Patriots To Sign S Kevin Byard
The Patriots are not resting on the laurels of their elite defensive performance in 2025. Instead, they are continuing to upgrade the unit with veteran safety Kevin Byard. He is expected to sign a one-year, $9MM deal, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
In New England, Byard will reunite with Mike Vrabel, who was his head coach for much of his time in Tennessee.
The 2016 third-round pick earned a starting job in his second year and received a first-team All-Pro nod after le Vrabel was hired the following offseason, and Byard was a key part of his defense for the next five years. He was named an All-Pro again in 2021 and put up another strong campaign in 2022, but he was sent to the Eagles at the 2023 trade deadline after the Titans’ 2-4 start. That was also Vrabel’s last year in Tennessee.
Byard signed a two-year, $15MM contract to join the Bears in 2024 and started every game. He was one of many players to see a big jump in performance under the new coaching staff in 2025 with seven interceptions and his third first-team All-Pro selection. Chicago worked to retain him, but Byard preferred to join his former head coach and the reigning AFC champions, per The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson.
In New England, Byard will replace Jaylinn Hawkins in the Patriots secondary after his departure to Baltimore. Hawkins started 15 games in 2025 with a team-high four interceptions, production that the veteran ballhawks should be able to replace. Byard will slot in next to rookie standout Craig Woodson, where his decade of NFL experience could foster the development of the 2025 fourth-round pick.
Seahawks To Re-Sign OT Josh Jones
Josh Jones won a Super Bowl in his debut year in Seattle as the Seahawks’ swing tackle. He will continue in that role in 2026 on a new, one-year contract, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Jones, 28, has changed teams in each of the last three offseasons. He began his career as a Cardinals third-round pick in 2020 and started multiple games at right guard, right tackle, and left tackle in his first three years.
Despite a solid season on the blind side in 2022, he was traded to the Texans during roster cuts in 2023. Jones could not carve out a role in Houston and took a one-year, $1.8MM deal with the Ravens to rebuild his value. Baltimore’s healthy offensive line largely kept Jones off the field, though he did feature as the sixth offensive lineman in ‘jumbo’ packages.
That helped Jones earn a $4MM deal in Seattle. An injury to starting left tackle Charles Cross pressed him into duty for the last three games of the season, and he held up enough for the Seahawks to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture.
Also staying with the reigning champs is long snapper Chris Stoll, who has landed a two-year deal (via Pelissero). The 27-year-old signed in Seattle as an undrafted rookie in 2023 and won the long snapping job in training camp. He has played in every game since, including February’s Super Bowl win, but did not receive a restricted free agent tag after the season. Instead, he will stay with the Seahawks for at least the next two seasons.
Patriots To Sign LB K.J. Britt
The Patriots are adding a veteran piece to their defense. Linebacker K.J. Britt is heading to New England on a one-year deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Britt, 26, was a 2021 fifth-round pick who spent the first four years of his career in Tampa Bay. He emerged as a starter in 2024 but only received a one-year deal from the Dolphins in the following offseason. He appeared in every game in Miami last year with a backup role on defense and career-high 334 special teams snaps.
Britt will now join what has quietly become a deep off-ball linebacker room. The group is led by veterans Robert Spillane, Christian Elliss, and Jack Gibbens. Marte Mapu and Chad Muma, both 2023 draft picks, provide depth and contribute on special teams.
Britt will fall into the latter category and is somewhat of a roster replacement for Jahlani Tavai, who was released on Monday after five years in New England, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. The move saves $1.7MM in 2026 cap space with just under $3.5MM in dead money, per OverTheCap, though those numbers can change to $3.2MM and $2.0MM with a post-June 1 designation. Tavai still has $600k in guaranteed salary due in 2026 as well.
Tavai started 32 games in his previous two seasons in New England, but his playing time went down sharply after Mike Vrabel’s arrival last year. His 32% defensive snap share was the second-lowest of his career, and his statistics dropped accordingly. The seven-year veteran’s history of strong special teams play should ensure that he finds a new home before the season.
Steelers To Sign S Darnell Savage
The Steelers entered the offseason with multiple veteran safeties hitting free agency. They have now restocked their depth with Darnell Savage, who has agreed to a one-year deal, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The deal is worth just under $1.5MM, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, with a veteran-minimum salary and $188K signing bonus.
Savage, 28, played for three different teams in 2025. He was entering the second year of a three-year deal with the Jaguars, but was released just two games into the year. The Commanders picked him up shortly after, and he appeared in eight games as their third safety. Washington then waived Savage in December, and he finished the season in Buffalo, which included a Week 18 start with the Bills’ playoff seeding to secure and a special teams nod against the Broncos in the divisional round.
Originally a Packers first-round pick in 2019, Savage started 69 games for the Packers on his rookie contract, which included his fifth-year option in 2023. He only started 10 games that year and left Green Bay in free agency. He signed a three-year, $21.75MM with the Jaguars to take over as their starting safety, but struggled again with injuries and made only 13 starts in 2024.
Savage will be looking to rebuild his value after a few disappointing seasons. Staying healthy will be crucial in that quest, as will carving out a role under new Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Jalen Ramsey will take up one safety spot, and DeShon Elliott is likely slated for the second. However, he is coming off a season-ending injury and may have to re-earn his starting job. That could be an opportunity for Savage, but more likely, he will serve as the team’s No. 3 safety.
Chargers Re-Signing OL Trey Pipkins
The Chargers have been working to reshape their offensive line this offseason, but they are retaining a key piece of depth in Trey Pipkins. He is expected to sign a two-year, $10MM deal to stay in Los Angeles, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. An additional $2MM is available via playtime incentives.
Pipkins, 29, was a third-round pick in 2019 and served as the Chargers’ swing tackle for the first three years of his career. He made 10 starts in that span and earned the full-time right tackle job in the last year of his rookie contract. He made 14 starts and earned a three-year, $21.75MM deal to stay in Los Angeles during the 2023 offseason.
The 6-foot-6 lineman retained his starting gig in 2023, but poor performance saw him kicked into guard under Jim Harbaugh the following year. He then started at multiple spots amide the Chargers’ O-line injuries in 2025 and will be vital insurance as Pro Bowl tackle duo Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt recover from season-ending surgeries.
If both are healthy, Pipkins could also compete for a starting guard job. One will likely go to former Patriots first-round pick Cole Strange, who signed in Los Angeles on Monday. The Chargers also retained Trevor Penning, who has experience at tackle but primarily lined up on the interior in 2025. He and Pipkins could compete for the other guard job, provided they are not needed at tackle.
Giants To Sign FB Patrick Ricard
John Harbaugh is bringing another Raven to New York. Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard is joining the Giants on a two-year deal, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
The deal is worth $7.63MM with a maximum value of $8.5MM, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, making Ricard the highest-paid fullback in the NFL. His resume – including six Pro Bowls in the last seven years – certainly supports that status. The nine-year veteran also received a first-team All-Pro nod in 2024 and second-team recognition in the years immediately before and after.
Ricard, 31, arrived in Baltimore as an undrafted defensive tackle out of Maine. He converted to fullback as a rookie but still maintained a role on the other side of the ball until 2020, when his offensive snap share jumped to 41%. It grew even more, all the way up to 64% in 2022, the Ravens’ last year with offensive coordinator Greg Roman. His successor, Todd Monken, decreased Ricard’s role, though he still played at least 39% of the Ravens’ offensive snaps from 2023 to 2025. That resulted in a pay cut on Ricard’s last contract in Baltimore, and like the rest of the team’s offense, he had somewhat of a down season after missing the start of the year due to injury.
The price point of today’s deal is a clear sign that Ricard will have a major role in New York’s offense. However, new Giants OC Matt Nagy has not historically featured a pure blocking fullback in his scheme, so he will need to find a way to integrate Ricard on the field.
The Ravens are unlikely to seek a one-for-one replacement for Ricard with new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle bringing in his own scheme. However, with tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar also departing in free agency, Baltimore will need to shore up that position group this offseason.
Eagles To Sign TEs Johnny Mundt, Grant Calcaterra
Johnny Mundt was released by the Jaguars on Monday, but the blocking tight end did not stay on the market for long. He has agreed to a one-year deal with the Eagles, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Philadelphia will also be re-signing their own veteran tight end, Grant Calcaterra, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The duo will try to fill the hold left by Dallas Goedert, who has yet to sign with another team but now, does not seem likely to return to the Eagles.
Mundt, 31, signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He appeared in two games as a rookie and made the 53-man roster in his second year with a core role on special teams. He took on a bigger role as a blocker in 2019 and 2020 and was trending towards a career-high in offensive snaps before a torn ACL in 2021.
Mundt still ended the year with a Super Bowl ring, but he left Los Angeles in the offseason to join the Vikings. There, he took up a No. 2 tight end role with career-high playing time and the first significant receiving role of his career. He totaled 55 catches for 454 yards across his three years in Minnesota and moved to Jacksonville to take up a similar job in 2025.
Calcaterra, who just turned 27, was a 2022 sixth-round pick who played behind Goedert in 2022 and 2023 before stepping up as his injury replacement in 2024. Calcaterra started 13 gaems with 24 catches for 298 receiving yards on a 66% snap share. Those numbers ticked back down in 2025 after Goedert returned to the field.
The two will be competing for a role in the Eagles offense this summer, potentially even for the starting tight end job. General manager Howie Roseman is likely to add some competition, and after making multiple veteran signings, he may now look to bolster the position via April’s draft.
Lions To Re-Sign CB Rock Ya-Sin
Rock Ya-Sin emerged as a key part of the Lions’ secondary in 2025, and he is now set to reprise his role in 2026. The veteran cornerback is expected to sign a one-year, $4MM deal to remain in Detroit, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Ya-Sin, 29, first signed with the Lions last offseason on a one-year, veteran-minimum deal. That turned out to be an excellent value, especially given the injuries that plagued their secondary throughout the season. Ya-Sin appeared in every game, making six starts and commanding a 55% snap share. He put up a career-high nine passes defended, allowed a career-low 74.7 passer rating when targeted, and chipped in 47 tackles, his most since his rookie year.
With Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw both recovering from season-ending shoulder surgery, re-signing Ya-Sin ensures some continuity for Detroit’s pass defense. He will return to the unit alongside D.J. Reed. Both, though, will turn 30 this year, so the Lions may still look to add a cornerback in April’s draft. Rakestraw has only appeared in eight games in his career, and Arnold was trending downward in 2025 before his injury.
Ya-Sin has changed teams in each of the last four offseasons, but his agreement with the Lions will ensure that trend ends this year. Originally a Colts second-round pick in 2019, the former Temple Owl quickly carved out a starting role as a rookie. He largely held onto it over the next three years, but missed seven games due to injury.
Ya-Sin was traded to the Raiders for Yannick Ngakoue during the 2022 offseason, and he took up a starting job in Las Vegas. Injuries remained an issue, as he appeared in only 11 games. He then took one-year deals with the Ravens and the 49ers in the next two offseasons to add depth to their cornerback rotations, though he barely played in San Francisco.
Ya-Sin played a full season in 2025, the first of his career. A repeat effort would offer Detroit excellent value on their investment.
Giants To Sign K Jason Sanders
Missing all of last season due to injury, Jason Sanders will have another chance. The Dolphins cut the veteran kicker, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports a Giants signing is coming to pass.
Sanders agreed to a one-year deal with the Giants, who are overhauling their special teams under John Harbaugh. He already brought Jordan Stout, his hand-picked punter in Baltimore, to New York, for a record-breaking sum on Monday. Stout will hold Sanders’ kicks, and Harbaugh will surely land his preferred long-snapper, too. He declined to retain longtime Giant Casey Kreiter and could pursue a reunion with Morgan Cox, who he coached in Baltimore for eight seasons.
Sanders, 30, was drafted by the Dolphins in 2019. He won Miami’s kicking job over undrafted rookie Greg Joseph in training camp and held onto it for the next seven years. His first four alternated between elite and below-average, a period which included a first-team All-Pro nod in 2020. But in the following three years, Sanders was one of the most consistent kickers in the league, peaking with another excellent season in 2024. He ranked ninth in the NFL with a 90.2% make rate and buried 12 of his 14 attempts from beyond 50 yards.
Sanders suffered a hip injury during the 2025 preseason that landed him on the shelf. There was initial optimism for his return, but the kicker ended up missing the entire season. The Dolphins turned to Riley Patterson as a fill-in in 2025 and landed free agent Zane Gonzalez for 2026.
Sanders will now have an opportunity to revive his career with a new-look Giants squad. He was among the notable free agent kickers, a list that also includes the likes of Daniel Carlson, Matt Prater, and Nick Folk (who has already joined the Falcons).
Panthers To Sign LB Devin Lloyd
Devin Lloyd is heading to Carolina. The former first-round pick is inking a three-year deal with the Panthers, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
The three-year contract is worth $45MM and includes $25MM in guaranteed money. Lloyd may not have reached the very top of the linebacker market at $20MM per year as he was hoping (via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer), but he will still come in with the fourth-highest annual pay at the position after receiving Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro recognition in 2025.
Lloyd, 27, was a highly-touted prospect out of Utah in 2022 who landed in Jacksonville via the No. 27 overall pick. He took over a starting job as a rookie, but struggled mightily in his transition to the NFL. Lloyd finished the 2022 season with a 48.1 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the ninth-worst among starting linebackers.
Two years of improvement followed. Then, in 2025, Lloyd emerged as a game-changer on the defensive side of the ball. Though his tackle production lagged relative to his first three seasons, he recorded a career-high five interceptions, allowed just a 57.1 passer rating when targeted, and added 28 pressures as a pass rusher, the third-most among off-ball linebackers.
The Panthers, who also inquired after Tremaine Edmunds before he signed with the Giants, will be banking on Lloyd to have a similar impact. He will slot in as Carolina’s starting linebacker next to Trevin Wallace, a 2024 third-rounder who has shown promise but missed nine games due to injury since being drafted.
Lloyd will likely take over the green dot role in a Panthers defense will also feature edge Jaelan Phillips in 2026. The two former first-rounders will hope to continue the unit’s ascension in Carolina’s third year under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
Ben Levine contributed to this story.