HEADLINES

Raiders Sign LB Jaylon Smith

May 11th, 2025 at 7:44pm CST by Ely Allen

The Raiders’ rookie minicamp concluded today. In addition to the drafted rookies and undrafted free agent rookies who were in attendance, Las Vegas also hosted players to participate in rookie minicamp tryouts. Two non-rookies ended up walking away from the minicamp with new contracts.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, one of those players was veteran linebacker Jaylon Smith. Projected to be a top five pick late in his junior season at Notre Dame, Smith’s NFL career hit its first speed bump before it even started when he suffered tears to his ACL and LCL in the Fighting Irish’s bowl game in 2016. The injury dropped him into the second round, as he was sure to miss his entire rookie season. The Cowboys were the ones who took him, in part because their team physician was the one who performed Smith’s knee surgery and was confident in his ability to recover.

Dallas wanted to be cautious in bringing him back from injury, but an injury to starter Anthony Hitchens forced him into the starting lineup to start his sophomore campaign. After Hitchens returned from injury, Smith was coming off the bench for the remainder of the year. He opened up the following season as the full-time starter, having fully recovered, and delivered 417 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and eight sacks in the next three seasons. These efforts resulted in a Pro Bowl selection and a five-year, $64MM contract extension.

Following his extension, Smith received several criticisms in 2020 about his impact on a defense that allowed the 23rd-most total yards and the 28th-most points. After offseason wrist surgery in 2021, Smith was released by the Cowboys when he declined to waive his 2022 injury guarantee contract clause. The emergence of a rookie Micah Parsons and the transition of Keanu Neal into a linebacker made the release easier to sustain.

Smith almost immediately signed with the Packers but was released a month later after only appearing in only two games and playing only 27 snaps. Near the end of the regular season, Smith signed with the Giants’ practice squad. He stayed in New York in 2022, starting 11 games for Big Blue, but found himself to be a free agent again following the season. In 2023, he spent time on the practice squads of the Saints, Raiders, and Steelers. The only game he appeared in that year was in Las Vegas.

He’ll now return to the Raiders after not signing anywhere during the 2024 NFL season. Las Vegas improved their linebacking corps this offseason in free agency, adding Devin White and Elandon Roberts. Smith will add some veteran depth to the group at the very least.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the other non-rookie who signed after a successful minicamp tryout was safety Jonathan Sutherland. An undrafted free agent two years ago out of Penn State, Sutherland signed with the Seahawks to enter the league. He spent his rookie season on Seattle’s practice squad but was waived before the start of last year. He signed to the Giants in the preseason but was ultimately waived with an injury designation. He’ll get his chance with his third team in as many years this offseason.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/11/25

May 11th, 2025 at 6:05pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor NFL moves to close out the weekend:

New England Patriots

  • Signed: G Mehki Butler

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Jackson earns his first NFL contract after falling out of the draft and failing to secure an undrafted free agent contract in the past few weeks. Instead, he was given a rookie minicamp tryout and did enough to land a contract.

Jackson is one of an unfortunately select few players who played six years of college football without utilizing a redshirt. Entering school in 2019, he was granted the additional year that all players who were in college during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season got. Jackson and his teammates were granted a second additional year by the NCAA on the basis that their 2022 season was shortened because of a mass shooting that killed three of their Cavalier teammates. With that time, Jackson recorded four seasons with 100+ total tackles (five with 90+), 33 total tackles for loss, and 17.0 sacks.

Rucker’s time in DC was a short one. He was part of the Commanders’ 10-man undrafted free agent class, signing his contract just three days ago. Dankwah was an UDFA for the Eagles last year but spent most of his rookie season with Washington’s practice squad.

Raiders Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents

May 11th, 2025 at 5:19pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Raiders have signed 15 undrafted free agents, bringing their rookie class to 26 players. Here are Las Vegas’ UDFA signings:

Dotson was a four-year starter at Kansas opposite fellow undrafted Jayhawks corner Cobee Bryant. Dotson isn’t an elite athlete but has a natural feel for shadowing receivers and excellent ball skills. He recorded 27 passes defended and nine interceptions in the last two years, including four pick-sixes that showcased his playmaking instincts on and with the ball.

Joyner recorded 12 sacks and 13 tackles for loss for Minnesota in the last two years, though 2024 was his only season as a starter. He has an enticing frame (6-foot-4, 262 pounds) with 34-inch arms that he uses in a variety of ways, most effectively as a run defender setting the edge. He’s a solid but unspectacular athlete who will need to refine his pass-rushing plan and accelerate his processing to NFL speed to earn a roster spot.

The Raiders signed him to a deal that includes $150K guaranteed, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Similarly, Wilson tells us that the team wanted to make sure they landed Clements’ signature and offered him $75K in guarantees to make it happen.

Walker spent three years at James Madison before transferring to Indiana in 2024. Despite facing better competition, he posted career-highs in tackles (82), tackles for loss (10), sacks (2.0), and passes defended (10). He ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash at his pro day but weighs just 219 pounds. Walker explodes downhill against the run and as a blitzer and could push for a roster spot in Las Vegas as a special teams contributor.

Texans Sign Six Undrafted Free Agents

May 11th, 2025 at 4:39pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Texans have signed six undrafted free agents, bringing their rookie class to 15 players. Here are Houston’s UDFA signings:

  • Austin Brinkman, LS (West Virginia)
  • Eli Cox, C (Kentucky)
  • Alijah Huzzle, CB (North Carolina)
  • Daniel Jackson, WR (Minnesota)
  • K.C. Ossai, LB (Louisiana)
  • Junior Tafuna, DT (Utah)

The Texans let longtime long snapper Jon Weeks walk in free agency, so Brinkman will compete with reserve/futures signing Tucker Addington for the LS roster spot this summer. His three-year contract includes $110k in guaranteed money, per KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson.

Cox was a four-year starter along Kentucky’s offensive line with experience at center (35 starts) and right guard (12 starts). He showed off excellent athleticism at the Combine, but lacks ideal length and power for the NFL. His movement skills and football I.Q. could make him a solid fit in the zone-based scheme of new Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley. Cox will receive $250K in total guarantees on his first NFL contract, according to Wilson.

Huzzle was an early riser at the East-West Shrine Bowl, but tore his ACL during team practice, sidelining him for the rest of the pre-draft process and likely his rookie year. That tanked his draft stock, but Huzzle still has potential as a playmaker in the secondary and on special teams. He recorded 12 interceptions and 42 passes defended across 30 games at East Tennessee State before transferring to North Carolina, where he posted 18 passes defended and four picks in the last two years. Huzzle’s size (5-foot-10, 30-inch arms) will likely keep him in the slot in the NFL, though he has experience on the outside as well. He also brings upside as a punt returner.

Ossai is the younger brother of Bengals edge rusher Joseph Ossai. His contract with the Texans includes $175k in guarantees ($15K signing bonus and $160k guaranteed salary), per Wilson.

Tafuna is a 6-foot-4, 308-pound defensive tackle who received some early praise from Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans at rookie minicamp (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson). He wasn’t especially productive at Utah, recording only 15 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 45 career games (45 starts), but still earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors in 2022 and 2023 with an All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2024. Tafuna is a strong, agile defensive lineman who can eat blocks in the trenches, even if he doesn’t post eye-popping statistics. He received $200k in total guarantees from the Texans, according to Wilson.

Bears Tried To Trade Up For TreVeyon Henderson

May 11th, 2025 at 3:04pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Bears entered the 2025 NFL Draft looking to add to their running back room after the success of new head coach Ben Johnson with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in Detroit.

Ashton Jeanty was long thought to be Chicago’s desired prospect in the first round. The team even explored trading up from the No. 10 pick to draft him; when that didn’t work out, they went with Colston Loveland. Their selection quieted trade action in the first round, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, as multiple teams were targeting the Michigan tight end in the teens.

The Bears’ search for a running back then moved on to TreVeyon Henderson, who they coveted for his upside on passing downs as a blocker and a receiver, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. Henderson was expected to go early in the second round, so Chicago tried to trade up from the 39th overall pick to snag the former Buckeye, potentially with the Titans to No. 35 (via Fowler). Those efforts fell through, and the Patriots took Henderson one pick before the Bears were on the clock.

Chicago then waited until their last selection (Round 7, No. 233) to draft a running back, taking Kyle Monangai out of Rutgers. He has some of the pass-protection chops the Bears were looking for and will have a chance to carve out a third-down role as a rookie.

Henderson, meanwhile, will immediately push for touches in the Patriots’ backfield as a contributor in the passing game. His ball security could even help him take over a lead role if Rhamondre Stevenson‘s fumbling woes continue into the 2025 season.

Bengals Sign 13 Undrafted Free Agents

May 11th, 2025 at 2:53pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Bengals announced 13 undrafted free agent signings to bring their rookie class to 19. Here are Cincinnati’s 2025 UDFAs:

The Bengals signed Barnett through the NFL’s International Player Pathway program. Born in Birmingham, England, he spent three years at the NFL Academy in Leicester before a year of Division III ball at Dickinson College. Barnett will need to figure out a positional fit in Cincinnati; at 6-foot-1 and 275 pounds, he’s too small for the interior but lacks the get-off of an edge rusher.

Cross was a consistent presence on Notre Dame’s defensive line over the past four years, including second-team All-American nods in the last two under new Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden. He has an explosive first step but struggles to control encounters due to his 6-foot-1, 285-pound frame and lack of elite strength to compensate. Cross’ size may limit him in the pros, but his intangibles – handed down from his father and former Giants tight end Howard Cross – will endear him to coaches and give him a chance at a roster spot.

Etienne is a 6-foot-6, 329-pound tackle who brings a promising athletic profile to the NFL. He struggled on the right side of BYU’s offensive line in 2023 but thrived on the blindside in 2024 and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors. He has excellent length with 36-inch arms, but he has to find more ways to maximize his physical gifts with better technique and footwork.

McLaughlin spent four years at Alabama before transferring to Ohio State in 2024. As a Buckeye, he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and won the Rimington Trophy, given out annually to the best center in college football. That was despite missing the end of the season due to a torn Achilles, which required surgery and sidelined him throughout the pre-draft process. He fell out of the draft as a result, he’s an experienced, technically sound center with a reputation as a smart, dedicated worker on and off the field. With a smooth recovery, he could turn into one of the steals of the 2025 class with the potential to succeed Ted Karras as the Bengals’ starting center.

Steelers, RB Trey Sermon Agree To Deal

May 11th, 2025 at 12:17pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Steelers have lined up a backfield addition deep into free agency. Pittsburgh has agreed to a one-year deal with Trey Sermon, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports.

A third-round pick of the 49ers in 2021, Sermon only lasted one season in San Francisco. He did not survive roster cuts in advance of his second NFL campaign, with the 49ers placing him on waivers. The Eagles claimed him, although that did not yield a workload of note. Sermon handled a total of just 12 snaps in Philadelphia, and he found himself on the move the following year.

Shortly after being released in the summer of 2023, Sermon inked a practice squad deal with the Colts. His debut Indianapolis campaign resulted in 160 scoreless rushing yards, but the free agent departure of Zack Moss opened the door for an increased workload. At one point, Sermon seemed to be in position to handle RB2 duties behind Jonathan Taylor. In the end, though, the Ohio State product only saw a marginal uptick in carries (56 compared to 35).

As a result, this Steelers pact will no doubt be a small commitment on Pittsburgh’s part. The Steelers leaned heavily on former first-rounder Najee Harris over the past four seasons. As many expected, Harris departed in free agency this spring, leaving Jaylen Warren atop the depth chart. The latter is attached to a second-round RFA tender for 2025, and he will look to play his way into a long-term pact with Pittsburgh or another team next offseason.

The Steelers used a third-round pick (their second selection of the draft) on running back Kaleb Johnson. The Iowa product enjoyed a highly successful college career and he is in line to compete for a notable role alongside Warren and free agent signing Kenneth Gainwell as a rookie. Sermon, 26, could earn a place as the team’s No. 3 or 4 option in the backfield, although he does not have considerable experience on special teams (something which would likely be necessary for someone in that role to earn a roster spot).

The Steelers entered Sunday with more than $34MM in cap space, so today’s deal will not alter their other roster-building plans. Sermon will turn his attention to competing for a depth gig on his latest team during the summer.

Lions Add 10 UDFAs

May 11th, 2025 at 9:59am CST by Adam La Rose

The Lions added seven rookies to their roster via the draft. That group has been joined by the following 10 undrafted free agent signings:

Meeks’ pact contains $200K in total guarantees, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. That figure includes a $20K signing bonus. After spending his first three seasons at Georgia in a depth capacity, Meeks transferred to Syracuse last offseason. That paved the way for a breakthrough campaign (78-1,021-7 statline), one which has landed him the chance to compete for a roster spot this summer.

Tyus followed a similar career path by seeing sparse usage during his three-year tenure at Northwestern. Upon transferring out of the Big Ten and into the MAC, he took on a much larger role for Ohio. The 6-1, 220-pounder rushed for nine touchdowns in 2024 (after scoring two in his first three seasons) and racked up 1,352 scrimmage yards. Tyus will look to earn a spot on special teams to avoid cutdowns at the end of training camp.

While many of the league’s most lucrative UDFA deals were coming together in the aftermath of the draft, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reported Keith Cooper Jr. had agreed to a contract including a $20K signing bonus and $125K in salary guarantees. However, the Houston edge rusher is listed as as a tryout player for the Lions’ rookie minicamp. As a result, he has not yet signed a deal.

Saints Announce Derek Carr’s Retirement

May 10th, 2025 at 9:52pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Saints have announced the sudden retirement of veteran quarterback Derek Carr due to a shoulder injury.

Reports of Carr’s injury emerged in early April, though its exact nature and impact on the 2025 season were initially unclear. Scans later revealed that Carr suffered a torn labrum with “significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff,” according to the team’s statement. The 34-year-old quarterback tried an injection and rehab, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, but opted against surgery that would likely sideline him for the 2025 season with no guarantee of a full recovery.

All eyes will now turn to the Saints’ quarterback situation under first-year head coach Kellen Moore. The team was already preparing for the possibility of Carr missing most or all of this season by using a second-round pick on Louisville QB Tyler Shough in last month’s draft. Shough was considered to be one of the most pro-ready passers in this year’s class and will have a chance to start as a rookie in New Orleans. His primary competition will be 2023 fourth-rounder Jake Haener and 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler, both of whom stepped in for Carr during his absence last season.

[RELATED: Saints Planning Open QB Competition]

Carr’s retirement also comes with a complicated financial compromise. The 2025 compensation in his original contract included a $10MM roster bonus and a base salary of $30MM guaranteed for injury, per OverTheCap. The roster bonus became fully guaranteed for the offseason and triggered this past March, when his salary was also set to upgrade into a full guarantee. The Saints restructured his contract in March instead, converting the roster bonus and salary into a signing bonus to reduce his 2025 cap hit.

Now, that restructure seems to be reversed. Carr will keep the roster bonus, but the Saints will not be responsible for his salary in cash or cap space, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. The team will also process his retirement after June 1 to spread the remaining dead money across two years. Essentially, Carr is forgoing $30MM that he would otherwise be owed whether he retired or underwent surgery and spent the season on the sidelines.

Carr was just two seasons into a four-year, $150MM contract signed in 2023. He went 9-8 in his debut season in New Orleans, but missed seven games in 2024 and finished with a 5-5 record as a starter. His financial agreement with the Saints will result in $70MM paid out for two years and 27 starts.

The Saints’ announcement also included a statement from Carr:

“Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with [his wife] Heather, I’ve decided to retire from the National Football League. For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience. It’s difficult to find the right words to express our thanks to all the teammates, coaches, management, ownership, team officials and especially the fans who made this journey so special. Your unwavering support has meant the world to us.”

Carr is retiring after 11 years in the NFL. The first nine years of that stretch were spent with the Raiders, and the former second-rounder will be best remembered for his tenure with them. Carr earned four Pro Bowl nods as a Raider, including three straight from 2015-17. With only one playoff start to his name, though, a lack of postseason appearances and success will be a key aspect of his legacy.

The Fresno State product was reunited with former college teammate Davante Adams in 2022, but that tandem remained in place for only one year. Things did not go according to plan during brief period of the Josh McDaniels-Dave Ziegler regime, and Carr’s release brought about an end to his tenure in Vegas. His previous comments about retiring rather than playing for another franchise were replaced by his Saints pact, one which did not provide the desired results.

In all, Carr made 170 starts during his career, and his passing totals rank just outside the top 20 for quarterbacks in most categories. He amassed over $195MM in earnings over the course of his NFL tenure, one which has come to a rather abrupt end.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post. 

Steelers Didn’t Reach Consensus On QB Shedeur Sanders

May 10th, 2025 at 9:50pm CST by Ely Allen

The Steelers surprised many as pick after pick went by in the 2025 NFL Draft and they continued to watch Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders slide throughout the draft. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the reason Pittsburgh never made the call was because the organization “did not reach a consensus on Sanders as a slam dunk pick.”

The Steelers came into the draft with a need at quarterback. Sure, they were (and still are) in talks with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but nothing had been signed or decided on that front, and even if it had been, Rodgers is 41 years old and is three full years removed from playing the elite level of ball we’ve come to associate him with. Securing a top passing prospect would have still been a smart move if Rodgers ends up on the roster because it would give them a student to learn and develop behind him.

Pittsburgh did end up taking a quarterback in the draft, but that selection wouldn’t come until late into Day 3, when Will Howard was selected in the sixth round. Following the departures of one-year rentals Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, Howard joins a group that contains former Steelers backup Mason Rudolph and former Dolphins backup Skylar Thompson. Both have seen time as starters in injury replacement situations in their careers, and while Rudolph has fared decently in his opportunities, neither quarterback inspires much confidence heading into the 2025 season.

This begs the question: why didn’t Pittsburgh take a swing on a quarterback earlier? Or, if they knew they were going to wait to select one, why, when they saw Sanders freefalling round after round, did they not take a flyer on his obvious potential?

One can certainly see where they liked the value they were getting for versatile Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon as a potential eventual replacement for Cameron Heyward or the hole-filling potential of third-round Iowa rusher Kaleb Johnson, who could compete with Jaylen Warren for some serious carries. But once the fourth round rolled around and Sanders, a projected first- or second-round pick, was still around, how important was it to add Jack Sawyer to blend in with a group that already contains T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig? Does Sawyer add more value to that group that Sanders would’ve to a position that only contained Rudolph and Thompson at the time? The Steelers will need to hope so.

Ultimately, Fowler tells us that the team was “comfortable with (Sanders) as a distributing point guard type,” but they couldn’t all agree that he was “a slam dunk pick.” It’s true that a knock on Sanders was his reliance on screens, quick passes, and checkdowns — only 23.7 percent of his completions at Colorado were on throws over 10 yards.

Regardless, his playing style helped him to finish fourth in the country in yards per game while throwing 37 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Even with three extra games on his schedule, Howard did not encroach upon Sanders’ yardage or touchdown numbers last year. But the team was undecided on whether Sanders was worth the fourth-round flyer, and that led him to his new home in Cleveland.

The Steelers are still getting a quarterback who had a great completion percentage (73.0) while throwing the ball a bit more downfield (9.5 yards per attempt) and still having an impressive touchdown-interception ratio. They’ll just have to hope that Howard (and Sawyer) contribute enough to erase any doubt of the decision they made.

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