NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Too bad wanted him to come to Minnesota to help JJ McCarthy and maybe just maybe some of his swagger might he has might rub off on him

 

Its been pretty lame around here due to the off-season, but I suspect, things are going to pick up soon. Many stories and decisions are looming. Draft is up and coming, and Free Agency might bring some surprises.

Stay tuned.

 

I stop in every day, but it’s tough to talk about some of the nonsense being floated. We know it’s about 5% true up until about 2 weeks before the draft. With free agency coming in a couple weeks, chatter should pick up.

 

Veteran cornerback Darius Slay has said he wants to play in 2025. He’ll test free agency first.

The Eagles are cutting Slay, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Slay will be designated a post-June 1 release, which saves the Eagles some money on this year’s salary cap but pushes a bigger charge onto their 2026 cap.

 

Jimmy Johnson retires from Fox's NFL coverage after 31 years

Jimmy Johnson, who won two Super Bowls and a national championship as a coach, has announced his retirement from Fox Sports after being a part of its NFL coverage for 31 years.

The 81-year-old Johnson made the announcement Monday during an appearance on "The Herd With Colin Cowherd."

"The most fun I ever had in my career, that's counting Super Bowls and national championships, was at Fox Sports," he said, adding that he loved working for CEO Eric Shanks and Fox NFL Sunday producer Bill Richards.

"But I've made an extremely difficult decision," he said. "I've been thinking about it for the last four or five years and I've decided to retire from Fox. I'm going to miss it. I'm going to miss all the guys. I'll see them occasionally. It's been a great run starting 31 years ago."

Johnson worked alongside Curt Menefee and Terry Bradshaw and analysts Howie Long and Michael Strahan.

He won Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys for the 1992-93 seasons and the college football national championship with Miami in 1987.

ESPN

 

Bengals use franchise tag on Tee Higgins

Higgins confirmed on Monday that the Bengals have used the tag on him for the second straight season. The tag carries a salary of $26.16 million because of the 20 percent raise mandated for a second tag.

Chiefs guard Trey Smith is the only other player to receive a franchise tag at this point.

The Bengals have said that they want to sign Higgins to a longer deal, but Higgins doesn’t appear to believe that the team is working as hard as it could to make that happen. They also have wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and defensive end Trey Hendrickson up for contract extensions this offseason and keeping everyone may prove to be too much for the Bengals to pull off.

Higgins had 73 catches for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns during the 2024 season.

PFT

 

The window on the 'Franchise Tag' closed today at 4 PM ET... only 2 tags were applied this year (Chiefs guard Trey Smith and Bengals receiver Tee Higgins)... the fewest since 2006.

For Smith and Higgins, their teams have until July 15 to sign them to multi-year contracts. Until they accept the tag, they are not under contract and in turn have no obligation to report for mandatory minicamp or training camp. They can wait until just before the start of the season, show up, and receive the full amount of their franchise tender.

The risk, of course, is that the team will rescind the tag. It hasn’t happened often. Most recently, the Panthers removed the tag from cornerback Josh Norman in 2016... via; PFT

 

Eagles, Saquon Barkley agree on two-year, $41.2 million extension

Running back Saquon Barkley’s first season with the Eagles couldn’t have gone any better and he’ll be able to celebrate a new deal with the team along with a Super Bowl victory.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Barkley has agreed to a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension. Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Eagles as a free agent last March and ran for 2,005 yards in the regular season. He added 499 more yards in the postseason to set a single-season record for rushing yards over the regular season and playoffs.

Barkley’s new pact guarantees him $36 million at signing and he has the opportunity to earn another $15 million through incentives and escalators.

in part; PFT

 

Davante Adams is no longer a member of the Jets.

The team announced that Adams was being released on Tuesday and the NFL included the move on its daily transaction report, which means that Adams is now free to negotiate and sign with any other team.

 

Agent: Cowboys, DT Osa Odighizuwa reach 4-year $80M deal

FRISCO, Texas -- With free agency closing in and the deadline to use the franchise tag coming Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys were able to keep one of their own off the market, agreeing to a four-year, $80 million deal with defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.

The deal includes $58 million guaranteed and a $20 million signing bonus, Odighizuwa's agent, Sam Leaf Ireifej, told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Odighizuwa's salary-cap number in 2025 will be $6.25 million.

ESPN

 

PHILADELPHIA -- The Eagles are rewarding Saquon Barkley for his historic season with a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension that makes him the highest-paid running back in NFL history, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

The deal, which includes $36 million guaranteed at signing, makes Barkley the NFL's first running back getting more than $20 million per year. He has the ability to earn an additional $15 million in incentives and escalators.

ESPN

 

Chiefs to trade Joe Thuney to Bears

When the new league year opens, one of the Chiefs’ key offensive linemen will be on the move.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Kansas City is trading Joe Thuney to Chicago.

The Chiefs will receive a 2026 fourth-round pick in exchange for Thuney.

It’s a significant move for both teams. The Chiefs are moving on from one of their most valuable players in 2024, as Thuney slid over from left guard to play left tackle midway through the season when it became clear he was the best option to play the position on the roster. Thuney earned his third straight Pro Bowl berth and was an AP first-team All-Pro for the season in a row.

Thuney, 32, signed with the Chiefs in 2021 after playing his first five years with the Patriots. He is a four-time Super Bowl champion, having won two with New England (LI, LIII) and two with Kansas City (LVII, LVIII).

By trading Thuney, the Chiefs will save $16 million against the cap. Thuney is currently entering the last year of his contract and is set to make $15.5 million in base salary.

This is the second trade Chicago has agreed to this week to beef up its offensive line. The club also reportedly will officially acquire Jonah Jackson from the Rams at the start of the new league year.

New Bears head coach Ben Johnson is familiar with Jackson from their shared time on the Lions.

Both Thuney and Jackson should help the club’s pass protection for rising second-year QB Caleb Williams, who was sacked a league-high 68 times in 2024.

in part; PFT

 

Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard retires at age 29

Sam Hubbard was born and raised in Cincinnati, played his college football at Ohio State and then was drafted by the Bengals in 2018. He’s now walking away from football and saying goodbye to the Bengals, if not to his hometown.

Hubbard announced today that he is retiring from the NFL at the age of 29.

“In my heart, I know that I gave this game, this team, and this city everything that I had,” Hubbard wrote on social media. “That is why today, with great pride, I am announcing that I am moving on from my playing career in the NFL and entering the next chapter of my life. As a kid growing up in Southwest Ohio, Cincinnati has always been, and will always be, home to my family and me. I bled orange and black before I ever put on a Bengals jersey. The journey that took me from a high school lacrosse player up 71-North to become a defensive end at The Ohio State University and back home again as a Bengals third-round pick in 2018, is something for which I am grateful for every day. From a draft pick to a starter, a 4x captain, and a guy who made a few plays along the way, we accomplished things that will never be forgotten. Breaking the 31-year playoff win drought, winning an AFC championship, back-to-back AFC North championships, a trip to the Super Bowl, and countless other memories. I woke up every day determined to give the fans something they could be proud of, cheer, and unite behind.”

Hubbard made one of the greatest plays in Bengals history two years ago when he recovered a fumble and raced 98 yards for the decisive touchdown in a 24-17 playoff win over the Ravens. But he said he hopes he’s remembered mostly as someone who made a difference to his community.

“This city gave me a purpose beyond football,” Hubbard said. “Through the Sam Hubbard Foundation, I’ve tried to lift up Cincinnati the way you’ve lifted me. Your support and the impact we have had together have shown me that community and love outweigh any trophy. Being nominated twice for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award is my proudest accomplishment.”

PFT/Smith

 

Metcalf wants out.

https://twitter.com/bookies/status/1897372162660438351?s=46

 

Just don't become a member of the Green Bay Packers be a nice replacement for Christian Watson cause he is aways hurt or something

 

Eagles re-signing Zack Baun to three-year, $51 million deal

 

Baun was the most important signing the Eagles could have made. He made a weakness a strength and while other positions had a next man up, LB was thin and more unknown in terms of talent.

 

Raiders sign Maxx Crosby to three-year contract extension

Raiders General Manager John Spytek said last month that he envisions defensive end Maxx Crosby being a member of the team for a long time and the club has put some muscle behind those words.

The Raiders announced on Wednesday that they have signed Crosby to a contract extension. According to multiple reports, Crosby, who was signed through 2026, has agreed to a new, three-year deal.

Crosby is set to make $106.5 million over the life of the new deal with $91 million in guaranteed money. That makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league.

PFT
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I heard it could have been more if he didnt say those things about Rodgers.

 

Browns' Bitonio to continue playing after mulling retirement

Left guard Joel Bitonio, a seven-time Pro Bowler and the Cleveland Browns' longest-tenured player, will return for this 12th NFL season in 2025, the team said Wednesday.

Bitonio, 33, had said that he would take the first few weeks of the offseason to ponder retirement.

"I still feel like I can play in this league," he said at the conclusion of the season. "It's just the burden of playing in this league is tough."

Bitonio has spent his entire career in Cleveland since the Browns selected with the No. 35 pick in the 2014 NFL draft. His return is a boost to an offense that will look to get back on track next season after ranking 28th in total offense and 32nd in scoring in 2024.

Bitonio was tied for eighth out of 64 qualifying guards in ESPN's pass block win rate (94.3%) last season. He was tied for 18th in ESPN's run block win rate (72.8%).

Bitonio will enter the final year of a three-year extension he signed in 2021.

ESPN

 

This might be the first sign that they are working things out with Myles Garrett as well... I truly thought it would be a domino effect if Myles left, Bitonio would retire and Ward would ask for a trade.