AFC Contract Details: Doubs, Steelers, Chiefs, Bengals, Titans, Bills
After a solid four-year run with the Packers, wide receiver Romeo Doubs entered free agency hoping to earn $20MM per season on his next contract, according to Albert Breer of SI.com. Twenty-two receivers are currently in that club, but Doubs fell short of joining the group. He will still rake in $17MM per annum on his four-year, $68MM deal with the Patriots. The contract includes $3MM in annual incentives, which would enable Doubs to reach his goal of $20MM per year. However, securing all of that money would require huge production. Doubs would earn $750K each for 70 catches, 80 receptions, 1,000 yards and 1,200 yards, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports. The 25-year-old has averaged 51 catches and 606 yards per season.
Here are more contract details from around the AFC:
- Sticking with the Patriots, guard Alijah Vera-Tucker will collect $500K each if he’s active for 85% of snaps, 90%, 95%, and picks up an original-ballot Pro Bowl nod, per Volin. Although the oft-injured Tucker missed 42 of 85 games during his half-decade with the Jets, he still pulled in a three-year, $42MM payday.
- Steelers running back Rico Dowdle‘s two-year, $12.25MM agreement features a $5MM signing bonus and salaries of $1.25MM and $6MM, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 relays. Newly signed defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day‘s two-year, $11MM accord includes a $4.7MM signing bonus and salaries of $1.3MM and $5MM, Wilson adds.
- Chiefs defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga three-year, $21MM arrangement includes a $5.6MM signing bonus, a first-year salary of $1.22MM and then back-to-back $6.75MM salaries, according to Wilson. Safety Alohi Gilman‘s three-year, $24.75MM contract comes with a $6MM signing bonus and salaries of $1.25MM, $7.25MM and $8.75MM (via Wilson).
- Bengals defensive tackle Jonathan Allen‘s two-year, $25MM deal features a $7.5MM option after signing and $7.5MM in full guarantees, per Wilson. Allen’s salary will skyrocket from $2.4MM next season to $18.8MM in 2027.
- New Titans backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky‘s two-year agreement is worth $10.5MM, including $6.83MM in guarantees, Wilson reports. It includes a $2MM signing plus salaries of $2.83MM and $4.83MM. Also via Wilson, kicker Joey Slye will make $2MM, including $750K fully guaranteed, on his one-year deal.
- Bills slot cornerback Dee Alford‘s three-year deal is worth $15.75 and carries $7.88MM in full guarantees, $2.25MM in injury guarantees, and a $4.5MM signing bonus, according to Wilson. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson‘s one-year, $6MM pact has a base value of $3.5MM, $3.02MM in full guarantees, and two void years, per Wilson. Backup QB Kyle Allen‘s two-year, $4.1MM deal includes $1.5MM in guarantees, Wilson adds. Allen could earn $1MM in incentives for playing time, wins, touchdowns and team improvement.
Patriots Plan To Use Jared Wilson At Center, Alijah Vera-Tucker At Left Guard
The reigning AFC champion Patriots briefly opened a hole at center when they traded 2025 starter Garrett Bradbury to the Bears on March 5. They already had a homegrown replacement in mind in Jared Wilson, who will shift from left guard to the pivot, executive vice president Eliot Wolf told reporters (via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald). The plan calls for free agent pickup Alijah Vera-Tucker to take Wilson’s former position.
Center is familiar territory for Wilson, who started there at Georgia in 2024. Then in his last season with the Bulldogs, Wilson earned second-team All-SEC honors. The Patriots spent a third-round pick on Wilson in the 2025 draft, but with Bradbury in place, he slid to guard.
While Wilson missed four games with knee, ankle and head injuries as a rookie, he started in all 13 when healthy. In ranking Wilson 67th among 79 qualified guards, Pro Football Focus saw room for improvement. Moving Wilson back to his college spot may yield better results in Year 2 of his pro career.
Multiple major injuries, including tears to both triceps and a torn Achilles, have kept Vera-Tucker out of 42 of 85 games since the Jets chose him 14th overall in 2021. He has missed at least 10 games in three of five seasons, including all 17 last year. Nevertheless, for the Patriots, the USC product’s vast potential outweighs his checkered injury history. In handing Vera-Tucker a three-year, $42MM deal, the club took a gamble on a blocker who has been versatile and effective when healthy.
Vera-Tucker was a full-time starter on the right side from 2022-24, during which he mostly lined up at guard. However, Vera-Tucker played his whole 16-start rookie year at left guard. He is in line to shift back there five years later in New England, where he will pair with tackle Will Campbell to protect Drake Maye‘s blind side.
After leaving New York for AFC East rival New England, Vera-Tucker said (via Mike Reiss of ESPN): “A fresh start was what I think I needed. When you have three accidents, it sucks … But I really enjoyed my time the past five years. Nothing but respect for everybody in that building, and the fans. I do hope they win a lot of games, just not against us.”
Vera-Tucker, who tore his triceps in the first week of September last year, expects to be a full go for organized team activities in May.
AFC Contract Details: Mafe, Titans, Raiders, Dean, Bills, Texans, Jets, Pats, Steelers, Jags, Ravens
With the first wave of free agency in the rearview mirror, it is time to take stock of the full numbers given to some of this year’s top targets. Here are the details on some of the top contracts awarded by AFC teams:
- Boye Mafe, DE (Bengals). Three years, $60MM. The Bengals gave Mafe $19MM guaranteed at signing, according to OverTheCap. The ex-Seahawk is projected to land $43.3MM over the deal’s first two seasons, ESPN.com’s Ben Baby tweets. A $2MM roster bonus is due on Day 5 of the 2027 league year.
- Alontae Taylor, CB (Titans). Three years, $58MM. Taylor received $42MM guaranteed at signing, according to OverTheCap. The ex-Saints CB will receive $22MM in 2026, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets.
- Wan’Dale Robinson, WR (Titans). Four years, $70MM. Robinson secured $36.98MM guaranteed at signing, Breer tweets. Neither of Robinson’s 2028 or ’29 base salaries contain guarantees or guarantee mechanisms. Each year carries $2MM in incentives, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.
- Kwity Paye, OLB (Raiders). Three years, $48MM. Paye secured $31.28MM guaranteed, per Wilson; of that total, $25.34MM is locked in at signing (according to OverTheCap). Paye landed $10MM of his $15.5MM 2027 salary guaranteed at signing; the remainder of his ’27 salary vests on Day 4 of 2027 league year.
- Bradley Chubb, OLB (Bills). Three years, $43.5MM. Of Chubb’s previously reported $29MM guarantee, Wilson notes $21.74MM is guaranteed at signing. Chubb will see a $4MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2028 league year, per OverTheCap.
- Alijah Vera-Tucker, G (Patriots). Three years, $42MM. Vera-Tucker’s $21MM signing bonus represents his guarantees at signing, Wilson tweets, though the team has included a notable wrinkle. Vera-Tucker will earn $250K for each game he is active, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero noting this is among the highest per-game roster bonus figures in NFL history.
- Ed Ingram, G (Texans). Three years, $37.5MM. Receiving $20MM guaranteed at signing, the former second-round pick secured $5MM of his $8.5MM 2027 salary guaranteed at signing. The rest shifts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the ’27 league year, per Spotrac.
- Jamel Dean, CB (Steelers). Three years, $36.75MM. Keeping with Steelers non-QB/T.J. Watt norms, Dean’s guarantee is his signing bonus ($12MM). Dean would receive a $4MM roster bonus on Day 3 of the 2027 league year, Wilson notes.
- Nakobe Dean, LB (Raiders). Three years, $36MM. Nakobe Dean scored $20MM guaranteed at signing, according to Wilson. The former Eagles linebacker, who missed 12 games due to injury in 2023 and six in ’25, will see $8.5MM of his $11.5MM 2027 salary guaranteed. The remainder becomes guarantee on Day 3 of the ’27 league year (via Spotrac).
- Joseph Ossai, OLB (Jets). Three years, $34.5MM. Ossai will receive $22.49MM guaranteed at signing, Wilson tweets. Ossai’s 2026 and ’27 base salaries are fully guaranteed.
- Montaric Brown, CB (Jaguars). Three years, $31.8MM. Brown landed $20.65MM fully guaranteed, Wilson tweets. The former seventh-round pick secured $8.15MM of his $9.5MM 2027 salary guaranteed at signing.
- John Simpson, G (Ravens). Three years, $30MM. Simpson secured $17.5MM fully guaranteed, Wilson notes. This includes $5.5MM of an $8MM 2027 salary.
Patriots To Add G Alijah Vera-Tucker
Alijah Vera-Tucker has seen three seasons heavily impacted by injuries, but he found a taker on Day 1 of free agency. The former Jets first-round pick is heading to the Patriots, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.
The Giants were negotiating with the ex-Jet guard’s camp, per SNY’s Connor Hughes, but the NFC East club could not close the deal. Vera-Tucker instead will join the defending AFC champions. The Giants may have balked at the price, per Hughes, and it appears a few teams were willing to bet on upside here.
The Pats are giving Vera-Tucker a three-year, $42MM deal that could climb to $48MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Guarantees are not yet known, but it looks like the injury-plagued blocker has done well for himself.
Vera-Tucker has moved between guard and right tackle as a pro, though the USC alum has shown his best stuff inside. Pro Football Focus ranked the 2021 first-rounder ninth overall among guards in 2024. Unfortunately, he could not build on that momentum. A third season-ending injury transpired in 2025, hurting Vera-Tucker’s extension case — a cause also affected by the Jets’ organizational turnover.
Encountering triceps tears in both arms, Vera-Tucker also sustained an Achilles tear during his rookie contract. He missed 41 games as a Jet. The team viewed the former No. 14 overall pick as a Pro Bowl-caliber guard, but injuries impeded him. Still, Vera-Tucker is heading into an age-27 season. The Patriots will bet on upside, though it is worth wondering how much they’re betting.
PFR’s No. 44-ranked free agent, Vera-Tucker probably would have been the top guard this year had he endured one or two season-ending maladies. But the second triceps tear wiping out all of his 2025 season made this an unpredictable market. New England has probably secured one of the highest-upside plays this year, though it comes with obvious risk.
As Ben Levine’s Patriots Offseason Outlook noted, 2025 left guard starter Jared Wilson was a college center. With the Pats trading Garrett Bradbury to the Bears, it is possible Wilson slides there and Vera-Tucker camps at LG. Vera-Tucker was primarily a right guard as a Jet; Michael Onwenu plays there for the Pats, though he has proven malleable as well. As for the Jets, they are down to one player from their five-first-rounder contingent from 2021-22. Garrett Wilson remains, while Zach Wilson, Vera-Tucker, Sauce Gardner and Jermaine Johnson are gone.
The Giants have been connected to a few guards. Two of those rumored options — Wyatt Teller, Daniel Faalele — remain unsigned as we wind down an explosive first day of the legal tampering period.
Talks Progressing Between Giants, Cor’Dale Flott; Latest On Jermaine Eluemunor
Cor’Dale Flott will be able to begin speaking with other teams shortly. There is still a chance he winds up re-signing with the Giants, however. 
Progress is being made with with respect to negotiations between New York and Flott’s camp, SNY’s Connor Hughes reports. Flott is on course to test the market for the first time in his career, but Hughes adds there is optimism the fifth-year corner will agree to terms with the Giants. A major raise will be in store either way.
According to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, Flott is looking to match the terms which teammate Paulson Adebo secured in free agency last year (three years, $54MM). He adds at least one outside team has Flott valued at a range of $12MM to $14MM per season. A similar commitment will likely be needed on New York’s part.
Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor is also one of the team’s top priorities with respect to a re-signing. Efforts to work out a new deal continue at this time, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reports. Losing Eluemunor would deal a blow to the Giants’ offensive line, a unit which could see one more additions shortly. The guard position remains one to watch closely regardless of if stability at the tackle spots can be secured.
At least one guard signing can be expected early in free agency, per Raanan. Art Stapleton of NJ.com adds New York is interested in Wyatt Teller and Alijah Vera-Tucker as targets for a deal. The latter in particular is firmly on the Giants’ radar, Raanan adds. Injuries marred Vera-Tucker’s Jets tenure, one which is expected to end this week. If healthy, though, he could provide his next team with an upgrade along the interior.
Both Hughes and Raanan point to tight end Isaiah Likely as another player to monitor regarding the Giants. A deal on that front would come as no surprise, with Likely having played out his rookie contract with Baltimore under head coach John Harbaugh. A reunion in New York would add a pass-catching presence to the Giants’ offense, a unit which could use multiple new faces especially if slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson departs.
The Giants entered Monday with roughly $14MM in cap space. Cuts and restructures could be coming to free up more funds, but much of New York’s resources could be used over the coming days. A key factor in the team’s overall planning will be the outcome of negotiations with Flott, so updates on that front will be worth watching for.
Giants Interested In John Franklin-Myers, Wyatt Teller; Jermaine Eluemunor Open To Staying
A Giants roster-reshaping effort under John Harbaugh is coming soon. In addition to having renewed interest — at least, compared to where they were when letting Saquon Barkley walk two years ago — in running backs, the Giants have some high-profile linemen on their radar.
The team is interested in bringing in veteran guard Wyatt Teller, according to ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan. Other guards are on New York’s radar as well, with Raanan mentioning Alijah Vera-Tucker and Dylan Parham here. The Giants have been linked to cutting left guard Jon Runyan Jr., and two-year RG stopgap Greg Van Roten is unsigned.
PFR ranked all three guards among the top 50 free agents, though none of these options are bank-breaking candidates. Teller will turn 32 later this year and has missed a handful of games due to injuries in each of the past two seasons. I mentioned Teller as a Giants candidate in our Offseason Outlook offering due largely to the team having hired 2025 Browns O-line coach Mike Bloomgren. Teller is a two-time All-Pro who was part of a few high-end Bill Callahan O-lines; he is not expected back with the Browns for an eighth season.
Vera-Tucker is coming off yet another season-ending injury; he sustained a second triceps tear last September. Tearing both triceps during his time with the Jets, Vera-Tucker is also a quality performer when healthy. Pro Football Focus ranked him ninth among guards in 2024. Parham worked as a primary Raiders starter in each of his four seasons. With the Raiders changing coaching staffs yet again, Parham will be a candidate to move on.
The Giants also have a need at right tackle. They have spoken to Jermaine Eluemunor‘s camp about a second contract, after the 2024 UFA addition played out his $7MM-per-year deal, and Raanan adds the veteran RT is open to coming back. The sides have remained in contact as the legal tampering period (11am CT Monday) looms. Eluemunor, 31, is one of the top RT options available thanks largely to his pass protection. Eluemunor also has stayed healthier than the more accomplished Braden Smith, who has battled injuries in recent years.
Big Blue released James Hudson on Friday, ending a disappointing tenure that featured a bizarre penalty spree in Week 2 and a quick benching. The Giants will need to address that position. New York gave Hudson a two-year, $12MM deal in 2025 but was eyeing Morgan Moses as the preferred option to play behind Eluemunor and Andrew Thomas, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. Moses, as it turned out, had starter work left after signing a three-year, $24MM Patriots deal.
Defensively, the Giants have some interest in John Franklin-Myers, Raanan adds. The former Jets starter played well for the Broncos (14.5 sacks in two seasons) and is viewed as by far the top interior D-line option on the market. A $20MM-per-year price tag has been floated for a soon-to-be 30-year-old player who was at $7.5MM AAV in Denver. With the Giants having Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence on big-ticket deals, it might be a stretch for them to be the Franklin-Myers landing spot.
At safety, Raanan indicates Dane Belton is likely to depart as a free agent. He is poised to follow Julian Love and Xavier McKinney out the door at what has been a high-turnover position for the team. Ex-Harbaugh Ravens charge Ar’Darius Washington is a name to monitor in free agency, with Raanan adding Caleb Downs is on the team’s radar in the draft. Downs is widely expected to be one of the first players drafted, though safeties are almost never chosen in the top 10 (the Giants hold the No. 5 pick). The Ravens have received impact play from first-rounder Kyle Hamilton, and that organization has prioritized the position in the past.
Jets Notes: Draft, McDonald, Cook, Cross, Vera-Tucker, Simpson, Davis
Trading former first-round pick Jermaine Johnson to the Titans, the Jets look to have opened the door to selecting another edge rusher with the No. 2 overall pick. As PFR’s Adam La Rose indicated when the team shipped Johnson to Nashville for T’Vondre Sweat, the trade could certainly telegraph the Jets’ draft plans.
With the Raiders almost certain to draft Fernando Mendoza first overall, the Jets are expected to have their pick of edge rushers. Arvell Reese and David Bailey look to be the top candidates for that slot, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini notes. Reese has played on and the ball as a standout Ohio State linebacker, but he looks to want a shot on the edge to start his NFL career.
The Jets will still be considered likely to exercise Will McDonald‘s fifth-year option ($14.48MM), but the Joe Douglas-era investment looks on the verge of teaming with a big-ticket rookie draftee. That would make three first-round edge defenders in five drafts for New York, which selected Johnson in 2022 and McDonald in ’23.
The Jets have lost Johnson, Quinnen Williams, Haason Reddick, John Franklin-Myers and Bryce Huff from their D-line since the 2024 free agency period. With Micheal Clemons on track for free agency, McDonald is the last man standing here. The Jets are believed to be interested in unloading more Douglas-era pieces, and two more figure to be on the move next week.
Both Alijah Vera-Tucker and John Simpson are expected to depart in free agency, Essentiallysports.com’s Tony Pauline adds. That will create glaring Gang Green guard needs. It should not be considered a certainty both leave, though, as Cimini counters by saying the Jets will keep in touch with both blockers. Both interior linemen are, however, expected to at least test the market next week.
Vera-Tucker’s market would be booming had he not missed all of last season — with his third major injury since entering the NFL in 2021 — with a triceps tear. Simpson started two seasons at left guard in New York, not missing a game during that span. Simpson will be heading into an age-29 season, while Vera-Tucker will turn 27 in June.
This Jets regime will be looking to add replacements across the roster, holding more than $74MM in cap space. They have Tony Adams and 2025 UFA addition Andre Cisco bound for the market, and Cimini adds that Bryan Cook and Nick Cross are two safeties the team is believed to have its eye on.
Cook worked as a four-year Chiefs starter, starting every Kansas City game over the past two seasons. The former Super Bowl starter ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 overall safety in 2025. A two-year Colts starter, Cross has been incredibly productive since being inserted into Indianapolis’ lineup. He has combined for 266 tackles (11 for loss) over the past two seasons, also not missing a game in that span. The Colts, who transition-tagged Daniel Jones today and have four DBs tied to eight-figure-per-year salaries, are likely to let Cross walk next week.
Minkah Fitzpatrick also looms as a name to monitor, per Cimini, who reminds new DC Brian Duker coached the recent Dolphins reacquisition as Miami’s defensive pass-game coordinator last season. One year remains on Fitzpatrick’s Steelers-designed/Dolphins-adjusted pact, which Miami’s new regime is believed to be trying to trade. The Jets are also believed to be eyeing edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad — who played for Aaron Glenn in Detroit in 2024 — and Cimini confirms a recent report that tied the team to ex-Glenn Lions LB pupil Alex Anzalone.
An interesting reunion may be in the Jets’ plans as well. Demario Davis is back on the team’s radar, Pauline adds. The Jets are believed to be targeting the 14-year veteran — originally a Jets draftee back in 2012 — ahead of his age-37 season. Davis, who already logged two Jets stints (2012-15, 2017), has become one of the league’s best off-ball LBs since relocating to New Orleans. Glenn was on the Saints’ staff for three of Davis’ eight New Orleans seasons.
The prolific Saints tackler has racked up five All-Pro nods (four second-team placements) as a Saint. The Jets gave Jamien Sherwood a three-year, $45MM deal to stay but are almost certain to lose Quincy Williams — a Robert Saleh-Jeff Ulbrich All-Pro piece who drew trade buzz before the deadline — in free agency.
Closing out this Jets rundown, the team’s aging kicker — Nick Folk — is not looking to retire just yet. The 41-year-old kicker, who joins Davis in being a two-stint Jet, is aiming to play at 42 in 2026, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds. Despite his advancing age, the 2007 UDFA has led the NFL in accuracy in each of the past three seasons. This included a 96.6% make rate in 2025, when Folk made 7 of 8 tries from beyond 50 yards.
Jets’ Breece Hall, Alijah Vera-Tucker Could Draw Trade Interest
Sunday’s loss dropped the Jets to 0-5 on the season. As the new regime led by general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn approaches its first trade deadline, a seller’s stance would certainly come as no surprise.
Provided New York shows a willingness to move on from one or more players over the coming weeks, a few notable names could be mentioned rather frequently in the near future. Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reports the Jets are among the teams viewed as likely sellers ahead of the deadline. Colleague Eric Williams adds guard Alijah Vera-Tucker is a potential trade candidate.
Vera-Tucker suffered a triceps tear shortly before the start of the regular season. He is out for the campaign as a result, adding further to the injury woes the former first-rounder has dealt with. After playing just 12 games between the 2022 and ’23 campaigns, Vera-Tucker managed to log 15 appearances last season. Given his latest major ailment, though, suitors would not be acquiring the 26-year-old as a blocker capable of contributing this season.
Vera-Tucker is currently attached to his fifth-year option, which carries a salary of $15.31MM for 2025. Paying out the remainder of that figure for a player who continues to rehab could of course be a tall task for an acquiring team. Still, if a suitor viewed the USC product as the target of a deal beyond 2025, acquiring him via trade would prevent the need to win a bidding war in free agency. Likewise, the Jets would be in line for 2026 draft compensation through trade as opposed to a 2027 compensatory pick in the event of a departure on the open market next spring.
Elsewhere on the Jets’ roster, running back Breece Hall is still the subject of speculation regarding a trade. Glenn assured the 24-year-old he would not be dealt this past offseason, but as of August a swap remained something to watch for as the campaign unfolded. Given the start to the season, the Jets are not in contention for a playoff berth. That could increase Mougey’s willingness to swing a deal, although moving on from Hall – who is playing out the final year of his rookie contract – would leave the Jets thin in the backfield given Braelon Allen‘s long-term knee injury.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini writes New York has provided “no indication” Hall is being shopped. A deal allowing him to remain with the Jets could of course still be possible after the campaign, although with a regime other than the one which drafted the former second-rounder now in place, a departure would not be entirely surprising. Hall has yet to score a touchdown this season, but he has averaged an impressive six yards per touch, the highest figure in that regard since his rookie campaign.
The 2025 trade deadline falls on the afternoon of November 4. Plenty of time remains for key decisions to be made until that point, but the Jets could field offers on a number of players over the coming weeks.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/25
With our first slate of Sunday games tomorrow, we’ll see our first slew of standard gameday practice squad elevations. Here are today’s minor transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: WR David Sills, RB Carlos Washington Jr.
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: G Kendrick Green, K Matt Prater
Carolina Panthers
- Signed from practice squad: DT Jaden Crumedy
- Placed on IR: CB Damarri Mathis (story)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: DT Mike Pennel
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: FB Adam Prentice, LB Levelle Bailey
Detroit Lions
- Signed from practice squad: RB Jacob Saylors
- Elevated: LB Anthony Pittman
- Placed on IR: T Jamarco Jones
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: CB Micah Robinson
Houston Texans
- Elevated: FB Jakob Johnson
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: LB Austin Ajiake, RB Ulysses Bentley IV
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: T Ricky Lee
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: WR Alex Bachman, S Terrell Edmunds
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: RB Cody Schrader
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: K Riley Patterson, RB Jeff Wilson
New England Patriots
- Signed from practice squad: DT Cory Durden
- Elevated: CB Corey Ballentine, LB Mark Robinson
- Released: DT Jeremiah Pharms
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: DE Fadil Diggs
- Elevated: TE Jack Stoll, DE Jonah Williams
- Waived: QB Jake Haener
New York Giants
- Elevated: DT Elijah Garcia
New York Jets
- Elevated: WR Tyler Johnson
- Placed on IR: G Alijah Vera-Tucker (story)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: CB James Pierre
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: WR Russell Gage, LB Curtis Robinson
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: CB Shaquill Griffin, DT Quinton Bohanna
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: DT Adam Gotsis, G Michael Jordan
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: C Corey Levin, DT Carlos Watkins
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: C Michael Deiter, WR Chris Moore
Each NFL team is granted up to two standard gameday practice squad elevations each game, allowing them to call up two members of their practice squad who are able to play in that weekend’s game. After the game is played, the elevated players revert back to the practice squad with no transaction required. This differs from the situation with somebody like Crumedy in Carolina. With Mathis’ placement on injured reserve opening a spot on the 53-man roster, Crumedy has been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster, where he will remain until he is cut or his contract expires.
Practice squad players can be called up a maximum of three times under a single practice squad contract. If a team wants to call up a player who’s been called up three times already, the team will usually sign the player to their active roster for a game, cut them after, and then sign them to a new practice squad contract. Under the new contract, the player would be eligible to be elevated for three more games.
As the Dolphins await Jason Sanders‘ return from IR, Patterson was named the winner of a kicking audition with three other veteran kickers. Miami will be able to elevate him three times but will have to promote him to the active roster for any games between that and Sanders’ activation. Similarly, Prater will likely be on the same plan in Buffalo.
Haener’s stint on the Saints’ active roster was short-lived as the team decides to move forward with only two quarterbacks. Spencer Rattler will handle starting duties to begin the campaign with second-round rookie Tyler Shough serving as his backup.
Jets’ Alijah Vera-Tucker Suffers Triceps Tear
SEPTEMBER 4: Further testing has confirmed a torn triceps in this case, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports. As a result, Vera-Tucker is headed to injured reserve and will miss the entire campaign. Surgery is now set to take place, Schefter adds.
SEPTEMBER 3, 12:20pm: Vera-Tucker’s injury is believed to be a torn triceps that could end his 2025 season before it even starts, according to Schefter. It is unknown if he tore the same triceps as he did in 2022.
10:52am: Jets right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker “could miss significant time” after suffering a “potentially serious” arm injury, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. His season may even be in jeopardy.
Vera-Tucker is seeking a second opinion on his arm with surgery under consideration, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The injury occurred during positional drills as the Jets prepared for their Week 1 matchup with the Steelers, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes.
This is Vera-Tucker’s third major injury in four years. He missed most of 2022 (torn triceps) and 2023 (ruptured Achilles), but managed to put together a mostly-healthy season in 2024 with only two games missed due to a minor injury. Staying healthy was therefore paramount to his financial future heading into a contract year, but this latest development could significantly impact his next payday. Indeed, ESPN’s Rich Cimini says Vera-Tucker will likely have to settle for a one-year, prove-it deal in 2026, as his latest health concern probably torpedoed his chances of landing a long-term extension until the 2027 offseason.
When healthy, Vera-Tucker has been a steady starter along the Jets’ offensive line, including a career-best 77.7 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) in 2024. The 2021 first-rounder was just named a team captain for the first time in his career and is considered the leader of New York’s offensive line. The coaching staff also appreciated his stability next to rookie right tackle Armand Membou, per Hughes.
Per Connor Hughes of SNY.tv, the Jets will slide third-year center Joe Tippmann to guard and insert Josh Myers at center, which was their solution whenever left guard John Simpson stepped off the field last season.