Giants Were Runners-Up For Trent McDuffie; CB Wants ‘Market-Topping Deal’ From Rams
The Rams were not the only team interested in trading for Trent McDuffie. The Giants were close to agreeing to a deal with the Chiefs, but were not willing to give up “first-round plus” value, per The Kansas City Star’s Sam McDowell.
New York’s exact offer is unknown, but it must have been less than the package sent by Los Angeles. It included the No. 29 selection in April’s draft as well as picks in the third, fifth, and sixth rounds, which comes out to the value of a first-round pick in the early 20s. The Giants would need a different combination of picks to match and were unwilling to do so.
Instead, McDuffie will head to the Rams, who have received permission from the Chiefs to negotiate an extension with the 25-year-old. This is a necessary step to start work on a new contract, as the trade cannot be officially processed until the start of the new league year next week.
McDuffie is seeking a “market-topping deal,” per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer and could very well become the highest-paid cornerback in the league, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That would put McDuffie in line for a contract worth over $30.1MM per year after Derek Stingley Jr. and Sauce Gardner – also 2022 first-rounders – reset the market last year. The former Washington Husky has not been as dominant in coverage as Stingley and Gardner, but he makes a much bigger impact in run support and as a blitzer. He also brings inside-outside versatility, which can allow the Rams to be more flexible in building their secondary.
Los Angeles, having moved significant draft capital for McDuffie, is clearly willing to meet his asking price. McDuffie is owed $13.6MM in 2026 with the same cap hit, which the Rams can comfortable absorb. An extension would lower that number and give general manager Les Snead more money to address other needs in free agency.
Chargers To Release TE Will Dissly, OT Savion Washington
The Chargers are releasing tight end Will Dissly and waiving offensive tackle Savion Washington, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper. The moves will save about $14.5MM in cap space with $1.5MM in dead money from the last proration of Dissly’s signing bonus.
Dissly, 29, signed in Los Angeles in 2024 on a three-year, $14MM deal. He appeared in 15 games (eight starts) in his first season with career-high receiving numbers of 50 catches and 481 yards. But those numbers dropped to career-lows in 2025 as he only played nine games due to injury.
Chargers rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II exploded onto the scene in Dissly’s absence, putting up 49 receptions for 664 yards. He will enter the 2026 season as the starter, but the Chargers may be looking for a more experienced blocking TE2 who comes at a cheaper price than Dissly. New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel also relied heavily on Julian Hill in Miami; the two could reunite in Los Angeles.
Predicting Dissly’s market in free agency is a challenge. He has a strong history as a blocker, and he is only one year removed from the best pass-catching year of his career. But there are several younger free agents like Cade Otton and Isaiah Likely with more receiving upside, as well as some younger blockers like Charlie Kolar and Jake Tonges who could do more through the air with a greater target share.
Washington, 23, signed a three-year deal with the Chargers last year as an undrafted free agent out of Syracuse. He missed all of the 2025 season due to an undisclosed injury.
Tyler Linderbaum Aiming For $25MM Per Year?
The Ravens did not place a franchise or transition tag on Tyler Linderbaum on Tuesday, setting him up to hit the open market next week. He is expected to receive a massive contract, though perhaps not quite as much as he is seeking.
Linderbaum is aiming for $25MM per year in free agency, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who expressed some doubt that the Pro Bowl center could hit that number. However, his next contract still reset the center market – currently capped by Creed Humphrey‘s $18MM AAV – by a significant margin.
Baltimore has been working to re-sign Linderbaum, but he (and his agent) know how many teams need a center and will gladly pay a premium price to land the best one to hit free agency in years.
The Ravens need to improve their offensive line this offseason, not downgrade it, but they also need to address their pass rush – another costly venture – with a limited budget. Getting into a bidding war for Linderbaum would be out of character for general manager Eric DeCosta, who prefers to fill needs with value signings during free agency.
If Linderbaum does not re-up with the Ravens, he will likely be the most coveted player in free agency. Drew Dalman‘s sudden retirement brought another club into a center market that was already crowded with buyers. Linderbaum’s agent will be able to play teams’ offers against each other and drive up his price tags, but teams will have a limit. Though he is one of the league’s best run-blockers, he is not elite in pass protection. Teams are unlikely to pay him like a top offensive tackle at $25MM or more, though breaking into the high end of the guard market seems within reach.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/3/26
No teams placed tenders on any of their restricted free agents on Tuesday, but three made decisions on exclusive rights free agents:
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Texans: CB Ja’Marcus Ingram
- 49ers: OT Austen Pleasants
Non-tendered:
- Buccaneers: OLB Markees Watts
Vikings Expected To Pursue Kyler Murray
The Cardinals are expected to part ways with Kyler Murray, but he is unlikely to be out of a job for long. The NFL’s quarterback carousel will ensure that the former No. 1 pick has multiple suitors, with the Vikings expected to be among them.
Minnesota is exploring alternatives to J.J. McCarthy this offseason, but they are doing so with a very tight salary cap picture. That makes Murray especially appealing, as he will be available for the veteran minimum with Arizona still paying out his remaining guaranteed salary.
Indeed, the 28-year-old is “at — or near — the top of the Vikings’ list,” according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. Though the team is not completely out on McCarthy, they are also open to adding a clear, instant upgrade as opposed to competition for the starting job.
Murray would fall into the first category with 87 starts and two Pro Bowls under his belt. He has spent much of the last four years injured, but put up a solid performance in 2024, his only fully-healthy season since 2020. After seeing Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones parlay stints with the Vikings into starting jobs elsewhere, Murray will likely be open to, if not interested in throwing passes to Justin Jefferson in Kevin O’Connell‘s offense.
Success with Murray could set him up for a multi-year payday, similar to refurbished passers like Darnold and Baker Mayfield. The Vikings opted not to retain Darnold after he led them to a 14-3 record in 2024, but their waning faith in McCarthy and change at general manager could lead them down a different path with Murray. Minnesota could decline McCarthy’s fifth-year option next offseason – making him a potential reclamation project for another team – and, like the Buccaneers with Mayfield, charge into the future with their new veteran quarterback.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/3/26
Today featured several major moves around the NFL, but only one minor one:
Cleveland Browns
- Released: C Justin Osborne
As if letting their entire starting offensive line was not enough, the Browns have now released reserve center Justin Osborne, who missed the entire 2025 season with a back injury.
Giants To Release LB Bobby Okereke
NFL teams are continuing to turn over their rosters ahead of free agent. The latest move comes from the Giants, who are planning to release linebacker Bobby Okereke, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
The move will save $9MM against the salary cap with $5.46MM in dead money, per OverTheCap. The Giants are currently $1.8MM under the 2026 cap and will need to make additional cuts and restructures to open up their budget for free agency. (New York’s contract structure leaves something to be desired, as they ended up paying Okereke $31MM for three years’ work. Typically, teams backload their contracts more aggressively for bigger potential cap savings in the final season of the deal.)
Okereke, 29, signed a four-year, $40MM contract with the Giants in 2023, which turned out to be a solid value. He immediately took over as the quarterback of the defense and wore the green dot for every snap of his debut season. The seven-year veteran was the team’s leading tackler and posted career-highs in sacks, tackles for loss, forced fumbles, and passes defended. He missed five games in 2024 with a back injury, but still played well when available. In 2025, Okereke returned for a full season and once again led the defense in tackles, though he did not make impact plays as frequently as his first two years in New York.
Once his release is officially processed, Okereke will be free to sign with other teams. His experience should draw him interest on the open market. However, a linebacker market whose growth has slowed significantly in recent years and a strong crop of free agents at the position could limit his earning potential. He should still be able to receive a multi-year deal heading into his age-30 season, though it may not be significantly higher than the last deal he signed – especially considering the growth in the salary cap in the interim.
The Giants, meanwhile, are expected to be “aggressive in finding a replacement” for their starting middle linebacker, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. New head coach John Harbaugh prioritized the position during his 18 years in Baltimore and will likely be looking for a new leader and tone-setter in the middle of his defense. New York currently has just two linebackers under contract in 2026 – Chris Board and Darius Muasau – neither of whom profile as starters for a defense that will need two.
The Giants will have a number of proven linebackers to pursue in free agency, though they will need to free up additional money to do so. Quay Walker, Devin Lloyd, and Devin Bush are younger options who could anchor the defense for multiple years. But the Giants also have the fifth overall pick in April’s draft and could use it on Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles after his incredible performance at the Combine. Selecting him and adding one of the many older veterans set to hit the market would give the Giants a veteran green dot-wearer and Styles a mentor as he adjusts to the pros.
Ravens Likely To Pick Up Zay Flowers’ 5th-Year Option
The NFL released the official figures for the fifth-year options of players selected in the first round of the 2023 draft. Teams now have until May 1 to decide on those options for the 2027 season.
The most expensive fifth-year option from the 2023 draft class does not belong to a quarterback, as none of the three selected in the first four picks – Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Anthony Richardson – reached one Pro Bowl in their first three seasons. Young and Stroud only met the playtime requirements for the second-tier option, which comes in at $25.9MM for quarterbacks. Richardson did not even get that far, but his $22.5MM will still be a non-starter for the Colts.
Instead, Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers has the NFL’s highest price tag for his 2027 option. Pro Bowl nods in each of the last two seasons pushed him into the highest tier, but the Ravens are still expected to pick up his $27.3MM fifth-year option, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano. At the moment, that would be the 13th-highest AAV of any wide receiver, though more are sure to eclipse that figure in the meantime.
Flowers is arguably already worth almost $30MM per year. After strong performances in his first two seasons, he exploded in 2025 and ranked seventh in the NFL with 1,211 receiving yards and 11th with 86 receptions. He also recorded career-highs in yards per target (10.3) and passer rating when targeted (112.6). Flowers did all this despite missing Lamar Jackson for more than four games and the rest of the offense putting up their worst performance in years.
Currently, the receiver market tops out at Ja’Marr Chase‘s $40.25MM per year with seven other making between $30MM and $35MM annually. That will briefly drop to six once the 49ers part ways with Brandon Aiyuk but should soon shoot back up as players like Drake London, Chris Olave, and George Pickens sign long-term deals. By the time 2027 rolls around, $27.3MM will look like a steal for Flowers, especially if he takes another step forward under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.
Flowers’ fifth-year option will also establish a solid floor for a long-term extension, as players rarely sign long-term deals with a lower AAV then their fifth-year option. However, it also limits the amount Flowers can earn in the next two years to a little less than $30MM, including his 2026 salary. The Ravens can offer him a much stronger two-year cash flow with an extension later this offseason, and the money up front might incentivize him to make a deal.
The Ravens are typically a deadline team, so do not an expect an official announcement on Flowers’ fifth-year option until after the draft.
Offseason Outlook: Baltimore Ravens
After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2021, the Ravens made arguably the biggest move of the 2026 offseason: firing longtime head coach John Harbaugh. He spent the past 18 years in Baltimore, compiling a 180-113 (.614) record with 12 playoff appearances and a Super Bowl victory. But Harbaugh could not bring another Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore in seven seasons with Lamar Jackson starting at quarterback, and owner Steve Bisciotti felt he had to make a change.
The Ravens then embarked on an exhaustive search process to find just the fourth head coach in franchise history. Led by general manager Eric DeCosta, the team interviewed 16 candidates with Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter emerging as the man for the job. Now, the two will work together to quickly bring Baltimore back into Super Bowl contention. DeCosta has a number of key contract situations to address, while Minter will be tasked with getting the most out of the current roster. The Ravens' top priority should be getting stronger in the trenches, the primary source of their on-field issues in 2025.
Coaching/front office:
- Fired head coach John Harbaugh
- Hired Jesse Minter as HC replacement
- Added Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator
- Reunited with Anthony Weaver as defensive coordinator
- Promoted Anthony Levine Sr. to special teams coordinator
- Added Joe Lombardi as senior offensive assistant
- Hired Marcus Brady as pass-game coordinator
- Brought in Israel Woolfork as quarterbacks coach
- Dwayne Ledford hired as offensive line coach
- Rick Minter hired as defensive analyst
- Giants hired Harbaugh as their new HC
- Browns hired OC Todd Monken as their new HC
Firing Harbaugh brought a major paradigm shift in Baltimore, a moment that may well define the franchise for years to come. A 1-5 start from a team with Super Bowl expectations would put most head coaches on the hot seat, but Harbaugh was not most head coaches. After almost two decades with the Ravens, during which time he developed close relationships with Bisciotti and DeCosta, he was thought to be untouchable.
Tua Tagovailoa Drawing Interest As Potential FA, Not Trade Target
The Dolphins will part ways with Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, and the entire NFL knows it.
As a result, other teams are not interested in the 27-year-old quarterback as a trade target, per Essentially Sports’ Tony Pauline. There are multiple clubs, however, who would pursue Tagovailoa as a free agent. All they have to do is wait for Miami to cut him.
Moving any draft capital for Tagovailoa to then take on his massive contract – including $54MM in guaranteed compensation in 2026 (via OverTheCap) – is an over-investment in an asset that has rapidly depreciated over the last two seasons. Signing him as a free agent, however, would cost no draft picks and only a veteran-minimum salary, since Tagovailoa would still be receiving his pay from Miami.
Perhaps an enterprising general manager with plenty of extra cap space could take a creative approach.
The Dolphins are just $772K over the 2026 salary cap and badly need to clear space just to fill their roster, sign their draft class, and field a team this season. Releasing Tagovailoa will incur a dead cap charge of $99.2MM, some of which can be pushed into 2027 with a post-June 1 designation. That will still add $11.1MM to their balance sheet this year. That can be offset with a post-June 1 release of Bradley Chubb, but the Dolphins’ new regime probably wants to do more than balance the budget in their first offseason.
Back to that enterprising GM: he could try to acquire Tagovailoa via trade and ask the Dolphins to give him better draft capital in exchange for taking on his massive salary. Miami would not package Tagovailoa and a draft pick in exchange for no return, but perhaps a pick swap upgrading one of the acquiring team’s selections could be equitable.
The new club would have a potential bridge starter, and the Dolphins will have minimized the financial impact of moving on from their former first-round pick. There are also a number of teams that need to spend rather aggressively this offseason to meet the league’s three-year cash spending requirement, and absorbing Tagovailoa’s salary is one way to contribute to that effort.
Still, the most likely path is an outright release followed by Tagovailoa signing for the veteran minimum with a new team. He will likely be looking for a starting opportunity, or at least the potential to earn one.