Packers Surprised By Rich Bisaccia Exit, Interviewed Sam Sewell For STC
Rich Bisaccia‘s abrupt resignation as the Packers’ special teams coordinator was a shocking move, not just around the NFL, but in Green Bay.
“I wouldn’t say we were expecting it at all. It caught us by surprise,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the Combine this week (via Channel 3000’s Jason Wilde). He acknowledge that Bisaccia’s departure was “a big loss” and noted that the veteran coach may pursue “some otther opportunities.”
Bisaccia’s mid-February exit took place long after several other potential replacements were off the market. Among them was Byron Storer, who worked as an assistant special teams coach under Bisaccia in Green Bay for the last four years and Las Vegas for three seasons before that. He took the Browns’ special teams coordinator job under Todd Monken, rendering him unavailable to succeed Bisaccia in Green Bay.
Gutukunst casted the delayed hiring process in a positive light, noting that he would not need to compete with any other teams for his desired coach. The Packers have already interviewed three candidates – Cameron Achord, Tom McMahon, and Kyle Wilber – with Cardinals special teams coach Sam Sewell as the fourth, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
Sewell has spent the last three years in Arizona with previous experience as Eastern Michigan’s running backs coach (2019-2022) and special teams coordinator (2022). The Cardinals’ special teams general ranked in the middle of the pack in 2025, though kicker Chad Ryland‘s field goal conversion rate dropped from 87.5% in 2024 to 75.8% in 2025. The team rotated through three different punters and still finished eighth as a team in yards per punt. They also averaged 11.4 yards per punt return, the 11th-highest mark in the league.
The Packers will look to swiftly fill their last major coaching vacancy as the team turns its attention to free agency and the draft in the coming months.
Colts GM Chris Ballard On Anthony Richardson, Michael Pittman Jr.
Injuries and disappointing play have defined Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson‘s career since he entered the NFL as the fourth overall pick in 2023. The former Florida Gator has played just 17 NFL games, including two brief appearances in 2025, and there is widespread skepticism that he will turn into a viable starter. However, Colts general manager Chris Ballard is not writing off the 23-year-old yet.
“I see a future (for Richardson in the NFL). Yeah, kinda like with any player, you don’t know what’s going to happen. Things change,” Ballard said Tuesday (via Nathan Brown of the Indianapolis Star). “But we like Anthony.”
Andrew Luck‘s shocking preseason retirement in 2019 left the Colts without a long-term plan under center. The Luck-less Colts deployed Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan and Carson Wentz as their starter for a year apiece from 2019-22. Tired of cycling through short-term stopgaps, Ballard bet big on the athletically gifted Richardson going from raw prospect to franchise quarterback.
The Richardson gamble has not worked out at all. Various injuries and demotions limited him to 15 starts in his first two seasons. During an 11-start 2024, the 6-foot-4, 244-pounder completed an astoundingly low 47.7% of 264 pass attempts. The Colts left the door open for Richardson to remain their QB1 last year, but he would have had to beat out free agent acquisition Daniel Jones. Not only did Jones win the summer competition, but the former Giants first-rounder went on to enjoy the best season of his career.
Jones’ resurgent season concluded with a ruptured Achilles in Week 14, which could have opened the door for a healthy Richardson down the stretch. Unfortunately for Richardson, he was on the shelf then after suffering an orbital fracture in a freak accident with an exercise band in October. Richardson finished 2025 on IR while continuing to deal with vision problems. He is now “cleared to play football,” Ballard announced.
With both Jones and Richardson unavailable last December, the Colts stunned in calling the 44-year-old Rivers out of retirement. Rivers, then a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist, agreed to reset his Canton clock five years and come back in an effort to save the free-falling Colts. All three of Rivers’ starts were must-see TV, but the Colts didn’t win any of them. After going 8-5 in Jones’ starts, the Colts went 0-4 with Rivers and Riley Leonard to complete a second-half collapse.
The Colts will not run it back again with Rivers, who went back into retirement at the end of the season. Meanwhile, Jones is coming off a serious injury and without a contract for next 2026. However, the pending free agent is expected to re-sign with the Colts and continue as their starter. That would leave Richardson as a backup again, which may be the most likely outcome. Richardson would not bring back much in a trade, and releasing him wouldn’t save the Colts any money.
If Richardson is still on the Colts’ roster on May 1, it would be fair to expect them to decline his projected $23.50MM fifth-year option by then. That would set Richardson up for a trip to free agency in March 2027. He may have to wait until then to potentially salvage his career with another team.
Like Richardson, Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is facing an uncertain future this offseason. The six-year veteran logged 80 catches, 784 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025. Those aren’t bad numbers, but they may not be worth a bloated $29MM cap hit next season. While releasing Pittman before March 15 would save the Colts $24MM, parting with him is not a foregone conclusion.
“I think the world of Pitt and who he is as a player,” Ballard said (via Brown). “Any suggestion that he’s not going to be here (next season) is a pure hypothetical, in my mind.”
Despite Ballard’s affinity for Pittman, he will remain a player to monitor over the next couple of weeks. Getting Pittman’s money off the books may aid the Colts in their quest to keep Jones and pending free agent wideout Alec Pierce.
Bears Grant LB Tremaine Edmunds Permission To Seek Trade
The Bears are allowing veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to seek a trade, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Edmunds, 27, has started 45 games in Chicago over the last three years. He arrived in 2023 as a replacement for Roquan Smith, who had been traded to the Ravens during the 2022 season. The Bears gave Edmunds a four-year, $72MM deal ($41.8MM fully guaranteed); his $18MM AAV ranks third among inside linebackers.
Originally the No. 16 pick by the Bills in 2018, Edmunds partnered with Matt Milano in the middle of Buffalo’s defense for the first five years of his career. He led the team in tackles in all but one year and earn Pro Bowl nods in 2019 and 2020.
Edmunds finished his time in Buffalo with 565 tackles (32 for loss), 35 passes defended, and five interceptions in 74 starts. He dealt with a few injuries but only missed eight games.
In Chicago, Edmunds played alongside T.J. Edwards and racked up 335 tackles (11 for loss), 24 passes defended, and nine interceptions in the last three years.
High-end inside linebacker play can be hard to find, so Edmunds could garner some interest on the trade market. He is one of two linebackers this century with at least 900 tackles and 50 passes defended before turning 28, per senior NFL researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno. The other is Luke Kuechly, who was recently elected into the Hall of Fame.
Edmunds’ size, athleticism, and youth are all major pluses; he has also improved as a tackler and in coverage throughout his career. The importance of experience and processing at the linebacker position also helps Edmunds’ value, as many veteran LBs get better with age.
However, Edmunds is owed $15MM next season, per OverTheCap. Since 2026 is the last year of his current contract, he may want an extension from a new team. That could be an obstacle to a trade, as teams may not want to pay him at the top of the linebacker market. They may also be waiting for the Bears to simply release Edmunds rather than use draft capital to acquire him and his pricey salary. Allowing a player to seek a trade is often a precursor for releasing that player as a cap casualty. Chicago would save $15MM against the 2026 salary cap with such a move with a $2.44MM dead cap charge.
The Bears would then have to find a replacement for Edmunds in the middle of their defense. Noah Sewell and D’Marco Jackson – who both played over 300 snaps in 2025, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required) – will likely compete for the starting job next to Edwards.
Bills Could Move Taron Johnson To Safety
Taron Johnson, one of the Bills’ longest-tenured players, has worked as a nickel cornerback throughout his eight-year career. With Johnson set to play his age-30 season in 2026, a position switch could be in store. The Bills will consider moving Johnson to safety next season, general manager Brandon Beane told reporters (via Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News).
Transitioning Johnson to safety could be among many changes defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard implements in his first year on the job. Both in terms of style and personnel, Leonhard’s unit will look far different than the defense the Bills ran under former head coach Sean McDermott from 2017-25.
The Bills deployed a four-man base, leaned on zone coverage and rarely blitzed during the McDermott era. With McDermott and previous Bills D-coordinator Bobby Babich out, the team will primarily go to a 3-4 in 2026. At the same time, expectations are that Leonhard will rely more on man coverage and blitzes.
Johnson didn’t come off the board until Round 4 of the 2018 draft, but the Weber State product held his own under McDermott for most of the coach’s tenure. After Johnson thrived in his first six seasons, Beane authorized a three-year, $31MM extension in March 2024. The deal temporarily made Johnson the highest-paid slot corner in the league, though injuries have contributed to a decline in performance over the past couple of years.
Johnson has sat out nine games since 2024, including four last season. Over 13 games and eight starts in 2025, Johnson totaled 57 tackles and four passes defensed. He went without an interception, but picks were never a big part of the package even when Johnson was at his best (he has just six in his career). Pro Football Focus ranked Johnson’s play 74th among 112 qualifying corners last year.
Despite Johnson’s struggles, Leonhard is eager to work with him. As a former NFL safety, including in Buffalo, Leonhard has a deep knowledge of the position. He may have full confidence in Johnson emerging as the solution alongside the entrenched Cole Bishop next season.
Earlier this month, during Leonhard’s first press conference with the Bills, the former Broncos defensive pass-game coordinator spoke glowingly of Johnson (via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic).
“Finding out the perfect role for a player like that is very high on our priority list,” he said. “What it exactly is gonna look like is yet to be determined a little bit, but I love the player, I love the personality, I had a great conversation with him. He’s excited for the change. Not knowing what it is, right? And he knows that we’re gonna communicate with him and find out what’s right because he’s been an extremely productive player in the NFL.”
Pairing Johnson with Bishop would take care of an important offseason issue for the Bills, who are facing serious questions at safety. Former star Jordan Poyer played far better than expected over 10 games and nine starts in 2025, but he’s going to turn 35 in April. Poyer is also a pending free agent who may retire. Taylor Rapp entered the year as a starter, but he endured a rough six-game stretch before undergoing season-ending knee surgery in October. Rapp is now a surefire release candidate. Cutting him by March 15 would clear $3.08MM in cap space at the cost of just $667K in dead money.
Conversely, there is little financial incentive in moving on from Johnson in the next few months. That will change beginning June 1, at which point releasing Johnson would open up $8.67MM in breathing room. The Bills would then spread $9.5MM in dead money over two seasons. That may be an option down the road, but the Bills have plenty of time before then to evaluate where Johnson fits while exploring safety options in free agency and the draft.
Panthers’ Andy Dalton Garnering Interest
Bryce Young is locked in as the Panthers’ starting quarterback for 2026, but the team may have a new second-stringer next season. Backup Andy Dalton is generating trade interest, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
A three-time Pro Bowler during his run as the Bengals’ starter from 2011-19, Dalton has since achieved journeyman status. Before moving to Carolina in 2023, Dalton divided three seasons among Dallas, Chicago and New Orleans.
Since the end of his Bengals tenure, the 38-year-old has combined for 36 starts, including seven with the Panthers. He briefly took over as the Panthers’ starter when they benched a struggling Young in September 2024. Dalton made five starts then, but after he sprained his thumb in an October car crash, Young reclaimed the position for the rest of the year. The former No. 1 overall pick has held the role ever since.
With Young performing well enough to keep his job in 2025, Dalton saw less action than ever. He attempted a career-low 37 passes over four appearances. His lone start, a 40-9 loss to the Bills in Week 8, came while Young was on the shelf with a high ankle sprain. That may go down as Dalton’s last start as a Panther if general manager Dan Morgan receives a good enough offer. Otherwise, given Dalton’s close relationship with Young, the Panthers may be content to continue with him in the No. 2 role.
Twelve months ago, with Dalton nearing another trip to free agency, Morgan kept him in place on a two-year, $8MM extension. He’s due a 2026 base salary of $3.9MM, which is reasonable for an established backup and even more appealing for a stopgap starter.
It’s unknown which teams have shown interest in Dalton, but Rich Cimini of ESPN points out that he played for Jets offensive coordinator/former Panthers head coach Frank Reich in Carolina in 2023. The Jets are expected to release Justin Fields, while Tyrod Taylor is heading for free agency. That leaves New York as an obvious landing spot for a veteran signal-caller, whether it’s Dalton or someone else.
Falcons To Release WR/ST KhaDarel Hodge
The Falcons are expected to release wide receiver/special teams ace KhaDarel Hodge, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Hodge, 31, arrived in Atlanta in 2022 and took up core special teams duties with a rotational role on offense. After three straight one-year deals, a Pro Bowl in 2024 earned him a two-year, $5.5MM contract signed last offseason.
Hodge continued his special teams work in 2025 and joined the field goal block team for the first time in his career. His participation on offense was reduced to just six snaps per game, and a shoulder injury landed him on injured reserve in December, ending his season. Hodge finished with just three catches for 31 yards on offense and nine total tackles on special teams.
By releasing Hodge, the Falcons will save $2.64MM against the salary cap with a $625k dead cap charge, per OverTheCap. They will still have only $14MM in cap space heading into the new league year, though extending Kyle Pitts off the franchise tag would reduce his 2026 cap hit. Atlanta also have several restructure candidates who would allow them to free up more money entering free agency.
Hodge’s special teams experience should draw him some interest in free agency. He may not be a dynamic receiving threat, but he can eat run-blocking snaps on offense. However, his grades from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) have dipped in that regard in recent years. Plenty of teams still value consistency and stability on special teams; perhaps Hodge could follow former Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams to the Raiders, where he is now a senior special teams assistant.
Bobby Wagner Plans To Play In 2026
Playing his age-35 season in 2025, Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner continued to excel. The 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year does not have a contract for next season, but he “fully intends” to play, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports.
A 10-time Pro Bowl whose resume also includes six first-team All-Pro nods, Wagner has mixed durability with outstanding production over a combined 14 years with the Seahawks, Rams and Commanders. The future Hall of Famer is now coming off his fourth straight 17-game season and his second in Washington, which has signed him to two straight one-year deals. The Commanders inked Wagner to an $6MM guarantee in 2024 and then bumped the number to $8MM a year ago.
While the Commanders sputtered to a 5-12 record after going 12-5 in Wagner’s first season, he remained a bright spot in 2025. Although Wagner went without either a Pro Bowl invite or an All-Pro selection for the first time since 2013, he finished fifth in the NFL in tackles (162) and eighth in pressures (20). Wagner was one of just two players to pile up 150-plus tackles and miss fewer than 10, according to Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus. He also notched nine QB hits, eight tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, four passes defensed and two interceptions.
Along with his gaudy counting stats, Wagner finished as PFF’s seventh-ranked linebacker among 88 qualifiers. The 6-foot, 242-pounder was especially effective as a pass rusher (third) and a run defender (fifth).
With his Commanders future up in the air, Wagner is on track to join a crowded market of free agents at his position. The likes of Devin Lloyd, Demario Davis, Lavonte David, Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean are just a few of many established names seeking contracts. Wagner is one of the oldest of the bunch, but as someone who continues to log sky-high production, he’ll have no trouble securing another nice payday on a short-term pact.
Latest On Cardinals, QB Kyler Murray
11:40am: The Cardinals will explore trade options for Murray at the Combine this week, per OutKick’s Armando Salguero, who offers the Jets as a potential destination. With a weak quarterback draft class behind projected No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, a 29-year-old with three years left of a reasonable-priced contract could draw some interest on the trade market.
9:33am: This year’s round of Combine GM interviews generated an early refrain. This this week represents the GM-speak Super Bowl, and nothing seems to be off the table. Monti Ossenfort joined fellow GMs using this phrase by indicating the Cardinals are keeping their options open with Kyler Murray.
A subsequent report, however, brought an unexpected development. Ossenfort responded in the affirmative to a question about having talked to Murray after his injury-shortened 2025 season. But a source informed ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss no communication has taken place between GM and player yet this offseason.
Ossenfort indeed indicated “all options are on the table” at quarterback. No dialogue between Ossenfort and Murray through late February certainly points to the Cardinals moving toward a separation. Previous reports have pegged Arizona as hoping to move on via trade, but assumptions of a release have taken hold thus far.
Murray, 28, missed 12 games last season but has made 87 starts at QB for the Cards; only Jim Hart and Neil Lomax have topped that among passers in franchise history. Murray is Arizona’s longest-tenured QB1 since Lomax’s seven-plus-season run in the 1980s. While a January report did not close the door on the Cardinals running it back with Murray, a new chapter appears on tap.
It would behoove the Cardinals to get rid of Murray by March 15, the day $19.5MM of his 2027 base salary becomes guaranteed. Thanks to a player-friendly extension structure that brought early vesting dates, Murray is already guaranteed $36.8MM for next season. The Cardinals would surely have to pay down some of the eighth-year QB’s contract in a deal, but finding a taker would benefit their salary cap outlook.
Murray is owed nearly $23MM in base salary in 2026. The Cardinals convincing a team to take on part of that would create cap savings — even in a pre-June 1 swap. Were the Cardinals to cut Murray, they would almost definitely need to designate him as a post-June 1 release (when $54.7MM in dead money would be split over two offseasons). Like Russell Wilson in 2024 (or Tua Tagovailoa this year, in all likelihood), Murray would then be cut on Day 1 of the league year. That comes March 13, which would allow the Cardinals to avoid that $19.5MM 2027 guarantee.
The Ossenfort-Mike LaFleur tandem has kept matters close to the vest here, though a report connected the NFC West club to Malik Willis. The Cardinals will have the Dolphins, known Willis suitors after hiring ex-Packer staffers at GM and HC, outflanked in cap space for Willis — whose market appears promising but hazy due to his limited experience — but it is certainly premature to say the former Titans draftee-turned-Packer backup would be a better option than Murray.
While the Raiders are poised to draft Fernando Mendoza at No. 1, the Cardinals could circle back to one of the other options in this top-heavy class. But one season remains on Jacoby Brissett‘s contract, giving Arizona some options in the likely event Murray is done in the desert.
Chargers Want To Re-Sign OLBs Khalil Mack, Odafe Oweh
The Chargers are not expected to be aggressive with outside free agents; that keeps with the team’s Joe Hortiz-Jim Harbaugh regime trend through two offseasons. But the Bolts do have some high-end UFAs-to-be they want to retain.
Guard Zion Johnson is unattached, as are their two Tuli Tuipulotu sidekick options — Khalil Mack, Odafe Oweh. Although Tuipulotu is now extension-eligible after a breakthrough third season, Hortiz wants both Mack and Oweh back.
[RELATED: Charger OLBs To Be In Demand As FAs]
“They know we want them back,” Hortiz said of Mack and Oweh, via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper. “When players go into free agency, once the season ends, it takes a little bit of time, but we’ll keep chipping away at it, and we’ll see if we can get something done with them. I have no problem having a bunch of great edge rushers.”
Mack played out a one-year, $18MM deal — the highest non-QB one-year pact in NFL history — and turned 35 on Sunday. Missing time with a dislocated elbow, Mack was back after the four-game IR minimum to help a Bolts pass rush refueled by the Oweh trade. The Chargers and Ravens swapped picks along with Oweh and safety Alohi Gilman. Both are moving toward free agency. Oweh impressed after a slow start in his final Ravens stretch. After registering zero sacks with Baltimore last year, he surged to 7.5 in 12 Los Angeles games.
As we covered in our Chargers Offseason Outlook piece, the team holds more than $80MM in cap space and can reach around $100MM with reasonable cuts. That would keep the door open for another Mack contract, and both an Oweh re-signing and Tuipulotu extension could coexist considering all the space available. The Chargers have not spent much on defense since Harbaugh’s arrival, but an Oweh re-signing would change that. No Tuipulotu extension talks have commenced yet, per Hortiz.
L.A. is not expected to tag Oweh; that move is projected to cost upwards of $28MM. This would be a way to ensure the 2021 first-rounder stays, but the team still has until March 9 to conduct exclusive negotiations with the 27-year-old EDGE’s camp. If Oweh reaches the market, he will join Jaelan Phillips, Trey Hendrickson, Kwity Paye and Bradley Chubb among this FA class’ top edge rushers.
Mack has played the past four seasons with the Bolts, accepting a pay cut in 2024 and re-signing in ’25. While Mack has only produced one season with more than eight sacks as a Charger (17.5 in 2023), he has remained a productive cog into his mid-30s.
Hortiz was less definitive about the team’s stance with Johnson, who saw his fifth-year option declined in 2025. Addressing Johnson’s free agency, the third-year GM said the Chargers will “see how the market goes, if he gets to the market.”
With this year’s guard class including several older players, Johnson could cash in. Popper projects a deal that could reach $20MM per year. Johnson joins Ed Ingram, Dylan Parham and Daniel Faalele as notable first-time UFA guards. The 2022 Bolts first-rounder has been durable — among the only Charger O-linemen able to make that claim — and has served as a four-year starter.
Declining to address whether the Chargers would move off Mekhi Becton‘s two-year, $20MM contract after a disappointing season, Hortiz said the team will “try” to replace the recently retired Bradley Bozeman in free agency. The veteran center loomed as a cut candidate but opted to retire after eight seasons.
Sean Payton Expects Broncos To Extend GM George Paton
George Paton worked with the Saints to acquire Sean Payton‘s rights in 2023, giving up power in the process. The Super Bowl-winning head coach is the lead Broncos decisionmaker now, stepping into that role after Paton’s disastrous 2022.
Denver’s decision to hire Nathaniel Hackett and complete a trade-extension sequence with Russell Wilson set the franchise back, moving Paton to a hot seat considering his lack of a past with the incoming HC. But the Payton-Paton tandem has worked well together, hitting on some key draft choices and completing a round of team-friendly extensions.
[RELATED: Payton Cedes Play-Calling Duties To Davis Webb]
Paton is in the final year of a six-year contract, one agreed to after he succeeded John Elway as Broncos GM. Although rumblings about Vikings interest in a reunion with Paton surfaced, Payton expects an extension for the GM to happen soon.
“It’s overdue,’’ Payton said, via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. “I say that respectfully to the process, but he and I have a great working relationship. So my job wouldn’t be as fun or as exciting if he wasn’t a part of it. That should be something that gets handled quickly.”
Denver’s power brokers engineered two playoff berths despite the record-setting Wilson dead cap on the payroll. Wilson’s $32MM number did not impede the Broncos on their path to the AFC’s No. 1 seed. That money is now off the books, giving the team an opportunity to build around Bo Nix‘s rookie contract. The Broncos agreed on a host of extensions last year, paying the likes of Zach Allen, Courtland Sutton and Nik Bonitto a year after extending Patrick Surtain, Garett Bolles, Jonathon Cooper and Quinn Meinerz. Six 2025 Pro Bowlers came from that septet, giving Paton more momentum after his rocky start.
Elway lasted 10 years in the GM chair, stepping down after the 2020 season. The Broncos hired Paton, the former Vikings assistant GM who had long been a GM candidate. After three years working with Payton, the seasoned exec looks set to sign another contract this offseason (as lame-duck status would await otherwise).
Elsewhere on the Broncos’ staff, Tomasson adds they are hiring recent Drake staffer Kyle Kempt as an offensive assistant. A former Iowa State quarterback in the 2010s, Kempt served as Drake’s QBs coach last season. He was a Matt Campbell assistant with the Cyclones for six years prior to the Drake move.