NFL Player News

Johnson announcing his retirement is more of a formality than him actually walking away from the game. The do-it-all back who flirted with a 1,000-plus rushing and receiving yard season back in 2016 didn’t play a snap of football in 2023 and spent much of 2022 as a free agent before being signed to the Saints practice squad and suiting up for five games over the final three months of the season. When he was at his peak, Johnson was one of the best running backs in football — both real and fantasy. He was a key part of the disastrous 2020 offseason trade orchestrated by Bill O’Brien that sent DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals and proved to already be past his prime by the time he arrived in Houston as a 29-year-old running back. Johnson retires, having amassed 6,876 yards from scrimmage and 57 total touchdowns.

This comes after it was announced that Jennings was seeking either a new contract or a trade before the start of this season. Jennings reporting to camp is good in theory, but as Barrows also points out, last year’s Brandon Aiyuk situation showed a player reporting to camp while in a contract dispute can be anything but beneficial. In recent years, players have resorted to “hold-ins” during camp to avoid fines for not reporting, which could be Jennings’ approach when he does report next week. We’ll likely get a better sense of where things are headed with this situation as camp draws nearer.

It’s odd that this would come out a week before training camp rather than earlier in the offseason, but Jennings’ desire for a new deal is warranted. The sixth-year receiver is coming off a breakout season in which he caught 77 passes for 975 yards and six touchdowns — all career-highs, and is expected to play a significant role this season. The 49ers extended Jennings’ contract last season, but he’s set to earn just $7.5 million in the final year of his deal, which is well-below what a player of his caliber should be earning. With Brandon Aiyuk (knee) a likely PUP candidate and Ricky Pearsall entering the season with much to prove, it goes without saying that Jennings is the best available receiver on the 49ers right now, which could spur the team to get a new deal done. That said, we’ve seen the Niners drag out contract discussions before, and wouldn’t expect anything immediate as this story continues to develop.

Cowing boasts 4.3 speed and reportedly added weight in the offseason after weighing in at 168 pounds as a rookie. With Samuel now in Washington and Aiyuk (knee) a candidate to open the season on the PUP list, it’s easy to see an early path for Cowing to earn more opportunities this season. Last year’s first-rounder, Ricky Pearsall, is also expected to see an uptick in targets and Jauan Jennings is coming off a breakout season (77-975-6), but Cowing makes for an interesting late-round target in deeper leagues given the current state of the Niners’ receiving room. Cowing caught 316 passes for 4,477 yards and 33 touchdowns during five college seasons while averaging a solid 6.3 yards after the catch per reception.

In addition to his belief that the Jets could lead the league in rush attempts, Rosenblatt also adds that Braelon Allen will “have plenty of opportunities” to make an impact this season as Breece Hall enters the final year of his rookie deal. Allen was selected 134th overall last season and finished his rookie year with 92 carries for 334 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 3.6 YPC. According to Rosenblatt, head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand are hoping to model their offense after the one Ben Johnson ran in Detroit, with Breece Hall playing the “Jahmyr Gibbs role” and Allen playing the “David Montgomery role.” Should this come to fruition, Allen could have tons of late-round fantasy value for those willing to take shots on him.

Rodrigue believes that the two sides’ continued contract talk “is a good sign” for an early extension. “Williams is a team leader and one of the more productive at his position,” but “he doesn’t hit ‘home run’ explosives,” which hurts his negotiating power, particularly at a position considered low-value by some. Still, Williams’ overall productivity works in his favor. Rodrigue notes, “training camp is the usual timeline for such deals under this era of Rams leadership,” giving fantasy managers an expected timeline to follow.

The Patriots’ first training camp practice is scheduled for July 23rd. This report fails to provide clarity on Tavai’s expected participation status, though ESPN’s Mike Reiss does list LBs Christian Elliss and Jack Gibbens as Tavai’s “projected top competition” for the No. 2 inside linebacker job. Free agent signee, LB Robert Spillane, is locked into the No. 1 spot.

Howell came under scrutiny after it was revealed last week that he worked part-time as a paid consultant for The Carlyle Group, which is a private equity firm. On Sunday, the NFLPA released a statement that it rejects “attempts to mischaracterize the committee’s views or divide membership” regarding this news, while adding any reports of the NFLPA calling for Howell to step down are false. It would appear Howell, who was appointed to his position in 2023, will remain in his role for the upcoming season.

Details around Judkins’ arrest continue to emerge. On Sunday, Sergeant David Soika of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department Media Relations Unit shared that upon arriving at the scene where the reported crime took place, officers determined after speaking to the victim that a battery occurred, which led to the arrest of Judkins soon after. The rookie second-rounder remained in police custody overnight and is scheduled to have an initial hearing on Sunday. As ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio points out, Judkins is sure to face scrutiny from the NFL under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy, while Florio also notes that “the baseline punishment for a battery is six games,” which can vary based on other factors. Judkins has not yet signed his rookie deal, and will likely take less guaranteed money than he hoped for following his arrest, which could cause a trickle-down effect for the 29 other rookie second-rounders who have yet to sign their deal. Judkins was expected to compete for the Browns’ RB1 spot in training camp, and while he will still get a chance to do so, fantasy managers should remain open to the possibility of a suspension being handed down at some point this season. In any case, Jerome Ford and rookie Dylan Sampson would both see slight boosts to their fantasy stocks if Judkins were to miss any time.

Judkins was booked on Saturday and remains in custody as of this evening. ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reports Judkins’ initial court appearance will come Sunday morning. The Browns have said they are “aware and gathering more details.” Judkins’ arrest comes on the eve of training camp, and gets his professional career off to the worst possible start. A lengthy stay on the commissioner’s exempt list would be all but guaranteed if the charges stick. A suspension would then follow if he were convicted or admitted guilt. The situation should be updated on Sunday.

That effectively makes Harris a holdout, something that has become common practice for second-round players amidst ongoing negotiations regarding guaranteed money. 30 of the 32 second-round selections from the 2025 NFL Draft have yet to sign their rookie contracts, with Harris now the first official holdout after the Chargers’ rookie report date came and went. This appears to be nothing more than “just business,” but fantasy managers will want to track the ongoing behind-the-scenes saga unfolding this year.