š The Touchdown Collective: May 14, 2025
Trey Hendrickson, George Pickens and James Cook all feature to keep you ahead of the game, one play at a time
Hello and welcome to the second edition of the Touchdown Collective. Today thereās the latest on Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart in Press Coverage, the New Orleans QB situation is the topic of Play Call, Jimmy Garoppolo is the last man standing in Get to the Post, while Inside Zone has the scoop on Jaylon Smithās return. And itās all about Rob Gronkowski in Snap!
š° Press Coverage
Cincinnati Bengals
Thereās a lot going on in Cincinnati at the moment.
Firstly, defensive end Trey Hendrickson says there is an āevident lack of interestā from the Bengals to get his new contract ironed out and things have now got āpersonalā.
Hendrickson released a statement to ESPN saying there has been no progress or communication since the Draft, saying, ārather than using collaboration to get us to a point to bring me home to the team, THEY are no longer communicating.ā
And he went a step further after saying Bengals head coach Zac Taylor texted him notice that he would be fined if he did not show up to a mandatory camp from June 10-12. Hendrickson told assorted media, as reported by Reuters, that he would not play this season on his current deal. He added: āA little bit transpired between me and Zac. We've tried to keep it the least amount personal as possible.
āBut at some point in this process, it becomes personal. Being sent 30 days before mandatory camp, or however many days it is that if I don't show up, I will be fined, alludes to the fact that something won't get done in that time frame.ā
Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Enquirer says it has new details surrounding first-round Draft pick Shemar Stewart and his decision to not yet sign his rookie deal and instead sit out minicamp.
A source told Kelsey Conway it comes down to āroster bonus structure and the language in the participation agreementā.
Essentially, the Bengalsā offer to Stewart is a lower percentage of roster bonuses than the No.17 pick in last yearās Draft received and that, allied with issues around the injury protection section of the deal as well, has led to a standoff.
The Bengals expect Stewart will sign, though, telling the Enquirer: āWe expect that as other first-round draft picks get signed, this will get resolved.ā
Cleveland Browns
For all the talk about Shedeur Sanders before, during and after the Draft (you can read my take on all that in last weekās edition here), you cannot fault his attitude since arriving in Cleveland.
Sanders visited a local high school to speak and give back to the community before rookie minicamp and ESPNās Kelsey Russo reports a very mature response to all the post-Draft noise from Sanders, who simply said: āMy job here isnāt to prove people wrong. Itās to prove myself right.ā
Itās not all been good news for the Browns, though, with linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to miss the season with a neck injury.
Jacksonville Jaguars
āNicest young manā Travis Hunter is gearing up to become the first NFL player in more than 30 years to play both offense and defense on an extended basis this season ā and proved he really can do it all at rookie minicamp. Head coach Liam Coen said: āHe ran a route on Friday where his shoe came off. It didn't affect him and he made a great catch.ā
Hunter, meanwhile, was delighted with his start for the Jags and said: āIt has been a blessing, having fans come out here and check us out. It has been a blessing to come out here with the guys and just come out here and work every day, try to get better. It definitely feels real. It's hot. I love it.ā
Dallas Cowboys
George Pickens says he and CeeDee Lamb can be a great duo in the NFL and that all talk of WR1/WR2 scenarios are wide of the mark because having two receivers of their calibre is ānormalā, Tommy Yarrish on Cowboys.com reports.
Dallas traded a 2026 third-round selection and a late-round pick-swap to secure Pickens, who knows Lamb from off-season training sessions. He said: āIt excites me a lot, because in the game of football, we can work off each other. There's no, āOh he gets the ball, I get the ballā, we're working off each other. Thatās why I always come back to building a winning culture, and thatās kind of what we've been talking about in Dallas.ā
Meanwhile, Cowboys COO/co-owner Stephen Jones says Pickens ācan be a oneā receiver and added in a Sirius XM national radio interview: āHe reminds a lot in our building of Dez Bryant in terms of his competitiveness, what he brings to the field, his edge.ā
High praise indeed.
Buffalo Bills
Running back James Cook, who has had back-to-back 1000-yard seasons, says āhowever it works out, it works out,ā in regards to a new deal.
Speaking at a Celebrity Poker Tour event in Las Vegas, he told Poker Newsā Jon Sofen: āI just make sure the business is a business, and just do whatever I can to always be there for my team-mates, and however it works out, it works out. And then we go play football.ā
With Buffalo not drafting a running back, it seems likely a deal will be done at some point before his current contract runs out at the end of the season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New safety Shilo Sanders says training against a star-studded receiver group will āhelp everybody get betterā. Speaking to the media during the Bucsā rookie minicamp, Sanders spoke about going undrafted, life in the public eye as the son of Deion Sanders and brother to Shedeur, plus the settling in process in Tampa.
On becoming a Buccaneer: āI was just happy for the opportunity. Just grateful. I just want to prepare myself the best I can for this.ā
On going undrafted but still making it to the NFL: āIām forever grateful to the Buccaneers and you know Iām just gonna do everything I can to help this team win, everything in my power, thatās all I want.ā
On being able to train against wide receivers like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin: āItās great, itās gonna make everyone better and Iām a competitor, so you know that it is just a blessing.ā
Detroit Lions
Isaac TeSlaa says getting his own official Lions jersey was a āsurreal thingā. The receiver, who was born in Michigan, wore the Lions jersey he has had since becoming a teenager for his pre-Draft visit.
He said: āIt feels great. No. 18. It's a surreal thing. It feels amazing. Obviously talking about me coming in on my visit wearing my custom jersey I got a few years ago, but it's much better to be wearing my own number with my name on the back.ā
š£ļø Play Call
The Touchdown Collectiveās verdict
Derek Carr announced his retirement from the NFL in an emotional statement over the weekend after medical scans showed he had suffered a labral tear and degenerative changes to his rotator cuff.
Nobody wants to see players ultimately stopped from doing the thing they love (and are actively one of the best on the planet at doing), especially when they still had much to give.
The issue came as Carr ramped up his level of throwing after an injury to his left hand last season and while him leaving gives the Saints some clarity with plenty of time before the new campaign begins, it also creates a massive hole for Kellen Moore and his staff to fill.
Moore confirmed after Carrās retirement that promising but unproven rookie Tyler Shough (selected 40th overall at this yearās Draft), Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener all have a chance to earn the starting spot for the Saints for 2025.
Rattler was, of course, backup to Carr last season, while Haener has also started. But having been 0-7 in games Carr didnāt play in 2024, it seems like Shough has a decent chance of earning the gig ā and he seems ready for the challenge.
āAll you can ask for is an opportunity, at any position," Shough said, via the Saints website. āAnd Iām going to treat it the same way, as if whoever is on the roster, Iāve got to continue to grow and get better and do my best to elevate the QB room and the team. For me, I was going to come in regardless of [Carr] being here or not and try and continue to grow.ā
It does seem like the Saints now have two main options. Plan A: They roll with Shough as the starter and hope that between them their young trio of QBs can plot a path to at least a few wins this season ā even though it is the only quarterback room in the whole league that doesnāt actually have an NFL win to its name. Plan B: They acquire a veteran quarterback who can pick up wins this season, while developing Shough to lead the team in 2026 or even 2027.
And there are two men who fit Plan B perfectly. Step forward Jameis Winston and ā this one is a little out there ā Aaron Rodgers.
In their QB room at the moment the New York Giants have Russell Wilson confirmed as starter, Winston, Tommy Devito and rookie Jaxson Dart ā who has impressed massively so far in minicamp ā which would suggest they could afford to let Winston return to New Orleans after he left there last March.
A locker room leader like Winston, who has been in the building before, knows the staff, knows the culture and can mentor the next gen at the same time in exchange for a few late-round Draft picks sure seems to make sense.
And yes, I know Rodgers to the Pittsburgh Steelers looks like a done deal at the moment and would be a bold move to try to stop, but it must be worth a phone call from the Saints to an as yet unsigned free agent of Rodgersā calibre.
It might be Plan B for now, but turning it into Plan A wouldnāt be the worst idea in the world.
ā Get to the Post
Put it in the diary, we have the first game of the season confirmedā¦
ā¦meanwhile, there is quite the claim being made in Minnesotaā¦
..and Jimmy G stands alone from 2014!
Check out these two great reads by PFFās Mason Cameron, with one move each team in the AFC and NFC should be looking to do before the season starts.
š¤« Inside Zone
Veteran linebacker Jaylon Smith is heading back to the Raiders after sitting out last season, read the Las Vegas Review-Journal report from Vincent Bonsignore here.
Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle is delighted with tight end Colston Loveland, noting āthe biggest thing that stands out is just his ability to finish and his willingness to play through the whistleā.
Jim Wyatt liked what he saw from No.1 overall Draft pick Cam Ward at Tennesseeās rookie minicamp, praising Wardās presence, smooth throwing action and attention to details.
Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr plans to return for the 2025 season after neck surgery last month, but is keeping his options open after meeting with New Orleans, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
šø Snap!
Rob Gronkowski, then of the New England Patriots, leaps to score a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 16, 2014.
š Last weekās poll results ā Q: Was taking Ashton Jeanty so high in the Draft the right move? Your answer was a three-way tie between: Of course, only time will tell and they had bigger needsā¦.
š Last weekās most clicked: Seattle sign 17 undrafted free agents
š© Who am I? Iām Michael Ham, the Daily Star Sunday and Sunday Express Sports Editor ā and an avid NFL fan. I have almost 20 years of experience in sports news journalism and Iām the writer behind The Touchdown Collective.
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