Zack Martin Still Undecided On Future
Cowboys All-Pro right guard Zack Martin was already going to consider retirement this offseason before an ankle injury required surgery that prematurely ended his 2024 season. Now, he’s waiting for his ankle to get healthy before making a decision about his future, per Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS Sports.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, have had a busy offseason, promoting Brian Schottenheimer to head coach and hiring Klayton Adams to replace Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator.
When asked if the staff changes made him more interested in continuing his career, Martin replied, “a little bit,” indicating that he is willing to give the team’s new leadership a chance before retiring.
However, Martin’s desire to return to the NFL isn’t the only factor. The Cowboys are already projected to be over the 2025 salary cap, per OverTheCap, though they have a few options to clear cap space (chiefly, a Micah Parsons extension). Still, Martin commanded an $18.425MM APY on his last contract, and he has remained one of the league’s best guards when healthy.
After 11 years in Dallas, Martin does not seem to have any desire to find a new NFL team for the last few years of his career. If he really wants to retire a Cowboy, he may be willing to take a below-market deal to stay in his longtime home.
If Martin does retire in the coming months, the Cowboys would have to account for the remainder of his signing bonus prorations as dead cap hits. Last year’s restructure will allow them to designate him as a post-June 1 cut, resulting in a $9.4MM dead cap charge in 2025 with $17.01MM pushed back to 2026.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 2/4/25
Here are today’s reserve/futures contracts signed around the NFL:
Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals
Washington Commanders
- OT Bobby Hart
Hart has not played in the NFL since 2022, but he played 98 games over the preceding eight seasons. He has 67 career starts, mostly at right tackle, but only has one year with a Pro Football Focus grade above 60.0 (subscription required).
Jaguars Request GM Interview With 49ers’ Josh Williams
The Jaguars have ramped up their general manager search process, requesting an interview with 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Williams has spent the last 14 seasons with the 49ers, starting as a scouting assistant in 2011. He then spent three years as a pro personnel scout before moving to college scouting. Williams was an area scout from 2017 to 2021 and a national scout from 2022 to 2023. He was then promoted to his current title where he “directs pro and college scouting efforts, supports player development, and assists in contract negotiations,” according to his team bio.
It’s difficult to attribute an individual scout’s contributions to his team’s draft classes, but the 49ers unearthed several future stars on Day 3 during Williams’ tenure. That list includes George Kittle, Dre Greenlaw, and Brock Purdy, though the team’s recent history on Days 1 and 2 is less consistent.
Williams certainly played a major role in the 49ers’ last offseason, which featured several veteran signings on defense with mixed results. Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos combined for 12.5 sacks, but De’Vondre Campbell and Jordan Elliott struggled to make an impact.
It’s still too early for definitive conclusions on San Francisco’s 2024 draft class, but initial returns have been positive. Renardo Green, Dominick Puni, and Malik Mustapha all earned starting roles as rookies, while Ricky Pearsall and Isaac Guerendo both flashed in limited roles on offense.
Williams will join a growing list of candidates for the Jaguars’ general manager job. Below are the rest of the names connected with the vacancy:
- Chad Alexander, assistant general manager (Chargers): Interview requested
- Brandon Brown, assistant general manager (Giants): Interview requested
- Trey Brown, senior personnel executive (Bengals): Interview requested
- Ian Cunningham, assistant general manager (Bears): Interview requested
- James Gladstone, scouting director (Rams): Interview requested
- Mike Greenberg, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): Declined interview
- Jon Robinson, former general manager (Titans): One of top candidates?
- Josh Williams, director of scouting and football operations (49ers): Interview requested
Texans To Hire Nick Caley As OC
The Texans are hiring Nick Caley to be their next offensive coordinator, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.
Caley was a longtime assistant in New England under Bill Belichick before being hired by Sean McVay as the Rams’ tight ends coach in 2023. Caley added pass-game coordinator to his title in 2024 and emerged as one of the league’s most coveted offensive coordinator candidates in recent weeks. He interviewed with the Buccaneers and was reportedly the Jets’ top choice, but turned them down in favor of the Texans.
In Houston, Caley will succeed Bobby Slowik, who was fired after the Texans offense took a significant step back last season. Of particular concern was Slowik’s pass protection scheme, which allowed 54 sacks in 2024 (fifth-most in the NFL). The Rams, meanwhile, allowed just 31 sacks (sixth-fewest), though both teams dealt with a rash of injuries along their offensive lines.
Caley is yet another McVay disciple to take on a top coaching job this offseason. His connections to the Texans run even deeper, dating back to his days with the Patriots and his time at John Carroll University, per Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic. Namely, general manager Nick Caserio is a John Carroll alumnus who later spent time with Caley in New England.
C.J. Stroud‘s status as a franchise quarterback made the Texans one of the most sought-after OC jobs this hiring cycle, along with the young talent of Nico Collins and Tank Dell at wide receiver. Caley’s main task will be improving an offensive line that struggled in 2024 outside of Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. The Texans will also be hoping that Caley’s history as a tight ends coach will help get the most out of Dalton Schultz, who disappointed in his debut season in Houston.
Caley backed out of the Jets’ OC search, doing so after reports pegged the ex-Belichick and McVay staffer as the frontrunner. Tanner Engstrand ended up following Aaron Glenn from Detroit. Caley also is believed to have received an offer to take over as Patriots OC last year, and he met with the Buccaneers last month. A journey as a rising candidate will stop in Houston, as Caley will be tasked with orchestrating a Stroud bounce-back effort.
The Texans conducted a thorough OC search before landing on Caley, considering several internal promotions as well as top candidates from other NFL teams and the college ranks. Via PFR’s OC/DC Search Tracker, here is a full list of their candidates:
- Nick Caley, tight ends coach (Rams): Hired
- Brian Johnson, pass game coordinator (Commanders): Interview requested
- Jerrod Johnson, quarterbacks coach (Texans): Interviewed 1/27
- Chip Kelly, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (Ohio State): Team has interest
- Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator (Saints): Mentioned as candidate; hired by Seahawks
- Bill Lazor, senior offensive assistant (Texans): Interviewed 1/30
- Thad Lewis, quarterbacks coach (Buccaneers): Interviewed 1/28
- Ben McDaniels, wide receivers coach/pass-game coordinator (Texans): Mentioned as candidate
- Jeff Nixon, offensive coordinator (Syracuse): Interviewed 1/27
- Grant Udinski, assistant quarterbacks coach (Vikings): Interviewed 1/30
Ravens Notes: Johnson, Santucci, Ricard, Rosengarten, Jackson
Part of the Ravens’ calculus in acquiring Diontae Johnson at last year’s trade deadline (and reclaiming him off waivers after the regular season) was the potential to recoup a compensatory pick for him when he left in free agency.
However, Johnson’s lack of production and locker room issues in both Baltimore and Houston is expected to scuttle any chance of him getting a contract that would qualify for the compensatory formula. Instead, Johnson will likely sign a one-year deal for the veteran minimum that could earn him more money with incentives, per Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline.
His 51.0 yards per game in Carolina had him on pace for a sizable payday in free agency that would have likely netted his former team a compensatory pick, but his struggles with the Ravens and the Texans cratered his value. He only made three catches for 18 yards across five games and expressed frustration with his minimal role with both teams. As a consistent (albeit target-dependent) wideout over the course of his career, Johnson will likely have a chance to rebuild his value next season.
- After moving on from inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone last week, the Ravens have tapped Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci as his replacement on Zach Orr‘s staff, per a team announcement. The 36-year-old Santucci was previously the defensive coordinator at Duke and received NFL interest in the past, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Ravens will be hoping that Santucci can develop 2023 third-rounder Trenton Simpson after his disappointing 2024 season.
- Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said that the team hopes to re-sign All-Pro fullback Patrick Ricard, who is set to hit free agency in March, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec. Ricard has expressed his desire to stay in Baltimore, per Ravens team reporters Ryan Mink and Matt Ryan. “I want to stay here,” said Ricard after the Ravens’ season ended. “I want to be here. I want to retire here. We’ll see what happens when the time comes.” Ricard had a bigger role under Greg Roman compared to recently-extended Ravens OC Todd Monken, but still maintained a 39% snap share over the last two seasons as part of Baltimore’s league-best rushing offense. Few teams use a fullback at the same rate, so Ricard may not see a robust market if he enters free agency, further incentivizing a return to the Ravens.
- Baltimore has just under $6MM in cap space entering the offseason, per OverTheCap, so they will need to create space to retain Ricard and other key free agents like Ronnie Stanley. The Ravens could look to restructure Lamar Jackson‘s deal, per Zrebiec, which could create up to $15.8MM in cap space. That would further backload Jackson’s deal, which is already set to have cap hits of $74.65MM in 2026 and 2027.
- If the Ravens can’t re-sign Stanley, they may consider moving Roger Rosengarten to left tackle, according to Zrebiec. The 2024 second-round pick started most of his rookie year at right tackle. He played the same position at the University of Washington, where he was entrusted to protect left-handed Michael Penix‘s blindside.
Raiders To Hire Brennan Carroll As OL Coach
The Raiders are hiring University of Washington offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll to be their offensive line coach and run-game coordinator, as first reported by Yogi Roth of the Big Ten Network and confirmed by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.
Brennan Carroll is the son of Pete Carroll, the Raiders’ new head coach. Brennan previously coached under his father at USC and with the Seahawks, holding the titles of assistant offensive line coach (2015-2019) and run game coordinator (2020) in Seattle. He left the Seahawks to take over as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at the University of Arizona, where he stayed for three seasons before accepting a similar position with the Huskies.
Carroll’s departure will continue multiple offseasons of turnover for the Washington football program. In 2024, head coach Kalen DeBoer was tapped to replace Nick Saban at Alabama, while offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb took the same job with the Seahawks. The Huskies then hired Jedd Fisch away from Arizona to replace DeBoer. Fisch brought Carroll with him to Washington as OC and installed Steve Belichick as defensive coordinator. Interestingly, both Carroll and Belichick left the Huskies this year to take jobs on their father’s new staffs: Carroll in Las Vegas, and Belichick in North Carolina.
Huskies quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty also received interest from multiple NFL teams in this hiring cycle, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, but he opted to take a promotion to offensive coordinator to stay in Washington.
In Las Vegas, Carroll will go to work improving on the NFL’s worst rushing attack in 2024. The Raiders finished with just 1,357 rushing yards and 3.6 yards per attempt, both league-lows by a significant margin. Getting more talent in the backfield beyond Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah will be a priority this offseason, but the offensive line is in good shape. Kolton Miller put up another solid season at left tackle, while rookies Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze emerged as reliable starters. The unit can still get better, but combined with Andre James and Dylan Parham, the Raiders have a decent starting five heading into next season, especially if they can further develop their younger linemen.
Raiders Hire Chip Kelly As OC
10:01pm: Kelly is leaving Columbus for a historic coordinator sum. As the team told candidates it was prepared to make a “serious” cash infusion with help from its new ownership pieces, SI.com’s Albert Breer reports Kelly will become the NFL’s highest-paid coordinator — on a salary of $6MM per year. This price triples what Kelly was earning at Ohio State, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler adds.
An AAV higher than $5MM has not previously been mentioned for coordinators, as the Buccaneers were prepared to venture toward the $4.5MM-per-year number to retain Liam Coen. Kelly has been out of the NFL for the past eight seasons; his return will bring a stunning salary.
4:36pm: The Raiders are continuing to add to new head coach Pete Carroll‘s staff, hiring longtime college and NFL coach Chip Kelly to be their next offensive coordinator, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Kelly recently won a national championship as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator after a six-year stint as UCLA’s head coach. His last NFL job was as head coach for the 49ers in 2016, though he lasted just one season after a 2-14 finish. Before that, he spent three years as the Eagles’ head coach.
Carroll seems to be prioritizing experience for his new staff. He already retained defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and is now adding the 61-year-old Kelly, who is entering his 35th season as a coach between the NFL and college levels. Kelly also was closely tied to the Raiders last year, when he interviewed twice to be Antonio Pierce‘s OC. Luke Getsy wound up with the job Kliff Kingsbury declined, but a Tom Brady-led housecleaning brought Kelly back into the Vegas mix.
The two veteran coaches have spent time as rivals, both in the Pac-12 and the NFC West. Kelly’s time at Oregon overlapped with Carroll’s tenure as USC’s head coach, and the two also coached against each other in 2016 when Carroll was the Seahawks’ head coach. The 49ers lost both games to the Seahawks in 2016, but Kelly’s Oregon squad upset Carroll’s No. 5 USC in 2009.
Kelly will have his work cut out for him in Las Vegas. The Raiders finished 27th in points and 29th in yards last season, due in no small part to an unstable quarterback situation and the midseason departure of Davante Adams. 2024 first-round pick Brock Bowers quickly established himself as one of the league’s best tight ends, but the rest of the Raiders offense lacks high-end talent.
Kelly’s first order of business will be finding a new quarterback. Gardner Minshew is still under contract for the 2025 season, but will be coming off a season-ending broken collarbone suffered in October. Even when healthy, though, Minshew struggled, making it clear that he is not the future of the franchise. With the second-most cap space in the NFL as well as the sixth overall pick in April’s draft, Las Vegas has the resources to substantially improve their quarterback situation this offseason.
Prior to this Kelly hire, it was looking like a Carroll-Darrell Bevell reunion was close. The Raiders had interviewed Carroll’s former Seahawks OC, and after an initial offering suggesting the veteran assistant was the lead candidate to end up as Las Vegas’ play-caller, a Saturday report did not disrupt that. Despite Kelly only being linked to the Jaguars and Texans in this year’s cycle, he will have a big opportunity to help Carroll’s Raiders stabilization effort take shape. Bevell remains on the Dolphins’ staff as quarterbacks coach.
Although Kelly flamed out in Philadelphia after an eventful 2015 in which Jeffrey Lurie gave him personnel power by demoting GM Howie Roseman, he posted two winning seasons with the team prior to that seminal setback. The Eagles won the NFC East in 2013, and they went 10-6 in 2014, doing so despite a season-ending Nick Foles injury. Kelly went 6-9 before being fired after Week 16 during the 2015 season. His immediate 49ers hire continued the NFC West franchise’s mid-2010s descent, and Kelly ended up at UCLA two years later.
OC interest formed for Kelly last year, but he opted to leave a head coaching post — as the NIL and transfer portal components have wreaked havoc on the college game — for a coordinator gig in Columbus. That turned out to pay dividends, as Ohio State stormed back from a Michigan loss to close the regular season en route to a national title.
Kelly’s move to the NFL from the Buckeyes will also stir speculation about the Raiders’ draft plans. Kelly may want to target some of his former players, especially on the offensive side of the ball. That list could include projected first-rounders offensive tackle Josh Simmons and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, as well as quarterback Will Howard and running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins on Day 2. Kelly will have significantly more information and familiarity – along with a proven track record of success – with those players than any other NFL team.
With Kelly hired, the Raiders can now fill out the rest of their offensive staff. He may want to bring some assistants with him from Ohio State, though some of the current coaches in Las Vegas could be retained as well.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Raiders Rumors: Telesco, Davis, Brady, Pierce, Carroll, Belichick, Leonard
After a playoff win drought of more than 20 years, Raiders owner Mark Davis was hoping that adding Tom Brady to the ownership group would result in a transformative offseason.
Indeed, Brady was a key voice in the Raiders’ decisions to fire head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco, as well as the team’s subsequent search processes to fill both positions, per The Athletic’s Tashan Reed. Las Vegas ultimately hired Pete Carroll as head coach and John Spytek as general manager, but Brady will continue to play a role in football operations.
[RELATED: Raiders To Hire Chip Kelly As OC]
Davis praised Pierce’s locker room leadership, but finishing in last place in the AFC West for the first time since 2018 was too much for the 46-year-old coach to overcome. “We just felt it was time for a change,” said Davis (via Reed).
Davis was satisfied with Telesco’s 2024 draft class, which featured star tight end Brock Bowers in the first round and starting offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and Delmar Glaze on Day 2. However, Davis hinted that he was disappointed with Telesco’s free agency signings in the offseason, which included a massive four-year, $110MM contract for defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.
Wilkins played in just five games with two sacks before suffering a Jones fracture in his foot that would require season-ending surgery. The Raiders’ other major signing, quarterback Gardner Minshew, similarly failed to live up to his two-year, $25MM deal. He posted a passer rating of 81.0 before a broken collarbone ended his season. Pierce had benched Minshew on multiple occasions prior to that injury, effectively ensuring the veteran QB would not be back in 2025.
The list goes on: Alexander Mattison (one year, $2MM) averaged just 3.2 yards per carry, while veteran offensive linemen Cody Whitehair (one year, $2.5MM) and Andrus Peat (one year, $2MM) combined for just four starts. Wide receiver signings Michael Gallup (one year, $1.75MM) and Jalen Guyton (one year, $1.29MM) were not on the team’s 53-man roster by the time the regular season started.
Telesco choosing Bowers, who went on to break Mike Ditka‘s 63-year-old record for rookie tight end yardage, only to be fired after one season does seem a bit hasty. At the time of the ouster, it was reported Brady and Davis decided to start fresh to align the team’s next HC and GM. Telesco has been fired twice in 13 months, after seeing a 63-21 Raiders demolition over the Chargers end his stay in Los Angeles. Telesco and Pierce butted heads on the quarterback issue, which effectively went unaddressed — as far as the big picture is concerned — much to the coach’s chagrin.
As Davis did in December, Carroll confirmed Brady will have a significant role in helping the Raiders identify a quarterback. Viewed by most as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Brady is now operating in a historically unusual dual role — lead FOX announcer and Raiders part-owner/personnel exec. Brady, 47, is not leaving FOX after this season; the 23-year veteran QB will try to balance these roles moving forward.
“We happen to have the greatest of all time to help us,” Carroll said, via Reed and The Athletic colleague Vic Tafur. “And we’re going to lean on Tom as much as we possibly can. Because nobody has the insights that he has.”
Davis had eyed Brady to fill a football ops role after Jon Gruden “had his head chopped off,” referring to the latter’s forced resignation in light of the problematic emails that surfaced in 2021 as part of the NFL’s Dan Snyder investigation. Gruden remains embroiled in a lawsuit against the NFL, while Brady and ex-college teammate and Buccaneers coworker Spytek will work together to help rebuild the Raiders.
The Raiders were briefly connected to Bill Belichick to team with Brady, but those rumors did not get far off the ground. Belichick signed his North Carolina contract, and while the $10MM buyout is not believed to have proved to be much of an issue for NFL teams, six jobs are now gone. One going to Carroll, who is seven months older than Belichick, may not be sitting too well with an eight-time Super Bowl winner who passed on a second NFL carousel ride to preemptively enter the college ranks. Talk in NFL circles pointed to Belichick not being pleased about the Raiders hiring Carroll, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes.
While the Raiders moving the bar for oldest head coach ever hired (by seven years) could reopen the door for Belichick, his passing on an aggressive NFL push now will still make matters difficult if he decides to do so in 2026. Belichick would turn 74 before Week 1 of the ’26 season. Carroll is in place as a short-term Raiders fix; it will be interesting to see how Belichick fares in a similar role in Chapel Hill.
Carroll already retained Patrick Graham as DC, and he will keep Rob Leonard in place as D-line coach, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds. The Raiders interviewed Leonard for the DC post, and they are adding an additional title — that of run-game coordinator — to his duties for the 2025 season. Leonard has previously coached with the Giants, Dolphins and Ravens.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post
Jaguars Meet With Ron Rivera, Hire Tem Lukabu As LBs Coach
Former Commanders and Panthers head coach Ron Rivera met with the Jaguars over the weekend regarding a role on Liam Coen‘s new coaching staff, per Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley.
Rivera has been eyeing a return to the NFL this offseason. He was fired as the Commanders’ head coach after the 2023 season and spent the last year away from football. Over the last two months, he has interviewed with the Bears, the Jets, and the Raiders regarding their head-coaching vacancies, though he was not considered a finalist for any of the three jobs.
The Jaguars also hired former Panthers outside linebackers coach Tem Lukabu, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Lukabu will be the linebackers coach in Jacksonville under new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, who was hired on Friday.
Campanile’s hire was a crucial decision given Coen’s history as an offensive coach. Campanile has been in the NFL for just five years with no play-calling experience, though he was co-defensive coordinator at Boston College in 2018.
Bringing in a longtime defensive coach like Rivera could help Campanile transition into his new role. Both spent time as linebackers coaches before earning their first jobs as defensive coordinators at 42 years of age.
Rivera’s 13 years as a head coach could also provide Coen, a first-time head coach, with more guidance on leading an entire football team. The 63-year-old Rivera’s 28 seasons of coaching experience would balance out the relative youth of Coen’s initial staff in Jacksonville.
Steelers Want To Improve At WR, Have Not Begun George Pickens Extension Talks
Steelers owner Art Rooney II admitted that the team will be looking to improve their receiver room this offseason after struggling to find consistency at the position in 2024 outside of George Pickens.
“I think we have positions in the wide receiver room we’re going to have to address,” said Rooney (via Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show).
Bringing in a high-profile wideout to take targets away from Pickens could cause tension with the mercurial 23-year-old, something Rooney addressed in his press conference.
“I think every team seems to have one or two guys in that room that you have to manage them correctly,” said Rooney. “I still think George has enough talent that we’ve got to try to work and see if we can get him to fulfill the talent that he really has.”
Indeed, despite repeated incidents at Georgia and in Pittsburgh, Pickens has been the Steelers’ best receiver since he was drafted. Head coach Mike Tomlin is no stranger to getting the most out of intense personalities (Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell), which Rooney referenced as well.
“But when you have guys that are as talented as some of the guys you’re probably thinking of, you try to work with them and have them help you be successful,” he said, adding that the team has yet to work on an extension for Pickens.
Pickens is under contract for 2025, as is Calvin Austin, the team’s second-leading receiver, but Van Jefferson and Mike Williams are both set to hit free agency. Rooney’s comments indicate that he is planning to go in another direction, though he’s more focused on the Steelers’ future at quarterback.
“That’s priority No. 1,” said Rooney. “The quarterback position is a key piece of the puzzle that needs to be addressed.”
But the Steelers’ offseason resources – the 21st overall pick and more than $40MM in cap space, per OverTheCap – are better attuned to bolster their receiving corps. It’s unlikely one of the draft’s top quarterbacks falls to Pittsburgh, and none of the available veterans profile as high-upside options. The 2025 receiver class is far deeper in both the draft and free agency, forcing the Steelers into a tough offseason dilemma. They can improve their weapons on offense, but that may not be enough to break their playoff win drought without a better long-term quarterback.