Chiefs To Reunite With S Mike Edwards
The Chiefs are reuniting with veteran safety Mike Edwards on a one-year deal, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Edwards spent the 2023 season in Kansas City, appearing in all 17 games with a role that increased throughout the year. He started the last five games of the regular season and all four playoff matchups, which culminated in a Super Bowl LIII victory over the 49ers. Edwards also beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV as a member of the Buccaneers.
The six-year veteran signed with the Bills for the 2024 season, but could not win a starting safety job over Damar Hamlin. Edwards was on the trade block by the end of October, but no market materialized. Buffalo opted to released him before the trade deadline so he could avoid waivers and choose his next team.
Edwards briefly signed with the Titans but was waived before he could appear in any games in Tennessee. He was then claimed by the Buccaneers for the remainder of the season and appeared in five games with two starts.
Originally a third-round pick by the Buccaneers in 2019, Edwards started 23 games across his first four years in Tampa Bay. He has mostly lined up as a free safety in his career, though he has played in the box and out of the slot as well.
Edwards will likely take up a rotational role in Kansas City, who tried to re-sign Justin Reid before he agreed to terms with the Saints. The Chiefs’ safety room currently includes 2024 starter Bryan Cook, 2024 fourth-rounder Jaden Hicks, and veteran Deon Bush. The team could also use a pick on a strong draft class at the position later this month.
Eagles Planning To Extend HC Nick Sirianni
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is planning to sign Nick Sirianni to a contract extension following the team’s victory in Super Bowl LIX, their second championship appearance in Sirianni’s four years as head coach.
“Nick is going to be our coach,” said Lurie at league meetings in Florida this week (via ESPN’s Tim McManus). “We don’t talk publicly [about contracts], we never have, but you guys I’m sure will find out soon enough that Nick will be our coach going forward. He has done an outstanding job.”
Before coming to Philadelphia, Sirianni was the offensive coordinator in Indianapolis, where the Colts cycled through three quarterbacks in three years and weathered a series of injuries. He was hired in 2021 to succeed Doug Pederson, who led the Eagles to a championship in 2017 before back-to-back first-round exits in the playoffs and a 4-11-1 record in 2020.
Sirianni’s hire led to broad changes to the Eagles’ roster and coaching staff. He hired Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon to run the offense and defense, respectively, and quarterback Carson Wentz was shipped off to Indianapolis in favor of Jalen Hurts. Those two coaches, along with Hurts, were major factors in Philadelphia’s Super Bowl run in 2022, which also featured Sirianni’s ‘tush push’ quarterback sneak and an award for Coach of the Year.
Sirianni lost both of Steichen and Gannon to head coaching jobs during the 2023 offseason, leading to regression on both sides of the ball during the season under new coordinators Brian Johnson and Sean Desai. The Eagles lost five of their last six regular season games before a first-round playoff loss to the Buccaneers, and Sirianni replaced Johnson and Desai with Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio for the 2024 season.
After a 2-2 start, Sirianni’s Eagles ripped off 10 straight wins and continued their momentum throughout the playoffs. Philadelphia won three of their four postseason matchups by at least two possessions, including a 40-22 Super Bowl rout to deny the Chiefs’ bid for a three-peat. He is now entering the final year of his contract and will likely be one of the league’s highest-paid head coaches on his next deal.
Cardinals Reunite With DL Calais Campbell
APRIL 2: The Dolphins offered Campbell the third-most money of the teams pursuing him, per Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald. The Ravens were also in the mix, but the Cardinals offered more bonus money and Campbell and his family preferred to return to Arizona.
APRIL 1: The Cardinals are signing six-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Calais Campbell to a one-year deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The signing, which was confirmed by Cardinals team reporter Darren Urban, will bring Campbell back to the team that originally drafted him. The 38-year-old is set to earn $5.5MM in 2025 with an additional $2MM available via incentives, according to Schefter and Rapoport.
Campbell entered the offseason as an unrestricted free agent weighing retirement against a return to the field for his 18th season in the NFL. He had offers from the Dolphins and the Ravens, but chose to return to Arizona where he started his career as a second-round draft pick in 2008. All three options offered familiarity; Campbell spent his college career and the 2024 season in Miami, and he also played in Baltimore from 2020 to 2022. The Cardinals, however, are closer to Denver, where he was born and raised.
Campbell is the Cardinals’ second addition to their defensive line this offseason. They signed Dalvin Tomlinson in March to join Dante Stills and Bilal Nichols in the trenches. Campbell will give Arizona a four-man rotation to which they can still add via the draft.
Campbell’s departure leaves the Dolphins precariously thin along the interior of their defensive line. Zach Sieler and Benito Jones are the only returning starters from last year’s unit.. Neil Farrell and Matt Dickerson combined for just 11 appearances and 80 defensive snaps. That will likely force Miami to scour the league’s remaining free agents and invest in at least one defensive lineman in April’s draft, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
The new contract will bring Campbell’s career earnings over $150MM, per OverTheCap, the third-most of any defensive linemen in NFL history. He has remained an effective defender into his late-30s, with 17.0 sacks and 26 tackles for loss since 2022.
NFL Passes Proposal To Expand Player Contact During Legal Tampering Period
The NFL’s annual free agency signing window officially begins at the start of the new league year, but teams are allowed to negotiate terms with agents for two days beforehand, known as the legal tampering period.
Teams can agree to deals, but players can’t officially sign contracts until free agency opens. Starting next year, though, teams will have expanded contact with prospective signings.
Ahead of league meetings in Florida this week, the Steelers proposed a rule change allowing teams to conduct phone or video calls directly with players during the legal tampering period. That proposal was approved, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Starting in 2026, teams can have one call with up to five unrestricted free agents during the legal tampering period.
The new rule also allows teams to make travel arrangements for players that agree to terms, per FOX Sports’ Greg Auman.
Like the institution of the legal tampering period in 2012, the rule change codifies a practice that was already taking place, according to Breer. The Falcons were docked a 2025 fifth-round pick for direct contact with free agents in 2024, but it is believed that other violations have not been caught.
One former general manager believes that the new rule will give an advantage to coaches who are “great recruiters” like Andy Reid, Sean McVay, and Mike Tomlin.
“This rule will benefit them and anyone who can emulate their approach when it comes to landing top free agents,” the GM said (via FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz).
The rule change will take effect in 2026 for a one-year trial period as the league considers making it permanent.
Latest On Bengals-Trey Hendrickson Talks
When the Bengals finally signed wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to long-term extensions, it appeared that defensive end Trey Hendrickson would be next to cash in.
Reports indicated that the Bengals had engaged with Hendrickson on contract talks and took the possibility of a trade “off the table.”
Since then, though, negotiations have gained little traction. At league meetings in Florida, Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn said that she “doesn’t know what will happen” with Hendrickson, per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Blackburn then put some of the blame for the lack of progess on Hendrickson.
“I think he should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn’t think he’d be happy at,” she said on Tuesday (via Conway). “I think some of it is on him to be happy at some point, and if he’s not, you know, that’s what holds it up sometimes. So, you know, it takes him to say yes to something.” Blackburn then added that the Bengals “have all the respect in the world” for Hendrickson, calling him a “great player” and saying that the team is “happy to have him.”
Hendrickson expressed frustration and confusion about Blackburn’s comments during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
“The one thing I was hoping was an April Fool’s joke was that article,” said Hendrickson. “That was a little disappointing, because communication has been poor, that’s something that I hold in high regard. They have not communicated with my agent directly. It has been…a little bit frustrating.”
Hendrickson also took umbrage with Blackburn’s uncertainty about the future and characterization that the ball is in his court.
“To read what I read yesterday was confusing, like it’s my decision,” he said. “I would’ve been willing to sign three years ago, two years ago, and this year. It was communicated to me that we would get something done this year.”
Hendrickson said that he doesn’t want to be the highest-paid player at his position. He was also willing to wait for Chase and Higgins to sign before the Bengals turned their attention to his deal.
“We don’t have any desires of being highest-paid or first in line,” he said.“We try to be as patient as possible.”
Hendrickson didn’t offer any specific terms that he was seeking, but repeated his desire for a long-term deal with significant guarantees.
“I’m not willing to play for incentives that will be out of my control,” he said, suggesting that he would not sign a contract with incentives for team success in the regular season or the playoffs. “I don’t think I want to play for a short-term contract and see where it goes.”
Hendrickson also mentioned the departure of Bengals defensive captain, Sam Hubbard, pointing out the team’s leadership void ahead of OTAs and hinted that he may not attend without a new contract.
Rams, Kyren Williams Discussing Extension
The Rams will begin preliminary talks on an extension for running back Kyren Williams with his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, at annual league meetings this week, per The Athletic’s Jordan Rodrigue.
General manager Les Snead said that the team wants to “engineer a long-term partnership” with Williams, who is entering the last year of his rookie deal. The 2022 fifth-rounder only carried the ball 35 times as a rookie before taking over a starting role in 2023.
Since then, Williams has been the focal point of the Rams’ rushing attack. In 2023, he led the NFL with 95.3 yards per game, earning a selection to the Pro Bowl. His efficiency went down in 2024 with significant drops in success rate and yards per carry, but he still finished with the seventh-most rushing yards (1,299) and the fifth-most rushing touchdowns (14) in the league. Across the last two seasons overall, Williams has rushed for 2,443 yards and 14 touchdowns, which both rank among the top three running backs in the NFL.
Williams will be looking to capitalize off of that production, as well as an increase in the running back market over the last year. From a negotiating standpoint, he may look at his league ranks and aim for a top-three APY at the position. That would push Williams’ initial demands over $14MM per year, a number that Los Angeles would likely be hesitant to match this offseason.
The Rams’ current valuation for Williams’ extension is different than his own asking price, per Rodrigue. He has only one full season under his belt after landing on injured reserve with ankle sprains in each of his first two years in the league. The former Notre Dame standout is a solid receiver with 66 catches in the last two years, but he doesn’t profile as a pass-catching weapon out of the backfield like some of the league’s highest-paid running backs.
Snead indicated that Williams could enter the 2025 season without a new deal, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of an extension in the future.
“If it doesn’t happen this year, it doesn’t mean that Kyren is not going to be a part (of) next year, doesn’t mean that we don’t do something a year from now,” he said (via Rodrigue).
As a result, the Rams will likely keep a close eye on Williams’ health and efficiency in 2025 as they continue negotiations. His Pro Bowl selection upgraded his 2025 salary to $5.35MM via the Proven Performance Escalator, per OverTheCap. Combined with his $78k signing bonus proration, his cap hit will be $5.42MM, though an extension could reduce that number by $3.4MM.
Titans Re-Sign Justin Hardee
The Titans have re-signed special teams ace Justin Hardee to a one-year deal, as first reported by FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz and confirmed by senior team writer Jim Wyatt.
2024 was Hardee’s first year in Tennessee, where he appeared in nine games with 185 snaps exclusively on special teams. He will take up a similar role in 2025 under new special teams coordinator John Fassel, according to Main Street Media’s Terry McCormick.
Originally a wide receiver at Illinois, Hardee converted to cornerback as an undrafted rookie in 2017. He didn’t make the Texans’ 53-man roster, but carved out a special teams role in New Orleans where he made 14 appearances. He remained with the Saints through the 2020 season, playing a handful of snaps on defense while continuing as a core special teams contributor.
Hardee’s reliability on special teams earned him a three-year, $6.75MM contract with the Jets in 2021. He played in every game in his first two seasons, but missed six games in 2023 due to a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve. Hardee was also named to his first career Pro Bowl in 2022.
He then signed with the Browns in 2024, but was released during final roster cuts. He bounced around a few practice squads – first in Cleveland, then in Carolina – before signing with the Titans at the end of October.
As an eight-year veteran, Hardee will receive a salary of at least $1.255MM. His success on special teams throughout his career could earn him a better contract with a higher base value and/or additional guarantees.
NFL Competition Committee ‘Split’ On Tush Push Ban
MARCH 31: Although McDermott’s team has increasingly turned to using a version of this play, the competition committee member confirmed Monday (via 94WIP.com’s Eliot Shorr-Parks) he would support banning it. This sets up a rather significant vote Tuesday.
MARCH 30: In 2022, the Eagles introduced the “tush push,” an extremely effective quarterback sneak with players pushing Jalen Hurts from behind to secure first downs in short-yardage situations. Three years later, the NFL is considering banning the play based on a proposal submitted by the Packers.
The proposed rule change would “prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap,” per ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler. Green Bay’s proposal is expected to be “hotly contested” during league meetings in Florida this week and will likely be voted on by team owners Tuesday. This comes shortly after The Athletic’s Dianna Russini indicated some momentum has emerged for banning the play.
There is support for the rule change on the NFL’s competition committee, comprised of 10 coaches and executives. Among them are Rams head coach Sean McVay and Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who had an “animated side conversation” with Eagles executives Howie Roseman and Jon Ferrari on Sunday afternoon, according to Kahler. That was after a football operations meeting produced a “heated” discussion when the proposed language was introduced.
The competition committee is “split” on the tush push ban, per Mark Maske of The Washington Post. The same is true of the league’s 32-team voting body, 24 of whom would need to vote in favor of the ban for it to be implemented.
Resistance from within the committee is likely led by McDermott, whose Bills have adopted the play from the Eagles. Combined, they have run the play more times than the other 30 teams combined over the last three years, leading to accusations that the Packers’ proposal is unfairly targeting the two teams.
Falcons CEO Rich McKay, who chairs the competition committee, acknowledged that belief on Sunday.
“The thing that nobody likes about the discussion we are having…is that the rule is directed towards two teams,” said McKay (via Kahler). “I don’t think any of us like the fact that there are teams associated with this rule proposal.”
The Packers listed player safety and pace of play as the reason for their proposal, though little evidence exists (or can exist) of either claim. Other teams believe that Green Bay wants to ban the play because they can neither replicate it on offense nor stop it on defense.
The play was only run 101 times in 2024, 0.28% of the league’s total plays, according to Kahler, so there is not enough data to support player safety concerns. The same goes for pace of play, though the Commanders’ repeated penalties in January’s NFC championship game could be a blueprint for how teams may approach defending the tush push in the future.
Rather than give up an easy touchdown at the goal line, Washington tried to jump Philadelphia’s snaps, leading to four penalties in the span of six plays. Each flag only advanced the ball half the distance to the end zone, and the Eagles couldn’t score. Eventually, referee Shawn Hochuli stepped in and warned the Commanders that another penalty would result in the officials awarding a touchdown to the Eagles, relying on a little-used rule prohibiting a “palpably unfair act.”
The NFL has a multitude of reasons to want to avoid a recurrence of the Commanders’ strategy. Other teams may try to force referees into the difficult position of uniformly enforcing an obscure rule to award a touchdown to a team that never actually reached the end zone. That would complicate league efforts to keep officiating consistent and take considerable time and excitement out of the game.
There are other arguments to ban the tush push. One is consistency with league rules that prohibit pushing in other situations.
“We don’t allow the linebackers to push the defensive linemen on extra points and we’re just trying to be consistent,” said Stephen Jones, the co-owner of the Cowboys and a member of the competition committee, before offering a counterargument against concerns about targeting the Bills and the Eagles. “These quarterbacks, I’m sure they would be wildly successful whether you’re pushed or not,” continued Jones (via Kahler). “I’m sure [Hurts will] make first downs at a high rate, whether someone’s pushing him or not, because he’s an inordinately strong special athlete.”
While a tush push ban would have a disproportionate effect on the Eagles and the Bills, both teams would still retain the core advantage that makes them so successful: extremely powerful quarterbacks. Kahler also described more general criticism about the tush push for the nature of the play: “Coaches, executives and players have argued it’s not a football play, with some comparing it to a rugby play.”
If the rule is approved, the NFL will then have to figure out how to enforce it. That uncertainty is another reason that teams may hesitate to vote for the Packers’ proposal. The Eagles believe they have some support to stop the rule change given that three of their former assistant coaches were hired as head coaches in the last two years.
“We’ll see how it goes,” said Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. “All I will say about it is (Jonathan) Gannon, (Shane) Steichen and (Kellen) Moore better vote for it. They are in the position right now because of that play. So all three, I better have those three votes right there and the Eagles’ vote. I at least know we have four.”
Based on comments by Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles, Texans GM Nick Caserio, and Ravens HC John Harbaugh, those three teams are unlikely to support the tush push ban either, according to Rob Maaddi of The Associated Press. Bowles and Caserio believe that teams should have to figure out how to stop the play. Harbaugh offered a different take on Stephen Jones’ consistency argument, saying that officiating is already inconsistent in regards to pushing.
If Gannon’s Cardinals, Steichen’s Colts, and Moore’s Saints also vote no, only two more teams would be needed to shoot down the Packers’ proposal. That would preserve the tush push for the 2025 season, though teams could certainly renew efforts to ban it next offseason.
Russell Wilson Expects To Be Giants’ Starting QB
MARCH 31: To little surprise, Giants general manager Joe Schoen confirmed at the league meetings on Monday (via Dunleavy’s colleague Paul Schwartz) Wilson will operate as the team’s starter when offseason workouts begin in the near future. It remains to be seen if the upcoming draft will include the addition of a rookie under center, but Wilson will receive the first opportunity to lock down the QB1 gig in New York.
MARCH 26: Russell Wilson signed in New York planning to take over as the Giants’ starting quarterback. His contract, as well as the team’s other moves this offseason, tell a different story.
“I expect to be the starter,” said Wilson at his introductory press conference (via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post). “I think this team is looking for someone to lead them in every way.”
Was Wilson promised the first crack at the starting job, or was he declaring his intention to earn it?
His one-year contract with a base value of $10.5MM suggests the latter. That would be the lowest salary of any starting quarterback not on their rookie contract. Justin Fields is expected to start for the Jets at a $20M APY, and Daniel Jones signed with the Colts for $14MM to compete with Anthony Richardson for the starting gig.
Wilson’s deal also includes another $10.5MM of incentives, $7.5MM of which are “based on a variety of play-time, performance, and playoff incentives,” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The remaining $3MM can be earned on a per-game basis if Wilson plays more than 50% of the team’s offensive snaps and the Giants win.
In other words, Wilson’s contract will only reach starter-level money if he starts and succeeds. Staying at his base value would make him an expensive backup, but that would mean the Giants have a much cheaper starter in Winston or a rookie.
Winston’s deal is worth $8MM over two years with another $8MM available via incentives with triggers that have yet to be reported. Given Wilson’s incentive structure, it will be impossible for both quarterbacks to reach the maximum values of their deals.
The veterans’ earning potential could also be threatened by a rookie quarterback, should the Giants choose to go that route in the draft. Wilson has frequently been tagged as a potential mentor for a rookie, but he doesn’t see his role in the same light, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. He’s in New York to win football games.
“If we draft a quarterback, we’ll make sure he does everything he can to be ready to go,” said Wilson (via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News). “But for me it’s about the process of winning. I’m focused on winning as the QB of the Giants to help us win.”
Titans Refute Report Of Will Levis Trade Talks
Titans executive Chad Brinker refuted a recent report that the team was engaging in talks to trade quarterback Will Levis
“That’s a false report,” said Brinker, the team’s president of football operations (via senior team reporter Jim Wyatt). “We have not contacted anybody, and nobody has contacted us, about Will Levis.”
Levis was the Titans’ second-round pick in 2023 and took over as the team’s starting quarterback midway through his rookie year. In 2024, he made 12 starts, missing three games in the middle of the season due to injury and splitting time with Mason Rudolph to end the season. The Titans were interested in re-signing Rudolph, according to Wyatt, but he opted to return to Pittsburgh instead.
Rather than dealing Levis, the Titans see him as a potential starter in 2025, even if they were to use one of their top draft picks on a quarterback.
“The plan with Will Levis is he has a chance to compete for a starting job next year,” said Brinker. Even if he doesn’t win the job, his youth, athleticism, and familiarity with the Titans offense will likely keep him in place as a backup.
Brinker added that the team would prefer to have four quarterbacks heading into training camp. Currently, they have three: Levis, Brandon Allen, and Tim Boyle, the latter two of whom were signed to one-year deals in free agency. Brinker came up in a Packers organization that frequently had four quarterbacks in training camp, per Main Street Media’s Terry McCormick.
Brinker’s comments further indicate that the Titans will draft Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick, giving the team their fourth quarterback who can enter training camp competing with Levis for the starting job.