NFC Contract Details: Lions, Franklin, Cross, Cardinals, Cowboys, 49ers, Bears, Saints
Here are the latest details from contracts agreed to around the NFC:
- Cade Mays, C (Lions). Three years, $25MM. Mays secured $6MM of his $7.7MM 2027 base salary fully guaranteed, according to OverTheCap. Four void years are included in the deal, per the Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers, with Mays’ 2026 cap hit sitting at $2.77MM. A $7.39MM option bonus is in place for 2028; the Lions bailing before that is due would result in a $3.89MM dead money hit, Rogers adds.
- Zaire Franklin, LB (Packers). Two years, $18MM. Two years remained on Franklin’s Colts-constructed contract — initially a three-year, $31.26MM deal. The Packers reworked it. Franklin received a $3.75MM signing bonus on his post-trade agreement, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. That is the only guarantee here, though Franklin’s 2026 salary ($4.24MM) will lock in just before Week 1 due to the LB being a vested veteran.
- Nick Cross, S (Commanders). Two years, $13MM. The deal includes $6.1MM fully guaranteed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. None of Cross’ 2027 money is guaranteed.
- Neville Gallimore, DT (Bears). Two years, $10.13MM. Gallimore will see $5MM guaranteed at signing, Wilson tweets. The Bears included a $375K roster bonus due on Day 5 of the 2027 league year.
- Benjamin St-Juste, CB (Packers). Two years, $10MM. St-Juste received just $3MM at signing, Wilson adds. The signing bonus represents the guarantee, though a $1.5MM roster bonus is due on Day 3 of the 2027 league year.
- Noah Fant, TE (Saints). Two years, $8.75MM. The former first-round pick secured $4.5MM guaranteed at signing, ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell tweets. No guarantees are in place for 2027.
- Elijah Wilkinson, OL (Cardinals). Two years, $6.25MM. Wilkinson’s contract comes with $3.1MM fully guaranteed, Wilson tweets. The veteran blocker played for less than $1.5MM during both his Falcons seasons.
- Gardner Minshew, QB (Cardinals). One year, $5.75MM. This deal comes in far south of Minshew’s two-year, $25MM Raiders pact from 2024, and the initially reported $8.25MM represented a max value. Minshew will see $5.14MM fully guaranteed, per Wilson. Minshew’s deal checks in just below Jacoby Brissett‘s for AAV; Brissett is on a two-year, $12.5MM accord.
- Larry Borom, T (Lions). One year, $5MM. Borom’s deal comes almost fully guaranteed, with Wilson noting the at-signing number is $4.9MM. This contract is double his Dolphins deal from 2025.
- Malik Hooker, S (Cowboys). One year, $5MM. Hooker’s reworking will bring a $3MM guarantee, per OverTheCap. Hooker was going into the final season of a three-year, $21MM contract.
- Olamide Zaccheaus, WR (Falcons). Two years, $4.5MM. The ex-Matt Ryan target will return to Atlanta — under the leadership of the team’s new front office boss — for $2.3MM fully guaranteed, Wilson adds.
- Cobie Durant, CB (Cowboys). One year, $4MM. Durant’s deal includes just $1.5MM guaranteed at signing, via OverTheCap, though another $1.75MM (the ex-Ram CB’s base salary) will lock in just before Week 1.
- Nate Hobbs, CB (49ers). One year, $3.5MM. The previously reported $4.5MM number represents the deal’s max value. Hobbs will see $3.11MM fully guaranteed, ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner tweets.
Cowboys Agree To Restructured Deal With T Terence Steele
Speculation about Terence Steele‘s Cowboys future can be put to rest. The veteran offensive tackle has worked out a restructure, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report.
As a result of today’s agreement, Steele will collect $22MM fully guaranteed. This new pact carries a base value of $33MM and can top out at $36MM. In need of financial flexibility, the Cowboys will create $13MM in cap space for 2026 as a result of Steele’s new contract.
Steele’s original pact called for $48.5MM in total earnings, but it was largely in doubt if he would rake in much of that figure. Little in the way of guaranteed money remained, leading to questions about a trade or release. Instead, Steele will move forward with another new Dallas commitment.
The 2020 UDFA is now one of the Cowboys longest-tenured players. The Texas Tech product has been in the starting lineup since his rookie campaign, and he hasn’t missed a regular season start since the 2022 campaign. Pro Football Focus has recently graded him as a middle-of-the-road offensive tackle, including a 43rd-place showing (among 81 qualifiers) in 2025.
In another cost-saving move, safety Malik Hooker has also agreed to a restructure. Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS reports Hooker’s pact has been redone to create immediate cap space. That will help Dallas’ needed efforts to make defensive additions this spring. The team has generated $2MM in 2026 savings, ESPN’s Todd Archer notes.
Donovan Wilson Hopes To Stay With Cowboys; Malik Hooker A Cut Candidate?
Since coming off the board in the sixth round of the 2019 draft, safety Donovan Wilson has been a career-long Cowboy. A trip to free agency awaits Wilson in the next few weeks, but the seven-year veteran hopes to stay in Dallas, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Wilson, who will turn 31 on Saturday, had a brief foray into free agency in March 2023. The Cowboys quickly brought Wilson back on a three-year, $24MM deal. It’s unknown if the Cowboys will act in a similar fashion with Wilson this year. Watkins casts doubt on Wilson’s future in Dallas, contending the team should get younger at safety.
Although Wilson may end up elsewhere in 2026, the Cowboys continued to heavily rely on him last season. He was a full-time starter for the fourth straight year, and his 83.2% snap share led their defense.
Over 15 starts, Wilson put up 71 tackles, two interceptions and five passes defensed. But Pro Football Focus ranked Wilson’s performance an unattractive 83rd among 91 qualifying safeties. His 38.8 grade in coverage checked in at an even worse 87th. The Cowboys, whose defense finished last against the pass and allowed the most points in the league, may want to upgrade. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker might see better fits in the draft or in a fairly deep group of free agent safeties.
Unlike Wilson, fellow Cowboys starting safety Malik Hooker is under contract for 2026. However, depending on how Parker feels about the soon-to-be 30-year-old, the Cowboys could release him, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. Escaping the last year of Hooker’s contract would free up around $6.8MM in cap space.
Hooker, a nine-year veteran, played his fifth season as a Cowboy in 2025. A toe injury forced him to IR, limiting him to 12 games (all starts), and he failed to register a pick for the first time since 2020. Hooker came in 64th in PFF’s safety rankings, though it at least assigned him an impressive 82.9 grade against the run. He finished seventh among safeties in that department, but it may not be enough for the Cowboys to retain him.
If the Cowboys move on from Hooker and Wilson, it would leave Markquese Bell as their most proven safety. Also an experienced linebacker, the Cowboys re-signed Bell to a three-year pact last March. He went on to play his second 17-game campaign and pick off his first career pass in 2025. Bell was only in on 32% percent of defensive snaps (third behind Wilson and Hooker), but a bigger role could be in store next season if the Cowboys part with their veteran starters.
Cowboys Activate S Malik Hooker From IR
The Cowboys defense has struggled mightily in 2025, but the team will be getting some veteran reinforcement in time for Monday Night Football. According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, the team has activated safety Malik Hooker from injured reserve.
[RELATED: Cowboys Designate Malik Hooker For Return]
Hooker suffered a toe injury back in Week 4 that has shelved him for more than a month. He was designated for return from IR just last Thursday, and the Cowboys didn’t take long to add him to the active roster.
After serving in a rotational role during his first season in Dallas, Hooker has emerged as one of the team’s most dependable defenders in recent years. He missed only a pair of games between 2022 and 2024, starting 38 of his 49 appearances while hauling in six interceptions. For his efforts, Pro Football Focus graded him as an above-average safety in each of those three campaigns, including a 13th-place showing in 2022 and 14th-place finish in 2023.
After dropping down to 43rd at his position in 2024, PFR ranked Hooker only 58th among 93 qualifiers in 2025. Still, that should represent an upgrade over the revolving door of safeties the Cowboys have turned to next to Donovan Wilson, who has missed the past two contests with an elbow/shoulder issue. Juanyeh Thomas got an initial look in the starting lineup, while Markquese Bell has seen the bulk of the snaps at the position in recent weeks. Alijah Clark and Zion Childress have also gotten some run in the secondary.
To make room on the roster, the team placed rookie offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius on injured reserve. The sixth-round pick has been dealing with a knee injury that will sideline him for at least the next month. The Cowboys also promoted running back Malik Davis from the practice squad for tonight’s matchup against the Raiders.
Cowboys Designate Malik Hooker For Return
The Cowboys designated safety Malik Hooker to return from injured reserve on Thursday, per a team announcement.
Hooker, 29, started the first four games of the season (alongside Donovan Wilson, his running mate for the last four years) before a toe injury landed him on IR. That started a shuffle of safeties in Dallas, which, along with their cornerback injuries, has contributed to their bottom-five pass defense.
Juanyeh Thomas replaced Hooker in Weeks 5 and 6 before he was sidelined by recurrent migraines. Markquese Bell started next to Wilson in Week 7, but Wilson suffered an elbow injury in that game. That pressed undrafted rookie Alijah Clark into action for his first career start the following week. Thomas’ condition briefly improved, allowing him to start with Bell in Week 9, but he was placed on the non-football illness list shortly after.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said last week that he is hoping that both Hooker and Wilson can play in Week 11. The Cowboys are set to play the Cardinals on Monday Night Football, so their starting safeties will have an extra day to practice.
Hooker, a former first-round pick, dealt with a handful of injuries in Indianapolis during his first four NFL seasons. He only missed four games across his first four years in Dallas before his toe issue this season.
The veteran’s return should help a cowboys pass defense that has struggled this year. Dallas has allowed the fourth-most yards per attempt and per game this year. They seem to have made some progress in the last few weeks, though they have faced an easier slate of opponents.
Hooker will have 21 days to practice with the team before he must be activated to the 53-man roster. Otherwise, he will revert to season-ending injured reserve.
Cowboys Notes: Wilson, Overshown, Revel
After the Bengals reduced his playing time, linebacker Logan Wilson requested a trade out of Cincinnati in late October. The Bengals granted his wish a few hours before the deadline on Tuesday, sending him to the Cowboys for a 2026 seventh-round pick. The Bengals received other offers for Wilson, but they liked the Cowboys’ the best, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Considering the meager return the Bengals accepted for Wilson, it’s fair to say other teams weren’t beating down the door for the 29-year-old. The Colts, Bills, and 49ers were mentioned as speculative fits for Wilson a couple of weeks ago, though it’s unclear if any of those teams joined the Cowboys in making an offer.
A third-round pick from Wyoming in 2020, Wilson became a full-time starter in his second season. In the midst of a stretch in which he piled up 100-plus tackles four seasons in a row, Wilson signed a four-year, $37.25MM extension in August 2023.
The Cowboys didn’t request any adjustments to Wilson’s deal, which runs through 2027, and they were willing to take on his remaining $2.68MM base salary for this year. That may have helped tip the scales in their favor.
Wilson started in seven of eight appearances with the Bengals this year and totaled 40 tackles, but rookies Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight have taken over as their primary linebackers. The Bengals’ defense checks in at last in the NFL, while the Cowboys own the league’s second-worst unit.
The 3-5-1 Cowboys will hope the acquisitions of Wilson and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, picked up in a pre-deadline blockbuster with the Jets, help turn the tide. Dallas also has a couple of in-house reinforcements set to make their 2025 debuts. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Tuesday that the team plans to play linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and cornerback Shavon Revel after it comes off its bye this week (via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News).
Overshown, who missed his rookie year in 2023 with a torn ACL, returned last season to post 90 tackles, five sacks, four passes defensed, and an interception in 13 games. However, Overshown suffered yet another serious knee injury – a torn ACL, MCL, and PCL – in Week 14. Overshown opened the 2025 campaign on IR and returned to practice on Oct. 20. The Cowboys also designated Revel to return that day. The third-round rookie from East Carolina tore his ACL last year, forcing him to begin his NFL career on the non-football injury list.
Along with Overshown and Revel, the Cowboys hope to welcome back injured starting safeties Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson in Week 11, according to Schottenheimer (via Tommy Yarrish of the team’s website). Hooker landed on IR with a toe injury after Week 4. Wilson, who leads the Cowboys with two interceptions, missed their previous two games with an elbow injury.
Cowboys Place S Malik Hooker On IR
The Cowboys placed safety Malik Hooker on injured reserve on Saturday, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
Hooker started the team’s first four contests of the season before exiting last week’s game against the Packers with a toe injury. Now, he will be out for at least four games and will be eligible to return in Week 9.
The eight-year veteran has gotten off to a rough start in 2025, allowing a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeted, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He has been better as a run defender, consistently playing downhill to meet ballcarriers in the hole and missing just one of his 16 tackles.
Hooker will be replaced in the starting lineup by Juanyeh Thomas, who closed out the game in Week 4. The 2023 UDFA has been a depth safety and core special teams player during his three years in Dallas, so starting in Hooker’s absence is a major opportunity.
The Cowboys also signed safety Alijah Clark to the active roster from the practice squad. The undrafted rookie will further reinforce the secondary while helping out on special teams as well. Wideouts Jalen Brooks and Jalen Cropper were both elevated from the practice squad for Week 5 to bolster a receiving room that will be without CeeDee Lamb and KaVontae Turpin on Sunday.
NFC East Notes: Eagles, Pinnock, Cowboys
The Eagles both signed five-year starter Terrell Edmunds and used a third-round pick on Sydney Brown. Both safeties factor into the team’s plans, but they are not outflanking Reed Blankenship thus far through training camp. Blankenship has been a first-team mainstay, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, who adds Edmunds and Brown have rotated at the other safety spot. Indeed, The Athletic’s Zach Berman notes Blankenship — a 2022 UDFA out of Middle Tennessee State — has been the Eagles’ top safety in camp (subscription required).
This reminds of Marcus Epps‘ rise last year. Despite the Eagles re-signing Anthony Harris and adding Jaquiski Tartt in 2022, Epps earned a starting job — one that eventually led to a two-year, $12MM Raiders payday. The Eagles brought in C.J. Gardner-Johnson via trade just before last season. That transaction could signal none of Philly’s safeties should be too comfortable, but Blankenship — Gardner-Johnson’s injury sub last year who played 291 defensive snaps — looks like the best bet to start among the in-house group.
Here is the latest from the NFC East:
- Staying on the subject of safeties in this division, the Giants may be moving toward giving Jason Pinnock the starting job alongside Xavier McKinney. A Jets fifth-round pick in 2021, Pinnock started five games for the Giants last year, operating as McKinney’s injury fill-in. He has received consistent first-team work in camp, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes. Pinnock has distanced himself from Dane Belton and veteran Bobby McCain, having been Big Blue’s first-teamer since the fourth training camp practice. The Giants, who lost Julian Love in free agency, claimed Pinnock shortly after the Jets waived the converted cornerback on cutdown day last year. Two seasons remain on Pinnock’s rookie contract.
- Malik Hooker‘s 2023 Cowboys cap hit climbed from $4.32MM to $4.57MM as a result of his recent extension, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. The incentives in the three-year, $21MM contract include $500K bumps involving playing time and INT production. Five picks and the Cowboys making the playoffs would result in a $500K increase, Archer adds, noting the other incentive requires Hooker to play 85% of Dallas’ defensive snaps and the team to make the postseason (Twitter link).
- The Cowboys, who turned Micah Parsons from an off-ball linebacker to a fearsome edge rusher, are giving Leighton Vander Esch some reps on the edge, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News notes. While the sixth-year linebacker received sparse edge work in games last season, Gehlken adds this is the first time he has received extensive instruction in a defensive end role. Rostering Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler and Sam Williams, the Cowboys are much deeper on the edge than at linebacker. It would stand to reason LVE’s role will likely remain mostly as an off-ball defender.
- The Giants recently added longtime safety Mike Adams to their coaching staff, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan tweets. A 16-year veteran, Adams will replace Anthony Blevins as the Giants’ assistant defensive backs coach, the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard adds (on Twitter). Adams, 42, hung up his cleats after the 2019 season. Blevins left the Giants during the summer to accept an XFL HC position.
- While Devon Allen did not see any game action for the Eagles last season, Berman writes the two-time Olympian hurdler is in play to make the team as a backup this year. Allen, 28, has not played in a game since working as an Oregon slot receiver in 2016. Shifting to track full-time proved beneficial for Allen, who is one of the best 110-meter hurdlers in U.S. history. But he opted to give football another try last year. He suffered an injury at the U.S. Championships last month, exiting the 110 hurdles competition before the finals in order to preserve his body for his second Eagles camp. The Eagles activated Allen from the PUP list Tuesday.
- Given a reserve/futures deal along with Allen in February, Matt Leo landed on the Eagles’ reserve/retired list last month. The team hired the former practice squad defensive end a defensive and football operations assistant.
Cowboys To Extend S Malik Hooker
The Cowboys re-signed Donovan Wilson to solidify their safety position. Months later, they are making another commitment. Former first-round pick Malik Hooker agreed to an extension to stay in Dallas on Friday.
Hooker agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $24MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The contract includes $16.5MM guaranteed, which features an $8MM signing bonus to be paid within the next 15 days. This agreement will tie Hooker to the Cowboys through the 2026 season.
Having been previously tied to a two-year deal worth $7MM, Hooker has secured an elusive payday. These terms appear in line with the pacts given to the non-Jessie Bates wing of safeties in this year’s free agent class. Wilson and Juan Thornhill received $7MM-per-year deals, while Vonn Bell signed for $7.5MM per year with the Panthers. Jimmie Ward ($6.5MM AAV) and Jordan Poyer ($6.25MM) came in just south of that, with the Seahawks and Raiders respectively giving Julian Love and Marcus Epps two-year, $12MM accords.
Hooker has gone from the lowest-paid member of Dallas’ safety trio to the highest-paid, guarantee-wise. It is not yet known how Hooker’s AAV stacks up here, but his $16.5MM guarantee tops all the above-referenced safeties. Wilson signed for $13.5MM guaranteed. The Cowboys now have three safeties — Wilson, Hooker and Jayron Kearse — signed to veteran contracts south of $10MM per year, making this an interesting all-middle-class trio at the position. Kearse is signed to a two-year, $10MM contract.
This is a long time coming for Hooker, whom the Colts selected with the 15th overall pick in 2017. He came into his rookie year after an injury, and a September 2020 Achilles tear ended up concluding his Colts tenure. Indianapolis moved on after Hooker’s rookie deal, having passed on his fifth-year option prior to that injury occurring. Hooker had missed 15 games from 2017-19, having suffered a torn ACL in October 2017. This Cowboys stay has rebuilt the one-time top prospect’s value.
Hooker, 27, has missed just three games since initially signing with the Cowboys — on a one-year, $920K deal in July 2021 — and has helped the team build a strong safety foundation. Once regularly connected to Earl Thomas, the Cowboys now have three proven defenders at the position. Pro Football Focus ranked all three of Dallas’ safeties in the top 30 last season. Hooker (13th) led the way, playing 861 defensive snaps despite starting just six games. Using a bevy of three-safety looks, the Cowboys saw Hooker intercept three passes and make 62 tackles last season.
The Cowboys came into training camp with lofty extension goals. Hooker’s name did not appear on this marquee, with CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs and Terence Steele being Dallas’ top extension targets. Diggs has signed a five-year, $97MM extension. The Cowboys have Lamb signed through 2024, via the fifth-year option, but have Steele heading into a contract year. Several weeks still remain for the Cowboys to find common ground there, however. Zack Martin remains a camp holdout, though Jerry Jones did not indicate a deal is coming for the future Hall of Fame guard.
Cowboys To Re-Sign Malik Hooker
Malik Hooker is staying put. On Tuesday, the Cowboys agreed to a new two-year, $8MM deal with the veteran safety (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com).
[RELATED: Cowboys, Lawrence Agree To Deal]
The Ohio State product joined the Cowboys in the 2021 offseason, reuniting with old pal Dan Quinn. At the time, Hooker was coming off of an injury-riddled season in which an Achilles tear limited him to just two games. He inked a one-year prove-it deal and he indeed proved it. Hooker suited up for a career-high 15 games with three starts, notching 44 stops, two passes defensed, and an interception against the Giants in Week 14.
Last time around, the Steelers and Dolphins also showed interest in Hooker. This round of free agency would have seen even more suitors, so the Cowboys didn’t want to roll the dice. Hooker, 26 in April, still has room to grow, so this deal could wind up being extremely team-friendly.
In other Cowboys news, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is set to return on a revised deal that will lower his 2022 cap hit.