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49ers, George Kittle Agree To Extension

April 29th, 2025 at 8:10am CST by Adam La Rose

Extension talks with George Kittle have produced an agreement. The All-Pro tight end announced during an appearance on the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast that he has signed a new deal.

This will be a four-year pact, per Kittle. The deal is worth $76.4MM in total and includes $40MM in guarantees. The latter figure consists of $35MM locked in at signing along with $5MM in guarantees covering the 2027 campaign. 2025 had represented the final year of Kittle’s contract, but he is now on the books through 2029; his scheduled cap charge for the coming year ($22.03MM) will no doubt be lowered as a result of the agreement.

This deal carries an annual average value of $19.1MM, surpassing the AAV of Trey McBride‘s recent Cardinals extension. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk cautions, though, that the final year of the contract contains an inflated figure to push that mark from $18MM to its record-breaking point. Kittle had been attached to a $15MM-per-year pact, but his future has now been secured by means of another lucrative 49ers commitment on the offensive side of the ball.

Kittle surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the fourth time in his career in 2024, and his eight touchdowns marked the second-highest total in a single season for him to date. That production helped his leverage in contract talks, and prior to the draft it was reported team and player were far apart on terms. Originally, the 31-year-old was absent from the start of voluntary offseason workouts. Kittle did attend on Friday, though, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes negotiations gained steam from that point on.

A report stating the former fifth-rounder was aiming to become the league’s highest-paid tight end – with that being the reason for his early absence – drew a public rebuttal from the six-time Pro Bowler himself. Nonetheless, Kittle is now atop the position’s financial pecking order as he looks to remain a mainstay in the pass and run games for San Francisco. The team’s list of remaining extensions now includes quarterback Brock Purdy and linebacker Fred Warner, both of whom are in attendance for the start of offseason work.

The 49ers made 11 selections in this year’s draft, tied for the most in the NFL. None of those picks were used on a tight end, an indication the team would continue relying on Kittle (along with free agent addition Luke Farrell) for 2025 and beyond. San Francisco’s season did not go according to plan last year as the team dealt with a slew of injuries at key positions. Kittle continued a run of making at least 14 appearances which dates back to 2021, though, and the 49ers will be counting on that stretch of availability extending deep into his career.

As San Francisco prepares for a period with Purdy attached to one of the league’s most lucrative deals, the team also has big-ticket commitments in place with Kittle, wideout Brandon Aiyuk and running back Christian McCaffrey. If that nucleus is to guide the 49ers to a Super Bowl, Kittle will no doubt continue operating as a central figure in the team’s success.

Browns To Sign WR Diontae Johnson

April 28th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Diontae Johnson‘s eventful 2024 effectively torpedoed his free agency stock, the now-well-traveled wide receiver has found a new home.

The Browns are signing the veteran wideout, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. This will be Johnson’s third AFC North stop, as the formerly productive Steelers pass catcher’s turbulent year wrapped with the Ravens. Johnson visited the Browns on Monday.

As expected, we heard next to nothing about Johnson during the pre-draft free agency period. His having been moved four times last year — twice traded, twice waived — saw to it that the former 1,000-yard Ben Roethlisberger target would need to rebuild his stock. The Browns will give him a chance after not selecting a receiver in the draft.

Johnson follows Tyler Lockett off the board at receiver. Lockett joined the Titans just before Round 1, leaving Keenan Allen and ex-Browns 1,000-yard target Amari Cooper as the most notable unsigned talents at the position.

Going into 2024, Johnson carried a reputation as a high-end route runner and a player who dealt with drop issues. Effort concerns also cropped up late in his Pittsburgh tenure, but that no longer defines the former third-round pick. Instead, Johnson burned bridges at every turn last season. He asked out of Pittsburgh, which traded him to Carolina for cornerback Donte Jackson. Johnson, 28, then sought a trade from the Panthers. It only worsened from there, as he wore out his welcome quickly in Baltimore and Houston.

The Ravens acquired Johnson in a pick-swap deal involving Day 3 choices. At the time, that seemed like a win for Baltimore due to the experience and production Johnson accumulated during his first five seasons. But Johnson’s Ravens tenure showed why that trade price emerged. The Ravens suspended the trade pickup for refusing to enter a Week 13 Eagles matchup after Rashod Bateman had gone down with an injury. This led to the Ravens waiving Johnson, who did not reach free agency thanks to claims from the Chargers and Texans. Houston’s waiver priority won out, but the team — even after injuries ended Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell‘s seasons — barely deployed its late-season addition and waived him barely two weeks after making the successful claim.

Johnson, who had signed at two-year Steelers extension worth $36.7MM in 2022, was believed to have been needed to be calmed down by teammates after he was sparsely used in the Texans’ wild-card win over the Chargers. The six-year veteran played all of 16 offensive snaps across two Texans games, as the team did not deem him a reliable auxiliary cog. The Ravens then claimed Johnson for the sole purpose of potentially recouping a late-round comp pick, as they are known to hoard those. No such reward will arrive, as no team signed Johnson until after that deadline passed.

Cleveland has not re-signed Cooper, whom it traded to Buffalo before last year’s deadline. As Cooper has resurfaced as a Dallas option, the Browns will take a flier on Johnson. This will mark an interesting Johnson-Kenny Pickett reunion. Pickett’s rookie year famously involved Johnson setting an NFL record for most receptions (86) in a season without a touchdown. Johnson scored five TDs in 2023, but the Steelers had begun to sour on Pickett by then. Pickett is now one of four QBs in the picture for the Browns, who drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders after re-signing Joe Flacco.

The Browns have Jerry Jeudy entrenched as their top receiver, with Cedric Tillman Jr. tentatively in place as their No. 2 option. The team has also not re-signed Elijah Moore, who served as a slot performer following a 2023 trade.

Johnson, who totaled at least 680 receiving yards each year from 2019-23 (including a 1,161-yard 2021 to help the Steelers to the playoffs), has a resume that would support a starting role. But he will need to prove he can be relied upon again. It is interesting that Cleveland would make this move with two rookie QBs set to begin development, but Johnson has been one of the league’s better separators. If he can reestablish himself as a usable piece, the Browns would benefit.

Nikhil Mehta contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/28/25

April 28th, 2025 at 8:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

  • Claimed (from Raiders): CB M.J. Devonshire
  • Signed: LB Mapalo Mwansa (International Pathway Program)

Green Bay Packers

New England Patriots

The Raiders’ Tom Telesco-led regime chose Devonshire in last year’s seventh round. After seeing no game action as a rookie, Devonshire will vie for a roster spot with the Panthers. Three seasons remain on Devonshire’s rookie contract.

Ricci saw extensive action for the Panthers from 2021-23, starting four games in that span. He caught eight passes for 100 yards in 2022. The Colts used a sixth-round pick on Leo in 2023; he played in four Pats games last season.

Seahawks Exercise LT Charles Cross’ Fifth-Year Option

April 28th, 2025 at 8:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks are making a bit of history with their fifth-year option decision. They will exercise Charles Cross‘ 2026 option, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, moving into uncharted territory for a team draft pick.

This is not the first time the Seahawks have exercised a fifth-year option, as they moved Noah Fant‘s rookie contract to five years previously. But Fant was a Broncos draftee; Cross will be the first Seahawk pick to have his option exercised.

[RELATED: Seahawks Select G Gray Zabel In First Round]

Fant and Cross were each part of the Russell Wilson blockbuster three years ago, with the tight end being one of three veterans sent over and Cross being one of the five draft choices sent Seattle’s way in the swap. Cross and Devon Witherspoon were the first-round pick the Seahawks made with the choices obtained in the Wilson trade; Witherspoon’s fifth-year option cost has already risen thanks to his two Pro Bowl nods. Cross has not ascended to that level at his respective position, but the former No. 9 overall pick will still see a nice 2026 guarantee as a result of Monday’s move.

This transaction will lock Cross into a $17.56MM salary guarantee for 2026. Cross having not made a Pro Bowl makes him eligible for the third option tier, which covers players who have established themselves as regular starters. Cross, 24, has started 48 games in three seasons. This includes perfect attendance in 2022 and ’24.

As right tackle Abraham Lucas has dealt with steady injury trouble, Cross has only missed three career games. The reliable left tackle, who had been closely linked to the Giants going into the 2022 draft, has moved onto the Seahawks’ extension radar. The tackle the Giants ultimately took at No. 7 that year, Evan Neal, saw his option declined Saturday night. Cross joined a Seahawks team that had both been missing a cornerstone left tackle for years, since Russell Okung‘s departure, and one that did not have a 2022 first-round pick prior to the Wilson trade (thanks to the Jamal Adams deal).

A team still making option history in 2025 is rather alarming, as the Seahawks had passed on its other first-rounders’ options since the first wave of option calls emerged in 2014. The team declined fifth-year options on James Carpenter, Bruce Irvin, Germain Ifedi, Rashaad Penny, L.J. Collier and Jordyn Brooks. This is a long-running trend, but the Wilson trade helped the team move in the other direction. Fant played out his rookie contract and signed a two-year, $21MM deal in 2024. It will cost far more for the Seahawks to extend Cross.

The lack of a Pro Bowl on Cross’ resume may leave him without a real case to become the NFL’s highest-paid LT, as Tristan Wirfs holds that title (at $28.13MM per year). Cross would stand to see his price rise toward that point, however, with a strong 2025. The Seahawks have no significant O-line commitment on their books, and the cap continues a steady rise. The NFL’s salary ceiling has climbed by a staggering $71MM since Cross came into the league. He profiles as the Seahawks’ top extension candidate right now, though Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be in that mix come 2026.

Packers To Sign LB Isaiah Simmons

April 28th, 2025 at 5:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Packers are signing former No. 8 overall pick Isaiah Simmons, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz. Simmons will head to Green Bay after two years in New York.

Not coming especially close to living up to his draft slot, Simmons still maintained his status a role player for the Giants. This comes two weeks after Simmons paid a free agency visit to Green Bay.

After acquiring him in a 2023 trade from the Cardinals, the Giants deployed Simmons in all 34 of their games over the past two seasons. He only started five, but the former Clemson hybrid performer still carries some value heading into a sixth NFL season.

Simmons logged 377 defensive snaps in 2023 but saw that number drop 181 last season. Having experience at safety and in the slot, Simmons will come to Wisconsin as one of the NFL’s most versatile defenders. Of course, the former high-end prospect not being able to establish himself as a dependable starter at any of those spots over the long haul has led to a steep value decline.

The Giants re-signed Simmons on a one-year, $2MM deal in 2024. This marked a sharp reduction for a player who locked in a fully guaranteed $20.66MM as a Steve Keim-era first-round pick. Months after Keim’s Arizona exit, replacement Monti Ossenfort traded Simmons — during a three-trade day for the rebuilding team — for just a 2024 seventh-round pick. The Giants stint did not boost Simmons’ value much, but the Packers will see what he can provide.

Simmons, 26, is the rare linebacker to be given a regular slot role. The Cards stationed him in the slot on 409 plays in 2022. Eighty-six of Simmons’ 181 defensive snaps last season also came in the slot. It will be interesting if the Packers, who slid Keisean Nixon to more of an outside role last season, attempt to tap into this unusual skillset as well.

The Cardinals did not pick up Simmons’ fifth-year option in 2022, though that has become commonplace — as off-ball linebacker options are annually being declined due to a formula that groups on- and off-ball linebackers under one umbrella. But Simmons’ play fell well short of option consideration.

The Packers are likely to decline Quay Walker‘s fifth-year option by Thursday’s deadline, though they are still open to working out an extension — likely at a reduced rate. The team used two draft choices on off-ball LBs last year, adding Edgerrin Cooper in Round 2 and Ty’Ron Hopper in Round 3. Cooper became an every-down player, while Hopper settled in as a backup. Simmons’ steadiest role for the Giants came on special teams, though they had designs on deploying him as a DB. It will be interesting to see how the Packers use Simmons, who will likely be positioned as a depth piece heading into OTAs.

Steelers To Sign Veteran WR Robert Woods

April 28th, 2025 at 5:00pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Steelers are signing wide receiver Robert Woods to a one-year, $2MM deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, adding some veteran depth to the team’s pass-catching corps.

Woods recently celebrated his 33rd birthday and is entering his 13th NFL season. He is an experienced receiver with 145 career starts and 48.1 yards per game in his career. However, he has not been the same player since suffering a torn ACL during the 2021 season. He averaged 4.6 receptions and 56.6 yards per game before the injury and just 2.5 receptions and 25.1 yards per game in three seasons since.

However, Woods’ special teams’ prowess, toughness as a run-blocker, and versatility to play on the outside or in the slot helped him maintain a role in Tennessee in 2022 and Houston in the past two seasons. Those traits likely endeared him to the Steelers, a run-heavy team that has long appreciated tough wideouts who will mix it up as blockers when lined up in the slot. The Steelers re-signed Ben Skowronek, who has a similar profile, to a two-year deal earlier this offseason. Woods will join Skowronek, D.K. Metcalf, George Pickens, Calvin Austin, and Scotty Miller in Pittsburgh’s receiver room this season.

Woods expressed interest in re-signing with the Texans after the 2024 season ended, but Houston opted to sign Christian Kirk, Braxton Berrios, and Justin Watson before using two Day 2 draft picks on Iowa State wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. That left Woods as one of several veteran wideouts to remain a free agent through the league’s major signing period. Pittsburgh came calling after the draft, albeit for the lowest single-season compensation in Woods’ career.

Saints Sign DE Chris Rumph

April 28th, 2025 at 4:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Saints have not waited long after the draft to add to their pass rush. Chris Rumph signed with New Orleans on Monday, per a team announcement.

Rumph entered the NFL as a Chargers draftee, and he played out his rookie contract in Los Angeles. The former fourth-rounder played 37 games across his first three seasons in the league, but after being placed on injured reserve during roster cutdowns last summer he missed the 2024 campaign in its entirety. This deal will no doubt come in the form of a one-year flier as a result.

Former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley is now the Saints’ defensive coordinator; that familiarity likely played a role in today’s agreement coming together. Rumph occupied a rotational role during his time in Los Angeles, with his snap share ranging from 16-33%. The 26-year-old has managed only three sacks to date, but he has proven to be a key figure on special teams.

The Saints ranked 18th in the NFL with 39 sacks last season. New Orleans still has Cameron Jordan, Chase Young, Carl Granderson and Isaiah Foskey in the fold as holdovers from last season. The team made one addition in the seventh round (Syracuse’s Fadil Diggs) during the draft, but for the most part the returnees will be tasked with handling much of the defensive workload.

Provided he is able to remain healthy in 2025, Rumph could look to carve out a part-time role for himself in New Orleans. Doing so would help his market value for next spring. For now, the Duke product’s attention will turn to locking down a roster spot during training camp.

Cardinals Add Six UDFAs

April 28th, 2025 at 4:23pm CST by Adam La Rose

Six of the Cardinals’ seven draft picks were devoted to the defensive side of the ball. Arizona has now made the following additions in the form of undrafted free agent signings:

After the draft – during which only one addition was made to the unit – general manager Monti Ossenfort made it clear move moves along the offensive line would be coming. To no surprise, half of Arizona’s UDFA class is made up of blockers. Senn is among the players who received the largest financial commitments amongst undrafted rookies. The Austrian landed a $40K signing bonus along with $234K of his base salary being guaranteed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports.

Fryar also secured a notable guarantee total from Arizona, per Wilson. The four-year Buckeye received $35K up front coupled with the same $234K salary guarantee. Fryar and Senn will both look to carve out a depth role on the Cardinals’ 53-man roster during training camp. One or both could find themselves on the practice squad if they are among the team’s final roster cuts.

Green spent two seasons at Oklahoma State before transferring to Wisconsin. The 6-2, 215-pounder was unable to parlay his size into a season with notable production at either program, but over the course of his career he averaged 14.7 yards per reception. Wilson reports Green received $264K in total guarantees to head to Arizona for the offseason.

Falcons Sign 11 UDFAs

April 28th, 2025 at 12:22pm CST by Adam La Rose

After trading back into the first round on Thursday night, the Falcons made only five selections during the draft. That group of rookies has now been supplemented by an 11-man class of undrafted free agents:

Manning is among the players who received a six-figure commitment upon going undrafted. KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports he received a $100K base salary guarantee in addition to a $10K signing bonus. Manning spent each of his five years at Oregon, totaling 54 games with the Ducks. He racked up 80 tackles in his career while notching one interception and six pass breakups during each of the past two seasons.

Skinner was also a clear Atlanta target given the financial commitment he received. The Falcons gave him a $15K signing bonus as part of his $150K guarantee package, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The 6-2, 204-pounder will look to compete for a roster spot by adding size to the team’s WR room.

Nash represents an interesting addition at that position. After starting his college career as a quarterback, he converted to receiver; that move proved to be highly beneficial in 2024 in particular. Nash led the FBS in receiving touchdowns (16) last season while totaling 1,382 yards on 104 receptions. The fact he will turn 26 in July hurt his draft stock, but Nash will look to carry over the momentum of his ’24 production into a roster spot at the NFL level.

Steelers Release Ryan Watts; DB’s Career Likely Over

April 28th, 2025 at 11:27am CST by Adam La Rose

Ryan Watts joined the Steelers as a sixth-round pick in last year’s draft. The defensive back’s time in the organization has come to an end, however, and his playing days appear to be over as well.

“Unfortunately, today we are releasing Ryan Watts from our roster,” a statement from general manager Omar Khan reads. “After consulting with our medical team, medical experts, and Ryan’s representatives, we all agree that it is in Ryan’s best interest to discontinue playing football at this time. We will continue to assist and support Ryan as he transitions to the next phase of his life.”

Watts suffered a neck injury during Pittsburgh’s preseason finale last summer. As a result, he was placed on injured reserve and was ineligible to play during the regular season. Given today’s update, the 23-year-old’s prognosis is obviously not conducive to continuing his football career.

After a pair of seasons at Ohio State, Watts transferred to Texas. He played a pair of seasons with the Longhorns, totaling 89 tackles and six pass breakups during that span. His size (6-3, 212 pounds) offered plenty of potential at the NFL level. As things stand now, though, a major turnaround with respect to his health will be required for a pro career to be possible.

The Steelers’ safety depth chart consists of Minkah Fitzpatrick, Juan Thornhill, DeShon Elliott and Miles Killebrew. At corner, Pittsburgh has the likes of Joey Porter Jr., Darius Slay, Brandin Echols and Beanie Bishop in the fold. Due to unfortunate health circumstances, though, Watts will not be a member of the team’s secondary moving forward.

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