Bills To Sign DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson
After spending time with three different squads in 2025, C.J. Gardner-Johnson has found a new home. The veteran defensive back is signing with the Bills, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
It’s a one-year deal for Gardner-Johnson. The deal will be worth up to $6MM, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The veteran was dealt from the Eagles to the Texans last offseason for a late-round pick swap. He started the first three games of the season for his new squad, but he quickly fell out of favor in Houston following a disagreement over his defensive role. He was cut by the Texans before September was through, and he subsequently landed on the Ravens practice squad.
He only lasted a week in Baltimore before earning his walking papers, but he quickly caught on with the Bears, where he was reunited with his former Saints coach Dennis Allen. Gardner-Johnson started seven of his 10 appearances for Chicago, tallying 51 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions. He suffered a concussion during the regular season finale that forced him to miss the Bears first playoff game, but he returned for the team’s eventual loss to the Rams.
Ceedy Duce has generally been a starter throughout his NFL career, but he’s struggled to stick with any single team. His longest stint came with the Saints to begin his career, but he was traded to the Eagles before his rookie contract was done. A torn pectoral muscle basically erased his lone season with the Lions in 2023, and he returned to Philly and won a Super Bowl in 2024.
Gardner-Johnson’s ability to play around the secondary will keep affording him NFL gigs. He’ll now be joining a Bills squad that may see some significant change to their cornerbacks and safeties corps in 2026. They’ve already dealt Taron Johnson to the Raiders, and Cam Lewis left for Chicago. Meanwhile, the likes of Tre’Davious White and Jordan Poyer are currently free agents. The Bills added Dee Alford to likely serve as their slot CB, but Gardner-Johnson should still have an opportunity to carve out his own role considering the uncertainty.
Chargers To Re-Sign LB Denzel Perryman
Denzel Perryman will be back in Los Angeles next season. The veteran linebacker is re-signing with the Chargers, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. It will be a one-year deal for the veteran.
Perryman spent the first six seasons of his career with the organization, and he rejoined the Chargers ahead of the 2024 campaign. This will be the third-straight offseason that Perryman’s inked a one-year deal with the franchise. He earned around $3MM on each of his last two deals, and we can assume he’ll be earning a similar sum in 2026.
The linebacker has started all 21 of his appearances with the Chargers over the past two seasons, appearing in about half of his team’s defensive snaps. A groin injury forced him to miss a chunk of games during his first year back with the organization, and a high ankle sprain sidelined him for much of the first two months of the 2025 campaign. He was also inactive for the final two games of last season after being hit with a suspension for his repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players.
That was the player’s second career suspension, as he was also served a two-game ban during his lone season in Houston in 2023. Before that Texans stint, he spent two seasons with the Raiders, including a 2021 campaign where he tallied a career-high 154 tackles. A 2015 second-round pick, Perryman spent the first six seasons of his career with the Chargers, where he compiled 349 stops and five sacks in 69 games.
Perryman will likely play a similar role in Los Angeles next season. The team is set to return their primary linebackers corps, which also includes Daiyan Henley and Troy Dye.
Saints, G Dillon Radunz Agree To Deal
The Saints are retaining free agent guard Dillon Radunz. The parties have agreed to a two-year contract, Katherine Terrell of ESPN reports.
The Titans spent a 2021 second-round pick on Radunz, who did not become a regular until his third year. The North Dakota State product started in five of 23 games over his first two seasons, during which he saw time at both guard spots and left tackle. A torn ACL limited Radunz to 11 games in 2022, but he bounced back to start in 11 of 16 the next season. Aside from center, Radunz played every O-line position in 2023.
Although Radunz served as the Titans’ No. 1 right guard during a 15-game 2024, they let him walk in free agency last March. He settled for the Saints’ one-year offer and wound up starting 10 times in 15 games. Almost all of his snaps (693 of 699) came at left guard.
After Pro Football Focus rated Radunz a lackluster 72nd of 79 qualifying guards in 2025, the Saints entered the offseason seeking help at the position. New Orleans found it in former Ram and Bill David Edwards, whom the team brought in on a lucrative deal when the league’s negotiating window opened Monday. Edwards and Cesar Ruiz are the Saints’ top guards, leaving Radunz as experienced depth behind them.
Giants To Sign WR Calvin Austin
After often playing against John Harbaugh while the two were in the AFC North, Calvin Austin is now joining the coach in New York. The Giants are signing the veteran wide receiver, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Austin is inking a one-year deal, per Schefter. The receiver will earn up to $4.5MM on his new pact. Connor Hughes of SNYtv clarifies that Austin’s deal is worth a base value of $1.5MM, including only $100K in guaranteed money.
The 2022 fourth-round pick out of Memphis played out his rookie contract in Pittsburgh. A foot injury forced him to redshirt his rookie campaign, but he immediately carved out a role on special teams once he made his NFL debut. In three healthy seasons with the Steelers, Austin returned 72 punts for 639 yards and a touchdown.
At the same time, Austin had a somewhat consistent (albeit minor) role on offense. He had his best showing in 2024, when he hauled in 36 catches for 548 yards and four touchdowns. His numbers took a step back with a deeper receiving corps around new QB Aaron Rodgers in 2025. Austin finished this past year with 31 catches for 372 yards and three scores.
Austin got into six games against Harbaugh and the Ravens during his time in Pittsburgh, with his nine catches representing the most against any one opponent. Now in New York, he’ll likely take on a similar role. The team hasn’t done much to replace Wan’Dale Robinson, and with Malik Nabers returning from injury, perhaps Austin will be in line for a larger offensive role with his new squad. When the WR corps is whole, the free agent acquisition will be competing with the likes of Darius Slayton and Isaiah Hodgins for reps.
Titans To Sign S Tony Adams
Titans head coach Robert Saleh is reuniting with another former Jet. Safety Tony Adams has agreed to a one-year contract with Tennessee, Rich Cimini of ESPN reports. Saleh previously added ex-Jets John Franklin-Myers, Jermaine Johnson, Solomon Thomas and Jacob Martin to a remade Titans defense.
Entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2022, Adams has played a large portion of his career under Saleh, the Jets’ former head coach. Saleh was at the helm until the team fired him in October 2024. Adams was a regular in Saleh’s defense for over a year.
After logging a meager 10.37% defensive snap share as a rookie, Adams worked as a full-time starter in his second season. The Illinois product tallied 82 tackles (six TFL), five passes defensed and a career-best three interceptions in 15 games.
Adams remained a starter in Saleh’s defense early in 2024. However, after Saleh’s ouster, Adams was the only player interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich benched during his 12 games in charge. The decision reportedly came at the behest of owner Woody Johnson. In any case, Adams finished the year with a personal-best 84 tackles, six passes defensed and a pick in 15 games and 11 starts.
With Aaron Glenn replacing Ulbrich in 2025, Adams started in nine of 12 games. The 27-year-old notched 49 tackles and five PDs on a defense that failed to intercept a pass all season. Adams’ year ended when a groin injury forced him to IR on Dec. 18. Pro Football Focus ranked Adams’ play a below-average 50th among 88 qualifying safeties. PFF placed him in a similar range during the previous two years.
In his second NFL stop, Adams will join Amani Hooker and Kevin Winston as the Titans’ top safeties. Xavier Woods was a starting safety on last year’s team, but with Saleh coming in, the Titans released him last month.
Bucs To Sign Al-Quadin Muhammad
4:21pm: The visit went well. The Buccaneers and Muhammad have agreed to a one-year contract worth up to $6MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (PewterReport first broke the news).
10:53am: Coming off a career-best season, Al-Quadin Muhammad is generating free agency interest. The veteran edge rusher is set to meet with the Buccaneers, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.
Muhammad tallied 11 sacks and 20 QB hits for the Lions last season, mashing his best marks as a pro. The journeyman pass rusher played two seasons in Detroit. Tampa Bay was believed to be targeting pass rush help, but thus far in free agency, Jason Licht‘s team has stood down.
[RELATED: Bucs Submitted Offer To WR Mike Evans]
Counting a stopover with the Cowboys that did not result in any playing time, Muhammad has played for five NFL teams. He was part of an impact 2017 Saints draft class, joining Trey Hendrickson as edge rushers among that transformative New Orleans group. But the Saints gave up on Muhammad after one season, leading him to the Colts via waivers. The Bucs were in this week’s Hendrickson market, but the Ravens — after they called off the Maxx Crosby trade — added him on a $28MM-per-year deal.
The Bucs were believed to have preferred a short-term deal with Hendrickson, who ended up committing to the Ravens on a four-year pact worth $112MM. As it stands, Tampa Bay is still in search of — after its 2025 Haason Reddick signing did not work out — a bookend for YaYa Diaby. Tampa Bay has missed on a couple edge rushers in recent years, not seeing much from first-rounder Joe Tryon-Shoyinka or 2024 second-rounder Chris Braswell. As outlined in our Buccaneers Offseason Outlook, the team has not seen an eight-sack season since Shaquil Barrett‘s 2021 campaign, though Diaby has been a consistent backfield presence (38 tackles for loss in three seasons).
The Lions received remarkable value on Muhammad’s $1.42MM deal last year. Seeing an anemic pass rush (following Aidan Hutchinson‘s broken leg) limit a Super Bowl-caliber roster in 2024, Detroit did not do much to augment the group in 2025. Muhammad overdelivered and gave the Lions a double-digit sack duo (Hutchinson’s bounce-back season produced 14.5). He will likely be looking for a substantial raise, but with an inconsistent track record, teams figure to be leery here.
Muhammad, 31 later this month, missed the 2023 season and combined for four sacks between the 2022 and ’24 slates. Prior to that, he produced just one season with more than three sacks — a six-sack 2021 season in Indianapolis. The Bears gave him a two-year, $8MM deal off that performance but released him after one season. Al-Quadin’s age-30 breakout points to a “prove it” deal being necessary, but he is running out of time to cash in.
Seahawks To Sign RB Emanuel Wilson
After losing Kenneth Walker to the Chiefs, the Seahawks are adding to their backfield. They have agreed to a deal with former Packers running back Emanuel Wilson, per veteran insider Jordan Schultz. It’s a one-year contract worth up to $2.1MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The 26-year-old Wilson had been on the open market since the Packers non-tendered him on Feb. 27. Green Bay moved on from Wilson despite two straight productive seasons as a backup to Josh Jacobs.
After totaling just 14 carries as an undrafted rookie in 2023, the 5-foot-10, 226-pound Wilson combined for 228 attempts over the past two years. He ended his three-season, 41-game Green Bay tenure with 1,o83 yards and seven touchdowns on 242 rushes (a strong 4.5 YPC).
Walker’s exit to Kansas City has left the reigning champion Seahawks without a bona fide No. 1 back. The Seahawks also could go some portion of next season without Zach Charbonnet, their current top option. Charbonnet tore his ACL in a divisional-round win over the 49ers on Jan. 17.
Wilson and Charbonnet combined for 405 carries last year, while George Holani was a distant third with 22 attempts. Along with Wilson, Charbonnet and Holani, the Seahawks have fellow running backs Cam Akers, Velus Jones, Kenny McIntosh and Jacardia Wright under contract. As Seattle awaits Charbonnet’s recovery, Wilson may be its best in-house option.
49ers DE Bryce Huff To Retire
After six years in the NFL, 49ers defensive end Bryce Huff is calling it a career. Huff announced his retirement on Instagram on Thursday (via Nick Wagoner of ESPN).
Huff, 27, was traded to the 49ers last offseason and appeared in 15 games during the regular season. He recorded four sacks and six tackles for loss, the second-best production of his career that was still disappointing relative to double-digit totals in both categories in 2023.
The former Memphis standout signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and carved out a rotational role on the defensive line as a rookie. He put up 7.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss in his first three years, though peripheral metrics like his pass rush win rate suggested he had more to offer.
That turned out to be the case in 2023, when he put up 10 sacks and 10 tackles for loss to go along with a 22.9% PRWR that ranked third among defensive linemen, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Huff peaked at the right time and earned a three-yera, $51MM payday from the Eagles with $34MM in guaranteed money.
A disappointing follow-up effort led the Eagles to reconsider their investment, and they ended up trading Huff to the 49ers for a conditional Day 3 pick. He rebounded upon reuniting with Robert Saleh, his head coach in New York, leading the 49ers with 46 pressures.
Huff was due just over $17MM in 2026 with a $5.4MM cap hit, per OverTheCap, but his retirement will wipe both of those numbers off San Francisco’s books. The 49ers will now be looking for edge-rushing depth with Yetur Gross-Matos and Clelin Ferrell also hitting free agency.
Huff will leave the NFL with 81 appearances (21 starts), 24.0 sacks, and 26 tackles for loss to his name, along with just over $40MM in career earnings. In his retirement announcement, he revealed his post-playing plans of starting a company to build safety infrastructure to reduce fire risk when using lithium batteries.
Dolphins To Sign Tutu Atwell, Marco Wilson
After four years with the Rams, wide receiver Tutu Atwell is headed to South Florida. The Dolphins are adding the Miami native on a one-year deal, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
In addition to Atwell, the Dolphins are bringing in cornerback Marco Wilson on a one-year pact, according to Schefter. The Fort Lauderdale native and former Florida Gator spent the past year-plus with the Bengals.
The value of Atwell’s contract is unknown, but it is unlikely to approach the $10MM guarantee the Rams handed him a year ago. At the time, Atwell was coming off his first 17-game season and one in which he set career highs in receptions (42) and yards (562). The 26-year-old was unable to build on those numbers during an injury-shortened 2025. Atwell missed seven games as a result of a hamstring injury. During the 10 Atwell played, he did not offer a strong complement to the all-world Puka Nacua–Davante Adams duo. Atwell caught just six of 15 targets and one touchdown, though he did average a robust 32.0 yards per grab.
As a 2021 second-round pick, Atwell likely did not develop into the type of impact receiver the Rams thought they were getting five years ago. The Louisville product had a catch-less, eight-game rookie season that ended with a mid-November trip to IR. The Rams won the Super Bowl without him just under three months later. Atwell went on to total 105 receptions for 1,535 yards (14.6 YPC) and five TDs over his last four years with the Rams.
The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Atwell will now have a chance to earn a roster spot on a Miami team that needs capable complements to No. 1 receiver Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins released Tyreek Hill, leaving new quarterback Malik Willis with Atwell, Malik Washington, Terrace Marshall and Theo Wease behind Waddle.
Wilson is the latest in a long line of defenders to reach short-term agreements with the Dolphins this week. Like Atwell, Wilson entered the league as a member of the 2021 draft class. The Cardinals used a fourth-rounder on Wilson, who lasted two-plus years in their uniform.
Although Wilson started in 37 of 43 games and intercepted three passes in Arizona, the team cut him in December 2023. Wilson has played a combined 21 games with the Patriots and Bengals since then, but he has not gotten another start or added any more picks. The 27-year-old appeared in four of Cincinnati’s games in 2025 before succumbing to a season-ending hamstring injury in late November.
Falcons To Sign DE Samson Ebukam
The Falcons are adding another new edge rusher to their defense. Former Colts defensive end Samson Ebukam has agreed to sign in Atlanta, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Ebukam, 30, appeared in 14 games in 2025 after missing the entire 2024 season due to a torn Achilles. The Colts were understandably cautious about his return to the field; his snap count and sack production were both the lowest of his career since his 2017 rookie year. Ebukam did put up a respectable 10.2% pass rush win rate, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which represented a much less severe drop from his production between 2019 and 2023.
In that time, Ebukam recorded at least 4.5 sacks every season with a career-high of 9.5 in 2023, his first year in Indianapolis on a three-year, $27MM deal. Returning to that peak seems unlikely given that his pressure generation that season was not significantly higher than the rest of his career, but another year removed from a major injury should offer better results in Atlanta in 2026.
Ebukam is the second edge rusher the Falcons have added in free agency. They also signed Azeez Ojulari, another veteran who will provide depth behind 2025 first-rounders Jalon Walker and James Pearce. Pearce is currently facing felony charges in Florida and could be subject to league discipline, which would push Ebukam and Ojulari into bigger roles.
If Pearce is available, Ebukam and Ojulari will instead profile as more direct replacements for Leonard Floyd and Arnold Ebiketie, who combined for 5.5 sacks in 2025 and hit free agency this week.