Buying or Selling NFL Rumors, Buzz After 2024 Roster Cuts Ahead of Regular Season

The NFL preseason is over, initial 53-player rosters have been set and we're exactly one week away from the 2024 regular-season opener. None of this means, however, that the upcoming week will be boring.

Fans can expect to see player movement in the coming days, as teams eye players who just hit the open market or are free to sign off a practice squad. A few contract situations still need to be resolved, and though rosters are largely set, some key roles still need to be sorted.

In other words, there will be no shortage of NFL rumors to consume during this post-cutdown day, pre-Week 1 window, however brief it may be.

With this in mind, let's dive into the latest buzz and try to separate fact from fiction as the countdown to September 5 begins.

Pass-rusher Haason Reddick—who was acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason—still hasn't shown up for practices with the New York Jets. Reddick was acquired without a new contract agreement in place, he wants a new deal, and he's already requested a trade.

However, the Jets seem to believe they could still see Reddick on their sideline in Week 1.

"So he's gonna know what he needs to do to be ready for Week 1," head coach Robert Saleh said, per Ethan Sears of the New York Post. "He still has plenty of time."

Of course, it's not as if Saleh can admit that New York has given up on Reddick. Doing so would eliminate any possible leverage the team might have in trade talks. However, a resolution doesn't seem imminent.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported on Wednesday that Reddick and the Jets are "dug in" amid the stalemate. If New York isn't willing to offer a new contract until Reddick reports, and he's unwilling to report without a new deal, there's little chance that the Jets actually expect to have him on the field against the San Francisco 49ers.

Reddick isn't the only player still holding out for a new contract. 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams has yet to report—unlike teammate Brandon Aiyuk—as he seeks a raise over his $20.1 million base salary.

According to Garafolo, Williams is serious about making a point and could potentially hold out into the regular season.

"Williams, who seems like he is intent on proving his point, that he deserves more guaranteed money and a raise on that contract, expected to make around $20 million this upcoming season," Garafolo said on NFL Network (at the 42-second mark). "Perhaps he will carry that (the holdout) into the regular season."

On one hand, holding out into the regular season would cost Williams game checks and per-game roster bonuses, which is why most players won't actually do it. On the other hand, Williams is a 36-year-old veteran who has already earned $168.7 million in his career. He's one of the few players who might be willing to forfeit a week or two of income to prove his point.

And Williams' point is pretty plain to see. He deserves to be paid more. He's still one of the league's best tackles, yet his 2024 base salary is roughly $8 less than the annual value of new market leader Tristan Wirfs' contract.

Barring a contract adjustment, the 49ers might have to face the Jets without their best lineman.

Aiyuk still feels less likely to hold out into the regular season than Williams. He's played four years on a rookie contract and stands to lose $14.1 million by not playing on his fifth-year option.

However, the 49ers are preparing to face the Jets without Williams and Aiyuk—who, again, did not practice on Wednesday.

"My mind is completely on preparing for a game without those guys," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters.

Shanahan also noted that a number of outcomes could still transpire.

"It's reached a point where all options could happen, and nothing has changed on that," Shanahan said Wednesday, per Cam Inman of the Mercury News.

Indeed, nothing has changed, and while general manager John Lynch said that "at some point, you've got to play," per Inman, the 49ers probably haven't closed the door on any potential outcome.

Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle reported in June (h/t Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports Bay Area) that San Francisco had made a contract offer in the range of $26 million annually. Therefore, we know that the 49ers are willing to pay Aiyuk, but perhaps not what he wants.

Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reported earlier this month that San Francisco had the "framework" of multiple trades in place and gave Aiyuk permission to negotiate potential contracts with other teams. So, we know the 49ers are open to moving him for the right deal too.

San Francisco can't exactly force Aiyuk to end his hold-in, and it isn't going to complain if he does. In other words, the situation remains unsettled and could go in several different directions in the coming days.

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase returned to practice this week, and head coach Zac Taylor said on Tuesday that he expected Chase to continue practicing.

On Wednesday, however, Chase was not in uniform, and Taylor told reporters that he probably "spoke too quickly" when committing to Chase's return.

"Look forward to getting him back hopefully at some point soon," Taylor added.

As is the case for Williams, Chase may refuse to play without a new deal. The extension CeeDee Lamb signed on Monday, worth $34 million annually, may have complicated matters.

The contract drama is not over, though there is reportedly a goal in mind. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the two sides are still discussing an extension that would tie or surpass Justin Jefferson's league-leading receiver contract.

According to Rapoport, making one cent more than Jefferson "is in fact the goal."

The problem here is that if Cincinnati was willing to top Jefferson's deal, it would have done so already. Lamb's extension probably sets the floor for what Chase is willing to accept. It's also likely more than the Bengals want to pay, if they're even willing to extend him this offseason.

"It's not so likely that this is the good time to negotiate," team president Mike Brown said in July, per ESPN's Ben Baby.

While missing game checks may hurt Chase more than it does Williams, the three-time Pro Bowler probably has zero interest in risking injury this season for a $1.1 million base salary. If the Bengals don't budge, Chase may continue holding in.

The Cleveland Browns kept four quarterbacks on their initial 53-player roster—Deshaun Watson, Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Tyler Huntley. On Tuesday, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported that Cleveland would field trade offers for Winston and Huntley.

However, reports have emerged that the Browns had no interest in moving Winston. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Cleveland never discussed moving the quarterback. Noah Weiskopf of Orange and Brown Report echoed that sentiment.

There are a couple of reasons to buy the idea that Cleveland wants to keep Winston. For one, they experienced multiple quarterback injuries last season and won't want to go plucking guys off the couch again, a la Joe Flacco. That's why Winston netted a one-year, $4 million deal.

With 80 starts on his resume, Winston is the most experienced quarterback on Cleveland's roster.

Secondly, Cleveland has other options. A week before the cut deadline, The Athletic's Zac Jackson reported that the Browns were listening to offers for Thompson-Robinson. Huntley, a 2022 Pro Bowl alternate, is a viable trade chip as well.

Editor's Note: Huntley was released by Cleveland this morning, according to NFL reporter Jordan Schultz.

Would the Browns move Winston for the right price? Sure, but unless an outlandish offer comes along, he won't be the quarterback Cleveland moves if it moves one at all.

While we're on the topic of quarterbacks, we have to mention the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Wednesday, they officially announced that Russell Wilson would be the Week 1 starter over Justin Fields.

Pittsburgh acquired both quarterbacks this offseason in hopes of finding an upgrade over last year's trio of Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky. Back in March, head coach Mike Tomlin said that Wilson was in the "pole position" for the starting job, but he was largely non-committal during training camp.

On Wednesday, Tomlin said that choosing between Wilson and Fields wasn't easy.

"It was a difficult decision, but not difficult in a negative way," Tomlin said, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "... The decision was difficult because of what they're capable of doing."

We're not buying it. Fields flashed some of his dual-threat playmaking ability during the preseason—and Wilson missed time with a calf injury—but this never felt like a true competition. If it were, Wilson would have played more than a single series in the preseason finale. He didn't because Pittsburgh didn't need to see any more from its quarterbacks.

Waiting to name a starter was likely about giving the Atlanta Falcons less time to prepare for Week 1 and not about any hard choices.

Pittsburgh may (and should) utilize Fields in subpackages, and it may eventually give him the nod if Wilson continually struggles. Wilson didn't win anything by a razor-thin margin, however. Fans and fantasy enthusiasts shouldn't expect him to have a short leash early in the season.

The Steelers know exactly who they'll be up against in Week 1. Though the Falcons used a first-round pick on quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the plan has always been to start free-agent acquisition Kirk Cousins in 2024.

The unknown is what sort of form Cousins will be in when he takes the field for the first time. The 36-year-old missed much of the offseason while recovering from a torn Achilles, and he didn't appear in the preseason.

According to Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, though, Cousins will be ready to hit the ground running.

"He's definitely ready to go," Robinson told The Jim Rome Show (h/t ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio). "You know, he looks amazing like he didn't even tear his Achilles. I mean, the dude's out here sprinting in practice and just having fun with it."

If Cousins is indeed healthy, the Falcons should be getting the same quarterback who posted a 103.8 passer last season before the injury. Plenty of veteran quarterbacks skip the preseason in today's NFL—the Philadelphia Eagles didn't play any of their starters this preseason.

While there may still be some sloppy Week 1 play, it won't be exclusive to Cousins or Atlanta—teams are still adjusting, it happens.

And while one might be concerned with Cousins not receiving live game reps in his new offense, it's probably not that new to him. Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell, who coached Cousins the past two seasons, and Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson both learned under Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay.

Speaking of McVay and the Rams, let's dive into some rather interesting comments from Tuesday. McVay said that his star running back is going to return punts.

"It's another opportunity for him to get touches and impact the game," McVay said, per ESPN's Sarah Barshop. "And you feel comfortable with that because of the confidence in Blake Corum and Ronnie Rivers being able to spell him if need be."

Would McVay really subject the 2023 Pro Bowler—who has spent time on injured reserve in each of the past two seasons—to an increased injury risk by putting him on the return team?

While this could be an effort by McVay to throw an extra wrinkle at the Detroit Lions ahead of Week 1, this may not be a case of gamesmanship. Every play has the potential for injury in the NFL, and Williams may see fewer offensive touches than the 21.7 he averaged last season.

Los Angeles used a third-round pick on Corum for a reason, and based on a report from The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue, it's to use him:

"Williams and Blake Corum have both gotten first team reps the majority of August with Williams in the leadoff spot. Corum started with some twos and then moved up," Rodrigue posted on X.

Fantasy managers should take note. There's a very real chance that Williams won't be the same offensive centerpiece this year that he was in 2023.

While Williams may have a slightly new role in 2024, it's hard to know what role James Bradberry will play for the Eagles this season.

The 31-year-old was a Pro Bowler cornerback with the New York Giants in 2020 and a very strong starter for Philadelphia in 2022. However, he was, to put it mildly, not good last season.

Bradberry started 16 games for the Eagles in 2023 and allowed an opposing passer rating of 114.3 in coverage, according to Pro Football Reference. Philadelphia experimented with moving him to safety this offseason, and that's where he's now listed on the depth chart.

The Eagles' roster includes four safeties, including Bradberry, and nickelbacks Avonte Maddox and Cooper DeJean—who can play safety if needed. Sydney Brown is on the PUP list but should be back at some point to provide even more safety help.

So, why keep Bradberry after last year's struggles? According to general manager Howie Roseman, the decision was about trust.

"With the goals that we have for this football team, having a veteran player like that on the roster that we know we can rely on when called upon, we felt like was important," Roseman said, per Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Look, Bradberry's experience undoubtedly had something to do with him making the roster. His contract, though, likely sealed it.

Releasing Bradberry would trigger a dead-cap hit of $4.3 million this season and $10.8 million in 2025 while providing no additional 2024 cap savings. The Eagles kept Bradberry because they'd be paying him whether he's on the roster or not.

Update: Philadelphia will place Bradberry on injured reserve with a leg injury that won't require surgery but will cause him to miss time, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

The Dallas Cowboys likely hope to be paying quarterback Dak Prescott well beyond the 2024 season. Keeping him long-term, though, is going to require an extension. Prescott is in the final year of his contract, and that contract includes a no-tag clause for 2025.

Franchise owner Jerry Jones, however, isn't racing to get an extension done before Week 1.

"We just don't need to get it done before the season. Because it's in all of our interest, Dak and everybody, to have a great season," Jones told Clarence Hill of DLLS.

Jones has made a lot of missteps this offseason—like waiting until Monday to extend Lamb and not extending Prescott at the start of the offseason—but in this instance, he's correct. The Cowboys don't have to get a deal done before the regular season because they've already waited too long to do it.

The time to extend Prescott was in the spring, before Jared Goff signed a deal worth $53 million annually and certainly before Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love both signed contracts worth $55 million annually.

Prescott's floor is now set, and there isn't another extension-eligible quarterback who will reset the market before the season starts. Prescott isn't refusing to play on his current deal either, so Dallas is under no pressure to race toward an extension.

Now, if the Cowboys truly want to keep Prescott long-term, they had better get a deal done before the end of 2024. Prescott will be the next man up in 2025, and there could be multiple teams willing to outbid Dallas for his services in free agency. That could push his value past $55 million per year—and far beyond what it probably would have cost to extend Prescott back in March.

*Contract information via Spotrac