HEADLINES

Month: March 2025

Chargers Release OLB Joey Bosa

March 5th, 2025 at 11:07pm CST by Ely Allen

The big moves continue late into the night as ESPN’s Adam Schefter announces that the Chargers have released veteran outside linebacker Joey Bosa. Diana Russini of The Athletic reports that the other teams around the league had been informed of the coming transaction in the last few days. Bosa was the last player remaining from the franchise’s days in San Diego.

While the front office would surely rather have kept Bosa or gotten something in return for the five-time Pro Bowler, the untenable financial commitment going into the final year of his contract made Bosa a prime cut candidate. Bosa was attached to a massive $36.47MM cap hit next season, the highest at his position. The team will save $25.36MM by cutting the veteran, an option that was far too enticing to let pass, even with the Chargers armed with the sixth-most effective cap space in the NFL for next season.

By cutting him, the team avoids paying the $12.36MM roster bonus that was due to Bosa next Wednesday. This deadline was created by Bosa’s team as part of a restructure performed last year. The favorable terms for Bosa forced the team to make a decision before the start of free agency, giving him plenty of time to make the most of his value on the open market.

The former No. 3 overall pick of the 2016 draft class, Bosa has always been a forced to be reckoned with whenever he’s on the field. Following his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign, Bosa made the Pro Bowl in every year in which he appeared in double-digit games. Reaching double-digit games has been the issue, though, as he has only played 107 of a possible 148 games in his career due to injuries. This includes the past three years. Despite appearing in 14 games this season, Bosa missed 20 games in 2022 and 2023 combined.

With Khalil Mack also headed to free agency following the expiration of his contract, the Chargers may need to be looking at a pass rusher in the draft and free agency. Former second-round pick Tuli Tuipulotu delivered a team-leading 8.5 sacks in his sophomore campaign this year, and veteran Bud Dupree tied with Mack for second on the team with six sacks while coming off the bench, but the position is relatively thin behind them.

As for Bosa, he’ll find it challenging to find a contract with a salary around the $27MM and $20.18MM he earned in his last two deals. A signing bonus and the ability to structure a back-heavy deal could make it possible for Bosa to potentially find the $25.36MM in cash he was set to earn this year, but a new team will need to look past his recent injury history in favor of his impressive pass rushing abilities when healthy in order for him to do so.

There are sure to be plenty of suitors interested in landing Bosa for Year 10 of his career. By releasing him now, the Chargers have allowed Bosa’s team ample time to set up his free agent journey while allowing themselves time to make a plan for the offseason to address the new holes in their defense.

Seahawks’ D.K. Metcalf Requests Trade

March 5th, 2025 at 11:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Wednesday is producing a flurry of wide receiver news. Following the Seahawks’ release of Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf has let it be known he wants to be traded.

Metcalf submitted a trade request, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report the Seahawks are working with him on it. One season remains on Metcalf’s deal. At 27, Metcalf would skyrocket to the top of the list of targets available via trade or in free agency.

[RELATED: Chargers On Radar As Trade Suitor?]

Seahawks brass met with Metcalf today, per Pelissero, and the sides agreed to pursue a trade path. A team that would acquire Metcalf would need to either have an extension ready or be prepared to authorize one in the near future. Metcalf wants a new deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Metcalf joins Cooper Kupp on the trade block, as Deebo Samuel — who had signed a similar extension to Metcalf’s in 2022 — moved off it via his trade to the Commanders. The 49ers fetching a fifth-round pick will be relevant to the Seahawks, but Metcalf has been a bit more consistent than Samuel. Metcalf has gone for at least 900 receiving yards in each of his six NFL seasons, thrice eclipsing 1,000. He has two Pro Bowls on his resume, along with a second-team All-Pro nod in 2020. Metcalf is coming off a 992-yard season, as Jaxon Smith-Njigba surged to the top of the Seattle receiving hierarchy.

A recent report suggested the Patriots kicked the tires on Metcalf. New England has been in pursuit of a No. 1-level wideout for a while now. Other teams will step in as well. The Steelers inquired on Metcalf before last year’s deadline. They may be back at the table soon as well, though the prospect of needing to extend Metcalf also could lead to reduced trade offers coming Seattle’s way. The extension topic, naturally, has opened the door to a potential trade. Were the Seahawks all in here, they would merely work with Metcalf’s camp on a third contract.

The big-bodied wideout has proven skeptics wrong, as he had slipped to No. 64 overall in the 2019 draft, and has done well to reward the Seahawks on the three-year, $72MM deal they authorized in 2022. Metcalf topped 1,000 yards in 2022 and ’23, totaling 1,114 yards in the latter season. He also has next to no notable injury history. The Ole Miss alum has missed just three games in six seasons.

The Seahawks teamed Metcalf and Lockett for six years, seeing the two form one of this era’s best receiver duos. Smith-Njigba has changed the equation a bit, but it will still be a blow for Seattle to lose both its dependable veterans in a single offseason. A receiver need, as the Seahawks swung and missed on Dee Eskridge earlier this decade, will emerge if Metcalf is dealt.

A trade at this juncture would be an interesting move, as Mike Macdonald‘s OC search involved questions about who could coax more from the 6-foot-4 pass catcher. Macdonald had viewed Metcalf as too often a decoy under Ryan Grubb. It would cost Seattle $21MM in dead money to trade him, but an extension would help reduce a $31.88MM 2025 cap hit. Only Geno Smith is tied to a higher number on the Hawks’ payroll.

Metcalf is due an $18MM base salary in 2025. While Washington did not have an extension waiting for Samuel, he has submitted uneven work on his second contract. Metcalf being a more reliable player without a comparable injury history would swing a door open wider for a payday to come immediately — if the Seahawks move him.

Chiefs To Trade G Joe Thuney To Bears

March 5th, 2025 at 11:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Minutes after a report indicating the Chiefs were exploring a Joe Thuney trade surfaced, the Bears are expected to swoop in. Chicago is on track to land the All-Pro guard from Kansas City, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.

This will be the second straight day the Bears will have reached a trade agreement involving a guard, with the team agreeing to obtain Jonah Jackson from the Rams on Tuesday. Chicago GM Ryan Poles was in Kansas City when the Chiefs signed Thuney in 2021.

The Bears are rumored to be sending a fourth-round pick to the Chiefs, Rapoport adds. It will be a 2026 fourth exchanged, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. This move will create $16MM in cap space for the Chiefs while leaving them with $10.7MM in dead money. Moving $16MM off the Chiefs’ books will slide them closer to cap compliance, though they entered Wednesday more than $18MM over.

Poles’ team was also mentioned as a potential destination for Trey Smith, but the Chiefs kept the younger of their two Pro Bowl guards via the franchise tag. Chicago will take Thuney, who just completed his age-32 season. One season remains on Thuney’s five-year, $80MM contract. Thuney is due a $15.5MM base salary in 2025; Jackson’s Rams-designed contract calls for a $9MM 2025 base.

Coming off back-to-back first-team All-Pro seasons, Thuney has started all 146 games he has played. The ex-Patriots third-round pick has four Super Bowl rings. A bid for a fifth did not go well, as the Chiefs played Thuney at left tackle during a blowout loss to the Eagles, but he has been one of the league’s best guards for many years.

In addition to Thuney’s two first-team honors, he has two second-team All-Pro accolades on his resume. Kansas City overhauled its O-line after the Buccaneers battered Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LV, which featured the team missing both its starting tackles. The Chiefs acquired Thuney, Smith, Orlando Brown Jr. and Creed Humphrey during the 2021 offseason. That quartet helped them win Super Bowl LVII, with the Thuney-Humphrey-Smith trio being in place for the AFC West superpower’s past two Super Bowl trips as well.

The Chiefs gave Humphrey a center-record extension last year and have right tackle Jawaan Taylor locked in for the 2025 season. Even though the latter has not played especially well in Kansas City, he was one of the 2023 free agent market’s top pieces. That allowed him to a secure a contact that guaranteed his 2025 base salary by March 2024. The Chiefs now have Smith tied to a $23.2MM franchise tag and are pursuing a true left tackle. More work will need to be done to reach cap compliance and carve out spending room, and the team will part with Thuney on the way.

The Bears whiffed on their Nate Davis signing in 2023, and the team has Teven Jenkins days from free agency. Although Jenkins made a push for a Bears extension last year, it appears the former second-round pick will head elsewhere. This trade also comes a year after the Bears acquired Ryan Bates from the Bills, who had previously matched a Bears RFA offer sheet for the veteran guard. With Ben Johnson coming in, his team will use an ex-Lion and a decorated AFC blocker at guard in 2025.

Chicago still has tackle starters Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright under contract, but center Coleman Shelton is back on track for free agency. More work may remain for the Bears, who are throwing resources at protecting Caleb Williams in 2025. Williams took an NFL-high 68 sacks last season. That total ranks in the top five over the past 15 NFL seasons. While the team traded for two pricey guards, the moves have only cost Day 3 picks.

One of the players the Chiefs tried at left tackle before moving Thuney over, Kingsley Suamataia looks likely to have a shot to replace him at LG. A position change may be on tap for the 2024 second-round tackle, Rapoport adds. The Chiefs benched Suamataia in Week 2, with Thuney eventually proving a more reliable option — before Super Bowl LIX — at LT. Three yeras remain on Suamataia’s rookie contract.

Raiders, Maxx Crosby Agree On Extension

March 5th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

As several edge rushers will have plenty to say about where that market goes this offseason, Maxx Crosby is beating his peers to the punch. Despite not being in a contract year, the star Raiders pass rusher now has a monster extension in place.

The Raiders and Crosby have agreed on a deal that makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Crosby is signing a three-year, $106.5MM accord that includes a whopping $91.5MM guaranteed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Crosby going first will help the likes of T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, Trey Hendrickson, Myles Garrett and perhaps Aidan Hutchinson this offseason. The six-year Raider’s new AAV checks in at $35.5MM — $1.5MM north of Nick Bosa‘s previous defender record. Crosby surpasses Justin Jefferson‘s Vikings re-up by $500K per year, elevating him past all his non-QB peers. While it will now be expected some other edge rushers will top where Crosby has gone, he receives an update on a contract he had outplayed.

Crosby’s $91.5MM guarantee number jumps out here, as he managed to secure it on a three-year extension. Bosa landed $122.5MM in total guarantees, Garrett $100MM back in 2020. The 49ers and Browns standouts, respectively, gave their teams four and five years on their deals. Crosby getting here on a three-year contract illustrates how highly the Raiders value him, while setting the table for what could be one of the most explosive contract offseasons at one position in NFL history.

Of course, this can be classified as a three-year deal in name only. Since two seasons remained on Crosby’s previous contract (four years, $94MM), Crosby will still be under Raiders control through 2o29. Still, it cost the Silver and Black plenty to tack on three years here. Crosby was by far the best investment the Raiders made during Jon Gruden‘s second stint at the controls, and he has now been extended by two different regimes.

The Josh McDaniels-Dave Ziegler pair gave Crosby his first extension, which came in 2022. He played two seasons on the deal, leading the NFL in tackles for loss on both. Mark Davis then slammed the door on Crosby trade inquiries last year. Crosby had gone from expressing hope of being a one-team player before some frustration with the Raiders’ struggles showed before the trade deadline. It is safe to say today’s news will put Crosby trade rumors to rest for a while.

The Raiders also moved money around on Crosby’s contract last year; even though that Tom Telesco move was not an extension, Crosby has now seen four Raider regimes pay him. That speaks to both Crosby’s talent and the swift organizational turnover during his tenure.

Crosby, 27, combined for 45 TFLs between the 2022 and ’23 seasons. He added 17 last year, doing so despite missing five games. He ended last season on IR due to a high ankle sprain, which required surgery. The Raiders clearly have no concerns about their EDGE dynamo’s status for 2025. The Eastern Michigan alum notched 7.5 sacks last year but has three double-digit sack seasons — including a career-best 14.5 in 2023 — on his resume. Charting a potential Hall of Fame course, Crosby is certainly now paid like his top peers after having seen some lesser pass rushers move well ahead of him over the past few years.

The Raiders came into the day with more than $95MM in cap space; only the Patriots hold more. They have since extended Crosby and given ex-Tom Brady blocker Alex Cappa a two-year deal days before unrestricted free agency starts. While Cappa checks in as a standard addition, Crosby is among the first players to reap the benefits of the NFL’s latest cap spike. After ballooning by a record $30.6MM in 2024, the cap climbed by $24MM this year. It resides $71MM higher than it did when Crosby was last paid.

It continues to make sense for players to sign short-term deals, as the cap is on a trajectory that does not closely resemble the previous CBA’s course. Crosby has now scored two big-ticket extensions by 27, playing well enough for his team to rip up a previous deal with two years remaining. While other Raiders will take notice, the team does not have anyone on Crosby’s level just yet. Though, Brock Bowers has certainly started well. The team has the likes of Malcolm Koonce, Tre’von Moehrig, Robert Spillane and Nate Hobbs set to hit free agency soon.

The Raiders also will be shopping for a veteran quarterback — before the draft brings another research project at the position — next week. They have plenty of funds remaining to both keep players and add more talent, as the franchise hopes the Tom Brady–John Spytek-Pete Carroll regime will begin an upward trend at long last.

Seahawks LB Ernest Jones Undergoes Surgery Before Free Agency

March 5th, 2025 at 11:01pm CST by Ely Allen

Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones has been an interesting name to watch over his time in the NFL. Playing for three teams over the course of his four-year rookie contract, the 25-year-old has developed into a tackling machine. With free agency on the horizon, the Seahawks have been working to re-sign Jones and keep him in Seattle long-term. A recent surgery may put a speed bump in their plans, though.

Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times was the first to report that Jones underwent surgery shortly after the regular season. Per Condotta, the procedure on Jones’ knee was performed to clean up an injury issue that Jones had been dealing with throughout the 2024 season. The surgery is not being portrayed as serious as Jones is expected “to return to football activity as soon as June, if not earlier.” Still, Condotta suggests that, should Jones reach free agency, interested teams may feel the need to put him through a physical before finalizing a deal.

Ira Turner, Jones’ agent, took to X to confirm the news of Jones’ surgery and to attempt to spin it in a more positive light. He insisted that the surgery is, in fact, not “a bad thing” but instead “the best thing to happen to Ernest since the trade to Seattle.” Turner emphasizes that “the doctors fixed a knee issue (Jones has) had for more than a year” and that “he’ll be healthy going forward.”

With big new deals expected for free agents like Nick Bolton and Zack Baun (Baun today signed a three-year, $51MM contract), Jones was expected to find a spot in the market as a top linebacker just behind the most expensive options. There’s been plenty of talk that a discount might be available to his current team as he immediately meshed with his teammates and coaches in Seattle upon being traded there midseason. The two sides were discussing a new contract, but discussions paused in early-January, and perhaps this was the reason why.

The surgery may cost Jones a bit of value in free agency, but he is still one of the most promising, young linebackers to potentially become available this offseason. He should still draw plenty of interest should he reach free agency next week. The team that knows him and his injury history best, though, may be the team that inks him to a new contract when all is said and done.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/5/25

March 5th, 2025 at 8:49pm CST by Ely Allen

More teams made tender/non-tender decisions on restricted and exclusive rights free agents today. Here are the latest updates:

RFAs

Non-tendered:

Fraboni has served as the Broncos’ primary long snapper for each of the past two seasons, playing in all 17 games of each year as well as this year’s playoff contest. Denver will have until next Wednesday to keep him from hitting the market if they intend to retain him.

ERFAs

Tendered: 

The Broncos tendered all five of their exclusive rights free agents today. The Packers made an easy decision to retain Anderson, who started two games this year and recorded his first career interception.

NFL Minor Transactions: 3/5/25

March 5th, 2025 at 8:07pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves across the NFL:

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

  • Waived: C Ryan Coll

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Chargers A Team To Watch For WR D.K. Metcalf

March 5th, 2025 at 7:07pm CST by Ely Allen

Following up on today’s earlier news that veteran wide receiver D.K. Metcalf had requested a trade from the Seahawks, a few teams have been established as likely possible destinations for the 27-year-old. Most notably, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times has noted some connections to the Chargers.

Metcalf has been in Seattle since 2019. A year after Metcalf was drafted in the second round out of Ole Miss, Sanjay Lal came on staff with the Seahawks as a senior offensive assistant after stints as a wide receivers coach with the Raiders, Jets, Bills, Colts, and Cowboys from 2009-2019. After only a year in that role with Seattle, Lal spent a season as wide receivers coach in Jacksonville before returning to the Seahawks as passing game coordinator & wide receivers coach, a role he held for two seasons. Last year, Lal was hired by Jim Harbaugh to the Chargers’ staff as wide receivers coach over a group devoid of veterans.

Another writer at The Seattle Times, Adam Jude, had done a deep dive back in 2022 concerning the close relationship between Metcalf and Lal. The piece detailed how Metcalf trusted Lal to assist him in his quest to become the league’s best receiver. Condotta adds that Metcalf has spent recent offseasons in Los Angeles. He’s clearly familiar and comfortable with the area and knows a friendly face in Los Angeles’ position room.

On the Chargers’ side of things, Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports mentioned that Los Angeles was “the one team that quietly but aggressively pursued (Metcalf) in trade talks (last year)…only to be rebuffed by Seattle.” Although rookie second-round receiver Ladd McConkey put forth a strong 1,149-yard, seven-touchdown season and 2023 first-rounder Quentin Johnston delivered a much-improved sophomore campaign, the room was absent a veteran playmaker. Though offensive coordinator Greg Roman‘s offense tends to be run-heavy, the Chargers’ wide receiving corps would be much more well-rounded with a depth chart of Metcalf, McConkey, and Johnston.

Ben Volin of the Boston Globe threw the Bills into the mix, as well, though he didn’t seem to be reporting off of any sort of intel. Buffalo could certainly use the wide receiver help as they are only set to return Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman with Amari Cooper and Mack Hollins‘ contracts expiring. Unfortunately, the team currently ranks 30th in the NFL in cap space, per OvertheCap.com, so taking on any of Metcalf’s $31.88MM cap hit in 2025 would be tough to do without an immediate extension or restructuring to relieve cap space.

That could be possible, though, as, according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson, Metcalf is seeking a new deal as he heads into the final season of his current three-year, $72MM extension. Additionally, Metcalf’s stated desire to play for a contender makes Buffalo a tantalizing destination.

Despite mutual interest between Metcalf and either party, the decision will ultimately land on the Seahawks. It’s never great to hold a player hostage, but they’re set to eat $21MM of dead money if they cut or trade him with a pre-June 1 designation. A post-June 1 designation only slightly improves the situation as that dead money figure reduces to $13.88MM. Regardless, if the team can’t reach an extension agreement to keep him in Seattle long-term, it could be more beneficial to get some value back in a trade rather than watch him walk and get nothing in return a year from now. For the moment, NFL reporter Josina Anderson is reporting that there is a team willing to give up a third-round pick for Metcalf.

Texans Re-Sign RB Dare Ogunbowale

March 5th, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Texans have re-signed veteran running back Dare Ogunbowale on a one-year, $1.2MM deal, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

2025 will be Ogunbowale’s ninth season in the NFL and fourth in Houston. He began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Texans in 2017, but did not make the 53-man roster as a rookie. He spent the rest of the season bouncing between practice squad and made his regular-season debut with the Buccaneers in 2018.

Ogunbowale earned a full-time roster spot and a team captaincy in Tampa Bay in 2019. He carved out a role as a third-down back with 35 receptions for 286 yards and also served as a core special teams contributor. He played 361 snaps on offense and 381 on special teams, which both remain career-highs, but was not retained for the 2020 season.

The Wisconsin product was signed by the Jaguars in 2020 and amassed 282 yards on 75 carries across the next two years. He maintained his role on special teams, but did not feature in the passing game with just 23 receptions in Jacksonville.

Ogunbowale then landed in Houston, where he has spent the last three years. He continued to feature on special teams with rotational roles on offense in 2022 and 2024. Last year, he appeared in all 17 games with 112 yards on 30 carries and 198 yards on 19 receptions while playing 56% of the Texans’ special teams snaps.

In 2025, Ogunbowale will likely take up a similar role behind Joe Mixon, though a resurgence from fourth-year back Dameon Pierce could cut into his workload.

Bradley Chubb Agrees To Reworked Deal With Dolphins

March 5th, 2025 at 4:49pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Outside linebacker Bradley Chubb has agreed on a reworked contract with the Dolphins, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

The new deal will reduce Chubb’s base salary in 2025, which was originally $19.45MM, per OverTheCap. He can still earn his full 2025 compensation through incentives based on playing time and sacks.

Chubb spent last year on the Physically Unable to Perform list due to a knee injury suffered at the end of the 2023 season. The Dolphins expressed some optimism about Chubb’s return and opened his practice window in December, but he didn’t progress enough to be activated. It was later revealed that Chubb’s injury impacted his meniscus and patellar tendon in addition to the originally-reported ACL tear.

The Dolphins’ revision of Chubb’s deal is a clever move to clear 2025 cap space while providing insurance if Chubb can’t return to his pre-injury form. Since he missed the 2024 season, all of his 2025 incentives will be considered not likely to be earned. Any incentives that Chubb hits wouldn’t have to be accounted for until 2026, when Dolphins will have more financial flexibility with their own contracts and an increased salary cap.

Miami entered the day above the 2025 salary cap by $1.64MM, per OverTheCap. Chubb’s new deal will make them cap-compliant, and the Dolphins will likely made additional moves before free agency begins next week. The simplest move would be a restructure of Tua Tagovailoa‘s contract, which could create up to $19.3MM in cap space. Extending Jaelan Phillips off of his fifth-year option could create up to $9.66MM.

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