Parker Washington isn’t rushing the business side, and he made that clear while the Jaguars receiver works through the final year of his rookie contract. Washington, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026 season, said contract talks are happening but won’t pull his attention away from what matters right now.
“That’s not my focus,” Washington said, via JagsWire. “ I mean, yes, it’s there, and it’s a conversation, but my focus is just coming out here and I need to make plays for Trevor [Lawrence].
So, that’s my mindset and that’s how I’m going to attack it. I’m not going to step on my agent’s toes.
They can have those conversations. I’m just gonna come out here and do my job.”
Washington also acknowledged the way the receiver market has exploded, but he said his mindset is rooted in his own growth rather than what other players are landing.
“I’d be excited for guys, and like I said, the receiver market is a little crazy and you see guys getting their opportunities and getting paid. I mean, that’s cool, but like I said, for me, I just want to go out here and be my best self and just attack it, you know?” Washington said.
In Houston, Woody Marks is heading into year two with a clear goal: give the Texans more as a pass catcher. After putting up 196 carries for 703 yards and two touchdowns, plus 24 catches for 208 yards and three scores, Marks said he wants a bigger role in the receiving game this season.
“Yeah, for sure. I think he’s doing a good job right now to put me out in different places in a three and a two and on the outside.
He’s doing a great job. I’d say the receivers are doing a great job with helping us with the routes and how to get off press and doing all types of stuff.
Working with those guys, I’d say over the summer and during Training Camp right now, it’s been good getting releases as a receiver,” Marks said, via TexansWire.
Marks also said he’s been leaning into conversations with the offensive line about how to sharpen the screen game.
“I would say in our screen game. We talked a lot yesterday with the defense too, on just how we can get better at screens with the offensive line with the twists and pick stunts that our defense does.
It’s about going over there and not being afraid to say something to those guys because they’re going to need us in the back end to help up in the front end with them. It’s just getting a good relationship with them, it’s been good.
I would say we’ve been picking up more blitzes than we did last year.”
The Texans also locked up linebacker Henry To’oTo’o, and Aaron Wilson of KPRC reported the two-year, $16 million contract can reach $17 million. The deal includes a $6 million signing bonus and $12.424 million guaranteed, along with fully guaranteed base salaries of $1.175 million and $5.25 million. To’oTo’o can also make up to $250,000 in per-game active roster bonuses.
In Tennessee, the Titans made a major investment in guard Peter Skoronski, agreeing to a four-year, $100 million extension with $40.7 million fully guaranteed and $88 million in total guarantee protection, according to Over The Cap. The contract includes a $17 million signing bonus and fully guaranteed salaries of $4,712,274 and $19 million in 2026 and 2027.
Skoronski’s deal also carries salary guarantees for 2028 and 2029. He can earn up to $340,000 per year in per-game roster bonuses from 2028 through 2031, and there’s a $1 million roster bonus due on the third day of the new league year in 2031.
Titans coach Robert Saleh said quarterback Cam Ward had enough time to throw in the team’s preseason opener Thursday, adding, “Cam is capable. We’ve just got to go out and execute.”
Saleh said the staff will keep emphasizing fundamentals with Ward, noting that he has made similar throws in practice and needs to trust himself and the players around him when the game starts counting.
He also said second-round linebacker Anthony Hill looked good in his first outing, though there’s still more for him to learn. Tight end Jaren Kanak’s pec injury is still being evaluated, with MRI results pending. And Saleh said he was impressed by first-round receiver Carnell Tate’s physicality in the run game and the way he won his one-on-one battles, while adding that the team will find ways to get him the ball over time.
In Other News...
Davis Mills Just Reignited A Texans Quarterback Debate Fans Know Well
Davis Mills got his first live work of the preseason in the Texans game against the Chargers, and it came sooner than planned after Graham Mertz left before halftime. Mills stepped in and immediately gave Houston a familiar look, finishing a first-quarter drive with a touchdown pass to Jared Wayne. For a team that already knows exactly where C.J. Stroud sits atop the depth chart, the backup spot still has a way of drawing attention whenever Mills gets on the field.
Mills recent contract extension made clear the Texans value him as Strouds primary backup, but games like this are also reminders of why his name still carries a little extra weight in Houston. He has been around this conversation before, and even in a preseason setting, every clean operation and well-placed throw tends to stir memories of a quarterback room that once looked a lot less settled. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Suddenly Face A Troubling Rookie QB Problem
The Texans preseason opener against the Chargers brought an unwelcome early setback for Graham Mertz, whose night ended after a painful fall while he was trying to escape the pocket late in the first half. Houston had been using the rookie quarterback as part of its preseason evaluation, but the injury quickly shifted attention away from the game and toward the health of a player the team had hoped to keep developing.
What makes the situation more troubling is the uncertainty around just how long Mertz may be out. The early indication is that Houston is bracing for a lengthy recovery, and the team now has to navigate the rest of camp and the preseason without a young quarterback whose progress was supposed to be part of the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Quarterback Battle Just Took A Brutal Turn
Houstons quarterback picture already had some intrigue in camp, and it only got more complicated in the preseason game against the Chargers. Graham Mertz was in the middle of a positional battle for playing time when he exited early, heading to the locker room after what the Texans described as a severe lower-body injury.
The concern now is less about the competition and more about how long Houston may be without him. Team doctors are preparing for a potentially long recovery, which puts the Texans in a difficult spot as they try to sort out the depth chart and absorb another blow at a position that was supposed to be under the microscope all summer. [Read more 🡒]