Bolts, Derwin James Agree To Extension
MAY 27: Of James’ $57.5MM guarantee, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes $44MM is guaranteed at signing. That covers the deal’s first two years. James received early protection on 2028, however, with Florio adding $13.5MM of James’ $24.6MM salary is guaranteed for injury at signing. That will shift to a full guarantee in March 2027.
The early guarantee date virtually ensures James will remain with the Chargers through at least the 2028 season. His 2029 salary ($21.5MM) is nonguaranteed, but a 90-man roster bonus of $3MM will be due that year.
MAY 26: Derwin James has once again reset the safeties market. The Chargers star defender has agreed to an extension that will make him the highest-paid player at his position, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
James is getting a three-year, $75.6MM deal, per Rapoport. The contract includes $57.5MM in guaranteed money, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton set the positional market last offseason when he inked a deal worth $25.1MM per season. James just topped that mark, with his new deal coming in at a $25.2MM AAV. James was set to enter the final season of the four-year, $76.5MM extension he signed with the Chargers back in 2022, and he was scheduled to earn $17.5MM for 2026 with a cap hit of $24.61MM. That previous contract once made James the highest-paid safety in NFL history. The veteran has once again set a new benchmark at the position.
The 17th-overall pick in the 2018 draft, James has emerged as one of the best defenders in Chargers history. He’s earned five All-Pro nods through his first eight seasons. That includes a 2025 campaign where he earned a second-team spot after finishing with 94 tackles, two sacks, seven passes defended, and three interceptions. For his efforts, Pro Football Focus ranked James ninth among 91 qualifying safeties.
We heard just yesterday that the Chargers were prioritizing an extension for their defensive cornerstone, with general manager Joe Hortiz making it clear that they wanted James in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future. The 29-year-old also drew praise from his head coach, with Jim Harbaugh describing James as “the best safety I’ve ever seen in the history of the National Football League” (per Schefter).
The extension for Jim Harbaugh’s top DB comes several months after John Harbaugh‘s then-charge (Kyle Hamilton) raised the bar for the safety market. The Ravens gave Hamilton a four-year, $100.4MM extension in August. Prior to that point, no safety had ever seen an AAV north of $21.5MM. Hamilton’s windfall set the table for James, who will benefit from the latest NFL cap spike. Hortiz was in the Ravens’ front office when Hamilton was drafted, making it not especially surprising to see his new team prioritize the safety position to this degree.
James’ deal towers over the rest of the Bolts’ secondary contracts. No other Charger DB is tied to a contract worth $7MM per year, with its longtime anchor now tied to an accord worth more than quadruple per annum than any of his secondary mates. The Chargers also carried more than $43MM in cap space entering Tuesday, opening a window for James’ second extension.
James is now several years removed from his injury issues, having played 16 games in each of the past three seasons. The Chargers will bet on the Florida State alum, whose standout play certainly boosted now-Ravens HC Jesse Minter‘s stock over the past two years, going into his 30s.
With James now locked in for the next few seasons, the Chargers can turn their attention to other extension-eligible players. That includes edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu, who Hortiz also mentioned as a candidate for a new deal.
Bills Sign LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
A part-time starter for the Giants and 49ers over the past two seasons, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles found a new home Wednesday. The Bills signed the veteran linebacker to a one-year deal.
The former San Francisco UDFA joins a Buffalo team that has not re-signed Matt Milano or Shaq Thompson. To make room on their 90-man offseason roster, the Bills waived wide receiver Max Tomczak. The nephew of former NFL QB Mike Tomczak, Max joined the Bills as a UDFA this month.
[RELATED: Bills Sign DE Mike Danna]
Flannigan-Fowles joined the Giants on a one-year, $1.34MM deal. Wednesday’s signing will reunite Flannigan-Fowles with 2025 position coach John Egorugwu, who returned to Buffalo this offseason after four seasons on New York’s staff. The Giants used Flannigan-Fowles as a three-game starter last year, and he played 36% of the team’s defensive snaps. That represented a career-high usage rate on defense for the Arizona alum.
Making 33 tackles (three for loss) and registering a sack last season, Flannigan-Fowles is still probably better remembered for his lengthy Bay Area stay. The 49ers used Flannigan-Fowles as a Week 1 starter in 2024, with Dre Greenlaw on the mend from his Super Bowl LVIII Achilles tear, and he made seven starts for the team from 2020-24.
Flannigan-Fowles, 29, has been a regular on special teams throughout his career. He saw action on at least 63% of the 49ers’ ST plays from 2020-23. That may be his Bills role, as the AFC playoff bastion returns regulars Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams. The team also rosters Buffalo native Joe Andreessen as a backup option while also bringing in fourth-round pick Kaleb Elarms-Orr out of TCU.
Jets Sign K Younghoe Koo
The Jets are adding another option to their kicking competition. Younghoe Koo will stay in New York and join the city’s AFC team, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes. The deal is now official, per a team announcement.
A longtime Falcons option, Koo spent part of last season with the Giants after his Atlanta release. Koo joins Cade York and Lenny Krieg, the latter having been in a kicking competition with Koo in Atlanta during the 2025 offseason, on the Jets’ 90-man roster.
Kicking in five Giants games last season, Koo is certainly better remembered for his Falcons stay. The South Korea native played parts of seven seasons with Atlanta and opened last year as the team’s kicker. The Falcons cut Koo after he struggled in Week 1, however, and he did not see regular-season action again until November. Koo, 31, finished 6-for-9 on field goal tries as a Giant last season. He missed both his attempts from 50-plus yards.
The Giants waived Koo after he missed two 50-plus-yarders in a December loss to the Commanders. Koo tried out for the Saints earlier this month but was not signed. A Jets team that lost Nick Folk to the Falcons in free agency will give Koo a shot after adding both York and Krieg this offseason. Krieg joined the Jets on a futures deal in January, while York signed a one-year deal in March. No guarantees are present on York’s contract, opening up this competition. The Jets waived kicker Will Ferrin earlier this month.
Despite York arriving nearly three months before Koo, the latter certainly has a better NFL track record. Koo earned Pro Bowl recognition in 2020 and signed a five-year, $24.25MM extension in 2022. Koo made more than 93% of his field goal attempts in 2020 and ’21, leading the Falcons to their long-term investment, and nailed 86.5% of his tries in 2022 and ’23. In 2024, however, Koo hit just 73.5% of his tries. This came for a team primarily playing indoors.
Struggling over the past two years — which included a viral moment when a Monday-night FG attempt featured the veteran missing the ball entirely — Koo will have a rebound opportunity in a competition without another experienced option.
Cowboys Move WR Parris Campbell To Reserve/Retired List
Parris Campbell agreed to terms on a reserve/futures deal to stay in Dallas in January. Four-plus months later, the former second-round pick looks to be leaving the sport.
The Cowboys moved Campbell to the reserve/retired list Wednesday, The Athletic’s Jon Machota tweets. The former Colts draftee spent the past three seasons in the NFC East — 2023 with the Giants, 2024 with the Eagles and 2025 with the Cowboys — but had been unable to make an impact. The Ohio State product will walk away after seven NFL seasons.
Signing a rookie deal worth just more than $4.7MM, Campbell nearly matched that with a one-year Giants contract in 2023. But a steady role eluded him in New York. The former Indianapolis slot receiver was on Philadelphia’s Super Bowl LIX-winning roster, playing in three Eagles playoff games (including the Super Bowl rout of the Chiefs), but was attached to veteran-minimum deals (or close to it) over his last two seasons.
Although Campbell did not catch a pass in Super Bowl LIX, he saw action on 16 offensive plays. The Eagles did not re-sign him following that conquest, and he made his way to Dallas soon after. The Cowboys signed Campbell to a one-year, $1.34MM deal in March 2025 but released him from IR with an injury settlement in August. Campbell, however, returned to the team in September and played one final game.
Campbell’s career will be best remember for a four-year Indianapolis stay. The Colts added him with the No. 59 overall pick in 2019, but injuries interrupted attempts to become a complementary piece around T.Y. Hilton (and then Michael Pittman Jr.). A knee injury preceded Campbell breaking his hand and foot as a rookie. A PCL injury then occurred in September 2020, ending Campbell’s second season. Campbell underwent foot surgery in October 2021; over his first three seasons, the slot player missed 34 games.
The 2022 season proved pivotal for Campbell. He returned to action and did not miss a game. While the Colts flatlined during their Matt Ryan–Jeff Saturday season, Campbell finished with 63 catches for 623 yards and three touchdowns. Those contributions prompted a one-year, $4.7MM Giants offer. The 6-foot pass catcher did not pan out in New York, ending his lone Giants season as a healthy scratch, that season provided a notable bump in career earnings.
The Akron, Ohio, native totaled 1,063 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior with the Buckeyes, outpacing teammate Terry McLaurin that season. Campbell, 28, will retire with 123 NFL receptions for 1,117 yards and six scores. He earned just more than $10MM in seven seasons.
Giants Sign Round 1 OL Francis Mauigoa
Making two top-10 picks for the second time in five drafts, the Giants ended up with Arvell Reese and Francis Mauigoa. Reese has not yet signed his rookie contract, but Mauigoa put pen to paper Wednesday.
The former Miami tackle will be tied to a fully guaranteed four-year deal (worth $30.96MM) as the No. 10 overall pick. All first-round deals since 2011 have included a fifth-year option. The Giants are planning to begin Mauigoa’s career at guard, having re-signed right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to go with All-Pro Andrew Thomas. Reese is now the Giants’ only unsigned draftee.
[RELATED: Analyzing Giants’ Position Decisions For First-Rounders]
New York acquired the No. 10 overall pick from Cincinnati in the pre-draft Dexter Lawrence blockbuster. While the Giants were connected to a handful of players with their two first-rounders, few expected the Reese-Mauigoa duo to materialize. Tied to Caleb Downs — a player who would have given John Harbaugh a potential impact safety along the lines of Kyle Hamilton — the Giants instead bolstered their O-line at No. 10 despite having re-signed Eluemunor to a three-year, $39MM deal in March. Downs went to the Cowboys one pick later.
Although the Browns considered Mauigoa at No. 9, they chose Utah’s Spencer Fano. That left the Miami product for the Giants, who have chosen a Miami O-lineman in the first round for the second time since 2015. New York did not see former No. 9 overall pick Ereck Flowers pan out, though he had some success as a guard later in his career. Mauigoa worked primarily as the Hurricanes’ right tackle, and while he certainly could become the team’s post-Eluemunor starter there, a guard transition is on tap first. Mauigoa is expected to line up at right guard, where veteran Greg Van Roten played over the past two seasons.
Mauigoa did not miss a snap at Miami, but some teams viewed him as a medical risk due to a back issue. Some clubs believed Mauigoa would need back surgery at some point, but the Giants will move forward with the high-profile prospect. Ely Allen’s PFR mock draft sent Mauigoa to the Giants at No. 5 — before the Lawrence trade was agreed to — and post-draft reporting indicated the team would have pulled the trigger there had Reese been off the board.
Earning first-team All-ACC honors in 2025, Mauigoa helped Miami make a surprise run to the CFP championship game last season. The acclaimed RT garnered second-team All-ACC honors in 2024 and freshman All-America accolades in 2023. The Giants have struggled to find long-term guard answers for more than a decade now, and while Mauigoa may be moved to RT at some point during his rookie contract, he will be asked to fill a void at RG for the time being.
Giants Sign DT Josh Tupou
The Giants worked out free agent Eddie Goldman on Tuesday, but they are now signing a different defensive tackle. The team has agreed to a deal with Josh Tupou, Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com reports. The move will reunite the ex-Raven with head coach John Harbaugh.
The 6-foot-3, 350-pound Tupou spent most of the past two years on the Ravens’ practice squad. He appeared in six regular-season games in that span and recorded eight tackles and a sack.
Since Tupou entered the NFL undrafted in 2017, the majority of his experience has come with one of the Ravens’ AFC North rivals, the Bengals. As a member of the organization through 2023, the Colorado product was teammates with defensive tackle D.J. Reader for four years. The Giants signed Reader earlier this month.
Tupou played just seven games in his first two seasons, but he took on a much bigger role in the Bengals’ defense beginning in 2019. He started seven of 16 games that year and notched a career-high 27 tackles. While Tupou opted out of 2020 over COVID concerns, he returned to play a full 17-game slate the next year and pick up nine starts during an AFC title-winning season for Cincinnati. He played just 11 games in 2022, but Tupou registered 19 tackles and the first two sacks of his career then. In total, he has 94 tackles and three sacks in his 71-game, 23-start career.
For the Giants, the Tupou signing comes less than a week after Roy Robertson-Harris tore his Achilles in practice. Robertson-Harris’ season is already over, adding another question mark along the Giants’ interior line. He was a full-time starter last year, as was Dexter Lawrence, but the Giants traded the latter to the Bengals for the 10th overall pick in April’s draft. They will expect Reader and fellow established free agent signing Shelby Harris to help pick up the slack. Tupou, 2025 third-rounder Darius Alexander, Zacch Pickens, Leki Fotu, Sam Roberts and rookie sixth-rounder Bobby Jamison-Travis represent several of their other options.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/26/26
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Tyron Herring
- Waived/injured: CB DeCarlos Nicholson
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB K.C. Ossai
K.C. Ossai is back with the Texans. The Louisiana product joined Houston as an UDFA last offseason but didn’t make the 53-man roster. He caught on with the Dolphins practice squad late in the year and was retained via a reserve/futures contract, but he was cut by Miami earlier this month. The linebacker had a standout collegiate career with the Ragin’ Cajuns, including a 2024 campaign where he tallied 115 tackles.
Steelers Re-Sign DL Dean Lowry
The Steelers have finally agreed to a new deal with Dean Lowry. The team announced that they’ve signed the free agent defensive lineman to a one-year deal. To make room on the roster, the Steelers have waived defensive tackle Jahvaree Ritzie.
There were reports last month that the two sides had agreed to a new contract. However, that was quickly dismissed, as the Steelers wanted to give the veteran more time to return to playing shape. The 31-year-old is working his way back from a torn ACL suffered last summer.
Lowry joined the Steelers on a two-year, $5MM contract during the 2024 offseason. He mostly served as a backup during his first season in Pittsburgh, getting into about 20 percent of his team’s defensive snaps in his 12 appearances. The veteran suffered a torn ACL during last year’s training camp that erased his entire 2025 campaign. We heard previously that Lowry had been given medical clearance, and the Steelers are apparently happy enough with his recovery to bring him back for another season.
The former fourth-round pick turned into a dependable starter during his long stint in Green Bay, where he started 80 of his 111 appearances. He tallied 15.5 sacks, 23 TFLs, and 34 QB hits during his seven seasons with the Packers. He left for the Vikings on a two-year deal in 2023, but a pectoral injury limited him to only nine games that year. Lowry was cut loose after only one season in Minnesota.
While he’s unlikely to return to his early-career production, Lowry will still provide the Steelers with some veteran continuity on the defensive line. Isaiahh Loudermilk and Daniel Ekuale are both out the door, with Sebastian Joseph-Day representing Pittsburgh’s reinforcement up front. Derrick Harmon, Cameron Heyward, and Keeanu Benton will still command the majority of the snaps on the DL, but Lowry should be a dependable depth piece and special teamer.
Ritzie went undrafted out of North Carolina in 2025 before catching on with the Patriots. He had a brief stint on New England’s practice squad before getting cut in September. He caught on with Pittsburgh in January via a reserve/futures contract.
Texans To Sign WR Jha’Quan Jackson
The Texans recently hosted a number of free agent receivers for workouts. That process has now resulted in at least one contract agreement.
Houston has agreed to terms with Jha’Quan Jackson, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. Jackson was one of five wideouts who received a look from the Texans, joining River Cracraft, D’Wayne Eskridge, Samori Toure and Demarcus Lacey in that regard. The other free agents will now turn their attention elsewhere unless another Houston signing is being planned.
Jackson was a sixth-round pick of the Titans in 2024. He made 12 appearances as a rookie, seeing sparse usage on offense during that span. The Tulane product handled punt return duties but struggled with fumbles before being replaced in that role. Jackson did not survive roster cuts at the end of training camp last year; he was briefly on the Saints’ practice squad but did not see any game time with New Orleans.
The Texans’ WR depth chart is set to once again be topped by Nico Collins in 2026. Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel are preparing for their second NFL campaigns, while Tank Dell could return to action after being sidelined for all of last season. Xavier Hutchinson and Jared Wayne are also in the fold, so Jackson will face an uphill battle in terms of carving out a roster spot during training camp this summer.
Houston entered Tuesday with roughly $17.7MM in cap space. This Jackson signing will not make a notable impact to that figure, so further roster moves will be feasible ahead of upcoming mandatory practices next month and training camp in the summer.
Cardinals Sign G Chase Bisontis To Fully Guaranteed Rookie Contract
Chase Bisontis is officially on the books. The second-round guard recently signed his rookie contract, per a Cardinals announcement.
[RELATED: Cardinals, Jacoby Brissett Not Close To Contract Resolution]
Selected 34th overall, Bisontis saw a number of other round two players (including those taken later than him) land fully guaranteed deals prior to his own being finalized. To no surprise, then, he too has secured full guarantees across all four years of his pact. As detailed by CardsWire’s Howard Balzer, the contract is worth of total of $13.26MM. That figure includes a $6.1MM signing bonus.
Many viewed the offensive line as an area the Cardinals would address with their top selection. Indications increasingly pointed toward running back Jeremiyah Love leading up to the draft, though, and that wound up being the route Arizona took. Trade interest was shown in the No. 34 pick, but the Cards elected to stay in place. That allowed for Bisontis to hear his name called.
The Texas A&M product established himself as a high-end guard prospect across his three years with the Aggies. Bisontis will be a candidate to take on a starting role immediately upon entering the NFL. The right guard spot in particular could be the subject of a training camp competition. Isaiah Adams logged 11 starts in that capacity last season, and two years remain on his rookie contract. A change to backup duties could be in store depending on how Bisontis fares this summer, however.
As a result of this signing, five of the Cards’ seven draftees are on the books. Only third-round quarterback Carson Beck and fourth-round defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor are still unsigned at this point. With neither of them in position to secure a fully guaranteed pact, a dispute over terms should not be expected.