With the calendar having flipped to September, the regular season has nearly arrived. The past seven days saw plenty of roster movement with roster cutdowns taking place, along with a number of developments with respect to contract situations being resolved before Week 1. In case you missed any of this week’s top stories, here is a quick recap:
- Lamb Signs Cowboys Extension: CeeDee Lamb held out of Cowboys training camp while negotiations on an extension took place. Dallas’ offers increased incrementally over time, and the sides ultimately reached agreement on a four-year deal. Lamb is now on the books through 2028 and he is attached to an AAV of $34MM, the second-highest mark for receivers. The All-Pro had a career year in 2023, delivering the most productive season from a Cowboys wideout in franchise history. That (coupled with the surging WR market) helped his bargaining power and produced a deal meeting his targeted terms. Dallas typically prefers longer extensions with in-house stars, but Lamb’s camp managed to secure favorable conditions regarding length and annual compensation (along with $100MM guaranteed), not moving off the $34MM mark during talks. Work still needs to be done on the Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons fronts, but the Cowboys have one major extension taken care of.
- Aiyuk Saga Ends With 49ers Extension: Not long after the Lamb deal was signed, Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers worked out the league’s next big-ticket receiver deal. The long-running saga concerning Aiyuk’s future ended with an extension averaging $30MM per season and including $76MM in total guarantees being worked out. A trade with the Steelers never came to pass, although recent signs pointed to that outcome being less likely than a San Francisco resolution. The Broncos’ denial of an offer which would have seen Courtland Sutton head to the Bay Area after an Aiyuk-to-Pittsburgh trade offers another layer of intrigue to a scenario which nevertheless produced the expected outcome. While Aiyuk is in place long term, the 49ers’ receiving corps received a considerable scare when first-round rookie Ricky Pearsall suffered a gunshot wound to the chest as the victim of an attempted robbery on Saturday. Pearsall, fortunately, has since been discharged from hospital.
- Dolphins Extend McDaniel: After two seasons at the helm of the Dolphins, Mike McDaniel landed an extension which will keep him in his head coaching post through 2028. The 41-year-old took over Miami’s staff in 2022 amidst high expectations based on his reputation as one of the league’s top up-and-coming offensive minds. He has helped quarterback Tua Tagovailoa develop, and the former first-rounder’s performance when heathy helped him earn the NFL’s fourth-most lucrative extension in terms of AAV this offseason. McDaniel’s Dolphins reached the playoffs in each of his two seasons on the sideline, bowing out in the wild-card round both times. Improvement in that regard will be targeted moving forward, but the team has made an early long-term investment banking on the chances of that taking place.
- Rams Deal Jones To Titans: Linebacker Ernest Jones served as a key contributor on the Rams’ defense over the past two years in particular. His production made him a logical extension candidate, but it became increasingly clear during a matter of days that no long-term deal would come from Los Angeles and that, as such, a trade could be worked out. The team spoke with interested suitors not long before a deal was worked out sending the 24-year-old to the Titans. The Rams attached a sixth-round pick to the trade, one which will see them receive a fifth-round selection in return. Jones – whose trade value was compromised by the fact he is a pending free agent – will step into a first-team role in Tennessee as he looks to duplicate his 2023 production. The South Carolina alum racked up 145 tackles and 4.5 sacks last year, both career highs. Another strong campaign could set him up for a lucrative deal next spring unless a Titans extension is worked out before that point.
- Wilson Tapped As Steelers’ Starter: Once Russell Wilson arrived in Pittsburgh, he was the favorite for the QB1 gig. Trade acquisition Justin Fields worked with the first-team offense for much of training camp while Wilson was injured, though, and the former Bears first-rounder had support in the building to earn the starter’s role. Instead, it will be Wilson, 35, atop the depth chart to begin the campaign. The former Seahawks Super Bowl winner’s time in Denver did not go according to plan, and as a pending free agent he has plenty to prove on his third career team. Fields is also on track to hit the open market next spring, so his performance (if he sees any game action) will be worth watching closely as well. Pittsburgh’s QB situation is unsettled beyond 2024, but for the time being the team will lean on its most experienced option under center.