š The Touchdown Collective: Making the most of mandatory minicamp
Contract wrangles ramp up as you stay ahead of the game, one play at a time
In todayās Touchdown Collective thereās news of contract issues from around the league in Press Coverage, OTA Watch has links to the latest action from NFL facilities, while thereās a teaser in Get to the Post.
š° Press Coverage
š Jacoby Brissett will turn up for mandatory minicamp this week after missing the Cardinalsā off-season schedule as he aims for a new deal.
Iāve talked through Brissettās contract issue before and with a risk of a $107,911 fine for not showing for tomorrow and Wednesdayās practices, ESPN sources say Brissett will report to the facility, although itās unclear how much he will take part in.
Meanwhile, amid the uncertainty around Brissett and his restructured contract, the Arizona Republicās Bob McManaman makes the case here for going with Gardner Minshew as the Cardinalsā QB1.
š Another star set to arrive at mandatory minicamp tomorrow is Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte. You can see his chat with WBZās Dan Roche below. Boutte, who has missed the off-season schedule for the first time in his career, also told Roche that he wants to be in New England āfor the rest of my careerā¦I call this homeā.
š Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times pulled together a good piece on Baker Mayfieldās interview at his youth football camp on Friday where he said a new deal with the Buccaneers was ānot close to what we were thinkingā.
As a reminder, Mayfield said: āYeah, the contract stuff, itās happening. Itās starting, the talks and whatnot. But not anywhere close to what we were thinking. Would love to be here long term, and as of right now thatās not exactly the case.
āBut Iām under contract for 2026, and the guys in that locker room, the staff know that Iām still going to be me. Iām still going to do everything I can to help this team win a Super Bowl, and to me, thatās the priority. Everything else will take care of itself.ā
He added: āYes, I would love to have a long-term deal done but they know my deadline is as soon as training camp starts weāre not doing any of the contract stuff, itās all ball. So itās not up to me when that gets done by. Hopefully before that. If not? Iām still going to have a good year.ā
Stroudās explainer goes through the potential ramifications for the Bucs, plus what Mayfield will likely earn if he ends up playing on a franchise tag.
š Brandon Aiyuk has said that the 49ers are scared to lose him - likening San Francisco to a child who sees somebody else playing with a toy they discarded - in a somewhat cryptic social media rant over his stalled exit with the caption āIF YOU SCARED JUST SAY DAT!!ā.
āThis kid, he got this one toy, but he donāt really know how to use it correctly,ā he said on his Instagram. āSo somebody else about to pick it up and play with it and theyāre like āOh yeah, this s*** litty.ā And theyāre like āWait, wait, wait, hold on, thatās my toy.āā
Aiyuk, of course, tore his ACL and MCL shortly after signing a mega-money deal with the 49ers, who voided close to $27m in guaranteed money from that contract after he missed some rehab sessions.
49ers GM John Lynch told reporters in January that the receiver had "played his last snap with the Ninersā.
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MUST READ
PFFās Daire Carragher has taken a look at the Myles Garrett-Jared Verse trade between the Rams and Browns here. Thereās loads of great insights and stats and a look to how the deal might be viewed in the future.
ā Get to the Post
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š© Who am I? Iām Michael Ham, the Daily Star Sunday and Sunday Express Sports Editor ā and an avid NFL fan. I have over 20 years of experience in sports news journalism and Iām the writer behind The Touchdown Collective.
š Thanks for reading The Touchdown Collective! I will continue breaking down the NFL next time. In the meantime you can share this great find with your friends and family, simply click on the link below and follow the instructions so they can join too. Thanks, it means a lot.
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