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Texans, CB Arthur Maulet Agree To Deal

July 21st, 2025 at 4:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

Arthur Maulet endured an injury-shortened season in 2024, and he had a lengthy wait in free agency as a result. The veteran corner has lined up an opportunity in time for training camp, however.

Maulet told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe on Monday that he has agreed to terms on a one-year Houston pact. He will look to rebound on his latest team after only playing three games last season. In 2023, Maulet played a key role in the Ravens’ secondary, handling slot corner duties and having success as a blitzer.

The former Saint, Colt, Jet and Steeler has made 85 appearances and 23 starts during his career. Maulet will join the Texans while aiming to occupy at least a part-time role (particularly in the slot). Houston’s perimeter spots are accounted for with Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter, but the team lost Ronald Darby to retirement earlier this offseason.

Playing on a series of short-term deals during his career, it took until 2022 for Maulet to secure a deal carrying a seven-figure AAV. The former UDFA reached that mark on two separate Steelers contracts as well as his Ravens accord. Financial terms of his Texans agreement are not known, but it would come as no surprise if it were to check in at or around the veteran minimum.

Maulet, 32, has only recorded four interceptions in his career but he posted strong coverage numbers during his time in Baltimore. If he manages to do the same with his latest team, a shorter wait on the free agent market should be in store next year. For the time being, attention will turn to Maulet’s ability to carve out a role with Houston during training camp.

Eagles Sign Second-Round S Andrew Mukuba, Complete Draft Class Deals

July 21st, 2025 at 12:47pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles are the latest team to wrap up their rookie deals in time for training camp. Second-round safety Andrew Mukuba inked his contract on Monday, per a team announcement.

Like 29 other players taken in the second round of April’s draft Mukuba was unsigned at the start of last week. Round 2 picks have received a notable uptick in guaranteed compensation this year, with a number of players taken at the top of the round seeing all four years of their deals locked in (something which was previously only the case for Day 1 draftees). As the 64th pick, Mukuba is not in line to have his entire deal guaranteed, but his agreement no doubt represents a step in that direction compared to previous years.

During three seasons at Clemson, Mukuba operated as a key member of the team’s secondary. He recorded only one interception within that span, but things changed in 2024. After transferring to Texas, Mukuba notched five picks while adding seven pass deflections. That production helped his draft stock considerably, and he now enters the NFL with a chance to carve out a starting role on defense.

Philadelphia’s offseason has included a number of defensive departures, including the trade which sent C.J. Gardner Johnson to the Texans. The Eagles informed Gardner-Johnson of their decision to move on from him during the opening stages of free agency, and the trade created a vacancy at the safety spot. Reed Blankenship is set to return for 2025, and the same is true of Sydney Brown.

Those two could operate as Philadelphia’s starting safety tandem in 2025, although the Super Bowl champions could also find themselves in the market for one of the veterans still on the free agent market. Barring an addition, Mukuba should at least be able to occupy a special teams role during his rookie season. With Blankenship entering the final year of his contract, a path could exist down the road to a first-team defensive gig.

Here is a final look at the Eagles’ 2025 draft class:

Chiefs, George Karlaftis Agree To Extension

July 21st, 2025 at 11:05am CST by Adam La Rose

JULY 21: The $1.25MM in annual incentives included with Karlaftis’ deal (which is now official) run from 2027-30, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. His cap charges range from as low as $5.1MM this year to as high as $25MM in 2029.

JULY 20: George Karlaftis is the latest member of the Chiefs to secure a big-ticket extension. Team and player have agreed to terms on a new deal, as first reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

Providing details on the accord, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds this four-year contract is worth $93MM; it includes $62MM in guarantees. The value of this pact is therefore almost identical to the extension guard Trey Smith signed in advance of the recent franchise tag deadline. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated clarifies the pact has a base value of $88MM and can top out at $93MM via incentives. $32MM is locked in at signing with the other $30MM in place as injury guarantees.

To no surprise, Karlaftis had his fifth-year option picked up this spring. That decision kept him under team control for the next two seasons, leaving team and player plenty of time to work out a long-term extension. In time for training camp, though, one has already been taken care of. The 24-year-old is now on the books through the 2030 campaign.

Karlaftis now ranks 11th amongst edge rushers with respect to AAV at $22MM. A number of pass rushers have received attention in recent months, but Karlaftis has flown under the radar by comparison. Of course, the market has shifted recently (with T.J. Watt moving the bar to $41MM annually) and further mega-deals are expected later in the summer. This accord could look rather team-friendly in the near future.

The Purdue product was not as high as Smith on the extension priority, but he joined fellow 2022 first-rounder Trent McDuffie in discussing a second contract at least as far back as April. As a result, it comes as little surprise an agreement has been reached ahead of the 2025 campaign. Karlaftis has taken on a larger workload with each passing season to date, logging 831 defensive snaps during the regular season last year. He has also been a mainstay in Kansas City’s three trips to the Super Bowl during his career.

Karlaftis flashed potential with six sacks as a rookie and took a step forward with 10.5 the following year. While his sack total dropped to eight in 2024, he remained consistent in terms of quarterback pressures (37 after recording 35 the previous year). Kansas City will be counting on continued production in that respect for several years while keeping Karlaftis in place as a strong run defender.

One year after taking Karlaftis in the first round, the Chiefs made another Day 1 selection along the edge in the form of Felix Anudike-Uzomah. The latter was only a rotational contributor during his rookie campaign, but he took on a larger workload last year and should continue to develop into a regular on defense. He and Karlaftis will give the Chiefs a young pass-rush tandem for several years with Chris Jones still in the fold as the team’s defensive line anchor.

With Smith and Karlaftis now on the books for the foreseeable future, attention will turn to McDuffie. If an extension can also be worked out in his case before Week 1, another central figure in the team’s success will locked up for years to come. Regardless, recent days have ensured Kansas City will have key (and young) contributors on both sides of the line of scrimmage in the fold for 2025 and well beyond.

Seahawks Release TE Noah Fant

July 20th, 2025 at 10:17pm CST by Adam La Rose

Roster moves continue as teams prepare for the start of training camp. In the case of the Seahawks, that includes parting ways with a notable veteran.

Tight end Noah Fant has been released, per a team announcement. One year remained on his contract with a nonguaranteed base salary of $8.49MM owed. Rather than keeping Fant in the fold for 2025, Seattle will move on.

This decision will result in $8.91MM in cap savings for the Seahawks while incurring a dead money charge of $4.5MM. Fant will now look to find a new opportunity during training camp. The team, meanwhile, will give its other tight ends a larger opportunity during practice before deciding if an addition is required ahead of Week 1.

A first-round pick of the Broncos in 2019, Fant totaled 1,400 yards on 130 receptions during his time with the team. He was included in the Russell Wilson blockbuster, though, so he spent the past three years in Seattle. The Iowa product was unable to reach the same level of production in Seattle that he managed in Denver; his 500 yards in 2024 were the most in the Emerald City but fell short of any of his three Broncos campaigns.

Seattle moved on from both D.K. Metcalf (via trade) and Tyler Lockett (via release) this offseason. Those decisions will leave the team with a noticeably different receiver room in 2025. Returnee Jaxon Smith-Njigba and free agent signing Cooper Kupp will lead the way at that spot moving forward. Fant will not reprise his role as the Seahawks’ primary pass-catching tight end, however.

The 27-year-old will be a name to watch in free agency as teams sort out their depth charts over the coming weeks. Fant would give any number of suitors a starting-caliber presence at the position or at least a strong pass catcher to complement another tight end best suited to run blocking. It will be interesting to see how his market takes shape.

In the meantime, Seattle will move forward with a depth chart including second-round rookie Elijah Arroyo. AJ Barner is set for his second year with the team, and veteran Eric Saubert is a depth option. By releasing Fant, the Seahawks are (barring another move) committing to that trio to handle tight end duties for at least the 2025 season.

Bengals Sign 3, Cut 2 Days Before Training Camp

July 20th, 2025 at 8:16pm CST by Ely Allen

We saw reports earlier today that, following a large workout including such players as C.J. Beathard, Tyler Huntley, and more, the Bengals signed quarterback Desmond Ridder. When the team announced the move later on in the day, they disclosed several other transactions, as well, including the release of a player Ridder was expected to compete with this summer.

While it was initially thought that Ridder would be battling incumbent quarterback Logan Woodside for the QB3 role behind Joe Burrow and Jake Browning, Woodside was one of the players released today in Cincinnati. A seventh-round pick for the Bengals back in 2018, Woodside failed to make the initial 53-man roster in his rookie year and opted to sign to the Titans’ practice squad. In five seasons with the Titans, two with the Falcons, and last year back with the Bengals, Woodside has only attempted seven passes in his NFL career. With Woodside out, if Ridder is competing for anything, it’s the QB2 role.

The other player removed from the roster was offensive guard Tashawn Manning, an undrafted player that originally signed with the Ravens out of Kentucky in 2023. He spent his rookie season on the practice squad in Baltimore, and after getting waived in final roster cuts again in 2024, he opted to sign to the Bengals’ p-squad. After failing to make it to a gameday roster for the second year in a row, Manning signed a reserve/futures deal with Cincinnati, but today he heads back to the waiver wire.

Of the three new players joining Ridder as signees today, the most notable is veteran defensive tackle Taven Bryan. The Bengals’ defense largely cost them in 2024, as they missed the playoffs despite huge performances from Burrow and the offense. With uncertainty continuing to surround the situation with No. 17 overall pick Shemar Stewart, the addition of Bryan and fellow defensive tackle McTelvin Agim could be a form of insurance.

Bryan, a first-round pick for the Jaguars back in 2018, has had an up-and-down career through seven years in the league. After limited time off the bench in his rookie season, Bryan looked the part in his sophomore campaign, starting eight games and logging career highs in total tackles (33), tackles for loss (5), and quarterback hits (9) that still stand today, along with two sacks. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him that year as the 23rd best interior defender out of 116 players graded at the position.

Since then, though, Bryan has never graded higher than 60th, per PFF. He started eight games again in 2020 before the Jaguars made him strictly rotational in the final year of his rookie contract. He signed a one-year contract with the Browns after that and started 16 games in Cleveland, posting a new career high with three sacks. He played the last two seasons in Indianapolis starting 13 of 34 game appearances for the Colts.

Agim is a former third-round pick for the Broncos that never really panned out. In his third year in Denver, he failed to make the 53-man roster and was released from the practice squad in December. Though he’s found practice squad spots throughout the AFC South in the years since, Agim has only appeared in one game over the past three seasons. Bryan’s signing has a chance to improve the team’s defense, and Agim adds some depth, but it’s hard not to read more into the signing of two defensive tackles amidst the Stewart controversy.

The last player added to the roster today was center Andrew Raym. An undrafted center out of Oklahoma last year, Raym made the Panthers’ initial 53-man roster as a rookie but was waived after appearing in only one game and signed to Carolina’s practice squad. He signed a reserve/futures deal with the team in January but was waived again in May. With undrafted rookie center Seth McLaughlin still working his way back from a late-season torn Achilles tendon in 2024, Raym will assist in camp as a third center behind Ted Karras and Matt Lee.

Buccaneers Close Draft Class Signings; Ink CB Benjamin Morrison

July 20th, 2025 at 6:29pm CST by Ely Allen

The Buccaneers are the latest team to close out their rookie draft class signings today after getting Notre Dame second-round cornerback Benjamin Morrison to put pen to paper. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Morrison’s deal includes full guarantees for the first two years and 96 percent of the third year guaranteed.

A four-star recruit coming out of Brophy College Prep (AZ), Morrison had offers from a number of big programs. After taking official visits to Notre Dame, Oregon, and Washington in back-to-back-to-back weekends, Morrison committed to the Fighting Irish. He found his way onto NFL radars as a true freshman despite enrolling just two months before the start of the season. Making nine starts in 13 games, Morrison led his team with six interceptions, including one returned 96 yards for a touchdown, and added 10 passes defensed for good measure.

He continued his excellence in his sophomore year, starting 11 of 12 contests and missing one game with a quad injury. Despite added caution from opposing quarterbacks after his freshman year acclaim, Morrison still made plenty of plays on the ball, recording three interceptions and 13 passes defensed. He also showed a strong ability to blow up plays on the perimeter with 3.5 tackles for loss.

Scouts everywhere were licking their chops to see what film Morrison would put up in 2024, now that he was finally going to draft eligible. Through six games, Morrison hadn’t recorded any interceptions, but his four passes defensed were on track for his usual rate of deflections. Unfortunately, a hip injury took Morrison off the field for the remainder of his junior year. Feeling he had put up enough film to warrant a high draft pick, he decided to forego his senior season and declare for the draft.

The Buccaneers return much of a secondary from 2024 that allowed the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL. Part of that can be attributed to injuries as safeties Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Whitehead missed a combined 14 games, pushing Christian Izien into the starting secondary. Whitehead is the only one absent from last year’s roster in 2025 with Winfield and Izien back at safety, Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum back at outside cornerback, and Tykee Smith returning at nickelback.

Early reports suggested that Morrison is expected to be ready to return to the field after his hip injury in time for training camp, which starts this week. While the Buccaneers will surely be happy to see him back on the field, they likely won’t attempt to rush him back. If he gets onto the field and plays at a high level as a rookie, great. If not, the team’s plans for him may be much increased in 2026. 2025 is a contract year for McCollum, and Dean’s cap hits over the next two seasons — $15.14MM in 2025 and $15.78MM in 2026 — are high enough to speculate at his candidacy for release. If the team can’t justify bringing both back after this year, then Morrison will be there an additional year removed from his hip injury.

Regardless, it will be interesting to see what Morrison is able to do in 2025. With the early displays he put on at Notre Dame as evidence, the 21-year-old could be a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate if his play resembles anything close to what he displayed pre-injury. With Morrison being the last Tampa Bay rookie to sign his entry-level deal, here’s a final look at the Buccaneers’ completed six-man draft class:

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/20/25

July 20th, 2025 at 5:38pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor NFL moves to close out the weekend:

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

Olajiga, a London native, joins the roster as part of the NFL’s International Pathway Program. The 27-year-old spent the 2024 season on the Rams’ practice squad as an IPP athlete, as well, but didn’t find his way to the field.

Keenum, Johnson, and Molden all passed physicals today, permitting their respective teams to active them off of their injured lists.

Jets, WR Garrett Wilson Agree To Extension

July 20th, 2025 at 1:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

JULY 20: Wilson secured $38.3MM fully guaranteed, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated notes. That includes a $13.75MM signing bonus and $15MM in total compensation for 2025. The remaining locked in money – included in the pact as injury guarantees – is scheduled to vest one year early for the 2026 and ’27 campaigns. Wilson’s compensation for the final two years of the deal is not guaranteed. His cap charges, per Breer, range from $4MM this year to $38.5MM in 2030.

JULY 14: One of the Jets’ major offseason priorities has been taken care of. An extension agreement has been reached with wideout Garrett Wilson, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The move is now official, per a team announcement.

Wilson’s new pact is four years in length and carries a value of $130MM with $90MM guaranteed, per Schefter. That works out to an average annual value of $32.5MM; the former first-rounder is the first to reach that figure after three seasons in the NFL. Given New York’s decision to pick up Wilson’s fifth-year option this spring, he is now on the books through 2030. This marks the first Jets extension for a former Day 1 pick ahead of their fourth season in the rookie wage scale era (h/t Schefter).

Adding further details on this mega-extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes Wilson will receive a $13.75MM signing bonus. The pact also contains a $20MM option bonus in its second year as well as a $10MM option bonus in Year 3. As expected, the 24-year-old is therefore due to collect on a large scale in the near future.

In terms of both total value and average compensation on a per-year basis, this deal moves Wilson to fifth at the receiver spot. The former Offensive Rookie of the Year has proven to be a focal point on offense in spite of the Jets’ level of play at the quarterback position over the past three years. To no surprise, Wilson was thus a high priority for the team on the extension front. In time for training camp, team and player worked out an agreement.

Part of the Jets’ highly successful 2022 draft class, Wilson made an immediate impact. The Ohio State product has been consistent to say the least even with New York cycling through multiple quarterbacks. Wilson has yet to miss a game in his career, and he has managed no fewer than 1,042 yards each season. Having seen his receptions total climb from 83 to 95 to 101, he will be expected to continue operating as the team’s top option in the passing game for years to come.

The Aaron Rodgers addition resulted in only four snaps played in 2023, but this past season saw the future Hall of Famer play a full campaign. Wilson and Rodgers did not mesh as well as many hoped, and the midseason arrival of Davante Adams notably altered the receiver pecking order. In the wake of that phase of his career (and the Jets’ continued inability to reach the postseason), Wilson’s future in New York became a talking point. This spring, however, he made it clear he hoped to remain in place as part of the post-Rodgers future.

Of course, the Jets’ decision to install a new coaching staff (led by Aaron Glenn) and general manager (Darren Mougey) has marked a turning point in addition to the fact Rodgers and Adams are not in place moving forward. Contract talks with Wilson have been taking place for some time now, and as of last month at least one offer was on the table. Without much issue (in terms of a potential holdout or other training camp drama), Wilson and the new decision-making regime have managed to hammer out a deal.

Now, Gang Green will turn their attention towards their ongoing negotiations with cornerback Sauce Gardner. His contract is likely to eclipse the $30MM per year mark set this offseason by Derek Stingley, who was selected one pick ahead of Gardner in the 2022 draft. Extending the two-time All-Pro would give the Jets’ new regime clear cornerstones on both sides of the ball for the foreseeable future.

Bengals Sign QB Desmond Ridder

July 20th, 2025 at 12:11pm CST by Rory Parks

The Bengals have agreed to terms with free agent QB Desmond Ridder, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Ridder was eligible for restricted free agency this offseason but was non-tendered by the Raiders. A planned Broncos workout did not take place, and a workout with the Colts did not produce a deal.

Ridder, who will turn 26 next month, entered the league as a third-round pick of the Falcons in 2022. He earned a starting job by the end of his rookie year, and he was named the starter in advance of the 2023 campaign. Despite a brief demotion in favor of Taylor Heinicke that year, Ridder started 13 games, winning six of them.

His performance was generally underwhelming — and was certainly not enough to prevent Atlanta from signing Kirk Cousins in free agency last offseason — and he was traded to the Cardinals shortly after Cousins came aboard. Ridder ultimately lost Arizona’s backup quarterback battle to Clayton Tune, and after he spent several months on the team’s taxi squad, he signed with the QB-needy Las Vegas outfit.

Ridder started just one game for the Raiders (in Week 15), and he completed 23 of 39 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown against two interceptions in a 15-9 loss. The new Vegas regime is moving forward with Aidan O’Connell as its backup to new acquisition Geno Smith, leaving Ridder to search for his next opportunity elsewhere.

As he battles for his NFL future, Ridder will at least be in familiar environs, as he excelled as a collegian with the University of Cincinnati (leading the Bearcats to the college football playoff semi-finals against Alabama in 2021). Bengals HC Zac Taylor worked as the Bearcats’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2016 and played a significant role in recruiting Ridder, per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Nonetheless, Conway says Ridder will be competing for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart with Logan Woodside. That indicates Jake Browning’s job as Joe Burrow’s top backup is safe. 

Lions DT Levi Onwuzurike Out For Season

July 20th, 2025 at 7:15am CST by Adam La Rose

July 20: During the Lions’ first day of training camp Sunday, head coach Dan Campbell addressed the media. He told reporters, including Justin Rogers of Detroit Football Network, that Onwuzurike tore his ACL and is out for the year.

This is obviously difficult news for the player, who will have no momentum when he becomes eligible for free agency again in 2026, and the team, which is not expecting McNeil to return until late October or early November. The club’s defensive tackle depth will be tested immediately, and Williams will face increased pressure in his rookie season.

July 17: Levi Onwuzurike will be sidelined for at least the first month of the 2025 season. The veteran defensive tackle was placed on the reserve/PUP list Thursday, per a team announcement.

At the onset of training camp, several players around the league are placed on the active/physically unable to perform list. That move is generally made in the case of short-term ailments, and players can be (and almost always are) activated at some point during the summer. This case is different, however.

Onwuzurike’s placement on the reserve/PUP list guarantees he will miss at least the Lions’ first four games. His absence will be felt along the defensive interior regardless of how long it lasts. Onwuzurike has not been linked to a specific injury this offseason, but he has dealt with lingering back injuries dating back to his college career.

That issue resulted in the entire 2022 campaign being missed. Onwuzurike managed to play 10 games the following year, though, and in 2024 he logged by far the heaviest workload of his career. The 27-year-old played 635 snaps while starting 10 games; to no surprise, an uptick in production followed. Onwuzurike notched 28 tackles while adding 22 quarterback pressures and 1.5 sacks.

The former second-rounder was on track for free agency until a new Lions pact was worked out just before the start of the new league year. Onwuzurike took a one-year, $4MM deal to remain in the Motor City. It will be interesting to see what his prognosis is once further details emerge.

In the meantime, the Lions will move forward with a defensive line group led by Alim McNeill, D.J. Reader and first-round rookie Tyleik Williams. Onwuzurike will look to regain his role from last season whenever he returns to full health and is activated.

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