Betting

Shortly after Florio wrote an article about the terms of Darnold’s contract not yet being available, Florio was back with the details from “a source with knowledge of the terms.” According to Florio, Darnold is set to earn a guaranteed $37.5 million in 2025. However, Darnold’s 2026 compensation, which is $27.5 million overall and $17.5 million in guaranteed money, doesn’t kick in until the week after the Super Bowl. This means there will be a handful of weeks after the season ends for the Seahawks to decide if the team wants to continue forward with Darnold in 2026, or be one-and-done with the former first-round pick. Darnold threw for 3,419-35-12 in his lone season with the Vikings. Now, the Seahawks and GM John Schneider hope he can provide a significant upgrade over Geno Smith, who they traded to the Raiders just over a week ago. If Darnold doesn’t live up to expectations, the Seahawks can cut bait after the season and move on without owing him any more than the money paid to him in 2025. It’s a very team friendly deal, for a team that may be right back in the QB market in 2026 if things don’t pan out.

Rush has been a serviceable backup for the Cowboys since joining the team as a UDFA in 2017. The 31-year-old signal caller went 4-4 as a starter last season while throwing for 1844-12-5, and led the team to four 26-plus point performances on the year. Rush can earn up to $12.2 million on his new contract, and should be an immediate upgrade over Josh Johnson, who served as the Ravens’ backup last season.

The Vikings receive Mason and the No. 187 overall pick in this year’s draft, while the 49ers get pick No. 160 in this year’s draft and a 2026 sixth-rounder. After trading for Mason, the Vikings immediately signed him to a two-year deal that includes $7 million in guaranteed money and a max value of $12 million, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Mason, who will be 26 at the start of next season, played a key role for the 49ers last season during Christian McCaffrey’s time away. Playing as a near-every down back, Mason rushed for 153-789-3 last season while also catching 11 passes for another 91 yards. Mason appeared in 12 games last season but didn’t see the field again after a Week 13 game against the Bills. This trade creates an immediate threat to Aaron Jones’ fantasy value this season, as the Vikings now have two formidable backs to swap in and out of a committee — something they said they hoped to do more of in 2025. As far as the 49ers are concerned, Isaac Guerendo immediately moves into the RB2 role behind Christian McCaffrey. Assuming the 49ers don’t add another back of note in the draft or free agency, Guerendo should be viewed as one of the top handcuffs in fantasy, especially after the strong rushing numbers he posted as a rookie (84-420-4) in limited action. Both Jones and Mason will have fantasy relevance this season, but Jones could still have the inside edge to offer more upside as the likely third-down/pass-catching back.

Smith-Schuster returns to the Chiefs on a one-year deal after serving in a complementary role with the team in 2024. The financials have not yet been released, but they are unlikely to turn many heads. Smith-Schuster was responsible for modest returns outside of the one game he played without all of Rashee Rice, Hollywood Brown, and DeAndre Hopkins, putting up a massive 8-130 receiving line in Week 5. While Nuk is no longer in town, the team also re-signed Brown, have promising second-year speedster Xavier Worthy, and will likely be getting back Rice, pending any legal ramifications from his previous troubles.

It’s been an eventful week for Juszczyk. He was released by the 49ers earlier this week in a cap-saving measure that freed up $4.2 million in 2025. The nine-time Pro Bowler met with the Steelers before eventually ending up back in San Francisco. He turns 34 in April, but has started 31 games over the last two seasons and last earned All-Pro honors in 2023.

The $45 million sum equates to $15 million per year. This is a homecoming for Kupp, who grew up in Yakima, WA and later attended Eastern Washington University. Reports consistently indicated that Kupp preferred to remain on the West Coast, with some journalists reporting that Seattle, specifically, appealed to him. It remains to be seen how the Seahawks will deploy Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, two slot-oriented players, but the coaching staff undoubtedly has a plan in mind. Kupp averaged 1.88 yards per route run across the full 2024 season. In 12 regular season games, he caught 67-of-97 targets for 710 yards and six touchdowns.

The Bengals’ front office may be able to free up enough cash, via Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins’ impending contract extensions, to keep Hendrickson in Cincinnati. This is a hugely positive development. Hendrickson totaled 162 quarterback pressures and 38 sacks over the last two seasons.

Pelissero noted that both deals could be completed “in the coming days.” Chase’s extension is the Bengal’s top priority, but Higgins, currently on his second franchise tag, should not be far behind. Chase is expected to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Myles Garrett recently took that crown with a four-year, $40 million deal. Higgins will likely top out at $30 million per year with fewer years in his deal than Chase.

Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the deal is worth “up to” $8 million. Fowler Jr. signed a one-year deal with the Commanders last offseason after spending two seasons in Dallas. He tallied 10.5 sacks and now returns to a Cowboys defense looking to replace pass-rush production following the departure of Demarcus Lawrence. Fowler Jr. was a successful part-time player in his previous Cowboys stint, totaling 10 sacks despite never playing more than half of the team’s defensive snaps in a game. He should start for Dallas this time around.

Per FOX NFL’s Jordan Schultz, Hunt can make another million dollars via incentives. The veteran back re-joined Kansas City early last season after Isiah Pacheco went down with a broken leg. Hunt was one of the league’s least explosive runners, but did get what was blocked more often than not, making him a high-floor option for a team that doesn’t place much emphasis on its ground game. Even when Pacheco returned, the Chiefs kept Hunt in a 1A role, giving him an average of 9.1 carries per game with Pacheco active. Kansas City also took a dart throw on Elijah Mitchell in free agency, putting another name in the mix for touches. This is shaping up to be one of the league’s least exciting backfield committees for fantasy purposes once again.