Malik Willis Could Receive $30MM AAV In Free Agency; Too Much For Miami?
FEBRUARY 28: Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes one “theory” in league circles is that Willis will ultimately land between $20MM and $25MM per season on a two- or three-year contract. That would mark a major contrast to other notable QB deals given Willis’ lack of starting experience, but demand from a long list of suitors could of course produce an even more lucrative agreement.
FEBRUARY 24: Could Malik Willis be the NFL’s next successful quarterback reclamation project?
Teams are certainly interested in finding out. The 2022 third-round pick is set to hit free agency in March with considerable hype about his potential as a starter.
Projections for his market value have grown over the last few months, with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport predicting that Willis could get anywhere from $30MM to $35MM per year in free agency during a recent appearance on NFL Daily. Host Gregg Rosenthal added that he could see Willis getting as much as $42MM per year. Veteran insider Jordan Schultz adds a $30MM-per-year deal, at least, appears to be a “foregone conclusion” for Willis.
That is a steep price for a quarterback with just six career starts, three of which were rough rookie performances in Tennessee. Willis has made huge strides since arriving in Green Bay in 2024, but those projections would pay him similarly to Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold after they had proven themselves as full-time starters. Willis may not have to take a lower one-year ‘prove it’ deal as Mayfield and Darnold did, but matching or exceeding their AAVs feels like a long shot.
Teams may still be willing to pony up for a young quarterback with exciting athletic traits and the ability to develop under the right coaching. Willis’ lack of starting experience may work in his favor, too. Justin Fields‘ known limitations capped his market last offseason, but teams have only seen Willis thrive in Green Bay in the last two years.
The Dolphins have emerged as an obvious landing spot for Willis after hiring Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan as their next head coach/general manager duo. However, they have a tight cap situation and will already be paying Tua Tagovailoa $54MM in 2026, per OverTheCap.
“I don’t know that Miami has the money,” Rapoport said. But don’t just take it from him.
In response to a question about Willis at the Combine, Sullivan himself acknowledged that the Dolphins have “a bit of an uphill climb” when it comes to their finances.
“Have we had conversations about Malik? I think anybody that is potentially in the quarterback market would be lying if they said they have not,” Sullivan said (via C. Isaiah Smalls of the Miami Herald). “The reality of the situation is we have 30-plus unrestricted and restricted free agents. And we got eight picks as we sit here today and not a ton of money to do stuff in free agency.”
The Dolphins could certainly find a way to get Willis to Miami, but doing so will take a combination of cuts, restructures, and a creative contract structure. Even then, as Sullivan notes, the team has more areas to address, and concentrating $90MM at quarterback will limit their ability to invest in other positions.
But Hafley and Sullivan should also know how team leadership can be defined by their ability (or inability) to acquire quarterback talent. 26-year-olds with starting potential rarely hit unrestricted free agency, so the Dolphins may be best served by prioritizing Willis now and building the roster around him over the next two offseasons in the hopes of getting back to playoff contention by 2027.
Broncos To Hire Colorado DC Robert Livingston As Pass Game Coordinator
The Broncos are making a local hire to replace Jim Leonhard, their former pass game coordinator who now serves as the Bills’ defensive coordinator. University of Colorado DC Robert Livingston is set to take Leonhard’s position on Sean Payton‘s staff in Denver, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Livingston, 40, spent the last two years running the Buffaloes’ defense under Deion Sanders. The unit allowed 34.8 points per game in 2023, which ranked 124th out of 133 FBS teams. In Livingston’s first season, they improved to 46th, surrendering 23.1 points per game. , allowed the 10th-most points per game. Colorado regressed in 2025, ranking 112th with 30.5 points allowed per game. They did, however, rank 11th in opposing completion rate (55.4%), a positive sign for his new role overseeing the Broncos’ pass defense.
In Denver, Livingston will reunite with defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. The two overlapped in Cincinnati in 2014 and 2015 while Joseph was the Bengals’ defensive backs coach. Livingston was a scout focusing on defensive backs from 2012 to 2014 and a defensive quality control in 2015. Joseph left during the 2016 offseason, but Livingston was promoted to safeties coach that role until 2023, when he was hired by Sanders.
Before reaching the NFL, Livingston served as the safeties coach at Furman in 2010 and a defensive quality control coach at Vanderbilt in 2011. He will now take on a role overseeing a Broncos’ pass defense that ranked among the league’s best in 2025.
Browns Want To Re-Sign Devin Bush, Cory Bojorquez, Teven Jenkins
The Browns are prioritizing re-signing their own players rather than pursuing available free agents this offseason.
General manager Andrew Berry said at the Combine (via The Athletic’s Zac Jackson) that the team is “probably one offseason away from being hyper aggressive” in free agency. Instead, they will look to retain linebacker Devin Bush, punter Corey Bojorquez, and guard Teven Jenkins, per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.
Bush is a “high priority” for a multi-year deal after two strong years in Cleveland. He replaced Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in 2024 after season-ending injury and started every game last year with the Pro Bowler still on the shelf. Koramoah is not expected to play again – certainly not anytime soon – so Bush would be inline to start alongside Carson Schweisinger in 2026. He ranked second on the team behind the rookie with 125 tackles and led the NFL with 164 interception return yards and two pick-sixes. However, strong classes of free agents and draft prospects at the linebacker position could deflate Bush’s value on the open market and encourage him to re-sign with the Browns.
Bojorquez has spent the last four seasons in Cleveland, and the Browns’ anemic offense in 2024 and 2025 made him the busiest punter in the league. The 29-year-old led the NFL in total punts and punt yardage in each of the last two seasons, though his per-punt averages significantly decreased last year. Bojorquez will likely be looking for a decent raise over his previous $2MM AAV in a punter market that has risen above $4MM per year.
Jenkins, 28, only started four games in 2025, primarily at right guard. But with the Browns’ entire starting offensive line hitting free agency, Cleveland will want to maintain some continuity up front. But all five of those players are at least 30 years old, while Jenkins is 28 and could come at a discount given his injury history. The former Bears’ second-round pick has received solid grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) in his career and could be penciled in as a Week 1 starter, likely at right guard.
The Browns are expected to consider re-signing center Ethan Pocic and cornerback Martin Emerson, who are both recovering from torn Achilles. The situation with Emerson is “unsettled,” per Jackson, and both players could face tough markets due to their injuries.
New head coach Todd Monken also wants to retain left guard Joel Bitonio, according to Cabot, but the 34-year-old is considering retirement before exploring a new contract with the Browns or another team. He has spent all of his 12-year career in Cleveland and has remained a durable, reliable blocker well into his 30s.
Bears Want To Retain QB Case Keenum As Coach
Case Keenum is set to hit free agency in March, but if the Bears have it their way, the journeyman will stay in Chicago.
But it would not be as a quarterback. Instead, Ben Johnson is hoping that Keenum can join his coaching staff and continue to mentor the team’s young passers, Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent, according to Essentially Sports’ Tony Pauline.
Keenum, 38, arrived in Chicago in 2025 and quickly endeared himself to Johnson as a veteran voice in the quarterback room. At this point in his career, he does not profile as much more as a player. He last started a game in 2023 for the Texans with no more than two starts in a season since 2019. And despite the positive reputation Keenum has built up in the league, his stretches of starting-caliber play were far and few between.
But the backup quarterback-to-assistant coach pipeline has been active in recent years, especially this offseason with Sean Mannion and Davis Webb both landing offensive coordinator gigs. It is unclear what role Keenum would take on; the Bears already have quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett and Robbie Picazo as an offensive assistant focused on quarterbacks and receivers. Perhaps Keenum could be an assistant quarterbacks coach.
He would have to retire from playing to do so. If he thinks he still has gas left in the tank, he may want to see his options in free agency before taking off the pads. But the Bears are a rising team, and this could be a good opportunity to kickstart his coaching career.
2026 NFL Franchise/Transition Tags
The NFL’s 2026 salary cap will be $301.2MM, a figure will have a significant impact on a number of other contract situations around the NFL.
Chief among them are the franchise and transition tags. Teams can use one of the two tags on one player per year, which ties them to a one-year contract at the top of their positional market. The value of the franchise tag is determined by the top five salaries at each position, while the transition tag is based on the top 10, but the calculation of the final figures factors in the salary cap.
Teams have internal projections for the next round of tag numbers and most have already made their decisions on players who could be tagged. However, any figures that differ significantly from those predictions could make them reconsider.
Here are 2025 non-exclusive franchise tag figures, courtesy of NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero:
- Quarterback: $43.895MM
- Running back: $14.293MM
- Wide receiver: $28.298MM
- Tight end: $15.045MM
- Offensive line: $25.773MM
- Defensive end: $24.434MM
- Defensive tackle: $27.127MM
- Linebacker: $26.865MM
- Cornerback: $21.161MM
- Safety: $20.149MM
- Kicker/punter: $6.649MM
The exclusive tag is often seen as prohibitively expensive, since the team must account for the entire amount on their salary cap that year. Instead, ‘franchise tag’ typically refers to the non-exclusive tag, which allows tagged players to negotiate with other teams. If they agree to an offer sheet, the original team gets a chance to match. If they decline, the player signs with a new team, who must send the original team two first-round picks.
That required compensation often makes negotiating with non-exclusive franchise-tagged players a non-starter. Instead, players on the non-exclusive tag often sign extensions with their original teams with the tag number serving as a key point of reference on a long-term AAV.
Here are the numbers for this year’s transition tag:
- Quarterback: $37.833MM
- Running back: $11.323MM
- Wide receiver: $23.852MM
- Tight end: $12.687MM
- Offensive line: $23.392MM
- Defensive end: $21.512MM
- Defensive tackle: $22.521MM
- Linebacker: $21.925MM
- Cornerback: $18.119MM
- Safety: $16.012MM
- Kicker/punter: $6.005MM
The Cowboys have already placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on wide receiver George Pickens, as have the Falcons on tight end Kyle Pitts. Other candidates for a tag – either franchise or transition – include Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker, Jets running back Breece Hall, and Colts quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce.
One player who is unlikely to be tagged is Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, as all offensive linemen are grouped together when calculating tag figures. That makes the OL tag representative of the offensive tackle market, which is much too expensive for a center. The NFL uses the same designations to calculate fifth-year options, which is why the Ravens did not pick up Linderbaum’s last offseason. The same issue pops up for inside linebackers, who are grouped together with outside linebackers who typically earn far more money for their pass-rushing abilities.
Packers Hire Cam Achord As Special Teams Coordinator
The Packers have hired Cam Achord as their new special teams coordinator, per a team announcement. He will replace Rich Bisaccia after his unexpected exit last week.
Achord, 39, spent the last two seasons as the Giants’ assistant special teams coach under Michael Ghobrial. Before that, he worked under Bill Belichick in New England, first as an assistant special teams coach (2018-2019) and then as the Patriots’ special teams coordinator (2020-2023). Achord won Super Bowl LIII in his first year in New England, but the team made the playoffs only twice more in his tenure.
Achord began his coaching career at Southern Miss in 2010, working as a graduate assistant on special teams for two years before switching to offense in 2012. He then joined Southwest Missisippi Community College, where he held several different roles between 2013-2016, including time as a coordinator on offense and special teams.
The Giants were set to retain Achord under new head coach John Harbaugh and special teams coordinator Chris Horton. Instead, he will head to Green Bay to replace Bisaccia, whose resignation surprised the Packers. They also interviewed Tom McMahon, Kyle Wilbur, and Sam Sewell, but Achord’s success in New York and New England helped him win the job.
The Patriots typically fielded strong special teams units during Achord’s tenure. From 2018 to 2021, their team special teams grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) never ranked lower than 11th with three top-six finishes. However, their performance dipped sharply in 2022 and 2023.
The Giants did not receive spectacular special teams PFF grades under Achord, but they still made improvements year-over-year. They ranked 25th in 2023 and improved to 24th in Achord’s debut season and 17th in his second. New York also finished the 2025 season among the top 10 teams in yards per kickoff return and average starting field position.
The Packers had relatively poor special teams grades under Bisaccia. They also ranked dead-last in yards per punt return, 23rd in yards per kickoff return, and 30th in average starting field position. They were far more successful on punts and kickoffs, leading the league in yards per punt and ranking second in average kickoff yardage.
Achord will be looking to improve Green Bay’s return units while maintaining the strength of their punt and kickoff teams. Continuity with kicker Brandon McManus and punter Daniel Whelan, who are both under contract through the 2027 season, will aid in that effort. Achord may have to find a new punt returner, as Romeo Doubs is set to hit free agency. Kickoff returners Emanuel Wilson, Bo Melton, and Savion Williams are all expected to return.
Dolphins Almost Hired Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard As HC?
Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard was a finalist for the Dolphins’ head coaching job that went to Jeff Hafley. His comments this week indicate he might have been the runner-up.
“Full disclosure, I was in communication with the Dolphins for about two weeks,” Sheppard said (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “After the interview I was contacted by three people from that front office.” Sheppard not provide more details into his communication with Miami , but said information he received was “as real as it gets.”
Hafley interviewed with the Dolphins on January 17 and Sheppard followed the next day. Hafley’s was announced the evening of Sheppard’s interview. That raised some concern that Sheppard’s interview was a sham, intended only to fulfill the NFL’s Rooney Rule requirement. But he is appreciative of the invitation nonetheless, as the Dolphins were the first team to express formal interest in him for a head coaching jog.
“Real or not, I got the opportunity to do it,” Sheppard said. “Real or fake, I went through the process and I learned a lot and I grew from it, so that’s what I’m taking from it.”
The 38-year-old faced an uphill battle in his first year as Detroit’s defensive coordinator. Several of his top players went down with injuries during the season, forcing them to limp to the finish line as they missed the playoffs. A bounce-back year in 2026 could raise his profile around the league and get him in the mix for vacancies next hiring cycle.
WR Alec Pierce Expected To Have Strong Market
Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce is expected to draw heavy interest in free agency with several teams already interested in signing him.
In fact, Pierce is expected to receive more interest – though not a bigger contract – than fellow Colts pending free agent Daniel Jones, per ESPN’s Stephen Holder. The veteran quarterback has an uncertain outlook for the 2026 season as he recovers from a torn Achilles, but the Colts see him as their long-term starter. Other teams may be less certain, especially with a number of quarterbacks – including Anthony Richardson – also coming available this offseason.
The wide receiver market is less crowded. With the Cowboys using the franchise tag on George Pickens, Pierce will be the most valuable one available. The Colts might be more justified using the franchise or transition tag on him rather than Jones.
The transition tag, projected by OverTheCap to be $25MM, certainly makes sense. It is easy to see Pierce reaching that AAV on the open market. He is an excellent deep threat, having led the league in yards per catch in the last two years, and rounded out his game in 2025. He is also just 25 years old and clearly has the potential to grow further.
However, the tag would take up a significant portion of the Colts’ current salary cap space. They would have to make more room via restructures and cuts, though there are several candidates. Agreeing to an extension with Pierce would reduce his cap hit, but the transition tag would give him a chance to test his market.
The franchise tag, however, would likely keep Pierce in Indianapolis. Other clubs are unlikely to be willing to move two first-round picks and hand him a contract the Colts would not match. The franchise tag is projected to be $28.8MM, which would raise the floor in extension negotiations. But if Pierce’s value is approaching that figure anyway, Indianapolis may be best served by keeping him off the market.
Using a tag on Pierce would take it out of play for Jones and increase pressure on the Colts to get a deal done with the latter before free agency.
Raiders ‘Looking At All Options’ At QB
The Raiders are widely expected to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first pick of the 2026 draft, putting Geno Smith‘s future in Las Vegas in doubt.
Smith, 35, joined the Raiders last offseason via a trade with the Seahawks, where he started for the last four years. He signed a two-year, $75MM extension last offseason that included $18.5MM in guaranteed salary in 2026.
But after a noticeable drop in play last season – including a league-high 17 interceptions – and the coaching change from Pete Carroll to Klint Kubiak, Smith is no longer the Raiders’ quarterback of the future. At the Combine this week, Kubiak said that the team was “looking at all options right now,” and said that the 12-year veteran was among the considerations.
Kubiak and Smith are technically reuniting in Las Vegas, as the former arrived as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator a few months before the latter was traded. While Kubiak may not have pushed for the move, it is hard to ignore the timing – and the subsequent seasons of each team involved. The two have talked “a little bit” since Kubiak came aboard in Las Vegas.
Unless the Raiders move off of Mendoza in the next few months, Smith is likely to be out of a starting job later this year. He may not want to spend his age-36 season as a backup on a rebuilding team and could seek a trade. He may not have much value after a rough season, but teams may also ascribe some of his struggles to the dearth of talent around him. Teams in need of a bridge starter – which could include his former team, the Jets – might be interested, and the Raiders would be wise to consider it. They need to spend aggressively this offseason to meet the NFL’s minimum spending requirement – 90% of the salary cap in three-year cycles – so they can afford to eat Smith’s 2026 salary. That would make him more enticing to other teams and raise his trade value.
Otherwise, the Raiders should keep Smith as an experienced mentor for Mendoza in his first season. Typically, a No. 1 pick plays right away, but Las Vegas could start Smith initially in 2026 and give Mendoza more time to get adjusted to the NFL, especially as the team figures out its offensive line situation. He could also become a valuable trade chip during the season if any team were to lose their starting quarterback.
Packers Surprised By Rich Bisaccia Exit, Interviewed Sam Sewell For STC
FEBRUARY 26: Sewell will conduct an in-person interview today, Demovsky reports. Green Bay’s other follow-ups are expected to take place shortly, so a hire should be made soon.
FEBRUARY 25: Rich Bisaccia‘s abrupt resignation as the Packers’ special teams coordinator was a shocking move, not just around the NFL, but in Green Bay.
“I wouldn’t say we were expecting it at all. It caught us by surprise,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the Combine this week (via Channel 3000’s Jason Wilde). He acknowledge that Bisaccia’s departure was “a big loss” and noted that the veteran coach may pursue “some otther opportunities.”
Bisaccia’s mid-February exit took place long after several other potential replacements were off the market. Among them was Byron Storer, who worked as an assistant special teams coach under Bisaccia in Green Bay for the last four years and Las Vegas for three seasons before that. He took the Browns’ special teams coordinator job under Todd Monken, rendering him unavailable to succeed Bisaccia in Green Bay.
Gutukunst casted the delayed hiring process in a positive light, noting that he would not need to compete with any other teams for his desired coach. The Packers have already interviewed three candidates – Cameron Achord, Tom McMahon, and Kyle Wilber – with Cardinals special teams coach Sam Sewell as the fourth, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
Sewell has spent the last three years in Arizona with previous experience as Eastern Michigan’s running backs coach (2019-2022) and special teams coordinator (2022). The Cardinals’ special teams general ranked in the middle of the pack in 2025, though kicker Chad Ryland‘s field goal conversion rate dropped from 87.5% in 2024 to 75.8% in 2025. The team rotated through three different punters and still finished eighth as a team in yards per punt. They also averaged 11.4 yards per punt return, the 11th-highest mark in the league.
The Packers will look to swiftly fill their last major coaching vacancy as the team turns its attention to free agency and the draft in the coming months.