5 Key Stories: 4/28/24 – 5/5/24

With the draft now in the rearview, most major roster-building moves around the league have taken place. A new wave of free agent signings is underway, though, and other key decisions were made in recent days. In case you missed any of the top developments from around the NFL over the past week, here is a quick recap:

• Chiefs Agree To Kelce Raise: Not long after lining up new deals for head coach Andy Reid, general manager Brett Veach and president Mark Donovan, the Chiefs hammered out a new agreement with tight end Travis Kelce. Originally reported as an extension, the deal is actually a raise which keeps the future Hall of Famer on the books for two more years. Kelce will receive $34.25MM across 2024 and 2025, with his compensation for the coming season ($17MM) guaranteed at signing. The revised pact moves the 34-year-old to the top of the pecking order in terms of annual earnings at the tight end position and ensures he will remain the focal point of Kansas City’s passing game for at least the near future. As the Chiefs pursue a third straight Super Bowl, Kelce will join defensive tackle Chris Jones in playing on a lucrative new pact.
• Patriots Extend Barmore: Over the past two years in particular, a number of ascending defensive tackles have landed sizable second contracts. Christian Barmore became the latest name on that list when he inked a four-year Patriots extension with a base value of $84MM. New England has been busy with respect to retaining players this offseason, and the team prevented a 2025 Barmore free agent departure by working out this deal. The 24-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign last season (8.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss) while logging a career-high defensive workload. The Patriots are banking on a continuation of that career development, although the structure of the contract’s guarantees (which includes $31.8MM locked in at signing) could allow them to cut bait in 2026. Still, this Barmore pact is the largest New England deal given to a player other than Tom Brady, so the team’s financial commitment is certainly a notable one.
• Cowboys, Elliott Reunite: In a move foreshadowed throughout the offseason, Ezekiel Elliott returned to the Cowboys on a one-year deal. The two-time rushing champion was released by Dallas last offseason, setting up a single campaign spent with the Patriots. Elliott posted career-worst figures on the ground in 2023, but he and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones have both expressed a belief he can still operate as a starter at this point in his career. Elliott, 28, is currently in line to shoulder a notable workload in the backfield as things stand. Dallas saw Tony Pollard depart in free agency, and the team’s only veteran addition prior to Elliott was Royce Freeman. To the surprise of many, the Cowboys did not select a running back during the draft, leaving plenty of carries available for Elliott and the team’s other incumbents. The former No. 4 pick will collect $2MM guaranteed and up to $3MM in 2024.
• Steelers Decline Harris’ 2025 Option: May 2 marked the deadline for teams to decide on the fifth-year options of 2021 first-rounders. That process brought about few surprises, but the Steelers elected not to exercise running back Najee Harris‘ 2025 option. Picking it up would have locked Harris into a guaranteed salary of $6.79MM next season, but he is now on track for free agency. Pittsburgh is reportedly open to negotiating a deal with the Alabama product, but his value will be greatly influenced by his 2024 performance. Harris has served as a workhorse back to date, topping 1,200 scrimmage yards in each of his three seasons. He has been less efficient in doing so than Jaylen Warren, however, and the latter is positioned to continue splitting carries this season in an offense set to feature the run heavily. It will be interesting to see how Harris’ value is affected as the campaign progresses.
• Goodell, Owners Open To 18-Game Season: Commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear he is open to adding an 18th contest to the NFL’s regular season. In the wake of him publicly backing a setup featuring just two preseason games to make up the difference (along with a Presidents Day weekend Super Bowl), a report indicated owners are in favor of such an adjustment. Expanding the schedule was a key negotiation point ahead of the 2021 CBA being hammered out; even though the agreement runs through 2030, efforts could be made to adopt the 18-game season well before it expires. Doing so would of course require concessions being made to the NFLPA, which has new leadership in place. The NFL has used a 17-game schedule for the past three seasons, but that could change in relatively short order if support increases for further expansion.