HEADLINES

Giants, WR Gabe Davis Remain In Contact

May 26th, 2025 at 3:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

Nearly two weeks ago, Gabe Davis took part in a free agent visit with the Giants. No deal is in place at this point, but it appears an agreement between the parties could still come about.

Team and player have remained in contact in this case, SNY’s Connor Hughes writes. Davis obviously represents a familiar face for head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen after they worked together during their time in Buffalo. The recent visit would have allowed New York to evaluate the status of Davis’ knee as he recovers from meniscus surgery.

That procedure ended the 26-year-old’s debut campaign with the Jaguars. Davis came to Duval County as an established deep threat based on his tenure with the Bills, but he was unable to duplicate his production when healthy for Jacksonville. In 10 games, the former fourth-rounder only recorded 20 receptions and averaged a career-low 12 yards per catch. The Jaguars’ new regime decided to release him despite two years remaining on his contract.

The Giants’ receiver depth chart will be led by Malik Nabers in 2025, and the Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist will have several familiar faces around him. Darius Slayton – long attached to trade rumors – re-signed on another two-year pact. Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt, meanwhile, are still in place on their rookie pacts. New York’s offseason additions included the free agent signings of Zach Pascal and Lil’Jordan Humphrey. 

As a result, Davis would have plenty of competition for playing time in the event he were to sign with the Giants. The 49ers (the other team which he has also visited) have substantially more cap space as things stand, but if talks with New York continue a deal could still be on the table allowing Davis to reunite with Daboll and Schoen.

Commanders’ Jonathan Jones, Trey Amos To Compete For Starting CB Role

May 26th, 2025 at 2:24pm CST by Adam La Rose

One starting spot amongst the Commanders’ perimeter corners is assured of with 2024 trade acquisition Marshon Lattimore. Mike Sainristil, meanwhile, will again handle first-team duties in 2025 but it remains to be seen if he will find himself on the outside or in the slot.

Determining where best to use the latter will of course take into account the competition for the other starting cornerback gig. On that note, Washington is in position to have a free agent addition and a rookie vying for that role. Jonathan Jones and Trey Amos offer different skillets, and The Athletic’s Ben Standig writes one of them should wind up in the starting lineup for 2025 (subscription required).

Jones inked a one-year deal in March to head to the nation’s capital. That pact – which has a base value of $5.5MM and includes $1MM in incentives – ended his nine-year run with the Patriots. The 31-year-old had expressed a willingness to remain in New England, but the team spent big on the open market to add Carlton Davis at the cornerback spot. Now, Jones will look to earn a starting spot on his second career team and help his 2026 market value along the way.

The former UDFA totaled 71 starts during his Patriots tenure, including 44 across the past three seasons. He would thud offer considerable experience to the Commanders if he were to handle first-team responsibilities, although at 5-9 Jones would likely be tasked with operating in the slot. That, in turn, would push Sainristil (who is himself 5-10) to the boundary, where he finished the 2024 season. That transition elevated Noah Igbinoghene to a starting spot on the inside, and having re-signed with Washington the former first-rounder is again a candidate to see playing time in 2025.

Amos was selected 61st overall in last month’s draft, making him the Commanders’ second choice of the event. The Ole Miss product dealt with a back injury leading up to the draft, something which is believed to have affected his stock to an extent. Given his size – 6-1, 195 pounds – and success as a press cover corner in college, Amos is suited to handle starting duties on the perimeter at the NFL level. As Standig notes, the ideal trio would see him operate right away on defense opposite Lattimore with Sainristil moving back to the slot.

Plenty of time remains for a Jones-Amos competition to take place, and its result will inform the Commanders’ decisions in the secondary ahead of the campaign. With nearly $23MM in cap space at the moment, Washington will be able to make a cornerback addition if one is deemed necessary.

Jets Could Make S Addition?

May 26th, 2025 at 12:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jets currently find themselves with just over $25MM in cap space. The team can therefore afford at least one notable addition during the late stages of free agency.

If one is to be made between now and training camp, the secondary could be a place to watch. Connor Hughes of SNY writes the safety spot could be a point of focus on the free agent front. 2024 starter Chuck Clark remains unsigned, while Ashtyn Davis departed on the open market to sign with the Dolphins.

New York brought in former Jaguar Andre Cisco, adding him on a one-year, $8.5MM pact. That will provide the team with one new starter, while Tony Adams – who was retained via an RFA tender – could again find himself handling a notable defensive workload in 2025. As Hughes notes, though, Adams’ standing in the organization is something of a question mark after he “fell out of favor” with the Jets’ previous regime last year.

Of course, plenty of changes in the front office and on the sidelines have taken place this offseason. Darren Mougey is in place for his first general manager opportunity alongside rookie head coach Aaron Glenn. That pairing brought in depth at the safety spot during the draft in the form of fifth-rounder Malachi Moore. 2024 fifth-round selection Jaylin Simpson and undrafted rookie Dean Clark round out the current depth chart.

Veterans such as Justin Simmons, Julian Blackmon, Jordan Poyer and former Jet Jordan Whitehead are available as free agents as things stand. New York will thus have a number of options to choose from if a starting-caliber addition does indeed wind up being targeted over the coming weeks.

Ravens To Hold LG Competition

May 26th, 2025 at 12:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

Four of the five starters from the Ravens’ 2024 offensive line are still in place for the coming campaign. As expected, though, Patrick Mekari departed in free agency.

The former UDFA – who saw time at all five O-line spots over the course of his Baltimore tenure – helped his value with a strong left guard showing last year. As a result, he secured a three-year Jaguars contract which includes $22.5MM in guarantees. The Ravens thus enter OTAs with a first-team vacancy up front.

During free agency (in which veteran swingman Josh Jones also departed) the Ravens were quiet with respect to additions along the offensive line. That leaves Baltimore’s incumbent blockers as well as the members of the team’s rookie class to compete to replace Mekari. To no surprise, Baltimore’s preferred option from last season looks to have the early lead.

Andrew Vorhees finds himself as the frontrunner for the 2025 starting gig at this point, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic writes (subscription required). The former seventh-rounder’s draft stock took a hit when he suffered an ACL tear during the 2023 Combine, an injury which sidelined him for his entire rookie campaign. Vorhees was healthy by this time last year, however, and he saw plenty of first-team reps at left guard through the summer. In Week 1, he joined Daniel Faalele as a starting guard.

An ankle injury suffered in Week 3 took Vorhees out of the lineup, though, and he never returned. The ailment led to Mekari moving inside after rotating with Roger Rosengarten at right tackle; the latter handled RT duties on a full-time basis after the Vorhees injury. That can be expected to continue in 2025, and Faalele’s performance on the inside (after starting his career as a tackle) has earned him an extended look as a starter.

Given Vorhees’ lack of experience – 268 regular season snaps on offense – he is far from certain to land another Week 1 gig. Baltimore also has Ben Cleveland in place after he re-signed on a one-year deal. The 26-year-old has made 54 appearances with the Ravens, but that total only includes seven starts (none of which came in 2024). Cleveland will nonetheless receive another opportunity to secure a starting spot this summer.

Three of the Ravens’ 11 draft picks from last month were used on offensive linemen. Carson Vinson is in position to compete for the swing tackle role, but third-rounder Emery Jones could (when healthy) look to start at left guard as a rookie. One of Jones’ LSU teammates – Garrett Dellinger – was drafted by Baltimore in the seventh round, although a depth or practice squad spot is of course a more realistic expectation in his case. Nevertheless, several in-house candidates will be in place to replace Mekari atop the depth chart.

Carlie Irsay-Gordon Expected To Run Colts

May 26th, 2025 at 11:15am CST by Ben Levine

MAY 26: Ward will indeed carry on as COO, The Athletic’s James Boyd confirms (subscription required). As a result, he will continue to oversee the Colts’ non-football operations. Ward and other veteran executives will play central roles in helping Irsay-Gordon assume controlling status of the organization moving forward.

MAY 22: Following the sudden passing of owner Jim Irsay earlier this week, the Colts’ succession plan is now in the limelight. All three of Irsay’s daughters have been listed as “vice chair/owner” for more than a decade, but Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com says the late owner’s oldest daughter, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, is expected to be the “new person in charge.”

[RELATED: Colts Owner Jim Irsay Passes Away At 65]

ESPN’s Stephen Holder echoes this sentiment, noting that Irsay-Gordon has seemingly been preparing for this role for years. The 44-year-old once ran day-to-day operations while her father served his league-imposed suspension following a 2014 DUI arrest. Since then, she has reshaped “the business side of the franchise in terms of structure and personnel,” according to Holder.

Irsay-Gordon has also put in a concerted effort to understand every facet of the organization. Holder notes that she could often be seen on the sidelines wearing a headset to have “an up-close-and-personal view of coaches and players at work.” Those actions haven’t gone unnoticed.

“Carlie, specifically, will be the perfect modern-day owner,” a rival executive told Holder. “Carlie has been embedded in the business for probably over a decade at this point. She’s smart, a continuous learner, rigorously works to understand football from a scouting and coaching perspective.

“She also has the rare blend of appreciating tradition and professional expertise but not being bound by it because she is a progressive thinker. Very good people skills as well. She will be a great steward of the organization.”

Holder notes that two long-term executives are expected to help Irsay-Gordon with the transition. This exclusive grouping includes chief operating officer Pete Ward, who has spent more than four decades with the Colts, and chief legal officer Dan Emerson, who has been advising the family for nearly as long.

Holder adds that there are still a handful of unanswered questions surrounding the organizational hierarchy, specifically how much of a say the other sisters will have on major decisions. Casey Foyt has been working with the team for nearly 20 years, and she played a role in helping bring NFL games to London. Kalen Jackson joined the Colts a few years after her sisters, and she’s been responsible for leading many of her father’s mental health initiatives.

Jim Irsay saw a similar path through the ranks after his father, Bob Irsay, purchased the then-Baltimore Colts in 1972. Since Jim took over sole ownership following his father’s passing, he’s made it clear that the organization will remain in his family for years to come. Now, the time has come for his daughters to take the mantle.

49ers’ Brock Purdy Sought $65MM/Year Deal; No Trade Interest In QB

May 25th, 2025 at 10:18pm CST by Rory Parks

The 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy recently agreed to an extension that moves the former seventh-rounder near the top of the quarterback market in terms of average annual value ($53MM) but still outside the top five earners at his position. Cowboys passer Dak Prescott still leads the way with a $60MM AAV, and when negotiations between San Francisco and its own signal-caller commenced, Purdy tried to shatter Prescott’s number.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, in an appearance on UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio, Purdy sought a yearly payout of $65MM at the outset of contract talks (via David Bonilla of 49ersWebZone.com).

“Yes, that was his initial asking price, 65 [million],” Schefter said. “But you know what? Everybody’s initial asking price should be high. That’s how it should be, and his was. I don’t know that he thought he was going to get that, but you might as well start high. Nothing abnormal or unusual about that at all.”

Given Purdy’s regression in 2024 and the fact that rival clubs have been rumored to view his surprising success largely as a function of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s system, it was always unlikely he would approach his $65MM/year overture. However, contrary to prior suggestions that an overly-ambitious ask could throw a wrench in negotiations, it seems that was not the case.

Club brass never wavered on its long-held goal of finalizing an extension for Purdy, and after conversations got underway in February – Purdy was not eligible for a new contract until this offseason – there was no whisper of a hiccup or any other development that would delay an agreement. Rather, all public reports published after that date indicated the two sides were making good progress, and that progress culminated in a five-year, $265MM accord on May 16.

It thus appears that neither player nor team ever injected the notion of a trade into these proceedings, and Schefter confirms as much.

“I remember talking to teams, and just being like, ‘Hey,’ as they were trying to solve their quarterback needs, ‘any interest in Brock Purdy?'” Schefter said. “And they were like, ‘Great player, but he’s a great player for them.’ So they didn’t see it that way. So that was the opinion of other teams.”

Schefter’s statement does seem to validate the above-referenced belief that other teams see Purdy as a Shanahan product who would not do as well in a different offense. Perhaps aware of that reality, Purdy & Co. came down quite a bit from their initial proposal and ultimately “settled” for a contract well below their $65MM shot across the bow (the deal does come with a no-trade clause and favorable short-term cash flow, though the new money figures become more team-friendly in the second year of the extension term).

With his contract situation now resolved, Purdy and the Niners will attempt to regroup from a significant departure of talent this offseason – which was triggered in no small part by the QB’s impending big-money deal – and launch a bounceback 2025 campaign.

Lions Unlikely To Pursue Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson

May 25th, 2025 at 10:15pm CST by Rory Parks

As the Bengals-Trey Hendrickson contract impasse drags on, the possibility of a trade looms over the situation. The Lions, despite recent interest in elite EDGE players like Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby, do not appear to be a Hendrickson suitor.

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press says a pursuit of the 2024 sack leader would run counter to the Lions’ current operation. After all, Detroit is in the midst of negotiations with its own standout pass rusher, Aidan Hutchinson, and those discussions may well culminate in an extension that catapults Hutchinson to the top of the EDGE market (currently paced by Garrett’s $40MM average annual value). 

It would therefore be quite difficult for the Lions to surrender notable draft capital to complete a Hendrickson trade – even if Cincinnati relaxes its demand of a first-round pick plus more – and then authorize a contract near the top of the market for a second defensive end. Hendrickson’s age (30) will likely prevent him from reaching the $40MM/year club, but as Birkett suggests, a $35MM AAV is not out of the question.

Plus, the Lions have other contractual matters to resolve. While Hutchinson is presumably at the top of GM Brad Holmes’ agenda at the moment, Birkett says the club is looking ahead to a second deal for running back Jahmyr Gibbs – who will be eligible for a new contract at the end of the 2025 season – and other internal cornerstones. While Birkett does not expressly say so, it could be that Gibbs’ 2023 draftmates like Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, and Brian Branch are already on Holmes’ extension radar (Holmes finalized a record-setting extension for safety Kerby Joseph just a few weeks ago).

Of course, the prospect of pairing Hutchinson with Hendrickson is a tempting one. Hendrickson has earned Pro Bowl acclaim in each of his four seasons with the Bengals, and he has recorded 17.5 sacks in both of the past two seasons (his 2024 showing led to his first First Team All-Pro bid and placed him second in Defensive Player of the Year balloting). Hutchinson, who will turn 25 in August, averaged 10 sacks per season over his first two NFL campaigns and hit 7.5 sacks in just five contests in 2024 before suffering a season-ending leg injury.

It was that injury that led to Detroit’s in-season trade interest in Garrett and Crosby. After the team was rebuffed in those pursuits, it pivoted to Za’Darius Smith, and with Hutchinson ready to go for 2025, Birkett says the team will seek a complementary piece rather than a marquee addition.

Smith, who was released in a cost-cutting move in March, still profiles as a logical candidate to return. Holmes said last month he had not spoken with Smith’s camp since the release, but those comments were made before the 2025 draft. Now that the draft is in the books and clubs have a better idea of their roster needs, the two sides could circle back to each other. DeMarcus Walker, who visited Detroit in April, also remains unsigned, as does Von Miller.

The Lions re-signed DE Marcus Davenport this offseason after his first year in the Motor City was cut short by an elbow injury. As of the time of this writing, Davenport is penciled in as Hutchinson’s bookend on Detroit’s defensive front.

Examining Flag Football’s International Past

May 25th, 2025 at 10:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

As expected, owners have paved the way for NFL players to take part in the 2028 Olympics. Several details are still to be worked out, with agreements including the NFLPA and International Olympic Committee (IOC) necessary for NFLers to suit up in Los Angeles.

Plenty of time remains for that to take place, and a framework regarding playing surfaces, insurance against injury and adjustments to training camp schedules has already been voted on. Owners passed a resolution which would allow for one player per team per country to participate (with players classified as international roster exemptions also eligible). Six countries are slated to play in the event’s Olympic debut with 10-man rosters.

As preparations continue to take place, this is a good time to look back at the history of flag football at the international level. The 2028 Games will (presumably) be the first time active NFL players take part on a national scale, but they will carry on a trend of international competition in football (including the flag version) which dates back more than two decades.

IFAF – the International Federation of American Football, currently led by president Pierre Trochet – was founded in 1998. In the case of several countries, that development took place long after their own national federations were put in place (Canada’s, for instance, was more than one century old by that point). The first ever world championship for tackle football took place in 1999, and it is held every four years. Similarly, the world championship for the flag version of the sport began in 2002 – for both men and women – and it takes place every second year.

Austria won gold in each of the first two men’s world flag championships, winning the event again in 2012. France and Canada took home the prize in the intervening events. Team USA won the gold medal for the first time in 2010, and that feat has been repeated during each of the past five tournaments. In a similar fashion, the American women’s team has won each of the past three world championships after a total of five countries combined to win the first eight editions of the event.

As part of the ongoing development of flag football on a global level, IFAF received provisional status from the IOC in 2013 and recognized status 10 years later. The latter designation paved the way for flag football to be confirmed as an Olympic event, allowing for further growth on the world stage. The NFL played a leading role in that development, and the league has made a point to foster increased participation in flag football in recent years (with an NFL-sponsored league potentially on the horizon).

32 of IFAF’s 76 member countries qualified for the most recent men’s world flag championship, with six continents being represented for the first time. Continental championships serve as a qualifying path for the world championships, so it would come as no surprise if that were to also be the case in advance of the Olympics. A wide range of possibilities exist with respect to which countries will join the American hosts in Los Angeles.

K Graham Gano, DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches Potential Cap Casualties

May 25th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

According to OvertheCap.com, the Giants are 30th in the NFL in 2025 with only $5.95MM of cap space and dead last in the NFL with an effective cap deficit of $4.51MM. Obviously, New York needs to clear up some salary cap space, and Dan Duggan of The Athletic suggested that kicker Graham Gano and defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches could end up being cap casualties.

Gano, 38, has been with the Giants since 2020 earning two separate three-year extensions for a combined $30.5MM, but he’s only played 18 of a possible 34 games in the past two seasons. A knee injury sidelined Gano for nine games in 2023 while a groin issue held him out of seven contests last year. Along with these injuries have also come some inaccuracies. Gano missed six of 17 field goal attempts in 2023, with two misses coming from inside the 30-yard line. While he improved a bit last season, going nine for 11, one of those misses was again from inside 40 yards.

Gano is under contract for the next two years, but his current contract has a potential out built in that makes the dead money of his contract fairly manageable. Cutting him now would leave the team with $2.5MM of dead money and $3.17MM of cap savings; a post June-1 designation would improve those numbers to $1.25MM of dead money and $4.42MM of cap savings.

In order to cut Gano, though, the team needs somebody who can replace him. They haven’t brought in any kicking competition this offseason, though they did sign Jude McAtamney to a reserve/futures deal in January. Still, there are plenty of veteran options on the free agent market if the Giants want to pursue more experienced kickers like Nick Folk, Matt Prater, or even Justin Tucker. Younger options, such as Michael Badgley, Eddy Pineiro, Cade York, Zane Gonzalez, and Austin Seibert, are available, as well.

Unfortunately for Nunez-Roches, a similar depth issue does not exist. New York brought in veterans Roy Robertson-Harris and Jeremiah Ledbetter as free agents this offseason and spent a third-round pick on Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander. The interior defensive line depth of the team does not preclude the Giants from letting Nunez-Roches go if he can’t contribute in a meaningful manner, and unfortunately, he hasn’t shown that he can.

Despite starting 15 games for the team in 2024, Nunez-Roches has not been a stout defender at his position. He doesn’t produce a ton of pressure — only two sacks, two tackles for loss, and six quarterback hits last year — and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him as the 99th-best interior defender in the NFL last season out of 118 qualifying players, which was only a slight improvement over his grading from last year (115th out of 130 interior defenders). The Giants reportedly admire his leadership, but if this summer shows that the team can get by with players like Robertson-Harris, Ledbetter, and Alexander around star interior defender Dexter Lawrence, that may not be enough to keep Nunez-Roches around.

Nunez-Roches is headed into the final year of a three-year, $12MM contract. Cutting him, pre- or post-June 1, would only result in $1.43MM of dead money and $3.6MM of cap savings.

Without some competition to make him expendable, Gano might end up surviving cap cuts. Cutting Nunez-Roches, though, could end up being an easy decision if the three newcomers make it clear that he’s not needed.

AFC South Notes: WRs, Anderson, Sneed

May 25th, 2025 at 8:18pm CST by Ely Allen

Three receivers in the AFC South are facing big seasons for different reasons in 2025, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Titans wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Treylon Burks and Texans wideout John Metchie all are looking to have impactful 2025 campaigns in order to improve their prospects for the future.

Ridley returns to Tennessee as the team’s leading receiver from 2024, but he’ll be in a much-improved receiving corps this season. He’s been joined by veterans Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson and rookies Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike, and Xavier Restrepo as targets for No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Ward. Volin argues that, with Ridley being 30 years old, the Titans may feel comfortable moving on from Ridley in favor of their several other options in the future. Even with a post-June 1 designation, cutting Ridley would not save them any cap space this year, but if Ridley can’t prove to be a worthy asset in 2025, his contract provides a potential out that could limit his dead money to $8.02MM and increase the team’s cap savings to $18.73 for 2026, should they cut him.

After Tennessee made the decision to decline Burks’ fifth-year option, it’s certain that the 25-year-old will be headed into the final year of his rookie contract. Through three seasons, Burks has struggled mightily with injuries, missing 24 of a possible 51 games. It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, then, that he may not make it through the offseason. With the lack of production, the influx of new talent, and only $1.91MM of dead money facing the team should they cut him, Burks faces long odds of making the roster in 2025.

Metchie, unfortunately, faces similar challenges. Metchie’s health issues stem, initially, from a surprising diagnosis of leukemia that halted his rookie season before it even began. In two years since returning to the team, though, Metchie has failed to make much of an impact, despite injuries to his teammates providing plenty of opportunities for him to do so. Like Burks, Metchie is now heading into the final year of his rookie contract and dealing with an influx of new talent like veteran Christian Kirk and Day 2 rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Metchie, a Day 2 pick himself, will need to tap into the potential that got him drafted that high in order to ensure his roster status for the 2025 NFL season.

Here are a couple other rumors from around the AFC South:

  • Former No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr. is not yet eligible for an extension, but that hasn’t stopped him from thinking about it. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year told reporters recently that he “most definitely” wants to remain in Houston for the rest of his career. With 18.0 sacks, 26 tackles for loss, and 41 quarterback hits through two seasons, one would imagine that the feeling is mutual. The Texans will have to wait until he completes his third season of NFL play, though, until they can extend their young pass rusher with the contract that he desires.
  • Two days ago, we reported that Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was progressing well in his rehabilitation but noted that there wasn’t yet a timeline for his return. There doesn’t appear to have been any new information, but Titans senior writer/editor Jim Wyatt told fans in a mailbag yesterday that “the plan is to have him ready to go for the fall.” So, it seems Sneed will continue his recovery work for the remainder of the summer with plans to be back, hopefully, in time for training camp.
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