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.
Eagles To Add CB Riq Woolen
Riq Woolen‘s role on a Super Bowl-winning Seahawks defense will not result in a big-ticket multiyear deal, but the free agent cornerback is receiving a notable opportunity. The Eagles are signing him, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.
It is a one-year deal worth up to $15MM for the four-year Seattle regular. Philadelphia pursued Alontae Taylor, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, but that market settled with a three-year, $60MM Tennessee deal. A lower-cost commitment will commence with Woolen, who is being given a higher-end “prove it” deal.
The Seahawks discussed Woolen at the trade deadline and preferred to retain Josh Jobe, who arrived under Mike Macdonald. Woolen was a Pete Carroll-era fifth-rounder who played better under the previous Seattle HC. The 6-foot-4 corner blazed to a 4.26-second 40-yard dash at the Combine, boosting his draft stock ahead of a six-INT rookie season — one that lost out to Sauce Gardner‘s debut for Defensive Rookie of the Year acclaim.
Woolen intercepted 12 passes on his rookie deal and broke up 53, ranking in the 93rd percentile in forced incompletions (per Pro Football Focus). Still, Macdonald used Jobe in front of Woolen during the season’s second half, when the taller CB only topped 70% usage in one of the team’s final eight regular-season games. He still allowed a passer rating of 78.5, ranking 25th among 200-plus-snap CBs in 2025.
Woolen did clear the 70% snap barrier in both Seattle NFC playoff games, notably being whistled for a costly taunting penalty before allowing a third-quarter Rams touchdown. Woolen also defensed two passes against the 49ers and Rams in the postseason. This is a bit of a disappointment for Woolen, market-wise, but the Eagles will land a talented player going into an age-27 season.
Howie Roseman was not running the Eagles when they signed ex-Legion of Boom Seahawk CB Byron Maxwell in 2015 — that was the Chip Kelly-in-charge year — but this Roseman addition will supply an interesting former Super Bowl-winning Seahawk to join first-team All-Pros Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. The Woolen addition should allow DeJean to focus on his slot post, though The Athletic’s Zach Berman envisions more safety time for the standout cover man in base sets.
Philly tried a few measures to fill its No. 2 outside cornerback post last season. Neither Adoree’ Jackson nor Kelee Ringo was a strong option opposite Mitchell, and a midseason trade for Jaire Alexander preceded the former first-rounder stepping away from football. The Eagles are retaining ex-Jets slot Michael Carter II, but it looks like he has accepted a pay cut (Jackson is unsigned for 2026). It would now surprise if Woolen were not the starter alongside Mitchell and DeJean. Sliding the Iowa alum to safety in base formations would be a way to keep all three CBs on the field more often.
The Seahawks have now lost Woolen, Coby Bryant, Boye Mafe and Kenneth Walker from their Super Bowl LX roster. Seattle did re-sign Rashid Shaheed, however. Extensions will be on tap for Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon, and the defending champions’ free agency effort will be cognizant of those upcoming megadeals.
Titans To Sign CB Alontae Taylor
The Titans’ spending spree continues. Alontae Taylor is the latest free agent to line up a deal with Tennessee as the team’s overhaul is in full force.
The parties have agreed to a deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. This pact will be worth $60MM over three years, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds. Taylor will cash in following his rookie contract stint in New Orleans, with Rapoport adding he will collect $42MM in full guarantees.
Experienced as both a slot and perimeter corner, Taylor may command the top CB salary on this year’s market. Ranked 12th overall in PFR’s top 50 (first among corners), Taylor has a skillset that will allow Saleh options in coverage. The former second-round pick has more than 1,500 snaps inside and outside.
Taylor becomes the NFL’s 10th $20MM-per-year cornerback. The Titans still have L’Jarius Sneed tied to a $19.1MM-per-year contract. While other former Chiefs starters have justified their second-contract costs — the Rams are betting big on this having added Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson — Sneed has struggled to stay healthy and was embroiled in a legal situation during his time in Nashville. The Titans are likely to cut the underwhelming trade acquisition, veteran reporter Paul Kuharsky notes.
As Nikhil Mehta’s Titans Offseason Outlook detailed, Sneed will see $7.5MM of his 2026 salary shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2026 league year. That March 16 date will be tied to a physical, per Kuharsky, who notes Sneed being cleared would allow the Titans to cut him without that injury guarantee kicking in. The Titans would save $13.43MM if Sneed’s injury issue is resolved and he is released.
The Saints attempted to extend Taylor, but it became clear this week he would depart in free agency. New Orleans sought a Day 2 pick for Taylor in a trade, and the Bears and Colts pursued. Indianapolis then came in with a two-first-rounder offer for Sauce Gardner. Taylor, 27, finished out his contract year with the Saints — unlike Rashid Shaheed, who was moved at the deadline — and will be positioned as the Titans’ No. 1 corner. Barring a pay cut, Sneed will be out of the picture. Tennessee will still have work to do here.
New Orleans has now lost two homegrown options — Taylor and Paulson Adebo — to big-ticket contracts in back-to-back free agencies. The Giants gave Adebo a three-year, $54MM deal. A few corners landed those terms in 2025, but with the cap rising past $300MM this year, Taylor will outdo that lot and reside between the top tier and the cadre of ’25 market beneficiaries.
Saints Rumors: Taylor, Jordan, Davis, Rattler, Carr, Kamara
Although Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor drew considerable interest in the run-up to last season’s trade deadline, New Orleans kept the 2022 second-rounder in the fold, which suggested he may be a candidate for a second contract with the club. However, it appears Taylor will be playing elsewhere next season.
ESPN’s Katherine Terrell recently reported that the Saints expect Taylor, who just finished his rookie deal, to test the open market. Several days later, the player himself published a post on X that reads, “New Orleans – thank you for letting me shine in ‘The Big Easy.’”
That certainly sounds like Taylor has played his last snap for the Saints, who will need to address the nickel corner position in free agency or the draft. Terrell expects the 27-year-old to have a strong market thanks to an impressive platform campaign in which he boasted 1.0 yards per coverage snap and -1.4 EPA allowed. Terrell wonders if that performance is sustainable in light of Taylor’s less impressive prior body of work, but it appears as if that will be another team’s concern.
New Orleans did meet with Taylor’s camp at the combine, along with reps for fellow pending free agents Demario Davis and Cameron Jordan. Like Taylor, Jordan will hit the open market for the first time in his career, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Now entering his age-37 season, Jordan is the Saints’ franchise leader in games played (243). The New Orleans stalwart and 2010s All-Decade Team member turned back the clock in 2025 by posting 10.5 sacks, reaching double-digits for the first time in that department since 2021. The defensive end is therefore sure to draw outside interest, and he is reportedly open to leaving Louisiana. With nearly $150MM in career earnings but no Super Bowl ring to his name, it would be fair to expect a club that profiles as a more obvious championship contender than the Saints to pique Jordan’s interest (although it does not sound as if the door to a 16th season with New Orleans is entirely closed).
Davis is also going into his age-37 season, and as Terrell notes, he has not offered any public remarks as to whether he would like to stay with the Saints or sign with another team. New Orleans wants to retain the two-time Pro Bowler, who just set a career-high with 143 tackles in 2025 (which marked the ninth straight season in which the durable linebacker recorded over 100 stops). The Jets are said to be interested in a reunion with their 2012 draftee.
Second-year quarterback Tyler Shough flashed enough in his rookie year to make the Saints believe he can be the long-awaited heir to Drew Brees, and that makes 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler a trade candidate. The Jets were also mentioned as a possible Rattler suitor, but Terrell says New Orleans has not yet received any calls on the 14-game starter. Ditto Derek Carr, who is amenable to coming out of retirement if the right opportunity presents itself.
Carr, who will turn 35 later this month, is still under Saints control, so a trade would need to be worked out if he is to continue his playing career. We recently heard there is a tepid market for his services, though, and Terrell confirms that – at least as of the end of this year’s scouting combine – the Saints had not heard from other teams or even from Carr’s own representation. Terrell says it would cost somewhere in the range of a third- to fifth-round pick to acquire Carr.
Now that they have their starting QB in place, Terrell says the Saints hope to focus on a rushing attack that was among the league’s least productive in 2025. New Orleans finished with the fifth-fewest rushing yards in the league last year, as RB1 Alvin Kamara generally underwhelmed over the first 11 games of the season and then missed the final six contests due to an MCL sprain. As we get closer to the draft, Terrell expects to see increased speculation connecting Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love to New Orleans and its No. 8 overall pick.
Known for their bloated salary cap figures that require offseason gymnastics to get into cap compliance, the Saints did not have nearly as much work to do this year. As Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reported, the Saints restructured the contracts of DE Chase Young, S Justin Reid, and TE Juwan Johnson. OverTheCap.com indicates the club presently has about $20MM of cap room, some of which could be earmarked for the offensive line. Terrell expects the Saints to prioritize their front five along with a running back addition, and head coach Kellen Moore specifically highlighted the left guard spot as an area of need. There are a number of free agent options (Isaac Seumalo and Zion Johnson, for instance) who could fit the bill.
The Saints also restructured Kamara’s deal, per Underhill, but it was not the standard salary-to-signing bonus restructure they employed for Young, Reid, and Johnson. Instead, as Underhill details, New Orleans used the collective bargaining agreement’s so-called “50% rule” to their advantage.
When the salary a player is due to earn a year from now is less than 50% of what he is due to earn in the present season, his team can convert his salary into a non-guaranteed signing bonus that can be prorated over future years for cap relief purposes. In other words, if Kamara is released, the Saints would still realize the benefits of the restructure, which would not be the case in a standard reworking whereby salary is converted into a guaranteed signing bonus. Because of that, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network suggested the Kamara situation is one to monitor (implying, presumably, that a release is on the table, although such a move would obviously leave the club even more shorthanded at the running back position).
We finish this lengthy roundup of Saints news by passing along a team announcement that Will Clapp has been added to the coaching staff as an offensive assistant. New Orleans selected Clapp in the seventh round of the 2018 draft, and he suited up for 66 games (22 starts) over a seven-year playing career that also included stops with the Chargers and Bills. He announced his retirement last month, and it was speculated at the time that he could be joining the New Orleans staff.
Bears Pursued CB Alontae Taylor Trade
Shortly before the trade deadline, the Bears were mentioned as a team to watch. A blockbuster deal was not expected, and indeed the team’s only move was the acquisition of Browns pass rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
During his post-deadline media availability, general manager Ryan Poles spoke further about his actions on the trade front. He noted (via Adam Jahns of CHGO Sports) calls were made to a number of other teams regarding additions along the edge. Several high-profile options in that regard were mentioned as candidates to be dealt, and a trio of players (Keion White, Dre’Mont Jones and, most notably, Jaelan Phillips) wound up changing teams.
Poles said conversations took place with a wide array of potential sellers, adding some of the prices seen in the league’s blockbuster deals were “stunning” in his view. In the end, it comes as little surprise Chicago was not among the suitors which made a massive move. Poles, head coach Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen “kept the big picture in mind” when evaluating trades. The Bears are currently 5-3 on the year, but that assures them of little in terms of playoff positioning given the state of the NFC North.
As such, a more expensive acquisition like Phillips – who was dealt for a third-round pick – or Trey Hendrickson – who was available for a second-rounder – was not pursued at the deadline. Chicago will move forward with only Tryon-Shoyinka in place as a new depth option. The Bears did, on the other hand, work toward a notable move elsewhere on defense.
Chicago was “deep in talks” with the Saints about a trade for Alontae Taylor, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports. The fourth-year cornerback was also a target of the Colts prior to their Sauce Gardner blockbuster. The Bears would have represented a logical landing spot for Taylor. He and Allen worked together during the latter’s time as New Orleans’ head coach. Taylor, 26, would have provided the Bears with a welcomed starting option in the secondary during a year in which cornerback injuries have been an issue.
A trade on that front would have been a rental since Taylor’s rookie contract will expire at the end of the campaign. A lucrative new pact is likely in store in his case this spring, and the Saints’ decision to retain him means an extended stay in New Orleans could be worked out. Failing that, the Bears could be among the teams showing interest on the open market given their pursuit of a trade acquisition.
In the meantime, Chicago will look for other moves to provide depth in the secondary. The Bears are one of several teams scheduled to host Asante Samuel Jr., who recently received full medical clearance. With roughly $6.64MM in cap space, a modest free agent pact would be feasible for Chicago if the team manages to work out a deal with Samuel or another corner currently available.
Colts Pursued Saints CB Alontae Taylor
The Colts entered Tuesday determined to address an injury-riddled cornerback group before the trade deadline, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. General manager Chris Ballard succeeded in pulling off a pre-deadline stunner, acquiring star corner Sauce Gardner from the Jets for two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
The Jets unexpectedly parted with Gardner just a handful of months after inking him to a four-year, $120.1MM extension in July. Had the Jets gone forward with Gardner as a member of their core, the Colts may have had a far less splashy contingency plan in Saints corner Alontae Taylor. The Colts had interest in Taylor, per Fowler, who’s of the belief the 26-year-old could have wound up in Indianapolis had it failed to reel in Gardner.
Taylor drew interest from multiple clubs leading up to the deadline, but New Orleans didn’t find an offer to its liking. One team in the market for help at corner told Fowler the Saints wanted an early Day 3 pick for Taylor, a pending free agent.
A report last week indicated the Saints were seeking a Day 2 pick for Taylor. They may have dropped their price in hopes of finding a taker. Regardless, no one bit, leaving Taylor to finish 2025 with the Saints before a potential trip to the open market.
With Gardner now in the fold, the plan is for him and Charvarius Ward to eventually comprise the Colts’ long-term one-two punch at corner. Ward has been on IR with a concussion since Oct. 18, though, and will miss this Sunday’s game in Berlin against the Falcons.
Gardner is also dealing with a concussion, which kept him out of the Jets’ win over the Bengals in Week 8, but he’ll practice on Wednesday (via Cameron Wolfe of NFL.com). Head coach Shane Steichen said “the plan” is for Gardner to make his Colts debut this week if he clears concussion protocol. With the Jets on a bye last week, Gardner hasn’t suited up since Oct. 19.
Saints Seeking Day 2 Picks For WR Rashid Shaheed, CB Alontae Taylor
Of the receivers recently named as trade candidates, Rashid Shaheed is perhaps the likeliest to be on the move in the near future. The Saints wideout is a pending free agent and could find himself on the radar of several suitors. 
New Orleans has received interest in fellow wideout Chris Olave, but he is attached to his fifth-year option for 2026. The Ohio State product could very well be in place beyond that point by means of an extension. Shaheed, by contrast, is one of many Saints identified as one to watch on the trade front and the team is willing to move him.
At this point, though, no deal is imminent. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated confirms calls have come in about Shaheed, but he adds New Orleans’ asking price is currently a second- or third-round pick. That matches the Raiders’ stance with respect to Jakobi Meyers, another wideout known on the trade block. Per Breer, suitors have balked at that price in Shaheed’s case.
The situation is similar as it pertains to cornerback Alontae Taylor. New Orleans is seeking a Day 2 pick for the pending free agent corner, Breer adds. Just like with Shaheed, he writes interested teams view that asking price as too steep. It will be interesting to see if the Saints shift their stance ahead of the November 4 deadline by accepting less valuable offers in one or both cases.
Shaheed, 27, is averaging 11.1 yards per catch in 2025, by far the lowest figure of his career. Much of that is due to the team’s overall offensive struggles, though, and a QB switch has taken place. Rookie Tyler Shough will handle starting duties for the remainder of the season. Shaheed would only play one game with Shough in place in the event he were to be dealt ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
Taylor has served as a starter for much of his New Orleans tenure. With the team having traded away Marshon Lattimore and lost Paulson Adebo in free agency, moving on from the second-rounder would leave the secondary rather thin. Of course, the lack of an extension in Adebo’s case has led to interest from suitors and uncertainty regarding his future.
The receiver and cornerback trade markets around the league will depend in large part on Shaheed and Taylor, with the former having been at least loosely linked to several buyers recently. As such, both of these cases will be worth watching closely.
Saints CB Alontae Taylor Drawing Trade Interest
Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor is “on the radar of a few teams,” according to ESPN’s Matt Bowen and Jeremy Fowler, making him a surprise trade candidate two weeks before the deadline.
“The Saints don’t want to trade Taylor but would consider it if they receive a strong offer,” added Bowen and Fowler.
Recent comments from Saints general manager Mickey Loomis align with that reporting. He revealed on Tuesday that he had received inquiries regarding multiple players.
“We’ll look at each thing individually. We’ll discuss it.” Loomis said (via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell). “But I’m not in the business of trading away good players unless the deals are just too good to refuse.” He declined to comment on any specific players.
Taylor, 26, has been a starting cornerback for the Saints since he entered the league, logging 31 pass defenses in his first three years. The 2022 second-rounder has spent almost equal time in the slot and on the boundary, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He could be upgrade to a playoff hopeful in need of cornerback help, especially one that could use a nickel with some playmaking ability. The Colts, Raiders, and Patriots are among the teams with reported interest in adding a cornerback who could be in on Taylor.
The Saints’ cap situation will likely make it hard for them to retain Taylor after an explosion in the cornerback market this offseason. They could probably find a way to free up enough money to offer him a competitive deal with another round of seemingly endless restructures, but the team has invested in multiple young defensive backs in the last two drafts.
Furthermore, data from OverTheCap shows that the Saints have not spent heavily on the cornerback position under Loomis. In fact, Marshon Lattimore is the only homegrown corner the Saints have signed to a multi-year extension in Loomis’ tenure. They later traded Lattimore and also let Paulson Adebo walk in free agency this year.
A bigger consideration for the Saints might be Taylor’s value on the trade market relative to his value in free agency. The Saints’ financial issues may prevent them from making any aggressive moves in free agency, in which case their top departing free agents are more likely net them compensatory picks in the 2027 draft. The front office will have to weigh Taylor’s future earning potential and how that would factor into the compensatory formula against the offers they’re getting for a trade right now.
NFC South Notes: Pitts, Otton, Saints, Young
The Falcons rebuffed Kyle Pitts trade interest, though with the former top-five pick set to begin a contract year, it is possible the franchise could revisit this topic. Pitts was mentioned as “relatively available” this offseason, with the price of a Day 2 pick floated. No Pitts extension is planned, but a franchise tag would not be out of the question if the tight end puts together a good contract year. Still, teams indeed viewed the Florida alum as available in the past, per The Athletic’s Josh Kendall. The Falcons stumbling out of the blocks this season could reignite the prospect of Pitts being traded during his fifth-year option season.
How Pitts’ salary would be divvied up in a trade would be a key component in negotiations, as he is tied to a $10.88MM option salary. The later in the season he is dealt, the less money an acquiring team would be responsible for. The Falcons having Pitts would give Michael Penix Jr. a fairly talented weapon, but if the team intends to make the 6-foot-6 pass catcher a one-contract player, it would make sense to listen to offers before the November deadline.
Here is the latest from the NFC South:
- Buccaneers extensions for Luke Goedeke and Zyon McCollum have surfaced this week, but the team appears through with its preseason paydays. No Cade Otton deal is expected, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Otton would join Pitts as promising TE options in 2026, barring any franchise tags. The former fourth-round pick is interested in a Bucs extension, and Tampa Bay is rather good at retaining its own. Next year’s tight end market would stand to include, barring extensions or tags, big names. Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Dallas Goedert, David Njoku and Isaiah Likely‘s contracts expire after this season. Otton, Pitts and Likely would be of particular interest as second-contract-seeking players. Otton, 26, is looking to build on a career-best 600 yards and four touchdown catches last season.
- Pro Football Focus rated Alontae Taylor as the NFL’s worst full-time cornerback last season, ranking him 116th. The former second-round pick’s perception within the league appears different, as Fowler notes the Saints CB is on the extension radar. New Orleans jettisoned Marshon Lattimore at last year’s deadline and lost Paulson Adebo — a player the team hoped to re-sign — in free agency. Although the Saints drafted Kool-Aid McKinstry in Round 2 last year, they appear interested in a second Taylor contract. He has started 37 career games entering his platform year.
- Chase Young is again dealing with injury trouble. The recently re-signed defensive end, who bounced back from neck surgery to play 17 games last season, will miss the Saints’ opener with a calf injury. Young joins Trevor Penning, who has been battling turf toe, in being ruled out.
- The Falcons have not ruled out Darnell Mooney for Week 1, but the team has been coy regarding the deep threat’s status after a late-July shoulder injury. In other Mooney matters, the team restructured his contract. Atlanta created $6MM in cap space by restructuring Mooney’s deal, ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. Mooney is tied to a three-year, $39MM contract — a deal that includes three void years. The sixth-year receiver’s restructure ballooned his 2026 cap hit to $18.05MM.
- Last September, Bryce Young‘s January 2026 extension-eligible date did not appear to mean much. The Panthers were moving toward a 2025 separation with a QB they benched. Young’s second-half turnaround last season, though, has the prospect of a 2026 payday back in play, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano. The Panthers believe the undersized passer has turned a corner in terms of confidence and competitiveness, and Carolina believes the improvement he showed late last year will carry over. While it would be perhaps more newsworthy if the Panthers didn’t believe Young would sustain this form, the prospect of an extension for the 5-foot-10 QB is still notable considering the separation rumors that engulfed him less than a year ago.
Saints CBs Alontae Taylor, Paulson Adebo Competing For Starting Role
The Saints already have one starting cornerback spot spoken for with four-time Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore. The competition to determine who will line up opposite him will take place during training camp. 
Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo are vying for a first-team role, as detailed by ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. The pair split reps with the starting defense during OTAs, allowing each to state their case as a full-time outside corner (although the former has also spent time practicing in the slot). Their performances in the summer will determine the pecking order behind Lattimore for New Orleans.
When addressing the situation, head coach Dennis Allen said, “the great thing about it, those two particular players… both of them are fully capable of being starters and playing at a high level for us, but we’re going to let that competition play out.”
Both Adebo and Taylor have already seen signficant playing time early in their respective careers. Adebo, a 2021 third-rounder, has started all but one of his 30 career appearances and logged a snap share of 94% last season, one in which Lattimore was limited to just seven contests. The latter’s injury allowed Taylor, a second-round pick, to start nine games in his rookie season.
Taylor registered 11 pass breakups and posted much better coverage statistics than Adebo during his first-team audition in 2022. Given the potential for growth both players have (each will be 24 at the start of the regular season), though, plenty remains to be determined heading into the 2023 campaign. Regardless of how the competition for the outside corner spot shakes out, each could see a notable workload since the Saints’ lone free agent CB addition was Lonnie Johnson and the team elected not to add further to the position during the draft.