HEADLINES

Transactions News & Rumors

Patriots, Milton Williams Agree To Deal

March 10th, 2025 at 11:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Panthers looked to be the frontrunners to secure Milton Williams, but that will no longer be the case . The Patriots are adding Williams instead, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report.

Williams will head to Foxborough on a monster deal that averages $26MM per season over four years. After the Cowboys kept Osa Odighizuwa off the market, Williams — PFR’s No. 3 overall free agent — will benefit from being allowed to speak with multiple suitors.

Carolina was deep in talks with Williams, who will parlay a big contract year into a seismic second contract. The Panthers were close to a deal, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Patriots then upped their price — on a deal that includes $63MM guaranteed — to end the derby. After Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins reset the D-tackle market last year, Williams will benefit. Assuming the $63MM represents Williams’ guarantee total (as opposed to the amount fully locked in at signing), that still ranks sixth among DTs.

The Eagles had re-signed Zack Baun, but the Super Bowl champions had left Williams, Josh Sweat and Mekhi Becton unattached as the legal tampering period began today. Williams represents the first defection, and Sweat has since committed to the Cardinals, rejoining Jonathan Gannon.

Williams’ contract year produced career-high numbers in sacks (five) and QB hits (10). Used as a part-time starter, the Louisiana Tech product totaled 18 pressures as well, ranking sixth in DT pass rush win rate. Pro Football Focus ranked the former third-round pick as the No. 1 interior pass rusher last season, and the Patriots will buy in while the Eagles will predictably build their DT future around Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.

The Patriots extended Christian Barmore last year but saw him miss most of the season due to blood clots. Barmore returned late in the year and will now pair with Williams to round out a pricey D-tackle duo. Williams joins Harold Landry, Carlton Davis and Robert Spillane as additions aimed at restoring the Patriots to an upper-crust defense. After two-plus decades carrying such chops, New England plummeted to 22nd in yards and points allowed despite Christian Gonzalez‘s All-Pro ascent.

Coming into free agency with the most cap space in the NFL, the Patriots are delivering on Mike Vrabel’s push to both spend in free agency and bolster their lines. Williams will be the biggest bet any team makes on the D-line during this free agency period, and the Pats will expect him to build on a breakout season.

Williams showed flashes before, having supplied a career-high nine tackles for loss during the Eagles’ 2022 NFC championship season. Although his Super Bowl LIX sack-strip-recovery sequence introduced the former third-round pick to the casual fans — ones that were still watching by that point — Williams will be out to prove he is not a one-year wonder.

Browns To Sign T Cornelius Lucas

March 10th, 2025 at 11:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Commanders made a play to add a more accomplished left tackle today, bringing in Laremy Tunsil via trade. One of their 2024 options at the position will now relocate.

Cornelius Lucas is heading to Cleveland, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reporting the 11-year veteran will join the Browns on a two-year deal. Lucas’ latest contract can be worth up to $10MM.

This will end a five-year Lucas stay in Washington. The Commanders used Lucas as a spot starter for much of that stay, but he ended up with 38 starts for the team. Going into his age-34 season, Lucas is preparing for a 12th NFL campaign. He is now set to play for a sixth franchise, having made pre-Washington stops with the Lions, Rams, Saints and Bears.

Lucas played 318 snaps at left tackle and 139 snaps at right tackle for the Commanders last season, helping a team that was breaking in third-round rookie Brandon Coleman. While Coleman manned Jayden Daniels‘ blindside post in the playoffs, Lucas started seven games last season. For his career, Lucas — a former UDFA — has 54.

The Browns have Jedrick Wills out of contract, after two injury-plagued seasons, and lost James Hudson to the Giants today. The team still rosters Jack Conklin, who is injury-prone himself and going into an age-31 season. While Joel Bitonio‘s return ensures interior-line continuity, the Browns still have some work to do at tackle. Pro Football Focus’ No. 28 overall tackle last season, Lucas could give the Browns a starter or swing option next season.

Seahawks To Sign OL Josh Jones

March 10th, 2025 at 11:14pm CST by Ely Allen

The Seahawks are making the move to bring in a bit of depth on the offensive line this offseason. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported today that former Ravens lineman Josh Jones is expected to sign with Seattle.

Jones’ first five years in the NFL have shown many different sides of what he can provide. A former third-round draft pick for the Cardinals out of Houston, Jones got most his playing time on special teams as a rookie. By his sophomore season, Jones had worked his way into a starting role, starting 12 games for Arizona — nine at right guard and three at right tackle.

Though he didn’t retain his starting job for the full season, Jones displayed that he could be a serviceable starter at multiple positions along the offensive front. He continued to work, and even though he didn’t begin the 2022 season as a starter, the Cardinals knew that they could turn to him to start at left tackle when D.J. Humphries went on injured reserve with a back injury. Jones started nine games for the Cardinals that season, including the final eight of the year.

The next season saw a similar circumstance after Jones was traded to Houston. Jones appeared in 13 games for the Texans, starting three. Of those three starts, one was at left guard and two were at left tackle.

Following the expiration of his rookie deal, Jones signed with the Ravens for 2024. When a lack of serviceable starters forced Baltimore to utilize their usual sixth-man of the offensive line, Patrick Mekari, as a starter for the full year, Jones’ versatility allowed them to do so without losing that valuable sixth lineman who can fill in everywhere. While Mekari has started games in the NFL at every position on the offensive line, Jones is not far behind him, having started at every position but center. Jones didn’t start any games in Baltimore, but he played in 16, often finding himself involved in jumbo packages that the run-heavy Ravens used frequently. Now both Mekari and Jones have departed from Baltimore.

In Seattle, Jones may just find an opportunity to start again. The team is set to watch starting left guard Laken Tomlinson depart in free agency, as will key backup tackles George Fant and Stone Forsythe. Even if Jones isn’t able to secure a starting role, he’s established himself as a valuable backup who can fill in at almost any position along the offensive line wherever he goes.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/10/25

March 10th, 2025 at 10:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor NFL moves that may have been missed during an otherwise extremely busy first day of the tampering period:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Giants To Sign DE Chauncey Golston

March 10th, 2025 at 10:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants are staying busy to close out Day 1 of free agency. Hours after bringing in Roy Robertson-Harris, the team is adding Chauncey Golston.

An ex-Cowboys front-seven piece, Golston is making in intra-NFC East move by agreeing to a three-year, $19.5MM deal with the Giants, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. Two-thirds of Golston’s deal is fully guaranteed, the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins tweets.

Formerly a third-round pick out of Iowa, Golston has spent his entire career with Dallas. A starter path did not emerge for the versatile D-lineman until last season, when he lined up as a first-stringer in 13 games. A Cowboys team that lost DeMarcus Lawrence needed Golston more, and he accumulated 5.5 sacks and eight QB hits.

Golston does not present a flashy resume, starting only three games before 2024 and never eclipsing 1.5 sacks before last season either. Going into his age-27 season, Golston does bring experience at both D-end and D-tackle in Dallas’ 4-3 scheme. Playing more on the edge in 2024, Golston may end up an Azeez Ojulari replacement as a third rusher behind Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Though, a D-end role in the Giants’ 3-4 look would open up a starting spot for a player guaranteed two full seasons.

Ojulari has not yet relocated, but that has long been expected. This addition would seem to further point the four-year contributor out the door. As for Dallas, Lawrence has said he hopes to re-sign with the Cowboys; he is coming off a Lisfranc injury that ended his season before the midway point. The Cowboys also have Sam Williams coming off an ACL tear. Williams may be asked to pick up the slack, as he was last year following the Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler exits, but it appears the team is in need for more help alongside Micah Parsons.

Raiders To Sign LB Elandon Roberts

March 10th, 2025 at 10:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler are long gone, the Raiders are still adding former Patriot regulars. Elandon Roberts will be the latest, though he has enjoyed multiple stopovers since his Patriot Way days.

The Raiders are adding the recent Steelers starter on a one-year deal worth $3MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Roberts has run his career start count to 105 games. After the Patriots added Robert Spillane earlier Monday, the Raiders will bring in one of the players the Steelers used to replace him back in 2023.

While the Raiders are no longer embracing the Patriot Way model, they do have a key holdover from that period in Patrick Graham, who will now work as DC for a third head coach. Graham and Roberts’ Patriots tenures did not overlap, but the current Raiders DC coached Roberts under Brian Flores in Miami.

The Raiders were unable to retain Spillane, Tre’von Moehrig or Nate Hobbs, but they have now added Roberts and Jeremy Chinn to go along with the re-signed Malcolm Koonce and Adam Butler. The team also signed veteran DB Lonnie Johnson. In Roberts, they will add an experienced player that has remained a starter despite a few scheme shifts.

Roberts, 31 in April, comes to the Raiders after seeing his snap share reduced in Pittsburgh. The Steelers used Roberts as a 14-game starter, but he did not share the responsibilities Patrick Queen did. Roberts played only 44% of Pittsburgh’s defensive plays last season — down from 54% in 2023. Despite the reduced role, Pro Football Focus assigned the veteran as the No. 3 overall run defender among off-ball linebackers. This came as Roberts totaled five tackles for loss after he finished with 10 apiece in 2022 and ’23. Butler’s most impressive statistical season came in 2022, when he totaled 107 tackles and 4.5 sacks for the playoff-bound Dolphins.

A Bill Belichick piece on three Patriots Super Bowl teams in the late 2010s, Roberts signed three one-year contracts with the Dolphins. He played on a two-year, $7MM Steelers deal. The Raiders probably still have some work to do at linebacker, with Divine Deablo also a free agent.

Panthers To Re-Sign CB Michael Jackson

March 10th, 2025 at 10:06pm CST by Ely Allen

The Panthers did not tell Michael Jackson to “Beat It.” After trading for the veteran cornerback just prior to the start of the 2024 season in exchange for seventh-round rookie linebacker Michael Barrett, Carolina has opted to retain the 28-year-old defender on a two-year, $14.5MM deal, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

The trade certainly worked out in Carolina’s favor as Barrett was waived just five days after the deal by the Seahawks before re-signing to their practice squad. He was then released just after the team’s season-opener and signed two days later to the Browns’ practice squad. Barrett was once again released in early-October and didn’t get signed again until the Packers brought him onto their practice squad on November 30. He was elevated by the Packers in the final week of the season but didn’t see any snaps. Barrett has not been signed to a reserve/futures deal and remains a free agent.

While Barrett bounced around, unable to find any playing time, Jackson started every game of the season for the Panthers, notching career highs in total tackles (76), tackles for loss (3), passes defended (17), and interceptions (2). It was only the second time Jackson played a full season as a starter.

Like Barrett, Jackson had a similarly rough start to his NFL career. He started as a fifth-round pick for the Cowboys out of Miami, failing to make the make the 53-man roster but signing to the practice squad. He was signed off Dallas’ taxi squad to the Lions’ active roster but only made one appearance in eight weeks with the team. The team announced they were waiving him the following August but instead traded him to New England. He made the initial 53-man roster with the Patriots but was soon waived and re-signed to the practice squad, where he was elevated for the final game of the season.

In 2021, he was waived in the Patriots’ final roster cuts but signed with the Seahawks practice squad two days later, getting elevated for two games. Jackson became a surprise name in Seattle’s camp the following offseason and became a starter in the new-look secondary. He not only earned his first career start but started every game of the season, as well, though he graded out below average, with Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranking him 84th among 118 players graded at the position. Jackson saw a reduced role in 2023 for Seattle, only starting four games, but his play improved analytically, as PFF graded him as the 19th-best cornerback of 127 players.

In a return to a full-time starting role this year, and despite joining the team just two and half weeks before the season started, Jackson graded out above average, with PFF grading him as the 43rd-best corner of 116. He returns to a secondary that recently gave a big payday to Jaycee Horn. Horn and Jackson will likely continue to act as the team’s top cornerback options while some younger talent fills out the depth lost as Lonnie Johnson, Dane Jackson, and Caleb Farley all head towards free agency.

Cowboys To Sign G Robert Jones

March 10th, 2025 at 9:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

A 17-game Dolphins starter last season, Robert Jones observed James Daniels commit to Miami earlier Monday night. Hours later, the four-year Dolphin is joining the Cowboys.

Dallas is adding Jones on a one-year deal worth up to $4.75MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. With Isaiah Wynn missing all of last season due to an injury sustained in 2023, the Dolphins used Jones as their full-time left guard. He joins a Cowboys team that just lost future Hall of Fame guard Zack Martin to retirement.

Unlike wideout Zay Jones, Robert Jones is not related to 1990s Cowboys linebacker Robert Jones. The Robert Jones the Cowboys added Monday night has worked as a guard regular for the Dolphins. Jones joined Liam Eichenberg as Dolphins guards who hit free agency today, and the Miami LG will take what amounts to a “prove it” deal. Jones also started seven games in 2022 and five in 2023. Pro Football Focus slotted Jones 58th among guards last season.

Ahead of his age-26 season, Jones still has some time to convince teams he is worth a better deal down the road. The Cowboys, however, could eat as much as $26.5MM in dead money from Martin void years — depending on how the team processes the seven-time first-team All-Pro’s retirement. With a cap hit of some sort from the Martin decision coming, the Cowboys will suddenly have a line flooded with low-cost contracts.

The team has Terence Steele on a higher-end right tackle deal but used first- and third-round picks on starters last season (Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe). Immediate returns on those investments did not emerge, but the Cowboys also have All-Pro guard Tyler Smith still on a rookie deal. It will be interesting to see if the team attempts to work out an early extension for the former first-round pick this offseason.

Texans To Re-Sign DE Derek Barnett, LB Jake Hansen; Team To Sign WR Braxton Berrios, DB Tremon Smith

March 10th, 2025 at 9:34pm CST by Rory Parks

Derek Barnett is staying in Houston, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. After being claimed off waivers by the Texans in 2023, Barnett remained with the club via a one-year, $2MM pact last offseason and will sign a one-year, $5MM deal this year.

Barnett is now entering his age-29 season, and after serving as a primary starter on the Eagles’ defensive line earlier in his career, it appears those days are behind him. He nonetheless has earned the trust of head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke, and he saw a 38% snap share last year. That was enough to get him five sacks — his highest total since the 2020 campaign — and two fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns. He never quite justified Philadelphia’s draft investment (he was the No. 14 overall pick of the 2017 draft), but he is a valuable edge presence behind Houston’s starting tandem of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson.

The Texans have also agreed to sign WR Braxton Berrios to a one-year, $2MM contract, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Often lauded more for his return work than his receiving acumen, Berrios did not record a single catch during the six games in which he appeared in 2024 (he suffered an ACL tear in Week 7). However, he did return three kickoffs for 76 yards and seven punts for 103 yards, and he earned First Team All-Pro acclaim in 2021 for his efforts as a return specialist (he led the league with a whopping 30.4 yards-per-return average that season).

It is certainly fair to expect Berrios to get some looks as a returner for Houston. Given that Tank Dell is uncertain to suit up at all in 2025, Berrios could see action as a slot receiver as well. He has been a useful ancillary target in the past, catching 128 passes for 1,208 yards over the 2020-23 seasons, which he split between the Jets and Dolphins.

Tremon Smith, who spent the 2021-22 seasons with the Texans and the following two years with the Broncos, is returning to Houston on a two-year, $7.5MM accord, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Like Berrios, Smith could see more burn in the third phase, as he has never logged a defensive snap share above 17%. Still, he is valued for his ST work, racking up well over 300 special teams snaps in each of the last four seasons. He has clearly impressed during that time, as Pelissero notes that Smith is now the highest-paid core special teamer in the NFL.

Jake Hansen, 26, signed with Houston as a UDFA in 2022 and will return on a one-year pact for 2025, according to Wilson. Hansen will presumably reprise his role as a special teams contributor and depth linebacker.

Load More Posts