HEADLINES

Shaq Mason

Vikings Trade G Ed Ingram To Texans

March 13th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Cutting Shaq Mason and trading both Laremy Tunsil and Kenyon Green, the Texans are remodeling their offensive line. A recent second-round pick will also be part of this equation.

Ed Ingram is heading from Minnesota to Houston, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The Vikings will collect a sixth-round pick in this trade, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds. One season remains on Ingram’s rookie contract. The trade is now official.

The Vikings were considered likely to either adjust Ingram’s contract or cut him altogether. Instead, they found a trade partner and collected value above the pick-swap level. Minnesota will save $3.4MM by making this trade, and Ingram will secure another chance after being benched last season.

This trade helps bring the Texans’ O-line plan into focus. Most significantly, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports Tytus Howard is likely to shift to left tackle. Roving between left guard and right tackle recently, the former first-round pick has some LT experience from earlier in his career.

As Howard shifts to the other side, 2024 second-round pick Blake Fisher is expected to take over at RT. Reuniting with DeMeco Ryans, Laken Tomlinson is expected to man one guard spot after signing a one-year, $4.25MM deal that can max out at $5MM. Ingram may not be guaranteed another, as Juice Scruggs and Jarrett Patterson — whichever player does not become the team’s starting center — will be in the mix for the other guard post.

Ingram, 26, has made 41 career starts. The LSU alum won the Vikings’ starting right guard job out of training camp in 2022 and held it throughout the 2023 season. Last year, however, Minnesota parked the struggling blocker before Week 11. Ingram did not play an offensive snap after that point. Pro Football Focus graded Ingram 66th among guard regulars last season. The advanced metrics site was kinder to the former No. 59 overall pick in 2023, ranking him 38th, but this trade continues to frame the Vikings’ 2022 draft as a dud.

The Vikings chose safety Lewis Cine in Round 1; they cut him last year. Minnesota took cornerback Andrew Booth several spots before Ingram in Round 2 that year; they traded him for a player (DB Nahshon Wright) they cut weeks later. While Wright remains on a reserve/futures deal, Minnesota has achieved success largely in spite of its first Kwesi Adofo-Mensah draft. Ingram has been the most successful of the Vikes’ top three picks that year, and he will attempt to rebound in Houston.

In part because Ingram did not pan out in the Twin Cities, the Vikings signed Will Fries to a five-year contract. Fries joins ex-Colts teammate Ryan Kelly as starters-to-be with the Vikes, and this duo gives Minnesota four veteran contracts along its offensive line. The team has Brian O’Neill at $18.5MM per year and gave Christian Darrisaw a $26MM-AAV extension last summer.

Howard replaced an injured Tunsil at LT during the second half of the 2021 season, impressing at the position en route to Houston picking up his fifth-year option and then extending him a year later. As Howard again moved inside last season, Fisher logged 291 snaps at RT as a rookie. The Texans appear set to move the Notre Dame product into their starting lineup on a full-time basis soon.

The Texans designated Mason as a post-June 1 cut, which will spread out the $12.48MM dead money over two offseasons. The twice-traded guard had started two years for the Texans, but a knee injury ended a lengthy ironman streak last season. Mason, 31, will be on the lookout for a fourth team.

OL Notes: Becton, Texans, Smith, Jags, Rams

March 13th, 2025 at 12:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles‘ Mekhi Becton signing proved to be a highly effective one. The former Jets tackle was able to have success upon moving inside, and he helped his market after playing on a $2.75MM ‘prove it’ contract in 2024.

Becton’s preference would be to remain in Philadelphia, but he is of course an attractive option to teams eyeing upgrades up front. PFR’s No. 22 free agent in 2025 could look to capitalize on the strength of the guard market, which saw the likes of Robert Hunt, Jonah Jackson, Kevin Dotson, Damien Lewis and Jon Runyan Jr sign deals averaging eight figures per year in free agency. Becton will likely not be able to match many of their earnings, but an Eagles departure could still be looming.

ESPN’s Tim McManus reports there has not been tangible progress between team and player to work out a re-signing in this case. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland is among those who would like to see Becton, entering his age-26 season, brought back. As the Eagles move forward with a line already featuring four lucrative deals, though, keeping him in place may not be possible.

Here are some offensive line notes from around the league:

  • The Eagles, of course, have a deal in place to add a guard in the form of Kenyon Green. The former Texans first-rounder is one of three O-linemen the team is moving on from as part of its offseason plans. Veteran Shaq Mason was recently released, while left tackle Laremy Tunsil is on his way to the Commanders. The offensive line group increasingly became a problem in Houston last season, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated writes. Tunsil is respected in the organization, Breer adds, but making sweeping changes up front this offseason allowed the Texans to avoid a third lucrative commitment to the 30-year-old. Houston will look for a noticeably different combination and a new culture along the O-line in 2025.
  • Colts general manager Chris Ballard said at the Combine right tackle Braden Smith intended to continue playing in 2025. That will indeed be the case, with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reporting an agreement has been reached on a restructured contract. The pact will pay out a $2MM roster bonus next week in addition to a $3.96MM base salary, per Over the Cap. Smith, 29 later this month, has served as a full-time starter since his arrival in 2018 but he missed the last five games of the 2024 campaign due to an undisclosed personal matter. He will still be a free agent next spring as things stand, but Smith’s return (at a cap charge of $10.4MM) will be welcomed on a Colts O-line which is set to lose Ryan Kelly and Will Fries after they both agreed to Vikings deals this week.
  • The Ravens managed to take care of one of their most important offseason priorities with the re-signing of left tackle Ronnie Stanley. That three-year, $60MM deal features $44MM in guarantees. The latter figure includes a $20.25MM signing bonus, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 details. Stanley has dealt with several injuries in his career, but this latest pact guarantees $22MM in pay for 2025 and ’26, according to Over the Cap. The two-time Pro Bowler is also scheduled to collect a $4.04MM option bonus next March.
  • Prior to the Stanley deal, Alaric Jackson agreed to a three-year pact to remain with the Rams. The deal can reach a maximum value of $60.75MM and includes $35.43MM in guarantees, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap writes. $30MM is fully guaranteed at signing, with most of Jackson’s compensation over the next two years locked in. $1.45MM in per-game roster bonuses are present in every year of the deal, and a $5.43MM injury guarantee will shift to a full one if he is on the roster on the fifth day of the 2026 league year.
  • Patrick Mekari parlayed his Ravens tenure into a three-year Jaguars contract at the outset of the negotiating period. That pact features $22.5MM in guarantees, including a $10MM signing bonus, per Wilson. The former UDFA has $10.5MM in 2026 salary locked in for injury, and remaining on the roster early in the 2026 league year will lead to further guarantees. Per-game roster bonuses totaling nearly $30K along with a $500K Pro Bowl incentive are present in every year of the deal.

Texans To Cut G Shaq Mason

March 7th, 2025 at 11:17am CST by Adam La Rose

Movement is coming at the guard position for the Texans. Part of the team’s plans at the position will involve cutting Shaq Mason. 

The veteran has been informed he will be released, as first reported by Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Two years remained on Mason’s contract, with just over $1MM in guaranteed salary in place for 2025. If it does not include a post-June 1 designation, this move will create $2.12MM in cap space but generate $12.48MM in dead money.

Mason was dealt from the Patriots to the Buccaneers in 2022, and he occupied a starting role with Tampa Bay that year. He once again found himself on the move the following offseason, though, with a swap sending him to the Texans. The 31-year-old started each of Houston appearances, missing only two contests along the way.

Since his rookie campaign, Mason has exclusively worked at right guard. The interior of Houston’s offensive line was a major sore spot during the year, and to no surprise Wilson notes renovating at that spot is a clear goal for the team. As free agency approaches, making at least one notable addition at guard is something to watch for in the Texans’ case. The team entered Friday with roughly $5MM in cap space.

PFF gave Mason a string of highly impressive evaluations for much of his Patriots tenures. The Georgia Tech product has seen his overall grades decline recently, however, and it checked in at 62.3 in 2024 after allowing eight sacks and 34 pressures. Pass protection was a clear issue for Houston this past season, and finding an upgrade from Mason will go a long way in improving in that regard.

Trey Smith was set to be the best option available at the guard position (or any others along the O-line) in free agency, but the Chiefs kept him off the market by applying the franchise tag. As a result, the free agent group does not include a long list of attractive blockers, particularly along the interior. That could help Mason’s bid to land a new deal in the near future, but his Texans performances could steer suitors elsewhere.

Texans’ Jimmie Ward Out For Season; Shaq Mason To Miss Time

December 23rd, 2024 at 1:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tank Dell‘s injury headlined the Texans’ issues coming out of their Week 16 loss in Kansas City, but Houston also lost a key presence on defense. With Jalen Pitre out, Jimmie Ward had filled in back in a slot cornerback role. The veteran safety, however, is out of the picture for the season’s remainder.

Ward is set to undergo season-ending foot surgery. While it is believed the 11th-year defender dodged a fracture and did not sustain structural damage, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson indicates the second-year Texan is out indefinitely. Ward could not put weight on his injured foot and left Saturday’s game on a cart.

Injuries have been a regular issue for Ward over the course of his career. As he has toggled between pure safety and slot corner, the former first-round pick has missed 51 games as a pro. This included seven absences last season and five more coming into Week 16. The Texans still reached a second contract agreement with the longtime 49er this summer, giving him a one-year add-on. The second Texans deal brought Ward $8.8MM at signing, putting him under contract through 2025, though it would cost Houston only $4.6MM in dead money to move on.

Ward’s injury troubles may prompt the Texans to have that conversation, but the 33-year-old cover man has played four seasons under DeMeco Ryans during the latter’s time as a head coach or defensive coordinator. Overall, Ryans has been on staff — as a quality control coach or position coach, initially — in eight of Ward’s 11 seasons. He has operated exclusively as a starter since following Ryans to Houston in 2023.

The Texans placed Pitre on IR due to a partially torn pectoral muscle, an injury expected to sideline the recent second-round pick for the season. Ward’s injury further thins a secondary that appears in some trouble. Houston used Myles Bryant initially to replace Ward in the slot, before then sliding rookie boundary corner Kamari Lassiter inside and moving Jeff Okudah to the perimeter position opposite Derek Stingley Jr. One of these two plans will be needed moving forward, as the Texans deal with another setback in their secondary. The Stingley-Okudah-Lassiter play is expected to be Houston’s play here, per Wilson. Signed to a one-year, $4.75MM deal this offseason, Okudah has only played in five games (with zero starts) with the Texans.

While Ward has battled injuries throughout his career, the Texans also saw their most durable offensive lineman go down. Shaq Mason, who had not missed a game since the 2021 season, left the Chiefs matchup with a knee injury. The 2023 trade pickup, however, is believed to have avoided a serious injury, Wilson adds. Though, Houston’s right guard starter is still expected to miss between two and four weeks, Wilson adds. This could affect the former Patriots and Buccaneers starter’s playoff availability, but this timetable also at least keeps him in play to come back before season’s end.

Kendrick Green replaced Mason, who had been the only Texans player not to miss time during Ryans’ first season. Mason entered Week 16 having started 60 straight games. The Texans had already moved Tytus Howard from right tackle to left guard, with Juice Scruggs out with a foot injury. Scruggs is not on IR and could return in Week 17.

AFC Restructures: Howard, Mason, Wilson

April 3rd, 2024 at 7:48pm CST by Ely Allen

The Texans front office did some work recently to help with their cap situation. The bigger of their two recent moves saw them address the contract of veteran offensive tackle Tytus Howard, per Field Yates of ESPN.

Howard agreed to a restructured contract in which Houston converted $12.88MM of his 2024 base salary (originally worth $14MM) into a signing bonus. The Texans also added two void years onto the end of his existing deal. The adjustments to his contract resulted in the clearance of $10.3MM of cap space for Houston.

Here are a few other restructured deals seen recently around the AFC:

  • Houston also adjusted the contract of fellow offensive lineman Shaq Mason, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. The new deal saw the Texans convert $8.04MM of Mason’s 2024 base salary (originally worth $9.25MM) into a signing bonus while, once again, adding two voidable years to the end of the contract. The resulting changes added an additional $6.4MM to Houston’s salary cap space.
  • Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald informed us that a restructured deal was also underway for Patriots cornerback Marco Wilson. The new contract is a one-year, $1.2MM deal with $600K of guaranteed money, including a $300K signing bonus. The restructure results in approximately $750K of additional cap space for New England. Wilson’s new deal also contains a $200K workout bonus, $500K in potential per game active roster bonuses, $416K in incentives that are likely to be earned, and $750K in incentives classified as not likely to be earned.

Contract Details: Trubisky, K. Jackson, Texans

June 4th, 2023 at 9:28am CST by Rory Parks

Here are a few details on recently-signed contracts/extensions:

  • Mitchell Trubisky, QB (Steelers): Two-year extension. Signing bonus of $6.92MM. 2023-25 salaries (unguaranteed) of $1.08MM, $4.25MM, and $5MM. 90-man offseason roster bonuses of $1MM in 2024 and 2025. Up to $4.25MM of incentives in 2023. Up to $14.5MM in incentives from 2024-25. Via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk and Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Kareem Jackson, S (Broncos): One-year, $2.67MM. Despite a 13-year career as a full-time starter, only guarantee is $152.5K signing bonus. Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News.com.
  • Byron Cowart, DT (Texans): One-year. $1.08MM salary (veteran minimum). Includes injury waiver for previous back and knee injuries. Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2.
  • Neville Hewitt, LB (Texans): One-year. $1.2MM salary. Signing bonus of $300K. Playing time incentives of up to $300K. Per game active roster bonus of up to $200K. Twitter link via Wilson.
  • Greg Little, OT (Texans): One-year. $1.08MM salary (veteran minimum). Signing bonus of $100K. Twitter link via Wilson.
  • Shaq Mason, G (Texans): Three-year, $36MM extension ($22MM guaranteed) on top of one remaining year of club control in 2023. Signing bonus of $10MM. 2023-26 salaries of $1.07MM (guaranteed) $9.25MM (guaranteed), $10MM ($1.05MM guaranteed), and $10.4MM (unguaranteed). Annual per game active roster bonus of up to $500K. Annual Pro Bowl incentive of $250K. $50K workout bonus from 2024-26. Twitter link via Wilson.

Trubisky was already under contract through 2023, and he was due an $8MM salary for the upcoming year. So, as Florio notes, the 28-year-old passer essentially gave the Steelers two more years of club control without any increase in 2023 pay and without securing any guaranteed money in the two tack-on years. It seems that after Pittsburgh unexpectedly re-signed fellow signal-caller Mason Rudolph, Trubisky was worried that he might be released, so in order to lock in the $8MM he was already planning to earn this season, he agreed to a team-friendly extension.

His contract is now due to expire when Kenny Pickett‘s rookie deal expires, so the Steelers will at least have a high-end backup on hand as Pickett seeks to establish himself as Pittsburgh’s franchise QB.

Texans, G Shaq Mason Finalizing Extension

May 10th, 2023 at 10:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Acquired via trade in March, Shaq Mason is set to sign a long-term deal with the Texans. The veteran guard is finalizing a three-year extension with Houston, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports (on Twitter).

The deal is worth $36MM, with Wilson adding $22MM will be guaranteed in total. This represents another nice payday for Mason, who played his 2022 Buccaneers season on his Patriots-constructed contract. That deal was set to expire after the 2023 season, but the Texans are eyeing a longer-term partnership. As part of that guarantee, Mason will collect a $10MM signing bonus.

Previously attached to a $9MM-per-year contract, Mason will do better on his third NFL deal despite readying for his age-30 season. At $12MM per annum, Mason’s new contract will check in 11th among guards. While his Patriots pact from 2018 landed higher on the guard hierarchy, the $22MM guarantee will bring solid security in his third NFL city.

Mason, who will soon be signed through the 2026 season, landed in Houston in a pick-swap trade. The Bucs only pried a 2023 sixth-round pick for the veteran blocker, who has been traded twice in two years. New England fetched a fifth-rounder from Tampa Bay in 2022. During a turbulent season for the Bucs’ offensive line, Mason started all 17 games. He will be expected to anchor Houston’s interior O-line going forward.

Texans GM Nick Caserio was with the Patriots when they drafted Mason in the 2015 fourth round, and he remained with the AFC East franchise when Mason signed his initial extension. The Texans used a first-round pick on guard Kenyon Green last year; the Texas A&M product will be set to team with Mason on a line that includes three first-rounders. The Texans have extended one of those this offseason — left tackle Laremy Tunsil — while right tackle Tytus Howard is heading into his fifth-year option season. Houston gave Tunsil another market-resetting contract. Although Mason’s is an upper-middle-class deal, the Texans will complement C.J. Stroud‘s rookie contract with two eight-figure-per-year accords.

Despite being a Day 3 pick, Mason has become one of this era’s best guards. He started for each of the Patriots’ three late-2010s Super Bowl teams, lining up as a Tom Brady protector in each of those Super Bowls. Pro Football Focus ranked Mason as a top-10 guard in each season from 2016-21, with the Georgia Tech alum playing a key role in the Pats’ Mac Jones-piloted 2021 playoff season as well. As they did with Rob Gronkowski, the Pats shipped Mason to the Bucs for a Day 3 choice. The Bucs had lost longtime guards Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa and saw center Ryan Jensen suffer a severe knee injury in training camp. Mason joined Tristan Wirfs in anchoring Tampa Bay’s O-line last season, and PFF slotted the former just outside the top 20 at guard amid the Tampa chaos.

While the Texans have hovered far off the playoff radar over the past three seasons, they have assembled an intriguing O-line. Wednesday’s agreement will position Mason to join Tunsil and Green as long-term Stroud blockers.

Texans To Acquire G Shaq Mason From Buccaneers

March 14th, 2023 at 8:52am CST by Adam La Rose

It was learned yesterday that the Buccaneers would be moving on from veteran guard Shaq Mason in the immediate future, via either a trade or release. The former route will be taken; Tampa is trading Mason to the Texans, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport tweets that the deal will see Houston and Tampa Bay swap sixth- and seventh-round picks. By moving on from Mason, the Buccaneers will see $5.3MM in cap savings while incurring a dead money charge of $4.3MM. The Texans, meanwhile, will acquire a consistent performer at right guard who has one year remaining on his current contract.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports (via Twitter) that Mason is likely to be extended upon his arrival with the Texans. That would come as little surprise, as the 29-year-old is set to carry a cap hit of just over $9.5MM in 2023. A new contract aimed at lowering that figure would help the team’s cap situation and secure his future there over the course of multiple years.

Mason logged 98 starts during his seven-year stint with the Patriots to begin his career. He was traded to Tampa Bay last offseason, and started every game as part of the Buccaneers’ revamped interior o-line. His 1,200 snaps were a welcomed sight considering the multitude of injuries the team had to deal with over the course of the season. Mason was charged with 25 pressures allowed by PFF, however, which resulted in an overall grade of 68.9, the second-lowest of his career.

In addition to agreeing to acquire Mason, the Texans are moving on from A.J. Cann, Wilson reports. A longtime Jaguars starter, Cann signed with the Texans last season and immediately became a full-time starter for the team. Cann started 16 games with Houston and has been an NFL first-stringer throughout his eight-year career, lining up at guard and center. The veteran guard joins center Justin Britt as O-line starters who will not be in the Texans’ 2023 equation. The team released Britt, its starting center for the past two seasons, ahead of free agency. Britt is expected to retire.

Houston used a first-round pick on Kenyon Green last April, and he served as their left guard. Presuming Mason is extended on a new multi-year deal, that pair will serve as the Texans’ guard tandem for at least the intermediate future. With center Scott Quessenberry having just been re-signed, the interior of Houston’s offensive line is firmly in place.

Buccaneers To Move On From Shaq Mason

March 13th, 2023 at 2:52pm CST by Ben Levine

Shaq Mason‘s stint with the Buccaneers will end after one season. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Buccaneers plan to release the guard if they can’t work out a trade for him in the coming days.

Mason has one year left on the five-year, $50MM pact he signed with the Patriots back in 2018. He’s set to earn $8.5MM in 2023, and Tampa Bay could clear more than $4MM in cap space by letting him go.

The 29-year-old lineman was traded to Tampa Bay last offseason for a 2022 fifth-round pick, reuniting him with quarterback Tom Brady. Mason started all 17 games for the Buccaneers, finishing fourth at his position in snaps played. Pro Football Focus ultimately ranked him 21st among 77 qualifying guards, the first time since 2015 that he didn’t finish in the top-10. Still, Mason showed that he’s clearly got something left in the tank entering his age-30 season, so it shouldn’t take long for him to find a new home.

The 2015 fourth-round pick made a name for himself in New England, where he won two rings during his seven seasons with the organization. He ranked in PFF’s top-five guards for four of those years, including a first-place ranking in 2018.

Buccaneers Rumors: CBs, OL, RBs, Mason

September 6th, 2022 at 10:07pm CST by Ely Allen

In line with reports we’ve been following all summer, it appears that Tampa Bay cornerback Jamel Dean has seized the starting job opposite Carlton Davis, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic. Dean was battling it out with Sean Murphy-Bunting who has held a starting role for much of his young career with the Buccaneers but whose injuries last season left the door open for Dean to make a run for the position. Recent reports seemed to indicate that Dean had the inside track on the starting role, but Auman was able to confirm it.

It was also discussed recently that if Murphy-Bunting was unable to win the job, he would only be able to come on the field in a backup capacity, since the Buccaneers would prefer to man three safeties in their nickel package this year. In nickel packages, Tampa Bay will use Davis and Dean on the outside with safeties Antoine Winfield, Logan Ryan, and Mike Edwards manning the rest of the secondary.

Head coach Todd Bowles spelled out the situation for Murphy-Bunting after awarding the starting job to Dean, saying that “he doesn’t plan on rotating his outside corners,” meaning that Murphy-Bunting’s playing time will largely come as a sub in both base and nickel packages.

Here are a few more rumors coming out of central Florida, starting with some more news on the depth chart:

  • After a frustrating offseason that saw Tampa Bay offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs deal with a postseason ankle injury, and an oblique strain once his ankle had healed, the 23-year-old finally got some good news. After he practiced the last two days, Bowles told the media that Wirfs was trending towards being able to play in Week 1, according to Andrew Crane of the Tampa Bay Times. Another youngster should be joining Wirfs on the line as rookie second-round pick Luke Goedeke is in line to start at right guard for the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay doesn’t really have much of a choice with Aaron Stinnie and Ryan Jensen on injured reserve, but Goedeke will get an early opportunity to prove his draft-stock.
  • Despite his lack of experience against elite talent, rookie running back Rachaad White is drawing elite comparisons. The smooth, patient running-style that has drawn comparisons to such standouts as Marcus Allen, Edgerrin James, and Le’Veon Bell, has elevated White above Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Giovani Bernard on the depth chart, according to Auman. Tampa Bay realized that potential talent when they drafted him in the third round and they’ll hope to see some of those comparisons make their way into football games.
  • Tampa Bay got a little bit of breathing room in their cap space today as starting guard Shaq Mason agreed to restructure his contract, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The renegotiated deal will free up over $6MM against the cap this season for the Buccaneers.
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