Jason Peters Expected To Retire, Join Seahawks’ Staff
Jason Peters was unable to see any game action during his age-42 season, but the decorated veteran was still in the NFL as a member of the Seahawks’ practice squad. His next gig is not expected to be as a player, which stands to bring an end to one of this era’s best O-line careers.
The Seahawks are hiring Peters to a full-time staff position, GM John Schneider said, with the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta indicating the 21-year veteran’s title will come under the player-engagement umbrella. But Peters will work with the Seahawks’ O-linemen. While this would not slam the door on an emergency return, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds a retirement is expected. Peters turned 43 in January.
Although Peters only saw game action in 19 seasons, he was in the league for 21. He missed the 2012 season due to two Achilles ruptures and did not move up to Seattle’s active roster in 2024. Regardless, Peters is expected to walk away after playing in 248 games. While 61 players reside above Peters on the all-time games-played list, few of them are offensive linemen. Among pure O-linemen, only four (Bruce Matthews, Ray Brown, Jackie Slater and Mike Kenn) played in more games. Peters will be expected to join Slater and Matthews in the Hall of Fame.
A nine-time Pro Bowler, Peters forged a Canton path despite being passed over in the 2004 draft. The former Bills UDFA will be best remembered for his time with the Eagles, whom he helped win a Super Bowl. Peters did not play in Super Bowl LII, having suffered ACL and MCL tears, but opened that season as the team’s left tackle starter. Peters booked both his first-team All-Pro nods (2011, 2013) with Philly and made his final Pro Bowl (2016) during Carson Wentz‘s rookie season.
The Eagles initially acquired Peters in 2009, Donovan McNabb‘s final season. Peters is experienced enough he signed with the Bills during Drew Bledsoe‘s time as the team’s starting QB. Peters moved into Buffalo’s starting lineup at right tackle in 2005. His first full season as a left tackle, 2007, produced a second-team All-Pro honor. Peters had signed a midlevel extension — a four-year, $16.1MM deal — in 2006, but as he picked up a second All-Pro accolade, an impasse on a third contract formed.
Peters did not report to Bills training camp on time in 2008, and while he eventually showed, a trade commenced after that season. The Eagles traded first-, fourth- and sixth-round picks to the Bills for Peters, who landed a four-year extension worth $51.45MM before his first Philadelphia season. Peters then spent the next 12 seasons with the Eagles, agreeing to four more contracts to stay with the team. Peters helped Michael Vick to the Pro Bowl, and joined future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce and then-rookie Lane Johnson in boosting LeSean McCoy to the 2013 rushing title. As the Eagles retooled around Wentz, they had Peters as an upper-crust blindside blocker.
Peters’ final seasons took on an Adrian Peterson-like arc, as the veteran blocker stopped through three teams in three years. The Bears used him as an emergency LT, as Teven Jenkins sustained a back injury before the 2021 season. After 15 starts for that Bears squad, Peters came to Dallas after Tyron Smith‘s season-defining hamstring injury sustained in training camp. Working more in a backup capacity (including some guard time) that year, Peters made his last stop in Seattle. He played in eight games and made two starts for a Seahawks team dealing with RT Abraham Lucas‘ injury trouble.
No pure NFL O-lineman has seen action in a 21st season, but Peters came closest. The Seahawks signed him to their practice squad in October, as Lucas and veteran George Fant dealt with injuries, doing so despite having changed coaching staffs. The Mike Macdonald-led group will keep the veteran around as a mentor.
If this is it for Peters, he will retire with nine Pro Bowl invites and six All-Pro honors. He joined Smith as an All-Decade-teamer for the 2010s. He earned $119.9MM during his 21-year run. It will be interesting to see if the Arkansas alum moves up the coaching ladder in the coming years.
Bills Add Ryan Nielsen To Staff
FEBRUARY 24: McDermott confirmed the Nielsen hire on Monday. He noted (via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe) the former D-coordinator will work with Buffalo’s defensive linemen in 2025.
FEBRUARY 6: Ryan Nielsen has served as a defensive coordinator on three different teams over the past three years. He will not have another DC gig in 2025, but he has landed a new opportunity in the NFL. 
Nielsen has a deal in place with the Bills, as first reported by The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman. He will be brought in as a senior defensive assistant as part of Sean McDermott‘s staff. Feldman adds Nielsen had interest from multiple teams during the 2025 hiring cycle.
The 45-year-old worked in the college ranks from 2002-16 before joining the Saints. Nielsen spent five years serving as New Orleans’ defensive line coach, earning the title of assistant head coach during the final year of that span. When Sean Payton departed, Dennis Allen was promoted to head coach in 2022; Nielsen was one of the two staffers tapped to fill the vacated role of defensive coordinator for that season.
The Saints ranked fifth in points allowed and ninth in total defense in 2022, but Nielsen found himself on the move after the campaign. He took charge of the Falcons’ defense for the 2023 campaign, but the intra-divisional swap did not produce a duplication of the Saints’ success on defense from the year prior. Arthur Smith was fired at the end of the season, and to little surprise Raheem Morris opted to make sweeping changes at the coordinator spots.
That left Nielsen in need of a new position, and he managed to land another DC gig by joining Doug Pederson in Jacksonville. Pederson made a number of changes to his defensive staff in particular last offseason in advance of a campaign in which he found himself on the hot seat. Things did not go according to plan on either side of the ball for the Jags, and Pederson’s firing has since been followed by several coaching and front office changes. New HC Liam Coen recently brought in Anthony Campanile as Jacksonville’s defensive coordinator, paving the way for Nielsen to move on.
The Bills had Leslie Frazier in place as defensive coordinator from 2017-22, but his decision to take a year off from coaching led to McDermott taking over play-calling duties for the 2023 campaign. Last offseason, McDermott promoted Bobby Babich to the role of DC; after dealing with several injuries on defense, Buffalo finished the year 11th in points allowed and 17th in total defense. Nielsen will aim to help the team take a step forward in 2025.
RB James Cook Addresses Asking Price On Bills Extension
Earlier this month, James Cook hinted at an asking price of $15MM per season on an extension. The Bills’ top running back has since spoken about his extension situation. 
“I just feel like we’re deserving of it. Like, why not? We work all of our life to get paid. Feed me the big bucks,” the former second-rounder said during an appearance on Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson (video link). “I’m going to stand on what I stand on.
“And I don’t want to feel like a cancer at all. Because I don’t like all that attention and all that… I just want to get what I deserve. That’s all. I just want to get what I ask for.”
Christian McCaffrey leads the way in terms of annual average value at the running back spot at $19MM per season. Four other backs currently have an AAV of $12MM or more, with Jonathan Taylor currently sitting second in the position’s pecking order ($14MM). Cook’s target would supplant him as the No. 2 backfield earner in the league if he were to hit it on a long-term pact. One year remains on the Georgia product’s rookie deal, but the Bills could attain long-term certainty in the backfield with a lucrative Cook commitment.
After a rookie campaign which featured only 89 carries, Buffalo has leaned on Cook with over 200 attempts each of the past two seasons. The 25-year-old recorded over 1,500 scrimmage yards in 2023 and then tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns (16) this past campaign. With 883 yards and seven scores in the passing game to date, Cook figures to be a prominent two-way producer for years to come.
Of course, that does not mean Buffalo will be willing to make him one of the league’s highest earners at the running back spot. The team used a fourth-round pick on Ray Davis last April, and the Kentucky product (along with quarterback Josh Allen, of course) represents a short-yardage option for 2025 and beyond. It will be interesting to see if the Bills take that into account as a potential mitigating factor in Cook’s asking price.
If contract talks take place in the near future, a lack of progress could leave the door open to a holdout during the spring and/or missed on-field work in training camp. Plenty of time exists before such a scenario could come into play, though, and if negotiations take place soon clarity on where things between team and player stand could emerge.
Jon Feliciano Intends To Retire; OL Open To Midseason Return
After being unable to play in 2024, Jon Feliciano is set to end his career. The veteran offensive lineman announced on Thursday that he is hanging up his cleats (albeit with a caveat). 
Feliciano was with the Raiders from 2015-18, and his first trip to free agency saw him sign with the Bills. The former fourth-rounder operated as a full-time starter during his three Buffalo seasons, although each of the latter two saw him limited to just nine games. A single campaign with the Giants was followed by Feliciano playing for the 49ers in 2023.
The Miami product made 15 appearances and seven starts for San Francisco that season, but a knee injury suffered during training camp this past summer made he clear he would not be able to suit up at the beginning of the 2024 campaign. The rehab process did not go according to plan, and in November Feliciano was shut down for the year. While he is leaving the door open to a return late in 2025, he is now mainly turning his attention to his post-playing days as a result.
After months of weighing my options, I realized I had to leave the game,” Feliciano’s announcement reads in part. “The fire is still there, but I know I can’t last a full season and can’t bring myself to let people down… That being said, Buffalo or [San Francisco], I’ll be ready for a playoff run in December if you need me.”
The Bills’ O-line has been one of the league’s best over the past two yeas, and none of their starters are pending free agents. The 49ers, by contrast, could be in the market for interior additions during the offseason and underwhelming play from that unit (or injuries, of course) could leave the door open to a Feliciano signing. For now, though, it can be assumed he has played his last snap in the NFL.
The 33-year-old has amassed 125 combined regular and postseason appearances during his career, with 70 of those being starts. Feliciano has earned nearly $24MM to date, and that figure could still increase if he winds up signing with the Bills or 49ers late next season. Failing that, however, he will close the book on his NFL tenure.
Release Candidate: Von Miller
When Von Miller signed a six-year, $120MM free agent deal in 2022, questions were raised about how he would be able to remain productive over the life of that pact. Halfway through the deal, a release looms as a distinct possibility. 
Miller had a strong debut campaign with Buffalo, notching eight sacks in 11 games. An ACL tear ended his season, however, and it delayed his debut the following year. The former Bronco and Ram Super Bowl winner managed to suit up for 12 contests in 2023, but he was held without a sack and handled only a rotational role. That was followed by a pay cut being worked out last March.
The 35-year-old was again a part-time contributor off the edge in 2024, logging a snap share of 33%. Miller did rebound to an extent on the statsheet with six sacks and 16 pressures in 13 games (played on either side of his four-game suspension), but reducing his impact on the team’s cap moving forward is a sensible goal. Unless Miller agrees to reduce his pay again, Joe Buscaglia writes a release can be expected (subscription required).
Miller’s scheduled compensation ranges from $17.5MM to $30MM over the next three years, but none of his base salaries over that span are guaranteed. A release before June 1 would create a larger dead money charge than cap savings for the Bills. If the team designated him a post-June 1 cut, though, $17.44MM in cap space would be created while incurring a dead money charge of only $6.37MM. Miller’s scheduled cap hit of $23.81MM certainly leaves the door open to such a move.
The Bills are led along the edge by Gregory Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa. The former is currently on track to play on his $13.39MM fifth-year option in 2025, but it would come as no surprise if the team targeted a long-term extension in his case. The latter, meanwhile, inked a two-year pact last March. Buffalo could continue to depend on those young pass rushers moving forward with 2024 fifth-rounder Javon Solomon in place as a developmental option.
Veteran Dawuane Smoot is a pending free agent, though, and losing him on the open market in addition to cutting Miller would leave the Bills in need of depth additions via free agency and/or the draft. The 2025 class contains a number of highly-regarded pass rush prospects and with 10 projected selections this April Buffalo will have plenty of opportunities to add at least one. Moving on from Miller would of course be a sign the team prefers to go in a younger direction along the edge for 2025 and beyond.
2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team
Free agency is roughly one month away, and teams are preparing for the first major roster-building checkpoint on the offseason calendar. In several cases, of course, the lead-in to the start of the new league year will require cost-cutting measures.
Teams expect the 2025 cap ceiling to check in somewhere between $265MM and $275MM, providing a general target to aim for before the final figure is unveiled by the NFL. Using a projected cap of $272.5MM, here is a look at where all 32 teams currently stand (courtesy of Over the Cap):
- New England Patriots: $119.8MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $92.53MM
- Washington Commanders: $75.21MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $71.33MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $63.41MM
- Chicago Bears: $62.97MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $58.01MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $53.26MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $46.26MM
- Detroit Lions: $45.69MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $44.26MM
- Tennessee Titans: $44.08MM
- New York Giants: $43.38MM
- Green Bay Packers: $42.14MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $38.33MM
- Denver Broncos: $34.78MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $32.27MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $28.25MM
- Carolina Panthers: $20.33MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $18.08MM
- New York Jets: $16.86MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $5.96MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $2.24MM
- Houston Texans: $99K over the cap
- Kansas City Chiefs: $916K over
- Dallas Cowboys: $2.85MM over
- Miami Dolphins: $5.44MM over
- Atlanta Falcons: $11.15MM over
- Seattle Seahawks: $13.46MM over
- Buffalo Bills: $14.18MM over
- Cleveland Browns: $30.17MM over
- New Orleans Saints: $54.11MM over
These figures will of course change based on where the final cap ceiling winds up for the year, but they take into 
account each team’s carryover amount for 2025. Even with those savings in play, more than one quarter of the league finds itself in need of cost-shedding moves to simply achieve cap compliance by mid-March.
With the Patriots leading the way in terms of spending power, they will be a team to watch closely once free agency begins. The team’s willingness (or lack thereof) to make major free agent additions last year was a talking point, and it will be interesting to see if the regime featuring de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel takes a different approach in 2025. A serious push for Tee Higgins – by far the most sought-after wideout set to hit the market – can be expected.
Aside from Higgins, the Bengals have a number of financial priorities. Working out a monster extension for fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase and a new deal (and accompanying raise) for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson are key goals for the franchise. Quarterback Joe Burrow is prepared to restructure his own pact to create cap space for this offseason, but the team will no doubt need to break with tradition in terms of contract structure and guarantees to keep its core intact.
The Colts’ offseason has been defined in large part by a focus on retaining in-house players during recent years. That approach has not paid off as hoped, and general manager Chris Ballard said last month he plans to oversee a shift in roster-building philosophy this year. With the finances to make at least a modest addition or two on the open market, Indianapolis could be a suitor for some of the middle-class free agent options.
Over the coming weeks, many teams will proceed with extensions and restructures to free up cap space; the Seahawks recently took the latter route with defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Teams like the Steelers (in the case of edge rusher Preston Smith) and Dolphins (with running back Raheem Mostert as well as corner Kendall Fuller and tight end Durham Smythe) have already begin cutting veterans to free up cap space. That will increasingly continue in the near future with respect to the teams currently slated to be over the cap in particular.
Bills T Tommy Doyle Retires
The Bills announced the unfortunate news today that offensive tackle Tommy Doyle has announced his retirement from the NFL, according to team reporter Maddy Glab. Doyle made the decision to medically retire from the sport after not appearing in a game since Week 3 of the 2022 season.
Doyle was a 2021 fifth-round selection for the Bills out of Miami (OH). Though he earned some sparse playing time on offense and special teams as a rookie, his most memorable NFL moment came when he was on the receiving end of a Josh Allen touchdown pass in the team’s Wild Card victory over the Patriots.
The following season, Doyle missed all but one game after being placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL. Coming off of the season-ending injury, Doyle pushing to make an impact in his third NFL season when he suffered a severe leg injury in the Bills’ second preseason game of 2023. That severe injury reportedly left Doyle with nerve damage.
“I was really battling and competing and working to come back from that (ACL) injury, only to be kind of struck with an even more disastrous injury,” Doyle explained when discussing his decision. “…I put a lot of time, effort, and energy to try to get back on the field, but ultimately, that’s really not the plan God has for me, and I know that to be true. I feel that this is the time to announce it and move on.”
While his time in the NFL wasn’t able to work out, we at Pro Football Rumors wish Tommy Doyle the best in his future endeavors.
Bills’ James Cook Seeking $15MM Per Year
James Cook is eligible for an extension, and his level of play over the past two years has helped his value considerably. The Pro Bowl running back will be in line for a major raise on a second Bills contract, and a financial target appears to have emerged. 
Cook pinned a post on Instagram which indicates he is seeking an average of $15MM per season on an extension. That figure would place him second in the pecking order at the running back position behind only Christian McCaffrey (whose current 49ers deal moved the top of the market to $19MM). The Bills are known to view Cook as a key member of their future, but the team also faces a number of important decisions on the extension front this offseason.
The likes of linebacker Terrel Bernard, center Connor McGovern, cornerback Christian Benford and edge rusher Gregory Rousseau are among the players who could be extended over the coming months. The latter two in particular could prove to be expensive priorities given the landscape of their respective positions. Still, authorizing a raise for Cook would be an understandable priority for Buffalo given his age and performances as the team’s lead back.
The 25-year-old split time with Devin Singletary as a rookie, but over the past two years he has handled RB1 duties. Cook racked up 1,567 scrimmage yards in 2023 en route to a Pro Bowl nod; this past season, his output dropped off in terms of yards but he was able to find the end zone much more often. After scoring six touchdowns in 2023, Cook raised that figure to 18 in 2024 (including 16 rushing scores, which tied for the league lead). Expectations will be high moving forward for the Georgia product.
On the other hand, the Bills used fourth-round rookie Ray Davis at a notable rate in 2024. Davis received 113 carries during the regular season, amassing 631 scrimmage yards and serving as a short-yardage and goal line option. If his role were to expand further in the near future, making a lucrative investment in Cook as a clear-cut lead back may not be feasible.
The running back market flatlined over a period of several years, but deals sending the likes of Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry to new teams last spring helped the position from a financial standpoint. That was of course driven in part by the weak RB draft class which was in place in 2024 (which will not be the case this year), but it will be interesting to see how the Bills approach negotiations on the Cook front. The former second-rounder is due $5.19MM in 2025, and the franchise tag looms as possibility for the following season. That could be avoided with an extension, but Cook is clearly aiming high with respect to a starting point in contract talks.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 2/12/25
One exclusive rights free agent has already signed his deal:
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Buffalo Bills: OL Alec Anderson
The Bills slapped Alec Anderson with a reserve/futures deal last month, a no-brainer considering it would only lock the lineman in for the minimum salary. Anderson didn’t take a whole lot of time to put pen to paper, as the impending third-year player is now officially under contract with Buffalo for the 2025 campaign.
A 2022 undrafted free agent, it took Anderson until the 2024 season to make his NFL debut. He ended up getting into all 17 games for the Bills this year, appearing in 291 snaps (which mostly came via four starts). Anderson will remain an important depth option for the Bills moving forward.
Bills To Hire Chris Tabor As ST Coordinator
The Bills fired special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley on Super Bowl Sunday; they had a replacement in mind. They are bringing in Chris Tabor, who spent this past season out of football.
The former Panthers interim HC is signing on to be the Bills’ ST coordinator, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Tabor, 53, has been an NFL staffer since 2008. He climbed to that interim role once Carolina fired Frank Reich, and while the Panthers interviewed him for the full-time post, he was never a likely candidate.
Tabor, however, has coached special teams throughout his pro career. This includes stays as the Panthers, Bears and Browns’ ST boss. Smiley had been in place as Buffalo’s STC for the past three years and had been with the team since Sean McDermott‘s 2017 debut. As such, this will mark a major change for the Bills’ staff.
A Kansas City-area native, Tabor has not overlapped with McDermott previously. The Panthers-to-Bills pipeline has effectively dried up, as McDermott and GM Brandon Beane have been in Buffalo now for eight years. But Tabor brings considerable expertise to this post. He has coached since 1993, moving from high school to college to the pros, and had the Panthers’ special teams operating at a high level during his final full season as their ST boss. Veteran writer Rick Gosselin had the Panthers’ special teams ranked fourth in 2022. Carolina dropped to 23rd on Gosselin’s chart in 2023.
Tabor coached both Devin Hester and Josh Cribbs, overseeing the latter’s work for two years as Cleveland’s ST coordinator, and will work on overseeing a Bills team that allowed a blocked-punt touchdown and a kick-return score in 2024. Buffalo also ranked 28th in yards allowed per kick return last season. Tabor interviewed for the 49ers’ ST coordinator job last month. The Panthers had blocked Tabor from meeting with the Giants, only to not retain him on Dave Canales‘ staff, but the experienced assistant has secured another opportunity a year later.