The 27-year-old’s deal only includes $60MM in guaranteed money, made up of a $30MM signing bonus and $30MM in guaranteed salary over the next two years, per OverTheCap. After 2026, he has no guaranteed money with his financial security instead tied to roster bonuses – $6.5MM in 2027 and $5M in 2028 and 2029 – all due on the third day of the league year. That will force the Steelers to make a decision on Metcalf’s future early in the offseason for the last three years of his deal.
The earliest potential split will be the 2027 offseason. The Steelers can release Metcalf before his roster bonus is due with just $18MM of his signing bonus prorations as dead money. As a result, Metcalf will have to produce in Pittsburgh, and he seems to know it. The star wide receiver added a smiley face to his signature on the page of his contract including the 2027 roster bonus language (and only that page), per Graziano.
Here are a few other contract updates from around the league.
Nick Chubb‘s deal with the Texans includes $1.5MM in guarantees, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, with a $575k signing bonus and $925k in guaranteed salary. The veteran running back can earn another $425k in per-game roster bonuses over the course of the season with $25k available for each appearance.
Lions safety Kerby Joseph received fully guaranteed money into the third year of his recent contract extension. $1.26MM of his 2027 salary is fully guaranteed at signing, per Graziano. The contract also includes more guaranteed money that vests early in the 2026 and 2027 league years, according to OverTheCap.
The Seahawks once again made Michael Dickson the highest-paid punter in the NFL with a base value of $16.2MM over four years, or $4.05MM per year. The deal also includes $10.2MM in guaranteed money, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson, with a maximum value of $16.7MM.
Injuries forced the Seahawks to rotate through several different offensive line groupings in 2024. By the end of the season, they had surrendered the third-most sacks in the NFL while generating the fifth-fewest rushing yards.
Seattle will be hoping for a healthier, more consistent season from the unit in 2025, starting with stability at offensive tackle. Charles Cross is entering his fourth season as the team’s starting left tackle while Abraham Lucasseems to have put his knee issues behind him on the right side.
Selecting the North Dakota State standout with the 18th overall selection in April’s draft was a clear sign that the Seahawks envisioned him starting as a rookie. The only question was where after Zabel primarily lined up at offensive tackle in college with some time at guard and Senior Bowl reps at center. He has landed at left guard in Seattle with minimal competition for the starting gig, as 2024 sixth-rounder Sataoa Laumeahas been working with the second-team.
The Seahawks’ starters at center and right guard remain up in the air. In spring practices, Olusegun Oluwatimisplit first-team center reps with Jake Sundell, though the former should have a leg up on the latter. In 2024, Oluwatimi started Seattle’s last eight games at center, while Sundell only played 57 offensive snaps all year as an undrafted rookie.
New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak called the right guard battle “wide open” (via team reporter John Boyle). First-team action in the spring was split between last year’s Week 1 starter Anthony Bradfordand 2024 third-rounder Christian Haynes. However, head coach Mike Macdonald indicated that Sundell and Laumea could factor into the right guard competition depending on how other spots shake out.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a two-man race right now,” said Macdonald (via Condotta). “It’s more open.”
As always, OTAs and mandatory minicamp offer a strong idea of what a team is planning for the season, but as Macdonald noted, the real test will be when pads come on during training camp. That will give the several players competing for the center and right guard jobs a chance to separate themselves as starters heading into the season.
After four seasons away, Shaquill Griffin has reached an agreement to return to Seattle. The Seahawks brought the veteran cornerback in for a visit earlier this offseason, and Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports the sides will huddle up again on a deal weeks before training camp.
Midway through Pete Carroll‘s lengthy time as HC, the Seahawks drafted Griffin in the third round to work alongside Richard Sherman. The duo’s time together turned out to be brief, as Sherman suffered a season-ending injury in 2017 before being released in 2018. Griffin became the team’s highest-profile corner for a stretch, playing his way into a lucrative Jaguars free agency offer in 2021. He played for the Texans, Panthers and Vikings from 2023-24. Although twin brother (and ex-Seahawk teammate) Shaquem Griffin has retired, Shaquill will return to his first NFL home.
Griffin agreed to a one-year deal worth $3MM, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. This will bring a slight pay cut from a $4.55MM Vikings deal in 2024, but the 82-game starter can earn up to $4MM on the contract. This deal looks to end Seattle’s search for veteran CB help — or at least pause it — after the team had not addressed the position in an 11-player draft class. The Seahawks looked into other corners, also meeting with Rasul Douglas, but had Griffin on their pre- and post-draft radars. He will join a CB group featuring some other contract-year talent.
Losing part-time starter Tre Brown in free agency, the Seahawks have Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe in platform years. Corner-turned-safety Coby Bryant joins them. The Seahawks will have big-picture decisions to make at the position in the not-too-distant future, but for now, Griffin will add a familiar presence — albeit one who contributed in Carroll’s scheme. John Schneider remains in place from Griffin’s rookie-contract years.
The Seahawks worked out Griffin in April and discussed terms with him in May. Teams regularly add veterans between minicamp and training camp, after assessing position groups during offseason programs, and the Seahawks made the move to bring in an eight-year veteran entering his age-30 season. Although Carroll also brought in Griffin for a potential reunion (via a Las Vegas visit), Schneider will instead sign off on one. Chosen 90th overall, Griffin was the earliest Carroll/Schneider-era Seahawks CB draftee before Devon Witherspoon.
Griffin (30 in July) played in 17 Vikings games last season, starting three for Brian Flores‘ top-five defense. He intercepted two passes and broke up six in his one Minnesota season. A year prior, the 6-foot cover man split time between the Texans and Panthers. Griffin filled in as a Houston starter in 2023, catching on elsewhere in the AFC South after the Jaguars released him from a three-year, $40MM contract. Griffin started six games in Houston and played in three more with a 2-15 Carolina squad, being claimed on waivers.
Pro Football Focus has viewed Griffin as a mid-pack corner for a few years now. The advanced metrics site ranked the boundary corner 63rd last season and 53rd in 2023. Griffin’s first Jaguars season brought a No. 19 overall grade, but the Urban Meyer signee lost momentum when a back injury stopped his 2022 season after five games.
Named a Pro Bowl alternate in 2019, Griffin started 53 games for the Seahawks and helped Carroll’s team to three straight playoff berths (2018-20). Sherman’s extension notwithstanding, the Seahawks have a history of not paying for CB talent. They let both Griffin and D.J. Reed walk after they respectively played out their rookie contracts. The next several months will help paint a picture of how the Seahawks treat the position under Mike Macdonald.
Davis put together an impressive career for an undrafted player, appearing in 95 games with 72 starts across his seven NFL seasons. He logged multiple starts at every offensive line position except center in his career, though he primarily lined up at right guard and right tackle in Miami. That versatility allowed the Dolphins to move him around their offensive line as needed to weather injuries.
Davis played college football at the University of Idaho and was not selected in the 2015 NFL Draft. He did not make a regular-season roster until he signed with the Dolphins and emerged as a starter in 2017. He played a rotational role at the beginning of the season before taking over a starting job – first at left guard, then at right tackle – before settling in at right guard for the last six games of the season, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Davis retained his starting gig into 2018 and started the entire season at left guard, earning a three-year, $15MM extension in September 2019. He started at both left and right tackle over the next two years before returning to right guard to finish the 2020 season. Davis moved around once again in 2021, starting 14 games at right tackle and two at left guard.
The Dolphins released Davis after the 2021 season, and he didn’t play another regular-season snap on offense for the rest of his career. He appeared in 14 games for the Steelers in 2022 and one for the 49ers in 2023 but only saw the field for special teams work. Davis retires with career earnings of $16.4MM, per OverTheCap.
Many months remain before teams know where they are picking in the 2026 draft, but many clubs have made moves to acquire 2026 draft capital. Headlined by the Browns and Rams’ efforts, here are the 2026 picks to have changed hands thus far. When more deals involving picks are made (or conditions on moves already completed become known), that information will be added.
The Seahawks added some offensive line depth in the 6-foot-7 Luke Felix-Fualalo. The lineman emerged during his time at the University of Hawaii, including a 2023 campaign where he allowed one sack in 491 pass-block snaps. He was limited to only four games this past season, leading to him going undrafted in the 2025 draft.
Kendrick missed all of last season due to an ACL tear. Prior to that, though, he started 18 games across two seasons. The 24-year-old will look to find a new opportunity in time for training camp once he clears waivers. Long connected to a potential re-acquisition of Jalen Ramsey, meanwhile, it will be interesting to see if today’s Rams move is soon followed by another at the cornerback spot.
Charles Crosshas handled left tackle duties throughout his three seasons in Seattle. His performance in that role made it little surprise when his fifth-year option was exercised this spring.
That decision marked the first time the Seahawks picked up the option on a player they drafted. As a result, Cross is set to earn $17.56MM in 2026. That figure is guaranteed, but a long-term deal will cost more given the nature of the tackle market.
It remains to be seen if team and player will enter into negotiations on an extension as early as this offseason. The parties have plenty of time to work out an agreement, but Cross – who attended and took part in OTAs and minicamp – would welcome a long-term pact. Remaining in the Emerald City beyond 2026 is a stated goal of his.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but Seattle,” Cross said when asked about his future (via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic). “I love the fans here. I love the team. One of the greatest organizations in the NFL. I like it here a lot.”
Selected ninth overall in 2022, Cross has started each of his 48 appearances. Having missed only three games to date in his career, the 24-year-old has certainly enjoyed better luck on the health front than right tackle Abraham Lucas. The latter has missed double-digit games each of the past two years, making an extension commitment a difficult one for the Seahawks. Lucas is a pending 2026 free agent, so working out a new deal in his case could be seen as a more urgent matter if Seattle is content to wait until at least next offseason to negotiate with Cross.
The Mississippi State product has shown notable year-over-year improvement in terms of PFF grades. Cross posted an overall mark of 82.5 in 2024, good for ninth amongst qualifying tackles. Another strong outing this year would help his value on a long-term arrangement. A total of 15 offensive tackles (including 12 blindside blockers) are currently attached to a deal averaging $20MM or more per year, and Cross will no doubt look to join that group on his second NFL contract.
It will be interesting to see when serious talks on a long-term pact begin in this case (it should be noted Cross now has an agent for the first time in his career). Regardless, his preference would be a long-term stay in Seattle rather than a foray into free agency following the 2026 campaign.
Seattle made Dickson the NFL’s highest-paid punter in 2021 with a $3.625MM AAV deal that was set to expire after the 2025 season. In May, the Raiders surpassed that number with $3.95MM per year for A.J. Cole, and the Jaguars gave Logan Cookean even $4MM AAV yesterday. That gave Dickson enough leverage to reclaim the top spot after another solid year for the Seahawks in 2024.
The 29-year-old has spent each of his seven seasons in Seattle, and he delivered a strong showing during his rookie campaign. Dickson earned a Pro Bowl nod in addition to first-team All-Pro honors in 2018, raising expectations and cementing his status as a key special teams contributor for the Seahawks. Since then, he has remained among the league’s most consistent punters.
On three occasions, Dickson has recorded a net punting average of 44 yards or more; in 2023, his gross average of 50 yards marked a career best. The former fifth-rounder was unable to duplicate either of those figures in 2024, but his totals still bested his career averages. As a result, today’s news comes as little surprise.
Seattle has kicker Jason Myersattached to one of the league’s most lucrative contracts at his position. He is on the books through 2026. Long snapper Chris Stollis under contract for 2025, so he will spend at least one more year with the team. The coming season will therefore bring continuity on special teams for the Seahawks, and Dickson will remain in place for years to come.
The 2025 offseason has seen a number of high-profile receivers change teams via free agency. The likes of Davante Adams, Cooper Kuppand DeAndre Hopkinshave undertaken a change of scenery so far. The same will also soon be true of Keenan Allenand Amari Cooper.
This spring has also provided notable moves at the position via trade, however. A total of four swaps including wideouts have taken place in 2025; in three of those cases, the player included in the deal changed teams for the first time in their career. For all squads involved, the outcome of the trades will be key in determining their success this season and beyond.
March began with the 49ers sending Deebo Samuelto the Commanders. That deal – which yielded a fifth-round pick in return – came when team and player mutually agreed a parting ways was in order. Samuel had previously requested a trade, but his 2022 extension allowed him to remain in San Francisco. The 29-year-old has been unable to duplicate the production from his All-Pro campaign in 2021 when he showcased his receiving and rushing abilities.
Between a downturn in output and the massive extension which was (eventually) worked out with Brandon Aiyuklast offseason, many expected 2024 would be Samuel’s final year in the Bay Area. Shortly after the season ended, it became clear the Commanders were among the teams pursuing the former Pro Bowler. For at least one year (since he is a pending 2026 free agent), Samuel will offer the Commanders a veteran secondary WR option to complement perennial 1,000-yard performer Terry McLaurin.
Samuel saw his base salary for this year guaranteed via a restructure upon arrival in Washington. $3MM in incentives are present as well, adding to his earning potential on a Commanders team looking to replicate its surprising offensive success from 2024. The 49ers, meanwhile, will move forward with Aiyuk. Jauan Jenningsand a number of younger options capable of handling at least a depth receiver role.
Christian Kirkinitially appeared to be a cap casualty for the Jaguars this offseason. Instead of cutting the former Cardinal, however, the team’s new regime traded him inside the division to the Texans. A seventh-round pick in next year’s draft prevented Houston from having to win a bidding war for his services. Just like Samuel, Kirk restructured his contract shortly after being acquired.
The 28-year-old is also a pending free agent, so he too could prove to be a rental. Nico Collinswill remain WR1 for the Texans in 2025, but the loss of Stefon Diggsand the likelihood of Tank Dellmissing considerable time while recovering from multiple knee surgeries will give Kirk a notable role on his new team. Mentioned as a Steelers trade deadline target last fall, the former second-rounder saw his production decline over each of his three Jaguars seasons. Kirk should nevertheless be able to operate as a useful deep threat as the Texans transition to new offensive coordinator Nick Caley.
The skill positions have undergone many changes in Jacksonville this offseason. Kirk’s trade was accompanied by the decision to cut wideout/returner Devin Duvernay, along withGabe Davis. With Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engramalso no longer in the picture, first-year head coach Liam Coen will have a number of new pass catchers in place for 2025. The success of that new group will be a key talking point.
Even before March, D.K. Metcalf’s Seahawks future was uncertain. A desire to land a second extension (putting him near the top of the position’s market) paved the way for a trade request. General manager John Schneiderlater said finances were not at the heart of the decision to pull off a trade, noting the two-time Pro Bowler’s strong desire to move on. Seattle’s asking price originally included a first-round pick, but that was soon lowered.
In the end, a second-round selection (in addition to a swap of Day 3 selections) proved to be sufficient for the Steelers to acquire Metcalf. The trade was immediately followed by a four-year, $132MM extension agreement. As a result of that pact, Metcalf, 27, met his known goal of joining the list of receivers earning at least $30MM per season on average. His AAV of $33MM ranks fourth at the position.
As Seattle moves forward with a receiver group centered on Kupp (who was added on a homecoming deal following his Rams release) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Pittsburgh will rely heavily on Metcalf for 2025 and beyond. Questions loom about Pittsburgh’s 2025 quarterback starter and his upside, but expectations will be high for in Metcalf’s case as a player who has posted no fewer than 900 yards in each of his six NFL seasons.
At first, the Metcalf addition seemed to put the Steelers in place to pair him with George Pickensfor at least one campaign. The latter found himself on the move one month ago, however. Pickens was dealt to the Cowboys in exchange for a third-round pick in next year’s draft (with late-round selections in the 2027 event being exchanged as well).
Pickens – who did not request to be moved – has one year remaining on his rookie contract. The 24-year-old is not aiming to sign a Cowboys extension at this point, so much will depend on his performance with his new team. Of course, this situation will also contain plenty of scrutiny in terms of maturity and locker room fit in Dallas. Issues on those fronts led to an ambivalence among many Steelers with respect to Pickens’ departure.
The Cowboys did not draft a first-round receiver as many thought they would, but adding Pickens will provide the team with a high-potential CeeDee Lambcounterpart. A strong showing from that tandem will help Pickens’ market value on a re-signing or a long-term arrangement with a third team. For Pittsburgh, meanwhile, Metcalf’s supporting cast faces questions (although another pass-catching addition is being explored). The Steelers’ decision to make one lucrative investment at any given time in a receiver is common enough, but the impact of replacing Pickens with Metcalf will be felt in 2025 as well as future years.
Keeping in mind the prices paid in these trades and the other receiver-related moves made by the teams who parted ways with those involved in the swaps, which do you think will work out the best? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and have your say in the comments section below.
