Jaguars make Ross Matiscik the NFL's highest-paid long snapper The Associated Press JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville's Ross Matiscik is now the NFL's highest-paid long snapper.
Matiscik signed a two-year, $3.8 million contract extension with the Jaguars on Wednesday, his agency, Sportstars NYC, confirmed.
Matiscik, 29, has spent six seasons with Jacksonville and played 101 games after signing with the team as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Baylor in 2020. Matiscik has earned All-Pro or Pro Bowl honors in each of the past three seasons. He had been entering the final year of his contract, which was set to pay him $1.2 million in 2026.
“Ross’ consistency and ability to get down the field and make plays on special teams gives us an edge in that phase of the game,” Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said. “He has played at an elite level for several seasons and is at the top of the league at what he does.”
Since entering the league, Matiscik's 22 special teams tackles are tied for the most in the NFL at his position.
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Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich raves about QB Geno Smith's 'elite' football mind By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer The Associated Press FLORHAM PARK, N.J.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Frank Reich played with Jim Kelly and coached Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Andrew Luck and Matt Ryan during an NFL career that has spanned more than four decades.
So, he knows an outstanding quarterback when he sees one.
That's what made the New York Jets offensive coordinator's effusive praise of Geno Smith on Wednesday so noteworthy. If not a bit surprising.
“I am just so impressed by Geno,” Reich said before minicamp practice. “I cannot express that enough. I know we haven’t played any games yet. We've got a long way to go. We've got a lot to prove and everybody’s got a lot to prove.
"But man, he is on point. His preparation is top notch. His football mind is elite."
The 64-year-old Reich certainly knows how that looks. And it has taken Smith just a few months to make a believer of his new coordinator.
“The way he’s communicating in the huddle, at the line of scrimmage, the way he communicates in the quarterback room," Reich said of Smith. "I’ve been around a lot of really smart and good quarterbacks. All I’m going to say is, we’re in good shape.”
Smith's long and winding NFL journey has returned him to the place where it started in 2013. He was the face of the franchise then, a second-round draft pick and a big-armed passer with unlimited potential. Inconsistency, injuries — including a broken jaw suffered from a punch by a teammate in a locker room dispute — and perhaps some immaturity derailed his first stint with the Jets, who moved on after the 2016 season.
Now 35, Smith was an unlikely offseason priority for New York, which wanted a seasoned veteran who could help Reich jumpstart its stagnant offense. The Jets traded a sixth-round pick in March to Las Vegas for Smith and a seventh-rounder, creating a reunion that even the two-time Pro Bowl pick couldn't have imagined.
“I’m in a good place,” Smith said after practice Tuesday, “and we just have to keep working and keep getting better every single day.”
The first day of minicamp practice offered a vivid reminder of what once was for the Jets with former head coach Rex Ryan , whose son Seth is the team's pass game coordinator , watching from the sideline in green and white gear in practice — and reconnecting briefly with Smith.
“It was so special, man,” a beaming Smith said. “Any time I get to talk to coach, it just brings back the nostalgia, man, all those games we fought together. Obviously, he was part of the staff that gave me my first opportunity in the NFL and I’m forever grateful for that. Any time I get to see coach, I’m excited."
Smith has acknowledged he has grown mentally since those rocky early days of his NFL career and learned a lot in subsequent spots, where he was a backup to players such as Eli Manning with the Giants, Rivers with the Chargers and Russell Wilson with the Seahawks.
Much like Reich, Smith's new Jets teammates can only rave about the quarterback's presence.
“From the first day that Geno came in, you could just feel the sense of confidence come into the offense,” left tackle Olu Fashanu said.
“Geno's special,” wide receiver Isaiah Williams added. “One of the biggest things that stood out to me when I first met him, he didn't try to be a leader. Like, a lot of guys try to come in and try to be leaders. He was just himself. He's a natural leader.”
Reich repeatedly used the word “impressive” while talking about Smith, who he said has the “it factor” for success: a combination of confidence and humility.
Many assume Smith is merely a placeholder at quarterback for the Jets, who are likely to search for their eventual next signal caller in next year's NFL draft. Whether this second stint in New York lasts just one season or a few more beyond, Smith has insisted he's focused on the present.
And he's using everything he has learned from his past to guide him — and the Jets.
“I think all of us are just, we’re always trying to be the best version of ourself,” Reich said. “But this league is about winning and that’s what we all came here to do. ... We want to put a winning product on the field and excellence in everything we do off the field. You put those two things together, I think everything will take care of itself.”
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Joe Burrow sees similarities between this year's Bengals and 2019 LSU national title team By CHARLIE GOLDSMITH Associated Press The Associated Press CINCINNATI
CINCINNATI (AP) — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow says that he feels similarly about this year’s Cincinnati team to how he felt about the LSU squad that he won a national championship with in 2019.
“I’m so excited to get started and get moving,” Burrow said. “I wish we ramped this right into training camp so we can continue to improve. I feel like there’s so much greatness we’ll be able to achieve this year that I’m just excited to get going.”
The Bengals have had an aggressive offseason, rebuilding the defense through free agency and adding veteran leaders with winning experience. With new players Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Bryan Cook and Boye Mafe, Burrow says that the Bengals have everything they need to contend.
During the spring program, he said that he was impressed with the types of players that the Bengals brought in.
“We have guys that have been there and done that and also guys who have had a lot of individual success and not necessarily the team success that we’re looking for,” Burrow said. “Guys like Dexter (Lawrence) and guys like Jonathan (Allen), bringing guys like that in is so advantageous to a lot of different people. Players trying to improve makes it easier on coaches. We have guys with so much talent and I’m just excited to put it all together.”
The Bengals had full attendance in OTAs and minicamp, and coach Zac Taylor canceled the final two practices of minicamp with the Bengals having gotten in the work he was looking to see.
The Bengals bring back all 11 starters on offense from last season. Burrow says that the unit looks “great.”
“All the guys are putting in a lot of work to try to improve,” Burrow said. “With the veteran players we have coming back, they’re doing a great job of setting an example for the younger guys and trying to teach them how to be great. I think the spring has gotten everybody better. We need to continue that over the next month before we come back.”
Burrow said that with a lot of urgency entering 2026, he has been conscious about his leadership style this spring. Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher used the word “blunt.” Burrow used the word “mean.”
“This offseason, I really focused on trying to bring urgency to the room and try to just get everybody to understand the level of urgency that we have this year; the level of play that’s going to be required from every individual who steps on that field,” Burrow said. “I’ve tried to communicate that. I’ve tried to be a little more vocal in a mean way. I think that’s a little out of my comfort zone, but that’s somewhere that I’m improving. Maybe it’s good and maybe it’s bad, but we’ll find out.”
The Bengals haven’t been in the playoffs since the 2022 season. Expectations are high for a team with a lot of key players who have never appeared in the playoffs in a Bengals uniform, and Burrow plays a huge role in leading the team’s effort to get there.
“Put pressure on guys,” Burrow said. “I love it. I thrive in it. We’ll find out who else does. I know we have the kind of people who want to be in that spot. I want everybody talking about the Bengals.”
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Rookie QB Carson Beck hard at work for Arizona Cardinals in prep for potential starting competition By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer The Associated Press TEMPE, Ariz.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — This is the roughly 40-day period of the year when it's relatively quiet at the Arizona Cardinals ' practice facility and only a few cars dot the parking lot, baking in the hot desert sun.
Carson Beck's is one of them.
The rookie quarterback isn't taking much of a break this summer as he prepares for his first NFL season — one that includes a realistic chance for playing time if he can gain the confidence of first-year coach Mike LaFleur .
“I didn't want to ease into anything, to be completely honest,” Beck said. “I'm here 13 hours a day.”
The third-round pick out of Miami spends his time talking football with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. He watches film with quarterbacks coach and former NFL QB Matt Schaub. He goes through the playbook, learning the intricacies of a professional scheme that he admits is quite a bit different than his college days.
“I don't know if there is really a physical adjustment,” Beck said. "A lot of it is the mental side. The more comfortable you become, the more reps you get, the physical takes care of itself. I've thrown thousands of footballs in my life, thousands of dig routes, thousands of out routes, thousands of go routes.
“Now it's just combining that with timing, with chemistry, with understanding.”
The 24-year-old Beck looks as if he'll be part of a three-man quarterback race when training camp begins on July 22, facing off against veteran journeyman Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew. Kedon Slovis is also on the roster.
Brissett, 33, appeared to have the inside track at the starting job this fall after he threw 3,366 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions over 14 games, including 12 starts following Kyler Murray’s foot injury.
The issue is Brissett is unhappy with his contract situation — he’s guaranteed just $1.5 million next season — and stayed away from the team during voluntary workouts before reporting for mandatory OTAs last week.
He didn’t practice, watching drills on the field.
Now the most likely starter might be Minshew , another well-traveled veteran who the Cardinals signed to a $5.75 million, one-year deal with roughly $5 million guaranteed. The 30-year-old went received a lot of snaps during voluntary workouts and has had success during parts of his career — including a 2023 Pro Bowl selection when he started 13 games for the Indianapolis Colts.
But it’s Beck who could have the most upside.
It’s an intriguing situation for LaFleur, who brings his quick-hitting offensive attack from the Los Angeles Rams after three years as their offensive coordinator.
“Not really concerned about (who is the starting quarterback) right now,” LaFleur said. “I’m concerned about these guys reporting on July 22, and really, more concerned about the next 40 days.”
One silver lining for the Cardinals is they’ll have an extra week of practice during training camp because they’re playing in the preseason Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 6.
Beck is expecting plenty of work in that game to show what he can do.
“It's already on my mind right now,” Beck said. “The break is not much of a break. Obviously, we'll be working. I'm just speaking for myself, but the other guys understand that, too. We know the mission that we're on, especially for myself. Making sure I'm prepared and ready for those moments.”
Lurking in the background of the Cardinals' quarterback situation is the possibility that college prospect Brendan Sorsby will be available in the NFL's supplemental draft.
The Cardinals haven't said if they're interested in pursuing a prospect that many consider a first-round talent, but it's not hard to see why the franchise might be intrigued.
For now, it looks as if it will be Beck vs. Minshew vs. Brissett in late July.
LaFleur said in his mind, the competition has already started.
“Shoot, I think it's been ramped up,” LaFleur said last week. “Every single day is a day to compete. The intensity shouldn't change from OTAs and training camp. The only thing that happens is that naturally, physically, the intensity picks up because pads are on and you can actually play football."
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A 'nasty' new front in Tennessee, and Jeffery Simmons is ready to live in the backfield By TERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football Writer The Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — New Tennessee cornerback Alontae Taylor looks at the Titans ' revamped defensive line and one word comes to mind.
Nasty.
All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons has had an offseason to familiarize himself with what new coach Robert Saleh wants with a defensive scheme now asking the veteran and all his teammates to attack opposing offenses rather than rely on technique fighting through double-teams.
“That’s my game," Simmons said Wednesday. "I like to play on the other side of the line of scrimmage.”
Linebacker Cody Barton believes the scheme change will be huge for Simmons.
“Jeff is one of the best to do it, and he’s just going to be causing havoc every play,” Barton said.
Simmons had a career-best 11 sacks last season. A second straight 3-14 record led to Saleh being hired as the Titans' latest new head coach, and he has a strong record of putting together top NFL defenses by freeing up players to read quarterbacks and attack.
Saleh said Wednesday that San Francisco switched in 2019 from a six-technique and a more old school 4-3 front. He said they brought in Kris Kocurek, a disciple of longtime defensive line coach Jim Washburn whose career included 12 seasons with the Titans where he rotated linemen and pushed them to be faster off the ball.
That 2019 49ers' defense wound up third in fewest yards allowed per game and second against the pass helping San Francisco reach the Super Bowl.
Offseason additions to the defense
The Titans spent the most money in free agency to help play this new defensive style. The Titans traded for defensive end Jeremiah Johnson II, signed veterans like John Franklin-Myers and Solomon Thomas for their toughness and traded back into the first round to draft lineman Keldric Faulk .
“I imagine a guy like Jeffery will enjoy playing next to him because very similar in how they attack things and how they approach things," defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said of Franklin-Myers.
Tennessee also signed Taylor and cornerback Cor'Dale Flott and Joshua Williams along with veteran safety Tony Adams to anchor the secondary. Linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was a second-round draft selection to join Barton and third-year linebacker Cedric Gray.
Rotation designed to stay fresh and fast
The defensive line will set the tone with a planned rotation limiting Simmons and his fellow linemen to 60% of the snaps. Saleh, who plans to also call the defensive plays in games, said the payoff comes in the fourth quarter when the Titans hopefully have worn out opposing offensive lines.
That also keeps the Titans fresher and faster.
“The faster the rush is, the faster we can get our feet in the ground, the faster we can anticipate where the ball is going,” Saleh said. “It also dictates whether or not the coordinator and the quarterback can call plays that are deeper developing and whether or not the quarterback can hold it.”
Elbow no longer an issue for Simmons
Coming out of games won't be easy for Simmons. The four-time Pro Bowler prides himself on staying on the field, and Simmons got his right elbow cleaned up this offseason after being unable to straighten out his arm fully for well over two and half years and forced to wear a brace during games.
“My goal to come into this season is just to make sure I’m in the best shape of my life,” Simmons said.
Contract status also not at top of the list
Simmons also is in line for a contract extension with his current deal good through 2027. He signed a four-year extension in April 2023. As the Titans wrapped up their offseason Wednesday with the last open session of a mandatory minicamp, Simmons sounded focused on what's next on the field.
“This organization been nothing but good to me, so I’m not so focused on the contract right now," Simmons said. "Like I said, my goal this offseason is let me go work my tail off and get ready for training camp.”
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Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice released after 30-day jail stint for car crash probation violation By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was released from a Dallas County jail on Tuesday after serving a 30-day sentence for violating the terms of his probation, which stemmed from his role in a car crash that left multiple people injured on a Texas highway.
The 26-year-old Rice had been booked into the jail on May 19 after testing positive for THC. Upon his release, Rice made a quick dash past a handful of reporters and into a waiting SUV, which whisked him away from the facility.
Rice had surgery about a week before he was sentenced to clean up debris in his right knee, which had been causing inflammation. A judge approved a request from his lawyers to allow him to receive treatment at Parkland Hospital while serving his sentence.
Rice missed all of the Chiefs' voluntary offseason workouts and their mandatory minicamp, which concluded last week. But Chiefs coach Andy Reid said recently that he expects him to report on time to training camp at the end of July.
“(Chiefs trainer) Rick (Burkholder) has talked to him more than what I have,” Reid said, “just making sure that everything was set there where he could do some rehab with it and still do the time that he needed to take care of. So he's on top of that, and thank goodness that they're allowing him to do that. So, they've been great with that.”
The Chiefs are counting on Rice to help an offense that often struggled during a disappointing 6-11 finish last season.
He's been valuable when he's been available, catching 156 passes for 1,797 yards and 14 touchdowns and helping the Chiefs win the Super Bowl in the 2023 season. But he's also missed games because of suspension and injuries, resulting in just 28 played in three seasons.
“We’re moving forward as normal as we go here,” Reid said during voluntary workouts. “When he gets back, we’ve got to get him caught up in doing what he needs to do, and make sure he gets it. It’s not an easy thing he’s going through.
“Life lessons are important,” Reid added, “but we’re all given chances to learn, and he’s in that position now.”
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Aldon Smith's brain donated to CTE Center as family's attorneys investigate his death at age 36 By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The family of former NFL star Aldon Smith is donating his brain to the Boston University CTE Center to research the long-term effects of repetitive brain injuries following his sudden death at age 36 .
Smith died Saturday hours after delivering pizzas to a homeless charity in the San Francisco Bay area.
No cause of death was given and Smith's family has hired attorneys Harry Daniels, Bakari Sellers and Wayne Kendall to investigate Smith's death.
“As with anyone who dies so suddenly at such a young age, we understand that there is a great deal of interest in and speculation about Aldon Smith’s passing and we intend to get to the bottom of it," the attorneys said in a statement released Tuesday. "To that end, we have taken a number of steps including sending his brain to Boston where medical experts will examine it for CTE as well as other damage caused by years of concussions and additional trauma.
“In the meantime we simply ask you to keep Aldon’s family in our prayers and respect their privacy as they struggle to come to grips with this terrible loss.”
Smith’s friend, Amir Shirazi, told the San Francisco Chronicle, that he found Smith slumped over in the front passenger seat of his car after delivering the pizzas on Saturday. Smith was taken to a hospital and was declared dead.
“He was a creative mind, so smart, so fierce, so real, so powerful, his presence, his passion and his aura meant a lot to me as a brother and I wish I could’ve did more to help him and pray to God he doesn’t have to hurt anymore,” his former teammate, Anthony Dixon, wrote on social media.
Smith was drafted by the 49ers with the seventh pick out of Missouri in 2011 and made an immediate impact on the team, helping San Francisco snap a playoff drought and reach the NFC title game his first three seasons with one trip to a Super Bowl.
He had 14 sacks as a rookie when he finished second to Von Miller in voting for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and had a franchise-record 19 1/2 sacks in 2012 when he was named a first-team All-Pro.
His 33 1/2 sacks in his first two seasons are the most in NFL history. He kept that pace up with 4 1/2 sacks in the first three games in 2013 before the off-field issues started with an arrest for DUI and a stint in rehab for substance abuse that sidelined him for five games.
He was released by San Francisco in August 2015 after another drunken driving charge — his fifth arrest in three years. He signed with Oakland just before the start of the 2015 season and had 3 1/2 sacks in nine games before being suspended again.
Smith applied for reinstatement to the NFL in 2016, but was not allowed back initially. The Raiders released him in 2018 following a domestic violence arrest . A plea agreement was reached in that case.
He eventually was reinstated in 2020 and played 16 games for Dallas that season and had five sacks.
He signed with Seattle the next season but was arrested again for battery and was released in training camp. He served a six-month jail sentence for DUI in 2023 and never played again in the NFL.
Smith finished his career with 52 1/2 sacks in 75 games.
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Sacks leader Pearce returns to Falcons for minicamp following a tumultuous offseason The Associated Press FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr., the team's sacks leader as a rookie in 2025, has returned to the practice facility for Tuesday's start of mandatory minicamp following a tumultuous offseason.
Pearce's future with the team seemed uncertain when he faced three felony charges stemming from what police called a domestic dispute on Feb. 7 with his ex-girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson, near Miami.
On April 23, one of Pearce's attorneys, Jacob Nunez, said Pearce agreed to enter a pretrial intervention program which would allow him to resolve the felony charges. Nunez said if Pearce completes a six-month diversion program without violation, the state of Florida will dismiss all charges.
Pearce was not with the team for the start of the voluntary offseason program in April.
First-year coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Ian Cunningham declined comment on Pearce's status until Tuesday.
“I think throughout this, throughout every situation, you take in all the information available to you,” Stefanski said, adding Pearce will not be rushed into team drills in Wednesday's first practice.
“He will do work in the weight room, he’ll do individual,” Stefanski said. “He’s not going to team settings, team period type stuff yet. Just feel like with him not being here for the offseason program, I don’t think it’s fair to put him in those type of drills, but he’ll be out there.”
On March 13, the Florida State Attorney’s Office in Miami-Dade County filed charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and eluding police and resisting an officer with violence. A fourth charge of stalking was brought as a misdemeanor. An additional charge of aggravated battery of an officer was dropped.
Stefanski said he expects Pearce to be accepted back by his teammates. Those types of thing work themselves out organically in the locker room, he says.
“And I believe in the people that we have in our locker room, and I think any player that comes into our building understands what’s expected of that player and understands what is important to this football team," Stefanski said.
After the Falcons made Pearce the No. 26 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, his 10 1/2 sacks led the team. His 45 quarterback pressures set a Falcons rookie record.
Stefanski said quarterback Michael Penix Jr ., who is recovering from surgery on his left knee, has not been cleared for 11-on-11 drills at the start of minicamp. Stefanski said Penix remains on schedule in his recovery.
When healthy, Penix will compete with Tua Tagovailoa for the starting job.
“We’ll continue with the plan with what Mike has done to date,” Stefanski said. “Very pleased with the work that he’s putting in. He’s ... exactly where he needs to be.”
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George Pickens joins Cowboys for minicamp after receiver skipped voluntary offseason workouts By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Pro Football Writer The Associated Press FRISCO, Texas
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — George Pickens said he followed the advice of his agent in staying away from the voluntary portion of offseason workouts with the Dallas Cowboys.
The Pro Bowl receiver showed up for mandatory minicamp Tuesday, and sounded as if agent David Mulugheta played a role in that as well.
Pickens' presence was expected once he signed the $27.3 million franchise tag and became subject to fines for missing the three-day minicamp, or training camp that opens next month in California.
“He's in control,” Pickens said of Mulugheta. “He's like your boss, so it's no (issue of) trust or anything there. He controls what you do.”
Pickens waited two months before signing the one-year contract that’s worth about three times what the 25-year-old earned on his four-year rookie contract.
Pickens told the Cowboys before the draft in April that he intended to sign the franchise tag , prompting speculation that Dallas might try to trade him. The Cowboys made it clear they had no such plans. He signed the tag about a week later, in early May.
“Personally, what's important to me is winning,” Pickens said. “I want to bring a Super Bowl to a group of guys that's never had that feeling. Everything else is what they control.”
Pickens said he never questioned owner and general manager Jerry Jones over why the club decided not to negotiate a long-term deal and forced him to play on the franchise tag.
Under the one-year tender of the franchise tag, the sides still have until mid-July to work out a longer contract, but the Cowboys made it clear they weren't even considering pushing that deadline. Any multiyear deal will have to wait until next offseason.
“The tag and all that, it's football first,” Pickens said. “So, definitely play football first, kind of like I did last year and then worry about. Well, let my agent worry about it, really.”
Acquired last year in a trade after a tumultuous first three NFL seasons with Pittsburgh, Pickens thrived alongside CeeDee Lamb, finishing with career highs in catches (93), yards receiving (1,429) and touchdowns (nine) for one of the best offenses in the NFL last season.
Lamb is going into the second year of a $136 million, four-year contract that ranks him fifth among NFL receivers with an average annual value of $34 million. The latest to surpass Lamb was Jaxon Smith-Njigba of reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle. His $42.2 million average annual value is the highest for a receiver.
Pickens' breakout year pushed aside issues that led his former coach, Mike Tomlin, to question the former Georgia standout's maturity. He might have to do it again to become the next receiver to surpass Lamb's deal.
“If you keep showing it, or they already have a hint of who you are, that's when they'll start speaking on (Smith-Njigba) contracts and stuff like that,” Pickens said. “I just keep doing what's best for me.”
Pickens was limited with his work on the field, as coach Brian Schottenheimer indicated before practice. Still, Schottenheimer said Pickens wouldn't necessarily need time to ramp up when camp starts in late July.
Pickens said he will be there in California.
“Even at the Steelers, I wanted to help the guys win,” Pickens said. “Here, it was tenfold, same thing. Just trying to do it to the best of my ability.”
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Saints all-time sack leader Cam Jordan agrees to 1-year deal for a 16th season with New Orleans By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans Saints all-time sack leader Cameron Jordan agreed Tuesday to a one-year contract to remain with the club for what the 16th-year veteran says will be his final NFL season.
“I definitely am going to take to this like every game is my last," Jordan said. "I’m going to treat it like it’s the final season.”
Jordan, a free agent since the end of last season , said ending his career with New Orleans — and spending the entirety of it with one franchise — was important to him.
“There’s no amount of money in the league that can make me say, ‘Just turn your back on everything that you built,’" said Jordan, who posted a team-high 10 1/2 sacks last season. “This is where I wanted to be and got back here.”
Financial terms of the contract have not been disclosed, but Jordan, who turns 37 on July 10, suggested the deal he accepted from the Saints was not as lucrative as offers he received from other teams.
“There was no match," Jordan said, adding, "The loyalty streak has always run deep with me.
“It was mutual benefit for us to come back. The way that I want to affect this city. I don’t think that’s ever going to stop,” Jordan said, mentioning the longstanding charitable work of his foundation in the area.
Jordan also noted that his four children have been born and raised in New Orleans and wanted to stay.
“It’s become home for us,” he said, adding that it would “feel wrong to be in another city, not giving back to this city.”
A Saints first-round draft choice in 2011 and a defensive captain for the past decade, Jordan has 132 career sacks, which ranks 17th in NFL history.
Jordan also has 17 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries, three interceptions, 67 pass breakups, 175 tackles for loss, 248 quarterback hits and blocked one kick in his career.
In 2017, Jordan was an AP All-Pro. His eight Pro Bowl selections is a franchise high for a defensive player.
While Jordan's contract agreement came on the first day of Saints mandatory minicamp, he did not practice and was unsure if he would practice on Wednesday. He said he still has to undergo a physical and expects to at least attend meetings this week.
Jordan joined the Saints two seasons after their only championship.
New Orleans' 2018 squad got close to making it back to the Super Bowl, falling to the Los Angeles Rams in overtime of an NFC title game affected by what the league later acknowledged was a missed call by officials in the final two minutes of regulation.
Rather than chase a championship with a team favored to contend this season, Jordan decided he preferred to help the Saints improve on their six victories in 2025.
Jordan has been part of six Saints playoffs teams (2011, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020) and said he would not sell short his chances of being part of a seventh this season.
“When you look at our roster, you see the growth," Jordan said. “If I can push my teammates to be the best version of them, how much farther can we go as a team?
“I’m going to keep on believing,” he said.
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