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The Houston Texans continue to make adjustments to their cap numbers ahead of free agency.
First, Houston opted to restructure the deal of wide receiver Nico Collins to clear $9.8 million in salary cap space, and now they're doing similarly on the defensive end.
According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the Texans have restructured the contract of linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to free $6.26 million in cap space less than a week ahead of free agency.
Cap-clearing season continues:#Texans did a simple restructure on LB Azeez Al-Shaair’s contract, clearing $6.26M#Dolphins’ restructure of LB Bradley Chubb cleared $16.3M #Chargers’ release of DE Joey Bosa cleared $25.36M #Colts’ release of DL Raekwon Davis cleared $6.49M pic.twitter.com/WmZJMaUZ8b
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 7, 2025
After the Texans opted to shake up their receiver room by bringing in Christian Kirk on Thursday, the front office now follows up by clearing space taken up by that new acquisition by restructuring Al-Shaair's deal, providing a bit more flexibility ahead of the league market opening.
Al-Shaair, a Texans captain, was signed to a three-year, $33 million deal last offseason en route to becoming a consistent part of the Texans' defense when on the field in 2024. He started in 11 games to post 70 tackles, 7 TFLs, two sacks, and two forced fumbles. The Houston linebacker also saw a three-game suspension due to his controversial hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Looking ahead to what's to come, don't be surprised if the Texans continue to jump through some salary cap hoops in the coming days to maximize their flexibility. Keep an eye on Danielle Hunter and Laremy Tunsil as other restructure candidates as the team could clear over $20 million in room by adjusting both deals.
NFL free agency negotiations officially kick off across the league at noon ET on Monday, March 10th.
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Standout performances from Week 1 of NFL preseason: Rookie, backup QBs shine
The first week of the 2025 NFL preseason is officially in the books. Even though the games and results do not matter, there is still reason to pay attention to standout performances from around the league. Here are some of the best from this week's games. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots The Patriots need some game-changers on offense, and they may have found one in second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson. Henderson put on an immediate show in the Patriots' preseason opener, returning the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, rushing for 18 yards on his only carry and catching three passes. Skylar Thompson, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers Thompson is not likely to make the Steelers roster, but that doesn't mean he can't find a spot on another team. Especially if he puts together a strong preseason performance. He did exactly that on Saturday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars, completing 20-of-28 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns. With Aaron Rodgers unlikely to play in the preseason and Will Howard injured, Thompson should get plenty of reps to audition for other teams. Tanner McKee, QB, Philadelphia Eagles Following the offseason trade of Kenny Pickett, McKee is now pretty much cemented in as the Eagles' backup, and he had to give them a lot of confidence in his ability following his preseason performance against the Bengals. McKee torched the Bengals defense to the tune of 20-of-25 passing for 252 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. It is a nice continuation for McKee following his promising debut a year ago when he threw for 323 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions in his two appearances. Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams The Rams already have a starting running back in Kyren Williams, but there is nothing wrong with having a second productive player at the position. Corum didn't make the expected impact in his rookie season, but he had a promising preseason debut this year with two touchdowns in the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys. Rookie quarterbacks Cleveland's Shedeur Sanders got the week off to a promising start by throwing two touchdowns against Carolina, taking a big step forward in his quest to win the team's starting quarterback job and to silence the critics following his slide in the draft. Jaxson Dart, one of the Giants' first-round picks, also had a strong showing by going 12-of-19 with 154 yards and a very impressive touchdown pass. Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, also had a strong debut by leading a touchdown drive and developing an instant connection with veteran wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Abdul Carter, DE, New York Giants Carter did not play a ton of snaps for the Giants, but he was a force when he did play. He recorded a quarterback pressure on all three of his pass-rush snaps and showed the type of quickness and speed that made him one of the best players in the 2025 NFL Draft class. Cam Little, K, Jacksonville Jaguars Look, when you kick a 70-yard field goal, you deserve to get some added recognition, whether it counts as an official league record or not. Little made all four field goal attempts, as well as an extra point, in the Jaguars' preseason debut.
Insider Reveals Massive Bulls-Josh Giddey Contract Gap
In the NBA, restricted free agency is a difficult thing--players have almost no leverage and are, essentially, reliant on the good nature of their employers to give them fair contracts. That's a rough spot for Bulls guard Josh Giddey, who is an RFA for Chicago after averaging 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists for the Bulls this summer. The Bulls brought in Giddey from the Thunder, in the deal that sent Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City. It's clear they value Giddey's ability to fill a box score, but questions remain around the holes in Giddey's game--his poor defense and subpar 3-point shooting--that make him a questionable long-term investment. Thus, as things stand, the Bulls and Giddey remain locked in a restricted free-agent battle, unable to find numbers they can agree upon. Bulls, Josh Giddey $10 Million Per Year Apart Now, thanks to insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line substack, we have an idea of just how far apart the sides are: $10 million per year. Yes, Giddey's camp sees the player as a $30 million AAV type. The Bulls see him as a $20 million type, with an offer on the table worth $80 million over four years. Both sides are dug in, Fischer reports, though there is outside interest in Giddey, too. "League sources say that the Bulls made an offer of $80 million over four years to restricted free agent Josh Giddey when the offseason commenced on June 30. Giddey, of course, is seeking an annual salary in the $30 million range. Chicago has been anchored in the $20 million range in annual value ever since its original offer." Expect the Bulls to hold firm here, as they did with Lauri Markkanen back in 2021. Markkanen was traded to Cleveland, and ultimately, the Bulls would prefer not to trade Giddey. But the Markkanen situation was not resolved until Aug. 28 of that year, and the Giddey contract could easily drag out that long, too.
Aaron Judge Had Strong Words After Yankees’ Loss to Astros
The New York Yankees have lost three straight series, and their playoff positioning is getting weaker by the day. They're now just a half-game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for the AL's third and final Wild Card spot after Sunday's 7-1 loss to the Houston Astros. The bright side is that generational superstar Aaron Judge returned on Tuesday after missing 10 games with an elbow injury. However, the 33-year-old has been in the designated hitter slot since then, as he's still not ready to play the outfield. That's caused fellow slugger and regular designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton to be partially phased out of the lineup, since he's almost solely an offensive player at this point in his career. He hadn't played the field since 2023 before starting in right field on Saturday. Additionally, New York has been inconsistent on both sides of the ball. For example, two-time All-Star relief pitcher Devin Williams is 0-2 with a blown save since Monday, and the offense has averaged just 2.83 runs per game in that period. Judge opened up to the media about the situation after Sunday's loss, via SNY. "It's tough, but there's no excuses. We're getting paid to go out there, perform at our best, and win baseball games," he said. "The fans are still packing out and showing support for us, and we gotta show up for them. We've got to go out there and do our job. " "That's what it comes down to...We're not doing our job, we're not doing the little things that put ourselves in position to win baseball games," he continued. "It's going to take all of us...I wouldn't say the confidence has really changed." Aaron Judge Health Update Provides Silver Lining for Yankees New York is having a brutal stretch, as its 201 runs allowed since July 1 is the third-most in MLB. While the team must improve its pitching and defense, it has a pathway to quickly improve its offense. Once Judge is ready to throw again, the Yankees can go back to starting him in right field with Stanton at designated hitter. If they both play to their full potential, then the team could shoot back up the standings. Stanton was the ALCS MVP last season, and Judge leads baseball with a .337 batting average and 1.137 OPS. Judge admitted on Sunday that he doesn't know when he'll be able to play the field again, but his throwing program is going well so far, via SNY. If the future Hall of Famer continues to avoid setbacks, it increases the chances that he'll return to the outfield before the playoffs.
Weekly WNBA takeaways: Injuries putting damper on regular season
Another week of WNBA basketball is in the books. The playoff race is heating up, while there is more separation near the top. Injuries have also become a major storyline, which is where we'll begin with the takeaways from the past week in the WNBA. Injuries have hurt the WNBA It goes beyond the fact that Caitlin Clark has missed 19 games. That hindered the WNBA this season, but so have injuries to Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Angel Reese and others. Clark and Reese have missed multiple games between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky. Paige Bueckers and Clark have also missed out on facing each other multiple times. On Sunday, a marquee matchup between last season's WNBA Finals participants lost some luster as Collier and Stewart each missed the game. Collier is the odds-on favorite to win the WNBA MVP Award. Yet, she's out right now. Stewart is, too. Add in Clark, and you have three of the top four MVP favorites at the start of the season sidelined. Only so much can be done to prevent injuries, but some of the excitement has been sucked out of the regular season because of them. Kelsey Mitchell has been incredible Kelsey Mitchell isn't the only reason that the Indiana Fever still has a top-five record in the WNBA, but she's the biggest one. With Clark out for most of the season, Mitchell has taken over the role as the No. 1 option and passed the test with flying colors. Mitchell now leads the WNBA in total points with 637. She's also third in scoring average with 19.9 points per game. Beyond that, her 78 three-point field goals also lead the league. The three-time All-Star has three games with 32 points or more this season, and is also third in offensive win shares. When Clark does return, the ceiling is still incredibly high for the Fever because if the second-year star from Iowa can find her form, Indiana will have a big three that rivals any in the WNBA. Playoff races take shape After a dominant win over the New York Liberty, without Collier, the Minnesota Lynx are 27-5. They have a 6.5-game lead over New York (20-11) for the top spot, so it's hard to see anyone overtaking them for the best record in the league. After that, there are five teams within three games of each other. New York is tied with Atlanta (20-11) for second place and is one game up on Phoenix (19-12). Indiana (18-14) and Las Vegas (18-14) are each 2.5 games out of second place with approximately 25 percent of the regular season left. Seattle has dropped five games in a row, taking it from top-four contention to the playoff bubble, especially after Sunday's loss to the Sparks. The Storm are tied with Golden State for the last playoff spot, just 0.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Sparks, who beat them on Sunday night. With five teams at the top separated by 2.5 games, and three teams at the bottom of the playoff standings having just 0.5 games between them, the last month or so of the WNBA should be exciting. Particularly if all of the stars who have missed extended periods due to injury can return.
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