NFL

As excited as Deion Sanders is for Travis Hunter to be heading to the Jacksonville Jaguars from a football standpoint, he's also excited for the former Colorado star for an off-the-field reason.

The Buffaloes' head coach congratulated Hunter on being selected second overall in the NFL Draft by the Jaguars and told him he'll be able to continue his hobby of fishing in Jacksonville.

"Congratulations, sir," Sanders said (1:15 mark). "I can come down there, they got some good fishing there. Really good fishing."

Sanders also gave Hunter a warning, letting him know that "gators there are prevalent."

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

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The Dallas Cowboys "have not yet ramped up negotiations" with star edge-rusher Micah Parsons, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"That doesn't mean they will not. They are budgeting for that," Fowler reported Sunday on SportsCenter. "They want to keep Parsons long term. They do have a penchant for signing their star players, it just takes a little while. Last year, Dak Prescott didn't get his deal done until Sept. 8, right before the season; CeeDee Lamb late August. So, they could certainly draw this out, but they know what the price tag is, $35-40 million per year, for a player of his caliber."

Fowler went on to say Dallas could use some of its available salary cap space to bolster the receiving corps, with the Cowboys and Amari Cooper having "some mutual interest" in a reunion.

Cooper is coming off a disappointing 2024 season. His 44 receptions, 547 yards and four touchdown grabs were all career lows. With the team not taking a wideout in the 2025 NFL draft, the five-time Pro Bowler would at least provide some depth behind Lamb.

Meanwhile, the timeline of Lamb's extension could be a helpful guide of how this offseason will unfold for Parsons.

The decorated pass-catcher was absent for all of training camp and didn't suit up for the preseason. On Aug. 20 last summer, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported "there hasn't been a lot of movement" on a new deal.

Less than a week later, the broad terms on an extension were done, and Lamb was on the field for Week 1.

The absence of an agreement and a lack of any tangible progress may not be foreboding as the weeks and months unfold.

It's not as though the value for him will move much between now and the start of the 2025 campaign. The draft is over and the biggest dominoes have fallen in free agency.

The Cowboys are in all likelihood done with the blockbuster transactions.

Still, the nine-figure extensions for Lamb and Prescott mean the organization has to be even more conscious of the cap long term. Retaining Parsons doesn't make as much sense if Dallas forfeits so much flexibility it can't assemble a supporting cast capable of making a deep playoff run.

Negotiations over a potential trade involving Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens "have really cooled here," according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler reported Sunday on SportsCenter that Pickens "does want to stay in Pittsburgh" and "wants to make this work." The Steelers' continued pursuit of Aaron Rodgers is a factor as well.

"Keep in mind, the Steelers are in a position where they need to keep that receiver room as attractive as possible for that man you saw at the Kentucky Derby, Aaron Rodgers, not yet signed," Fowler said. "So, they're not really in the business of trading off capable pieces right now that he could potentially be throwing to.

"So, my sense right now is that the Steelers remain optimistic like they have been about Rogers eventually signing with Pittsburgh, but it's his fourth foray into free agency and his 20-year career, still feels like anything could happen, but right now it is status quo with the Steelers and Rodgers."

Even leaving aside the Rodgers situation and DK Metcalf's arrival, keeping a motivated Pickens is probably the best outcome for Pittsburgh.

The 24-year-old possesses the kind of talent that can make him a perennial Pro Bowler. It says everything about his skill set that he has 2,841 receiving yards through three seasons, yet his career has felt a little disappointing so far.

Pickens is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and his impending free agency provides a strong incentive to deliver on the field. If he's coming into camp more focused, then maybe he'll become more consistent on the field and avoid making the small mistakes that add up over time.

For the Steelers, Pickens' untapped potential is worth more than he's likely to yield in a trade.

The Cincinnati Bengals signed star wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to contract extensions early in the offseason, but defensive end Trey Hendrickson is still facing plenty of uncertainty with his own deal.

"They still want Trey, but this is in a contract stalemate a little bit," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported during Sunday's SportsCenter. "Both sides are just sort of waiting this out post-draft. They got a few months to try to shake out a long-term extension that Hendrickson certainly deserves after a huge sack producer the last few years. So, the Bengals want to get this done. 

"Certainly, they've made a commitment to trying to do it, but they have not made enough progress right now where a deal is imminent. But there's really not a lot of trade buzz here either. It sounds like he's going to be able to stay there, but they do have to get this done if they want him in the building, playing games for them."

The lack of trade buzz isn't all that surprising since the 2025 NFL draft is now in the rearview mirror.

Cincinnati likely would have wanted immediate draft capital in return if it was going to trade one of its star players, and now it would have to wait until the 2026 draft at the earliest for any picks it acquired in a potential trade to convey.

But there is also a sense of urgency to the situation as well.

"They have to do something because Hendrickson will surely miss offseason workouts without a deal, could even miss some training camp or game action," Fowler reported. "We'll see how that goes but he is dug in, I'm told."

At this point, Hendrickson is signed through just the 2025 campaign and set to make $15.8 million in base salary during the upcoming season. Trading him this offseason could allow the Bengals to get something back in return before he potentially leaves in free agency, but he is also one of the most productive pass-rushers in the league who could help them for years with an extension.

He led the NFL with 17.5 sacks last season and has been a Pro Bowler in each of his four years with Cincinnati.

The Bengals will be in win-now mode as long as Joe Burrow and Chase are on the roster, and their defense that was 25th in the league in points allowed held them back from being more of a Super Bowl threat during a 9-8 season in 2024.

Losing Hendrickson would make that unit even worse, even if they did select pass-rusher Shemar Stewart in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Some might have seen Stewart as a replacement, but Judy Battista of NFL.com reported the Bengals "envision pairing" the veteran and rookie.

The only way to do that, though, is by settling the "contract stalemate" to avoid a holdout situation and even more uncertainty.

Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey could be on his way back to the Los Angeles Rams this offseason, but his contract is reportedly holding up a potential trade to the NFC West team and others.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reporetd during Sunday's SportsCenter and suggested the $24 million in guarantees has proven to be a "sticking point" in negotiations.

"Miami has been calling around on Ramsey trying to work a potential trade," Fowler said. "They were doing so in the days leading up to the NFL draft. So something could shake out here this off season. I'm told Ramsey does want to play for a contender. So, he wouldn't just go to any team, considering his age, his pedigree as a Super Bowl winner. 

"The sticking point here is that $24 million in guarantees. My sense after asking around is Miami has not been overly eager to cover some of that bill, which sort of makes a trade hard to pull off right now. L.A. Rams, it could be a reunion here. They've been in the mix here, they are a team to watch, certainly for Ramsey."

The veteran cornerback is under contract through the 2028 season, although there is a potential 2026 out. And if Miami is understandably concerned about the financials, a post-June 1 trade would make far more sense since it would clear nearly $10 million in cap space.

Ramsey trade rumors have circulated since Miami general manager Chris Grier told reporters last month the plan was to move the cornerback.

"Really after a couple weeks of discussions between ourselves internally and Jalen and his representation, we decided that it was probably in the best interest for all parties to move forward," Grier said while also making it clear Ramsey didn't ask for a trade.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported during the draft it "does not feel to me like anything is imminent" with a trade:

The financials being a "sticking point" would help explain why nothing has materialized to this point, although Ramsey is surely an intriguing option to teams that need help in the secondary.

His resume includes a Super Bowl title, three First-Team All-Pro selections and seven Pro Bowl nods. While he is 30 years old and may not be playing at the same level as his peak, he was still a Pro Bowler in 2023 and finished with 11 passes defended while playing all 17 games last year.

Teams in win-now mode, like the Rams, will surely continue to monitor the situation as the offseason progresses.

Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders didn't respond kindly when the New York Giants challenged his on-field acumen, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB.

During an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak & Bertrand, Breer relayed how the Giants put Sanders through the usual step of going over a play install.

"They give players an install, and there are mistakes intentionally put in the install," Breer said (via Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston). "He didn't catch them and got called on it, and it didn't go well after that. ... He was pissed that they did that to him."

The NFL insider provided another example of how Sanders may not have approached the pre-draft process with the right mindset.

A team wanted to discuss an interception he had thrown on a deep pass early into one game. Sanders said he "like(s) to get into a rhythm earlier in the game," a rationale that seemingly didn't sit well with the coaches and evaluators interviewing him. Eventually, the signal-caller suggested that "maybe I'm not a fit for you."

When it comes to the Giants, this perhaps provides some context for why there was an internal divide on Sanders.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported in April that "certain segments of the Giants organization want Sanders more than others." Todd McShay of The Ringer then left no doubt as to head coach Brian Daboll's thoughts, reporting on April 23 that Sanders "is a no-go" in the eyes of the coach.

New York ultimately traded back into the first round to take Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart with the 25th pick.

Sanders was widely expected to be a Day 2 pick at worst. He was the No. 23 overall player on Bleacher Report's final big board.

By falling all the way to the fifth round, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner is instead likely to serve as a cautionary tale for prospects who make any assumptions about their draft stock.

Shedeur Sanders is yet to take a single snap in the NFL, but he already has one of the league's biggest stars in his corner.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had some strong words on the latest episode of his New Heights podcast (22:48 mark) for those anonymous sources who criticized Sanders' predraft process and interviews.

"I think whoever the f--king anonymous person that's f--king saying this should f--king come out and say who they were," Kelce said. "… If you're gonna f--king leak that type of s--t, be the one that says that, 'yeah, it just didn't go well for us.' Don't f--king say that we're anonymous. That's so f--king lame. I just feel like there's no validity to it."

Sanders' stunning slide to the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round was the biggest storyline of the draft, especially since he is the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and was once considered a surefire top pick.

However, there was some speculation in the days immediately ahead of the draft that a slide could be on the horizon. One NFL coach even told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated the quarterback would be a sixth-round pick if he wasn't the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.

Once he did actually fall in the draft, how he handled the predraft interviews became a storyline through the use of some of those anonymous quotes that rubbed Kelce the wrong way.

CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported (2:38 mark) some teams feel Sanders "did not give it his all" during meetings and "more or less sandbagged" interviews with teams he didn't want to draft him:

What's more, NFL insider Josina Anderson reported a quarterbacks coach said the prospect was "brash" and "arrogant," while NFL draft insider Todd McShay reported some teams questioned his "professional approach."

That Kelce and other NFL players may not like anonymous quotes, especially when they are critical, is far from surprising. However, there is also something to be said about getting more honest feedback from sources who aren't as worried about the blowback if they say something negative about a player or draft prospect.

The end result was Sanders going to the Browns, but he can at least take solace knowing he will have a realistic opportunity to compete for immediate playing time since Deshaun Watson is sidelined with an Achilles injury, Kenny Pickett has struggled with consistency in his NFL career, Dillon Gabriel is a fellow mid-round pick rookie and Joe Flacco is 40 years old.

If he does win the starting job, perhaps the next round of anonymous quotes and reports will be more positive.