Trade Talks Involving Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux Could Pick Up
APRIL 12: Executives who spoke with La Canfora predicted a mid-round pick could be enough to finalize a Thibodeaux trade. Adding a third- or fourth-round selection would allow the Giants to immediately target a rookie replacement in the event a deal were to be made in the near future.
APRIL 9: Dexter Lawrence has requested a trade as a sign of frustration with the status of his extension talks. No trade is expected in his case, but calls will no doubt be made as the draft approaches.
Interest is also likely to increase with respect to Kayvon Thibodeaux. The former first-round edge rusher has previously been linked to a trade, with calls being made leading up to the 2025 deadline. No agreement was reached then, but this year’s Combine presented another opportunity for a deal to be discussed by the Giants and interested teams. A report from last month indicated New York’s preference would be to work out a trade in this case.
SportsBoom’s Jason La Canfora confirms Thibodeaux is still viewed as being open to a change of scenery, something which could yield a full-time starting role. Brian Burns has thrived since the Giants acquired him via trade, while 2025 third overall pick Abdul Carter is in line to handle a large workload for years to come. Thibodeaux is set to earn $14.75MM in 2026 as a result of the Giants’ decision to pick up his fifth-year option. The Oregon product would no doubt be expected to sign an extension with an acquiring team in the event of a trade.
To no surprise, La Canfora reports the Giants are unlikely to move on from both Lawrence and Thibodeaux this offseason. Efforts to work out a compromise with the former could take place, although a new big-ticket deal does not appear to be in store. Replacing Lawrence could also prove to be challenging given his production (aside from the 2025 season, of course). With Burns and Carter in the fold, though, dealing Thibodeaux and drafting a replacement later this month could be seen as feasible. A trade at any time would take Thibodeaux’s 2026 salary entirely off the books and create considerable cap room for New York.
Injuries have led to Thibodeaux playing a full season only once to date in the NFL. The 25-year-old notched 11.5 sacks in 2023, but in general he has not developed as expected given his status as a former fifth overall selection. Per La Canfora, a mid-round pick could be offered by interested teams leading up to the draft. That would obviously represent an underwhelming end to Thibodeaux’s Giants tenure, but it will once again be a scenario worth watching for.
NFL’s Next Australia Game Could Be Played In 2027
The NFL’s international calendar will continue to expand in 2026. The opening game of the season will see the 49ers and Rams play each other in Melbourne.
That will mark the league’s debut in Australia. The San Francisco-Los Angeles game will be the lone one in that country for the coming season, but it is not expected to be the only time Australia hosts NFL contests. Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed as much when speaking to reporters in Melbourne.
“There’s no question that we’re going to be playing here again,” Goodell said (via Nick Mulvenney of Reuters). “Our view is that we’re coming here for the long term. We don’t come as a one-offs. This isn’t a circus. This is something that’s an investment in this, in this market and we believe that, this is long term and will be great for the NFL long term.”
The league has made international expansion a major priority in recent years, with regular-season games being played in Germany, Brazil, Spain and Ireland along the way. The coming campaign will see Australia operate as a host country for the first time, with the same also being true of France. Issues related to travel time are of course exacerbated in the case of Melbourne, but Goodell made it clear further trips there are expected. The NFL’s second Australia game could be played as early as 2027 as a result.
The 49ers-Rams contest will take place on a Wednesday night (September 10) to accommodate typical primetime starts in the United States, but it will be played during the mid morning local time on a Thursday. The success both teams have in terms of resuming normal activities beyond Week 1 will be interesting to monitor, but the NFL is clearly committed to making similar situations a regular occurrence.
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Chargers S Derwin James Seeking New Deal?
Chargers safety Derwin James is entering the final year of the four-year extension he signed in August 2022, a deal that set a new benchmark for safeties at the time. As ESPN’s Kris Rhim writes, James will “almost certainly” be seeking a new contract before training camp begins this summer.
Given James’ importance to the organization and continued strong performance, Rhim believes player and team will be able to reach an agreement. The one sticking point, naturally, could be the dollar amount, as Rhim suggests it might take another record-setting contract to secure James’ services for the foreseeable future. As of now, the Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton is the pacesetter for safeties in terms of total value ($100.4MM), average annual value ($25.1MM), and full guarantees ($48.02MM).
Hamilton, however, is about 4.5 years younger than James (who will turn 30 in August), and there is a sizable gap between Hamilton’s AAV and those enjoyed by Kerby Joseph and Antoine Winfield Jr. ($21.25MM and $21.03MM, respectively). As such, there could be room for the Chargers and James to find common ground on an accord that keeps the star defender below Hamilton in the most important contractual metrics while placing him above all of his other peers.
At the time James signed his current deal — which came after a training camp “hold-in” — his health concerns were still a relatively fresh memory. An August 2019 stress fracture in James’ right foot shelved him for much of that season, and a meniscus injury during training camp in 2020 ended up sidelining the former first-rounder for the entirety of that campaign. But over the last five seasons, four of which ended with Pro Bowl acclaim, James has played in no fewer than 14 regular season contests and has suited up for 16 games in each of the last three years.
James’ improved injury history could help facilitate a deal, and his play largely speaks for itself. The Florida State alum consistently lands near the top of the pack in terms of Pro Football Focus’ safety evaluations (aside from a 2023 blip), and he finished as PFF’s ninth-best safety in both 2024 and 2025. He limited opposing passers to quarterback ratings of 74.2 and 59.6, respectively, in those two seasons, and he routinely records tackle figures at or near triple digits. He tallied three interceptions in 2025, his highest total since his rookie slate in 2018.
One thing that has generally eluded James is playoff success. The Chargers won their first postseason contest in ‘18 but have failed to record a playoff victory since then. If the Bolts do reverse that trend in the upcoming seasons, James likely will be a big reason why.
TE Darren Waller Unlikely To Return To Dolphins; Team Extended Offer To TE Julian Hill
At present, the Dolphins’ tight end depth chart is topped by Greg Dulcich, and according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the team is just fine with that arrangement. When asked to name the player he is most excited to see take a step forward in 2026, new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan identified Dulcich and said, “he had a really good back end to the season. I want to see if he can build on that. That’s why we brought him back.”
Dulcich, 26, is a former third-round pick of the Broncos who flashed in his rookie season in 2022, catching 33 passes for 411 yards and two scores. He compiled those stats in just 10 games, as he was forced to miss time due to a hamstring injury. Another hamstring ailment limited him to two contests in 2023, and he was a healthy scratch for the first eight games of the 2024 slate before Denver waived him.
Though the Giants claimed Dulcich off waivers, they utilized him on just 27 offensive snaps over five games and then jettisoned him during final roster cutdowns last August. The Dolphins added him to their taxi squad, and he was promoted to the active roster in late October as the corresponding move when fellow tight end Darren Waller was placed on injured reserve.
In 10 games (three starts) in 2025, Dulcich posted 26 catches for 335 yards and a touchdown. He continued to have a role in the offense even after Waller returned from IR, and as Sullivan indicated, the team’s new regime was intrigued enough to re-sign him (we did not provide contract details previously, but per OverTheCap.com, Dulcich’s deal is a one-year, $3.25MM pact, most of which is guaranteed).
Waller, meanwhile, is not expected back, as Jackson writes. Now 33, Waller came out of retirement last season, and the Dolphins acquired him via trade with the Giants, who still held his rights. As part of the trade, Waller signed a one-year, $5MM contract with the ‘Fins, but a hip injury pushed his Miami debut to Week 4, and then the above-referenced IR placement – which was triggered by a pectoral strain – cost him more time.
The 2020 Pro Bowler showed he still has something left in the tank, as he hauled in 24 passes for 284 yards and six touchdowns. On the other hand, health issues limited him to just nine games, and he expressed uncertainty about his playing future in December. If he does get another NFL deal, it appears it will not come from the Dolphins.
In more Dolphins TE news, Jackson says the team made an offer to Julian Hill in free agency. Prior to last year’s Waller acquisition, Hill seemed poised to operate as Miami’s top tight end, but he ended up taking a backseat to both Waller and Dulcich. The former UDFA caught 15 passes for 140 scoreless yards last season but was able to secure a three-year, $15MM deal ($7.5MM guaranteed) from the Patriots last month. According to Jackson, that offer was “much more lucrative” than the one the Dolphins extended.
Miami did add Ben Sims as a potential Hill replacement and also hosted NC State prospect Justin Joly on a predraft visit. Joly profiles as a late Day 2/early Day 3 talent.
Ravens Offered Three-Year, Fully-Guaranteed Deals To QB Lamar Jackson Prior To 2023 Contract
The NFL Players Association’s appeal of its collusion grievance against the NFL was unsuccessful. The three-person appeal panel found that the league invited its clubs to come together and collectively oppose future fully-guaranteed contracts in the wake of the Browns’ decision to authorize such a deal for Deshaun Watson, but the panel also determined there was not enough evidence to show the teams accepted that invitation.
Aside from the ramifications the ruling has for the league, the union, and negotiations between the two, it also included other intriguing details. The grievance was originally filed in October 2022 on behalf of three players, including Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was seeking an extension at the time and who was attempting to land a Watson-esque contract. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk relays, the appeal decision noted that Baltimore offered a three-year, fully-guaranteed contract to Jackson on two separate occasions. Jackson declined both proposals and, in April 2023, signed a five-year, $260MM pact that included $185MM in guarantees (the first two years and part of the third were guaranteed at signing, and the rest of the guarantees locked in on a rolling basis; the fifth year contains no guaranteed money).
Aside from the fully-guaranteed nature of the three-year proposals, the appeal decision does not include any other details, such as financial terms or whether either overture featured a no-tag clause. Therefore, it is impossible to truly analyze the merits of the offers and whether Jackson was wise to reject them, though it seems the Ravens were among the teams willing to resist the league’s efforts to remove fully-guaranteed deals from the playbook (at least for a player of Jackson’s caliber).
Jackson, 29, rewarded the Ravens in his first season after putting pen to paper on his five-year deal by submitting his second MVP campaign and leading the team to the AFC Championship Game. He followed that up with an even better performance in 2024, though he finished second in MVP voting that year.
The 2025 season was a frustrating one for Jackson and the Ravens alike, as the star signal-caller struggled with injuries and Baltimore failed to qualify for the postseason. While Jackson’s legacy will ultimately be determined by whether he can lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl title, Jackson clearly represents the franchise’s best hope for a third championship.
To that end, Baltimore still wants to extend Jackson, whose current deal runs through the 2027 season. In order to conduct regular business this offseason, the Ravens freed up nearly $40MM in cap space by restructuring the contract in March, but it appears as if negotiations between the team and the self-represented player will continue. Thanks to the decision in the collusion matter, we now have a little extra context when considering those negotiations.
DOJ To Investigate NFL For Potential Antitrust Violations
The Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the NFL to determine if the league has “engaged in anticompetitive tactics” regarding its game broadcasts, per Jessica Toonkel and Dana Mattioli of the Wall Street Journal. While the report acknowledges the nature and scope of the investigation is presently unknown, it references the Sports Broadcast Act of 1961 and the fact that viewers must pay subscription fees to watch certain games.
The Act gives the NFL an antitrust exemption with respect to its negotiation of television rights, and courts have ruled the Act applies only to broadcast television. Cable, satellite, and streaming services are not covered.
Nonetheless, in early March, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote a letter to the DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission in which he urged those agencies to review whether the NFL’s practices comply with the Act (via ESPN News Services). In his letter, Lee alleged football fans spend nearly $1,000 per year on cable and streaming services, and Forbes estimated that it would have cost $765 for a fan to watch every NFL game last season.
It is true that subscriptions are required to watch Monday Night Football games on ESPN that are not simulcast on ABC, Thursday Night Football games and the Black Friday contest on Prime Video, and Christmas games on Netflix. Some international games air on the NFL Network, which is now owned by ESPN, and the league has given certain games to Peacock and ESPN+ in the past. Select playoff games have also required subscriptions.
Still, all games air for free in the broadcast markets of the two participating clubs, and the NFL has issued a statement emphasizing that point. The statement reads:
The NFL’s media distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry. With over 87% of our games on free, broadcast television, including 100% of games in the markets of the competing teams, the NFL has for decades put our fans front and center in how we distribute our content. The 2025 season was our most viewed since 1989 and reflects the strength of the NFL distribution model and its wide availability to all fans.
Since non-broadcast platforms are exempt from the Act, one would think the NFL would be in the clear here. However, as the ESPN article observes, a jury in a 2024 federal class-action case in Los Angeles awarded $4.7 billion in damages after finding the league violated antitrust laws in distributing out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on the “Sunday Ticket” subscription service. Federal antitrust laws allow for treble damages, so the NFL’s liability could have exceeded $14 billion if the judge had not overturned the jury’s verdict on the grounds that two of the plaintiffs’ witnesses used “flawed methodologies.”
The league’s deals with most of its broadcast partners run through 2033 (2034 for ESPN), but the league has an opt-out after the 2029 season (2030 for ESPN). The ESPN report says the NFL is likely to exercise its opt-out to capitalize on its immense popularity and land even more favorable terms. After all, Nielsen’s data shows that 83 of the top 100 broadcasts in 2025 were NFL games.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk posits that the entire effort could be a “political power play.” Shortly before the news of the DOJ’s investigation broke, the Wall Street Journal published an editorial questioning whether the NFL still deserves an antitrust exemption. The WSJ is owned by Rupert Murdoch, who also owns Fox.
In discussing the NFL’s presumptive exercise of its opt-out and subsequent renegotiations, Florio reports CBS is expected to agree to pay considerably more than its current $2.1 billion-per-year rate to avoid the opt-out and lock in a price for the 2030-33 seasons. Once that agreement is in the books, the NFL could then turn its attention to Fox. At some point, though, it is fair to wonder whether networks will refuse to go any higher and risk losing their NFL deals.
In any event, it would behoove all parties to maintain the status quo. Without the antitrust exemption, television rights would be sold by each of the league’s 32 teams. In such a scenario, the large-market teams would thrive, the small-market teams would not, and the NFL’s salary cap system – which is perhaps one of the foremost reasons for the league’s success – may disintegrate.
Which Team Will Eschew 2027 QB Pick By Drafting Ty Simpson?
From the Giants choosing the 2019 draft to tab Eli Manning's successor -- as opposed to the stronger 2018 or 2020 quarterback classes -- to the Broncos drifting down a bad path with their 2016 Paxton Lynch investment, timing a quarterback bet is rather important. Picking the wrong year to dive in can set a franchise back significantly.
Acquiring a quarterback with a first-round pick requires an organizational commitment that effectively barricades a franchise from reinvesting in the position early in the following draft. Even a second-round investment serves as such a commitment, as there are not many examples of teams making a Round 2 QB choice in one draft and then going back to the table with a first- or second-round move at the position the following year. For the most part, if you pick a year to analyze a QB class and make a selection, you are pot-committed.
This makes advanced scouting vital. However, the reports going into the 2025 draft suggested 2026 would be a much better year for quarterback prospects. While the Raiders are set to benefit, the thin 2026 class shows the risks in anticipating a QB crop a year out.
That brings us to Ty Simpson. The consensus QB2 in this year's draft, as our Ely Allen outlined to launch our 2026 Prospect Profile series, has drawn varying opinions. His mock destinations have ranged from the middle of the first round to following Drew Lock, Malik Willis and Will Levis as a player with recent first-round connections falling to Day 2. Unlike the extreme Shedeur Sanders example, Round 2 appears Simpson's floor. That will bring organizations to a decision. Is he worth sacrificing an early investment in the 2027 QB class?
Giants Willing To Entertain Dexter Lawrence Trade Offers
Since Dexter Lawrence‘s trade request went public, there has been a general expectation a deal sending him away from the Giants will not be worked out. Replacing the three-time Pro Bowler would be challenging for New York, while the list of teams willing to authorize an extension upon acquiring him may be short at this point of the offseason.
Interest will be shown by suitors leading up to the draft in the wake of Giants extension talks once again not yielding progress. Two years remain on Lawrence’s deal, and the team is prepared to move forward without a short-term fix like the one worked out last summer or a raise brought on by a new contract. The willingness of the Giants to seriously entertain offers over the coming days will make for an intriguing storyline.
New head coach John Harbaugh spoke publicly about Lawrence’s value to the team during the onset of the Giants’ offseason program. He also raised eyebrows when stating that “everybody is tradable,” however, and it will be interesting to see if New York winds up being prepared to work out a swap in this case. On that note, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reports the Giants “will at least listen to” calls made regarding Lawrence’s availability. He confirms the team’s preference would be to keep Lawrence in the fold for 2026, but the financial impasse could prove to be a key factor on the trade front.
Lawrence inked an extension in line with other top defensive tackle extensions in 2024. His deal carries an average annual value of $22.5MM, but that figure has been surpassed multiple times with the position’s market continuing to surge. The 28-year-old managed just 0.5 sacks and 12 pressures in 2025, something which has no doubt complicated his efforts to secure a raise. As things stand, Lawrence is owed $20MM next season and $22MM in 2027.
Teams may very well be hesitant to add to those figures in addition to paying a notable price in a trade. Nevertheless, any contender could stand to benefit from adding Lawrence. The Packers made one blockbuster move by acquiring Micah Parsons last offseason, and executives who spoke with SportsBoom’s Jason La Canfora pointed to Green Bay as a logical suitor with respect to Lawrence. Making another win-now move via the trade route would be out of character for the Packers’ front office, but the seven-year veteran would offer a boost to a defensive interior which has plenty of room for improvement compared to last season.
To date, the Packers have not been connected to any firm interest on the Lawrence front. Whether or not that changes will of course depend in large part on the Giants’ asking price. Raanan notes an offer including two Day 2 picks and another on Day 3 could be in store in the case of the Clemson product. La Canfora also writes a first-round selection – at least, in 2026 – is unlikely to be attainable regardless of how strong Lawrence’s market becomes. Improving at the DT spot is already a Giants priority entering the draft, but that could become true to a much larger extent if trade calls were to produce an agreement.
NFL Wins Appeal Of Collusion Grievance
Last summer, the NFL world was aflame with discussions of collusion.
The NFLPA had filed a grievance years earlier alleging that teams worked together to stop a push for fully guaranteed contracts after the Deshaun Watson deal. The grievance went through the league’s arbitration process, which eventually resulted in a ruling against the union that was initially kept under wraps. It became public in June 2025, contributing to the storm of scandal surrounding the NFLPA at the time.
The union filed an appeal, but a three-person panel upheld the arbitrator’s original ruling in favor of the NFL, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. This includes the finding that the league encouraged clubs to collude to suppress fully guaranteed contracts, which supports the NFLPA’s case. However, the appeals panel also agreed with the arbitrator that there was not sufficient evidence to show that teams actually participated in the alleged collusion.
In short, while the NFL attempted to collude as alleged, the union could not demonstrate a strong enough impact to trigger damages and a ruling in their favor. The appeals panel concurred with that result.
One key difference, Florio notes, is that the appeals panel believes that teams were aware of the league’s collusive intentions.
“We cannot fathom these sophisticated businesspeople did not comprehend they were being encouraged to limit or reduce guaranteed contracts,” the ruling states.
Former NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell did not immediately communicate the initial arbitration ruling to the union’s membership. His successor, former Browns center and NFLPA president J.C. Tretter, approached the appeal differently, promptly informing the NFLPA player representatives of the result. He included the above quote in his message (via Florio) to show that the union had, in part, proven their case.
Now, the grievance is technically done with, but the outcome still offers the union some leverage heading into CBA talks. They now have an arbitrator’s ruling, confirmed by an appeals panel, affirming that the league intended to engage in collusion to limit player contracts. That can help inspire firmer support among players as they negotiate several key issues, including a proposed 18-game regular season. It may also draw the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice for potential antitrust violations, Florio adds, which could also force the league to include certain labor protections in the next CBA.