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Sean Payton: Bo Nix To Be Limited In June, Full Training Camp Participant

By | at May 9, 2026 6:48 pm

As Bo Nix was recovering from the ankle injury which ended his second season, it appeared as though a return in time for OTAs would be coming. Instead, a follow-up surgery took place last week and resulted in an adjusted recovery timeline.

Nix’s ability to take part in voluntary work this spring is in doubt as he recovers from the second procedure. That surgery did not come as a surprise, however, and missed time in the summer is still not anticipated. Head coach Sean Payton spoke about Nix’s status on Saturday, confirming a clean bill of health will be in place before July.

“He’ll be well ahead of time for training camp,” Payton said (via ESPN’s Jeff Legwold). “We’re going to be the ones kind of holding him back if you will… You’ll see him probably in [the mandatory] minicamp — probably. He’ll be full speed throwing, everything, in July before we get back here. He’s doing good.”

Denver’s OTAs are scheduled for June 2-4 and 8-11. They will be followed by mandatory minicamp from June 16-18. Nix will continue rehabbing over the coming weeks, but Payton insisted a full workload once padded practices begin during training camp will be in store. A limited level of participation next month could also be an option. The Broncos will no doubt proceed with caution on that front, though.

Nix logged a full season as a rookie, taking part in Denver’s wild-card loss. He again played 17 games in 2025, helping lead the Broncos to the AFC title game. The ankle injury prevented him from taking part in that contest, however, and a strong showing upon returning to action will be key for a team facing high expectations next year.

Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger remain in place as the Broncos’ depth quarterback options. They are in line to handle an increase in reps for the time being, but a lengthy practice absence in Nix’s case should not be expected.

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Aaron Rodgers Expected To Visit Steelers, Finalize 2026 Deal

By | at May 9, 2026 5:55 pm

MAY 9: According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rodgers has been in Pittsburgh over the last few days, but he, personally, has not been meeting with the Steelers. While the team’s three-day rookie minicamp is taking place, Rodgers has stayed away from the team facilities, and his agent has been tasked with negotiating with Pittsburgh’s front office.

Dulac claimed it’s possible Rodgers may finally meet with the team “in the next day or two,” if the two sides are able to work out terms for an agreement, before quickly running through the list of misleading headlines that have hinted at forward progress throughout the offseason. With Rodgers finally at least in the same city, it does still look like things are coming to a conclusion, but if the Steelers can’t secure a commitment from Rodgers by the start of OTAs on May 18, as Dulac put it, “the team’s patience with him could grow thin.”

MAY 7: Finality on the Aaron Rodgers front may be imminent. His second Steelers contract has yet to be signed, but that could change over the coming days.

Rodgers is set to visit Pittsburgh ahead of signing a deal this weekend, as first reported by 93.7 The Fan (video link). Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show cautions the Steelers themselves have not yet been informed of this news, although he adds an agreement is still widely expected to be finalized.

Rodgers is set to visit beginning tomorrow, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds. He confirms a Steelers agreement for 2026 remains the expectation for all involved. The rarely-used UFA tender came into play last week, but Rapoport notes that is viewed as a placeholder. Rodgers would collect roughly $15MM if he were to play on the one-year tender in 2026, though the upcoming summit will allow for a more traditional contract to be worked out.

When Rodgers signed with Pittsburgh last spring, it appeared as though 2025 would be his final NFL season. Over time, though, it became increasingly clear he would be open to playing a 22nd campaign and that the Steelers would welcome him back. Mike Tomlin resigned after the team’s exit in the wild-card round, but the decision to replace him with Mike McCarthy means Rodgers will have a familiar coach in place once his second Pittsburgh pact is finalized. McCarthy and Rodgers overlapped during their Super Bowl-winning time together in Green Bay.

The UFA tender decision did not appear to lead to a change regarding Rodgers’ stance, and the latest reporting on this situation indicated finances were not a major sticking point. It will be interesting to see if upcoming contract talks go smoothly and result in a pact being finalized in short order. Rodgers collected $10MM guaranteed on his 2025 deal, one which paid out roughly $14MM in total.

The four-time MVP started 16 games during the regular season along with Pittsburgh’s wild-card contest in 2025. Rodgers offered a higher floor than the Steelers’ other post-Ben Roethlisberger quarterbacks, something which will be expected to remain the case next year. His age leaves the matter of a long-term plan at QB unclear, however, and after selecting Will Howard in the sixth round last spring Pittsburgh added Drew Allar in the third round of this year’s draft.

Those two will be seen as developmental options, while veteran Mason Rudolph is also in the fold at this time. A fourth signal-caller could very well be in place very soon, as a Rodgers agreement would set him up to handle first-team reps for spring practices. The Steelers’ OTAs begin on May 18, and an answer to the question of whether or not Rodgers will be under contract by that point should soon emerge.

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Texans’ Second-Round DT Kayden McDonald Signs Rookie Deal

By | at May 9, 2026 5:07 pm

After the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft came to a close, rumors claimed that multiple teams were attempting to work their way up closer to the top of the second round. Houston was the first team to successfully do so, and today, they landed the signature of the player they drafted after trading up. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald has signed his fully guaranteed four-year, $12.9MM rookie deal.

After essentially redshirting in his first year with the Buckeyes, McDonald held a rotational role off the bench in the team’s 2024 championship run. 2025 was McDonald’s first and only season as a full-time starter, but the All-American defender showed enough in 14 games to prove he was NFL ready. The disruptive, explosive defensive tackle made plays all over the field for Ohio State, notching 65 total tackles, three sacks, and nine tackles for loss. He showed good production in the pass rush, but he really excelled as a run stopper.

McDonald was widely expected to be the class’s only first-round interior defender. He even attended the draft in person just to slip into Day 2 while watching Florida’s Caleb Banks and Clemson’s Peter Woods hear their names called in the first round. Sitting atop the board of best remaining players for hours, he clearly was seen as a priority for a few clubs. Houston’s efforts to move up came with an intention to get ahead of the Giants, who they thought might take McDonald as a replacement for Dexter Lawrence.

Stepping into one of the NFL’s top defenses last year, McDonald should have a chance to earn a big role on a defensive line that returns Sheldon Rankins and Tommy Togiai but lost Tim Settle to free agency. McDonald should be able to slot right in as the first interior defensive lineman off the bench and could find himself in a starting role if free agency takes another body away next year.

By landing McDonald’s signature, Houston has just cracked the seal on signing its rookie draft class. Here’s a look at the work that remains to be done:

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New England Announces 12-Man UDFA Class

By | at May 9, 2026 4:23 pm

After a mostly routine first two days of the draft, a busy Day 3 gave the Patriots six of their nine draft picks. New England announced their undrafted free agent class yesterday, and the group-mix followed close with the team’s approach in the draft, with the exception of a handful of receivers joining in after the event. Here’s a look at the Patriots’ 12 undrafted signings:

From the reports we saw, the biggest UDFA guarantees went to the player from the smallest school. Out of the small NAIA school in Missouri, Dixon has reportedly signed a deal that includes $252.5K in guaranteed money, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Dixon entered college as a pitcher at Southern Illinois and Georgia-Gwinnet College before transitioning to football and transferring to join the Wildcats.

Blay arrived in Coral Gables after notching 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss at Louisiana Tech, his second school after transferring from West Chester. Though he wasn’t able to produce the same results, Blay started nine games for the Hurricanes as a nose tackle and a dependable run defender. Jacobs only spent two years in Columbia and didn’t establish a full-time role in his time with the Tigers, but his effort and passion helped him stand out as a leader and team captain on Mizzou’s defense, regardless.

Rizy is a really interesting addition here, considering he only started two of 11 game appearances for the Seminoles this year. After redshirting his first year in Tallahassee, Rizy started 10 games as a redshirt freshman at right tackle before swapping sides to start 10 games at left tackle the next year. Starting the year on the bench in 2024, Rizy knocked out the other three positions on the line, starting a game apiece at left guard and center before notching three starts at right guard to close the year.

FSU used Rizy as a sixth man along their OL all throughout 2025. His two starts were at right tackle and left guard, and he played significant snaps off the bench at center for one game, right guard for four games, and left guard for two more. Jaguars guard Patrick Mekari found a similar path to the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of California, and it will be interesting to see if Rizy can find a similar outcome in New England.

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Saints Sign Second-Round DT Christen Miller, Complete Class Signings

By | at May 9, 2026 2:49 pm

This morning, the Saints secured the signature of Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. In signing their second-round pick, New Orleans has completed the signing process for its rookies from the 2026 NFL Draft.

Miller arrived at Georgia during a time of transition for the Bulldogs defensive line. Travon Walker and Devonte Wyatt had just departed as first-round picks, and Nolan Smith, Jalen Carter, and Jordan Davis were close on their heels. Miller redshirted as a true freshman, appearing in just four games behind the remaining trio. He wasn’t quite able to to seize one of the starting opportunities following their departures as Zion Logue and Nazir Stackhouse assumed the top roles and Warren Brinson held the DT3 role in what is usually a very active defensive line rotation in Athens.

In Year 3, Miller replaced the NFL-bound Logue in the starting group next to Stackhouse, but his first-team honors were offset a bit as Brinson outpaced him in play time and production off the bench. After Logue and Brinson entered the NFL as late-Day 3 picks and Stackhouse went undrafted, it seemed Georgia’s domination in DL production had come to an end, but Miller’s resurgence in his final year shows they’re not quite done yet. The Bulldogs moved Miller around on the line, but he excels in run defense. The stout, big-bodied defender is deceptively athletic, but his potential to play all three downs will depend on his coaching staff’s ability to develop his pass rush and his own ability to climb the depth chart.

New Orleans returns three starters along the defensive line in Bryan Bresee, Davon Godchaux, and Nathan Shepherd, and the team should return last year’s third-round pick Vernon Broughton after he missed nearly all of his rookie season with a hip injury. With so much depth and experience in place, Miller won’t be asked to shoulder a bigger burden than necessary as a rookie, but considering the play of the returning group left much to be desired last year, he should get every opportunity to earn a bigger role.

All that will develop over the next several months, but for now, here’s a final look at the Saints 2026 rookie draft class:

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Browns Sign 13 Undrafted Free Agents

By | at May 9, 2026 1:35 pm

The Browns picked up 10 new players in this year’s draft. They have since added 13 more rookies via the undrafted route. Here’s a look:

Logan Fano is the brother of Browns rookie left tackle Spencer Fano, whom they drafted ninth overall. The two were college teammates at Utah, where Logan posted 18 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks during a three-year, 28-game career. Over 11 games last season, the 6-foot-5, 257-pounder notched a personal-best 7.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks en route to second-team All-Big 12 honors. Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranked Fano as the 165th-best prospect available in the draft, lauding his hard-working mentality and “charged-up” pass-rushing skills. He has an alarming history of knee injuries, however, having torn his right ACL twice and his left ACL once in the past seven years.

Sapp (No. 211) also earned a spot in Brugler’s pre-draft top 300. The four-year Gator was at his best in 2024, a 13-game year in which he piled up 47 tackles, 13 TFL and seven sacks. Despite playing the same number of snaps in 2025, Sapp’s numbers dropped to 34 tackles, 3.5 TFL and a sack in a dozen games. Brugler contends “a missing dynamic element” could lessen Sapp’s chances of making an impact in the pros.

Formerly with NC State, Evans enjoyed a breakout campaign at Delaware in 2025. The 5-11, 191-pounder made 38 tackles, deflected eight passes and pulled in three interceptions in 13 games. Evans’ deal with the Browns is worth a guaranteed $115K, including a $5K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.

Set to turn 25 this summer, Coats is coming off a 56-game college career divided among East Central Community College, Nevada and West Virginia. Coats’ most productive season came in 2023 at Nevada, where he intercepted four passes and deflected 13 in 13 games. He did not record an INT in his lone season with the Mountaineers last year, but Coats chipped in another seven PDs in 12 contests. He joined the the Browns for a guaranteed $100K and a $15K signing bonus, according to Wilson.

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‘Soft’ Market For Seahawks Sale

By | at May 9, 2026 1:06 pm

The Seahawks appear to be one of the best-positioned teams in the NFL.

They have a young, proven head coach in Mike Macdonald, an apparent franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold, one of the league’s best wide receivers in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and a deep, diverse well of talent on defense.

Despite that, the pending sale of the club has a weaker-than-expected market, per ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, with one NFL owner describing it as “soft.” Wickersham adds that there is less interest in the Seahawks than there was in the Broncos and the Commanders, the last two franchises to change hands.

The Walton-Penner family paid $4.65 billion for the Broncos in 2022, and a Josh Harris-led group purchased the Commanders for $6.05 billion in 2023. A commensurate increase three years later would price the Seahawks at $10.25 billion.

The team’s price tag was initially expected to match or exceed that number, but projections have since dropped closer to $9 billion. That would still be the highest sale price of an NFL team, though it falls substantially below the Dolphins’ recent $12.5 billion valuation.

There are a limited number of potential buyers with known interest in the team with tech billionaires Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Tim Cook already ruled out. Wyc Grousbeck and Vinod Khosla are leading ownership groups preparing for bids, and Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos has also been mentioned, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Apostolopoulos was interested in purchasing the Commanders in 2023, though he told Wickersham that he is “not pursuing the Seahawks.” If there are only two ownership groups vying for the Seahawks, that will limit the potential for a bidding war that could push the sale price into eight digits.

The lack of interest is multifaceted. The number of individuals with enough wealth to lead an ownership group is already small, and league rules mandate a 30% down payment – ranging from $2.7 to upwards of $3 billion – from the new majority owner.

The circumstances of the sale give potential buyers “significant leverage,” Wickersham adds. Longtime Seahawks owner Paul Allen passed away in 2018, leaving behind instructions for the team to be sold with the proceeds donated to charity. His sister, Jody Allen, has initiated that process after eight years. Selling to fulfill a mandate rather than by choice will push down the price. Allen’s estate had the same directive for the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, who were sold for $4.2 billion in 2025, significantly lower than the sales of the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers in the same year. (The Celtics and the Lakers are substantially more successful franchises with storied histories, but that is still a depreciated price for an asset that is always increasing in value.)

Other local concerns include the potential for an NBA franchise to return to Seattle almost 20 years after the Supersonics departed for Oklahoma City. The city’s MLS team, the Sounders, who share Lumen Field with the Seahawks, are also exploring a new, soccer-specific stadium, according to ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle. Potential Seahawks buyers could be more interested in bringing basketball back to Seattle, and hammering out stadium situations for all three teams could get complicated both politically and financially. 

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Bears To Sign WR Scotty Miller

By | at May 9, 2026 12:31 pm

Veteran wide receiver Scotty Miller accepted an invitation to the Bears’ rookie minicamp. It proved to be a wise decision. The Bears are now signing Miller, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Miller previously booked a late-April visit to Detroit (via Schefter), but he is heading to one of its NFC North rivals over a week later. The Bears are the fourth team for the 28-year-old Miller, a 2019 sixth-round pick who has played for the Buccaneers (2019-22), Falcons (2023) and Steelers (2024-25). He has totaled 99 catches and six touchdowns over 93 games.

Miller’s most productive campaign came with Tampa Bay in 2020, a Super Bowl-winning season for the club. With quarterback Tom Brady at the helm, Miller set career highs in targets (53), receptions (33), yards (501) and TDs (three). The 5-foot-9, 174-pounder has not reached those heights since then. Miller put up just one 20-catch season over the past half-decade (with the Buccaneers in 2022), and he amassed fewer than 100 yards in both of his his years in Pittsburgh. He combined for just 14 catches in 26 games as a Steeler.

Miller’s deal with Chicago will lead to a reunion with Bears receivers coach Antwaan Randle El, who was a Buccaneers offensive assistant from 2019-20. He will attempt to earn a depth role in a receiving corps led by Rome Odunze and Luther Burden. The Bears, who said goodbye to D.J. Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus earlier in the offseason, have brought in Miller, Kalif Raymond and third-round pick Zavion Thomas over the past couple of months.

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Dolphins Notes: Rodriguez, Johnson, Savaiinaea, Free Agency

By | at May 9, 2026 11:57 am

The rebuilding Dolphins entered the draft with a roster in serious need of upgrades all over the field. After making a league-high 13 picks, they emerged from the proceedings with at least a few players who could start right away. That includes second-round linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, who is “likely” to compete with Tyrel Dodson for a starting job, per Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald.

Rodriguez, whom the Dolphins chose 43rd overall, came off the board early after a stellar couple of years at Texas Tech. The 6-foot-1, 231-pounder had a breakout 2024 in which he racked up 127 tackles, five sacks and three forced fumbles in 14 games. He was even more productive last season, during which he recorded 128 tackles, a whopping seven forced fumbles and four interceptions. Rodriguez earned major accolades as a result. Along with finishing fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, he was a unanimous All-American who won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation’s best defender) and the Butkus Award (nation’s top LB), among other honors.

Already set to turn 24 on Sept. 2, it would not be a surprise if Rodriguez immediately steps in next to Jordyn Brooks to comprise the Dolphins’ top linebacker duo. That would mean a contract-year demotion for Dodson, who had his best statistical showing in 2025. Playing 84.97% of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps, the six-year veteran logged career highs in starts (16), tackles (129), TFL (10) and sacks (five). Although his traditional numbers were solid, Pro Football Focus was not enamored of Dodson’s performance. PFF ranked Dodson 61st among 88 off-ball LBs.

Shifting to Miami’s secondary, first-round cornerback Chris Johnson looks like a lock to earn significant playing time from the get-go under rookie head coach Jeff Hafley. The Dolphins traded up from 30 to 27 to draft the former San Diego State standout, who primarily lined up on the outside during his four college seasons. Johnson could be in for a role change in Miami, which is likely to deploy the 6-foot, 195-pounder as its nickel corner, according to Kelly. It is unclear who will start on the outside, but Storm Duck, JuJu Brents and free agent pickups Darrell Baker Jr. and Marco Wilson are among the Dolphins’ experienced options. Duck and Brents did not factor in much during injury-ruined years in 2025. Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas ended up leading Miami’s corners in snaps by a wide margin, but both players are now out of the organization.

Turning to the offensive side of the ball, the Dolphins are planning an open competition at both guard spots, Kelly reports. Rookie Kadyn Proctor, the Dolphins’ first pick (12th overall), is expected to win the left guard battle. There are still questions on the right side, where the Dolphins lost Cole Strange to the Chargers in free agency.

As a second-round rookie last year, left guard Jonah Savaiinaea was the only Dolphins lineman to take the field for every offensive snap. However, PFF rated his play dead last among 79 qualifiers. His pass-blocking grade (14.1) was easily the worst at his position. The Dolphins do not want a repeat of that, especially after they brought in new starting quarterback Malik Willis on a three-year, $67.5MM deal in free agency. Savaiiinea will need to show obvious improvement this summer to claim the No. 1 right guard spot.

With the draft in the books, it appears the Dolphins’ offseason roster building is all but done. The team stayed in contact with some “top” available free agents before the draft, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, but first-year general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said afterward he is not anticipating any “big-ticket” signings (via Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN). The Dolphins are currently last in the league in cap space (approximately $1.8MM), but designating Bradley Chubb a post-June 1 release will add over $20MM to the total next month.

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Bills Add 12 Undrafted Free Agents

By | at May 9, 2026 10:41 am

The Bills made 10 picks in last month’s draft, and they announced 12 more rookie additions on Friday. Here is their undrafted free agent class:

  • Jackson Acker, FB (Wisconsin)
  • Gabriel Benyari, WR (Kennesaw State)
  • Cade Denhoff, OLB (Clemson)
  • Jordan Dunbar, CB (Missouri State)
  • Bruno Fina, G (Duke)
  • Theron Gaines, ILB (Tennessee Tech)
  • Ja’Mori Maclin, WR (Kentucky)
  • Desmond Reid, RB (Pittsburgh)
  • Max Tomczak, WR (Youngstown State)
  • Kani Walker, CB (Arkansas)
  • Da’Metrius Weatherspoon, G (Syracuse)

There are a few interesting NFL connections in this group. Fina is the son of former offensive tackle John Fina, who played 10 of his 11 seasons in Buffalo during a career that spanned from 1992-2002. Maclin’s cousin, former Eagles, Chiefs and Ravens receiver Jeremy Maclin, played from 2009-17 and caught 514 passes and 49 touchdowns. Tomczak is the nephew of Mike Tomczak, who had stints as a quarterback with the Bears, Packers, Browns and Steelers from 1985-99.

Denhoff is rejoining former Clemson teammate and fellow outside linebacker T.J. Parker, whom the Bills drafted 35th overall. Unlike Parker, Denhoff was not especially productive in college. He totaled 51 tackles, five TFL and two sacks in 47 games with the Tigers.

While odds are against rookie UDFAs earning roster spots, Acker stands out as someone who may have a shot. Fullback Reggie Gilliam carved out an offensive and special teams role with the Bills from 2020-25, but they lost him to the Patriots in free agency. The Bills signed ex-Eagle Ben VanSumeren after the draft, though the converted linebacker has minimal experience as an NFL fullback. He is also coming off back-to-back injury-wrecked years. As of now, VanSumeren is the only player standing between Acker and a roster spot.

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