Transactions News & Rumors

Browns To Sign WR Malachi Corley, G Cole Strange

August 27th, 2025 at 1:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Waived by the Jets after one season, Malachi Corley went unclaimed today. But the 2024 third-round pick will land elsewhere, joining the Browns (per veteran reporter Jordan Schultz).

This practice squad agreement comes about after Corley had multiple suitors to choose from, per Schultz. He will head to Cleveland in the hopes of rebuilding his value following a poor rookie campaign. The Jets’ new regime elected to move on despite depth questions at the WR position.

Corley managed just three scoreless receptions last year. The Western Kentucky product was seen as a project given his skillset, but his efforts to develop into an NFL regular will take place in a new home. It will be interesting to see if Corley finds himself amongst the Browns’ early taxi squad elevations or makes his way onto the active roster in September.

Cleveland’s receiver room will once again be led by Jerry Jeudy in 2025. The former Broncos first-rounder set a new career high in catches (90) and yards (1,229) during his first Browns campaign, and he will be relied on to duplicate that production as the team sorts out its quarterback situation over the course of the year. The likes of Cedric Tillman, Jamari Thrash and undrafted rookie Isaiah Bond are also in place on the depth chart.

Corley will be joined on the Browns’ taxi squad by guard Cole Strange. The latter was waived by the Patriots yesterday, marking an unceremonious end to his time in New England. Strange is heading to Cleveland with the expectation of also being elevated to the active roster at some point, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. A backup gig along the interior could be in store by the fall.

Strange’s entry to the NFL was marked by his surprising status as a first-round pick. The Chattanooga product was hampered by injuries, and he was limited to 13 appearances across the past two seasons. When on the field, Strange was part of a Pats O-line which struggled mightily in 2024. With plenty of changes taking place up front under head coach Mike Vrabel, he found himself amongst the team’s roster cuts yesterday.

Now, Strange will join Corley in seeking to take advantage of a change of scenery. At the ages of 27 and 23, respectively, both players could wind up offering upside to the Browns’ offense in time.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Chiefs To Re-Sign RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire

August 27th, 2025 at 1:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs already reunited with Derrick Nnadi via trade recently; they will now add another familiar face on offense. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is returning to Kansas City, veteran reporter Jordan Schultz tweets. The deal bringing Edwards-Helaire back will be a practice squad arrangement.

Edwards-Helaire spent the offseason with the Saints, who had picked him up after the Chiefs waived him late last year. The former first-round pick, however, will follow Kareem Hunt in booking a second stint with the Chiefs.

Selected 32nd overall in 2020, Edwards-Helaire posted 1,100 scrimmage yards as a rookie while operating as a starter. He missed three games along the way, however, and injuries remained an issue across his first Kansas City stint. By 2023, the LSU product had seen a major drop in usage, and it will be interesting to see where his role in the 2025 backfield pecking order shakes out.

Edwards-Helaire managed 13 scoreless carries in two regular season Saints appearances last year. New Orleans elected to move on yesterday in a move which came as little surprise based on that sparse workload. Changing teams just before Week 1, Edwards-Helaire will now reacclimate to a familiar offense while looking to chip on offensively. The Chiefs still have Hunt along with Isiah Pacheco in place; they also added Elijah Mitchell in free agency.

Mitchell and Hunt are both pending 2026 free agents. Pacheco is entering the final year of his rookie contract, so he too could depart on the open market next spring. With plenty of future uncertainty in the backfield, Edwards-Helaire could play his way into a larger role for next season. For now, he will aim to regain his previous form during a second Kansas City stint.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Dolphins Claim CB JuJu Brents, To Re-Sign RB Jeff Wilson

August 27th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts cut ties with JuJu Brents on Tuesday, but the young cornerback will remain tied to his second-round contract. The Dolphins claimed Brents, veteran reporter Jordan Schultz tweets.

In addition to claiming Brents, the Dolphins are reuniting with Jeff Wilson on a practice squad deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The veteran Mike McDaniel charge did not make the 49ers’ 53-man roster, but the Dolphins have dangled an opportunity. Wilson played in Miami from 2022-24 but saw his role diminish as the tenure wore on. With Miami banged up at running back presently, Wilson will return.

Eyed as a starter in Indianapolis’ Gus Bradley scheme, Brents had been unable to stay healthy. The Indianapolis native missed eight games as a rookie and 15 last season. Brents, 25, suffered a knee injury in Week 1 last year and became the rare player to only play in his team’s first and last games in a season. In Colts camp this year, however, Brents missed extensive time with a hamstring injury. Despite Indianapolis losing third-round rookie Justin Walley, the team did not hold onto Brents as it transitions to Lou Anarumo‘s system.

The Colts cut the former No. 44 overall pick days after signing Xavien Howard, one of the longest-tenured DBs in Dolphins history. Miami had a veteran group in place post-Howard in 2024, but circumstances changed radically this year. The Dolphins released Kendall Fuller and traded Jalen Ramsey. They later saw Artie Burns and Kader Kohou suffer ACL tears.

The Dolphins also placed former second-round pick Cam Smith on the reserve/NFI list, sidelining the disappointing draftee for at least four games. They released Mike Hilton on Tuesday, leading to a Colts visit (as these teams’ CB paths remain intertwined), and signed Rasul Douglas. The team also retained Jack Jones, a late-summer addition. In addition to the Smith move, Miami waived DB Isaiah Johnson.

Acquired via trade at the 2022 deadline, Wilson has played for McDaniel for most of his career. The former 49ers assistant traded for Wilson in his first year as Dolphins HC, and Miami re-signed the Raheem Mostert sidekick in 2023. The Dolphins drafting De’Von Achane and Jaylen Wright, however, changed Wilson’s standing. Wilson totaled just 57 rushing yards on 16 carries last season — after accumulating just 188 in 2023. The 29-year-old RB does have scheme knowledge here and stands to help while Achane and Wright are battling injuries; the latter is not expected to play in Week 1.

Patriots Claim QB Tommy DeVito

August 27th, 2025 at 11:56am CST by Sam Robinson

Tommy DeVito‘s stay in New York is over. The Giants waived their fourth-string QB on Tuesday, and no practice squad agreement will come to pass. The Patriots claimed DeVito today, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets.

The Pats will add DeVito to a quarterback room also including Drake Maye and Joshua Dobbs. This will keep DeVito tied to a $1MM ERFA tender. The Giants had DeVito as their only contracted QB entering free agency, but the additions of Jameis Winston, Russell Wilson and Jaxson Dart moved the popular backup off the roster.

DeVito can be retained as an RFA in 2026, giving the Pats the option of developing a long-term backup. The Giants rostered DeVito for three offseasons, adding the former Syracuse and Illinois passer as a UDFA and then turning to him as a rookie.

A Monday-night upset win over the Packers boosted DeVito’s popularity, as he also led the Giants to wins over the Patriots and Commanders that season. The Giants kept DeVito in their lineup over then-backup Tyrod Taylor, to the veteran’s dismay, but benched him before season’s end. Taylor leading the Giants to a Week 18 win over the Eagles hurt their eventual Maye pursuit.

Last season, DeVito received an unexpected promotion in going from QB3 to QB1 after the Giants cut Daniel Jones. They vaulted DeVito over Drew Lock initially, but an injury led the more experienced player into the lineup. DeVito went 0-2 as a starter last season, and the Giants overhauled their QB room.

With the team not showing interest in moving Winston — who is positioned as the current Giants third-stringer behind Wilson and Dart — DeVito had no realistic path back to Big Blue’s active roster this week. He will land on his feet with a fresh start in Foxborough.

49ers To Sign WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling

August 27th, 2025 at 11:15am CST by Sam Robinson

Marquez Valdes-Scantling did not make the Seahawks’ 53-man roster. Rather than a potential practice squad deal, the veteran wide receiver will accept an active-roster offer elsewhere in the NFC West.

The well-traveled wideout is signing with the 49ers, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. San Francisco is shorthanded at receiver, and the team now has three ex-Chiefs in the fold. While Demarcus Robinson serves a three-game suspension, however, MVS and Skyy Moore are now in place. This is a practice squad deal, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows.

Valdes-Scantling signed a one-year, $4MM Seahawks deal in March, staying with Klint Kubiak after their short time together in New Orleans. The Seahawks took on $3MM in dead money by cutting MVS, though the experienced wideout will be in a familiar system. Kyle Shanahan oversaw both Kubiak and Matt LaFleur during his career; that will make Valdes-Scantling a fit as a tertiary target.

The 49ers placed Brandon Aiyuk on the reserve/PUP list Tuesday and shifted Robinson to the reserve/suspended list. The team also has not seen Jauan Jennings practice in weeks due to a calf injury; a contract issue is also a factor for Jennings, though time is running out on that front. Second-year player Jacob Cowing made the 49ers’ 53-man roster but is also battling an injury. MVS might not be the only WR the 49ers add; they are believed to be interested in reuniting with Kendrick Bourne after his Patriots release.

Despite being released by the Bills months into his tenure, Valdes-Scantling made some contributions to the Saints to generate interest ahead of the $4MM Seahawks deal. The 30-year-old receiver — who had been one of the NFL’s more notable deep threats for a period in Green Bay and Kansas City — caught 17 passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns in New Orleans.

A penchant for drops notwithstanding, MVS made some pivotal playoff receptions for the Chiefs — including a touchdown grab in Super Bowl LVIII — as they closed out a championship season in 2023. A year prior, the ex-Packers fifth-rounder eclipsed 100 receiving yards in an AFC championship game in which the Chiefs were battered at wide receiver. The 49ers will call on the seven-year vet for some short-term aid.

Dolphins, Matt Judon Agree To Deal

August 27th, 2025 at 9:56am CST by Adam La Rose

AUGUST 27: The details of Judon’s contract have come to light via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. He has a $1.5MM base salary with a $500K roster bonus and $1MM in per game roster bonuses. That base value of $3MM is doubled by the following incentives, worth $500K each:

59% playtime
65% playtime
seven sacks
10 sacks
Pro Bowl
65% playtime and the Dolphins make the playoffs and rank as a top-20 defense

Judon didn’t accomplish any of those feats in 2024 – though the Dolphins ranked fourth in yards and 10th in yards – making all of the incentives not likely to be earned. Any that Judon achieves will be added to Miami’s 2026 salary cap.

AUGUST 18: Matt Judon‘s Monday visit with the Dolphins brought about the expectation of a deal. To no surprise, an agreement has indeed been reached.

Judon is heading to Miami on a one-year deal, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Colleague Tom Pelissero adds this pact has a maximum value of $6MM. With a short period remaining until the start of the regular season, Judon will now look to acclimate to his fourth career team.

This agreement will allow for a return to the AFC East in Judon’s case. The four-time Pro Bowler spent three seasons with the Patriots, collecting 32 sacks in that time. In the absence of an extension agreement, a trade was worked out last summer sending him to Atlanta. Judon managed to play 17 games (after logging only four the previous year) with the Falcons, but he posted 5.5 sacks as part of a team which again struggled in the pass-rush department.

Judon will join a Dolphins edge rusher room that is led by three former first-round picks in Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and Chop Robinson. Phillips has been sidelined for a week, but Mike McDaniel said that the injury is not serious, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Robinson had an injury scare in a joint practice with the Lions and had to be carted off the field, but returned to practice the next day, and McDaniel has since said that none of the team’s outside linebackers are dealing with significant injuries. Judon, who just turned 33 years old a few days ago, may benefit from a more rotational role after averaging 46.3 snaps per game over the last four years.

Miami now has a fourth proven edge rusher to help compensate for their lack of proven talent along the interior of their defensive line. Zach Sieler is coming off back-to-back 10.0-sack seasons (and recently received an extension for his efforts), but four-year veteran Benito Jones doesn’t have a strong pass-rushing pedigree, nor do rookies Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips.

Judon will now work to get up to speed in his new defense with a little less than three weeks before the Dolphins’ regular-season opener against the Colts.

Dolphins To Sign K Riley Patterson

August 27th, 2025 at 9:34am CST by Sam Robinson

The Tuesday Riley Patterson rumors will produce a Dolphins deal. Miami is bringing in the well-traveled kicker after a successful workout, NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe reports.

Patterson joined Greg Zuerlein, Eddy Pineiro and Zane Gonzalez in attending the Dolphins audition. Patterson will be the Dolphins’ Jason Sanders fill-in, with Wolfe indicating this is a practice squad deal that will lead to a promotion ahead of the season. Sanders is on short-term IR to open the year.

The Dolphins are Patterson’s sixth team since July 2024. The Jaguars, Commanders, Jets, Falcons and Browns rostered Patterson between July and December last year. Despite his five-team tour, Patterson only kicked in five games last season. He was 16 of 16 on extra points and 4 of 7 on field goals. In his most recent extended work (with the 2023 Lions), Patterson — a 2023 trade acquisition from Jacksonville — was 15-for-17 on FG tries.

Still just 25, Patterson has kicked in the NFL since 2021. He operated as the full-time Jaguars kicker in 2022, being traded to the Lions after the Jags signed Brandon McManus. An in-season kicking competition led the Lions to go with Michael Badgley for the stretch run, halting Patterson’s 2023 Detroit season at 13 games. Patterson’s most memorable NFL moment came when made a game-winning field goal to complete a 27-point Jaguars wild-card comeback over the Chargers.

This agreement appears set to involve gameday roster elevations, according to Wolfe. The Dolphins are expected to elevate Patterson to their 55-man gameday roster for the first three weeks. Following that, they would need to make a roster move. Sanders must miss at least four games due to being placed on IR Tuesday. The regular Miami kicker is expected to return soon after.

Commanders, WR Terry McLaurin Agree To Extension

August 27th, 2025 at 8:30am CST by Adam La Rose

AUGUST 27: The deal’s base value has emerged; as expected, McLaurin did not score a top-five wide receiver rate. This is a three-year, $87MM extension, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. It includes $44.65MM guaranteed at signing — $30MM of that figure comes via a signing bonus — according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. While just $2.9MM of McLaurin’s $12.9MM 2026 base salary is guaranteed at signing, Breer adds a $10MM 2026 roster bonus is fully guaranteed. McLaurin’s 2027 and ’28 base salaries are nonguaranteed.

Rumors emerged this summer indicating the Commanders were leery of a $30MM-per-year payday for a wideout set to turn 30, and they have McLaurin at $29MM AAV. This value checks in 10th among receivers, settling between the $30MM-AAV club and Tee Higgins‘ $28.75MM-per-year deal. In terms of full guarantees, McLaurin matches Chris Godwin for ninth at the position.

AUGUST 25: Terry McLaurin‘s contract saga has come to an end. The Pro Bowl wideout finalized an extension with the Commanders on Monday, as first reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz. The news is now official, per a team announcement.

This is a three-year accord, per Schultz. He adds McLaurin’s new deal is worth over $96MM. One year remained on his pact prior to today’s news. As a result, McLaurin is now on the books through 2028. This pact contains a $30MM signing bonus, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network adds.

Multiple reports indicate $96MM actually represents the maximum value of this accord. In any event, today’s agreement ends the questions related to McLaurin’s future in Washington. A trade request was issued in response to extension talks failing to progress as hoped. At no point did it appear likely a swap would take place, however, with the Commanders intending to move forward without entertaining trade offers.

McLaurin was briefly absent from training camp, but he later reported and was moved to the active/PUP list. Upon being activated, the 29-year-old was not a full practice participant. Uncertainty loomed in this case as the countdown to Week 1 continued without much in the way of progress being made. After a spell without the parties speaking to one another, though, the expected outcome in this case has arrived.

Exact figures on McLaurin’s initial asking price did not emerge, but over the course of the offseason it became clear the Commanders were taken aback by it. Concerns related to the Ohio State product’s age were a sticking point in negotiations, but today’s pact means McLaurin will remain in the nation’s capital through the foreseeable future (and across the remainder of quarterback Jayden Daniels‘ rookie contract). This marks the second time in his career McLaurin has taken a three-year extension (whereas four-year pacts are common for high-profile receivers).

As the wait for precise details on this extension continues, it is clear McLaurin has secured a major raise. He was owed a base salary of $15.5MM for 2025 with a cap charge of $25.5MM; both figures will change once the deal is finalized. An average annual value of $32MM would put him in a tie for sixth amongst receivers and fall just short of D.K. Metcalf‘s Steelers accord. The Metcalf deal has long been viewed as a comparable one for McLaurin, although he did not deem it necessary to match it entirely.

Receiver depth was an issue for the Commanders last year, and general manager Adam Peters swung a trade with his former team to acquire Deebo Samuel. The former All-Pro will add a unique element to Washington’s offense in 2025, but he is a pending free agent. Especially against the backdrop of a potential Samuel departure next spring, hammering out a long-term McLaurin pact was critical for the team. The top of Washington’s WR depth chart is now set to remain intact for years to come.

McLaurin has topped 1,000 yards in each of the past five seasons, and in 2024 he comfortably set a new career high with 13 touchdowns. A strong connection with Daniels could help the Commanders in their effort to duplicate last year’s run to the NFC title game. McLaurin has been available for a full campaign every year since 2021, so durability should not be a concern as he plays out his third NFL pact.

Expectations will be high for McLaurin in the wake of this news, something which will pave the way for a return to practice. He will spend the coming days ramping up in advance of Week 1, and another productive season would set the Commanders up for successful campaign while also proving their investment to be worthwhile.

Bills To Reunite With S Jordan Poyer

August 27th, 2025 at 8:13am CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Bills are reuniting with veteran safety Jordan Poyer, according to FOX Sports Jordan Schultz.

Poyer, 34, played in Buffalo from 2017 to 2023, starting 107 games with only eight games missed due to injury. He also earned recognition as a first-team All Pro (2021) ands Pro Bowler (2022).

Poyer was released last March as part of the Bills’ 2024 cap moves that set up their flurry of offseason extensions this year. The 12-year veteran then signed with the division rival Dolphins for $2MM and outplayed that value with 16 starts and 98 tackles. The latter ranked second on a Miami defense that quietly finished as a top-10 unit last season.

Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp led the Bills’ safety room in 2024, with Cole Bishop and Cam Lewis both adding versatile depth. Bishop, a 2024 second-round pick, started four games as a rookie and was expected to take over a full-time role next to Rapp.

Poyer’s return to Buffalo may interfere with those plans. He’ll start on the practice squad, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, but he could retake his starting role in a familiar Sean McDermott defense. Despite his age, Poyer still played 96% of the available snaps in Miami last year. The Bills can elevate him from the practice squad three times; to play him beyond that, they must sign him to the active roster.

Originally drafted by the Eagles as a cornerback in 2013, Poyer appeared in three of the team’s first four games as a rookie. The former seventh-round pick quickly fell out of Philadelphia’s plans and was waived in October. He landed in Cleveland and converted to safety, carving out a core special teams role before rotational defensive snaps in 2015 and his first starting job in 2016. His tenure as a starter ended early due to a season-ending blindside block, and he was targeted by the Bills the following offseason to pair with fellow free agent signing Micah Hyde.

That partnership flourished over the next seven seasons, but both were cap casualties last year. Hyde returned to Buffalo in 2024 via the practice squad and retired as a Bill at the end of the season. Poyer has taken the first steps towards the same potential outcome, though he will be hoping to help the franchise finally bring home their first Super Bowl this season.

Saints Name Spencer Rattler Starting QB

August 26th, 2025 at 11:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints used a first- or second-round pick on a quarterback for the first time in 54 years, but despite Derek Carr‘s retirement, Tyler Shough will begin his rookie season as a backup.

New Orleans has named Spencer Rattler as its Week 1 starter, the team announced Tuesday. The 2024 fifth-round pick battled Shough during a monthslong competition, this year’s last QB battle to wrap. This will now mean nearly a fourth of the league (seven teams) will be starting a 2024 draftee at quarterback to open the season. Rattler joins Michael Penix Jr., Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy in being set to start in Week 1 for the first time.

Rattler finished the preseason 30 of 43 for 295 yards with a touchdown and an interception; Shough was 36 of 54 for 333 yards — also adding one TD and one INT. The Saints cut their third-stringer, Jake Haener, earlier today. Haener had initially been part of the competition, but it became a Rattler-Shough matchup as the process wore on.

This decision is unlikely to inspire too much confidence among Saints fans, especially with a highly drafted rookie not doing enough to unseat a player who did not impress as Carr’s primary fill-in last season. Rattler lost each of his six starts, with the Saints losing five of those games by double digits. Rattler completed 57% of his passes for 1,317 yards as a rookie, closing the part-time starter year with a 4:5 TD-INT ratio. That said, Rattler was working with a cast of backup wide receivers — due to the season-ending injuries sustained by Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed — during most of his time replacing Carr.

Olave and Shaheed are back at work ahead of Rattler’s first Week 1 opportunity, and the Saints reunited with Brandin Cooks this offseason. They also brought in Devaughn Vele via trade, sending fourth- and seventh-round picks to the Broncos for a 6-foot-5 pass catcher who saw the second-most snaps among Denver wide receivers last season. This gives the Saints a solid top four a year after they were trotting out backup-level cogs for much of the season.

Kellen Moore gave Rattler the first preseason start, and that proved telling. Still, the ex-Oklahoma and South Carolina starter’s grip on the job might be tenuous. It stands to reason the Saints will want to see what they have in Shough, so a quick hook would not be surprising. The Saints are not projected to be a playoff contender, even with a host of proven veterans still rostered, and the team will be connected to what looks like a better QB class (compared to 2025, at least) ahead of next year’s draft. With the prospect of a first-round investment in a passer looming in 2026, Shough’s place on the team is a bit more interesting after today’s news.

Connected to a few arms in April, the Saints were among the QB-needy teams to pass on Shedeur Sanders twice. They fortified their O-line with Kelvin Banks Jr. at No. 9 and then added Shough at 40. Shough gained steam during the pre-draft process, impressing despite spending seven years in college — Shough is a year older than Rattler — and carrying a notable injury history into the NFL. But the former Louisville, Texas Tech and Oregon option will begin the season as a backup. This will stall the Saints’ evaluation of a soon-to-be 26-year-old rookie.

Three years remain on Rattler’s rookie contract. The Saints have not drafted a first-round QB since Archie Manning in 1971; it will be interesting to see if anything Rattler or Shough do this season could prevent the Saints from a higher-profile QB investment next year. For now, Rattler has the keys and will work behind an O-line housing four first-round picks (and standout center Erik McCoy, a former second-rounder).

Load More Posts