NFL

Mr. Irrelevant gets a $122,600 signing bonus as he becomes the first of seven Denver draft picks to sign his rookie contract. Rookies report to mimi-camp in Denver this weekend.

Diggs was facing assault chargers brought forward from a private chef, allegedly involving a pay dispute. The veteran wide receiver declined to take the stand in his own defense but prosecutors were ultimately unable to prove foul play, finding the claims unfounded due to a lack of evidence. Diggs should undoubtedly find his free agent market heating up in the coming days now that his recent off-field issues are behind him, widely regarded as one of the top free agent wide receiver available on the market. The 11-year veteran played the 2025 season as a member of the Patriots, catching 85-of-102 targets for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns.

Pickens has only three starts across 29 professional appearances during his three-year NFL career, making this a depth move for a team that has almost completely overhauled their front seven this offseason. It is likely that Pickens will be competing for a roster spot this summer.

The deal includes $5.25 million in guaranteed money, all of which is held in the first year of the contract. Reader will make a maximum of $6.5 million in 2026, setting up a team-friendly contract that appears to have a clear path for the two sides to move on after the first year. Reader previously visited the Giants prior to the team trading away Dexter Lawrence, finalizing his contract in time for organized team activities later this month. The 10-year veteran should immediately enter the starting lineup after starting 32 games for the Lions the previous two seasons.

Jackson played for the Eagles in 2025 after spending the previous four seasons with the Giants, registering 55 combined tackles and 11 passes defended in 10 starts and 14 appearances. The soon-to-be 31-year-old continued to demonstrate that he has juice left in the tank but is likely best served as a team’s third cornerback at this point in his career. The Cowboys invested heavily in their secondary this offseason, adding Jalen Thompson, P.J. Locke, and Cobie Durant in free agency and drafting Caleb Downs in the first round of the draft. Even so, they currently have an open spot on their initial 90-man roster and could use a veteran presence in the secondary through camp, during which Jackson would presumably be competing for a roster spot, if signed.

“They’re doing great,” Gutekunst said on an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Tuck’s been in here every day, and he’s obviously a little bit ahead of schedule, just because his injury happened earlier than Micah’s did. But Micah’s such a - he’s a little bit of a freak. So I think some of that has taken over, and he’s doing really well, as well.” He continued, “So, certainly expect both of those guys back early in the season. And they’ll be a big part of what we’re doing moving forward.” Both players are attempting to return from torn ACLs, with Kraft’s injury occurring in November and Parsons’ occurring in December of last season. It certainly sounds like both players could avoid the Physically Unable to Perform list this summer, which would give each player a good chance to make good on their general manager’s words and return early in the 2026 regular season.

Ridley in March restructured his contract with the Titans to remain in Tennessee for at least one more season following a terrible 2025 campaign in which he totaled 303 yards over seven games before a season-ending ankle injury. Ridley played under Daboll at Alabama before being drafted by the Falcons in 2018. “Rid is Rid,” Daboll said. “I’ve got a long-standing relationship with Rid back to 2017. He means a lot to me as a player. He was a good player for us when I was at Alabama. But as a person, we’ve developed a good relationship. It’s good to have him here. We’ve changed some stuff as we’ve went, but he’s smart. He’s a good player. He’s a good teammate. I’ve got a lot of appreciation and love for Rid.” Ridley will have to compete for WR3 duties in the new-look Tennessee offense this season with Wan’Dale Robinson and first-round rookie WR Carnell Tate shaping up as the team’s top two pass-catching options.

Chiefs front office officials said last week that they were shocked Johnson was still available in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. KC traded up to take Johnson, 22, who had 1,823 total yards in 2025 at Nebraska. Johnson enters the NFL with a 100th percentile college dominator rating along with a 99th percentile college target share. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid recently said he was impressed with Johnson’s pass catching and compared him favorably to LeSean McCoy. With a solid offseason Johnson could function as the Chiefs’ lead back if Ken Walker misses time in 2026.

Sneed had been “charged with aggravated assault that was reduced by the grand jury to the misdemeanor offense of failure to report the commission of a felony,” according to Schefter. That could clear the way for the mega-bust to sign on with a cornerback-needy team in the coming weeks. Sneed, 29, was released by the Titans in March after signing four-year, $76.4 million deal in 2024 that included $55 million in guaranteed money. He will probably have to settle for a prove-it deal for 2026.

The SEC coach, speaking to ESPN anonymously about the 2026 quarterback class, said he was surprised Simpson was the 13th player off the draft board but compared him favorably to Matthew Stafford, who will remain LA’s starter in 2026. “It’s a great fit for him from a system standpoint, and who he’s going to be behind for a year,” the SEC coach said. “There’s a lot of similarities [with Stafford]. [The pick] was the biggest [surprise], a guy who didn’t have a ton of starts, but when he played, he played well. His long game is going to be really good.” Not every college coach was bullish on Simpson’s NFL prospects. One SEC defensive coordinator said it was more difficult to prepare for Jalen Milroe than it was to get ready to face Simpson. “He’s not ready to go be a starter in the NFL right now, he’s got work to do,” the coordinator told ESPN.