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Speaking of eclipse, did you know that Julio Jones became the fastest WR in NFL history to eclipse 10,000 career receiving yards in 2018? He did this in just 104 games while posting 96.1 yards per game.
Justin Jefferson is averaging 98.3 yards per game, which has him beating Jones by two or three games. More on him below. Today’s NFL update includes:
- 🔬Four 2025 free agent WRs
- 🎞 Drake Maye, Bo Nix adhesive tape
- 👕 Cousins and Pitts jersey situation
- 🔢 Fantasy Football rankings
2025 Free Agency Preview: Top Four WRs
Discussions about the NFL are moving quickly. It’s been less than a month since the tampering period for free agency opened on March 11, and now all we can talk about is the upcoming draft (in just 16 days!) in Detroit.
But after seeing former NFL general manager Randy Mueller release his 2025 free agency rankings, let’s look ahead. One thing is clear: WR salaries are about to go nuclear. I grabbed us Randy’s top four WRs looking for a big payday in 2025:
4. Tee Higgins (25 years old): The WR most likely to find a new home in 2025, Randy notes that “Higgins is a big target with a very large catch radius and strong hands. He can deceptively devour a defender’s cushion and is very adept at making catches when closely covered.
The big blow for Higgins, as Paul Dehner Jr. explains: His injury-plagued career didn’t cause him to miss too many games, but cost Higgins snaps during the game. “You just don’t see a lot of investment at the top of the market for players unable to break the 760 snap barrier for three straight seasons.”
Projection: The Bengals can’t afford Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Higgins. He’ll head to Jacksonville to reunite with college quarterback Trevor Lawrence for four years, $104 million.
3. Brandon Aiyuk (26 years old): An impressive 2023 saw Aiyuk rank as the No. 1 WR in ESPN Analytics‘ list of top NFL receivers, No. 2 on PFF’s WR rating at 91.5 and earns a second-team All-Pro selection.
Randy explains that “Aiyuk’s skillset is closest to Jefferson’s on this list – he’s just missing consistent work from year to year. I like the way he makes contested catches and his physicality. He plays bigger than his measurables and uses excellent body control as a route runner.
Projection: The Niners know Brock Purdy’s salary is coming, but Deebo Samuel’s contract expires after 2025. A lazy-load Aiyuk extension is possible here. 49ers reporter David Lombardi explores what Aiyuk’s new contract could look like.
2. Lamb CeeDee (25): “No one can argue with Lamb’s production: 181 targets, 135 receptions and 80 first downs. You can clearly demonstrate that he is just as important to the Cowboys as Dak Prescott, if not more,” Randy wrote.
The 2023 first-team All-Pro turned 25 yesterday, the same day it was announced he might be absent from the Cowboys’ April 15 offseason workouts. Skipping practices is a bargaining chip that Cowboys writer Saad Yousuf could see materializing, as Lamb seeks an extension in the range of $30 million per year while playing out his fifth-year option ($18 million dollars).
Projection: Jerry Jones and his Cowboys pay up with a four-year, $125 million deal that surpasses Tyreek Hill’s league-leading $30 million/year signed before Jefferson’s contract. Tyreek was guaranteed $72 million. Lamb is seeing $90 million, which will keep him in Dallas until at least 2027.
1. Justin Jefferson (24 years old): The 2020 first-round pick is a three-time All-Pro and former Offensive Player of the Year who, at age 23, became the youngest player to lead the NFL in receptions (128) and yards (1,809) in 2022. Last season he received over 1,000 yards despite missing seven games.
In his review, Randy noted that “in addition to his ability to run on the road, his blazing speed to run near and around people makes him one of the best players in the league…The only question is whether he will eclipse Nick Bosa. ($34 million per year) as the highest-paid non-QB in the league.
Projection: Jefferson falls just short of the record for a non-QB with a four-year, $132 million contract. It helps that the Vikings have $102 million in cap space for 2025. It will be even better if they have a solid QB on a rookie contract.
Find out where Amon-Ra St. Brown (who Dianna says is in talks with the Lions), Nico Collins, Chris Godwin and Keenan Allen land in the full 2025 free agent rankings.
Meet the Prospects: Three QBs, Three Sets of Mechanics
AthleticismMovie guru Ted Nguyen discussed the throwing mechanics of the draft’s top QB prospects with five private quarterback coaches. The full article provides details on an area where “some of the most ill-informed conversations are taking place.”
Today we’ll meet three of the top seven QB prospects, along with their place in AthleticismThe consensus top 100 in parentheses.
1. Drake Maye (No. 3): At just 21 years old, Maye is considered a quarterback capable of commanding an NFL locker room. But after an inconsistent 2023 in North Carolina, his mechanics are widely debated.
“His accuracy is going down as he gets better, (it’s) a very fixable problem,” a coach told Ted. “However, in a non-development focused league, this needs to be corrected immediately, and this can only be done through on-field representatives.”
Here is an example. Instead of taking his second read downfield and away from defenders, Maye’s placement is low and slightly behind where it should be.
2. Bo Nix (No. 32): Even though JJ McCarthy has him outperformed on most draft boards, Nix is still in play in the first round. The 24-year-old is considered by NFL executives and coaches as “a fringe first-round player who could well join a team with him in its long-term plans.”
From Ted: “Most of the feedback on Nix’s mechanics is that they are solid, refined, and consistent. He’s almost robotic. He has a laid-back nature, throws his run accurately and does a good job of turning even when his feet aren’t set or aligned. Exhibit A:
3. QB Mystery (No. 100): “As a pure thrower, this QB has received praise from coaches. One coach said he had followed him since high school and that he had one of the most natural strokes he had ever seen. Another coach said this QB has the best mechanics in the class.
This player was mentioned as a fourth-round possibility by the Packers who beat reporter Matt Schneidman in his most recent mock draft. Ideas? The answer can be found at the bottom of the newsletter.
Read the full article, which includes comparisons between Caleb Williams’ and Patrick Mahomes’ “uncanny spin, angles and efficiency.” How are you feeling, Bears fans?👀
Around the NFL
Did you think the eclipse was fun? There’s nothing on NFL Draft analyst Nick Baumgardner’s most recent mock draft. QBs go 1-2-3-4, WRs are 5-6-7. Three trades among the top six picks, including the Falcons replacing Marvin Harrison Jr.
CB L’Jarius Sneednow Titans, is excited to grow up with Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins: “I’ve ‘never had two elite WRs’ like them.”
CB Kevin King, who hasn’t played a single snap since 2021, signed with the Falcons. A former second-round pick, King sat out 2022 for personal reasons before tearing his Achilles tendon the following offseason.
WR Marquez Valdés-Scantling apparently would have interest earned chargers. With the worst WR corps in the NFL, Los Angeles would be wise to add a two-time Super Bowl champion who can expand the field. Daniel Popper shared what he learned from the Chargers’ offseason program.
TE Kyle Pitts was ready to give up his number 8, but the NFL told him he would have to buy every jersey currently in stock, which would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. He declined, as did Kirk Cousins (probably after running the numbers).
Meanwhile, in Houston, WR Stefon Diggs paid around $100,000 for S Jimmie Ward’s No.1 jersey. Diggs was also seen working with CJ Stroud, Tank Dell and John Metchie earlier this week.
Jacob’s choices
📕 Rankings are everything. As a fantasy football fan, I know the importance of Jake Ciely’s rankings. Today he released his Top 80 Rookies list, which offers a look at this year’s unheralded RB group. (Athleticism)
📺 Kurt Warner breaks down Bo Nix. You’ll hear a lot of “that’s a good decision.” (Youtube)
🎙 NFL Mock Draft Scenarios: Picks 6-11. Robert Mays and Nate Tice look at the options facing teams like the Vikings, Jets and Bears. (Podcast)
The mysterious perspective of the day: South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler, the No. 1 QB in the 2019 college recruiting class who recently admitted he had to prepare the most for his meeting with the Broncos. Sean Payton is turning up the heat in Denver.
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(Photo: Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)