NFL Minor Transactions: 3/7/25
Friday’s minor NFL moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-sign: S Joey Blount, LS Aaron Brewer
Cincinnati Bengals
- Extended: TE Tanner Hudson
Detroit Lions
- Extended: LB Zeke Turner
San Francisco 49ers
- Claimed off waivers (from Rams): CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed ERFA tender: S Kaevon Merriweather
Tennessee Titans
- Signed ERFA tender: DT Keondre Coburn, LB Otis Reese
Chargers Releasing RB Gus Edwards
The reunion between running back Gus Edwards and Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman was a short-lived one as the team informed Edwards today that he would be released, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This leaves Los Angeles without its top two rushers from 2024 as J.K. Dobbins‘s one-year deal expires next week. 
A seven-year veteran who spent eight years in Baltimore after signing as an undrafted free agent, Edwards had the least-productive season of his career with the Chargers in 2024, aside from 2021, when he missed the entire year because of injury. He struggled with injury this season, as well, missing six games with an ankle issue.
Edwards spent most of his career benefitting from a read-option offense in Baltimore that rewarded his downhill running style with plenty of dive plays and goal line touches. This culminated in a huge 2023 campaign that saw him reach career highs in rushing yards (810) and rushing touchdowns (13). Edwards entered last year as the Chargers lead back over Dobbins before quickly losing that role by Week 3 of the season. Combined with a stint on injured reserve because of his ankle injury, Edwards continued in a smaller role until Dobbins found his own way to IR.
Edwards finds himself in a pretty talented group of free agent backs, led by Aaron Jones, Dobbins, and Najee Harris. After that, Edwards is likely among the group that follows, which includes Nick Chubb, Javonte Williams, and Rico Dowdle. After seeing the difference in success from Baltimore to LA, Edwards would be wise to focus on the correct fit in free agency.
As for the Chargers, with Dobbins and Edwards becoming free agents, only Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins remain under contract in the running backs room. As a sixth-round rookie, Vidal only amassed 155 yards on 43 carries last year. Haskins only totaled 89 yards in 2024 but did record three total touchdowns.
This should put running back fairly high on the list of offseason needs for Roman’s offense. The free agents listed above are one option, as is the potential re-signing of Dobbins, but the 2025 NFL Draft is also loaded with talented options at running back. With prospects like Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton, Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo, Miami’s Damien Martinez, and several more, the Chargers could add one or multiple backs in the first three or four rounds of the draft.
Edwards, though, seeing his two-year deal cut short, will be moving on in hopes of finding a room in which he fits better. A short-yardage role could be in cards as Edwards will be 30 years old by the time the 2025 season begins.
Seahawks Pursuing QB Sam Darnold After Trading Geno Smith
With today’s decision to trade veteran quarterback Geno Smith to Las Vegas, the Seahawks have shifted their focus at the quarterback position. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Vikings pending free agent passer Sam Darnold is the new target to lead the offense in Seattle in 2025. 
Darnold’s market has been a rollercoaster so far this offseason. After a 2024 season in which Darnold stepped into the starting role in Minnesota and led the Vikings to competition for the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC with a 14-3 record, recording career highs in passing yards (4,319) and touchdowns (35) while only throwing 12 picks, Darnold’s career performance in a contract year presumably set him up for a lucrative venture into free agency. With Darnold and the Vikings becoming the surprise of the season last year, the expectation was that his value as a free agent would skyrocket as a result.
The Raiders had made it known, after failing to acquire Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford via trade, that they were only willing to shell out serious cash for Stafford, dashing any hopes that Darnold may find his way there as a high-paid free agent. Any potential that the Raiders may backtrack on that decision was squashed with the acquisition of Smith out of Seattle. With the Titans and Giants trending towards quarterback prospects Cam Ward of Miami and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado and the Vikings seemingly fully ready for J.J. McCarthy to take the reins, Darnold’s options were looking slim. A new vacancy at the position in Seattle opens the door for a new potential destination for Darnold in 2025.
Darnold has a connection to Seattle in the form of new Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Though the 2023 season was one of Darnold’s least active, the campaign saw the backup quarterback work in the same offense as Kubiak in San Francisco, where the latter served the year as passing game coordinator. A familiar face on the coaching staff may be enough help Darnold find his way to Seattle.
Something that may make Seattle slightly less attractive as a destination is the recent departure of veteran receiver Tyler Lockett combined with D.K. Metcalf‘s recent trade request. The receiving corps is still home to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who broke out in his sophomore campaign last year, but behind Smith-Njigba, the top returning receivers are Jake Bobo and, likely, Cody White, a pending exclusive rights free agent.
What’s likely to become the deciding factor for a move to land Darnold will be Seattle’s willingness to take him on with a multi-year deal. Per Russini, Darnold is seeking some modest commitment with a three-year contract. If the Seahawks are willing to meet that demand, it could be an easy decision for both sides.
Chargers Release OLB Joey Bosa
The big moves continue late into the night as ESPN’s Adam Schefter announces that the Chargers have released veteran outside linebacker Joey Bosa. Diana Russini of The Athletic reports that the other teams around the league had been informed of the coming transaction in the last few days. Bosa was the last player remaining from the franchise’s days in San Diego. 
While the front office would surely rather have kept Bosa or gotten something in return for the five-time Pro Bowler, the untenable financial commitment going into the final year of his contract made Bosa a prime cut candidate. Bosa was attached to a massive $36.47MM cap hit next season, the highest at his position. The team will save $25.36MM by cutting the veteran, an option that was far too enticing to let pass, even with the Chargers armed with the sixth-most effective cap space in the NFL for next season.
By cutting him, the team avoids paying the $12.36MM roster bonus that was due to Bosa next Wednesday. This deadline was created by Bosa’s team as part of a restructure performed last year. The favorable terms for Bosa forced the team to make a decision before the start of free agency, giving him plenty of time to make the most of his value on the open market.
The former No. 3 overall pick of the 2016 draft class, Bosa has always been a forced to be reckoned with whenever he’s on the field. Following his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign, Bosa made the Pro Bowl in every year in which he appeared in double-digit games. Reaching double-digit games has been the issue, though, as he has only played 107 of a possible 148 games in his career due to injuries. This includes the past three years. Despite appearing in 14 games this season, Bosa missed 20 games in 2022 and 2023 combined.
With Khalil Mack also headed to free agency following the expiration of his contract, the Chargers may need to be looking at a pass rusher in the draft and free agency. Former second-round pick Tuli Tuipulotu delivered a team-leading 8.5 sacks in his sophomore campaign this year, and veteran Bud Dupree tied with Mack for second on the team with six sacks while coming off the bench, but the position is relatively thin behind them.
As for Bosa, he’ll find it challenging to find a contract with a salary around the $27MM and $20.18MM he earned in his last two deals. A signing bonus and the ability to structure a back-heavy deal could make it possible for Bosa to potentially find the $25.36MM in cash he was set to earn this year, but a new team will need to look past his recent injury history in favor of his impressive pass rushing abilities when healthy in order for him to do so.
There are sure to be plenty of suitors interested in landing Bosa for Year 10 of his career. By releasing him now, the Chargers have allowed Bosa’s team ample time to set up his free agent journey while allowing themselves time to make a plan for the offseason to address the new holes in their defense.
Seahawks LB Ernest Jones Undergoes Surgery Before Free Agency
Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones has been an interesting name to watch over his time in the NFL. Playing for three teams over the course of his four-year rookie contract, the 25-year-old has developed into a tackling machine. With free agency on the horizon, the Seahawks have been working to re-sign Jones and keep him in Seattle long-term. A recent surgery may put a speed bump in their plans, though. 
Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times was the first to report that Jones underwent surgery shortly after the regular season. Per Condotta, the procedure on Jones’ knee was performed to clean up an injury issue that Jones had been dealing with throughout the 2024 season. The surgery is not being portrayed as serious as Jones is expected “to return to football activity as soon as June, if not earlier.” Still, Condotta suggests that, should Jones reach free agency, interested teams may feel the need to put him through a physical before finalizing a deal.
Ira Turner, Jones’ agent, took to X to confirm the news of Jones’ surgery and to attempt to spin it in a more positive light. He insisted that the surgery is, in fact, not “a bad thing” but instead “the best thing to happen to Ernest since the trade to Seattle.” Turner emphasizes that “the doctors fixed a knee issue (Jones has) had for more than a year” and that “he’ll be healthy going forward.”
With big new deals expected for free agents like Nick Bolton and Zack Baun (Baun today signed a three-year, $51MM contract), Jones was expected to find a spot in the market as a top linebacker just behind the most expensive options. There’s been plenty of talk that a discount might be available to his current team as he immediately meshed with his teammates and coaches in Seattle upon being traded there midseason. The two sides were discussing a new contract, but discussions paused in early-January, and perhaps this was the reason why.
The surgery may cost Jones a bit of value in free agency, but he is still one of the most promising, young linebackers to potentially become available this offseason. He should still draw plenty of interest should he reach free agency next week. The team that knows him and his injury history best, though, may be the team that inks him to a new contract when all is said and done.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/5/25
More teams made tender/non-tender decisions on restricted and exclusive rights free agents today. Here are the latest updates:
RFAs
Non-tendered:
- Broncos: LS Mitchell Fraboni
Fraboni has served as the Broncos’ primary long snapper for each of the past two seasons, playing in all 17 games of each year as well as this year’s playoff contest. Denver will have until next Wednesday to keep him from hitting the market if they intend to retain him.
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Bears: DE Daniel Hardy, G Bill Murray
- Bengals: G Jaxson Kirkland
- Broncos: DT Jordan Jackson, S Devon Key, TE Lucas Krull, CB Ja’Quan McMillian, LB Dondrea Tillman
- Chargers: TE Tucker Fisk
- Cowboys: DE Tyrus Wheat
- Dolphins: LB Cameron Goode, T Kion Smith
- Packers: S Zayne Anderson
- Patriots: CB Alex Austin
The Broncos tendered all five of their exclusive rights free agents today. The Packers made an easy decision to retain Anderson, who started two games this year and recorded his first career interception.
NFL Minor Transactions: 3/5/25
Today’s minor moves across the NFL:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed ERFA tender: G Jaxson Kirkland
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed ERFA tender: DE Tyrus Wheat
Denver Broncos
- Signed ERFA tender: CB Ja’Quan McMillian
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: C Ryan Coll
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson
New England Patriots
- Signed ERFA tender: CB Alex Austin
New York Giants
- Re-signed: LS Casey Kreiter
Chargers A Team To Watch For WR D.K. Metcalf
Following up on today’s earlier news that veteran wide receiver D.K. Metcalf had requested a trade from the Seahawks, a few teams have been established as likely possible destinations for the 27-year-old. Most notably, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times has noted some connections to the Chargers. 
Metcalf has been in Seattle since 2019. A year after Metcalf was drafted in the second round out of Ole Miss, Sanjay Lal came on staff with the Seahawks as a senior offensive assistant after stints as a wide receivers coach with the Raiders, Jets, Bills, Colts, and Cowboys from 2009-2019. After only a year in that role with Seattle, Lal spent a season as wide receivers coach in Jacksonville before returning to the Seahawks as passing game coordinator & wide receivers coach, a role he held for two seasons. Last year, Lal was hired by Jim Harbaugh to the Chargers’ staff as wide receivers coach over a group devoid of veterans.
Another writer at The Seattle Times, Adam Jude, had done a deep dive back in 2022 concerning the close relationship between Metcalf and Lal. The piece detailed how Metcalf trusted Lal to assist him in his quest to become the league’s best receiver. Condotta adds that Metcalf has spent recent offseasons in Los Angeles. He’s clearly familiar and comfortable with the area and knows a friendly face in Los Angeles’ position room.
On the Chargers’ side of things, Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports mentioned that Los Angeles was “the one team that quietly but aggressively pursued (Metcalf) in trade talks (last year)…only to be rebuffed by Seattle.” Although rookie second-round receiver Ladd McConkey put forth a strong 1,149-yard, seven-touchdown season and 2023 first-rounder Quentin Johnston delivered a much-improved sophomore campaign, the room was absent a veteran playmaker. Though offensive coordinator Greg Roman‘s offense tends to be run-heavy, the Chargers’ wide receiving corps would be much more well-rounded with a depth chart of Metcalf, McConkey, and Johnston.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe threw the Bills into the mix, as well, though he didn’t seem to be reporting off of any sort of intel. Buffalo could certainly use the wide receiver help as they are only set to return Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman with Amari Cooper and Mack Hollins‘ contracts expiring. Unfortunately, the team currently ranks 30th in the NFL in cap space, per OvertheCap.com, so taking on any of Metcalf’s $31.88MM cap hit in 2025 would be tough to do without an immediate extension or restructuring to relieve cap space.
That could be possible, though, as, according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson, Metcalf is seeking a new deal as he heads into the final season of his current three-year, $72MM extension. Additionally, Metcalf’s stated desire to play for a contender makes Buffalo a tantalizing destination.
Despite mutual interest between Metcalf and either party, the decision will ultimately land on the Seahawks. It’s never great to hold a player hostage, but they’re set to eat $21MM of dead money if they cut or trade him with a pre-June 1 designation. A post-June 1 designation only slightly improves the situation as that dead money figure reduces to $13.88MM. Regardless, if the team can’t reach an extension agreement to keep him in Seattle long-term, it could be more beneficial to get some value back in a trade rather than watch him walk and get nothing in return a year from now. For the moment, NFL reporter Josina Anderson is reporting that there is a team willing to give up a third-round pick for Metcalf.
Limited Market For QB Sam Darnold?
After a career year on a one-year, prove-it contract, there was a bit of an expectation that Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold had done an impressive bit of work to improve his contract outlook for 2025. The way the 2025 offseason has been developing, though, it’s looking like it might be a bit of a challenge for Darnold to make the most of his upward momentum, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.
It almost seemed like the NFL had given up on Darnold as a starter in the league. After showing promise winning seven of 13 starts in a sophomore campaign for the Jets, any hopes were dashed when he went 2-10as a starter the next year. The Panthers gave New York some decent value in a trade just to see Darnold go 4-7 in his first year with the team and be relegated to the bench the following season.
As a free agent in 2023, Darnold signed with the 49ers having to win the backup quarterback job behind Brock Purdy over Trey Lance. After winning the backup job, he made one start in 10 appearances, getting the lowest playtime of his career.
Despite having just spent a year as a backup, Darnold signed a one-year, $10MM deal with the Vikings, who were moving on from long-time passer Kirk Cousins and drafting the College Football National Championship-winning quarterback J.J. McCarthy from Michigan. Signing Darnold gave them a backup option in case McCarthy was not quite ready to take the reins as a rookie. His extensive experience as a starter made him a valuable option to compete for the starting job with the 21-year-old, an option who could also serve as a strong backup should the rookie win the job.
That competition was cut short, though, when McCarthy suffered a meniscus injury that required a full repair surgery, forcing him to miss his entire rookie season. Darnold stepped into the starting role and led the Vikings to competition for the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC with a 14-3 record, recording career highs in passing yards (4,319) and touchdowns (35) while only throwing 12 picks. Darnold and the Vikings became the surprise of the season, and the expectation was that his value as a free agent would skyrocket as a result.
Understandably, it was potential trade target Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles that drew the most attention from teams desiring to acquire a veteran quarterback in the offseason. Now that he’s remaining with the Rams, Darnold has become the new top option. The Raiders are a team that were trying hard for Stafford, but multiple sources at The Athletic claim that they were only willing to shell out serious cash for Stafford.
After the Raiders, it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to spend serious money on the position. The Vikings have explored tagging options, but they’re extremely prepared to hand the team over to McCarthy and won’t likely be willing to dedicate much salary to Darnold to return. The Browns are already stuck paying $92MM over the next two years to continue watching Deshaun Watson not play. The Saints are sticking with Derek Carr. The Jets and Giants are theoretically options, but per Volin, it doesn’t seem like Darnold is interested in reuniting with New York and MetLife.
Tennessee seems like one of the best options to explore his value. The Titans seem to have interest in riding the Will Levis train for a bit longer, and Darnold might be a pricey bridge option. Tennessee could also use their No. 1 overall draft pick on a quarterback and, once again, use Darnold as a competitor for their rookie. Or, if pairing Darnold with Levis satisfies their needs, they could trade out of the top spot, acquiring additional draft capital while likely still being able to draft a talented first-rounder.
The best option may just be to return to Minnesota, though. The Vikings have already made it known they’re not willing to commit to a big-money, long-term deal, but he knows he fits well in the building and remains as a starting option if McCarthy struggles early. It’s disappointing that Darnold’s big year may not get rewarded in the way many expected, but he still has some interesting options to make the most of his situation.
49ers Announce Finalized 2025 Coaching Staff
The annual poaching of the 49ers coaching staff happened again this offseason, and San Francisco has done some hiring and shuffling to fill out the vacancies. Here’s how Kyle Shanahan‘s staff will look in 2025, based on their finalized announcement of staff updates. 
Most of the changes on staff came on offense where we’ve already reported that Klay Kubiak and Mick Lombardi were promoted into roles as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, respectively. Additional promotions were granted to wide receivers coach Leonard Hankerson, who adds passing game specialist to his title, offensive line coach Chris Foerster, who exchanged the additional title of run game coordinator for assistant head coach of offense, and Andrew Hayes-Stoker, who will serve as offensive assistant/wide receivers coach after two years as defensive quality control and two years as assistant defensive backs coach. We also see title changes for assistant offensive line coach Joe Graves, who will now serve as offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach, and Jacob Webster, who will switch from defensive quality control to offensive quality control.
The defense saw fewer changes as the team made a pretty simple transition at coordinator from Nick Sorensen to a familiar face in Robert Saleh. With Saleh returning to the post, most of the position coaches remained the same, though we did already report the hiring of Ray Brown as defensive backs/cornerbacks coach. We were also already aware of the hiring of Gus Bradley to the staff in some role, but the team’s recent announcement informs us that Bradley will mirror Foerster’s role as assistant head coach of defense.
Additional updates to the defensive staff saw the hirings of Greg Scruggs as assistant defensive line coach and Jake Lynch as defensive quality control coach. Scruggs comes to San Francisco two years removed from his last job as defensive line coach at Wisconsin. Prior to that, he had one year of experience as assistant defensive line coach for the Jets in 2022 and two years of experience as defensive line coach at the University of Cincinnati. Lynch, the son of president of football operations/general manager John Lynch, joins the staff after a year at the University of Washington as a defensive graduate assistant, a role he held following the end of his playing career as a linebacker at Stanford.
On special teams, we knew that Brant Boyer had stepped in as the new special teams coordinator, replacing Brian Schneider. The recent staff announcement disclosed the rest of the special teams staff, as well, including assistant special teams coach Colt Anderson and special teams quality control coach Ronald Blair. Anderson joins the staff after spending only one year as the Titans special teams coordinator last year. Prior to that, he spent four seasons as assistant special teams coach for the Bengals. Blair was a Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellow working with the defensive line last year but will work on special teams in his second season with the team.
Lastly, the team announced that Patrick Hagedorn, who had started with the team as assistant to the coaching staff in 2017 and became assistant to the head coach in 2021, has been promoted to chief of staff.
With that staff, the 49ers will head into the 2025 NFL season. After an injury-riddled, disappointing 2024 campaign, Shanahan and company are sure to head into the next season with a renewed drive to get back to the Super Bowl for the third time in seven years.