year Chargers HC did not sound overly eager on that front. But the recently re-signed Mike Williams has since retired, opening a spot for a Ladd McConkey supplementary target. Allen regularly operated in the slot in Los Angeles and San Diego, though, potentially providing a complication due to McConkey’s skillset. Allen also did not leave L.A. on great terms, as the Bolts offered to keep him at a reduced rate before the trade.
A year later, he would not command close to the $20MM per year he was earning. The Chargers also drafted two receivers (Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith) following Harbaugh’s Allen comment. Quentin Johnston also lingers as an option, but the Bolts struggled to find non-McConkey aerial answers last season.
Allen would enter a 13th season having posted six 1,000-yard slates en route to six Pro Bowls. The Broncos came up as a potentially interested party in April, but they used a third-round pick on Pat Bryant. Allen would stand to give the team a refined Courtland Sutton sidekick, however; Marvin Mims‘ gadget presence notwithstanding, the team may lack such a piece presently. As it stands, though, Allen is unsigned. It will be interesting to see if he has expanded his list of acceptable destinations, seeing as the Chicago and L.A. routes may not materialize.
WR Notes: Godwin, Rice, Hill, 49ers
Chris Godwin missed the final 11 games of the Buccaneers‘ season, counting their wild-card loss, but still commanded a high-end free agency deal. Given a three-year contract worth $66MM, Godwin turned down at least one more lucrative offer (from the Patriots) to stay in Tampa. But his return from a dislocated ankle will not commence in earnest for a bit. Tampa Bay placed Godwin on its active/PUP list to open training camp, doing so after the veteran wide receiver did not participate in any OTAs or minicamp work. Godwin needed a second procedure on his ankle, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine.
While Laine classifies this operation as minor, Godwin’s status bears monitoring. Todd Bowles did not confirm the wideout would be available for the Bucs’ opener, saying he was hopeful the longtime Mike Evans sidekick would be ready. The Bucs are loaded at receiver, drafting Emeka Egbuka in Round 1 following 2024 third-rounder Jalen McMillan‘s eight-touchdown rookie season, but this will be a storyline to follow during training camp. Tristan Wirfs is already expected to miss early-season time because of arthroscopic knee surgery. Godwin’s second surgery costing him regular-season time would be a tough break for the four-time reigning NFC South champs, but they have been patient with the former third-round pick’s injuries before. Though, Godwin did make it back by Week 1 of the 2022 season despite suffering a ACL and MCL tears in December 2021.
Here is the latest news around the 32 receiver situations:
- Rashee Rice received a 30-day jail sentence stemming from his involvement in a hit-and-run sequence, but the embattled Chiefs wideout may not end up serving any time due to deferred adjudication. Completing the probationary process would allow Rice to avoid the prison stint. Rice is also practicing fully with the Chiefs to open training camp (via The Athletic’s Jenna West), avoiding the active/PUP list after missing most of last season with an LCL tear. With a Rice legal resolution emerging, a suspension should be expected in 2025. The 30-day sentence aside, the Chiefs do not have to act here. The organization has dealt with many high-profile instances involving off-field trouble, including a few at receiver, over the past several years. No team-imposed ban should be expected, as an expected NFL suspension will cover the discipline.
- One of the previous players embroiled in off-field controversies in Kansas City, Tyreek Hill is now in Year 4 in Miami. Like Rice, the Dolphins talent is full go at training camp, NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe tweets. Hill, who underwent wrist surgery this offseason, avoided a PUP placement and will work toward recapturing his Hall of Fame-level form of 2022 and ’23. He is coming off a down 2024, a season that featured him battle ailments in both wrists. A training camp return has been expected, and the 10th-year vet is on schedule. Hill was a partial offseason participant, but camp represents his first chance to catch passes since the offseason surgery.
- Before signing Equanimeous St. Brown, the 49ers auditioned veteran kick returner Brandon Powell, Wilson adds. The 5-foot-8 performer operated as the Rams and Vikings’ primary kick returners in recent years. He has been a regular kick returner throughout the 2020s. Powell spent the past two seasons with the Vikings, following Kevin O’Connell to Minnesota. He worked as the Vikes’ primary kick returner in that span.