Mike Evans Considered Signing With Bills
A dozen years into a potential Hall of Fame career, wide receiver Mike Evans left the Buccaneers for the 49ers on Monday. Discussing the decision on Thursday, Evans told reporters he entered free agency seeking a contender with a good quarterback (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports California). He found that in San Francisco, which reeled him in with a three-year offer worth a base value of $42.4MM.
The 32-year-old Evans will go forward with Brock Purdy as his quarterback, but he also considered moving to Buffalo to team with Josh Allen.
“So I was looking at here, Buffalo Bills, teams that needed a No. 1 wide receiver,” Evans said. “I liked this place. This was my No. 1 spot on my own.”
It is unclear if the Bills were aggressive in pursuing Evans, especially after they acquired the pricey D.J. Moore from the Bears last week. However, if the Bills brought in Evans to pair with Moore, it would have given them a much better outside receiver duo than they had last year. The Bills have a quality slot target in Khalil Shakir, but the rest of their wideouts underwhelmed in 2025.
Former second-round pick Keon Coleman did not progress as hoped during a year in which former head coach Sean McDermott made him a healthy scratch four times. Meanwhile, Josh Palmer and Curtis Samuel struggled to produce during injury-shortened years. To no surprise, the Bills released Samuel last Friday. Late-season pickup Brandin Cooks is also a free agent. Tyrell Shavers is under contract, but he will miss time next season after tearing his ACL in a wild-card round win over the Jaguars.
As things stand, Coleman and Palmer are Buffalo’s top boundary receivers beyond Moore. There is clearly still room for improvement, whether it comes by way of a dwindling free agent market, another trade or the draft.
Jauan Jennings, the 49ers’ most productive receiver in 2025, may be the No. 1 option left in free agency. The 49ers have already lost auxiliary wideout Kendrick Bourne to the Cardinals, but they now have Evans slotting in with Ricky Pearsall atop their receiving corps. The 49ers are counting on healthier seasons for both players. Multiple injuries – including a hamstring strain and a broken clavicle – limited Evans to eight games in 2025 and denied him a record-setting 12th straight 1,000-yard season. Knee problems held Pearsall to nine games during the second year of his career.
Despite injuries to Pearsall and a slew of other noteworthy contributors, the 49ers went 12-5 and advanced to the divisional round last season. During their run to a Super Bowl title, the NFC West rival Seahawks knocked the 49ers out of the postseason in a 41-6 blowout. But Evans, who won a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, is confident he will help San Francisco get over the hump next year.
“Even with all the injuries last year … I feel like they were one piece away,” the six-time Pro Bowler said (via Nick Wagoner of ESPN). “And I think that I am that piece. I look forward to coming here and proving that.”
Steelers To Sign S Jaquan Brisker
Having already lost Kevin Byard and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the Bears will see another veteran defensive back walk out the door in free agency. Safety Jaquan Brisker is signing with the Steelers, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. It’s a one-year, $5.5MM deal, per Garafolo and colleague Ian Rapoport.
Brisker is heading back to his native Pittsburgh, which will be his second NFL stop. After a standout college career at Penn State, Brisker joined the Bears as a second-round pick in 2022. The 26-year-old started in all 52 of his games with the Bears.
Brisker played back-to-back 15-game seasons to begin his career, but he missed time with concussions in both years. Another head injury cost Brisker 12 games in 2024. Despite that, Brisker brushed off retirement in favor of continuing his career last year.
Not only did the 6-foot-1, 204-pounder log his first 17-game season in 2025, but he led all Bears defenders with a 99.91% defensive snap share (Byard finished second at 99.81%). Brisker tallied 93 tackles, eight passes defensed and an interception along the way. Pro Football Focus ranked Brisker’s performance a solid 45th among 91 qualifying safeties. With a 79.0 grade against the run, he placed 20th in that category.
Kyle Dugger, Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers were among the Steelers’ safety choices last season, but all three are now unsigned. Brisker will join a group that includes Jalen Ramsey, DeShon Elliott and the newly signed Darnell Savage. Between Brisker and former Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean, Pittsburgh has added two full-time starters to its secondary this week.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jets To Sign G Dylan Parham
The Jets are signing former Raiders guard Dylan Parham, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. He will secure a a two-year deal worth up to $20MM.
The Jets have been heavily active this week, but this is their first offensive line addition. With guards John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker set to reach free agency, it was known the Jets would have to make at least one move up front.
Simpson (Ravens) and Vera-Tucker (Patriots) left, paving the way for Parham to join the Jets’ line. He will reunite with reacquired Jets quarterback Geno Smith, who was the Raiders’ signal-caller last season.
A third-round pick in 2022, Parham was a starter for the Raiders for his entire four-year rookie contract. The 332-pound Memphis product was durable in Las Vegas. He played 17 games in each of his first two years before putting together back-to-back 15-game campaigns from 2024-25.
Parham logged significant action at both guard positions during his tenure in Las Vegas. He took all 843 of his snaps at left guard last season. Pro Football Focus ranked the 26-year-old’s play a solid 37th among 79 qualifying guards. Parham is expected to remain on the left side in New York, per Connor Hughes of SNY.
With Parham joining the fold, the Jets may already have next season’s starting line in place. They at least have a capable Parham-Joe Tippmann guard tandem and two cornerstone tackles in Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou. There may be room to upgrade on center Josh Myers, though the Jets inked him to a two-year, $11MM extension in December.
49ers, TE Jake Tonges Agree To Deal
The 49ers and restricted free agent tight end Jake Tonges have agreed to a two-year, $8MM deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Tonges’ contract includes $5.5MM in guarantees.
This is a nice raise for the 26-year-old Tonges, who was relatively anonymous entering last season. At that point, Tonges had not even caught an NFL pass since he entered the league as a UDFA with Chicago in 2022. Tonges played four games with the Bears as a rookie, but he did not stay in the organization for a second year.
After Chicago waived Tonges in August 2023, the former Cal pass catcher returned to the state to join the 49ers’ practice squad. Tonges did not see any game action in his first year with the 49ers, but he played a big role on their special teams in 2024. He racked up 232 ST snaps, good for fourth on the team, over 16 games.
Tonges put up his second straight 232-snap season on special teams last year. He also became a contributor on the 49ers’ offense, which turned to him for 399 snaps.
A Week 1 hamstring injury to star tight end George Kittle enabled Tonges to step up. He caught his first three passes, including a touchdown, in their season-opening win over the Seahawks. Kittle did not return until Week 7. By then, Tonges had already hauled in 25 passes for 234 yards and three scores. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder finished the year with 34 catches on 46 targets, 293 yards and five TDs in 17 games.
Kittle suffered a torn Achilles in the 49ers’ wild-card round win over the Eagles. The injury will cost Kittle at least some of next season, making it even more important for the 49ers to keep Tonges as insurance.
Commanders To Sign S Nick Cross
The Commanders have agreed to a deal with safety Nick Cross, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. It’s a two-year pact worth up to $14MM, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Cross spent his first four seasons in Indianapolis, which grabbed him in the third round of the 2022 draft. The former Maryland Terrapin went down as a quality pickup for the Colts. Cross only missed one game in his first two years, but he saw more action on special teams than as a defender.
Cross’ role changed significantly in 2024, when he became a full-time starter. He went on to conclude his Colts tenure with 34 straight starts over the past two years. The 6-foot, 212-pound box safety combined for a whopping 266 tackles (11 for loss) during that span. He also pulled in four interceptions, including a career-high three in 2024. While ranking third among safeties with 16 pressures last season, Cross recorded personal bests in QB hits (six) and sacks (2.5).
The durable Cross played 99.91% of the Colts’ defensive snaps in ’24 and followed it up with a 95.53% mark last year. Between his track record of availability and solid production, Colts general manager Chris Ballard wanted to keep the 24-year-old. The Colts and Cross were in talks on a new deal as of late February, but an agreement never materialized. Indianapolis will now see another defensive starter exit, having already waved goodbye to Kwity Paye and Zaire Franklin in recent days.
Meanwhile, for the Commanders, Cross is the latest noteworthy addition to a defense that was among the NFL’s worst in 2025. The Commanders finished 27th in the league in points allowed and last in yardage. Along with Cross, they have picked up edge rushers Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson, linebacker Leo Chenal, DT Tim Settle and cornerback Amik Robertson at the outset of free agency.
Dolphins To Sign DB Lonnie Johnson Jr.
Lonnie Johnson Jr. has lined up his next NFL gig. The veteran defensive back has agreed to a one-year deal with the Dolphins, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports.
Miami will be the latest in a long line of stops for Johnson, who entered the league as a second-round pick in 2019. The Kentucky product spent his first three years in Houston, where he logged 19 of his 22 career starts. Johnson has since gone through one-year stints with the Titans, Saints, Panthers and Raiders. He also had brief offseason runs in Kansas City and another in Houston along the way.
Johnson posted his most productive season in 2021, a 55-tackle, three-interception effort over 14 games with the Texans. In 48 games since then, Johnson has recorded just 56 tackles and one pick.
Johnson’s year in Las Vegas got off to an inauspicious start when he suffered a broken fibula in an August practice. When the Raiders assembled their season-opening roster later that month, they placed Johnson on IR with a designation for return. The Raiders activated Johnson toward the end of October. He wound up starting in two of nine games and making 25 tackles. The 30-year-old worked as a free safety for the majority of his snaps (243 of 321).
Johnson is the third depth signing of the day for Miami’s defense. The Dolphins previously agreed to deals with edge rusher Josh Uche and linebacker Willie Gay.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post…