NFL News & Rumors This Week: WRs Get Paid, QB Starters + Fantasy Help
Labor Day Weekend is the BIGGEST fantasy football draft weekend of the year, no question. And, with all the news, injuries, rumors, cuts and deals going down, you were wise to wait until this last weekend before football to set up your most important drafts. So, we’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing all summer and cover the most important news of the week!
First, we’ll hit on the biggest news stories that might matter to even the most casual of NFL fans. Then, at the bottom, we’ll dig into the deeper rumors and comments floating around that could move the needle for fantasy football drafts and rankings this weekend.
NFL News & Rumors This Week: Cowboys Pay CeeDee Lamb, 49ers Pay Brandon Aiyuk
- Two more holdout wide receivers were paid this week which leaves the Cincinnati Bengals Ja'Marr Chase as the last shoe to drop. CeeDee Lamb got a whopping $136M with $100M guaranteed while Brandon Aiyuk was paid four years, $120M with $76M guaranteed. Both contracts are top five for the position.
NFL News & Rumors This Week: Colts Tight End Kylen Granson To Wear Guardian Cap In Game
- The first player has announced they will wear an extra layer of protection during games with Colts tight end Kylen Granson. He did not mince words with his announcement, saying “At one point people thought seatbelts were ****ing stupid”. Per James Boyd, Granson suffered a concussion last year but stated he would have worn it anyway. A big step in player safety.
News & Rumors This Week: NFL Starting QB Jobs Are Finalized
- Jacoby Brissett has been named the starting QB for the New England Patriots over rookie Drake Maye.
- Russell Wilson will start for the Steelers though they didn’t rule out some wildcat packages for Justin Fields.
NFL News & Rumors This Week: Cut Deadline Trades & Injury Designations
We did a full article already on notable players who were cut. There were a couple trades as well.
- Jahan Dotson was traded to the Eagles.
- Malik Willis was traded to the Packers.
- The following players were placed on PUP or IR:
- AJ Dillon (season ending)
- Elijah Mitchell (season ending)
- Nick Chubb (four games minimum)
- Jonathon Brooks (four games minimum)
News & Rumors This Week: NFL Owners Vote On Allowing Private Equity Firms
- It’s yet to be seen whether further corporatization is a good or bad thing for NFL teams, but they will dip their toes into the water. They approved rules allowing 10% of each team to be sold to private equity firms. That will obviously help generate funds but private equity firms are often SOLELY focused on their bottom line so they could push some changes that are less than fan friendly. The Bengals were the only team to vote no.
NFL News & Rumors This Week: Bill Belichick Joins ManningCast
- He won’t necessarily be a co-host, but he will be a featured guest every single week. That is an incredible get for the show and should add valuable insights for football fans that love deep-cut discussions. And there should be plenty of jabs to go around with both Peyton and Eli Manning at the table.
Fantasy Football News & Rumors
This section is dedicated to fantasy-relevant rumblings from around the various off-season practices and meetings:
- Though Brandon Aiyuk has been paid, the 49ers are preparing for a world without star tackle Trent Williams for Week 1. He has three years left on his deal but wants a new one as the league's best lineman.
- The Browns restructured the contract of Deshaun Watson to save money for this year. That gives them over $62M in cap space. Some figured it was for a Brandon Aiyuk trade, but that is obviously not happening now.
- Four-time Pro Bowl RB Dalvin Cook has signed with the Cowboys. He’ll join a thin group with Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle.
- After being released by the Patriots, JuJu Smith-Schuster has signed with the Chiefs.
- Sean McVay announced that Kyren Williams will be the Rams punt returner. That’s typically not a good sign for their role.
- On the flip side, Rico Dowdle is expected to get fewer special teams snaps because of his increased role on offense.
- Rashee Rice will NOT be placed on the commissioner-exempt list. Based on his court date, he might not be suspended at all this season.
- The Chiefs signed Samaje Perine to their roster after he was released by the Broncos. He could help in the pass game.
- After he was released by the Giants, the Lions have signed Allen Robinson.
- Jaylen Waddle has been spotted in a red non-contact jersey. Not good news for an oft-injured player.
Player News
49ers signed No. 11 pick EDGE Mykel Williams to a four-year contract.
The deal is worth $24.9 million and is fully guaranteed. As is the case with all first-round picks, his contract includes a fifth-year option. The 49ers shed hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts this offseason and the bulk of those savings came on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive end was an obvious position of need and Williams was widely regarded as the best pass-rusher on the board when 49ers GM John Lynch was on the clock. Williams totaled five sacks in 2024 and left Georgia with 14 sacks across three seasons as a starter.
Vikings signed No. 24 pick OG Donovan Jackson to a four-year contract.
It’s a fully guaranteed deal worth $17.2 million with a fifth-year team option. Minnesota taking Jackson with the 24th-overall pick came as a bit of a surprise on draft night, but the Vikings needed offensive line help and Jackson was considered worthy of a first-round pick by some draftniks. He was primarily a left guard at Ohio State but successfully kicked out to tackle for the bulk of his senior season. Jackson is likely fated for guard duties in Minnesota, but the positional versatility remains a plus.
Titans claimed Anfernee Orji off waivers from the Saints.
Orji played primarily on special teams in New Orleans but was credited with two starts across 16 appearances. He totaled 30 combined tackles and a pair of TFLs. Orji will need to continue seeing work on special teams to make the Titans’ roster.
Patriots signed RB Trayveon Williams, formerly of the Bengals.
Henderson was passed on the Cincinnati depth chart by Chase Brown last year and the team even traded for Khalil Herbert midseason. Despite having no role on offense, Williams was active for all 17 games as a special teamer. He will likely hold a similar role in New England if he cracks the team’s 53-man roster.
Free agent RB Jordan Mims worked out for the Patriots.
The Pats also worked out former Bengals running back Trayveon Williams. Mims ran 20 times for 70 yards in 2024 while adding 12 catches for 71 yards through the air. He also got some run on special teams. The Patriots are looking for some extra depth at running back, but there isn’t room for another fantasy-relevant option behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
Jaguars signed TE Quintin Morris, formerly of the Bills, to a one-year contract.
Morris is purely a blocking tight end. He caught just 15 passes during his three years with the Bills, though he did manage to find the end zone three times. Morris will back up Brenton Strange in Jacksonville.