Bills Notes: McGovern, Knox, Shaheed
Then coming off his first full season as a starter, former Cowboys guard Connor McGovern joined the Bills on a three-year, $23MM free agent contract in March 2023. McGovern has since played out the deal, mostly at center, and is now a week away from returning to free agency. Although McGovern told Tim Graham of The Athletic he wants to stay in Buffalo, he believes his time with the team is up.
“They haven’t contacted me once,” McGovern said. “In my gut, that says it’s over and done.”
While unheralded at the time, the McGovern signing counts among the shrewdest moves Brandon Beane has made in free agency during his nine years as the Bills’ general manager. McGovern started in all 17 games at left guard in the first year of his contract. After the Bills released Mitch Morse in March 2024, they shifted McGovern to center.
McGovern made a seamless transition to the pivot, where he started in all 32 appearances the past two years. As Graham notes, McGovern’s only absences came when the Bills rested him in meaningless Week 18 games.
McGovern played through hand and triceps injuries last season, but Pro Football Focus still ranked him ninth among 37 qualifying centers. The 28-year-old tied for a more impressive third place among interior linemen in pass block win rate (97%). He finished alongside another pending free agent, the Ravens’ Tyler Linderbaum, in that category. Linderbaum is the No. 1 center set to hit the market. McGovern would be the top potential consolation prize at the position for teams that lose out on Linderbaum.
It’s unclear how the Bills plan to proceed if McGovern exits. They are also facing the loss of starting left guard David Edwards, a pending free agent who may do even better than McGovern on his next contract. Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Alec Anderson and Tylan Grable are among interior O-line options under contract. Cade Mays, Tyler Biadasz, Ethan Pocic, Lloyd Cushenberry and Sean Rhyan represent some experienced centers Buffalo could look into at less expensive costs than McGovern and Linderbaum in free agency.
As is the case with McGovern, there is uncertainty regarding tight end Dawson Knox‘s future. The seven-year veteran and career-long Bill is still under contract for next season. However, with the Bills around $8.28MM in the red, Beane recently indicated a desire to lower Knox’s untenable $17.87MM cap number (via Sal Capaccio of WGR 550).
“He has a tough number as we go into the season, so we’ve gotta figure that out, as we do,” Beane said. “Dawson and I had dialogue. The day after the season, the day after we lost in Denver, he came up to my office. We talked for a while. I have a good relationship with Chase Callahan, his agent. Done a lot of deals, and so I think it just starts with trust, communication, and honest conversation. And so we’ve had some dialogue.”
If the Bills and Knox do not agree to a reworked contract, releasing the 29-year-old before March 15 would save $10.46MM in space. The Bills would take on $7.4MM in dead money at the same time. A post-June 1 cut would free up $11.3MM in savings for the Bills, who would carry dead cap over two seasons ($6.57MM in ’26, $2.34MM in ’27).
Knox has not revisited his 49-catch, 517-yard, nine-touchdown heights from 2021, but he has remained an important cog in a high-end offense. In his first 17-game season in 2025, the former third-rounder’s 57.7% snap share led a solid tight end group that also saw Dalton Kincaid and blocking maven Jackson Hawes log significant action. Knox caught 36 of 49 targets for 417 yards and four scores.
Whether or not Knox sticks in Buffalo in 2026, the team figures to address its receiving corps this offseason. Buccaneers pending free agent Mike Evans is one rumored possibility. Multiple league executives have also connected Packers wideout Romeo Doubs and Seahawks receiver Rashid Shaheed to the Bills, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
Doubs and Shaheed are not No. 1-caliber options, but they should do well in a thin class of free agent receivers. The speedy Shaheed was on the Bills’ radar before last November’s trade deadline, but the Saints wound up sending him to Seattle for a 2026 fourth- and fifth-rounder. Over 12 games with the Super Bowl champions (including playoffs), Shaheed picked up just 18 catches for 266 yards and no touchdowns. The 27-year-old made a greater impact on special teams, where he combined for three kick and punt return scores.
Chiefs To Release T Jawaan Taylor
MARCH 4: The Chiefs have informed Taylor that they will release him today, per Schefter.
MARCH 2: 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.
49ers, Bills, Chargers, Commanders, Giants Could Pursue Mike Evans
Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has established himself as a franchise icon over his 12-year career. The six-time Pro Bowler could continue his career in Tampa Bay next season, but he will at least hear other teams out in free agency.
In 2024, the last time Evans was on the cusp of free agency, the Buccaneers stopped him from reaching the open market with a two-year, $52MM offer. Evans was then coming off one of the best seasons of a potential Hall of Fame career. He caught 79 passes for 1,255 yards and a personal-high 13 touchdowns in his lone 17-game campaign.
Soon to turn 33, Evans is now looking for a new deal on the heels of his worst year. Multiple injuries – including a hamstring strain and a broken clavicle – held Evans to eight games, 30 receptions, 368 yards and three scores. His nine absences prevented him from a 12th straight 1,000-yard season, which would have given him the all-time record. He instead will remain tied with the legendary Jerry Rice for that honor.
Although 2025 fell well short of a typical Evans year, he will have no shortage of interest on the open market. Evans may not do as well on his next deal, but a pact in the range of $20MM per year is realistic, sources told Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. The 49ers, Bills, Chargers, Commanders and Giants are among potential suitors for the 6-foot-5, 231-pounder, per Jones.
The 49ers, Bills and Chargers were all playoff teams last season, which should appeal to Evans. As part of an 8-9 Bucs squad, the one-time Super Bowl winner missed out on postseason play for the first time since 2019 last year.
San Francisco could lose pending free agent Jauan Jennings, who led the team’s wide receivers in catches (55), yards (643) and touchdowns (nine) last season. The 49ers will also finalize a divorce from Brandon Aiyuk sometime soon.
The Josh Allen-led Bills are in dire need of at least one high-end outside complement to reliable slot man Khalil Shakir. The 2024 second-round selection of Keon Coleman has not worked out, and neither have recent free agent signings Josh Palmer and Curtis Samuel. Odds are the Bills will cut Samuel this offseason. They are also facing the possible departure of Brandin Cooks in free agency.
The Chargers have wideouts Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and 2025 second-rounder Tre Harris under contract for next season. Perennially productive 33-year-old Keenan Allen is unsigned, which leaves room for a venerable veteran pass catcher. That could still be Allen, but Evans is at least on the Chargers’ radar.
The Commanders and Giants were miles from the playoffs last year, but both teams at least have prized young quarterbacks. Washington’s Jayden Daniels won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors during a dazzling NFL introduction in 2024. He helped lead the Commanders to 12 wins and an NFC title game in his first season, but they skidded to 5-12 during an injury-ravaged 2025. Daniels missed 10 games, and No. 1 receiver Terry McLaurin sat out seven.
Adding Evans to a healthy Daniels and McLaurin could make for a potent Washington passing attack in 2026. Whether it’s Evans or someone else, the Commanders will add to a receiving corps that could see Deebo Samuel walk away in free agency.
As a rookie last season, Giants signal-caller Jaxson Dart impressed despite losing No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers to a season-ending ACL tear in Week 4. Wan’Dale Robinson stepped up as Dart’s go-to target, but he is now nearing free agency. There is reportedly a good chance the Giants will re-sign Robinson, but he primarily works from the slot. There would still be room for Evans on the outside. That would give Dart and the new head coach-offensive coordinator duo of John Harbaugh–Matt Nagy a formidable receiver trio.
Among wideouts scheduled to hit the open market, the Colts’ Alec Pierce should have the most earning power on a long-term contract. No soon-to-be free agent has a better resume than Evans, though, and that will help him secure another strong payday on a short-term agreement.
Colts WR Alec Pierce To Test Free Agency?
MARCH 4: Pierce sounds ready to hit the open market. As a guest on Up & Adams on Wednesday, Pierce told Kay Adams: “I love Indy… but at this point, I’ve kind of earned the right to explore free agency. See what’s out there.”
MARCH 3: The countdown to the franchise tag deadline continues, and the Colts face a critical decision. Both Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce are pending free agents at the moment, and teams can only use one tag in a given offseason.
Working out an long-term deal with at least one of the two would of course create a more straightforward decision for GM Chris Ballard and Co. Talks with Jones and Pierce have taken place, and deadlines have been known to result in contract agreements around the NFL. That could be the case for Indianapolis.
ESPN’s Stephen Holder reports there has been “positive movement” over the past 24 hours with respect to negotiations with Pierce. An agreement this afternoon “feels possible,” he adds. Of course, nothing has been finalized yet and the Colts need to keep in mind Jones’ situation. A transition tag could be in store in his case, something which would lead to a reduced one-year cost at the quarterback position. That would also, however, leave the door open to Pierce departing in free agency.
While playing out his rookie contract, the wideout established himself as more than a deep threat. Pierce’s overall skillset has drawn strong reviews, and at the age of 26 (as of May), he is in line to serve as a highly productive wideout for years to come. Pierce will not have a hard time lining up suitors in the event he reaches the open market. Indianapolis could prevent such a scenario with a long-term accord or – if the team leaves Jones’ future uncertain – the franchise tag.
A tag in Pierce’s case would cost $27.3MM, the amount George Pickens is due to earn from the Cowboys unless a new deal is worked out. That figure would be fully guaranteed and mark a massive raise compared to Pierce’s earnings on his rookie deal. A multiyear pact would accomplish the same feat while leaving the Colts free to tag Jones. Albert Breer of Sports Illutrated notes the 1,000-yard wideout is understandably seeking clarity on the team’s quarterback situation before committing to a big-ticket contract.
Pierce commanding a $25MM-per-year salary should be considered in play, Breer adds. The 1,000-yard receiver could score a deal, as this market’s top receiver, near $30MM AAV. Only eight receivers are tied to $30MM-per-year prices, and that number will fall to seven if/once the 49ers release Brandon Aiyuk. None of the $30MM-plus-AAV wideouts hit free agency to secure those terms, with extensions leading to those deals in each case.
Jones impressed when healthy in 2025, his debut Colts campaign. The former Giant and Viking suffered an Achilles tear, however, something which complicates his market value. Even so, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports states (video link) Indianapolis’ choice at this point is realistically down to using the franchise or transition tag to ensure stability under center. That approach will be especially viable if Pierce agrees to a new deal, and it will be worth watching closely to see if an agreement can be reached ahead of the 3:00pm tag deadline.
Cowboys Restructure Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Tyler Smith’s Contracts
PFR’s Cowboys Offseason Outlook indicated the team exited last week with the league’s worst cap situation. Dallas came into today more than $56MM over the $301.2MM salary ceiling. They are moving back toward cap compliance with some expected adjustments.
The Cowboys restructured Dak Prescott and Tyler Smith‘s contracts Wednesday, ESPN’s Field Yates and Adam Schefter tweet. These moves will create $47MM in cap space, bringing Dallas within $10MM of the 2026 cap. The team also restructured CeeDee Lamb‘s deal to clear more room, per ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. Other possible conversions are available as well. The Lamb move, expected to clear $19MM more in space, slides the Cowboys under the cap.
Dallas used a $28.29MM franchise tag to keep George Pickens off the free agent market. That sank the team deeper into the red. But Pickens is firmly in the Cowboys’ 2026 plans. As a result, contract updates are coming to make it affordable. Quinnen Williams and Osa Odighizuwa‘s deals are also on that list, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris, and a rumored Kenny Clark extension effort would reduce the 2025 trade pickup’s cap hit.
Prescott, 32, is tied to the NFL’s richest contract — a four-year, $240MM extension agreed to hours before Week 1 of the 2024 season. This move will reduce the 11th-year quarterback’s $50.52MM 2026 cap number while inflating future numbers on the through-2028 contract. Before this restructure, Prescott was already due to count more than $74MM against Dallas’ 2027 cap. Another restructure would be on tap before that point.
The Cowboys backed themselves into a corner with Prescott based on previous restructures. His no-tag clause and the void year-driven penalties that would have come in 2025 absent an extension armed the upper-crust QB with extraordinary leverage. He used it to score the $60MM-per-year extension — which still hovers well above the QB market 18 months later.
Lamb is signed through 2028 on a $34MM-AAV extension. The Cowboys have now restructured his deal twice as well. Lamb was due to count $38.24MM on Dallas’ 2026 cap and more than $41MM next year. While Lamb’s 2027 number will balloon, his 2026 figure will drop to create spending space. Smith, who signed the NFL’s most lucrative guard deal last fall ($24MM AAV), is signed through 2030. His cap number will drop from $27.5MM.
Teams Inquiring About Broncos’ Jarrett Stidham
Thrust into one of the stranger spots in recent quarterback history, Jarrett Stidham could not elevate the No. 1-seeded Broncos to Super Bowl LX after receiving an 11th-hour assignment. The Patriots eked out a 10-7 victory in the AFC championship game, one that devolved into a snowy mess by the third quarter.
Stidham, who also committed a costly fumble in the first half of that game, needed to start after Bo Nix went down with a fractured ankle late in the AFC divisional round. One season remains on Stidham’s Broncos contract, and clubs are checking in on the Denver QB2’s trade availability, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Sean Payton talked up Stidham shortly after announcing Nix was done for the season, and the QB had moments in a winnable game. Stidham found Marvin Mims deep in the first quarter to set up a Courtland Sutton touchdown strike. Stidham was 17-for-31 for 133 yards, throwing an interception as the blizzard hit. Neither Stidham nor Drake Maye fared well in the blizzard conditions, and interested teams may be giving the veteran backup a pass due to the conditions.
Payton pitted Nix against Stidham and Zach Wilson for the starting job during the 2024 offseason. Nix landed the gig, and Stidham expressed disappointment by saying he viewed himself as a starter. Payton echoed that following Nix’s injury nearly 18 months later, indicating he had two first-stringers on his roster. The Broncos had signed Stidham hours into Payton’s first free agency, giving the ex-Patriot and Raider backup a two-year, $10MM deal in 2023 to back up Russell Wilson. They re-signed him (2/12) in 2025.
Stidham’s $5.5MM 2026 base salary carries a $2MM guarantee. The Broncos could create $6.5MM in cap space by trading the seven-year veteran. Denver has been linked to multiple cost-cutting moves, including a possible Ben Powers trade, before the 2026 league year. It would still be a bit surprising, given Payton’s ties to Stidham, if the team moved on. A chance as an inexpensive bridge QB somewhere could await, though, and Stidham’s name did come up at the 2024 trade deadline. Stidham will play an age-30 season in 2026; Nix is expected to be ready for Denver’s offseason program.
Before Nix’s ill-timed injury, Stidham had become known for being inserted into starting lineups as AFC West teams shelved their starters for financial purposes. The Raiders benched Derek Carr before the 2022 season finale, setting up a separation, and the Broncos did the same with Russell Wilson — at the same juncture of the season — in 2023. Stidham made four starts for the Raiders and Broncos to close out those campaigns, catching Payton’s interest with an impressive showing against the 49ers in Week 17 of the ’22 season. Stidham had not started a game between Week 18 of the ’23 campaign and this year’s AFC championship game.
The Jets may be a team to watch for Stidham, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes. GM Darren Mougey was in Denver when the team initially signed the former Patriots draftee. Expected to release Justin Fields and lacking a realistic path to drafting Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall, the Jets may be looking at lower-cost vets in free agency or through a trade. Backup Tyrod Taylor‘s two-year, $12MM deal is also up, though Taylor is possibly still in the team’s plans for 2026.
Chargers Plan To Release G Mekhi Becton
Already holding more than $84MM in cap space, the Chargers are prepared to create more soon. They are planning to release Mekhi Becton, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.
This release is not yet official, potentially as the team holds out hope for a trade, but Fowler indicates Los Angeles will move on from Becton after one season. The Super Bowl-winning guard signed a two-year, $20MM Bolts deal in 2025. This move will create $9.7MM in cap space for the AFC West club.
[RELATED: Chargers In Play To Re-Sign Khalil Mack]
Mentioned in our Chargers Offseason Outlook as a player who would likely be cut, Becton did not fare as well as he did in Philadelphia. The NFL showed some skepticism about Becton last year, with the former Jets first-rounder taking a few days before committing to the Chargers. The Bolts gave Becton just $6.49MM guaranteed at signing, with the only dead money as part of this upcoming release tied up in a signing bonus.
A timeline is in place on Becton, who is due a $2.5MM roster bonus on March 13. This will bring a resolution. The Chargers including that bonus provided some protection in case the Eagles’ 2024 RG starter could not sustain his bounce-back form. Becton was a season-long Chargers starter at RG but underwhelmed while also missing time — as part of a battered Bolts O-line — due to injury. Maladies defined Becton’s Jets tenure, with the 2020 first-round pick missing almost all of the 2021 and ’22 seasons.
The Eagles moved to Tyler Steen, whom Becton beat out for their RG job in 2024, last season. Philly is not expected to pursue a reunion with Becton once he is released, Essentiallysports.com’s Tony Pauline notes. One season remains on Steen’s rookie contract. This could give the Chargers two guard needs, with LG Zion Johnson poised to be one of the market’s top free agents next week.
Los Angeles gave Becton 14 starts last season; Pro Football Focus ranked Becton 77th out of 79 qualified guards. Set to turn 27 in April, Becton (15 regular-season Eagles starts in 2024) has time to re-route his career. But this represents a significant step back. It could lead to tepid interest in the mammoth blocker in free agency.
Becton caught the Bolts’ attention while playing on a one-year, $2.75MM Eagles deal. That pact came weeks into the 2024 free agency period, as minimal interest came for a slimmed-down Becton after he spent 2023 back on the field — at both left and right tackle for the Jets — after the two-year injury spell. It would not surprise if Becton needs another “prove it” deal to rebound after his uninspiring Chargers campaign.
This release will move the Bolts past $91MM in cap space. Though, L.A. is not expected to be aggressive in free agency this offseason. But an opportunity to bolster the roster in a competitive division awaits for Jim Harbaugh and GM Joe Hortiz.
Cardinals Intend To Release Kyler Murray
Quarterback Kyler Murray‘s time in Arizona is up. Barring a trade, the Cardinals informed Murray they will release him on the first day of the league year, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The Cardinals have hoped to pull off a Murray trade for at least several weeks, but they have had no luck finding a taker. Not only is Murray on a pricey contract, but he sat out 12 games last season with a mid-foot sprain and did not play past Week 5. It was the second significant injury during Murray’s seven-year career. The former No. 1 pick previously tore his ACL in 2022.
[RELATED: Vikings Expected To Pursue Murray As FA]
A release is the preferred outcome for Murray, who will have the freedom to choose his second NFL employer once the Cardinals officially cut him. On the other hand, it’s less than ideal for the team. Along with receiving no compensation for Murray, Arizona will take on a mammoth amount of dead money.
If Murray is not designated a post-June 1 release, the Cardinals will absorb a $54.72MM charge and lose over $2MM in cap space in 2026. A post-June 1 release would spread $77.25MM in dead money over two years (including $70.05MM in 2026). The Cardinals would also lose $17.39MM in cap space next season. The only silver lining for Arizona is that it will escape paying Murray a $19.5MM salary for 2027 that would have vested on the fifth day of the upcoming league year.
Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort was not part of the organization when Murray signed a five-year, $230MM extension in July 2022. Steve Keim was at the helm then, at which point Murray’s stock was at an all-time high. The former Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winner took home Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in his NFL debut before earning back-to-back original-ballot Pro Bowl nods from 2020-21.
The Cardinals won 11 games to break a five-year playoff drought in Murray’s third season, but the Rams leveled them in the wild-card round. While Murray’s extension came several months later, he and the organization have fallen off dramatically since then. The descent began before Murray’s Week 14 ACL tear in 2022. The Cardinals had already lost eight of their first 12 games by then. They went on to finish 4-13. Jonathan Gannon replaced Kliff Kingsbury as the Cardinals’ head coach after the season.
With Murray’s recovery dragging into November 2023, the Cardinals were 1-8 when he returned to make his first start in Week 10. Murray spent the last eight weeks of the year shaking off the rust, and the Cardinals logged their second straight four-win season to begin the Gannon era.
Murray and the Cardinals showed some signs of a rebound in 2024. In Murray’s lone 17-game season to date, the 5-foot-10, 207-pounder completed 68.8% of passes for 3,851 yards (7.1 per attempt), 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, a 93.5 passer rating and a career-best 63.4 QBR. As a runner, the mobile Murray piled up 572 yards on a lofty 7.3 per carry and scored five more TDs. The Cardinals went 8-9 with a plus-21 point differential.
Any progress the Cardinals may have made two years ago vanished during Murray’s injury-wrecked final season in their uniform. After Murray and backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett combined for a 3-14 mark, Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill retained Ossenfort but fired Gannon. Mike LaFleur is now in place as the Cardinals’ head coach. He will either work with Brissett or a different starter in his first year in charge.
Set to turn 29 in August, Murray should draw a decent amount of interest in free agency on a prove-it contract. The Vikings are rumored to have interest in Murray, but they’re just one of several teams in the market for a potential starter.
Colts Place Transition Tag On Daniel Jones
To no surprise, Colts pending free agent quarterback Daniel Jones will not reach the open market unfettered. The Colts are placing the $37.833MM transition tag on Jones, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network was among those to report.
This has been the expected outcome for at least a few days, though it will prevent the Colts from placing either the franchise or transition tag on pending free agent wide receiver Alec Pierce. Teams are only allowed to tag one player. The Colts and Pierce are progressing toward a multiyear deal. Indianapolis will have exclusive negotiating rights with Pierce until the legal tampering period opens March 9.
The 28-year-old Jones follows Jeff George (Falcons, 1996) as the second quarterback to receive the transition tag since the NFL introduced it in 1993. Unlike the franchise tag, a team that loses a transition player to an offer sheet is not entitled to any compensation. The Colts still have the right to match any offer that may come in, though, and they have until July 15 to continue working toward a multiyear agreement.
Jones, whom the Giants drafted sixth overall in 2019, has already signed one massive contract in his career. With the Giants of the belief Jones was a franchise QB, they inked him to a four-year, $160MM extension in March 2023. That wound up a regrettable decision for New York, which waived a struggling Jones in November 2024. He quickly joined the Vikings’ practice squad, but with Sam Darnold their starter then, Jones saw no game action.
The Vikings allowed Darnold to leave for Seattle in free agency last March. Jones exited for Indianapolis’ $14MM payday, but not before he turned down a richer offer from Minnesota. He believed he had a better path to playing time with the Colts than the Vikings, who were prepared to hand the reins to 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy. The Colts also have a recent first-round QB in Anthony Richardson, though his stock has dropped considerably since he went fourth in the 2023 draft. Jones had little trouble beating out Richardson to become the Colts’ starter entering last season.
While expectations were low for the Jones-led Colts at the outset of the season, they stormed to a 7-2 start before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. Jones looked like a far better player than the one who regularly underwhelmed with the Giants. With the Colts in contention for the No. 1 seed in the AFC at the time, general manager Chris Ballard traded his 2026 and ’27 first-round picks to the Jets for star cornerback Sauce Gardner. The gamble blew up in Ballard’s face during an injury-ravaged second half for the Colts.
Gardner, No. 2 corner Charvarius Ward and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner all missed significant time down the stretch. Worst of all, Jones tore his Achilles in a Week 14 loss to the AFC South rival Jaguars. That proved to be a fatal blow for the Colts, who lost their third straight game that day and did not win again.
Bringing 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of retirement to help cover for season-ending injuries to Jones and Richardson (orbital fracture) did not stop the bleeding for the Colts. Once 8-2, they closed the year on a seven-game skid and finished 8-9 for the second season in a row. Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon nonetheless retained Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen.
Although Jones is just three months removed from a serious injury, the Colts are optimistic enough about his recovery to risk a $37.833MM guarantee for next season. Richardson, who has requested a trade, and 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard are the only other passers on the Colts’ roster. There is still at least some chance the Colts will lose Jones (the Vikings are reportedly interested in a reunion), which will continue to make this an interesting situation to watch.
Bears C Drew Dalman To Retire
With free agency approaching, the Bears are suddenly in need of a center. Drew Dalman has informed the team he is retiring at the age of 27, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Dalman joined the Bears on a three-year, $42MM contract in free agency last March. The fact that he is walking away from the game 12 months later comes as a shock. Dalman’s retirement could save the Bears upward of $10MM in cap room, Courtney Cronin of ESPN notes, but it’s a brutal blow to their offensive line.
Dalman started all 17 games for the NFC North champions last season. He earned a Pro Bowl nod for the first time and ranked as Pro Football Focus’ seventh-best center out of 37 qualifiers.
Dalman’s agreement with Chicago came after he spent the first four years of his career in Atlanta. The 2021 fourth-round pick from Stanford spent his rookie year as a backup and played just 68 offensive snaps in 17 games. Dalman turned into a full-time starter in his second year and never looked back. Injuries limited him to 23 games from 2023-24, including just nine in the second of those seasons. That didn’t deter Chicago from making Dalman one of the game’s highest-paid centers. Before deciding to hang up his cleats, Dalman ranked top five at his position in total value, yearly salary and guarantees ($28MM).
The Dalman signing was just part of an offseason O-line makeover for the Bears. They also acquired guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson in trades and spent a second-round pick on tackle Ozzy Trapilo. Dalman, Thuney and Jackson joined right tackle Darnell Wright as full-time starters on what PFF ranked as the league’s third-best unit in 2025. Trapilo took the starting left tackle job from Theo Benedet in Week 12, though the rookie went on to suffer a torn patellar tendon in a wild-card round win over the Packers.
After undergoing surgery, Trapilo is expected to miss a sizable chunk of next season. Between Dalman’s retirement and Trapilo’s recovery, the Bears now have serious work to do up front for the second straight offseason.
The Bears may already have a potential Dalman replacement in mind in free agent Tyler Biadasz. The former Cowboy and Commander has lined up a visit with the Bears, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. A one-time Pro Bowler, the 28-year-old has started in 84 of 92 games since the Cowboys used a fourth-rounder on him in 2020. Biadasz started in all 31 appearances with the Commanders over the previous two seasons, but they cut him on Feb. 26. PFF graded Biadasz a respectable 12th at his position last season.
Biadasz is a credible starting option on the open market, but the Ravens’ Tyler Linderbaum is the prize among pending free agent centers. While the Ravens have already made Linderbaum a market-topping offer, he is inching closer to the March 9 legal tampering period without a deal. The Bills’ Connor McGovern and the Panthers’ Cade Mays are likely next in the pecking order of unsigned centers. Any of them could land on the radar of Bears general manager Ryan Poles, who unexpectedly needs a starting center heading into the new league year.