Cowboys Will Not Negotiate Extension With George Pickens
10:55pm: The Cowboys have until July 15 to work out a multiyear deal with Pickens, but it does not appear that will happen. “We’ve made a decision that we’re going to have George Pickens (play under the franchise tag),” executive vice president Stephen Jones said Wednesday (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “There won’t be negotiations on a long-term deal.”
Barring a 180 from the Cowboys, Pickens is in line to become the first NFLer to play under the tag since Bengals receiver Tee Higgins did so in 2024. Pickens has yet to sign his franchise tender, though, and it is unclear if he will take part in their offseason program (per Machota). Pickens will be the fifth Cowboy to play on the tag since 2018, as DeMarcus Lawrence (2018), Dak Prescott (2020), Dalton Schultz (2022) and Tony Pollard preceded the wide receiver here.
11:24am: The Cowboys have made little progress on a long-term deal with wide receiver George Pickens, who is currently tied to a $27.3MM salary cap for the 2026 season.
“They’re nowhere with George Pickens right now,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on Get Up ESPN on Wednesday. “They are not really talking about an extension. They’re not close to an extension. They are not getting a deal done at this point in time.”
Pickens, 25, arrived in Dallas last offseason via a trade with the Steelers. He put up career-highs of 93 catches, 1,429 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns, leading the Cowboys and ranking among the league’s top-10 receivers in each category.
With the wide receiver market eclipsing $40MM, Pickens’ production set up an inevitable franchise tag. The Cowboys have repeatedly indicated they would like to work out a long-term deal, but the four-year veteran may have an aggressive ask. Dallas could also be comfortable with the price of his franchise tag and plan to see if Pickens can recreate his production. That would set up an even more expensive franchise tag and/or multiyear extension in 2027, though any regression could perhaps lead to a cheaper deal. That still feels unlikely given Pickens’ ascendance and the ever-rising price of premium receiver talent, but it is certainly possible.
The Cowboys may also consider selecting a top wideout in this weekend’s draft to give themselves multiple options for their receiver room in the short- and long-term.
“That situation is just sitting out there,” Schefter adds. “And the Cowboys are said to really like [Arizona State wide receiver] Jordyn Tyson.”
Tyson’s stock has risen significantly since his workout in front of several teams, who are now more confident about his medical history. The Cowboys would probably have to use their first first-round pick (No. 12 overall) to get him, if he even falls that far. They have been linked to a trade into the top 10, but those reports have generally indicated that Dallas would make such a move for an elite defender, not an offensive skill player.
Giants’ Joe Schoen Candidate For Post-Draft Firing?
We have not seen a post-draft GM firing in a while, but that point on the calendar has brought changes in the not-so-distant past. The Jets and Texans each canned GMs (Mike Maccagnan, Brian Gaine) after the 2019 draft, while the Bills fired Doug Whaley following the 2017 draft.
Maccagnan and Whaley were fired months after those AFC East organizations hired a new head coach (Adam Gase, Sean McDermott), and both HCs then played central roles in identifying GM successors. These examples are eerily similar to this Giants offseason, which has seen major changes outside of the GM chair.
[RELATED: Many Scenarios In Play For Giants’ Two-First-Rounder Night]
Joe Schoen helped the Giants land John Harbaugh, but the latter insisted on reporting to ownership. Ownership greenlit that change to land the Super Bowl-winning HC and would not have done so for another candidate, but Schoen was rumored to be an impediment to that potential change during a three-day wait for the Giants’ Harbaugh hire to become official.
It stood to reason Schoen would be against a change that increased a head coach’s authority, but the Giants’ struggles during his GM tenure did not give the fifth-year Big Blue boss much of a case to prevent it. A report during the Harbaugh pursuit indicated a likely willingness for the high-profile coach to work with the Giants’ holdover GM, but Schoen did have to answer questions about his presence preventing the team from hiring a quality coach.
Later in the offseason, we heard the Giants’ Dawn Aponte hire (as senior VP of football operations and strategy) stripped power from Schoen. That February report indicated Schoen had essentially been “relegated to handling scouting” while the “rest of the building reports to Dawn.” Teams regularly retain scouting staffs through drafts, as to ensure continuity ahead of the event, before making changes on that level. While GM switches at that juncture are rare, the late-2010s moves show they are not unprecedented. With Schoen running the scouting (and Harbaugh and Aponte siphoning power), dot connecting here regarding a post-draft change is not too difficult.
Schoen should indeed be considered in jeopardy of being fired following the draft, SportsBoom.com’s Jason La Canfora notes. The veteran Giants GM, who has overseen a 13-38 record since a surprising 2022 playoff berth, is considered in “very real danger” of losing his job soon, per La Canfora.
This would be a hard-luck firing, given Schoen’s contributions in running the Giants’ HC search amid John Mara’s battle with cancer, but the team’s on-field struggles — which led to Brian Daboll‘s in-season ouster — certainly warrant a change. Harbaugh throwing his weight around to identify a GM to work alongside him would make sense. Harbaugh’s hire resulted in organization-wide changes, to the point long-running staffer Kevin Abrams was booted in January, and scouting-side moves are assuredly coming post-draft.
Schoen, 46, came over from the Bills with Daboll in 2022. He worked for the Dolphins and Panthers previously during an NFL career that has spanned 25 years. He has spoken of collaboration occurring between GM and HC this offseason, as Harbaugh will be heavily involved in the draft room when the Giants are deliberating.
“The early returns on that, it’s been great,” Schoen said (via the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz) of collaboration between the GM and HC. “Coach Harbaugh is passionate about the draft. I’m passionate about the draft. My staff is passionate about it. Just the ongoing football conversations, sitting in the film room with him, whether it’s walking through the board or watching the film. It’s been a lot of fun.
“We’ve spent a lot of time together working through not just first-rounders, second-rounders. He knows about fourth- and fifth-rounders. He’s sending me text messages asking me about maybe undrafted free agents, or he saw an article or an agent might have texted him. It’s been a lot of fun being in these meetings and watching film with him.”
A separate report (from EssentiallySports.com’s Tony Pauline) indicated Harbaugh has not been especially collaborative lately, with a source close to the situation indicating “John knows what he’s going to do and John’s not talking to anybody!” The Giants hold two first-round picks, and several pathways have emerged regarding the team’s draft approach post-Dexter Lawrence. Schoen extended Lawrence in 2023 but saw the defensive tackle become disillusioned with the franchise’s direction. Letting Saquon Barkley and fellow first-team All-Pro Xavier McKinney walk in free agency did not age well for Schoen.
GMs rarely receive second chances, and Schoen will have next to no chance at another GM gig if he is fired post-draft. It would stand to reason the veteran exec would land in a prominent non-GM role elsewhere if fired, but his Giants employment should be considered a situation to closely monitor coming out of this weekend’s draft.
NFL Mailbag: Love, Cardinals, Styles, Bengals, Lawrence, Jets, QBs
To no surprise, this week's edition of the PFR Mailbag contains numerous questions related to the upcoming draft. The recent Giants-Bengals Dexter Lawrence trade is also addressed.
Kevin asks:
Where do you stand on Jeremiyah Love's value (and I suppose RB value in general)? Would the Cardinals be making a mistake by taking him at 3?
I’m usually of the mindset which prioritizes talent above all else in the draft, but it can get tricky in a situation like this. The value of adding Love – seen by many as the top prospect in the class – has to be weighed against the upside of improving in another area of the roster.
Jets Have ‘Settled On’ Arvell Reese At No. 2? Latest On 16th Pick
With the Raiders a lock to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall on Thursday, the real draft drama will begin when the Jets are on the clock at No. 2. The Jets are expected to select Texas Tech edge defender David Bailey or Ohio State linebacker/edge Arvell Reese. On the eve of the draft, there is a belief the team has “settled on Reese,” Dan Graziano of ESPN hears.
Jets reports centering on Bailey and Reese have gone back and forth in recent weeks. Reese was the favorite to go to the Jets as of April 5, but Bailey took the lead last week. It has since swung back to Reese after the Jets canceled a scheduled “30” visit with Bailey.
Asked about the Jets on Wednesday, Bailey told reporters (via Jets Videos): “It’s been good, man. They canceled my “30” visit, so I wasn’t able to get around the facility, but I had a great interaction with them at the combine and FaceTime calls.”
Bailey notched 14.5 sacks over three years at Stanford, but he matched that total during his lone season at Texas Tech in 2025. While he is considered a safer bet than Reese from a pass-rushing standpoint, the latter’s upside and versatility may be too much for the Jets to ignore. As PFR’s Sam Robinson noted, the Jaguars were in a similar situation heading into the 2022 draft. Looking for an impact pass rusher, the Jaguars went with the upside play (Travon Walker) over someone who was more productive in college (Aidan Hutchinson). Walker has turned into a good pro, but Hutchinson has been the better of the two.
In assessing Reese, a defensive coordinator told James Palmer of Bleacher Report: “It’s tough. I think his best spot is edge rusher. But he is fully athletically capable of playing inside LB. I think his disposition is more edge rusher when you talk to him. You just get that feel from him. If he had a gun to his head he’d probably say that as well. With his athletic tools and how his brain works he could be directly impactful there at edge.”
The Jets’ first-round work will continue even after they decide on Reese or Bailey. They also own the 16th overall pick, but there is “a real chance” they will trade out of that slot, Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports reports. A team in need of an offensive lineman could jump the Lions at 17 to acquire the Jets’ selection, per Pauline, who points to Pittsburgh as a possibility. For now, the Steelers are in line to pick 21st.
Depending on how aggressive the Jets are in targeting a receiver with their second pick, trading up from 16 may also be under consideration. The Jets reportedly have first-round grades on three wideouts: Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) and Denzel Boston (Washington). However, they “don’t seem as high” on Tate as they are on Tyson, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. While Tyson has a concerning injury history, he might have the most upside of any receiver in this class. Unless the Jets move up, Tyson may be out of reach.
Patriots Not Yet Willing To Trade First-Rounder For A.J. Brown
Although the Eagles trading A.J. Brown to the Patriots after June 1 is starting to look like a foregone conclusion, the door remains open for another team to top New England with a better offer.
On draft eve, the Pats are not believed to be ready to send a first-round pick to the Eagles for Brown, FOX’s Jay Glazer reports. The Eagles have long wanted a first-round pick headlining a Brown trade haul, as it would make the mercurial wide receiver’s dead money hit — even in a post-June 1 trade — easier to stomach. The returns the Bears and Dolphins respectively received for D.J. Moore and Jaylen Waddle surely did nothing to diminish the Eagles’ asking price.
The Broncos sent the Dolphins first- and third-round picks for Waddle, with a fourth-round pick swap also part of that trade, while the Bears collected a second-rounder for Moore and a fifth. Brown is more accomplished than both players, riding a streak of four straight 1,000-yard seasons and totaling six such slates in a seven-year career. But Brown gripes about his usage in Philly’s offense have been commonplace. A midgame dustup with Nick Sirianni also fueled the fire for a trade finally coming to pass, and a March report viewed a trade as “inevitable.”
A report earlier this week pegged the Patriots — Brown’s long-rumored destination, which would bring about a reunion with Mike Vrabel — as being ready to acquire the eighth-year receiver after June 1. In PFR’s latest chat, I posited a potential trade that involved a 2028 first-round pick and a Day 2 choice in 2027. The Eagles structured their Carson Wentz trade this way, collecting a 2022 conditional first-round pick from the Colts to go with a 2021 third. Philly also accepted a 2026 third-round pick from the Jets for Haason Reddick in 2024.
Teams are displaying reluctance to part with 2027 first-round picks, as that draft class is viewed as stronger than this one, and it will be interesting to see if another team will rival the Pats for Brown. For a bit now, New England has been the clear frontrunner. Glazer reiterates the Pats’ pole position here, mentioning a potential standoff in the event the defending AFC champs do not put a first on the table.
How the draft unfolds will shape other teams’ needs, potentially opening the door to more bids coming in for Brown before June 2. Philly would certainly welcome a bidding war, and how this draft class’ top receivers are dispersed may crystalize offer strength.
The other question here, naturally, covers the scenario in which the Eagles keep Brown and try to make it work with one of the most talented skill-position players in franchise history. Posturing on that front will undoubtedly come, but as it stands, this relationship looks to be on life support. The Patriots would not be inclined to increase their offer significantly based on what is coming out of Philly now. PFR readers believe a trade will happen. Will/should it involve a first-round pick?
Bengals Considered Trading No. 10 Pick For Maxx Crosby
The Bengals made a massive pre-draft move by trading the No. 10 pick in this week’s draft to the Giants for nose tackle Dexter Lawrence. The deal significantly improves their defensive line, perhaps the biggest area of weakness on the roster.
Cincinnati tried to upgrade their pass rush earlier this offseason after losing Trey Hendrickson in free agency. They offered the No. 10 pick to the Raiders for Maxx Crosby, according to EssentiallySports’ Tony Pauline. However, the Bengals were unwilling to match the Ravens’ offer of two first-round picks in a deal that was eventually scuttled by a failed physical. (Ironically, Baltimore then pivoted to Hendrickson, signing him to a four-year, $112MM deal.)
Adding Crosby would have offered an instant replacement for Hendrickson, who was one of the most productive sack-getters in the league in 2023 and 2024. He posted 17.5 sacks in each year, leading the league in 2024 individually and across the two seasons in aggregate. Last year, injuries limited him to just four sacks in seven games.
Crosby has not been quite as productive in the pass rush with 32 sacks in the last three years. He is, however, a significantly better run defender, which was also a major weakness in Cincinnati last year. In fact, Crosby is arguably the league’s best edge defender against the run who has averaged 19 tackles for loss per season in his seven-year career. Last year, he posted a whopping 28 TFLs, which trailed only Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.
It is unclear why the Bengals declined to beat the Ravens’ offer for Crosby. They may have had the same medical concerns and were thus unwilling to move forward with such an expensive trade. Clearly, they did not have a specific prospect they loved with the No. 10 pick; otherwise, they would not have sent it to New York for Lawrence.
Cincinnati will now have to look for edge rushers on Days 2 and 3 of the draft, unless they trade back into Round 1. With the 41st overall pick and seven selections overall, they could move into the back of the first round to secure one of their top targets.
Pats’ Kayshon Boutte Available In Trade
APRIL 22: It does appear Boutte is available. New England is seeking a third-day pick for the fourth-year wideout, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes. He and Brown’s positional overlap — as “X” receivers, primarily — may be a factor here, but if/when the Pats pull off that trade, the AFC champs’ wideout room will be crowded. Though, the Pats and Eagles are not in lockstep on Brown’s value entering draft weekend. That could delay proceedings for a while.
APRIL 21: The fourth-year wide receiver is not at the Patriots’ facility for the start of offseason workouts, Mike Vrabel confirmed Tuesday (via Schultz). While the sides have been in communication, a potential parting will be something to monitor as the draft nears.
APRIL 20: Kayshon Boutte has been a productive Patriots pass catcher for two seasons, eclipsing 500 receiving yards in each. He played a key role for New England’s 2025 AFC champion edition.
The Pats made a major adjustment at receiver last month, cutting Stefon Diggs and effectively replacing him with Romeo Doubs. Close connections to A.J. Brown have also been steady this offseason. Philadelphia trading the mercurial wideout to New England after June 1 has been a regularly rumored scenario.
Brown joining Doubs as offseason WR arrivals could lead to more changes, and the Patriots’ upcoming draft may impact holdovers as well. One season remains on both Boutte and DeMario Douglas‘ rookie contracts. Both Bill Belichick-era pickups are due for free agency in March 2027. It appears the Pats are open to moving Boutte, veteran insider Jordan Schultz notes. Boutte voiced frustration about his role in 2024 but did not generate a similar headline during a far more successful Pats season in 2025.
Around this time last year, Schultz floated Boutte’s name in trade rumors. Nothing came of it, and the former sixth-round pick tallied 33 receptions for 551 yards and six touchdowns to help Drake Maye to MVP runner-up status. Missing three games, Boutte outproduced Douglas’ 17-game output: 31 catches, 447 yards, three TDs.
Mack Hollins‘ two-year contract runs through the 2026 season, and the former Josh McDaniels Raiders charge played well (46/550/2 in 15 games) in his Patriots debut. Hollins, Douglas and Boutte would be vying for auxiliary roles if Brown is indeed Foxborough-bound. The Patriots also used a 2025 third-round pick in Kyle Williams, creating a logjam in the event Brown is indeed acquired. It would stand to reason the team would explore moving one of its young pieces before the draft, allowing for an immediate asset to come back.
Boutte, 24 in May, would stand to carry slightly more trade value compared to Douglas, who turned 25 in December. A scenario where both players remain on the roster alongside Williams and Hollins behind regulars Brown and Doubs may be difficult to envision. A Boutte trade also would further fuel speculation a Pats-Eagles summer WR swap is imminent.
Cardinals’ Coaching Staff High On RB Jeremiyah Love
Steadily mentioned as a team interested in trading down, the Cardinals are also seeing ties to Jeremiyah Love accumulate. The Notre Dame running back is a candidate to hear his name called anywhere from No. 3 to No. 7 (depending on trade maneuvers). He may not last long into that range.
The Raiders will almost definitely start the draft with Fernando Mendoza, while the Jets’ David Bailey-or-Arvell Reese decision may be skewing Reese — in what appears to be quite the close fight — at the final hour. This will leave the Cardinals with a few options at No. 3.
[RELATED: Pro Football Rumors 2026 NFL Mock Draft]
Arizona could take the edge rusher the Jets do not or pivot to an offensive lineman — perhaps Francis Mauigoa or Spencer Fano. No. 3 may be too early for Sonny Styles, but the Ohio State linebacker is not expected to escape the top eight. The decision the Cards may be wrestling with most, however, stems from either taking Love or trading down.
NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah has the Cards finding a trade partner (the Saints) and moving down five spots, but this may be contingent on Reese remaining on the board. The Cardinals may be staring at Bailey. While Arizona may well be intrigued by adding the Texas Tech standout to complement Josh Sweat, we have not heard much buzz there. That could be by design. But Love has entered the equation with recent reports. If the Arizona coaching staff has a significant say, that may matter; the new Cards staff is quite high on Love, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Adam La Rose’s most recent PFR mailbag debated the merits of choosing a running back this high, and Love would become an immediate weapon in a backfield housing James Conner (31 next week) and recent free agency addition Tyler Allgeier. Even if an argument can be made the Cardinals are not a running back away (and have the position covered reasonably well, with Trey Benson also in the fold), the California Post’s Vincent Bonsignore notes the combination of a GM “acting out of self-preservation” and and owner “wanting to sell tickets” points to Love being a strong consideration barring a trade-down move. The coaching staff had time to discuss Love’s fit during his recent “30” visit. The franchise has not chosen a running back in Round 1 since Beanie Wells in 2009.
GMs on hot seats do not have much incentive to trade down. Although Dave Gettleman did so in his final draft by sliding down the board (allowing the Bears to take Justin Fields) and equipping eventual successor Joe Schoen with an extra 2022 first-round pick, an exec in danger of being fired will understandably want immediate help.
Love would provide that for Monti Ossenfort, whose rebuild took a major step back in 2025 via a 3-14 season that led to Jonathan Gannon‘s ouster. As this space has discussed, the Bidwill family has given GMs long leashes previously. Steve Keim and Rod Graves were on the job 10 years apiece. Keim was also in a much better place by Year 3, while Graves did not have a three-win season on his resume at this juncture. Ossenfort may indeed need a bounce-back season to avoid a post-Year 4 firing.
Love has been closely connected to both the Titans and Giants, with the Commanders serving as the RB’s floor (at No. 7). PFR readers expect Love to end up in Nashville, though a Wednesday report indicated Tennessee may go EDGE or WR at No. 4. If the Cardinals hear a strong enough offer, they could sell the pick to Washington or another Love-seeking team. But the prospect of Love teaming with Jacoby Brissett and/or Gardner Minshew — possibly with Ty Simpson in the queue via a trade-up from No. 34 — will be considered live entering draft weekend.
Saints Eyeing EDGE-Based Trade-Up?
Mickey Loomis has made some memorable moves to climb up draft boards during his 23 years overseeing the Saints’ war room, and the longstanding GM is back on the radar for another such move.
The Saints have been mentioned as a team to monitor with regards to trading up for an edge rusher, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who names Arvell Reese as a specific player to watch — should he make it past the Jets. The Cardinals have shown steady interest in trading down from No. 3, and Daniel Jeremiah’s final 2026 mock has Arizona dealing that pick to New Orleans and moving down five spots.
[RELATED: Saints Open To Trading Spencer Rattler?]
New Orleans traded its 2023 first-round pick in a package to move up for Chris Olave in 2022, doing so before making a second trade to climb up the board for Olave. Four years earlier, Loomis and Sean Payton traded their 2019 first-rounder to move back into Round 1 for Marcus Davenport. The team traded up for linebacker Stephone Anthony in the 2015 first round, doing so after already taking Andrus Peat.
The Saints climbed up (via the Cardinals) from No. 27 to No. 20 for Brandin Cooks in 2014. The Saints traded their 2012 first to the Patriots to select Mark Ingram in the 2011 first round, moved up three spots for defensive end Sedrick Ellis in 2008 and climbed up three spots for tackle Jammal Brown in 2005. Loomis’ first draft as GM (2003) involved another trade-up with the Cardinals, who slid down 11 spots to give the Saints access to D-tackle Johnathan Sullivan.
Not all of these moves worked out, certainly, with Sullivan and Anthony becoming busts quickly. But Loomis — who does not appear to be on the hot seat despite a five-year playoff drought — has not traded down in a first round. The Saints have been linked to a wide receiver in Round 1, being previously mentioned as the floor for Ohio State’s Carnell Tate at No. 8. But Olave’s likely extension may be influencing the NFC South club here. The Saints are more likely to address their receiver issue on Day 2, according to EssentiallySports.com’s Tony Pauline.
The team has told agents it did not want to overinvest at receiver this offseason, per Pauline. While a rookie contract would complement a $30MM-plus-AAV Olave accord, the Saints also may be leery of sacrificing other areas to add a No. 2 wideout. The position has long been mentioned as a target in this draft; it just may not happen until Round 2.
One of them may be edge rusher. The team has not re-signed Cameron Jordan and could use help opposite Chase Young, where longtime sidekick option Carl Granderson resides at age 29. Granderson is under contract for two more years, but the Saints’ annual restructure frenzy has his cap number set to climb from $9.47MM this year to $20.92MM in 2027.
Reese might not cost what a quarterback would in a trade-up scenario, but if he makes it past the Jets at No. 2, teams will be calling. That could be an opportunity for the Cardinals to move down, though they have been linked to Jeremiyah Love in recent days. The Jets may also be coming around on Reese at 2, though Jeremiah still has David Bailey going to New York there. It is not known if the Saints view Bailey — a more polished pass-rushing prospect than Reese, a hybrid LB — as worthy of a trade-up, but Loomis’ history advises fans to not rule out a climb up the board early.
OL Shane Lemieux Announces Retirement
Injuries regularly limited Shane Lemieux, who was unable to build on his rookie-year starter season as a Giant in 2020. After not seeing any game action last season, Lemieux announced (via LinkedIn) his retirement Wednesday.
Lemieux, 28, spent last season on the Seahawks’ practice squad after failing to make the Saints’ 53-man roster. New Orleans released Lemieux upon trimming its roster to 53 players last August, but he landed on the P-squad of an eventual Super Bowl-winning team a few weeks later. The 2024 Saints blocker played for Klint Kubiak and reunited with the OC in Seattle.
The Seahawks, however, placed Lemieux on their P-squad IR in October and did not remove him from that list. Lemieux technically remained a Seahawk for the rest of the season, but he was unable to contribute much. The team did not elevate him to its 53-man roster last season.
Chosen in Round 5 during Joe Judge‘s first offseason with the Giants, the Oregon alum made nine starts as a rookie. He replaced Will Hernandez after the latter landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list midseason and did not relinquish the job. Unfortunately for Lemieux, injuries slowed him henceforth.
Lemieux suffered a patellar tendon tear in Week 1 of the 2021 season; that injury sidelined him until mid-November 2022. The Giants activated Lemieux from IR in 2022 but only used him in one game (though, he did start that contest). Lemieux finished that season on IR. In 2023, Lemieux sustained groin and biceps injuries; the latter led him to IR after four games. The Saints signed Lemieux in April 2024 and used him as a four-game starter at center, with Erik McCoy hurt, after an IR activation. Lemieux started New Orleans’ final two games of the 2024 season, seeing action only at center that year.