Justin Fields trade grades; NFL free agency best bargain signings; 2026 mock draft

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!

As of today, we are officially one month away from the start of the 2026 NFL Draft. To celebrate, I will be drinking draft beer and we’ll also be celebrating together in today’s newsletter with the unveiling of Pete Prisco’s first mock draft of the year. 

Of course, we won’t only be talking about the draft today: We’ll also be breaking down Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s record-setting deal with the Seahawks. 

As always, here’s your reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. Let’s get to the rundown. 

1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba lands record-setting contract: Five things to know

It’s been a big year for Jaxon Smith-Njigba. First, he was voted the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year back in February, and then he followed that up by winning a Super Bowl with the Seahawks just days later. And now, he also holds the honor of being the highest-paid receiver in the NFL. 

The Seahawks receiver, who was the 20th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, landed a record-setting four-year extension on Monday. Here’s what you need to know: 

• JSN is now the highest-paid receiver in NFL history. The Seahawks star, who’s coming off a season where he led the NFL in receiving yards with 1,793, has agreed to terms on a four-year, $168.6 million extension. The deal pays him an average of $42.15 million per year, which moves him past Ja’Marr Chase ($40.25 million) for the title of highest-paid receiver in the league. JSN’s deal also includes $120 million in guaranteed money. Smith-Njigba is now under contract in Seattle through the 2031 season. 
• JSN had made it clear that he expected a huge contract. During an interview that was held shortly after the Super Bowl, JSN was asked if he thought he should be the highest paid receiver and he was pretty clear with his answer, “I think, I believe I deserve to be the highest paid in my position, just what I give to the game and the community, I give it my all. I think that’s worth a lot.” The 24-year-old’s asking price understandably went way up after a breakthrough year where he caught 119 passes for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns, which were all career highs. 
• Seahawks pick up Devon Witherspoon’s fifth-year option. The team picked up Witherspoon’s fifth-year option on Friday, which means he’s now signed through 2027, and it could also mean that he’ll soon be getting a record-setting contract extension. The Seahawks also picked up Smith-Njigba’s option on Friday and then they turned around and awarded him with a four-year, $168.6 million today. The highest-paid corner (Trent McDuffie) currently makes $31 million per year, so if Witherspoon wants to set a record, he’ll have to top that number. Witherspoon was the fifth overall pick in 2023, taken just 15 picks before JSN. 
• Seahawks have been busy. This is the second big extension that the Seahawks have gotten done in 2026. Back in January, the team signed left tackle Charles Cross to a four-year, $104 million extension. The anchor of the team’s offensive line is now under contract through 2030. The Seahawks will likely now try to get an extension done with Witherspoon. 
• Why Puka Nacua is probably happy about Smith-Njigba’s contract. The Rams receiver is headed into the final year of his rookie contract, and now, he’ll likely be looking to top JSN’s contract number. Nacua has been one of the biggest bargains in NFL history over the past three years. During the 2025 season, he made just $1.03 million in base salary under the terms of his rookie contract and that will go up to just $5.66 million in 2026. Nacua, who led the NFL in yards per game (107.2) and receptions (129) in 2025 is likely now going get a deal that pays him more than $42.2 million per year. 

We’ve got the full details on Smith-Njigba’s record-setting deal and you can check that out here. 

2. Mock Draft Monday: Pete Prisco unveils his first mock

It’s time for another edition of Mock Draft Monday, which is where we hunt down one of our NFL Draft gurus and force them to give you a new mock draft since there’s no better way to start the week than with a fresh mock. 

This week, we have a special mock draft and that’s because it’s from Pete Prisco, who is unveiling his FIRST mock draft of the season. 

Let’s check out his top 10: 

1. Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)
2. Jets: LB Arvell Reese (Ohio State)
3. Cardinals: EDGE David Bailey (Texas Tech) 
4. Titans: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami)
5. Giants: LB Sonny Styles (Ohio State)
6. Browns: WR Carnell Tate (Ohio State) 
7. Commanders: RB Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame)
8. Saints: S Caleb Downs (Ohio State) 
9. Chiefs: OT Francis Mauigoa (Miami) 
10. Bengals: CB Jermod McCoy (Tennessee) 

One pick that stands out here is Jermod McCoy to Cincinnati. The Bengals definitely need some corner help, but it would be somewhat surprising if McCoy landed in the top 10. We have five NFL Draft writers who pump out a new mock almost every week and none of them have McCoy going in the top 10. On the other hand, Prisco has watched more football than almost anyone alive, so it’s possible that McCoy could go right around where Prisco is projecting him to go. 

One other pick worth noting is that Prisco has Cleveland taking a quarterback in the first round. The Browns have two picks in the opening round and after using the sixth overall pick on Carnell Tate, Prisco has them turning around and taking Alabama’s Ty Simpson at 24th overall, the pick they got from the Jaguars in last year’s Travis Hunter trade. 

If you want to see how the rest of Pete’s first round pans out, then be sure to check out his entire mock draft here. 

For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on “With the First Pick” — our year-round NFL Draft podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson. You can find “With the First Pick” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube. 

3. Each team’s biggest remaining need and one player who could fill it

The NFL offseason is all about filling the biggest holes on your roster and most teams got busy doing that when free agency kicked off on March 11. However, every single team still has at least one glaring hole on their roster and we’re going to cover those today. 

Zach Pereles went through the biggest need that each team still has and then came up with one available player who could fill it. 

We’re going to check out what he came up with for five different teams. 

• Patriots: EDGE (Free agent fit: Jadeveon Clowney). Wide receiver could also be an option here. If the Patriots really want to add some pass-rushing firepower, though, they could find many options. Clowney continues to play both the run and the pass at a high level.
• Broncos: Tight end (Free agent fit: David Njoku). Evan Engram had a quiet first year in Denver, and even after trading for Jaylen Waddle, the Broncos could look to upgrade their pass catchers around Bo Nix.
• Cowboys: Linebacker (Free agent fit: Bobby Okereke). Pass rusher and cornerback could both be considered Dallas’ biggest need, but linebacker is another crucial one. DeMarvion Overshown suffered a devastating injury in 2024 and played some in 2025, but regardless of whether he gets back on his ascending path or not, he needs a running mate.
• Packers: Cornerback (Free agent fit: Rasul Douglas). The Packers could look to improve upon the offensive line or the pass rush, but cornerback remains a major area of need. They signed Benjamin St-Juste, who had a nice 2025 with the Chargers but struggled before that. It’s still a need. Douglas played well for the Dolphins in 2025 and had previously been with Green Bay.
• Browns: Left tackle (Free agent fit: Taylor Decker). Offensive line and wide receiver are the two most glaring needs here, but ultimately, protecting the blindside of whomever gets the call at quarterback is crucial. 

As we mentioned at the top, Zach has one big need for EACH team, so if you want to see what he had to stay about the 27 other teams, you can do that here.

4. NFL free agency: Most intriguing offensive signings

When it comes to NFL free agency, there are good signings, there are bad signings and then there are intriguing signings, which is what we’re going to cover. 

Jared Dubin went over every signing that’s been made since the start of free agency and came up with seven intriguing signings on the offensive side of the ball. We’re going to take a look at three of those below: 

• Kyler Murray to the Vikings. Murray is not necessarily a perfect fit for Kevin O’Connell’s offense in a stylistic sense, but he has all of the skills necessary to operate within it at a high level and we’ve seen O’Connell get good results out of basically every non-McCarthy quarterback with whom he has worked in Minnesota. Murray can also allow the Vikings to access areas of the field that some of the other quarterbacks McConnell has worked with didn’t due to his combination of arm strength, mobility and creativity. 
• DJ Moore to the Bills. The Bills have been searching for the last couple years for a true No. 1 receiver. … The open question is whether Moore still has the ability to lead the target tree after a season in which he collected just 85 targets as the Bears added multiple weapons for Caleb Williams around him. Moore did go six consecutive seasons with at least 118 targets before that, though, and had two of his best seasons in Carolina, when new Bills head coach Joe Brady worked as the offensive coordinator. It’s been a while since those seasons, though, and Moore is now in his late-20s. 
• Kenneth Walker to the Chiefs. Walker has at times struggling from a success rate perspective during his career because he chases big plays, but the Chiefs have historically been a high success rate team because defenses dare them to run the ball into light boxes out of fear of giving up big plays to Mahomes. The marriage between Walker’s ability to find the home run and the Chiefs’ ability to grind out short and medium gains should be a fascinating one to watch.

If you want to see Dubin’s full list, you can check it out here. 

5. Fanatics Flag Football Classic: NFL players get run off the field by Team USA

If we learned one thing over the weekend, it’s that NFL players might not be America’s best option if we want to win the gold at the Olympics in 2028. At the Fanatics Flag Football Classic on Saturday, Team USA steamrolled its way through a 3-team round robin with the other two teams featuring all NFL players. 

Here are a few takeaways from the event: 

• Team USA dominated in both of their games. Team USA came out and beat Tom Brady’s team (Founders FFC) 43-16 before moving on and beating Joe Burrow’s team, 39-16. Team USA then played Burrow’s team again in the championship game and beat them 24-14. So why was Team USA able to dominate? According to Tyler Sullivan, it’s because the NFL players didn’t seem to have a firm grasp of how to use flag football rules in their favor. “A large contingent of NFL talent struggled with the rules and overall gameplay,” Sullivan wrote. “From a rules standpoint, NFL players were penalized far more than Team USA, with most penalties stemming from being too physical or blocking in situations where it wasn’t permitted. Some of that can be chalked up to instincts from tackle football, but it put them behind the eight-ball on several occasions. NFL players also had a hard time ripping the flag away from Team USA ballcarriers.”
• Tom Brady didn’t look rusty. The seven-time Super Bowl winner hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2022, but you couldn’t tell based on his performance on Saturday. Brady looked spry on his first play of the day, throwing a touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs (You can see the pass to Diggs here). He then followed that up by hitting Rob Gronkowski for a two-pointer to give his Founders team an early 8-0 lead over Team USA. 
• Burrow had so much fun he wants to play in the Olympics. It’s not clear how many NFL players will make the Olympic team in 2028, but Burrow is definitely hoping that he’s one of them. “I’ve always wanted to play in the Olympics. I’ve never necessarily played an Olympic sport before, so when this got announced, I was pretty excited about it,” Burrow said Saturday. “The opportunity to win a gold medal (is) something that I’ve thought about — a moment like that — for a long time, since I was a kid. I think it would be something very special.” Any Bengals fans who was watching the flag football game on Saturday was likely holding their breath. Not only did Burrow catch several passes, but he made several risky cuts on the field (You can see here and here). He also got tackled once at the end of a play and you can see that here. 
• Odell Beckham eyeing NFL return. The three-time Pro Bowl receiver didn’t play in the NFL last year, but he’s hoping the flag football game will kind of jumpstart his career. “Looking forward to hopefully getting an opportunity to play this year, and hopefully, this is kinda just a starting point,” Beckham said, via USA Today. Beckham had one of the best catches of the weekend that came on a one-hander you can see here. 

If you want the full breakdown of everything that happened at the flag football classic, we’ve got a full set of takeaways here. 

6. Extra points: Cam Skattebo apologizes after making controversial comments

It’s been a busy past few days in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything, I put together a quick roundup for you.

• Cam Skattebo sparks controversy with CTE comments. The Giants running back was asked on a podcast last week if he thought CTE was real and he gave an interesting answer, “No, it’s an excuse.” Skattebo has since apologized for the remark. He also apologized for downplaying the seriousness of asthma. You can read his full apology here. 
• Patriots cut ties with quarterback. The Patriots are down to just two quarterbacks on their roster after releasing Joshua Dobbs on Monday, according to NFL Media. The move likely means that Tommy DeVito will now go into the season as Drake Maye’s backup. DeVito signed a two-year, $4.4 million contract before the start of free agency, which was the first sign that Dobbs was probably on his way out. 
• DeAndre Hopkins willing to reunite with Kyle Murray. During a recent interview with TMZ, Hopkins sounded very open to the idea of joining his former quarterback in Minnesota. “Kyler is like family. Whatever I can do for someone like that — if Kyler needed me, if the Vikings need me, they know I’ll be there.” The 33-year-old Hopkins is a free agent after spending last season with the Ravens. Hopkins also seems open to signing with the Bengals after catching passes from Joe Burrow in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic over the weekend. 
• Falcons add safety in trade with Eagles. The two teams pulled off a trade over the weekend with the Eagles sending Sydney Brown to Atlanta. There was also a swap of fourth and sixth-round picks involved in the deal. The Falcons will be getting two picks from Philly (122nd overall pick, 215th overall pick) while the Eagles will get two picks from Atlanta (114th overall pick and 197th overall pick). If you want to know who won this deal, we graded the trade and you can check out our grades here.