HEADLINES

Month: March 2025

Zach Allen Seeking Extension With Broncos

March 5th, 2025 at 4:28pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Coming off the best season of his six-year career, defensive lineman Zach Allen is seeking a “lucrative extension” with the Broncos, per Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.

Allen is entering the final year of a three-year, $45.75MM contract, per OverTheCap. He has no guaranteed money remaining on his deal and will count for $19.8MM against the 2025 salary cap. An extension could reduce that to $10.5MM, though that would require a sizable financial commitment from the Broncos.

The interior pass-rusher market has skyrocketed since Allen signed with the Broncos in 2023, so he will be looking for a sizable raise from his current $15.75MM APY. After a second-team All-Pro nod in 2024, Allen’s demands are expected to start at $25MM per year, according to Tomasson. That would be the third-highest APY among active interior defensive linemen and the fourth-highest at the position in league history.

Allen set career-highs in 2024 with 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss, but the Broncos may not be willing to give him a top-of-the-market contract. He compiled 13.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss over the previous three seasons, so Denver may wait for Allen to repeat his current production before meeting his asking price.

The team may still be willing to come to the negotiating table due to Allen’s youth and cap hit. He’s only 27 years old and could anchor the middle of the defensive line for the foreseeable future. Denver currently has $40.85MM of cap space ahead of free agency, and they have other avenues to create more room. Still, the extra $9.25MM created by an Allen extension certainly wouldn’t hurt, especially if they secure his services for a few more years.

Cowboys Restructure Dak Prescott’s Deal

March 5th, 2025 at 3:47pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Cowboys have restructured Dak Prescott‘s contract, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer, creating $36.6MM of cap space on top of the $20MM created by yesterday’s restructure of CeeDee Lamb‘s deal.

The move converts $45.75 of Prescott’s 2025 salary to a signing bonus that is then prorated across the next five years of the contract. His cap number in 2025 dropped to $53MM with increases of $9.15MM in each of the next four seasons. Prescott’s cap hits in 2026, 2027, and 2028 are now above $70MM, giving him leverage to negotiate another extension in the next two years.

Dallas entered the week above the the 2025 salary cap. By avoiding a franchise tag for Osa Odighizuwa and restructuring the contracts of Lamb and Prescott, the team now has $54.3MM in cap space, the eighth-most in the NFL.

That’s not a final number, as the Cowboys could still make a few moves in the next week. They are expected to place a second-round RFA tender on KaVontae Turpin that will cost $5.35MM, and negotiations are underway with Micah Parsons on an extension that could lower his $24MM cap hit.

All told, Dallas should enter free agency with about $50MM in cap space, but recent comments from owner and general manager Jerry Jones should temper expectations of a spending spree.

“I don’t think aggressive is the right word,” said Jones (via WFAA’s Ed Werder). “I’m not looking at free agency as a place to fill voids.” Jones added that the team is planning to prioritize the draft over free agency, though their creation of cap space suggest that they intend to make some signings.

Eagles To Re-Sign LB Zack Baun

March 5th, 2025 at 1:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Submitting one of this decade’s premier contract years, Zack Baun moved the needle in a big way toward the Eagles’ second Super Bowl championship. The Eagles are not letting the veteran linebacker return to free agency.

Baun was set to join other Eagles starters on the market, but a Wednesday payday will instead come to pass. The Eagles are keeping Baun on a three-year, $51MM deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Baun will have two fully guaranteed years on this contract, as Schefter adds $34MM will be locked in at signing.

The Eagles had expressed interest in keeping Baun, who in turn wanted to stay with the team he just helped to a dominant Super Bowl win. Baun will take himself off the market, with the two fully guaranteed years doing well to convince the ex-Saints draftee to pass on a second free agency go-round. Baun played a central role in the Eagles’ latest championship, and he has scored a top-market ILB deal as a result.

At $17MM per year, Baun becomes the fourth-highest-paid off-ball linebacker. He sits behind fellow first-team All-Pros Roquan Smith and Fred Warner and Bears 2023 signee Tremaine Edmunds. Baun, however, lands his contract at an older age than that trio did. Baun turned 28 late last year. The Eagles are willing to invest in his late 20s, at the very least, before reassessing. The former third-round pick gave the defending champs plenty of reason to do so.

Baun went from researching special-teamer contracts as comps to being a first-team All-Pro. The Wisconsin alum totaled 151 tackles – a cool 121 more than his previous career high – and added 3.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and 11 TFLs. Baun’s five fumbles forced were second in the NFL, and his diving Super Bowl LIX interception effectively ensured viewers needed to brace for a blowout. Baun’s 2024 goes in the contract-year hall of fame.

This agreement comes a day after the Eagles extended Saquon Barkley, who was already under contract through 2026. The superstar running back received a significant guarantee bump after soaring past 2,000 yards. Baun did not enjoy quite that productive of a season, but his breakthrough was more surprising. This continues Howie Roseman‘s recent zags when it comes to these positions, as the Eagles had gone a while since paying a running back and a linebacker before Barkley and Baun’s arrivals.

The Eagles’ 2024 free agent class, thanks largely to these two, probably goes down as an all-timer. The team must decide on 2024 bargain buy Mekhi Becton soon, but this Baun agreement — coupled with the team already having four well-paid offensive linemen — points the mammoth guard to the market.

Two other Eagles Super Bowl standouts — Josh Sweat and Milton Williams — are en route to free agency. It would seem the Eagles made Baun the top priority here. They are not expected to retain Sweat, and Williams — with Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis rostered — will probably fetch a better offer elsewhere. But the Eagles will still ensure some front-seven continuity in Baun, who will help as Nakobe Dean is likely to miss time in 2025.

Raiders To Sign G Alex Cappa

March 5th, 2025 at 12:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders are not waiting for the market to open to add a guard. Although several options will be available next week, Las Vegas is grabbing an option early in Alex Cappa.

Released by the Bengals on Monday, Cappa has already agreed to terms with the Raiders, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Cappa started for three seasons in Cincinnati. Perhaps more notably, he played with Tom Brady during new Raiders GM John Spytek‘s Buccaneers tenure.

Cappa agreed to a two-year, $11MM deal, according to his agency (via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). It includes $5.5MM fully guaranteed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds. This looks to cover Cappa for the 2025 season, with the Raiders set to carry flexibility beyond that. Cappa is going into his age-30 season.

This marks a step back from Cappa’s four-year, $35MM Bengals pact, but this is how it often goes for players released before their second contracts conclude. Still, this could be a nice landing spot for Cappa due to the familiarity with Brady and Spytek. It would also offer the Raiders a cheaper option opposite Jackson Powers-Johnson, though the team has Dylan Parham under contract for one more season.

While Cappa has 96 starts on his NFL resume and has missed just one regular-season game during the 2020s, he is coming off a down season that prompted the Bengals to make him a cap casualty. Pro Football Focus graded Cappa as a bottom-10 guard last season. Though, the advanced metrics site viewed the new Raider as playing much better before 2024. PFF slotted Cappa as a top-25 guard in each of the prior four seasons, as the former Bucs third-rounder offered consistency and commanded the Bengals’ attention in 2022. For what it’s worth, PFF graded Parham 17th among guards last season. A position battle could be on tap soon.

Cappa’s lone notable NFL injury — a fractured ankle sustained in a 2020 wild-card game — kept him out of Super Bowl LV. The seven-year veteran still blocked for Brady for two seasons, helping the QB legend-turned-owner/announcer win a seventh Super Bowl ring. Brady will circle back to one of his former teammates; it will be interesting to see if any other ex-Bucs follow.

Jaguars To Release WR Christian Kirk

March 5th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Sam Robinson

Yet another experienced receiver will be available to teams in free agency. The Jaguars are cutting ties with Christian Kirk, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports. One season remained on Kirk’s contract.

Although Kirk suffered a broken collarbone midway through last season, he had served as Trevor Lawrence‘s top target for most his Jags tenure. As the team transitions to new HC Liam Coen, it will save $10.44MM by releasing Kirk.

While many of the experienced wideouts in this year’s free agent class are over 30, Kirk is 28. The former Cardinals second-rounder is heading into his age-29 season and should draw interest as a bounce-back candidate. Excelling in the slot in Jacksonville, Kirk posted an 1,108-yard season in 2022, helping the Jags to the playoffs and silencing some skeptics that expressed shock at the four-year, $72MM deal he inked that year.

Kirk’s $18MM-per-year deal helped ignite a surge on the receiver market. The Jags pact preceded Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams blowing the top off the previous market, and young wideouts like A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and D.K. Metcalf came in with deals between that tier and where Kirk landed. The bevy of WRs who have signed monster deals over the past three years may owe some gratitude to Kirk, who positioned himself for the payday by hitting the market at 25 on the heels of a near-1,000-yard Arizona season.

Injuries, however, will factor into Kirk’s second free agent market. Core muscle surgery sidelined him to close the Jaguars’ 2023 season. The five games Kirk missed that year played a major role in the franchise’s trajectory. The Jags were 8-3 but slunk to 9-8. After they went 4-13 last season, ownership fired Doug Pederson and eventually Trent Baalke. Coen is now the lead power broker in Jacksonville, with GM James Gladstone riding shotgun. That duo will build around a receiving corps headlined by Brian Thomas Jr., as the team has now moved on from Kirk and Calvin Ridley in a two-year span.

For a period, the Jags had three free agent wideouts (Kirk, Ridley and Zay Jones) and a tight end (Evan Engram) attached to an eight-figure AAV. The team has stripped its pass-catching corps of most of those contracts, as Lawrence is now attached to a $55MM-per-year salary. Kirk’s departure, however, will create a need opposite Thomas in Jacksonville. Fortunately for the team, there are many options. Davante Adams, Chris Godwin, Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen, DeAndre Hopkins and Tyler Lockett headline the list. Marquise Brown, Josh Palmer, Darius Slayton and, should any team be up to the challenge of managing him after last year, Diontae Johnson are also among the available targets.

Seahawks Release WR Tyler Lockett

March 5th, 2025 at 11:42am CST by Sam Robinson

Tyler Lockett indicated late last season he might be on the way out in Seattle. Weeks later, the Seahawks are expected to move on. Lockett thanked the team for a 10-season run Wednesday.

He will be released soon, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, as the Seahawks have also since thanked Lockett for his run with the team. This will wrap one of the longest WR careers in team history and send yet another accomplished early-30-something wideout to the market.

Due a $5.3MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2025 league year, Lockett will now join Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper, DeAndre Hopkins and Keenan Allen as mid-2010s receiver draftees in free agency. The Seahawks chose Lockett in the 2015 third round and saw him form productive tandems with Doug Baldwin and D.K. Metcalf. With the team having seen Jaxon Smith-Njigba make major strides in 2024, carrying both Metcalf and Lockett will not remain feasible.

An obvious Lockett landing spot would be the Raiders, as Pete Carroll coached the former 1,000-yard pass catcher for his first nine seasons. Carroll still holds Lockett in high regard, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Jakobi Meyers is going into a contract year, as the Raiders cut the cord on Adams last October. They will be in search of a No. 1-level wideout, but Lockett would help a team as a complementary target at this stage of his career.

This is not a post-June 1 cut, which means Lockett can sign elsewhere immediately. This gives him a head start on the Cooper-Diggs-Allen-Hopkins contingent; Adams can also sign somewhere now. This release will save the Seahawks $17MM, and it comes after the team created more than $27MM in cap space by cutting Dre’Mont Jones, Rayshawn Jenkins, Roy Robertson-Harris and George Fant. After entering Tuesday over the cap, the team is now up to $32MM in space.

As Smith-Njigba made significant strides in Year 2, Lockett posted just 600 receiving yards in 17 games. The four-time 1,000-yard pass catcher had already taken a backseat to Metcalf, but he was at 894 yards in Carroll’s final season. The former Russell Wilson weapon arrived just after the team’s back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. Lockett’s 8,594 receiving yards trail only Hall of Famer Steve Largent in Seahawks history.

The Seahawks had given Lockett extensions in 2018 (three years, $31.8MM) and ’21 (four years, $69.2MM). Lockett, 32, also agreed to a reworking last year. It adjusted Lockett’s contract to a two-year, $30MM deal that created the $5.3MM roster bonus. That put a 2025 release on the radar, as the Seahawks will not pay him the roster bonus nor the $10MM base salary he was owed. But Lockett should catch on elsewhere soon. With so many comparable players on the market, Lockett may not be able to fetch a deal that even matches his 2018 payday for AAV. With Adams and Lockett available, teams seeking veteran WR help have many places to turn.

Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson Atop Giants’ QB Wish List?

March 5th, 2025 at 11:23am CST by Sam Robinson

After the Giants could not pull off a trade to land Drake Maye last year, they continue to be connected to moving up in this draft for a passer. First, however, a bridge option is drawing serious consideration.

As Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll sit on hot seats, they need to add multiple quarterbacks to their roster. Tommy DeVito is expected to be tendered as an ERFA, but New York should be expected to stash him as a third-stringer. Next week will bring clarity on the quarterback market, and the Giants should be expected to strike.

While Big Blue has been linked to an Aaron Rodgers pursuit, the soon-to-be-released Jet may not be their top veteran option. As it stands, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan indicates Sam Darnold and Russell Wilson are near the top of the Giants’ veteran wish list. Darnold’s market should be considerably pricier than Wilson’s due to the Vikings Pro Bowler being nearly nine years younger. The Giants, who are eating $20MM-plus in Daniel Jones dead money, hold just more than $47MM in cap space.

Wilson is now being viewed as likely to leave the Steelers, as links to Pittsburgh preferring to keep Justin Fields continue to circulate. Wilson should still have a starter-level path somewhere, as teams like the Jets and Raiders need starters. The Browns and Titans also will consider stopgap options, while the Colts are interested in adding a passer to compete with Anthony Richardson. If Darnold leaves Minnesota, the Vikings should be in the bridge mix as well. Wilson, 36, should fit the bill somewhere. Though, Rodgers and Kirk Cousins will also join him in that mix — along with several backup types.

A Darnold move back to New York would be quite interesting, considering his three-year Jets tenure. The Vikings passed on franchise-tagging their 2024 starter due to the $40.2MM cost, and while they are still interested in re-signing him, Darnold will likely be leery of committing to a team that only has a bridge role in mind. That said, Darnold may not be assured he will be an unquestioned starter no matter where he signs. A team could circle back to a first-round quarterback pick — in a situation that would remind of Cousins’ Atlanta signing or Mike Glennon‘s 2017 Bears deal. Darnold has also come up as a Raiders or Titans option.

The Giants have been connected to vaulting from No. 3 to No. 1 for a quarterback, and Raanan adds evaluators at the Combine viewed it as likely the team would pull off a trade — with Cam Ward in mind. Ward is beginning to separate himself from Shedeur Sanders, with reports now pegging the Miami QB as a higher-tier prospect compared to the Colorado passer. The Giants have been tied to Sanders previously, and Raanan adds he is still believed to have support in the team’s building. Though, a smokescreen effort on the team’s part also has surfaced re: Sanders.

If the Giants sign Rodgers, Wilson or Cousins — in the event he is released — Raanan adds it would not affect the team’s draft plan. It would stand to reason Darnold might, as he would require a more lofty commitment and is only going into his age-28 season. The team’s two-pronged effort to solve its QB problem, as Schoen and Daboll make a case to save their jobs, will be one of this offseason’s defining storylines.

Browns To Meet With Abdul Carter, Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward

March 5th, 2025 at 10:57am CST by Sam Robinson

Like the Titans, the Browns are set for an early start on their “30” visits. Holding the No. 2 overall pick, the team will meet with the top prospects in this draft this week.

Abdul Carter, Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are in Berea, Ohio, today for their Browns visits, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets. The trio dined with Browns brass Tuesday night, per ESPN’s Kimberley Martin. Cam Ward is also set to meet with the team, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot notes, with Breer adding it will commence Thursday.

[RELATED: Browns To Consider Trading Back From No. 2]

The Browns will gather important intel before free agency launches Monday. Cleveland joins Tennessee in seeing its previous quarterback plan fail to impress. While the Titans are not certain to demote Will Levis, the Browns will need a new starter after Deshaun Watson‘s second Achilles tear. Ward and Sanders would be expected to step in as such during the 2025 season or by Week 1, and the team will have access to at least one of them at No. 2 overall.

Next week will bring some clarity on the Browns’ QB plan. Ward has taken a lead on Sanders as the more likely player to be the first QB off the board, with The Athletic’s Zac Jackson indicating the Browns should only be eyeing the Miami prospect were they to use their top pick on a passer. Ward has been viewed as the higher-ceiling option compared to Sanders, whose floor may well check in higher. If the Browns were to pursue Ward, they may need to trade up to No. 1. The Titans are not committed to taking a quarterback, but other teams — such as the Giants and Raiders — have been tied to moving up. Rumblings about Tennessee trading the top pick continue to surface.

A recent report tied the Browns to Hunter, a two-way phenom who is in the unique position of not being locked in at a position. While the Titans view Hunter as a cornerback, Andrew Berry said the Browns have tabbed him as a wide receiver ahead of the draft. Hunter may earn the chance to be a two-way player at the pro level, though settling in as someone who commits to one spot and moonlights at the other — still a highly unusual NFL role — may be the more realistic path.

Carter is rehabbing a foot injury; as of now, the Penn State edge rusher is not expected to need surgery. The injury could still affect the former Big Ten standout’s draft stock. The Browns have thus far informed teams they are not considering a Myles Garrett trade. Carter would make for a flashy bookend and a player whose rookie contract would overlap with a monster third Garrett deal, though the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year is not currently interested in another Browns extension.

Raiders To Release QB Gardner Minshew

March 5th, 2025 at 10:34am CST by Sam Robinson

10:34am: A last-ditch trade effort will take place, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore. That will be unlikely to succeed, but the team will try to collect a low-end asset for a player who will otherwise hit the market soon.

9:35am: After yo-yoing in and out of the Raiders’ starting lineup last season, Gardner Minshew suffered an injury that took him out of that mix. As expected, the Raiders will end that experiment at one season.

The Raiders have informed Minshew he will be cut, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. No move will take place until March 12, the start of the 2025 league year. This suggests a post-June 1 designation, which would save the Raiders $12.5MM for 2025. If so, it would mark the second straight year a Raiders quarterback becomes a post-June 1 cut; the team designated Jimmy Garoppolo as such in 2024.

Minshew won the Raiders’ starting job out of camp but was benched on multiple occasions during Antonio Pierce‘s season in charge. Pierce expressed frustration to then-GM Tom Telesco about the Raiders’ 2024 QB plan, which centered around Minshew’s two-year, $25MM contract. Both were soon out in Las Vegas, and the Tom Brady-John Spytek-Pete Carroll trio are readying to make a bigger upgrade effort this year. They were in discussions to authorize a near-$100MM guarantee package for Matthew Stafford, but the experienced QB is staying with the Rams.

Although the Raiders most likely were the team that sent the Commanders their lone trade offer for No. 2 overall (as Pierce aimed for a Jayden Daniels reunion), they made their Brock Bowers pick one spot after the Broncos chose Bo Nix. That left the top six QBs — in what might be an impressive draft class at the position — in last year’s crop spoken for. Signed as insurance against the team not coming out of the draft with a high-end prospect, Minshew then became the Raiders’ top option.

Having led the Colts to the playoff precipice as an Anthony Richardson replacement in 2023, Minshew became a sought-after bridge option last year. He did not build on that Indianapolis performance in 2024, though, posting a 9-10 TD-INT ratio and averaging just 6.6 yards per attempt. In Minshew’s defense, the Raiders let Josh Jacobs walk in free agency and traded Davante Adams in-season. Minshew and Aidan O’Connell did help Bowers to a historic season and Jakobi Meyers to a quiet 1,000-yard campaign. While O’Connell remains on his rookie contract, Minshew can begin looking elsewhere.

Minshew, who was due an $11.84MM base salary for 2025, has made 46 career starts — with the Raiders, Colts, Eagles and Jaguars — and has found success as a former sixth-round pick. The six-year veteran will head back to the bridge market and should at least command interest as a backup option for the ’25 season.

Bengals DE Sam Hubbard Retires

March 5th, 2025 at 10:05am CST by Sam Robinson

As the Bengals prepare a plan for Trey Hendrickson, they have been informed their other defensive end starter will be out of the mix for 2025. Sam Hubbard announced his intention to retire.

A career-long Bengal who grew up in Cincinnati, Hubbard is just 29. He has been a regular starter since his second season, having previously signed an extension to stay with the team. Hubbard walks away after seven seasons, having notched 38.5 career sacks.

Attached to a four-year, $40MM extension, Hubbard was entering a contract year. The Bengals are not big on void years or other methods to create cap space, so this retirement will not come with strings attached beyond signing bonus proration. Cincinnati will save $9.51MM due to Hubbard’s decision.

Hubbard sustained a PCL injury in December and missed the final three games of the Bengals’ season. The popular Bengal cog did notch a safety last season but only finished with two sacks and three tackles for loss (though, he did catch a Joe Burrow touchdown pass against the Titans in what turned out to be his final game). For his career, Hubbard made important contributions to his hometown team’s cause. He closes his career with 55 TFLs — including three seasons with 10-plus — and was responsible for two memorable playoff sequences.

Hubbard’s second sack of Patrick Mahomes in the 2021 AFC championship game resulted in a forced fumble during a Bengals comeback win. A year later, Hubbard reeled off his signature NFL play, returning a fumble 98 yards against the Ravens in a wild-card win. The third-down sequence denied Baltimore a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, instead giving the home team a late lead. This became one of the most celebrated plays in Bengals history, with Hubbard’s connection to the city helping etch it in franchise lore.

The Bengals drafted Hubbard in the 2018 third round, bringing him in during Marvin Lewis‘ final year at the helm. The team had Hubbard in place for four seasons, extending him and trading longtime defensive end Carlos Dunlap. Hendrickson came aboard in 2021, the same year Hubbard landed his second contract. For his career, Hubbard earned more than $35MM.

Cincinnati used a 2023 first-round pick on D-end Myles Murphy but has not seen the Clemson product justify the investment. As the team has Hendrickson going into a contract year — with a potential extension coming, though trade rumors also have surfaced involving the 2024 NFL sack leader — questions loom at this spot. While Hubbard was in place as a Hendrickson sidekick, he gave the Bengals 88 career starts. Murphy did not record a sack last season, playing 13 games. The Bengals also have Joseph Ossai days away from free agency.

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