Extensions For Jets’ 2022 First-Rounders Not Imminent; Team Unlikely To Explore Early Extension For RB Breece Hall
There are myriad reasons why the Jets have failed to post an above-.500 record since 2015, but the top of their 2022 draft class is not one of them. CB Sauce Gardner (No. 4 overall pick in 2022), WR Garrett Wilson (No. 10), and DE Jermaine Johnson (No. 26) form a talented young foundation that could help lead the club back to playoff contention, and that trio is now extension-eligible for the first time.
Gardner, 24, took a step back last year after earning First Team All-Pro acclaim in each of his first two pro seasons. Still, a player who possesses his youth and talent and who plays a premium position can command a massive second contract, and the Cincinnati product has made clear his desire to sign such a contract with the Jets.
“I want to be part of this for a long time,“ Gardner said back in January. “I want to be part of the change in this organization.“
Wilson, also 24, seemed a bit more reticent about his future with New York, at least partially because of perceived tension with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and competition for targets with 2024 deadline acquisition Davante Adams. However, with the club having released both of the former Packers standouts, it is believed Wilson is more amenable to a long-term relationship with Gang Green (which could be especially true now that he has been reunited with college teammate Justin Fields; ESPN’s Rich Cimini details the close relationship the former Buckeyes enjoy).
Johnson, 26, was limited to just two games in 2024 due to an Achilles tear, though he totaled 7.5 sacks, 25 pressures, and a forced fumble in 2023, his first season as a full-time starter. The Jets are expected to exercise his fifth-year option for 2026, and Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic (subscription required) confirms that the team plans to exercise the option for all three of its 2022 first-rounders (picking up the Gardner and Wilson options is a particularly easy call for new GM Darren Mougey to make).
Naturally, the players themselves want to land lucrative extensions sooner rather than later, while the Jets may not feel as pressured since they can keep all three under club control through 2026 via the fifth-year option and can put the franchise tag on one of them for the 2027 season. On the other hand, as Connor Hughes of SNY.tv observes, locking up a player when they are first eligible sends a positive message to the player and the team as a whole, and it can get a second contract out of the way before markets for certain positions soar even higher.
Hughes believes Mougey is more amenable than his predecessor, Joe Douglas, to entertain an early extension. Douglas was not necessarily adverse to the idea; in order for him to green-light such a deal, though, he wanted certain concessions from the player (lower guarantees, longer contract term, etc.). Mougey may not be as demanding in that regard.
That could spell good news for the Gardner/Wilson/Johnson triumvirate. But Hughes – in a piece that was published before free agency got underway – said no extensions are imminent.
At this year’s scouting combine, in response to a question about whether he would sign off on extensions for Gardner and Wilson, Mougey said, “[t]he to-do list is to keep good young players on the team and add good players, so yeah” (via Cimini).
Cimini observes that Mougey did not set a concrete date for talks to commence, and he also points out that cornerbacks and wide receivers have not generally received new deals prior to their fourth NFL season. That said, recent contracts authorized for players like Patrick Surtain II, Jaylen Waddle, and DeVonta Smith could indicate the league is changing its modus operandi.
According to Hughes, the negotiations for Gardner are expected to be straightforward. Despite not earning any Pro Bowl or All-Pro accolades for his 2024 work, there is no doubt he will reset the CB market. Wilson will be trickier, because although he is a terrific player, it could be difficult to pinpoint exactly where he falls in the league’s WR hierarchy (and of course he could value himself differently than the Jets do).
None of the writers cited above mention Johnson’s name in connection with an extension in the near future. His Achilles injury certainly muddies the waters a bit, and player and team may prefer to wait to see how he rebounds before engaging in substantive contract talks.
Similarly, Rosenblatt says it is unlikely the Jets pursue an early extension for running back Breece Hall (who, as a 2022 second-rounder, is is not subject to a fifth-year option and is therefore eligible for free agency in 2026). Hall was electric in his rookie season, turning 80 carries into 463 yards (5.8 YPC) and four rushing TDs. ACL and meniscus tears ended that promising showing early, and while he rebounded to play a full 17-game slate in 2023, he was not quite as explosive (though his 4.5 YPC average was still strong).
His efficiency dipped again in 2024, as he posted a 4.2 YPC rate over 209 carries. He continues to be a valuable receiving weapon, as he has notched 133 receptions for 1,074 yards and seven receiving scores over the past two seasons, but the dynamo that took the league by (an admittedly brief) storm in 2022 has not resurfaced.
Two 2024 draftees, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, are under contract through 2027 and could represent the Jets’ long-term future at the RB position.
Ravens Release S Marcus Williams
The Ravens have officially announced the release of veteran safety Marcus Williams, per club staff writer Clifton Brown. The two sides agreed to a restructure back in January to help facilitate this exit, and now it’s come to fruition. The move will have a post-June 1 designation, as expected.
Following a five-year run in New Orleans, Williams was one of the league’s top free agents in 2022. He inked a five-year, $70MM deal with the Ravens that year and naturally faced high expectations upon arrival. The early returns were promising, as Williams intercepted three passes in his first two games in Baltimore and ultimately finished the campaign as Pro Football Focus’ 18th-best safety out of 88 qualified players.
That said, the formerly durable defender was limited to 10 games in 2022 due to injury, and he missed six more in 2023. His health woes — along with, perhaps, the depatures of defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson — conspired to tank Williams’ 2024 showing.
Williams was at less than full strength for much of last year, though his starting spot was not in jeopardy early in the season. Poor performance and missed assignments forced the Ravens to bench him as part of their midseason defensive adjustments, and from Week 11 onward, Williams appeared in a grand total of two snaps.
Baltimore’s defense performed much better after the benching, which made the decision to cut ties with Williams — who finished as PFF’s second-worst qualified safety in 2024 — even easier. The club will move forward with Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington at the safety spots, and the 28-year-old Williams will seek an opportunity to rebuild his stock and return to the form that made him a hot commodity not too long ago.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
Titans Sign DL Dre’Mont Jones
The Titans have agreed to sign veteran defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It will be a one-year, $10MM deal.
Nearly two years ago to the day, Jones signed a three-year, $51MM pact with the Seahawks as one of the more sought-after D-linemen on that year’s free agent market. After a strong platform year in 2022 with the Broncos, who selected him in the third-round of the 2019 draft, Jones came to Seattle with high expectations.
He did not quite live up to those expectations, however. The Ohio State product appeared in all 17 games (16 starts) in 2023, but he ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 55th-best interior defender out of 130 qualifiers. He contributed 4.5 sacks, his lowest total since his rookie campaign.
In an effort to help Jones get back to peak form, Seahawks head coach and celebrated defensive mind Mike Macdonald moved Jones around the formation during last year’s minicamp and had him line up with the outside linebackers and edge rushers as well as with the defensive tackles. Jones, who operated primarily from the interior during his first Seattle slate, had begun to see more time on the edge towards the tail end of that season, and Macdonald planned for that usage to continue in 2024.
It was not enough to prevent Jones, 28, from losing his starting job to rookie first-rounder Byron Murphy halfway through the season, which suggested he would not finish out his Seahawks contract. He was indeed released as part of a cap-related purge last week, though his age and his ability to generate a pass rush from the interior indicated he would not be unemployed for too long.
The Titans’ D-line was one of the team’s bright spots in a generally disappointing 2024 season, and Tennessee agreed to re-sign Sebastian Joseph-Day just two days ago. The trio of Joseph-Day, 2024 second-rounder T’Vondre Sweat, and three-time Pro Bowler Jeffery Simmons make for a strong unit, and Jones will add a high-upside, versatile piece that will give DC Dennard Wilson the ability to deploy the optimal defensive front depending on down-and-distance.
Cardinals Re-Sign L.J. Collier
L.J. Collier will remain in Arizona for 2025. The former first-round edge rusher has agreed to a one-year Cardinals deal, the team announced on Wednesday.
This contract has a maximum value of $4MM, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports. Collier played on one-year pacts for each of his first two Arizona campaigns, and over that span he collected slightly more than $2MM. Following a 2024 campaign that qualifies as easily the best of his career, he has secured a raise.
Switching teams in the NFC West proved to be beneficial for Collier. The former first-round pick of the Seahawks never saw a single-season snap share above 49% during his four-year rookie contract with the team, and he even found himself a healthy scratch at times. Seattle made the easy decision to decline his fifth-year option, which sent him to the open market during the 2023 offseason.
He signed for the veteran minimum with Arizona in March 2023, and he impressed during his first training camp and preseason in the desert. Unfortunately, a bicep tear ended the campaign after just one game, but the Cards had seen enough to bring him back for 2024.
In 17 games (15 starts) last year, Collier enjoyed a 54% snap share and posted career-highs in tackles (29) and sacks (3.5). Those numbers do not jump off the page, and the underlying metrics do not necessarily suggest he will have more statistical success in 2025; he received a poor 49.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which was lukewarm on his efforts as a pass rusher.
As ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss indicates, however, the 29-year-old Collier is a valuable locker room presence who fits well within the club’s defensive scheme. And, as a former Day 1 draft choice who has finally shown flashes of his potential, there is hope for continued growth, or at least a steady presence along the defensive front.
The Cardinals retained another member of their EDGE contingent by agreeing to a re-up with Baron Browning a few days ago, and they also made a big splash and struck an agreement with Josh Sweat on Monday.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Jets Sign Chukwuma Okorafor
After a very short-lived tenure with the Patriots, Chukwuma Okorafor has a new deal in place that will keep him in the AFC East. The veteran tackle signed with the Jets on Wednesday, per the transactions wire.
Okorafor’s 2024 season could not have gone much worse. The Patriots went into the year with major question marks along the offensive line, including left tackle. Okorafor was the first man up, but he lasted just 12 snaps in New England’s regular season opener before being benched for poor performance. Shortly thereafter, he voluntarily left the team and did not return.
It sounded as if he could even retire, as it was reported that he was “checked out mentally” and “contemplating his future in football.” Last month, though, it became clear that he intended to continue his playing career, and the Pats did him a favor by cutting him early so that he could get a head start on free agency.
Despite the forgettable 2024 season, Okorafor has found a new employer on the first day of the 2025 league year. And while he was clearly miscast as a blindside blocker, he has plenty of starting experience on the right side, serving as the Steelers’ primary RT from 2020-22 (he lost his starting job to Broderick Jones midway through the 2023 campaign).
Though Okorafor was not a world-beater during his time in Pittsburgh, he did enough to land a three-year, $29.25MM deal from the club in 2022. The above-referenced benching in 2023 was triggered not by especially poor play, but by unspecified comments he made at the end of a Week 8 loss.
The Jets allowed 2024 RT Morgan Moses to defect to the Patriots, and it would be surprising if Okorafor represented New York’s primary Moses replacement plan. He will nonetheless provide experienced depth at a (presumably) inexpensive rate.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Panthers, Christian Rozeboom Agree To Deal
Christian Rozeboom enjoyed a breakout season in 2024, and he has landed a new contract early in free agency. The veteran linebacker has agreed to a one-year deal with the Panthers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. 
Rozeboom, 28, signed with the Rams as a UDFA in 2020. He was waived during final cutdowns that year and ultimately spent the entire season on Los Angeles’ practice squad, though the club saw enough potential to keep him in the fold via a reserve/futures deal once the 2020 campaign ended. A similar fate awaited him in 2021, as he was waived before the start of the regular season and joined the Chiefs’ taxi squad shortly thereafter.
The South Dakota State product would go on to appear in one game for Kansas City in 2021 before the Rams poached him back by signing him to their active roster. He saw action in nine games for LA that year, with all of his snaps coming on special teams. He continued operating almost exclusively in the third phase in 2022 before getting his first real chance on defense in 2023.
That season, Rozeboom appeared in 17 games (five starts), and he enjoyed a 49% snap share. In 2024, he appeared in 17 games (11 starts), converting a 74% snap share into 135 total tackles — a top-20 figure — five tackles for loss, an interception, and a sack. Despite the high tackle totals, the advanced metrics were not high on his work, as Pro Football Focus considered him the 72nd-best LB out of 84 qualifiers and assigned him a roughly average grade against the run with subpar marks in the passing game.
There is some familiarity here, as Panthers DC Ejiro Evero was on the Rams’ defensive staff during Rozeboom’s first two years in the league. He will presumably compete for reps at the middle linebacker spot with incumbents Josey Jewell and Trevin Wallace, and he represents another part of the club’s plan to fortify its defense in free agency.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Texans To Re-Sign DE Derek Barnett, LB Jake Hansen; Team To Sign WR Braxton Berrios, DB Tremon Smith
Derek Barnett is staying in Houston, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. After being claimed off waivers by the Texans in 2023, Barnett remained with the club via a one-year, $2MM pact last offseason and will sign a one-year, $5MM deal this year.
Barnett is now entering his age-29 season, and after serving as a primary starter on the Eagles’ defensive line earlier in his career, it appears those days are behind him. He nonetheless has earned the trust of head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke, and he saw a 38% snap share last year. That was enough to get him five sacks — his highest total since the 2020 campaign — and two fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns. He never quite justified Philadelphia’s draft investment (he was the No. 14 overall pick of the 2017 draft), but he is a valuable edge presence behind Houston’s starting tandem of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson.
The Texans have also agreed to sign WR Braxton Berrios to a one-year, $2MM contract, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Often lauded more for his return work than his receiving acumen, Berrios did not record a single catch during the six games in which he appeared in 2024 (he suffered an ACL tear in Week 7). However, he did return three kickoffs for 76 yards and seven punts for 103 yards, and he earned First Team All-Pro acclaim in 2021 for his efforts as a return specialist (he led the league with a whopping 30.4 yards-per-return average that season).
It is certainly fair to expect Berrios to get some looks as a returner for Houston. Given that Tank Dell is uncertain to suit up at all in 2025, Berrios could see action as a slot receiver as well. He has been a useful ancillary target in the past, catching 128 passes for 1,208 yards over the 2020-23 seasons, which he split between the Jets and Dolphins.
Tremon Smith, who spent the 2021-22 seasons with the Texans and the following two years with the Broncos, is returning to Houston on a two-year, $7.5MM accord, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Like Berrios, Smith could see more burn in the third phase, as he has never logged a defensive snap share above 17%. Still, he is valued for his ST work, racking up well over 300 special teams snaps in each of the last four seasons. He has clearly impressed during that time, as Pelissero notes that Smith is now the highest-paid core special teamer in the NFL.
Jake Hansen, 26, signed with Houston as a UDFA in 2022 and will return on a one-year pact for 2025, according to Wilson. Hansen will presumably reprise his role as a special teams contributor and depth linebacker.
Steelers Release DT Larry Ogunjobi, To Sign LB Malik Harrison
The Steelers have released defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Pittsburgh is also making an addition to its front seven by agreeing to sign linebacker Malik Harrison to a two-year, $10MM deal (via Rapoport’s NFL Media colleagues, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo).
Ogunjobi, who is entering his age-31 season, has spent his entire eight-year career in the AFC North. A third-round pick of the Browns in 2017, the Charlotte alum finished out his four-year rookie pact in Cleveland before joining the Bengals on a one-year accord in 2021. He produced a career-high seven sacks that season, and it initially looked as if he would parlay that statistical success into a three-year, $40.5MM contract with the Bears.
Unfortunately, a foot injury suffered in a playoff game with Cincinnati caused enough lingering issues to compel the Bears to nix the deal, and Ogunjobi ultimately landed with Pittsburgh on a one-year, $8MM pact. He signed a three-year, $28.75MM contract with the Steelers the following offseason, though he will not see the final year of the deal. By releasing Ogunjobi now, Pittsburgh will avoid paying out a $3MM roster bonus due on March 15 and his $4MM base salary for 2025. In all, the club willl save $7MM against the cap and will take on a $3.5MM dead money hit.
Ogunjobi has never been an advanced metrics darling, but the 48.3 overall grade he received from Pro Football Focus for his 2024 work was especially low and positioned him as the 94th-best interior DL out of 118 qualifiers. Still, with 108 starts to his name, he should be able to find a new employer seeking an established interior presence. The Steelers, who will again rely on soon-to-be 36-year-old Cameron Heyward to anchor their defensive front, will surely be on the lookout for DL help early in the draft.
The Steelers got to see Harrison more frequently than most during his first five seasons in the league. The former Ravens draftee functioned primarily as a rotational defender during his Baltimore tenure, though he did see a career-high 38% defensive snap share in 2024. Much of that work came in the latter half of the season, as Baltimore pivoted to Harrison to replace the struggling Trenton Simpson as Roquan Smith‘s primary running mate.
This is the second offseason in a row in which Pittsburgh has poached a free agent linebacker from its longtime rival. The club signed Patrick Queen last year, and now Harrison will likely operate behind Queen and 2024 third-rounder Payton Wilson. Having earned over 300 special teams snaps in each of his five pro seasons, he will likely be asked to take on a meaningful third phase role as well.
Saints To Re-Sign DE Chase Young
Although the Saints could not bring back Paulson Adebo, the other key defender they wanted to re-sign is staying. Chase Young will remain in New Orleans, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
Young, who had signed a one-year contract in 2024, will stay a Saint on a multiyear deal. The Saints saw enough from Young to move out of the “prove-it deal” stage, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds this is a three-year, $51MM agreement. The deal can climb to $57MM based on incentives.
The size of the pact is at least partially a reflection of the fact that proven pass rushers are generally not available on the free agent market given the importance of the position. As a result, even players several tiers below the upper crust of edge defenders can get paid quite handsomely. Young, who has seemingly settled in as a productive EDGE instead of the star he was once projected to be as the No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 draft, is proof of that.
Still, he did put together a solid 2024 season, the second year in a row in which he was able to play a full (or nearly full) slate of games after appearing in just 12 total contests across the 2021-22 campaigns due to a severe knee injury that significantly altered his career trajectory. Because of a subsequent neck injury that both impacted his value at the 2023 trade deadline and again in free agency last offseason, Young joined New Orleans via a one-year accord containing much of its value in per-game roster bonuses.
He maxed out those bonuses by playing in all 17 games. While he only registered 5.5 sacks, Young topped his career high with 21 QB hits, and his 34 pressures were tied for 13th-most in the league. Those underlying numbers suggest that the soon-to-be 26-year-old could still unlock his vast potential, especially since his health woes are now further in the rearview mirror. Even if he does not reach his ceiling, though, he should provide the Saints with quality work on the edge for the next several seasons.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Bengals To Sign RB Samaje Perine, LB Oren Burks
The Bengals are reuniting with a familiar face. Per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, Cincinnati has agreed to sign running back Samaje Perine, who spent part of the 2019 season and all of the 2020-22 campaigns with the team, to a two-year contract worth up to $3.8MM. The team is also making an addition to the defensive side of the ball, agreeing to sign linebacker Oren Burks to a two-year, $5MM deal (via Garafolo’s NFL Media colleague, Ian Rapoport).
Operating as a Joe Mixon understudy during his time in the Queen City, Perine proved to be a productive part of the Bengals’ offense, averaging roughly 4.4 yards per carry across the 2020-22 seasons. He eventually established himself as a trustworthy target in the passing game as well, catching 65 balls for 483 yards and five scores from 2021-22.
Perine, 29, spent the last two seasons in the AFC West. After a 2023 slate that saw the Broncos deploy him in a familiar complementary capacity (53 carries and a career-high 50 catches), the Chiefs did not give him as much action as a runner in 2024 (just 20 carries, his lowest total since 2019). He was efficient with those carries, though, averaging 4.6 yards per tote. He also caught 28 balls for 322 yards, and he should slip seamlessly back into an RB room that features Chase Brown and (for now, at least) Zack Moss.
Burks, who will turn 30 later this month, has also spent the entirety of his career as a reserve player, never starting more than five games in a season or seeing a snap share above 34%. Nonethless, Rapoport says the former Packers draftee will get the chance to start for Cincy.
Filling in for an injured Nakobe Dean during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run earlier this year, Burks tallied 25 tackles (three TFL), a sack, two QB hits, and one pass defensed across four postseason games. That showing was perhaps enough to convince the Bengals — who must be cost-conscious given the percentage of the salary cap they are devoting (or will soon devote) to Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins — to give Burks a shot at a starting gig.
This development perhaps signals that Germaine Pratt, who requested a trade last month, will be on the move.