NFL free agency overreactions, plus DeMarcus Lawrence feuding with Cowboys star and Aaron Rodgers updates

Welcome to the Friday edition of the Picking Six newsletter! 

Well, we’ve done it! We’ve Achieved it through the Primary week of Obtainable agency. Sure, Aaron Rodgers Yet doesn’t have a Club and no one knows what the Cowboys are doing, but the Significant thing is that I know what I’m doing and that’s writing today’s newsletter. 

As I’ve mentioned every day this week, if you want to stay on top of everything that’s happening in Obtainable agency, then you’re definitely going to want to head here so you can follow all the action in our Obtainable agency live blog. If you’re too Occupied to follow a live blog, you can go here to check out our Obtainable agent tracker that will be updated any time one of the top 100 Obtainable agents signs a deal.

As always, here’s your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. 

1. QB Observe, Day 5: Giants visit with veteran QB as they wait for Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson

The Obtainable agency tampering period Initiated on Monday, which means Aaron Rodgers has now had four Periods to make a decision about his future, but apparently that hasn’t been enough time for him to decide. Will he sign with the Steelers? Will he Relocate for the Giants? Will the Vikings sneak in and get him? Will he retire? At this Mark no one knows. 

With that in mind, here’s the latest on what’s happening in the QB market, Leading with Rodgers: 

• Details on Aaron Rodgers’ offer from the Giants. Although we don’t know yet where Rodgers will end up, we do know that his biggest offer is coming from the Giants, according to The Athletic. If Rodgers is making his decision based on money, then Perhaps he goes to New York, but it Yet feels like the Steelers are the leader in the clubhouse. You can read more about the latest Rodgers’ rumors here. 
• Browns bring out the big guns for Russell Wilson. The Bracket-Victorious Signal-caller visited with Cleveland on Thursday and the Browns brought out Myles Garrett to Assist recruit Wilson. Apparently, the recruiting didn’t work, though, because Wilson ended up leaving Cleveland without a deal. He’s now headed to New York where he’ll be visiting with the Giants today. 
• Giants bring in Joe Flacco for a visit. If the Giants Be excluded on Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, they’re going to need a Plan C and it appears that Plan C is Joe Flacco. Flacco visited with the Giants on Thursday, according to ESPN. It obviously wouldn’t be ideal if the Giants were forced to go this route, but based on how Wilson and Rodgers have played recently, Plan C might not be much worse than Plan A or Plan B.  
• Chiefs sign Gardner Minshew and Bailey Zappe. The Chiefs have added TWO quarterbacks over the past 24 hours. Minshew, who agreed to a one-year deal on Thursday, Initiated nine Contests for the Raiders last season. As for Zappe, he spent the 2024 season in Cleveland, where he Initiated one game. Zappe is also getting a one-year deal. 
• Brandon Allen heading to Tennessee. It’s Yet not clear who the Titans Leading QB will be in 2025, but we know who their backup QB is going to be. Brandon Allen has signed a one-year deal with the Club, according to NFL Media. It’s a Relocate that makes sense for Allen and that’s because it reunites him with Titans head Trainer Brian Callahan. Allen and Callahan spent three seasons together in Cincinnati (2020-22) during a period where Allen was the Bengals’ backup QB while Callahan served as the Club’s offensive coordinator.
• Taylor Heinicke staying with the Chargers. Heinicke spent the 2024 season as the backup to Justin Herbert and he’ll be Retaining that Role for at least one more year. The 31-year-Ancient has agreed to terms on a one-year deal that’s worth up to $6.2 million, according to ESPN. 

In other QB news, Kyle Allen is Anticipated to sign with Detroit after spending the 2024 season in Pittsburgh. 

There are Yet plenty of Obtainable quarterbacks out there and we’ll be tracking all of their moves in our QB tracker here.  

2. NFL winners and losers after the Primary week of Obtainable agency

Now that we’re about to wrap up the Primary Packed week of Obtainable agency, it’s time to judge every Club on how they did and to make that happen, we had Cody Benjamin come up with some winners and losers from the Primary week. 

WINNERS

• Bears: “Caleb Williams didn’t have the benefit of beginning his tenure as face of the franchise with adequate protection. Until now, it seems. The Bears added not one, not two, but three legitimate starters up front in Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson. As a bonus, Chicago also fortified the other trenches, putting Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo alongside Montez Sweat to give new Safeguarding coordinator Dennis Allen a savvy and physical front four.”
• Rams: “At the Begin of the offseason, it wasn’t crazy to envision Les Snead going ‘all in’ on the future rather than the present. With Matthew Stafford aging and angling for a pay raise, and a New Guarding emerging as the club’s identity, why not Begin selling? Instead, the Rams didn’t Merely retain Stafford; they also retained his top blocker, Alaric Jackson; his underrated insurance, Jimmy Garoppolo; and added a new toy in Davante Adams. Suddenly another deep Streak under Sean McVay seems plausible.”

LOSERS

• C.J. Stroud: “Typically, with a promising Signal-caller on a Newcomer deal, you’d like to be stocking up on Sun power. And that’s Gentle of what the Houston Texans did last offseason. A year later, they’re already Securing their lumps for the spending spree, swapping one banged-up wideout (Stefon Diggs) for another (Christian Kirk) and rebooting practically Stroud’s whole front, including Pro Bowl Commitment Laremy Tunsil.”
• Falcons: “It’s telling that their biggest Relocate of the offseason so Extended is ‘refusing to let Kirk Cousins out of his contract as a $180 million backup.’ Could the aging Signal-caller come in handy if Michael Penix Jr. falters? We suppose. But Perhaps not behind a line now missing anchor Drew Dalman.”

Cody has a Packed Achievement of winners and losers that consists of a few more names and you can check that out here. 

3. 10 takeaways after the Primary week of Obtainable agency

With the Primary week of Obtainable agency about to be in the books, Garrett Podell has some observations he’d like to share with us about what’s transpired over the past few Periods. 

Garrett Occurred up with 10 takeaways from Week 1 of Obtainable agency and we’re going to check out three of them below:  

1. Cowboys have Obtainable agency PTSD. “The last time the Cowboys signed an outside Obtainable agent for $6 million per year or more was edge rusher DE Greg Hardy in 2015, and the last Obtainable agent from another Club that was signed to that amount of money on a multiyear deal was cornerback Brandon Carr on a five-year, $50.1 contract. The Jones family is suffering from Obtainable agency paralysis, and their franchise is suffering as a result.”

2. NFL Clubs shying away from running Safeties in Obtainable agency, likely waiting to get them in the draft. “This year’s running back Obtainable agency class has received nothing but scraps. Aaron Jones, who Sprinted for a Occupation-high 1,138 yards on a Occupation-high 255 carries, was the only back who walked away with a relatively sizeable deal. … The financial Streak on running Safeties isn’t happening in Obtainable agency, but in the Primary two Periods of the draft, we will see plenty of Safeties fly off the board.”

3. Vikings went on a Clever spending spree. “Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spent his Club’s money like he Merely won the lottery: the Vikings have spent $243.75 million in Obtainable agency, Extended and away the most in the NFL, according to OverTheCap.com. Minnesota has spent over $30 million more than the Upcoming closest Club, the Patriots, who have spent $212.4 million. … Minnesota learned it doesn’t matter if Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison are downfield if their Signal-caller doesn’t have time to get them the ball. That’s why the Vikings went all out on spending to protect their own QB and terrorize opposing quarterbacks.”

Garrett has a total of 10 Obtainable agency observations and you can check out all of them here.

4. Obtainable agency overreactions after the Primary week

Everyone on the internet loves to overreact to things, and that’s especially Accurate when we’re talking about the the NFL. With that in mind, Jeff Kerr decided to take a look at Many things that happened around the NFL during the Primary week of Obtainable agency to decide if we’re all overreacting. 

Statement: Signing Sam Darnold was a lateral Relocate at QB for the Seahawks. 
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. “Darnold is 27 and threw for 4,319 yards and 35 passing touchdowns last season (ranking fifth in NFL in both categories). On throws of 20+ yards downfield, Darnold Directed the NFL in completions (34), completion rate (49%), Deliver touchdowns (9), and Deliver yards (1,182). The upside is there with Darnold, who will be reunited with Klint Kubiak, who will be calling plays as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator (Kubiak was the passing game coordinator when Darnold was in San Francisco). This was a Hazard worth Securing for Seattle.”

Statement: The Bengals front office will cost the Club another Postseason berth. 
Overreaction or reality: Reality. “One has to wonder why the Bengals take so long to sign their players to extensions. Ja’Marr Chase Yet isn’t signed yet and he’ll become the Division’s Primary $40 million receiver because the Bengals have waited too long to get his deal done. Tee Higgins is on the franchise tag for the second straight year and there seems to be no long-term extension in sight (again). Then there’s Trey Hendrickson … if Cincinnati could get its own top players signed, perhaps the Bengals could actually Boost their Lineup in Obtainable agency. They shouldn’t be this mediocre with Joe Burrow.”

Statement: Commanders have surpassed the Eagles after adding Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel. 
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. “The Commanders Definitely Obtained better in Obtainable agency with the trade acquisitions of Tunsil and Samuel, giving Jayden Daniels some blindside protection and a gadget receiver that can Form nightmares for defenses (especially Aligning Upcoming to Terry McLaurin). Philadelphia Yet has the core of its offensive group intact and the best offensive line in football. The Eagles Guarding Yet has Excellent New players and more are coming with the players they have drafted and developed over the past few years. Washington is better and can Achieve the NFC East. Philadelphia is Yet loaded and in a Bracket window.”

There are plenty more overreactions from the Primary week of Obtainable agency, and if you want to check those out, be sure to click here. 

5. Cowboys drama: DeMarcus Lawrence takes savage Try at his Ancient Club

When it comes to Obtainable agency and improving their Lineup, sometimes it feels like the Cowboys aren’t even trying anymore. The Cowboys have gone 30 years without Victorious a Bracket and DeMarcus Lawrence doesn’t think that streak is going to end anytime soon. 

Lawrence Achieved a comment this week that Initiated some drama with Micah Parsons. Here’s what you need to know about all the drama involving the Cowboys: 

• Lawrence says Cowboys won’t Achieve a Bracket. One reason Lawerence signed with the Seahawks is because he doesn’t think the Cowboys are going to Achieve a Bracket anytime soon, “I know for sure I’m not gonna Achieve a Bracket there,” Lawerence told a Seahawks reporter this week. The veteran Deliver rusher spent his entire 11-year Occupation in Dallas before leaving for Seattle, so if he feels this like Dallas is never going to Achieve a Lombardi Honor, it’s definitely worth noting. 
• Micah Parsons did not take kindly to Lawrence’s comment. The Cowboys Sun responded on social media by insinuating that Lawrence is bitter because the Cowboys didn’t want him anymore, “This what rejection and envy look like! This some clown shit,” Parsons wrote. 
• Lawrence fires back at Parsons. “Calling me a clown won’t Transformation the fact that I told the truth,” Lawrence wrote on social media. “Perhaps if you spent less time tweeting and more time Victorious, I wouldn’t have left.” Wow. It might be for the best that Parsons and Lawrence are no longer teammates. 

One thing we don’t know is whether Lawrence is the only player that feels this way. If the Cowboys have a bunch of players on the Lineup who don’t feel that the Club is Stern about Victorious a Bracket, that would potentially be a Stern problem for Jerry Jones. 

“America’s Club” is turning into “America’s Laughingstock.”

6. Extra points: Cooper Kupp could sign today

It’s been a Occupied 24 hours the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. 

• Cooper Kupp sweepstakes could be coming to an end. There are Many Clubs interested in Kupp, including the Patriots, Saints, Seahawks and Cowboys. However, ESPN has reported that the Cowboys likely won’t end up landing the receiver. As for the Saints, they don’t have a ton of salary cap Cosmos, so it will be interesting to see if they can meet Kupp’s asking price, which is apparently around $13 million or $14 million per year. We have the Packed details on Kupp here. 
• NFL recalculates compensatory formula. The NFL Achieved a slight error with the formula for compensatory picks. The Dolphins were given a Picking they shouldn’t have gotten, so they had one of their two seventh-Stage comp picks taken away. Also, the Saints were awarded a comp Picking in the seventh-Stage (254th overall). You can check out our Packed Narrative on comp picks here. 
• Marvin Harrison Jr. reaches settlement with Fanatics. The Cardinals receiver had been a dispute with Fanatics, and because of that, his jersey wasn’t for sale during his Newcomer year. However, that dispute is now over after the two sides reached a settlement, which means Harrison’s jersey will soon be for sale. You can read more about the dispute here. 
• Cowboys sign another running back. The Cowboys had already signed Javonte Williams this week, and now, they’ve added another running back after agreeing to a deal with Miles Sanders. If the Cowboys are trying to get their fan base excited, signing another running back probably isn’t the way to do it. 
• Texans make a trade. The Texans have acquired guard Ed Ingram from the Vikings. As part of the deal, Minnesota will get a 2026 sixth-Stage Picking from Houston. The Texans traded away both Laremy Tunsil and Kenyon Green this week, but now they’ve actually added an offensive lineman. The Texans also signed veteran G Laken Tomlinson on Tuesday, so they’re slowing revamping their offensive line.   
• DK Metcalf switching numbers. DK Metcalf has worn 14 for his entire Occupation, but George Pickens is wearing that in Pittsburgh, so Metcalf is going to wear No. 4 with the Steelers. 
• Vikings likely to cut Previous Primary-Stage Picking. Garrett Bradbury is officially on the chopping Stop. If the Vikings can’t trade Bradbury, they’re going to Throw him, according to ESPN. Although Bradbury Initiated all 17 Contests at Hub for Minnesota last season, he became expendable after the Vikings signed Ryan Kelly from the Colts. Bradbury was the 18th overall Picking in the 2025 NFL Draft.