HEADLINES

OL David Bakhtiari Aiming To Play Another Couple Of Years

June 18th, 2024 at 5:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Despite being limited to only 13 games over the past three seasons, David Bakhtiari believes he can still play a few more years. During an appearance on The Adam Schefter Podcast, Bakhtiari said he was “really happy” with his recovery from November knee surgery and can still contribute in 2024.

[RELATED: OL David Bakhtiari Receives Positive Health Update]

“A lot of other people wanted me to just kind of grit through it, but no one experiences what you truly experience,” Bakhtiari said (via ESPN). “Look, I’ve been gritting through it for three years. I’m in constant pain. I’m so happy now to be on the other side of it and get the actual surgery that I needed because my knee was not in a good place.”

Since tearing his ACL late in the 2020 campaign, the offensive lineman has undergone five knee surgeries. His most-recent operation followed a one-game outing with the Packers in 2023. Despite his lack of availability over the past few years, the free agent said he’s received interest from teams this offseason. The 32-year-old said he still has to overcome a handful of hurdles before he can return to the field, and he estimated that he could sign with a team at some point between the start of training camp and the start of the regular season.

“My goal right now is just to make sure that I not only fully recover but I can withstand and play the game that I want to play but also play and be there for a team no matter what,” Bakhtiari said. “I’m not a reliever guy, I am your cornerstone guy. Someone that’s not only going to play in September but in December and into February and obviously hopefully for another couple of years.”

The long-time Packers lineman was cut by the organization back in March. The former fourth-round pick got into 131 games across his 11 seasons with the organization, earning five-straight All-Pro nods. Unfortunately, his last three-plus seasons have been defined by his absences. His 2020 campaign ended early thanks to that aforementioned ACL tear, and he returned for only one game in 2021. He managed to play in 11 games during his comeback season in 2022, but he only got into one game this past year before undergoing season-ending knee surgery.

Considering his connection to Green Bay and former QB Aaron Rodgers, both the Packers and Jets have been mentioned as potential suitors. However, Bakhtiari told Schefter that he isn’t anticipating joining either squad. The lineman specifically pointed to the Jets’ offseason acquisitions of veterans Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses and first-round rookie Olu Fashanu.

Bears Committed To Tyson Bagent As Backup Quarterback

June 18th, 2024 at 3:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tyson Bagent made the rare climb from the Division II level to seeing rookie-year starts as a quarterback. Although the Bears have changed offensive play-callers since Bagent’s cameo in relief of Justin Fields, they remain committed to the former UDFA.

Chicago certainly changed up its QB room this offseason by making the unsurprising move to draft Caleb Williams first overall. The team added Brett Rypien, who is now entering his sixth NFL season. The Rypien move is not expected to affect Bagent’s status, with The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain noting there does not appear to be a competition for the Bears’ QB2 post (subscription required). As the only Bears QB returning from 2023, Bagent should not expect a change to his role.

Rypien could settle in as Chicago’s emergency third QB. Another tweak to the NFL’s rule involving emergency passers will allow teams to stash their emergency option on the practice squad and elevate that player continually. Teams will not need to pass their QB3s through waivers. Waivers would not apply to Rypien, who is a vested veteran, but the Bears would take a risk if they kept Rypien and exposed Bagent to waivers come August. But based on how the Bears structured their reps during their offseason program, Fishbain points to a clear Williams-Bagent-Rypien hierarchy — with Rypien on the practice squad as the emergency QB — being in place.

Bagent beat out both P.J. Walker and Nathan Peterman to be Fields’ top backup last year. His early work, as could be expected, featured some stumbles. While Bagent averaged only six yards per attempt and closed his four-game starter offering with three touchdown passes and six interceptions, the Bears did win two games with the Shepherd alum at the controls. Bagent also completed 65.7% of his passes, though he has been tasked with developing in new OC Shane Waldron‘s system.

Chicago added Rypien on a one-year, $1.1MM deal that includes no guaranteed money. The former Broncos backup spent the 2023 season with three teams. The Rams waived him after a rough start in Green Bay, and he made his way to the Seahawks’ practice squad — under then-Seattle OC Waldron — before the QB-needy Jets plucked him for their 53-man roster to close the season.

The Bears are currently carrying four QBs on their 90-man offseason roster. Rookie UDFA Austin Reed represents the least experienced option; he appears to be vying for a P-squad gig. The 16-man taxi squad era (since 2020) has given teams more flexibility, but even with the expanded P-squads and the recently reimplemented emergency-QB rule, carrying four passers has not been standard practice. Reed and Rypien may well be competing for one spot.

Reed spent the past two seasons as Western Kentucky’s starter, taking over for Bailey Zappe in the Hilltoppers’ pass-happy system. Reed’s numbers did not match Zappe’s record-setting 2021 slate — though, he did throw 71 TD passes from 2022-23 — but he did enough to convince the Bears to add him post-draft. It would still be a stretch for the Bears to use two young UDFAs as Williams’ backups; Rypien’s experience would stand to benefit him given the current Chicago QB room’s makeup.

Bagent can be retained on a rookie deal, through the ERFA and RFA channels, through 2026. The Bears could form a steady QB1-QB2 arrangement for a few years, should the second-year player keep impressing as the backup arm. Training camp represents Bagent’s next window to do so, but barring a significant step back, it appears the backup gig is his to lose.

Cowboys Sign CB Gareon Conley, LB Willie Harvey Jr.

June 18th, 2024 at 2:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

The UFL’s first season is complete, and teams can now officially sign players who took part in the merged league. The Cowboys are among those who will do so, and their effort will bring a former first-round pick back into the NFL.

Gareon Conley is signing with the Cowboys, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins. This comes after the team worked out the former Raiders first-rounder last week. The Cowboys are also adding UFL linebacker Willie Harvey, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. Harvey also auditioned for Dallas at its minicamp as well.

For Conley, this will be a path back to the NFL after a lengthy hiatus. Conley was last in the league as a Texan in 2020; he has not seen game action since 2019. The Cowboys have since announced the signing, which will reunite Conley with Paul Guenther. The new Dallas assistant served as Oakland’s DC from 2018-19. The Raiders drafted Conley in the 2017 first round and used him as a starter during the 2018 and ’19 slates, trading him to the Texans midway through the ’19 season. Guenther is the Cowboys’ run-game coordinator on defense.

Dallas worked out both Conley and ex-Giants first-rounder Deandre Baker. Both played for the D.C. Defenders during this UFL season. Conley, who will turn 29 later this month, intercepted two passes this season. Despite Baker earning All-UFL acclaim, he has not landed an NFL gig yet. As Conley earned a CB spot, Watkins adds no Baker deal is expected.

Part of a lengthy line of Ohio State first-round corners, Conley saw an injury interrupt his progress. He played in just two games as a rookie but received a long look during Jon Gruden‘s early seasons at the helm. The Raiders used Conley as a 20-game starter from 2018-19. Pro Football Focus assigned the 6-foot cover man mid-pack grades from 2018-19; he finished the ’19 season — after the Raiders and Texans agreed on a trade involving a third-round pick going to Houston — as a starting CB for a playoff team. Conley, who intercepted three passes in 2018, closed the ’19 season as a full-time Texans starter who worked with the first-stringers in both Houston playoff tilts that year. Conley missed the 2020 season due to a nagging ankle injury and fell off the NFL radar soon after.

This certainly represents an interesting comeback opportunity, seeing as it has now been more than four years since Conley last logged NFL game action. But the Cowboys have shown an eye for talent out of the spring leagues in recent years, having found Pro Bowlers Brandon Aubrey and KaVontae Turpin via the USFL.

The Cowboys are planning to use a Trevon Diggs–DaRon Bland–Jourdan Lewis trio atop their CB depth chart, and the team has some recent draftees — former third-rounder Nahshon Wright and recent Day 3 investments Eric Scott Jr. and Caelen Carson — as backup options. Veteran C.J. Goodwin, 34, remains on Dallas’ roster as well. While teams can stash more vested vets on practice squads compared to the setup when Conley last played, his age would complicate that route. Still, Dallas will give the former top prospect an opportunity to make an unexpected return.

Several teams showed interest in Harvey, per Pelissero, but the Cowboys workout will lead the UFL linebacker to the NFC East. Harvey, who led UFL LBs in tackles (76) while tallying four sacks, last played as a Browns reserve in 2021. Harvey, 28, played four NFL games after entering the league as a UDFA out of Iowa State in 2019.

Steelers To Waive WR Denzel Mims

June 18th, 2024 at 1:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

After residing on the trade block for multiple seasons, Denzel Mims eventually made his way to Pittsburgh after his initial 2023 relocation — from New York to Detroit — did not pan out. The Steelers are now moving on from the former second-round pick.

Adding Mims to their practice squad in early October, the Steelers rostered the 2020 draftee for the season’s remainder and gave him a reserve/futures deal in January. Eight-plus months after Mims’ Pennsylvania arrival, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes the Steelers are moving on. The team will waive the fifth-year veteran Tuesday.

The Steelers had given Mims another developmental opportunity of sorts, not elevating him from their P-squad for any games last season. Mims then received a mid-January invitation to stick around for the 2024 offseason. While the Steelers have some major questions at wide receiver beyond George Pickens, they appear to have determined Mims will not be part of the post-Diontae Johnson solution.

In addition to the Johnson trade, the Steelers released the underperforming Allen Robinson earlier this offseason. The team did not add a surefire starter in free agency, with Quez Watkins and Van Jefferson coming closest to matching that description, but did use a third-round pick on Washington’s Roman Wilson. The Steelers’ extensive track record for developing Day 2 wide receiver draftees speaks for itself, but if Wilson is not ready to go early, the team has some questions alongside Pickens.

Mims, 26, was unlikely to be a major factor in Pittsburgh’s effort to assemble a new batch of Pickens complements. He could not land a regular role with the Jets and continued to wind up in trade rumors. Mims did amass 357 receiving yards as a rookie, but his 2021 and ’22 seasons did not combine to match that total. After the Jets dealt the Baylor product to the Lions in a pick-swap deal involving 2025 sixth- and seventh-rounders, the sixth the Jets were to receive did not end up conveying due to Mims failing to make Detroit’s active roster. The Lions reached an injury settlement with Mims after placing him on IR in August, paving his way to Pittsburgh.

Two of the Steelers’ WR candidates — Jefferson and Scotty Miller — followed new OC Arthur Smith from Atlanta, while Mims arrived during Matt Canada‘s final days with the club. The Steelers gave Mims the futures deal before hiring Smith. Mims is obviously running out of chances, though it would not be shocking if the 6-foot-3 target secured a chance with another team before or during training camp.

Giants’ Evan Neal To Return At Training Camp; Joshua Ezeudu In Place As Swing Tackle

June 18th, 2024 at 1:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Evan Neal‘s performance to date has not come especially close to justifying his No. 7 overall draft slot, and the young tackle ran into a significant injury issue midway through his second season. Although Neal went down in early November, the Giants kept him off the practice field throughout their offseason program.

The 2022 draftee suffered what was believed to be a sprained ankle in Week 9 — the same day Daniel Jones‘ ACL tear occurred — but follow-up testing became necessary after the Alabama alum was not healing as expected. The additional testing revealed a broken foot that required surgery. The Giants have slow-played Neal’s comeback, but Brian Daboll confirmed (via the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard) he will be back at practice during training camp.

Big Blue added multiple starter-level pieces up front, along with a host of potential depth options this offseason. Jermaine Eluemunor, the Raiders’ primary right tackle over the past two seasons, is in place as the team’s first-string left guard. Eluemunor said (via Leonard) he can slide to right tackle if necessary but confirmed he is preparing for his first Giants season by working solely at guard.

The prospect of Eluemunor working at guard, opposite $10MM-per-year free agent Jon Runyan Jr., emerged several weeks ago. Despite most of the veteran’s starting experience coming at right tackle, Leonard adds the Giants kept Eluemunor at left guard throughout their offseason program. Third-year blocker Joshua Ezeudu, who was part of the Giants’ guard competition last year, appears in line for the team’s swing role behind starters Neal and Andrew Thomas.

Injuries to Thomas and Matt Peart early last season prompted the Giants to kick Ezeudu — a 2022 third-round pick — to left tackle. That effort did not go well. Pro Football Focus charged the North Carolina alum with five sacks allowed despite playing on just 266 snaps. Ezeudu was also lost for the season midway through, sustaining a toe injury in Week 6. The Giants expected Ezeudu would win one of their guard competitions during training camp last year. After he failed to do so before going down with the toe injury, two UFA additions are in place at guard. Peart has since signed with the Broncos.

Eluemunor would seem a more stable option as a swing tackle, though that route would require New York to plug someone else in at guard. Although the team did not re-sign starter Ben Bredeson or the injury-prone Shane Lemieux, it did add ex-Buccaneers spot starter Aaron Stinnie and swingman Austin Schlottmann in free agency. Ex-Lion Matt Nelson and former Falcons guard starter Jalen Mayfield, given a reserve/futures deal in January, are also set to vie for backup roles in training camp.

Of course, the Giants will hope none of these RT contingency plans will be necessary. They have seen a top-10 tackle pick (Ereck Flowers) fail to impress in the not-so-distant past; Neal following suit would be a blow for the Joe Schoen regime. PFF, though, slotted Neal 80th among tackle regulars in both of his two NFL seasons.

As Neal attempts to complete his recovery from the foot fracture, he will certainly need to show improved form to stay on track as a starter.

Latest On Raiders’ RB Situation

June 18th, 2024 at 12:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

Josh Jacobs is no longer in place for the Raiders, meaning the team’s backfield will look different in 2024. After the former first-rounder departed without any negotiations on a re-signing, Zamir White is on track to handle lead back duties.

The latter showed promise last season, his second in the NFL. White racked up 451 rushing yards, many of which came during a four-week stretch to close out the campaign in which Jacobs was sidelined through injury. The 24-year-old should be expected to shoulder by far the heaviest workload of his career in 2024, although free agent Alexander Mattison represents an experienced competitor for carries.

“Just because [White has] got the job now, that doesn’t mean it can’t be taken,” head coach Antonio Pierce confirmed, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic (subscription required). “Alex Mattison is a really good football player, and that’s how I’m going to keep going about our team… So Zamir understands that – don’t get comfortable. And I think he’s done a really good job with that.”

Mattison spent his first five NFL seasons in Minnesota, generally serving as Dalvin Cook‘s backup. The Vikings’ decision to move on from the four-time Pro Bowler last offseason left the door open to Mattison seeing increased usage. He logged a career-high in carries (180) and rushing yards (700), but his efficiency of 3.9 yards per attempt and lack of rushing scores led to Minnesota moving on. Mattison, 25, inked a one-year, $2MM pact in March as he aims to rebuild his value.

A report from last month confirmed the White-Mattison arrangement was the Raiders’ plan at the running back spot, and veteran Ameer Abdullah is in place as a special teams mainstay. As Tafur notes, though, Vegas could be in the market for another addition during training camp or as part of roster cutdowns. With White on his rookie pact and the team having elected not to retain Jacobs on a lucrative deal, the position does not feature a pricey commitment at this time.

To no surprise, several veterans are still unsigned during the period between offseason programs ending and training camps beginning. Cook, Kareem Hunt and Cam Akers are among the backs who are on the market and who should be available for a low price in the summer. Vegas has over $34MM in cap space, although splashy signings through the remainder of the 2024 offseason should not be expected. Plenty will of course depend on the outcome of the competition between White and Mattison once camp opens next month.

Cowboys Aiming To Finalize Dak Prescott Extension Before CeeDee Lamb?

June 17th, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

With minicamp now in the books, the period leading up to Cowboys’ training camp will be dominated by progress on extension talks for Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons. The latter is under contract for two more years, so he is not as pressing of a financial priority this summer.

Prescott has firmly remained in Dallas’ plans beyond the 2024 campaign, one in which he is set to carry a cap hit of $55.13MM. With no-tag and no-trade clauses in his deal, last season’s MVP runner-up has plenty of leverage in a potential bid to reach the top of the quarterback market. A report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler earlier this month indicated the Cowboys are set to make a “strong offer” to keep Prescott in the fold.

To little surprise, that has placed the 30-year-old at the top of the pecking order in terms of lucrative Dallas extensions. Fowler noted in a recent SportsCenter appearance that the Cowboys want to work out the Prescott accord before those of Lamb and Parsons (video link). Such an approach would come as little surprise, considering the respective cap situations of the three players and the nature of the quarterback (as opposed to receiver and edge rush) markets.

Prescott is a candidate to set a new standard in terms of annual average compensation on his next deal; both Joe Burrow (Bengals) and Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars) are currently at $55MM in that regard. The former fourth-rounder has publicly stated that his latest round of negotiations will not be as centered on finances as the last one, and the extent to which that holds true will be a key factor in this process. As Fowler confirms, the Cowboys have not yet aggressively engaged in extension talks with Prescott.

If that continues for the time being, Lamb will be left to wait for serious negotiations of his own. The three-time Pro Bowler did not take part in OTAs or mandatory minicamp as he continues to seek out an extension. Lamb has seen Justin Jefferson reset the top of the receiver market with his $35MM-per-year Vikings pact, and his own value could be similar. Given the surge in lucrative receiver pacts signed by other top producers at the position recently, Lamb will have significant leverage after any potential Prescott deal is hammered out.

Of course, new agreements for either member of that pair will have to be made with Parsons in mind as well. Under contract in 2025 via his fifth-year option, Parsons is aiming to usurp Jefferson as the league’s top paid non-quarterback. The resources Dallas has available to meet that goal (likely next offseason) will largely depend on the progress made with Prescott and Lamb – in that order – during the near future.

49ers, WR Brandon Aiyuk At Standstill

June 17th, 2024 at 10:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Now in the NFL’s quiet period between minicamp and training camp, a few wide receiver situations move toward center stage. The Cowboys have not extended CeeDee Lamb, while Tee Higgins is the last remaining player on a franchise tag. The Broncos and Courtland Sutton have not reached a resolution, and the Browns are working on resolving their Amari Cooper situation.

While our most recent Trade Rumors Front Office piece touched on the complications the Cowboys’ situation could bring for a Lamb deal, the 49ers have interesting terrain to navigate as well. They want Brandon Aiyuk around beyond 2024, but as of now, they are not readying to pay the new market rate at this position.

[RELATED: 49ers Sought Mid-First-Round Pick For Aiyuk]

San Francisco and Aiyuk have seen negotiations stall, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said during a SportsCenter appearance. The 49ers’ desire to extend Aiyuk has not prompted them to go toward the places this new market is covering, Fowler adds. It is not known how far apart team and player are here, but Aiyuk did not attend minicamp and has now lobbed a salvo at club management.

During a video call with ex-Arizona State teammate Jayden Daniels, Aiyuk said (via the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman) the 49ers “They said they don’t want me back, I swear.” This certainly runs counter to the messaging coming out of San Francisco this offseason, and The Athletic’s David Lombardi notes (subscription required) this can be interpreted as the team not wanting Aiyuk back at the price he is seeking. Social media-driven actions — scrubbing team content from pages, Deebo Samuel sharing 49ers negotiating details, Von Miller cropping John Elway out of a White House lawn photo — have been increasingly common for players in contract squabbles. They largely prove as footnotes in the grand scheme, however.

Aiyuk is tied to a manageable fifth-year option salary ($14.12MM). The 49ers do not have to act this year, though the cost may well rise the longer the team waits. The ebbs and flows of this negotiation, numbers-wise, are not known. But it is fair to believe Aiyuk’s asking price has risen since the run of WR deals came to pass this offseason. An extension north of Amon-Ra St. Brown‘s four-year, $120.01MM Lions extension came up from Aiyuk’s camp. As it stands, the 49ers do not appear to want this negotiation to end there.

Aiyuk, 26, may make more sense as a long-term investment compared to Samuel. Aiyuk-over-Samuel — on a team payroll that should eventually include a Brock Purdy extension — rumors have circulated to the point the older wideout has addressed his future in San Francisco. Samuel, 28, is signed through the 2025 season — at $23.9MM per year. The market is rising once again, and three players now earn more than $30MM per year. Aiyuk has never made a Pro Bowl, however, separating him from the tier Lamb likely will end up on once his negotiations wrap.

Among 49ers, only Jerry Rice has accumulated more receiving yards through four seasons than Aiyuk’s 3,931. The NFL, of course, has shifted toward a pass-heavy league in the years since Rice’s otherworldly prime. Terrell Owens did not become an immediate starter as a rookie, and Samuel missed 15 games over his first four seasons. Samuel, though, also packed in a first-team All-Pro season (2021) during his first four seasons. An Aiyuk extension in the $30MM-AAV range, while in step with the new market, may cause an issue for San Francisco’s versatile weapon. That 49ers-centric stat also may not paint the full picture; among active wideouts, Aiyuk’s yardage through four seasons ranks 14th.

The 49ers can retain Aiyuk on the franchise tag in 2025, though the team is currently projected to be $37MM-plus over next year’s salary cap. This is with Purdy on his seventh-round contract and both Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir unsigned. Aiyuk can potentially use San Francisco’s cap situation in his negotiations, though it would not be out of the question for the 49ers to find a way to tag him next year.

Like the Bengals, the 49ers attempting to make this WR setup work for one more year points to Aiyuk remaining with the team. First-round pick Ricky Pearsall looms as a potential successor for Samuel or Aiyuk. As this interesting round of negotiations persists, training camp will be the next step.

Since Aiyuk is on a rookie contract, the 49ers can waive his $50K-per-day fines — as they did for Nick Bosa once he signed — for holding out of training camp. The team reached an extension with Samuel, who staged a hold-in, days into its 2022 camp. With more than a month left until Aiyuk is required to report, it will be interesting to see which side budges here.

Bengals Unlikely To Use Franchise Tag On Tee Higgins In 2025?

June 17th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Fans who appreciate the value wide receivers provide will be in for a treat during the weeks leading up to training camp, as numerous high-profile wideouts are engaged in contract situations. The Bengals technically have a deadline prior to camp, but nothing this offseason has pointed to it being especially consequential.

Tee Higgins is widely expected to play this season on the franchise tag. He and the Bengals have not negotiated in more than a year, and an offer south of $20MM per year came from the team during those 2023 talks. Although Jessie Bates refrained from signing his tender until barely two weeks remained until Week 1, Higgins took the step to lock in his $21.82MM salary early. As a result, Higgins will be contractually required to attend camp.

This may represent a positive step for the parties’ relationship, but the prospect of it concluding after five seasons remains squarely on the radar. The Bengals letting Higgins play on the tag this year will give them the option to restart negotiations after the season. It will also open the door to a second tag in 2025. That would cost $26.2MM to apply, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler refers to a re-tag scenario as unlikely to transpire.

Citing a second tag’s cost and the team’s plans for a Ja’Marr Chase extension, Fowler points to a path for Higgins to play out his tag year and reach free agency. Additionally, Fowler notes talks between the parties have been “all but nonexistent” as of late.

The rental route is how the Bengals proceeded with Bates, who shares an agent with Higgins. Bates departed in free agency after receiving a below-market Bengals offer at the July 2022 tag deadline, ultimately scoring by far the biggest deal (four years, $64MM) among free agent safeties 2023. Considering the value gap between wide receivers and safeties, the Bengals receiving nothing for Higgins — beyond a potential 2026 compensatory pick — would sting. But the team does have a monster Chase payment — in all likelihood — to make. Joe Burrow‘s cap number also rises considerably next year, increasing from $29.6MM to $46.3MM.

Only one wide receiver over the past decade has been tagged twice. The Buccaneers cuffed Chris Godwin in 2021 and again in ’22; the parties reached an extension days after the second tag. On the whole, 10 players have been tagged twice since 2014. Godwin, Kirk Cousins, Le’Veon Bell, Trumaine Johnson, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dak Prescott, Justin Simmons, Brandon Scherff, Leonard Williams, Cam Robinson represent that club. This group collectively went 6-4 in signing extensions with the team that tagged them. Cousins, Bell, Johnson and Scherff departed in free agency.

The Bengals’ history with the franchise tag illustrates they are fine letting a player move on after a rental season. The team has not extended a tag recipient since Mike Nugent in 2013, with Rudi Johnson (2005) and Carl Pickens (1999) the only other players the Bengals have extended after tagging them. The organization has completed one tag-and-trade move — DT Dan Wilkinson in 1998 — though this would seemingly be an avenue to recoup some value for Higgins.

Even with Burrow’s 2025 cap number and Chase’s fifth-year option figure ($21.82MM) accounted for, the Bengals are projected to carry more than $43MM in cap space in 2025. That number will certainly fluctuate over the next several months, but the team could have the option of tagging Higgins. As for the fifth-year wideout, he can elevate his value with a bounce-back season.

Higgins’ 2023 slate featured his own injury trouble and then Burrow’s, ending with a career-low 656 yards. As WR salaries boom, a number of other matters — those involving CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill, Brandon Aiyuk and Amari Cooper — stand to affect the market’s upper reaches. A third 1,000-yard season would put Higgins in strong position come 2025, and the Bengals would face some pressure regarding a second tag.

For now, Cincinnati joins San Francisco in gearing up for another season with its longtime wide receiver duo in the fold. Having reached Super Bowl LVI and pushed the Chiefs to the brink in the ensuing AFC championship game, the Bengals will hope Burrow’s return can reignite their championship quest. Although Higgins may well be a rental and Chase the core piece, the team’s WR2 represents a central component to Cincy’s title hopes this year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/17/24

June 17th, 2024 at 7:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Minnesota Vikings

  • Waived: WR Devron Harper

New England Patriots

  • Waived: G Ryan Johnson

Both Harper and Johnson were among this year’s collection of UDFAs. The Vikings guaranteed Harper $15K, according to Cardinals Wire’s Howard Balzer. Johnson, who played collegiately at Youngstown State, was not part of the Patriots’ initial UDFA haul. He signed with the team last month. Harper was one of two Mercer wideouts the Vikings signed after the draft. The other — Ty James — remains on Minnesota’s 90-man offseason roster.

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