Wednesday’s minor transactions:
Houston Texans
- Reverted to IR: DE Marcus Haynes
New York Jets
- Waived (with injury designation): RB Markese Stepp
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Izaiah Gathings
Rashod Bateman has not had a breakout campaign to date, but he will have a number of opportunities to deliver one in the coming years. The fourth-year Ravens wideout is under contract through 2026 as a result of the extension he signed in April. 
That agreement – which came about in part due to the fact Bateman was on track for restricted free agency in 2025 – has a maximum value of $16.75MM. The former first-rounder therefore remains firmlly in the team’s plans, and he could be positioned to take on a larger role in 2024. Bateman himself was surprised when the team made the offer, though.
“That extension definitely came out of nowhere,” the 24-year-old said, via The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec (subscription required). “I’m blessed, for sure. I did not see them doing that, but it shows that… the team believes in me. I love playing here. I love this organization… I feel like I still have a lot to do, so it was a no-brainer for me, for sure.”
Bateman entered the league with considerable expectations given his college production and the presumed role he would play early on in Baltimore’s run-heavy offense. He faced injury problems during his first two seasons, though, being limited to 18 games in that span. He suited up for 16 contests, logging a career-high 610 offensive snaps. Bateman finished with a 32-367-1 statline, however, and more will be expected moving forward.
Falling in line with recent trends, the Ravens used a Day 1 selection on Zay Flowers last year. He had a strong rookie season (914 scrimmage yards, six total touchdowns) and projects to once again play a central role in Baltimore’s passing game this season. The team saw Odell Beckham Jr. depart in free agency, although veteran Nelson Agholor was retained this offseason.
That sets the Ravens up for a Flowers-Bateman-Agholor trio at the WR spot in 2024. Of course, All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews will serve as a focal point in the team’s offense for the foreseeable future. Bateman has the opportunity to cement his status as a key cog in the passing attack as well, though, and doing so would give Baltimore another young producer. His level of play in 2024 will be a key storyline to follow.
MAY 29: Further details on the Collins deal are in, courtesy of Wilson. The pact includes guaranteed base salaries in its first two years (including $13.5MM in 2025), with $10MM of his $20MM 2026 salary becoming guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2025 league year. Collins will see the other half shift to a full guarantee in March 2026; the final year includes a non-guaranteed $21.25MM in base compensation.
To maximize the extension’s value, $750K in annual incentives from 2025-27 will need to be met. Collins will earn an additional $250K each for a Pro Bowl selection, recording 95 catches and posting 1,460 yards those seasons. Each year of the pact contains $625K in roster bonuses.
MAY 28: The Texans’ offensive success in 2023 included a breakout year for Nico Collins. The ascending wideout has landed a lucrative new deal as a result. 
Collins and the Texans have agreed to a three-year extension, Dianna Russini of the Athletic reports. This pact will keep him on the books through 2027. Providing further details, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes the deal has a base value of $72.75MM which can max out at $75MM. $52MM is guaranteed, and Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 adds Collins will collect a $17MM signing bonus.
The 25-year-old had a modest start to his career as a member of a low-output Texans passing game. Collins nevertheless showcased his potential as a deep threat in particular during that time, and expectations were raised with C.J. Stroud‘s arrival last year. The two formed a productive partnership in 2023, with Collins posting 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns on 80 catches.
With an annual average value of $24.25MM, this agreement is a strong indication the Texans feel Collins can continue to develop into a focal point on offense. The Michigan product was the team’s top option at the receiver position for much of the 2023 season, although Stroud initially showed a strong connection with third-round rookie Tank Dell. The latter’s season-ending injury paved the way for Collins to take on a larger role, and he will now be expected to remain a top producer.
A February report indicated a mutual interest existed between team and player in Collins’ case. Since then, Houston has acquired Stefon Diggs via trade, a move which adds a four-time Pro Bowler to the mix. Diggs has received at least 149 targets in five of the past six years, and it will be interesting to see how he fits in an offense returning Collins, Dell and tight end Dalton Schultz. The Texans signed Schultz to a three-year deal of his own this offseason, and Collins will join him as a member of the team’s long-term offensive plans.
Dell – who is recovering from a minor gunshot wound suffered this offseason – is on the books for three more years via his rookie pact. With he and Stroud under team control for years to come, Houston can afford to make investments such as this one. Diggs is due just over $22.5MM in 2024 before hitting free agency. Especially if he were to depart next year, Collins would comfortably reside as the Texans’ highest-paid receiver.
This deal will slot the former third-rounder into seventh in the NFL in terms of annual average compensation amongst receivers. The top of the market has been on an upward trajectory with recent deals, and number of ascending talents at the position are set to move the bar even higher in the near future. Collins has understandably not moved to the top of the pecking order, but his 2023 production has vaulted him near the league’s top earners at a premium position.
At this point of the NFL offseason calendar, many veterans who are still unsigned will likely not have a deal in place until training camps open in July. In the case of Yannick Ngakoue, that could be different. 
The journeyman edge rusher indicated during an interview on SiriusXM Radio that he has received interest this offseason (audio link). Ngakoue waited until August to sign last offseason, when he inked a one-year, $10.5MM Bears pact. Given the way his 2023 season ended, a more valuable pact should not be expected. The 29-year-old does, however, intend to find a new home before camp this time around.
“I feel like everything’s going to work out just perfectly,” Ngakoue said. “Like I said, everything happens for a reason… I’m just focused on myself, just focused on how can I get better, focusing on things that I could have done better last year.”
While the former second-rounder has not been able to find a long-term opportunity since his four-year run in Jacksonville, he managed to remain consistent as a pass rusher up until 2023. Ngakoue had totaled at least eight sacks in each of his first seven years in the league, spanning time with the Jags, Vikings, Ravens, Raiders and Colts. Expectations were high for a similar campaign in Chicago last year, but he managed just four sacks and six tackles for loss.
Ngakoue suffered a season-ending ankle injury in December; that ailment has played a role in the fact he has yet to sign a new deal. The Maryland alum has been floated as a candidate to return to the Windy City in 2024, but he said he is not considering specific offers at this time. Still, having an agreement (one which will no doubt be of the short-term, low-cost nature) in place relatively soon would represent a different approach to last year.
“I just hope that I’m somewhere before training camp starts because everyone needs to go through a training camp in order to have the kind of season they want to have,” Ngakoue added. “The only thing that I’m worried about is being able to help an organization, help out the young guys and guys that are veterans as well to be able to get a Super Bowl ring and just bring great energy to that building wherever I’m at.”
Ryan Griffin‘s lengthy career as an NFL reserve quarterback ended after the 2022 season. The Buccaneers, who had rostered Griffin as a third-stringer behind Tom Brady and Blaine Gabbert, did not re-sign the experienced practice arm last year.
This led Griffin to the coaching ranks. He joined the Bears’ staff as an offensive assistant, but the NFC North team agreed to an unusual arrangement that is allowing the longtime QB to continue throwing passes. Griffin is finishing up a season in the Italian Football League. He will join the Bears later in the offseason.
Griffin signed with Skorpions Varese of the IFL late last year and has been playing with the team since its season began in March. Matt Eberflus said the expectation is Griffin is at the Bears’ mandatory minicamp, per The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain (subscription required). That said, Griffin’s IFL team holds the league’s top seed in the playoffs, going 8-0 in the regular season. The IFL playoffs begin with opening-round games June 8, so it should be expected the QB/rookie staffer will return overseas to finish out his season.
While this is a rather unusual schedule for a coach attempting to break into the league, the Bears did accommodate one of their players — Marquise Goodwin — in the not-so-distant past as he moonlighted in another sport. Goodwin attempted to qualify for Team USA’s long jump roster back in 2021. However, the London Olympian did not make the Tokyo team and was on the field by the start of training camp.
Griffin, 34, became the rare third-string quarterback to enjoy a lengthy tenure with a team. The Bucs claimed Griffin off waivers in 2015 and then kept him around on five additional contracts from 2017-22. The Tulane alum only saw action in 2019, throwing four passes. But he managed to play 10 NFL seasons, finishing his career in Brady’s final season. The Bears, who employed the NFL’s other Ryan Griffin (a tight end) in Ryan Poles‘ first offseason as GM, have the rookie assistant set to work with QBs and wide receivers in his debut season.
Elsewhere on Chicago’s staff, Poles is making more adjustments to his scouting department. The Bears are promoting Ryan Weese from Combine scout to Midwest area scout and hiring Nick Papagno as their new Combine scout, InsidetheLeague.com’s Neil Stratton tweets. Papagno previously worked with the Raiders. Previous Bears Midwest scout Ryan Cavanaugh will shift to the southeast on Poles’ staff.
Alex Leatherwood has barely been seen on a game field since his one-season Raiders partnership ended. The former first-round pick, however, did spend last season on the Browns’ practice squad.
Cleveland did not retain Leatherwood, but the former Alabama offensive lineman will receive another opportunity. The Chargers are bringing him in, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Leatherwood last saw action as a Bears backup during the 2022 season.
It is difficult for a team to fare worse in a stretch with six first-round picks than the Raiders did during the Jon Gruden-Mike Mayock drafts. Of the players chosen from 2019-21, only one (Josh Jacobs) has been a regular starter. Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette are out of the league, while Johnathan Abram has bounced around as a backup. Clelin Ferrell stabilized his career, to a degree, as a 49ers starter on a low-cost deal in 2023. The Saints and Commanders, respectively, signed Abram and Ferrell to one-year deals this offseason. Leatherwood became the quickest of those Raider first-rounders to wash out with his original NFL team.
Criticized for what was widely labeled a reach pick by selecting Leatherwood 17th overall in 2021, the Raiders used their first-rounder as a starting guard during their playoff campaign. The team moved the tackle prospect inside quickly, but Pro Football Focus viewed the rookie as the league’s worst O-line regular that season. The Josh McDaniels-led coaching staff kicked Leatherwood back outside during the 2022 offseason and then attempted to trade him. No trade partner emerged, and the Raiders waived Leatherwood. The Bears took on the former Crimson Tide starter’s contract, but a mononucleosis bout stalled his rebound opportunity. Leatherwood played 32 offensive snaps for the Bears in 2022 and did not make Chicago’s 53-man roster last year.
It will be interesting to see if a year learning under acclaimed O-line coach Bill Callahan in Cleveland will benefit Leatherwood, who is going into his age-25 season. The Chargers hired ex-Ravens assistant Mike Devlin as their O-line coach. He will be tasked with continuing Leatherwood’s development.
The Bolts are set at tackle, having drafted Joe Alt to go with Rashawn Slater, and they are planning to see how displaced RT Trey Pipkins looks at guard. The team rosters Zion Johnson as its other guard starter. Jamaree Salyer, who worked as a starting guard last year after filling in for Slater as a rookie, remains on the now-Jim Harbaugh-led roster as well. At this stage, Leatherwood profiles as a backup candidate. He joins Foster Sarell, 2021 fifth-rounder Brenden Jaimes, 2023 fifth-rounder Jordan McFadden and a host of rookie UDFAs as Bolts backup options up front.
Injuries stalled Tarik Cohen‘s career early in the 2020s. The former Bears running back and Pro Bowl return man managed a comeback opportunity with the Panthers last year, but the team ended that bid recently. The Jets will now take a flier.
Cohen is heading to New York on a one-year agreement, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. This comes after the Panthers cut him earlier this month. Robert Saleh confirmed the deal, and the fourth-year Jets HC (via SNY’s Connor Hughes) pointed to the new kickoff rules when discussing Cohen.
With the NFL greenlighting an experiment that will reintroduce the kick return to prominence, some teams are making notable additions in preparation. The Steelers brought in Cordarrelle Patterson hours after owners approved the one-year trial for the XFL-style kickoff, and the Seahawks added Laviska Shenault Jr. with a return role in mind. Cohen has contributed on offense, but his best NFL work has come in the return game.
Cohen, 28, led the NFL in punt-return yardage in 2018, earning first-team All-Pro acclaim, and returned a punt for a touchdown as a rookie a year prior. The bulk of Cohen’s return experience has come on punts, however. The Bears removed the 5-foot-7 back from the kick-return role after his rookie season. Of course, Chicago rostered Patterson from 2019-20. Ceding a job to one of the best kick returners in NFL history did not prove detrimental for Cohen, who signed a three-year, $17.25MM extension in 2020.
Although the Panthers stashed Cohen on their practice squad last year, injury trouble — which initially cropped up not long after his extension came to pass — resurfaced. Cohen spent several weeks on Carolina’s practice squad injured list. The North Carolina A&T alum has not played in a game since the 2020 season; Cohen suffered a torn ACL in September 2020 and missed the 2021 season as well. Shortly after being released in 2022, Cohen sustained an Achilles tear.
The Jets used UDFA Xavier Gipson as their primary return man last year. That fit produced one of the most memorable special teams moments in team history, via the walk-off Week 1 punt return. Saleh confirmed Gipson remains the frontrunner for the kick-return role. Seeing as nearly four years have passed since Cohen’s last game action, the small-school product is running out of chances. But the Jets, who will have 16 practice squad spots in addition to their 53-man roster, will see what the former Bears standout has left.
Although the Buccaneers’ extensive offseason retention effort makes receiving contributions from rookie-contract players pivotal this year, it would not have cost the team too much to authorize a second Devin White deal. The former first-round pick fetched a one-year, $4MM accord from the Eagles.
For base value, White’s contract matches Baker Mayfield‘s 2023 Bucs agreement. The 2023 offseason brought a trade request from the former top-five pick, who sought an extension near the top of the market. Like Mayfield, White did not build momentum in a fifth-year option season. The inconsistent linebacker will attempt to bounce back in Philadelphia, as the Bucs aim to give his job to the player who pushed him late last season.
K.J. Britt is the lead candidate to play alongside Lavonte David this season, Buccaneers.com’s Scott Smith writes. Todd Bowles views the 2021 fifth-round pick as a clear option to fill the role White held for much of his first five seasons. As Britt (four career starts) enters a contract year, he will have the chance to establish himself as a dependable starter.
“Obviously, he can play all three downs but we have so many packages and guys to move around,” Bowles said. “It’s a little early to determine who will be on what [package]. In one week he could be, in one week he may not be. It depends on who we’re playing and what we have available. But he’s ready to play all three downs.
“I love the maturity. He’s grasping the mental part of the game and becoming a leader of that defense along with Lavonte and [Antoine Winfield Jr.] and Vita [Vea]. We’re kind of happy where he’s progressing right now.”
Britt logged his first career starts last season, and while he saw extended time down the stretch and began to cut into White’s playing time, the Auburn alum played just 252 defensive snaps in 2023 (after logging a combined 73 from 2021-22). Britt’s third NFL season included 29 tackles, though he closed the campaign with a 12-tackle performance in Tampa Bay’s divisional-round loss to Detroit. The Bucs used Britt as a starter in both playoff games, and he out-snapped White by a considerable margin (59-14) in the team’s Lions rematch.
The Bucs re-signed Mayfield, David and Mike Evans and extended Winfield at a DB-record number. They have Tristan Wirfs in position to command an NFL-record tackle contract as well. With Mayfield no longer tied to that “prove it” deal, the team will need low-cost starters to step up. Britt, whose starter starter stretch began as a White foot injury — which became a talking point due to an injury reporting storyline — shut him down for three weeks. Rumors about White losing his job to Britt, however, emerged. And the former Pro Bowler entered free agency to little fanfare in March.
SirVocea Dennis, a 2023 fifth-rounder, logged the fourth-most snaps among Bucs LBs last season (104). He would profile as the top challenger, with the team not adding a veteran or a replacement via the draft. With the Bucs cutting the cord on the first player they drafted in Bowles’ tenure with the team, they will first see if Britt proves capable of being David’s latest ILB sidekick. Britt proving worthy of that role in 2024 will set him up for an extended look come 2025 — should the Bucs let him reach free agency.
OTAs are ongoing around the NFL as teams proceed with the third and final phase of voluntary offseason workouts. Things could look much different in that regard next year. 
The NFL Players’ Association is finalizing a proposal to dramatically alter the layout of the offseason schedule, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network details. The new arrangement would call for a lengthy spell of time off for teams and players during the spring when voluntary workouts currently take place, with a ramp-up period to training camp beginning in mid-June. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk previously reported that the NFLPA was exploring such a proposal.
An official framework is expected to be in place this summer, per Pelissero, who adds the changes could take effect as early as next offseason. That would require an agreement with the NFL, since the structure of offseason workouts is collectively bargained. The majority of the players support the revisions, which would allow for meetings to take place during the spring but no on-field practices.
As for coaches and front office staffers, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes support for such a change does not appear present. The gap between minicamp and training camp falling when it does allows for family vacations, as it falls outside the schoolyear. Moving the period without offseason workouts to May would stand to interfere with staffers’ schedules, though many players’ families would also be impacted by this change.
Of course, this news comes against the backdrop of the NFL seeking another expansion to the regular season schedule. Commissioner Roger Goodell and many of the league’s owners are on board with an 18-game slate, something which needs to be bargained with the union. Adding a second bye week has been floated as one of several concessions to the NFLPA which could be required to exchange one preseason contest for an additional regular season one, and an expansion of time off during the spring could represent another.
A number of factors will need to be considered before any formal agreement is in place on this front. As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes, many players around the NFL have offseason workout bonuses in their contracts. The elimination of voluntary workouts (and therefore attendance at that portion of teams’ programs) would make such clauses moot. It will be interesting to see how the league’s owners respond once the proposal is finalized.
Pelissero notes the NFLPA consulted medical and performance personnel as part of the process of working out a revised offseason schedule. Allowing players more time off after the campaign has ended coupled with an uninterrupted period of OTA-like work immediately followed by training camp in the summer would certainly mark a drastic change from the status quo. If sufficient support exists for the changes, though, they could be made in relatively short order.
Several extension-eligible receivers are skipping out on OTAs as they try to exert their leverage for new deals. To no surprise, that list includes Ja’Marr Chase. 
The Bengals opened their organized team activities on Tuesday, and ESPN’s Ben Baby notes Chase was among the players not in attendance. The three-time Pro Bowler is in his first year of being eligible for an extension, though he is on the books through 2025 with his fifth-year option having been picked up. As a result, Chase is on track to collect $21.82MM next year.
His annual earnings on a multi-year pact will of course be much higher. Chase, along with the likes of Justin Jefferson (Vikings) and CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys) is a candidate to reach the top of the receiver market on his next pact. Amon-Ra St. Brown and A.J. Brown‘s respective extension pushed that mark past $30MM per season; Brown’s AAV sits at $32MM.
As expected, fellow Bengals wideout Tee Higgins has not yet signed his franchise tag. As a result, he is not eligible to take part in the team’s OTAs. Higgins remains in Cincinnati’s long-term plans, but keeping him in the fold would require a lucrative commitment in addition to the one forthcoming for Chase and the one made last offseason to quarterback Joe Burrow. The latter has resumed throwing, but he will work with a notably different array of receivers this spring if Chase and Higgins remain absent.
Veteran Tyler Boyd departed in the Bengals in free agency, taking a one-year Titans deal as his former team plans for an expensive Chase-Higgins tandem. The latter’s future remains in the air, but the latter has cemented his status as one of the league’s top wideouts at any age. Chase, 24, has amassed 3,717 yards and 29 touchdowns in regular season play, adding a combined 45-588-3 statline in two playoff runs. Even with Burrow attached to a $55MM-per-year deal, keeping him on the books for the long haul will be critical to Cincinnati’s offense.
Team and player have plenty of time to hammer out an agreement in Chase’s case. The Bengals’ actions with Higgins will no doubt be a critical short-term consideration, but regardless of what happens on that front the former Offensive Rookie of the Year is positioned to cash in on his next deal. It would come as a surprise if he participated in Cincinnati’s remaining voluntary workouts without an agreement in hand, though Chase could return for mandatory minicamp in June and training camp the following month.