The NFL Players Association currently is meeting in San Diego. And the union has addressed one fairly significant piece of business.

Free-agent linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin has been re-elected for a second term as president of the NFLPA.

The union announced the outcome on Sunday night.

"I'm honored that the Board has trusted me to continue serving as president," Reeves-Maybin said in a statement. "There’s important work ahead, and I’m looking forward to continue advocating on behalf of our membership to protect our rights and advance our interests."

Six prior members of the executive committee were re-elected: Oren Burks, Cam Heyward, Ted Karras, Case Keenum, Brandon McManus, and Thomas Morstead.

The four new executive committee members are Tanoh Kpassagnon (Treasurer), Jonathan Greenard, Harrison Phillips, and Zaire Franklin. They will replace Calais Cambell, Austin Ekeler, Thomas Hennessy, and Ryan Kelly.

Reeves-Maybin would not have been eligible to run again, per NFLPA rules, if he hadn't played in 2025. The Bears added him to the roster late in the season, renewing his eligibility to serve.

The re-election of Reeves-Maybin happened despite a tumultuous 2025, which included an inexplicable decision to conceal a partial win in a collusion case against the league and the resignation of executive director Lloyd Howell. It's not yet known whether he was opposed in his bid for the presidency.

In the coming days, the NFLPA will elect a new executive director. The candidates include interim executive director David White, former NFLPA president and former NFLPA chief strategy officer J.C. Tretter, and American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti.

Tretter is generally regarded as the favorite to win the job. He served as president during the hiring of Howell. Which can fairly be described as a disaster for the union.

With the Vikings signing quarterback Kyler Murray, there's a vague sense that the starting job in Minnesota is his to lose. Which, if that happens, will mean that J.J. McCarthy has lost his starting job.

Lost in the arrival of Murray is the question of McCarthy's potential reaction to it. The best response will be to welcome the challenge, embrace the competition, and keep working on getting better.

Still, McCarthy may believe he can't win the competition. That Murray will be given the job. That McCarthy's third season in the NFL will be spent on the bench, waiting for Murray to either face-plant or get injured or leave in free agency in 2027, thrusting McCarthy back into the role.

McCarthy eventually will speak to someone, somewhere. And there could be a disconnect between what he says publicly and thinks privately.

Last year, when the Vikings were trying to figure out what to do about their quarterback depth chart, there was a concern that McCarthy would possibly ask to be traded, if Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones returned, or if Aaron Rodgers had been signed. And while McCarthy's body of work in his first season as QB1 (10 starts, 1,632 yards, 11 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions, passer rating of 72.6) hardly guarantees him anything, he could still be miffed about his situation.

There's been no discussion of a possible McCarthy trade. There's been no indication that he wants one, that the Vikings are interested in trading him, or that another team would do a deal. His only chance to be a starter, based on their current depth charts, would be in Arizona or Pittsburgh.

He could, in theory, serve as the bridge quarterback for Fernando Mendoza in Las Vegas, if the Raiders prefer not to throw the presumed No. 1 overall pick into the fray right away. McCarthy's salary for 2026 is a very affordable $2.78 million.

Murray has been the recent focus in Minnesota. Presumably, it'll be a fair and open competition between him and McCarthy. If, however, McCarthy believes it's a formality that Murray will be the Week 1 starter, things could get awkward.

Nothing will happen unless someone wants to trade for McCarthy. Maybe, if/when it's clear McCarthy won't be the starter in Minnesota, someone will consider trying to trade for him to be the backup. And McCarthy may decide that he wants a fresh start after two lackluster seasons with the Vikings.

The Cardinals have a new returner.

Arizona agreed to terms with Devin Duvernay on a one-year deal worth up to $2.5 million, according to Jordan Schultz of The Schultz Report.

Duvernay, 28, spent last season with the Bears, and he averaged 26.7 yards on 40 kickoff returns and 11.0 yards on 21 punt returns. He had only five targets as a wide receiver, catching two passes for 26 yards and a touchdown.

He entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Ravens in 2020, and he earned Pro Bowl honors in 2021 and 2022. In 2021, Duvernay was also an All-Pro returner.

For his career, Duvernay averages 11.8 yards on punt returns and 25.4 yards on kick returns, with two career kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Duvernay will replace Greg Dortch, who remains a free agent, as the team's primary returner.

The following are PFT’s top 100 free agents for the start of the 2026 league year. The rankings include prospective unrestricted free agents and released players. The list will be updated as events warrant, with signings, tags and re-signings denoted when announced and/or reported. Players released after initial publication may be added and all 100 players initially on the list will still be listed after any additions.

1. Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. (Placed the franchise tag on him on February 27.)

2. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones. (Placed the transition tag on him on March 3.)

3. Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Raiders on March 9.)

4. Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Panthers on March 9.)

5. Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. (Agreed to a four-year deal with the Ravens on March 11.)

6. Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts. (Placed the franchise tag on him on February 24.)

7. Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce. (Agreed to four-year deal with Colts on March 9.)

8. Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Rams on March 9.)

9. Jets running back Breece Hall. (Placed the franchise tag on him on March 3.)

10. Packers quarterback Malik Willis. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Dolphins on March 9.)

11. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. (Signed a one-year deal with the Vikings on March 12.)

12. Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Steelers on March 9.)

13. Seahawks WR/KR/PR Rashid Shaheed. (Agreed to re-sign with Seahawks on a three-year deal on March 9.)

14. Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker. (Agreed to one-year deal with Panthers on March 13.)

15. Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker. (Agreed to sign with the Chiefs on March 9.)

16. Colts offensive tackle Braden Smith. (Agreed to two-year deal with Texans on March 10.)

17. Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Raiders on March 9.)

18. Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Bengals on March 9.)

19. Packers linebacker Quay Walker. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Raiders on March 9.)

20. Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Commanders on March 10.)

21. Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the 49ers on March 9.)

22. Seahawks defensive back Coby Bryant. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Bears on March 9.)

23. 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings.

24. Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs. (Agreed to four-year deal with Patriots on March 10.)

25. Jaguars running back Travis Etienne. (Agreed to four-year deal with Saints on March 9.)

26. Broncos edge rusher John Franklin-Myers. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Titans on March 9).

27. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

28. Eagles edge rusher Jaelen Phillips. (Agreed to a four-year deal with the Panthers on March 9.)

29. Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

30. Bills center Connor McGovern. (Re-signed on March 7.)

31. Jets guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. (Agreed to a deal with the Patriots on March 9.)

32. Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Eagles on March 10.)

33. Chiefs safety Bryan Cook. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Bengals on March 9.)

34. Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright. (Agreed to one-year deal with Jets on March 10.)

35. Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa.

36. Dolphins edge rusher Bradley Chubb. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Bills on March 11.)

37. Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely. (Agreed to three-year deal with Giants on March 9.)

38. Chargers edge rusher Odafe Oweh. (Agreed to a four-year deal with the Commanders on March 9.)

39. Steelers offensive guard Isaac Seumalo. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Cardinals on March 9.)

40. Lions defensive tackle D.J. Reader.

41. Browns linebacker Devin Bush. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Bears on March 9.)

42. Bears safety Jaquan Brisker. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Steelers on March 12.)

43. Rams safety Kamren Curl. (Agreed to three-year deal with Rams on March 6.)

44. Bills offensive guard David Edwards. (Agreed to four-year deal with Saints on March 9.)

45. Patriots edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Commanders on March 11.)

46. Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

47. Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor. (Agreed to three-year deal with Titans on March 9.)

48. Chargers offensive guard Zion Johnson. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Browns on March 9).

49. Browns offensive guard Joel Bitonio.

50. Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Eagles on March 15).

51. Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone. (Agreed to a two-year deal with the Buccaneers on March 9.)

52. Panthers center Cade Mays. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Lions on March 9.)

53. Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack. (Agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Chargers on March 7.)

54. Bears safety Kevin Byard. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Patriots on March 11.)

55. Colts edge rusher Kwity Paye. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Raiders on March 9.)

56. Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Eagles on March 10.)

57. Ravens edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones. (Agreed to three-year deal with Patriots on March 9.)

58. Browns offensive guard Wyatt Teller.

59. Lions edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad. (Agreed to a one-year deal with Bucs on March 12.)

60. Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner.

61. Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. (Agreed to a four-year deal with the Titans on March 9.)

62. Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins. (Agreed to a two-year deal with the Ravens on March 11.)

63. Cowboys edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney.

64. Saints linebacker Demario Davis. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Jets on March 9.)

65. Panthers running back Rico Dowdle. (Agreed to a two-year deal with the Steelers on March 9.)

66. Falcons edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Eagles on March 12.)

67. Titans offensive guard Kevin Zeitler.

68. Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Broncos on March 9.)

69. Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Cowboys on March 9.)

70. Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton. (Agreed to three-year deal with Buccaneers on March 9.)

71. Saints edge rusher Cameron Jordan.

72. Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Seahawks on March 9.)

73. Giants offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor. (Agree to three-year deal with the Giants on March 9.)

74. Commanders center Tyler Biadasz. (Agreed to three-year deal with Chargers on March 6.)

75. Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk.

76. Browns tight end David Njoku.

77. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. (Agreed to return to Chiefs on March 9.)

78. Giants offensive guard Greg Van Roten.

79. Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota. (Re-signed with the Commanders on March 9.)

80. Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown. (Agreed to three-year deal with Jaguars on March 9.)

81. Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Jets on March 9.)

82. Bucs linebacker Lavonte David.

83. Bengals guard Dalton Risner. (Re-signed with Bengals on March 2.)

84. Vikings safety Harrison Smith.

85. Giants quarterback Russell Wilson.

86. Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

87. Jets safety Andre Cisco. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Jets on March 13.)

88. Buccaneers running back Rachaad White. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Commanders on March 12.)

89. Packers edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Jets on March 9.)

90. Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen.

91. Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas.

92. Texans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. (Agreed to re-sign with Texans on March 9.)

93. Titans tight end Chig Okonwko. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Commanders on March 11.)

94. Eagles safety Reed Blankenship. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Texans on March 9.)

95. Raiders offensive guard Dylan Parham. (Agreed to a two-year deal with the Jets on March 11.)

96. Browns safety Rayshawn Jenkins.

97. Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton. (Re-signed with the Broncos on March 9.)

98. Broncos outside linebacker Justin Strnad. (Re-signed with the Broncos on March 8.)

99. Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco.

100. Colts cornerback Mike Hilton.

101. Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones.

102. Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier. (Agreed to two-year deal with Cardinals on March 9.)

The first big wave of free agency has ended. The second wave has, too.

As the dollars settle on last week's spending spree, plenty of big names are still on the board.

Receiver Stefon Diggs had a very good year in his first season back from a torn ACL, notching his seventh 1,000-yard season. The Patriots opted not to continue his contract, which added him to the group of available players. He remains on the market.

So does receiver Jauan Jennings, who landed at No. 23 on the PFT Top 100 list of free agents. He failed to parlay an unexpectedly productive 2024 into an extension with the 49ers. The fact that he didn't sign quickly after free agency opened suggests that he wanted more than the market will bear.

Receiver Deebo Samuel, No. 29 on the PFT list, also waits for his next team. There was no land rush for a player whose lone Pro Bowl and All-Pro season is now five years in the rear-view mirror. He hit free agency for the first time. He remains available.

Other receivers who are free and clear include Tyreek Hill (who's recovering from a serious knee injury), Christian Kirk, DeAndre Hopkins, and Keenan Allen.

As running backs go, the best options are gone. Veterans who are available include Joe Mixon, Nick Chubb, Brian Robinson, A.J. Dillon, Raheem Mostert, Najee Harris, and Austin Ekeler.

Edge rusher Joey Bosa, who's No. 35, was essentially replaced in Buffalo by Bradley Chubb. Bosa is waiting for his next stop; his mother apparently envisions the Bosa brothers teaming up in San Francisco.

Other big-name defenders remain. Future Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner is unsigned. As is edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, the first overall pick in the 2014 draft. Veteran defensive end Cameron Jordan is a free agent. Linebacker Lavonte David, a fixture in Tampa Bay since 2012, is unsigned, too.

Then there are the quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Jimmy Garoppolo, Joe Flacco, and Tyrod Taylor are the headliners. Currently, only the Cardinals and Steelers are presumably in the market for a QB1.

More signings will surely happen. But, for the most part, the big-money pipeline has sealed shut. The budgets have been busted. Quickly, the spending spree ends and the pre-draft process resumes.

Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert will remain in Philadelphia.

The Eagles and Goedert have agreed to a new one-year contract, according to multiple reports.

Goedert's contract was supposed to void at the start of the league year, but he and the team agreed to push the void date back to give them more time to negotiate a new deal. That paid off, and the new deal is done.

If Goedert's contract had voided, a $20.5 million charge would have hit the salary cap this year. That would have been rough for the Eagles, both losing their starting tight end and losing cap space. So a new deal for Goedert was a top priority in Philadelphia, and now that job is complete.

The next question for the Eagles will be whether they will hold on to wide receiver A.J. Brown. His situation remains in flux as the Eagles continue to determine who Jalen Hurts' weapons will be this year.

The Rams recently had trade talks with the Eagles for receiver A.J. Brown. As mentioned on Saturday, the Rams eventually tapped out.

So what if they'd made the trade for Brown? It would have left them with Puka Nacua (who's eventually getting a significant second contract), Davante Adams (who'll make $24 million in cash in 2026), and Brown (who'll make $29 million this year).

Per a league source, the Rams — while talking about a possible trade for Brown — were pursuing the possibility of trading Adams.

The Rams presumably were hoping to get a deal done by today, when a fully-guaranteed $6 million roster bonus came due. And the payment of the bonus likely means they'll keep Adams and his $18 million base salary.

Regardless, a week with a handful of interesting developments could have had two more: A.J. Brown traded to the Rams, and Davante Adams (the league leader in receiving touchdowns in 2025) traded to what would have been his fifth NFL team.

New Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie says there's no secret about what the Rams hope comes from trading for him: Winning the Super Bowl.

McDuffie said the Rams view themselves as contenders to win it all and view McDuffie as potentially the key piece in the puzzle.

"Like I said, this team is ready to go," McDuffie said, via the Associated Press. "I don't think I'm coming in here with a team that doesn't understand the value that they have. So those little nuggets that I feel like I can just pour into guys that can get us over the hump, I'm going to do everything I can because that's the end goal. And I know it's the end goal bringing me in is the Lombardi Trophy, so everything we do to bring a ring back to this city is what I'm going to do."

McDuffie said he's ready to do whatever he can to make the Rams' defense better.

"It don't matter where you put me," McDuffie said. "I'll play safety. I'll put my hand in the dirt. Like, I hope I don't have to. But, really, I'm just out here wanting to play ball, you know. And no matter where you put me, I'm going to work, day in and day out, to make sure that I do my job at a very high level, and that's the guy you're getting."

The Rams hope the guy they're getting will be holding the Lombardi Trophy in 10 months.

Spurred by the ability to sell pieces of teams to private-equity funds, plenty of NFL owners have been converting slivers of equity into stacks of cash. Most recently, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross sold one percent of his team at a $12.5 billion valuation.

The lone publicly-owned franchise could be at risk of being left behind.

In a recent interview with Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, Packers president and CEO Ed Policy expressed concern that the Packers are at a disadvantage when it comes to the increasing flow of money that the 31 other franchises are in position to capture.

“If you think about, any other team, they’ve got deep-pocketed owners, most of them are worth significantly more than that, and they could sell less than 10% of their team, give up no controlling interest, and raise a heck of a lot more than that,” Policy told Fischer.

That forces Policy to find ways to generate more revenue for the Packers — with a stadium naming-rights deal possibly inching toward being on the table.

“We’re soon to be the only stadium without naming rights,” Policy said. “That’s not a threshold we’re looking to cross any time soon, but we might be a little more aggressive with some of the other entitlement inventory we just hadn’t taken advantage of in the past, including things like training facility entitlements and the Titletown campus."

Still, it sounds as if Lambeau Field presented by Google, or something truly jaunty like Fontainebleu Lambeau Field, could be coming, sooner or later.

One way to raise money is to raise ticket prices. This year, face values for Packers home games are rising by three to 11 percent. And there's more meat on the bone, given the basic realities of supply and demand.

“Despite the fact that we are probably a top-three team in terms of demand, we are middle of the pack in terms of price,” Policy said.

That's the team's biggest selling point. No effort is needed to sell tickets to games. The massive, six-figure waiting list shows that the price point is too low.

Ultimately, the Packers may have no choice but to make the game-day experience more expensive. As franchise values go up and up and as the people who buy teams become richer and richer, the Packers could be running out of options to compete with the oligarchs who collect sports franchises as part of the broader competition to get more.

For now, it's not a crisis. Policy wants to be sure that doesn't happen.

“Finance and economics really don’t play into our football decision-making right now, and it’s my job to ensure that it never does," Policy told Fischer. "Given the pace that the expenses have accelerated over the past few years, if we find ourselves falling behind, it’s going to be really hard to catch up. So, we have to keep ourselves in a position where we’re not falling behind.”

A cynic would see this as a part of the potential plan by owners to overhaul the cap system in the next round of labor negotiations. Especially since the Packers still emerged from their most recent fiscal year with a profit of $83.7 million.

If that number starts to drop, it could be a problem. Then again, the Packers can always sell more stock to folks who'd like to put an ownership certificate in a frame, right next to the spot where they hang their cheeseheads.

A day before Seahawks G.M. John Schneider addressed the potential impact of Washington's looming "millionaire tax" on the defending Super Bowl champions, Simms and I stumbled into a conversation about state income taxes during PFT Live.

The spark came from the trade that has sent defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa from the Cowboys (and Texas) to the 49ers (and California). In his last stop, there was no state income tax. At his new team, he'll lose 13.3 percent, off the top.

It's not as clean and simple as every penny of compensation being taxed, or not, by the state where the team plays. For road trips, the game check is taxed by the state in which the game happens. It gets more complicated as to per-game roster bonuses. As we hear it, some states try to tax the visiting player based also on a percentage of the full-year roster bonuses and/or the prorated portion of the signing bonus for the season in which the game is played.

And, yes, the lack of state income tax becomes a selling point in free agency, which explains Schneider's concerns about Washington's tax rate for millionaires increasing from 0.0 percent to 9.9. But, as Odighizuwa will learn the hard way, that doesn't matter if the free-agent contract also doesn't include a no-trade clause.

Regardless, the variations in state income tax create an imbalance as it relates to the most important aspect of anyone's pay — how much they take home.

Simms mentioned on Thursday's PFT Live that he heard something interesting from someone in the league who saw the tax discussion from the day before. (And, yes, plenty of people in the league watch PFT Live — probably because it features no phony debates, no false praise, no reckless hype, no minced words, and no performative antics.) There's an argument to be made that the salary cap should take state income taxes into account.

It would be complicated, given that taxes depend on where games are played. Still, every team has eight or nine home games per year. That's roughly half of the compensation, taxed based on where the team is located.

The real question is whether teams should get more to spend, given that more of what is paid will end up being taken off the top by the state government. Some teams may not want to do it, since having a higher cap means having a higher floor means spending more money that otherwise would be siphoned away as pure profit.

And the numbers would be significant. At a 2026 salary cap of $301.2 million, providing the Rams, Chargers, and 49ers with a 13.3-percent bump would push the cap to $341.2 million for those teams.

The deeper question is whether state income taxes make a competitive difference. As noted the other day, most of the teams in the no-tax states haven't been to a Super Bowl this century. (The Seahawks and Buccaneers are the exception; the Titans, Cowboys, Dolphins, Jaguars, and Texans are not.)

Part of the problem is that most players don't fret about state income taxes, even if they should. Players focus mainly on annual average, the true locker-room measuring stick that determines the pecking order among the most and least valuable players.

Although it would indeed be difficult to come up with the right way to determine cap credits, since the total tax burden depends on where games are played, that would be doable. The bigger challenge would be to get all teams in states with income tax to agree to a higher cap in order to account for it.

News flash: Not every team is as obsessed with winning as they pretend to be. For many owners, it's about profit. Having more money to spend means having less to buy giant yachts or that much-needed tenth home. Especially since the owners of the teams in the high-tax states are also paying those increased rates, too.

Just kidding. The ultra-rich have seemingly cracked the code on eating nearly every ounce of what they kill. Which is another reason why the owners of the teams in the high-tax states won't want to have more to spend — even if they have to say they do.

Things didn't go well for the Jets during Aaron Glenn's first year as head coach. This year, they're relying on older players to help get the team's culture under control.

Veteran defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, who arrived in a late August trade with the Vikings, repeatedly used the term "cancerous" when describing the mood within the 2025 Jets after the season ended.

This time around, the Jets have targeted seasoned veterans, several of whom have played for coach Aaron Glenn in the past. Rich Cimini of ESPN explains the mindset that has led to the effort to bring more gray to Gang Green.

"I think when you bring in guys like that into a football program, I think there's a level of calm and a level of discipline and not being scared of the unknown," newly-acquired safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said, per Cimini. "That's extremely important because when things go bad, people want to press the red button and completely change how to do things."

The additions include 37-year-old linebacker Demario Davis and 33-year-old defensive tackle David Onyemata, both of whom have ties to Glenn.

Then there's 35-year-old quarterback Geno Smith, who's back with the Jets a decade after his last year with the team.

So as the Jets try to build something new and different, Glenn will be relying on old and familiar. If Glenn hopes to have a future in New York, dipping into the past could be the only way to make it happen.

In four years on the job, Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell has worked with eight different starting quarterbacks. The ninth one could be the most intriguing.

Kyler Murray arrives, seven years after entering the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft — and four years after the Cardinals permanently poisoned their relationship with him by jamming a homework clause into his second contract. He has more raw talent than any of the others with whom O'Connell has worked.

Yes, there are flaws. His height, for starters. It's far below prototypical, and it creates a real challenge when it comes to seeing through the wall of humanity in front of him. It's the kind of obstacle O'Connell will embrace, scheming plays to get Murray in position to spot the open targets and/or to make him trust what he can't visually acquire. At times, it could be like flying a plane with just the instruments.

Regardless, Murray can make the throws. He can buy time with his feet. And, if all else fails, he can spot an opening and put the pedal to the metal.

Of the quarterbacks who have started under O'Connell — Kirk Cousins, Josh Dobbs, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall, Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer — Hall is the closest comparison to Murray. At six feet, Hall is only two inches taller than Murray. Like Murray, Hall was regarded as a dual-threat quarterback.

The Vikings made Hall a fifth-round pick in 2023. And while it didn't work for Hall in Minnesota (he got the first start after Cousins tore an Achilles tendon in 2023, and Hall suffered a concussion at the end of a nine-play, 74-yard drive that resulted in a field goal), Murray has a much better arm — and much fleeter feet. (Hall, after spending 2024 with the Seahawks, is preparing for his first season in the UFL, with the Birmingham Stallions.)

Then there's the difference between the Cardinals and the Vikings, as overall organizations. Beyond the ridiculous decision to reduce to writing an expectation that Murray show a greater commitment to his craft, the Cardinals have been among the group of dysfunctional organizations that more often than not find themselves jockeying for position in the top ten of the draft. Now, Murray lands with a team that typically lands in the middle of the pack, with an every-other-year trend (generally) of getting to the playoffs.

And, yes, the Vikings are less than 15 months removed from a winner-take-all Week 18 game for the top seed in the NFC.

In recent years, we've seen several quarterbacks find success with a team other than the one that drafted them. From Geno Smith to Baker Mayfield to Darnold to Daniel Jones, a change of scenery, of coaching, of teammates, of organization can unlock a higher level of performance.

Murray, of course, has already played at a high level. He was the offensive rookie of the year. He qualified for the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2021. His second contract resulted in a new-money annual average that put him at $46.1 million, a click above the Deshaun Watson deal, which had matched Patrick Mahomes for the top APY of $45 million. No one suggested that the Cardinals had overpaid.

Of course, the dip started that same year. But Murray didn't implode; he simply didn't play as well as he had during his first three seasons. Along the way, coach Kliff Kingsbury was fired and replaced by Jonathan Gannon, who was recently fired after three seasons and a 15-36 record.

So was it Murray or was it the Cardinals? The Vikings have made a low-money bet ($1.3 million) on it being the latter. And if O'Connell can get Murray back to doing what he did in 2019 through 2021, the Vikings could end up with the best overall player at the quarterback position that they've had since O'Connell arrived in 2022.

They finished 2025 with five straight wins and somehow escaped the basement of the ultra-competitive NFC North, thanks largely to a defense orchestrated by Brian Flores. And while the entire roster is dealing with a cap-driven overhaul, plenty of players who know the system well will be back.

Ultimately, how things go in 2026 will depend on how the quarterback position goes. Which will depend on whether O'Connell can coax enough out of Murray — first to position him to win the starting job and second to help propel the team to victories.

Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman likes some of the ways the NFL has made the game safer than it was when he was playing. But he thinks one rule change designed to reduce wear and tear on players' bodies may actually cause some injuries.

Aikman, the color commentator for Monday Night Football who has also served as an advisor to the Dolphins, said on the Rodeo Time Podcast that when he was playing, training camp was much more physically demanding than it is now.

"Wichita Falls is the hottest place on earth," Aikman said of the Cowboys' training camp location at the end of his career. "Back then you did two-a-days in that kind of heat, day after day after day, two practices a day in full pads. Now the restrictions, probably for the better, players aren't as taxed as they were."

But Aikman added that there's a tradeoff: Players aren't as physically prepared at the start of the season.

“I think they only wear pads one day a week or one time a day, and they have a walk-through, and then after, I don’t know how it all reads, but it’s pretty player-friendly and favorable,” Aikman said. “And a lot of it, whenever they negotiate the CBA, the owners tend to always win on the financial side of things. And then the players say, ‘Well, all right, then we’re not gonna practice as long, or we’re not gonna practice as often.’ So, then they tend to get concessions when it comes to how much time they’re actually at facilities. I think the only ones who don’t have a voice in those negotiations are the coaches. They kind of have to wait till the dust settles and say, ‘All right, just how often do we get them?’ But some of it is that we see too is a lot of the reasons I think that we see so many injuries, especially early in the year. A lot of soft tissue injuries, a lot of muscle pulls, and things of that nature is the players, they're just not able to train the way that we once did, they're not able to callous their bodies as easily. Not that they're not training hard and all that, but it's different training on your own as opposed to being on the football field practicing football movements.”

Aikman made clear that he's not opposed to changing rules to promote safety, but he does think those rules can go too far.

"Player safety is great. As a former quarterback, I do like that they protect quarterbacks," Aikman said. "With that said, the objective for a defense is to hit the quarterback and affect the quarterback and sometimes I think we're asking a lot from these defensive players, to try to navigate 300-pound offensive linemen and then not graze the helmet of the quarterback."

And it's asking a lot of players not to really go full-contact until Week One.

New Saints running back Travis Etienne grew up near New Orleans, and he has said since signing with the team that he's eager to win for his hometown. He says he's on the same page with quarterback Tyler Shough about that.

Although Shough isn't a New Orleans native like Etienne, Shough has quickly embraced New Orleans, and he and Etienne have already talked about their goals together.

"Tyler, he's a great person, talking with him and being with him last night, you can sense the hunger, you can sense that he wants it for the city as well," Etienne said.

Etienne said that seeing the way Shough improved over the course of his rookie season "definitely was a factor" in deciding to sign with the Saints, but he made clear that the primary factor was a return home. And the opportunity to bring a Lombardi Trophy to his hometown.

Last month, retired quarterback Derek Carr said he’d return to football for a chance to play with a Super Bowl contender.

As of Scouting Combine week, the Saints hadn’t heard from any team regarding a potential trade for Carr's contract rights. Through the first week of free agency, we're told, the Saints still haven't gotten any inquiries.

In the interim, plenty of teams with needs at the quarterback position have filled them, from the Dolphins (Malik Willis) to the Jets (Geno Smith) to the Vikings (Kyler Murray) to the Falcons (Tua Tagovailoa).

With the Raiders presumably waiting to make Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, only two teams currently have a hole in the QB1 spot: the Steelers and the Cardinals.

The Cardinals, with all due respect, aren't a Super Bowl contender. The Steelers arguably aren't, either. In a wide-open AFC, they could be.

Carr becomes a potential option in Pittsburgh if Aaron Rodgers decides not to play for the Steelers again in 2026, and if they don't land Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round of the draft. (Some in league circles think the Steelers will take him if he's on the board when Pittsburgh makes the 21st overall pick.)

For now, there are no takers for Carr, if he were to unretire. Injuries could change that; if a starter on a contender suffers a serious injury before the trade deadline, Carr becomes a potential alternative to the next man up on the depth chart.

The Seahawks have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, Michael-Shawn Dugar of TheAthletic.com reports.

Noah, 26, spent the past two seasons in Washington.

In 2025, he totaled 35 tackles, one sack and five pass breakups in 15 games with two starts. He played 373 defensive snaps and 72 on special teams.

He played all 17 games in 2024, with 10 starts, and saw action on 76 percent of the defensive snaps.

The Dolphins made Igbinoghene a first-round pick in 2020, and he played two years in Miami and one in Dallas before landing in Washington.

In his career, Igbinoghene has recorded 119 tackles, one interception, 17 pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.

The Panthers are re-signing starting safety Nick Scott, Joe Person of TheAthletic.com reports.

Scott, who turns 31 in May, will sign a one-year deal worth up to $3.25 million.

He has spent the past two seasons with the Panthers after four seasons with the Rams and one with the Bengals.

In 2025, Scott started all 17 games and played 98 percent of the defensive snaps. He totaled a career-high 111 tackles with one interception, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery.

Scott entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the Rams in 2019.

He has recorded 355 tackles, five interceptions, 14 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

The Colts are re-signing veteran tight end Mo Alie-Cox to a one-year deal, according to Jordan Schultz of The Schultz Report.

Alie-Cox, 32, has played all eight of his NFL seasons in Indianapolis, appearing in every game the past five seasons.

He is one of the NFL's best blocking tight ends.

In 2025, Alie-Cox caught 13 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. He played 39 percent of the offensive snaps and 47 percent on special teams.

He has 127 receptions for 1,550 yards and 16 touchdowns in his career.

Alie-Cox also has six career tackles.

The Giants are adding another target for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.

According to multiple reports, they have agreed to terms with wideout Darnell Mooney. It will be a one-year deal worth up to $10 million for the former Falcon.

Mooney was released by Atlanta earlier this week after spending the last two seasons with the team. Mooney had 64 catches for 992 yards and five touchdowns in 2024, but dropped to 32 for 443 yards and a touchdown during the 2025 season.

Mooney had 213 catches for 2,593 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Bears in his first five seasons.

The Giants have also added tight end Isaiah Likely and wide receiver Calvin Austin to go with a returning Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, and Theo Johnson.

Free agent punter Corliss Waitman is signing with the 49ers, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.

The 49ers previously re-signed long snapper Jon Weeks and kicker Eddy Pineiro.

Waitman, 30, will replace Thomas Morstead as the team's punter.

He signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and has had three stints with Pittsburgh, including the past two seasons.

Waitman has also had stops with the Raiders, Patriots, Broncos and Bears.

In his career, Waitman has appeared in 52 games with 230 punts for a 46.4-yard average and a 41.7-yard net. He has landed 36.5 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line.

The Texans are adding another piece to their offensive line.

Evan Brown, a guard who was cut by the Cardinals this week, has signed a one-year deal with the Texans, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The much-maligned Texans offensive line also added free agent offensive tackle Braden Smith this week. Improving the line has been a top priority in Houston.

The 29-year-old Brown started 28 games at guard in Arizona the last two seasons. He has also spent time with the Seahawks, Lions, Browns, Dolphins and Giants.

New Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel will be working with a backup quarterback who was already in L.A.

Via Adam Schefter of ESPN, Trey Lance has signed a one-year deal to return to the Chargers. It's reportedly worth "up to" $6.75 million (which means the base value will be lower, perhaps significantly).

Lance signed with the Chargers as a free agent in 2025. He appeared in four games with one start, completing 27 of 57 passes for 226 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 50.8.

The third overall pick of the 49ers in 2021, Lance's days as a starter have seemingly ended. He entered 2022 as the Week 1 starting quarterback in San Francisco, but he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. By 2023, Brock Purdy had moved from last player drafted to the top of the depth chart.

Lance was traded to the Cowboys that same year. He spent the final two seasons of his rookie contract in Dallas.

For his career, Lance has 16 regular-season appearances and six starts.

Offensive lineman Mike Caliendo will be sticking around Kansas City for a fifth season.

Caliendo's agent Nate Richman told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN that Caliendo has agreed to re-sign with the Chiefs. He'll return on a one-year deal.

Caliendo signed with the Chiefs after going undrafted in 2022 and spent his rookie season on the team's practice squad. He played 12 games in 2023 and has appeared in every game the last two seasons.

Caliendo started 10 of those games, including a 2024 run at left guard after the Chiefs moved Joe Thuney out to left tackle. Caliendo projects to remain in a reserve role in his return to Kansas City.

Last night, we mentioned that a guitar used by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd generated a record price of $14.6 million. That was just one piece of the broader auction of the Jim Irsay collection.

Via Dan Hajducky of ESPN, the full complement of high-end memorabilia yielded $93 million.

"The Irsay sale did justice to the brilliance of the collector, and of the monumental pieces he brought together, iconic objects that tell the story of our culture and our times," Christie's Americas president Julien Pradels said in a statement.

The collection broke 23 records. Jack Kerouac's original typescript of On the Road went for $12.135 million, the most ever paid for a literary manuscript.

Per Christie's, "a portion of the proceeds of these sales will be donated to philanthropic causes supported by Jim Irsay during his lifetime."

Irsay, longtime owner of the Colts, died last May at the age of 65.

Return specialist Kene Nwangwu is returning to the Jets.

According to multiple reports, Nwangwu has agreed to re-sign with the team. It's a one-year deal worth $2 million with $1 million guaranteed and another $1 million available in incentives.

Nwangwu joined the Jets in 2024 and he has returned two of the 21 kickoffs he's fielded over the last two seasons for touchdowns. Nwangwu also had three kickoff return scores during his three seasons with the Vikings and his five career touchdowns are tied for the ninth most in league history.

The Jets also got two punt return touchdowns from Isaiah Williams last season, so their return game was a rare strength during a 3-14 season.

The first week of free agency has come and gone without the Eagles trading veteran receiver A.J. Brown. There continues to be a league-wide belief that it will eventually happen.

Multiple league sources have characterized it to PFT as inevitable.

The question is whether the Eagles will do it before or after June 1. Before free agency started, it was believed they'd wait until after June 1, when the 2026 cap consequence would be dramatically smaller. With the Eagles not making a significant move during the free-agency period — and given that edge rusher Jaelan Phillips left for the Panthers on a four-year, $120 million contract — the thinking is that the Eagles could absorb the full dead-cap charge in 2026, if they choose to do so.

Regardless, the thinking is that Brown will indeed be gone before Week 1.

So where will he go? On Friday, The Athletic reported that the Eagles had "serious conversations" about a trade for A.J. Brown with the Rams and the Patriots. As we understand it, however, the Rams tapped out of the talks. (It would have been interesting to say the least to see what the Rams would have done with a depth chart including Brown, Puka Nacua, and Davante Adams.)

The Patriots remain in play, despite the recent addition of former Packers receiver Romeo Doubs. One source predicts that the Patriots will be the eventual destination.

Another source explained that the Eagles will be careening toward a potential cap mess in 2027, if they keep Brown through 2026.

Regardless, the fact that a trade hasn't occurred doesn't mean it won't. The signs continue to point toward it happening. The only question is whether the Eagles decide to wait to make the deal official after June 1.

And based on the lessons learned this week in the Maxx Crosby misadventures, here's hoping that Brown's prospective next team gives him a physical before word of the looming transaction leaks.

Wide receiver Calvin Ridley will be donning the Titans' new uniforms this season.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that Ridley will remain with the team after agreeing to a revised contract with the team. The full details of the changes are not available, but Ridley was due to receive a roster bonus this weekend and it is likely part of any agreement between Ridley and the Titans.

Ridley was set to have a cap number of $26.45 million with a base salary of $20.24 million.

Ridley signed a four-year deal in Tennessee before the start of the 2024 season. He played in every game that year and caught 64 passes for 1,017 yards and four touchdowns, but a fractured fibula ended his 2025 season after seven games. Ridley had 17 catches for 303 yards before the injury.

The Titans signed Wan'Dale Robinson this week and he'll join Ridley, Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike, Mason Kinsey, and Bryce Oliver in the receiver room.

The well-traveled Josh Johnson is traveling back to Cincinnati.

The Bengals announced on Saturday that Johnson has signed a one-year deal.

Johnson, who turns 40 in May, was a fifth-round pick of the Buccaneers in 2008. He has spent time with the Bucs, 49ers, Sacramento Mountain Lions of the original UFL, Browns, Bengals, 49ers (second stint), Bengals (second stint), Jets, Colts, Bills, Ravens, Giants, Texans, Raiders, San Diego Fleet of the AAF, Washington, Lions, L.A. Wildcats of the XFL, 49ers (third stint), Jets (second stint), Ravens (second stint), Broncos, 49ers (fourth stint), Ravens (third stint), Commanders (second stint), and now the Bengals for a third time.

He has appeared in 50 regular-season games with 11 starts. His starts have happened with only three teams: the Buccaneers, Commanders, and Ravens. His two most recent starts came in Weeks 17 and 18 of the 2025 season, for Washington.

Johnson also has appeared in one playoff game — the 2023 NFC Championship, after 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy made an early exit with an elbow injury. Johnson completed seven of 13 passes before suffering a concussion.

Johnson joins Joe Burrow and Sean Clifford on Cincinnati's roster. Joe Flacco arrived via trade in 2025, appearing in nine games with six starts. He's currently a free agent.

Veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson signed this week with the Bills. In his introductory press conference, he addressed one of the biggest issues hovering around him — a reputation for being a not-ideal teammate.

Gardner-Johnson said he's not concerned about perceptions.

"I look at it like this," Gardner-Johnson said, "if — and I don't throw shade. I don't throw — because locker rooms that I've been in, we’ve won. But the situation I got traded to, like, it's hard to go into something where you're not really familiar. Like, it's like spurts. . . . That's like going to McDonald's. You can eat McDonald's, but you don't know how to make the fries. So, it's like, I'm not saying you didn't know how to play football, it's just like, you have to gather that relationship while trying to get better while trying — and the season comes quick and all. Once the moves, the draft picks get in, it's on you."

He was traded to Houston last year. After the deal was done, Gardner-Johnson said the Eagles shipped him out because they were "scared of a competitor."

The Texans abruptly cut him after an 0-3 start, without trying to trade him. After a short stint with the Ravens, he landed in Chicago.

With the Bears, he had 10 regular-season appearances with seven starts. He also started the divisional-round playoff game against the Rams.

"For me, I look at, like, every place I've been with, I won," Gardner-Johnson said. "If it was a locker room problem, I just result back to whatever came out. Why now? Like, why now? If I was a locker room problem, like why now? What was the news flashes when we were winning, going 14-3? When we were on the top of the mountain. . . . When I was catching six [interceptions], but where was those like — but why now? So I just take it with a grain of salt . . . it is what it is."

Gardner-Johnson, 28, has played for the Saints, Eagles, Lions, Eagles again, Texans, Ravens, and Bears. He has appeared in 87 regular-season games with 71 starts, and he was a member of the Super Bowl LIX championship team in Philadelphia.

In December 2025, the NFL commenced a P.R. push in advance of the looming expiration of its Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL Referees Association. The effort apparently has gone to the next level.

Via The Athletic, the Competition Committee's annual meeting in conjunction with the Scouting Combine included a conversation regarding "multiple contingencies" in the event a deal with the NFLRA isn't reached. One possibility includes "the possibility of centralizing some officiating functions in New York and expanding the use of technology."

Under that approach, the league would still have officials on the field. They would be supported by enhanced replay capacity from the league office in New York.

At least one source described the discussions to The Athletic as "largely a negotiating ploy by the NFL," with a belief that a deal will eventually be reached.

When the league and the NFLRA last reached an impasse, in 2012, the NFL's leverage included a willingness to proceed with replacement officials. The league believed that the replacement officials would perform as effectively as the regular officials. Given the eventual implosion of that temporary experiment (the "Fail Mary" quickly ended the lockout), the NFL needs a better alternative this time around.

Although the league has a longstanding habit of pursuing victory in any and all negotiations, some functions are more important than others. The current approach to officiating has significant flaws, both in the on-field calls and the replay process. A step backward would be unwise, especially in the age of legalized, normalized, and heavily monetized sports betting.

This isn't the time to pinch pennies. The league should be willing to open its wallet, reinvesting some of its gambling revenue into ensuring a better, more reliable, and more transparent officiating function. The integrity of the game demands it.