Big NFL minicamp week. Big mailbag week. Let’s go …
From Tzvi Machlin (@TzviLovesSports): Is there ANY trade interest in Kirk Cousins right now?
Tzvi, we’ve discussed this plenty, and we can discuss it again. The lack of a Kirk Cousins trade at this point in the offseason is due to the actions of all three parties needed to complete a deal: the Falcons, the quarterback-hungry suitors and Cousins himself.
First, as far as the Falcons, their culpability comes down to money. They went past the mid-March vesting date for a $10 million roster bonus for 2026 becoming fully guaranteed, ticking the number they were responsible for from $90 million to $100 million. In doing so, they were implicitly saying they’d rather have two years of Cousins, even if one of those years were with Cousins as a backup, at $100 million than a single year at $90 million. And, since, they’ve been unwilling to take on enough of his money to facilitate a deal.
Second, other teams involved (Cleveland and Pittsburgh inquired) weren’t willing to take on the $27.5 million for this year in full, in addition to the $10 million for next 2026. Any discussion on the deal, at least as far as I’ve been able to ascertain, would’ve required the Falcons to essentially “buy” a draft pick by taking on a good chunk of Cousins’s salary.
Third, Cousins took the tact in March and April to see how the draft played out before waiving his no-trade clause, to try to avoid a situation like the one he was in last year when the Falcons signed him and then took Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick. Did he overplay his hand? Somebody could argue yes, based on his current position. But, again, action on Cousins was tepid enough to wonder if a deal could be done.
Atlanta moves toward training camp with Penix entrenched as the starter and Cousins as the backup. And, at least for now, it looks like it would take a material change to someone else’s quarterback situation to provoke a trade—and, of course, the blessing of Cousins, who might be hesitant to move his family after camp is underway.
From Major Hawk (@MajorHawk1962): How likely are the Aaron Glenn–led Jets the Lions 2.0?
Major, I just think it’s a different situation than he encountered when he arrived in Detroit with Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes in the winter of 2021.
I’d argue this Jets roster is a lot further along, with Garrett Wilson, Olu Fashanu, Breece Hall, Ali Vera-Tucker, Quinnen Williams, Jermaine Johnson, Will McDonald IV, Quincy Williams, Jamien Sherwood and Sauce Gardner as building blocks. There’ll be an adjustment with the new staff fitting those guys into roles in the new schemes. However, I don’t see why these Jets shouldn’t contend for a playoff spot—with one big if.
That if? Justin Fields proving himself to be a top-16 NFL quarterback.
Based on where things were going in Pittsburgh last year, I think he can do it. He’s already shown himself to be sharp and quick on the uptick, picking up new OC Tanner Engstrand’s scheme, consistently asking good questions and making progress. Also, the Steelers believed Fields was turning the corner when Russell Wilson got healthy last October and that a career renaissance was possible.
Now, the Jets’ schedule isn’t full of layups. But if they can get to their Week 9 bye at or near .500, Glenn’s crew should have a chance to round into form and be a factor.
From Obed González (@TripleOG713): Do you have any concern of the Texans OL a bunch of unknowns?
Obed, of course I do. How could you not? They have one really good lineman, Tytus Howard, who can play guard or tackle. Center is wide open. Left guard is, too, with Howard likely lining up at right guard to start. Trent Brown, Cam Robinson, Blake Fisher and rookie Aireontae Ersery are in the mix at tackle. Laken Tomlinson, Juice Scruggs, Jarrett Patterson, Jake Andrews and Ed Ingram are battling inside.
This isn’t exactly, “If you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one,” … but if you have 10 linemen, do you have five? The Texans are going to find out.
Recently promoted line coach Cole Popovich shares Patriots roots with new coordinator Nick Caley—the two were together for five years in New England (Andrews and Brown were there, too)—and there’ll be pressure on them to get the position group right. If you look at the Texans’ roster, it may be the only big question mark going into training camp. But make no mistake, it is a significant question mark.
From JustFootball (@JustTheStart0): What’s the likelihood the Steelers re-sign Watt vs. trade Watt, and if they sign him, how many millions?
JustFootball, I have a hard time seeing how the Steelers don’t find some common ground with T.J. Watt on a new contract that’ll at least set him up to retire in Pittsburgh. He has $21.05 million left in the final year of the blockbuster deal he signed four years ago. That allows the team to fold a lower number into a contract with a well-deserved market correction. Watt is 30, and he has had his injury problems. However, he played in all 17 games the past two seasons with 30.5 sacks.
Bottom line: While Watt may not be the same guy in a year or two, it’s hard to envision him falling off, given the kind of worker he’s always been. The investment is a safe one.
I look at Watt’s situation similar to Trey Hendrickson’s in Cincinnati. I don’t think he’ll get a market-changing deal, but if Maxx Crosby and Danielle Hunter did extensions this offseason with new-money APYs in the mid-30s, Watt wouldn’t be out of line asking for something in that range.
From DC Triple Play (@DCTriplePlay): What’s a realistic timetable for a McLaurin extension? Within the next week or closer to July? Also, we aren’t fielding calls for Terry, right?
DC, I do think Commanders coach Dan Quinn was being forthright in describing the situation with Terry McLaurin.
“Sometimes football and business, they intersect and this is one of those times,” Quinn said Tuesday at Washington’s mandatory minicamp. “Terry is a fantastic teammate and really puts in the work and spent a lot of time with them already this offseason. The business side of things, [GM] Adam [Peters] and their crew and Terry and his group, let them work through that.”
As of a few days ago, things weren’t in an awesome place. And that’s O.K.
Here’s the thing: The fines for missing training camp are prohibitive, and so, in turn, it’s sort of incumbent on a player who needs to rattle cages to get a new deal to do it in the spring. So if McLaurin were going to press for a new deal, with his old one in its final year, now would be the time to do that.
I have a difficult time believing the Commanders and McLaurin won’t get something done. McLaurin was too important to what Quinn and Peters (and Jayden Daniels) accomplished last year. McLaurin’s investment in getting a once-proud franchise turned around is too deep. Maybe this month or next, cooler heads will prevail, and McLaurin will be on his third contract as a Commander.
From Kyle Davis (@KyleDav68440479): Will Penn State finally beat Ohio State? We won in 2016 and have been within a touchdown every year since.
Kyle, better get us this year. Your guys aren’t scheduled to play the Buckeyes again until 2028 (though it could happen in the Big Ten title game or the CFP), a crappy byproduct, in my opinion, of conference expansion.
From Mitch Beiter (@MitchBeiter91): How do the Bills feel about doing Hard Knocks? This is probably the Hard Knocks team with highest preseason expectations since the original.
Mitch, I think everyone had fun with Brandon Beane’s comments from last summer.
If you missed them, the Bills’ GM was asked what his old right-hand man Joe Schoen had to go through as Giants GM on the show: “Man, better him than me going through that.”
Beane was joking around, but there’s an element of truth in every joke. I don’t know that any GM or head coach wants Hard Knocks to show up at the facility. Those guys have enough to deal with. Working to manage a TV production that may do a lot to help the franchise’s brand but not much to help the football team, isn’t exactly what you’d be looking for, if you were in that position.
I know the Bills well enough to believe they’ll have very little to hide. It’s one of the most buttoned-up operations in the league. It’s not like you’ll have a summer full of issues that need to be sidestepped on the show. The best TV in this series has come from teams that have more circus elements than Buffalo.
So NFL Films will have to do its best in what really is a business-like atmosphere.
From KTA (@keiteay): Do you see a day when the Jaguars are back to playing every home game in Jacksonville? And for all the rhetoric about the Jags wanting to “build a second fanbase in London,” to the extent that actually is their endgame, how successful have they actually been at that?
KTA, I don’t know if the gutted-and-revamped stadium will force the Jaguars to play a normal home schedule again. What I do know is that owner Shad Khan has put a lot into cultivating the London market. He has planted roots with the presence of Fulham F.C., the EPL team he bought a year after purchasing the Jaguars.
There’ll be a lot to weigh when the renovation is completed, which is slated for 2028.
From Steve (@srs17): Is Jerod Mayo in witness protection? Will we hear from him anytime soon? Curious for his side of last year with the Pats
Steve, I think Jerod Mayo’s keeping a low profile has been intentional since he was fired in January. I have heard he felt wronged, and I can understand why. I also can see how that would play into any sort of decision to avoid being in the public eye.
From Jimmy T (@jimmy_tomredle): With the Giants trading up for Jaxson Dart in Round 1, are Schoen and Daboll on the hot seat despite taking the rookie QB?
Jimmy, I don’t think selecting Dart in the first round protects Daboll and Schoen. However, it could in a more indirect way.
If the Giants make the playoffs, then we’re not talking about their job security. If they don’t, there will be shades of gray to the decisions—and that’s where Dart’s play comes in. Because the NFC East drew the NFC North and AFC West this year, the schedule is a bear. So if the Giants win seven or eight games, Dart takes the job in midseason, plays well and energizes the group late, I could see the owners not wanting to pull the plug. Conversely, winning seven or eight games with Russell Wilson probably won’t be enough.
That is the scenario where I see Dart’s presence playing into whatever the Maras and Tisches decide to do going into 2026.
From Patrick Walsh (@p_walsh11): If the Pats’ defense can be a top-five defense, how much of a chance do they have of making some noise in December/January? Gotta think if the front four and secondary can play at an elite level, they can contend with the schedule that they have.
Patrick, I think the Patriots having a top-five defense would be a significant jump, considering they were 22nd last year. It would take Harold Landry and/or Keion White exceeding expectations as edge rushers, new pieces Milton Williams, Carlton Davis III and Robert Spillane assimilating seamlessly, and the scheme taking quickly, with Davis and Christian Gonzalez likely enabling an aggressive approach from new coordinator Terrell Williams.
If they do play like a top-five defense, have a ball-control offense that gets efficient play from Drake Maye, they could factor into the playoff picture around the Holidays.
From Wendell Ferreira (@wendellfp): Is there any reasonable explanation for the Packers absorbing Jaire’s full dead money hit this year? They could've simply made a normal post–June 1 release and rolled the unused amount over to 2026. They’re just unnecessarily losing flexibility this year.
Wendell, if your cash budget is spent, or you don’t have any opportunities to change your team, then it’d make sense to take the hit now. These are not major issues since you can roll any unused space into 2026—or continue to restructure guys if you need room on the fly.
From DayngerZone (@DayngerZone): Any insight as to what Joe Douglas had planned with the Jet extensions, which would’ve been a focal point had he stayed? I’m curious if anyone has asked him, especially when it comes to guys like Breece and AVT.
Daynger, if I had to guess, Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson would be considered for extensions now—and I do think there’s a chance at least Gardner and maybe Wilson still get done. With Breece Hall, I think they’d explore it, but signing a back long-term can be tricky. I think with Johnson coming off an injury, they’ll probably play it out, knowing they can tag him if he plays to his potential.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Mailbag: Kirk Cousins’s Salary, No-Trade Clause Stand in the Way of Any Trade.
