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.
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.
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.
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 Hardmanlanded 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.
“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.”
Well into the 2025 offseason, the Trey Hendricksonsituation remains far from resolved. A trade sending the reigning NFL sack leader away from the Bengals is not expected by those around the league, but it remains to be seen if an extension agreement will be worked out.
Hendrickson’s efforts to land a lucrative new pact last spring were unsuccessful, and his trade request did not result in talks with interested teams taking place. This time around, the situation changed with the Bengals allowing the All-Pro to seek a trade. Cincinnati set a high asking price, and multiple offers were turned down as an illustration of the team’s desire to keep him in place for at least one more year.
Talks on a long-term pact have not gone according to plan, and both team and player have gone public with their remarks on the state of negotiations. A holdout is a possibility at this point (as is usually the case in at least a few situations around the league this time of year), and Hendrickson himself said last month talks are on hold. Finances will of course be critical in determining how this situation unfolds.
The top of the edge rush market now sits at $40MM annually. While Hendrickson would be hard-pressed to match the value of Myles Garrett‘s new deal, he could aim for one closer to the $35MM-per-season mark. The likes of Danielle Hunter, Maxx Crosbyand Nick Bosaare each near that figure, and Hendrickson could look to join them. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated writes, however, that the Bengals have yet to offer a deal with an AAV at or around $35MM.
As things stand, Hendrickson is due to collect $16MM in 2025 as a result of the short-term arrangement previously made with the team. The 30-year-old faced the opportunity of playing his way into a much more valuable pact last season, and he certainty did so by posting 17.5 sacks for the second straight season. That total helped earn him a fourth straight Pro Bowl nod and brought his Bengals total to 57 in 63 games. A notable raise is in store, but it remains to be seen how far into a new pact the team will be willing to go with respect to guaranteed compensation.
Quarterback Joe Burrow has maintained his support for a Hendrickson extension this offseason, and Breer predicts a deal will ultimately be worked out. Plenty of work remains in this case, though, and it will be interesting to see if the Bengals up their offer when negotiations pick up and if doing so helps to facilitate an agreement.
The 2025 offseason has seen a number of high-profile receivers change teams via free agency. The likes of Davante Adams, Cooper Kuppand DeAndre Hopkinshave undertaken a change of scenery so far. The same will also soon be true of Keenan Allenand Amari Cooper.
This spring has also provided notable moves at the position via trade, however. A total of four swaps including wideouts have taken place in 2025; in three of those cases, the player included in the deal changed teams for the first time in their career. For all squads involved, the outcome of the trades will be key in determining their success this season and beyond.
March began with the 49ers sending Deebo Samuelto the Commanders. That deal – which yielded a fifth-round pick in return – came when team and player mutually agreed a parting ways was in order. Samuel had previously requested a trade, but his 2022 extension allowed him to remain in San Francisco. The 29-year-old has been unable to duplicate the production from his All-Pro campaign in 2021 when he showcased his receiving and rushing abilities.
Between a downturn in output and the massive extension which was (eventually) worked out with Brandon Aiyuklast offseason, many expected 2024 would be Samuel’s final year in the Bay Area. Shortly after the season ended, it became clear the Commanders were among the teams pursuing the former Pro Bowler. For at least one year (since he is a pending 2026 free agent), Samuel will offer the Commanders a veteran secondary WR option to complement perennial 1,000-yard performer Terry McLaurin.
Samuel saw his base salary for this year guaranteed via a restructure upon arrival in Washington. $3MM in incentives are present as well, adding to his earning potential on a Commanders team looking to replicate its surprising offensive success from 2024. The 49ers, meanwhile, will move forward with Aiyuk. Jauan Jenningsand a number of younger options capable of handling at least a depth receiver role.
Christian Kirkinitially appeared to be a cap casualty for the Jaguars this offseason. Instead of cutting the former Cardinal, however, the team’s new regime traded him inside the division to the Texans. A seventh-round pick in next year’s draft prevented Houston from having to win a bidding war for his services. Just like Samuel, Kirk restructured his contract shortly after being acquired.
The 28-year-old is also a pending free agent, so he too could prove to be a rental. Nico Collinswill remain WR1 for the Texans in 2025, but the loss of Stefon Diggsand the likelihood of Tank Dellmissing considerable time while recovering from multiple knee surgeries will give Kirk a notable role on his new team. Mentioned as a Steelers trade deadline target last fall, the former second-rounder saw his production decline over each of his three Jaguars seasons. Kirk should nevertheless be able to operate as a useful deep threat as the Texans transition to new offensive coordinator Nick Caley.
The skill positions have undergone many changes in Jacksonville this offseason. Kirk’s trade was accompanied by the decision to cut wideout/returner Devin Duvernay, along withGabe Davis. With Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engramalso no longer in the picture, first-year head coach Liam Coen will have a number of new pass catchers in place for 2025. The success of that new group will be a key talking point.
Even before March, D.K. Metcalf’s Seahawks future was uncertain. A desire to land a second extension (putting him near the top of the position’s market) paved the way for a trade request. General manager John Schneiderlater said finances were not at the heart of the decision to pull off a trade, noting the two-time Pro Bowler’s strong desire to move on. Seattle’s asking price originally included a first-round pick, but that was soon lowered.
In the end, a second-round selection (in addition to a swap of Day 3 selections) proved to be sufficient for the Steelers to acquire Metcalf. The trade was immediately followed by a four-year, $132MM extension agreement. As a result of that pact, Metcalf, 27, met his known goal of joining the list of receivers earning at least $30MM per season on average. His AAV of $33MM ranks fourth at the position.
As Seattle moves forward with a receiver group centered on Kupp (who was added on a homecoming deal following his Rams release) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Pittsburgh will rely heavily on Metcalf for 2025 and beyond. Questions loom about Pittsburgh’s 2025 quarterback starter and his upside, but expectations will be high for in Metcalf’s case as a player who has posted no fewer than 900 yards in each of his six NFL seasons.
At first, the Metcalf addition seemed to put the Steelers in place to pair him with George Pickensfor at least one campaign. The latter found himself on the move one month ago, however. Pickens was dealt to the Cowboys in exchange for a third-round pick in next year’s draft (with late-round selections in the 2027 event being exchanged as well).
Pickens – who did not request to be moved – has one year remaining on his rookie contract. The 24-year-old is not aiming to sign a Cowboys extension at this point, so much will depend on his performance with his new team. Of course, this situation will also contain plenty of scrutiny in terms of maturity and locker room fit in Dallas. Issues on those fronts led to an ambivalence among many Steelers with respect to Pickens’ departure.
The Cowboys did not draft a first-round receiver as many thought they would, but adding Pickens will provide the team with a high-potential CeeDee Lambcounterpart. A strong showing from that tandem will help Pickens’ market value on a re-signing or a long-term arrangement with a third team. For Pittsburgh, meanwhile, Metcalf’s supporting cast faces questions (although another pass-catching addition is being explored). The Steelers’ decision to make one lucrative investment at any given time in a receiver is common enough, but the impact of replacing Pickens with Metcalf will be felt in 2025 as well as future years.
Keeping in mind the prices paid in these trades and the other receiver-related moves made by the teams who parted ways with those involved in the swaps, which do you think will work out the best? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and have your say in the comments section below.
The Giants made a pair of short-term quarterback additions during free agency. It came as no surprise, however, when they moved back into the first round to select Jaxson Dart.
The No. 25 pick certainly represents New York’s future under center. The status of head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen will depend in no small part on Dart’s development, but if all goes according to plan that will not include regular season action in 2025. Daboll confirmed after the draft that Russell Wilsonremains on track to handle QB1 duties this season. The 36-year-old echoes that thought.
“It doesn’t change anything at all,” Wilson said of the Dart decision and his preparation for the coming campaign (via the Associated Press through Fox Sports). “I think the biggest thing for me is just being my best every day, leading. I always think about just leading everybody, just leading every room, every moment, every time I get to step between the white lines and the opportunity of that.”
Wilson expressed a desire to remain in Pittsburgh after his single season atop the depth chart. The Steelers showed interest in retaining at least one of he or Justin Fields, but the latter wound up being seen as more of a priority. In the end, both departed on the open market, with Wilson taking a one-year Giants pact. That contract – which came about after team and player showed interest in one another last offseason – has a base value of $10.5MM and includes another $10.5MM in incentives.
As expected given those terms, Wilson said one month before the draft he viewed himself as the Giants’ starter. Jameis Winston(who inked a two-year deal) and Tommy DeVito(who has made a total of eight starts across his two years in the league) were also in place at the time he stated his position. Dart has since joined that group, meaning one of Winston or DeVito could fail to survive roster cuts at the end of the summer.
In any event, Wilson’s level of play with his fourth career team will be critical in determining his outlook and that of the Giants’ regime. A Super Bowl-winning Seahawks tenure was followed by a short-lived run in Denver for Wilson. His one-and-done Steelers campaign produced middling results once the 10-time Pro Bowler was healthy, but stable play in New York could help the team take a step forward compared to last season.
Training camp will of course provide Dart with the opportunity to see game action earlier than planned. Wilson’s stance remains that he will enter the summer atop the depth chart, though, and it will be interesting to see if he will mange to retain that spot.
Though Jackson became the highest-paid player in NFL history only two years ago, so many other quarterbacks have gotten new deals that he currently sits at 10th in the league in average annual value. Jackson and the team anticipated the inflating contract values when they formed his first extension, putting obscene cap hits starting in the third year of his contract to force both parties to return to the table. Jackson’s $43.5MM cap hit in 2025 in the fourth highest in the NFL this year. That cap hit jumps to $74.5MM in 2026 and 2027, giving him the third highest and highest cap hits in those respective years.
A return to the table would benefit both parties as a new contract would likely mean a raise for Jackson and some short-term cap savings for Baltimore. If Jackson once again becomes the highest-paid quarterback (per AAV) in the league, he will become the first player in NFL history to eclipse $60MM per year, and according to Rapoport, head coach John Harbaugh seemed to acknowledge at league meetings that Jackson could certainly be bound for that as of yet uncharted territory.
Rapoport predicts, too, that, paired with Bateman’s extension, the cap relief of a Jackson extension could help the team with another extension that’s likely on the docket for tight end Isaiah Likely.
Here are a few other rumors coming out of Charm City:
After an impressive sophomore campaign that earned him the honor of being the Ravens’ first Pro Bowl wide receiver in franchise history, Zay Flowers second season came to an early end with a knee sprain in the regular season finale. The injury held him out of the team’s two playoff contests but, luckily, didn’t require surgery. According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, Flowers’ knee is already 100 percent. “No limits,” the 24-year-old told the media. As Jackson’s favorite target in 2024, Flowers became just the 10th receiver or tight end in franchise history to catch for 1,000 yards in a single season. Back to full health, he’ll look to become just the second to do so in back-to-back seasons (Derrick Mason did so in three straight years from 2007-09). A big part of that will be Flowers’ ability to reconnect with Jackson, something he began doing as soon as he completed his rehabilitation. Aside from the regular offseason practices in Baltimore, Flowers and Jackson have been working together in private workouts in Florida.
Since getting drafted in the fourth-round of 2022, cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis has had a disappointing start to his career. It seems as if offseason rumors pump him up every summer just for injuries to curtail his success in the fall. In three years, he’s only played in 19 games, and with a deeper cornerbacks group in 2025, his path to playing time has grown even longer. According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, Armour-Davis could find time as a safety. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr is reportedly cross-training the 25-year-old, and he’s seen as one of the smartest defensive backs in the building. If this experiment fails to pay dividends, though, Armour-Davis’ continued struggles to make an impact could result in his getting waived.
After a torn ACL ended an impressive rookie campaign in 2023, running back Keaton Mitchell had to wait until Week 10 to debut in his sophomore season, at which point it was difficult to work him into the offense. The team did find some special teams use for him as a kickoff returner in 2024, though, and per Zrebiec, Mitchell wants to be the primary returner for the team this year, as well. Mitchell should still be able to find some time in the offense in 2025; Derrick Henry will be the primary ball carrier, while Justice Hill functions as a third-down, receiving back, but Mitchell’s incredible speed will continue to be an excellent complement to both rushers. With fewer playing opportunities available on offense, though, Mitchell will look to utilize that speed in the open field on kickoff returns.
The Dolphins watched both starting safeties — Jevon Holland and Jordan Poyer — walk in free agency this offseason and reloaded at the position with some free agent signings of their own. Unfortunately, all three safeties the Dolphins signed lack full-time starting experience, but it sounds like Ifeatu Melifonwu has taken an early lead on one of the two starting positions, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
A former third-round pick out of Syracuse, Melifonwu was drafted by the Lions in large part due to the versatility he brought to the secondary. As a rookie, he started four of seven game appearances at both cornerback and safety. He likely would’ve started even more games, but a thigh injury led to a stint on injured reserve. His health issues lingered into his sophomore season, but he played in each of the final eight games that year, making one start in 10 appearances.
Finally seeming healthy, Melifonwu began his 2023 campaign as a reserve defender on special teams. An early-season injury to Kerby Joseph allowed him some starting minutes, but he reverted back to the bench when Joseph returned. Eventually, Detroit would bench Tracy Walker, and Melifonwu would start the final five games of the season, logging two interceptions and seven passes defensed in that span.
Last year, the Lions were looking to come into the season with a rotatable three-headed monster of Joseph, Brian Branch, and Melifonwu, but a training camp ankle injury kept the latter of the three off the field to start the year. He was placed on IR once again, and when his 21-day practice window opened, and he began to practice again, Melifonwu suffered a dislocated finger. The team activated him so that he would not be reverted to season-ending IR but returned him right back to IR for the third time in his career. He didn’t make it back to the field until the team’s final three games of the regular season.
Melifonwu is competing with Ashtyn Davis and re-signed Dolphin Elijah Campbell for the starting roles. While Jackson notes that Melifonwu is a front-runner for one of the starting jobs, Davis is probably the most likely to earn the other starting spot next to him. A former third-round pick out of Cal for the Jets, Davis looked like he had the makings of a full-time starter, logging 16 starts in 23 games his first two years. After that, though, the Jets seemed to lose faith as he started six games over the next three seasons.
Campbell has been in Miami for the last four years. He’s made three starts over that time and seen some reserve snaps off the bench, as well. He and rookie fifth-round pick Dante Trader will attempt to challenge the favorites, Melifonwu and Davis, for playing time as the offseason progresses.
