Talks Between Cardinals, Jimmy Garoppolo ‘Hit A Snag’
Then preparing to end the Kyler Murray era, the Cardinals reportedly entered free agency eyeing veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The sides did engage in discussions, but their talks “hit a snag,” according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.
Garoppolo remains unsigned late in the first week of free agency, but the Cardinals moved on to another on-again, off-again starting option. After their pursuit of Garoppolo did not go as planned, the Cardinals picked up journeyman Gardner Minshew on a one-year, $8.25MM deal on Monday. Between Minshew and Jacoby Brissett, the Cardinals have two experienced candidates to win their starting job. They officially released Murray on Wednesday, leading him to Minnesota.
Had the 34-year-old Garoppolo gone to Arizona, he would have reunited with general manager Monti Ossenfort and rookie head coach Mike LaFleur. When the Patriots spent a second-round pick on Garoppolo in 2014, Ossenfort was their director of college scouting. The two overlapped in New England until the team traded Garoppolo to the 49ers for a second-rounder in 2017.
Garoppolo spent six seasons in San Francisco, and LaFleur was its passing-game coordinator for four of those years. The pair worked together again with the Rams over the past two seasons. Garoppolo was the Rams’ backup to Matthew Stafford, while LaFleur served as a non-play-calling offensive coordinator.
Twelve years into his career, it is fair to say Garoppolo enjoyed his greatest success teaming with LaFleur and head coach Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. Over 55 regular-season starts with the 49ers, Garoppolo helped the team to a 38-17 mark while registering a 99.2 passer rating. In his best season, 2019, Garoppolo completed 69.1% of passes and threw for 3,978 yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The 49ers went 13-3 in the regular season and won the NFC, but the Chiefs upended them, 31-20, in Super Bowl LIV.
Garoppolo remained the 49ers’ starter until he broke his foot in December 2022, paving the way for Brock Purdy to usurp the job. Between the end of his 49ers stint and his time with the Rams, Garoppolo endured a bitterly disappointing year with the Raiders. After signing a three-year, $67.5MM contract with Las Vegas in 2023, Garoppolo made just seven mostly lackluster starts with the team. The Raiders benched Garoppolo, who later incurred a PED suspension, and released him a few months later.
While Garoppolo has attempted just 41 passes since the Raiders cut him, the Rams are interested in re-signing him. For now, the untested Stetson Bennett is the only signal-caller on their roster behind Stafford.
Bengals Sign QB Josh Johnson
Nomadic quarterback Josh Johnson is rejoining the Bengals for a third stint in their uniform. The team announced that it has added Johnson on a one-year deal.
A fifth-round pick of the Buccaneers in 2008, the 39-year-old Johnson has spent time with a record 14 NFL teams and seen regular-season action with seven. Johnson has also played in the UFL, the AAF and the second version of the XFL. His previous runs with the Bengals came in 2013 and ’15, though he has never attempted a pass with the team.
The Bengals considered trading for Johnson, then with the Commanders, last October. Starter Joe Burrow was on the shelf with a foot injury at the time, and backup Jake Browning struggled mightily filling in for him. Cincinnati ultimately replaced Browning with Joe Flacco, whom it acquired from Cleveland.
Johnson wound up playing all of last season in Washington, where he made two starts while Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota dealt with injuries. Over a total of five appearances, Johnson completed 34 of 54 passes (63%) with 372 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Fifty games and 11 starts into his career, Johnson has connected on 58.7% of throws, tossed 14 TDs against 18 picks, and recorded a 71.1 rating.
Flacco is now a free agent, but he has interest in re-signing in Cincinnati to back up Burrow. For now, Johnson and Sean Clifford are the team’s reserve options.
Jets To Re-Sign RB/KR Kene Nwangwu
The Jets are re-signing return specialist Kene Nwangwu, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports. It’s a one-year, $2MM deal that includes $1MM in guaranteed money. The pact could be worth up to $3MM.
Nwangwu has totaled just 40 carries in his five-year career, but he has made a significant impact on special teams since the Vikings used a 2021 fourth-round pick on him. Despite playing only 11 games as a rookie, the Iowa State product returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Nwangwu also averaged 32.2 yards per return on 18 tries, which would have led the league had he recorded enough attempts to qualify. While Nwangwu’s average dropped to 26.3 on a league-high 35 returns in 2022, he added another score and earned second-team All-Pro honors.
After starting 2023 on injured reserve, Nwangwu made just nine appearances on the season. The Vikings cut Nwangwu in August 2024. The Saints scooped Nwangwu up via waivers, but they quickly cut him with a failed physical designation.
Nwangwu has since impressed in New York, which added him to its practice squad a couple weeks after the Saints parted with him. Making his Jets debut in a Week 13 loss to the Seahawks in 2024, Nwangwu took back his first kickoff for a 99-yard touchdown. The Jets promoted Nwangwu to their active roster the next day, but a broken hand ended his season a week and a half later.
Exactly one year ago today, the Jets kept Nwangwu around on a one-year, $2.5MM agreement. He continued to produce over 12 games in 2025. Nwangwu’s 33.6 yards per return on 18 attempts was No. 1 in the league, and he chipped in another 99-yard TD in a special teams-driven win over the Browns in Week 10. The 28-year-old earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his efforts.
Browns, DL Kalia Davis Agree To Deal
Defensive lineman Kalia Davis was a 17-game starter for the playoff-bound 49ers in 2025, but they did not retain the restricted free agent. Davis is now joining the Browns on a one-year deal worth up to $3MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
The 49ers had the option of giving Davis a second-rounder tender ($6.26MM) or an original-round tender ($3.82MM). They passed in both cases, leading the 2022 sixth-rounder to his second organization.
Aside from last season, the 6-foot-2, 310-pound Davis did not see much action in San Francisco. The UCF product spent his entire rookie season on the reserve/non-football injury list. Davis picked up his first sack in 2023, but he played just three games and 54 defensive snaps. The 49ers became more reliant on Davis in 2023, a year in which he appeared in 13 games and was on the field for 260 defensive plays. Davis totaled 12 tackles and recorded the only interception of his career.
Dealing with a deluge of defensive injuries last season, the 49ers turned to Davis more than ever. Although Davis underwent surgery on a broken hand in early October, he did not miss any time. The 27-year-old amassed the third-most snaps (492) among 49ers D-linemen and finished with 28 tackles, four TFL and three passes defensed. While Davis’ availability was a positive for an injury-plagued defense, Pro Football Focus rated his play 122nd among 127 qualifying interior defensive linemen.
In moving to Cleveland, Davis will fall in behind Mason Graham and Maliek Collins in the club’s interior D-line mix. Michael Hall, a 2024 second-rounder, and Adin Huntington are also among the Browns’ options. Shelby Harris piled up over 500 defensive snaps last year, but he is now a free agent.
Commanders Re-Sign G Chris Paul
Playing the last season of his four-year rookie contract in 2025, Commanders guard Chris Paul logged his first 17-game campaign and totaled a career-high 15 starts. The Commanders are now bringing Paul back on a one-year deal, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports.
Paul wanted to test the market, per John Keim of ESPN, but the former seventh-rounder from Tulsa did not find any compelling reason to leave Washington. While he explored “many options,” according to Schultz, Paul’s desire to continue playing alongside stalwart left tackle Laremy Tunsil won out. Tunsil reeled in a market-setting extension earlier this week.
The 27-year-old Paul entered last season with just 17 games’ experience and eight starts under his belt. He took on a full-time role when the Commanders benched 2024 third-rounder Brandon Coleman in Week 3.
In the wake of Coleman’s demotion, Paul started at left guard for the rest of the year and finished third among Commanders offensive linemen in snap share (87.86%). Pro Football Focus took a negative view of Paul’s performance in ranking him 69th 79 qualifying guards, though he drew wildly different reviews as a run blocker and pass blocker. Only three guards earned a higher pass-blocking grade than Paul’s 78.2. On the other hand, just three posted worse run-blocking grades than his 38.2 mark.
A vastly improved showing in the running game should help the 6-foot-4, 324-pound Paul secure a better deal a year from now. In the meantime, he could rejoin Tunsil, right tackle Josh Conerly and right guard Samuel Cosmi as starters along Washington’s line in 2026. The Commanders are facing uncertainty at center, though, having released two-year starter Tyler Biadasz in late February. While the team tried to sign the best free agent center available, Tyler Linderbaum, he instead joined the Raiders on a record-setting pact for his position.
Jets To Re-Sign S Andre Cisco
The Jets have been active in adding starters from elsewhere this week, and now they will keep one of their own. The team will re-sign safety Andre Cisco, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The Queens native will ink a one-year deal worth up to $5.25MM.
Cisco, a five-year veteran, spent his first four seasons in Jacksonville. After the former third-rounder from Syracuse started in 47 of 63 games pulled in eight interceptions as a Jaguar, he joined the Jets on a one-year, $10MM pact last March. The soon-to-be 26-year-old is settling for less this time in the wake of an injury-limited season.
Cisco played eight games (all starts) on a defense that stunningly failed to record an interception in 2025. The 6-foot, 210-pounder suffered a pectoral tear in late October and underwent season-ending shoulder surgery days later. His year wrapped up with 41 tackles and one pass defensed. Cisco ranked as one of Pro Football Focus’ top 40 safeties in both 2022 and ’23, but he was in the 60s for the second straight season in 2025.
The Jets are expecting a bounce-back 2026 from Cisco, who will be part of a remade safety group in his second year with the team. At the outset of what has been an aggressive week for the Jets, they acquired five-time Pro Bowler/three-time first-team All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Dolphins. They also brought in former Giant Dane Belton on a one-year, $4MM agreement. The Jets lost starter Tony Adams to the Titans on Thursday, but they have two holdovers in Cisco and Malachi Moore joining Fitzpatrick and Belton as options at the back of their defense.
Steelers To Sign DL Sebastian Joseph-Day
The Steelers are adding Sebastian Joseph-Day to their defensive line, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Joseph-Day has landed a two-year, $11MM contract. He will earn $6MM in 2026.
Joseph-Day, who will turn 31 on March 21, is headed to his fifth NFL organization. The Rutgers product has logged 90 starts in 105 games since he entered the league as a Rams sixth-round pick in 2018. Joseph-Day stayed with the Rams through 2021, their Super Bowl LVI-winning season, and has since played for the Chargers, 49ers and Titans.
Although Joseph-Day signed a three-year, $24MM deal with the Chargers in 2022, he did not make it through two full seasons on the pact. The Chargers cut him in late 2023. The 49ers scooped up Joseph-Day, who played two regular-season games with them and appeared in all three of their playoff matchups. San Francisco won the NFC, but Joseph-Day was on the field for just four defensive snaps in the team’s Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Chiefs.
After his brief 49ers stint, Joseph-Day joined the Titans on a one-year deal in 2024. He wound up starting in 12 of 17 games and picking up 44 tackles, six QB hits and 2.5 sacks. The Titans were impressed enough to give Joseph a raise on another one-year pact last March. Playing for a guaranteed $5MM in 2025, the 6-foot-4, 310-pounder logged another 17-game season and notched 41 tackles, six QB hits and a pair of sacks over 10 starts.
While Joseph-Day’s traditional numbers were similar in each of his two seasons in Tennessee, Pro Football Focus assigned him a much higher grade in 2024. He ranked 22nd among 132 qualifying interior defensive linemen then. Joseph-Day fell to a still-respectable 41st among 127 qualifiers last year.
A Stroudsburg, Pa., native, Joseph-Day will return to the Keystone State to join the likes of Cameron Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black on the Steelers’ defensive line. With new coordinator Patrick Graham at the helm, the Steelers have also added other notable defenders in cornerback Jamel Dean and safety Jaquan Brisker in free agency.
Lions To Sign CB Roger McCreary
The Lions have an agreement with veteran cornerback Roger McCreary, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports. The former Titan and Ram will sign a one-year deal with his new team.
A 2022 second-round pick from Auburn, McCreary emerged as a full-time starter during a 17-game rookie campaign. While dividing his time between the outside and the slot, McCreary played every snap in his debut season. He then logged a 92% snap share during a 15-game, 11-start second year. Although McCreary combined for 170 tackles, 14 passes defensed and two interceptions in his first two years, the Titans’ reliance on him began to drop.
Across 14 games and three starts in 2024, McCreary played just under 62% of defensive snaps. He hovered around the 60% mark over the Titans’ first eight games last season. With the team out of contention in late October, it traded the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder to the Rams for a late-round pick swap. McCreary did not end up a factor in Los Angeles, where he totaled just 38 defensive snaps in six games. The 26-year-old also spent time on IR with a hip injury.
McCreary, a 38-game starter with three career picks, lined up almost exclusively in the slot in the past two years. Amik Robertson took 287 snaps from the slot for the Lions last season, but he left this week to sign a two-year, $16MM pact with the Commanders. McCreary and fellow newcomer Christian Izien could help cover for Robertson’s departure.
Vikings To Sign QB Kyler Murray
As expected, Kyler Murray is heading to Minnesota. The quarterback is inking a one-year deal with the Vikings, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The 28-year-old Murray was always destined to make $36.8MM in 2026 by virtue of his release from the Cardinals, and the Vikings are indeed only paying their acquisition a minimum salary. Notably, the team did include a no-tag clause in Murray’s deal, meaning he’ll hit unrestricted free agency once again next year.
While one report stated Murray could exercise patience in finding a new home, he will head elsewhere just one day after the Cardinals made his long-awaited release official. The Vikings immediately became the frontrunners to sign Murray, the former No. 1 pick who fell out of favor in Arizona after seven seasons.
The Cardinals’ attempts to trade Murray proved futile, leading the team to cut him and take on $54.3MM in dead money. They will reportedly incur a $47.1MM dead cap charge in 2026 and a much more manageable $7.2MM hit in ’27.
A former Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma, the 5-foot-10, 207-pound Murray’s NFL career got off to an auspicious start. Murray took home Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 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 crushed them in the wild-card round. Thanks in part to injuries, Murray’s career has trended downward since the Cardinals awarded him a five-year, $230MM extension in July 2022.
A torn ACL in late 2022 cost Murray six games that year, and the recovery process held him out of the Cardinals’ first nine contests the next season. After Murray shook off the rust during his late-2023 return, he showed some encouraging signs in 2024. In the only 17-game season of his career, Murray 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, Murray amassed 572 yards on 7.3 per carry and chipped in another five TDs.
Murray was unable to build on the momentum in 2025, yet another injury-shortened season. A mid-foot sprain limited Murray to just five games. He did not take the field beyond Oct. 5.
Like Murray, injuries have been a problem for Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The 2024 first-round pick from Michigan missed his rookie season with a torn meniscus, leading veteran Sam Darnold to fill in for the entire year. Darnold revived his career during a 14-3 season, but the Vikings let him walk in free agency.
Darnold, now a reigning Super Bowl champion, signed a three-year, $100.5MM pact with the Seahawks. Daniel Jones, a former Giants starter, finished 2024 as Darnold’s backup in Minnesota. While the Vikings tried to re-sign Jones, he took the Colts’ offer instead because he saw a clearer path to playing time. Jones went on to enjoy a career resurgence in 2025, leading the Colts to re-sign him to a two-year, $88MM contract this week. The Vikings were interested in reuniting with Jones before the Colts placed the transition tag on the 28-year-old and then extended him.
Minnesota’s pursuit of veteran signal-callers came in response to a rough first year as a starter for McCarthy. Three different injuries – a high ankle sprain, a concussion and a hairline fracture in his right hand – held McCarthy to 10 games. The 9-8 Vikings managed six wins in McCarthy’s 10 starts, but he threw more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11). McCarthy also completed just 57.6% of passes while ranking near the bottom in the league in traditional passer rating (72.6) and QBR (35.7).
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the general manager who drafted McCarthy, lost his job in January. Before his ouster, he and head coach Kevin O’Connell made it known they would at least seek veteran competition for McCarthy this offseason. The offensive-minded O’Connell now has it in Murray, who will aim to follow in Darnold’s footsteps in Minnesota. If Murray beats out McCarthy and reestablishes himself as a legitimate starter in 2026, he could position himself for another lucrative deal a year from now.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
49ers To Bring Back LB Dre Greenlaw
The 49ers are reuniting with linebacker Dre Greenlaw, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Greenlaw will return to San Francisco on a one-year, $7.5MM deal.
The Broncos released Greenlaw on Tuesday, ending his stay in Denver after one season, but it did not take the 28-year-old long to land on his feet. Greenlaw, a fifth-round pick in 2019, spent the first six seasons of his career in San Francisco. The Broncos scooped up Greenlaw on a three-year, $35MM pact last March, but the move did not pan out as hoped.
[RELATED: 49ers To Sign CB Nate Hobbs]
While the Broncos boasted the NFL’s third-ranked scoring defense in 2025, they only received limited contributions from the oft-injured Greenlaw. The 6-foot, 230-pounder began the season on IR with a quad injury and did not debut until Week 7. He also missed the Broncos’ last two games as a result of a hamstring issue. Greenlaw ended the year with 43 tackles, an interception, a sack and a forced fumble over eight games (seven starts). Designating him a post-June 1 release saved the Broncos $8.19MM on next season’s cap.
Greenlaw has not played a full season since his rookie campaign, which ended with a loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. Injuries have held him out of 45 regular-season games since then. He played just three games in 2021 and two in 2024. Greenlaw’s 15-game absence in ’24 came as a result of a torn Achilles he suffered while trotting onto the field for the first half of a Super Bowl LVIII rematch with the Chiefs. The rehab process prevented him from returning until mid-December. He made two appearances before the 49ers shut him down for the year.
When healthy, Greenlaw has been among the league’s top linebackers at times. During his most productive two-year stretch, 2022-23, he combined for 247 tackles across 30 games. Pro Football Focus ranked Greenlaw as the league’s seventh-best linebacker in 2022. Even in his abbreviated Broncos season, PFF rated Greenlaw’s performance an outstanding 16th among 88 qualifiers at his position.
In his return to San Francisco, Greenlaw will work under new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. He will also reunite with superstar linebacker Fred Warner, who is coming off an injury-shortened year of his own. The four-time first-team All-Pro dislocated and broke his ankle in Week 6, ending his season in October. The 49ers will bank on healthier seasons from Greenlaw and Warner in 2026, but their linebacker group is deep beyond that duo. Dee Winters, Tatum Bethune and 2025 third-rounder Nick Martin are also under contract.