Giants To Sign FB Patrick Ricard
John Harbaugh is bringing another Raven to New York. Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard is joining the Giants on a two-year deal, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
More to come.
Steelers Extend DT Cameron Heyward
Cameron Heyward is once again re-upping with the Steelers. The long-time defensive tackle is inking a new two-year deal with Pittsburgh, according to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic.
Heyward still had a year remaining on his deal, but this new agreement effectively rips up that previous contract. The new two-year contract is worth $32.25MM, per DeFabo. The deal includes $16.25MM in guaranteed money, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Notably, Heyward’s annual earnings now represent the most lucrative deal for an NFL defensive player in NFL history who’s 36 years or older, per Rapoport. The move will also free up about $5.5MM in cap space for the organization.
A 2011 first-round pick, Heyward has spent his entire career in Pittsburgh. The defensive lineman is second in franchise history in games played (behind Ben Roethlisberger), and he paced the franchise leaderboard in tackles for loss (142). He’s earned six All-Pro nods and seven Pro Bowl appearances during his 15-year career.
More to come…
Titans To Sign DT Jordan Elliott
More Robert Saleh connections are forming on the veteran coach’s first Titans roster. After the ex-Jets HC reunited with Jermaine Johnson and John Franklin-Myers from his Jets days, Saleh’s D-line will also include a recent 49ers charge.
Jordan Elliott will follow Saleh from San Francisco to Tennessee, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The veteran defensive tackle agreed to a two-year, $8MM deal that can max out at $8.5MM. Elliott spent the past two years in San Francisco, the second spent under Saleh’s tutelage.
Deployed as a near-full-time starter with the 49ers under Nick Sorensen in 2024, Elliott started every game under Saleh last season. Overall, the former Browns draftee started 29 games with the 49ers. He joins a Titans team that is reshaping its front around Jeffery Simmons. With Sebastian Joseph-Day a free agent, Tennessee traded two-year nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat to the Jets for Johnson.
Elliott figures to slide in as a second-string option behind Simmons and Franklin-Myers, with the latter two tied to $45MM per year combined. While Elliott has been a starter for the past four seasons, Franklin-Myers is certainly not on a three-year, $63MM deal to be a rotational option.
More to come.
Eagles To Sign TE Johnny Mundt
Johnny Mundt was released by the Jaguars on Monday, but the veteran blocking tight end did not stay on the market for long. He has agreed to a one-year deal with the Eagles, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
More to come.
Bears To Sign DB Cam Lewis, DE Kentavius Street
The Bears are adding some meaningful depth to their defense. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the team is signing defensive back Cam Lewis to a two-year deal. Meanwhile, Jordan Schultz reports that the Bears have also agreed to a deal with defensive end Kentavius Street.
While he never had a major role with the Bills, Lewis was a popular player in Buffalo. After going undrafted out of State University of New York at Buffalo, he caught on with the Bills in 2019. He proceeded to spend the next seven seasons with the organization, working his way up from practice squad player to part-time starter.
Lewis saw his most responsibility over the past two years, when he got into a combined 968 defensive snaps. He started 10 of his 34 appearances over that stretch, tallying 111 tackles, eight passes defended, and a pair of forced fumbles. He notably played all over the defense, spending time at safety, outside and slot cornerback, and even defensive line. He’ll likely serve a versatile role in Chicago, although the Bears secondary remains in flux with a number of players hitting free agency.
More to come…
Panthers To Sign C Luke Fortner
The Panthers may have found their replacement for Cade Mays. The team is set to sign veteran center Luke Fortner, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
It’s a one-year deal for Fortner, per Pelissero. The contract will pay the lineman up to $4.75MM.
The 2022 third-round pick spent the first three seasons of his career in Jacksonville. He was a full-time starter through his first two years, but he was limited to only 13 offensive snaps in 17 games in 2024. Predictably, the Jaguars moved on from him following that campaign, trading him to the Saints for defensive tackle Khalen Saunders.
Fortner returned to the starting lineup during his lone season in New Orleans, starting 10 of his 17 appearances. Pro Football Focus believed this was the best showing of the lineman’s career, ranking him 17th among 37 qualifying centers. The site ultimately credited him with three sacks allowed and 11 pressures allowed.
Mays joined the Lions yesterday on a three-year deal, and with center/guard Austin Corbett also unsigned, the Panthers had a major hole on their offensive line. Fortner will surely be penciled in for the starting gig entering training camp, but he could face some competition from special teamer Nick Samac or any other offseason acquisition.
Teddy Bridgewater To Rejoin Lions
Teddy Bridgewater is not heading back to retirement. The high school coach-turned-Buccaneers backup is heading back to Detroit. Bridgewater will rejoin the Lions, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
Bridgewater’s first stint with the Lions came in 2023, when he barely saw the field as Jared Goff‘s primary backup. He opted to retire following that campaign and became a high school football coach. However, he returned to Detroit late in the 2024 season, bumping Hendon Hooker from his role as QB2. Bridgewater made a brief cameo during the team’s Divisional Round loss to the Commanders, but he otherwise didn’t play that season.
Instead of returning to his HS coaching gig, Bridgewater decided to continue his playing career in 2025. He signed with the Buccaneers in late August and spent the season serving as Baker Mayfield‘s top backup. Bridgewater got playing time in four contests, connecting on eight of his 15 pass attempts for 62 yards.
Now, he’ll return to a familiar spot in Detroit. Besides his first stint with the organization, Bridgewater also has a connection to Dan Campbell, who was on the Saints coaching staff during the QB’s stint in New Orleans. The Lions needed some depth at the position following the loss of backup QB David Montgomery Kyle Allen, and they landed on a familiar face.
Goff hasn’t missed a game since the 2021 season, so the Lions may be content entering the regular season with only the two veteran signal callers. Of course, in the scenario where Goff is forced to miss time, it seems unlikely that Bridgewater can keep the offense humming. The 33-year-old last started a game in 2022 with the Dolphins. His last full-time starting gig came with the Broncos in 2021. That season, Bridgewater guided his squad to a 7-7 record in his 14 starts, connecting on 66.9 percent of his passes for 3,052 yards, 18 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Still, the Lions clearly value Bridgewater’s veteran savviness, and the team is obviously operating under the assumption that they won’t have to lean on their QB2 in 2026.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Lions To Re-Sign CB Rock Ya-Sin
Rock Ya-Sin emerged as a key part of the Lions’ secondary in 2025, and he is now set to reprise his role in 2026. The veteran cornerback is expected to sign a one-year, $4MM deal to remain in Detroit, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Ya-Sin, 29, first signed with the Lions last offseason on a one-year, veteran-minimum deal. That turned out to be an excellent value, especially given the injuries that plagued their secondary throughout the season. Ya-Sin appeared in every game, making six starts and commanding a 55% snap share. He put up a career-high nine passes defended, allowed a career-low 74.7 passer rating when targeted, and chipped in 47 tackles, his most since his rookie year.
With Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw both recovering from season-ending shoulder surgery, re-signing Ya-Sin ensures some continuity for Detroit’s pass defense. He will return to the unit alongside D.J. Reed. Both, though, will turn 30 this year, so the Lions may still look to add a cornerback in April’s draft. Rakestraw has only appeared in eight games in his career, and Arnold was trending downward in 2025 before his injury.
Ya-Sin has changed teams in each of the last four offseasons, but his agreement with the Lions will ensure that trend ends this year. Originally a Colts second-round pick in 2019, the former Temple Owl quickly carved out a starting role as a rookie. He appeared in 15 games (13 starts) that year, but only played 13 games (eight starts) in 2020 and 2021. Ya-Sin was traded to the Raiders to Yannick Ngakoue during the 2022 offseason, and the injuries continued in Las Vegas. He was a full-time starter when healthy, but only made 11 appearances.
More to come.
Commanders To Add LB Leo Chenal
After four seasons with the Chiefs, Leo Chenal will join former teammates Andrew Wylie and Nick Allegretti in Washington. The Commanders are signing the young linebacker, NFL insider Jordan Schultz tweets.
Chenal is signing a three-year, $24.75MM Commanders pact. Although this year’s linebacker class is deep, Chenal is one of the youngest options — at 25. The Chiefs re-signed Nick Bolton last year and have Drue Tranquill tied to a deal he inked in 2024. Kansas City, which is reshaping its secondary over the past week, will now lose another key defender.
PFR’s No. 39-ranked free agent, Chenal played a career-high 53% of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps in his contract year. Used in multiple capacities by DC Steve Spagnuolo, Chenal made between 58 and 65 tackles over the past three seasons while starting 44 games in that span. Spagnuolo preferred to use Tranquill over Chenal alongside Bolton over the past two campaigns, but Chenal’s work rate has never the less increased.
Pro Football Focus ranked all three of the Chiefs’ LB regulars in the top 20 at the position last year, and Chenal also submitted a 2023 season with eight tackles for loss. The former third-round pick has five playoff starts under his belt as well. An effective blitzer (seven career sacks), Chenal will be a key piece for new Washington DC Daronte Jones. Though, Chenal’s most memorable NFL contribution came when he saved the Chiefs from a November 2024 home loss to the Broncos by blocking Denver’s game-winning field goal attempt.
Washington has hybrid player Frankie Luvu in a contract year and has not re-signed Bobby Wagner, who has not missed a game during his two Commanders seasons. Chenal will be poised to become a full-time linebacker for the first time, regardless of who Washington puts around him on its defensive second level.
The Chiefs how lost Chenal, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Bryan Cook and Joshua Williams off their defense. The team released defensive lineman Mike Danna recently as well. Spagnuolo’s eighth Kansas City unit will look drastically different than his seventh.
Eagles To Add CB Riq Woolen
Riq Woolen‘s role on a Super Bowl-winning Seahawks defense will not result in a big-ticket multiyear deal, but the free agent cornerback is receiving a notable opportunity. The Eagles are signing him, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.
It is a one-year deal worth up to $15MM for the four-year Seattle regular. Philadelphia pursued Alontae Taylor, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, but that market settled with a three-year, $60MM Tennessee deal. A lower-cost commitment will commence with Woolen, who is being given a higher-end “prove it” deal.
The Seahawks discussed Woolen at the trade deadline and preferred to retain Josh Jobe, who arrived under Mike Macdonald. Woolen was a Pete Carroll-era fifth-rounder who played better under the previous Seattle HC. The 6-foot-4 corner blazed to a 4.26-second 40-yard dash at the Combine, boosting his draft stock ahead of a six-INT rookie season — one that lost out to Sauce Gardner‘s debut for Defensive Rookie of the Year acclaim.
Woolen intercepted 12 passes on his rookie deal and broke up 53, ranking in the 93rd percentile in forced incompletions (per Pro Football Focus). Still, Macdonald used Jobe in front of Woolen during the season’s second half, when the taller CB only topped 70% usage in one of the team’s final eight regular-season games. He still allowed a passer rating of 78.5, ranking 25th among 200-plus-snap CBs in 2025.
Woolen did clear the 70% snap barrier in both Seattle NFC playoff games, notably being whistled for a costly taunting penalty before allowing a third-quarter Rams touchdown. Woolen also defensed two passes against the 49ers and Rams in the postseason. This is a bit of a disappointment for Woolen, market-wise, but the Eagles will land a talented player going into an age-27 season.
Howie Roseman was not running the Eagles when they signed ex-Legion of Boom Seahawk CB Byron Maxwell in 2015 — that was the Chip Kelly-in-charge year — but this Roseman addition will supply an interesting former Super Bowl-winning Seahawk to join first-team All-Pros Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. The Woolen addition should allow DeJean to focus on his slot post, though The Athletic’s Zach Berman envisions more safety time for the standout cover man in base sets.
Philly tried a few measures to fill its No. 2 outside cornerback post last season. Neither Adoree’ Jackson nor Kelee Ringo was a strong option opposite Mitchell, and a midseason trade for Jaire Alexander preceded the former first-rounder stepping away from football. The Eagles are retaining ex-Jets slot Michael Carter II, but it looks like he has accepted a pay cut (Jackson is unsigned for 2026). It would now surprise if Woolen were not the starter alongside Mitchell and DeJean. Sliding the Iowa alum to safety in base formations would be a way to keep all three CBs on the field more often.
The Seahawks have now lost Woolen, Coby Bryant, Boye Mafe and Kenneth Walker from their Super Bowl LX roster. Seattle did re-sign Rashid Shaheed, however. Extensions will be on tap for Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon, and the defending champions’ free agency effort will be cognizant of those upcoming megadeals.