WR Michael Gallup Eyeing Comeback From Retirement
Less than eight months after announcing his retirement from the NFL, veteran wide receiver Michael Gallup is looking to make a return, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. He had signed to the Raiders before being placed on the reserve/retired list, so his rights were in Las Vegas, but the team made the move to release him from that list today, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. 
The 2018 third-round pick out of Colorado State quickly established himself as a foundational piece in Dallas, finishing his sophomore campaign with 66 catches for 1,107 yards and six touchdowns. Despite the team’s addition of first-round WR CeeDee Lamb in 2020, Gallup still managed to top 800 receiving yards on a depth chart that also featured Amari Cooper. Trouble started for Gallup in 2021, when he missed the first chunk of the season thanks to a calf injury. He was limited to a then-career-low 12.7 yards per reception that season on 35 catches before suffering a torn ACL in the regular season finale.
Not to be deterred by the injuries, the Cowboys handed Gallup a five-year, $62.5MM extension before trading Cooper days later. To Gallup’s credit, he returned for 14 games in 2022, but he clearly wasn’t the same player. While Dak Prescott‘s absence partly played into Gallup’s drop in production, the wide receiver was still limited to only about 30 yards per game. He managed to get into all 17 games in 2023, but his stats continued to drop, with the 28-year-old compiling only 34 catches for 418 yards and two scores.
Dallas gave Gallup permission to seek a trade before ultimately cutting him before a $4MM salary guarantee was due last year. Gallup signed with the Raiders on a one-year, prove-it deal about a month and a half later. There was some hope that the veteran could soak up the snaps vacated by a Hunter Renfrow release and work in the WR3 spot behind Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, but his retirement put an end to that plan.
Fortunately, Gallup won’t be the only veteran wideout in free agency this offseason. Unfortunately for Gallup, those other likely veteran free agents — Chris Godwin, Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper — all have a few more accolades in their careers. Still, Gallup feels that he has something left in the tank to provide for a team in need of a depth option at wide receiver.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/7/25
More teams made tender/non-tender decisions on restricted and exclusive rights free agents today. Here are the latest updates:
RFAs
Tendered:
- Panthers: C Cade Mays
Non-tendered:
- Browns: OLB James Houston
Carolina has tendered Mays with an original-round tender worth $3.26MM. A former sixth-round draft pick, the third-year center will be able field offers from the rest of the league. If an offer comes in, the Panthers would have the chance to match it or let the team sign Mays in exchange for a sixth-round pick. Mays started eight games in 11 appearances last year.
Houston flashed early, particularly when he tallied eight sacks in seven games (only two starts) for the Lions as a rookie. Since then, injuries and inconsistency have kept him from sticking in Detroit or Cleveland.
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Buccaneers: S Kaevon Merriweather
- Chiefs: P Matt Araiza, G Mike Caliendo
- Commanders: RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.
- Giants: LB Tomon Fox
- Jets: WR Irvin Charles, OL Xavier Newman-Johnson
- Packers: WR Bo Melton, RB Emanuel Wilson
- Panthers: DT LaBryan Ray
- Raiders: DE Charles Snowden
- Seahawks: TE Brady Russell
- Titans: DT Keondre Coburn, LB Otis Reese
Non-tendered:
- Dolphins: LB Quinton Bell
- Ravens: CB Christian Matthew
Minor NFL 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.
Minor NFL 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.