Giants To Sign DB Ar’Darius Washington
When John Harbaugh arrived in New York after being fired by the Ravens, he quickly brought many of his staffers with him. Those moves created an expectation that the Giants would pursue Harbaugh’s former players in free agency, and that has indeed been the case.
The latest is defensive back Ar’Darius Washington, who spent the first four years of his career in Baltimore. He is expected to sign a one-year, $3MM contract with the Giants, per SNY’s Connor Hughes.
The former TCU standout went undrafted in 2021 due to his 5-foot-9 frame, but made the Ravens’ 53-man roster later that summer. Injury concerns proved to be an issue, as Washington only appeared in eight games in his first three seasons with long absences due to foot and chest injuries. The 26-year-old broke into the starting lineup in 2024 as part of Baltimore’s midseason secondary switch-up. Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson were benched, and Washington joined Kyle Hamilton to stablize the back end of the defense.
Washington’s success built hype for his follow-up campaign in 2025. He was expected to reprise his starting role even after the Ravens drafted Malaki Starks in the first-round, with Hamilton set to return to a nickel/star role closer to the line of scrimmage. But a torn Achilles during offseason training altered those plans. Washington still made an impressive recovery and made his season debut just seven months after his injury, but he played just 61 snaps in his four appearances.
The Giants’ offer is appropriate given Washington’s injury history. He will serve as the team’s third safety behind Tyler Nubin and Jevon Holland and will likely take on some duties in the slot, too. Washington could thrive in those roles in the defense of Dennard Wilson – his onetime secondary coach in Baltimore – but only if he can stay healthy.
Jets To Sign S Dane Belton
Giants safety defections in free agency have become commonplace, and with a new coaching staff now in place, another exit is on tap. But Dane Belton will not need to relocate. The Jets are picking up the fifth-year player, NFL insider Jordan Schultz tweets.
It’s a one-year, $4MM deal with a max of $6MM. The former fourth-round pick will follow Julian Love, Xavier McKinney and Jason Pinnock in leaving Big Blue’s safety corps over the past three offseasons.
Belton, 25, carved out a consistent rotational role in the Giants defense in his first two seasons and took on more playing time towards the end of his third year. That would have set him up for a full-time starting role in 2025, but Jevon Holland‘s arrival in free agency pre-empted that. Belton still appeared in every game with a strong 63% snap share and nine starts with both Holland and Tyler Nubin missing time due to injury.
Both veterans are remaining in New York under John Harbaugh, so Belton will switch locker rooms at the Meadowlands, likely to serve as the Jets. No. 3 safety. Minkah Fitzpatrick will take on a starting role after arriving via trade from Miami, and 2025 fourth-rounder Malachi Moore will likely start alongside him after an impressive rookie campaign. All three can line up as a free safety, man the slot, or play down in the box, giving Aaron Glenn and new defensive coordinator Brian Duker plenty of ways to configure their 2026 secondary.
Cardinals To Sign WR Kendrick Bourne
The Cardinals are making another addition in free agency. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne is headed to Arizona on a two-year, $11.47MM deal, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, with an additional $5MM available in incentives.
Bourne, 30, appeared in 16 games for the 49ers in 2025, his second stint in San Francisco. He filled key snaps in the receiver rotation during the team’s injuries at the position and finished the year with 37 catches for 551 yards. Those numbers represented somewhat of a bounce-back for Bourne after three straight seasons in New England with fewer than 450 receiving yards.
The 49ers were interested in retaining Bourne with the Dolphins also competing for his signature, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Instead, he will land in Arizona under new head coach Mike LaFleur, where he will be catching passes from Jacoby Brissett or Gardner Minshew. Bourne will join a young Cardinals wide receiver room headlined by 2024 No. 4 pick Marvin Harrison, who has disappointed in his first two years in the NFL, and Michael Wilson, who put forth a surprising 1,006-yard campaign in 2025.
Bourne’s experience will round out that group. The nine-year veteran first joined the 49ers as an undrafted rookie out of Eastern Washington in 2017. He carved out a consistent role in the next four years and signed with the Patriots in 2021. After a 800-yard debut in New England, Bourne’s numbers decreased in his next three seasons, leading to his release last offseason. A reunion with the 49ers helped Bourne revive his value, and he will now remain in the NFC West to play his former team twice a year.
Saints To Sign TE Noah Fant
The Saints are signing free agent tight end Noah Fant to a two-year deal, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. After stints with the Broncos, Seahawks, and Bengals, the 2019 first-round pick will join his fourth team in New Orleans.
Fant, 20, appeared in 15 games in 2025 as Cincinnati’s No. 2 tight end behind Mike Gesicki. He finished the year with 34 catches for 288 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games, the lowest production of his career. With it, though, came improved run-blocking relative to the rest of his career. He received a 58.9 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), his second-highest in seven years behind a career-best 59.6 grade in 2023.
That element of Fant’s game will be crucial to his ability to extend his career since he has never broken through as a high-end pass-catcher. In New Orleans, he will operate alongside Juwan Johnson, who ranked third among NFL tight ends in 2025 with 889 receiving yards. The Saints used Foster Moreau and Jack Stoll as their blocking tight ends, but Fant will bring more receiving upside to that role.
First drafted by the Broncos in 2019, Fant never lived up to his billing as an elite receiving threat. He put up solid numbers in his first three years in Denver and could very well have been on his way to more if not for the Russell Wilson trade. Fant went to Seattle in the deal, and he languished in a Seahawks offense that did not prioritize its tight ends. Johnson ate up almost all of the Saints’ targets at the position in 2025, but Fant might be more capable of taking advantage of mismatches in the passing game than his predecessors.
Chargers To Sign TE Charlie Kolar
After playing out his rookie contract in Baltimore, Charlie Kolar has secured a major raise on his next deal. A notable agreement with the Chargers has been worked out.
Team and player agreed to terms on a three-year contract Monday, Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report. This $24.3MM pact will include $17MM guaranteed, per the report. That will make Kolar the NFL’s highest-paid blocking tight end at $8.1MM per year. He is following in the footsteps of Josh Oliver, who cut his teeth as a blocker in Baltimore and earned a solid payday in free agency from the Vikings as a result.
The former Iowa State standout was drafted by the Ravens in the fourth-round of the 2022 draft, 11 picks ahead of fellow Baltimore tight end Isaiah Likely. Likely emerged as the better pass-catching tight end over the last four years, earning himself a three-year, $40MM contract with John Harbaugh‘s Giants. Kolar, who primarily proved himself as a blocker, will also be going to a popular destination for former Ravens in Los Angeles, where Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz has added many players he once scouted in Baltimore.
Kolar has plenty of untapped receiving potential in his 6-foot-6, 265-pound frame. In fact, he was better known as a pass-catching threat coming out of college and made huge strides as a blocker in Baltimore. He will pair with 2025 rookie breakout Oronde Gadsden – who is not as strong of a blocker – to form a young, high-upside tight end duo. Kolar can take on a bigger role as an inline tight end to free Gadsden up to exploit mismatches in the slot, both against slower linebackers in the pass game and smaller defensive backs in the run game.
The Chargers’ move to sign Kolar for a premium price indicates that they will continue to use plenty of two-tight end packages on offense in 2026 despite the departure of offensive coordinator Greg Roman (who coached Kolar as a rookie in 2022). His replacement, Mike McDaniel, did not feature tight ends heavily in the passing game, but used them extensively as blockers, indicating there will be plenty of work for Kolar in Los Angeles.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Giants, Tremaine Edmunds Agree To Deal
Tremaine Edmunds has not needed to wait long to find his next NFL gig. The recently-released linebacker has lined up a deal with the Giants, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report.
Edmunds will collect $36MM on a three-year deal, per the report. That includes $23.7MM fully guaranteed. A busy day for the Giants includes this Edmunds contract, which can be made official before the start of the new league year since he was cut by the Bears recently.
John Harbaugh prioritized strong linebacker play in Baltimore, and that trend will continue in New York with Edmunds. Before turning 28 years old, he has started 119 games in eight NFL seasons with 900 tackles and 59 passes defended in his career. The only other player this century with the same resume is Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly.
Edmunds, though, is not on quite the same level. He has never been named to an All-Pro team and his last Pro Bowl was in 2020. The Bills 2018 first-rounder thrived next to Matt Milano during the first four years of his career, which earned him a four-year, $72MM deal in Chicago. But as a Bear, Edmunds never graded out higher than Pro Football Focus’ 35th-ranked off-ball linebacker (subscription required).
The Giants released Bobby Okereke last week, making it clear they were looking for a replacement to anchor Dennard Wilson‘s new defense. Edmunds, who has been a full-time starter for his entire career, will likely take the green dot in New York right away. The Giants will still need to find him a partner, which could come by re-signing Micah McFadden or adding a rookie in April’s draft.
Edmunds’ last deal made him the third-highest paid linebacker in the NFL. He will drop to eighth with today’s agreement, per OverTheCap, a reflection of the market’s lack of growth since Roquan Smith and Fred Warner signed their last contracts.
The Panthers were also interested in Edmunds, per ESPN’s David Newton, but they will need to look elsewhere for a running mate for Trevin Wallace.
Adam La Rose contributed to this story.
Offseason Outlook: Tennessee Titans
The Titans had already signaled their intention to make sweeping changes across the organization by the end of the 2025 season – their fourth in a row without a playoff appearance – by firing head coach Brian Callahan in October. The team finished 3-14 and entered the offseason to conduct its second coaching search in three years.
49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh emerged as the man for the job. He will be tasked with establishing a defensive identity and fostering the development of 2025 No. 1 pick Cam Ward. In the latter venture, he will be aided by new offensive coordinator and former Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who previously oversaw Josh Allen’s ascension in Buffalo. Newly empowered general manager Mike Borgonzi, who led the coaching search and now has final say on the 53-man roster, will be looking to give Ward more support on offense and find the right players for Saleh’s scheme on defense.
Coaching/front office:
- Restructured front office hierarchy
- Hired Robert Saleh as head coach
- Hired Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator
- Hired Gus Bradley as defensive coordinator
- Retained assistant HC/special teams coordinator John Fassel
- Hired Carmen Bricillo as offensive line coach
- Hired Shea Tierney as quarterbacks coach
- Hired Greg Lewis as wide receivers coach
- Retained defensive pass-game coordinator/CBs coach Tony Oden
- Hired Aaron Whitecotton as defensive line coach
- Hired Marquand Manuel as safeties coach
The Titans’ current woes date back to their decision to fire Mike Vrabel in 2023. It was baffling at the time and proved to be the wrong choice in 2025 when he took the Patriots to the Super Bowl. They replaced Vrabel with Brian Callahan, then the Bengals' offensive coordinator, and the team stumbled to a 3-14 finish with Will Levis and Mason Rudolph under center.
The silver lining of Callahan’s debut campaign as head coach was the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, which the Titans used on Ward. He flashed upside as a rookie, but the lack of talent or a clear identity on offense was too much to overcome. Tennessee did not have an identity on defense, either, and it became clear that Callahan was not the right man for the job after a 1-5 start for the second year in a row. Senior offensive assistant Mike McCoy shepherded the Titans down the stretch, and the team began its rebuilding effort anew.
Patriots Have Most Interest In Trading For A.J. Brown
It increasingly seems like an A.J. Brown trade could come together. Despite the financial implications of such a deal, the Eagles seem motivated to move the 28-year-old, though it will likely take a significant offer to make it worth their while.
The Patriots are the “most interested” in trading for Brown, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Chargers have also been linked to a deal, but the presence of Mike Vrabel (and the lack of a star wideout) in New England make it a logical destination. Stefon Diggs was the first Patriot to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season since Julian Edelman in 2019, and he will not be around next year.
New England’s current receiver room is comprised of veteran Mack Hollins, 2023 draftees Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas, and last year’s rookies, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism. The first three had solid 2025 campaigns but only combined for 110 catches and 1,548 receiving yards, while Williams and Chism both made a few plays downfield but did little beyond that.
Hollins offers a steady floor but a low ceiling. Boutte and Douglas both showed signs of development with career-best efficiency metrics. And Williams and Chism could certainly become more consistent contributors. But a team hoping to avoid a Super Bowl hangover needs to be proactive to do so. Rather than waiting until the summer (or later) to upgrade their receiving corps, trading for Brown now would allow the Patriots to take a ‘best player available’ approach to April’s draft.
It would also reunite Brown with Vrabel, which could alleviate some of the locker room concerns with acquiring the infamously expressive wideout. He would also replace Diggs as a proven, high-end veteran target for Drake Maye. The two have similar pedigrees, but Brown is four years younger with better statistics across the last three years.
Meeting the Eagles’ reported asking price of first- and second-round picks is doable for the Patriots. They can be more willing to move draft capital for veterans while Maye and other key players at expensive positions are on rookie deals.
Philadelphia will still have to figure out a way to accommodate the net decrease in cap space resulting from dealing Brown, but both sides seem ready to move on, and, as a result, the Patriots seem ready to move in.
Rams Announce Retirement Of CB Darious Williams
The Rams made a major addition to their secondary by trading for Trent McDuffie this week. The unit has now suffered a loss, albeit a less impactful one, with the retirement of veteran cornerback Darious Williams.
Williams, who is about to turn 33, was entering the last year of his contract and was seen as a possible cap casualty with $7.5MM in potential savings. Instead, he will hang up his cleats after 104 games played, 69 starts and a championship ring from Super Bowl LVI in 2022. That is a strong career for an undrafted free agent, especially one who started playing college ball at a Division III school.
In fact, Williams is the only player from Marietta College to play in the NFL. He spent his freshman year with the Pioneers and transferred to UAB, where he made the team as a walk-on in 2014. He remained at the school even after the football program briefly shut down, per Greg Beachum of the Associated Press, and went on to start 18 games across the 2016 and 2017 seasons, earning a first-team All-Conference USA nod in the second.
The Ravens signed Williams as an undrafted rookie in 2018 and he made the 53-man roster with Jimmy Smith serving a suspension. He appeared in three games on special teams and was waived when Smith was eligible to return. Baltimore wanted to retain Williams, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, but the Rams swooped in and claimed him instead.
Williams only appeared in one game during his first year in Los Angeles, but he carved out a rotational role on defense and a core role on special teams. He stepped into a starting job in 2020 and was retained in 2021 on a restricted free agent tag.
Another year as a starter earned Williams a three-year, $30MM deal from the Jaguars in free agency in 2022. He started 28 games over the next two seasons and was released with one year remaining on his contract. He then returned to Los Angeles on a three-year, $22.5MM deal, of which he earned $15MM.
With McDuffie already acquired, the Rams will not need to seek a direct replacement for Williams, though they could still look to upgrade their secondary.
Williams will retire with just over $43MM in career earnings and, according to Nate Atkins of The Athletic, will now move into a new role as a father.
Texans To Re-Sign LB E.J. Speed
The Texans are re-signing linebacker and special teams ace E.J. Speed, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. He will receive a two-year deal worth up to $13MM with $7.5MM in guaranteed money, which includes a $4MM signing bonus.
Speed’s new contract represents a strong raise after a successful debut year in Houston. He signed for $3.5MM last offseason (via OverTheCap) and appeared in 16 games with a 44% snap share on defense and a core role on special teams. The 30-year-old was a key part of the Texans’ league-leading defense, recording a 9.6% run stop rate that ranked fifth among all linebackers with at least 150 run defense snaps, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Originally a Colts fifth-round pick in 2019, Speed earned a roster spot as a special teams ace and began to see more time on defense in 2021. He re-signed with the team on a two-year, $8MM deal in 2023 and stepped into a starting role. The following year, he played nearly every snap in 2024 and ranked second on the team and 12th in the league with 142 tackles.
Despite that, Indianapolis did not re-sign Speed for a second time last offseason. He stayed in the AFC South and landed in Houston, where he served as the No. 3 linebacker behind Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o. Speed will continue in that role in 2026 as the Texans attempt to repeat their incredible defensive performance during the 2025 season.
Speed is the third Texan to sign a new contract this week. The team re-signed offensive tackle Trent Brown and extended edge rusher Danielle Hunter on Thursday, taking care of two of their top offseason priorities. Other key pending free agents include right guard Ed Ingram and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. With more than $30MM in cap space (pending Speed’s exact contract details), Houston has enough money to pursue new contacts with both players (or any others set to hit the market), though they may also want to pursue upgrades in free agency. They also have to budget for long-term deals with Will Anderson and C.J. Stroud, who will both become eligible for an extension this offseason.