49ers Unlikely To Tender RFA Kalia Davis
Kalia Davis has seen notable year-over-year jumps in playing time during his 49ers tenure. A change of scenery may soon be taking place, though. 
The 49ers are not expected to place an RFA tender on Davis, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. A second-round tender would cost $6.26MM, a price San Francisco is not prepared to pay. Alternatively, the team could use the original-round tender at a cost of $3.82MM.
Taking that route would have left the 49ers in line to receive a sixth-round pick (since that is when Davis was drafted in 2022) in the event of an unmatched offer sheet. Instead, if the team declines to apply a tender, Davis will test free agency. Losing him would deal a blow to San Francisco’s defensive line.
Davis started all 17 games in 2025, logging a defensive snap share of 45% along the way. The 27-year-old was not an impactful presence against the pass, but he managed a new career high with 28 stops and four tackles for loss. Continued strong play in the run game will be expected moving forward, whether Davis winds up re-signing in San Francisco or joining a new team.
Jordan Elliott and Kevin Givens are already pending free agents, so non-tendering Davis would leave the door open to considerable changes at the defensive tackle spot this offseason. San Francisco has a number of young options at the position already, such as Alfred Collins, C.J. West and Sebastian Valdez. They will be in the fold for 2026, but it remains to be seen if Davis will join them for a fourth 49ers season.
Commanders To Release CB Marshon Lattimore
To no surprise, Marshon Lattimore will not return to the Commanders in 2026. The veteran cornerback is set to reach free agency early. 
Lattimore will be released, the expectation of which was first reported by CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Multiple reports have since confirmed that Washington has informed Lattimore of the decision to cut him. His tenure in the nation’s capital is coming to an end after only 14 combined regular and postseason games played.
An ACL tear brought Lattimore’s 2025 season to an abrupt end. Since then, many have expected a parting of ways to take place, with the former Saint having failed to meet expectations when healthy. This move will no doubt be finalized before March 15, the point at which Lattimore was due to collect a $2MM roster bonus. In the absence of guaranteed money to account for, this decision will clear $18.5MM in cap space without generating any dead money.
Ahead of the 2024 deadline, Lattimore was traded by the Saints to the Commanders. New Orleans added multiple draft picks as a result of the swap, aiding in the team’s ongoing effort to develop a new core. Washington, meanwhile, used Lattimore as a starter during the run to the NFC title game. Things did not go according to plan, though, and the four-time Pro Bowler surrendered a 93 passer rating and two touchdowns as the nearest defender this past season prior to his injury.
That regression in coverage, coupled with the fact he is recovering from the ACL tear, will no doubt hinder Lattimore’s market. He will get a head start on free agency and begin to gauge his options, but a far less lucrative pact than his 2021 extension (five years, $97MM) will be in store. Lattimore has 108 appearances – all of them starts – to his name in the NFL, so he will offer plenty of experience to his next team. Josina Anderson of The Exhibit notes the former Defensive Rookie of the Year intends to continue his career in 2026.
Washington worked out an extension agreement with guard Nick Allegretti earlier today. The team already had more 2026 cap space to work with than most others entering Monday, but moving on from Lattimore will add even further to the Commanders’ spending power. After ranking 28th against the pass last season, Washington will no doubt look to contribute free agent and draft resources to additions at the cornerback spot.
Cowboys’ Donovan Ezeiruaku To Miss Offseason Time Following Hip Surgery
Donovan Ezeiruaku managed to play all 17 games during his rookie season. He will not be available at the start of the Cowboys’ 2026 offseason program, however. 
Ezeiruaku is recovering from hip labrum surgery, the team announced on Monday. As a result, he is expected to miss at least most of Dallas’ spring workouts, meaning an absence through OTAs and minicamp can be expected. The procedure took place five weeks ago, ESPN’s Todd Archer reports.
Both the team announcement and Archer’s report indicate Ezeiruaku is expected to be fully recovered in time for training camp. That would of course be critical given his importance to Dallas’ defense and the arrival of new DC Christian Parker. Missed time during the installation of Parker’s scheme – and a switch to a 3-4 base defense – will nevertheless be a detriment to Ezeiruaku as he prepares for Year 2 in the NFL.
The second-round pick handled a 55% snap share in 2025, recording a pair of sacks and 26 QB pressures along the way. Ezeiruaku is in line to once again operate as one of the Cowboys’ top outside linebackers moving forward as the team evaluates its options at that position. Considerable turnover in the pass rush department could be taking place soon with Jadeveon Clowney, Dante Fowler and Sam Williams all on track for free agency.
Dallas is one of the teams still well over the cap as things stand, but several restructures are expected to take place to free up funds. Based on comments made by owner Jerry Jones during the Combine, an unusually active period on the open market could be coming. If the Cowboys are to pursue big-money additions in free agency, it would certainly stand to reason defensive upgrades would be the target. Bringing in at least one edge rusher could especially prove to beneficial.
Ezeiruaku’s rookie contract runs through 2028. The Boston College product will spend the coming months continuing his rehab, and his progress leading up to the summer will be worth monitoring.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson Requests Trade; Mutual Vikings Interest?
MARCH 2: Richardson does not have a strong trade market at this point, SportsBoom’s Jason LaCanfora reports to no surprise. NFL general managers and evaluators predicted Richardson’s value would be a Day 3 pick, with a fifth-rounder mentioned as the potential best-case scenario from the Colts’ perspective.
FEBRUARY 26: Signs continue to point to Anthony Richardson playing elsewhere in 2026. The embattled quarterback has requested a trade, James Boyd of The Athletic reports. 
To little surprise, ESPN’s Stephen Holder adds the Colts have given Richardson’s camp permission to seek a trade. The former No. 4 pick’s value will not be particularly high given how his NFL career has played out so far. Nevertheless, the lack of established QBs on the market this offseason could lead to at least some interest.
When speaking at the Combine yesterday, Colts GM Chris Ballard offered praise for Richardson. The 23-year-old has only made 15 starts and 17 appearances during the regular season so far. An orbital bone fracture kept Richardson sidelined through the end of the 2025 campaign, although Ballard said he has now been cleared for football activities. Boyd confirms Richardson has regained full vision in his right eye.
That will be a welcomed development for all involved, but it remains to be seen how many teams will be willing to proceed with a trade acquisition in this case. In December, a trio of NFL staffers pegged Richardson’s value at a fourth-round pick (the cost paid by the Cowboys when they acquired Trey Lance). A deal along those lines would obviously represent a massive disappointment for Indianapolis, but it would pave the way for Riley Leonard to handle backup duties in 2026. Of course, the Colts are in the midst of negotiations on a new Daniel Jones contract to ensure he remains atop the depth chart moving forward.
As for potential Richardson landing spots, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network points to Minnesota as one to watch. He reports there is a mutual interest between the Vikings and Richardson. Kevin O’Connell has established a track record of quarterback development during his time as Minnesota’s head coach, and taking on another reclamation project would make plenty of sense. Given J.J. McCarthy‘s struggles so far, the Vikings are expected to bring in competition under center this spring.
That could entail pursuing a more experienced option on the open market like Kirk Cousins or Derek Carr. Alternatively, the Vikings could look at Richardson as a buy-low candidate capable of winning the QB1 gig for 2026 while McCarthy develops. Richardson has one year remaining on his rookie contract and he is set to carry a cap charge of $10.82MM in 2026. A trade would essentially create an even split of that figure between cap savings and dead money for the Colts.
Commanders To Extend G Nick Allegretti
Monday continues to be busy with respect to offensive line news around the NFL. The Commanders are among the teams making a move on that front. 
Guard Nick Allegretti has agreed to a new two-year deal with Washington, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. He was set to enter 2026 as a pending free agent, but that will no longer be the case. Allegretti has been in place with the Commanders for the past two seasons, and his tenure will continue.
After playing out his rookie contract with the Chiefs, Allegretti re-signed on a one-year pact. That was followed by a multi-year commitment on Washington’s part. The former seventh-round pick secured $16MM on a three-year Commanders accord. Terms on this new deal have not yet emerged, but Allegretti’s time in the nation’s capital will stretch beyond next season thanks to it.
Chris Paul is among the guards who are set to reach free agency next month. He could price himself out of Washington with a strong market, something which would increase the value in keeping Allegretti in the fold. After operating as a full-time starter in 2024, Allegretti was relegated to backup duties for much of this past season. The Illinois product has seen plenty of time at guard in his career, but he filled in at center for the final two games of the 2025 campaign in place of Tyler Biadasz.
Biadasz was recently released, creating an opening at the center spot. Allegretti – who will turn 30 in April – could be a candidate to fill in at that position. Otherwise, he will look to earn playing time at guard. He and Andrew Wylie have both landed new Commanders deals in advance of the new league year beginning next week. Washington’s attention up front may now increasingly turn to an extension for left tackle Laremy Tunsil.
Washington entered Monday near the league lead in terms of 2026 cap space. Nevertheless, this Allegretti extension could lower his scheduled cap charge ($7.18MM) for next season.
Bengals Re-Sign G Dalton Risner
Dalton Risner‘s time in Cincinnati will continue in 2026. The veteran guard has been re-signed, the team announced on Monday. 
This is a one-year pact, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports it has a maximum value of $5MM. Risner will be in line for a considerable raise depending on the incentives present in this new contract. Signing with Cincinnati shortly before the start of this past season, Risner secured just $1.34MM after playing out a pair of one-year Vikings deals each worth less than $3MM.
Not long after the 2025 campaign ended, it became clear a mutual interest existed between Risner and the Bengals to work out another pact. As such, today’s news comes as little surprise. Critically, this agreement also ensures stability along the offensive line for the Bengals.
As noted by The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr., this coming season will be the first in the Zac Taylor era (2019-present) in which Cincinnati returns all five primary offensive line starters from the previous year. Risner made 14 appearances and 11 starts in 2025, and he can now be expected to remain a staple at right guard next season. Continuity up front will be key for the Bengals, a team which has faced questions about its Joe Burrow protection for several years.
After Burrow missed considerable time in 2025, a rare season without any notable injuries will be sought out in his case. Managing to keep the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback upright would go a long way in ensuring the Bengals manage to reach the playoffs in 2026, something the team has failed to do for the past three years. Playing a key role in that effort would help Risner, 30, secure another Cincinnati commitment or a longer one from an outside team.
The Bengals entered Monday with roughly $50MM in cap space. That figure will allow for a number of free agent signings if Cincinnati wishes to make several additions from outside the organization. In any case, an important re-signing has been taken care of before the start of free agency.
Chiefs To Move On From T Jawaan Taylor
As expected, Jawaan Taylor will be playing elsewhere in 2026. The veteran tackle will be released unless a trade partner can be found, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. 
During his three years in Kansas City, Taylor has not lived up to expectations. Signed to a four-year, $80MM free agent pact in 2023, the former Jaguar has operated as a full-time right tackle starter but continually struggled with penalties. Taylor loomed as a logical cut candidate entering this offseason, and a recent report indicated a release was likely in this case. It would certainly come as a surprise if a team were to take on the final year of his contract, so a cut should take place soon.
Taylor was due to collect a base salary of $19.5MM in 2026 while carrying a cap hit of $27.39MM. Instead, the Chiefs will free up $20MM in cap space with a release; doing so will generate a dead money charge of $7.39MM. Jaylon Moore represents an in-house replacement for Taylor in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, this Taylor cut will move Kansas City into cap compliance (although more cost-shedding move could of course be coming).
Entering his age-28 season, Taylor will offer considerable experience to his next team. With 111 appearances and starts in the NFL, he will look to remain a first-team presence when weighing his free agent options. Given the way things played out in Kansas City, however, the former second-round pick will no doubt receive a much less lucrative deal than he did during his first trip to free agency. Still, tackles at his age do not often become available, so it will be interesting to see how his market develops.
Taylor has remained consistent in terms of his PFF evaluations over the course of his career. The Florida product has has finished no better than 49th among qualifying tackles for overall grade in a season, something which took place during his rookie campaign. Significant improvement would come as a surprise at this point, but Taylor could still be viewed as a veteran capable of handling starting right tackle duties by teams in need of additions up front. A short-term agreement could allow him to line up a new gig in relatively short order.
Moore, 28, has only totaled 18 starts so far in his career. The former 49er will collect $15MM in 2026, the final year of his contract. A full-time role in the starting lineup will of course go a long way in establishing his value for next spring. After left tackle Josh Simmons was limited to eight games as a rookie, Kansas City could be in the market for depth at the position this month. In any case, the team’s setup will not include Taylor for 2026.
Vikings Considering Kyler Murray, Geno Smith; Team Interested In Tua Tagovailoa?
We have been hearing for some time that the Vikings plan to add competition for quarterback J.J. McCarthy this offseason. During a recent appearance on the Scoop City podcast, Dianna Russini of The Athletic threw cold water on the notion that a Minnesota-Kirk Cousins reunion could be in the cards, though she did acknowledge that the Vikes could look to add to their QB room (video link).
Russini reiterated Minnesota still wants to develop McCarthy in the hopes that he can live up to his first-round draft status, and ESPN’s Dan Graziano likewise confirms the Vikings are not ready to give up on the Michigan product. Still, the club seems to want to make McCarthy earn the starting job in 2026, and in addition to Cousins, names like Kyler Murray and Anthony Richardson have been floated as possibilities.
There may be mutual interest between the Vikings and Richardson, who would be acquired via trade with the Colts. As ESPN’s Kevin Seifert noted last month, a trade could be the most likely way for Minnesota to add McCarthy competition, because a free agent with options may not want to sign without assurances that they will be given first crack at the QB1 role. Other trade possibilities, per Graziano, include the Eagles’ Tanner McKee and the Texans’ Davis Mills.
Mills was linked to the Vikings in a November report, just like Murray was. Graziano says signs continue to point to a Murray release, which means he will be a free agent in short order (and therefore may not want to hitch his wagon to a team that still has high hopes for its incumbent starter).
Just as Arizona is likely to cut Murray, the Dolphins are expected to release Tua Tagovailoa in the near future, with Graziano confirming the cut will likely be made with a post-June 1 designation. With respect to their possible free agent targets, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (in the same Graziano piece linked above) reports the Vikings have Murray and the Raiders’ Geno Smith in their first tier of preferred options, with Cousins and Tagovailoa in the second tier.
Smith, though, may not make it to the open market. As our Nikhil Mehta recently suggested, it may behoove the Raiders to retain Smith as a mentor for Fernando Mendoza, whom Las Vegas is all but certain to select with the top pick in this year’s draft. Per Graziano, coaches from multiple QB-needy outfits are anxious to see if the Raiders will release Smith, as they believe the 35-year-old was held back by the Silver-and-Black’s offensive system in 2025. The Raiders may feel the same and could therefore keep Smith in the fold.
If they do choose to part ways, Fowler believes the Vikings make plenty of sense as a landing spot. He adds that many quarterbacks view Minnesota as an attractive destination, likely due to the presence of head coach Kevin O’Connell and wide receiver Justin Jefferson (though again, it is possible that McCarthy and Minnesota’s hopes for him could act as something of a deterrent).
It still seems fair to expect the Vikings to add a QB. Whether they can lure a high-profile player like Murray or Tagovailoa or will need to execute a trade for a passer like Mills or McKee is the question.
Offseason Outlook: Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys parted with head coach Mike McCarthy a year ago, but they did not venture far for a replacement. Nine days after McCarthy's contract expired, owner Jerry Jones promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to replace his former boss. Then 51 years old, Schottenheimer's days as an up-and-coming head coaching candidate had long since passed. What's more, Schottenheimer didn't even call the plays during his two-year run as McCarthy's offensive coordinator. McCarthy's exit nonetheless set the stage for Schottenheimer to handle both responsibilities last season.
To Schottenheimer's credit, his offense did not disappoint. Quarterback Dak Prescott bounced back from a rough, injury-wrecked 2024 to shine in his age-32 season. The Cowboys struck gold on offseason acquisitions George Pickens and Javonte Williams, who emerged as essential weapons for Prescott. With holdovers CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson continuing to produce, the Cowboys stormed to the second-most yards and seventh-highest point total in the NFL.
As prolific as the Cowboys' offense was, it could not overcome one of the worst defenses in franchise history. Weighed down by a unit that surrendered the most points in the league, the Cowboys sputtered to their second straight seven-win showing. It was not a shocking outcome after Jones traded all-world outside linebacker Micah Parsons to Green Bay a week before his team's season opener. The loss of Parsons predictably dealt a devastating shot to Dallas' defense, but its issues went deeper than that. With several upgrades to make and a new D-coordinator in charge, the unit will undergo a much-needed facelift in the next couple of months.
Coaching/front office:
- Fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus
- Hired Christian Parker as DC replacement
- Hired Derrick Ansley as defensive pass-game coordinator/DBs coach, replacing Andre Curtis
- Hired Ryan Smith as secondary coach
- Hired Chidera Uzo-Diribe as outside linebackers coach
- Hired Scott Symons as inside linebackers coach
- Hired Marcus Dixon as defensive line coach, replacing Aaron Whitecotton
Keeping up a yearslong tradition, the Cowboys tabbed an ex-head coach as their defensive coordinator last winter. Rod Marinelli, Mike Nolan, Dan Quinn and Mike Zimmer had each held the role at times from 2014-24. Nolan and Zimmer were only around for a year apiece. Eberflus, the Bears' head coach from 2022-24, joined the one-and-done club in Dallas last season.
Colts Prepared To Use Transition Tag On QB Daniel Jones; Latest On WR Alec Pierce
The Colts are known to be working on new deals for QB Daniel Jones and WR Alec Pierce, both of whom are eligible for free agency this month. While it is unclear how much of a gap Indianapolis and Pierce have to bridge, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reports the team is not close to striking an accord with Jones.
If that does not change by Tuesday’s tag deadline, Graziano expects the Colts to put the transition tag on the 28-year-old passer. The transition tag comes with a $37.8MM cost, making it a less expensive option than the $43.9MM franchise tender.
In a transition tag scenario, Indianapolis would not be entitled to any draft compensation if it declines to match an offer sheet Jones might sign with another club, though it is easy to see the logic in the move: the Colts essentially would be allowing another team to do their negotiating for them, and if Jones does not find an outside offer to his liking, he may come back to Indy on a deal closer to the team’s preferred terms. If not, and if he plays out the 2026 season on the transition tag, then at least he will not consume as much of the cap sheet as he would on the franchise tag.
But while the transition tag is the cheapest of the tag options, the $37.8MM cap charge is still considerable. As Graziano suggests, it could preclude the Colts from reaching a deal with Pierce, despite their assurances that he will be back with the club in 2026, either on a long-term deal or a tag of his own. If the team has to use a tag this offseason, it would obviously prefer to use it on Pierce, whose franchise tender would be about $27MM and whose transition tender would be just shy of $24MM.
Those numbers are roughly in line with what Pierce can expect on an annual basis on his next contract. We recently learned the big-play threat, who has led the league in yards-per-reception rate in each of the last two seasons, is expected to have a strong market if he makes it to free agency. In the Graziano piece linked above, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirms Pierce’s market value has exceeded $20MM per year.
The fractured fibula and torn Achilles that Jones suffered in Week 13, which ended his season prematurely and which was the driving force in the Colts’ second-half collapse that kept them out of the playoffs, are not expected to impact his 2026 availability. Still, his injury history and the fact that his stellar (and surprising) play to open the 2025 campaign had already started to slip prior to the injuries could make it difficult for player and team to find common ground on a long-term pact.