Another week of NFL training camps is (almost) in the books as we enter the second weekend of August, and the action is officially ramping up. The first game of the 2026 campaign—which we’ll get to momentarily—is already behind us, joint practices are just around the corner and the regular-season opener is now less than five weeks away.
Before we get there, however, let’s take a look back at the week that was across the NFL.
Here are five things you may have missed at camps over the past several days.
Football is back!
Thursday night marked the long-awaited return of real NFL football as the Cardinals and Panthers faced off in the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, and needless to say, it was awesome.
Is it easy to say the preseason is boring? Sure. Sometimes, frankly, it is. This year’s opener, however, was the exact opposite. Not only did we see 63 total points scored, but two rookie quarterbacks in Carson Beck and Haynes King showed out in their NFL debuts—with the latter scoring the game winning touchdown as time expired.
HAYNES KING WINS IT FOR THE PANTHERS ‼️ pic.twitter.com/HESbUZGhBN
— NFL (@NFL) August 7, 2026
Incredible stuff to kickoff the 2026 season.
Several top players signed lucrative contracts
It was the week of the contract extension in the NFL, as a handful of the league’s top stars signed lucrative deals over the past several days. At the running back position alone, we saw Bijan Robinson sign a three-year pact with the Falcons that made him the highest-paid player at the position in NFL history—until Jahmyr Gibbs one-upped him just two days later. Jonathan Taylor, too, inked an extension with the Colts—putting him at the No. 3 spot in terms of average salary behind the two aforementioned 2023 first-round picks.
Here’s a look at the NFL’s top five highest-paid backs in terms of APY:
- Jahmyr Gibbs ($22.5 million)
- Bijan Robinson ($22.25 million)
- Jonathan Taylor ($22 million)
- Saquon Barkley ($20.6 million)
- Christian McCaffrey ($19 million)
MORE: Grading the NFL’s Latest Round of Massive Contract Extensions
Additionally, wide receiver Zay Flowers signed a four-year, $140 million ($35 million APY, $108 million guaranteed), and the Bears locked up Darnell Wright to a four-year, $116 million ($29 million APY, $93 million guaranteed). Each deal includes the most guaranteed money in league history at their respective positions. Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o also signed a two-year, $16 million extension himself.
Oh yeah, and we’re still waiting on cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon to be extended—both of which seem like formalities at this point.
It pays to play football. Literally.
Aaron Donald officially worked out for the Rams as a return to L.A. looms
As SI’s Albert Breer reported earlier this week, the Rams have a plan in place for the potential return of defensive tackle Aaron Donald—which now seems inevitable after he logged an official workout with the team this week.
That’s right. As noted on Wednesday’s NFL transaction wire, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year was at present at Los Angeles’s camp at Loyola Marymount for a tryout. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it was apparently so he could wear a helmet.
“Aaron Donald wanted to do a workout in a football helmet,” Schefter posted on X on Wednesday. “And even though he did not wear pads during it, he used Rams’ team equipment at their facility during training camp, requiring them to report his activity to the NFL.” Coach Sean McVay called it “the greatest tryout that the Rams had ever seen.”
During Thursday night’s Hall of Fame Game, meanwhile, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that we could have an announcement on Donald’s return to L.A. “within a few days,” while noting that, “they’ll give him a few weeks of on-field activities with his teammates to get him ready for the first game. … I’m told if he comes back, he could get between 30 to 40 snaps in that debut.”
49ers’ injuries continue to stack up
Whether you believe the substation theory or not, one thing is for certain: the 49ers are dealing with a lot of injuries.
On Wednesday, a whopping 20 (!) players were missing from San Francisco’s practice due to various ailments. By Thursday, with SI’s own Gilberto Manzano in town, that number dropped to nine, still a lengthy injury report. Here’s a full look at who missed the session:
- WR Mike Evans (quad)
- ED Nick Bosa (soreness)
- FB Kyle Juszczyk (broken finger)
- WR Jacob Cowing (hip flexor)
- OL Carver Willis (concussion)
- OL Brett Toth (concussion)
- RB Jordan James (rib)
- RB Kaelon Black (adductor)
- RB Nick Zakelj (elbow)
On top of the day-to-day injuries the 49ers are dealing with, third-year wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was placed on season-ending IR last week due to a PCL injury, and tight end George Kittle is still rehabbing the torn Achilles he suffered last season.
Buccaneers have “no plans” to trade DT Vita Vea despite trade request
Despite receiving a trade request from Vita Vea ahead of the start of their training camp last week, the Buccaneers don’t appear ready to oblige. General manager Jason Licht spoke with reporters on Thursday and revealed that they have “no plans” on trading the two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle.
“We love Vita,” Licht explained. “We’ve been engaged with his agent recently. I don't know how it’s gonna end, but we’ve been engaged and that’s at least some progress.”
Vea’s agent, Collin Roberts, told the Tampa Bay Times this week that he “doesn”t see it ending in anything but a trade.”
“I understand players wanting extensions and I totally understand that,” Licht also added, looping in their failed offseason negotiations with quarterback Baker Mayfield. “But sometimes you just don’t see eye to eye on certain things. And that’s just the way negotiations go. But I have the utmost respect for both of these players. And like I said, it’s been very good. The relationship has been very good.”
MORE NFL FROM SPORTS ILLLUSTRATED
- What We Learned at Bills Training Camp: It’s Jim Leonhard’s Defensive Scheme or Bust
- NBC’s Mike Tomlin Looks Like He’s Going to Be a Television Star
- Sportsbook Insiders: How a Potential Aaron Donald Reunion With Rams Would Impact Super Bowl Odds, More
- What We Learned at 49ers Training Camp: Team Leaning on Brock Purdy to Guide It Through Injury Woes
