Cowboys Move WR Parris Campbell To Reserve/Retired List
Parris Campbell agreed to terms on a reserve/futures deal to stay in Dallas in January. Four-plus months later, the former second-round pick looks to be leaving the sport.
The Cowboys moved Campbell to the reserve/retired list Wednesday, The Athletic’s Jon Machota tweets. The former Colts draftee spent the past three seasons in the NFC East — 2023 with the Giants, 2024 with the Eagles and 2025 with the Cowboys — but had been unable to make an impact. The Ohio State product will walk away after seven NFL seasons.
Signing a rookie deal worth just more than $4.7MM, Campbell nearly matched that with a one-year Giants contract in 2023. But a steady role eluded him in New York. The former Indianapolis slot receiver was on Philadelphia’s Super Bowl LIX-winning roster, playing in three Eagles playoff games (including the Super Bowl rout of the Chiefs), but was attached to veteran-minimum deals (or close to it) over his last two seasons.
Although Campbell did not catch a pass in Super Bowl LIX, he saw action on 16 offensive plays. The Eagles did not re-sign him following that conquest, and he made his way to Dallas soon after. The Cowboys signed Campbell to a one-year, $1.34MM deal in March 2025 but released him from IR with an injury settlement in August. Campbell, however, returned to the team in September and played one final game.
Campbell’s career will be best remember for a four-year Indianapolis stay. The Colts added him with the No. 59 overall pick in 2019, but injuries interrupted attempts to become a complementary piece around T.Y. Hilton (and then Michael Pittman Jr.). A knee injury preceded Campbell breaking his hand and foot as a rookie. A PCL tear then occurred in September 2020, ending Campbell’s second season. Campbell underwent foot surgery in October 2021; over his first three seasons, the slot player missed 34 games.
More to come.
Giants Sign Round 1 OL Francis Mauigoa
Making two top-10 picks for the second time in five drafts, the Giants ended up with Arvell Reese and Francis Mauigoa. Reese has not yet signed his rookie contract, but Mauigoa put pen to paper Wednesday.
The former Miami tackle will be tied to a fully guaranteed $30.96MM as the No. 10 overall pick. The Giants are planning to begin Mauigoa’s career at guard, having re-signed right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to go with All-Pro Andrew Thomas. Reese is now the Giants’ only unsigned draftee.
New York acquired the No. 10 overall pick from Cincinnati in the pre-draft Dexter Lawrence blockbuster. While the Giants were connected to a handful of players with their two first-rounders, few expected the Reese-Mauigoa duo to materialize. Tied to Caleb Downs — a player who would have given John Harbaugh a potential impact safety along the lines of Kyle Hamilton — the Giants instead bolstered their O-line at No. 10 despite having re-signed Eluemunor to a three-year, $39MM deal in March. Downs went to the Cowboys one pick later.
Although the Browns considered Mauigoa at No. 9, they chose Utah’s Spencer Fano. That left the Miami product for the Giants, who have chosen a Miami O-lineman in the first round for the second time since 2015. New York did not see former No. 9 overall pick Ereck Flowers pan out, though he had some success as a guard later in his career. Mauigoa worked primarily as the Hurricanes’ right tackle, and while he certainly could become the team’s post-Eluemunor starter there, a guard transition is on tap first. Mauigoa is expected to line up at right guard, where veteran Greg Van Roten played over the past two seasons.
More to come.
Giants Sign DT Josh Tupou
The Giants worked out free agent Eddie Goldman on Tuesday, but they are now signing a different defensive tackle. The team has agreed to a deal with Josh Tupou, Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com reports. The move will reunite the ex-Raven with head coach John Harbaugh.
The 6-foot-3, 350-pound Tupou spent most of the past two years on the Ravens’ practice squad. He appeared in six regular-season games in that span and recorded eight tackles and a sack.
Since Tupou entered the NFL undrafted in 2017, the majority of his experience has come with one of the Ravens’ AFC North rivals, the Bengals. As a member of the organization through 2023, the Colorado product was teammates with defensive tackle D.J. Reader for four years. The Giants signed Reader earlier this month.
Tupou played just seven games in his first two seasons, but he took on a much bigger role in the Bengals’ defense beginning in 2019. He started seven of 16 games that year and notched a career-high 27 tackles. While Tupou opted out of 2020 over COVID concerns, he returned to play a full 17-game slate the next year and pick up nine starts during an AFC title-winning season for Cincinnati. He played just 11 games in 2022, but Tupou registered 19 tackles and the first two sacks of his career then. In total, he has 94 tackles and three sacks in his 71-game, 23-start career.
For the Giants, the Tupou signing comes less than a week after Roy Robertson-Harris tore his Achilles in practice. Robertson-Harris’ season is already over, adding another question mark along the Giants’ interior line. He was a full-time starter last year, as was Dexter Lawrence, but the Giants traded the latter to the Bengals for the 10th overall pick in April’s draft. They will expect Reader and fellow established free agent signing Shelby Harris to help pick up the slack. Tupou, 2025 third-rounder Darius Alexander, Zacch Pickens, Leki Fotu, Sam Roberts and rookie sixth-rounder Bobby Jamison-Travis represent several of their other options.
Packers’ Micah Parsons Likely To Begin Camp On PUP; Latest On Tucker Kraft
With the goal of pushing for a Super Bowl championship in 2025, the Packers pulled off a blockbuster Micah Parsons trade with the Cowboys last August. After giving up two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark for Parsons, the Packers immediately handed the superstar outside linebacker a four-year, $188MM contract extension.
For most of last season, betting big on Parsons worked out for Green Bay. The all-world edge rusher racked up 12.5 sacks through 14 games, giving him at least a dozen in all five of his NFL seasons, but a Week 15 torn ACL brought a devastating end to his year. The Packers, who fell to the Broncos that day and dropped to 9-4-1, never recovered. They lost out in Parsons’ absence, limped into the playoffs at 9-7-1 and then squandered a 21-3 lead against the Bears in a 31-27 wild-card round loss.
The Packers could avoid a similar fate in 2026 if Parsons returns to full strength, though there is a good chance he will miss some portion of the season. The perennial Pro Bowler and All-Pro is a candidate to begin the year on the reserve/PUP list, which would require him to sit out at least four games. Parsons will only be eligible for reserve/PUP if he spends all of training camp and the preseason on active/PUP. Head coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday that he does indeed expect Parsons to open camp on active/PUP, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports.
Leaving Parsons on active/PUP for the summer would enable the Packers to avoid placing him on injured reserve. Teams are only allowed eight IR activations during the season. Players who are activated from reserve/PUP don’t count toward that total. As PFR’s Sam Robinson previously noted, the Packers took that route with injured wide receiver Christian Watson last year. It seems likely they will do the same with Parsons, who said back in January he does not expect to go on IR. If he does miss four games on reserve/PUP, Parsons would sit out matchups against Minnesota, the Jets, Atlanta and Tampa Bay. The Vikings, Falcons and Buccaneers may push for playoff spots, but that is hardly a murderer’s row of opponents. Aside from the Bucs (Baker Mayfield), all of those teams have shaky quarterback situations.
Losing Parsons wasn’t the only crushing injury blow to the Packers in 2025. They also saw standout tight end Tucker Kraft go down with a torn ACL in a Week 9 loss to the Panthers. Having suffered his knee injury six weeks before Parsons, Kraft is naturally ahead in his recovery. LaFleur said he is hopeful Kraft will be ready for camp, though no decision has been made yet.
With 32 catches, 489 yards and six touchdowns in eight games, Kraft was easily on pace for a career year before it ended prematurely. He is set to play the final season of his four-year rookie contract in 2026, but general manager Brian Gutekunst has publicly identified Kraft as an extension candidate. If the Packers are confident in Kraft’s health, a lucrative agreement could come together in the next few months.
Packers RB Josh Jacobs Arrested
MAY 27: Jacobs will be released from jail on Wednesday, Schneidman reports. No formal charges have been filed yet, but that could change. In its official statement, the Brown County District Attorney’s Office announced: “After reviewing the available evidence in this case, the Brown County District Attorney’s Office is not yet prepared to make a formal charging decision. Our office has requested additional investigation, as there is reason to believe that additional evidence may exist that would impact whether criminal charges are appropriate, and what charges would be issued.”
MAY 26: Packers running back Josh Jacobs was arrested today and booked on five charges, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
The charges include battery/domestic abuse, criminal damage to property/domestic abuse, disorderly conduct/domestic abuse, strangulation and suffocation, and intimidation of a victim. The strangulation charge is a felony, with the other four charges being misdemeanors. Jacobs has denied the allegations.
According to the release from the Hobart/Lawrence, Wisconsin police department (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport), the arrest stems from a “disturbance complaint” involving Jacobs that took place on Saturday. Jacobs turned himself in today.
“Josh vehemently denies the allegations, and this matter is in the early stages of investigation with important evidence that has not yet been made public,” the player’s attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, said in a statement (via Rapoport). “We ask for fairness and restraint while the judicial process takes its course.”
The Packers also released a statement (via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero):
“We are aware of the matter involving Josh Jacobs. As it is an ongoing legal situation, we will withhold further comment.”
The NFL released a similar statement (via Pelissero):
“We are aware of the report and have been in contact with the club.”
Following a five-year stint with the Raiders to begin his career, Jacobs inked a four-year, $48MM contract with the Packers ahead of the 2024 season. Through his first two years in Green Bay, the veteran has compiled 2,882 yards from scrimmage and 30 total touchdowns.
From a football standpoint, Jacobs will be subject to the league’s personal conduct policy. After losing Emanuel Wilson in free agency, the team’s depth behind their RB1 currently consists of Chris Brooks, MarShawn Lloyd, Pierre Strong, Damien Martinez, and UDFA Jaden Nixon.
Details On Matthew Stafford’s Extension
The Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford came to terms last week on a one-year, $55MM contract extension – a deal that could keep him under wraps through at least 2027. Further details on the pact have emerged, most of which are courtesy of Albert Breer of SI.com.
[RELATED: Fallout From Stafford’s Latest Extension]
The Rams previously restructured Stafford’s contract in May 2025. The reigning NFL MVP would have made $40MM in 2026 if not for his new extension, but Stafford is now guaranteed $45MM – a relatively small raise over the $44MM he pulled in last season. The 38-year-old will collect $40MM in base pay and a guaranteed $5MM roster bonus that will kick in early in 2027.
There is another $5MM on the table for Stafford in playoff incentives for the upcoming season. Specifically, Stafford would get $2.5MM with an NFC title game win and $2.5MM more with a Super Bowl LXI victory, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Along with winning those games, Stafford would have to play at least 70% of snaps to rake in the incentives.
As mentioned, the Rams will have the option of retaining Stafford for two more seasons. However, none of his $45MM million base pay for 2027 is guaranteed yet. Both that and a $5MM roster bonus for 2028 will trigger if Stafford is still on the Rams’ roster on the third day of the league year next March, Pelissero reports. If the Rams keep Stafford around in ’27, the same playoff incentives would also be available that season.
Stafford’s agreement also includes a whopping $100MM base salary for 2029, per Pelissero. That money is due to vest on the 10th day of the league year in 2028, but there is no chance it will happen. As Pelissero notes, tacking on a “dummy” year will give the Rams extra time to work something out with Stafford ahead of what would be his age-40 season in ’28. A lot can happen over the next couple of years, potentially including Stafford’s retirement, but it would come as a surprise if Ty Simpson is not the Rams’ starting signal-caller by then.
Looking for an heir apparent to Stafford at last month’s draft, the Super Bowl hopeful Rams turned heads when they resisted a win-now move at No. 13 overall and selected Simpson. After making just 15 starts in four seasons at Alabama, Simpson will begin his pro career sitting behind Stafford for at least one year. Whether that turns into two years will depend on how the Rams handle Stafford’s contract in March, though he may call it a career after the season. Stafford briefly mulled retirement last winter before announcing during his MVP speech that he would return for the 18th season of a potential Hall of Fame career.
Seahawks To Acquire WR Irvin Charles From Jets
The Seahawks and Jets have agreed to a minor trade. New York is sending wide receiver Irvin Charles to Seattle for a conditional seventh-round selection, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports. It’s a 2028 pick, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.
The 6-foot-4, 219-pound Charles had been a member of the Jets since he signed with them as an undrafted free agent from Division II IUP in 2022. He debuted a year later, got into 13 games and carved out a role on special teams. Almost all of his snaps (236 of 279) came in the third phase of the game. That remained the case during a 13-game 2024 for Charles, who played 214 special teams snaps to just 10 on offense.
Charles had 39 receptions and 12 touchdowns in his last college season, but he did not catch a pass with the Jets. He did, however, record 14 tackles.
The 2024 campaign ended for Charles when he suffered a torn ACL in a Week 14 loss to the Dolphins. The Jets kept Charles around last year as an exclusive rights free agent, but the recovery process sidelined him for the entire season. With 11 other receivers on their roster, including first-rounder Omar Cooper Jr. and recent free agent pickup Tim Patrick, the Jets are moving on from Charles for a small return.
Charles, who turned 29 last month, is now in position to vie for a roster spot with the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks. He will add a 14th receiver to an already crowded group of wideouts in Seattle. As was the case in New York, though, earning a role on special teams will be his best path to playing time. It may be an uphill battle, as most of the Seahawks’ 2025 core special teamers – including snaps leaders Brady Russell, Mike Morris, Nehemiah Pritchett and D’Anthony Bell, among others – are still in the mix. If Charles cracks the Seahawks’ roster, he will play for a minimum salary of $1.075MM.
49ers Revise Contracts For QB Mac Jones, C Jake Brendel
The 49ers have amended a pair of contracts. Quarterback Mac Jones and center Jake Brendel have agreed to revised deals, according to reports from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network and Spotrac.
Jones, who is entering the second season of a two-year, $7MM pact, is getting a $300K roster bonus after performing well as Brock Purdy‘s backup in 2025. He now stands to earn $3.55MM during the upcoming season and could make another $2.25MM in incentives, per Pelissero. Meanwhile, the 49ers converted $3.02MM of Brendel’s money into a signing bonus, opening up approximately $2.27MM in cap space. They have around $70MM to play with, which is easily the most in the NFL.
As the 15th overall pick in 2021, Jones impressed during his rookie season in New England. But after guiding the Patriots to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth that year, his performance declined significantly. The Patriots cut ties with Jones in 2024 when they traded him to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick. After enduring another poor season while filling in for an injured Trevor Lawrence over seven starts in Jacksonville, Jones rebounded in his first year in San Francisco.
With Purdy out for eight games, the 27-year-old Jones helped the 49ers to a 5-3 record during a 12-win, playoff-bound season for the club. While throwing 13 touchdowns against six interceptions, Jones established new career highs in completion percentage (69.6), yards per attempt (7.4), passer rating (97.4) and QBR (62.3). Given that Purdy is entrenched atop the 49ers’ depth chart, Jones went into the offseason as a potential sell-high candidate. The 49ers reportedly set an “astronomical” asking price, but nobody bit. That’s OK with general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, who have made it clear on multiple occasions that they believe the 49ers are a better team with Jones on their roster.
Brendel will count $3.14MM against the 49ers’ cap in 2026, the last season of a four-year, $16.5MM accord. He is also on track to remain on their books for $3.6MM during a void year in 2027. In the meantime, the soon-to-be 34-year-old will play his sixth season in San Francisco in 2026. As the 49ers’ No. 1 center since 2022, Brendel has started in 66 straight appearances. He had two absences last year, dashing his bid for a fourth full season in a row, but was effective when on the field. Brendel ranked as Pro Football Focus’ eighth-best center among 37 qualifiers.
Bears Host DE A.J. Epenesa
The Bears have not made any notable defensive end acquisitions this offseason, but they are “keeping tabs on potential options,” according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. A.J. Epenesa, who is among the established free agent veterans left at the position, worked out for the Bears last week, Biggs reports.
Epenesa, a 2020 second-round pick who spent his first six seasons in Buffalo, briefly came off the board when he agreed to sign with the Browns in late March. That deal collapsed as a result of a failed physical, and Epenesa is still looking for a team over two months later. The 27-year-old worked out for the Dolphins last month, but it is unclear whether they are considering signing him.
Although he couldn’t pass the Browns’ physical, Epenesa did not miss significant time with injuries as a member of the Bills. He played between 14 and 17 regular-season games each year in Buffalo, where he mostly served as a rotational player. Epenesa was a 13-game starter in 2024, but he combined for just six starts in his other five seasons as a Bill. The former Iowa Hawkeye has notched 53 quarterback hits, 24 sacks, 21 pass deflections and four interceptions in 91 games as a pro.
Epenesa racked up six to 6.5 sacks in each season from 2022-24, but the number dropped to 2.5 over 16 games last year. He also added 32 tackles, four PDs and a pair of picks while playing 44.6% of defensive snaps as a depth piece behind Greg Rousseau and Joey Bosa. He ended the campaign as Pro Football Focus’ 86th-ranked edge defender out of 119 qualifiers.
While the Bears’ turnover-happy defense helped the team to an NFC North title in 2025, the unit finished just 26th in sacks (35). Montez Sweat, who totaled a team-leading 10 sacks, remains atop the Bears’ defensive end group. Austin Booker, Dayo Odeyingbo and Shemar Turner are also among their returning options. Odeyingbo inked a three-year, $48MM pact with the Bears in March 2025, but the former Colt missed nine games with an Achilles tear and chipped in just one sack when healthy. The Bears expect Odeyingbo back for training camp, though they could still pick up Epenesa or someone else before the season opens.
Epenesa is part of a market that features better pass rushers in Bosa, Cameron Jordan, Jadeveon Clowney, and a couple of other former Bills teammates in Von Miller and Leonard Floyd (also an ex-Bear). He is likely to sign for less than each of them, especially after failing a physical. That could matter to a Chicago team that has around $6.46MM in effective cap space (via OverTheCap), which ranks 23rd in the league.
Bolts, Derwin James Agree To Extension
Derwin James has once again reset the safeties market. The Chargers star defender has agreed to an extension that will make him the highest-paid player at his position, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
James is getting a three-year, $75.6MM deal, per Rapoport. The contract includes $57.5MM in guaranteed money, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton set the positional market last offseason when he inked a deal worth $25.1MM per season. James just topped that mark, with his new deal coming in at a $25.2MM AAV. James was set to enter the final season of the four-year, $76.5MM extension he signed with the Chargers back in 2022, and he was scheduled to earn $17.5MM for 2026 with a cap hit of $24.61MM. That previous contract once made James the highest-paid safety in NFL history. The veteran has once again set a new benchmark at the position.
The 17th-overall pick in the 2018 draft, James has emerged as one of the best defenders in Chargers history. He’s earned five All-Pro nods through his first eight seasons. That includes a 2025 campaign where he earned a second-team spot after finishing with 94 tackles, two sacks, seven passes defended, and three interceptions. For his efforts, Pro Football Focus ranked James ninth among 91 qualifying safeties.
We heard just yesterday that the Chargers were prioritizing an extension for their defensive cornerstone, with general manager Joe Hortiz making it clear that they wanted James in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future. The 29-year-old also drew praise from his head coach, with Jim Harbaugh describing James as “the best safety I’ve ever seen in the history of the National Football League” (per Schefter).
The extension for Jim Harbaugh’s top DB comes several months after John Harbaugh‘s then-charge (Kyle Hamilton) raised the bar for the safety market. The Ravens gave Hamilton a four-year, $100.4MM extension in August. Prior to that point, no safety had ever seen an AAV north of $21.5MM. Hamilton’s windfall set the table for James, who will benefit from the latest NFL cap spike. Hortiz was in the Ravens’ front office when Hamilton was drafted, making it not especially surprising to see his new team prioritize the safety position to this degree.
James’ deal towers over the rest of the Bolts’ secondary contracts. No other Charger DB is tied to a contract worth $7MM per year, with its longtime anchor now tied to an accord worth more than quadruple per annum than any of his secondary mates. The Chargers also carried more than $43MM in cap space entering Tuesday, opening a window for James’ second extension.
James is now several years removed from his injury issues, having played 16 games in each of the past three seasons. The Chargers will bet on the Florida State alum, whose standout play certainly boosted now-Ravens HC Jesse Minter‘s stock over the past two years, going into his 30s.
With James now locked in for the next few seasons, the Chargers can turn their attention to other extension-eligible players. That includes edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu, who Hortiz also mentioned as a candidate for a new deal.