Dolphins Add Jon Robinson To Front Office
New Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan is adding a former GM to his front office. The Dolphins are hiring Jon Robinson as a senior personnel executive, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Robinson met with the Jets about their GM gig in December 2024 and later conducted two interviews with the Jaguars for their vacant post last winter. He didn’t land either position, though, and will now return to the NFL for the first time since the Titans fired him as their GM on Dec. 6, 2022.
Before his seven-year reign in Tennessee, Robinson worked in scouting roles with the Patriots from 2002-12. He left the dynastic Pats to serve as the Buccaneers’ director of player personnel from 2013-15.
The Titans’ firing of Robinson came as a surprise at the time. While the club finished a lackluster 7-10 in 2022, it was 7-5 when owner Amy Adams Strunk canned Robinson. His teams won between nine and 12 games in each season from 2016-21. The Titans earned four playoff berths and two AFC South titles along the way, but they never got past the conference championship game.
Robinson’s ouster happened to come a day after Eagles receiver/ex-Titan A.J. Brown torched his former club for eight catches, 119 yards and two touchdowns. The timing was curious, though Strunk said she had already decided Robinson’s fate before the Titans lost a 35-10 blowout that day. Despite extending Robinson’s contract during the previous offseason, she quickly grew displeased with his roster.
Robinson was wise to spend a 2019 second-round pick on Brown, who developed into a star. On the other hand, in trading Brown to the Eagles for a first- and third-round pick in 2022, Robinson wasted a prime asset. He used the first-rounder, No. 18 overall, on former Arkansas wideout Treylon Burks. The Titans waived Burks last October after he busted over three years in their uniform.
Robinson’s last draft in Tennessee also included third-round quarterback Malik Willis. In assessing the former Liberty passer then, Robinson said: “He was the best player on the board, and excited to add him to the team. … Good arm, athletic, moves around well. Got a really good skillset. Throws a good ball. He is tough to tackle.”
Although Willis did not pan out with the Titans after Robinson chose him 86th overall, that pick is aging better. Willis’ stock is soaring on the heels of a successful two-year stint as Jordan Love‘s backup in Green Bay. Now two weeks away from hitting free agency, Willis will cash in big in March as he seeks a starting job. Robinson’s new team is among the rumored suitors.
New Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley, the Packers’ defensive coordinator during Willis’ time there, reportedly wants to sign the 26-year-old. Sullivan also came to South Florida from Green Bay. The fact that the GM who drafted Willis is now a member of Miami’s front office adds yet another interesting connection between the team and the coveted QB.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/23/26
Here is Monday’s lone minor NFL transaction…
Buffalo Bills
- Re-signed: DT Phidarian Mathis
Mathis came into the NFL in 2022 as a Commanders second-round pick, but he has not lived up to his draft stock. The former Alabama lineman missed all but one game as a rookie as a result of a calf injury. Mathis went on to combine for 22 appearances from 2022-23, though he came off the bench in all of those games and totaled just 25 tackles. The Commanders waived Mathis in December 2024. The Jets claimed the 312-pounder, but he was unable to crack their roster last summer.
Around three weeks after the Jets cut him, Mathis caught on with the Bills’ practice squad in early September. The 27-year-old went on to play in six games and pick up 13 tackles on 120 defensive snaps. Mathis will remain in Buffalo on a one-year pact.
Colts Working On Daniel Jones, Alec Pierce Extensions
The Colts were one of the biggest stories in the NFL in 2025, for reasons good and bad.
The good was a surprising 8-2 start anchored by an even more surprising player: quarterback Daniel Jones. The bad was an 0-7 finish to the year, which included Jones’ fractured fibula and torn Achilles in Week 13 and Philip Rivers‘ dramatic return to the NFL as his replacement.
The Colts had vastly different strengths of schedule during the two halves of their season, with a relatively easy slate to start and a murderer’s row of opponents down the stretch. That, combined with Jones’ injury, makes it hard to know if the current iteration of the team can compete in 2026.
The Colts seem to think so. They are pursuing extensions with Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Both are slated to hit free agency in March after breakout years in Indianapolis.
Jones, 28, did not just put up the best numbers of his career in 2025. He finished the year ranked among the NFL’s top 10 quarterbacks in yards per attempt, yards per game, completion percentage, passer rating, and total QBR. He also led three game-winning drives and three fourth-quarter comebacks in just 13 starts.
The seven-year veteran’s play started to slip before his injuries, which are not expected to sideline him into the 2026 season. But his injury history is a concern, and he did not get the chance to prove himself against many top defenses.
That makes Jones’ valuation a little tricky, but somewhere in the region of $35MM would make sense. Fellow 2018 first-round reclamation projects Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield signed for similar amounts after re-establishing themselves as starting-caliber QBs. Jones and the Colts have mutual interest in reaching a deal, according to Pelissero.
Pierce, 25, posted career-highs of 47 receptions and 1,003 receiving yards. He also led the NFL in yards per reception for a second year in a row. With George Pickens likely to be tagged by the Cowboys, Pierce could be the top wideout available in free agency. The Colts will try to lock him up before he hits the open market, but that may require an offer well over $20MM per year.
Discussions with both players “have been good” thus far, per FOX 59’s Mike Chappell, with negotiations expected to continue at the Combine in Indianapolis this week.
A franchise or transition tag is an option for Jones or Pierce (though not both), per Pelissero, though the latter makes far more sense for their valuations. A transition tag for Jones would cost $40.8MM, while Pierce’s would cost $25MM. However, those numbers would be on the high-end for a potential long-term deal and the tagged player would be able to negotiate with other teams.
The Colts are currently projected to have $35.7MM in cap space in 2026, per OverTheCap, with ways to create upwards of $50MM more. The team could afford to extend both players, or extend one and tag the other while still having room to address other needs in free agency.
Rams Add Kliff Kingsbury, Robert Woods To Staff; Aubrey Pleasant Not Returning
Kliff Kingsbury agreed to join the Rams’ coaching staff on Feb. 6, but his specific role was not publicized for over two weeks. The Rams announced Monday that Kingsbury will work as an assistant head coach.
Kingsbury is officially returning to Southern California three years after serving as an offensive analyst at USC. After coaching star quarterback Caleb Williams that year, the former Cardinals head coach returned to the NFL as the Commanders’ offensive coordinator in 2024.
The Bears chose Williams first overall in the 2024 draft. Kingsbury wound up helping the No. 2 pick, Jayden Daniels, to an otherworldly rookie campaign. Not only did the dual-threat signal-caller earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, but he guided the Commanders to the NFC title game. Philadelphia steamrolled Washington that day, 55-23, and the Commanders did not bounce back last season.
With Daniels and No. 1 wide receiver Terry McLaurin battling injuries that cost them a combined 17 games, the Commanders’ offense plummeted from fifth in scoring to 22nd in the matter of a year. The team reversed its record from 12-5 to 5-12, and Kingsbury reportedly clashed with Commanders general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn along the way.
Kingsbury and the Commanders went their separate ways Jan. 6, but he drew plenty of interest in the month before he agreed to partner up with McVay. The 46-year-old interviewed for head coaching vacancies in Baltimore and Tennessee. He also talked to those two teams and the Giants about their offensive coordinator openings.
Brian Johnson, Kingsbury’s colleague in Washington, will rejoin him on Los Angeles’ staff. After two years as the Commanders’ assistant head coach/offensive pass-game coordinator, he’ll serve as a senior offensive assistant.
The Rams’ offensive staff will also include one of their former wide receivers, Robert Woods. A highly successful Ram from 2017-21, Woods retired from playing on Feb. 17. The 33-year-old will now reunite with McVay, who’s bringing Woods aboard as an assistant WRs coach.
McVay also hired former Rams offensive lineman Brian Allen, one of Woods’ old teammates, as an assistant OL coach. The 30-year-old Allen played his entire career as a member of the Rams, with whom he started in 32 of 50 games from 2018-23. He was the Rams’ No. 1 center on their Super Bowl-winning 2021 team.
In other adjustments to his offensive staff, McVay promoted WRs coach Eric Yarber to senior offensive assistant/WRs and upgraded Rob Calabrese from offensive asssistant to WRs coach. Jimmy Lake will move from senior defensive assistant to pass-game coordinator/defensive backs coach, while Michael Hunter will come in as an assistant DBs coach. Hunter held that job at Ohio State over the past two seasons.
Lake’s promotion suggests the Rams will not retain Aubrey Pleasant, who is no longer listed among their coaches. It’s unclear why the sides appear to have parted ways.
Pleasant first worked for McVay as the Rams’ cornerbacks coach from 2017-20. After dividing the next two seasons between Detroit and Green Bay, he returned to the Rams in 2023. Pleasant was their pass-game coordinator/DBs coach in 2024. He continued to handle the PGC role last season, but McVay also bumped him to assistant head coach.
Pleasant landed D-coordinator interviews with the Cardinals, Browns, Raiders and Chargers earlier this winter. Those teams hired different candidates instead, but perhaps he’ll take an assistant position with one of them or some other club.
Offseason Outlook: New England Patriots
The Patriots are back...depending on who you ask. Most teams could only dream of New England's turnaround in 2025. Following two straight four-win showings, the team ripped off their Jerod Mayo band-aid and opted for old friend and eventual Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel. The results were undeniable. The Patriots won 14 games before a run to the Super Bowl. At the same time, Drake Maye truly broke out, finishing second in MVP voting.
On the flip side, critics point to New England's historically easy schedule, and its run through the AFC playoffs saw them beat a depleted Chargers O-line, a turnover-happy C.J. Stroud and Broncos QB2 Jarrett Stidham. When reviewing their entire 2025 performance, there are rightful reasons for skepticism.
Regardless of your opinion on the quality of the 2025 Patriots, two things can be true. The organization took significant steps forward both in record and future outlook. Plus, besides Maye, the team identified some clear foundational pieces on both sides of the football. At the same time, the Patriots clearly benefitted from some layup opponents, and a step back in 2026 wouldn't surprise many.
Following a spending spree last offseason, there are certainly reasons to believe the Patriots will not spend nearly as much in 2026. However, if the organization wants to prove that 2025 wasn't a fluke, they can't afford to be complacent, as there are still plenty of opportunities for upgrades throughout the roster.
Coaching/front office:
- Defensive coordinator Terrell Williams moved to high-ranking coaching role
- ILBs coach Zak Kuhr promoted as DC replacement
- TEs coach Thomas Brown interviewed for Cardinals' HC job
NFL Not Expected To Make Big Changes To Kickoff Setup
With the NFL’s onside kick setup failing to provide enough drama, executive vice president Troy Vincent suggested last October that changes could be in store in 2026. Replacing the onside kick with a fourth-and-15 or fourth-and-20 play was at least a possibility then.
Current rules dictate that the onside kicking team has to announce its intentions in advance. It was already difficult for the kicking team to recover an onside try before the league introduced that change in 2024. Unsurprisingly, it has been even more of a challenge since then. A meager five of 52 onside attempts were successful last season.
Multiple sources told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that introducing a fourth-and-13 play as an onside kick replacement would be addressed this offseason. However, the competition committee did not have discussions regarding a fourth-and-long alternative during Sunday’s meeting at the scouting combine, according to Vincent (via Kevin Seifert of ESPN). Any tweaks to the onside kick would require 24 votes to pass. There does not appear to be much support across the league for such a radical change, though, per veteran reporter Mark Maske.
“When it was first proposed, it picked up a couple of votes,” Vincent said Monday. “And then it just kind of stalemated. I don’t think there was … much appetite.”
Then the Buccaneers’ head coach, Greg Schiano first floated the fourth-and-long idea to commissioner Roger Goodell over 13 years ago, according to a 2012 Time Magazine piece. Schiano’s suggestion came three years after one of his former Rutgers players, Eric LeGrand, was paralyzed from the neck down while making a tackle on a kickoff. The NFL has since made other significant adjustments to the kickoff in the interest of player safety.
When discussing the kickoff with the competition committee on Sunday, special teams coaches voiced concerns over returners and tacklers suffering concussions (via Maske). However, there will not be any “major changes” to the 2-year-old dynamic kickoff format this offseason, Maske reports. Jeff Miller, the league’s executive vice president, said “the competition committee, the health and safety side agree that we’re definitely on the right track.”
The league moved the touchback spot from the 30-yard line to the 35 in 2025, leading to a massive increase in action. Returners took the ball back on 74.5% of kickoffs last season. The number checked in at 32.8% in 2024.
Malik Willis, Ty Simpson Among QBs Being Evaluated By Browns
The Browns’ quarterback situation could go in a number of directions this offseason. The status quo would see Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson compete for the starting gig, but an outside addition will be explored. 
March will see the free agent and trade markets take shape, and Cleveland will do homework on the top options set to be available. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com specifically names Malik Willis as a passer on the Browns’ radar at this point. That makes Cleveland one of many potential suitors in his case.
Willis is widely seen as the top quarterback on track for free agency. A Packers departure is expected, as the open market is set to present him with a starting opportunity. Cleveland had already been named as a team to watch on the Willis front, with the same also being true of Pittsburgh and Miami. The Dolphins in particular have Willis connections in the form of new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head Jeff Hafley. The 26-year-old could also be pursued by the Cardinals, provided they move on from Kyler Murray.
As Cabot notes, any veteran addition made by the Browns this offseason will not be a short-term rental but rather a passer viewed as having starting potential beyond 2026. That could certainly be the case for Willis if his market reaches expected levels, despite the fact he has only made six starts in the regular season. Cleveland’s financial situation will once again be impacted by Watson’s heavy cap charge, so it would be difficult for the team to win a bidding war.
That leaves the draft as another route to landing a new QB. On that note, Cabot writes Ty Simpson is among the prospects receiving attention in the Browns’ case. The Alabama product is seen as the second-best passer in this year’s class, owing in large part to Dante Moore‘s decision to remain in school for 2026. Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza is on track to be drafted first overall by the Raiders, but Simpson’s landing spot is much more difficult to project at this point.
Having only made 15 starts in college, Simpson is viewed as having notable upside but will carry risk based on his short track record. The 23-year-old’s 2025 season also did not finish nearly as well as it began, something which could hinder his stock. Nevertheless, the Browns – who own two first-round selections along with one in each of the second and third rounds – will have ample opportunity to make another QB investment in April.
Chargers C Bradley Bozeman Announces Retirement
After eight seasons in the NFL, Chargers center Bradley Bozeman is hanging up his cleats. The 31-year-old announced his retirement on Instagram on Monday (via Adam Schefter of ESPN).
The Chargers were the third team for Bozeman, an Alabama product who entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Ravens in 2018. With Matt Skura then serving as the Ravens’ center, Bozeman’s lone start during a 14-game rookie season came at left guard. Bozeman became a full-time starter at left guard in 2019, his first of three straight 16-game seasons.
After Skura left the Ravens to sign with the Dolphins in 2021, Bozeman switched back to center. It turned out to be the last season in Baltimore for Bozeman, who accepted Carolina’s one-year offer in 2022.
Although Bozeman only started in all of 17 games in his first season in Carolina, he was impressive enough for the Panthers to bring him back on a three-year, $18MM contract. The 325-pounder notched a 17-start season in the first year of the deal, but the Panthers released him in March 2024.
A week after his Carolina tenure ended, Bozeman moved to the West Coast on a one-year agreement with the Chargers. Bozeman made just over $1.1MM during another 17-start season, leading the Chargers to award him a raise on a two-year, $6.5MM accord last March.
While Bozeman was again a full-time starter over 16 games in 2025, Pro Football Focus ranked his performance last among 37 qualifying centers. His struggles were among a handful of problems up front for the Chargers, who went without injured left tackle Rashawn Slater for the season and didn’t have right tackle Joe Alt for most of it. As a result of the Chargers’ O-line woes, quarterback Justin Herbert took the league’s second-most sacks (54).
The Chargers may have been in the market for a center this offseason had Bozeman kept playing in 2026. They definitely will be now that Bozeman is walking away after 129 games and 110 starts in the league. His exit will clear the way for yet another new starting pivot for the Chargers. The Bolts have not used the same primary starting center for three straight years since longtime staple Nick Hardwick retired in 2014.
Commanders Re-Sign OL Andrew Wylie
Andrew Wylie was on course for free agency. Instead, he will be remaining in the nation’s capital for at least the next two years. 
Wylie and the Commanders have agreed to a two-year contract, as first reported by Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team. The deal has been confirmed by ESPN’s John Keim, who notes Wylie preferred to re-sign with Washington rather than testing the open market. That will indeed be the case.
According to Meirov, this deal has a base value of $7.5MM. It can reach a maximum of $10.5MM, making this a notable raise compared to Wylie’s most recent contract. In 2025, he took a one-year, $4MM pact to stay in place with the Commanders. The 31-year-old will now be in line to continue serving a notable role along Washington’s offensive line. Wylie will collect a $1.5MM signing bonus, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 adds.
A former undrafted free agent, Wylie found an opportunity for playing time with the Chiefs and established himself as a regular with them. Over the course of five seasons in Kanas City, he totaled 59 starts. That stretch was followed by a three-year, $24MM deal in free agency which sent Wylie to Washington. It allowed the Eastern Michigan product to operate as the Commanders’ starting right tackle.
Things changed last year when Washington drafted Josh Conerly in the first round. Conerly took on right tackle duties during his rookie campaign, and he is in line to continue in that role for 2026. The Oregon alum could be seen as a potential left tackle in the future, but Washington is interested in extending Laremy Tunsil. As long as Tunsil and Conerly are in the fold, Wylie – who drew trade interest in the fall – will be tasked with handling a backup tackle gig; he could also see time at guard, as was the case in 2025.
The Commanders still have a long list of pending free agents whose futures need to be decided on over the coming days. That includes several offensive linemen, but given today’s news Wylie will offer familiarity and a veteran depth presence up front.
Patriots Release Antonio Gibson
After spending his first three NFL seasons in Washington, where he was a 1,000-yard rusher in 2021, running back Antonio Gibson joined the Patriots in March 2024. Gibson inked a three-year, $11.25MM contract to move to New England, but he will not see the deal through. The Patriots announced that they have released Gibson.
Gibson totaled at least 149 carries and 546 rushing yards in each of his first three seasons. He also combined for 21 rushing touchdowns, including a career-high 11 as a rookie, and 124 catches during that span. Gibson added another 48 receptions over 16 games in 2023, but his role on the ground diminished during a 65-carry campaign. He left for the Patriots after that.
Serving as the primary backup to Rhamondre Stevenson last year, Gibson’s rushing attempts nearly doubled from his last season in Washington. He amassed 120 carries for 538 yards, good for a solid 4.5 per tote, and a touchdown. Gibson made less of an impact as a pass catcher, though, notching career lows in receptions (23) and yards (206).
Stevenson and Gibson were still in place last offseason, but the Patriots invested a second-round pick in running back TreVeyon Henderson. The former Ohio State Buckeye went on to lead the AFC champions in carries (180), yards (911) and rushing touchdowns (nine) during a 17-game season. Stevenson put up 603 yards and seven TDs in 14 contests.
Meanwhile, Gibson’s greatest contribution came during a Week 2 victory in Miami. After returning six kicks for 171 yards, including a 90-yard touchdown, Gibson earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. As a runner, Gibson combined for 25 carries, 106 yards and a TD in the Patriots’ first five games. His season ended when he suffered a torn ACL in a win over Buffalo on Oct. 5.
With Stevenson and Henderson sticking around in 2026, it does not come as a surprise that the Patriots are moving on from Gibson as he recovers from a serious injury. Releasing the 27-year-old will save the Patriots $3.14MM in cap space at the cost of $1MM in dead money.