Sorry, haters. You’ll have to deal with Roger Goodell through 2027.

Daniel Kaplan reports that the long-expected extension is finally done. The long-time Commissioner will be on the job for three years beyond the expiration of his current contract.

Terms aren’t known, and they’re not required to be disclosed. Those who opted to attack the league office’s former tax-exempt status, using the point as to support a disingenuous suggestion that the NFL and its teams pay not taxes at all, compelled the league to change things up. That, in turn, allowed the league to keep facts like Commissioner compensation secret.

It’s likely a lot of money. Probably more than $60 million per year.

The agreement had been expected since March. Now, it’s finally done. Goodell, who got the job in 2006, will end up running the league for more than 20 years.

The next question becomes who will succeed Goodell once he steps down? And will he embrace the obligation of grooming a successor?

– – –

We haven’t seen many headlines this season in the NFL releases trumpeting a barrage of scoring.  They never go the other way, celebrating outstanding defense.

OptaStats has a number:

@OptaSTATS

This week 25 NFL teams scored 21 points or fewer.

That’s the most different teams scoring 21 points or fewer in a game in a single week in NFL history.

– – –

No NFL game in Mexico this year or next year as Estadio Azteca is in an extended renovation and apparently no other venue meets the NFL’s standards.

The NFL will not play in Mexico in 2024.

NFL Executive V.P. Peter O’Reilly, who oversees much of the league’s international business, told reporters today that Mexico is out as a possible host of a game in 2024. Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, which has hosted NFL regular-season games in 2005, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022, is currently undergoing renovations and won’t be ready in time for an NFL game next season.

The NFL may return to Mexico City in 2025, when the stadium is expected to be ready.

O’Reilly also confirmed that the league is looking at Spain and Brazil as potential hosts for games in 2024.

London and Germany, which are hosting a total of five games this season, are scheduled to continue hosting games in 2024.

PHILADELPHIA

Like the Buccaneers last year, the Eagles think that WR JULIO JONES has enough left in the tank to make a difference.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

Julio Jones is back to chase an elusive Super Bowl ring.

The seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro receiver signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, the team announced on Tuesday. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Jones will start out on the team’s practice squad with the expectation that he will be quickly elevated to the 53-man roster one he gets up to speed.

The 34-year-old Jones starred with the Atlanta Falcons for the first decade of his career, leading the NFL in receiving yards twice, including an eye-popping 1,871 on 136 catches in 2015. The big-bodied receiver was a field-tilting weapon in Atlanta, able to stretch the field and snag the ball in traffic. He generated 12,896 yards and 848 catches in his first 10 seasons.

Then, injuries began to strike. In the past three seasons, Jones has played just 29 games with three teams due to injury issues.

In June of 2021, the Falcons traded the star to Tennessee, where he appeared in 10 games, catching 31 passes for 434 yards and a TD and adding six grabs for 62 yards in a playoff game.

Last season, Jones signed with Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, playing in 10 games, netting 24 catches for 299 yards and two scores. His final game with the Bucs came in a 31-14 playoff loss to Dallas, in which Jones caught seven passes for 74 yards and a TD.

Now, the 6-foot-3 wideout rejoins former Titans teammate A.J. Brown in Philadelphia. With Brown and DeVonta Smith as Jalen Hurts’ top targets, Jones can make music as a third fiddle in Philly.

The Eagles have struggled to find production from the third-receiver spot with Quez Watkins dealing with an injury. Through six games, Brown has amassed 672 yards and two TDs (including four straight contests over the 120-yard mark). Smith earned 334 yards and two scores. The Eagles’ next wideout is Olamide Zaccheaus (also a former Jones teammate in Atlanta), with four catches for 74 yards and a TD.

The question is how much is left in the tank for Jones heading into his 13th NFL season. If it’s even a fraction of what we were used to seeing, it’s worth a flier for Philly. And it’s worth it for Jones to go after a Lombardi Trophy.

SAN FRANCISCO

They weren’t around for the end in Cleveland Sunday, but three 49ers offensive stars might be good to go Monday night in Minneapolis.  ESPN.com:

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey avoided a long-term injury and has a chance to play Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

McCaffrey, who suffered an oblique/rib injury in Sunday’s loss to the Cleveland Browns, underwent an MRI on Monday.

San Francisco left tackle Trent Williams (right ankle) and wide receiver Deebo Samuel (shoulder) also have a chance to play in Monday’s game, sources said. The 49ers will make a determination on who can and can’t play over the course of the next week.

Samuel was forced to leave Sunday’s game late in the first quarter because of his shoulder injury, while Williams gritted through his ankle sprain.

McCaffrey left the game in the third quarter but returned for one play — a 6-yard run with just under three minutes left in the quarter — before heading to the sideline and then the locker room. He was officially ruled out early in the fourth quarter.

KANSAS CITY

QB PATRICK MAHOMES and TE TRAVIS KELCE have invested, perhaps with real money, in a celebrity-fueled F1 racing group.  The Athletic:

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Rory McIlroy are among the new investors that have joined Otro Capital’s investment group in Alpine. Here’s what you need to know:

Otro Capital was part of the investor group that included Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and RedBird Capital Partners that bought a 24 percent stake in Alpine, which was announced in late June.

Other investors joining the group include British boxer Anthony Joshua, Liverpool FC’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, Spanish soccer player Juan Mata and Roger Ehrenberg (who is an investor in the Miami Marlins and Real Salt Lake).

Why this matters

As Alexander-Arnold highlighted in his statement, “F1 is facing incredible growth as a sport.”A perfect storm formed during the COVID-19 pandemic as the content creator economy boomed and Netflix released a season of “Drive to Survive,” creating rapid growth in the fanbase. The sport has continued to expand, welcoming new races like the Miami GP in 2022 and the Las Vegas GP next month, and next year’s calendar features 24 race weekends.

And given that when Renault rebranded as Alpine a few years ago it set out a 100-race plan to be a front-runner by 2025, these new high-profile investors should help bolster Alpine’s visibility outside of the usual F1 fanbase. According to the press release, “the new investors will help drive global awareness for Alpine F1 and will further complement Otro Capital’s contributions in areas such as media, sponsorship, ticketing, hospitality, commercial rights management, licensing and merchandising.”

With five grands prix and a couple of sprint races to go, Alpine sits sixth in the standings and faces a 129-point gap to fifth-place McLaren.

We note that Reynolds was in the box with Brittany Mahomes and Taylor Swift when the Chiefs played the Jets.  Was the deal launched there?

CINCINNATI

Bengals OC Brian Callahan is not happy even if Cincinnati did beat Seattle on Sunday.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Bengals moved to 3-3 with a win over the Seahawks in Week Six, but offensive coordinator Brian Callahan didn’t find much to smile about when he reviewed the game.

Callahan’s unit produced 214 yards all day and only scored three points in the final 27:20 of the 17-13 victory. Callahan said that he doesn’t feel the team played well enough on offense to get a win and that “nobody coaching, nobody playing, has met our standard” for the desired level of play.

“I was on my couch last night watching on my iPad just fuming.” Callahan said, via James Rapien of SI.com. “We have too many good coaches, too many good players to not play to our standard we have set for ourselves.”

The Bengals have a bye in Week Seven that they can use to make adjustments to a unit that ranks 27th in points scored and last in offensive yards to this point in the season. If they can’t, it will be hard to consistently win games the way they did on their way to a division title in 2022.

MIAMI

Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com with an update on Mission 2000 for WR TYREEK HILL:

Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill is six games into what could be the greatest season by a receiver in NFL history.

Hill has 814 receiving yards in six games, the best start to a season ever. That puts him on pace for 2,306 yards in a 17-game season. The NFL record for receiving yards in a season is 1,964 by Calvin Johnson in 2012. Hill is on pace to break that record in the 15th game of this season.

On Sunday against the Panthers, Hill had his fourth game this season with at least 150 receiving yards. He’s the first player in NFL history to record at least 150 receiving yards in four of his team’s first six games in a season.

Hill’s 12 career games with at least 150 receiving yards are the tied with Calvin Johnson for the third-most in NFL history, behind only Lance Alworth (16) and Jerry Rice (14).

Hill talked during the offseason about his goal of 2,000 receiving yards, and at the time it sounded like an extreme long shot: No one has ever had 2,000 receiving yards in a season in NFL history, and even last year, when Hill played all 17 games and played at a very high level, he fell nearly 300 yards short of that milestone. But at this point, 2,000 yards looks very doable for Hill. He might even do it with a game or two to spare.

Put another way – Hill has averaged 135.7 receiving yards per game so far.  If he plays all 11 remaining games, he needs to average “only” 107.8 per game to hit 2,000.

Even if he were to miss one game with a minor injury, so an old-fashioned 16-game season, he needs 118.6 yards per game.

NEW YORK JETS

The Jets want the world to know that they are a TV ratings powerhouse – and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com believes them.

Football Night in America host Maria Taylor has suggested a couple of times in recent weeks that the Jets might be the new America’s Team. And she might be right.

Sunday’s Eagles-Jets game generated more than 26 million viewers in the late-afternoon window on Fox.

Per the Jets, it’s the most-watched game of the year, dropping a pair of other Jets games to No. 2 and No. 3.

Frankly, it’s hard to keep track of the various weekly network P.R. boasts of most-watched this and most-watched that. Regardless, it’s clear that the Jets are delivering this year, even without Aaron Rodgers playing.

Imagine what the numbers will be if/when Rodgers returns. The folks at Amazon are surely hoping it will happen on the upcoming Black Friday game between the Dolphins and the Jets. Even if he doesn’t, the number will still be big, unless the Jets crater between now and then.

Actually, the 26 million number is the aggregate of all viewers who watched FOX games.  And thanks to a subtle Flex, FOX generated the huge numbers for America’s Game of the Week by having America’s Game of the Week.

Approximately a third of the country did not watch the Jets, instead they saw either Lions-Bucs or Cardinals-Rams.  The former was the late Flex and it no doubt produced huge ratings in Michigan and better than usual markers in the rest of the country where it was shown.

THIS AND THAT

VALUE PLAYERS

Dan Graziano of NFL.com has a list of players who provide great value per dollar.  We assume QB BROCK PURDY is on the list.

NFL contracts can be a lot to digest. Full guarantees, injury guarantees, roster bonuses, signing bonuses, option bonuses, dead money … the complexities of the salary cap and contract math can sometimes make it tough to tell what is actually a good deal in the NFL.

Signings that don’t go well — those that turn out to be albatrosses for the teams that gave them out — tend to get the most attention, but we wanted to focus today on the opposite end of the spectrum, with a closer look at deals that are working out well for the team side. That means players whose performance relative to their pay give their teams a cap advantage. In other words, it’s the best bang-for-your-buck deals around the league.

This requires a little bit of explanation, though. Because of the nature of rookie deals, we could make this list out of nothing but players on first contracts. So we broke it into two divisions at each position. The first is just the best value veteran deals for players on at least their second NFL contract. The other points to the best bang-for-your-buck rookie deals, contracts for players who haven’t yet reached free agency and are still playing on the deals they got when they were drafted or signed as undrafted college free agents. Here’s our look at guys who are providing major value in 2023 for each category, position by position.

QUARTERBACK

Veteran deal: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

He was the throw-in. The guy the Lions had to take back if they wanted to unload Matthew Stafford’s contract on the Rams when Stafford decided he wanted out and the Rams identified him as the guy to help them win a Super Bowl. And once thought to be a bridge quarterback, Goff has stuck around in Detroit, now piloting one of the league’s best teams.

The Lions paid him a little over $26 million in 2022 and are paying him about the same this season. He’s on the books for about $27 million in 2024, too. It’s basically half of what Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson are making, yet Goff is fourth in Total QBR (73.3), ahead of all three of them. If the Lions make a playoff run, and Goff continues to play well, expect them to work on an extension for him next offseason — if not sooner.

Rookie deal: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

This is a no-brainer. As the last pick of the last round of the 2022 draft, Purdy signed a four-year, $3,747,640 contract. That’s the total value of the contract, not the annual salary. The only portion of the contract that was guaranteed was the signing bonus, which was $77,012.

Assuming he remains the 49ers’ starting quarterback, Purdy will surely be in line for a Year 4 performance escalator that will add a few million to his 2025 pay, but here’s the kicker: The collective bargaining agreement prohibits teams from extending players’ contracts until they’ve been in the league at least three years. Purdy could win the MVP award and the Super Bowl this season, and the 49ers wouldn’t be allowed to reward him with an extension next offseason. He would have been better off being undrafted because undrafted guys get three-year deals that they can renegotiate after two years.

Tough break for Purdy, but a massively great one for the 49ers. Nobody is getting this much bang for this little buck.

RUNNING BACK

Veteran deal: Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins

Mostert signed a two-year, $5.6 million contract this offseason with a $1.3 million signing bonus and $900,000 of his $1.165 million salary in 2023 guaranteed. He has averaged 5.7 yards per carry and scored 11 touchdowns in the Dolphins’ first six games of this season, tied for the third most for any player through a team’s first six games of a season in the Super Bowl era (ESPN Stats & Information).

Mostert will turn 32 in April — not an age at which teams are clamoring to sign running backs. If he stays healthy and productive this season, there’s no reason to think the Dolphins wouldn’t bring him back for his scheduled $2.355 million salary next year. That money’s not guaranteed, though, so Mostert would be a candidate to be cut if Miami decided to go in another direction.

Honorable mention goes to D’Andre Swift, as the Eagles are paying him only $1,774,399 this season after acquiring him in a draft-weekend trade from the Lions. He’s currently fifth in rushing at 452 yards.

Rookie deal: Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs

A seventh-round steal, Pacheco is in the second year of a four-year, $3,750,916 deal that included a $79,108 signing bonus. He was instrumental in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl title run last season as a rookie and has hit the ground running this year as their lead back. Through six games, he has 522 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns. As a 2022 draft pick, Pacheco is not eligible to discuss an extension with the Chiefs until after the 2024 season.

WIDE RECEIVER

Veteran deal: Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Evans signed a five-year, $82.5 million extension in March 2018. Forgetting for a second what an accomplishment it is for a non-quarterback to see the end of a five-year contract that runs into his 30s without getting cut, look at the production the Bucs have received for their money. Over the past five years, Evans has averaged 75 catches for 1,169 yards and 10 touchdown catches per season. He’s off to an incredibly productive start this season, as well, with 386 receiving yards and three TD catches. Evans’ $16.5 million annual salary ranks 17th among NFL wide receivers in 2023.

Evans’ contract voids after this season, and the Bucs will have to carry $12.2 million in dead money for his remaining bonus proration whether they extend him, franchise him or let him walk. At 30 years old, he probably can’t count on another long-term contract, but assuming he gets through the season healthy, a veteran with his résumé should be an in-demand free agent.

Rookie deal: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

There are so many candidates here. My list included Jaylen Waddle, Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Brandon Aiyuk, DeVonta Smith, Tee Higgins and CeeDee Lamb, but St. Brown’s fourth-round selection in 2021 earned him $4,285,290 over four years. All of those other guys are first- or second-round picks making much more. So while many of them are also producing more, St. Brown is the top wideout here and an essential cog on one of the best teams in the league, making him a steal. He’s currently 11th in receiving with 455 yards, and he has scored three TDs.

As a 2021 draft pick, St. Brown will be extension eligible next offseason for the first time. Because he wasn’t a first-round pick, the Lions do not hold a fifth-year option on him for 2025. The wide receiver extension market didn’t really materialize this offseason, so there’s a backlog with Jefferson and Lamb still hoping for new deals, Chase becoming extension eligible next year, and Higgins and Michael Pittman Jr. set to become eligible for unrestricted free agency after this season.

TIGHT END

Veteran deal: Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars

This was a tough one, because the high-end vets at this position (Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Mark Andrews, etc.) are also the highest-paid ones. And I didn’t want to use Taysom Hill because … well, I’m sort of perpetually confused about how to characterize him or assign him a position.

Engram got a three-year, $41.25 million deal from the Jags this summer after getting the franchise tag in the spring, and out of the gate he is proving to be a trusted target for Trevor Lawrence. He already has 301 receiving yards on the season. Engram is signed through 2025, so any extension talk likely waits until after the 2024 season because he just got paid.

Rookie deal: Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

LaPorta was a second-round pick this April and got a four-year, $9.5 million contract. He already has three touchdown catches in his first five NFL games. He is not extension eligible until the 2026 offseason, so the Lions have him on the cheap for a while.

OFFENSIVE TACKLE

Veteran deal: Jordan Mailata, Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles’ mainstay left tackle is the 16th-highest-paid left tackle in the league, playing in the third year of his four-year, $64 million contract extension. Mailata is currently seventh among tackles in pass block win rate (93.3%) and just outside the top 10 in run block win rate (79.8%). And his salary cap hit won’t get over $15 million in any season for the remainder of his current deal.

Mailata’s deal expires after the 2025 season. He’ll be only 28 at that point, so obviously he’d be an extension candidate in the 2025 offseason, if not sooner.

Rookie deal: Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The 13th pick in the 2020 draft, Wirfs helped the Bucs win a Super Bowl as a rookie and has held up well since then, sitting 12th in pass block win rate this season (92.5%). He’s in the fourth year of a four-year, $16.228 million deal, and even if he plays next season on his $18.244 million fifth-year option, his deal will have been a bargain for the Buccaneers.

But Wirfs could also be in line for a big-money extension this coming offseason that would help Tampa Bay knock that cap number down and keep him there long term.

INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE

Veteran deal: Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs

As part of their offensive line rebuild in the wake of their Super Bowl loss to the Buccaneers, the Chiefs signed Thuney away from the Patriots for five years and $80 million in spring 2021. It wasn’t cheap, but Thuney has been worth every penny as the veteran anchor of an offensive line that has since won another Super Bowl title. At $16 million per year on average, he’s the seventh-highest-paid guard in the league and has played better than that ranking. He was first among all offensive linemen in pass block win rate last year (98.9%), and he’s currently leading the pack in 2023 (98.8%).

Thuney is signed through 2025 and scheduled to earn $16 million in each of the next two seasons. The contract is fine, but the Chiefs have some tough cap decisions looming in the next couple of years. Thuney is 31, and it’s not impossible to imagine him at risk of a pay cut or a release in the next couple of years if the Chiefs need the money.

Rookie deal: Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

Yeah, the Chiefs’ interior offensive line is kind of the envy of the league. Also considered for this spot was center Creed Humphrey, who was the Chiefs’ second-round pick in the same 2021 draft in which they found Smith in the sixth round. Smith got a four-year, $3.61 million deal that has been way more than worth it.

He is signed through 2024 and extension eligible next offseason for the first time, along with Humphrey. These are the kinds of tough cap decisions I was referring to when discussing Thuney. Can you afford to keep them all? Smith should be a priority, though.

EDGE RUSHER

Veteran deal: Frankie Luvu, Carolina Panthers

One of the more underrated edge rushers in the league, Luvu had seven sacks last season and already has 2.5 this year. He’s working in the second year of a two-year, $9 million contract that he signed in the 2022 offseason, and his cap hit for this season is just $5.47 million. And at 27 years old, he could be a sneaky gem of next year’s free agent class. Ka-ching.

Rookie deal: Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys

Some of these are obvious. Parsons was the 12th pick in the 2021 draft, and as such is no rookie-deal bargain. But in the big picture, he’s maybe the biggest bargain in the league. Parsons got a four-year, $17.1 million deal, and the team will have a fifth-year option on him for 2025 if it doesn’t extend him after this year. He might be the best defensive player in the entire league, and the fact that coordinator Dan Quinn basically overhauled the entire Dallas defense to function with Parsons as its center during the offseason before Parsons’ rookie year tells you he has an impact that far exceeds his direct deposit statements. He has 31.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles over 39 career games.

Parsons will be eligible for an extension next offseason for the first time. The Cowboys still want to get something done with CeeDee Lamb, and they’ll be talking extension with quarterback Dak Prescott next offseason, as well. But Parsons could be in line for a record-setting defensive player contract and likely will be the top priority for the team. The Cowboys have been bracing for this deal for at least a year.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Veteran deal: Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs

Sticking with the “obvious” theme, Jones is making $19.5 million this season, which ranks him ninth among defensive tackles when he’s either the best in the league or second best behind Aaron Donald. The Chiefs had to give him $6.5 million in incentives to get him to end his holdout and show up for this season, but they’re still getting more than they’re paying for, with one of the highest-impact players in the league at any position. Since 2018, Jones’ 62 sacks rank fourth in the NFL.

Jones is eligible for free agency after this season, and it would cost the Chiefs about $32 million to franchise him, which means that isn’t likely. He turns 30 next July, which could give some teams pause when talking long-term deal. But a player this good rarely hits the open market, and you shouldn’t worry about Jones’ ability to secure his family’s future even further with his next deal.

Rookie deal: Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles

The ninth pick in this year’s draft landed a four-year, $21.8 million deal and already has 12 pressures, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles from the interior. Carter missed Sunday’s game against the Jets, and it was the Eagles’ first loss of the season. Coincidence? This guy could be their Parsons. Carter isn’t extension eligible until after the 2025 season, and the Eagles’ fifth-year option on his rookie contract would be for the 2027 season.

LINEBACKER

Veteran deal: Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis Colts

Relegated to special teams when Matt Eberflus was the defensive coordinator in Indy, Franklin was elevated to a starting role when Gus Bradley got that job in 2022. He was fourth in the league with 167 tackles last season, and he leads the league in tackles this year entering Week 6 (77).

Franklin signed a three-year, $10 million contract prior to the 2022 season, and he recently described that deal as “a little more special-teams-ish.” He stands to earn a lot more on his next one. He’s signed through 2024 and scheduled to make $2.88 million next year. The Colts have been kind of weird about extensions lately, but they did get one done at long last with running back Jonathan Taylor. You have to think Franklin will be in their plans long term.

Rookie deal: Patrick Queen, Baltimore Ravens

Queen was a first-round pick by the Ravens in 2020, and as such, he signed a four-year, $12.2 million contract. This is the final year of that deal, and the Ravens did not exercise Queen’s fifth-year option for 2024, likely because they’d just signed middle linebacker Roquan Smith to a huge extension. They might not be able to afford to keep him, but Queen should command a high-priced contract if he hits free agency next offseason. He has been a high-impact guy for Baltimore’s defense, and is currently tied for 16th in tackles (53) with 3.5 sacks.

CORNERBACK

Veteran deal: Rasul Douglas, Green Bay Packers

Douglas signed a three-year, $21 million deal with Green Bay prior to the 2022 season. He had four interceptions last season and has been a nice bargain free agent veteran find for the Packers’ defense. Through five games, Douglas has 22 tackles, an interception and six pass breakups.

He is signed through 2024 and scheduled to make $9 million next season. Of that, $2 million comes in the form of a roster bonus that’s due at the start of the 2024 league year in March. So the Packers likely have to decide by then whether they want him on next year’s team. None of his 2024 money is guaranteed.

Rookie deal: L’Jarius Sneed, Kansas City Chiefs

How do you keep winning Super Bowls after you pay your quarterback? Scroll back up and see how many Chiefs are on this list. Sneed was a fourth-round pick in 2020 who has become a shutdown corner for Kansas City in the final year of his four-year, $3.93 million contract. He hauled in eight interceptions and had 6.5 sacks over his first three seasons but is still looking for his first of 2023 in each category.

Sneed is eligible for free agency after this season. Man, do the Chiefs have a lot of decisions to make.

SAFETY

Veteran deal: Micah Hyde, Buffalo Bills

Hyde signed a two-year extension in 2021 that pays him an average of $9.625 million per season. That ranks 15th among safeties, but at age 33, Hyde is still delivering high-level production for a Buffalo defense that relies heavily on its safeties. He has two interceptions over six games this year.

His contract voids after this season, and the Bills will carry $3.408 million in dead money next year from his current deal whether they re-sign him or let him go. On New Year’s Eve, he will turn 33, an age at which a lot of NFL players’ futures are up in the air.

Rookie deal: Talanoa Hufanga, San Francisco 49ers

A fifth-round pick in 2021, Hufanga became a 17-game starter in his second season, when he collected four interceptions and two sacks and was named a first-team All-Pro. He already has a pair of interceptions this season and looks like a guy headed for a big extension next offseason. Hufanga’s rookie deal was a four-year, $3.72 million contract that’s paying him $940,000 this year.

The 49ers, like the Chiefs, are going to have to figure out which of their excellent young players they can afford to keep and which ones they can’t.

VALUE TEAMS

Jeffri Chadiha of NFL.com identifies five teams that could climb up into the playoffs come January (if not sooner).  We weren’t really surprised by his choices, as all of these teams are at or near .500.  Hint, he didn’t pick Carolina…

It’s always easy to talk about the powerhouse teams that jump out to fast starts and cruise to double-digit wins and playoff spots. It’s much harder to identify those squads that might turn into something special if certain factors work out in their favor. Here’s a quick summary of five clubs that fall into that category, along with why they actually are better than their records would indicate.

Cincinnati Bengals   3-3

The Bengals have rebounded from a slow start for the second straight season, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them start rolling again. Cincinnati lost its first two games in 2022 before winning 12 of its next 14 regular-season contests. It’s a much harder road to create that kind of success this year — after this week’s bye, the Bengals will see the 49ers, Bills and Ravens in three of their next four games — but there’s a lot to like about Cincinnati. First off, quarterback Joe Burrow is playing at a high level again after dealing with a lingering calf strain. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is asserting his dominance, as well. The defense also is starting to find itself, as the Seattle Seahawks learned in Cincinnati’s 17-13 win on Sunday. The Bengals came up with two huge fourth-quarter stops after Seattle had moved deep into Cincinnati territory and looked ready to take the lead on a touchdown. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith also had a horrible day against that unit, throwing two interceptions and taking four sacks. The Bengals knew it would be a tough transition when safeties Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates III left in free agency, and this unit has gone through its growing pains. However, the talent is there for this defense to be as reliable as it was in each of the last two seasons. If it can keep playing like it did on Sunday — and Burrow remains healthy — the Bengals will very much be in the Super Bowl discussion.

Cleveland Browns  3-2

Anybody who watched Cleveland’s 19-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers realizes that the Browns are as dangerous as they’ve been in years. They beat a team that had been whipping opponents and accomplished that feat with quarterback Deshaun Watson sidelined for the second straight game. It’s fair to argue that the injuries to wide receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Christian McCaffrey plagued the 49ers in this game. That also would be a huge slight to the Browns’ defense, which has been elite all season and frustrated the Niners’ prolific attack for most of this contest. Cleveland is a team that has been intriguing since training camp, largely because of Watson having a full season to play and the potential of that defense with new coordinator Jim Schwartz running it. Now we’re seeing what that buzz was about. The Browns have the look of a legitimate playoff contender as long as Watson can build on the momentum he created before his shoulder injury — he produced his best game with that franchise in a blowout win over Tennessee in Week 3 — and their ground game can withstand the loss of running back Nick Chubb to a season-ending knee injury.

Houston Texans     3-3

There’s no way anybody was picking Houston for this kind of list when the season began. That was before rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud started his career in stellar fashion, and the Texans found various ways to battle through adversity. This is a team that has endured all sorts of offensive line issues. It didn’t have much of a running attack before this Sunday’s win over New Orleans, and the defense doesn’t possess any real star power. Yet here the Texans stand, with blowout wins over Pittsburgh and Jacksonville, and one game separating them from the AFC South lead. This team is so balanced that it ranked 11th in both scoring offense and defense coming into Sunday’s triumph over the Saints. It also has a favorable schedule coming up after this week’s bye, with four winnable games arriving in the ensuing six weeks (against the Panthers, Buccaneers, Cardinals and Broncos). The Texans spent a lot of time early in this past offseason talking about how they wanted to build a team to put around whomever they ultimately drafted at quarterback. That strategy has put them much farther ahead than expected.

Los Angeles Rams              3-3

Sean McVay is a phenomenal coach when he’s blessed with a star-studded roster. It turns out that he’s even more impressive when working with a team carrying low expectations. The Rams aren’t as good as their NFC West rivals, San Francisco and Seattle, but they’re more than capable of competing for a wild-card playoff spot. That’s not only because the NFC is weak; it’s because McVay has made the most of a team that seemed destined for a major rebuild. His greatest feat thus far is finding a way to turn an offense that lost its centerpiece for four weeks (wide receiver Cooper Kupp) into one that hardly missed a beat with new faces (Puka Nacua quickly became one of the rising stars of this young season). The Rams also have played strong teams close, losing by seven to the 49ers and three to the Bengals. It’s hard to know how much longer Los Angeles can keep this up, but this much is true: McVay will find ways to maximize that passing attack, and defensive tackle Aaron Donald is still a beast. Those two factors are enough to stay optimistic about how this team evolves over the course of the year.

New York Jets             3-3

The Jets were supposed to be dead by now, five weeks after Aaron Rodgers went down with that torn Achilles. Instead, they’re sitting at 3-3 because their head man, Robert Saleh, is coaching his butt off. Zach Wilson wouldn’t be playing better if Saleh didn’t support him. The Jets wouldn’t be able to beat the Eagles without both starting cornerbacks (Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed were out with concussions) if Saleh wasn’t inspiring them. New York has now beaten Buffalo and Philadelphia — and given the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs all they could handle in a loss. That says something about Gang Green’s competitive spirit and the talent that still exists on this roster. The blueprint for this team after Rodgers was lost was obvious: Run the football and play elite defense. The Jets have done more of that lately — they forced four turnovers against Philadelphia — and it’s given them a chance to remain viable.

2024 DRAFT

Here is a Mock Draft from Trevor Sikkema of ProFootballFocus.com with the Bears picking 1-2 (QB CALEB WILLIAMS-WR MARVIN HARRISON, Jr.):

1. CHICAGO BEARS: QB CALEB WILLIAMS, USC

Player ADP (via MDS): 1.3

Player Big Board Rank: 1

If the Bears are picking at No. 1, the top quarterback prospect will land in Chicago. Williams has earned elite grades of 91.3, 91.8 and 90.8 in each of his three college football seasons. The Bears won’t pass on picking at the top again.

2. CHICAGO BEARS (VIA PANTHERS): WR MARVIN HARRISON JR., OHIO STATE

Player ADP (via MDS): 3.0

Player Big Board Rank: 2

If you’re taking the top quarterback at No. 1, you better give him the offensive weapons to produce. Harrison, the son of Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., could be a WR1 in the league today with his combination of size, speed and skill. Last season, he recorded an 89.9 receiving grade with more than 1,200 receiving yards and a nation-leading 36 explosive plays of 15 yards or more.

3. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: QB DRAKE MAYE, UNC

Player ADP (via MDS): 4.3

Player Big Board Rank: 3

Maye is the easy next choice at quarterback after Caleb Williams. He recorded elite passing grades in each of the past two seasons (90.8 in 2022 and 90.1 in 2023) with an incredible 45 big-time throws in 2022.

4. DENVER BRONCOS: EDGE LAIATU LATU, UCLA

Player ADP (via MDS): 12.5

Player Big Board Rank: 6

The Broncos might be tempted by a quarterback if they’re picking in the top five, but I’ll let you Google Russell Wilson’s dead cap hit if they choose to move on from him. The next best move would be to acquire the class’ top pass-rusher. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Laiatu Latu posted a pass-rush win rate above 20% in each of the past two seasons.

5. MINNESOTA VIKINGS: QB J.J. MCCARTHY, MICHIGAN

Player ADP (via MDS): 38.1

Player Big Board Rank: 42

Though PFF’s big board would tell you that No. 5 overall is a bit high for McCarthy, it feels like the NFL is keen on his potential, and it doesn’t feel like the Vikings will be bringing Kirk Cousins back on another contract extension. McCarthy is playing much better under pressure this year, with a 64.9 passing grade in that category compared to a 44.0 mark last season. He boasts an elite overall passing grade to boot.

6. NEW YORK JETS: OT OLU FASHANU, PENN STATE

Player ADP (via MDS): 4.9

Player Big Board Rank: 4

All signs point to 2024 being the Jets’ “all-in” season with Aaron Rodgers coming back from injury. They’ll need to bolster their offensive line, in that case, and Fashanu is the man for the job. He could have been a top-10 pick if he had declared last year. The Penn State tackle is following up an impressive 84.7 pass-blocking grade in 2022 with an even better 92.9 pass-blocking grade in 2023.

7. CINCINNATI BENGALS: OT JOE ALT, NOTRE DAME

Player ADP (via MDS): 9.5

Player Big Board Rank: 7

The Bengals’ offense is a mess through Week 4. They could lose wide receiver Tee Higgins in the offseason, which would play into a need for offensive weapons. But until that becomes more clear (for a Brock Bowers draft selection), we’ll beef up their offensive line with Joe Alt. He’s having one of the best seasons of any offensive lineman in 2023, earning an 85.2 overall grade with just three pressures and no sacks allowed.

8. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: QB BO NIX, OREGON

Player ADP (via MDS): 21.9

Player Big Board Rank: 25

It feels like the Patriots will be on the hunt for a new quarterback next offseason. If they choose to address the position in the draft, Nix is an option. As a very good dual-threat player, Nix has improved his game dramatically from his Auburn days, with a cumulative 69.3 passing grade under pressure the past two years and an 89.9 passing grade this season.

9. ARIZONA CARDINALS: TE BROCK BOWERS, GEORGIA

Player ADP (via MDS): 6.7

Player Big Board Rank: 5

Truth be told, Bowers would have been a first-round pick if he could have declared after his true freshman season in 2021. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound offensive weapon has posted elite overall grades in all three of his college football seasons. He would automatically be WR1 in Arizona, even as a tight end.

10. NEW YORK GIANTS: WR KEON COLEMAN, FLORIDA STATE

Player ADP (via MDS): 16.4

Player Big Board Rank: 17

The Giants may use their first-round pick on the trenches when all is said and done, but for now, we’ll give them an offensive weapon — specifically, a mold they don’t have in a contested-catch machine. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Coleman has hauled in four contested catches already this season.

11. GREEN BAY PACKERS: OT AMARIUS MIMS, GEORGIA

Player ADP (via MDS): 28.2

Player Big Board Rank: 31

With offensive tackle David Bakhtiari being placed on injured reserve, and with him missing a lot of time due to injury over the past three seasons, it feels like a trench pick could be coming for the Packers. Mims is raw — and currently missing time due to injury himself — but he’s an insanely talented athlete for an offensive tackle at 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds.

12. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: EDGE CHOP ROBINSON, PENN STATE

Player ADP (via MDS): 15.0

Player Big Board Rank: 8

The Saints have a decently talented roster, but it is aging, especially on defense. Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson is one of the most twitched-up athletes in the 2024 draft class, and that fits the mold of what New Orleans has prioritized over the years — unique athletes, especially in the trenches. It has taken him a bit to get warmed up this season, but Robinson earned a 92.1 pass-rush grade against Iowa in Week 3 with a 46.7% pass-rush win rate.

13. ARIZONA CARDINALS (VIA TEXANS): CB KOOL-AID MCKINSTRY, ALABAMA

Player ADP (via MDS): 9.4

Player Big Board Rank: 9

After adding an offensive playmaker earlier in this draft, the Cardinals dip into the defensive pool at cornerback. If the top cover man in Kool-Aid McKinstry is still available, Arizona should waste no time handing the card in. He has allowed just 81 yards on eight catches across 187 coverage snaps this season.

14. HOUSTON TEXANS (VIA BROWNS): WR MALIK NABERS, LSU

Player ADP (via MDS): 14.4

Player Big Board Rank: 10

The Texans have found their franchise quarterback in C.J. Stroud. Now it’s about giving him the offensive weapons to thrive. Nabers is one of the most natural pass catchers in college football, sporting a career-best 89.2 receiving grade this season with three straight games of 100-plus receiving yards.

15. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS: CB COOPER DEJEAN, IOWA

Player ADP (via MDS): 17.1

Player Big Board Rank: 12

Speaking of teams that need help on defense, the Chargers could use a top playmaker in their secondary, and DeJean is one of the best. He can play outside cornerback, slot cornerback or even safety at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds. Across 198 coverage snaps in 2023, he has earned an 82.1 coverage grade with just 93 yards allowed.

16. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: OL GRAHAM BARTON, DUKE

Player ADP (via MDS): 18.6

Player Big Board Rank: 21

The Jaguars have to get better up front on offense. Barton might not play the left tackle spot he currently occupies for the Duke Blue Devils due to a lack of length, but he’s a damn good offensive lineman with versatility. He recorded an impressive 88.2 overall grade in 2022.

17. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: OT JC LATHAM, ALABAMA

Player ADP (via MDS): 20.8

Player Big Board Rank: 23

Whether for Sam Howell or someone else, the Commanders need to add more talent to the trenches to block for their quarterback. The 6-foot-6, 360-pound Latham is a massive right tackle with good movement skills and a ton of potential for the next level. He’s allowed just 17 total pressures — and only one sack — over the last two seasons.

18. LOS ANGELES RAMS: EDGE DALLAS TURNER, ALABAMA

Player ADP (via MDS): 20.6

Player Big Board Rank: 18

An upgrade in the trenches on either side of the ball would be a good choice for the Rams. For now, we go defense, especially with Dallas Turner on the board. The former five-star is a versatile outside linebacker who has 24 total pressures and a 17.1% pass-rush win percentage this season.

19. ATLANTA FALCONS: QB MICHAEL PENIX JR., WASHINGTON

Player ADP (via MDS): 23.2

Player Big Board Rank: 29

Desmond Ridder has done enough for the Falcons to be .500, but you want more than “enough” from your quarterback. In 2024, they’ll have their chance to take another shot at a starting quarterback. Penix has a rocket of an arm and has earned a 94.2 passing grade this year, having already racked up over 2,000 passing yards.

20. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: CB KALEN KING, PENN STATE

Player ADP (via MDS): 13.2

Player Big Board Rank: 11

At this point in the draft, cornerback is good value, especially for a player as talented as King. He posted an impressive 90.6 coverage grade in 2022 and an even more impressive 91.7 coverage grade in single coverage.

21. PITTSBURGH STEELERS: CB NATE WIGGINS, CLEMSON

Player ADP (via MDS): 36.0

Player Big Board Rank: 27

Even with the Joey Porter Jr. selection in the 2023 draft, the Steelers still need more youthful athleticism in their cornerback room to match up with modern-day offenses. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Wiggins is that type of ball player. He has 10 forced incompletions, one interception and three dropped interceptions that were close to turnovers over the past two seasons. Wiggins and Porter would form quite the young CB duo.

22. TENNESSEE TITANS: WR EMEKA EGBUKA, OHIO STATE

Player ADP (via MDS): 17.9

Player Big Board Rank: 20

Egubka has been a go-to for the Buckeyes offense, even with Marvin Harrison Jr. on the team. His best spot at the next level might be as a slot receiver, but he has plenty of experience on the outside to be versatile.

23. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: DI JER’ZHAN NEWTON, ILLINOIS

Player ADP (via MDS): 9.7

Player Big Board Rank: 15

The Seahawks opted for shutdown corner Devon Witherspoon with their top pick in last year’s draft. Witherspoon should be a fantastic pro, but Seattle still needs help up front. Newton might not be the prospect Jalen Carter was, but he’s an excellent run defender and earned an elite 91.9 run-defense grade in 2021. His explosive first step and elite hand quickness have also yielded an improved 16.6% pass-rush win percentage this season.

24. DALLAS COWBOYS: EDGE JARED VERSE, FLORIDA STATE

Player ADP (via MDS): 5.9

Player Big Board Rank: 13

The Cowboys don’t have a ton of pressing needs outside of the secondary, and this late in the mock draft, there isn’t an obvious pick there. So, we go “best player available” and give them one of the most improved players in all of college football over the past two years — Florida State’s Jared Verse. Verse earned an 88.6 pass-rush grade in his first season in the FBS in 2022 and has a pass-rush win percentage above 16% in each of the last two seasons.

25. DETROIT LIONS: WR ROME ODUNZE, WASHINGTON

Player ADP (via MDS): 34.8

Player Big Board Rank: 19

The Lions are rolling and have drafted well over the past few seasons. Odunze would be a fantastic weapon to add to their passing game. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound receiver is a very good athlete for his size, and his production has been off the charts these past two seasons, as he racked up over 1,100 yards in 2022 and already has over 600 yards this season. He also has 41 explosive plays of 15 yards or more over the last two seasons.

26. MIAMI DOLPHINS: OT PATRICK PAUL, HOUSTON

Player ADP (via MDS): 47.1

Player Big Board Rank: 50

The Dolphins offense has the ability to score at will, but their offensive line could use some upgrades. The 6-foot-7 Patrick Paul has been one of the best pass-blockers in the FBS over the last two years. He earned a 91.1 pass-blocking grade in 2022 and has a 91.0 grade through five weeks of 2023.

27. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: EDGE BRALEN TRICE, WASHINGTON

Player ADP (via MDS): 26.5

Player Big Board Rank: 24

The Bucs have been valiant with new quarterback Baker Mayfield, and because of that, we can’t give them a quarterback here in this mock. Instead, we’ll help them in the trenches, where their pass-rush production outside of Shaquil Barrett has been lacking. Last season, Trice’s 26.2% pass-rush win percentage was one of the best in the FBS.

28. BUFFALO BILLS: S KAMREN KINCHENS, MIAMI (FL)

Player ADP (via MDS): 21.2

Player Big Board Rank: 14

The Bills’ dynamic safety duo is getting up there in age (as are their contract situations). Kinchens is the best safety in this draft class and has the size, speed and strength combo to play free safety in a single-high system or close to the line of scrimmage in a box-safety role. He has recorded seven interceptions in the last two seasons.

29. BALTIMORE RAVENS: DI MAASON SMITH, LSU

Player ADP (via MDS): 30.9

Player Big Board Rank: 33

The former five-star recruit is one of the more unique athletes in all of college football. He measures in at 6-foot-6, 315 pounds and combines that size with incredible speed with imposing strength. He’s still honing in on his craft, as he tore his ACL and missed all of his sophomore season, but the potential is there for a difference-making pro.

30. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: DI LEONARD TAYLOR III, MIAMI (FL)

Player ADP (via MDS): 17.8

Player Big Board Rank: 16

At this point in the draft, the Leonard pick is about the Niners not letting an extremely talented football player get past them. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Leonard produced a 16.4% pass-rush win rate in 2022. He’s followed that up with a 26.9% pass-rush win percentage this season. His talent level could yield a much higher selection than this.

31. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: WR ADONAI MITCHELL, TEXAS

Player ADP (via MDS): 28

Player Big Board Rank: 28

The Chiefs need that go-to receiver who isn’t Travis Kelce, who is also getting up there in age. Mitchell feels like one of the most underrated players in this draft class right now. The 6-foot-4 receiver has very good movement skills and has been successful as a deep threat and as a short-to-intermediate receiver. He feels like the total package.

32. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: WR XAVIER LEGETTE, SOUTH CAROLINA

Player ADP (via MDS): N/A

Player Big Board Rank: 37

Legette is one of the biggest risers this season. This summer, the 6-foot-3, 227-pound senior receiver was an afterthought in the draft community. But this season, he has broken out in a huge way and could even find his way into the first round. His combination of size and speed is unique, and he’s currently fourth in the country in receiving yards.