Rams’ Matthew Stafford Returns To Practice

August 21: McVay confirmed on Thursday (via Barshop) that Stafford was a full participant all week without restrictions. Stafford himself said that he’s taking a “day-to-day approach” to his back injury, which he characterized as “something that crept up on me a little bit.” The veteran quarterback will not travel with the Rams to Cleveland for their preseason finale on Saturday.

August 18: Following his second individual throwing session, Matthew Stafford has managed to suit up for practice. The Rams’ starting quarterback participated in his first training camp workout on Monday.

Last week had been targeted as return date in Stafford’s case. Exercising an abundance of caution, the Rams instead elected to keep him on the sidelines. The 37-year-old was a participant today as planned, though, with ESPN’s Sarah Barshop noting he took part in team drills.

“It was good to be able to have Matthew out there. He did a good job today,” head coach Sean McVay said when speaking to the media after practice (video link). “I think there was a lot of intended information, but there’s no updates. We’re going to keep it a day, and really, a week at a time. But it’s great to be able to see him out there today, and we’ll see how this afternoon goes and tomorrow.”

McVay noted there is no firm timeline in place with respect to how the rest of the week will play out regarding Stafford’s practice participation. He also cautioned (via Gary Klein of the L.A. Times) that today’s encouraging development does not ensure at this point Stafford will be available for Week 1. The Rams have maintained his fifth Los Angles season is expected to begin on time, but a lingering back issue has proven to be troublesome over the course of the summer.

Team and player agreed to another restructured contract this offseason, with the Rams guaranteeing money into 2026. As a result, Stafford’s health for the immediate future but also beyond the coming campaign is key. A separate practice schedule was designed for the former Lion given his injury, but sparse participation over the coming weeks would not amount to much in the way of first-team reps leading up to Week 1.

Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo and former fourth-rounder Stetson Bennett round out the Rams’ QB depth chart. Their practice workloads will be altered if Stafford does indeed return to action on a regular basis, but it remains to be seen if that will be the case. Nonetheless, today’s news marks an encouraging sign for all involved.

Eagles WR Johnny Wilson To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

Johnny Wilson will not be available to the Eagles in 2025. The second-year wideout suffered an injury Tuesday and surgery will be required as a result.

Wilson will undergo a procedure on his knee and ankle, as first reported by Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The surgery will end his season. Wilson missed only one regular season contest as a rookie and suited up for all four playoff games during the Eagles’ run to the Super Bowl.

[RELATED: Reviewing Eagles’ Offseason]

During that span, the 24-year-old was a part-time presence on special teams while also chipping in offensively. Wilson logged a 34% snap share on offense, and while that workload only yielded 15 targets he showcased an ability as a run blocker when on the field. Instead of aiming to take a step forward in terms of usage and production, Wilson will now need to turn his attention to recovery.

This news comes shortly after the Eagles swung their second trade of the offseason with the Texans. That swap resulted in receiver John Metchie coming to Philadelphia after three years (and two seasons) in Houston. His role as a part-time contributor could increase in the wake of Wilson’s injury. The Eagles’ top three of A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jahan Dotson is set to remain intact, but their receiver depth has been dealt a blow.

With Wilson no longer in the picture, 2024 fifth-rounder Ainias Smith and undrafted rookie Darius Cooper will look to earn the remaining spots on Philadelphia’s receiver depth chart. Their fates will be learned next week when roster cuts take place.

FA Jadeveon Clowney Plans To Sign Before Week 1

Jadeveon Clowney remains unsigned with roster cuts looming. The veteran edge rusher could soon have his latest NFL deal in place, however.

Clowney plans to sign before the start of the regular season, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports. If that is to be the case, an agreement will need to be finalized in the not-too-distant future. The former No. 1 pick said one month ago he has been in contact with a number of suitors while evaluating his free agent options.

No specific teams emerged as candidates to sign Clowney at that point, but it would stand to reason one of them will end up as his eventual destination. After playing for his hometown Panthers in 2024, Clowney was released in May. That move came as little surprise after Carolina added a pair of new edge rushers during the second and third round of the draft.

Since then, no deal has appeared imminent for the South Carolina product. Clowney has established himself as a high-profile journeyman following the end of his Texans tenure, playing for the Seahawks, Titans, Browns and Ravens prior to his one-and-done Panthers campaign. Between that track record and the nature of late-August free agency, a one-year pact should be expected in this case.

With three nine-sack seasons to his name – the most recent coming in 2023 – Clowney could represent a starting-caliber option along the edge for any new team. More realistically, though, a depth role should be in store for the coming campaign. The three-time Pro Bowler totaled 5.5 sacks and 22 pressures last year while handling a 64% snap share. A reduction in workload would be feasible with respect to most destinations, with teams aiming to sort out their depth charts in advance of roster cuts.

At the age of 32, Clowney is presumably eyeing a contender on his next pact. Wilson confirms he is speaking with teams at this point, so it should soon become clear where he will be playing in 2025.

Buccaneers To Carry LT Tristan Wirfs On Active Roster

The Buccaneers are expected to be without Chris Godwin to begin the season, but they are nevertheless on track to carry him on their active roster in September. The same is also true of left tackle Tristan Wirfs.

Head coach Todd Bowles said on Thursday (via Fox Sports’ Greg Auman) Wirfs will be on the active roster once final cuts take place. Starting the season on the reserve/PUP list – the likely outcome as of last month – would have guaranteed at least a four-game absence in this case. By moving Wirfs to the active roster, though, he will be eligible to play (or at least practice) within that span.

Missed time during the regular season has been in store since Wirfs underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in early July. The matter of how long he will be unavailable has been unclear ever since, however. Today’s update certainly does not offer any guarantees regarding the two-time All-Pro’s timeline, but it is still an encouraging sign that playing before Week 5 will be an option.

Wirfs inked a five-year extension last offseason. That pact carries an AAV of $28.13MM, which was at the time the highest for any offensive tackle (Rashawn Slater‘s recent Chargers extension surpassed it by a slim margin). A healthy run of games will be critical to Tampa Bay’s offensive line in Wirfs’ case, and as such it would come as no surprise if the team played it safe with his return once he returns to practice.

In the meantime, Charlie Heck is slated to handle first-team duties on the blindside. The free agent addition has 50 appearances and 27 stars to his name, but expectations will of course be far lower than when Wirfs is back in place. When that will be is still unclear, but a long span without the four-time Pro Bowler may not wind up being necessary.

Vikings, Jets, 49ers Seeking WR Help

AUGUST 21: To little surprise, Pelissero names Adam Thielen as a potential Vikings target (video link). Nothing is imminent, and the Panthers elected to keep him in the fold at last year’s trade deadline. Reuniting with Thielen would nevertheless allow for Minnesota to bring the former Pro Bowler back to where his first nine seasons took place as a starting-caliber option for 2025.

AUGUST 20: The Vikings are exploring a trade for a veteran wide receiver, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. The Jets and 49ers are also interested in adding a wideout, per Russini.

Minnesota will be without 2023 first-round pick Jordan Addison for the first three games of the season due to a DUI-related suspension. Justin Jefferson (hamstring) has returned to practice after missing much of training camp, but offseason signing Rondale Moore (knee) is out for the year and fourth-year receiver Jalen Nailor (hand) is currently “week-to-week,” according to head coach Kevin O’Connell.

Those absences would likely elevate tight end T.J. Hockenson to the No. 2 pass catcher role in the offense, but the Vikings seem to want more support for second-year quarterback (and first-year starter) J.J. McCarthy.

The Jets similarly have a clear WR1 (Garrett Wilson), a young quarterback (Justin Fields), and a veteran dealing with an injury (Allen Lazard). The hype surrounding veteran Josh Reynolds has faded over the course of the summer, and the rest of the team’s pass catchers are unproven as full-time starters. New York would love to see one of their young wideouts – particularly Malachi Corley, Xavier Gipson, Arian Smith, or Brandon Smith – emerge as a reliable secondary receiver, but it seems like none of the four has impressed in training camp as hoped.

The 49ers’ receiver room is still without Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings. The former is expected to be back around Week 6, while the latter is still nursing a calf injury (and seeking a new contract). The next man up, 2024 first-rounder Ricky Pearsall, seems poised for a Year 2 breakout, but his would-be running mate, nine-year veteran Demarcus Robinson, could begin the year on a suspension stemming from a 2024 DUI arrest.

Fourth-round rookie Jordan Watkins is also dealing with a high ankle sprain and may not be ready for Week 1. That would leave Pearsall to pair up with Jacob Cowing or Robbie Chosen, who barely played last year, or Russell Gage, who didn’t play at all last year. The 49ers are likely to make a move here before Week 1, with The Athletic’s Matt Barrows predicting multiple additions — for active-roster and practice squad spots — will unfold.

It’s unclear which receivers would be available on the trade market. An Adam Thielen reunion with the Vikings will likely be a popular mock trade in the coming weeks, and the Eagles may be willing to move 2022 first-round pick Jahan Dotson after acquiring John Metchie last week. The Bills also have a surplus of depth receivers and could move one before cutdown day for draft capital and cap relief, per The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia.

WR Chris Godwin To Begin Season On Buccaneers’ Active Roster

With Chris Godwin continuing in his recovery process, it remains to be seen when he will be able to suit up for the Buccaneers. The Pro Bowl wideout’s Week 1 availability is still in serious doubt, but he could be on the field within the first month of the campaign.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Tampa Bay plans to activate Godwin from the active/PUP list before roster cutdowns. That means the 29-year-old will begin the season on the Bucs’ active roster. Reverting to the reserve/PUP list would have saved a roster spot during cutdowns but ensured at least a four-week absence. Instead of taking that route, the team will leave the door open to Godwin playing at some point in September.

On that note, Schefter adds the current plan is for Godwin is to begin practicing in Week 2 as the next phase of his ramp-up process. A cautious approach would come as no surprise given his importance to Tampa Bay’s offense, and taking things slowly could leave him unavailable until October. Nevertheless, Godwin is still on schedule with respect to rehabbing his fractured ankle, per Schefter.

That injury – suffered in Week 7 last year – brought an abrupt end to what had been a very strong campaign in Godwin’s case. The former third-rounder was averaging 82.3 receiving yards per game at the time of the injury, the second-highest total of his career. Godwin could have parlayed that production into a lucrative pact on the open market this spring, but he turned down better offers to remain in Tampa Bay on a three-year deal.

Returning to full health will thus be key in 2025 and beyond in this case. For the Buccaneers, getting Godwin back on the field will be particularly important considering the lengthy absence which is expected for fellow wideout Jalen McMillan. Tampa Bay has Mike Evans along with first-round rookie Emeka Egbuka in place for the time being, and that duo will be leaned on to carry the load on offense early. A rough timeline is in place for Godwin, though, and it will be interesting to see when he manages to get back to full strength.

Vikings To Trade DL Harrison Phillips To Jets

Adding two high-profile defensive linemen (Javon Hargrave, Jonathan Allen) this offseason, the Vikings will ship out an incumbent starter. Harrison Phillips is heading back to New York.

The Jets are acquiring the veteran interior D-lineman, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The Jets will land Phillips and a 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for 2026 and 2027 sixth-rounders. This deal comes less than a year after Minnesota extended Phillips, who is signed through the 2026 season. This marks the Jets’ second DT trade today; they acquired Jowon Briggs from the Browns earlier.

A former Bills third-round pick, Phillips signed with the Vikings in 2022 and has been a starter for the past three seasons. The Vikes extended Phillips on a two-year, $15MM pact in September 2024. Phillips, 29, has been a reliable player in the Twin Cities; he has not missed a game while with the Vikes.

Tied to a guaranteed $7MM 2025 base salary and $400K in per-game roster bonuses, Phillips will receive payments from multiple teams this year. The Vikings are picking up half that tab, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. The 307-pound defender is due a nonguaranteed $6.89MM salary in 2026. Phillips will give the Jets a starter-level talent in a D-tackle corps that appeared to be lacking one alongside Quinnen Williams.

The arrivals of Phillips and Briggs will complicate the previous Williams sidekick bunch’s paths to the 53-man roster. Second-year defender Leonard Taylor may struggle to stick on the final roster after doing so as an undrafted rookie out of Miami (Fla.) last year. Former second-round pick Phidarian Mathis could be in danger, too, after fizzling out of Washington midseason.

The battle for the starting job next to Williams before today’s transaction looked to be between Byron Cowart and Derrick Nnadi. Cowart, a former five-star recruit who transferred and was drafted in the fifth round in 2019, had a decent season in Chicago last year after a rough start to his career, while Nnadi had enjoyed double-digit starts in every year of his career up until last year, when he was demoted to a rotation role. Both will remain in the rotation, but the starting responsibilities may be beyond their reach with Phillips in the building.

Ultimately, both sides achieved what they needed to in this deal. The Jets bolstered a weak spot on the defense with a veteran starter who should help Williams’ star shine. On the other side, Minnesota will move forward with an incredibly capable defensive line while picking up some decent cap savings over the next two years.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

49ers To Acquire WR Skyy Moore From Chiefs

A busy day of breaking trades continues as Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports reports that the Chiefs are sending Skyy Moore to the 49ers along with a 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick. San Francisco has been vocally searching for some help at wide receiver, and Kansas City had enough bodies in the room to move on from a once-promising second-round pick.

The 49ers receiving corps looked good on paper throughout the offseason with assumptions of good luck with health and availability, but in the weeks leading up to the regular season, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings are still absent from practices. Aiyuk is not set to return from a torn ACL and MCL until around Week 6 of the 2025 season, while Jennings is working his way back from a calf injury and seeking a new contract at the same time.

In addition, fourth-round rookie Jordan Watkins may not be ready for a Week 1 debut due to a high ankle sprain, and last year’s fourth-rounder, Jacob Cowing, reportedly suffered a hamstring injury today, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, after just returning to practice last week. This means that second-year receiver Ricky Pearsall and veteran Demarcus Robinson are the only healthy receivers in the room’s top six names, and there may have been consolation in that fact, if not for the fact that Robinson will open the season on a three-game suspension.

While quarterback Brock Purdy enjoys the privilege of throwing to phenomenal pass-catchers at other positions like Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk, and George Kittle, his actual receivers group had dwindled down to Pearsall, Russell Gage, Junior Bergen, Terique Owens, Isaiah Hodgins, Malik Turner, and Robbie Chosen — an odd mix of aging veterans and young inexperience. Enter Moore.

The former Western Michigan star came to Kansas City at an extremely exciting time for wide receivers. Behind the arm of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs had played in two Super Bowls in three years — winning one — and were looking for more. The team was also moving on from star wideout Tyreek Hill, and Moore was among a sea of strong options to serve as Mahomes new favorite target, including free agent additions JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Justin Watson and earlier draft picks Mecole Hardman and Kadarius Toney.

Understandably, Moore failed to make much of an impression among that group throughout the regular season, catching only 22 passes for 250 yards and no touchdowns, but he did catch his only target in the Super Bowl with a four-yard touchdown that gave Kansas City a seven-point lead with just over nine minutes left in an eventual win. Year 2 showed more promise, with Smith-Schuster and Hardman departing, but a new second-round rookie, Rashee Rice, stole all the thunder available by becoming the room’s new top receiver. Though fewer wideouts were ahead of him in the pecking order, Moore still only accumulated 21 catches for 244 yards and a touchdown, missing the final three games of the regular season and the entire postseason that resulted in a second straight Super Bowl victory.

Last year, Moore saw three targets (zero catches) in the first six weeks of the season before being placed on injured reserve with a core muscle injury and missing the remainder of the season. Without Moore, Mahomes and company still can rely on Rice, Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, Smith-Schuster, and others.

In San Francisco, Moore will get a new chance to make a name for himself. At this point, the 49ers can’t afford to be choosers, and Moore is the offer they got from a beggars’ market. Moore will have just under a week to show the team flashes of his breakout redshirt sophomore season with the Broncos and prove that he’s worth keeping on the 53-man roster in 2025.

Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Rams

Pushing the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles to the limit in the divisional round, the Rams entered the offseason in the same place they usually do — as a clear championship contender. The team needed to solve a quarterback dilemma before reloading its arsenal for a potential Super Bowl LX run, and considerable fallout emerged from the latest Matthew Stafford contract-driven saga.

While the Rams swapped out star wide receivers and made their biggest running back commitment since Todd Gurley, Stafford’s status overshadowed everything else about Los Angeles’ offseason. The team’s draft strategy opens a door to a potential succession plan, but for now, it is still Stafford-or-bust in L.A.

Extensions and restructures:

After the Rams solved their lingering 2024 Stafford issue with an incentive package and a minor guarantee bump for 2025, they received word the Super Bowl-winning passer would play a 17th NFL season. By late January, however, Stafford trade rumors began to emerge. As the Combine neared, the Rams gave Stafford — whom they acquired in a January 2021 blockbuster trade — permission to explore another relocation. That set off one of the stranger storylines involving a high-profile QB in recent memory. A host of rumors emerged about Stafford’s future, all while the Rams would have been staring at a significant downgrade at the game’s premier position if they went through with a swap.

Playing on a Lions-designed deal ($27MM per year) during the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning season, Stafford signed a four-year, $160MM extension. At the time, Stafford left money on the table to help the Rams remain a contender. The team then rewarded Super Bowl heroes Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp later in 2022. Stafford, however, regretted this decision and pushed for better terms in 2024 and ’25.

The Rams gave him a $5MM 2024 raise by moving money up from future years and then added a $4MM 2025 roster bonus. Stafford submitted a second straight strong season — after 2023 trade rumors swirled following an injury-plagued 2022 — and found teams willing to pay up, increasing urgency on the Rams’ end.

Several teams, including the Steelers, contacted the Rams on Stafford. While Pittsburgh preferred Stafford to Aaron Rodgers, two teams emerged as the true Stafford suitors. The Giants and Raiders worked out contract parameters, with each team ready to authorize guarantee packages in the $90-$100MM range. As he did in the Raiders’ Ben Johnson pursuit, Tom Brady played a lead role and spoke with Stafford at a Montana ski resort. The Giants were linked to a potential $55MM-per-year offer, after a Stafford request of at least $50MM AAV had emerged.

The Rams sought a first-round pick, but neither of the primary suitors was willing to deal a top-six selection — as both held such draft real estate. L.A. was not willing to meet Stafford’s $50MM-AAV ask, but the team had infrastructure advantages on both suitors. Coming off last-place divisional finishes, neither the Giants nor Raiders profile as a 2025 contender. With Stafford now 37, it would have been more of a pure financial play to bail on the Rams for one of those situations.

With Stafford lacking a no-trade clause, the Rams also held the hammer here. Sean McVay represented a draw as well, and the ninth-year Rams HC remained in contact with Stafford throughout the process. In the end, a predictable conclusion emerged. Stafford did not take a late-career risk of joining teams much farther away from the Super Bowl-contending level, and the Rams fully guaranteed his 2025 salary while dangling a guarantee carrot for 2026. Though, Stafford remaining on the roster by that March 2026 vesting date suddenly looks hazier.

If Stafford remains a Ram by Day 5 of the 2026 league year, $40MM of his 2026 compensation fully guarantees. That effectively becomes a sell-by date for the Rams, whose first-round trade may change their long-term outlook at the position. Even though Stafford has secured $26MM more from the Rams than this contract initially called for, turning down better security — even though the full guarantee numbers from the Giants and Raiders never surfaced — injects some risk due to the QB’s ongoing injury trouble. But Stafford is running it back with a team he has piloted to three playoff appearances.

It would cost the Rams $41.87MM to drop Stafford before that guarantee vests, and while the latest rework did increase the punishment on the franchise were it to move on before that mid-March date, the dead money could be split over two years via a post-June 1 cut. It remains to be seen if Stafford would have realistic trade value next year, when he intends to keep playing. His latest injury battle has created short- and long-term questions.

A back injury cropped up early in training camp, keeping Stafford off the field for multiple weeks. This included missing two joint practices. A report of a disk issue soon surfaced, as Stafford received an epidural injection, and the Rams continued to push back their fifth-year QB’s return date.

As of Monday, Stafford has returned to work. But he has played through countless injuries over his career. Now in his late 30s, the one-time (non-alternate) Pro Bowler will need to be constantly monitored on the health front. The Rams’ fortunes ride on their star passer staying healthy, but without an alternative they were overly interested in (more on that below), a decision to regroup with Stafford won the day. Was it the right play?

A less complicated negotiation unfolded with Williams, who came up as an extension candidate in the spring. It took a few months, but the sides reached an agreement. The former fifth-round pick, who had pushed Cam Akers to the periphery in L.A.’s vision, became the first running back the team has committed to contractually since Todd Gurley‘s 2018 payday. The team came to regret the Gurley contract — which reset the market seven years ago — and even as the cap has exploded since, the Williams deal comes in well south of Gurley’s.

With the cap at $177.2MM in 2018 (compared to $279.2MM today), the Rams gave Gurley a four-year, $57.5MM extension that came with $21.95MM at signing. Williams has not proven to be in that class, but the Notre Dame alum has been a quality starter. Williams, 25 next week, led the NFL with 95.3 rushing yards per game in 2023 and delivered a career-high 1,299 on the ground last season. The Rams had not seen enough from Akers or Darrell Henderson to pay them between their 2020 Gurley cut and Williams’ extension eligibility, but they have reinvested in the position on a more careful contract. The team was unwilling to go toward a top-market deal here.

Les Snead approved a $15.15MM at-signing guarantee, but Williams’ camp secured additional guarantees by early 2026. Already guaranteeing $2.75MM of Williams’ $5MM 2026 base salary, the Rams will guarantee the rest on Day 3 of the 2026 league year. On Day 5, $4.61MM of Williams’ $8.95MM 2027 base salary will lock in. Barring an injury that would impede a passed physical come March, the Rams could move on for $12.58MM in dead money next year.

This contract’s fine print reveals a bit more caution on the team’s part, but if it were to consider moving on, a move would need to be made soon after free agency starts. While Williams’ camp did well to secure a rolling guarantee structure, it does not fully protect the RB from a quick release — as a post-June 1 cut would minimize the damage for the Rams, who cut Gurley less than two years after his extension.

Free agency additions:

Adams grew to loathe his first post-high school experience of catching passes from quarterbacks not named Derek Carr or Aaron Rodgers, but the California native became intrigued by a move back west after his Jets stop. The Rams convinced the decorated wide receiver to replace Cooper Kupp alongside Puka Nacua. Adams is a year older than Kupp but has been far more durable, and the Rams will at least try him out — for a hefty sum — for a season.

Although the Jets could not crawl out of their early hole upon acquiring Adams from the Raiders, the wide receiver put up impressive numbers during the 5-12 slate. Not missing any games as a Jet (after what looked like an injury exaggeration in his final Las Vegas days), Adams posted 854 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 New York games. His presence looked to have alienated Garrett Wilson, but it showed some positive Rodgers work. In 14 games last season, Adams cobbled together his sixth 1,000-yard season. Firmly on the Hall of Fame radar, Adams will attempt to contribute to a Super Bowl contender’s cause after his post-Green Bay years did not remotely involve playoff chances.

The Rams, who could not count on Kupp for the most part since a string of injuries that began midway through the 2022 season, added a receiver who has not missed more than two games in a season due to a legitimate injury since 2019. If Adams shows clear decline signs, the Rams have an early out. Adams, 32, is due a $6MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2026 league year. The Rams can move on via a $14MM dead money charge if they opt to cut bait before the bonus is due.

It is interesting Adams joined a team that could feature some Jimmy Garoppolo starts, seeing as the receiver criticized the then-Raiders starter — effectively getting Garoppolo benched midway through the 2023 season — as the wheels fell off for Josh McDaniels in Vegas. Garoppolo had not re-signed with the Rams when Adams committed, but the team re-upped its backup QB a day after it signed Adams.

Naturally, the Rams were also connected to Rodgers. In what would have been a third Rodgers-Adams partnership, the Rams discussed the aging great as a contingency plan in case they followed through with a Stafford trade. Rodgers, who lives in California during the offseason, was open to taking a discount to play for McVay. Stafford staying forced the four-time MVP to look elsewhere, and he ended up in Pittsburgh (on a one-year, $14.15MM deal) just before minicamp.

Shelton’s 2024 exit stung the Rams a bit more than expected. Even though the team’s two-year center starter commanded just $3MM from the Bears, the Rams cycled through a few centers last year. The sides regrouped in March, and Shelton received a significant raise. He will see half of his 2026 base salary guaranteed at signing, pointing to a true two-year commitment.

Between training camp and the divisional round, the Rams tried Steve Avila, Jonah Jackson and Beaux Limmer at center. Limmer will return to a backup role, while Avila is at his more natural guard spot — where he resettled last year after the Rams regretted their Jackson signing. Shelton, 30, is back with the team he spent five seasons with from 2019-23.

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Bears To Extend QB Tyson Bagent

The Bears signed Case Keenum this offseason, but they are still taking care of one of their other quarterbacks. Chicago is extending backup Tyson Bagent, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.

It is a two-year deal worth $10MM; the contract can max out at $16MM for the former UDFA out of Division II. Because Bagent is a former UDFA, he is extension-eligible after two seasons (rather than the three for drafted players). He will take advantage of the system here and cash in, with this contract representing a QB2 commitment through 2027. AllCHGO.com first reported the extension.

[RELATED: Assessing Bears’ 2025 Offseason]

While some trade chatter involving Bagent — after the Keenum signing — being a trade candidate emerged, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo indicates the QB has started off well in Ben Johnson‘s system. This certainly illustrates a commitment, though the deal overlaps with Caleb Williams‘ rookie terms. The Bears approached Bagent over the past week about a deal, the QB said (via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin).

Known as both a long-odds success story (out of D-II Shepherd) and for having an arm-wrestling father, Bagent has been with the Bears since 2023. He joins Keenum and 2024 UDFA Austin Reed on Chicago’s 90-man roster. Bagent, who made four starts filling in for Justin Fields as a rookie before sitting for most of his second season behind Williams, will be making the Bears as their backup once again.

Bagent proved effective in spurts in Luke Getsy‘s offense two years ago, winning two of the starts he made while Fields recovered from a thumb injury. Bagent piloted the Bears to wins over the Raiders and Panthers in 2023, though a rough outing in a Sunday-night game against the Chargers also transpired during this stretch. The 6-foot-3 passer’s popularity soared after the Bears’ 30-12 win over the Raiders in October 2023 — a game that involved a 21-for-29 accuracy ledger and a touchdown pass — and he was the only Getsy QB holdover on last year’s team.

Bagent is now on his fourth play-caller since arriving in Chicago, transitioning to Johnson’s offense. He certainly is an atypical QB on any rung of an NFL depth chart but has made the most of his chances. Keenum is tied to a one-year, $2.25MM deal; Chicago guaranteed the aging backup $2.16MM. Keenum has experience with a team that also carried a much younger backup, as the Texans retained (and then extended) Davis Mills during Keenum’s two-year stay back in Houston.