Placing the franchise tag on Pickens buys the Cowboys time. They now have until July 15th to work out a long-term deal with him, and if they do not, he has to play the 2026 season out on a one-year deal. Technically speaking the team placed the non-exclusive tag on him so he could always negotiate a deal with another team.
"I'd be lying to you if I didn't say I'm still sick to my stomach about how the season ended," Allen said almost two weeks after the loss. "Again, we live in reality, and it is what it is now, and we have to come to grips with that."
After missing rookie minicamp, OTAs, and the early portion of training camp with a hamstring injury, Burden entered the season playing catch-up. Rather than rushing the process, he focused on building trust with offensive play-caller Ben Johnson, quarterback Caleb Williams, and wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El. That patience paid off. As the season progressed, Burden transitioned from a rotational weapon into a reliable weekly target, no longer resembling a first-year player by the stretch run.
The Atlanta Falcons officially hired former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski on January 17th. Since then, there have been 13 mock drafts where the Falcons, who are without a 2026 1st-round pick, in case you forgot, are selecting at least one player. Some pundits got so bold as to go through all seven rounds; others set their sights on the top 100. Either way, since Stefanski signed on the dotted line, 26 draft prospects have been sent to Atlanta.
After being selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, he would catch just two balls during his rookie year. He was quiet for the bulk of his sophomore campaign as well until he averaged 80 yards across his last three games, including a 117-yard performance in Week 18. Across his first 12 games that season, he'd average just 23.3 yards per game.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze had not caught a touchdown in weeks, and his rookie season was coming to a close. This was not what the No. 9 overall selection in the 2024 draft had envisioned. He had gone from a Washington team whose only loss in 2023 was in the CFP National Championship Game to a Bears team that lost 10 straight en route to a 5-12 finish.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans are releasing veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 33-year-old receiver asked for his release and was granted it Monday, the source said. Lockett is expected to be free to sign with another team after 4 p.m. ET Wednesday. Lockett had signed a one-year deal worth up to $6 million with the Titans in April.
"I think that it's not necessarily a change from the way we approach it and the way we see it, and I think he's done a fantastic job, being an elite receiver playing with another elite receiver. "As far as his game, he's very, very much ready for this moment as he has seen himself as a 1, and we've approached it the same way."
