Ahkello Witherspoon’s visit with the Commanders apparently went well.
Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, Witherspoon has agreed to sign with Washington after meeting with the club on Thursday.
Witherspoon, who just turned 31 this month, played for the Rams over the last three seasons. In 2025, he appeared in six games with two starts, registering two passes defended and an interception.
He previously spent four seasons with the 49ers and two years with the Steelers.
The move reunites Witherspoon with Commanders G.M. Adam Peters, as Peters was in San Francisco’s front office when Witherspoon was with the club.
A third-round pick in the 2017 draft, Witherspoon has played in 96 games with 64 starts. He’s registered 60 career passes defensed with 13 interceptions.
Rams Clips
Rams receiver Puka Nacua faces a lawsuit alleging, among other things, that he bit a woman twice on New Year’s Eve. Nacua’s lawyer vows that the response will include a countersuit against the plaintiff for defamation.
In a statement to ABC News, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN, attorney Levi McCathern said Nacua will be “pursuing all available legal remedies in response to these false and damaging statements.”
McCathern also questioned the motivation for the civil suit against Nacua.
“The timing of the claimant’s recent legal action -- over three months after the alleged incident and just days after [Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s] record-breaking contract as a wide receiver -- further underscores the complete lack of credibility behind these accusations,” McCathern said.
“In the months that followed, our office was contacted with demands for millions of dollars in exchange for not publicizing these allegations,” McCathern added. “That is not a legitimate legal claim -- it is blackmail.”
McCathern also said he has video evidence that shows the plaintiff’s “behavior and actions are inconsistent with the allegations being made.”
TMZ has posted a video from the night of the alleged incident. In it, Nacua is asleep on a seat. As explained by TMZ, the plaintiff is twerking nearby.
McCathern’s reference to the Smith-Njigba contract highlights the potential implications of the litigation. The Rams could decide to wait to pay Nacua until it’s clear that Nacua faces no league scrutiny for the alleged incident. And if the situation isn’t resolved before Nacua’s second contract is finalized, the Rams may seek protections against the possibility of a suspension.
Regardless, Nacua (through McCathern) strongly denies the allegations. The situation will now play out in court, unless the claim is settled or dropped.
Two years ago, the NFL seized on a quirk in the calendar that allowed the league to televise a Friday night game, Friday Night Lights be damned. With Friday a Week 1 option only when it’s the first Friday in September, the league can’t do it in 2026, when Week 1 coincides with the second full weekend of the month.
Enter Wednesday-Thursday.
The NFL has announced that, this year, the Seahawks will host the opening game on Wednesday, September 9, with the 49ers and the Rams playing on Thursday, September 10 in Australia.
That’s likely the new formula, for the years when Thursday-Friday doesn’t work because of the league’s broadcast antitrust exemption.
Wednesday-Thursday will be the likely plan in 2027 and 2028, with the Super Bowl champion hosting the Wednesday game and an international contest happening on Thursday. In 2029, Friday will be in play. Ditto for 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033.
Of course, none of that matters if/when the league expands to 18 games and two byes. At that point, Week 1 likely would be moved to Labor Day weekend, which the NFL abandoned after 2001.
Here’s the other catch. If the current approach continues, with no NFL football on Labor Day weekend, the league’s effort to find more ways to cram cheese into the pizza would entail not a Thursday-Friday two-pack of games but a Wednesday-Thursday-Friday trifecta.
Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier did not have the 2025 season he had envisioned after suffering a significant abdominal injury at the beginning of training camp.
But there are still several teams that are interested in him ahead of the 2026 draft.
In an interview with NFL Network this week, Nussmeier revealed he’s set to have workouts with the Jets and Rams, as well as take a top-30 pre-draft visit with the Colts.
“I’ve got a lot of stuff coming up. I’ve got the Jets coming in the next couple of days here. I’ve got the Rams coming into town. I’m heading out to Indianapolis,” Nussmeier said on The Insiders. “I’ve got Zooms every day, and I’m sure there will be a couple more visits in there. So, I’m just grateful to any organization that’s going to give me a chance.”
The Jets being interested in a potential quarterback is no surprise given the state of the position on the club’s roster. New York is also reportedly going to have a private workout with former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. The Jets hold the No. 2 and No. 16 overall picks in the first round as well as the No. 33 and No. 44 overall picks in the second round.
Los Angeles working out Nussmeier privately is intriguing, as the team may be looking to prepare for reigning MVP Matthew Stafford’s eventual retirement. The Rams traded their No. 29 overall pick to the Chiefs as part of the deal for Trent McDuffie, but still have the No. 13 overall pick in the first round from last year’s draft day trade with the Falcons. Los Angeles’ second-round pick is No. 61 overall.
As for the Colts, they recently re-signed quarterback Daniel Jones, but only to a two-year deal. The club also has Riley Leonard on the roster as well as 2023 No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson, though he has reportedly been given permission to seek a trade.
Free agent cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon is visiting the Commanders on Thursday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports.
The 49ers drafted Witherspoon in the third round in 2017 when current Commanders General Manager Adam Peters was a personnel executive with the team.
Witherspoon, 31, spent four seasons with the 49ers, two with the Steelers and three with the Rams.
In 2025, he started the first two games before injuring his shoulder in the Week 2 win over the Titans. Witherspoon returned in Week 13, was inactive in Weeks 15 and 16 and returned to the lineup for three games before re-injuring his shoulder. The second stint on injured reserve ended his season.
He totaled eight tackles, one interception and two passes defensed in six regular-season games.
In his career, Witherspoon has appeared in 96 games with 64 starts and has recorded 243 tackles, 13 interceptions, 60 passes defensed and one forced fumble.
The NFL announced the date and time for Australia’s first regular-season game.
The Rams will face the 49ers on Friday, Sept. 11, at approximately 10:35 a.m. AEST at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game will air live on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 8:35 p.m. ET/5:35 p.m. PT.
The network that will air the game is yet to be announced.
“We are thrilled to kick off our season in Melbourne, enhancing an already historic moment for both the NFL and the Rams,” Rams Head of International Stephanie Cheng said. “Every time members of our organization visit, including earlier this month, we see first hand the growing excitement from folks across Melbourne in anticipation of this game. Not only will it be special playing the 49ers on a Friday morning in Australia, it also will be great for our fans back at home to be able to watch this matchup in primetime on Thursday night.”
Final preparations are under way for tickets to go on sale for the game. Qualifying Rams’ season-ticket members will have access to an exclusive presale beginning on Wednesday, April 1, at 2 p.m. PT.
Hospitality packages will be available to purchase from Ticketmaster starting Monday, April 6, at 5 p.m. PT, and general access tickets will go on sale to the public starting Tuesday, April 7, at 5 p.m. PT. All tickets and hospitality packages will be available to purchase directly from the Ticketmaster website.
“We are thrilled to be able to confirm the time and date for Australia’s first-ever regular-season NFL game at the MCG between the Rams and 49ers — a match-up that has created plenty of hype and excitement,” NFL Australia & New Zealand General Manager Charlotte Offord said. “We know that there is already plenty of appetite for this game, both in Australia and internationally, and we’re looking forward to getting tickets on sale in the coming weeks for what we know is going to be an incredible NFL experience for our fans down under.”
Running back Ronnie Rivers will be back with the Rams in 2026.
The Rams announced that they have signed Rivers to a new contract on Wednesday. It’s a one-year deal for Rivers.
Rivers had brief stints with the Cardinals and Seahawks after going undrafted in 2022, but moved on to the Rams after being waived at the end of the summer. He appeared in eight games as a rookie and has played in 51 games in the regular season and playoffs while in Los Angeles.
Most of Rivers’s playing time has come on special teams in those appearances and he averaged 26.1 yards on kickoff returns last season. He’s also run the ball 72 times for 295 yards and caught 15 passes for 85 yards.
Rams receiver Puka Nacua faces allegations that he bit a woman multiple times. His lawyer seems to admit it to at least one bite.
Via TMZ, a woman filed a request for a temporary restraining order against Nacua, arising from an incident that allegedly occurred on December 31, 2025.
The woman claims that Nacua bit her thumb and then her shoulder. Her legal filing includes a photo of a circular bite pattern that allegedly belongs to Nacua.
In comments to TMZ, attorney Levi McCathern dismissed the conduct as “horseplay,” but seemed to admit that at least one bite occurred. McCathern downplayed it as leaving a “temporary mark,” as characterized by TMZ.
The woman separately claims that Nacua made an antisemitic remark earlier in the evening, which was described as the “first act in what became an escalating course of rude or vulgar, threatening, violent, and harassing conduct.”
Earlier in December, Nacua was goaded by a couple of YouTube nincompoops into making a gesture regarded as an antisemitic trope. Nacua claimed he had no knowledge that the gesture had antisemitic connotations.
McCathern denies that Nacua made antisemitic remarks.
The alleged victim also contends that, during a mediation session this month, Nacua’s legal team threatened to “contact TMZ and other press and media outlets and to disseminate false, inaccurate, and/or deliberately exaggerated public statements about the events of December 31, 2025.” McCathern, in turn, calls the whole thing a shakedown, and that she has asked for millions of dollars in damages.
The request for a temporary restraining order was denied. Another hearing is scheduled for April 14.
The Cowboys are signing cornerback Derion Kendrick to a one-year deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.
Kendrick, 25, spent time with the Rams and Seahawks last season, playing a total of 15 games. He totaled 10 tackles, two interceptions and five passes defensed while seeing action on 135 defensive snaps and 112 on special teams.
The Rams made Kendrick a sixth-round pick in 2022.
He missed all of the 2024 season with a torn ACL, but in four seasons, Kendrick has appeared in 47 games with 18 starts. He has recorded 102 tackles, three interceptions and 19 passes defensed.
Kendrick has not started a game since 2023.
The player most immediately impacted by the new Jaxon Smith-Njigba contract is Cowboys receiver George Pickens, who has seen the bar for his next deal move to at least $42.15 million per year — even though he’s boxed in by the $27.298 million franchise tag. Another player’s immediate financial future has been affected by the JSN contract.
Like Smith-Njigba, Rams receiver Puka Nacua has had three great NFL seasons. And Nacua has more catches (313 vs. 282), more yards (4,191 vs. 3,551), and more total touchdowns (21 vs. 20).
Both were unanimous All-Pro selections in 2025. Smith-Njigba won the offensive player of the year award. Nacua finished third.
Like JSN, Puka is eligible for a new deal. Unlike Smith-Njigba, Puka is entering the last year of his rookie contract.
Nacua is due to make $5.7 million in 2026, a number that has been increased over the slotted amount based on his performance to date. But that’s a far cry from the new market value.
A four-year contract with a $43 million new-money APY becomes a five-year, $177.7 million deal. It’s a $35.54 million per year value from signing.
On Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network suggested that the Rams will wait to do Nacua’s deal until “further into the summer.”
Regardless of the time, Nacua shouldn’t set foot on a practice field until he gets his next contract. And the longer the Rams wait, the more expensive it will be. Especially if the Cowboys wake up from their chronic contractual foot dragging and drive the market even higher than it currently is by paying Pickens.
Ultimately, the market is the market. And the market keeps going up. Because the salary cap keeps going up. That’s the way the business works. The cap has exploded from $182.5 million to $301.2 million in only five years. And Nacua has proven his value.
Through three years, the Rams have gotten tremendous value. For those 313 catches, 4,191 receiving yards, and 21 total touchdowns, the Rams have paid $2.93 million — an average of less than $1 million per year.
It’s time to pay the piper. Or the Puka. Or whatever.
It never gets cheaper. That’s why the Seahawks moved when they did. And it’s why the Cowboys and Rams shouldn’t wait. The bar will keep going up. Pickens and Nacua should be the next two receivers to benefit from that simple NFL business reality.
