Chargers To Sign TE Charlie Kolar
After playing out his rookie contract in Baltimore, Charlie Kolar has secured a major raise on his next deal. A notable agreement with the Chargers has been worked out.
Team and player agreed to terms on a three-year contract Monday, Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report. This $24.3MM pact will include $17MM guaranteed, per the report. That will make Kolar the NFL’s highest-paid blocking tight end at $8.1MM per year. He is following in the footsteps of Josh Oliver, who cut his teeth as a blocker in Baltimore and earned a solid payday in free agency from the Vikings as a result.
The former Iowa State standout was drafted by the Ravens in the fourth-round of the 2022 draft, 11 picks ahead of fellow Baltimore tight end Isaiah Likely. Likely emerged as the better pass-catching tight end over the last four years, earning himself a three-year, $40MM contract with John Harbaugh‘s Giants. Kolar, who primarily proved himself as a blocker, will also be going to a popular destination for former Ravens in Los Angeles, where Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz has added many players he once scouted in Baltimore.
Kolar has plenty of untapped receiving potential in his 6-foot-6, 265-pound frame. In fact, he was better known as a pass-catching threat coming out of college and made huge strides as a blocker in Baltimore. He will pair with 2025 rookie breakout Oronde Gadsden – who is not as strong of a blocker – to form a young, high-upside tight end duo. Kolar can take on a bigger role as an inline tight end to free Gadsden up to exploit mismatches in the slot, both against slower linebackers in the pass game and smaller defensive backs in the run game.
The Chargers’ move to sign Kolar for a premium price indicates that they will continue to use plenty of two-tight end packages on offense in 2026 despite the departure of offensive coordinator Greg Roman (who coached Kolar as a rookie in 2022). His replacement, Mike McDaniel, did not feature tight ends heavily in the passing game, but used them extensively as blockers, indicating there will be plenty of work for Kolar in Los Angeles.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Broncos To Re-Sign RB J.K. Dobbins
Linked to both Kenneth Walker and Travis Etienne, the Broncos will instead bring back their primary 2025 starting running back. J.K. Dobbins is staying in Denver, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports.
Dobbins confirmed the news. He had expressed interest in re-signing at multiple points, and despite yet another season-sidetracking injury, the productive (when healthy) RB will be in line to team with RJ Harvey for a second season.
Despite one of the modern NFL’s most extensive injury histories, Dobbins created a market for himself during the healthy portion of his Broncos season. Denver is giving the seventh-year RB a two-year, $16MM deal that comes with $8MM guaranteed at signing, insider Jordan Schultz tweets. Due to his injury history, Dobbins has played for $1.61MM (Chargers) and $2.07MM (his first Denver deal). This represents a tremendous commitment by comparison, though the guarantee structure looks to give the Broncos an out after 2026.
Among the NFL’s top five leading rushers when he went down with a Lisfranc injury in November, Dobbins provided a boost to the Broncos’ rushing attack during the season’s first half. His 772 rushing yards still led the team despite the injury-prone vet missing the team’s final seven games. Denver did designate Dobbins for return, and he said following the Broncos’ AFC championship game loss that a Super Bowl return could have been in the cards.
A more instinctive runner than Harvey, Dobbins did better to maximize Denver’s top-tier offensive line. Pro Football Focus ranked the Broncos’ O-line first overall, but the team’s run game took a hit when Dobbins went down. Harvey’s dual-threat production notwithstanding, Dobbins was much better on the ground. While the former Ravens and Chargers starter averaged 5.0 yards per carry, injuries are his NFL legacy to date.
The six regular-season absences for Dobbins last year ran his count to a staggering 54 misses contest since arriving as a 2020 second-round pick. Dobbins has ACL and Achilles tears on his medical sheet, and he suffered an MCL sprain during his 2024 Chargers one-off. Dobbins, 27, has persevered and became a popular player in Denver.
It would stand to reason the Broncos would want a third back as insurance, but Sean Payton‘s team is unlikely to allocate much in the way of money or draft capital to that position thanks to this signing and Harvey’s second-round status. Denver nontendered Jaleel McLaughlin as an RFA but re-signed third-stringer Tyler Badie last week.
Denver was linked to Breece Hall, with a report indicating the Jets franchise-tagged him in part to prevent such a pursuit. Etienne and Walker also came up. It is worth wondering how genuine Broncos interest in the higher-profile backs was, because the team’s approach this week has been continuity-centric.
Saints, P Ryan Wright Agree To Deal
Ryan Wright will not remain in Minnesota after playing out his rookie contract there. He will instead become the Saints’ new punter.
Wright and New Orleans have agreed to a four-year deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. This will be a $14MM pact, he adds. Wright will collect $8MM in guarantees.
The Vikings used Wright as their punter for four seasons, but they will let him walk. As of Monday night, Minnesota does not have a punter on its offseason roster.
At $3.5MM per year, Wright becomes the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid punter — behind Jordan Stout, Michael Dickson, Logan Cooke and AJ Cole. The Giants reunited Stout with John Harbaugh on Monday, making the former Ravens specialist — at $4.1MM per year — the NFL’s highest-paid punter.
A former UDFA out of Cal, Wright will go from indoor confines in one city to another — albeit a much warmer locale. He finished last season with a 49-yard average per punt; that represented a career-best mark.
Titans To Sign CB Cor’Dale Flott
Cornerback Cor’Dale Flott is leaving the Giants for the Titans, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. Flott and the Titans have agreed to a three-year, $45MM contract with $32MM fully guaranteed.
This is the third free agent the Titans have stolen from the Giants on Monday. The Titans previously added wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson on a four-year, $70MM agreement. They also signed tight end Daniel Bellinger to a three-year, $24MM pact.
Flott and the Giants were seemingly progressing toward an agreement earlier Monday, but the 24-year-old will join Robinson and Bellinger in Tennessee instead. The Giants almost had a deal in place with Flott before new Titans coach Robert Saleh persuaded him to exit at the last minute, per Connor Hughes of SNY. Saleh won Flott over in explaining what he could accomplish in Tennessee’s defense.
Flott, a 2022 third-round pick from LSU, combined for 23 starts in 39 appearances over his first three years with the Giants. The former slot corner then emerged as a full-time boundary starter in 2025.
While taking a starting job from former first-rounder Deonte Banks, Flott totaled 38 tackles, 11 passes defensed and an interception in 14 games. The 6-foot-2 Flott also registered his best coverage work (per Pro-Football-Reference) in yielding a 52.2% completion rate as the closest defender and holding quarterbacks to a 73.3 passer rating. Those numbers were much better than Flott’s 2024 output (66.7%, 89.0), but his most recent showing was enough to convince the Saleh-led Titans to dole out a sizable contract.
The Flott signing is part of a massive defensive makeover under Saleh and coordinator Gus Bradley. The Titans’ defense ranked 21st in yards and 28th in points in 2025, but the unit now looks far better on paper. Tennessee got to work in trading defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat to the Jets for end Jermaine Johnson in late February. Since the negotiating window opened Monday, the Titans’ defense has scooped up Flott, fellow corner Alontae Taylor and coveted interior lineman John Franklin-Myers.
Giants, Tremaine Edmunds Agree To Deal
Tremaine Edmunds has not needed to wait long to find his next NFL gig. The recently-released linebacker has lined up a deal with the Giants, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report.
Edmunds will collect $36MM on a three-year deal, per the report. That includes $23.7MM fully guaranteed. A busy day for the Giants includes this Edmunds contract, which can be made official before the start of the new league year since he was cut by the Bears recently.
John Harbaugh prioritized strong linebacker play in Baltimore, and that trend will continue in New York with Edmunds. Before turning 28 years old, he has started 119 games in eight NFL seasons with 900 tackles and 59 passes defended in his career. The only other player this century with the same resume is Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly.
Edmunds, though, is not on quite the same level. He has never been named to an All-Pro team and his last Pro Bowl was in 2020. The Bills 2018 first-rounder thrived next to Matt Milano during the first four years of his career, which earned him a four-year, $72MM deal in Chicago. But as a Bear, Edmunds never graded out higher than Pro Football Focus’ 35th-ranked off-ball linebacker (subscription required).
The Giants released Bobby Okereke last week, making it clear they were looking for a replacement to anchor Dennard Wilson‘s new defense. Edmunds, who has been a full-time starter for his entire career, will likely take the green dot in New York right away. The Giants will still need to find him a partner, which could come by re-signing Micah McFadden or adding a rookie in April’s draft.
Edmunds’ last deal made him the third-highest paid linebacker in the NFL. He will drop to eighth with today’s agreement, per OverTheCap, a reflection of the market’s lack of growth since Roquan Smith and Fred Warner signed their last contracts.
The Panthers were also interested in Edmunds, per ESPN’s David Newton, but they will need to look elsewhere for a running mate for Trevin Wallace.
Adam La Rose contributed to this story.
Vikings, CB James Pierre Agree To Deal
James Pierre was recently mentioned as one of the cornerbacks drawing notable attention ahead of free agency. He has indeed landed a new agreement in short order.
Josina Anderson of The Exhibit reports Pierre has reached a deal with the Vikings. This will be a two-year pact with a maximum value of $8.5MM, she adds. Pierre will secure $3.7MM guaranteed, including a $2.5MM signing bonus.
Anderson mentioned Sunday that Pierre was on nearly 10 teams’ radars after a solid sixth season in Pittsburgh. The career-long Steeler, though, will turn 30 this year. That effectively provided a market cap. Still, Pierre secured a raise after playing for low-level (NFL-wise, at least) money throughout his career.
Pro Football Focus viewed Pierre — a 2025 Steelers injury sub — as the NFL’s second-best corner (among qualified options) last season. Granted, he played 408 snaps, but the season represented a massive breakthrough. While NFL teams likely did not view him that highly, this contract reflects the six-year vet’s improvement.
The Steelers spoke with Pierre’s camp about a likely low-cost deal, but the team moved on by signing Jamel Dean. The longtime Buccaneers defender joins Joey Porter Jr. and Jalen Ramsey, depending on where the aging All-Pro is stationed, as the Steelers’ top corners for 2026. As for the Vikings, they will pair Pierre with Byron Murphy and Isaiah Rodgers. Pierre overlapped with Vikings DC Brian Flores during a 2022 season spent as Pittsburgh’s linebackers coach.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Colts, DE Arden Key Agree To Deal
Former Jaguar and Titan Arden Key will make his third AFC South stop in 2026. The Colts are adding Key on a two-year contract, insider Jordan Schultz reports. The deal carries a max value of $20MM with $11MM in guarantees.
Key, who will turn 30 in May, is joining the fifth organization of his eight-year career. He began as a Raiders third-round pick in 2018. After spending three seasons with the Raiders, he had one-year stints with the 49ers and Jaguars.
The Titans gave Key some stability when they inked him to a three-year, $21MM accord in 2023. Although Key was the subject of trade rumors before last November’s deadline, he wound up staying in Tennessee for his entire contract. There was mutual interest in a return next season, but Key will head to Indianapolis instead.
While Key combined for just three sacks in 37 games with the Raiders, he has averaged a respectable 5.5 per year dating to 2021. During his most productive season, 2024, the ex-LSU Tiger logged career highs in tackles (42), starts (15) and sacks (6.5). Key also reached 15 QB hits for the third time.
Quad and hip injuries limited Key to 12 games (nine starts) in 2025, during which he recorded 11 QB hits and four sacks. Pro Football Focus ranked Key 71st among 119 qualified edge rushers. Colts defensive end Samson Ebukam checked in two spots higher. Ebukam is now among the Colts’ free agents. More importantly, though, the team could lose the unsigned Kwity Paye to a richer payday elsewhere. Bringing in Key will give the Colts a decent veteran option as they brace for the potential exits of Ebukman and Paye.
Titans To Sign DL John Franklin-Myers
Robert Saleh is reforming his Jets band. After Jermaine Johnson arrived via trade, John Franklin-Myers is coming over in free agency. The high-level FA agreed to a three-year, $63MM Titans deal, per insider Jordan Schultz.
A two-year Broncos starter, Franklin-Myers was a key piece under Saleh with the Jets. With D-line coach Aaron Whitecotton coming to Nashville as well, the Titans appeared to be the most logical suitor for Franklin-Myers (as Nikhil Mehta’s Offseason Outlook detailed). Franklin-Myers, 29, will see $42MM guaranteed on this deal — a massive raise from his Denver terms.
Widely expected to leave the Broncos, who had not made an extension offer during a period where several other front-seven cogs were paid, Franklin-Myers hit free agency at an ideal time. Despite heading into an age-30 season, the high-end role player looked to be by far this market’s top interior D-line option. PFR ranked Franklin-Myers sixth in this year’s FA class — largely because of its lack of DT options and a draft not teeming with them, either — and the $21MM-per-year number nearly triples his Broncos AAV.
The Bengals, Colts and 49ers also pursued Franklin-Myers, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Traded to the Broncos as a salary-dump move in the 2024 draft, Franklin-Myers agreed to a two-year, $15MM deal — a better offer than the Jets made as they aimed for a sizable pay cut. Franklin-Myers had been tied to a four-year, $55MM Jets extension, but as Haason Reddick arrived via trade, Joe Douglas sent him to Denver. That became a boon for the Broncos’ defense, and it turned into a mutually beneficial relationship.
Two top-three Broncos defenses deployed Franklin-Myers as a 3-4 defensive end starter. He racked up 14.5 sacks during his two-season Broncos stay. But Denver had agreed to extensions with Zach Allen, Malcom Roach, Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper during Franklin-Myers’ tenure. The team also re-signed DT D.J. Jones just before last year’s free agency. Franklin-Myers did not expect an extension, and he will benefit from hitting the market in a down year for the position.
Initially claimed off waivers from the Rams during Adam Gase’s HC tenure, Franklin-Myers displayed inside-outside versatility under Saleh. He recorded 11 sacks from 2021-22, teaming with Quinnen Williams up front New York. Saleh’s second Jets defense improved from 32nd to fourth, and Franklin-Myers’ 2022 showing was a key reason for that leap. Two years after the draft-weekend trade, Franklin-Myers will join his former coaches on a monster fourth contract.
G Zion Johnson To Join Browns
Cleveland’s offensive line overhaul continues. After trading for Tytus Howard and giving the ex-Texans first-rounder an extension, the Browns are turning to another former first-rounder to continue their makeover up front.
Zion Johnson is joining the Browns on a three-year, $49.5MM contract, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The four-year Chargers starter will see $32.4MM guaranteed on the deal. Chargers GM Joe Hortiz‘s Combine comments seemed to point Johnson out of Los Angeles, and arguably this market’s top guard is heading to Ohio.
PFR’s No. 8-ranked free agent, Johnson spent four seasons with the Bolts. They declined his fifth-year option in 2025, with the Hortiz-Jim Harbaugh regime turning the Tom Telesco draftee into a contract-year player. Rumblings about a big market ensued, even though Johnson has not been viewed as a high-end guard just yet. But durable guards with high draft pedigrees regularly see big money in free agency. Considering some of the deals thrown around at this position in recent years, the Browns may have a bargain with the Boston College alum.
The longtime Browns guard duo — Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller — hit free agency. New HC Todd Monken, who coached Bitonio in 2019, wants the 12-year Browns blocker to re-sign. But one of Cleveland’s guard posts is now filled. The Browns are also interested in bringing back sixth man-turned-Teller timeshare cog Teven Jenkins. With Howard’s extensive history at guard — even though right tackle is his primary position — gives Cleveland options here. But the Browns also have their primary tackles and center from 2025 unsigned, creating a rare situation in which a team swaps out all five O-linemen from a season.
While Pro Football Focus has never ranked Johnson as a top-35 guard, ESPN’s run block win rate metric regarded his contract year highly, slotting him second among all interior O-linemen. Having logged full seasons at right and left guard, Johnson has made 65 starts and has been one of the position’s most durable players. On a market housing several older blockers, the 26-year-old L.A. piece will be a key part of the Browns’ 2026 O-line overhaul.
Commanders To Add CB Amik Robertson
Amik Robertson hit free agency a second time, and he will again choose to depart his current team. The recent Lions cornerback is joining the Commanders, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports.
Washington is giving the former Raiders draftee a two-year, $16MM deal that includes $9.3MM guaranteed. Robertson, 27, spent the past two years with the Lions and started 14 games with the team.
A 2020 fourth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech, Robertson spent the first four seasons of his career with the Raiders. After making only brief cameos on defense through his first two years in the NFL, he got into more than half of his team’s defensive snaps in 2022 and 2023. That latter campaign still represents the cornerback’s best season, as Robertson finished the campaign with 50 tackles and a pair of interceptions.
That performance earned him a two-year, $9.25MM contract ($4.5MM guaranteed) with the Lions the following offseason. He didn’t miss a game during his time in Detroit, starting 14 of his 34 appearances. He got into a career-high 76 percent of his team’s defensive snaps this past season, finishing with 52 stops and a career-high 12 passes defended. He allowed a career-high eight touchdowns.
Robertson has shown the ability to play both on the outside and in the slot, although he’s likely eyeing that latter role in Washington. Trey Amos and Mike Sainristil are currently penciled in as the Commanders’ two outside CBs. For Detroit, this is a tough subtraction for a squad that has some question marks in their secondary. Terrion Arnold is currently being investigated for his ties to a kidnapping and robbery plot, while safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are both returning from season-ending injuries.