Dolphins To Sign DL Neville Gallimore
Neville Gallimore is heading to Miami. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the defensive lineman is expected to sign with the Dolphins. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes it’s a one-year deal, adding Gallimore turned down slightly better offers from other teams.
Gallimore spent his entire four-year career in Dallas after being selected in the third-round of the 2020 draft. Once rated the top Canadian draft prospect, Gallimore got an extended look on defense as a rookie, starting nine of his 14 appearances. After an elbow injury limited him to only five contests in 2021, the defensive lineman has mostly seen a backup role over the past two seasons.
Gallimore started one of his 33 appearances between 2022 and 2023, with the lineman playing in 691 defensive snaps between the campaigns. He collected 16 tackles and one sack in 17 games this past season, with Pro Football Focus ranking him 69th among 130 qualifying interior defenders.
In Miami, the defensive lineman will work with defensive line coach Austin Clark, with Rapoport noting that the two have trained together during the offseason. Gallimore will be part of the team’s answer to replace Christian Wilkins, with the team having also added Isaiah Mack and Daviyon Nixon for reinforcement on the defensive line.
Vikings, S Harrison Smith Agree To Restructure
A number of veteran safeties have seen their tenures with their respective teams come to an end this offseason, but Harrison Smith will not be one of them. The Vikings All-Pro will remain with Minnesota for 2024 on a restructured contract, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports. 
Smith has spent his entire 12-year career with the Vikings, and his continued presence will be welcomed given his high-end play over the course of his decorated tenure. A report from last month indicated he would likely be required to take a pay cut to remain with the team, though, so today’s news comes as little surprise. Smith’s agency has announced (via Pelissero) the new agreement is worth $9MM, and it will lower his 2024 cap figure.
The 35-year-old had two years remaining on his deal entering Wednesday. His scheduled cap hits over that span were set to reach $19.22MM and $22.02MM, so Minnesota was unsurprisingly looking to lower those figures. Smith accepted a pay cut last year, and he has remained willing to re-negotiate his existing deal to continue his career.
The six-time Pro Bowler has been one of the league’s top ballhawks at the safety spot, racking up 34 interceptions. Smith was held without one in 2023, however, marking just the second time in his career in which that was the case. He recorded 93 tackles, three sacks and a trio of forced fumbles during the campaign, showcasing a continued ability to produce in other areas.
In an offseason in which both edge rusher Danielle Hunter and linebacker Jordan Hicks have agreed to deals with outside teams, Smith’s continued presence will also be helpful from a leadership standpoint. The latter will be counted on as one of the veterans of Brian Flores‘ unit for at least one more campaign as he looks to add further to his legacy.
Chargers Re-Sign S Alohi Gilman
Alohi Gilman is sticking in Los Angeles. The Chargers announced that they’ve re-signed the free agent safety. It’s a multi-year pact for Gilman.
The 2020 sixth-round pick played out his rookie contract with the Chargers, appearing in 57 games. He gradually saw more defensive responsbility through his four seasons in the NFL, culminating in a 2023 campaign where he started all 14 of his appearances while playing in a career-high 928 defensive snaps. He missed three games thanks to a heel injury.
He finished the 2023 season with 73 tackles, three forced fumbles, and a pair of interceptions. Pro Football Focus was especially fond of his performance last season, ranking him seventh among 95 qualifying safeties. This included the fifth-highest score at his position for his coverage ability.
While the Chargers will employ a new coaching staff in 2024, the team will have some continuity in their secondary. Gilman and Derwin James Jr. will once again top the depth chart at the two safety positions, and the latest signee it counting on an organizational turnaround in 2024.
“I’m an underdog story and you can say we’ve been underdogs for awhile and I want to change that,” Gilman told the team website. “I think I’m a good piece to add to that. Coach Harbaugh is all on board with that, his energy is contagious. I’m just super blessed.”
Commanders To Add LB Bobby Wagner
Dan Quinn has reunited with multiple Cowboys since taking over as Commanders head coach; he will now circle back to one of his former Seahawks charges who remains active.
Bobby Wagner is heading to Washington on a one-year deal worth $6MM guaranteed, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Quinn coached Wagner during his run as Seahawks defensive coordinator, overseeing the former second-round pick’s breakthrough years. Wagner, who will join a third team in three years, can max out at $8.5MM on his latest NFL contract.
[RELATED: Commanders Sign DE Dorance Armstrong]
Wagner, 33, will head from Los Angeles to Seattle to Washington in a three-season span. But the future Hall of Famer has remained productive into his 30s. Wagner is riding a remarkable streak of 10 straight seasons with a first- or second-team All-Pro honor on his resume. The past two years have brought second-team distinctions, but Wagner will stroll into the Hall of Fame following his career. A Washington chapter may well become part of his Canton montage.
The Seahawks were viewed as unlikely to bring Wagner back, despite the 12-year veteran excelling upon returning to Seattle. Wagner will also reunite with ex-Seahawks DC Ken Norton Jr., whom Washington hired as linebackers coach. This marks the second straight year the Commanders will bring in a Seahawks linebacker; they signed Cody Barton to a one-year deal in 2023. This year, the Commanders are bringing in two of the NFL’s most productive linebackers over the past two years, with Frankie Luvu heading to D.C. as well.
A 2012 second-round draft choice, Wagner played under Quinn for two years. The Seahawks brought him back to replace Gus Bradley as DC in 2013 and ’14. Wagner quickly becoming a star — for back-to-back Seahawks Super Bowl teams — helped Quinn land the Falcons’ HC job. Of the troops on Quinn’s two Seattle defenses, Wagner is the only one left playing.
Pro Football Focus rated Wagner seventh among linebackers; despite his age, the Utah State alum led the NFL with a career-high 183 tackles. That doubled as Wagner’s third tackles title. Over the past two seasons with the Rams and Seahawks, Wagner also took on a bigger role as a blitzer, totaling 9.5 sacks in that span. Over the past two years, Wagner has combined for 21 tackles for loss.
Although teams do not make a habit of handing out notable money to aging linebackers, Wagner and Lavonte David have collected decent guarantees on one-year pacts this week. Wagner will bring six first-team All-Pro honors to Washington, representing a leadership presence as Quinn and football ops boss Adam Peters — an ex-49ers exec who has certainly seen his fair share of the decorated linebacker — attempts to craft a turnaround effort.
Titans To Sign QB Mason Rudolph
Russell Wilson‘s imminent Pittsburgh arrival was expected to end the Steelers’ partnership with Mason Rudolph. Indeed, after six years with the AFC North team, Rudolph will move on. 
The Titans are giving the longtime Steelers backup a one-year, $3.62MM deal, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. With Ryan Tannehill‘s four-year contract off Tennessee’s books, the team will go about a new backup for Will Levis. Pittsburgh had been in talks on a new Rudolph deal, but the sides will move on. This Tennessee deal is worth $2.87MM in base value, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds.
[RELATED: Titans, Calvin Ridley Agree To Deal]
Ex-AFC North staffers are now leading the Titans’ offense and defense — Brian Callahan, Dennard Wilson — which will provide some advanced scouting work. While Wilson was only with the Ravens for one season, Callahan spent five as Bengals OC. Rudolph joined Lamar Jackson as the division’s longest-tenured quarterback, but the Steelers are going with Wilson as a rather high-profile competitor against Kenny Pickett. Despite Rudolph’s presence as the team’s playoff starter, he is headed to Nashville.
Tennessee’s decision to draft Levis last spring seemed to spell the end of Tannehill’s tenure atop the depth chart. Indeed, Levis took over midway through the 2023 season and he is positioned to hold the No. 1 role moving forward. The Titans’ only other passer under contract was former third-rounder Malik Willis, drafted as a developmental option in 2022. The latter’s ceiling is unknown, but Rudolph will provide a high floor as Levis insurance.
Remaining in place as Pittsburgh’s starter even after Pickett returned to health late in the year, Rudolph posted at least 229 passing yards three times between the close of the regular season and the team’s wild-card loss. He produced a 5:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio during that four-game span, and a repeat of that efficiency would be welcomed if he were to be called into action in 2024. Seeing game time with Tennessee would help the Oklahoma State product’s free agent value ahead of next offseason.
Rudolph has already played on multiple one-year pacts, and that will continue this campaign. Another backup gig awaits him despite taking an opportunity outside of Pittsburgh for the first time in his career. Still, Rudolph could find himself playing a role in a Titans offense which will look very different compared to last year’s unit.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Seahawks Extend OLB Darrell Taylor
After missing his rookie season, Darrell Taylor has proven to be a productive secondary contributor to the Seahawks’ edge contingent. Set to be an RFA, he will not have the opportunity to test the market with the new league year having begun. 
Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports the Seahawks are believed to have worked out an extension with Taylor. Rather than tendering the former second-rounder, therefore, a more permanent agreement appears to be in place for a player once in danger of being traded.
Seattle lost Uchenna Nwosu early in the 2023 campaign to a pectoral injury. That left the team without a starting edge rusher, and Taylor saw a 44% defensive snap share for the second straight season. Prior to the former’s injury, however, the latter was on the trade block. The Seahawks were prepared to deal Taylor ahead of the trade deadline, but they ultimately elected to retain him.
Taylor has struggled against the run during his career, but he has maintained a notable role due to his pass-rush production. The 26-year-old posted 6.5 sacks in 2021, then upped that total to 9.5 the following season. Logging five starts in 2023, Taylor produced 5.5 sacks while adding 17 pressures and eight QB hits. While those figures will likely be insufficient to land him a full-time starting opportunity, they have resulted in a second Seattle contract.
The Seahawks could have placed the right of first refusal tag on Taylor, valued at $2.99MM. An unmatched offer sheet would not have yielded any compensation in that case, however. The second-round tender would have guaranteed a draft pick in that round in the event Taylor departed, but it would have come at a cost of $4.89MM. Instead of working with either of those one-year tenders, the Tennessee alum will remain in place on a re-up.
Seattle still has Nwosu on the books for three more seasons. Boye Mafe and Derick Hall are also on their respective rookie deals, so this Taylor agreement will ensure stability for the Seahawks along the edge. The team posted a top-10 finish in sacks last season, and the chances of repeating that success will be high with continuity at the OLB spot.
49ers Release DT Arik Armstead
MARCH 13: The 49ers are designating Armstead as a post-June 1 cut, Maiocco tweets. This path made the most sense for San Francisco, with $18MM coming in cap savings and the veteran DT’s dead money hit being spread over two years. The 49ers will not see the savings until June. The Titans have already been connected as an Armstead suitor.
MARCH 10: A year after assembling a high-priced defensive line via the Javon Hargrave contract and Nick Bosa extension, the 49ers are removing their longest-tenured player from this equation. They are planning to release Arik Armstead, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets.
Armstead has been with the 49ers since they chose him in the 2015 first round; one season remained on the extension he signed back in 2020. He was due a $17.4MM base salary in 2024. This will almost definitely be a post-June 1 cut, due to the void years attached to the deal. The 49ers would save more than $18MM via a post-June 1 release.
The team approached Armstead about taking a significant pay cut, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco tweets. Armstead declined and will move to free agency soon. With the Chiefs extending Chris Jones at a monster rate and the Ravens giving Justin Madubuike a high-priced deal that had topped the DT guarantee spectrum until the Jones pact surfaced, Armstead should still do well despite his age (30). A host of D-tackles signed extensions last year, effectively clearing the market for Christian Wilkins, who promises to be far more expensive than Armstead.
This could open the door to the 49ers moving into the Wilkins derby, though even as Brock Purdy is on a rookie deal, the team does have a defender-record contract (Bosa’s) and a $21MM-AAV DT deal (Hargrave’s) on its books. The 49ers also came into Sunday over the cap by less than $1MM. Cutting Armstead at the start of the 2024 league year (March 13) would be a way to help on that front, and the nine-year veteran has dealt with injury trouble often during his Bay Area tenure.
The 49ers effectively chose Armstead over DeForest Buckner back in 2020, trading the latter to the Colts in order to work out what turned out to be a lower-priced DT extension. It took a $21MM-per-year deal for Indianapolis to lock down Buckner. After beginning talks, San Francisco decided to trade Buckner and re-up Armstead on a five-year, $85MM deal. The $17MM-AAV contract helped the 49ers give Bosa a high-end sidekick, doing so as a few pieces shuttled on and off the team’s D-line. Bosa and Armstead have been the constants during this strong period, which has brought four NFC championship games in five years.
Armstead missed more time due to injuries last season. After missing eight games in 2022, the 6-foot-7 D-lineman missed five late-season games due to foot and knee injuries. Armstead returned in time for the 49ers’ playoff run but did so at less than 100%. He recently underwent knee surgery and is expected to miss offseason time. These recent setbacks will undoubtedly affect Armstead’s market.
Armstead’s injury trouble aside, he has been one of the NFL’s best interior defenders over the past few years. Moved from a D-end role earlier in his career to a DT, Armstead totaled five sacks and 13 QB hits last season. Pro Football Focus ranked the veteran fifth among interior D-linemen in pass rushing, while ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric slotted him 10th. Armstead totaled 10 sacks during the 49ers’ breakthrough 2019 season; he sacked Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVIII last month. Armstead has thrived in the playoffs, totaling eight postseason sacks.
This will create a need for the 49ers, who have been known to invest heavily along their defensive line. Javon Kinlaw, whom the 49ers chose with the pick obtained for Buckner, is also a free agent. San Francisco will be a team to monitor here as free agency begins. Armstead and the 49ers’ pay-cut talks came close, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, but the accomplished D-lineman wanted to gauge his market. That could mean the door is not closed on a reunion at a lower rate, but for now, Armstead is out of the picture for the reigning NFC champions.
Bears Sign QB Brett Rypien
Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent remain on the Bears’ roster, with the draft expected to be used to bring in the team’s next starter. The Bears are also adding another veteran arm.
Brett Rypien signed a one-year deal with the Bears on Tuesday. Rypien spent time with new Bears OC Shane Waldron in Seattle last season. This will be team No. 4 for Rypien over the past six months.
The Rams rostered Rypien for the season’s first half, bringing in the former Broncos backup just after the draft. Following a rough start in Green Bay, however, Rypien received his walking papers ahead of the Rams’ Carson Wentz addition. The Seahawks then added the veteran to their practice squad, which preceded a Jets late-season poaching. The middle stint is the most relevant to Rypien’s latest move.
Waldron resided as the Seahawks’ OC last season, and Rypien spent nearly a month on the team’s P-squad. While that is a brief cameo even by NFL standards, it does appear Waldron liked enough about Rypien’s form. A Denver backup for four years prior to the three-city 2023 odyssey, Rypien stands to be a factor for the Bears’ second- or third-string job once the offseason program begins.
Chicago is widely expected to draft Caleb Williams first overall. Unlike other QBs being considered in Round 1, the 2022 Heisman winner should not be expected to be stashed as a developmental project. With Williams ticketed for the QB1 role, the Bears are almost certain to trade Fields. That said, the three-year Chicago starter’s market has not taken off like the team hoped. A brief Raiders connection fizzled, and given that Luke Getsy coached Fields for two seasons, Las Vegas’ Gardner Minshew payment (two years, $25MM, $15MM guaranteed) probably matters with regards to the QB’s trade value.
Once connected to fetching Chicago a potential Day 2 pick and perhaps more, Fields may no longer be likely to generate such compensation. The Bears are standing pat for the time being, though Fields should not be expected to be on their 2024 roster. That could leave Rypien and Bagent in a competition behind Williams.
Saints Release WR Michael Thomas
MARCH 13: The Saints will follow through with this reported plan. Thomas is no longer on the team’s roster as of the start of the 2024 league year, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill tweets. Thomas’ dead money hit will drop from $12.4MM to $11.2MM, NewOrleans.football’s Mike Triplett notes. This separation will still be expensive for the Saints, who will take on a $9.2MM hit in 2025. The Saints also cut Thomas with a failed physical designation.
Rather than Maye, the Saints are using their second post-June 1 designation on Jameis Winston. Due to another uniquely structured contract, Winston’s cap charge will drop from $4.6MM to $3.4MM on June 2, Tripplett adds. The Saints will take on $7.3MM in dead cap on the Winston deal in 2025.
MARCH 7: Michael Thomas‘ four-year run of success in the 2010s kept providing chances as his career skidded off track in the 2020s. It appears the injury-prone wide receiver will finally separate from the Saints.
New Orleans is expected to release Thomas when the new league year begins March 13, NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan notes. Although Thomas participated more in games last season than he had since 2019, the former All-Pro’s run of injuries always made it likely he would not be back for the ’24 campaign.
Thomas, who turned 31 last week, missed the Saints’ final seven games due to a knee injury. This ran the former All-Pro’s missed-games count to a whopping 48 since 2020. Various injuries are responsible for this, and the most recent one paused a season in which Thomas had accumulated 39 receptions for 448 yards in 10 games. The yardage total doubles as his most since he notched an NFL-leading 1,725 during the 2019 season, which featured a still-standing NFL record of 149 catches.
That season came on the heels of the Saints giving the former second-round pick a five-year, $96.25MM extension. Thomas had run off back-to-back first-team All-Pro seasons in 2018 and ’19, helping Drew Brees remain one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks into his early 40s. But the ankle, foot and knee trouble that has thrown the Ohio State alum’s career off course in the 2020s will almost definitely lead him out of town.
This being the Saints, a complex contract structure is in place. The parties, after multiple adjustments last year, agreed to give it another try on what amounted to a $10MM payment. Thomas’ latest contract was designed to be extended or shed from the Saints’ payroll, as ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell notes; the latter course will bring about a $11.2MM in dead money via a post-June 1 designation. It appears the Saints will use both their allotted post-June 1 moves this year, with Marcus Maye also set to be cut on March 13.
Thomas was also arrested on a simple battery charge last year, and Duncan adds the talented wideout gained a reputation as a difficult personality inside the Saints’ facility. While this clearly did not dissuade the Dennis Allen-led team from signing off on another reunion last year, as Thomas said he was only interested in playing for the Saints again, the parties will go their separate ways soon.
Although the Broncos are the current landing spot for ex-Saints, it will be interesting to see if Sean Payton would take a chance here. Thomas rankled the Saints by not going through with an ankle surgery early during the 2021 offseason, leading to a mid-offseason operation that delayed his return in what became Payton’s final year with the team. A setback then led to Thomas missing all of the 2021 season, leaving the Saints with a bottom-tier receiving corps. While the Broncos have some issues to sort out at receiver, Thomas would not seem a lock to reunite with Payton once the Saints officially move on. But adding a former All-Pro at a low rate could appeal to a team regrouping after what will become the most expensive release in NFL history.
Giants Not Planning To Tender Isaiah Hodgins As RFA
A part-time starter and regular contributor for the Giants over the past two seasons, Isaiah Hodgins may not be part of the team’s 2024 plan. The Giants are not expected to tender Hodgins as a restricted free agent, per ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan.
The Giants did keep Hodgins as via ERFA tender last year, but the RFA numbers are more expensive. It would cost the Giants $2.98MM to keep Hodgins. While that would not be especially difficult to pull off, teams regularly pass on tendering a player only to bring him back at a lower rate. It remains to be seen if the Giants will consider keeping Hodgins for a third season.
Hodgins, 25, proved quite valuable for a receiver-thin Giants squad in 2022. The ex-Brian Daboll Bills charge — claimed off waivers midway through the 2022 slate — caught 33 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns, reaching these totals despite playing in only eight Giants games. In New York’s playoff upset win in Minnesota, Hodgins scored and served as Daniel Jones‘ top target. His 8-105-1 line made a considerable difference in the Giants’ first playoff win since Super Bowl XLVI.
Kayvon Thibodeaux‘s production and the interesting Tommy DeVito stretch notwithstanding, just about everything fell apart for the Giants last season. The team added more receiving help, including Darren Waller and Parris Campbell, but still used Hodgins regularly. The 6-foot-3 target played ahead of Campbell and Sterling Shepard but saw fewer snaps than the re-signed Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson and third-round pick Jalin Hyatt. Hodgins caught 21 passes for 230 yards and three TDs.
The Giants have Slayton and Robinson still under contract alongside Hyatt, though Shepard and Campbell are unlikely to return. Hodgins, who did not play any special teams snap, may also be out of the picture soon. If the Giants do not draft a quarterback in Round 1, they are being closely tied to a big receiver investment.