Buying or Selling Latest NFL Rumors and Buzz After 2025 Rookie Minicamps

Rookie minicamps provide NFL front offices with their first on-field glimpse of what they added this offseason. Organized teams activities are next, with the earliest starting this week. (The Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots began on Monday.)

As decision-makers get a feel for their rosters, more movement should be expected in the coming weeks. Maybe a team thinks they can add another player or two. Another organization may want to solidify a situation with a contract extension, as the San Francisco 49ers did by getting a new deal done with quarterback Brock Purdy. Whatever the case may be, movement will continue around the league.

At this point, two squads in the AFC North have significant question marks at the game's most important position, which may or may not be answered in the near future. Meanwhile, two teams in the NFC South are just trying to figure out what they have.

Bleacher Report takes a look around the NFL to see what the latest and juiciest rumors are while deciphering whether to buy into them.

Aaron Rodgers Is Finally Ready to Join Pittsburgh Steelers

AP Photo/Adrian Kraus

BUYING

The longest courtship of the offseason may be coming to an end soon. The Pittsburgh Steelers could have their quarterback for the 2025 season in place by the end of the week, if not sooner.

Aaron Rodgers could still change his mind and retire. But the writing has seemingly been on the wall for months now.

"I just think verbally, behind the scenes, not that he guaranteed it, but he’s told [the Steelers], 'Listen, I’m gonna play for you. I just don’t want to go there and then miss part of mandatory minicamp because of my personal issues. I’m pretty sure they’re gonna be solved by the end of May, at least in my satisfaction where I can give you my all,' So that’s where I think he is," Rodgers' biographer, Ian O’Connor, said during an interview on 93.7 The Fan (via Steelers Depot).

Really, the big remaining question is when Rodgers will make his decision official. Something is expected in the near future. Even if the 41-year-old veteran waits until just before the start of the mandatory minicamp, as O'Connor intimated might happen, the Steelers open business on June 10. Presumably, this entire situation should be settled in the next three weeks.

Pittsburgh has always been the landing spot for Rodgers, even with the New Orleans Saints reacting to Derek Carr's decision to retire this offseason.

"No surprise here, but Aaron Rodgers never really was a consideration for the Saints in the wake of the Derek Carr retirement," the Times-Picayune's Jeff Duncan tweeted. "At their current stages, they don't make sense for him, and he doesn't make sense for them."

The Steelers have seemingly operated with the knowledge that the four-time league MVP will eventually be joining their ranks. If not, general manager Omar Khan should be charged with negligence for the current state of the quarterback room, which consists of Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson and rookie Will Howard, who the team drafted in this year's sixth round.

Pittsburgh Steelers Trade for New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave

AP Photo/Scot Tucker

SELLING

Aaron Rodgers may choose to join the Pittsburgh Steelers while the New Orleans Saints aren't settled at quarterback, but the former isn't expected to land the latter's best wide receiver as well.

Rumors began to swirl last week when 93.7 the Fan's Adam Crowley tweeted the Steelers have some interest in Chris Olave.

This particular scuttlebutt doesn't appear to have much traction. Of course, Pittsburgh should be interested in acquiring a player of Olave's caliber, especially after the organization traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. The Steelers are still in need of a legitimate WR2 to play alongside DK Metcalf, whom the organization acquired earlier in the offseason.

However, a deal doesn't make a tone of sense from the Saints' perspective.

"In addition, sources tell PennLive that New Orleans does not seem interested in trading Olave," Nick Farabaugh reported. "As of [Saturday] morning, nothing is close to a trade or imminent. The Steelers would love to acquire a player of Olave’s talents, but the two sides must be interested in this. In addition, these due diligence calls to 'check in' happen all the time across the NFL."

Olave does have a concussion history, which cost him nine games last season. At the same time, he posted back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in his first two seasons. The Saints are trying to develop two young quarterbacks in rookie Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler. A trade of the team's top target would be counterproductive.

New Orleans Saints' Top-10 Pick May Not Start Career at Left Tackle

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

SELLING

The New Orleans Saints admitted they drafted Texas offensive Kelvin Banks Jr. without a specific plan for the rookie blocker.

"[Head coach] Kellen Moore said they'll try Banks out at a bunch of spots and figure out how to get the best five out there," New Orleans Football's Nick Underhill reported.

To be fair, rookie offensive linemen tend to cross-train at different positions so they can be ready if forced to move at any point in their careers. However, the Saints' situation after drafting Banks with this year's ninth overall pick is a bit worrisome.

Banks is the reigning Outland Trophy winner and made 42 collegiate starts at left tackle. His future seems obvious, right? Well, no.

Not everyone projected Banks as an NFL left tackle. In fact, the Bleacher Report Scouting Department graded him as an interior option.

"Banks transitions into his anchor against speed to power on time but can get pressed onto his heels [in pass protection] and pried open against the long-arm that exposes closer-to-average length and lower body strength," B/R scout Brandon Thorn wrote.

For other situations, Banks may have been a strong guard option. In New Orleans, he should be earmarked at left tackle, because the Saints used a top-10 pick to help rectify two previous first-round misfires at the position.

Trevor Penning already made the move from left to right tackle after failing to consistently hold down the blind side. He'd be even better at guard, where he can brutalize opponents as a run-blocker and be protected as a pass protector. Taliese Fuaga was a natural right tackle who the team switched to the left side after drafting him with last year's 14th overall pick.

Whether Banks can handle left tackle in New Orleans is inconsequential. His history, draft status and the Saints' current setup dictates that's where he will play to start his NFL career. A grouping of Banks, Penning, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz and Fuaga is loaded with talent to help a suspect quarterback situation.

Buccaneers and QB Baker Mayfield Discuss New Contract Extension

FR171563 AP

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

BUYING

Baker Mayfield has been nothing but extraordinary since becoming the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He now looks every bit the part of the No. 1 overall pick the Cleveland Browns spent to draft him seven years ago.

In his two seasons with the Bucs, the 30-year-old Mayfield has set new career highs in back-to-back seasons regarding his completion percentage, passing yardage and touchdown passes. Last year, Mayfield completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 4,500 yards and 41 scores. Only the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson and Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen—who are the league's last two MVPs—produced more touchdowns over the last two seasons. He also ranks sixth in expected points per dropback during that span (not including Jayden Daniels, who was a rookie last year), according to The 33rd Team.

Two years ago, Tampa Bay brought in Mayfield as a reclamation project. He's now a franchise quarterback. Even after a contract extension, his pay isn't commensurate with his performance. His salary-cap charge this fall ranks 15th overall, while the franchise's actual money spent sits at 16th, according to Over The Cap.

Considering Mayfield's performance and age, a more robust extension should be in the works. Here lies the rub: The quarterback may have to wait until next offseason before something gets done, because the Buccaneers may not want to renegotiate after handing Mayfield a new deal just over a year ago. Either way, one should eventually get done.

Brock Purdy's recent extension changes the math for Mayfield and those who follow. It also starts the clock for something to happen in Tampa Bay. Purdy, as well as the Detroit Lions' Jared Goff, may not be viewed as elite quarterbacks by today's NFL standards, but both are extremely effective and have an average annual salary at $53 million.

Tampa Bay may want to be next in line as to not outbid itself in the evolving market. However, Mayfield's cap figure this season ($26.5 million) is relatively affordable. Next year, general manager Jason Licht can rework the deal, lower the 2026 number—which currently sits at $39 million—and still give Mayfield the long-term security he likely wants.

However the Buccaneers front office wants to approach this situation, they do so knowing they have their guy in place and he's going to get paid again sooner or later.

Kenny Pickett Enters Cleveland Browns QB Competition as Front-Runner

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

SELLING

Irony is officially dead for the Cleveland Browns, who will be trying to pull a Baker Mayfield with Kenny Pickett's career.

The Browns had their franchise quarterback in Mayfield. He wasn't good enough in the team's eyes. The organization then decided to complete the worst trade in NFL history by acquiring quarterback Deshaun Watson and then sign him to the worst contract in league history. Owner Jimmy Haslam finally admitted the mistake this offseason, which leaves Watson somewhere on the roster for accounting purposes while the Browns start over at quarterback (again).

Currently, the Browns have four options in 40-year-old veteran Joe Flacco, a first-round reclamation project in Pickett and a pair of rookies in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders—neither of whom the team deemed worthy of a selection in the draft's first two rounds.

"It's an absolute mess," a rival NFL quarterbacks coach told Between the Hashmarks' Matt Lombardo. "It's not shocking with that place."

Cleveland has started 40 different quarterbacks since the organization's return to the NFL in 1999. What's one more?

"It's a tough call before we've even seen the first practice of organized team activities, but I know Kenny Pickett heads in as the front-runner to win the starting job at the outset," Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot wrote. "He'll take the initial first-team reps in OTAs and probably the mandatory minicamp, and it seems like it's his job to try to keep for now."

Technically, B/R should be buying this setup because Pickett could very well open organized team activities as Cleveland's pseudo-QB1. Though no one should view him as the right choice for the Browns.

Either the team moves forward with Flacco, who already has a history with the team and head coach/offensive play-caller Kevin Stefanski, or settle on one of the young, talented options and give them a real chance to lead the squad. That way, Cleveland can see what either can do, possibly inspire some hope and give the organization an actual bearing on which direction it needs to head next offseason.

Pickett getting a bulk of reps in the competition is a waste of time in Cleveland, because he's never had the overall talent or physical tools to warrant a serious second look after being the top-drafted option in the worst QB class from the last 25 years.

S Jamal Adams Returns to New York Jets

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File

SELLING

Jamal Adams hasn't played for the New York Jets in five-and-a-half years, yet he wants to finish his career where it started.

"I would love to be back with the Jets and, obviously, finish it the right way," Adams said during an interview on The Jets Lounge. "Man, that would be a dream come true, just to patch up that relationship and kind of make it right."

While a reunion would be viewed as a good story, Adams doesn't bring a lot to the Jets at this point in his career.

Initially, Adams looked like a superstar when playing for Gang Green. The 2017 sixth overall draft pick became an All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler with the Jets. A contract dispute, coupled with the safety calling out team leadership (which proved to be right), muddied the waters and eventually led to the Jets trading Adams to the Seattle Seahawks.

Now, Adams turns 30 during the upcoming season, and he hasn't been a regular contributor for years. In fact, the eight-year veteran has played in a grand total of 15 regular-season games during the last three campaigns.

Injuries are mounting and age isn't on Adams' side.

Meanwhile, the Jets signed safety Andre Cisco in free agency and drafted Malachi Moore in this year's fourth round. Holdover Tony Adams also played relatively well last season. New York's secondary depth can be questioned, but the team has enough right now to move forward instead of backward when building its roster.