Thursday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Seahawks agreed to a reworked contract with outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, creating $9.4MM in 2025 salary cap space, per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times.
Nwosu signed a three-year, $45MM extension in July 2023 that tied him to the Seahawks through 2026. He was set to earn a base salary of $14.48MM in 2025 with a $6MM injury guarantee that would have vested into a full guarantee earlier this month. The two sides agreed to push back that vesting date as they worked on a revised contract that would lower Nwosu’s $21.2MM salary cap hit.
That new deal features a $6.99MM pay cut with $6.98MM in guaranteed money via a $4MM signing bonus and a fully-guaranteed $2.98MM base salary in 2025. Nwosu’s cap hits are now $11.8MM in 2025 and $20MM in 2026. Since none of his $11MM 2026 salary is guaranteed, he will be a cap casualty candidate next offseason.
Originally a Chargers second-round pick in 2018, Nwosu played a rotational role on defense in his first three years before emerging as a starter in 2021. That earned him a two-year, $19MM deal with the Seahawks in 2022 where he took over as a starting outside linebacker.
Nwosu impressed with 9.5 sacks in his debut season in Seattle, but injuries limited him to 12 games and 3.0 sacks in the last two years. Though the Seahawks have plenty of cap space, even after signing Sam Darnold, Nwosu’s cap hit was still too high given his lack of availability and production.
The revised contract allows him to stay in Seattle for the 2025 season as part of a four-man edge rotation. Derick Hall and Boye Mafe are returning after combining for 25 starts, while new signing DeMarcus Lawrence will likely eat into Nwosu’s snap share.
The Titans have signed edge rusher Lorenzo Carter, per Titans senior writer/editor Jim Wyatt.
Carter is a seven-year veteran with 62 starts, 21.5 sacks, and 35 tackles for loss in his career. He spent the 2024 season with the Falcons, but struggled to produce across his 13 appearances and 409 snaps with zero sacks and two TFLs. The 29-year-old will provide much needed depth on the edge after the Titans parted ways with Harold Landry earlier this month.
Originally a Giants third-round pick in 2018, Carter quickly emerged as an impact defender with 8.5 sacks and 13 TFLs in his first two years. A torn Achilles sidelined him for most of the 2020 season, but he came back strong in 2021 with 5.0 sacks and six TFLs.
That production was only able to earn him a one-year, $3.5MM deal with the Falcons in 2022. He played in all 17 games with a career-high 909 snaps, the fourth-most of any Falcons defender. He re-signed in Atlanta for $9MM over two years, but saw his role and production decrease across 2023 and 2024.
Carter will be looking to rebuild his value in Tennessee as one of their primary edge defenders. The Titans are returning starter Arden Key, but their remaining outside linebackers have little starting experience. They are likely to augment the position through the draft, potentially by using the No. 1 overall pick on Abdul Carter.
The Falcons are signing wide receiver and returner Jamal Agnew, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
The seven-year veteran spent the 2024 season on the Steelers’ practice squad, but did not appear in any games. In Atlanta, he will compete for a roster spot as a primary returner and rotational receiver who can operate on the outside or out of the slot.
Agnew was a cornerback and returner at the University of San Diego before he was drafted by the Lions in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He began cross-training as a wide receiver while thriving on special teams in his rookie year. He forced three fumbles and led the league as a punt returner with two touchdowns and 15.4 yards per return, earning him recognition as a first-team All-Pro and a member of the PFWA’s All-Rookie team. He also appeared in three games on defense while taking a handful of snaps on offense.
Agnew continued a similar role in 2018 and 2019 before completing his transition to wide receiver in 2020, catching 13 of his 20 targets for 89 yards. He maintained his role as a returner with a 19% snap share on offense, but was not re-signed before hitting free agency in 2021.
Awaiting him was a three-year, $14.25MM deal in Jacksonville, where Agnew took over returning duties and recorded career-highs as a receiver. His role on offense decreased in 2022 and 2023, but he remained the Jaguars’ primary returner. A broken leg late in the 2023 season limited his interest in free agency during the following offseason. Agnew remained unsigned until November, when he joined the Steelers’ practice squad.
The Lions are signing cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Ya-Sin spent the 2024 season with the 49ers, appearing in 13 games with a majority of his snaps on special teams. He was targeted three times on defense, allowing a three-yard touchdown and breaking up the other two passes. He will provide experience and depth to a Lions defense that already added D.J. Reed earlier this month.
Ya-Sin is a six-year veteran who began his career as a 2019 second-rounder selected by the Colts. He started 29 games over his first three seasons before being traded to the Raiders for Yannick Ngakoue in 2022.
Ya-Sin started nine games in silver and black before landing on injured reserve. He then signed a one-year, $4MM deal with the Ravens in 2023 and played a rotational role on defense and special teams.
The veteran signings will round out a Detroit secondary that added cornerbacks with their first two picks in the 2024 draft. First-rounder Terrion Arnold started 15 games, while second-rounder Ennis Rakestraw mostly played special teams before an injury in November forced him onto the IR.
Despite entering the offseason with a runaway lead in cap space, the Patriots have not added a starting left tackle yet. The draft may become New England’s avenue to address this high-level need, but the team does look to have contributed to framing a pricey market the Titans closed.
Dan Moore Jr. led the way on the tackle front this year, outdoing Ronnie Stanley, Alaric Jackson and Cam Robinson in free agency thanks to his four-year, $82MM Titans contract. This monster deal did not feature an inflated early report or any “up to” misdirection; it cost the Titans a true $82MM ($42.5MM guaranteed at signing) to land the four-year Steelers LT.
Not viewed as an upper-echelon player at the position, PFR’s No. 13 free agent cashed in due to a combination of age (26), experience (66 career starts) and durability (two missed games). Moore also may have scored the deal he did because of Patriots market participation. The Patriots launched what sounds like an aggressive pursuit of Moore, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, only to stand down as the bidding soared.
Mike Vrabel spoke of bolstering his lines this offseason, but the Pats did not opt to stay in the Moore and Drew Dalman markets to the end. A New England Dalman pursuit ended with the ex-Atlanta starter signing with Chicago (three years, $42MM). The Patriots have answered some of their O-line questions, but neither came with a high price tag. The Pats added Morgan Moses on a three-year, $24MM deal that includes $11MM at signing. Despite going into his age-34 season, the veteran right tackle will see $4.5MM of his $6.5MM 2026 base salary already guaranteed, Breer adds.
Moore secured $50MM through the first two years of his Titans deal, Breer adds. Tennessee and New England reside in similar positions, payroll-wise, as the Titans have a rookie QB contract (Will Levis‘). They also may be set to restart that clock by drafting Cam Ward first overall. The Patriots took Drake Maye at No. 3 last year and have him under rookie-deal control through at least 2026. But the team is still searching for its biggest O-line piece, as only an aging Moses and a Vikings cap casualty (center Garrett Bradbury) are en route to help.
With the open market as an advantage for Moore, he managed to go from oft-scrutinized Steelers option to receiving the fifth-highest full guarantee number among LTs. In terms of total guarantees, Moore’s $50MM trails only Christian Darrisaw, Andrew Thomas and Laremy Tunsil. Moore’s resume can certainly open the door to overpay criticisms, but as the Titans prepare to kick JC Latham back to his primary college position (RT), the retooling AFC South team checked a big need off its list.
Beyond their O-line contracts, we have a few more Pats financials to pass along. New backup quarterback Josh Dobbs will be tied to a two-year, $8MM deal. The Pats, however, did not guarantee anything beyond Year 1, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. The team could move on for a $1.1MM dead money charge in 2026. Though, the Pats’ openness to trading Joe Milton this offseason points to a multiyear Dobbs partnership.
Elsewhere on the Pats’ payroll, Mack Hollins‘ deal checks in at two years and $8.4MM. The journeyman WR will see $3.5MM guaranteed at signing, per OverTheCap. Like Dobbs, no Hollins money is guaranteed beyond Year 1. A $1MM receptions incentive is in place, however, per Wilson. Safety Jaylinn Hawkins‘ agreement to stay in Foxborough is a one-year, $1.8MM pact, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss tweets. Hawkins, who started seven Pats games last season, will see $650K guaranteed at signing.
4:25pm: Unsurprisingly for a player making an NFL comeback, Gallup will sign with the Commanders on a one-year veteran minimum contract worth up to $1.335MM, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. With six accrued seasons, his base salary will be $1.17MM, indicating that the deal includes $165k in incentives, though full contract details have not yet been reported.
12:38pm: Add another ex-Cowboy to Dan Quinn‘s Commanders roster. After making a visit to Washington early in free agency, Michael Gallup signed with the Commanders on Thursday.
Gallup visited the Commanders last week and scheduled a Seahawks meeting as well, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Gallup will make his comeback attempt for a team rostering a few former Cowboys. Noah Brown is among them, as the ex-Dallas wideout re-signed with Washington last week.
The Commanders’ receiver room is becoming crowded. Beyond the two former Cowboy cogs, the team traded for Deebo Samuel and re-signed K.J. Osborn. Third-round pick Luke McCaffrey is going into his second season. Gallup could add an interesting piece to the Commanders’ Terry McLaurin support stable, but he had trended downward before a 2024 retirement.
Signing with the Raiders after becoming a Cowboys cap casualty, Gallup did not end up playing in Las Vegas. He instead stepped away from the game before training camp. While this did give Gallup a year to rest up — well after an ACL tear came to define his career — his recent exit may provide an uphill battle regarding a spot on Washington’s 53-man roster. But Gallup has shown a gear Brown and the other batch of tertiary options in Washington have not.
Gallup posted an 1,107-yard season with the Cowboys, moving into four-digit territory (his only such season) in 2019. This came before the Cowboys drafted CeeDee Lamb. Still, Lamb’s arrival did not diminish Gallup’s role too much. Despite Dak Prescott going down early in the 2020 season, Gallup totaled 59 receptions for 843 yards and five touchdowns. These two seasons enticed Dallas to re-sign Gallup on a five-year, $57.25MM deal in 2022. Dallas re-signed Gallup rather than keep Amari Cooper for a third season; that became the wrong decision, as the former third-round pick could not live up to his midlevel WR deal.
A December 2021 ACL tear sidetracked Gallup, who missed eight games that year due to multiple injuries. Although Gallup returned in Week 4 of the 2022 season, he has not flashed the same form since the setback. After catching 39 passes for 424 yards and four TDs in 2022, the 6-foot-1 wideout totaled just 418 yards and two scores in 2023. This prompted the Cowboys to move on, as big-ticket Lamb and Prescott paydays loomed. Gallup will look to recapture some of his pre-injury form, and he is running out of chances.
Samuel will be in position as Washington’s No. 2 receiver next season, leaving McCaffrey, Osborn and the ex-Cowboys to vie for auxiliary roles. Gallup brings success in the past and impressed the Commanders at last week’s visit in order for the NFC runner-up to circle back and greenlight a comeback opportunity.
Prior to the Bears agreeing to re-sign Travis Homer, they considered a veteran with ties to Ryan Poles and new running backs coach Eric Bieniemy. Chicago considered Kareem Hunt in free agency, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Poles and Bieniemy were with the Chiefs when they drafted Hunt in the 2017 third round, with the current Bears GM serving as Kansas City’s college scouting director at that point. Hunt won a rushing title as a rookie and was off to a better start in 2018, when a video of him kicking a woman led to his initial Kansas City ouster. The Chiefs circled back to Hunt six years later, after an Isiah Pacheco injury, and have since re-signed him. The Bears still have Homer and Roschon Johnson behind starter D’Andre Swift, who joins Jonah Jackson in reuniting with Ben Johnson.
Here is the latest from the NFC North:
Managing to carve out starting roles for three teams as a pro, Lucas Patrick is searching for a new team. The 2024 Saints starter may have an opportunity soon, as the Bengals are bringing him in on a visit.
Patrick is heading to Cincinnati tonight for a Friday meeting, FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz tweets. The Bengals have some questions at guard, after cutting three-year starter Alex Cappa, and their big-ticket extensions for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins will force cost-conscious moves at other positions. Patrick qualifies as an affordable option, one who also recently visited the Seahawks (h/t KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson).
It took Patrick until mid-May last year to find a home; he trekked to New Orleans after a two-season Chicago stay. Vacillating between guard and center as a pro, Patrick has started 64 games. The bulk of those have come over the past five seasons. A former UDFA, Patrick is seeking to play a ninth NFL season. He will turn 32 this summer.
The Saints turned to Patrick as a left guard regular last season, while also using him as an Erik McCoy fill-in at center. The former Green Bay UDFA operated as Chicago’s starting center in 2023, after splitting time at both guard spots in 2022. The Packers used Patrick as their primary Corey Linsley replacement in 2021, but they did not re-sign the interior blocker after that season.
Pro Football Focus placed Patrick as a mid-pack guard last season, ranking him 37th. That placement checked in above where Cappa and primary complement Cordell Volson landed. Volson is going into a contract year. Cincinnati briefly benched Volson late last season, inserting Cody Ford into the lineup in his place. The team re-signed Ford last week, giving the former second-round pick a two-year, $6MM deal. Patrick’s visit, however, shows the team at least wants to bring in competition, as Cappa’s loss creates an opening at right guard.
Patrick played out a two-year, $8MM Bears contract and a one-year, $1.38MM Saints accord. PFF had graded him as a bottom-tier center in 2023. The Bengals return Ted Karras, the only cog left from the team’s 2022 O-line shopping spree, at center but carries guard questions.
MARCH 20: Diggs’ visit will include a physical Thursday, SI.com’s Albert Breer adds. The accomplished wideout dined with Patriots staffers Wednesday night and will hear an official pitch during meetings at the team’s facility today. Diggs joins Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen and Tyler Lockett as notable 30-something wideouts still on the market.
MARCH 19: While the Patriots reportedly had grand plans to add at WR this offseason, the team has been relatively quiet when it comes to the position. That could soon change, as the organization is hosting one of the biggest names remaining on the market. According to Chad Graff of The Athletic, the Patriots are hosting free agent wide receiver Stefon Diggs on a visit.
After losing out on the Calvin Ridley sweepstakes last offseason, the Patriots seemed motivated to provide Drake Maye with a notable pass catcher for the 2025 campaign. The team was a known suitor for Tee Higgins before the WR ended up sticking with the Bengals, and despite the Patriots offering Chris Godwin a lucrative contract, the veteran took less money to stick with the Buccaneers.
So, while New England has made headlines with a number of moves on the defensive side of the ball, the team has been relatively quiet on offense, at least when it comes to the skills positions. The team’s most notable signing was Mack Hollins, who was added to a receivers depth chart that still includes the likes of Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker. None of those options have proven themselves as a definitive WR1 (or maybe even a WR2), so it’s not a huge surprise that the Patriots remain in the market for receiver help.
The team’s search has brought them to a familiar face in Diggs. Thanks particularly to his time in Buffalo, Diggs has compiled 779 career receiving yards against the Patriots, his second-highest total against any one team (the Packers lead the list). While the receiver’s numbers tailed off a bit during his final season with the Bills, he still finished the with at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of his four seasons.
Diggs was traded to the Texans last season and only saw a slight drop off despite a deeper depth chart. Through eight games, the 31-year-old hauled in 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns. Of course, his season ended in late October thanks to a torn ACL.
That injury likely clouded his current free agency, as it’s been relatively quiet on the Diggs front. We heard the Texans were interested in retaining their former acquisition, but the team has since added the likes of Christian Kirk and Justin Watson. Otherwise, the Patriots represent the first known suitor for Diggs.
With the wideout looking to rehabilitate his value and the Patriots desperate for receiver help, this could be a natural pairing. While New England would likely have to wait a bit for Diggs to return from his injury, the veteran’s addition would still be a boon for Maye and the Patriots offense.