Signing - Football Wiretap

Alvin Kamara will play for the New Orleans Saints in 2026 on a reworked contract. Details of the restructured deal were not immediately available.

Agent Brad Cicala addressed the outcome directly.

"Alvin's goal, and the team's goal, was for him to remain with the Saints and retire a Saint," said Cicala.

Kamara had been set to earn up to $11.5 million in base salary this season before the Saints renegotiated his contract for cap purposes in early March. An additional $3 million of that salary became guaranteed last year.

New Orleans signed running back Travis Etienne Jr. from the Jacksonville Jaguars in March to a four-year deal worth more than $12 million annually over its first three seasons. The addition pushed the Saints' running back spending to $21 million in salary cap space across seven players, the highest total in the NFL before Kamara's revised deal.

Kamara addressed playing alongside Etienne during offseason workouts, drawing comparisons to previous running back tandems in New Orleans.

"We've done it here before. I mean, you saw Mark and I, and then you saw Latavius and I, and I think just having two talented backs, it benefits each back," said Kamara. "I don't think you have an issue with defenses focusing on one or the other. It's like you got to try to prepare for both. I mean, it puts them in a dilemma right there ... I think we'll complement each other well. It's two talented dudes."

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens will play the 2026 season under his $27.3 million franchise tender after Wednesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline for tagged players to reach long-term deals passed. The outcome had been expected since the Cowboys announced before the NFL draft in April that they did not plan to negotiate a long-term extension with Pickens.

Dallas last signed a first-time tagged player to an extension when it agreed to terms with wide receiver Dez Bryant in 2015. Pickens has already signed his franchise tender, locking in his 2026 salary, and said last month he was prepared to play the season under that arrangement.

Pickens addressed his approach to the situation following the first day of mandatory minicamp.

"Like the tag and all that, it's just football first," said Pickens. "So, definitely play football first, kind of like I did last year, and then worry about [the contract] ... Well, let my agent worry about it, really."

Pickens was one of four players to receive the franchise tag this offseason. The other three reached long-term deals well ahead of the deadline. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones signed a two-year, $88 million contract in March, New York Jets running back Breece Hall agreed to a three-year, $43.5 million deal in May, and Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. signed a three-year, $54 million contract in June.

Dallas has seen several tagged players go through a season under the designation since striking its deal with Bryant, including quarterback Dak Prescott, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, tight end Dalton Schultz and running back Tony Pollard. The Cowboys eventually reached long-term agreements with Prescott and Lawrence after tagging them a second time, while Schultz and Pollard departed in free agency following their tagged seasons.

Dallas acquired Pickens last year from the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder, along with sending back a 2027 sixth-round selection. Pickens delivered the best season of his career in his first year with the Cowboys, posting career highs of 93 catches, 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns.

Veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas intends to sign a one-year contract worth up to $3.8 million with the Washington Commanders, according to sources who spoke with ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The 30-year-old spent last season with the Miami Dolphins after joining the roster following final cuts. Douglas appeared in 15 games, working his way from a backup role into the team's primary cornerback job.

He entered the year behind Jack Jones and Storm Duck on the depth chart. An injury to Duck in Week 1 opened the door for Douglas to earn a starting spot.

Foot and ankle injuries sidelined Douglas for two games during the season. He returned in Week 13 and immediately produced interceptions in back-to-back contests.

Quarterbacks targeted Douglas 82 times last season. He surrendered 54 receptions for 515 yards and three touchdowns while defending 13 passes, tying his second-highest single-season total.

His standout performance came in Week 14 against the New York Jets, where he intercepted a pass and defended five others. The effort earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Douglas brings nine years of NFL experience and has started 93 games across five franchises. His resume includes stops with the Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills.

He has recorded 21 interceptions over the course of his career.

Tight end Brandon Strange and the Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to a three-year, $48 million contract extension with $25 million guaranteed.

Strange was a second round pick in 2023 out of Penn State.

Strange had 46 catches for 540 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games last season.

Kyle Pitts and the Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract extension. The Falcons used the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft on Pitts.

Pitts had 88 catches for 928 yards and five touchdowns last season. 

The Falcons previously signed Drake London to a four-year, $141 million extension.

The Tennessee Titans reached agreement with defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons on a three-year contract extension worth $105.8 million, including $100 million guaranteed.

Todd France and A.J. Stevens of Athletes First negotiated the deal for Simmons.

"Tennessee has become a second home for me," said Simmons. "From day one, this organization believed in me, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue to pour into this franchise and community. I want to thank God, my family, my teammates, Ms. Amy and the entire Titans organization for believing in me. My job isn't finished. I believe in this locker room and this staff, and I'm focused on helping this team get back to competing for championships."

Simmons set a career high with 11 sacks in 2025, adding 60 quarterback pressures, 67 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. The total broke Jurrell Casey's previous franchise record of 10.5 sacks in a season by a Titans defensive tackle, set in 2013.

"Jeffery Simmons is a pillar for our franchise and embodies what it means to be a Titan," said Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi. "He's the premier defensive tackle in the National Football League and you win with players like Jeffery. Not only is his leadership on the field what we want our program to represent, but off the field, he sets the standard for our community."

The 2025 season earned Simmons first-team All-Pro honors, following second-team selections in 2021 and 2022. He is a four-time Pro Bowl pick and a five-time team captain, and he has produced at least five sacks in five consecutive seasons, joining Ray Childress, Casey, William Fuller and Sean Jones as the only players in franchise history to do so since 1982.

Selected in the first round of the 2019 draft, Simmons previously signed an extension in 2023. He has totaled 383 tackles, 42.5 sacks, 275 quarterback pressures and 65 tackles for loss across seven NFL seasons, and he has been the Titans' nominee for the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

Defensive end Cameron Jordan and the New Orleans Saints are finalizing a one-year, incentive-laden contract, sources told ESPN. The deal came together during a visit Tuesday, keeping the 36-year-old in a Saints uniform for a 16th season.

Jordan entered free agency in March after his previous contract voided automatically. He told former teammate Terron Armstead at the time that three teams were in consideration, acknowledging his age was a complicating factor despite recording 10.5 sacks in 2025.

New Orleans never closed the door on a reunion, even after acquiring Tyree Wilson from Las Vegas in a draft-weekend trade to bolster its defensive line.

Jordan, a first-round selection out of California in 2011, holds the Saints' franchise record with 132 career sacks since the statistic became official in 1982. He also leads the organization in tackles for loss with 175, ranks fourth in pass deflections with 67, fifth in forced fumbles with 17, and 10th in fumble recoveries with 12.

The New York Jets and right guard Joe Tippmann have agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $62 million, including $31 million in new guarantees, sources told ESPN on Monday.

The deal can be worth up to $64 million, according to Athletes First, which negotiated the contract on Tippmann's behalf.

Tippmann, 25, was entering the final year of his rookie contract and would have been a sought-after free agent in 2027. The Jets instead secured him with a deal averaging $15.5 million per year, making him the NFL's 15th-highest-paid guard.

The 2023 second-round pick is now under contract through 2030, with guaranteed money extending through 2028, a source said.

Tippmann has missed only one game in three seasons and has logged more than 800 snaps each year. He played center in 2023 and parts of 2024 before making a full-time move to right guard in 2025, finishing last season ranked 42nd in pass block win rate among guards. He has made 48 career starts.

The extension continues a pattern of retaining young talent under general manager Darren Mougey and coach Aaron Glenn. In May, the Jets re-signed running back Breece Hall to a three-year, $42.5 million contract.

Last year, New York extended wide receiver Garrett Wilson, cornerback Sauce Gardner, tight end Jeremy Ruckert and center Josh Myers, though Gardner was later traded to the Indianapolis Colts for two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.

With Tippmann's extension, every Jets offensive starter except quarterback Geno Smith is under contract through at least 2027. That group includes the team's three top offensive linemen: Tippmann, left tackle Olu Fashanu and right tackle Armand Membou.

The Kansas City Chiefs are signing L'Jarius Sneed to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million, his agents, the Katz Brothers, told ESPN's Adam Schefter, reuniting the cornerback with the team that drafted him in 2020.

The Chiefs traded Sneed to the Tennessee Titans in 2024 after placing the franchise tag on him that year. The Titans released Sneed on March 13 of this year in a move that saved the team $11.4 million in salary cap space.

The Green Bay Packers have signed Christian Watson to a four-year, $110.5 million extension that includes a $31 million signing bonus, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The deal follows Jayden Reed's three-year, $50.25 million extension signed April 24.

Watson, 27, had been playing on a one-year, $11 million bridge contract signed last September while recovering from a torn ACL suffered late in the 2024 season.

The new money average of $27.6 million per year nearly matches the franchise tag figure applied to Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens ($27.3 million).

Watson's return from injury was striking as he recorded 35 catches for 611 yards and six touchdowns over the final 10 games of last season, leading the NFL in yards per catch (17.5) from Weeks 8 through 18. Seventeen of his 35 receptions gained 16 or more yards, a rate that ranked third among all players with at least 30 catches.

The extensions arrive after Green Bay allowed Romeo Doubs to depart for the New England Patriots in free agency and traded Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Watson addressed those departures during OTAs.

"It was definitely tough to see those guys go because they're great friends of mine, great teammates," said Watson. "This thing always keeps on moving. I definitely think they'll be a lot more opportunities for the guys who are out there this year, myself included. Just got to embrace that and continue to make plays when our numbers are called."

Quarterback Jordan Love expressed confidence in the rebuilt receiver group.

"We've still got a very deep receiver room," said Love. "We've got Christian, we've got J. Reed, we've got M.G., guys who are all going to continue to keep building, keep taking those steps."

Watson, Reed and 2025 first-round pick Matthew Golden are projected as Green Bay's top three receivers heading into the season.