Lions’ Alim McNeill Back To Full Strength
Defensive injuries have become an ongoing trend during this mid-2020s Lions resurgence. While no position group has been spared here, Detroit entered last season limited at defensive tackle. Neither Alim McNeill nor Levi Onwuzurike were available, and the latter did not play at all in 2025.
McNeill, whose ACL tear was among the slew of injuries Detroit endured during its 15-2 2024 season, did not make his debut until Week 7 of last season. He joined Onwuzurike on the Lions’ reserve/PUP list to start the campaign. McNeill, whom the Lions extended two months before his injury in 2024, played 10 games last season but said he was not fully healthy. That has since changed.
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Describing himself as limited in his first season back from ACL rehab, McNeill said (via DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman) there is a “night and day” difference between then and now in terms of health. That is certainly welcome news for the Lions, who gave the former third-round pick a four-year, $97MM extension. The interior disruptor accompanies 2025 first-round pick Tyleik Williams as centerpieces of Detroit’s defensive line.
“Just being able to connect the mind and the body. Just my brain being able to know this leg is good and I can step and plant here,” McNeill said. “If you don’t have an inside rush, it doesn’t matter what you do. It’s what I’m here to do and what I’m going to do.”
McNeill, 26, finished last season with just one sack and two tackles for loss; the latter figure represented a career-low mark. McNeill had recorded at least six TFLs in each of the previous three seasons, combining for 19 from 2022-24. The high-priced D-lineman tallied just three quarterback hits; he combined for 24 over the previous three seasons. The Lions will be expecting a return to form in McNeill’s sixth season. His contract carries a full guarantee for 2026 and a $3MM guarantee in 2027.
McNeill heads up a Lions interior D-line corps that still includes Owuzurike, whose 2025 contract tolled due to him spending a full season on the team’s reserve/PUP list in a contract year (h/t Detroit Football’s Justin Rogers), to go with Williams, free agency addition Jay Tufele, third-year player Mekhi Wingo and sixth-round rookie Skyler Gill-Howard.
Bo Nix To Ramp Up Activity By Minicamp; Broncos To Keep Jonah Elliss At OLB
Bo Nix is not participating in Broncos OTAs, but his return timetable may be accelerated based on the last update. Sean Payton said at OTAs a Nix ramp-up in time for minicamp is likely to commence.
The third-year quarterback, who is recovering from a cleanup surgery that followed a January procedure on his ankle fracture, will have “more of a role” during the Broncos’ three-day minicamp. Denver’s mandatory minicamp will run from June 16-18.
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Some moderate concerns about Nix’s status emerged earlier this offseason, when it was revealed he needed a cleanup procedure following a medical evaluation. Initially, Nix was slated to return by OTAs; as it turned out, the QB needed more time.
A training camp return, at the very latest, is expected. But Payton’s update on his starter represents a good sign for the Broncos, who are set to return 10 offensive starters while adding Jaylen Waddle via trade. Nix and Waddle may be able to begin developing on-field chemistry this month.
Elsewhere at Broncos voluntary workouts, Payton may be ready for an about-face on Jonah Elliss‘ role. Operating as the Broncos’ third edge rusher during his first two seasons, Elliss was believed to be set for an extended look as an inside linebacker — where brothers Kaden (Saints) and Christian (Patriots) play. But Payton said (via the Denver Post’s Luca Evans) Elliss is “doing too well outside” for the team to move him. While the third-year linebacker may see time in an off-ball role at points, the EDGE position will remain his primary post.
The Broncos drafted Elliss in the 2024 third round, tabbing the Utah product — whose father (Luther) made a late-career Denver cameo in the 2000s — after a 12-sack 2023 season. Elliss, 23, registered five sacks as a rookie but just 2.5 in 13 games during an injury-shortened 2025. The Broncos had eyed an Elliss move to ILB to give more time to 2025 fourth-round pick Que Robinson, but it appears the second-year player will need to vie with the more experienced cog to play behind starters Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper.
The latter’s arrest Friday clouds Denver’s OLB outlook, as a suspension under the personal conduct policy could loom. Though, it is not certain Cooper will be suspended or that a league ruling would come down by season’s end.
Denver also returns its starting secondary, which looks to mean another backup role for 2025 first-round pick Jahdae Barron. The Texas product played just 30% of the Broncos’ defensive snaps as a rookie, working behind Patrick Surtain, Riley Moss and slot Ja’Quan McMillian. Barron battled McMillian for the slot job last summer, but Payton added (via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson) he would see more time on the outside ahead of his second season.
Both Moss and McMillian are in contract years, and although the Broncos have completed a host of extensions since 2024, they probably will not pay both players. Barron taking over for one in 2027 is logical.
The team placed a second-round RFA tender on McMillian and has used Moss as Surtain’s primary sidekick for the past two seasons. Barron may have a chance to unseat Moss, who has enjoyed quality stretches while being regularly targeted (and penalized) as teams avoid Surtain, or at least begin developing on the perimeter in the event the starter leaves as a 2027 free agent.
Vikings GM Nolan Teasley To Control 53-Man Roster
Vikings ownership signed off on a two-pronged front office setup, and with Kevin O’Connell sticking around after the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah firing, the fifth-year head coach will be expected to carry considerable influence as well.
Minnesota hired Seattle exec Nolan Teasley as GM but retained longtime front office presence Rob Brzezinski, who had been serving as interim GM since Adofo-Mensah’s late-January firing. Brzezinski is in place as executive VP of football operations, and while that is a lofty title, he will still check in below Teasley regarding organizational power.
Brzezinski will report to Teasley, Vikings owner Mark Wilf said (via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert). Teasley will also control the Vikings’ 53-man roster. However, Wilf confirmed both O’Connell and Teasley will report to ownership.
“He’s the general manager of the organization. He has final say on the roster, of the 53, but in the end, he’s going to lean heavily … on our head coach, obviously, and people like Rob Brzezinski in the building that have deep experience and skill sets that are complementary,” Wilf said of Teasley.
“… That’s the structure. That’s the way it is. [But] if it comes to structure, we’ve got a problem. The end result is making sure leaders collaborate, work together.”
With O’Connell and Teasley each reporting to ownership, Brzezinski profiles as more high-ranking lieutenant after the team’s decision not to hire him as its full-time GM. Brzezinski joined Teasley and three other assistant GMs — Terrance Gray (Bills), Reed Burckhardt (Broncos) and John McKay (Rams) — in receiving second interviews for the gig. McKay had worked with O’Connell previously in Los Angeles, while Burckhardt and Gray each spent more than a decade with the Vikings prior to joining their current teams. Teasley had no ties to the Vikes, but the team ensured some level of continuity by retaining Brzezinski — a Minnesota staffer since 1999.
O’Connell was “very involved” with the Vikings’ decision to hire Teasley, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said during a Pat McAfee Show appearance. We heard in April this would be the case, and O’Connell will certainly have a major voice in personnel decisions moving forward.
With Teasley in place atop the Vikes’ front office hierarchy, the Seahawks will receive two third-round picks due to the new hire’s status as a minority candidate. This comes after the NFL did not award the Bears two third-rounders for minority staffer Ian Cunningham‘s departure for the Falcons’ GM job. The league ruled Matt Ryan‘s presence as the top Atlanta football-side exec did not warrant the Bears receiving compensation, as Cunningham has effectively been deemed second-in-command with the Falcons.
Teasley, 42, comes over after 13 years with the Seahawks. He joined their front office ahead of the team’s Super Bowl XLVIII-winning season and bookended his Pacific Northwest stay by being John Schneider‘s top lieutenant when the 2025 Seahawks steamrolled to the Super Bowl LX title.
O’Connell’s influence expanded during his first four years at the helm, Seifert adds, noting the former NFL Coach of the Year is not expected to see his roster-building role scaled back after the Teasley hire. Ownership has certainly empowered the head coach in having him report to ownership. Several coaches have this power, though not all do. Wilf said in January the decision to fire Adofo-Mensah — who is now a 49ers exec — was 100% ownership-driven, attempting to absolve O’Connell there. He is far from the first HC to have influence in a GM hire, and the Vikings will hope a collaborative approach will help them turn the corner.
Seahawks, Derick Hall Agree To Extension
JUNE 5: Hall’s contract includes $15.27MM guaranteed at signing, according to OverTheCap. An additional $4.2MM will become fully guaranteed five days after Super Bowl LXI, per Spotrac. Another $1.5MM will lock in five days after Super Bowl LXII.
The Seahawks have used this structure in recent contracts, with Sam Darnold, Cooper Kupp and Ernest Jones earning early guarantees by remaining on Seattle’s roster this past February. The defending champs will use the February vesting plan for Hall as well.
JUNE 2: The Seahawks have managed to take care of another extension priority well before training camp. Edge rusher Derick Hall has a new deal in place.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports team and player have finalized a three-year extension. The pact has a base value of $42MM and can reach a maximum of $46.5MM. Hall is set to collect $21MM guaranteed. Instead of spending the coming season as a pending free agent, he will now be under team control through 2029.
The Super Bowl champions expectedly saw Boye Mafe depart in free agency this spring. Hall would have been in danger of doing the same one year later, but he will remain in Seattle for the foreseeable future. The Auburn product saw a drop in defensive usage in 2025, although a return to a starting gig may now be in store.
The No. 37 pick of the 2023 draft was part of the package sent by Denver to Seattle as part of the Russell Wilson blockbuster in 2022. The Seahawks found a number of key contributors to build around via that swap, and Hall – taken with that selection – was one of them. He managed limited production as a rookie while handling backup duties before taking a notable step forward in both playing time and output in 2024.
That year, Hall notched eight sacks, 29 pressures and a pair of forced fumbles. A long-term run near the top of Seattle’s EDGE depth chart seemed to be in store, but the signing of DeMarcus Lawrence gave the team even more options in the pass rush department. Lawrence wound up working as a full-time starter during his debut Seahawks campaign, with Uchenna Nwosu also serving as a regular on defense. Hall, like Mafe, was relegated to part-time defensive duties during the regular season (although he posted two sacks and a forced fumble in Super Bowl LX).
Lawrence and Nwosu are still under contract for Seattle. The team also added Dante Fowler last month on a one-year pact. No draft investments were made along the edge, so those three, along with Hall, will be counted on to play key roles on the Seahawks’ vaunted defense. Considering the terms of this commitment, Hall can be expected to handle a notable workload during his age-25 season and beyond.
With an average annual value of $14MM, this extension is the most lucrative one for Seattle pass rushers as things stand. That figure falls well short of the upper echelon of a market which reached $50MM annually earlier this offseason, though. As the Seahawks aim to repeat as Super Bowl champions, the team will hope to gain value on an extension which could prove to be quite team-friendly over time.
Seattle already worked out a monster extension with receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba this spring, while another lucrative pact for cornerback Devon Witherspoon looms. There is still plenty of work to be done in the latter’s case, but another long-term agreement has nevertheless been reached with a different member of the team’s defense with plenty of time to spare.
Cowboys, First-Rounder Malachi Lawrence Agree To Deal
The Cowboys have agreed to a deal with first-round edge defender Malachi Lawrence, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Lawrence’s four-year rookie contract will be worth $20.22MM, all of which is guaranteed.
The Cowboys took Lawrence 23rd overall, completing a two-pick opening round for a defense-needy team that added former Ohio State safety Caleb Downs at No. 11. Unlike the highly touted Downs, Lawrence was not seen as a clear-cut first-rounder for the entire pre-draft process. However, the UCF product’s stock began to soar in the weeks leading up to the draft. Lawrence met with at least 17 of the NFL’s 32 teams. Four other clubs targeted him in Round 1 before Dallas took him off the board, according to Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay
The 6-foot-4, 253-pound Lawrence spent four years at UCF, where he broke out as a sophomore in 2023. Lawrence racked up 10.5 tackles for loss and a personal-best 7.5 sacks in 13 games that season. His numbers dropped a bit during an 11-game 2024 (six TFL, five sacks), but he closed his college career with a first-team All-Big 12 selection last season. Over 12 games, Lawrence tallied 11 TFL and seven sacks.
Lawrence upped his stock considerably with a tremendous showing at the Combine, where he ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash. He checked in second among edge defenders at the Combine in 40 time, 10-yard split, vertical jump and broad jump. The Cowboys (and other teams, judging by the vast interest in Lawrence) expect his athleticism to pay off in the NFL.
After trading all-world edge defender Micah Parsons to the Packers last August, the Cowboys tied for 26th in sacks (35) during a disastrous year for their defense. Journeyman Jadeveon Clowney led the team with 8.5 sacks, but the Cowboys did not re-sign him or fellow veteran pass rusher Dante Fowler in free agency. While Clowney is still on the open market, he may not be a fit in new coordinator Christian Parker‘s defense. Barring a Clowney re-signing or another outside pickup, the Cowboys will enter the year with Lawrence, trade acquisition Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, James Houston and Sam Williams as their top options along the edge.
While Lawrence hasn’t officially signed yet, the Cowboys will have their entire rookie class under contract when he puts pen to paper. Here is a refresher on the seven-player group:
- Round 1, No. 11 (from Dolphins): Caleb Downs (S, Ohio State) (signed)
- Round 1, No. 23 (from Eagles): Malachi Lawrence (EDGE, Central Florida)
- Round 3, No. 92 (from 49ers): Jaishawn Barham (EDGE, Michigan) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 112: Drew Shelton (T, Penn State) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 114 (from Falcons via Eagles): Devin Moore (CB, Florida) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 137 (from Eagles)*: LT Overton (EDGE, Alabama) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 218 (from Titans): Anthony Smith (WR, East Carolina) (signed)
Bears To Sign First-Rounder Dillon Thieneman, Second-Rounder Logan Jones
The Bears have agreed to a deal with first-round safety Dillon Thieneman, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. As the 25th overall pick, Thieneman will sign a fully guaranteed contract worth $19.51MM over four years.
Chicago has also come to terms with second-round center Logan Jones, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Jones was the 57th overall selection, which carries an approximate value of $8.47MM. It is likely he will receive a good chunk of guaranteed money.
Thieneman, who divided his three-year college career between Purdue and Oregon, entered the draft trailing Ohio State’s Caleb Downs as the second-rated safety on the board. Downs went 11th overall to the Cowboys. It was somewhat surprising Thieneman was still available 14 picks later for the Bears, who are expecting his excellence in college to transfer to the pros. The 6-foot, 201-pounder made 106 tackles and intercepted six passes as a freshman with the Boilermakers in 2023 en route to third-team All-America honors. Last year, his lone season at Oregon, he was named a first-team All-American after making 96 tackles and pulling in two picks.
The NFC North champion Bears deployed starting safeties Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard on over 99% of defensive snaps in 2025, but both players exited in free agency. They partially replaced those two with former Seahawk Coby Bryant, who moved to Chicago on a three-year, $40MM contract. Thieneman and Bryant are now positioned to serve as the Bears’ safety duo for at least the next few seasons.
Jones played his college ball at Iowa, which is known for churning out quality offensive linemen. That includes the game’s best center, the Raiders’ Tyler Linderbaum, whom Jones succeeded in 2022. While Jones had a tough act to follow, the former defensive tackle ended up a four-year starter in the middle of the Hawkeyes’ O-line. He earned three All-Big Ten selections during that span, and he was at his best in 2025. The 6-3, 299-pounder was a unanimous All-American who won the Rimington Trophy, which is given to the nation’s best center. Linderbaum also took home the Rimington Trophy in his last year at Iowa.
After the abrupt retirement of starting center Drew Dalman, the Bears acquired Garrett Bradbury from the Patriots in early March. Bradbury may start in 2026, but he is on track to become a free agent next offseason. So, even if Bradbury wins the job this summer, Jones could take over as the Bears’ No. 1 center by 2027.
With Thieneman and Jones set to put pen to paper, the Bears will soon have just one unsigned pick: third-round tight end Sam Roush. Here is their full class…
- Round 1, No. 25: Dillon Thieneman (S, Oregon) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 57: Logan Jones (C, Iowa) (signed)
- Round 3, No. 69 (from Giants via Texans, Bills and Titans): Sam Roush (TE, Stanford)
- Round 3, No. 89: Zavion Thomas (WR, LSU) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 124 (from Jaguars via Panthers): Malik Muhammad (CB, Texas) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 166 (from 49ers via Eagles and Panthers): Keyshaun Elliott (LB, Arizona State) (signed)
- Round 6, No. 213 (from Seahawks via Jaguars, Lions and Bills): Jordan Van Den Berg (DT, Georgia Tech) (signed)
Lions Unsure If S Kerby Joseph Will Be Ready For Week 1
The Lions are a little over three months away from kicking off their season against the Saints on Sept. 13. It is unclear if standout safety Kerby Joseph, who is managing a degenerative knee condition, will be ready by then (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).
Asked Thursday if Joseph will be on the field in Week 1, head coach Dan Campbell said, “Honestly, we probably won’t know until we get into the thick of training camp.”
Joseph, a third-round pick in 2022, did enough over his first three seasons to earn a massive extension. Coming off a first-team All-Pro campaign in which he pulled in an NFL-leading nine interceptions, he inked a four-year, $86MM deal in April 2025. The agreement briefly made the 25-year-old the league’s highest-paid safety (the Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton surpassed him last August).
After the Lions made a huge long-term commitment to Joseph, it was clear they expected him and Brian Branch to continue forming an elite safety duo for at least a couple of more years. Unfortunately for Detroit, injuries foiled those plans for most of 2025. Joseph’s knee limited him to six games, and his last appearance came in an Oct. 12 loss to the Chiefs. Branch, meanwhile, missed five games (one because of a suspension) and tore his Achilles in a Week 14 win over the Cowboys on Dec. 4. Thanks in part to their absences, the Lions went a middling 9-8 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
Because Branch suffered his Achilles tear late last season, he is not expected to be ready for the start of camp in late July. It is up in the air whether Joseph will still be sidelined then, though Campbell said the defender has “done everything he can do to this point” during the rehab process.
With Joseph and Branch on the mend from major injuries, the Lions added veteran safeties Christian Izien and Chuck Clark on modest free agent deals earlier in the offseason. Those two have worked with the first-team defense in OTAs this spring, per Birkett, and could be in for big roles if one or both of the Lions’ starters are still on the shelf in September.
Steelers Will Not Trade T.J. Watt In 2026, Likely To Retain Alex Highsmith
Developing their share of rush linebackers going back to the Greg Lloyd/Chad Brown days, the Steelers have produced a long string of talent at this position. Nick Herbig is Pittsburgh’s latest OLB success story, and despite a history as a part-time starter, the former fourth-round pick received an eye-opening extension this week.
The Steelers gave Herbig a four-year, $100MM extension, one that matches the deal Odafe Oweh received from the Commanders in March. Herbig, 24, is now signed through the 2030 season. His signing has generated obvious questions about the long-term statuses of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
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Teams do not make a habit of carrying three lucrative edge rusher contracts on payrolls. As our Connor Byrne noted when discussing the Herbig extension Tuesday, the Steelers are spending a combined $84MM in AAV at edge rusher. Only the Texans ($96MM) outpace them, and Houston just authorized a record-smashing $50MM-per-year payday for Will Anderson Jr. and another extension for Danielle Hunter. Both those players have every-down roles in Houston, whereas Pittsburgh’s outlook is historically unusual.
While the Steelers once rostered All-Pros Lloyd, Brown, Jason Gildon and Hall of Famer Kevin Greene at once (1994-95), Brown and Gildon were developing on rookie contracts behind the lead ‘backers before Greene’s 1996 free agency exit; Brown then left as a 1997 FA. Highsmith also overlapped with Bud Dupree‘s franchise-tag year (2020), but the Steelers gave the younger player a key promotion a year later.
No other team is even carrying three edge rushers beyond $11MM — the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby–Kwity Paye–Malcolm Koonce trio that certainly was not designed to play together (due to the Ravens’ scrapped agreement to acquire Crosby) — the Steelers have Watt on a $41MM-AAV extension and Highsmith at $17MM per year. Highsmith is signed through the 2027 season, Watt through 2028.
Even with Herbig’s extension inviting speculation about Pittsburgh offloading one of its more experienced vets, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport said during a Pat McAfee Show appearance the team is expected to keep all three on its roster in 2026. Watt will not be traded, Rapoport said definitively, and Highsmith will be expected to be part of his seventh Steelers roster. After 2026, the Steelers likely have a decision to make. The Browns just traded Myles Garrett to presumably help in their pursuit of a long-term quarterback answer; Watt or Highsmith would serve as Steelers aid if/when one of them is dealt.
Re-signed before the Ravens backed out of their Crosby trade agreement, Koonce is also on a one-year deal. His $11MM AAV came into the week as the NFL’s highest as far as No. 3 edge rushers go. The Commanders also have Dorance Armstrong on a three-year, $30MM deal — one that sits behind, in terms of AAV, Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson — in third place among edge rushers on their payroll. The Seahawks just extended Derick Hall to go with DeMarcus Lawrence ($10.8MM per year) and Uchenna Nwosu ($9.8MM AAV). The Steelers carrying Watt’s upper-crust contract and now two other lucrative deals separates this situation from those and just about any other EDGE setup before it.
Herbig’s cap numbers are not yet known, but Steelers deals are typically clean. It should be expected Herbig will have a lower cap figure in 2026 before the extension bumps up his 2027 number. While that will seemingly make a move likely before the 2027 season, Herbig’s lower cap hit this year points to the Steelers (per McAfee staffer Mark Kaboly) dealing with that problem after the season and keeping the Watt-Highsmith-Herbig troika together for another year.
Highsmith, 29 in August, came up in trade rumors just before the draft. But those were quickly squashed. Coming off a 9.5-sack season, Highsmith is on a team-friendly contract that does not include any remaining guarantees. Watt’s three-year, $123MM extension contains fully guaranteed money in 2026 and ’27. The future Hall of Famer hopes to play several more seasons.
Watt, 31, managed just seven sacks in 14 games last season. But labeling him a declining player seems premature. He joins Cameron Heyward as Steelers front-seven cornerstones, with Herbig’s contract elevating him to such status as well.
No member of the trio has logged more than 10 snaps (per Pro Football Focus) as an inside D-lineman in a season. Watt did say (via Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams) he expects to move around in Patrick Graham‘s defense, but it remains to be seen if the Steelers will find ways to have all three well-paid rushers on the field together. This looks to be a 2026-only problem, and teams will likely be calling about Highsmith and Watt before 2027. For now, the Steelers have one of the NFL’s more interesting positional plans thanks to Herbig’s extension.
Pro Football Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 6/4/26
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Rams Rework Myles Garrett’s Contract
Myles Garrett became the rare edge rusher to change teams in a trade involving a first-round pick and not receive an immediate extension. As our most recent Trade Rumors Front Office piece detailed, Garrett is set to be first EDGE to be traded for a future first — excluding pick-for-pick trades — this century and not receive an extension.
We learned following the trade the Rams were not planning an immediate pay bump for the future Hall of Famer, but the sides have agreed to rework the contract the Browns designed last March. The Rams and Garrett agreed on an adjusted deal Thursday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports. While this can be framed as a five-year, $204MM agreement, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes it does not provide a raise or add any years to his Cleveland agreement.
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Garrett signed a four-year, $160MM Browns extension nearly 15 months ago. Because two seasons were left on his first Browns extension — a five-year, $125MM pact agreed to in summer 2020 — his current deal runs through 2030.
Garrett set a single-season sack record in 2025, proving he remains probably the game’s premier edge rusher and one of the NFL’s best overall players, and his Browns re-up triggered a sea change on the EDGE market. T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, Aidan Hutchinson and Will Anderson Jr. have leapfrogged Garrett’s $40MM-per-year deal in terms of AAV. Anderson moved the bar to $50MM per year in April.
But the Garrett trade was more about a team resetting and cashing in on its top asset to accelerate a rebuild, as opposed to most high-profile trades at this position. Of the seven other 21st-century instances of edge rushers being dealt for packages involving a first-rounder — for Parsons, Bradley Chubb, Frank Clark, Khalil Mack, Jared Allen, John Abraham, Kevin Carter — all involved immediate raises. So did three recent deals involving a second-rounder being swapped for an edge defender (Brian Burns, Montez Sweat, Dee Ford). The Rams having an opportunity to acquire Garrett without needing to authorize a top-market extension created even more value for the Browns in this trade, which sent Jared Verse and three draft choices (including a 2027 first-rounder) to Cleveland.
The rework will increase Garrett’s 2026 pay from $31.5MM to $37MM, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds. Like they did with Matthew Stafford in 2024, the Rams are moving money from future years into the current campaign. The Thursday adjustment also moves option bonuses to signing bonuses in some cases, per Fowler.
Garrett’s Browns deal already contained $41.7MM in 2027 guarantees. Today’s agreement, which includes $37MM guaranteed at signing, will reduce Garrett’s 2027 guarantees by $10.7MM but increase the 2028 guarantees by $7.2MM, Florio notes.
By 2027, Garrett will see a total of $62MM in injury guarantees vest, Florio adds. That makes this an appealing package for both team and player, as a two-time Defensive Player of the Year is still attached to the league’s fifth-most-lucrative EDGE AAV and said player will see a mammoth guarantee come his way next year.
This amounts to a three-year deal with two team options, with the Rams keeping Browns terms for the nonguaranteed 2029 and 2030 years; Garrett will be due an $8MM roster bonus in March 2029 and March 2030. The cap numbers will be important to observe on this rework, as the Rams have surely adjusted the contract to help in that regard.
The Rams entered Thursday with $18.29MM in cap space. Although Los Angeles moved off Verse, it has a host of extension-eligible young players. The 2023 draft brought Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, Kobie Turner, Byron Young and Warren McClendon to L.A. Nacua is believed to be the top priority, but the Rams have not executed any extensions for that draft class yet. The team did give Stafford a one-year, $55MM extension. More deals should be expected.
It will be interesting to see if Garrett pushes for a true raise soon. The Rams have shown in the past — via their bumps for Donald and Cooper Kupp in 2022 — they are willing to reward cornerstone players with multiple seasons remaining on contracts. Garrett’s camp forcing the issue in the future would not surprise, but the trove of guaranteed money vesting next year should satisfy the superstar defender for the foreseeable future.