Indiana Gives HC Curt Cignetti Another Raise In New Deal
Hopefully, fans of struggling NFL teams aren’t banking on Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti making the jump to the NFL coaching ranks. While it would make a ton of sense to expect Cignetti to get NFL offers after his recent meteoric success in the NCAA, the Hoosiers are making it harder each year to buy the man out of his current commitment. 
It took a while for Cignetti to gain recognition for his accomplishments, but his notorious confidence is well-warranted, as a simple Google search confirms that he does, in fact, win. After 28 years filling assistant coaching roles at Davidson, Rice, Temple, Pittsburgh, NC State, and Alabama, Cignetti got his first head coaching opportunity in 2011 at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Aside from a single 6-5 campaign, Cignetti never lost more than three games with the Crimson Hawks, going 53-17 in six years with the team. He then moved on to Elon, where he went 14-9 in two seasons before getting hired at James Madison.
Cignetti immediately made himself known with the Dukes, going 14-2 in his first year at the school en route to an FCS championship game appearance. Over three years in the FCS, Cignetti’s team went 33-5, and they kept to their winning ways when they made the FBS jump to the Sun Belt Conference, finishing 8-3 in 2022 and 11-1 in 2023. It was at this point that Cignetti was hired at Indiana, which at that point in time was the losingest program in NCAA history (most all-time losses).
In Year 1 with the Hoosiers, Cignetti and Co. went 11-2, making the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff but getting eliminated in their first game. It was the school’s first double-digit win season in its 127-year history (granted that in 61 of those seasons they did not play double-digit games). Indiana rewarded him with an eight-year, $93MM extension a month into Year 2 with the team. It hasn’t stopped there, though. Year 2 saw Cignetti’s Hoosiers become the NCAA’s first-ever team to go 16-0 en route to a national championship victory.
Apparently, Indiana didn’t believe the $11.63MM per year that they were paying him over the next several years was adequate compensation, because, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Cignetti and the team have agreed to a new deal that will increase the annual average value of his salary to $13.2MM. He is under contract with the Hoosiers through the 2033 season.
Given Cignetti’s tremendous success, an eventual jump to the NFL felt like a no brainer. Instead, the school and coach have worked hard to solidify his future at Indiana for years to come. Perhaps some downtrodden NFL franchise will at some point inquire what it would take to lure him away from Indiana, but at the moment the Hoosiers are diligently building a wall around their leader and filling that four-walled room chock-full of money.
Chiefs’ Andy Reid Speaks On TE Travis Kelce, WR Tyreek Hill
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid created a couple headlines today as he addressed media questions on two veteran players who used to be the main levers of quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ success. While Reid continued to keep the door open for the return of tight end Travis Kelce, he was quick to temper expectations that Kansas City would definitely pursue newly released wide receiver Tyreek Hill. 
According to Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star, Reid informed the media that communication with Kelce had been ongoing. “There is communication,” he began (via ESPN’s Nate Taylor). “That’s the main thing. I’ve said this before: as long as there’s communication, I’m good. That means people want to move forward. I think that’s where Travis is.”
This question has been hanging over Kansas City since last summer. Looking ahead at the expiration of his current deal following the 2025 NFL season, Kelce made it known he was undecided on what would come next, but he soon came to the conclusion that he had no plans of finishing his career with any team but the Chiefs. As the team came out of their bye week with a loss putting them at 5-5 and longshots for the postseason, Kelce’s considerations once again turned to his future, and he staked his claim that he would come by a decision before the start of the 2026 league year.
If Kelce is going to return, though, he’s going to need a new contract. Looking forward to that possibility, Joel Curry of CBS Sports ventured to guess what that may look like for the 36-year-old tight end. It’s been clear over the past three years that Kelce is not quite the super star he consistently had proven to be from 2016-22. That being said, he has still routinely been among the top five players at his position. With 76 catches for 851 yards and five touchdowns, Kelce put up the fourth-most receiving yards for tight ends in 2025.
Still, it doesn’t seem likely he will be able to continue pulling in an average annual value of $17.13MM — good for third amongst tight ends, behind only Trey McBride ($19MM) and George Kittle ($19.1MM). It doesn’t even seem likely that he’ll have the fourth-highest AAV to match his productive output. In order to figure out how much Kelce might make in 2026, Curry drew a couple comparisons. He looked back to the years 2012 & 2013, when veteran tight ends Jermichael Finley and Tony Gonzalez each signed two-year, $14MM deals, respectively. With the salary cap at that point in time being $123MM, Curry calculates that the equivalent of a $7MM-per-year deal in 2025 would be a one-year, $17.25MM deal.
Again, though, it’s hard to imagine Kelce getting a raise in a return to play, so Curry draws comparisons to more current examples like Ravens tight end Mark Andrews and Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith. Andrews, 30, recently signed a three-year, $39.27MM deal (with an AAV of $13.09MM), and Smith signed with the Steelers on a one-year, $12.01MM contract for 2026. Andrews’ deal was a slight pay reduction after making $14MM per year on his last contract, while Smith’s was a reward for a breakout campaign just before turning 30. Putting all these examples together, and assuming that Kelce would more likely than not sign a team-friendly deal, a one-year contract worth anywhere from $12MM to $14MM seems feasible.
When it came to the possible pursuit of Hill, Reid was quick to point out some potential speed bumps in the way of an immediate reunion. “I don’t even know if Tyreek is healthy right now to do anything,” Reid told reporters, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “I’m sure he’s working hard on that part of it, trying to get all that straightened out. We talk about everything, so there’s nothing happening there, but we know what you know, and he’s out there cranking away trying to get himself back to where he can play, period.”
While Reid surely didn’t confirm anything, he didn’t definitively shut anything down either. Along with the hiring of former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and the potential returns of Kelce and Hill, it would be interesting to see the Chiefs turn back the clock for Mahomes as he continues to work through the recovery of his torn ACL and LCL.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/20/26
Today’s minor NFL moves as we head into the weekend:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: CB Jalen Davis, RB Kendall Milton
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: CB Keith Taylor
Two veteran depth cornerbacks were re-signed to one-year deals today. Davis will be entering his seventh season in Cincinnati. Going undrafted out of Utah State in 2018, Davis spent his rookie year with the Dolphins before signing onto the Cardinals’ taxi squad the next year. After a midseason release in 2020, Davis found his way to the Bengals, and he’s been with the team ever since. After several years of special teams duties, Davis saw significant playing in Cincinnati for the first time in his career. He started three of seven game appearances in 2025.
Taylor was a late-season addition in Duval last year. The Jaguars signed the fifth-year player off the Falcons’ practice squad after Jourdan Lewis landed on injured reserve, but ultimately, Taylor didn’t see any time on the field with Jacksonville. Originally a fifth-round pick for the Panthers out of Washington, Taylor spent two years in Carolina and two more in Kansas City before landing in Atlanta. He has five starts in 47 games played over the first five years of his career.
Dolphins Announce 2026 Coaching Staff
The Dolphins announced their 2026 coaching staff under new head coach Jeff Hafley last week with a number of previously unannounced hires on the list.
On offense, Miami added tight ends coach Ron Middleton and retained assistant TEs coach Lemuel Jeanpierre, and assistant wide receivers coach Jonathan Krause.
Middleton did not coach in 2025, but previously served as the tight ends coach for the Jets (2021-2024), Jaguars (2013-2020), and Buccaneers (2004-2006) with stints at Alabama and Duke between 2006 and 2013. A former tight end himself, Middleton spent a decade in the NFL with 118 appearances and 56 starts. He primarily featured as a blocker and won a Super Bowl with Washington in 1991.
Jeanpierre spent the last six seasons working with the Dolphins’ offensive line, with five years as an assistant and one leading the room in 2021. Like Middleton, Jeanpierre played in the NFL and won a Super Bowl (2013 with the Seahawks), though he lined up at guard, not the position he now coaches.
Krause has been with the Dolphins since 2023, first as an offensive assistant before he was promoted to his current role in 2024. He previously served as the wide receivers coach at UNLV (2021-2022) and San Diego State (2023), with earlier jobs at Vanderbilt and Oregon. Krause, a former wide receiver, also won a Super Bowl (2014 with the Patriots), though he only played in the regular season for the Eagles in 2015.
Kent State special teams coordinator/tight ends coach CJ Conrad is also expected to join Hafley’s staff, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. The former Kentucky tight end spent one training camp with the Giants before returning to his alma mater as a graduate assistant in 2020. He then moved to Eastern Kentucky as a tight ends coach in 2023 and landed his job at Kent State last year.
The Dolphins’ new defense staff includes assistant defensive backs/nickels coach DeShawn Shead and quality control coach Siriki Diabate.
Shead was a member of the Legion of Boom on the same Super Bowl team as Jeanpierre. After a seven-year playing career, Shead returned to Seattle in 2023 as an assistant defensive backs coach before taking the same position in Miami the following year. He will not add nickels coach to his title, continuing a trend of NFL teams hiring a dedicated coach for that specific position.
Diabate is getting his first full-time opportunity in the NFL after previous internships with the Bills, Cowboys, Eagles, and Packers. Diabate played at Syracuse and began his coaching career at his alma mater in 2013. He worked for Colgate from 2015 to 2017 before taking a linebackers coach jobs at Middle Tennessee (2017-2021) and UConn (2022-2025). At the latter stop, he had the additional title of run game coordinator.
Bears Approaching Indiana Relocation?
FEBRUARY 20: Even if the Bears move to Indiana, they will continue to practice at Halas Hall, their facility in Lake Forest, Illinois, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Lake Forest is about 40 miles north of Soldier Field in Chicago and about 60 miles north of Hammond, Indiana. That distance is “largely irrelevant,” Finley adds, “given that the Bears, like every other NFL team, spends the night before each game — both home and away — at a hotel.”
The Bears invested over $100MM in Halas Hall in 2019 and both players and staff live in the area, so moving away would cause a number of unnecessary headaches for the team.
FEBRUARY 19: The Bears have looked into a potential relocation to northwest Indiana as they weigh their new stadium options. A move across the border appears to remain a distinct possibility. 
On Thursday, an amendment to Senate Bill 27 received unanimous approval in the state during a Ways and Means committee hearing in Indiana. As noted by All CHGO’s Adam Hoge, only a direct agreement between governor Mike Braun and the Bears themselves seems to be in the way of a final step regarding relocation. It was confirmed today the Bears are still willing to commit $2 billion to the construction of a new stadium in Indiana, as they have been for a potential move to Arlington Heights in Illinois.
“We’ve identified a promising site near Wolf Lake in Hammond and established a broad framework for negotiating a final deal,” a statement from Braun reads in part. “If approved, the proposed amendment to Senate Bill 27 puts forward the essential framework to complete this agreement, contingent upon site due diligence proceeding smoothly.”
An Illinois House Finance and Revenue committee hearing was scheduled to take place today, but it was canceled. Hoge reports the megaprojects bill which could have granted the Bears “tax certainty” regarding the Arlington Heights project was on the agenda but was not set to be voted on. The Bears still own a plot in Arlington Heights at this time.
“The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date,” a Bears statement reads in part. “We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana… We value our partnership and look forward to continuing to build our working relationship together.”
Hammond falls within a 75-mile radius of downtown Chicago. As such, the Bears already own marketing rights there in line with NFL rules for all of its teams. As noted by the Indy Star’s Joel A. Erickson, the Colts’ stance on this matter has not changed since a Bears relocation to Indiana became possible. The Colts simply “wish the Bears all the best on their stadium initiative.”
Connor Orr of Sports Illustrated reports a move across the Illinois-Indiana border “feels like an inevitability” at this point. Nothing has been finalized, but this is certainly a situation to watch closely. Interestingly, a move to Hammond would see the Bears play in the same location where George Halas spent time as a player in 1919 (h/t Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times). The manner in which Illinois responds to today’s developments will likely play a key role in determining the Bears’ post-Soldier Field future.
Cowboys Waive LB Logan Wilson
The Cowboys were hoping that Logan Wilson could stabilize the middle of their defense when they acquired him at the 2025 trade deadline.
The trade did not work out, as the veteran linebacker struggled to make an impact in Dallas. He has now been waived before the 2026 league year, per team reporter Tommy Yarrish.
Wilson, 29, was a 2020 third-round pick by the Bengals. He emerged as a reliable starter during his rookie contract and earned a four-year, $36MM extension as a result. He showed signs of regression in 2024 before undergoing season-ending knee surgery. Wilson was then usurped by rookie linebackers Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter in 2025, leading him to demand a trade out of Cincinnati.
By that time, his trade value had plummeted, and the Bengals could only get a 2026 seventh-rounder from the Cowboys. But Wilson only logged 24 tackles in seven games (50% snap share) in Dallas and could not carve out a full-time role.
The Cowboys will free up $6.5MM with the move, per Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap, but they still have plenty of work to do before becoming cap-compliant for the new league year. Dallas will also need to find more linebacker depth with only DeMarvion Overshown, Marist Liufau, and Shemar James under contract in 2026. Their specific needs at the position may also change with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker and his move away from a 4-3 defense and towards a “multiple” scheme that will be a 3-4 “by nature.”
Wilson, meanwhile, will join a free agent class that has several veteran linebackers with similar profiles. After his regression in the last two years, Wilson may have to take a much cheaper ‘prove it’ deal to rebuild his value and help him establish a second chapter of his career in the NFL.
Bills to Re-Sign Alec Anderson
The Bills are re-signing offensive lineman Alec Anderson to a one-year, $3MM contract that includes $1.8MM in guaranteed money, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Anderson, 26, signed in Buffalo as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA in 2022. He spent the first two years of his pro career on the practice squad before making the 53-man roster in 2024. He went on to appear in every regular season and playoff game in the next two years with two starts at left guard and one at right tackle.
Anderson also emerged as Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady‘s preferred sixth offensive lineman for ‘jumbo’ packages in 2024. His 190 snaps as an inline tight end led all OL that season, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), with recently-retired Lions tackle Dan Skipper in a distant second with 70 ITE snaps. However, Buffalo’s use of six-lineman packages dipped sharply in 2025, with a corresponding role reduction for Anderson.
Bills starting left guard David Edwards and center Connor McGovern are both set to hit free agency in March. Anderson is already familiar with Brady’s system and has lined up at multiple spots along the offensive line, so he could be key depth or even a stopgap starter, most likely at left guard.
Raiders Hire Marquice Williams As Sr. ST Coach, Omar Young As RBs Coach
The Raiders made two key hires on Friday as they work to fill out Klint Kubiak‘s new staff. Marquice Williams has accepted a role as the team’s senior special teams coach, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, while Omar Young will oversee the running back room (per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports).
Williams, 40, just finished a five-year stint as the Falcons’ special teams coordinator. He survived the team’s coaching change from Arthur Smith to Raheem Morris in 2024, but was not retained by Kevin Stefanski. Before arriving in Atlanta, he spent time with the Bears, Lions, and Chargers, with assistant special teams coach roles with the latter two clubs.
The Falcons has the 16th- and fourth-highest special teams grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) in Williams’ first two years in Atlanta, but fell to the bottom 10 in each of the last three seasons. However, he also coached long snapper Josh Harris (2021) and wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge (2024) to Pro Bowls during his tenure.
Young spent the 2025 season as Iowa’s running backs coach, where Kamari Moulton led the backfield with 79.8 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry. Young previously worked at San Jose State, Colorado, and South Carolina as well as with the Browns, Packers, Bears, and Patriots.
His first coaching job ever was as a special teams coordinator/secondary coach in 2010, and he didn’t earn another position coaching role until working as running backs coach at Eastern Illinois in 2019 and adding co-special teams coordinator to his title for the next two years. After moving into the Power 4 with the Hawkeyes last year, he’ll now get his first position coaching opportunity in the NFL.
The Raiders will be hoping that 2025 No. 6 pick Ashton Jeanty, who disappointed as a rookie with just 57.4 yards per game and 3.7 yards per attempt, can break out in 2026. A weak offensive line was a huge factor in those struggles, as Jeanty still forced 61 missed tackles, the sixth-most among NFL RBs, per PFF.
Kubiak brought in Rick Dennison as the Raiders’ new offensive line coach in the hopes of boosting that unit as the two did in Seattle in 2025. Young will be tasked with helping Jeanty learn the new offense and hold up his end of the bargain in reigniting Las Vegas’ ground game.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
Seahawks Have Not Held Talks With Coby Bryant, Riq Woolen
After capping off the 2025 season with a win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LX, Seahawks safety Coby Bryant and cornerback Riq Woolen are among their notable contributors heading for free agency. Despite playing key roles for the champs, Bryant and Woolen recently revealed that they had yet to engage in contract talks with the team, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
The Seahawks and Bryant discussed a new deal before the season. Nothing came together then, but there is no animosity on Bryant’s part. He said last week that he “would definitely love to be here,” per Condotta. It’s fair to say the 26-year-old’s asking price has gone up in the past few months, though.
A Seahawk since they chose him in the fourth round in 2022, Bryant is fresh off his first season as a full-time starter. The former Cincinnati Bearcat played 15 games in the regular season and notched career highs in interceptions (four) and passes defensed (seven). Pro Football Focus ranked his performance 28th among 91 qualifying safeties.
On the heels of a 66-tackle regular season, Bryant added another 10 (and two more PDs) over three playoff victories. A return to Seattle is now up in the air, but if he reaches the open market in March, Bryant will be among the most sought-after safeties available.
Bryant’s potential departure would not leave the back end of the Seahawks’ defense in dire straits. They would still have Julian Love, Ty Okada and the versatile Nick Emmanwori, who excelled as a rookie, as options. Okada is unsigned for now, but as an exclusive rights free agent, the Seahawks won’t have any trouble retaining him. The same can’t be said for Bryant, who will cash in after playing for a relative pittance on his rookie contract.
Woolen, another of general manager John Schneider‘s draft steals, joined the Seahawks as a fifth-rounder in 2022. As a rookie out of UTSA, Woolen burst on the scene with a league-leading seven interceptions. He also earned a Pro Bowl nod then, his lone 17-game season to date, but Woolen hasn’t gotten a second invite.
While Woolen went on to start in 29 of 30 appearances from 2023-24, he came off the bench in nine of 16 games in 2025. With his playing time diminishing, multiple pre-deadline reports identified Woolen as a trade candidate. He wound up staying put and finishing the regular season with 41 tackles, 12 passes defensed and a career-low one pick.
Woolen, who chipped in eight tackles and four PDs in the postseason, was on the field for 49 of 71 defensive plays in the Super Bowl. That may go down as his last game with the Seahawks.
Seattle is facing further uncertainty at cornerback, where Josh Jobe is also unsigned. Jobe ate into Woolen’s playing time over a career-high 15 starts in 2025, but the latter has the more impressive resume. That might make it “easier for the team to keep Jobe,” Condotta writes. The Seahawks may end up retaining one of them, but keeping both appears unlikely, especially with No. 1 corner Devon Witherspoon eligible for a big-money extension this offseason.
Jeff Ulbrich Wants Falcons To Re-Sign Kaden Elliss
After wrapping up a three-year, $21.5MM contract in 2025, Falcons pending free agent linebacker Kaden Elliss is in the market for a new deal. Elliss’ future in Atlanta is uncertain, but defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has made it clear he wants the team to keep the 30-year-old.
Speaking with the media last week, Ulbrich said he “would love Kaden back,” adding that he “gave us this really unique flexibility.” In Ulbrich’s estimation, it “would take more than one human being” to replace Elliss (via Tori McElhany of the team’s website).
It’s no surprise Ulbrich is high on Elliss, one of the Falcons’ most productive and reliable defenders in 2025. In his first year under Ulbrich, Elliss put together his third straight 17-start campaign and played a team-high 99.91% of defensive snaps. He recorded 107 tackles, 30 pressures, 10 tackles for loss, 10 QB hits, six passes defensed and 3.5 sacks.
Pro Football Focus rated Elliss a respectable 31st among 88 qualifiers at his position. He was at his best as a pass rusher, earning a fourth overall ranking. Only the Seahawks’ Tyrice Knight, the Eagles’ Nakobe Dean and the Commanders’ Bobby Wagner were better in that regard. The Jaguars’ Devin Lloyd rounded out the top five at the position.
Knight is still under contract, but Dean, Wagner and Lloyd all are on track to join Elliss as free agents next month. They could be among alternatives for the Falcons if they let Elliss walk. Losing Elliss would at least temporarily leave an unwanted void at linebacker alongside Divine Deablo, who also held his own in Ulbrich’s system in 2025.
Former Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot signed Elliss in 2023. Elliss’ future now lies in the hands of the rookie duo of president of football Matt Ryan and GM Ian Cunningham. It’s unclear if they are prioritizing Elliss, but the ringing endorsement from Ulbrich could make a second Falcons pact more likely for the seven-year veteran.