Extension Candidate: Courtland Sutton
As the Broncos have rebounded from their disastrous 2022 situation, some of the key players to help them climb out of that hole are entering contract years. Nik Bonitto is a traditional extension candidate, coming off a breakout season ahead of the final year of his rookie contract, while Zach Allen jumped a level ahead of his age-28 season. A significant raise will be necessary for the Broncos to keep the ascending interior D-lineman on a third contract.
Denver, however, has a homegrown player residing as a more interesting extension candidate. Courtland Sutton carries a few unusual markers along his journey to another extension case. Even though Bonitto and Allen qualify as higher-value players due to their ages, Sutton stands as a pivotal piece considering the Broncos’ plan on offense. The former John Elway draftee has waited patiently for a deal, reporting to both OTAs and minicamp after skipping some offseason work while pursuing a raise last year. But he looks to have seen the younger defenders leapfrog him in Denver’s extension queue.
Sutton is going into his age-30 season, and he carries an atypical resume for a No. 1 receiver. The 2018 second-round pick’s two 1,000-yard seasons are spaced five years apart. He helped build an initial extension candidacy by eclipsing 1,000 yards in 2019. That 1,112-yard season still stands as Sutton’s career high; it came with Joe Flacco, Brandon Allen and a rookie-year Drew Lock making starts. A 2020 ACL tear paused Sutton’s ascent, and Denver’s QB quagmire lowered the receiver’s ceiling for an extended stretch.
As the Broncos assembled a low-octane Teddy Bridgewater offense, Sutton and Jerry Jeudy became info-graphic fodder due to Aaron Rodgers‘ interest in being traded to Denver in 2021. The Packers held onto the reigning MVP that year and in 2022, leading the Broncos to their blockbuster Russell Wilson trade. That move brought a spectacular failure, as an overmatched Nathaniel Hackett grounded Denver’s offense to 32nd in 2022. Sean Payton elevated Wilson back to respectability in 2023, however, and that season effectively launched Sutton’s second extension campaign.
Wilson’s 26-touchdown pass, eight-interception season ended ugly, with a contract-based benching taking place. But Wilson-to-Sutton became the team’s most notable connection since the Peyton Manning days; the 6-foot-4 WR totaled 10 TD receptions, displaying a penchant for acrobatic grabs. Sutton then submitted a second 1,000-yard season, being a linchpin on a 2024 offense bereft of other reliable pass catchers. This helped Sutton post a 1,081-yard 2024 season, boosting Bo Nix to 29 TD passes — the second-most by a rookie QB in NFL history.
So much happened between the Rodgers rumors and Nix’s rookie season, though. Sutton signed a four-year, $60MM extension days after Tim Patrick‘s three-year, $30MM deal. While injuries dogged Patrick in the years that followed, Sutton remained a productive starter. Being an Elway-era draftee extended under George Paton, Sutton became a trade-rumor mainstay during Payton’s initial months on the job. The Broncos listened closely on Sutton and Jeudy during the 2023 offseason, aiming for a second-round pick for Sutton and a first for Jeudy. Nothing on that level emerged, but the Ravens came close to acquiring Sutton — before pivoting to Odell Beckham Jr.‘s $15MM guarantee.
Denver declined a Jeudy offer that included third- and fifth-round picks before the 2023 deadline, holding onto Sutton as well. That Jeudy decision became a mistake, as the team both sold low in March 2024 (fifth- and sixth-round picks) before seeing him post a Pro Bowl season in Cleveland. Jeudy’s departure solidified Sutton’s WR1 standing, to the point the Broncos declined a third-round pick from the 49ers during the summer 2024 Brandon Aiyuk saga. Sutton more than doubling any other Broncos pass catcher in yardage last season strengthened his extension case.
Missing out on Emeka Egbuka in the draft, the Broncos did not address the receiver position until Round 3 (Pat Bryant). The Illinois prospect’s 4.61-second 40-yard dash time docked his value, and while Marvin Mims has flashed, the Broncos have mostly deployed him as a gadget cog on offense. The team’s 2024 rookies (Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin) also appear role players, even if Vele’s skillset resembles Sutton’s (Vele is also set to turn 28 before year’s end, complicating the second-year player’s long-term NFL future).
Everything since the 2023 season has boosted Sutton’s stock, but finding a price may be proving tricky. The Broncos agreed to only an incentive package with Sutton last year, telling his camp 2025 would be the window for true extension talks. We are here now, and nothing has transpired since Sutton labeled the 2025 talks positive in April. Denver completed summer extensions with Patrick Surtain and Quinn Meinerz last year; Sutton drama could resurface if no deal emerges this summer.
It would surprise if the Broncos revisited trade talks in the event they could not come to terms with Sutton before Week 1. The SMU product remains valuable due to the dearth of proven WR help ahead of Nix’s second season.
Finding contractual comps does prove difficult. Mike Evans and Davante Adams signed similar deals — two years, $41MM (Evans) and 2/44 (Adams) — while Calvin Ridley‘s resume did not match Sutton’s ahead of a four-year, $92MM Titans deal. Ridley signed that contract months before his 30th birthday, though his standing as last year’s top WR free agent — after the Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman Jr. tags — boosted his value. Evans and Adams are much more accomplished players, both of whom also being more than two years older.
Jeudy signed a Browns-friendly extension (three years, $52.5MM), but it came after the Broncos’ QB struggles suppressed his stats. Sutton is in a similar boat, but after being tied to an AAV ($15MM) that sits 25th at the position — following market booms in 2022 and ’24 — it would surprise if the eighth-year vet settled for anything south of $20MM per year.
Pittman’s three-year, $70MM accord could be a comp for Sutton, as the Colts’ No. 1 target is just two years younger and agreed to that deal before another salary cap spike commenced. Jeudy fetched $41MM guaranteed at signing, Pittman $46MM. That is probably beyond where the Broncos will go regarding locked-in compensation, though Sutton residing in a gray area due to age, production and importance makes that number harder to peg as well.
A short-term extension seems the most likely outcome here. The sides’ price points will be interesting to learn. Sutton would command reasonable value as a 2026 free agent, but will he want to chance negotiating ahead of an age-31 season? Many variables have led to this point, as the next several weeks figure to determine where this years-long saga ends.
NFLPA Leadership Backing Executive Director Lloyd Howell
Lloyd Howell‘s tenure as the NFLPA’s executive director has run into choppy waters. As the prospect of an 18-game season looms, the staffer set to be tasked with shepherding those negotiations on the players’ side has seen multiple issues come up this offseason.
After a collusion grievance produced some eye-catching headlines, some of them shedding light on the quiet power transfer to Howell in 2023, DeMaurice Smith‘s successor has run into conflict-of-interest trouble. Howell has been working as a consultant for The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm approved by the league to pursue a minority ownership stake in an NFL team.
A recent report indicated a Change.org petition calling for Howell’s resignation had circulated among NFL players and NFLPA staff. Pushing back on that, NFLPA leadership released a statement backing its chief. The NFLPA allows player reps to remove the executive director with a two-thirds majority vote at a meeting with a two-thirds quorum, but with the executive committee holding the line for now, no change at the top of this pyramid is imminent.
“As members of the NFLPA Executive Committee, we categorically reject false reports insinuating doubts within this committee or suggestions that we have asked our Executive Director to step down,” the statement reads (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). “We further reject attempts to mischaracterize the committee’s views or divide our membership. We have established a deliberate process to carefully assess the issues that have been raised and will not engage in a rush to judgement.
“We believe in and remain committed to working with our Executive Director and other members of NFLPA staff and player leadership who have a shared mission to advance the best interests of players. As we approach the 2025 season, we look forward to continuing our important work together and ensuring the strength and unity of our association.”
Howell received $3.4MM consulting for Carlyle in 2024, and although the firm (via an emailed statement) indicated Howell had “no access to information about the NFL and Carlyle process beyond public news reports,” the optics are obviously not ideal for the third-year union chief. Howell also received almost $700K from board positions at GE HealthCare and Moody’s, according to ESPN. This multi-front workload differs from previous NFLPA executive directors, who had neither outside jobs nor paid board seats during their respective tenures.
Smith was at the wheel when the NFLPA ratified the 2011 and 2020 CBAs, the second of those accords running through the 2030 season. Howell and NFLPA president Jalen Reeves-Maybin are unlikely to be in position to negotiate a new CBA for a few years at least. But Howell is positioned to be the union’s point man when that time comes. Based on the stakes, scrutiny from NFLPA ranks would be understandable.
The appeal of the recent grievance ruling — one that determined owners likely aimed to reduce guaranteed money in high-profile contracts (while stopping short of deeming collusion occurred) — surfaced days after veteran reporter Pablo Torre made the grievance findings public. The ruling came down in January, however, meaning it took the release of the report to prompt the union to act here.
Howell having quietly added former NFLPA president J.C. Tretter as the union’s chief strategy officer has drawn scrutiny due to the latter’s involvement in the Russell Wilson leg of the collusion grievance. Tretter not wanting his texts to Smith about Wilson being “a wuss” for not sticking to his ask for a fully guaranteed Broncos extension (in 2022) to be made public was believed to be a driving force behind an NFLPA effort to conceal the report’s findings.
Howell conducted a conference call with the executive committee (which includes 10 members and Reeves-Maybin) shortly after the ruling was made. He passed along the outcome of the case but did not mention specifics or distribute copies of the findings from Droney. The lack of transparency during the early part of Howell’s tenure has certainly generated questions about his leadership, especially as these developments have come after he was elected in relative secrecy in June 2023. As the appeal process begins, however, the NFLPA is sticking with the leader it tabbed.
Browns Planning To Return To Previous Stefanski Scheme
After finishing the 2024 season as one of the league’s worst offenses, the Browns are making some schematic changes in a transitional year for their running and passing game.
Cleveland is planning to return to an earlier iteration of Kevin Stefanski‘s scheme, according to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi, with a stronger emphasis on running the ball from under center to open up the play-action passing game.
The Browns used more under-center formations in the first few years of Stefanski’s tenure as head coach and regularly posted top-10 rushing numbers. They moved to more shotgun looks after the acquisition of Deshaun Watson in 2022 and the running game suffered as a result, dipping to 19th in 2023 and 29th in 2024. (Injuries to Cleveland’s offensive linemen and running backs also played a role in their rushing regression.)
Stefanski has also dialed up play action less frequently in recent years. In 2020, his first year at the helm, the Browns’ 29.4% play-action rate ranked eighth in the league, per Next Gen Stats (subscription required). Since then, their highest rank was 19th in 2023 with a 25.1% play-action rate. A heavier usage of under-center runs will naturally provide a foundation off of which Cleveland can build more play-action concepts.
The Browns’ four-man quarterback room has varying amounts of experience with this type of offense. Joe Flacco, a 17-year veteran, is no stranger to adapting to new schemes after playing for three teams in the last three years and five in the last six, including a 2023 stint in Cleveland. Flacco has also spent plenty of time operating from under center and pushing the ball downfield off of play action dating back to his days in Baltimore.
The S
teelers had a strong under-center running game during Kenny Pickett‘s tenure as a starter, but his play-action rate in Pittsburgh across the 2022 and 2023 seasons was just 16.7%, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). That ticked up to 23.5% in Philadelphia last year, though the Eagles primarily used a shotgun spread system. Pickett said (via Oyefusi) that he is familiar with many of the Browns’ concepts and is more focused on learning the new terminology.
Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders both have experience with RPOs and play action, but the vast majority of their college snaps came out of the shotgun. Their adjustment to the Browns’ under-center operation is another reason that neither is likely to win the starting job out of training camp.
Regardless of their move back to Stefanski’s previous scheme, the Browns will need better quarterback play on a fundamental level to improve their passing game, though more robust under-center rushing attack could certainly help take some pressure off of the air attack. Cleveland’s changes this year will also be subject to next offseason’s roster moves, which are expected to include an early quarterback selection in the 2026 draft.
Bengals Could Cut LG Cordell Volson
Bengals left guard Cordell Volson is in the unique situation of being both a starting option and a cut candidate. Per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic (subscription required), Volson could regain his role as Cincinnati’s starting LG, but Dehner also sees the fourth-year pro as a player the team could cut in favor of a better and/or cheaper option.
Volson, who will turn 27 in one week, was selected by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, and prior to a late-season demotion last year, he had served as the club’s primary left guard since entering the league, racking up 48 starts along the way. Despite being afforded such an extensive opportunity to establish himself, he has failed to impress.
The North Dakota State product has yet to earn an overall Pro Football Focus grade above 59.3, and while his run-blocking has been adequate over the past two seasons, his pass-blocking has never been up to snuff. Last season, he allowed 43 pressures (which led to six sacks) and racked up eight penalties in 984 snaps. As Dehner points out, the strength of the offense in general and the abilities of the team’s tackles and center mean that the guards need to be merely serviceable, but Volson is arguably not even at that level.
That said, Dehner himself recently reported that the Bengals do not plan to add to their guard depth. It therefore appears Volson will need to fend off rookie third-rounder Dylan Fairchild to retain his job, but it is worth noting that Cody Ford and Lucas Patrick are also on the roster. Though both players are currently fighting for the right guard post, they both have spent time at left guard in their careers, so it is theoretically possible that one of them could factor into the LG mix.
Unproven options like Jaxson Kirkland and Tashawn Manning round out the guard depth chart. 2025 UDFA Caleb Etienne saw action at guard in college in 2023, but he spent all of 2024 as BYU’s starting left tackle, and Cincinnati presumably wants to keep him on the outside.
The playing time that Volson amassed over his three professional seasons qualified him for the Level Two Proven Performance Escalator and boosted his 2025 salary to $3.656MM, but his on-field performance forced him to take a pay cut in May. Parting ways with Volson would lead to a net cap savings of roughly $2.5MM, which contributes to Dehner’s belief that the blocker could be on the outs if he does not show significant improvement in camp.
Dolphins WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine Dealt With Undisclosed Injury This Offseason
The Dolphins agreed to terms with WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine during this year’s legal tampering period, which illustrates how highly they prioritized adding a big-bodied pass catcher to their wide receivers room. Miami authorized a two-year, $6.5MM deal ($3.2MM guaranteed) for the former UDFA.
Outside of this year’s crop of college free agents, the ‘Fins did not sign any other WRs this offseason, nor did they draft one. That keeps Westbrook-Ikhine in line for a notable role on the offense, especially since he is the first prototypical red zone threat Miami has rostered since 2021, when players like DeVante Parker and Mack Hollins were on the club.
Of course, the Dolphins do have a dynamic 1-2 punch at the receiver position in the form of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. But according to C. Isaiah Smalls II of the Miami Herald, head coach Mike McDaniel and offensive coordinator Frank Smith are intrigued by the physical element that Westbrook-Ikhine (6-2, 211) can add to the passing game.
Per Smalls, Westbrook-Ikhine has battled an undisclosed injury this offseason, which exacerbated the struggles he acknowledged in adapting to the timing of the Miami offense. It sounds as if the ailment is continuing to impact him to an extent, as Smalls says the break before training camp opens later this month is giving Westbrook-Ikhine additional time to heal.
Nonetheless, Smalls does point out that the 28-year-old wideout played well in front of the media during mandatory minicamp. During the red zone portion of that session, Westbrook-Ikhine made several touchdown grabs, a notable development given the role the club has in mind for him.
Westbrook-Ikhine tallied 32 catches for 497 yards and nine TDs with the Titans in 2024, all career-best marks (although 98 of those yards came on one play). Of his nine scores, six of them came in the red zone, and his presence could certainly help Miami improve on its middling 56.6% success rate inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
“I love the red zone,” Westbrook-Ikhine said. “I’m a bigger target, which makes it a little bit easier too. You can kind of throw it wherever. I enjoy being in the end zone.”
Hill surfaced in trade rumors earlier this year, but he remains on track to lead the Dolphins’ WR group. A bounceback season from him, coupled with the addition of Westbrook-Ikhine, could help the offense regain the form it displayed over the 2022-23 seasons, when it finished at or near the top of the league in yardage and scoring. Naturally, that will also depend heavily on the health of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
For now, Smith has nothing but good things to say about one of his newest weapons.
“He’s going to be extremely reliable,” Smith said of Westbrook-Ikhine. “I think ultimately if you talk to the guys that knew him in Tennessee and our exposure so far has been consistent work ethic. I think that’s ultimately where he puts himself in position to be successful is because he really is a student of the process, making sure he’s on the little things so, therefore, on Sundays he can be reliable for the quarterback and really the rest of the offense.”
Eagles RB AJ Dillon On Roster Bubble?
While running back Saquon Barkley was the primary catalyst for the Eagles’ Super Bowl championship last year, the team did lose important RB depth when Kenneth Gainwell signed with the Steelers in free agency. Almost immediately thereafter, Philadelphia signed former Packer AJ Dillon, whose history of production as a staple of the Green Bay rushing attack suggested he would become Barkley’s primary backup.
However, that may not be the case. Per Geoff Mosher of PhillyVoice.com, 2024 fourth-rounder Will Shipley impressed in OTAs, and he offers more playmaking upside than Gainwell and Dillon. Gainwell, though, was prized for his abilities in pass protection and blitz pickups, skills that Shipley will have to develop. If he can add that dimension to his strong hands and explosiveness, he could have the inside track on the RB2 gig.
In that scenario, Dillon may be on the outs, with Mosher saying the Boston College product is not a lock to make the 53-man roster. Now 27, Dillon remained with the Packers last year via the seldom-used four-year qualifying offer, which paid him just $2.74MM. Unfortunately, he landed on season-ending injured reserve in late August, which forced him to miss the entire 2024 campaign (OverTheCap.com confirms Dillon’s current deal with the Eagles is for the league minimum).
Dillon’s IR placement was due to nerve issues in this neck. While Mosher does not necessarily imply the 2020 second-rounder is still dealing with those issues, the fact remains that he is a between-the-tackles bruiser who does not not have Gainwell’s pass protection capabilities or Shipley’s big-play potential. Plus, after averaging 4.3 yards per carry over 419 totes during his first three NFL seasons, Dillon dipped to a 3.4-YPC rate in 2023. That made him a speculative cut candidate last summer, even before his neck problems surfaced.
He still profiles as a useful short-yardage and red zone threat if he is healthy, so the Shipley/Dillon battle will be worth monitoring in training camp. And, if Shipley cannot develop the skills expected of a third-down back, the Eagles may need to recalibrate their offensive scheme to an extent.
Behind Dillon and Shipley on the RB depth chart are a host of unproven options like Keilan Robinson – a recent waiver -wire addition who was likely brought in for his special teams ability – and 2025 UDFAs Montrell Johnson and ShunDerrick Powell. That lack of depth would seem to heighten Dillon’s chances of at least cracking the roster if no outside addition is made.
Browns RB Quinshon Judkins Arrested
July 13: The NFL has released a statement indicating it is aware of this matter but is presently declining comment, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Meanwhile, Oysefusi passes along a statement from the Fort Lauderdale PD, which reads as follows:
On July 12th, at approximately 9 a.m., Fort Lauderdale Police Officers responded to the 1500 block of West Cypress Creek Road in reference to a delayed battery. Officers arrived on scene and spoke with the victim. During their preliminary investigation it was determined a battery had occurred. The officers made contact with the suspect and placed him into custody. He was transported to Broward County Main Jail. The suspect has been identified as Quinshon Judkins, DOB 10/29/2003 and has been charged with Misdemeanor Battery.
July 12: Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins has been arrested on charges of battery and domestic violence, as noted by The Athletic’s Zac Jackson. 
Judkins was arrested today in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, per information from the Broward County Sheriff. This news comes shortly before the start of Cleveland’s training camp. Judkins is among the 30 second-round picks from this year’s draft which have yet to sign their rookie contracts.
Through a spokesman the Browns said in a statement they are “aware and gathering information” about this situation (via Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal). Records indicate the case is “pending trial” at this point, and ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi adds a court appearance is scheduled for tomorrow morning. The charges in question are usually a first-degree misdemeanor under Florida law.
Judkins spent his first two college campaigns at Ole Miss. That span included a freshman season in which he racked up 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. His sophomore campaign saw a reduction in efficiency but another 17 total scores. Judkins transferred to Ohio State for the 2024 season. While operating as a key member of the Buckeyes’ backfield tandem, the 21-year-old averaged 5.5 yards per carry and amassed 1,221 scrimmage yards en route to the team’s national championship.
Last year, Browns second-rounder Mike Hall was arrested on a domestic violence charge. The defensive tackle missed the first four games of the campaign before a one-game suspension was ultimately handed down. Free agent linebacker Devin Bush could likewise face legal and/or league consequences after he was charged with simple assault and harassment stemming from an alleged incident involving his girlfriend this spring.
The NFL routinely waits for the legal process to play out before launching an investigation and (potentially) handing down a fine or suspension under the personal conduct policy, particularly in domestic violence cases. Even though Judkins is not yet under contract, he is still subject to the policy and thus any discipline which winds up being deemed necessary depending on how his situation unfolds.
Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs Expected To Miss Start Of Season; Team Not Pressed To Make CB Addition
It appears as if Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs will indeed miss time in 2025. Diggs, who just finished the first year of the five-year, $97MM extension he landed in July 2023, began battling injuries shortly after signing the deal, and Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News confirms the Alabama product is not expected to be ready for the start of the upcoming season.
Diggs, 27 in September, earned First Team All-Pro acclaim in 2021 after leading the league with a whopping 11 interceptions. He put forth another Pro Bowl effort the following season, which triggered the big-money extension. Unfortunately, Diggs played just two games in 2023 due to a torn ACL, and he played through a calf injury for the first 10 games of the 2024 campaign before his knee flared up and forced him to miss all but one contest the rest of the way.
While the new injury was in the same knee in which he suffered the ACL tear, the two ailments are unrelated. Nonetheless, Diggs’ second knee problem necessitated surgery, and despite his hopes to be in the Week 1 lineup, we have been hearing for some time that his early-season availability is in doubt.
Diggs is one of a handful of players on Dallas’ CB depth chart dealing with health concerns. Third-round rookie Shavon Revel suffered a torn ACL of his own in his final year at East Carolina, and though he is presently expected to return in the middle of training camp, it is fair to wonder how effective he will be given the nature of his injury and the fact that he will not have had the benefit of a full offseason program in advance of his first professional season.
Second-year player Caelen Carson ended his rookie slate on IR and underwent shoulder surgery this offseason. Luckily, Hoyt indicates Carson will be a full-go for training camp, and the writer also says the Cowboys are comfortable with the current makeup of their secondary.
In other words, the club does not feel a pressing need to make an outside addition at this point, even with Diggs’ presumed absence. We have already heard that trade acquisition Kaiir Elam is penciled in as one starter, and DaRon Bland – who missed the first 10 games of the 2024 season due to a stress fracture – has another starting job secured. Although he has not seen much time in the slot in his career, Bland took plenty of reps in that role in spring practices as Dallas seeks a replacement for former slot defender Jourdan Lewis.
Elam has generally failed to live up to his status as a former first-round pick of the Bills, and uncertainty abounds throughout the rest of the position group, but it appears the Cowboys will take a wait-and-see approach with respect to a veteran signing. Hoyt still believes such a move is a distinct possibility, and he names former Cowboy Stephon Gilmore – who was seen at the team facility before the draft – as a potential target.
Gilmore, the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year who has had a nomadic existence over the last few seasons, was a full-time starter for Dallas in 2023. He played reasonably well, limiting opposing passers to a QB rating of 82.7 and a 55.8% completion percentage, and he hopes to play in 2025.
Extension Candidate: Terry McLaurin
There’s been no shortage of noise coming out of the District of Columbia — technically 25 miles or so west of DC — concerning the extension negotiations for veteran wide receiver Terry McLaurin. It should be a no-brainer: a second-team All-Pro heading into a contract year with a $25.5MM cap hit while he’s catching balls from a quarterback on a rookie deal? Up to this point in the offseason, though, the two parties have been unable to make progress towards a new deal. 
It started early in the offseason, with the team acknowledging that an extension for McLaurin was something it was interested in. McLaurin showed the team how serious he was about receiving new terms when he held out of Organized Team Activities and mandatory minicamp, racking up over $104K in fines. Reportedly, the Commanders were taken aback at the difficulties they were having reaching agreeable terms with their star receiver, and as it became clear that the two sides were very far apart on an agreement, McLaurin voiced his frustrations with the procedures.
But why has this been such a struggle? Does the team not want to lower McLaurin’s cap hit and make sure he’s around for all of the years Jayden Daniels plays on a rookie deal? It seems multiple factors are proving challenging when negotiations are taking place as performance and status say one thing, while age and potential for decline say another.
To start, McLaurin just completed his best season to date. While he didn’t put up a career high in receiving yards (1,096), his 13 touchdowns catches were more than half of his five-year career touchdown-total coming into the season (25). He also did it all in the fewest targets since his rookie year, showing improved efficiency with his new quarterback.
That’s the other thing to consider when looking at McLaurin’s career production. After falling 81 yards short of 1,000 receiving yards in his 14-game rookie campaign, McLaurin has been a 1,000-yard receiver in every season since. While that’s impressive on its own, consider that he put up consistent production while catching passes off the arms of players like Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, Alex Smith, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Carson Wentz, and Sam Howell. He’s a modern-day Andre Johnson in that regard. Now that you’ve paired him with a talented, young passer, he puts up an All-Pro season.
So, what does his production say he should be making on a new deal? First, let’s set the floor. Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins set the new mark for WR2s this year, surpassing Jaylen Waddle as the league’s highest-paid WR2 with an average annual value of $28.75MM. As a high-performing WR1, McLaurin should at least be making more than the highest-paid WR2. After that, the comparisons become difficult to make. The top-earning receivers market has drastically jumped in recent years with Ja’Marr Chase (AAV of $40.25MM), Justin Jefferson ($35MM), and CeeDee Lamb ($34MM) leading the pack.
Age becomes a factor, as well, though. Coming in as a 24-year-old rookie, McLaurin is set to turn 30 this season. Tyreek Hill was 30 years old when he signed his most recent contract ($30MM) that gave him a $54MM signing bonus. Older receivers like 29-year-old Calvin Ridley ($23MM), 32-year-old Davante Adams ($22MM), 29-year-old Chris Godwin ($22MM), 31-year-old Stefon Diggs ($21.17MM), and 30-year-old Mike Evans ($20.5MM) hurt McLaurin’s case. D.K. Metcalf ($33MM), though two years younger that McLaurin, may have helped McLaurin’s case a bit with his recent four-year, $132MM extension in Pittsburgh.
The last point of comparison may come from his status as an All-Pro. Chase and Jefferson were both first-teamers, along with Amon-Ra St. Brown ($32MM), while joining McLaurin as second-team All-Pros were Lamb and A.J. Brown ($32MM). With the lowest AAV of those five coming in at $32MM, one would expect that to be a target for McLaurin, as well. To McLaurin’s credit, he doesn’t seem intent upon resetting the market at the position. Reasonably, he is just looking to enter the echelon of pass catchers making $30MM or more.
Ultimately, there’s so many directions in which this deal can go. We’ve focused mainly on AAV, but term length, guarantees, and fee structure can all play huge roles in negotiating that AAV up or down. McLaurin could settle for a two-year commitment in order to try and get up to $33MM or $34MM. The Commanders could try to backload base salary, while supplementing the low-salaried early years with a substantial signing bonus. There’s no shortage of predictions for how this contract may end up looking, and that’s one of the reasons why there’s been so little progress and so much frustration.
Despite the frustrations, the two sides have been in constant communication and are expected to come to terms at some point. The oft-injured Deebo Samuel can be strong while on the field, but behind him and McLaurin, the receiving corps depth is either old or unproven. Look to McLaurin’s participation in training camp, and depending on what we see, we may look for an extension in the days leading up to the regular season.
Ndamukong Suh Announces Retirement
Longtime NFL defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has officially announced his retirement in a social media post.
Suh was one of the most dominant defensive linemen of the 2010s, earning five Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro selections across his 13-year career. He finished one game shy of 200 regular-season appearances and recorded 600 total tackles, 71.5 sacks, and 130 tackles.
Suh revealed that his father passed away exactly one year ago, inspiring him to seek out a post-football career hosting No Free Lunch, a podcast with The Athletic focused on business and finance. He hopes to use his platform to help athletes and young entrepreneurs.
Suh had a stellar career at the University of Nebraska, including a monstrous senior year in 2009 with 12.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. He won the Nagurski and Bednarik Awards as the best defensive player in college football, was named a unanimous All-American, and finished fourth in Heisman voting.
He was then selected by the Lions with the No. 2 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and burst onto the pro scene with 10.0 sacks as a rookie, earning him the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award along with Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors. He never reached double-digit sacks again, but remained a fierce disruptor on the interior with three more Pro Bowls and three more All-Pro nods in Detroit.
Suh was one of the biggest prizes of free agency in 2015 and ultimately signed a massive six-year, $114MM contract with the Dolphins. Suh’s $19MM per year — a defender-record contract at the time — may not seem like much relative to the modern interior defensive line market, but it represented a whopping 13.3% of the 2015 salary cap. Adjusted to the 2025 cap, Suh’s APY would be over $37MM, by far the highest-paid DT in the league, per OverTheCap.
However, after 36 sacks and 66 tackles for loss in five years with the Lions, Suh only had 14.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss in his first three years in Miami. He was released in 2018 and signed with the Rams for one season before a three-year stint in Tampa Bay. Suh helped the Rams to Super Bowl LIII, pairing with Aaron Donald for a season, and returned to the sport’s biggest stage with the Buccaneers.
Suh’s time with the Bucs featured a resurgence in play (12 sacks across 2020 and 2021) and his first and only championship in Super Bowl LV. Suh teamed with Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul to hound Patrick Mahomes in a home Super Bowl romp, the Bucs’ second championship. As the Bucs attempted to run it back with their full starting lineup in 2021, that meant re-signing Suh. The former Heisman runner-up ended up signing three one-year contracts with the Bucs, the last of which being worth $9MM.
Finishing off his career with five one-year contracts in a row, Suh then joined the Eagles partway through the 2022 season and even appeared in Super Bowl LVII. Although he was connected to a 2023 return, no comeback commenced. He received interest from the Ravens and the Dolphins during the 2023 season, but no deal came to fruition.
Suh finishes his career with just over $168MM in total earnings. He was already been named to the Hall of Fame All-2010s team and will have a chance at being inducted in five years. His candidacy, along with other modern DTs like Fletcher Cox, Geno Atkins, and Cameron Heyward, will be an interesting litmus test for the position’s Hall of Fame standards.