Steelers shuffle LBs, Vikings about-face, Jalen Carter legal update

The Vikings changed their plans, the Steelers shuffled the LB room and a big Jalen Carter legal update are all in our latest NFL Rumors update. 

Even though it feels like the majority of NFL free agency is already behind us, the wheels are still turning with the NFL rumors mill. Whether it’s draft prospects like Jalen Carter having a key update about his future, the Steelers and Vikings making shocking moves, or something else, the football world keeps turning rapidly in the offseason.

So we’re always here to try and help you keep up.

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest NFL rumors around the league right now with breakdowns for what they might mean and how we got here.

NFL Rumors: Jalen Carter takes plea deal, won’t face jail time

Just hours before he was scheduled to speak at the NFL Combine with reporters, Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter had an arrest warrant issued for him in Athens after the revelation that he had lied to police about his proximity and association with a January crash that cost the lives of a Georgia offensive lineman and staff member while injuring others.

Carter left Indianapolis, turned himself in, posted bail, and returned to the Combine. However, the legal process was still playing out, but we got a major update on Thursday.

Per Seth Emerson of The Athletic, Carter reached a plea deal with the prosecution and will not face jail time. He will, however, be on probation for 12 months, pay a $1,000 fine, have to finish a driving course, and serve 80 hours of community service after pleading no contest.

That’s certainly a positive for a player who is considered one of the top prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, widely believed to be the No. 1 overall player by many prior to these revelations. However, he did himself no favors given the off-field controversy now surrounding him by showing up at his pro day this week overweight and out of shape, which showed in drills.

Carter has cost himself potentially a lot of money this offseason. We’ll have to see how badly this causes him to slip in the draft and, more importantly, if these red flags are precursors of things to come, something NFL teams are surely considering right now.