HEADLINES

Vikings, OLB Andrew Van Ginkel Agree On Extension

May 2nd, 2025 at 11:30am CST by Sam Robinson

MAY 2: Van Ginkel’s new guaranteed money includes a $10MM signing bonus, as detailed by Over the Cap. His cap charges now sit at $11.4MM for 2025 and $19.4MM the following season. $510K in per-game roster bonuses are included for both campaigns. Four void years are present in the deal.

APRIL 29: Andrew Van Ginkel impressed upon reuniting with Brian Flores, enjoying a productive season as a pass rusher to help the Vikings finish the season as a top-five defense. The team will reward the former Dolphins defender for his work.

The Vikings are giving Van Ginkel a one-year, $23MM extension, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal comes nearly fully guaranteed, with $22.4MM being locked in. Minnesota now has Van Ginkel signed through 2026. This will bring a significant bump for Van Ginkel, who was due a $10.78MM 2025 base salary that featured $4MM guaranteed.

Coming up earlier this offseason as an extension candidate, Van Ginkel drew interest from the Rams and Eagles last year. He has shown himself to be a viable starter on the edge — after previously working as a backup.

Reinserted into Miami’s starting lineup as a pass rusher due to Jaelan Phillips‘ 2023 injury, Van Ginkel upped his free agency stock in the weeks that followed. He signed a two-year, $20MM Vikings deal in 2024. That contract was to void if no extension occurred before the start of the 2026 league year. The Vikings have checked off that piece of business Tuesday.

Van Ginkel, 29, built on his 2023 pass-rushing production by registering 11.5 sacks last season. The former Dolphins fifth-rounder, who arrived during Flores’ first offseason in charge, accumulated an impressive 18 tackles for loss and 19 QB hits last season. Van Ginkel had previously never posted 10 TFLs in a season. In addition to his sack production, Van Ginkel also intercepted two passes and returned both for touchdowns in his Vikings debut. He now has three pick-sixes in two years.

Minnesota acquired a second first-round pick in 2024. While most assumed it was to become key ammo in the franchise’s quest to select a quarterback, the Vikings — after seeing the Patriots decline their trade-up offer for Drake Maye — then traded up from that spot (via the Jaguars) to take edge rusher Dallas Turner at No. 17. Despite the lofty investment, Turner played behind Van Ginkel and big-ticket free agent signee Jonathan Greenard. This extension certainly looks like that setup will continue in 2025.

This one-year bump resembles the Bengals’ 2023 move for Trey Hendrickson, though it comes after just one Van Ginkel season. Hendrickson signed a one-year, $21MM extension in 2023, doing so after he had outplayed his previous deal during his first two Bengals seasons. Van Ginkel’s profile does not check in on Hendrickson’s level, minimizing the chance he and the Vikings will later be at odds. Instead, a former Day 3 draftee collected a key payment during an offseason in which the Vikings both moved on from Sam Darnold and saw Kirk Cousins‘ $28.5MM dead money hit come off the books.

The Vikings have J.J. McCarthy signed through 2027, affording them opportunities to make payments previously unrealistic due to Cousins’ six-year tenure (and seven-year run on the payroll). They will bet on Van Ginkel, who has scheme familiarity but a thin record of consistent pass-rushing production. Also seeing early-career time as an off-ball linebacker, Van Ginkel had previously topped out at six sacks in a season (2023). But he has settled as an edge presence.

The Vikings, who lost Patrick Jones in free agency, will continue to send a Greenard-Van Ginkel-Turner pass rush at opponents, with this contract ensuring all three are signed for at least two more seasons.

2026 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker

May 1st, 2025 at 11:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

NFL teams have until May 1 to officially pick up fifth-year options on 2022 first-rounders. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of performance- and usage-based benchmarks:

  • Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternates) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag
  • One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag
  • Players who achieve any of the following will receive the average of the third-20th-highest salaries at their position:
    • At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
    • A 75% snap average across all three seasons
    • At least 50% in each of first three seasons
  • Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position

We covered how last year’s Pro Bowl invites affected the 2022 first-round class. With the deadline looming, we will use the space below to track all the 2026 option decisions from around the league:

  1. DE/OLB Travon Walker, Jaguars ($14.75MM): Exercised
  2. DE/OLB Aidan Hutchinson, Lions ($19.87MM): Exercised
  3. CB Derek Stingley Jr., Texans ($17.6MM): Extended through 2029
  4. CB Sauce Gardner, Jets ($20.19MM): Exercised
  5. OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux, Giants ($14.75MM): Exercised
  6. T Ikem Ekwonu, Panthers ($17.56MM): Exercised
  7. T Evan Neal, Giants ($16.69MM): Declined
  8. WR Drake London, Falcons ($16.82MM): Exercised
  9. T Charles Cross, Seahawks ($17.56MM): Exercised
  10. WR Garrett Wilson, Jets ($16.82MM): Exercised
  11. WR Chris Olave, Saints ($15.49MM): Exercised
  12. WR Jameson Williams, Lions ($15.49MM): Exercised
  13. DT Jordan Davis, Eagles ($12.94MM): Exercised
  14. S Kyle Hamilton, Ravens ($18.6MM): Exercised
  15. G Kenyon Green, Eagles* ($16.69MM): Declined
  16. WR Jahan Dotson, Eagles** ($16.82MM): Declined
  17. G Zion Johnson, Chargers ($17.56MM): Declined
  18. WR Treylon Burks, Titans ($15.49MM): Declined
  19. T Trevor Penning, Saints ($16.69MM): Declined
  20. QB Kenny Pickett, Browns*** ($22.12MM): Declined
  21. CB Trent McDuffie, Chiefs ($17.6MM): Exercised
  22. LB Quay Walker, Packers ($14.75MM): Declined
  23. CB Kaiir Elam, Cowboys**** ($12.68MM): Declined
  24. G Tyler Smith, Cowboys ($20.99MM): Exercised
  25. C Tyler Linderbaum, Ravens ($20.99MM): Declined
  26. DE Jermaine Johnson, Jets ($13.92MM): Exercised
  27. LB Devin Lloyd, Jaguars ($14.75MM): Exercised
  28. DT Devonte Wyatt, Packers ($12.94MM): Exercised
  29. G Cole Strange, Patriots ($16.69MM): Declined
  30. DE George Karlaftis, Chiefs ($15.12MM): Exercised
  31. DB Dax Hill, Bengals ($12.68MM): Exercised
  32. S Lewis Cine, Vikings: N/A

* = traded from Texans on March 11, 2025
** = traded from Commanders on August 22, 2024
*** = traded from Eagles on March 15, 2024; traded from Steelers on March 10, 2025
**** = traded from Bills to Cowboys on March 12, 2025

WR Henry Ruggs Eyeing NFL Return

May 1st, 2025 at 11:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

Henry Ruggs remains in prison as a result of the sentence he received in August 2023 stemming from a November 2021 car accident. Ruggs pled guilty after a woman and her dog were killed in the crash.

The former Raiders wideout was accused of reaching speeds up to 156 mph and he registered a blood alcohol content of 0.16, more than double the legal limit in Nevada. Ruggs was waived the same day charges were filed, ending his tenure in the NFL after playing 20 games across two seasons. As a result of the plea agreement he reached, the former first-rounder received a sentence of three to 10 years in prison.

Ruggs is first eligible for parole on August 5, 2026. In the event he does get released from prison at that point or later, he is interested in attempting an NFL comeback. Former Alabama and Raiders teammate Josh Jacobs said during an appearance on The Pivot podcast Ruggs is training for a return to football.

Jacobs added he has been speaking on Ruggs’ behalf when discussing a return with NFL teams. The Packers running back also said of Ruggs there seem to be “a couple teams” which could be “willing to give him a chance.” Interest on the part of any team would obviously be a noteworthy development given the seriousness of Ruggs’ actions, but Jacobs remains an advocate for a second opportunity in the league.

“He’s a good kid,” Jacobs said, via Lauren Merola of The Athletic (subscription required). “He’s never been in trouble. I’ve never seen him do nothing crazy. He was just one of them guys that had a very, very unfortunate situation and something happened from a decision that he made.”

The top receiver taken in the 2020 draft, Ruggs averaged 18.4 yards per catch and scored four touchdowns during his time with the Raiders. At the time when he first becomes eligible for parole, he will be 27 years old.

49ers Invite K Kenneth Almendares To Rookie Minicamp

May 1st, 2025 at 11:10pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The 49ers have invited Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun kicker Kenneth Almendares to their rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Almendares won the Lou Groza Award as the top kicker in college football after a stellar 2024 season. He made 28 of his 31 field goal attempts with a long of 53 yards with conversions on all but one of his 47 extra points. The 25-year-old also earned first-team All-American and first-team All-Sun Belt honors.

If Almendares impresses in his tryout, he could have an opportunity to push Jake Moody – himself a Lou Groza winner at Michigan in 2021 – for the 49ers’ kicking job.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said in early April that the team would bring in competition for Moody after a disappointing 2024 season, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. The 2023 third-round pick missed time with an ankle injury and converted just 24 of his 34 field goal attempts after making 21 of his 25 tries as a rookie.

Moody especially struggled from distance last year. Six of his nine attempts from 40 or more yards in 2023 went through the uprights, but only 10 of his 20 such attempts in 2024 did the same. Almendares, meanwhile, led the FBS in made field goals in 2024 with a 90.3% conversion rate that ranked first among all kickers with at least 25 attempts.

Chargers To Decline Zion Johnson’s Fifth-Year Option

May 1st, 2025 at 9:16pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Chargers are declining offensive guard Zion Johnson‘s fifth-year option, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic, setting up the 2022 No. 17 pick to hit free agency in 2026.

The decision is no surprise given the $17.56MM price tag. Johnson has started 49 of the Chargers’ 51 regular-season games since he was drafted – all at left guard – but he has struggled to live up to his first-round billing.

General manager Joe Hortiz said that the team would try Johnson at center this offseason, but he’ll have veteran competition in 2024 starter Bradley Bozeman and free agent signing Andre James.

Johnson could still factor into the picture at left guard after starting there for the last three years, including 2024 under new offensive coordinator Greg Roman. His competition would likely be Trey Pipkins and Jamaree Salyer, who both started multiple games at right guard in Los Angeles last year. (New Chargers signing Mekhi Becton is expected to take over at right guard in 2025 after his success in Philadelphia last season.)

Declining Johnson’s fifth-year option makes interior offensive line a significant need for the Chargers beyond 2025. Johnson, Salyer, Pipkins, and James will all be free agents after the season, and Bozeman and Becton only signed two-year deals this offseason. Despite that, the Chargers waited until the sixth round to draft an offensive lineman last weekend.

They used a sixth-round pick on Branson Taylor, who played both tackle spots at Pittsburgh but will likely be moved to guard in the NFL due to his sub-33-inch arms. His mass and power make him a strong fit in Roman’s scheme, but he will still need time to adjust to a new position and the jump in competition.

Johnson, meanwhile, will likely be seeking for a new home next offseason, as players whose fifth-year options are declined rarely stay with the team that drafted them. He may not have emerged as an elite guard worthy of a first-round pick, but he is still a capable start as a position whose value has skyrocketed over the last two seasons. If Johnson can keep a starting job in Los Angeles, either at guard or center, he could cash in next March.

Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs Won’t Be Ready For Training Camp

May 1st, 2025 at 9:06pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs is not expected to be ready for training camp as he works his way back from knee surgery, per Clarence Hill of DLLS Sports.

Injuries have not been kind to Diggs over the last two years. He tore his ACL after just two games in 2023, requiring an extensive rehab process that sidelined him until August 2024. He played through a calf injury to start the first 10 games of the season before his knee flared up, sidelining him for two games. He returned to played a full game in Week 14, but was shut down for surgery shortly after.

The Cowboys were frustrated with how Diggs handled his recovery in 2023, according to Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News, particularly his absence at team facilities during his rehab. When he injured the same knee in 2024, the team had renewed concerns, something team owner and general manager Jerry Jones hinted at recently.

“He’s more subject to injury. He’s learned that one time,” said Jones when asked about Diggs before the draft (via Watkins). “My point is, I have a lot of hope that his actual rehab and experience from the time before is really helping him out, and I think it has.”

Jones added that Diggs is “working hard” and hopes that his commitment to his rehab process will allow him to come back “quicker” and “sounder.”

Diggs’ absence at the start of the season could put pressure on third-round pick Shavon Revel to play early as a rookie. However, the Eastern Carolina product is recovering from a knee injury of his own and is not expected to be ready for the start of training camp.

A mid-camp return is more likely for Revel, whose torn ACL was repaired by Cowboys team orthopedis Dr. Dan Cooper, according to ESPN’s Ed Werder. That connection may have given Dallas more confidence in drafting Revel after he fell below his second-round draft projection.

Seahawks Looking Into CB Addition

May 1st, 2025 at 5:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks added a key piece to their secondary in the draft, trading up to No. 35 for South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori. The team also added two guards, two tight ends and two wide receivers to round out an 11-pick class.

While Emmanwori will add a 4.35 40-yard dash time to Seattle’s secondary, the team looks to be a bit light at cornerback coming out of the draft. No corners arrived last weekend, and GM John Schneider described the situation (via The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar) as needing more work.

[RELATED: Seahawks Make Team History, Pick Up Charles Cross’ Fifth-Year Option]

Seattle lost part-time contributor Tre Brown to San Francisco in free agency. After injuries marred Brown’s first two seasons, he started 10 games from 2023-24. The team still rosters Riq Woolen, but he is now going into a contract year. Ditto Josh Jobe, a UDFA who started six games for the team last season. The Seahawks re-signed Jobe to a one-year, $2MM deal before free agency; that deal checked in considerably lower than the bottom-end RFA tender price ($3.26MM) that otherwise would have been required to retain Jobe. As Devon Witherspoon anchors this group, adding competition for the spot alongside he and Woolen makes sense.

Pro Football Focus ranked Jobe near the bottom (107th) among CB regulars last season. He logged 443 defensive snaps, the third-most among Seattle corners in 2024. The Seahawks have 2024 fifth-round pick Nehemiah Pritchett at the position, but Emmanwori’s arrival could open the door to another solution. Safety Coby Bryant spent extensive time at corner in college; the Cincinnati product converted to safety while a Seahawk but was twice a first-team All-American Athletic Conference CB. Regardless of Bryant’s position, he joins Woolen and Jobe in entering a contract year.

If another Bryant shift is not deemed a sufficient solution, the Seahawks would have a few intriguing outside options. The run on third-contract-seeking corners stopped without Rasul Douglas landing a job. Asante Samuel Jr. also has not signed as a free agent. PFR ranked both among the top 50 free agents in this year’s class. The Dolphins also cut Kendall Fuller after one season, while the Commanders did not re-sign 2024 Fuller replacement Michael Davis. The Raiders also recently released two-year starter Jack Jones, while the Steelers have not re-signed Cameron Sutton. Ex-Seahawk Shaquill Griffin worked out for the team in April.

The dead money remaining on Jalen Ramsey‘s contract would point to the Dolphins giving strong consideration to making that trade after June 1; the Rams are one of the interested teams. Clubs, however, are balking at taking on the All-Pro’s 2025 money. And the Seahawks have not traditionally spent heavily at corner, mostly relying on rookie-deal players following Richard Sherman‘s 2014 extension. They let Griffin and Reed find big money elsewhere in the past, and with Witherspoon set to command upper-crust CB money come 2026, the team has a Woolen decision to make. Though, the Seahawks’ past decisions to let CBs find paydays elsewhere came during Pete Carroll‘s watch — and most of that period involved a top-market Russell Wilson contract headlining the payroll.

For now, the Seahawks have several options to choose from if they are committed to finding a player to work alongside Witherspoon and Woolen this season. Bigger-picture questions loom in the not-too-distant future.

Texans Attempted To Trade Up For WR Emeka Egbuka; Rams Showed Interest?

May 1st, 2025 at 4:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

As we come out of the draft, the annual tradition of what-ifs regarding high-value investments persists. The Falcons probably would not have traded a 2026 first-round pick had Jalon Walker been off the board (as the team expected) by No. 15, while the Cowboys had Tetairoa McMillan in their sights — before a Panthers move for the WR preceded Dallas not selecting a wideout at all last weekend.

The Broncos also eyed a trade-down move for TreVeyon Henderson; instead, they stood pat and circled back to their running back need at No. 60 (R.J. Harvey). Henderson saw four of his Buckeyes teammates go in Round 1. While Donovan Jackson (Vikings), Tyleik Williams (Lions) and Josh Simmons (Chiefs) came off the board during the second part of the round, Emeka Egbuka looks to have drawn the most interest.

Prior to the Buccaneers drafting Egbuka at No. 19, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes the Texans (No. 25) were believed to have made a trade-up effort to land him. An accomplished Buckeyes receiver who profiled as a slot option, Egbuka landed in Tampa despite the Buccaneers already carrying an apparent surplus at the position. The Bucs moving Egbuka off the board at 19 looks to have stopped the trade calls, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero said during a Dan Patrick Show appearance.

The Rams (No. 26) also were believed to be eyeing Egbuka, per Pelissero, who corroborates Breer’s account on the Texans’ interest. Both the Texans and Rams, who had been calling teams in front of them before the Bucs’ surprise WR move, then traded out of the first round.

Houston lost Tank Dell to a second major injury — this one potentially threatening to sideline him for much of the 2025 season — and a visibly distraught C.J. Stroud looked on as an ambulance transported Dell out of Arrowhead Stadium. The Texans then let Stefon Diggs defect to the Patriots in free agency, after seeing the veteran tear an ACL near the midseason point. Although receiver reinforcements came later in the draft, the Texans attempted to reunite Stroud with one of his college weapons.

Egbuka stayed at Ohio State for four years, moving past 2004 first-rounder Michael Jenkins to become the Buckeyes’ career receiving leader (2,868 yards). A four-year career and an extended season boosted Egbuka’s chances to reach No. 1 on that list, but he entered the draft as one of this year’s safest prospects. The Bucs concurred, as GM Jason Licht said during a Rich Eisen Show appearance (h/t JoeBucsfan.com) Egbuka carried a top-10 grade on the team’s board.

The Bucs drafted Egbuka despite using a third-round pick on Jalen McMillan and continuing to re-sign Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The latter turned down bigger offers elsewhere — one almost definitely from the Patriots — to sign a three-year, $66MM Bucs deal. Evans is in a contract year once again, but for 2025 at least, Tampa Bay is quite deep at receiver thanks to Egbuka’s arrival.

Stroud’s Buckeyes career overlapped with Egbuka from 2021-22. Although Egbuka shifted to a Marvin Harrison Jr. sidekick (after playing alongside Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson in 2021), his career-best 1,151-yard receiving total came with Stroud at the controls in ’22. The Texans later targeted Iowa State’s receiving corps to stock theirs, adding Jayden Higgins in Round 2 and Jaylin Noel in Round 3. That Cyclones duo will join Nico Collins, Christian Kirk and John Metchie in Houston.

The Rams did not draft a receiver until Round 7 (Pitt’s Konata Mumpfield), but they did see Puka Nacua miss a chunk of last season. That said, Los Angeles both re-signed Tutu Atwell (on a one-year deal) and added Davante Adams. The latter’s contract also includes an out after Year 1, keeping another WR addition on the L.A. radar.

Cowboys Passing On CB Kaiir Elam’s Fifth-Year Option

May 1st, 2025 at 2:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills effectively admitted a mistake on Kaiir Elam, trading the former first-rounder in a pick-swap deal that only produced a 2025 fifth. The Cowboys took a flier on the fourth-year cornerback, but they will not authorize an eight-figure guarantee to conduct an extended evaluation.

One of this year’s easier fifth-year option decisions to predict, Elam will see his declined, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Elam will move into a contract year. Although Elam’s lack of playing time would have tied him to the lowest number on the CB option ladder ($12.68MM), that still represents a tough ask based on his performance to date.

[RELATED: 2026 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]

Buffalo traded up to No. 23 for Elam in 2022, though it is believed the team’s top CB target was Trent McDuffie. The future Chiefs standout is now a two-time All-Pro (though, his lack of a Pro Bowl nod left him eligible for a cheaper fifth-year option price), and Elam’s Bills swan song featured Kansas City targeting the backup after Christian Benford‘s latest ill-timed injury. Elam’s chance to rebound after the extended AFC championship game cameo will come in Dallas.

While Elam was ticketed to play opposite Tre’Davious White once the former All-Pro recovered from a 2021 ACL tear, Benford’s rise impeded that. Elam was given more chances to start, but the Florida alum could not capitalize on them. Following White’s Achilles tear in October 2023, the Bills traded for Rasul Douglas to play opposite Benford. That setup lasted 1 1/2 years, as Elam only played as a backup during Douglas’ time in Buffalo.

The Cowboys have some questions at corner, having seen Trevon Diggs go down with a second major knee injury. The former All-Pro is not viewed as a lock to begin the season on time, opening a door for Elam. But the Cowboys also used a second-round pick on East Carolina’s Shavon Revel. A first-round talent, Revel slipped to the second because of an ACL tear sustained last year. Revel is expected to be ready before the regular season. Elam, then, profiles as a backup and potential insurance option for a Cowboys team that returns All-Pro DaRon Bland.

The recoveries of Diggs and Revel will open the door to extensive offseason work, and potentially training camp first-string reps, for Elam. The soon-to-be 24-year-old defender has made 12 career starts. It will be interesting to see if Dallas adds another starter-level option as Diggs insurance, but as of now, Elam is that player heading into OTAs.

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