HEADLINES

Transactions News & Rumors

49ers Sign First-Round DE Mykel Williams

May 14th, 2025 at 9:26pm CST by Ely Allen

The 49ers were one of five teams in the 2025 NFL Draft who had the highest number of drafted rookies (11). According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, San Francisco pushed its ninth rookie contract across the finish line tonight, inking first-round defensive end Mykel Williams. Per Wilson, Williams’ four-year rookie deal (with a fifth-year option) is worth $29.94MM fully guaranteed, including a $14.78MM signing bonus.

Williams spent three years at Georgia, earning second-team All-SEC honors in each of his final two seasons. A former five-star recruit, Williams didn’t quite live up to expectations in Athens. He failed to eclipse five sacks or nine tackles for loss in any season with the Bulldogs. He only started 17 of 40 games, though he was still a regular on three Georgia defenses — including a national championship-winning 2022 group.

An ankle injury hindered Williams’ play in 2024, as well. Still, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound edge rusher’s size and athleticism had him squarely on the first-round radar. He’s a common type of prospect that we see with more tools and potential than production in college.

The 49ers are hoping that WIlliams will be able to fill in the spot vacated by another former Bulldog, Leonard Floyd, who spent the most time across from Nick Bosa on the defensive line last year. The team also sees Sam Okuayinonu, Yetur Gross-Matos, and yet another former Georgia player, Robert Beal Jr., returning from last season. The three players combined for only seven sacks in 2024.

Unless Okuayinonu, Gross-Matos, or Beal are ready to take the next steps in their careers, Williams may be expected to step into a starting role early. San Francisco will need to tap into that athleticism and potential and hope that Williams can produce more against NFL competition.

Here’s a look at the 49ers’ draft class including the final two players that need to sign their rookie deals:

Vikings Sign G Donovan Jackson, Complete Rookie Class

May 14th, 2025 at 8:09pm CST by Ely Allen

With only five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft (tied with Atlanta and Washington for the fewest in the league), the Vikings didn’t have much work to do in order to finish off their rookie class signings. Regardless, they’re the first to get it done this offseason.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Minnesota came to terms with first-round guard Donovan Jackson, closing out the signing process for their rookies. The four-year deal (with a fifth-year option) is fully guaranteed for $17.18MM and will include a $9.42MM signing bonus. After the conclusion of his rookie season, he’ll also earn training camp roster bonuses of $616K in 2026, $1.28MM in 2027, and $1MM in 2028.

During his time at Ohio State, Jackson spent time at both guard and tackle. He started at left guard for the Buckeyes in his sophomore and junior years. When Josh Simmons suffered a midseason patellar tendon tear last year, Jackson slid out to left tackle for the remaining nine games of the season. Jackson put himself on the NFL radar after earning second-team All-Big Ten acclaim in his first season as a starter and first-team honors the next year. He upped the stakes with first-team All-American honors last season, helping Ohio State to a College Football Playoff championship.

With their only decent interior offensive line play last year coming from Dalton Risner, now a free agent, the Vikings worked to seriously upgrade their guard and centers spots, bringing in former Colts Will Fries and Ryan Kelly at guard and center, respectively. Jackson is projected to slot in opposite Fries in order to form a completely new interior for Minnesota.

With their rookie class complete, here’s a look at the five first-year players that the Vikings drafted:

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/14/25

May 14th, 2025 at 6:44pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: WR Jadon Janke

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

Tennessee Titans

Williams, who recently worked out for Houston without getting a contract, turned a workout with the Patriots into a roster spot for the summer. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, New England also worked out former Saints running back Jordan Mims, but Williams walked away with the deal.

Titans Add CB Amani Oruwariye, DE Carlos Watkins

May 13th, 2025 at 9:23pm CST by Ben Levine

The Titans made a handful of changes to the bottom of their roster today, adding a trio of defenders in the process. For starters, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the team has signed cornerback Amani Oruwariye. The team later announced that they claimed linebacker Amari Burney off waivers from the Raiders.

The Titans also added defensive end Carlos Watkins, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. To accommodate these moves, the team waived defensive tackle Abdullah Anderson (per Wilson).

Oruwariye will add some veteran depth to Tennessee’s secondary, as the veteran has appeared in 61 games over the past six seasons. Following a brief stint as one of the Lions’ starting cornerbacks, Oruwariye has bounced around a bit. He most recently got into seven games (four starts) for the Cowboys in 2024, compiling 29 tackles and three passes defended.

Oruwariye earned headlines last season after mishandling a blocked punt that led to an eventual game-deciding score. His special teams coach in Dallas, John Fassel, is now serving in the same role in Tennessee, and there’s a good chance the new free agent acquisition will likely be playing a similar special teams-centric role in 2025.

Watkins was also in Dallas last season, as the veteran defensive tackle compiled 12 tackles in 15 games. While he’s likely been added as a ST option for Fassel, Watkins actually saw more time on defense in 2024, getting into 225 snaps. The former fourth-round pick has appeared in 87 career games, collecting 151 tackles and six sacks.

Burney also brings some experience, as the former sixth-round pick got into 24 games for the Raiders over the past two seasons. This included a 2024 season where he appeared in a career-high 17 games while compiling 17 tackles and one sack. The defensive lineman was waived by the Raiders yesterday.

Anderson has bounced around the NFL since going undrafted out of Bucknell in 2018. He spent most of last year on Tennessee’s practice squad, and he didn’t record a tackle in his four appearances with the big-league club.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/13/25

May 13th, 2025 at 8:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/13/25

May 13th, 2025 at 7:46pm CST by Ben Levine

The following 2025 draft picks signed their rookie contracts today:

Carolina Panthers

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Broncos Sign 13 UDFAs

May 13th, 2025 at 3:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos are heading to OTAs with 13 UDFAs as part of their rookie class. Here is that contingent:

Denver gave Truss a $150K guarantee, per 9News’ Mike Klis. Generally, multiyear starters during this Georgia period have required draft investments to add. The Broncos, however, brought in Truss — a 2023 second-team All-SEC guard who started three seasons for the Bulldogs, before earning a Combine invite — as a UDFA.

Both the guards in this group checked in as the highest-rated prospects (per ESPN’s Scouts Inc.), with Truss 224th and Webb 220th. Webb earned first-team All-Conference USA acclaim in 2024 and a second-team all-league honor in ’23. The Broncos have locked-in starters at guard (Ben Powers, Quinn Meinerz) but feature some questions behind them. Truss will compete with Webb, Calvin Throckmorton, 2024 draftee Nick Gargiulo and others for backup jobs.

Brown received $160K guaranteed to sign on, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. The honorable mention All-Big 12 performer will join a Broncos team that has some questions at linebacker. Denver has backstopped two starters coming off significant injuries — Dre Greenlaw, Alex Singleton — with only Justin Strnad and Drew Sanders, the latter having toggled between OLB and ILB roles. Sanders has settled at ILB heading into Denver’s on-field offseason work. Brown and Reid will attempt to make the roster or at least the 16-man practice squad.

One of two Mizzou products coming to Denver (where ex-Tigers Tyler Badie and Kris Abrams-Draine reside) in this rookie crop, Walker received a guarantee in the $160K range as well, the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson notes. Walker was quite productive for the SEC team last season, finishing as a second-team all-conference performer after racking up 9.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. The Broncos drafted Alabama’s Que Robinson to join Jonah Elliss and starters Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper. Walker will compete with Robinson, Ellis and UFL import Dondrea Tillman (five 2024 sacks) for a backup job.

Newton is Toledo’s all-time leader in TD receptions, with 32. Having played in parts of six seasons with the Rockets certainly helps there, but Newton is coming off a 1,048-yard, 11-TD season. Newton cleared 800 receiving yards in each of his final three college slates, earning All-MAC acclaim for each.

Patriots Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents

May 13th, 2025 at 2:42pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Patriots signed 15 undrafted free agents to bring their rookie class to 26 players. Here are New England’s UDFAs:

  • Demeer Blankumsee, WR (Memphis)
  • Efton Chism III, WR (Eastern Washington)
  • Jack Conley, OL (Boston College)
  • Brandon Crossley, CB (SMU)
  • C.J. Dippre, TE (Alabama)
  • Brock Lampe, FB (Northern Illinois)
  • Lan Larison, RB (UC Davis)
  • Josh Minkins, S (Cincinnati)
  • Jordan Polk, CB (Texas State)
  • Elijah Ponder, LB (Cal Poly)
  • Cam Riley, LB (Florida State)
  • Jahvaree Ritzie, DT (North Carolina)
  • Gee Scott Jr., TE (Ohio State)
  • Jeremiah Webb, WR (South Alabama)
  • Ben Wooldridge, QB (Louisana)

Chism’s production improved across each of his five years at Eastern Washington, culminating in a stellar 2024 campaign. He recorded an FCS-high 120 receptions for 1,311 yards and 13 touchdowns, earning him first-team All-American and All-Big Sky honors. The 5-foot-10 Chism projects as a slot receiver at the next level, where his toughness and agile route-running can shine. Still, he’ll face a sizable jump in overall talent, physicality, and athleticism in the NFL; his 4.71-second 40-yard dash at his pro day would’ve been the slowest among WRs at the Combine. Multiple teams were involved in a bidding war for Chism after the draft, including the Broncos, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, but the Patriots won his signature with $259k in guaranteed money.

Dippre spent two years at Maryland before transferring to Alabama in 2023. He was never a productive pass-catcher in college, but established himself as a consistent blocker and special teams presence, which will likely endear him to new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. He has the size, strength, and athleticism to be a blocking TE2 in the NFL, but he will need to make significant strides as a receiver to grow into more.

Larison ran for more than 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns across the last two years at UC Davis, but his exploits as a pass-catcher in 2024 (62 catches, 847 yards, six touchdowns) proved he had even more to offer in the NFL. His contract with the Patriots includes a $25k signing bonus and $150k in guaranteed salary, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.

Ponder spent five years at Cal Poly, first garnering national attention with 8.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss in 2021. He took a step back in 2022 but posted 25.5 TFLs and 18.0 sacks over his final two seasons, earning first-team All-Big Sky nods in each year. Ponder then put together an elite pro day performance that placed him among the most athletic edge rushers in the 2025 draft class. His 10-yard split, vertical jump, and broad jump would have led the position at the Combine and his agility scores trailed only eventual second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku.

Ritzie is an athletic defensive lineman with sparse production across his first three years at UNC. He broke out as a senior with 6.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks in 2024, plus an impressive Combine performance that showed off his speed and explosiveness. His length and athleticism could be developed into a more consistent pass-rushing impact in the NFL, but he’s too susceptible to being moved off the point of attack in the run game.

Jets Release P Thomas Morstead

May 13th, 2025 at 2:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets added a low-profile punter recently, and they are removing their incumbent from the competition. The team is releasing veteran Thomas Morstead, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy.

Morstead spent the past two seasons as the Jets’ punter. The team has since announced the release, along with the signing of Kai Kroeger.

Austin McNamara, a 2024 UDFA, signed with the Jets in March. With McNamara not playing in a regular-season game last year, that move did not generate much attention. But the Jets did make sweeping changes since re-signing Morstead in 2024, replacing the Joe Douglas–Robert Saleh regime with the Darren Mougey–Aaron Glenn partnership. The new power brokers appear to be planning a competition between two far less experienced punters.

Not part of the Jets’ initial 15-man UDFA class, Kroeger joined the team Tuesday after a five-year career as South Carolina’s punter. Kroeger punted in 61 games for the Gamecocks from 2020-24; his best gross average came last season (47.8). McNamara served as Texas Tech’s punter from 2019-23, joining Kroeger in taking advantage of the COVID-19 year. McNamara averaged a career-best 48.2 yards per boot in 2021.

This is the third time the Jets have released Morstead. They cut him midway through the 2021 season and then did make a procedural release upon setting its roster in 2023. Morstead re-signed with the Jets shortly after they sorted out other roster issues and punted in every game for the team over the past two seasons. The former Saints Super Bowl-winning specialist averaged 48.8 yards per punt in 2023 — his most since a Pro Bowl 2012 season (mostly spent indoors) — and posted a 47.2-yard number last year.

The Jets, who had re-signed Morstead on a two-year deal worth $5.1MM in 2024, will save $2.55MM in cap space by cutting him this time. He was due to make a $2.13MM base salary. McNamara and Kroeger will be on league-minimum numbers. With neither having played in an NFL game, the Jets going with another free agent could also transpire. Either way, Morstead is a free agent again at 39. It will be interesting to see if he can secure an opportunity to play a 17th NFL season.

Dolphins Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents

May 13th, 2025 at 1:39pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

After making eight picks during the 2025 NFL Draft, the Dolphins have added another 15 undrafted rookies to their roster. Here are Miami’s UDFA signings:

  • Andrew Armstrong, WR (Arkansas)
  • John Saunders Jr., S (Mississippi)
  • Nate Noel, RB (Missouri)
  • BJ Adams, CB (UCF)
  • Ethan Robinson, CB (Minnesota)
  • Jalin Conyers, TE (Texas Tech)
  • Monaray Baldwin, WR (Baylor)
  • Eugene Asante, LB (Auburn)
  • Tedi Kushi, OL (Western Michigan)
  • Addison West, OL (Western Michigan)
  • Josh Priebe, OL (Michigan)
  • Theo Wease Jr., WR (Missouri)
  • AJ Henning, WR (Northwestern)
  • Tre’vonn Rybka, DT (Kentucky)
  • Alex Huntley, DT (South Carolina)

Armstrong broke out as a sophomore at East Texas A&M in 2022 with 62 catches for 1,020 yards and 13 touchdowns, albeit against FCS competition. He transferred to Arkansas, but took a step back in 2023 as he adjusted to SEC play before bouncing back in 2024 with a conference-high 1,140 receiving yards. He has NFL potential as a possession receiver with a 6-foot-4 frame, strong hands, and the know-how to use those traits to win at the catch point. The 24-year-old had solid speed and agility testing at the Combine and his pro day, but lack burst and quickness as a route-runner. Armstrong brings some size that the Dolphins’ receiver room currently lacks outside of Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, but he’ll have to improve his play in the red zone (just one touchdown in 2024) and on special teams to make the roster.

Wease also offers appealing size with a 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame, but he didn’t reach 1,000 receiving yards in any of his six seasons (four at Oklahoma, two at Missouri). He’s a middling athlete who doesn’t play with the physicality his size would suggest, but he’s a solid route runner whose length shows up at the catch point. Wease’s deal with the Dolphins includes $249k in guaranteed money, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.

The Dolphins are undermanned at cornerback, especially if they follow through on their plan to trade Jalen Ramsey. They waited until the fifth round to draft one, so Adams and Robinson should have a chance to make the roster. Adams has good height and length that he deploys in press coverage at the line of scrimmage, but that didn’t translate into much ball production at UCF (13 passes defended, two interceptions in 29 career starts). He’ll need to develop his unrefined coverage technique to make up for his lack of elite movement skills, but his frame and special teams experience make him a developmental 53-man roster candidate. Robinson spent his first three years at Bucknell before transferring to Minnesota. He made a smooth transition from FCS with an honorable mention All-Big 10 selection in 2024. He has a natural feel as a playmaker in coverage (24 passes defended and six interceptions in last two years), but his below-average athletic profile will be more challenging to overcome in the NFL.

Conyers is a former multi-sport athlete who thrived as a basketball player in high school. He brings that background to the TE position with short-area quickness, lateral agility, and an ability to make tough, contested catches. He wasn’t especially productive at Arizona State or Texas Tech, but his size and toughness showed up as a blocker, which will be appreciated in the NFL. Conyers’ Combine performance also showed that he has plenty of athleticism to develop as a pass-catcher. The 23-year-old received a $15k signing bonus and $100k in guaranteed salary, per Wilson.

Load More Posts