Packers Extend P Daniel Whelan
SEPTEMBER 7: Providing details on the pact, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Whelan’s extension is two years in length and has a total value of $6.2MM. Whelan is now on the books through 2027, and he received a $2.2MM signing bonus.
SEPTMEBER 4: After extending their long snapper last week, the Packers have now locked in their punter for the foreseeable future. The team announced that they’ve signed Daniel Whelan to an extension. Terms of the deal have yet to be reported.
Undrafted out of UC Davis in 2022, Whelan had a brief stint with the Saints before having to settle for a job with the XFL’s DC Defenders. After impressing in that gig, the special teamer earned a preseason contract from the Packers ahead of the 2024 campaign.
He ended up beating out Pat O’Donnell for the job, making him the first Irish-born NFL player since Neil O’Donoghue in the 1980s. Whelan has spent the past two years as Green Bay’s full-time punter, appearing in all 34 regular season games and all three of their postseason contests.
Whelan has been consistent over that span, with his yards per punt (46.2 in 2023, 46.1 in 2024) and net yards per punt (39.4 in 2023, 39.6 in 2024) generally staying the same across both campaigns. This past season, he became the first punter in Packers history to average 46-plus yards per punt and 40-plus net yards per punt in a single season. He also sits atop the franchise all-time leaderboard in punting average and net punting average (among players with at least 100 punts).
With long snapper Matt Orzech inking an extension in late August, the Packers have now committed to all of their special teams leaders for the next few years. To kick off the offseason, the team signed kicker Brandon McManus to a three-year, $15.3MM extension.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/29/25
Tuesday’s minor transactions from across the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: G Matthew Jones, TE Bernhard Seikovits
Detroit Lions
- Waived (failed physical designation): WR Antoine Green
Green Bay Packers
- Signed ERFA tenders: WR Bo Melton, P Daniel Whelan, RB Emanuel Wilson
Houston Texans
- Claimed off waivers (from Patriots): C Jake Andrews
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Received roster exemption (international player): WR Louis Rees-Zammit
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: DT Ryder Anderson
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: LB Michael Dowell, QB Jaren Hall, C Mike Novitsky, OLB Kenneth Odumegwu
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: WR Marquez Callaway, CB Dallis Flowers, OLB Daniel Grzesiak, WR Tanner Knue
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed off waivers (from Patriots): LB Titus Leo, S Mark Perry
- Waived: G Arlington Hambright, T Isaiah Prince
A fifth-round pick out of BYU, Hall was part of a three-quarterback solutions to a season-ending Kirk Cousins injury in 2023. Alongside Nick Mullens and Joshua Dobbs, Hall started two of three game appearances for Minnesota as a rookie, only attempting 20 passes in that time. After trading for Sam Howell to back up J.J. McCarthy, in addition to retaining Brett Rypien and signing undrafted Golden Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer, Hall became the odd man out.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/17/23
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league:
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: P Daniel Whelan
- Waived: CB Benjie Franklin
Houston Texans
- Signed: TE Jordan Murray
- Waived: P Joe Doyle
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Willie Taylor III
- Placed on IR: WR Jaylon Moore
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Tyler Hudson, S Jaiden Woodbey
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Scott Lashley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Hakeem Butler
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Alize Mack
Saints Sign Malcolm Brown, Nick Martin
With an Alvin Kamara suspension in play for 2022, the Saints have been looking at veteran running backs. They added one to their mix Tuesday.
The Saints added former Rams and Dolphins back Malcolm Brown, doing so on a day in which they also signed center Nick Martin. The Brown addition comes after a fairly thorough look into the position this offseason, while Martin — after five years with the Texans and one with the Raiders — should be expected to compete for a backup job.
New Orleans brought in both Sony Michel and David Johnson this year, while also auditioning USFL Offensive Player of the Year Darius Victor. Johnson is believed to have come with too high a price tag for the Saints, per NFL.com’s Jane Slater (video link). The Michel workout also came just before the former Patriots and Rams starter signed with the Dolphins, who opted to let Brown walk as they transitioned to a new coaching staff.
Although Mark Ingram is positioned to be Kamara’s top backup, Slater adds the Saints would not plan to use the 33-year-old as a full-timer at this stage of his career. Brown coming in provides insurance, with a Kamara suspension — for a February brawl in Las Vegas that led to an arrest and a civil lawsuit — potentially coming down this season. A Kamara ban would obviously make a significant impact on the Saints’ offense, judging by how it looked last season when the Pro Bowl back missed time, but Brown does provide a potential upgrade alongside Ingram.
Brown, 29, suffered a quadriceps injury last season; he played just seven games during his short Dolphins tenure. While Brown rushed for just 125 yards in 2021, he gained 419 and scored five touchdowns as part of a 2020 Rams committee. The former Todd Gurley backup also held regular special teams roles in Los Angeles, giving him a potential boost to make New Orleans’ 53-man roster. The Saints also have veteran special-teamer Dwayne Washington, recent signing Devine Ozigbo and third-year back Tony Jones on their 90-man offseason roster.
Martin, also 29, worked as Houston’s full-time starting center from 2017-20, earning an extension in that time. Despite missing his entire rookie season, Martin has proven durable since. He has not missed a game since 2017, when he was sidelined for two, and has 62 career starts. The former second-round pick, however, did not start a game for the Raiders in 2021, and lingered in free agency for months. He joins Forrest Lamp and Josh Andrews as notable Saints interior O-line depth. The team’s inside trio of Andrus Peat, Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz is set.
The Saints also signed defensive end Scott Patchan and waived punter Daniel Whelan, offensive lineman Derek Schweiger and cornerback Jordan Miller on Tuesday.
Saints Announce 17 Undrafted Free Agent Signings
The Saints are one of the first teams after the 2022 NFL Draft to officially announce their undrafted free agent class. Here’s New Orleans’ full list:
- Dai’Jean Dixon, WR (Nicholls State)
- Sage Doxtater, OL (New Mexico State)
- Joel Dublanko, LB (Cincinnati)
- DaMarcus Fields, CB (Texas Tech)
- Vincent Gray, CB (Michigan)
- Lewis Kidd, OL (Montana State)
- Jack Koerner, DB (Iowa)
- Lucas Krull, TE (Pittsburgh)
- Smoke Monday, S (Auburn) ($120,000 guaranteed, according to PFF’s Doug Kyed)
- Isaiah Pryor, LB (Ohio State)
- John Parker Romo, K (Virginia Tech)
- Derek Schweiger, OL (Iowa State)
- Nephi Sewell, LB (Utah)
- Rashid Shaheed, WR (Weber State) ($222,000 guaranteed, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network)
- Abram Smith, RB (Baylor) ($222,000 guaranteed, according to Wilson)
- Daniel Whelan, P (UC-Davis)
- Eric Wilson, OL (Penn State)
New Orleans only had five draft picks after having to forfeit a sixth-round pick due to COVID-19 violations, so their UDFA class was going to be important for adding depth.
After seeing Marcus Williams depart for Baltimore in free agency, the Saints were seeking some depth at safety. After failing to address the position in the Draft, the team has reportedly picked up its pursuit of free agent Tyrann Mathieu. They also signed some UDFAs with safety potential for some cheaper depth options.
They were able to nab some quality names like Monday and Pryor and managed to bring in some camp competition for kicker Wil Lutz and punter Blake Gillikin.