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Vikings, OLB Andrew Van Ginkel Agree On Extension

May 2nd, 2025 at 11:30am CST by Sam Robinson

MAY 2: Van Ginkel’s new guaranteed money includes a $10MM signing bonus, as detailed by Over the Cap. His cap charges now sit at $11.4MM for 2025 and $19.4MM the following season. $510K in per-game roster bonuses are included for both campaigns. Four void years are present in the deal.

APRIL 29: Andrew Van Ginkel impressed upon reuniting with Brian Flores, enjoying a productive season as a pass rusher to help the Vikings finish the season as a top-five defense. The team will reward the former Dolphins defender for his work.

The Vikings are giving Van Ginkel a one-year, $23MM extension, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal comes nearly fully guaranteed, with $22.4MM being locked in. Minnesota now has Van Ginkel signed through 2026. This will bring a significant bump for Van Ginkel, who was due a $10.78MM 2025 base salary that featured $4MM guaranteed.

Coming up earlier this offseason as an extension candidate, Van Ginkel drew interest from the Rams and Eagles last year. He has shown himself to be a viable starter on the edge — after previously working as a backup.

Reinserted into Miami’s starting lineup as a pass rusher due to Jaelan Phillips‘ 2023 injury, Van Ginkel upped his free agency stock in the weeks that followed. He signed a two-year, $20MM Vikings deal in 2024. That contract was to void if no extension occurred before the start of the 2026 league year. The Vikings have checked off that piece of business Tuesday.

Van Ginkel, 29, built on his 2023 pass-rushing production by registering 11.5 sacks last season. The former Dolphins fifth-rounder, who arrived during Flores’ first offseason in charge, accumulated an impressive 18 tackles for loss and 19 QB hits last season. Van Ginkel had previously never posted 10 TFLs in a season. In addition to his sack production, Van Ginkel also intercepted two passes and returned both for touchdowns in his Vikings debut. He now has three pick-sixes in two years.

Minnesota acquired a second first-round pick in 2024. While most assumed it was to become key ammo in the franchise’s quest to select a quarterback, the Vikings — after seeing the Patriots decline their trade-up offer for Drake Maye — then traded up from that spot (via the Jaguars) to take edge rusher Dallas Turner at No. 17. Despite the lofty investment, Turner played behind Van Ginkel and big-ticket free agent signee Jonathan Greenard. This extension certainly looks like that setup will continue in 2025.

This one-year bump resembles the Bengals’ 2023 move for Trey Hendrickson, though it comes after just one Van Ginkel season. Hendrickson signed a one-year, $21MM extension in 2023, doing so after he had outplayed his previous deal during his first two Bengals seasons. Van Ginkel’s profile does not check in on Hendrickson’s level, minimizing the chance he and the Vikings will later be at odds. Instead, a former Day 3 draftee collected a key payment during an offseason in which the Vikings both moved on from Sam Darnold and saw Kirk Cousins‘ $28.5MM dead money hit come off the books.

The Vikings have J.J. McCarthy signed through 2027, affording them opportunities to make payments previously unrealistic due to Cousins’ six-year tenure (and seven-year run on the payroll). They will bet on Van Ginkel, who has scheme familiarity but a thin record of consistent pass-rushing production. Also seeing early-career time as an off-ball linebacker, Van Ginkel had previously topped out at six sacks in a season (2023). But he has settled as an edge presence.

The Vikings, who lost Patrick Jones in free agency, will continue to send a Greenard-Van Ginkel-Turner pass rush at opponents, with this contract ensuring all three are signed for at least two more seasons.

49ers Invite K Kenneth Almendares To Rookie Minicamp

May 1st, 2025 at 11:10pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The 49ers have invited Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun kicker Kenneth Almendares to their rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Almendares won the Lou Groza Award as the top kicker in college football after a stellar 2024 season. He made 28 of his 31 field goal attempts with a long of 53 yards with conversions on all but one of his 47 extra points. The 25-year-old also earned first-team All-American and first-team All-Sun Belt honors.

If Almendares impresses in his tryout, he could have an opportunity to push Jake Moody – himself a Lou Groza winner at Michigan in 2021 – for the 49ers’ kicking job.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said in early April that the team would bring in competition for Moody after a disappointing 2024 season, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. The 2023 third-round pick missed time with an ankle injury and converted just 24 of his 34 field goal attempts after making 21 of his 25 tries as a rookie.

Moody especially struggled from distance last year. Six of his nine attempts from 40 or more yards in 2023 went through the uprights, but only 10 of his 20 such attempts in 2024 did the same. Almendares, meanwhile, led the FBS in made field goals in 2024 with a 90.3% conversion rate that ranked first among all kickers with at least 25 attempts.

Chargers To Decline Zion Johnson’s Fifth-Year Option

May 1st, 2025 at 9:16pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Chargers are declining offensive guard Zion Johnson‘s fifth-year option, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic, setting up the 2022 No. 17 pick to hit free agency in 2026.

The decision is no surprise given the $17.56MM price tag. Johnson has started 49 of the Chargers’ 51 regular-season games since he was drafted – all at left guard – but he has struggled to live up to his first-round billing.

General manager Joe Hortiz said that the team would try Johnson at center this offseason, but he’ll have veteran competition in 2024 starter Bradley Bozeman and free agent signing Andre James.

Johnson could still factor into the picture at left guard after starting there for the last three years, including 2024 under new offensive coordinator Greg Roman. His competition would likely be Trey Pipkins and Jamaree Salyer, who both started multiple games at right guard in Los Angeles last year. (New Chargers signing Mekhi Becton is expected to take over at right guard in 2025 after his success in Philadelphia last season.)

Declining Johnson’s fifth-year option makes interior offensive line a significant need for the Chargers beyond 2025. Johnson, Salyer, Pipkins, and James will all be free agents after the season, and Bozeman and Becton only signed two-year deals this offseason. Despite that, the Chargers waited until the sixth round to draft an offensive lineman last weekend.

They used a sixth-round pick on Branson Taylor, who played both tackle spots at Pittsburgh but will likely be moved to guard in the NFL due to his sub-33-inch arms. His mass and power make him a strong fit in Roman’s scheme, but he will still need time to adjust to a new position and the jump in competition.

Johnson, meanwhile, will likely be seeking for a new home next offseason, as players whose fifth-year options are declined rarely stay with the team that drafted them. He may not have emerged as an elite guard worthy of a first-round pick, but he is still a capable start as a position whose value has skyrocketed over the last two seasons. If Johnson can keep a starting job in Los Angeles, either at guard or center, he could cash in next March.

Cowboys Passing On CB Kaiir Elam’s Fifth-Year Option

May 1st, 2025 at 2:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills effectively admitted a mistake on Kaiir Elam, trading the former first-rounder in a pick-swap deal that only produced a 2025 fifth. The Cowboys took a flier on the fourth-year cornerback, but they will not authorize an eight-figure guarantee to conduct an extended evaluation.

One of this year’s easier fifth-year option decisions to predict, Elam will see his declined, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Elam will move into a contract year. Although Elam’s lack of playing time would have tied him to the lowest number on the CB option ladder ($12.68MM), that still represents a tough ask based on his performance to date.

[RELATED: 2026 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]

Buffalo traded up to No. 23 for Elam in 2022, though it is believed the team’s top CB target was Trent McDuffie. The future Chiefs standout is now a two-time All-Pro (though, his lack of a Pro Bowl nod left him eligible for a cheaper fifth-year option price), and Elam’s Bills swan song featured Kansas City targeting the backup after Christian Benford‘s latest ill-timed injury. Elam’s chance to rebound after the extended AFC championship game cameo will come in Dallas.

While Elam was ticketed to play opposite Tre’Davious White once the former All-Pro recovered from a 2021 ACL tear, Benford’s rise impeded that. Elam was given more chances to start, but the Florida alum could not capitalize on them. Following White’s Achilles tear in October 2023, the Bills traded for Rasul Douglas to play opposite Benford. That setup lasted 1 1/2 years, as Elam only played as a backup during Douglas’ time in Buffalo.

The Cowboys have some questions at corner, having seen Trevon Diggs go down with a second major knee injury. The former All-Pro is not viewed as a lock to begin the season on time, opening a door for Elam. But the Cowboys also used a second-round pick on East Carolina’s Shavon Revel. A first-round talent, Revel slipped to the second because of an ACL tear sustained last year. Revel is expected to be ready before the regular season. Elam, then, profiles as a backup and potential insurance option for a Cowboys team that returns All-Pro DaRon Bland.

The recoveries of Diggs and Revel will open the door to extensive offseason work, and potentially training camp first-string reps, for Elam. The soon-to-be 24-year-old defender has made 12 career starts. It will be interesting to see if Dallas adds another starter-level option as Diggs insurance, but as of now, Elam is that player heading into OTAs.

Packers To Decline LB Quay Walker’s Fifth-Year Option

May 1st, 2025 at 1:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

The run of teams declining fifth-year options on off-ball linebackers will continue via a Green Bay decision. The Packers have expressed interest in a Quay Walker second contract, but their Thursday decision will put him on track for free agency sooner.

Green Bay will decline Walker’s 2026 option, ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky reports. Picking up the option would have meant authorizing a $14.75MM guarantee for next season. Considering the trend teams have set at the position in recent springs, it is unsurprising the Packers will proceed this way with Walker’s rookie contract. This comes a day after the Pack exercised Devonte Wyatt‘s option. Though, Demovsky adds Walker remains in the team’s long-term plans.

[RELATED: Packers Sign LB Isaiah Simmons]

Over the past three offseasons, Patrick Queen, Kenneth Murray, Isaiah Simmons, Jordyn Brooks and Jamin Davis had seen their options declined. The Jaguars passed on Devin Lloyd‘s on Wednesday. While some of these players did not justify a notable Year 5 guarantee, teams are passing on these payments in large part because the option formula groups all linebackers together. Thus, the ILB numbers are being boosted by the edge rusher market.

No team has picked up an off-ball LB’s fifth-year option since the Buccaneers exercised Devin White‘s in 2022. That decision did not end up paying off, and teams have strictly capped first-round ILB contracts at four years since.

Early-career maturity issues aside, Walker has proven a valuable player for the Packers. One of five Georgia defenders chosen in the 2022 first round, Walker arrived via the pick (No. 22) the Packers obtained from the Raiders in the Davante Adams trade. While the Packers have largely kept Wyatt a rotational player, they plugged Walker into the starting lineup early. Walker has started 43 of his 44 career games.

Walker is 3-for-3 in career 100-tackle seasons, and he notched a career-high nine TFLs last year. Like White, Pro Football Focus has never taken to Walker’s game. The advanced metrics website has yet to rank Walker as a top-60 off-ball LB in a season, slotting him 63rd in 2024. The Packers have deployed Walker as a regular throughout his career, and they respectively used him on 91% and 89% of their defensive snaps in 2023 and ’24. Though, lower-cost options being acquired could impact Green Bay’s decision on an extension.

Brian Gutekunst said on multiple occasions this offseason the team was interested in a second contract, but the Packers also used second- and third-round picks on ILBs last year. Second-rounder Edgerrin Cooper impressed as a rookie, becoming the team’s other three-down ‘backer. Third-rounder Ty’Ron Hopper did not see much playing time (18 defensive snaps in 17 games), but he also would profile as a potential option in the event Walker leaves as a 2026 free agent.

Jets QB Jordan Travis To Retire

April 30th, 2025 at 11:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jordan Travis will not end up continuing as a Jets reserve quarterback into a second season. He has informed the team of an intention to retire.

The former Florida State quarterback, who suffered a gruesome ankle injury in November 2023, will land on the Jets’ reserve/retired list. Chosen in last year’s fifth round, Travis said medical personnel have advised he leave the game.

“On November 18, 2023, my life took an unexpected turn,” Travis said in a statement. “I gave everything I had to the rehab process but despite all my efforts, my leg never responded the way we hoped. After much prayer and consultation with the doctors, medical experts and my agent, I’ve been medically advised to retire from the game I love so deeply.”

Multiple updates coming out of New York indicated Travis’ rehab route had not advanced as the team hoped. Then-interim HC Jeff Ulbrich said Travis had endured multiple setbacks during his rehab, and a pre-draft offering added that the team’s former coaching staff may have played a role in the effort not going smoothly. Travis’ agent said the pressure on last year’s coaching staff led to the team rushing the rookie, and the former high-end college passer’s ankle did not respond well.

Regardless of the timeline, it certainly appears Travis suffered a career-ending injury nearly 18 months ago. That injury kept Florida State out of the 2023 College Football Playoff field, which remained a four-team bracket that year, and hurt the QB’s draft stock. While Hendon Hooker rebounded to become the Lions’ backup QB last year, after a November 2022 ACL tear affected his draft stock, Travis will not be as fortunate. Travis sustained a fractured and dislocated ankle early in a game against Division I-FCS North Alabama, and extensive fallout emerged.

Travis, who transferred from Louisville to Florida State during a six-year college stay, spent last season on the Jets’ reserve/NFI list. He ended his Seminoles career No. 1 in school history in total offense (10,655 yards) and touchdowns (99), breaking former Heisman winner Chris Weinke‘s career records. Florida State had started 10-0 on the back of its veteran starter. When Travis went down, he was sitting on a 20-2 TD:INT ratio. The Jets believed he could have been a Day 2 pick had the injury not occurred, SNY’s Connor Hughes tweets.

The Jets have Tyrod Taylor positioned as Justin Fields‘ backup. While rumors persisted the team could use a Day 2 or Day 3 pick on a passer, no move materialized. One season remains on Taylor’s contract. Second-year UDFA Adrian Martinez is also on the team’s roster at quarterback.

Ravens Exercise Kyle Hamilton’s Fifth-Year Option, Decline Tyler Linderbaum’s

April 30th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the safest fifth-year option bets this year, the Ravens are indeed exercising Kyle Hamilton‘s. This will push the All-Pro safety’s contract through 2026.

Baltimore’s other 2022 first-round standout, however, will not see his deal extended beyond 2025. The Ravens declined center Tyler Linderbaum‘s option. The Ravens are interested in extensions with both, but the option decision may make a Linderbaum payday a front-burner matter for the defending AFC North champions, as he is now in a contract year.

Teams have until 3pm CT Thursday to decide on options for 2022 first-round picks. Hamilton becomes the 19th player in this class to see his option exercised. This marks an increase from 2021, when 15 players saw their options picked up. Though, teams were quicker to extend some of their 2021 first-rounders by last year’s option deadline. Thus far, only the Texans (Derek Stingley Jr.) have done so for a 2022 first-round pick.

Hamilton, 24, will see an $18.6MM fifth-year option number due to being named to two Pro Bowls on the original ballot. Although no safeties were franchise-tagged this year, that amount doubles as the tag number at the position. Hamilton has become one of the NFL’s best safeties, and his extension floor undoubtedly will be a record-setting deal. Linderbaum joins Hamilton in being a two-time Pro Bowler. That worked against the Ravens with the option, as it would have cost them $20.99MM. That matches Trey Smith‘s franchise tag value this year.

The Ravens landed Hamilton with their own draft choice (No. 14) three years ago; they picked up Linderbaum through a savvy trade. Although Baltimore’s draft-night wide receiver trade became overshadowed by Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown swap, the AFC North team managed to land a first-rounder in a deal involving Marquise Brown. The Cardinals sent the Ravens No. 23 overall as the headline asset in the Brown trade package, and Baltimore then moved down two spots (as Buffalo moved up for Kaiir Elam) to snag its next starting center at 25.

Excelling in myriad capacities for the Ravens, Hamilton has been as advertised for a Ravens team that just used another first-round pick on a safety (Georgia’s Malaki Starks). He will pair with Hamilton, whose role changed a bit because the Ravens were unable to rely on big-ticket free agent signing Marcus Williams and lower-end addition Eddie Jackson. Both are out of the picture, leaving Hamilton and Starks as the team’s back-line anchors.

Hamilton intercepted four passes, posted 10 tackles for loss and notched three sacks in 2023. This rocketed Mike Macdonald‘s defense to No. 1 overall, as the Notre Dame product soared to first-team All-Pro honors. Hamilton still secured second-team All-Pro accolades last season, but his INT and TFL counts (one, four) did not approach his lofty 2023 performance. Hamilton did force two fumbles last season, and the Ravens will count on him once again.

Another strong season will put Hamilton in line to perhaps approach $25MM per year, as a gap between he and the field — which is currently headlined by Kerby Joseph‘s $21.25MM AAV — may become warranted.

The only center chosen in the 2022 first round, Linderbaum has become a stalwart for a Ravens line that has seen changes persist around him. Although Baltimore has retained Ronnie Stanley, the team has seen its left tackle run into steady injury trouble. The LG, RG and RT positions have also fluctuated in Maryland, amplifying Linderbaum’s importance. The Iowa alum has started 49 games, earning Pro Bowl honors (on the original ballot, which triggered the first-tier option price) in each of the past two seasons.

ESPN’s pass block win rate metric slotted Linderbaum fourth among all O-linemen last season, while Pro Football Focus rated him third at the position. PFF highlighted Linderbaum’s run blocking, as Derrick Henry motored to a 1,900-yard season despite having turned 30. Linderbaum being instrumental in that effort stands to make him a candidate to eclipse Creed Humphrey‘s center-record $18MM-per-year extension.

The fourth-year Raven’s rising value likely made this a somewhat difficult call for Baltimore, which will need to work out a deal by next March. No center has been franchise-tagged in the past 15 years. The team has some breathing room with Hamilton, as a Linderbaum pact will be required earlier to keep him out of free agency. Barring a significant change, Hamilton has no realistic path to the market.

Bills To Sign WR Elijah Moore

April 30th, 2025 at 10:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Elijah Moore‘s Buffalo visit will produce a deal. The Bills are bringing in the former Jets and Browns wide receiver, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports.

The veteran slot receiver can earn up to $5MM on a one-year deal. Moore, who visited the Bills on Monday, will follow former Chargers starter Josh Palmer as Bills WR additions this offseason. While the Browns applied a UFA tender to Moore before Monday’s deadline (regarding the 2026 compensatory formula), he has a deal in place more than two months before that tender would have given Cleveland exclusive negotiating rights.

As Cleveland aims for a potential comp pick for Moore’s Buffalo defection, the Bills have added an intriguing piece to Josh Allen‘s weaponry cadre. Palmer has regularly played in the slot, though he has shown ability on the perimeter as well, while the team still employs ex-Carolina and Washington inside receiver Curtis Samuel. Moore joins a suddenly crowded position group, one headlined by recently extended slot anchor Khalil Shakir and 2024 second-rounder Keon Coleman.

A post-draft Brandon Beane radio interview (via ESPN.com’s Alaina Getzenberg) involved the Bills’ GM taking exception to hosts’ questioning of his receiver strategy. (The team waited until Round 7 to draft a wideout this year.) While no one among Buffalo’s receiving corps has proven to be on Stefon Diggs‘ level, Shakir has overachieved based on his fifth-round pedigree. Shakir has become Allen’s top target, while the Bills will be expecting Coleman to take a leap as an outside receiver this season. Though, Shakir, Palmer, Samuel and now Moore does create a bit of a logjam in the slot.

The Bills did not draft a receiver this year, helping explain this post-draft signing, and they have not re-signed Amari Cooper. While that was mentioned as a possibility months ago, the Palmer and Moore moves effectively point to Cooper being a 2024 rental. Cooper did not move the needle much in Buffalo, which will try younger options as Shakir complementary pieces.

Moore, 25, showed promise as a Jets rookie, despite playing in an offense featuring an erratic rookie-year Zach Wilson, but did not see eye-to-eye with OC Mike LaFleur by his second season. That brought a trade request. As the Jets moved toward their Aaron Rodgers-fronted roster, they traded Moore to the Browns in a pick-swap deal headlined by a second-rounder changing hands. Moore ran into more QB trouble in Cleveland, which saw its Deshaun Watson trade fail spectacularly. Last season later brought Jameis Winston‘s usual high-variance shtick and an overmatched Dorian Thompson-Robinson post-Watson. Moore finished his Browns tenure with 640- and 538-yard seasons. He totaled 538 with a career-high five TDs in 11 games as a rookie in New York.

There is reason to view Moore as having untapped potential, as he will not turn 26 until next year and has never played with an above-average quarterback (excepting perhaps Joe Flacco‘s Cleveland cameo). The Bills will hope so, and they have him at a low rate (compared to Palmer’s three-year, $30MM pact). Samuel’s three-year, $24MM deal a fully guaranteed $6.91MM 2025 salary, making it likely he is back. It will be interesting to see how this receiver situation shakes out this offseason, as Hollins played a regular role for the Bills despite Cooper’s addition.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/30/25

April 30th, 2025 at 9:08pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are today’s minor moves from around the NFL:

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: DE Mapalo Mwansa

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Released: LB Thomas Rush
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