Seahawks Exercise Fifth-Year Options for WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, CB Devon Witherspoon
The Seahawks knocked it out of the park on the first night of the 2023 NFL Draft, taking Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the fifth overall pick of the draft and adding Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba 15 picks later. Both players were huge contributors in the team’s 2025 Super Bowl-winning season, and as extensions continue to be worked towards, Seattle has officially announced its decision to exercise the fifth-year options on both players’ rookie contracts. 
Witherspoon established himself as an immediate star as a rookie, starting 13 of 14 game appearances and logging 16 passes defensed, a 97-yard pick six, and three sacks en route to the first of three straight Pro Bowl seasons. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded Witherspoon as the sixth-best cornerback in the NFL. Starting all 17 games in Year 2, PFF’s 16th-best cornerbacks that season finished second on the team with 98 total tackles, adding on a sack, six tackles for loss, and nine passes defensed. This year, five missed games near the start of the year led to decreased stat total, but Witherspoon’s excellence when he got back on the field was apparent as he earned second-team All-Pro honors and graded out as PFF’s best cornerback in the NFL.
Smith-Njigba didn’t start nearly as hot as Witherspoon, but he’s taken major leaps in each new season. Playing in every game his rookie year, Smith-Njigba only made three starts and finished behind D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in all three receiving categories with 63 receptions, 628 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns. Playing in every game of Year 2, as well, Smith-Njigba established himself as the new WR1 in Seattle, surpassing Metcalf and Lockett with 100 receptions for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns, earning his first Pro Bowl honors. Benefitting from the departures of Metcalf and Lockett and the arrival of Sam Darnold, Smith-Njigba once again led the team in all three categories with 119 catches for a league-leading 1,793 receiving yards and ten touchdowns, securing Pro Bowl, first-team All-Pro, and Offensive Player of the Year honors.
In the days since the season ended with confetti in San Francisco and parade buses in Seattle, the Seahawks have begun the work of attempting to extend Smith-Njigba. The 2025 OPOY disclosed that he does believe he deserves “to be the highest paid” wide receiver in the NFL, but at the moment, with two years now remaining on his deal, he was “not too pressed” to work out an extended deal. We haven’t seen the same reports concerning Witherspoon, but that surely doesn’t mean the Seahawks won’t be doing everything they can to land both big fish on huge, long-term deals.
According to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic, the value of Smith-Njigba’s fifth-year option is projected to be about $23.8MM while Witherpoon’s projects around $21.1MM. Witherspoon’s fifth-year option was inflated to its maximum possible value due to the pair of Pro Bowls he made in his first two seasons. With the top of the receiver market currently set at $40.25MM per year and the cornerback market topping out at $31MM per year, the Seahawks are likely content with those fifth-year figures. There’s a chance neither player sees those options, though, as Seattle will likely continue to push for extensions in the months to come.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/20/26
Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Oli Udoh
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Feleipe Franks, OLB Nick Hampton
Cleveland Browns
- Re-signed: DL Sam Kamara
Indianapolis Colts
- Re-signed: T Luke Tenuta
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed: C Ryan McCollum
The versatile Udoh has played every offensive line position but center since his career began with the Vikings in 2019. Udoh was a 16-game starter for the Vikings in 2021, during which he mostly lined up at right guard. He has otherwise worked as a backup for the Vikings, Saints and Titans. The 29-year-old started three of 17 appearances last season in Tennessee, which used him at both tackle spots.
Undrafted from Stony Brook in 2021, Kamara played in eight games with the Bears as a rookie. Since then, Kamara has yo-yoed between the Browns’ practice squad and roster. Over 18 games in Cleveland, including four last season, the 28-year-old has picked up 28 tackles.
Chiefs Re-Sign LB Jack Cochrane
The Chiefs are bringing back Jack Cochrane for a fifth season. The linebacker announced on Friday that he “just signed back for another year.”
Cochrane, undrafted from South Dakota in 2022, has earned two Super Bowl rings in Kansas City during his four-year career. He was also part of an AFC-winning team in 2024, but he missed the playoffs – including a Super Bowl LIX loss to the Eagles – as a result of an ankle injury.
With just 62 tackles in 64 games, Cochrane’s defensive impact has been minimal. He has, however, served as a core special teamer for the Chiefs. His special teams snap shares have ranged from 65% to 81% in each season. Cochrane has led Chiefs special teamers in snaps twice, including last year. Although Cochrane was only on the field for 61 defensive snaps in 17 games in 2025, he did pick up his first career interception.
Kansas City lost third linebacker Leo Chenal to Washington in free agency, but the Nick Bolton–Drue Tranquill tandem will return in 2026. Cochrane will continue to act as depth behind them while filling a key role in the third phase of the game.
Lions Sign DL Payton Turner
The Lions announced the signing of defensive lineman Payton Turner on Friday. The former first-round pick is joining his third NFL team.
After the Saints drafted Turner 28th overall in 2021, then-head coach Sean Payton said of the former Houston Cougar: “He’s got a lot of traits that we value. He was a high-energy player, he’s prototype, his size. We really had this player as someone that you couldn’t help but notice. The makeup was good.”
The pick did not work out for the Saints, who got 31 games (zero starts) and five sacks from Turner over a four-year span. Various injuries, including to his shoulder and toe, held Turner to just 15 of a possible 51 games in his first three seasons. The Saints declined Turner’s fifth-year option heading into 2024, though he went on to play a career-high 16 games and notch two sacks that season.
The Cowboys liked Turner enough to guarantee him $2MM in free agency a year ago, but a rib injury prevented him from suiting up in 2025. Even though the 27-year-old has amassed 54 absences in his half-decade in the league, the Lions will take an inexpensive flyer on him as they search for edge rushers to join Aidan Hutchinson. Detroit lost Al-Quadin Muhammad, who ranked second on the team with 11 sacks last year, to the Buccaneers in free agency. The Lions have since added six-year veteran D.J. Wonnum, while Marcus Davenport is still a free agent in the wake of back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in the Motor City.
Eagles To Sign Marcus Epps, J.T. Gray
Shortly after trading Sydney Brown to the Falcons on Friday, the Eagles are replenishing their safety depth. The team has agreed to one-year deals with Marcus Epps and J.T. Gray, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
Philadelphia has plenty of familiarity with Epps, an Eagle from 2019-22 and again last season. Epps was a full-time starter in 2022, an NFC-winning campaign that ended with a loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. He then left for the Raiders’ two-year, $12MM offer in free agency. While Epps put together his second straight 17-start season to begin the contract, a torn ACL limited him to four games in 2024.
Just a week before the Eagles’ season opener last year, they brought back Epps in free agency. The 30-year-old went on to play 12 games and start in four. Epps finished with 369 snaps (250 on defense, 119 on special teams) and 21 tackles.
Having played in 103 games over eight seasons, Gray has seen a good amount of action, though he has never picked up a start. Gray signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent from Mississippi State in 2018, and he stayed in New Orleans for his first seven seasons. Although Gray totaled a meager 153 defensive snaps during that span, he was an integral special teamer throughout his Saints tenure. Gray earned a first-team All-Pro selection and a Pro Bowl nod in 2021. He was also a second-team All-Pro in 2019 and ’24.
The Saints released Gray last September, leading him to short stints with the Ravens, Broncos and Buccaneers. The 30-year-old got into five games between Denver and Tampa Bay. Gray did not play any defensive snaps last season. If he cracks the Eagles’ roster in 2026, Gray could help make up for Brown’s departure on special teams.
Having lost Brown and Reed Blankenship, Philadelphia now has Epps, Gray, Andrew Mukuba, Andre Sam and Brandon Johnson as safety options. Slot corners Cooper DeJean and Michael Carter could also see time there, though Zach Berman of The Athletic expects further safety additions.
Falcons To Acquire Sydney Brown
The Eagles and Falcons have agreed on a trade that will send safety Sydney Brown from Philadelphia to Atlanta, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. The teams will also swap fourth- and sixth-round picks. The Eagles will receive the 114th and 197th choices, while the Falcons will get the 122nd and 215th selections.
The Eagles spent a third-rounder on Brown in 2023, but the Illinois product did not pan out as hoped during his three years in their uniform. Brown totaled a personal-best six starts in 14 games as a rookie, but a Week 18 ACL tear threw his career off course. He returned to play 11 games in 2024, though with Reed Blankenship and C.J. Gardner-Johnson entrenched at safety, Brown did not make any starts during a Super Bowl-winning campaign.
Although Gardner-Johnson was gone last year, second-round rookie Andrew Mukuba ended up as the primary starter opposite Blankenship. Brown did, however, play his first 17-game season and make three starts in place of an injured Mukuba. He will end his Eagles tenure with 86 tackles and two interceptions in 42 games.
While the 25-year-old Brown did not carve out a major defensive role as an Eagle, they are now dangerously thin at safety in the wake of his exit. Blankenship joined the Texans in free agency, leaving Mukuba, Andre Sam and Brandon Johnson as the only safeties on the Eagles’ roster. They are also losing a core special teamer in Brown, who posted ST snap shares ranging from 59% to to 76% in each season in Philadelphia.
The Falcons will return their impressive Jessie Bates–Xavier Watts safety duo in 2026, but Brown will provide cheap depth behind them. He is due to count just $1.58MM against the cap in the last year of his rookie contract. Brown also carries some experience at slot corner, where the Falcons lost Dee Alford to the Bills in free agency. Billy Bowman could factor in heavily there as a second-year player next season, but that will depend on how well he bounces back from the Achilles tear he suffered last November.
Christian Wilkins Planning 2026 Return
Although defensive lineman Christian Wilkins was just one season into a four-year, $110MM contract, the Raiders released him last July. They designated Wilkins a terminated vested veteran, voiding $35.2MM in guaranteed money, after he declined their request to undergo a follow-up procedure on his foot. Wilkins first had foot surgery in October 2024, keeping him out of 12 games that year, and suffered another injury to his foot during the rehab process.
The 30-year-old Wilkins has not signed anywhere since the Raiders released him, and though he is still rehabbing his foot, he intends to play in 2026, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. There is widespread interest in Wilkins, per Schefter, who reports 26 of the league’s 32 teams have reached out to his camp. Wilkins should not have difficulty finding his next team when he is ready to sign.
After an excellent run at Clemson, Wilkins entered the NFL as the 13th overall pick of the Dolphins in 2019. The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder started 77 of 81 games over five years with the Dolphins. The run-stuffing Wilkins was especially effective during his last three seasons in Miami, where he combined for 252 tackles and 17 sacks. He also played in all 51 of the Dolphins’ regular-season games in that span, but his career went off the rails during his only year with the Raiders.
With 17 tackles, six QB hits and two sacks in five games, Williams remained productive in Las Vegas. However, along with his foot troubles, Wilkins was the subject of an HR complaint after he kissed a teammate on the head. That played into the Raiders’ decision to release Wilkins. The NFLPA filed a grievance on Wilkins’ behalf to recoup the guaranteed money the Raiders voided, but a ruling has not come down yet.
49ers Will Not Exercise Trent Williams’ $10MM Option Bonus
The 49ers have until 3 p.m. CT to exercise left tackle Trent Williams‘ $10MM option bonus, but they will pass on it, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. While Williams’ cap number will rise from $38.84MM to $47MM, the 49ers are “not overly concerned,” per Schefter. They plan to rework Williams’ contract before April’s draft.
As the 49ers and the 37-year-old Williams butted heads over his contract a few weeks ago, Schefter reported on Feb. 24 that they could release him. However, speaking to the media later that day, general manager John Lynch sounded confident that would not happen.
“Trent loves being a Niner. We love having Trent as a Niner,” Lynch said. “We’re all on the same page… I feel very positive where that’s going.”
On March 9, two days before the start of the new league year, a report indicating the 49ers could trade surfaced. Williams remains a 49er, however, and it seems the team plans to keep it that way. Regardless, this is the latest contract dispute during what will surely end up as a Hall of Fame career for the 12-time Pro Bowler.
Then in Washington, Williams sat out the entire 2019 season as a result of a standoff with the team. Washington traded Williams to San Francisco for third- and fifth-round picks in April 2020. Eleven months later, the 49ers handed Williams inked a six-year, $138MM extension. The deal made Williams the game’s highest-paid offensive lineman.
After Williams managed three straight first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl seasons to begin his contract, the 49ers reworked it in September 2024. The three-year, $82.66MM agreement featured $48MM in guarantees, a record for a non-quarterback over the age of 35. Williams still has another year left on the pact, but there is no guaranteed money remaining.
Jaguars To Sign Seahawks WR Jake Bobo To Offer Sheet
The Jaguars are signing Seahawks restricted free agent wide receiver/special teamer Jake Bobo to an offer sheet, Field Yates of ESPN reports. It’s a two-year, $5.5MM deal that includes $4.5MM in fully guaranteed money, according to Albert Breer of SI.com. The Seahawks will have five days to match.
Seattle tendered Bobo, who went undrafted in 2023, at the original-round level ($3.52MM). That means the Seahawks will not receive any compensation if they allow Bobo to leave for Jacksonville.
Bobo, a UCLA product, posted back-to-back 17-game seasons to begin his career. He logged a 29% offensive snap share in each of those years and combined for 32 catches, 303 yards and three touchdowns. Jaguars pass-game coordinator Shane Waldron was the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator in Bobo’s rookie year. A reunion could be in store in 2026.
Bobo missed six games with various injuries and caught just two passes during the regular season in 2025, but he hauled in a 17-yard touchdown in a 31-27 win over the Rams in the NFC championship game. While Bobo did not have a catch in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX victory over the Patriots, he was on the field for 35 snaps (19 on special teams, 16 on offense). The 27-year-old has amassed 587 special teams snaps in his career. He recorded a personal-high 67% ST snap share in 2024.
If Bobo goes to the Jaguars, he will likely continue as a depth receiver and special teamer. With Brian Thomas Jr, Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington and two-way player Travis Hunter (primarily a cornerback), the Jaguars have a talented group of receivers. However, after combining for 712 offensive snaps last year, Tim Patrick and Dyami Brown are no longer on the roster. Bobo could help fill the void at the back end of the Jags’ receiving corps.
Bills Decline To Match Vikings’ Ryan Van Demark Offer Sheet
After signing an offer sheet with the Vikings on Wednesday, offensive tackle Ryan Van Demark will officially leave Buffalo for Minnesota. The Bills have declined to match the Vikings’ one-year offer worth a fully guaranteed $4.2MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The deal includes a $2.5MM signing bonus, per Pelissero.
Van Demark, who will turn 28 on Sunday, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2022. Because the Bills gave Van Demark an original-round tender worth $3.52MM, they will not receive compensation for losing him.
The Bills were in a similar position in 2022 when they tendered former undrafted lineman Ryan Bates at the original-round level. The Bears signed Bates to an offer sheet, but the Bills matched in his case. Now, with just $9.85MM in cap space, the Bills will let Van Demark depart.
A 43-game starter at UConn, Van Demark began his career with the Colts, though he did not survive final roster cuts as a rookie. The 6-foot-6, 307-pounder wound up spending his first year on the Bills’ practice squad. He made his pro debut the next season and has since registered 43 appearances and six starts. In 2025, his first 17-game season, Van Demark racked up a career-high 312 offensive snaps and added another 75 on special teams. Pro Football Focus gave Van Demark, who primarily played right tackle last year, a strong 74.4 grade.
The Bills will continue with Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown locked in at tackle, but their depth will take a hit with the loss of Van Demark. They are down to the inexperienced Tylan Grable–Chase Lundt–Travis Clayton trio behind Dawkins and Brown. Grable, Lundt and Clayton have combined to play in just seven NFL games.
As is the case with the Bills, the Vikings have starting tackles in place. Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill are effective players, but neither has been the picture of health in recent years. Darrisaw has missed at least two games in all five of his seasons, including 10 in 2024 and seven last year. O’Neill logged a 17-game season as recently as 2024, but he missed three games the year before and another three last season.
With Darrisaw and O’Neill struggling to stay healthy in 2025, swing tackle Justin Skule stepped in for 578 snaps and nine starts. Skule is now a free agent, paving the way for Van Demark to replace him in Minnesota.