$30 billion expected to be legally wagered on 2025 NFL season
Americans are expected to wager an estimated $30 billion on the 2025 NFL season through legal U.S. sportsbooks, according to the American Gaming Association.
Fox – 5 DC
- Cleveland Browns second-round pick Quinshon Judkins is the only unsigned player from the 2025 NFL Draft.
- An offseason misdemeanor battery charge against Judkins was dropped, but a contract agreement has not immediately followed.
- Coach Kevin Stefanski has not provided an update on Judkins’ status or confirmed if he will play in Week 1.
A total of 257 players were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Just one remains unsigned as the start of the 2025 season draws near.
The Cleveland Browns have yet to reach an agreement with second-round running back Quinshon Judkins. The 21-year-old was the third running back selected in the 2025 NFL Draft overall after racking up 1,060 yards and 14 touchdowns during his lone season at Ohio State.
Judkins (5-11, 221 pounds) was expected to quickly emerge as a big-bodied backfield leader in Cleveland. Instead, he may not be under contract for Week 1, and it remains unclear exactly when he might be able to debut for the Browns.
Why is Judkins unsigned, and when could he ultimately join the Browns? Here are the latest updates on his contract and status as the 2025 NFL season arrives.
When will Quinshon Judkins sign?
The Browns “are hopeful that Judkins will join the team in Berea this week,” Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports, but it remains unclear whether the second-round rookie will join the team ahead of Week 1.
Judkins remains unsigned after an offseason during which many NFL second-round picks remained unsigned long-term in an attempt to negotiate fully guaranteed contracts. Seven players were successful in achieving that goal, including fellow Browns second-rounder and No. 33 overall pick, linebacker Carson Schwesinger.
Judkins staying unsigned “may or may not have to do with the full guarantee,” Cabot reports. The Ohio State product was the 36th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which gives him a slot value of just under $11.39 million, per Spotrac.com.
The other complicating factor of Judkins’ signing – or lack thereof – was an offseason arrest on a misdemeanor battery charge. The Broward County State Attorney’s Office announced Aug. 14 it was declining to move forward with the charge against him, but that did not spark an immediate signing with the Browns.
As such, the timeline for the 21-year-old to agree to a deal with the Browns remains murky.
Quinshon Judkins contract update
The Browns have remained mum about Judkins’ status. That continued at coach Kevin Stefanski’s media availability on Monday, Sept. 1, ahead of the team’s Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“I don’t have an update,” Stefanski said when asked about Judkins’ status.
Similarly, Cleveland’s assistant general manager Catherine Hickman did not provide an updated timeline for Judkins to sign his contract at her Monday media availability.
Will Quinshon Judkins play in Week 1?
Stefanski expressed uncertainty about how quickly Judkins would be able to get up to speed upon signing a deal.
As such, the sixth-year coach wouldn’t commit to the rookie running back playing in Week 1 even if he joins the team Wednesday or Thursday.
“I can’t get into that,” Stefanski said. “Hard to speculate.”
Browns RB depth chart
The Browns currently have three running backs on their 53-man roster and five in their organization as a whole. Below is a look at their available running backs:
- Jerome Ford
- Dylan Sampson
- Raheim Sanders
- Trayveon Williams (practice squad)
- Ahmani Marshall (practice squad)
Ford figures to be the primary beneficiary of Judkins’ absence. The fourth-year back averaged a career-best 5.4 yards per carry last season while splitting carries with Nick Chubb and D’Onta Foreman. He should be the backfield leader ahead of Sampson, a fourth-round rookie, and Sanders, an undrafted rookie whom the Browns claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Chargers.
It isn’t clear exactly where Judkins would slot into Cleveland’s depth chart upon signing. He would likely earn a top-three role out of the gate, but it may take him time to leapfrog Ford and Sampson in the team’s pecking order.
Source link
#Latest #news #Browns #rookie