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Ravens, Derrick Henry Agree On Extension

May 19th, 2025 at 2:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

MAY 19: Henry’s deal is now official, and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes it includes a signing bonus of $11.75MM. The pact also contains $1MM roster bonuses for the next two years, with 2025’s guaranteed. Henry’s base salaries for this year ($1.26MM) and next ($1.3MM) are fully locked in, as is a $9.7MM option bonus for the 2026 campaign.

A decision will need to be made by the Ravens ahead of the 2027 season, one in which Henry’s $11MM salary is not guaranteed. When speaking publicly on Monday after signing the deal, he declined to say whether or not he intends to continue playing by that point (h/t ESPN’s Jamison Hensley), but for at least two more years Henry’s future is assured.

MAY 14: The Ravens’ rumored Derrick Henry extension will come to pass. After a dominant Baltimore debut, extension discussions began. Weeks later, the All-Pro back is now signed beyond 2025.

Baltimore will extend Henry on a two-year, $30MM deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Henry will see $25MM fully guaranteed. Delivering a monster age-30 season, Henry is now signed through 2027. This deal certainly puts the former Titans star on track to finish his career as a Raven.

Previously attached to a two-year, $16MM deal, Henry entered the 2024 free agency period with mileage concerns. Those helped keep his previously full guarantee ($9MM) low. As Saquon Barkley ($26MM) and D’Andre Swift ($14MM) received far more lucrative at-signing numbers last year, Henry did not receive comparable interest. The Ravens had targeted the likely Hall of Fame-bound back before the 2023 trade deadline, however, and they kept that interest in pairing him with Lamar Jackson a year later. Henry rewarded the AFC North team, helping it claim another division title.

Henry became only the second running back this century to gain at least 1,900 yards and fail to land a first-team All-Pro nod, joining ex-Packer Ahman Green (2003). It took a historic Barkley stampede to deny Henry that. Henry, however, led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns during his 1,921-yard rampage.

After the Eagles rewarded last year’s first-team All-Pro RB with a deal that included $36MM fully guaranteed, the Ravens will give their bulldozing starter a guarantee near the top tier at the position. Henry’s $25MM ranks behind only Barkley’s number and Ashton Jeanty‘s rookie contract among locked-in money at the position. It provides the 10th-year veteran considerable security for 2026, providing a clear sign the former Heisman winner will play beyond this season.

This Ravens decision represents a tremendous commitment to a player who is 31 and has logged 2,355 career carries — most among any back on a current roster. Henry has a 639-carry edge on Joe Mixon, who sits in second among active RBs. Henry has now secured two big-ticket extensions during his career. This one, despite Henry’s age, nearly eclipses his 2020 Titans accord in guarantees. That deal, agreed to at the 2020 franchise tag deadline, brought $25.5MM locked in.

Though, Henry needed to sign for four years to secure that number. The Ravens are authorizing this lofty guarantee over two based on his status as one of the most reliable RBs in NFL history. Henry has six 1,000-yard seasons on his resume; last year’s showing checked in nearly 400 yards clear of every non-2020 slate for the former rushing champ. Since he gave way to DeMarco Murray early in his career, all six have come since 2018.

Joining Barkley in making a significant difference for his team as a 2024 free agent signing, Henry will have a chance to move the Ravens back to a Super Bowl over the next two seasons. Baltimore is still taking a risk by making such a lucrative 2026 commitment for a player at Henry’s age, but the team is betting on the durable — save for a 2021 foot injury — back continuing to pound away. This durability has allowed Henry to accumulate more than $74MM during his career; Wednesday’s agreement will push that number to the $100MM doorstep.

Precise details of Henry’s new contract are still being reported, but it should reduce his 2025 cap hit, which was originally just under $13MM. That will give the Ravens some more breathing room with the salary cap as they finish signing their 2025 draft class and make their annual summer veteran additions, which could include a safety after Ar’Darius Washington‘s torn Achilles.

As for cashflow, Henry will received $14MM in 2025 and $11MM in 2026, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, representing all of his fully guaranteed money He’ll be due another $12MM in cash in 2027, which is essentially a team option year since none of his salary is guaranteed.

By then, Henry will be 33 years old, far past the retirement age for most NFL running backs. If he and the Ravens have captured their elusive Super Bowl win by then, he could hang up the cleats and start preparing his Hall of Fame acceptance speech. If not, he may run it back in Baltimore for one last shot at a Lombardi before he retires.

Nikhil Mehta contributed to this post.

49ers, Brock Purdy Agree To Extension

May 18th, 2025 at 9:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

MAY 18: Purdy’s extension with the 49ers also includes a full no-trade clause for the duration of the contract, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. That has become standard practice for major quarterback extensions, though it remains unclear if Purdy received a clause preventing San Francisco from applying the franchise tag on him at the end of the deal.

MAY 17: While a rolling guarantee structure will help protect Purdy down the line, he still is believed to have received a nine-figure guarantee at signing. The 49ers are giving their franchise QB $100MM locked in up front, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reports. Purdy becomes the 12th active QB to secure a $100MM full guarantee.

Passers earning less per year (from Deshaun Watson to Lamar Jackson to Justin Herbert to Kyler Murray) secured more at signing, though it will be interesting to learn how the 49ers have structured Purdy’s rolling guarantees. The seventh-round success story, who secured all of $77K when he signed his rookie deal, should see more guarantees vest a year out moving forward.

MAY 16: Brock Purdy will not need to wait until training camp to ink his extension. The 49ers’ starting quarterback agreed to a deal Friday, Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report.

This will be a five-year, $265MM pact, Purdy’s agent informed the NFLN trio. The league’s latest monster QB deal includes $181MM in total guarantees; that figure consists of $165.05MM covering the next three seasons. Purdy is now on the books through 2030. The $181MM amount represents the injury guarantee, and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes it contains a rolling structure.

San Francisco has long known a mega-pact was coming in this case. Whereas many of the team’s big-ticket extensions have dragged into the summer during recent years, that will not be the case with respect to Purdy. The former ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ has handled starting duties since midway through his rookie campaign, and that will remain the case – as the team hoped – for many years to come.

Purdy was due to collect a base salary of $5.35MM in 2025, the final year of his rookie pact. A massive raise was known to be in store, and negotiations began not long after the end of the season. Progress was made in relatively short order, and general manager John Lynch targeted voluntary offseason workouts as a timeline for an agreement to be in place. Indeed, prior to the start of San Francisco’s OTAs, the team’s most impactful piece of business has been taken care of. The fact Purdy was present for the beginning of voluntary work last month represented a clear sign this agreement was close.

This deal’s AAV of $53MM moves Purdy into a tie for seventh amongst quarterbacks in terms of annual earnings. The 25-year-old is on level terms with Jared Goff and narrowly behind Tua Tagovailoa in that respect; both of their deals were signed last offseason. In all, 11 signal-callers are now attached to a pact averaging at least $51MM per year.

Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo going down with season-ending injuries in 2022 opened the door for Purdy to take over as the team’s starter. The Iowa State product helped lead San Francisco to the NFC title game that year and to the Super Bowl during the following campaign. Despite making a clear error by trading up to the No. 3 slot in 2021 to draft Lance, the 49ers have thus received stable QB play (and at a fraction of the cost of veteran passers, of course). That will no longer be the case moving forward, but expectations will remain high for the team’s offense.

Throughout his tenure in the Bay Area, Purdy has enjoyed the benefits of San Francisco’s left tackle and skill-position investments. Wideout Deebo Samuel was traded earlier this offseason, but Trent Williams, Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle – himself the recipient of a recent extension – remain in the fold. Purdy saw his league-leading yards per attempt average (9.6) drop to 8.5 from 2023 to ’24, but a rebound could be in store provided the team can avoid the injury issues of last year.

While much of San Francisco’s offensive core has remained intact this spring, the team’s defense has undergone a number of changes. The need to budget for this Purdy extension represented a key reason for that, but in general a number of new faces will be counted on to contribute right away at important positions. The 49ers made 11 selections during last year’s draft and in doing so added necessary cost-effective options to compensate for the surge in operating cost under center.

Questions linger about how much longer the 49ers’ current core (which still includes All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, likely the team’s next extension priority) will remain intact and thus whether or not San Francisco’s Super Bowl window is closing. The extent to which a return to contention will take place in 2025 but also well beyond that point will be driven in large part by Purdy’s ability to deliver on expectations while playing out this deal.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/16/25

May 16th, 2025 at 8:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s only mid- to late-round draft pick signing from the 2025 NFL Draft:

Cleveland Browns

Fannin holds outstanding potential as a third-round pick for Cleveland. After a quiet freshman year for the Falcons, Fannin earned first-team All-MAC honors despite missing two games in his sophomore campaign with 44 catches for 623 yards and six touchdowns. In 2024, Fannin took his impressive play even further as he outpaced all of the NCAA’s best receivers with a nation-leading 119.6 yards per game, a nation-leading 117 receptions, a nation-leading 1,555 yards, and 10 touchdowns. For comparison, first-round tight ends Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren averaged 58.2 and 77.1 yards per game, respectively.

Regardless, Fannin was the sixth tight end taken off the board. A reason for that is likely because he lacks the size to be an effective in-line blocker in the NFL. Fannin’s best use would likely be as a type of H-back, thanks to his explosiveness as a pass catcher.

The Browns already have David Njoku, who made a Pro Bowl just two years ago, but they also got some disturbing déjà vu when he missed six games last year. Njoku hasn’t played in every game of a season since his first two years in the league. Since then, Njoku has missed 26 out of 100 possible games. He’d been better from 2021-23, missing only four games over that three-year span, but last year was a reminder of what’s ailed the Browns offense in the past, and Fannin may be an attempt to prevent too much lost production should Njoku struggle with his health again.

Fannin is the first of Cleveland’s seven drafted rookies to sign their initial four-year contracts.

49ers Add K Greg Joseph

May 16th, 2025 at 8:19pm CST by Ely Allen

The 49ers grabbed quite a few headlines when they used a third-round pick on Michigan kicker Jake Moody two years ago. Through two seasons, Moody has not exactly inspired confidence in his long-term prospects at the position. According to NFL agent Brett Tessler, San Francisco has signed his client, Greg Joseph, as some offseason competition for Moody on a one-year deal.

Joseph has been in the NFL since 2018, playing for six teams in that time, including three in just the last year. Counting teams he rostered with but failed to play for, the 49ers will be his 12th team overall and his sixth since August 2024. His longest stay in one place came during a three-year stretch with the Vikings. from 2021-23.

Perhaps the reason why he’s struggled to stick anywhere, Joseph has often struggle with accuracy and consistency. While he made all 11 of his extra point attempts last season, he’s missed 16 in his career. He’s also only missed one field goal attempt inside of 40 yards, but outside of that, Joseph is a disappointing 44 of 68 (64.7%) — 27 of 38 (71.1%) from 40-49 yards and 17 of 30 (56.7%) from 50+.

The thing is, Moody hasn’t been too much better. The third-year kicker is much more reliable on extra points (90 of 92 in his career), but the 2024 season saw him struggle mightily from distance. Like Joseph, Moody only has one miss (out of 30 attempts) from inside the 30-yard line. As a rookie, Moody only had three misses from longer than that — two from 40-49 and one from 50+. In his sophomore campaign, though, Moody missed half of his 20 attempts from 40 yards or over — five from 40-49 and five from 50+. A high ankle sprain suffered in Week 5 of the season is thought to have made an impact on his sophomore slump.

Regardless, 49ers new special teams coordinator Brant Boyer has been encouraged by his small bit of offseason time spent with Moody. Per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports, Boyer validated that he, too, had Moody as the No. 1 kicker in the 2023 draft class, saying, “He’s as talented of a kid as it gets.” He also feels the addition of long snapper Jon Weeks, who is set to replace Taybor Pepper at the position, will potentially help Moody, as well.

Moody was the highest kicker drafted since Roberto Aguayo went in the second round in 2016 and was only the fifth kicker since 2000 to be drafted in the third round or sooner. Investing that kind of draft capital in a specialist comes with an expectation of elite play, and Moody has failed to deliver on those expectations so far. San Francisco hasn’t given up on him yet, but it appears they’ll bring in some competition, at the very least, to motivate their struggling 25-year-old.

They already brought in undrafted kicker Kenneth Almendares, who capped off a seven-year collegiate career at Louisiana by winning the 2024 Lou Groza Award, given to the best kicker in the NCAA, for a rookie minicamp tryout, but apparently, no deal was reached. Now Joseph will have his turn to push Moody to retain his job.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/25

May 16th, 2025 at 6:43pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s minor NFL moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Jets

Every team has, at this point, officially announced their initial list of undrafted free agent rookie signings. Still, undrafted rookies continue to find opportunities here and there in the wake of the draft.

Since the departure of Alex Mack, the Falcons have been unable to find stability at the center position. Since then, Matt Hennessy, Drew Dalman, and Ryan Neuzil have been tasked with filling the role. Dalman was a dependable option for a bit, but injury caused him to miss 11 games in the past two years. Neuzil filled in for eight starts last year, and the former undrafted free agent stands to take the starting job in 2025.

Atlanta will provide him no shortage of competition, though, with depth at the position coming in the form of Gonzalez, former seventh-round pick Jovaughn Gwyn, and former undrafted free agent Matthew Cindric. Gonzalez also brings some versatility to the line after starting games at both guard and tackle at Louisville.

Fletcher transferred to Appalachian State after four years at Michigan State. He never really got on the field much with the Spartans, only earning three starts, but he immediately made an impact for the Mountaineers. In his two years with the team, Fletcher tallied 8.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

Jets Release K Greg Zuerlein

May 16th, 2025 at 1:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

Greg Zuerlein‘s three-year run with the Jets has come to an end. The veteran kicker was released on Friday, per a team announcement.

Zuerlein enjoyed a strong pair of seasons upon arrival in New York, connecting on 86.7% of his field goal attempts over that stretch. The Jets aimed to keep him in the fold last spring, and a two-year pact was indeed agreed to in March. Instead of collecting a $4.1MM salary for 2025, though, Zuerlein will hit free agency late in the offseason.

Cutting the 37-year-old will create $2.42MM in cap savings for New York. The team will incur a $2.31MM dead charge as a result. Of course, finances are not the only factor which drove this decision. Zuerlein struggled during his eight appearances last season while spending much of the year on the sidelines due to injury. This move comes with a failed physical designation, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes.

A large audition period was held in the middle of the campaign as a result of Zuerlein’s struggles and ailments. That led to deals for Riley Patterson and Spencer Shrader in October, although neither of them remain on the team at this point. The only other experienced kicker currently on the Jets’ roster is Anders Carlson, who split his time between San Francisco and New York last season following his brief Packers tenure. The 26-year-old connected on eight of 10 field goal attempts in five games for the Jets before signing a futures deal in January.

New York did not draft a kicker last month, although Caden Davis was among the 15 undrafted free agents added to the team’s rookie class recently. The Ole Miss product will compete with Carlson during the summer, although more options could be added before training camp. Zuerlein, meanwhile, will likely struggle to generate a market given his age and poor showing when on the field last year. The former All-Pro could nevertheless get a look in the event of injuries or underwhelming showings around the league in the near future.

This marks the second key special teams move in recent days for the Jets. On Tuesday, the team cut veteran punter Thomas Morstead. A new group of specialists will be in place for 2025.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/15/25

May 15th, 2025 at 7:53pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Indianapolis Colts

  • Claimed off waivers (from Patriots): DT Eric Johnson II
  • Waived: S Marcel Dabo

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Waived: TE Patrick Murtagh

Kansas City Chiefs

Tennessee Titans

Today’s move by the Colts is a bit of a reunion, as Eric Johnson II was a fifth-round pick by the Colts in 2022. He spent his first two seasons in Indy, appearing in 28 games while compiling 18 tackles and one sack. He was waived at the end of the 2024 preseason and landed in New England, where he proceeded to get into 11 games for his new squad.

While Johnson has been buried on the depth chart and occasionally stuck on special teams throughout his career, he has gotten some run on defense. He got into a career-high 265 defensive snaps in 2023, although that dropped to 178 defensive snaps during his time with the Patriots.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/15/25

May 15th, 2025 at 7:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Just one draft pick signing to pass along:

Philadelphia Eagles

Robinson got into 47 games across his first five seasons at Nebraska, collecting five total sacks over that span. He put himself firmly on the NFL map with a breakout 2024 campaign, as the defensive lineman compiled 37 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and seven sacks. This performance ultimately led to him being selected by the Eagles in the fourth round of the draft.

In Philly, he’ll be joining a relatively deep defensive lineman grouping, although he could carve out some playing time as a traditional defensive end. At the moment, his only competition at the position is former seventh-round pick Moro Ojomo, although the team could always get creative with former first-round picks Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.

With the signing, the Eagles have now signed seven of their 10 draft picks. Among the unsigned rookies include first-round linebacker Jihaad Campbell and second-round safety Andrew Mukuba.

49ers Sign First-Round DE Mykel Williams

May 14th, 2025 at 9:26pm CST by Ely Allen

The 49ers were one of five teams in the 2025 NFL Draft who had the highest number of drafted rookies (11). According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, San Francisco pushed its ninth rookie contract across the finish line tonight, inking first-round defensive end Mykel Williams. Per Wilson, Williams’ four-year rookie deal (with a fifth-year option) is worth $29.94MM fully guaranteed, including a $14.78MM signing bonus.

Williams spent three years at Georgia, earning second-team All-SEC honors in each of his final two seasons. A former five-star recruit, Williams didn’t quite live up to expectations in Athens. He failed to eclipse five sacks or nine tackles for loss in any season with the Bulldogs. He only started 17 of 40 games, though he was still a regular on three Georgia defenses — including a national championship-winning 2022 group.

An ankle injury hindered Williams’ play in 2024, as well. Still, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound edge rusher’s size and athleticism had him squarely on the first-round radar. He’s a common type of prospect that we see with more tools and potential than production in college.

The 49ers are hoping that WIlliams will be able to fill in the spot vacated by another former Bulldog, Leonard Floyd, who spent the most time across from Nick Bosa on the defensive line last year. The team also sees Sam Okuayinonu, Yetur Gross-Matos, and yet another former Georgia player, Robert Beal Jr., returning from last season. The three players combined for only seven sacks in 2024.

Unless Okuayinonu, Gross-Matos, or Beal are ready to take the next steps in their careers, Williams may be expected to step into a starting role early. San Francisco will need to tap into that athleticism and potential and hope that Williams can produce more against NFL competition.

Here’s a look at the 49ers’ draft class including the final two players that need to sign their rookie deals:

Vikings Sign G Donovan Jackson, Complete Rookie Class

May 14th, 2025 at 8:09pm CST by Ely Allen

With only five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft (tied with Atlanta and Washington for the fewest in the league), the Vikings didn’t have much work to do in order to finish off their rookie class signings. Regardless, they’re the first to get it done this offseason.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Minnesota came to terms with first-round guard Donovan Jackson, closing out the signing process for their rookies. The four-year deal (with a fifth-year option) is fully guaranteed for $17.18MM and will include a $9.42MM signing bonus. After the conclusion of his rookie season, he’ll also earn training camp roster bonuses of $616K in 2026, $1.28MM in 2027, and $1MM in 2028.

During his time at Ohio State, Jackson spent time at both guard and tackle. He started at left guard for the Buckeyes in his sophomore and junior years. When Josh Simmons suffered a midseason patellar tendon tear last year, Jackson slid out to left tackle for the remaining nine games of the season. Jackson put himself on the NFL radar after earning second-team All-Big Ten acclaim in his first season as a starter and first-team honors the next year. He upped the stakes with first-team All-American honors last season, helping Ohio State to a College Football Playoff championship.

With their only decent interior offensive line play last year coming from Dalton Risner, now a free agent, the Vikings worked to seriously upgrade their guard and centers spots, bringing in former Colts Will Fries and Ryan Kelly at guard and center, respectively. Jackson is projected to slot in opposite Fries in order to form a completely new interior for Minnesota.

With their rookie class complete, here’s a look at the five first-year players that the Vikings drafted:

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