Steelers, G Nate Herbig Agree To Deal
A year after restocking their offensive line with midlevel contracts, the Steelers will add another veteran blocker at a reasonable rate. The team is bringing in Nate Herbig, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
Herbig agreed to a two-year, $8MM deal with the Steelers, with Garafolo adding there is a path to Herbig starting. Although Herbig most recently contributed with the Jets, he was in Philadelphia during Steelers assistant GM Andy Weidl’s time there. Weidl believes Herbig can be a starter, and he showed as much last season.
Alijah Vera-Tucker‘s injury forced Herbig to step into a regular role as a starter, and the ex-Eagle ended up starting 11 games. Pro Football Focus slotted Herbig just outside the top 50 among guards last season, but the Steelers will bring him aboard to join an O-line featuring some similar investments.
The Steelers added guard James Daniels and center Mason Cole during the 2022 offseason, one in which they also reached a midlevel accord with right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor. Neither Weidl nor GM Omar Khan were in place at that point, so the Herbig signing should be notable through this lens. The Steelers still have Daniels and fellow guard starter Kevin Dotson under contract.
Herbig also started 12 games with the Eagles in 2020, filling in for an injured Isaac Seumalo. Weidl did not leave Philadelphia until last spring and was with the team when it signed Herbig as a UDFA. The Steelers still have former third-round pick Kendrick Green as a backup guard option, but it is safe to say Herbig will be the bigger threat for a first-string role compared to the former center. Daniels also has center experience, albeit several years ago, if the Steelers want to take that route.
Vikings To Re-Sign C Garrett Bradbury
The Vikings will have continuity in the middle of their offensive line for the next few seasons. Minnesota has reached an agreement to retain center Garrett Bradbury, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). His colleague Ian Rapoport tweets that the new deal is worth $15.75MM over three years. 
[RELATED: Vikings To Retain QB Nick Mullens]
Bradbury entered the league with considerable expectations, after he was drafted in the first round following a strong college career. His level of play early in his NFL tenure, however, left plenty to be desired and left his Minnesota future very much in doubt. The team declined his fifth-year option last spring, which would have made him a free agent tomorrow in the absence of this new deal.
The 27-year-old has been a full-time starter throughout his career, one which saw him earn consistent but underwhelming PFF grades for three straight seasons. He took a step forward in that regard in 2022, though, generating an overall rating above 70 for the first time. Overall, he ranked 11th in the league amongst qualified centers, giving the team optimism that his ascent will continue.
The NC State product made it clear on multiple occasions that his desire was to remain with the Vikings. He will now get his wish, and give the team a familiar face at the position at a reasonable AAV, compared to other, generally older, options at the position around the league. Retaining Bradbury marks a more long-term commitment on the Vikings’ part than the one currently in place with their starting quarterback.
Signs are pointing to Kirk Cousins playing out the final year of his current contract in the absence of an extension. That will no doubt lead to speculation about the team’s plans under center, but regardless of who is in place at the quarterback position for the short-term future, Bradbury will be a constant on the offensive line.
Saints To Retain WR Michael Thomas
The Saints and Michael Thomas will, in fact, stick together for an eighth season. Viewed as being on the way out of New Orleans after an offseason restructure, Thomas is now on track to stay. 
Thomas agreed to a reworked one-year deal to stay with the Saints on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It will be an incentive-laden deal, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com adds the Saints are giving the former All-Pro wideout $10MM in base value (Twitter link). The deal can spike to $15MM through the aforementioned incentives.
Following the Saints’ Derek Carr signing, Thomas sent out a few tweets praising the move. The Saints had been in negotiations with Thomas over the weekend, and the progress has led to another agreement. This is a far cry from the five-year, $96.25MM extension Thomas was attached to before a January restructure, but the former All-Pro has run into consistent injury trouble that has sidetracked his career.
New Orleans put faith in Thomas again last year, despite his 2020 injury trouble and full-season 2021 absence, but another round of health setbacks ensued. Thomas played in three games last season, with a lingering toe injury sending him to IR. The Saints have missed their former No. 1 wideout over the past three seasons, and his return would now seemingly put him behind Chris Olave in the team’s wideout pecking order.
Thomas, 30, will enter the coming season four years removed from his historic 2019 campaign. That year, he set the all-time NFL record for receptions in a season (149), and led the league in yards with 1,725. That came immediately after a year in which he posted a 125-1404-9 statline, and confirmed his status as one of the league’s top offensive players at any position when healthy.
The frequency with which he has been sidelined since then, though, has led to speculation about his Saints future, and, to no surprise, this new, relatively modest deal. A bounce-back season would not only help Olave (who topped 1,000 yards as a rookie last year) and the rest of the team perform with more consistency in the passing game, but also allow Thomas to rebuild his own value. With a new quarterback and now a (potentially) high-end wideout in place for 2023, the Saints could be in line for a notable step forward on offense.
Eagles, C Jason Kelce Agree To New Deal
Jason Kelce announced on Monday that he will suit up for the Eagles in 2023. A new contract is now in place to ensure that he will remain the league’s highest-paid player at his position. 
A team announcement confirmed that the 35-year-old is on the books for 2023 at a different figure than what he was set for while he was mulling retirement. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the one-year pact has a value of $14.25MM, and can reach $14.75MM with incentives. That represents a slight pay increase from what he received last season.
The future Hall of Famer’s playing future was in doubt leading up to the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss, but his high level of play continuing through 2022 suggests that he will be able to remain the anchor of the team’s offensive line for at least one more campaign. It thus comes as little surprise that the NFC champions moved quickly to get a new contract in place with him.
Kelce’s cap number could be manipulated with the usage of void years, something which the team has used in recent years in particular. That will help the Eagles in their bid to keep as many core players from the 2022 season as possible, something which so far has seen multiple significant departures. Philadelphia’s offensive line figures to once again be a strength of the team in 2023, however, especially with Kelce in place for a 13th Eagles season.
The five-time All-Pro helped the Eagles rank top-10 in both passing and rushing offense in 2022, as their balance and efficiency on that side of the ball was on full display throughout the season. Kelce earned a PFF grade above 80 for the seventh time last season, so a repeat of that performance will go a long way in ensuring the Eagles remain competitive after likely losing several more key players in the near future.
Jaguars To Re-Sign S Andrew Wingard
The Jaguars are retaining an experienced member of their secondary. Safety Andrew Wingard has agreed to terms on a new deal worth $9.6MM over three years, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). 
Rapoport adds that the contract includes $6MM in guaranteed money, and has a maximum value of $13.8MM. Those figures comfortably exceed what he has earned to date, and demonstrate his importance to the Jaguars moving forward.
The 26-year-old has spent all four seasons of his career in Duval County. He has logged 24 starts over that span, including 15 in 2021. His playing time has fluctuated over time, and his defensive snap share dropped to 19% last season, though he remained a key special teamer. Wingard totaled 37 tackles and one interception in his limited action.
The former UDFA played on his restricted free agent tender in 2022, but will now have security for multiple years with this new deal. He is in line to continue in a rotational, depth role moving forward, with fellow safeties Rayshawn Jenkins and Andre Cisco both under contract through 2024. Wingard will be able to step into a starting role if necessary, given his experience in doing so and the team’s investment in him with this contract.
Jacksonville took a major step forward overall on defense in 2022, but their passing defense led plenty of room for improvement. The Jaguars allowed over 238 yards per game through the air, so investments in the secondary could be coming this offseason. In general, though, the team has been connected to retaining key internal free agents as opposed to their spending spree of 2022. Re-signing Wingard is evidence of that approach, and will give the team a familiar face in the secondary for years to come.
Texans To Sign WR Noah Brown
The Texans signed Robert Woods just before the legal tampering period began, and they are continuing to add to their receiver room. Noah Brown is heading to Houston, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets.
This will be an intrastate relocation for the seventh-year veteran, who has spent his entire career with the Cowboys. Brown will leave Dallas for a one-year contract in Houston. The 225-pound wideout is coming off a career year and will be part of an evolving Texans wide receiver puzzle, one that is unlikely to include enduring trade candidate Brandin Cooks.
As the Cowboys waited on Michael Gallup and James Washington to return from injuries, and attempted to develop third-round pick Jalen Tolbert, Brown served as their top CeeDee Lamb complement for an extended stretch. Brown finished the season with 43 catches for 555 yards and three touchdowns. That number was second-best, by a wide margin, for Cowboys wide receivers last season. Brown had previously never topped the 200-yard mark in a season, and the Texans will pay a bit to see if Brown can replicate his performance.
Serving as one of the Cowboys’ top special-teamers over the past six seasons, Brown saw his responsibilities diminish here as his receiving role expanded. Brown, 26, saw action on at least 47% of the Cowboys’ special teams plays from 2018-21. His three receiving TDs last season were the first of his career.
This will likely be a low- to mid-level accord with the Texans, who are still sorting out their receiver situation. Cooks has held a standing trade request since before last year’s trade deadline, though that went on hold for a few months with trades not part of the late-season equation, and the Texans are planning to accommodate him. Cooks and DeAndre Hopkins remain the top wideout trade chips, though it is worth monitoring the Broncos’ receiver situation.
The Texans now have Woods, Brown and Nico Collins in place as experienced receivers. They also are readying for 2022 second-round pick John Metchie‘s debut. The Alabama product is expected to play for the Texans this season, after seeing his would-be rookie year interrupted by a leukemia diagnosis.
Seahawks To Release DL Quinton Jefferson
Quinton Jefferson‘s second Seahawks stint is coming to an end. The team plans to release the veteran defensive lineman, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
A Seahawks draftee in 2016, Jefferson made his way back to the Pacific Northwest last year and played mostly a rotational role with the team. But the Seahawks can create $4.5MM in cap space by releasing the seventh-year D-lineman.
The Seahawks just notified Jefferson of this decision, per CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson (on Twitter), and it comes hours after the team paid up to win the Dre’Mont Jones sweepstakes. The Seahawks are giving the former Broncos starter a three-year, $51MM deal. This has led to some rearranging, with Shelby Harris — Jones’ teammate in Denver for three seasons — also on the way out.
Jefferson, who will turn 30 later this month, played in all 18 Seahawks games last season and started three of those. With the former Bills and Raiders cog registering a career-high 5.5 sacks, it would seem he will have the option of continuing his career elsewhere. Jefferson intends to keep playing, per Anderson, and he will bring some versatility to his next team — whomever that may be.
Teams have used Jefferson as both a defensive tackle and defensive end, both in 4-3 and 3-4 schemes, making the former fifth-round pick a valuable rotational presence. Jefferson, who also added a career-best six tackles for loss in 2022, started 17 games with the Raiders in 2021 and has 48 starts on his resume.
Seattle will be retooling up front, with Poona Ford also unsigned at this point. But the team still has nose tackle Al Woods and veteran Bryan Mone under contract. Jones will be the centerpiece of the Seahawks’ updated D-tackle situation, however, with the Seahawks making a late appearance in that competition to bring the ascending interior rusher to the NFC West.
Dolphins To Re-Sign RB Raheem Mostert, LB Duke Riley
The Dolphins faced plenty of uncertainty at the running back position entering the offseason, but at least one member of the tandem which was in place to finish the 2022 season will return. Raheem Mostert has agreed to terms on a two-year, $5.6MM contract with $2.2MM in guarantees (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that incentives push the maximum value of the deal to $7.6MM. 
The 30-year-old was set to hit the open market as one of several veteran running backs in this year’s class. His production could have generated a few outside suitors, but the Dolphins made it clear that they wanted to keep either Mostert or Jeff Wilson (with the door remaining open to both being brought back).
Mostert signed with the Dolphins last offseason to continue working with head coach Mike McDaniel, after the pair spent considerable time together in San Francisco. His arrival came as part of the team’s desire to rebuild their RB room after they struggled mightily on the ground in previous seasons. Mostert earned just over $3.1MM on that pact, and will now see a slight raise from that figure if he is able to reach the full value of this new deal.
The former UDFA set a new career-high in rushing attempts and yards in 2022, recording 891 on the ground. He also topped the 1,000 mark for scrimmage yards (1,093) for the first time. His 4.9 yards per carry average was slightly below his career mark, but still sufficient to demonstrate his effectiveness in a starting role. Mostert added 502 kick return yards as he remained a key special teamer in his debut Miami season.
Wilson was acquired via trade from the 49ers after they landed Christian McCaffrey. While the former saw similar usage in Miami as he had in San Francisco to start the season, he was slightly less effective in his new home. As a whole, the Dolphins ranked only 25th in rushing yards, averaging 99 per game. That could point to an outside addition being brought in to compete for snaps with Mostert, but the latter will nevertheless remain in place in the team’s backfield.
In other Dolphins news, the team is set to linebacker Duke Riley, per Schefter (Twitter link). The 28-year-old is signing a two-year deal, which will allow him to maintain his role which has primarily consisted of special teams duties. In two seasons in Miami, Riley has totaled 71 tackles and one sack.
Cowboys To Re-Sign S Donovan Wilson
Donovan Wilson was considered one of the Cowboys’ top priorities heading into the free agent period. After a quiet start to the frenzy yesterday, they have retained the safety on a three-year deal worth up to $24MM (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL Network). $13.5MM in compensation across the first two years is fully guaranteed. 
The 28-year-old had been expected to hit the open market, after little progress had recently been made concerning contract talks. That pointed to Wilson, like fellow notable free-agents-to-be Dalton Schultz and Leighton Vander Esch, fielding offers from outside teams and quite possibly pricing themselves out of Dallas. Instead, Wilson will remain in place as a key member of the team’s safety group.
Wilson saw a major increase in his snap share in 2020 compared to his rookie year, but his playing time dropped the following season. He was utilized on 84% of defensive plays in 2022, though, allowing him to put together the most productive season of his career. The former sixth-rounder racked up 101 tackles, five sacks, an interception and a pair of forced fumbles while starting every regular season and playoff game.
The Cowboys used Wilson, along with fellow safeties Jayron Kearse and Malik Hooker, on a near-permanent basis in 2022. That made keeping the trio intact a key priority for a defense which enjoyed plenty of success in the secondary. Each of the latter two have one year remaining on their current deals, so this news means continuity will be ensured for at least the 2023 season on the backend.
Wilson was set to be one of several members of this year’s safety class which was relatively unheralded after Jessie Bates. His AAV, along with two years’ worth of guaranteed money, speaks to how highly valued he is on the Cowboys’ part, and the potential market remaining for other pending free agents at the position. In any case, Wilson has a pact in place which will comfortably exceed his career earnings in each year, and allow the Cowboys to maintain a strong safety corps.
Raiders, WR Jakobi Meyers Agree To Deal
The first major wide receiver domino of the free agent period has fallen. Jakobi Meyers is set to sign with the Raiders on a three-year, $33MM contract (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network). 
The pact includes $21MM guaranteed, and will give Vegas another notable new piece on offense. The Raiders agreed to terms yesterday on a deal with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He, just like Meyers, will be reunited with head coach Josh McDaniels after working alongside the latter in New England when he served as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator.
Las Vegas’ Meyers accord contains $16MM fully guaranteed, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets, with the remaining $5MM being an injury guarantee. Meyers has the final $5.5MM in guarantees coming to him in 2024, via a roster bonus. Like Garoppolo, the team could escape this contract — with a bit of dead money — next year. Beyond the fully guaranteed roster bonus, $5MM shifts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2024 league year, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Meyers, 26, enjoyed a noteworthy career ascension across his four seasons spent in New England. The former UDFA became a starter by his second season, and has been one of the few constants in the Patriots’ underwhelming passing attack in recent years. Meyers comfortably led the team in receiving yards (804) in 2022, and was expected to headline a less-than stellar class of free agent wideouts this offseason.
The $11MM AAV of this pact falls short of what some reports indicated he could receive on the open market. Meyers has put up consistent totals in a number of categories over the past three seasons, but his yards-per-catch average sits at 11.7 for his career. That figure pegs him as a high-end complimentary wideout in an ideal role, something which will be possible with the Raiders.
Vegas already has Davante Adams atop their WR depth chart, and highly-regarded slot man Hunter Renfrow on the books after he signed a new deal last offseason. The Raiders also have Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller, so Meyers represents the latest addition to a multi-faceted pass-catching corps. He will have the opportunity to continue his steady production with a familiar scheme.
For the Patriots, this news marks the second straight day of a pass-catcher departing. New England traded away tight end Jonnu Smith yesterday, and will now have a hole to fill at wideout with Meyers defecting. That position was already a weak one even with Meyers and fellow veteran Nelson Agholor, who is reportedly expected to leave in free agency as well. New England will have considerable work to do to upgrade their passing efficiency, but the Raiders will have another impact playmaker in place when they look to rebound in 2023 with a new-look offense.