HEADLINES

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.

Patriots Rumors: Moses, LG, UDFAs

May 25th, 2025 at 6:34pm CST by Ely Allen

At 34 years old, Morgan Moses is still playing at a level that garners the three-year, $24MM deal he signed with the Patriots. If he’s able to play out the entirety of his contract, he’ll be 37 years old when he hits free agency again; for reference, the oldest offensive tackle currently in the NFL is Trent Williams at 36.

One usually doesn’t make it this long in the NFL without a couple of bumps and bruises along the way. After only playing eight games as a rookie, Moses played in every game of every season for eight straight years. His past two seasons in Baltimore and New York, though, saw him miss three games apiece as Father Time starts to catch up to him. After missing two games early last year, Moses reportedly played through a grade 2 MCL sprain, a meniscus issue, and a fracture in his knee for several weeks.

Moses was reportedly “given a clean bill of health” from the Jets’ medical staff before free agency, and according to Mike Reiss of ESPN, that came following some offseason knee surgery. As he comes back from surgery, Moses has not been participating in full-team drills at practice. Still, he’s been plenty involved despite not practicing, mentoring rookie first-round tackle out of LSU Will Cambell, who it’s presumed will be starting opposite him in Week 1.

Here are a couple other rumors coming out of New England lately:

  • Last season, the left guard position became a major question for New England as Cole Strange missed all but the team’s last three games with injury and the Patriots fluctuated between Michael Jordan and Layden Robinson in his absence. Even when Strange returned from injury, he filled a need at center instead of returning to left guard. So far in early practices, that uncertainty has remained. With free agent signing Garrett Bradbury taking the center job, Strange can move back to left guard. So far, Strange has shared the position with free agent addition Wes Schweitzer, and undrafted free agent Jack Conley out of Boston College, per Reiss. Robinson is currently not a full participant, but he, too, could end up competing for the job. It’s early, but there are several potential options for the team at that position.
  • While we did cover a couple of the Patriots’ top undrafted earners (Eastern Washington wide receiver Efton Chism III and UC Davis running back Lan Larison) when they announced those signings, Reiss provided some info on a few more that we were not aware of at the time. Per Reiss, Alabama tight end C.J. Dippre earned the highest guaranteed total ($264K), followed by Chism ($259K), North Carolina defensive tackle Jahvaree Ritzie ($218K), Larison ($175K), Cal Poly edge rusher Elijah Ponder ($115K), Conley ($110K), and Ohio State tight end Gee Scott Jr. ($95K).

Aaron Rodgers Pursuit Will Not Affect Steelers’ T.J. Watt Extension

May 25th, 2025 at 3:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

No deal is in place between Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers, although one remains the expectation from all parties. Regardless of what takes place on that front, a lucrative T.J. Watt extension looms as a key priority for the team.

Watt entered this offseason as one of several high-profile edge rushers in line for a new deal. The likes of Myles Garrett (Browns), Maxx Crosby (Raiders) and to a lesser extent Danielle Hunter (Texans) have each landed a raise and additional term to their pacts this offseason. That leaves Watt in a group with Bengals All-Pro Trey Hendrickson, as well as younger Cowboys and Lions stars Micah Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson as names to watch regarding an extension.

Finalizing a Rodgers pact for 2025 represents a key goal as the Steelers look to add at least a one-year quarterback starter. To no surprise, though, that endeavor will have no bearing on Watt’s contract status. Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show reports the Rodgers and Watt situations have nothing to do with one another.

The latter has remained one of the league’s top sack artists throughout his eight years in Pittsburgh. Watt has collected a Pro Bowl nod every season since 2018, adding four first-team All-Pro nods along the way. The former first-rounder earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021, and after an injury-shortened campaign one year later he returned to his previous form with a league-leading 19 sacks. Watt managed another 11.5 in 2024, and he will be expected to remain a foundational member of the Steelers’ defense for years to come.

The 30-year-old is owed a base salary of $21.05MM in 2025, the final season of his pact. That figure is not guaranteed, though, and Watt is scheduled to carry a cap hit of $30.42MM as things stand. An extension containing new guarantees could lower his cap charges in the near future while ensuring a long-term partnership between team and player. That has publicly been the goal for both parties in this case, but an Instagram post from last month led to speculation Watt is unhappy with the state of extension talks.

No major developments have taken place since then, although Kaboly notes a contract averaging roughly $40MM per year – the new high mark for pass rushers – can still be considered “a matter of when” rather than if. The Steelers have Alex Highsmith as a fellow starter along with Nick Herbig and fourth-round rookie Jack Sawyer in place for edge rush depth, but Watt will of course play a central role in determining if Pittsburgh’s production up front remains elite in 2025.

The Steelers currently have nearly $32MM in cap space, so plenty of room exists for a Rodgers pact. Even if funds are set aside for that, Pittsburgh could move forward with a new Watt agreement at any time, and finalizing a deal before the likes of Hendrickson, Parsons and Hutchinson sign would likely be beneficial for the team.

Chargers LB Denzel Perryman Fully Healthy

May 25th, 2025 at 1:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

Denzel Perryman exited the Chargers’ wild-card loss with an elbow injury, one which required a notable recovery process. The veteran linebacker has returned to full strength, however.

Perryman recently revealed he has been cleared (h/t team reporter Eric Smith). As a result, he will be able to participate fully in the team’s upcoming OTAs as well as minicamp in June. A healthy campaign will be key for the 32-year-old since he enters the season as a pending free agent.

Perryman spent his first six seasons with the Chargers before signing with the Panthers in 2021. By the team the season started, he found himself back in the AFC West by means of a trade to the Raiders. The former second-rounder spent one season in Vegas, enjoying a career year and earning a Pro Bowl nod along the way. That was followed by another one-and-done campaign, this time with the Texans.

Last spring, Perryman returned to the Bolts on a one-year deal. He reprised his role as a full-time starter at the linebacker spot, registering 55 tackles and one sack in 11 regular season games. The Miami product managed to return for Los Angeles’ wild-card loss to Houston, but he was sidelined for much of the contest due to the elbow ailment. During the opening stages of free agency this year, Perryman secured another one-year Chargers pact.

That deal – which contains a base value of $2.65MM and includes up to $1.1MM in bonuses – will be expected to again yield a strong showing for the Chargers’ defense. In 2024, under new head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Los Angeles enjoyed a notable rebound on that side of the ball. Perryman will aim to continue as a first-team presence and in doing so help his market value for 2026.

The Chargers also have the likes of Junior Colson, Daiyan Henley and Troy Dye in place at the linebacker spot. That position group will be expected to deliver strong production as the team looks to reach the postseason once more in 2025, and a return to health in Perryman’s case will be a welcomed development.

Saints’ Taysom Hill, Foster Moreau Out Until At Least Training Camp

May 25th, 2025 at 12:28pm CST by Rory Parks

Saints do-it-all weapon Taysom Hill and true tight end Foster Moreau suffered significant injuries in the latter stages of the 2024 season, which was a fitting end to a generally miserable year. It appears they are on the mend, but as Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports, neither of them will return to practice until training camp at the earliest.

It is worth noting that Underhill does not say whether Hill and Moreau are aiming for the start of camp in late July or if they will return on some later date. Both players are entering platform campaigns, so their future earning power will be impacted to a large extent by their health and productivity in 2025.

Hill, who is going into his age-35 season, was in line to build on the career-high 114 combined receiving and rushing touches he totaled in 2023. Last year, Klint Kubiak’s first (and only) season as the Saints’ offensive coordinator, it was reported that Hill could see more opportunities in the running game while still serving as an ancillary receiving option.

Unfortunately, the BYU product missed a handful of contests early on in the 2024 season due to a chest injury and fractured ribs, and he then sustained a torn ACL in Week 13. Given the usual timeline for ACL injuries, it would not be surprising if Hill were to miss the start of the 2025 regular season. 

When he is healthy enough to return, it is unclear how new head coach Kellen Moore and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier plan to deploy Hill. Even without the ACL injury, it is unlikely the college quarterback – who does have a 7-2 record as a starting signal-caller in the pros but who has not thrown any passes except in special packages since 2021 – would have factored into New Orleans’ upcoming QB competition.

The Saints re-upped tight end Juwan Johnson on a lucrative three-year contract in March, thus cementing him the club’s TE1. Moreau will therefore have to again compete with Johnson (and Hill) for targets whenever he returns to the field.

Now 28, the former fourth-round pick of the Raiders started all 17 games for the Saints last year, his second season in New Orleans. He tied a career-high with five TDs, and his 32 catches and 413 receiving yards came up just shy of tying the personal-best marks he set with Las Vegas in 2022. 

Moreau suffered a knee injury during the Saints’ season finale in 2024 and had to be carted off the field. Again, it is uncertain exactly when Moreau will be medically cleared, though he is of course hopeful it will be before the start of the regular season.

“The knee is doing great, and I’d have to say we are ahead of schedule,” Moreau recently said (via Rod Walker of NOLA.com). “I’d be pretty happy with a timeline that gets me back in either one of those spots (meaning before the start of training camp or the start of the regular season).”

Given Moore’s history of featuring tight ends in his offense, Moreau – who signed a three-year, $12MM pact with the Saints in 2023 – could position himself for another multiyear accord next offseason if he can return to full health sooner rather than later.

Jets’ Josh Myers, Joe Tippmann To Compete For Starting C Job

May 25th, 2025 at 11:18am CST by Rory Parks

Josh Myers cracked our list of 2025’s Top 50 Free Agents (he checked in at No. 41), and his run as the Packers’ starting center seemingly positioned him well for a notable contract this offseason. However, it seems the league-wide perception of Myers mirrors the subpar Pro Football Focus grades he has earned over his four-year pro career, and he ultimately settled for a one-year, $2MM deal with the Jets.

Meanwhile, New York’s incumbent center, Joe Tippmann, graded out as PFF’s seventh-best pivot in 2024, which was just his second year in the league. The Jets made him a second-round pick the year prior, and given his draft pedigree and strong sophomore showing, it initially appeared Myers would have to accept a backup role with his new club.

While that still may be the case, it is apparently not a sure thing. The Jets have a new regime in place, a regime that signed Myers but did not draft Tippmann, and as ESPN’s Rich Cimini relays, first-year GM Darren Mougey said in March that Myers is “going to compete to push Tippmann.”

That competition is indeed taking place, with presumptive left guard John Simpson saying Myers and Tippmann are “battling their asses off right now.” Gang Green wrapped its first set of OTAs last week and is set to begin its next series on Wednesday.

Of course, this could be a simple matter of a rookie GM and head coach (Aaron Glenn) attempting to rebuild the Jets’ culture and making sure all of their players truly earn their jobs. On the other hand, as Cimini notes, Myers’ 56 career starts are the most among any player on New York’s O-line at the moment, and with a 2024 first-rounder (Olu Fashanu, who started seven games in his rookie year) and a 2025 rookie (Armand Membou) poised to start at the tackle positions, there is some logic to having a more experienced center.

In theory, Tippmann – who played some right guard in his rookie campaign in 2023 – could shift to one of the guard positions to make room for Myers. However, 2021 first-rounder and extension candidate Alijah Vera-Tucker appears entrenched at right guard for the long haul, leaving Simpson’s LG post as the only other interior position that could be up for grabs. 

But Simpson turned in a strong debut effort for the Jets in 2024, starting all 17 contests and earning a 77.3 overall PFF grade that placed him 16th among guards. That was something of a surprising showing given his more pedestrian performances with the Raiders and Ravens in prior years, so one wonders if the Tippmann-Myers battle could ultimately have an impact on Simpson’s status.

That is merely speculation, as Cimini’s report only suggests Tippmann and Myers are fighting for the starting center spot. The ESPN scribe certainly believes there is more than just GM- or coach-speak at play here, as he characterizes the positional competition as one to watch.

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