FA Notes: Pierce, Pats, Walker, Seahawks, Etienne, Jags, Broncos, Chiefs, Robinson, Giants, Titans, Cowboys
Prepared to make Stefon Diggs a one-and-done, the Patriots continue to be linked to A.J. Brown. The Eagles standout could be the team’s No. 1 option at receiver, but if the defending AFC champions are unable to strike a deal, MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian indicates a pivot to Alec Pierce could be in the cards.
Ranked as PFR’s No. 2 overall free agent, Pierce’s market will be competitive. Guregian points to a $25-$30MM-per-year number being required to close that deal. Pierce is the league’s two-time reigning yards-per-catch leader, topping 1,000 yards last season despite the Colts losing Daniel Jones in Week 13. We heard earlier this week Pierce would land at least $20MM per year. The Colts prioritized Jones via the transition tag, putting them at risk of losing Pierce on Monday.
Had the Colts made an effort to lock down Pierce before last season, Essentiallysports.com’s Tony Pauline notes the view at the Combine was he would have cost maybe half the AAV he is expected to command next week. Not much extension buzz existed last summer; that could be costly for the Colts soon. Pierce is preparing to hit free agency; he can officially begin talking to interested teams at 11am CT Monday.
Here is the latest coming out of the free agent market:
- Kenneth Walker making it past the tag deadline unattached makes him the top RB option this year. The Super Bowl LX MVP should be able to land a deal in the $12-$16MM-AAV neighborhood, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. That would vault him into top-five territory at the position. The Giants have been tied to a Walker pursuit, with the Seahawks potentially ready to stand down after showing interest in retaining their four-year starter.
- If Walker scores a deal in that range, Breer estimates Travis Etienne winding up in the $10MM-per-year realm. The Jaguars are likely to let Etienne walk, with CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones adding the team is prepared to move forward with 2025 fourth-rounder Bhayshul Tuten.
- The Broncos, who were set to pursue Breece Hall before his franchise tag, are a logical suitor for the longtime Jags starter, according to Jones. Walker could be on Denver’s radar as well, Jones adds, noting the Chiefs — who are believed to be interested in RB help (with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt unsigned) — are likely to be priced out of the Walker market. Kansas City does not believe Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love will be available at No. 9, per Jones, potentially pointing to an RB signing next week. Denver is looking for an RB to replace J.K. Dobbins alongside RJ Harvey, and it looks like the team is prepared to devote more resources to this position this offseason — with Russell Wilson finally off the books.
- Wan’Dale Robinson–Titans connections continue, but SNY’s Connor Hughes notes the Giants are still in on their homegrown slot receiver. That said, Tennessee is viewed as a very interested party for Robinson, whom Hughes pegs as more likely to leave New York than stay. A Nashville trek would reunite the 5-foot-8 WR with new Titans OC Brian Daboll. The Titans have been tied to a receiver pursuit for some time, as they are flush with cap space and expected to release Calvin Ridley. The Robinson market is expected to come in around $15MM per year, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan adds. With the Giants giving Darius Slayton a $12MM-AAV deal in 2025, how much will they be willing to spend here? Raanan views Robinson’s price tag as being a bit too steep for Big Blue.
- Two of Christian Parker‘s former charges may be on the Cowboys‘ radar. We heard Nakobe Dean‘s name connected to Dallas, which needs linebacker help, and the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins notes the team is in on the Eagles LB starter. The Cowboys are also interested in P.J. Locke, who has been an off-and-on starter at safety in Denver. Locke played under Parker previously, beginning as a starter under the new Dallas DC (after replacing Kareem Jackson in 2023).
Offseason Outlook: Cleveland Browns
Bottoming out after Kevin Stefanski's second Coach of the Year award, the Browns axed their six-year head coach. They then watched him become a coveted candidate around the league. The Deshaun Watson fiasco has defined this Browns decade. Although Stefanski is now in Atlanta, the two power brokers chiefly responsible for the trade -- Jimmy Haslam and GM Andrew Berry -- are tasked with leading a recovery effort.
Cleveland's coaching pursuit featured a few withdrawals, and an unlikely candidate agreed to come back. Todd Monken, the offensive coordinator during a disappointing and disorganized Browns 2019 season, landed the task of elevating the team post-Stefanski. This led to a separation from DC Jim Schwartz, who campaigned hard for the job. There is nowhere to go but up in Cleveland, but the Watson elephant in the room remains as Monken begins his tenure.
Coaching/front office:
- Fired head coach Kevin Stefanski, retained GM Andrew Berry
- Hired Todd Monken as HC replacement
- Mike McDaniel, Jesse Minter, Grant Udinski withdrew from HC search
- Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz resigned post
- Hired Travis Switzer as offensive coordinator
- Added Mike Rutenberg as defensive coordinator
- Hired Byron Storer as special teams coordinator
- Added Mike Bajakian as QBs coach, George Warhop as O-line coach
- Tight ends coach Christian Jones moving to WRs coach
- Danny Breyer named pass-game coordinator
- Safeties coach Ephraim Banda interviewed for Cowboys, Jets' DC jobs
Not much drama came with the Stefanski firing; it had been expected as a 5-12 season wound down. The two-time NFL Coach of the Year was held responsible for the Browns' mess. A much easier argument can be made the Haslam-Berry duo hamstrung Stefanski with the worst transaction in NFL history, but the Browns' offense struggled over the past two seasons. Seeing as Stefanski ran that side of the ball -- twice giving up play-calling duties over the past two seasons -- Cleveland's 32nd- (2024) and 31st-ranked offenses proved too much to withstand.
Bears To Acquire C Garrett Bradbury From Patriots
Garrett Bradbury is heading back to the NFC North. Days after Drew Dalman‘s retirement, the Bears have a deal in place to acquire Bradbury from the Patriots, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
Chicago is sending a 2027 fifth-round pick (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter) to New England for Bradbury, who logged six seasons as the Vikings’ starting center before being cut in 2025. The former first-round pick started every game for the Patriots last season, doing so after logging 88 starts with the Vikings from 2019-24.
The 2025 offseason dispersed Dalman and Bradbury elsewhere. A four-year Falcon, Dalman signed a three-year, $42MM Bears deal. Not too long after his Vikings release, Bradbury landed in Foxborough via a two-year, $9.5MM pact. The Bears will pick up Bradbury’s $3.7MM 2026 base salary.
This trade comes after Tyler Biadasz, who visited the Bears in the wake of the Dalman retirement news, agreed to a three-year Chargers deal worth $30MM. Chicago will save quite a bit at center compared to Dalman or Biadasz, though Bradbury will likely be a downgrade from Dalman’s 2025 work.
Pro Football Focus graded Bradbury as the NFL’s No. 29 overall center last season. The Patriots voyaged to Super Bowl LX, but their O-line featured shaky stretches beyond merely Will Campbell‘s late-season struggles. Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson are certainly familiar with Bradbury from previous NFC North clashes, but it is worth wondering if the Bears will add a center option in the draft as well. Bradbury will turn 31 in June.
The Vikings gave Bradbury a three-year, $15.75MM deal in 2023; that came after then-GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did not pick up the Rick Spielman draftee’s fifth-year option. PFF has never graded Bradbury as a top-10 center, but the advanced metrics site did place him 11th in 2022. Rankings outside the top 20 have followed in the years since.
The Bears, who officially placed Dalman on the reserve/retired list today, look to be passing on a free agent market that also includes Connor McGovern, Cade Mays, Lloyd Cushenberry and Ethan Pocic. Tyler Linderbaum is PFR’s No. 1-ranked free agent, but with Biadasz potentially being too pricey for the Bears (if that is indeed the case), the four-year Ravens starter’s explosive market certainly would be.
Chicago looks set to plug Bradbury into an O-line returning starters Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright — while LT Ozzy Trapilo will spend part of the season rehabbing a patellar tendon tear — while New England will need a new center. Ben Levine’s Patriots Offseason Outlook mentioned Bradbury as a potential cut candidate. It is worth wondering if the Patriots will be in the market for a free agent upgrade soon. The Bradbury trade will also mark a reunion for Thuney and Bradbury, who played together at NC State.
Lions Plan To Release LT Taylor Decker
Taylor Decker agreed to put off retirement earlier this offseason, but it looks like the veteran left tackle will be seeking a second NFL employer.
The 10-year blocker announced on Instagram he is being released by the Lions (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Decker was set to earn $14.9MM in base salary next season; none of that amount was guaranteed. As our Detroit Offseason Outlook piece indicated, Decker was due a $1.5MM salary guarantee on March 15. Decker’s post reveals requested this release.
It sounds like the Lions were angling for a Decker pay cut, as the former first-round pick notes discussions were ongoing about his contract. Decker, 32, was tied to a three-year, $60MM deal that ran through the 2027 season. The Ohio State product played through injury last season, only missing three games. A year after the Lions lost center cornerstone Frank Ragnow, they are splitting up their Pro Bowl Decker-Penei Sewell tackle tandem.
This release will save Detroit $11.6MM in cap space, though it will also leave a significant void at a premium position. Decker has started 140 career games with the Lions since being the No. 16 overall pick in 2016. Decker’s 140 starts are the third-most by a tackle in Lions history — behind Jeff Backus and Lomas Brown.
An essential part of Dan Campbell‘s turnaround in Detroit, Decker made his first Pro Bowl in 2024 — after signing his $20MM-per-year extension. That was Decker’s third Lions contract, after he had signed a four-year, $59.65MM deal in 2020. Decker said after the season he would take extensive time to determine if an 11th NFL slate was in the cards for him. Although Decker recently announced he intends to play, it is worth wondering if he is open to continuing his career outside of Detroit.
When Decker missed much of the 2021 season, the Lions used then-rookie Sewell at left tackle. That could be an option once again, but Sewell has established himself as a dominant right tackle. Sewell suddenly represents the last man standing from the 2023 O-line that powered the Lions to the playoffs. Pro Football Focus graded Decker as the league’s No. 39 overall tackle last season and has been high on his play throughout his Detroit decade. He ranked ninth, per the advanced metrics site, in 2023 and landed his second Lions extension in July 2024.
In the spring, Decker underwent surgery to relieve pain in his shoulder caused by bone spurs in his rotator cuff. He began training camp on the active/PUP list as a result, and though he suited up for the start of the regular season, he did miss three last season due to a shoulder ailment. It will be interesting to see if Decker lands elsewhere soon,
Raiders Release OL Alex Cappa
Alex Cappa‘s reunion with Tom Brady and John Spytek did not lead to a full-time starting job. The veteran guard will be a one-and-done in Las Vegas.
The Raiders announced Cappa’s release Friday. The move will create just more than $5MM in cap space for the AFC West team. The veteran guard did log some center snaps in 2025, playing there more often than at guard, but the Raiders will call it a day despite also having four-year guard starter Dylan Parham unsigned.’
[RELATED: Assessing Raiders’ Offseason Outlook]
Cappa signed a two-year, $11MM deal following his 2025 Bengals release. The Raiders used the former Brady Buccaneers teammate as an eight-game starter. Cappa, 31, is an eight-year veteran with 104 starts on his NFL resume.
Formerly Tampa Bay’s Ali Marpet guard mate, Cappa did not end up starting in Super Bowl LV due to his only notable injury with the Bucs. The 2018 third-round pick returned in 2021 but left for a Bengals deal in 2022. As Cincinnati overhauled its O-line after a 2021 Joe Burrow sack parade, Cappa inked a four-year, $35MM deal and joined Ted Karras and La’el Collins as veteran imports that offseason. The Bengals cut Collins after one year, while Karras remains with the team.
Lining up as the Bengals’ right guard for three seasons, Cappa received a pink slip before his final year on that $35MM pact. Asked to play a new position with the Raiders, Cappa struggled. As run lanes for rookie Ashton Jeanty were sparse last season, Pro Football Focus graded Cappa as the NFL’s third-worst center (among those with enough snaps to qualify). The Raiders have Jordan Meredith (PFF’s sixth-worst 2025 center) and Jackson Powers-Johnson — a Rimington award winner who has been asked to play guard in the pros — contracted among interior O-linemen. Parham can begin speaking to other teams Monday.
Texans To Extend TE Dalton Schultz
Less than 24 hours after agreeing to a one-year extension with Danielle Hunter, the Texans have a deal in place with Dalton Schultz. Like Hunter, it is a one-year bump.
Schultz is extending his contract through 2027 at a rate of $12.6MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Between the 2026 and ’27 seasons, Schultz is now due $17.6MM guaranteed. Schultz is heading into his fourth Texans season, and this extension positions the former Cowboys draftee to play a fifth in Houston. This move comes hours after the Texans created $8MM in cap space by releasing Joe Mixon.
[RELATED: Texans To Acquire David Montgomery From Lions]
Initially joining the Texans on a midlevel deal (one year, $6.25MM), Schultz impressed in C.J. Stroud‘s rookie season and reupped on an upper-crust pact (3/36). That came shortly before free agency in 2024. Two years later, Schultz became a Texans priority again after another strong season.
Catching a career-high 82 passes, Schultz totaled 777 yards and three touchdowns last season. While the former fourth-rounder’s yards-per-reception number dropped to 9.5 — his first such season since 2020 — Schultz operated as Stroud’s No. 2 target behind Nico Collins during a season in which Houston again featured a subaverage ground attack.
Schultz, 30 in July, was set to carry a $15.9MM cap number in 2026. That will drop thanks to this extension. Should Schultz play out this deal, he will have split his career into five-year runs with Dallas and Houston. The Cowboys turned to Schultz after their Blake Jarwin extension did not pan out, with the former ultimately becoming the team’s Jason Witten successor. The Cowboys prioritized Schultz via a franchise tag in 2022, but like Mike Gesicki in Miami, no extension came to pass before that July’s deadline. A disagreement on term length between Schultz and the Cowboys led him to the market in 2023, and he has not tested it since.
While Schultz’s career-best yardage season remains his 808-yard 2021 in Dallas, he put up 635 yards in his Houston debut to help Stroud to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. After a 535-yard 2024, the pass-catching tight end bounced back to help the team return to the divisional round in 2025. The Texans are a defense-powered operation, but they now have Schultz and Collins signed beyond 2026. Those deals pair with the team’s pair of Iowa State-developed wideouts — Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel; both players are tied to rookie contracts through 2028.
Browns Restructure QB Deshaun Watson’s Contract
It is that time of year again. The Browns are stuck with Deshaun Watson‘s albatross contract, and as expected, they are restructuring it once again.
This could be the final such transaction, as the contract expires after the 2026 season. The Browns are converting most of Watson’s base salary into a signing bonus, according to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. This move would stand to, once again, bring the quarterback’s salary to the veteran minimum and max out the restructure-driven cap space allowed.
The team’s latest restructure will save $36MM in cap space, per Cabot. The Browns gave Watson a fully guaranteed $230MM back in 2022, acquiring him from the Texans in what almost certainly is the worst trade in NFL history (given the contractual ramifications and draft capital exchanged). This marks Cleveland’s fourth restructure on the five-year deal, which is set to bring astonishing dead money in 2027.
If the Browns had a realistic out on the deal this year, they assuredly would take it. But they do not. If Cleveland were to designate Watson as a post-June 1 cut this year, $131.16MM would be spread over two offseasons. Despite the quarterback not coming remotely close to living up to the trade/extension, he will stay on the roster for 2026. In 2027, though, the bill is coming.
The remaining cap charges will be moved to void years from 2027-29, Cabot adds. Watson, 30, is technically part of Cleveland’s latest quarterback competition this offseason. Coming off two Achilles tears, Watson will vie for the job against Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and perhaps a QB to be named later. Considering how poorly Watson played before his first Achilles tear in 2024, it would surprise if he won the job. But Todd Monken is installing a new offense, and Sanders — his Pro Bowl alternate invite notwithstanding — did not exactly seize the job last season.
This season will be Watson’s last in Cleveland. Jimmy Haslam admitted the trade was a mistake last year, before Watson spent the season on the reserve/PUP list. In 2027, however, Watson’s exit will bring an $86.2MM dead money bill. The Browns have structured the contract to create a post-June 1 release scenario in 2027, according to OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald. Watson’s cap hit will drop from $80.72MM to $44.96MM, per OverTheCap. The team now holds just less than $19MM in cap space.
That is an important note, as Watson’s dead money will be spread over two offseasons. In the likely post-June 1 release scenario, Fitzgerald notes Watson would count $34.67MM against Cleveland’s 2027 cap and $51.54MM in 2028. While this will help the Browns avoid the worst single-year dead money hit in NFL history, it also means the team will have to live with the deal on its books for an extra year. By the end of this saga, Cleveland will have carried this contract on its payroll for seven years.
The Browns kept GM Andrew Berry employed despite the veteran exec being in place for the Watson trade. Cleveland changed coaching staffs, and Monken will be aboard for the worst chapter of the contract — as the Browns will be carrying considerable dead money in 2027 and ’28.
Cardinals To Cut DT Dalvin Tomlinson
Dalvin Tomlinson will be a cap casualty for a second straight year. After the Browns released the veteran defensive tackle in 2025, ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss reports the Cardinals are moving on.
Arizona will save $9.4MM by releasing the nomadic defensive lineman, moving its cap-space figure past $48MM. PFR’s Cardinals Offseason Outlook tabbed Tomlinson as a logical release candidate, and the team is separating from the nine-year veteran after a disappointing season.
[RELATED: Cardinals Planning To Release Kyler Murray]
Landing on his feet after the Browns release, Tomlinson agreed to a two-year deal worth $29MM. Although the former Giants and Vikings interior D-lineman started 17 Cardinals games, the season did not go as the team hoped. As the Cardinals slogged to a 3-14 finish — which included a significant defensive regression — Pro Football Focus graded Tomlinson 114th overall among qualified interior D-linemen.
This exit will mark Tomlinson’s first one-and-done stay. After spending four years in New York on a rookie contract, Tomlinson scored a two-year, $21MM Vikings accord. He build up his value in Minnesota, securing a four-year pact worth $57MM in Cleveland to start Jim Schwartz‘s DC tenure. The Browns used Tomlinson as a full-time starter but designated him as a post-June 1 cut last year.
The Cardinals, who employed future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt and future first-team All-Pro Zach Allen together up from 2021-22, have seen some of their D-line investments since fail to deliver much. PFF graded 2024 first-round pick Darius Robinson as the NFL’s worst interior D-lineman last season. Calais Campbell, as he always does, played well but has not decided if he will play an age-40 season. If Campbell does return, he is not a lock to stay in Arizona — even with the team retaining DC Nick Rallis despite firing Jonathan Gannon.
While the Cardinals also used a first-round pick on D-lineman Walter Nolen last year — ahead of what became an injury-plagued rookie season — they have a need up front yet again. Tomlinson, who turned 32 last month, will try his luck in free agency again. Although the former second-round pick has fared well on the market each time he has tried, his next contract will undoubtedly be a fraction of his previous pacts.
Bills Release Taylor Rapp, Dane Jackson
As Buffalo continues to make room for D.J. Moore‘s contract, the team will release two more veterans. Taylor Rapp and Dane Jackson have been cut, per a team announcement.
The Bills released cornerback Taron Johnson and wideout Curtis Samuel earlier today, confirming those cuts now. Rapp’s release will save the Bills more than $3MM, while Jackson’s exit creates $1.2MM in additional funds.
As Connor Byrne’s Bills Offseason Outlook indicated, Rapp was an expected cut after missing much of last season due to injury. The Bills had retained Rapp — a former second-round Rams draftee — on a two-year, $10.63MM deal. This came on the same day as Buffalo’s initial Jordan Poyer release (in March 2024). Poyer, however, made his way back to Buffalo last year and ended up playing extensively in place of Rapp.
Rapp, 28, underwent knee surgery in October and did not return last season. The Bills used Rapp as a reserve in 2023 — behind the longtime Poyer-Micah Hyde duo — and as a regular starter alongside Damar Hamlin in 2024. A 48-game Rams starter, Rapp started 24 games in Buffalo. While the veteran should draw interest elsewhere, this is a crowded safety market. A host of veteran starters are available, potentially pointing to some needing to accept below-market deals.
Buffalo, which has 2024 second-round safety Cole Bishop under contract for two more seasons, brought Jackson back after the veteran DB spent a season in Carolina. A former Bills seventh-round pick, Jackson only saw action in three games last season.
Rounding up the Bills’ wave of Friday cuts, the earlier Johnson release is expected (per The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia) to be a standard cut as opposed to carrying a post-June 1 designation. The Bills announcing the release effectively confirms Buscaglia’s account, as players designated as post-June 1 cuts cannot officially be jettisoned until March 11.
Vikings C Ryan Kelly To Retire
Two centers who relocated to the NFC North via free agency in 2025 have now retired. Following Drew Dalman‘s Bears exit, Ryan Kelly is calling it quits.
The Vikings center announced Friday he will wrap his playing career after 10 seasons. Nine of those came in Indianapolis. Kelly signed a two-year, $18MM Minnesota deal last March.
While Dalman’s retirement proved shocking due to his age (27), Kelly is leaving the game at 32. The former first-round pick made four Pro Bowls during his time with the Colts, landing an extension in 2020. Kelly played out that deal before trekking to Minnesota. He loomed as a possible Vikings cap casualty. The Vikes imported both Kelly and guard Will Fries from the Colts; they will need a new center in 2026.
Drafted 18th overall out of Alabama in 2016, Kelly began his career blocking for Andrew Luck. While Luck abruptly retired three seasons into Kelly’s career, the talented center became an Indianapolis cornerstone as the franchise cycled through quarterbacks over the next several years.
Although Ryan Grigson drafted Kelly, GM Chris Ballard made him a priority during his tenure. The Colts gave Kelly a four-year, $49.65MM extension before the 2020 season. The Colts locked up Braden Smith and Quenton Nelson over the next two summers, forming a strong O-line core. Kelly was at the heart of it, helping Jonathan Taylor win the 2021 rushing title by more than 500 yards. As Taylor zoomed to first-team All-Pro acclaim, Kelly earned his third Pro Bowl nod.
Kelly’s lone All-Pro honor — a second-team selection — came in 2020, when the Colts made the playoffs during Philip Rivers‘ first stint with the team. Snapping primarily to Carson Wentz in 2021 and Matt Ryan in 2022, Kelly picked up his final Pro Bowl accolade as Gardner Minshew‘s snapper in 2023.
Injuries intervened for the decorated blocker in 2024. A knee malady led Kelly to IR midway through the 2024 season, after he had missed two games earlier in the year. Kelly missed seven contests in 2024. He had expressed interest in a second Colts extension, but the team did not reciprocate. After testing free agency, he joined Fries in being part of Minnesota’s 2025 interior O-line makeover.
The Vikes added Kelly, Fries and first-round guard Donovan Jackson to revamp their O-line around holdover tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. Kelly, though, missed nine games in 2025. He suffered two concussions in three weeks, the second leading the $9MM-per-year Viking to IR. Shut down after Week 4, Kelly returned in 12 but ended up missing Minnesota’s final two games. Last season included three Kelly concussions in total, with ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert indicating he suffered at least three more over the course of his career.
Minnesota, which used both Blake Brandel and Michael Jurgens in place of Kelly last season, had released longtime center Garrett Bradbury in hopes Kelly would play multiple seasons. But the team will instead pick up $8.4MM in cap space. This moves the team near cap compliance, with OverTheCap indicating the Vikings are more than $1MM over as of Friday afternoon.