Titans Eyeing Peter Skoronski Extension
While the Titans fired Ran Carthon after two years, the first of the GM’s draft picks has become a cornerstone performer. Peter Skoronski has started every game he has played through three seasons and will be on track to see his fifth-year option exercised.
Missing only three career games due to injury, the converted tackle has been Tennessee’s left guard starter throughout his career. Although the Titans can/will extend his rookie contract through the 2027 via the option, a true extension will be pursued.
[RELATED: Titans Trade T’Vondre Sweat For Jermaine Johnson]
“We always try to secure our best players early,” GM Mike Borgonzi said. “And that is obviously a tool, an option we can use. But our goal is to get something done with Peter. With Peter, he is one of our better players, and we’d like him here long-term.”
ESPN’s pass block win rate metric has graded the Northwestern alum in the top 20 among guards in each of the past two seasons, slotting him 15th in 2024 and seventh in ’25. Pro Football Focus graded Skoronski fifth overall at the position in 2025, tabbing him as the NFL’s second-best pass blocker among guards. The 24-year-old blocker has generated momentum for an extension.
The Titans are among the teams, however, that have never authorized a post-Year 3 extension for a first-round pick. By exercising Skoronski’s option (a projected $20.5MM, per OverTheCap), Tennessee would move his contract year to 2027. That would buy the organization time. The team proceeded this way with Jeffery Simmons, waiting until 2023 to pay the 2019 first-rounder. They paid 2014 first-rounder Taylor Lewan in 2018, after picking up his option the year prior. Those are the only two first-round picks to receive an extension from the Titans in the option era (2014-present).
Considering some of the failures this organization has run into in Round 1 over the past decade, the Titans will likely be eager to have Skoronski on a second contract. The team has only one big-ticket contract along its O-line (for LT Dan Moore Jr.) presently, but in holding the NFL’s most cap space (increasing that margin by cutting center Lloyd Cushenberry on Thursday) and having Cam Ward on a rookie deal, a Skoronski payday will be fairly easy to accommodate this offseason. The NFL has seven $20MM-per-year guards; Skoronski could be No. 8, depending on when the Titans move to complete this deal.
Giants Not Planning Dexter Lawrence Trade; Contract Talks On Tap
Dexter Lawrence did not play up to his standard last season, and the Giants both changed their coaching staff and their front office reporting structure in the offseason. The team appears interested in gauging Kayvon Thibodeaux‘s trade market, but John Harbaugh slammed the door on Lawrence being available.
“He’s super, super important,” Harbaugh said, via The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. “He’s a cornerstone football player. He’s not really a cornerstone — he’s more like the middle stone. He’s right in the middle and he’s a very big stone and he’s a very active, athletic stone … We want him. We need him.”
[RELATED: Assessing Giants’ Offseason Blueprint]
Lawrence was by far the top asset exchanged in the 2019 Odell Beckham Jr. trade, being the first-round pick the Giants obtained for Beckham that year. The Giants extended the All-Pro defensive tackle in 2023, handing out a four-year, $90MM deal that included $46.5MM guaranteed at signing.
Lawrence, 28, earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2022 and ’23 before tallying a career-high nine sacks in 2024. Last season, the Clemson product only registered a half-sack and tallied a career-low eight QB hits (after recording at least 16 from 2022-24).
While Dave Gettleman drafted Lawrence, Joe Schoen completed the extension. That was a recurring trend early in Schoen’s GM run, with Andrew Thomas and Daniel Jones being paid in 2023 as well. Lawrence’s deal, however, paid out its guarantees last year. As a result, Schoen said (via Duggan) he will meet with Lawrence’s camp this week.
With a trade seemingly off the table — though, Schoen confirmed (via SNY’s Connor Hughes) he will answer calls — extension would allow the Giants to reduce a $26.96MM Lawrence cap number.
“I’m not sure the elbow was great all (of 2025); I think that bothered him a little bit,” Schoen said. “The defense, as a whole, I felt like could have played better. So it’s definitely not Dexter. Nine sacks might have been an outlier before so the expectation rises. That’s rare for a nose tackle. That’s insane for a nose tackle to get nine. It’s in there. He still has a lot of good years left.”
A dislocated elbow sidelined Lawrence late in the 2024 season, with the standout NT reaching nine sacks in just 12 games. The Giants added incentives to Lawrence’s deal last summer. With some updates on the D-tackle market taking place over the past two offseasons, Lawrence’s $22.5MM AAV now ranks 11th among interior D-linemen. Praise from Harbaugh and Schoen this week will do well to arm Lawrence’s camp, even though his down 2025 season does not create considerable momentum for a new deal.
Lawrence’s cap number could do some of the work for him, however. The Giants could also complete a restructure on this contract, but they have historically been against joining the void years trend. That could be good news for Lawrence. Since Aaron Donald‘s retirement and the Raiders’ quick Christian Wilkins cut, the DT market features a gulf between Chris Jones ($31.75MM AAV) and the field; Milton Williams‘ $26MM-per-year contract is second at the position. A Lawrence extension would presumably land in that valley.
Cowboys To Place Second-Round RFA Tender On G T.J. Bass
The Cowboys are showing a strong commitment to their restricted free agents. With a second-round tender coming to kicker Brandon Aubrey, Dallas has another one planned for a lesser-known player.
Three-year guard T.J. Bass will receive a second-round RFA tender, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. The second-round tender price is not yet known, as the salary cap has not been revealed, but OverTheCap projects it to come in at $5.81MM. This will mean around $12MM allocated to two RFAs for the Cowboys.
Bass has been a key backup in Dallas, starting 10 games in relief during his career. Part of the Cowboys’ 2023 UDFA class, the Oregon alum has logged between 315 and 351 offensive snaps in each of his three seasons. Bass split his time nearly equally at LG and RG last season, making starts in relief of Tyler Smith and Tyler Booker. Pro Football Focus graded Bass 29th overall among qualified guards last season.
With Smith extended and Booker locked in at the other guard spot after being drafted 12th overall, Bass has no pathway to a starting job in Dallas. That does make the use of a second-round tender interesting, but the Cowboys are effectively making sure they would collect a valuable asset (a Round 2 pick) if a team signed Bass to an offer sheet and Dallas did not match.
This tender is also interesting due to Bass having only taken snaps at guard as a pro. In place as a second-stringer throughout his Dallas run, the soon-to-be 27-year-old blocker has not made any appearances at tackle or center. Bass, though, came to Dallas after spending his final Oregon season as the Ducks’ left tackle during Bo Nix‘s first Ducks season. Bass moved to LT during his junior season at Oregon, being a guard starter for the Ducks in the 1 1/2 seasons prior to that switch.
Dolphins Almost Hired Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard As HC?
Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard was a finalist for the Dolphins’ head coaching job that went to Jeff Hafley. His comments this week indicate he might have been the runner-up.
“Full disclosure, I was in communication with the Dolphins for about two weeks,” Sheppard said (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “After the interview I was contacted by three people from that front office.” Sheppard not provide more details into his communication with Miami , but said information he received was “as real as it gets.”
Hafley interviewed with the Dolphins on January 17 and Sheppard followed the next day. Hafley’s was announced the evening of Sheppard’s interview. That raised some concern that Sheppard’s interview was a sham, intended only to fulfill the NFL’s Rooney Rule requirement. But he is appreciative of the invitation nonetheless, as the Dolphins were the first team to express formal interest in him for a head coaching jog.
“Real or not, I got the opportunity to do it,” Sheppard said. “Real or fake, I went through the process and I learned a lot and I grew from it, so that’s what I’m taking from it.”
The 38-year-old faced an uphill battle in his first year as Detroit’s defensive coordinator. Several of his top players went down with injuries during the season, forcing them to limp to the finish line as they missed the playoffs. A bounce-back year in 2026 could raise his profile around the league and get him in the mix for vacancies next hiring cycle.
Bears QB Tyson Bagent Drawing Interest
FEBRUARY 26: The Bears will need “a significant package of picks and/or players” to move Bagent, per Essentially Sports’ Tony Pauline. It is hard to imagine a team getting that aggressive on such an unproven passer, but the renaissance of quarterback reclamation projects could encourage one to acquire Bagent and his cheap contract. He is only owed $8.5MM over the next two years. His $4MM salary in 2026 is set to guarantee in March, per OverTheCap, but a team acquiring him would be planning to pay that money either way.
FEBRUARY 24: Shortly before he began his third NFL season in 2025, backup quarterback Tyson Bagent inked a two-year, $10MM extension with the Bears. The deal keeps Bagent under wraps through 2027, but he may finish it in another uniform. General manager Ryan Poles revealed Tuesday that teams have inquired about Bagent. Poles wouldn’t rule out trading the 25-year-old, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Bagent, who joined the Bears as an undrafted free agent from Division II Shepherd in 2023, backed up Justin Fields as a rookie. But Bagent still made five appearances and four starts, during which he completed 65.7% of throws for 859 yards (6.0 per attempt), three touchdowns, six interceptions and a 71.4 passer rating. Bagent has barely seen any regular-season action since then.
The Bears cut the cord on the failed Fields experiment when they traded him to the Steelers in March 2024. Although the Bears won seven games during the Fields/Bagent season, they had already secured the No. 1 pick in the draft thanks to a March 2023 blockbuster with the Panthers.
A month after the Bears dumped Fields, they used the top selection in 2024 on former USC Heisman Trophy-winning QB Caleb Williams. As expected, Williams was the Bears’ starter from Day 1. He has not missed a game two years later.
While Williams’ career got off to a somewhat rocky start during a 5-12 rookie year, he and the Bears made enormous strides in an NFC North-winning campaign in 2025. The Bears went on to win their wild-card matchup against the hated Packers, but their season ended a week later with an overtime loss to the Rams in the divisional round.
With Williams now looking like the long-awaited answer under center for the Bears, Bagent does not have a real path to playing time in Chicago. The 6-foot-3, 212-pounder has attempted just six passes in seven appearances since Williams came to town, but head coach Ben Johnson regards his backup as a starting-caliber QB.
“I do think there is a lot of merit to having a strong No. 2 quarterback, which he certainly fits that bill,” Johnson said Tuesday (via Finley). “I’m of the mind that he’s probably one of the best 32 in the NFL. His preseason tape over the last few years has probably confirmed that, in my opinion. But if I took myself out of the equation, I want what’s best for him. If he would like an opportunity to start, I certainly hope he can get that somewhere.”
That’s a glowing endorsement from Johnson, one of the league’s brightest offensive minds. If at least one other team agrees with Johnson’s assessment, it could put Poles in position to sell high on Bagent this offseason.
Bears Expect T Ozzy Trapilo To Make Full Recovery; Lengthy 2026 Absence Likely
Ozzy Trapilo suffered a torn patellar tendon during the wild-card round of the 2025 playoffs. His availability to the Bears early next season is in serious doubt as a result. 
Missing Trapilo for any considerable period would deal a notable blow to Chicago’s offensive line given his performances as a rookie. The 2025 second-round projects as a potential long-term solution on the blindside, the only O-line spot which is currently unaccounted for in the case of the Bears. While he will likely miss time in 2026, Trapilo is at least expected to make a full recovery.
“We expect him to come back and heal from it,” general manager Ryan Poles said when speaking at the Combine (via Kole Noble). “There’s a plan in place. I can’t get into the timelines or anything like that, I just don’t know. But, yeah, we expect him to be back and be himself. Pretty significant injury that he’s got to get through, but in terms of affecting his overall career or next year, I don’t see that being an issue.”
The starting left tackle gig was a talking point throughout the 2025 offseason. Incumbent Braxton Jones found himself benched early in the season before a knee injury of his own led to a lengthy spell out of the picture. Along with Trapilo, Theo Benedet saw considerable time in the lineup as Chicago cycled through its LT options. Jones is a pending free agent, and a departure would come as little surprise in his case.
That could leave Benedet and 2024 third-rounder Kiran Amegadjie as left tackle options early next season. Afterwards, Trapilo could work his way back into the fold upon returning to full strength. The 24-year-old’s attention will be focused on recovery for several more months, but becoming available at some point next season will of course be a welcomed sign for the Bears.
Giants Willing To Hear Trade Offers For Kayvon Thibodeaux
FEBRUARY 26: After just two days of the Combine, Thibodeaux has become a “name to keep an eye on,” for a potential trade, per SNY’s Connor Hughes. With Burns and Carter as their starting edge rushers, Thibodeaux may not be in the long-term plans of the Giants’ new regime. They will listen to trade offers, with some around the league expected Thibodeaux to eventually be dealt to another team.
FEBRUARY 24: Kayvon Thibodeaux was the subject of trade talks leading up to the deadline. No deal was reached, leaving him on course to remain with the Giants in 2026. 
New York picked up Thibodeaux’s fifth-year option last spring. As a result, he is due $14.75MM next season. A full-time starting gig does not await in this case, but the former No. 5 selection appears to still be in the Giants’ plans at this point.
“Right now, Kayvon’s gonna be with us,” general manager Joe Schoen said at the Combine on Tuesday (via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). “He played well. He is going into his fifth year, and he’s motivated, and you can’t have enough pass rushers.”
Thibodeaux appeared to hit his stride during his second Giants season, posting 11.5 sacks and 35 quarterback pressures. The Oregon product has missed notable time through injury during both of his subsequent campaigns, however. Thibodeaux played 12 games in 2024 before managing 10 this past year. With only eight sacks across that span, he is not in position to operate as an edge rushing anchor for New York.
Brian Burns has proven to be an effective trade acquisition for the Giants. The former Panther has been a strong producer in two New York seasons, and he posted a career-high 16.5 sacks in 2025. Meanwhile, Abdul Carter saw his usage rate increase late in the year and he managed most of the output from his four-sack season down the stretch. Carter, selected third overall last spring, figures to pair with Burns as the Giants’ top edge rushers for years to come.
That leaves Thibodeaux in an interesting position. The 25-year-old has logged a snap share of at least 72% every year to date, but a path to a larger workload would only exist in the event of an injury to Burns and/or Carter. Extending Thibodeaux given his spotty track record would carry risk, while finding a trade partner willing to part with notable draft capital would no doubt be a challenge. Schoen noted (via Dan Duggan of The Athletic) no trade talks have occurred so far this offseason.
Free agency is set to include a number of veteran pass rushers like Trey Hendrickson and Bradley Chubb. Several younger options are on track to reach the market for the first time, and suitors could prefer to invest in them rather than acquiring Thibodeaux. In that case, efforts to work out a new Giants pact would be something to watch for.
WR Alec Pierce Expected To Have Strong Market
Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce is expected to draw heavy interest in free agency with several teams already interested in signing him.
In fact, Pierce is expected to receive more interest – though not a bigger contract – than fellow Colts pending free agent Daniel Jones, per ESPN’s Stephen Holder. The veteran quarterback has an uncertain outlook for the 2026 season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, but the Colts see him as their long-term starter. Other teams may be less certain, especially with a number of quarterbacks – including Anthony Richardson – also coming available this offseason.
The wide receiver market is less crowded. With the Cowboys using the franchise tag on George Pickens, Pierce will be the most valuable one available. The Colts might be more justified using the franchise or transition tag on him rather than Jones.
The transition tag, projected by OverTheCap to be $25MM, certainly makes sense. It is easy to see Pierce reaching that AAV on the open market. He is an excellent deep threat, having led the league in yards per catch in the last two years, and rounded out his game in 2025. He is also just 25 years old and clearly has the potential to grow further.
However, the tag would take up a significant portion of the Colts’ current salary cap space. They would have to make more room via restructures and cuts, though there are several candidates. Agreeing to an extension with Pierce would reduce his cap hit, but the transition tag would give him a chance to test his market.
The franchise tag, however, would likely keep Pierce in Indianapolis. Other clubs are unlikely to be willing to move two first-round picks and hand him a contract the Colts would not match. The franchise tag is projected to be $28.8MM, which would raise the floor in extension negotiations. But if Pierce’s value is approaching that figure anyway, Indianapolis may be best served by keeping him off the market.
Using a tag on Pierce would take it out of play for Jones and increase pressure on the Colts to get a deal done with the latter before free agency.
Bears’ D.J. Moore, Gervon Dexter Drawing Trade Interest
A number of potential trades could be worked out shortly in the Bears’ case. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds has been given permission to seek a change of scenery, while backup quarterback Tyson Bagent has been the subject of attention from suitors. 
Other Chicago players could soon find themselves on the move as well. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports that wideout D.J. Moore as well as defensive tackle Gervon Dexter have mentioned during trade calls. Moore in particular is seen as being “available for the right price,” per Schultz.
Over the course of his three years in Chicago, Moore has remained a full-time starter. However, 2025 saw a notable drop-off in his production (682 yards) and usage (85 targets) compared to previous years. The former Panther still managed six touchdowns and was on the field for 85% of the team’s offensive snaps, showcasing his value in the event he is retained. As general manager Ryan Poles recently noted, though, the door is open to a trade.
“We want him here,” Poles said of Moore when speaking at the NFL Combine (via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin). “We thinking highly of him… But this is the time now where we have to look at all the scenarios that will allow us to put the best team out there… He’s a guy we want here but we have to look at all the scenarios.”
One of those scenarios is a trade which would yield $16.5MM in cap savings (and generate a dead money charge of $12MM). As things stand, Moore is due to carry a cap hit of $28.5MM in 2026 absent a restructure or extension aimed at lowering that figure. On March 15, $15.5MM of the former first-rounder’s base salary for next season will become guaranteed. Clarity on this front will no doubt emerge before that date.
Dexter was a member of the Bears’ 2023 draft class, meaning he is now eligible for an extension. The Florida product was a rotational presence during his rookie season, but since then he has served as a full-time starter. Dexter has totaled 11 sacks over the past two years, and at the age of 24 he will be expected to remain productive for the foreseeable future. That will help his bargaining power on the extension front, but it will also make him an attractive trade target.
Dexter has one year remaining on his rookie pact. The benefits of a trade in his case would be negligible compared to a swap involving Edmunds or Moore, though. The chance of Chicago moving on from at least one veteran contract will be something to watch for as the new league year approaches.
Raiders ‘Looking At All Options’ At QB
The Raiders are widely expected to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first pick of the 2026 draft, putting Geno Smith‘s future in Las Vegas in doubt.
Smith, 35, joined the Raiders last offseason via a trade with the Seahawks, where he started for the last four years. He signed a two-year, $75MM extension last offseason that included $18.5MM in guaranteed salary in 2026.
But after a noticeable drop in play last season – including a league-high 17 interceptions – and the coaching change from Pete Carroll to Klint Kubiak, Smith is no longer the Raiders’ quarterback of the future. At the Combine this week, Kubiak said that the team was “looking at all options right now,” and said that the 12-year veteran was among the considerations.
Kubiak and Smith are technically reuniting in Las Vegas, as the former arrived as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator a few months before the latter was traded. While Kubiak may not have pushed for the move, it is hard to ignore the timing – and the subsequent seasons of each team involved. The two have talked “a little bit” since Kubiak came aboard in Las Vegas.
Unless the Raiders move off of Mendoza in the next few months, Smith is likely to be out of a starting job later this year. He may not want to spend his age-36 season as a backup on a rebuilding team and could seek a trade. He may not have much value after a rough season, but teams may also ascribe some of his struggles to the dearth of talent around him. Teams in need of a bridge starter – which could include his former team, the Jets – might be interested, and the Raiders would be wise to consider it. They need to spend aggressively this offseason to meet the NFL’s minimum spending requirement – 90% of the salary cap in three-year cycles – so they can afford to eat Smith’s 2026 salary. That would make him more enticing to other teams and raise his trade value.
Otherwise, the Raiders should keep Smith as an experienced mentor for Mendoza in his first season. Typically, a No. 1 pick plays right away, but Las Vegas could start Smith initially in 2026 and give Mendoza more time to get adjusted to the NFL, especially as the team figures out its offensive line situation. He could also become a valuable trade chip during the season if any team were to lose their starting quarterback.