Eagles LB Jihaad Campbell To Miss Most Of Offseason
The Eagles let Nakobe Dean walk in free agency, positioning 2025 first-rounder Jihaad Campbell to take over his starting linebacker job next to Zack Baun.
Campbell, however, is expected to miss most of the offseason after undergoing shoulder surgery, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio recently revealed.
“He is dealing with a shoulder injury,” Fangio said last week (via Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia). “He’s gonna miss probably most of the offseason.”
That will leave Campbell with less time to get comfortable in Philadelphia’s 2026 defense, though much of the unit will be the same as last year. He appeared in every game as a rookie with 10 starts and a 63% snap share, so he should already be plenty familiar with Fangio’s scheme and the players in it.
The former Alabama star was a full-time starter at the beginning of the year with Dean still recovering from the previous season’s knee injury. Campbell slid to the bench when Dean returned, but another injury later in the season put the first-round pick back in a starting role for the last two games of the regular season.
Campbell finished his rookie year with 80 tackles (two for loss), two tackles for loss, three passes defended, one forced fumble, and one interception. He also earned a 76.2 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which ranked 17th among all linebackers with at least 50 snaps (and led all rookies).
Though he was seen as a hybrid linebacker/edge rusher, Campbell only lined up along the defensive line 150 times as a rookie with just 57 pass rushing snaps. Fangio’s comments and the Eagles’ offseason moves indicate he will primarily remain in an off-ball linebacker role moving forward,
WR T.Y. Hilton Announces Retirement
Longtime Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton has not played in the NFL since 2022, and he has now made his retirement official with an announcement on social media.
Hilton, 36, was one of the NFL’s most consistently productive receivers in the 2010s with five seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards and four Pro Bowls from 2013 to 2018.
Originally a third-round pick out of Florida International, Hilton was drafted by the Colts in the same year as Andrew Luck and quickly emerged as one of the young quarterback’s most reliable targets. After a productive rookie year, Hilton took the torch from Reggie Wayne in 2013 with a team-high 1,083 yards and five touchdowns through the air. He led Indianapolis in receiving for six years in a row with a career- and league-high of 1,448 yards in 2016.
Luck’s sudden retirement in 2019 predictably led into a huge statistical drop for Hilton. Over the next three years, he appeared in just 35 games and averaged just 531 yards per season. Hilton hit free agency in 2022 and signed with the Cowboys late in the season. He appeared in five games in Dallas (including the playoffs).
Hilton will retire with 146 appearances (121 starts), 638 receptions, 9,812 receiving yards, and 53 touchdowns to his name. He also has just over $77MM in career earnings, per OverTheCap.
Eagles Sign RB Dameon Pierce
The Eagles signed running back Dameon Pierce, per a team announcement, adding depth to a backfield that lost AJ Dillon in free agency earlier this week.
Pierce, 26, appeared in four games for the Texans and one for the Chiefs in 2025 with just 28 total snaps on offense. Originally a fourth-round pick in 2022, the Florida product emerged as Houston’s lead back and ranked eighth in the NFL with 72.2 rushing yards per game.
Pierce’s rookie season ended in Week 13 due to an ankle injury, and he lost his starting job after a rough start to his sophomore campaign. He finished the year with just 2.9 yards per carry and was seen as an afterthought in 2024 after the Texans’ acquisition of Joe Mixon. But Pierce bounced back in a rotational role in the backfield. Even taking out his season-long rush of 92 yards, he averaged 5.2 yards per carry, but injuries again limited him to 11 games.
It was clear in 2025 that the Texans were finished with Pierce. Even with Mixon sidelined, he had virtually no role in the offense. He was active for four games with all 23 of his offensive snaps and 10 of his carries in Weeks 1 and 5. He later had kick return duties in Weeks 8 and 10 before being waived.
The Chiefs added Pierce to their practice squad and played him in Week 18. He will now look to carve out a role in Philadelphia behind Saquon Barkley. Tank Bigsby ran well when called upon in 2025, so he is likely the favorite for the No. 2 role, but 2024 fourth-rounder Will Shipley has yet to distinguish himself in the NFL. All three also have experience returning kicks, which will likely factor into the competition for roster spots and playing time.
The Eagles are also signing tight end Stone Smartt, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The former college quarterback appeared in 15 games for the Jets last season after three years with the Chargers. Smartt flashed some pass-catching ability in Los Angeles, but has primarily been a special teams contributor in his career and will likely continue in a similar role in Philadelphia.
Eagles, K Jake Elliott Agree To Revised Contract
Eagles kicker Jake Elliott accepted a revised contract, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, which reduces his 2026 pay by $1MM but ensures he will remain on the roster this season.
Elliott, 31, signed a four-year extension with the Eagles in 2024 worth $6MM per year with $9.7MM in guaranteed money. This year he was set to earn $6MM, but none of it was guaranteed.
The reworked contract includes a $1.3MM veteran-minimum salary and a $3.65MM signing bonus, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson – all guaranteed money. The Eagles also added three void years to the deal to fully prorate Elliott’s signing bonus (and option bonuses in 2027 and 2028).
As a result, Elliott’s cap hit was reduced by about $240k, and he can be safely removed from Philadelphia’s list of potential cut candidates.
Elliott’s pay cut comes after two down seasons for the veteran kicker. Originally a Bengals fifth-round pick in 2017, he signed with the Eagles early in his rookie year after not making the roster in Cincinnati. He quickly proved himself to be a reliable kicker and converted 86.2% of his field goal attempts in the first seven years of his career with just one season below 80%. Elliott also made 26 of his 37 attempts from over 50 yards, good for a 70% conversion rate from distance, and received a Pro Bowl nod in 2021 and a second-team All-Pro selection in 2023. He also won a Super Bowl in his rookie year and in 2024.
But in the last two years, Elliott has made just 76.2% of his field goals and just five of 15 from beyond 50 yards. The Eagles understandably did not want to pay him at the very top of the kicker market, but they felt that his history of consistency and reliability was still worth keeping in Philadelphia.
Eagles To Acquire QB Andy Dalton From Panthers
The Eagles are trading a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Panthers in exchange for quarterback Andy Dalton, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Dalton, 38, served as the backup to Bryce Young in Carolina for the last three years. He started one game in 2023 but drew five starts in 2024 with the Panthers having some doubts about their former No. 1 pick. This past season, though, he started only one game with Young putting up the best numbers of his career and establishing himself as the team’s unquestioned starter heading into 2026.
The Panthers signed Kenny Pickett as Young’s new backup last week, making Dalton surplus to requirements in Carolina. The Eagles have their own backup for Jalen Hurts in 2023 sixth-round Tanner McKee, who has impressed when asked to play in the last two years. He has only made two starts with a total of 88 passing attempts in the regular season, though he graded out as one of the NFL’s best passers during the 2025 preseason, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Philadelphia’s move for Dalton could mean that the team is open to trading McKee, who drew interest during roster cut-downs last summer and was mentioned as a potential trade chip this offseason. Teams seeking a young backup they could work to develop into a future starter could inquire after the Stanford product.
In that case, Dalton would take over as Hurts’ backup in the Eagles offense. Hurts has generally been healthy in his career with his absences typically coming as a result of the team locking in its playoff seeding early.
The official terms of the deal have yet to be announced, so the Panthers could be eating some of Dalton’s remaining salary to facilitate the trade. Assuming that is not the case, the Eagles will inherit the final year of the two-year, $8MM extension he signed last February. Dalton is owed $3.9MM in salary ($2MM of which is guaranteed) with a $100K workout bonus and a $4MM cap hit, per OverTheCap.
The Eagles will be Dalton’s sixth NFL team. The longtime Bengals starter enjoyed one-and-done stints with the Cowboys, Bears and Saints. The Panthers gave him a two-year, $10MM deal in 2023 to mentor a to-be-determined rookie — which became Young weeks later — and re-signed him in 2025 (two years, $8MM) despite an awkward changeover involving a car accident. Dalton suffering minor injuries in the accident led to Young’s second chance, and the diminutive QB has kept the Carolina reins since.
One season remains on McKee’s rookie contract. This marks the third straight year the Eagles have traded for a backup. They acquired Pickett from the Steelers in 2024 and made a late-summer Sam Howell acquisition in 2025. It will now be Dalton in place in the Hurts-McKee QB room, as the 16th-year quarterback is setting up to play an age-39 season.
Lions To Sign LB Damone Clark
Damone Clark is heading north. The former Cowboys, and Texans linebacker has signed with the Lions, per a team announcement.
Clark, 25, was a fifth-round pick out of LSU in 2022. He missed the first half of his rookie year due to spinal fusion surgery, but drew starts for five of his 10 appearances with a 59% snap share. He started every game for the Cowboys in 2023, but saw a significant role reduction in 2024 and was waived midway through last season.
The Texans claimed Clark off waivers and installed him as a core special teams contributor for the last six games of the season. He only played 23 snaps on defense, but saw the field for 131 special teams plays with a 78.7 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
In Detroit, Clark will add dept to a linebacker room currently led by Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, and Malcolm Rodriguez. Veteran Trevor Nowaske re-signed with the Lions last week; he and Clark will likely serve as backups on defense with core roles on special teams in 2026.
Clark knows his new defensive coordinator, Kelvin Sheppard, from their shared time at LSU. Sheppard, also an alum, served as the Tigers’ director of player development in 2020, Clark’s junior year at Baton Rouge.
49ers Not Expected To Re-Sign WR Jauan Jennings
Wide receiver Jauan Jennings was expected to draw multiple suitors in free agency after his first two seasons as a starting wideout for the 49ers.
San Francisco engaged in contract talks with Jennings after the season, but the two sides could not agree on terms before he hit the open market.
Surprisingly, the five-year veteran has received little interest since free agency began, despite racking up 1,618 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns on 132 catches in the last two years. He has also filled multiple roles in one of the most popular offensive schemes in the league – including time cutting his teeth as a run-blocker – and has relationships with the 49ers’ former coaches who have now taken head coach or coordinator jobs with other teams.
But if Jennings is aiming for a starting-level receiver money around $15MM per year, he may need to recalibrate his expectations for his new contract.
Re-upping in San Francisco may no longer be an option, either, per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur. The sight of Mike Evans in a 49ers uniform will take some getting used do, but he more than replaces Jennings’ physical presence and production in the receiver room. His three-year, $42.5MM deal ate up a significant portion of the team’s offseason budget, making it difficult for them to offer Jennings a competitive salary now.
Perhaps the 49ers’ impending split with Brandon Aiyuk will open a path for Jennings to remain with the club that drafted him in 2020. His familiarity with Shanahan’s scheme and ability to operate out wide or from the slot makes him an easy plug-and-play option if the team does not fill out their wide receiver depth in the coming months.
Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Addresses Collapsed Ravens Trade
Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby addressed the Ravens’ decision to back out of their trade for him on a recent episode of his podcast, The Rush, offering a detailed timeline of his brief trip to Baltimore.
Chatter regarding a potential Crosby trade gained steam in early March, but despite that, Crosby was still chocked when the Raiders and the Ravens agreed to a deal. He traveled to Baltimore on Monday and arrived at the team facility on Tuesday morning to meet staff and complete his physical.
The Ravens did their own scans to document and evaluate Crosby’s extensive injury history, and he did not meet head coach Jesse Minter or general manager Eric DeCosta until the end of the day. They informed him that there were concerns about long-term health of his knee and the team was seeking additional opinions but still wanted to acquire him.
Crosby was initially concerned that doctors had discovered a new issue with his knee, which was operated on in January to address a torn left meniscus. Crosy’s own surgeon, Neal ElAttrache, reassured him that he was ahead of schedule in his rehab, but his agent, CJ LaBoy, warned him the Ravens may back out of the trade.
Crosby also said that someone from the Ravens reassured him that the deal would go through, but shortly after, LaBoy informed him that would not be the case. Then, for the second time in five days, Crosby was the biggest story of the NFL with his name and face splashed across television and social media.
The five-time Pro Bowler was obviously unhappy with the back-and-forth, but is intent on moving forward with a retooled Raiders roster that will now have him back in the fold. He made no mention of the Ravens’ apparent intention to pair both him and Trey Hendrickson.
“No one will ever admit what the real truth is,” Crosby said. “Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. I am where I’m supposed to be.”
Vikings To Sign P Johnny Hekker
The Vikings boasted one of the league’s best punting units in 2025, but they were set to take a hit with the departure of punter Ryan Wright, who signed a four-year, $14MM deal with the Saints last week.
Minnesota has now found a replacement, and a good one at that. Four-time Pro Bowler Johnny Hekker is set to join the Vikings on a one-year deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Hekker, 36, is the most decorated punter in the league. He originally signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and broke out in 2013 with Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors. That kicked off one of the more impressive specialist stretches in recent memory. Hekker added three more Pro Bowls and five All-Pro selections (three first-team, two second-team) in the next five years and was rightfully named to the Hall of Fame’s All-2010s Team at the end of the decade.
The Rams won the Super Bowl in 2021, Hekker’s last year in Los Angeles. He signed a three-year deal with the Panthers and set a new career-high in his debut season in Carolina with 48.5 yards per punt. The 14-year veteran saw some regression in the next two years and spent the 2025 season with the Titans, during which he averaged the fewest net yards per punt of his career.
In addition to his punting duties in Minnesota, Hekker will also become the holder in the Vikings’ kicking battery with kicker Will Reichard and long snapper Andrew DePaola. Reicard, a 2024 sixth-round pick, earned a first-team All-Pro nod in his sophomore season – like his new teammate – after making 33 of his 35 field goal attempts and all of his extra points. His only two misses came from over 50 yards, and he made another 13 kicks from that distance or longer. DePaola is in the midst of his own impressive run with three Pro Bowls and four All-Pro (two first-team, two second-team) nods in the last four years.
The trio will look to continue the Vikings’ special teams success into 2026 with the entire team hungry for a playoff berth after a disappointing 2025 campaign.
Panthers Outbid Eagles For Jaelan Phillips
Jaelan Phillips‘ $30MM per year contract with the Panthers was the biggest payday of any player to hit free agency.
Multiple teams were in the hunt for his signature, including the Eagles, but the 26-year-old said on Monday (via The Athletic’s Joe Person) that Carolina’s offer was “more attractive” than Philadelphia’s.
The Eagles moved a third-round pick for Phillips at the 2025 trade deadline, and he put up a strong second-half performance, though his counting tallies of two sacks and four tackles for loss do not show it. In the last nine games of the season, he led the defense with 44 pressures, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He finished the year with 76 total pressures and a 18.4% pass rush win rate, both top-10 marks among edge rushers.
Those results created a massive market for Phillips in free agency, and he cashed in. The Eagles will now be in line to pick up a third-round compensatory pick in the 2027 draft, per OverTheCap, as a consolation prize after being outbid by the Panthers.
Carolina did not need to make such an aggressive offer to Rasheed Walker, who drew surprisingly little interest in free agency after three years as the Packers’ starting left tackle. He was aiming for a multi-year contract with a $20MM AAV, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, comparable to what Dan Moore Jr. received from the Titans last year, but had to settle for a one-year, $10MM deal with the Panthers.
Moore’s contract did not age well, so teams may have been hesitant to pay for starting experience rather than true high-end talent. Walker has graded out well as a pass blocker, but his run-blocking grade has never been higher than 56.3 and his pass blocking efficiency has never topped 96.5.
Carolina is an excellent situation for Walker to try to push his valuation into the market he desires. Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu is recovering from a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee, and given that the injury happened in the first round of the playoffs in January, he may not play in 2026. Walker will take his spot for the season in the hopes of a bigger payday this time next year.