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.
Bills To Sign DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson
After spending time with three different squads in 2025, C.J. Gardner-Johnson has found a new home. The veteran defensive back is signing with the Bills, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
It’s a one-year deal for Gardner-Johnson. The deal will be worth up to $6MM, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The veteran was dealt from the Eagles to the Texans last offseason for a late-round pick swap. He started the first three games of the season for his new squad, but he quickly fell out of favor in Houston following a disagreement over his defensive role. He was cut by the Texans before September was through, and he subsequently landed on the Ravens practice squad.
He only lasted a week in Baltimore before earning his walking papers, but he quickly caught on with the Bears, where he was reunited with his former Saints coach Dennis Allen. Gardner-Johnson started seven of his 10 appearances for Chicago, tallying 51 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions. He suffered a concussion during the regular season finale that forced him to miss the Bears first playoff game, but he returned for the team’s eventual loss to the Rams.
Ceedy Duce has generally been a starter throughout his NFL career, but he’s struggled to stick with any single team. His longest stint came with the Saints to begin his career, but he was traded to the Eagles before his rookie contract was done. A torn pectoral muscle basically erased his lone season with the Lions in 2023, and he returned to Philly and won a Super Bowl in 2024.
Gardner-Johnson’s ability to play around the secondary will keep affording him NFL gigs. He’ll now be joining a Bills squad that may see some significant change to their cornerbacks and safeties corps in 2026. They’ve already dealt Taron Johnson to the Raiders, and Cam Lewis left for Chicago. Meanwhile, the likes of Tre’Davious White and Jordan Poyer are currently free agents. The Bills added Dee Alford to likely serve as their slot CB, but Gardner-Johnson should still have an opportunity to carve out his own role considering the uncertainty.
Bears Activate CB Kyler Gordon From IR
The Bears activated cornerback Kyler Gordon from injured reserve, per a team announcement, setting him up to play in Saturday night’s wild card matchup with the Packers.
Gordon, 26, only appeared in three games in the regular season due to a variety of injuries. He did not play until Week 6 due to a hamstring injury suffered in training camp. Calf and groin issues quickly forced him back on the sidelines, this time accompanied by a move to injured reserve. He returned to the field in late November and landed right back on IR after his first game back, again due to a groin injury. After missing the last four games of the regular season, Gordon was able to recover in time for the Bears’ first playoff game since 2020.
The injury-riddled season has been a disappointment for both player and club, especially considering the three-year, $40MM extension Gordon signed in April. The 2022 second-round pick emerged as a reliable, if not elite, nickel in his first three years in the NFL, earning him a deal at the top of that specific market. But injuries were an issue; Gordon missed nine games across those three seasons and has more than doubled his total this year.
Chicago has primarily relied on C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the slot with Nick McCloud also getting some snaps. Neither has performed particularly well – their Pro Football Focus grades (subscription required) both hover around 50.0 – so it will be interesting to see how the Bears handle Gordon’s return. Given his health struggles – especially two groin issues – they may want to ease him back into full-speed and -contact action to avoid another re-injury.
The Bears also announced a few other moves for Saturday’s game. Tight end Nikola Kalinic and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin were both elevated from the practice squad to face the Packers, while offensive tackle Braxton Jones was downgraded to out and will not be activated from IR.
Bears Designate Kyler Gordon To Return From IR
The Bears designated cornerback Kyler Gordon to return from injured reserve on Wednesday, per a team announcement.
Gordon has dealt with multiple injuries already this season. His hamstring sidelined him for the first five weeks of the year, though he was not placed on an injured list. He went down again in Week 7 with groin and calf issues that landed him on injured reserve in late October.
The Bears expressed optimism last week that Gordon would return this year (along with fellow injured cornerback Jaylon Johnson). That optimism has materialized in the form of a return to practice, bringing Gordon one step closer to re-joining his team on game days.
Gordon broke out in 2024 as one of the league’s top slot corners and earned a three-year, $40MM extension this offseason. During his first stint on the sidelines this year, Nick McCloud stepped up as the Bears’ nickel. During his second absence, the Bears have relied on C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the slot, who arrived in Chicago shortly after Gordon was placed on injured reserve.
Head coach Ben Johnson praised Gardner-Johnson on Wednesday when asked about the team’s plans for Gordon’s return, saying (via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin) that the veteran safety is “a guy we’re going to want on the field.”
The Bears have a few different options to use both Gordon and Gardner-Johnson once Gordon is ready to play. Obviously, rotating the two early on would be an effective way to ease Gordon back into action, which may be a key consideration after multiple injuries this season. Gardner-Johnson has also played 47 snaps in the box (and 16 off the edge) in his last two games in Chicago, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), so he could take on a prominent role in
Gordon will have 21 days to practice with the team before he must be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending injured reserve.
Bears Sign S C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is joining his third organization of the 2025 season. The Bears are signing the 27-year-old to their active roster, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Gardner-Johnson appeared in 16 of the Eagles’ regular-season games in 2024 and tied a career high with six interceptions. He was also part of the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning playoff run, but they parted with him after the season.
In a trade that hasn’t worked out for either side, the Eagles sent Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Texans for offensive lineman Kenyon Green and a fifth-rounder in next year’s draft.
Green, who couldn’t crack the Eagles’ roster, is now a member of the Ravens’ practice squad. Gardner-Johnson lasted just three games in Houston before the team released him. He reportedly clashed with teammates and was unhappy with his role in the Texans’ defense.
After the Texans said goodbye to him, Gardner-Johnson joined Green on the Ravens’ practice squad. It was a short-lived stay, however, as the Ravens moved on a week later. Gardner-Johnson signed with Baltimore before the team acquired safety Alohi Gilman from the Chargers. With Gilman’s arrival blocking a path to playing time, Gardner-Johnson’s agent asked for his client’s release. The Ravens granted it.
After a couple of weeks on the open market, Gardner-Johnson will indeed find a clearer avenue to playing time on Chicago’s active roster. He’ll also reunite with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who coached Gardner-Johnson in New Orleans from 2019-21. Those were Gardner-Johnson’s first three NFL seasons, a 43-game span in which he picked off five passes. Allen left a positive impression on Gardner-Johnson.
“He got my career going. I appreciate him,” Gardner-Johnson told the CHGO Bears podcast last February.
While the 4-3 Bears have two established starting safeties in Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard, who lead their defense in snaps, their secondary is dealing with multiple significant injuries. Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon are on IR. A groin injury has kept Johnson out since Week 1, while Gordon landed on the shelf with calf and groin issues before the Bears’ loss to the Ravens last Sunday. Gordon is Chicago’s top nickel corner, but the addition of Gardner-Johnson could help fill the void during his absence. The Bears plan to use Gardner-Johnson as a slot corner, head coach Ben Johnson announced (via Courtney Cronin of ESPN).
Ravens Release S C.J. Gardner-Johnson
C.J. Gardner-Johnson is beginning to take a Diontae Johnson-like journey around the NFL, right down to joining and then leaving the Ravens. Baltimore is releasing the veteran safety from its practice squad.
This may be more of a fit-related transaction, however, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicating Gardner-Johnson’s agent viewed the team’s addition of Alohi Gilman as an impediment for his client. Gardner-Johnson’s agent said the well-traveled defender is looking for a “clearer path to play.”
The Ravens have struggled mightily on defense this season, but the team does have some safety options. Gilman joins All-Pro Kyle Hamilton and first-round pick Malaki Starks. While the rookie has struggled to open his debut season, the Ravens have plenty invested at safety between the fully guaranteed first-round contract and Hamilton’s market-shifting extension.
Gilman has also been a regular starter for years, and he played 83% of Baltimore’s defensive snaps in the team’s Week 6 matchup; this included a starting assignment less than a week after being acquired.
The Gilman-for-Odafe Oweh trade came on the same day the Ravens signed Gardner-Johnson to their practice squad. The latter transaction marked a bounce-back opportunity for Gardner-Johnson, who had been jettisoned by two teams since March. Like Johnson last year, Gardner-Johnson joined the Ravens after two teams moved on. Less than a year after the Ravens suspended the increasingly mercurial wideout and then waived him, they will wrap Gardner-Johnson’s tenure at a week.
Being traded from Philadelphia to Houston as part of a trade that sent Kenyon Green to the Eagles, Gardner-Johnson received his Texans walking papers three games into the season. The Texans used Gardner-Johnson as a three-game starter. Like Johnson in 2024, the trash-talking DB requested a trade out of his second stop of the year. The Texans instead cut him, as they did Johnson shortly after claiming him. Green is also gone from Philly, making the March swap a lose-lose trade. The former first-round guard is on the Ravens’ practice squad, representing an interesting fallout from the Eagles-Texans trade.
Gardner-Johnson, 27, has been traded twice and been part of four teams. The Saints dealt him to the Eagles in a contract year, and after some confusion about a return to Philly, CJGJ ended up in Detroit as a 2023 free agent. The Eagles re-signed the former fourth-round pick and deployed him as a starter, leading to a second six-interception season in three years as the team mounted a championship run. Gardner-Johnson is a 64-game starter; he will look for a path that allows him to add to that total.
Ravens Sign C.J. Gardner-Johnson To Practice Squad
Just under two weeks after his short Texans tenure ended, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson has found a new home. The 27-year-old is signing with the Ravens’ practice squad, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Gardner-Johnson turned in one of the most productive seasons of his career in 2024 during his second stint with the Eagles. He tied a career high with six interceptions over 16 games (all starts) during the regular season and helped the Eagles to a Super Bowl title in the playoffs.
Despite his success in Philadelphia, the team traded Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick to Houston for offensive lineman Kenyon Green and a 2025 fifth-rounder last March. The move didn’t go according to plan for either club, though, and Gardner-Johnson and Green are now teammates several months later. Green hooked on with the Ravens’ practice squad last week after the Eagles waived him.
Gardner-Johnson is now joining Green after he played just three games with the Texans. He started in each of those contests and logged 15 tackles, but Gardner-Johnson reportedly clashed with Texans teammates and was unhappy with his role in their defense.
The Ravens will be the fourth team for Gardner-Johnson, also a former Saint and Lion. With Houston on the hook for his fully guaranteed 2025 salary, it’s a low-risk move for Baltimore. Several noteworthy injuries, including in the secondary, have been among the main culprits for the Ravens’ stunning 1-4 start. Their defensive backfield lost safety Ar’Darius Washington to a torn Achilles during the spring. Meanwhile, all-world safety Kyle Hamilton is battling a groin injury and could miss his second straight game this week.
With Hamilton inactive last Sunday, the Ravens took a 44-10 beating at the hands of Gardner-Johnson’s previous team, the Texans. The Ravens deployed two rookies at safety in first-round pick Malaki Starks and the undrafted Reuben Lowery. Quarterback C.J. Stroud carved up their secondary, going 23 for 27 for 244 yards and four touchdowns.
The Ravens will face another stiff test this Sunday against the Rams, whose Matthew Stafford-led aerial attack has been elite in 2025. While the Ravens may not have Hamilton, Gardner-Johnson could make his debut. As Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes, when Hamilton is ready to return, Gardner-Johnson’s presence should enable him to play closer to the line of scrimmage. That would allow Hamilton to capitalize on his superb skills as a playmaker and run defender.
With Gardner-Johnson in the fold, the Ravens have released defensive tackle Josh Tupou from their practice squad, according to Zrebiec. Tupou played 30 defensive snaps and made three tackles in the Ravens’ loss to the Chiefs in Week 4.
Texans Release S C.J. Gardner-Johnson
SEPTEMBER 25: Though Gardner-Johnson requested a trade, the Texans made no attempt to move him, according to Ryans (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio). Ryan’s comments indicate that the team wanted to get Gardner-Johnson out of Houston as soon as possible, aligning with the report about the tension he created in the locker room.
SEPTEMBER 24: C.J. Gardner-Johnson‘s time in Houston has proven to be short-lived. The veteran safety is being released, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
2025 has seen Gardner-Johnson serve as a starter for Houston, his fourth career team. The former Saint, Lion and Eagle (on two occasions) enjoyed a highly productive second Philadelphia stint last year. To his surprise, the 27-year-old was traded this offseason in a swap which saw former first-round guard Kenyon Green head the other way.
That move appeared to give Houston another veteran presence in the secondary and add further to a defense which faced high expectations entering 2025. That unit has fared well with an average of just 17 points allowed per game, but the Texans are moving on nonetheless. Jalen Mills was recently brought back into the fold as a depth option at safety, while Jimmie Ward was removed from the commissioner’s exempt list yesterday. In the wake of those developments, Gardner-Johnson is being let go.
Friction with teammates was an issue in this case, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. Gardner-Johnson criticized other members of the Houston secondary and was unhappy with his role in the team’s scheme, per Wilson. Without even one month in the books, the decision has been made on the team’s part to move on rather than attempting to salvage the situation. Wilson adds a trade request was issued prior to today’s cut.
Team and player recently agreed to a restructure, with Gardner-Johnson’s base salary for 2025 being reduced to the veteran minimum in exchange for a conversion to a signing bonus. That spread out guaranteed cap charges over several years, an indication this relationship would continue through at least the remainder of the campaign. Instead, Houston will take on a $5.66MM dead money charge for 2025 as a result of this move.
Mills and (when he is healthy) Ward represent options to take on a starting role at the safety spot. Ward has been a key figure when available during his Texans tenure, but an NFL investigation stemming from domestic violence allegations is ongoing and he is currently on the reserve/PUP list while recovering from offseason ankle surgery. In any case, Calen Bullock is set to remain in place as a safety starter moving forward. M.J. Stewart is currently in line to join him as a first-team presence.
Gardner-Johnson is now set to hit free agency. With two six-interception seasons and four campaigns of at least eight pass deflections to his name, the former fourth-rounder is not lacking in production. Today’s move marks the latest example of a team preferring not to keep him in the fold in spite of that, however. As such, it will be interesting to see if a strong market develops over the near future.
NFL Restructures: Simmons, Johnson, CJGJ, Ward, Smith
The Titans recently gave Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons a $633K raise to rectify a miscalculation of his fifth-year option, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
The Titans drafted Simmons with the 19th overall pick in the 2019 draft, and after 8.5 sacks and his first Pro Bowl in 2021, the team knew they had a long-term anchor for their defensive line. Tennessee picked up Simmons’ fifth-year option during the 2022 offseason and signed him to a $94MM extension the following year. That extension was meant to include the fifth-year option, but the deal undercounted his 2023 salary by one game, resulting in a $633K shortage.
Simmons’ agent discovered the error, and the Titans agreed to rectify the mistake with a signing bonus, according to Florio. The adjusted contract is not considered an extension.
A few other players from the 2019 draft class who signed extensions off their fifth-year options had a similar miscalculation in their deal. As a result, Simmons’ new deal could set a precedent around the league with other players seeking similar retroactive payments.
- The Bears restructured the contract of cornerback Jaylon Johnson to create $8MM of cap space, per ESPN’s Field Yates. $12MM of his 2025 salary was converted to a signing bonus and prorated across the three remaining years of the deal. Chicago made the move before Johnson went down with a groin injury that could end his season.
- The Texans completed a maximum restructure of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson‘s deal to reduce his cap hit to $3.1MM, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. His $7.75MM salary was reduced to the veteran minimum with the remaining $6.58MM converted into a signing bonus and prorated across the remainder of the contract, which includes void years from 2027 to 2030.
- The Browns also did a maximum restructure with cornerback Denzel Ward‘s contract, per ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. His salary was also reduced to the veteran minimum with $12.22MM converted into a signing bonus. As a result, his 2025 cap hit dropped by $9.78MM to $14.78MM, per OverTheCap.
- In another AFC North restructure, the Ravens converted $12MM of linebacker Roquan Smith‘s 2025 salary that was prorated across the three remaining years of his deal. The move cleared $8MM in cap space, according to Russell Street Report’s Brian McFarland.
AFC South Notes: Texans, Jaguars, Grant
The Texans shopped Cam Robinson before last week’s roster-setting deadline but held onto the $12MM tackle. However, Houston’s O-line overhaul indeed will not have a Week 1 job waiting for the ninth-year veteran. Aireontae Ersery beat out Robinson for the Texans’ left tackle position, according to the team’s depth chart. This indicates a high degree of confidence in the Minnesota product, whom the team traded up for in Round 2. Robinson joins 2024 second-round pick Blake Fisher as backup tackles. The veteran’s name could appear in pre-deadline trade rumors for the second straight year. Laken Tomlinson, Jake Andrews and Ed Ingram round out Houston’s front five. Robinson, 29, has started all 101 games he has played. That streak will end Sunday.
Here is the latest from the AFC South:
- C.J. Gardner-Johnson was feared to have suffered a training camp ACL tear. Even when the veteran safety turned out to have evaded a season-ending diagnosis, he missed time leading up to the season. As it turns out, the famed trash talker is expected to be on the field for the Texans in Week 1, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The Texans are down Jimmie Ward, who is on the commissioner’s exempt list, but having CJGJ available alongside Calen Bullock will help one of the NFL’s best defenses.
- Houston created nearly $5MM in cap space by restructuring Dalton Schultz‘s contract, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. This is a simple restructure, rather than a true rework, with most of the veteran TE’s 2025 base salary shifted into a signing bonus to drop his cap hit from $14MM to $9.09MM. Schultz’s three-year, $36MM deal still runs through 2026, though it now carries a $18.92MM 2026 cap number.
- The Jaguars‘ backfield makeup is rather interesting entering the season. Two holdovers (Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby) join two Liam Coen–James Gladstone rookie investments (Bhayshul Tuten, LeQuint Allen) on the depth chart. While Etienne came up as a trade candidate earlier this year, the former first-rounder remains rostered. Despite going in the seventh round, Allen has impressed Jags brass enough a role as the team’s third-down back is in play, per ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. A two-year starter at Syracuse, Allen led the ACC with 20 touchdowns last season. His third and final Orange year produced a pass-game uptick — in the form of 64 catches for 521 yards. With Tuten clocking a 4.32-second 40-yard dash time at the Combine, the Jags have an interesting array of options here. While Travis Hunter‘s early-season deployment will garner far more attention, how the Jags’ RB hierarchy looks will also be of interest as the Coen era starts.
- Bumped off the 49ers’ 53-man roster after making the initial squad, Richie Grant is still receiving looks. The Colts worked out Grant (32 career starts) this week, ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner notes. Indianapolis also brought in Boston Scott for an audition, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. Scott has not caught on with a team yet this year; the 30-year-old RB — a six-year Eagles contributor — did not see any game action in 2024.