Vikings Expect To Hear FA Decision From QB Kirk Cousins Tonight; Trending Towards Free Agency
7:36PM: Russini provided another update on the situation, telling us that Minnesota is “having internal conversations about their offer” to Cousins. They are still reportedly waiting to hear from the veteran passer on his decision, but there is a good feeling in the building that Cousins wants to remain a Viking. The prevailing concern is that the structure of the deal will be crucial to the determination of his decision.
6:57PM: We’ve heard lots in the past week or so on the Falcons’ interest in quarterback Kirk Cousins, but it’s all a moot point until his contract with the Vikings voids on Wednesday. In the meantime, the Vikings have not given up on their efforts to keep their quarterback of the last six years in Minnesota. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the team is expecting to hear Cousins’ decision on whether or not he intends to test free agency tonight. 
The Vikings have been working to come to a new agreement since his season-ending injury. Both sides have expressed their interest in extending their time together but talks stalled a bit as Cousins sought certain guarantees into the 2025 season. Time has almost run out, now, with free agency approaching. Tomorrow, teams will have the ability to communicate with free agents, so Cousins’ decision becomes crucial for the intentions of both he and the Vikings.
Also, Wednesday will be a date to watch as it is the day free agency officially opens and Cousins’ contract officially voids, leaving the Vikings with $28.5MM of dead money. The Vikings can avoid that headache with a new extension that allows them to redistribute that money, but if a deal can’t get done, Cousins will hold a $28.5MM cap hit in Minnesota while playing for another team.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network provided an update as the rumors continue to circulate, saying that, while he and Minnesota remain in communication, Cousins is expected to hit the free agent market tomorrow. Pelissero reiterates Atlanta as a possible destination, throwing in that Denver could also potentially pursue. He claims a new deal for Cousins will likely include over $40MM per year.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network also commented on the ramifications of Cousins decision. The quarterback dominos are starting to fall with news like the re-signing of Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay coming earlier today. Russini reports that both Minnesota and Atlanta were keeping a close eye on Mayfield’s eventual landing spot as they deal with their own situations. It sounds like Cousins is expected to be the next big domino to fall, with other options like Justin Fields, Sam Darnold, and even Joe Flacco having to wait to see how the market looks when the dust clears.
LS Casey Kreiter Re-Signing With Giants
The Giants haven’t necessarily had consistency at the kicker and punter positions of their special teams unit in the past several years, but long snapper remains a pillar in New York. ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan reports that the team is re-signing long snapper Casey Kreiter to return for his fifth season as a Giant.
Originally an undrafted free agent out of Iowa in 2014, Kreiter signed with the Cowboys. He was unable to surpass the team’s long-time starter at the position, L.P. Ladouceur, so eventually he found his way to Denver in 2016. Kreiter replaced the departing Aaron Brewer as the Broncos’ long snapper before suffering a season-ending calf injury during a practice in December. He was re-signed and able to retain his starting job, making his first and only Pro Bowl in 2018 with Denver.
Two years later, Kreiter departed from Colorado to New York in order to compete with Zak DeOssie, the Giants long snapper for 13 years from 2007-19. After Kreiter won out in the preseason, DeOssie retired, setting the stage for Kreiter’s current run as the new mainstay on special teams. Kreiter was reportedly expected to receive outside interest from around the league, but New York holds on to retain some consistency in their special teams group.
Chargers Open To Trading OLBs Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack
MARCH 10: Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated confirms the Chargers have had “exploratory trade talks” concerning not only Bosa and Mack, but also both members of the Allen-Williams receiver tandem. Of those, Breer unsurprisingly notes Allen is the likeliest to stay, something which matches the veteran’s comments on his future. Still, a cost-shedding move of some kind could be coming soon on Los Angeles’ part.
MARCH 9: According to OverTheCap.com, the Chargers have the second-least amount of cap space in the NFL with only the Dolphins exceeding the salary cap by more than Los Angeles. They’re currently $21.14MM over the salary cap and are set to eat $27.31MM of dead money in 2024, also second-most in the NFL.
As a result, it appears the Chargers are exploring options to clear some cap space while potentially bringing in a bit of draft capital, as well. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports that the team is currently “open to trade offers for many veteran players including Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.” 
Mack and Bosa currently make up the team’s largest two cap hits at $38.52MM and $36.61MM, respectively. Trading those two players alone, the team would be able to clear out $23.25MM (Mack) and $14.39MM (Bosa) of cap savings, though the team would be eating $15.27MM (Mack) and $22.22MM (Bosa) of dead money in the deals. The report from Russini also says “many veteran players,” though, and the next three biggest cap hits on the roster are veteran receivers Keenan Allen ($34.72MM) and Mike Williams ($32.46MM) and safety Derwin James ($19.86MM).
Would the Chargers really get rid of quarterback Justin Herbert‘s top two targets? Allen has been one of the league’s more consistent producers since 2017, as long as he stays on the field. Over that time, Allen has averaged around 75 yards per game and can usually deliver six to eight touchdowns. He’s missed 40 of a possible 179 career games, including 11 in the past two seasons, but despite four missed games in 2023, Allen averaged a career-high 95.6 yards per game and scored seven touchdowns at 31 years old.
Williams has also missed his fair share of games (27 of a possible 115), including 14 games missed with a torn ACL in 2023. When healthy, Williams has established himself as a strong WR2, twice surpassing 1,000 receiving yards and twice surpassing nine receiving touchdowns. Williams struggles to provide the same consistency as Allen but is still a strong contributor. If traded, Allen would provide $23.1MM of cap savings and result in $11.62MM of dead money, while a trade of Williams could provide $20MM of cap savings and result in $12.46MM of dead money.
James is yet another high-cost player who has struggled to stay on the field in his career. After appearing in every game as a rookie, James has missed 33 of a possible 83 games since. Despite leading the team in tackles this year, James had the worst NFL season of his career, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), grading out as the 71st best safety out of 95 graded players. Before this season, James hadn’t graded out worse than 12th. He showed decent pass rush and run defense in 2023, but graded out poorly in coverage. A James-trade would need to be a post-June 1 transaction. If traded pre-June 1, James would still cost the Chargers $1.46MM of cap space, while a post-June 1 designation would save the team $12.75MM of cap space.
Those players are all question marks, but Mack and Bosa have been blatantly named. Bosa started his career as one of the league’s most electric pass rushers with 23.0 sacks in his first two years, despite missing four games his rookie year. While he still threatens to put up double-digit sacks each year, he has to stay on the field in order to do so, and he has missed half the season three times in his career, including the most recent two seasons. If his physical shows the potential for a full return to form, he could fetch a high price in trade talks.
Los Angeles will try to sell high on Mack, who had a career year at 32 years old. Mack was a world-beater early in his career, racking up 40.5 sacks and a Defensive Player of the Year award with the Raiders. Though his production dipped a bit after getting traded to Chicago, Mack still made three straight Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams as a Bear. Mack was traded once again to the Chargers in 2022, and after a decent first season in LA, Mack delivered a career-high 17.0 sacks in 2023, his first time delivering double-digit sacks since his first year in Chicago in 2018.
It’s unclear just how much Los Angeles is willing to part with this spring. Clearly, “many veteran players” have been advertised as available, including Mack and Bosa, but it’s hard to say just how many of those high-cap players will be shipped out. There are other ways to try and lower the players’ cap impacts, like restructures to current deals, but the easiest way may be to clear them off your books (for the most part) and get something in return. It will be interesting to see how much the Chargers are willing to give up in order to rebuild around Herbert.
Latest On Bears’ Quarterback Situation
MARCH 10: ESPN’s Dan Graziano says the Bears did not find the trade market for Fields that they were hoping for (subscription required). Chicago, however, is not panicking and is willing to allow other quarterback dominos like Cousins and Mayfield to fall. Once some of the top players in the market find new homes or re-sign with their current clubs, there will still be a few QB-needy teams, at which point the interest in Fields should intensify.
While it now seems unlikely that Fields will fetch a second-round pick in a trade, the expectation remains that the Bears will eventually deal him and use the No. 1 pick on Williams.
MARCH 3: The situation of the Bears‘ future at the quarterback position has become quite a loaded topic. The closer we get to the 2024 NFL Draft, the more likely it’s beginning to seem that Chicago is attempting to move current starter Justin Fields as it prepares to move on to potential No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams. 
According to Diana Russini of The Athletic, chatter at the NFL scouting combine appeared to be consistent, with most believing that the Bears are moving on from Fields. Barring the team picking up his fifth-year option, 2024 would be the final year on Fields’ rookie contract. Instead of allowing Fields to play out his contract on the bench behind Williams, Chicago seems intent on dealing the 24-year-old and returning some value for a player they would eventually allow to walk in free agency.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tells us that many in the league see Fields garnering a potential Day 2 pick for his services. A second- or third-round pick may not be the ideal result for a former first-round selection, but it’s better than getting nothing when his rookie deal expires. Fowler names the Falcons, Steelers, Raiders, and Vikings as possible teams of interest in Fields’ acquisition. Atlanta has been repeatedly linked to the young passer lately, with many debating whether or not he is the best fit in a Rams-influenced systems under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. Fowler reports the chances as “fairly good” that the Falcons walk away with either Fields, Kirk Cousins, or Baker Mayfield, leaving a larger range of possibilities for what Atlanta is looking for.
The Bears have made the claim that they want to “do right” by Fields by not leaving him in a “gray area.” Still, having shown their intentions, the team doesn’t necessarily have the strongest bargaining position. Russini poses that the team may need other moves to influence the demand for Fields. She quotes an NFC general manager who explained, “When people know you are getting rid of something, they don’t pay as much for it.” If a few veteran quarterbacks that are also available get moved and decrease the number of options for quarterback-needy teams, a bidding war for Fields may ensue. In order for that to occur, a number of big quarterback names would need to get signed well before the draft.
The draft serves as an effective deadline because once the Bears draft Williams, Fields becomes superfluous, and it’s seeming more and more likely that Williams will be the pick come late-April. At one point, that seemed to be in question as there were rumors that the USC quarterback may force a trade in an effort to avoid playing for the Bears. Williams has since backed down from that notion, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN, expressing excitement and intrigue in the prospect of heading to Chicago.
“I’m not pushing any agenda,” Williams said. “At the end of the day, the Bears have the last say. Regardless of how I feel, I’m not pushing an agenda of, ‘Yeah, I want to go,’ or ‘no, I don’t want to go.’ I’m excited for whatever comes.”
Still, Williams expressed a healthy interest in the Commanders, as well. Getting drafted to Washington would send Williams back to the area in which he went to high school at Gonzaga College HS. While he acknowledged that it would be cool to be so familiar with the area, he emphasized that his job is going to be in the facility working on his game.
There was also thought to be some concern about Williams’ draft-ability after some recent comments from his father, Carl. Carl was the one who suggested that his son would get “two shots at the apple,” according to Kalyn Kahler of The Athletic, essentially suggesting that if the situation as a No. 1 overall pick isn’t favorable, Williams could simply return to school with his NIL deals. The quote from Williams’ father made the rounds, seeding concern in some scouting circles.
Since then, though, it seems the concern has subsided. The more he was put under the microscope, the more Carl appeared just to be a heavily involved father who was extremely invested in helping his child achieve the peaks of his career and abilities. When asked about the situation at the NFL scouting combine, Bears general manager Ryan Poles claimed that he has “no concerns about” Carl’s comments, at all.
So, things appear to be falling into place. The Williams-era seems well on its way to being ushered in, and the Fields-domino will need to fall soon as a result. With free agency set to open in a week and a half, the demand for Fields may soon grow. It’s up to Chicago to find the perfect time to pull the trigger if they ultimately decide to deal Fields.
CB Nik Needham Re-Signs With Dolphins
The Dolphins are bringing back a key depth piece in their defensive backfield for another year, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Nik Needham, a five-year veteran in Miami, has been a crucial backup who can contribute at both cornerback and safety. 
Needham joined the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent out of UTEP in 2019. After failing to make the initial 53-man roster as a rookie and signing to the practice squad, Needham was elevated, due to an injury to starter Xavien Howards, and proceeded to start 11 of his 12 appearances for the rest of the year. As a surprise undrafted rookie starter, Needham recorded two interceptions and 11 passes defensed.
Needham was a spot starter over the next two seasons, figuring generously into the defensive rotation at cornerback. He continued a tradition of two interceptions and one sack per year in each of those seasons, upping his career total for passes defensed to 23.
In 2022, Needham was forced back into a starting role after starting cornerback Byron Jones sat out the year with an Achilles injury. Unfortunately, Needham suffered an Achilles tear of his own and was only able to appear in six games before spending the rest of the season on injured reserve.
After playing out his initial entry level deal, Needham was given an exclusive-rights free agent tender for 2021 and a restricted free agent tender in 2022. He signed a one-year, $2MM deal a year ago but found his role severely reduced after coming back from injury. Howard and Kader Kohou, another undrafted addition to the team, started most every game last year, while Jalen Ramsey contributed as a full-time starter after coming back from injury in Week 8 and Eli Apple started games here and there, as well. Needham filled in as a fifth corner behind those four but was limited even more due to his prior injury.
Apple heads to free agency at the conclusion of his one-year deal, so perhaps Needham will slide back into the role Apple played in 2023. Regardless, a 2021 season that proved he could be a productive contributor all over the defense has made Needham a valuable asset to retain. He’ll get another chance to carve out his role in the defense in 2024.
Texans Re-Sign S Eric Murray
Veteran safety Eric Murray will return to Houston for a fifth year with the Texans in 2024, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. The 29-year-old defensive back had previously signed a three-year contract and a two-year extension with the Texans and will now return on a one-year deal. 
Murray started in the NFL as a fourth-round rookie out of Minnesota for the Chiefs. He was able to earn 11 starts in the first three seasons of his rookie contract but found himself getting traded to Cleveland (straight up for outside linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah) for the final year of his rookie deal. He started four of nine games played for the Browns before departing in free agency.
Houston was the team to sign Murray off the market, and he immediately stepped into the first full-time starting role of his career. Murray slowly lost his starting safety role until, in 2022, he didn’t start a single game as a fourth option at safety. When Jonathan Owens signed with the Packers, though, Murray earned a new opportunity to start in 2023. Unfortunately for Murray, that opportunity came to an end when a torn meniscus concluded his season.
After he finished the year on injured reserve, the Texans will give Murray another chance to carve out a role on the team. It will be difficult to carve out a starting role, as both Jalen Pitre and Jimmie Ward are set to return in 2024, but Murray can serve as a third safety or emergency starter in the case of injury.
Steelers May Trade WR Diontae Johnson?
It seems to be destined that Pittsburgh drafts and develops some incredible talent at wide receiver just to see them leave these days. Throughout their history, receivers like Mike Wallace, Plaxico Burress, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Santonio Holmes, Chase Claypool, and Emmanuel Sanders all play their way out of Pittsburgh some way or another after impressing over the course of their rookie deals. Even complementary receivers like Nate Washington, James Washington, Martavis Bryant, and Markus Wheaton show flashes during their time in Pittsburgh that earns them contracts elsewhere. It seems that Diontae Johnson may be next in line to join that list. 
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Steelers are reportedly “open to listening to trade offers” on their five-year veteran wideout. After playing out his rookie contract as a third-round pick out of Toledo, Johnson signed a two-year, $36.71MM extension. He played through the first year of that deal last season, meaning 2024 will be a contract year for the 27-year-old. Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline confirms Johnson could be available “if the price is right.”
In the final year of his contract, Johnson is due to receive $10MM of cash with a $7MM base salary and a $3MM roster bonus. With $5.83MM of his initial signing bonus being attributed to the 2024 season, he will represent a cap hit of $15.83MM. If the team were to find a trade partner, they would be able free up $10MM of that salary cap space, eating the $5.83MM they already paid him as dead money.
A down year in 2023 and only five touchdowns in the past two years may have soured the public on Johnson after a career year in 2021, but Johnson has still been consistent enough to place himself firmly in Pittsburgh’s history. His 4,363 receiving yards in black and yellow is good for ninth-most in the franchise’s storied history, surpassing all of the names listed above. Despite his recent scoring drought, his 25 career receiving touchdowns ranks 11th all-time for the Steelers.
There’s sure to be interest in Johnson around the league. His consistency has appeared in his availability over the years. Before missing four games this past season, Johnson had only missed two games in his career. His lowest receiving total of 680 yards came in his rookie season, and he’s shown that he can get into the endzone up to seven or eight times a year. Teams desperate for a WR1 or extremely interested in a strong WR2 will likely be reaching out to Pittsburgh for a price check.
As for the Steelers, if Johnson departs, it will be next man up, per usual. George Pickens seems to have taken the reins of the receiving corps with a stellar sophomore season. They’ve got some young, inexperienced depth in Calvin Austin and Dez Fitzpatrick, as well as some veteran reserve players like Marquez Callaway, Miles Boykin, and Denzel Mims. They will probably want to add to the room to support Pickens, though. While they may take a peek at free agency or trades, like they did last year with Allen Robinson, but they’re just as likely to stick to their usual modus operandi and find a new pass catcher in the draft.
Titans Rumors: Henry, Skoronski, QB
For the last few weeks, it has seemed like a foregone conclusion that veteran running back Derrick Henry is leaving Tennessee, with many even tracking the potential sale of his Nashville home and the purchase of a new home Dallas, where he has trained for years in the offseason. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler delivered the report many Titans fans were fearing today, claiming a low likelihood for Henry to return to Tennessee in 2024. He claims “the door is not completely closed,” but all signs continue to point towards the nearest exit.
The 30-year-old rusher heads to free agency as arguably the best running back option available in a loaded group. According to projected market values on Spotrac.com, Henry is poised to make the most in 2024 out of a position group that includes the likes of Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, D’Andre Swift, Austin Ekeler, and Tony Pollard. The site projects Henry to be the only one of that group to make north of $10MM in 2024.
The two-time NFL rushing leader and 2020 Offensive Player of the Year was connected to the Ravens before the trade deadline and has continued to be linked to Baltimore since projections for his departure began. Plenty of other teams will vie for Henry after he finished second in the league last season with 1,167 rushing yards.
Here are a few other rumors coming out of Tennessee:
- At the NFL scouting combine last week, new head coach Brian Callahan had an opportunity to speak in front of the media. Callahan spoke on one of his young, new players, offensive lineman Peter Skoronski, in Indianapolis, stating that he believes that offensive guard is Skoronski’s best position. Despite spending 2022 as college football’s most dominant pass blocker as an offensive tackle at Northwestern, Skoronski fell victim to concerns about his 32-inch arms, considered too short for an NFL tackle. After getting selected No. 11 overall by Tennessee, Skoronski would go on to become the Titans starting left guard, where he would grade out as the league’s 29th best guard out of 79 graded players. Whether or not Skoronski has aspirations of kicking out to tackle at the NFL level, it sounds like Callahan intends to keep him inside.
- Lastly, Titans general manager Ran Carthon made headlines when making the statement recently that the team intends to bring in another quarterback to compete this offseason, according to Titans staff writer Jim Wyatt. With long-time veteran starter Ryan Tannehill‘s contract expiring, the team is left with only second-year starter Will Levis and former third-round pick Malik Willis at quarterback. The team apparently feels generally comfortable heading into the year with Levis as the penciled-in starter, and Carthon believes Willis has developed over his two years in the league. Still, Tennessee will want to bring in some competition. It’s unclear if they want someone like Kirk Cousins or Baker Mayfield to come in and compete for a starting job or if they would rather bring in someone like Jacoby Brissett or Tyrod Taylor, who could serve as a more reliable backup should Levis be injured or fail to play up to par. This seems like a perfect opportunity for Joe Flacco, who, since leaving Baltimore, has made a point to pursue jobs in which he has a strong chance of starting games. Regardless, there should be some new faces in red jerseys at camp this summer.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/8/24
Friday’s minor transactions from around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: DE L.J. Collier
Buffalo Bills
- Re-signed: TE Quintin Morris
Chicago Bears
- Extended: WR Collin Johnson
- Signed: S Tarvarius Moore
Denver Broncos
- Re-signed: T Quinn Bailey
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: DT Jeremiah Ledbetter
Minnesota Vikings
- Re-signed: TE Johnny Mundt
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed: NT Breiden Fehoko
Collier returns for a second chance in Arizona. After signing a one-year deal with the Cardinals almost a year ago, a biceps injury ended the 28-year-old’s season after only one start. He had impressed in camp and the preseason and will get another chance to do so in 2024.
Johnson was an exclusive rights free agent set to hit the open market next week. The Bears avoid tendering him by signing him to a new deal to remain in Chicago.
Bailey was set to be a restricted free agent but will no longer seek outside offer sheets after signing a new deal with Denver. He reportedly didn’t sign at the tender amount, agreeing to make $1.06MM next year.
Mundt came to Minnesota in 2022 with high hopes of expanding his game as a more complete tight end. With the Vikings, he’s upped his game as a receiver with 36 catches for 312 yards and two touchdowns. His head coach, Kevin O’Connell, calls him the NFL’s best TE3, and the team will pay him $2.5MM as a reward.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/8/24
Here are the league’s tender decisions as we head into the weekend:
RFAs
Non-tendered:
- Panthers: WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Chargers: K Cameron Dicker, T Foster Sarell
Los Angeles will retain Dicker and Sarell for the 2024 season. After making three starts in 2022, Sarell appeared in every contest for the Chargers in 2023. Dicker returns after a superb season as the team’s placekicker in 2023. After missing only one kick in 10 games in 2022, Dicker provided more brilliance in a full season as the team’s designated leg. Dicker made 31 of 33 field goal attempts, showing range with seven made kicks over 50 yards. Only two years in, Dicker is showing a resemblance to the other great Longhorn kicker in the league. The only three misses of his career have come from over 50 yards out, and he has yet to miss an extra point in his two years of play.
Carolina has made the call not to tender Smith-Marsette. The team’s primary punt returner in 2023, Smith-Marsette led the league in punts returned, taking one to the house in a Week 10 loss to the Bears. While the Panthers won’t tender him, both sides are reportedly open to working towards a re-sign for 2024.