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.
NFC West Notes: Austin, Gannon, Cards, Conner, Hawks, Curl, Rams, 49ers
While Arthur Smith is heading to the college ranks (as Ohio State’s OC) after Mike Tomlin‘s resignation, longtime Steelers DC Teryl Austin landed another NFL gig. Austin is taking over as a senior assistant with the Cardinals, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. This is a return Arizona trip for Austin, who was on Ken Whisenhunt‘s staff with the Cardinals previously. The three-time NFL DC served as Cardinals DBs coach from 2007-10, being part of the franchise’s Super Bowl XLIII team. Now 61, Austin — who interviewed for the Commanders’ DC job — will join Mike LaFleur‘s staff to provide experience under 32-year-old DC Nick Rallis.
Here is the latest from around the NFC West:
- Shortly before Week 18, a report indicated Jonathan Gannon was likelier to return for a fourth season than be fired. But the Cardinals axed their HC after a 3-14 season. Considering the step back from an 8-9 2024, it didn’t seem off base to fire Gannon. But those in the organization were surprised Michael Bidwill cut the cord, per ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss, who adds others around the league were caught off-guard by that ouster. Gannon landed HC and DC interviews following his firing and ended up as the Packers’ defensive boss. Arizona retained Rallis, though multiple candidates dropped out of their hiring process, under new HC Mike LaFleur.
- The Cardinals’ James Conner pay cut comes out to a one-year, $3MM deal that KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes contains $2.1MM guaranteed. Conner signed a two-year, $19MM extension in 2024 but missed most of last season due to injury. The $2.1MM guarantee number does not exactly lock in the 10th-year veteran for 2026, especially with the Cards changing staffs, but the longtime Arizona starter will have a shot.
- The Seahawks lost several Super Bowl starters but retained two by re-signing Rashid Shaheed and Josh Jobe. Shaheed’s three-year, $51MM contract includes $34.7MM guaranteed; of the latter total, $23MM is guaranteed at signing (per OverTheCap). None of that guarantee covers 2027, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano tweets. Shaheed’s $11.74MM 2027 base salary is guaranteed for injury; it shifts to a full guarantee five days after Super Bowl LXI. That gives Seattle a potential early out, as this contract is structured like Sam Darnold‘s and Cooper Kupp‘s. As for Jobe, his three-year, $24MM pact, $9.25MM is fully guaranteed. Wilson adds $14.25MM is guaranteed in total, with $5MM of his $6.49MM 2027 base salary also becoming guaranteed five days after Super Bowl LXI.
- Jaylen Watson joins ex-Chiefs teammate Trent McDuffie with the Rams, who gave the multiyear Kansas City CB2 a three-year, $51MM contract. Of Watson’s $34MM guaranteed, $26.5MM is locked in at signing (per OverTheCap). The Rams are giving Watson an $11MM guarantee on his 2027 base salary ($13.99MM), according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. The remaining $2.99MM shifts to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2027 league year. Elsewhere in the L.A. secondary, Kamren Curl‘s three-year, $36MM deal includes $18.75MM guaranteed at signing (per OverTheCap). Of Curl’s $11.6MM 2027 base salary, Wilson notes $7MM is fully guaranteed. The rest shifts from an injury guarantee on Day 3 of the ’27 league year. Curl will be due a $3.43MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2028 league year, Wilson adds.
- Shifting back to the Cardinals, the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin notes their Kendrick Bourne contract includes $6.5MM fully guaranteed. Initially reported as an $11.47MM deal, Bourne’s base value is $10MM (via OverTheCap). As for D-tackle Roy Lopez‘s Arizona return (for two years and $10.5MM), Wilson adds the veteran received $1MM of his $3.47MM 2027 base salary guaranteed for injury. That shifts to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2027 league year.
- The 49ers identified their replacement for tight ends coach Brian Fleury, who left to take the Seahawks’ OC job. Cameron Clemmons will slide from assistant O-line coach to that spot, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco notes. Previously the Raiders’ assistant O-line coach, Clemmons has been on the 49ers’ staff since 2024. San Francisco is also adding Kent State O-line coach Angel Matute to their staff, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz tweets.
Commanders To Add RB Rachaad White
With the Buccaneers adding Kenneth Gainwell, Rachaad White is on the move. He is heading to Washington, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo.
The Arizona State alum will rejoin college teammate Jayden Daniels with the Commanders. The fifth-year running back is joining the Commanders on a one-year agreement, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.
White and Daniels overlapped with the Sun Devils from 2020-21. White did not play with likely Commanders target Brandon Aiyuk, who was Daniels’ teammate in 2019, as the running back spent time at two other schools — Division II Nebraska-Kearney and Mt. San Antonio Junior College — before arriving in Arizona.
Although Gainwell’s Tampa arrival to team with Bucky Irving ensured White would need to look elsewhere for his second contract, he expected as much well before the Bucs’ free agency decision. White pointed to a Tampa exit immediately after the team’s 2025 season ended. Supplanted by Irving as the Bucs’ starter in 2024, White was needed to return to his starting post last year due to the second-year back battling multiple injuries. But Tampa Bay did not with to continue with the Irving-White partnership in 2026.
White put together a promising 2023 season, amassing 1,539 scrimmage yards. Among RBs that year, White’s yardage total ranked fourth. Despite that impressive showing, White lost his job to Irving midway through the 2024 slate. The Bucs drafted the Oregon product in Round 4 in 2024, and the move changed their plans at RB. White maintained a role alongside the swiftly developing runner, but it became clear Irving was the team’s future at the position.
Washington lost Austin Ekeler to an Achilles tear in Week 2 of last season; that certainly hurt the team’s ability to involve its backs in the passing game. White has 11 career receiving touchdowns, and his strong 2023 season included 593 receiving yards. The 27-year-old RB presents an option to complement Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who totaled 805 rushing yards as a rookie but only 68 through the air. With Washington losing Chris Rodriguez to Jacksonville, Croskey-Merritt and White look like the team’s new top backfield tandem.
In Daniels’ final season with the Sun Devils (2021), White totaled 1,462 scrimmage yards (462 receiving) and 16 touchdowns. The elusive back parlayed that season into a third-round selection. It will be worth wondering if White’s ceiling in Washington is an RB2/pass-down option; he has a career 3.9-yard average per carry (as Irving outshined him when healthy). But Dan Quinn wanted to lean on the run more, with that being part of the reason behind Kliff Kingsbury‘s ouster. A 1-2 punch involving Croskey-Merritt and White would likely feature extensive work for both.
Eagles To Re-Sign P Braden Mann
Despite the NFL still being in the first week of free agency, several teams are making punter moves. The Eagles are among them, reaching an agreement to re-sign Braden Mann.
Mann agreed to a four-year, $14MM accord, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The Eagles’ punter over the past three seasons, Mann is now signed through 2029. Mann will see $7MM guaranteed on this deal.
Rebounding after losing his job midway through a Jets rookie contract, Mann is now tied for fifth in per-year punter salaries. The Giants just moved the bar to $4.1MM by reuniting John Harbaugh with Jordan Stout, and the Eagles are spending bigger than they normally do at this spot. As The Athletic’s Zach Berman points out, the Eagles have not paid a punter top-10 money during Howie Roseman‘s GM tenure. Mann is going into his fourth season as Philly’s punter; the Eagles have not seen a punter stick around that long since Donnie Jones (2013-17).
Mann averaged a career-best 49.9 yards per punt last season. After not faring as well in the less friendly MetLife Stadium confines, Mann has averaged at least 48.8 yards per boot in each of his Eagles seasons. Mann’s 49.9 number ranked sixth last season.
The Jets drafted Mann in the 2020 sixth round out of Texas A&M, but veteran Thomas Morstead replaced him in 2023. The Steelers claimed Mann in April 2023 but waived him months later. The Eagles scooped up the struggling specialist via a September 2023 practice squad deal. Mann, 28, then replaced Arryn Siposs and has punted in every Eagles game since.
Bengals To Sign DT Jonathan Allen
The Vikings’ two high-profile street free agent defensive linemen — Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave — lasted one season in Minnesota, each being released Wednesday. Both have already found new homes.
After Hargrave landed with the Packers, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Allen is joining the Bengals on a two-year deal worth $28MM. The $28MM is the deal’s max value, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who notes the base value checks in at $26MM. This still represents a soft landing for Allen, who has been cut in each of the past two years.
[RELATED: Bengals Extend LT Orlando Brown Jr.]
Allen joins Boye Mafe as new arrivals on Cincinnati’s D-line. The Bengals have devoted some early-free agency funds to upgrading one of the NFL’s worst defenses. They have added Mafe, Allen and safety Bryan Cook to Al Golden‘s unit. Cincy now has three veteran options at defensive tackle, with Allen joining B.J. Hill and T.J. Slaton. The team also has former second-round pick Kris Jenkins Jr. in the fold at DT.
A former Washington first-round pick, Allen will be on his third team in three years. The Commanders cut bait in 2025, and the Vikings designated Allen a post-June 1 release Wednesday. Allen started 17 games with Minnesota last season and was a Pro Bowler in Washington. The 2017 draftee is going into an age-31 season, joining Hill in that regard. Slaton is 28. Slaton and McKinnley Jackson are in place as the NT options for the Bengals, with Allen being added as a three-technique rusher.
Although Cincinnati’s defense became less abysmal late in the season, the unit still ranked 30th. The unit was missing Trey Hendrickson for most of the season, but it struggled in 2024 with the standout defensive end submitting a Defensive Player of the Year runner-up finish. The Bengals have seen their defense (and Joe Burrow injuries) limit them over the past three seasons. Burrow’s first NFL setback — his 2020 ACL tear — actually came on a tackle by Allen and Montez Sweat (as SI.com’s Jay Morrison reminds).
Washington disbanded its four-first-rounder D-line at the 2023 trade deadline, dealing away Sweat and Chase Young. Allen and Daron Payne played together in 2024, but Allen missed much of that resurgent Commanders season with a pectoral injury. With Young’s career sidetracked by a 2021 knee injury, Allen stepped up; his Pro Bowls came during this period, with the Alabama alum combining for 16.5 sacks from 2021-22. Allen combined for 66 QB hits from 2021-23 but has not been as productive since.
This will move Allen back to a 4-3 scheme, after he transitioned to Brian Flores‘ 3-4 look in 2025. Those distinctions mean less and less, but they do still matter to a degree. Allen posted 3.5 sacks and 11 QB hits in 17 Vikings games. This $13MM-per-year contract is a bit south of where he was with Minnesota and Washington ($17MM and $18MM per year, respectively), but it shows teams still view the longtime interior presence highly.
Chiefs To Sign CB Kader Kohou
The Chiefs are signing former Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Kohou, 27, missed all of the 2025 season due to a torn ACL suffered in training camp. He served as Miami’s primary nickel for the previous three seasons with 47 appearances, 38 starts, and more than 2,500 defensive snaps. He only played sparingly on special teams with no involvement in 2024.
Kohou arrived in Miami in 2022 as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M-Commerce. He was targeted more than any other defender in the league as a rookie, but allowed only 6.1 yards per target and three touchdowns. He regressed in 2023 with 7.7 yards per target and eight touchdowns but returned to his 2023 numbers the following year. That earned him a $3.26MM restricted free agent tag last offseason, though he will likely earn significantly less with the Chiefs.
In Kansas City, Kohou will look to prove his health and compete for a role in the Chiefs’ secondary, which has already lost three cornerbacks this week, including Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, two of their starters in 2025. Joshua Williams, who played key snaps in the previous three seasons but not 2025, is also gone, so the Chiefs will need to find new options on the boundary in 2026.
Kohou has played a majority of his career snaps in the slot, but 2023 fourth-rounder Chamarri Conner will likely keep that role next season. But his 743 snaps of experience on the boundary could help him compete for a job in a Kansas City pass defense that will look very different relative to last year’s unit.
Ravens Release QB Cooper Rush, Sign OL Jovaughn Gwyn
The Ravens signed Cooper Rush to a two-year deal last year to serve as Lamer Jackson’s backup, but that experiment ended during his second start after the MVP’s early-season knee injury.
Baltimore went back to Tyler Huntley – who won both of his starts in 2025 – and Rush rode the bench for the rest of the season. The Ravens were expected to part ways with the former Cowboys in the offseason, and re-signing Huntley to a two-year deal over the weekend supported that projection.
Indeed, the Ravens have released Rush, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The move comes without a post-June 1 designation, so it will be processed right away, clearing $453k and leaving $2.2MM in dead money. The eight-year veteran will now hit the open market in search of a new backup opportunity, though his struggles in Baltimore will likely force him to compete for a job during training camp.
The Ravens’ other Thursday move is the signing of Jovaughn Gwyn (also via Pelissero), who is coming to Baltimore to reunite with offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford. Gwyn, 26, was a seventh-round pick out of South Carolina in 2023. He has only played 11 regular-season offensive snaps – all in 2025 – with nine at right guard plus one as an inline tight end and another as a fullback, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
In the preseason, though, Gwyn has played center as well, a key still for a Ravens offensive line that just lost Tyler Linderbaum in free agency. Gwyn does not project as a starting-caliber replacement, though he is clearly valued by Ledford. But with the potential for 2025 backup center Corey Bullock to step into a bigger role this year, Baltimore needed to add more depth at the position and now has Gwyn to back up multiple spots along their line.
Broncos To Re-Sign Lil’Jordan Humphrey
The Broncos let Lil’Jordan Humphrey walk in free agency last year, and the Sean Payton favorite joined the Giants in free agency. But he made his way back to Denver via an in-season return. The veteran Payton charge will be the latest Bronco to re-sign this offseason.
Denver is retaining Humphrey, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. With the Broncos losing Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant in the playoffs, Humphrey was needed as a regular on offense. He came through against the Bills, hauling in a long touchdown pass at the end of the first half. This will be Humphrey’s fourth season in Denver.
Humphrey, 28 in April, played for Payton in New Orleans before joining him in Denver in 2023. The three-year Saint worked mostly as a backup in New Orleans and has contributed more in Denver as a blocking wideout. He did play an auxiliary role in Bo Nix‘s rookie-year success, totaling career highs in catches (31) and yards (293).
The Giants stashed Humphrey on their practice squad after cutting him last August, and the Broncos ended up signing him off the New York P-squad in November. Playing in only three games for the 4-13 Giants, Humphrey saw action in seven for the 14-3 Broncos. He caught a regular-season touchdown pass against the Packers, and after dropping a would-be touchdown early in the Bills divisional-round matchup, the 6-foot-4 pass catcher came through with a 29-yard TD pass in the final minute of the first half during the No. 1 seed’s overtime win.
The Broncos have not yet signed an outside free agent, but they have been busy retaining their own. Although John Franklin-Myers and P.J. Locke have departed, Denver has brought back Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, J.K. Dobbins, Adam Trautman and Sam Ehlinger over the past few days. The team also retained Ben Powers after the veteran guard was mentioned as a trade candidate. It would seem the Broncos will add outside UFAs soon, but last year’s AFC West champs are submitting a continuity-focused approach thus far.
Added to that list of re-signings: tight end Lucas Krull. The team announced the reserve tight end, nontendered as an RFA last week, is staying. As the RFA tender numbers keep rising, teams have increasingly opted to nontender these players and bring them back at reduced rates. After a 152-yard 2024 season, Krull played in just four games last year and caught only two passes.
Krull joins Trautman, Nate Adkins and Evan Engram in the Broncos’ tight end room. Engram did not impress regularly last season and is a logical cut candidate, but the 31-year-old pass catcher has nearly half his 2026 base salary guaranteed. Denver already used one of his early post-June 1 designations on Dre Greenlaw.