Admin August 26, 2024
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There are only 10 days before the NFL regular season starts, but there are still plenty of shake-ups going on around the league during the final full week of the offseason.
This Tuesday marks roster cut deadline day, when all 32 teams must cut their teams down to a final, 53-man squad ahead of Week 1. Ahead of the deadline, teams may trade, release or waive players to get under that limit, creating plenty of opportunities for some established pros to find new homes around the league.
At the same time, the rapidly approaching start to the regular season may create extra pressure for team officials (and players and their agents) to reach deals on contract negotiations. Often, both parties prefer to avoid in-season negotiations that may create distractions from the on-field product.
Here are all of the latest rumors and news ahead of Tuesday’s roster cut deadline:
NFL ROSTER CUTS: Live updates on notable moves ahead of Tuesday’s deadline
NFL news: CeeDee Lamb agrees to massive Cowboys extension
The 25-year-old receiver and his team had been locked in a contract negotiation standoff for nearly the entire offseason. On Monday, that came to an end when Lamb and the Dallas Cowboys agreed to terms on a four-year, $136 million deal to keep the wideout in Dallas through 2027.
According to multiple reports, the deal includes a $38 million signing bonus and $100 million guaranteed. The $34 million per year average annual value makes Lamb the second highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Only Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson’s $35 million/year contract is worth more.
Lamb becomes the 11th wide receiver to sign a massive extension this offseason. The 2024 extensions list includes Jefferson, the Detroit Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
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NFL rumors: Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase practiced on Monday
Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals have yet to agree to terms on a large extension. The team exercised the receiver’s fifth-year option in April as he enters his fourth year in the NFL.
The former LSU Tiger held out from Bengals practices for most of the summer as he looked to secure a massive contract of his own this offseason, but he’s eased the pressure as the regular season approaches. On Sunday, Chase participated in a few “lighter drills” in his first practice with the team this summer, according to NFL Insider Ari Meirov, but not any 11-on-11 drills.
Chase continued on that momentum to prepare for the season on Monday. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the 24-year-old was a full participant at Bengals practice with the team’s season opener 13 days away.
OFFSEASON NFL TRANSACTIONS: Chiefs bringing JuJu Smith-Schuster back to loaded WR room – but why?
NFL rumors: Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney could be cut before deadline
The Kansas City Chiefs followed up their second straight Super Bowl victory by investing in their wide receiver room in the offseason.
The team signed free agent wideout Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and traded up to draft Xavier Worthy in the first round earlier this year.
On Monday, they brought back a familiar face in JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had been cut by the New England Patriots in early August. The veteran wide receiver returns to Kansas City after leading all Chiefs wideouts in receptions and receiving yards in 2022. He then went on to sign with the Patriots as a free agent ahead of the 2023 season.
Even before the recent addition to the Kansas City wide receivers room, 25-year-old wideout Kadarius Toney was on the roster bubble.
Head coach Andy Reid described Toney, who the Chiefs acquired in a 2022 trade with the New York Giants, as a player who “has battled to make the team” on Thursday night following the team’s preseason finale. The former first-round draft pick struggled to stay healthy throughout the 2023 campaign and training camp earlier this month.
With Smith-Schuster now back in the building, Toney may be squeezed out of his 53-man roster spot.
However, Toney was notably absent from one round of cuts the Chiefs announced on Monday afternoon. Whether he will remain on the roster by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline remains to be seen.
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