Month: March 2025

Bears Sign CB Nick McCloud

Nick McCloud has lined up his next NFL opportunity. The veteran corner has signed with the Bears, his agency announced on Monday.

McCloud made a pair of appearances with the Bengals during his rookie season, but most of his 48 career games have come with the Giants. The former UDFA was in New York from 2022 to the midway point of this past campaign, one in which he was waived. McCloud made five starts in 2024, but it was clear the Giants were interested in moving on after a request to take a pay cut to the veteran minimum was turned down.

No teams put in a claim, but it did not take McCloud long to find a new home. He signed with the 49ers to close out the season, one in which the team fell short of expectations and missed the playoffs. During his eight San Francisco contests, the 26-year-old played sparingly on defense and made more of an impact on special teams. That could prove to be the case in Chicago.

The Bears have Jaylon Johnson attached to a lucrative long-term deal, while Kyler Gordon has proven to be an effective slot corner. He too could soon have an extension in place soon, creating the need for inexpensive options elsewhere on the depth chart. Chicago has Tyrique Stevenson attached to his rookie deal for two more years, and after starting 14 games last season he can be expected to handle a heavy workload moving forward.

As a result, McCloud’s path to earning a roster spot during training camp will likely consist of carving out a backup role on defense in addition to his third phase contributions. The Notre Dame product has posted only one interception and 10 pass deflections in his career, but he has logged nearly 1,200 special teams snaps to date. He will look to use that experience with the Bears in 2025.

Chiefs Re-Sign DT Mike Pennel

Last March, Mike Pennel re-signed with the Chiefs on a one-year pact. The veteran defensive tackle will remain in Kansas City for 2025 as well.

[RELATED: Chiefs Re-Sign Charles Omenihu]

Pennel has a new Chiefs deal in place, the team announced on Monday. The 31-year-old’s first stint in Kansas City took place from 2019-20, and he returned in 2023. Pennel was limited to only three games during his first season back with the team, but the decision to keep him in place last spring proved to be a fruitful one.

Logging a full 20-game slate (between the regular season and playoffs), the former UDFA logged a 30% snap share on defense in 2024. In spite of that usage rate, Pennell set a new career high in sacks with three; he added 25 tackles and a forced fumble. Given that level of production, it comes as little surprise Kansas City has again elected to keep him in the fold.

Tershawn Wharton was among the top free agents along the defensive line this spring, and he took a deal with the Panthers on the open market. The Chiefs lost a five-year D-line contributor in the process, one who made 10 starts and handled a career-high 62% snap share last season. Pennel could be in line to help fill the void generated by Wharton’s departure as a low cost Chris Jones partner.

Kansas City ranked eighth against the run last season, and expectations will be high to repeat that success next year. Pennel does not offer the same pass-rushing upside that Wharton does, though, so next month’s draft could be used for the Chiefs to add in that regard along the defensive line.

Patriots To Match Raiders’ Christian Elliss Offer Sheet

Christian Elliss signed an offer sheet with the Raiders last week, leaving the Patriots in position to either match it or allow him to depart without any compensation coming back. New England has taken the former route.

The Patriots will match the Elliss offer sheet, as first reported by ESPN’s Mike Reiss. The move locks in the two-year deal which would have otherwise sent him to Vegas. Elliss will carry a cap charge of $4.84MM this season, one in which he was originally slated to earn $3.26MM on his RFA tender.

Elliss began his career with the Eagles, operating as a key special teams presence during his time with them. He was waived late in the 2023 campaign, though, and the Patriots’ decision to claim him set him up for a New England stint. The 26-year-old made five starts across his 16 appearances last season, and while he remained a core special teams contributor he took on a defensive workload as well. Elliss logged 513 defensive snaps in 2024, by far the most of his career.

The Idaho product received the original-round tender to prevent him from reaching unrestricted free agency. That move set Elliss up for a cost-effective 2025 deal, but it opened the door to an offer sheet since no compensation would have been included for the former undrafted free agent (which would have been the case had New England applied the more expensive second-round tender). The Raiders lost Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo in free agency, and Elliss would have been able to handle a notable defensive role aimed at helping to replace them at the second level of the team’s defense.

Instead, Vegas will look elsewhere on the free agent market and the draft to address the linebacker position. Elliss, meanwhile, will remain in place on a Patriots team which added Spillane on a three-year deal and reunited head coach Mike Vrabel with former Titan Jack GibbensJa’Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai are in place as holdovers from last season, and Elliss will look to carve out a role among the mix of new additions and returnees.

He will do so with financial security for the next two years, though, and it will be interesting to see how he is used moving forward. The Patriots entered Monday with more than $80MM in remaining cap space, so they will easily be able to afford the added cost of keeping Elliss in place.

Bills’ Damar Hamlin Addresses Free Agent Interest; Latest On S’s Contract

Damar Hamlin operated as a full-time starter again in 2024, and as a result he had the opportunity to take a notable free agent deal with an outside team this offseason. Instead, the four-year veteran safety elected to remain with the Bills on a one-year pact.

Hamlin managed to recover in full from the cardiac arrest which ended his 2023 season, making 14 appearances last year. He recorded the first two interceptions of his career while adding 89 tackles as a key member of Buffalo’s secondary, and a notable defensive workload could be in play for 2025 as well. Hamlin did generate a market outside of Buffalo based on his 2024 performance, though.

“We had a lot of conversations and a lot of interest, which was pretty cool,” the 27-year-old said (via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith). “I’m coming from not knowing if I’d be able to play football again, so to know I had what it took, go after that and chase it, go out there and for teams to respect my body of work after going through so much, I was appreciative of everything.”

The negotiating period allowed for Hamlin’s agent to speak with outside teams, but on the morning of March 12 – hours before the start of the new league year – his new Bills pact was already in place. The former sixth-rounder received $2MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. That represents more than double the annual average rate of his rookie contract, but it hardly guarantees a starting spot for 2025.

Cole Bishop, selected in the second round last year, could step into a larger workload next year alongside veteran Taylor Rapp. Bishop handled a defensive snap share of 34% as a rookie, and taking on more duties in that regard could come at the expensive of Hamlin’s playing time. In any case, the latter is set to remain in Buffalo for 2025; he hopes for that continue well beyond next year.

“It feels amazing to be back,” the Hamlin added. “This is home, this is all I know as a pro. I’m connected to this place on a totally different level. So this is the place I want to be, where I want to spend my whole career if I can.”

No Deal Imminent Between Patriots, WR Stefon Diggs

MARCH 24: Confirming a sense of urgency does not appear to be in place for either side in this situation, ESPN’s Mike Reiss adds that Diggs is ahead of schedule in his ACL rehab. That factor could help him land a deal relatively soon, but it remains to be seen if one will send him to New England.

MARCH 21: Stefon Diggs is one of several veteran wideouts still on the market in the second wave of free agency. He visited the Patriots yesterday, but a deal should not immediately be expected at this point.

Nothing is imminent in the case of Diggs and New England, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz notes. Team and player will remain in contact with one another, though, he adds. This week’s summit included a physical, something which will no doubt be key in determining the Patriots’ willingness to make a commitment for 2025.

Adding in the passing game has long been seen as a priority, although New England’s many moves to date in free agency have not yielded a major signing on that front. The team has re-signed tight end Austin Hooper and brought in receiver Mack Hollins, but room exists for a move at the top of the WR depth chart. Diggs posted six straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2018-23, but to little surprise his Bills tenure came to an end last offseason. His trade to Houston was followed by a contract restructure which made him a free agent in 2025, but things did not go according to plan during his debut campaign.

Diggs suffered an ACL tear midway through the 2024 season, an injury which hindered his market value and left Houston without a key member of the WR room. His absence was later compounded by Tank Dell‘s season-ending injury, one which has 2025 availability in doubt. The Texans already have Nico Collins attached to a lucrative long-term deal, but general manager Nick Caserio said last month the team would consider keeping Diggs in the fold on a new contract. That could still take place depending on how his market unfolds over the coming days.

New England was a key suitor for Calvin Ridley in free agency last spring, and strong interest was known on both the Tee Higgins and Chris Godwin fronts this time around. Without any of those pass-catchers in place, the Patriots have Hollins along with a group of incumbents led by Kayshon BoutteKendrick BourneDemario DouglasJa’Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker on the depth chart as things stand. Diggs, 31, would add a notable track record of production to that group, although questions about his upside at this point in his career will linger in the wake of his ACL tear.

The four-time Pro Bowler averaged 62 yards per game in eight Texans contests last season, scoring three touchdowns before he went down. Expectations would be relatively high upon arrival in New England (on what could very well be a short-term deal given his health situation), but at this point a pact keeping him in Houston or sending him to a different team is still in the cards.

Titans Sign K Joey Slye

With Nick Folk unsigned, the Titans are bringing in a veteran kicker. Joey Slye has agreed to a Tennessee deal, per his agent (via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).

Slye has seen regular season game action with five teams during his career. He finished the 2021 campaign as the Commanders’ kicker, and his success in that brief stretch allowed him to continue in the role for another two seasons. Slye departed in free agency last offseason, joining the Patriots in May shortly after his Jaguars release.

That move set up a competition between the Virginia Tech product and Chad Ryland for training camp and the preseason. Slye won out, and as a result he served as New England’s kicker for the campaign. He connected on 26 of 33 field goal attempts, yielding a success rate under 80% for the second year in a row. For his career, the 28-year-old has converted 81.7% of his field goal tries and connected on 89.6% of his extra point attempts.

Folk’s seven-year New England run came to an end in the 2023 offseason when the Patriots (having drafted Ryland) traded him to the Titans. That move gave Tennessee a strong option in the kicking game, as Folk missed only one field goal during his debut campaign with the team. The 40-year-old re-signed last March, and he led the NFL in field goal percentage once again in 2024 with a 95.5% conversion rate. Folk is still a free agent; he intends to continue playing next season and would welcome another Titans contract.

In addition to Slye, though, Tennessee also has Brayden Narveson in the fold at the kicker position. The latter was waived by the Titans and began the 2024 campaign in Green Bay, but he was quickly let go once again. That led Narveson back to Tennessee on a practice squad deal, and he made one regular season appearance before signing a new deal in December. Today’s move means Slye and Narveson will be in place to compete during the offseason while it remains to be seen where Folk will play in 2025.

S Julian Blackmon To Visit Panthers

One of the top safeties still on the market has a visit lined up. Julian Blackmon will meet with the Panthers today, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Blackmon played out his rookie contract from 2020-23, operating as a starter for the Colts over that span. He profiled as one of the most accomplished (and youngest) safeties available in free agency last spring, but the position’s market did not produce much in the way of lucrative commitments. In April, Blackmon re-signed with Indianapolis on a one-year deal.

The 26-year-old played 16 games in 2024, delivering another productive campaign along the way. Blackmon posted three interceptions (tied for the team lead), 86 tackles and one fumble recovery while remaining a key member of the Colts’ secondary. That unit has seen a pair of major changes in free agency, however, with safety Camryn Bynum and cornerback Charvarius Ward each agreeing to multi-year deals with Indianapolis. Those investments could lead Blackmon elsewhere during his second stint on the open market.

Carolina has already added Tre’von Moehrig at the safety spot in free agency. The former Raider landed a three-year Panthers contract, and he will be expected to continue his career ascent after posting new personal highs in tackles (104) and pass breakups (10) in 2024. Carolina ranked last in total and scoring defense last season (albeit with a slightly better showing against the pass), so adding further in the secondary despite already having Moehrig would be a feasible approach.

The Panthers retained Nick Scott on the weekend, and he will again be in position to compete for a rotational role on defense as a result. Carolina – a team which lost Xavier Woods on the open market – currently has roughly $17.6MM in cap space, so a Blackmon deal could be affordable if today’s visit were to produce an offer.

Steelers A ‘Safe Bet’ To Sign Aaron Rodgers?

With interest from the Giants waning, the Steelers are now considered the favorite to land Aaron Rodgers.

It is reportedly a “safe bet” that Rodgers signs in Pittsburgh, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, though the unpredictable quarterback’s timeline remains unknown. He spent six hours visiting the Steelers last week, but left the team facility without a deal.

Neither side appears to be in any rush. The majority of free agency has concluded, and there’s still a month until the draft. Until then, Rodgers remains one of the biggest stories in football, much like his 2023 move to the Jets. He certainly doesn’t shy away from the attention, which will continue until he makes a decision. Florio even speculated that Rodgers could use an upcoming Pat McAfee Show in Pittsburgh as a launching pad for his tenure in black and yellow.

The Steelers, meanwhile, already signed Mason Rudolph as a veteran bridge or backup quarterback and could pursue a continue partnership with Russell Wilson. He is still a free agent and has emerged as an alternate option for Pittsburgh if they don’t sign Rodgers. In short, he is not the Steelers’ only option to start at quarterback in 2025.

The inverse, however, might be true. The Vikings are out on Rodgers, and he hasn’t been linked with the Titans or the Browns. No other team has a clear starting opportunity to offer. The NFL’s annual quarterback carousel has started to slow down, and when the music stops, Rodgers may have no choice but to accept the Steelers’ offer if he wants to start this season.

Shedeur Sanders Unlikely To Fall Out Of First Round; Jets, Giants, Browns, Steelers In Play

One of the more intriguing storylines in this year’s draft coverage is Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders’ stock and how long Sanders might have to wait to hear his name called after the draft opens on April 24. There has been some chatter that the scion of Colorado HC and NFL legend Deion Sanders could slip out of the first round entirely, though ESPN’s draft analysts do not expect that to happen.

In a subscribers-only roundup of the latest draft rumors, ESPN’s Jordan Reid says he does not anticipate Sanders falling past the Jets, who hold the No. 7 overall selection. New York saw its latest swing at a first-round QB prospect (Zach Wilson) fail spectacularly, a miss that undermined the fortunes of otherwise talented rosters, and precipitated the failed Aaron Rodgers experiment.

Gang Green signed Justin Fields to a two-year, $40MM contract earlier this month, and while there is still some hope that Fields can grow enough as a passer to sufficiently complement his running ability and to turn himself into a an upper crust QB1, the short-term nature of the deal illustrates his current deficiencies in that regard. Sanders may be an imperfect prospect, but his reportedly poor performance in team interviews does not undo the touch, accuracy, and pocket presence he displayed on the field. It would thus not be terribly surprising to see the Jets’ new regime, with its 2025 starter already in place, take a shot at a high-upside talent.

One player who has been something of a forgotten man in the constant QB-related chatter surrounding the Jets is 2024 fifth-rounder Jordan Travis. Travis was in the midst of a terrific final season at Florida State in 2023 when he suffered a gruesome ankle injury that torpedoed his own draft stock. New York took a flier on him last year, though he redshirted his entire rookie season while rehabbing the injury.

According to Travis’ agent, Deiric Jackson, the Jets’ since-ousted staff rushed Travis’ rehab, thereby undermining his chances of seeing game action in 2024. 

“His rehab with the Jets was not the best,” Jackson said (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini). “They tried to rush him. It was too fast. There was pressure on the coaching staff and they tried to get him going sooner than the timeline really was. That caused the setback, and we had to shut him down completely.”

The nature of the setback Jackson mentioned is unclear, though Cimini says new HC Aaron Glenn and his staffers are excited to work with Travis. At the moment, the former Seminole is behind Fields and veteran Tyrod Taylor on the depth chart, and drafting a player like Sanders would immediately put Travis’ Jets future in doubt. But if the club takes a different route in the draft, Travis could get enough reps to prove himself worthy of at least a backup job down the road.

For all of the talk suggesting Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart or even Louisville’s Tyler Shough may have surpassed Sanders on draft boards around the league, Reid believes the Giants – who own the No. 3 overall pick – would be hard-pressed to pass on Sanders. With Cam Ward looking increasingly likely to go to the Titans at No. 1 overall, one AFC executive told Reid the Giants are praying the Browns take a top non-QB talent with the No. 2 pick, thus leaving Sanders available to be selected at No. 3. Just yesterday, we learned that Big Blue’s signing of Jameis Winston would not preclude the hot-seat tandem of GM Joe Schoen and HC Brian Daboll from signing a veteran passer like Rodgers or Russell Wilson and adding a QB via their top draft choice.

In the same subscribers-only piece cited above, ESPN’s Field Yates confirms Sanders has a legitimate chance to be a top-three choice and is unlikely to fall out of the top 10-15 selections (despite some sources expressing their worry about making Sanders a top-10 pick). Similarly, Yates and Reid colleague Matt Miller notes the chatter about a dramatic Sanders slide has not come from anyone employed by an NFL club.

Miller acknowledges the Browns remain a viable landing spot for Sanders, and he believes the Steelers and their No. 21 pick represent the prospect’s floor. Pittsburgh has designs on a championship run in 2025, as it recently acquired and extended WR D.K. Metcalf and is seemingly making a hard push for Rodgers. That said, HC Mike Tomlin’s famous streak of .500-or-better seasons rarely leaves the team in position to draft a premium QB prospect, and the 41-year-old Rodgers (and even the 36-year-old Wilson, if the Steelers revisit that possibility) are obviously short-term fixes. The pre-draft concerns that could lead to Sanders falling a bit could also represent a real opportunity for Pittsburgh, as was the case when its AFC North rival Ravens nabbed Lamar Jackson with the No. 32 pick in 2018.

Cowboys, Patriots Balked At Cooper Kupp’s Price; Pats Wrote ‘Blank Checks’ For Chris Godwin?

After veteran WR Cooper Kupp was released by the Rams, he generated a healthy market and quickly found a new club. Just two days after his release, the Super Bowl LVI MVP joined the Seahawks on a three-year, $45MM contract.

The $15MM average annual value on Kupp’s Seattle deal surpassed initial expectations. The Cowboys, who were known to be in the market for a pass-catching sidekick for CeeDee Lamb, were connected to Kupp, but even the $12MM AAV that was originally believed to be the asking price for the former Rams target was seen as too rich for Dallas’ liking.

Elaborating further on that point, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes Lamb and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott called Kupp in an effort to recruit him to Dallas. Per Schefter, the club was indeed interested before bowing out due to financial considerations.

“[T]he Cowboys reached out about Cooper Kupp, and they were interested,” Schefter said on a recent podcast (via Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS). “Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, who I understand it, were on the phone with Cooper Kupp talking to him about the idea of coming to Dallas, and it was floated out there. And then the Cowboys heard the numbers, and they were at numbers the Cowboys weren’t going to get to.”

With massive contracts for Prescott and Lamb already on the books and another one for Micah Parsons in the works – despite a current lack of traction on that front – Dallas’ reluctance to make additional notable commitments to its cap sheet has been well-documented. Nonetheless, the team does hope to compete for a postseason berth in 2025, and signing Parris Campbell one day after Kupp agreed to join the Seahawks may not have been an ideal consolation prize for the Cowboys’ QB1/WR1 duo (especially since Brandin Cooks has now rejoined the Saints).

Interestingly, the Patriots, who entered the offseason with easily the most cap space in the NFL and who still lead the league in that regard, were also unwilling to exceed a certain threshold for Kupp. New England has been on the lookout for a high-end receiver for some time and was named as a suitor for Kupp. However, just like the Cowboys, the Pats bowed out when it became clear how much money Kupp was going to command (as Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal implies).

Despite the season-ending ankle injury that Chris Godwin suffered in Week 7 of the 2024 season, New England seemingly had no reservations about his price point. We already knew the Pats were preparing to make an aggressive push for Godwin, who reportedly left money on the table to re-sign with the Bucs. As it turns out, he might have left quite a lot of money on the table.

In a recent appearance on 95.3 WDAE (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk), Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht said, “[t]here were several teams that inquired but there was one that kept writing him blank checks. We got to a point of what we could do in order to keep everything together and add some pieces here, and he took it.”

Naturally, Licht did not name the blank check writer, but as Smith notes, the Patriots are believed to have extended a very lucrative offer. We may never know how high New England was willing to go to land Godwin, though QB Drake Maye cannot fault the club for its efforts to add to his supporting cast.

With Godwin off the market, the Pats recently turned their attention to free agent wideout Stefon Diggs. As of the time of this writing, a deal with the four-time Pro Bowler is not imminent.