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Falcons To Re-Sign WR KhaDarel Hodge

March 12th, 2025 at 3:38pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Falcons are re-signing wide receiver and special teams ace KhaDarel Hodge, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Hodge was named to the Pro Bowl as a special teamer in 2024, the first of his career. He cashed in with a two-year, $6MM deal in Atlanta, a solid raise over his $1.3MM contract last year.

The 30-year-old originally signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He didn’t make the initial 53-man roster, but appeared in 14 games as a rookie by demonstrating the special teams prowess that would come to define his career.

Hodge was waived by the Rams during final roster cuts in 2019 and was claimed by the Browns. He played 16 games in Cleveland and was re-signed for another year as an exclusive rights free agent. In 2020, Hodge carved out a larger role on offense, but only appeared in nine games due to injuries. The Browns placed an RFA tag on him after the season, but moved on during final roster cuts before the 2021 season. Hodge spent the season with the Lions, playing 16 games with most of his involvement coming on special teams.

Hodge then found a long-term home in Atlanta, signing a one-year deal in 2022 and re-upping in each of the last two offseasons. Now, he’s set to continue playing for the Falcons through the 2026 season.

Cardinals To Sign LB Mykal Walker

March 12th, 2025 at 3:32pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Cardinals are signing veteran linebacker Mykal Walker, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

Walker appeared in 17 games for the Commanders in 2024 with more than 80% of his playing time coming on special teams. In Arizona, he will likely compete for a role on defense while serving as a core special teams contributor.

Walker was originally a fourth-round pick by the Falcons in 2020 out of Fresno State. He started eight games across his first two seasons before carving out a full-time role in 2022 with 12 starts.

His 107 tackles ranked third on Atlanta’s defense, but the team waived him during training camp the following summer. Walker then spent time with the Bears and the Raiders before receiving his next playing opportunity with the Steelers.

Pittsburgh signed Walker to their practice squad in October 2023 and earned a promotion to the active roster in November. He appeared in the Steelers’ last eight games of the regular season with five starts and even started their wild card loss to the Bills.

Despite earning a starting job, Walker was not retained by the Steelers and instead hit free agency last spring. The Commanders signed him to a one-year deal, but also chose not to re-sign him this offseason.

Lions To Re-Sign DT Levi Onwuzurike

March 12th, 2025 at 3:26pm CST by Adam La Rose

Levi Onwuzurike will not be heading elsewhere as a free agent. An agreement has been reached which will keep him with the Lions.

Onwuzurike has a one-year deal in place with Detroit, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The pact is worth $5.5MM, he adds. After a career-year in 2024, the former second-round defensive tackle will earn a notable raise compared to his rookie contract.

Playing through a back issue during his rookie campaign, Onwuzurike managed to make 16 appearances but only managed one sack. He sat out the following season due to the issue, and as a result questions were raised about his NFL future. The Washington product has played in 26 games across this past two years, though.

That span includes 2024, in which Onwuzurike logged 10 starts a 61% snap share, by far the largest workload of his career. The 27-year-old posted only one sack but added 22 pressures, demonstrating his disruptive presence when healthy. The Lions will be counting on another campaign with that kind of performance as they prepare for at least one more season with both Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill in place.

The latter is attached to a four-year, $97MM extension and he will remain in place for the foreseeable future as a result. The Lions will increasingly depend on cost-effective players elsewhere on their defense, though, so Onwuzurike is in line to continue playing an important role for at least one more season. If he manages to duplicate or improve upon his output from 2024, it would come as no surprise if a long-term Detroit commitment (or one from an outside team) came to bear next spring.

Browns To Sign DT Maliek Collins

March 12th, 2025 at 3:21pm CST by Adam La Rose

Maliek Collins was let go by the 49ers earlier this week. The veteran defensive tackle did not need to wait long to find a new home, however.

Collins has agreed to a two-year deal with the Browns, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The contract is worth $20MM and includes $13MM fully guaranteed, he adds. Collins will now join a Browns D-line which no longer features Dalvin Tomlinson.

Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes the deal is still being worked on. Presuming it is finalized, though, Collins will be expected to handle a starting role on his fifth career team. The 29-year-old has operated as a first-team presence throughout his career, which has included time with the Cowboys, Raiders, Texans and 49ers.

San Francisco traded for Collins last offseason, and he started all 17 games with the team. The former third-rounder recorded five sacks along the way, but that production was not enough to keep him in place. The 49ers elected to cut Collins as part of their efforts to reset along the defensive interior. The same remained the case for Javon Hargrave, who was designated as a post-June 1 release.

The Browns used Tomlinson as a full-time starter for each of the past two seasons. The former Giant and Viking posted three sacks in each of his Cleveland campaigns, and halfway through his contract the Browns elected to move on. Tomlinson’s pact averaged $14.25MM per season; this Collins one checks in at a lower figure but it will still carry notable expectations on a Browns defensive front which will still include Myles Garrett in 2025.

The All-Pro’s saga saw a trade request replaced by a record-breaking extension on Sunday. Garrett will be counted on to remain an elite producer along the edge moving forward as a result. Collins will look to serve as a complementary pass-rushing presence along the interior.

Steelers, CB Brandin Echols Agree To Deal

March 12th, 2025 at 3:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

After four years with the Jets, Brandin Echols is set to be on the move this offseason. The veteran corner has a deal in place with the Steelers, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports.

Echols joined the Jets as a sixth-rounder in 2021. Over the course of his rookie contract, he racked up 19 starts (including 14 during his rookie campaign). Since that point, he has operated as a rotational defender while handling a notable special teams workload. That will likely remain the case with his newest team.

The Steelers will be working with a new-look cornerbacks group in 2025. They saw Donte Jackson leave for a deal with the Chargers, and Cameron Sutton, C.J. Henderson, and James Pierre all saw their contracts expire, as well. Joey Porter Jr. and Beanie Bishop return as impact players from last year, while Cory Trice returns in support.

The team also signed veteran Darius Slay today, and Slay will likely take over the starting job across from Porter, while Bishop should continue to take the majority of the reps in the slot. Echols spent most of his defensive snaps on the outside, so he’ll likely continue to contribute there behind Porter and Slay.

The Jets have seen Echols joined by D.J. Reed as free agent departures, but they were able to re-sign slot specialist Isaiah Oliver. They have signed former Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens, who should step into a starting role for New York.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

Bills To Trade CB Kaiir Elam To Cowboys

March 12th, 2025 at 2:16pm CST by Adam La Rose

After three seasons with the Bills, Kaiir Elam is on the move. Buffalo has agreed to trade the former first-round corner to the Cowboys, as first reported by The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson.

Dallas will send Buffalo a fifth-round pick in 2025 along with a future seventh-rounder in exchange for Elam and a sixth-round selection, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. This will give Elam a fresh start after struggling to carve out a starting role on the Bills’ defense. Presuming the Cowboys intend to decline his fifth-year option this spring, 2025 will represent his walk year. Confirming the deal, the Bills announced the seventh-round pick will be in 2026.

Elam had a strong three-year college career at Florida, and expectations were high upon arrival in Buffalo as the No. 23 pick in the 2022 draft. He made six starts and 13 appearances as a rookie, collecting a pair of interceptions. That showcased his potential to an extent, but since then Elam has not developed as hoped.

The 23-year-old tore an ankle ligament prior to the start of his second Bills season, and after attempting to play through the injury he was on injured reserve for an extended stretch. Elam appeared in only three games that year, finding himself passed on the depth chart by Christian Benford (who has set himself up well to be one of the next Bills to secure a lucrative extension). Even without Tre’Davious White in the fold in 2024, Elam only handled a 35% snap share on defense, something which further fueled trade speculation.

The latter’s departure will clear up $2.57MM in cap space for the Bills. That figure represents Elam’s 2025 salary as he looks to build his value during the final year of his rookie contract. Earning at least a rotational role in a secondary which is set to lose longtime slot starter Jourdan Lewis would give the Cowboys a cost-effective option at the cornerback spot. Dallas still has Trevon Diggs on the books through 2028 (as his knee rehab continues), while fellow perimeter cover man DaRon Bland is entering the final year of his rookie deal.

Last August, the Cowboys made a similar move in trading for cornerback Andrew Booth. The former Vikings second-rounder had a modest role on defense with Dallas in 2024, and he too is set to see his rookie deal expire after the coming campaign. It will be interesting to see if the buy-low approach with Elam pans out and leads to a long-term commitment from his new team.

Giants Sign OT Stone Forsythe

March 12th, 2025 at 1:54pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Giants are signing offensive tackle Stone Forsythe, according to his agency and confirmed by a team announcement.

The Seahawks traded up in the 2021 draft to select Forsythe in the sixth round. He only played 14 offensive snaps as a rookie, but emerged as a key swing tackle over the next three years as Seattle weathered injuries to Abraham Lucas and Charles Cross.

Forsythe appeared in 34 games with nine starts and 623 offensive snaps across the next two years, lining up at both left and right tackle. He opened the 2024 season as the Seahawks’ starting right tackle with Lucas rehabbing from an injury suffered in 2023.

Forsythe then landed on injured reserve in October and remained sidelined until Week 16. By that time, Lucas was back at right tackle in Seattle and Forsythe finished the season on the bench. He left Seattle with 53 total appearances and 14 starts, 13 of which came in 2023 and 2024.

Forsythe could compete for a starting job in New York. Andrew Thomas is locked in as the Giants’ left tackle, but 2022 first-rounder Evan Neal has struggled with injuries and consistency on the right side. If he can’t win a starting gig, he will likely return to his role as a swing tackle that can step in at left or right tackle in case of injury.

Packers, Patriots Did Not Make Offers For D.K. Metcalf

March 12th, 2025 at 1:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite reports of interest from the Packers and the Patriots, neither team submitted offers to the Seahawks for D.K. Metcalf, per The Athletic’s Matt Schniedman and NBCS Boston’s Phil Perry

Seahawks general manager John Schneider spent 2002 to 2009 in Green Bay when Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was a scout with the team. That led to rumblings that the Packers would trade for Metcalf to add a proven WR1 to their receiver room. However, such a deal was “never a realistic possibility,” per Schniedman.

The Patriots were linked with several available wide receivers who could bolster Drake Maye‘s group of pass-catchers, but they did not make an effort to acquire Metcalf, according to Perry. New England was expected to pursue Chris Godwin, but he opted to re-sign with the Buccaneers instead.

Reports also indicated that Metcalf preferred to play in a warm climate, but he did not express that desire to his agent, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Instead, he ended up in Pittsburgh where his 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame will fit with the physical playing style of the AFC North.

Metcalf’s new team better aligns with his priority of winning, per Pelissero. Mike Tomlin has led the Steelers to the playoffs in four of the last five seasons. Metcalf has just two postseason appearances in that span and three in his entire career.

Commanders To Re-Sign QB Marcus Mariota

March 12th, 2025 at 1:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

Marcus Mariota will remain in Washington for the 2025 campaign. The journeyman quarterback has a new Commanders agreement in place, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

This will be a one-year pact worth $8MM, Pelissero adds. That marks a slight raise compared to Mariota’s first Commanders contract. After a successful year backing up Jayden Daniels, he will do so again next season.

Pelissero notes Mariota drew interest from outside teams, but he turned that down to remain in the nation’s capital. The former No. 2 pick bounced around the league following his five-year run with the Titans, spending time with the Raiders, Falcons and Eagles before signing with the Commanders last offseason. Mariota made just three appearances in 2024, but he gave the team a veteran mentor for Daniels as he put together an exceptional rookie campaign.

Daniels’ strong play ensured Mariota would have needed to head elsewhere if he intended to compete for a starting gig. The 31-year-old’s last stint atop a depth chart came with the Falcons in 2022, when his passer rating (88.2) fell short of his career average. Failing to secure a long-term opportunity as a starter in Atlanta set Mariota up for a one-year spell as the Eagles’ backup prior to his intra-divisional move to the Commanders last spring.

That signing was seen as an indication the Commanders’ preference was to select Daniels with the No. 2 pick in the draft given Mariota’s mobility. Washington did indeed go in that direction, and the team’s success on offense led to renewed head coaching interest for OC Kliff Kingsbury. The former Cardinals coach ultimately withdrew from the 2025 hiring cycle, citing his satisfaction of working with Daniels. After winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024, Daniels will have both his offensive coordinator and QB2 back with him next season.

As expected, the first two days of the negotiating window brought about considerable movement at the quarterback position. That has continued into Wednesday, with the official start of free agency looming this afternoon. Mariota’s decision to remain in place has taken one more veteran passer off the market.

Chargers Re-Sign LB Troy Dye, WR Jalen Reagor

March 12th, 2025 at 12:20pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Chargers are re-signing veteran linebacker Troy Dye, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Dye’s contract is worth $5.5MM over two years with a maximum value of $8.5MM with incentives, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. Multiple other teams were interested, but Dye opted to stay on the West Coast after growing up in California and playing college football at Oregon.

Dye appeared in all 17 games (five starts) for the Chargers in 2024 with a rotational role on defense and an 80% snap share on special teams. He finished the season with career-highs of 57 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two tackles for loss.

The 28-year-old was originally a fourth-round pick by the Vikings in 2020. He primarily played special teams in Minnesota with eight starts on defense across four years. He signed a one-year, $1.79MM deal with the Chargers in 2024 and is now under contract with the team through the 2026 season.

The Chargers also announced the re-signing of wide receiver Jalen Reagor. The 26-year-old appeared in eight games with seven receptions for 100 yards, but could be in line for a bigger role in 2025 after the departure of Josh Palmer.

Reagor was an Eagles first-round pick in 2020 who struggled to live up to his draft billing in Philadelphia. He was traded to the Vikings ahead of the 2022 season and waived after another disappointing year. Reagor spent 2023 with the Patriots, but couldn’t make the 53-man roster in 2024. He then joined the Chargers’ practice squad in September and was promoted to the active roster in November.

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