Bucs, Kenneth Gainwell Agree To Terms
Kenneth Gainwell enjoyed a strong season in 2025. It has landed him a new deal which will send him out of Pittsburgh, though.
The veteran running back has agreed to terms with the Buccaneers, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. This will be a two-year pact worth $14MM. Gainwell will collect $10MM guaranteed.
As Gainwell has moved to the Bucs, the Steelers wound up replacing him with Rico Dowdle for similar money. Though, Dowdle landed a two-year, $12.25MM pact. Gainwell did a little better, and a strong 2025 season in Pittsburgh paved the way.
Earning Steelers team MVP honors, Gainwell outplayed his one-year, $1.79MM deal in 2025. The four-year Eagles backup amassed 1,023 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns last season, playing a key role for a Steelers team that again lacked wide receiver depth. Gainwell only has 394 career carries, helping his cause ahead of an age-27 season.
Tampa Bay has a locked-in starting running back, as Bucky Irving displayed star potential as a rookie. A two-injury 2025 season slowed the former fourth-round pick, forcing the Bucs to turn to the demoted Rachaad White. Irving’s older complementary option is not expected to return, and the team did not tender Sean Tucker as an RFA. While Tucker would be brought back at a lower rate, Gainwell is in place as the clear insurance option — a player whose contract suggests a 1-B role could be in the cards — alongside Irving.
Gainwell only logged 280 carries in four Eagles seasons, playing behind a revolving door of higher-caliber RBs. Gainwell backed up Miles Sanders, D’Andre Swift and Saquon Barkley. The Eagles kept trusting the former fifth-round pick as their No. 2 option, and after the Steelers season, Gainwell will see a big pay raise. His two-year deal complements Irving’s rookie accord, with the Bucs now set for an interesting setup in which their backup RB will earn roughly six times the starter’s salary. Irving cannot be extended until 2027.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Titans To Sign QB Mitch Trubisky
Mitch Trubisky is reuniting with Brian Daboll. The former Bills allies will link up once again, with Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reporting Titans are giving the veteran quarterback a two-year deal.
Finishing out his second Bills stint, Trubisky’s first came in Daboll’s final Buffalo season (2021). Tennessee will bring in the ex-Daboll pupil to work as Cam Ward‘s backup.
Fending off Mike White for Buffalo’s backup job last season, Trubisky has mostly been a No. 2 option since his Bears rookie deal expired after the 2020 season. While the former No. 2 overall pick did open the 2022 season as a Steelers bridge, that was short-lived. He stayed in Pittsburgh in 2023 but returned to Buffalo in ’24, as Mason Rudolph had overtaken him to replace Kenny Pickett. Daboll, however, initially coached Trubisky following his shaky Chicago tenure.
Trubisky, 31, is best remembered for his erratic Bears tenure — which featured a contract-year benching — but he did take part in two Bears playoff games as a starter. After his Steelers tenure, the North Carolina alum has not been looked at for starting work. It looks likely he will replace Brandon Allen as Ward’s backup, though Will Levis is technically still on the roster.
Levis has come up as a trade candidate on a few occasions, though that paused in 2025 as the second-round pick missed all of last season. Trubisky is likely coming in to be the backup, and Levis was drafted two coaching staffs ago (plenty has changed about the Titans’ front office since that time too). Before Saleh and Daboll’s arrival, Titans brass said Levis will be expected to be on the 2026 roster. But with Trubisky set to push him to the third-string level — in all likelihood — there may no longer be a place for him.
Jets To Bring Back LB Demario Davis
Celebrating his 37th birthday earlier this year, Demario Davis has still managed to score a nice payday. The longtime Saints standout is returning to where his career began.
The Jets are reuniting with Davis, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reporting the All-Pro linebacker agreed on a two-year deal worth $22MM on Monday. Davis will receive $15MM fully guaranteed. In addition to bringing Davis back to the Big Apple, the 15th-year linebacker will reunite with Aaron Glenn — a former Saints assistant.
Davis drew a Jets connection before free agency, as did ex-Glenn Saints charge Alex Anzalone. The latter has committed to the Buccaneers, so the Jets will inject considerable experience into their linebacking corps with Davis. The team has steadily chipped away at Joe Douglas’ LB corps, moving on from C.J. Mosley and not extending Quincy Williams (who hit free agency today). Davis will complement $15MM-per-year ‘backer Jamien Sherwood next season.
Spending eight seasons with the Saints, Davis has been one of the most reliable players at any position. The off-ball linebacker is a blitzing dynamo (45 career sacks; 31.5 in New Orleans) who almost never misses time. Davis, who soared to five All-Pro teams during his Saints run, has not played in fewer than 16 games in a season. He has missed just two games in 14 years, giving the Jets hope he can sustain his late-career form.
The Jets drafted Davis in the 2012 third round, selecting him during Rex Ryan‘s time as HC. Davis played out his rookie deal but returned to New York in 2017, being traded from the Browns back to the Jets. The Saints swooped in on the 2018 FA market and found a steal. A franchise known for linebacker icons found another in Davis, who played at least 97% of New Orleans’ defensive snaps in every 2020s season.
Pro Football Focus has ranked Davis as a top-10 off-ball linebacker in six of the past seven seasons, slotting him fifth even at age 36. By starting games in an age-37 season, Demario Davis will become the NFL’s oldest off-ball LB starter since London Fletcher worked as a 38-year-old starter in 2013. As Glenn aims to avoid being a two-and-done HC, the former Saints assistant will bring in a player he trusts to help the cause.
Panthers, Jaelan Phillips Agree To Deal
As expected, the Panthers have made a big splash early with respect to a pass rush addition. Jaelan Phillips is heading to Carolina.
Team and player have agreed to terms, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. This will be a four-year, $120MM pact, he adds. Phillips has secured $80MM in guarantees on his second NFL contract.
Despite Phillips’ extensive injury history, the Panthers are betting big. Suffering Achilles and ACL tears in Miami, Phillips bounced back with a solid 2025 season split between the Dolphins and Eagles. Philadelphia could land a third-round compensatory pick, depending on its FA activity this year, thanks to this monster accord. The Eagles were believed to be closing in on a deal to retain Phillips, but they will stand down and let the 2025 trade pickup head to Charlotte.
Carolina missed on Milton Williams last year, being deep in talks before New England’s big offer won out for the impact free agent. The Panthers also lost Brian Burns in 2024, trading the Pro Bowl EDGE to wrap a lengthy saga. Although the Panthers drafted two edge rushers in 2025 (Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen), they will give Ejiro Evero a new lead sack artist.
PFR’s No. 3 overall free agent, Phillips only registered five sacks between his Dolphins and Eagles games last season. But he ranked 12th in pressures and submitted a strong (18.8% pressure rate that hovered far north of Trey Hendrickson or Odafe Oweh’s 2025 numbers). That keyed a huge market, with the $80MM in total guarantees representing the ninth-largest amount among edge defenders.
Phillips and Derrick Brown will be poised to provide an outside-inside tandem, as the Panthers did not feature a player eclipse five sacks in 2025. Carolina made the playoffs anyway, despite a 27th-ranked offense, but has struggled in the sack department since sending Burns to the Giants.
Going into an age-27 season, Phillips has shown better sack work in the past. He notched 6.5 in eight 2023 games, before suffering the Achilles tear on Black Friday. The 6-foot-5 EDGE also combined for 15.5 sacks over his first two seasons. Injuries have been a constant for Phillips, who briefly retired from the sport while at UCLA. Transferring to Miami, Phillips became a first-round pick. His Philly stint cemented one of the better FA cases in recent history, and the Panthers will expect an immediate pass-rushing boost as a result of this commitment.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Commanders To Give LT Laremy Tunsil Record-Setting Extension
The Commanders have their extension agreement with Laremy Tunsil in place. Long rumored as a player Washington wanted to pay, Tunsil has secured a third career extension.
Tunsil agreed to a two-year, $60.2MM extension, insider Jordan Schultz reports. He is the NFL’s first $30MM offensive lineman. For the third time in his career, Tunsil has secured a market-setting extension. Tunsil will receive a $32.5MM signing bonus and a $61.5MM guarantee on a contract that now runs through 2028.
GM Adam Peters said a Tunsil deal was a priority. Considering the four-pick haul the Commanders sent the Texans for the Pro Bowl blocker, that made sense. Tunsil’s deal aligns with Jayden Daniels‘ rookie contract, and Washington entered Monday among the league’s leaders in cap space. Tunsil managing to score another market-topping deal ahead of his age-32 season burnishes his credentials as one of this era’s savviest negotiators.
Rumblings about an extension push emerged in December. The Texans paid the former first-rounder in 2020 and 2023. Tunsil played the 2025 season tied to a three-year, $75MM deal. That pact was set to expire after the 2026 season. The Texans not prioritizing a Tunsil deal in 2024 led them to move on, and after the Commanders saw Tunsil primarily protect Marcus Mariota last season, they will secure his rights beyond 2026 to block for Daniels.
Pro Football Focus ranked Tunsil seventh among qualified tackles in 2025, ranking him as the NFL’s second-best pass blocker. While a Pro Bowl nod did not follow this time, Tunsil secured five of those prior to his Washington arrival. He shrewdly leveraged his 2019 trade price — which included two first-round picks — in 2020 Texans negotiations, scoring a $22MM-per-year deal. After the tackle market did not move much between 2020 and ’23, Tunsil signed that 3/75 Houston extension — one that included $50MM at signing. He continues to do well on this front; the Commanders will need the decorated blocker to keep at his current pace to justify the latest windfall.
Washington released Tyler Biadasz last week, and while they were linked to Tyler Linderbaum, the team already has a higher-end guard salary (Sam Cosmi‘s). It will be interesting to see if Linderbaum joins a line that already has a tackle-record deal as of Monday morning.
Raiders To Re-Sign Eric Stokes
11:13am: A deal is in place. The Raiders are keeping Stokes, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who reports the sixth-year corner is back onboard via a three-year deal worth $30MM. Of that total, Stokes will see $20MM guaranteed. This marks a massive raise from Stokes’ one-year compensation from 2025.
10:52am: The legal tampering period begins in a few minutes, opening the door for free agents-to-be testing the market. With other offers on tap, Eric Stokes is receiving internal interest before the final bell of Raiders exclusive negotiation rights.
Las Vegas is making a push to re-sign the veteran cornerback, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports. The former Packers first-round pick completed a bounce-back season in Vegas, avoiding injuries and working as a full-time starter. He was one of the few bright spots during a 3-14 season, likely raising his price in the process. The sides are believed to have made some progress, per Zenitz.
Stokes, who battled injuries for most of his Green Bay stay, started 16 games under Pete Carroll and saw Pro Football Focus assign him a 20th-place overall ranking among corners. The speedy former first-rounder will almost definitely command a deal well north of his one-year, $3.5MM terms from 2025. The Raiders, after the Maxx Crosby trade, lead the NFL in cap space and need to do work to reach the salary floor (measured over a three-year period). Stokes could be one of the beneficiaries.
The 16 starts brought a career-high mark for Stokes, who missed 14 games in 2023 after suffering a season-ending injury midway through the 2022 season. Foot and hamstring trouble were the primary impediments for Stokes in Green Bay, and the Packers did not use him as a primary starter in Jeff Hafley’s 2024 DC debut. The Raiders were light on cornerbacks after letting Nate Hobbs join the Packers in free agency, but Stokes gave them a locked-in answer — as just about everything else on the roster fell apart.
It will be interesting to see what Stokes will command — from the Raiders or another team — as a second-time free agent. Even if Stokes re-signs, the Raiders have more work to do at corner as a new DC (Rob Leonard) takes over.
49ers Open To Trading Trent Williams; Chiefs On Radar For LT?
In 2021, the Chiefs were believed to have finished second in the Trent Williams free agency sweepstakes. As Williams again navigates a contract situation with the 49ers, San Francisco’s two-time Super Bowl opponent may have a second chance at the future Hall of Fame tackle.
The 49ers are now believed to be open to trading Williams, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, should his latest contract situation not be resolved. The Chiefs are viewed by many around the league as the team most eager to make an addition, per Sportsboom.com’s Jason La Canfora.
Although Kansas City pursued Williams in 2021, it would be a bit strange to see the club revisit the decorated left tackle considering it used a first-round pick on Josh Simmons last year. The Chiefs did release RT Jawaan Taylor, but ex-49er Jaylon Moore looms as an option to succeed him. A scenario in which Simmons slides to RT could be in play, should the Chiefs make another Williams run. But the 49ers will certainly hold out hope they can work out another deal here. One season remains on Williams’ reworked contract.
Williams, 37, is due to carry a $38.84MM cap number in 2026. He and the 49ers managed to resolve a contract issue in 2024, when Williams staged a holdout after a run of first-team All-Pro accolades. The 49ers rewarded the perennial Pro Bowler with a guarantee influx, but the contract calls for a $10MM option bonus to be paid by March 20. That gives the 49ers a deadline here.
John Lynch said recently the team and Williams were on the same page, but this latest report seems to indicate negotiations are not in a great place. An extension would lower Williams’ cap number, and he has discussed potentially playing until age 40. Williams will turn 38 this year and has continued to burnish one of the great LT resumes in NFL history. A release was floated as a possible outcome when this matter surfaced in February — and the Chiefs may be lurking in that scenario — but the 49ers would try to move on via trade first.
The Chiefs drafted Simmons 32nd overall and saw him win the starting job in Week 1, settling an issue that hindered the 2024 team. But the Ohio State product left the team midway through the season for personal reasons. Simmons returned after that hiatus but ended the season on IR with a wrist injury. He will still be expected to be Kansas City’s LT starter in 2026, but this Williams rumor does add some confusion to that plan.
Offseason Outlook: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
From 2022-24, the Buccaneers stood in command of the NFC South while residing as a fringe Super Bowl threat. Last season dislodged Tampa Bay's grip on the NFL's worst division, bringing state-of-the-union questions to the forefront. Todd Bowles survived, but it is safe to say the Bruce Arians successor is on the hot seat.
Injuries harpooned the Bucs last season, but the team could not recapture much momentum even after a host of offensive talent returned late in the year. December home losses to the Falcons and Saints prevented the Bucs' Week 18 win over the Panthers from mattering. As a team that continues to rely on a draft-develop-extend/re-sign blueprint, last year's 8-9 season invited concern about the franchise's direction.
Coaching/front office:
- Fired offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard
- Hired Zac Robinson as OC replacement
- Fired special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey
- Hired Danny Smith as STC replacement, Luke Smith as assistant ST coach
- Chandler Whitmer added as quarterbacks coach
- Senior offensive consultant Tom Moore retired
- Added T.J. Yates as pass-game coordinator, Ken Zampese as senior offensive assistant
- Assistant O-line coach Brian Picucci became Jaguars run-game coordinator
- Todd Bowles Jr. hired as defensive assistant
- Fired D-line coach Charlie Strong; Marcus West named replacement
- Fired cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross; Rashad Johnson named replacement
- Discussed position with ex-Bills HC Sean McDermott
The Bucs have a different offensive coordinator for a fifth straight year. Rather than follow Dave Canales and Liam Coen in landing head coaching jobs, Grizzard followed Byron Leftwich in receiving a pink slip. The Bucs had aimed for rare continuity with Grizzard, elevating him from pass-game coordinator to OC. The longtime Dolphins assistant, who joined the Bucs' staff in 2024, could not replicate what Canales and Coen provided.
Broncos To Re-Sign QB Sam Ehlinger
The Broncos now have their three-man quarterback room from last season under contract. Sam Ehlinger agreed to terms late Sunday night to stay in Denver, veteran insider Jordan Schultz tweets.
Ehlinger, who spent time on Denver’s practice squad and active roster in 2025, is re-signing on a one-year deal worth $2MM. Ehlinger memorably turned down active-roster invites for a Broncos practice squad opportunity. Months later, the team is rewarding him with a raise.
Beginning his career as a Colts third-stringer/backup option, Ehlinger signed with the Broncos late last March. He did not make Denver’s active roster out of training camp but stayed via the practice squad invite. Receiving a few game checks as a P-squad callup, Ehlinger ended the season as Jarrett Stidham‘s backup for the AFC championship game. Bo Nix is expected to be ready for OTAs after his ankle fracture, and the Broncos will have Ehlinger on-hand for those workouts.
Stidham has come up in trade rumors, with teams believed to be asking about a player Sean Payton talked up before his big-stage opportunity. Stidham is tied to a two-year, $12MM deal signed just before free agency in 2025. Barring a trade, Stidham will return to his role as Nix’s backup. It would surprise if the Broncos dealt their fourth-year QB2, but Ehlinger is aboard in case the team considers it.
The Broncos have been busy keeping some role players off the market today, having agreed to terms to retain Adam Trautman and Justin Strnad. While those moves will ensure the tight end and linebacker are on the 2026 roster, Ehlinger may not be assured of such placement. The Broncos, barring a Stidham trade, would need to carry three quarterbacks. Nix’s injury (and the ensuing drama between he and Payton post-injury) could lead Denver to play it safe here, though the conference title game represents the 2024 first-rounder’s only missed NFL start.
The Colts gave Ehlinger three starts during Matt Ryan‘s one-and-done Indianapolis season (2022). Those are the Texas product’s only three starts in a five-year career. Ehlinger, 27, completed 63.4% of his throws that year, throwing three touchdown passes and three interceptions.
Vikings To Re-Sign LB Eric Wilson
Eric Wilson made his way back to Minnesota after nearly five years away, becoming a starter once again. The veteran linebacker will see that second stint continue.
The Vikings are re-signing Wilson just before free agency, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. Wilson agreed to a three-year, $22.5MM deal that includes $12.5MM fully guaranteed. The 10th-year NFL veteran had previously returned to the Twin Cities on a one-year, $2.6MM deal. After years on similar contracts, Wilson will see the best contract of his career at 31.
This represents a borderline remarkable resurgence for Wilson, who has never previously played for anything more than $3.26MM in a season. That was via a second-round Vikings RFA tender in 2020. Wilson signed a host of one-year contracts in the time since, being cut by the Eagles and claimed by the Texans before enjoying a Packers stint. The Vikings brought him back in 2025 and turned to the Mike Zimmer-era acquisition as a near-full-time starter.
Wilson’s 965 defensive snaps last season were by far his most since that 2020 RFA slate. Minnesota used the former UDFA alongside Minneapolis-area native Blake Cashman as its primary linebacking duo last season. Wilson replaced an injured Cashman after Week 1 but kept the job when the regular starter returned, reducing Ivan Pace‘s role. Pro Football Focus slotted Wilson 44th among 88 qualified off-ball ‘backers.mike
Asked to start 12 games for the 2024 Packers, Wilson was used as a role player (51% snap rate). As a 90% defender in 2025, Wilson made 115 tackles and offered the Vikings a strong blitzing option in registering a career-best 6.5 sacks. More impressively, Wilson came through with 17 tackles for loss. That not only led all off-ball LBs in 2025, it ranked sixth among all players last season. That performance secured the Cincinnati alum a sizable raise, as he joins Cashman on veteran deals at linebacker for the Vikes.
The Zimmer-Rick Spielman duo added Wilson as a 2017 UDFA, and he logged 10 starts during the Anthony Barr–Eric Kendricks years from 2017-19. In 2020, however, Minnesota gave Wilson the aforementioned RFA tender and used him as a full-timer. In 15 starts that year, Wilson racked up 122 tackles. But it led to modest free agency interest. The Eagles cut Wilson months after giving him a one-year deal worth less ($2.75MM) than his 2020 tender price. Wilson’s three Packers contracts did not eclipse $1.5MM for a season, making this early-30s comeback all the more impressive. With Brian Flores returning — on a top-market coordinator salary — he appears set to count on Wilson once again.