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RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/3/25

March 4th, 2025 at 9:37pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

More teams made tender/non-tender decisions on restricted and exclusive rights free agents today. Here are the latest updates:

RFAs

Non-tendered: 

Despite 48 appearances, 19 starts, and 1,794 total snaps over the last three years, the Bears will not tender Sanborn, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. While not considered a starting defender, Sanborn could draw interest in free agency as a backup linebacker and core special teams contributor.

ERFAs

Tendered: 

Non-tendered:

Hoffman started the Cowboys’ last seven games of the 2024 season after Zack Martin went down for the season. He primarily played right guard, though he played 109 snaps at center and 19 at left guard, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Martin retired last month, so Hoffman will likely compete for a starting role in 2025 while earning $1.1MM.

Ashton Jeanty Plans To Visit Cowboys, Bears

March 1st, 2025 at 9:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

Attention for all NFL prospects will soon turn away from the Combine to the next step in the pre-draft process. In the case of top running back Ashton Jeanty, he will draw considerable interest over the coming weeks.

Jeanty plans to take top-30 visits with the Cowboys and Bears, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. It comes as no surprise Dallas is among the teams which intends to host the Boise State standout. Jeanty himself said in November he would welcome the opportunity to play for his hometown team.

The Cowboys elected to attempt a committee approach in 2024 after allowing Tony Pollard to depart in free agency. A reunion with Ezekiel Elliott did not work as planned, although Rico Dowdle topped 1,000 rushing yards by handling by far the heaviest workload of his career. After Dallas ranked just 27th in the NFL in production on the ground, though, adding a new top back (especially if Dowdle departs in free agency) is an obvious goal, something which could come as early as the 12th overall pick in the draft.

The Bears (owners of the No. 10 selection) were among the numerous teams which made a splash on the veteran market last offseason. D’Andre Swift inked a three-year, $24MM deal in free agency and handled a career-high 295 touches during his debut Chicago campaign. The former Lion and Eagle’s base salary for 2025 ($7.93MM) will be guaranteed in full by March 17, so he will be counted on to remain a central figure in the Bears’ offense next year.

Chicago traded away Khalil Herbert midway through the 2024 season, while Travis Homer and Darrynton Evans are pending free agents. The team could therefore look to April’s draft to add depth behind Swift and Roschon Johnson. The 2025 class is lauded for its crop of running backs, however, so the Bears (and others) could wait until Day 2 or 3 and find impact players at the position.

Jeanty is seen as a first-round candidate based on his massive output during his time with the Broncos. His 2,601 rushing yards and 30 total touchdowns in 2024 alone helped him earn a number of accolades, including an All-American nod and the Maxwell Award. The Heisman runner-up did not take part in on-field drills at the Combine, but he will do so at Boise State’s Pro Day. As the lead-in to the draft continues, visits with several other teams will no doubt be arranged.

NFC Staff Updates: Loeffler, Packers, Bears

February 28th, 2025 at 10:56pm CST by Ely Allen

The Super Bowl champion Eagles have brought on a former collegiate staffer to help fill out their pillaged coaching staff.

After watching quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier follow offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to New Orleans, Philadelphia has brought in Scot Loeffler to fill Nussmeier’s old position. The report came from Bowling Green State University, where Loeffler had spent the past six years as head coach of the Falcons. His overall record with the team was 27-41, though he appeared to lead the team in the right direction, securing berths in three straight bowl games before his departure.

Loeffler took a passing offensive that typically ranked in the 120’s out of 134 collegiate teams and helped them to finish as the 48th-best passing offense in the FBS this season.

Here are couple other staff updates from around the NFC:

  • The Packers will lose coaching assistant Myles White to the collegiate ranks, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. White, who joined the team just last year after roles as wide receivers coach at Stephen F. Austin and Miami (OH), will return to college coaching as the pass game coordinator/wide receivers coach for the Orange at Syracuse.
  • Lastly, in front office news, Matt Feinstein was named the new vice president of football administration for the Bears. His appointment comes via promotion after Feinstein spent the past three years as director of football administration for Chicago. Before his time with the Bears, Feinstein spent seven years on the NFL’s Management Council, serving part of that time as a director within labor relations. The Management Council serves as the league’s primary council of governance.

Bears Eyeing Multiple Edge Rush Additions?

February 27th, 2025 at 2:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

Having made DeMarcus Walker one of their cap casualties, the Bears could stand to add in the edge rush department. When asked about the position at the Combine, general manager Ryan Poles left the door open to making moves on the veteran market as well as early in the draft.

“There’s a strategy to that,” Poles said (via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin). “I would probably argue and say if you get a good pass rusher [in March] and you draft a pass rusher, you can’t have enough good ones. You want to see how you could put the puzzle together where you can kind of fill all the needs perfectly. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.”

The Bears’ pass rush is of course centered on 2023 trade acquisition Montez Sweat, but finding an effective complement remains a key organizational priority. The Bears were linked to a late-offseason EDGE addition last offseason, and they ultimately worked out a trade with the Seahawks for Darrell Taylor in August to provide depth. Taylor (who posted three sacks in a part-time role) is a pending free agent, and his departure would create another vacancy for Poles to fill in the near future.

Chicago is among the league leaders in terms of projected 2025 cap space, and a higher-than-expected jump in the cap ceiling could allow for a lucrative addition. The Bears have Sweat on to a $24.5MM-per-year deal through 2027, and 2024 fifth-rounder Austin Booker is attached to his rookie contract for another three years. The latter logged a 27% snap share last year, and he could be in line for an increased workload moving forward.

Even if that is the case, though, one or more notable moves could be coming in the Bears’ case. Myles Garrett has made it clear he wants a trade from the Browns, although Cleveland has not shown a willingness to move him yet. Fellow veteran Harold Landry, meanwhile, has received permission to seek a trade from the Titans. The 2025 draft class is also seen as being deep along the defensive interior and on the edge, so Chicago could add as early as the 10th overall pick. The Bears have eight total selections, and even if an experienced pass rusher were to be added it would not come as a surprise if at least one of those were to be used at the position as well.

Jason Peters Expected To Retire, Join Seahawks’ Staff

February 25th, 2025 at 1:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jason Peters was unable to see any game action during his age-42 season, but the decorated veteran was still in the NFL as a member of the Seahawks’ practice squad. His next gig is not expected to be as a player, which stands to bring an end to one of this era’s best O-line careers.

The Seahawks are hiring Peters to a full-time staff position, GM John Schneider said, with the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta indicating the 21-year veteran’s title will come under the player-engagement umbrella. But Peters will work with the Seahawks’ O-linemen. While this would not slam the door on an emergency return, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds a retirement is expected. Peters turned 43 in January.

Although Peters only saw game action in 19 seasons, he was in the league for 21. He missed the 2012 season due to two Achilles ruptures and did not move up to Seattle’s active roster in 2024. Regardless, Peters is expected to walk away after playing in 248 games. While 61 players reside above Peters on the all-time games-played list, few of them are offensive linemen. Among pure O-linemen, only four (Bruce Matthews, Ray Brown, Jackie Slater and Mike Kenn) played in more games. Peters will be expected to join Slater and Matthews in the Hall of Fame.

A nine-time Pro Bowler, Peters forged a Canton path despite being passed over in the 2004 draft. The former Bills UDFA will be best remembered for his time with the Eagles, whom he helped win a Super Bowl. Peters did not play in Super Bowl LII, having suffered ACL and MCL tears, but opened that season as the team’s left tackle starter. Peters booked both his first-team All-Pro nods (2011, 2013) with Philly and made his final Pro Bowl (2016) during Carson Wentz‘s rookie season.

The Eagles initially acquired Peters in 2009, Donovan McNabb‘s final season. Peters is experienced enough he signed with the Bills during Drew Bledsoe‘s time as the team’s starting QB. Peters moved into Buffalo’s starting lineup at right tackle in 2005. His first full season as a left tackle, 2007, produced a second-team All-Pro honor. Peters had signed a midlevel extension — a four-year, $16.1MM deal — in 2006, but as he picked up a second All-Pro accolade, an impasse on a third contract formed.

Peters did not report to Bills training camp on time in 2008, and while he eventually showed, a trade commenced after that season. The Eagles traded first-, fourth- and sixth-round picks to the Bills for Peters, who landed a four-year extension worth $51.45MM before his first Philadelphia season. Peters then spent the next 12 seasons with the Eagles, agreeing to four more contracts to stay with the team. Peters helped Michael Vick to the Pro Bowl, and joined future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce and then-rookie Lane Johnson in boosting LeSean McCoy to the 2013 rushing title. As the Eagles retooled around Wentz, they had Peters as an upper-crust blindside blocker.

Peters’ final seasons took on an Adrian Peterson-like arc, as the veteran blocker stopped through three teams in three years. The Bears used him as an emergency LT, as Teven Jenkins sustained a back injury before the 2021 season. After 15 starts for that Bears squad, Peters came to Dallas after Tyron Smith‘s season-defining hamstring injury sustained in training camp. Working more in a backup capacity (including some guard time) that year, Peters made his last stop in Seattle. He played in eight games and made two starts for a Seahawks team dealing with RT Abraham Lucas‘ injury trouble.

No pure NFL O-lineman has seen action in a 21st season, but Peters came closest. The Seahawks signed him to their practice squad in October, as Lucas and veteran George Fant dealt with injuries, doing so despite having changed coaching staffs. The Mike Macdonald-led group will keep the veteran around as a mentor.

If this is it for Peters, he will retire with nine Pro Bowl invites and six All-Pro honors. He joined Smith as an All-Decade-teamer for the 2010s. He earned $119.9MM during his 21-year run. It will be interesting to see if the Arkansas alum moves up the coaching ladder in the coming years.

Bears Cut Gerald Everett, DeMarcus Walker

February 21st, 2025 at 2:26pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Bears are releasing tight end Gerald Everett (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter) and defensive end DeMarcus Walker (per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo). The team has confirmed the moves via social media.

Everett’s release saves $5.5MM against the Bears’ 2025 salary cap with $1MM in dead money. Cutting Walker saves an additional $5.25MM with just under $700k in dead money. Chicago entered the day with $69MM in cap space, per OverTheCap, and now has more than $80MM ahead of free agency next month.

The Bears were expected to move on from Everett after he underperformed the two-year, $12MM deal he signed last offseason. He recorded just eight catches for 36 yards and zero touchdowns – all career-lows – despite appearing in all 17 regular-season games. The eight-year veteran will now join plethora of experienced tight ends in free agency and may have to take a contract close to the veteran minimum to rebuild his value next season.

Walker, however, gave the Bears a solid return on the three-year, $21MM deal he signed in 2023. He appeared in all 34 games (29 starts) in the last two seasons with seven sacks and 16 tackles for loss. His consistent production could have justified his $5.9MM cap hit in 2025, but the Bears opted to move on from the 30-year-old as one of their first moves under new head coach Ben Johnson. Walker will likely draw interest in free agency from teams looking for pass-rushing depth.

Both players have bounced around the league, but each has been productive at points. The Bears were Everett’s fourth team, while they were Walker’s fourth as well. Both players were 2017 second-round picks — Everett with the Rams, Walker the Broncos — who have now played into their 30s. Each could certainly land another gig, though Walker might have a better shot given how underwhelming Everett’s latest season under Shane Waldron was.

Everett followed Waldron from the Rams to the Seahawks, only straying from the position coach-turned-coordinator’s path during a two-year Chargers stay. Prior to his dud in Chicago, Everett had been fairly consistent. He had posted between 400 and 480 receiving yards in four of his previous five seasons, deviating in 2022 via a career-best 555-yard showing to help the Chargers reach the playoffs. This is also not a strong tight end free agent class, which should at least give Everett a chance at a one-year accord.

The Broncos did not re-sign Walker in 2020, after he had operated as a 3-4 defensive end and OLB, but the Florida State product ripped off a seven-sack season for the Titans in 2022. This helped him score the Bears pact, and he has totaled 16 QB hits in each of his past three seasons. Although being a surefire starter post-Chicago may not be a lock for Walker, he probably has a path to another notable role after operating as a regular Bears first-stringer during his two-year stay.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Bears Add J.T. Barrett, Anthony Blevins, Matt Giordano To Staff

February 20th, 2025 at 9:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Remembered by most for his time at Ohio State and perhaps by some PFR loyalists for his journeys on and off the Saints’ practice squad, J.T. Barrett is making a move into a key coaching position.

Ben Johnson is bringing Barrett with him from Detroit, and the ex-Lions assistant quarterbacks coach will move up the ladder. Johnson has installed Barrett as the Bears’ QBs coach. The former practice squad arm has been in coaching since being hired on Dan Campbell‘s staff in 2022, and he has quickly climbed the ladder.

[RELATED: Bears Add Eric Bieniemy To Staff]

As was the case with fellow recent retiree-turned-coach Shaun Dion Hamilton, Barrett joined the Lions as a low-level assistant. Three years later, he is set to be Caleb Williams‘ position coach. Barrett, 30, never appeared in a regular-season game but stuck around with the Saints for the better part of two seasons before joining the CFL’s Edmonton Elks in 2022. A season-ending injury prompted Barrett to hang up his cleats, and he caught on under a rising assistant. He joins Antwaan Randle El as key offensive staffers following Johnson to Chicago.

The Bears are also bringing Anthony Blevins back to the NFL, hiring him as assistant special teams coach. Blevins made some news in 2023 when he left the Giants shortly before training camp to become head coach of the XFL’s Las Vegas Vipers. Blevins never enjoyed the chance to coach the Vipers, as the XFL 3.0 team did not survive to become part of the UFL last year. But Blevins worked with the Birmingham Stallions during the UFL’s debut season.

Blevins has an extensive history in the NFL, having been Bruce Arians‘ assistant ST coach for five seasons in Arizona and then taking the same position for five years with the Giants. The Alabama native will return to the league after a two-season absence.

Joining Blevins as a new hire, Matt Giordano will come over after two years with the Saints. The Bears have the former NFL DB in place as their safeties coach. The nine-year vet began his NFL coaching run in 2023; this will be his second gig in the league. Chicago is also hiring Oregon State offensive line coach Kyle DeVan to be its assistant O-line coach. DeVan, a five-year NFL vet, began his coaching tenure as the Saints’ assistant OL coach in 2015 but has traveled plenty since. The Bears will be DeVan’s sixth employer in the 2020s.

Johnson is not turning over the entire staff, opting to retain a few members from the Matt Eberflus period. Kevin Koch is moving up from the quality control level to assistant linebackers coach. Kenny Norton III is staying with the team as well, remaining a defensive QC staffer. The second-generation NFL assistant is starting his third year with the Bears. Another coach’s son, Zach Cable (son of veteran staffer Tom Cable) is sticking around for a second season as an offensive QC coach. Zach coached under his father with the Raiders from 2018-21.

NFC North Notes: Mack, Lions, Pack, Addison

February 20th, 2025 at 6:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Ryan Poles‘ rebuild effort began in 2022, the Bears traded Khalil Mack for second- and sixth-round picks. After three Chargers seasons, Mack is hitting free agency for the first time. The decorated pass rusher showed sustained health in Los Angeles, missing only one game in three years, and earned three Pro Bowl nods. The Chargers want Mack back, but the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora notes to not rule out a Bears reunion. Mack is heading into his age-34 season and would profile as a decorated but declining rusher opposite Montez Sweat. Although Poles is expected to receive an extension, he is 0-for-3 in playoff berths for a team trying to maximize Caleb Williams‘ rookie-contract window. The Bears will have a chance to add talent, as they are projected to hold more than $69MM in cap space, and Mack would be an interesting bookend piece — even though both the GM and team president roles have changed from when Chicago acquired him in 2018.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

  • Staying on the Bears, they are not likely to retain Gerald Everett for too much longer. Given a two-year, $12MM deal, Everett followed Shane Waldron to a third team. Waldron was done by midseason as Chicago’s OC, and The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain indicates the veteran tight end will be as well. The Bears gave Everett a two-year, $12MM deal but saw him total just eight catches for 36 yards despite playing all 17 games. By cutting the former Rams, Seahawks and Chargers TE, the Bears would save $5.5MM.
  • The Lions have announced their coaching staff, and some new names have emerged. The most notable among them, Marques Tuiasosopo will make an NFL return more than 15 years after his playing career wrapped. The former Raiders QB is joining the Lions as an offensive assistant. He comes over after four seasons as Rice’s OC, having previously coached QBs and tight ends at Washington, UCLA, USC and Cal. Detroit also hired Justin Mesa as a quality control staffer, and Caleb Collins and August Mangin are joining as defensive assistants. Mesa spent the past four seasons at Washington State, working most recently as the Cougars’ tight ends coach.
  • Detroit is also losing two staffers. Director of scouting advancement Mike Martin is heading to Notre Dame to become the program’s GM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes. Martin has worked under Brad Holmes throughout the GM’s time in Detroit. Another Lions staffer, Jon Dykema, is leaving for the college ranks. Michigan State is hiring the exec to handle contract management for its athletics programs, ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel adds. Dykema had worked as the Lions’ director of football compliance, staying with the team for 15 years; he will now help the Spartans navigate the NIL waters.
  • The Packers are adding to Jeff Hafley’s defensive staff. They are bringing in recent Patriots assistant Jamael Lett as a defensive quality control coach, 247Sports.com’s Matt Zenitz tweets. A former staffer at North Carolina and Akron, Lett also spent time as South Alabama’s special teams coordinator. Lett was part of the Pats’ defensive staff under DeMarcus Covington, who is now the Packers’ D-line coach.
  • Circling back to the player side of the NFC North, Jordan Addison‘s DUI case continues. The Vikings wideout filed a continuance and is set to appear in court, for a pretrial hearing, March 12, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling. Addison pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor DUI charges — stemming from an August 2024 arrest — earlier this year. A suspension would stand to affect his 2025 availability, should this matter be resolved this offseason.

Ian Cunningham Jaguars GM Frontrunner?

February 19th, 2025 at 9:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 2025 GM carousel has spun for several weeks, but the Jaguars have been doing the only work here for the past few. Nearly a month after firing Trent Baalke during their coaching search, the Jags are winding down their process.

As second interviews have begun, one name has jumped out. Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham looks to have emerged as the frontrunner for this role, with Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz going so far as to saw this is his job to lose. In noting the Jaguars hope to have this position filled this weekend, NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe mentions Cunningham as a candidate to watch down the stretch here. This may not be too surprising, as his name surfaced shortly after this job became open. Cunningham’s second interview is likely to take place today, per Schultz.

This is familiar territory for Cunningham, who was the runner-up for the Commanders’ GM job that went to Adam Peters last year. Cunningham also is a two-time finalist for the Titans’ GM post, conducting second interviews with the team in 2023 and ’25. A 2023 report also indicated Ryan Poles‘ top lieutenant turned down the Cardinals’ GM job, one Monti Ossenfort took. Despite the Bears yet to make the playoffs during the Poles-Cunningham regime, the latter is well-regarded around the league.

The Bears did not directly include Cunningham in the search that produced Ben Johnson last month, as Poles mentioned his AGM would have been a part of the search committee had he not been in the running for the Tennessee job. The Titans hired the Chiefs’ Mike Borgonzi to work alongside Brian Callahan (and under football ops president Chad Brinker, effectively).

This Jags post would come with potentially more responsibilities, but Liam Coen is widely viewed as the top power broker in Jacksonville post-Baalke. Coen commanded enough Jags interest that the team fired Baalke after he had led the HC search, and the one-and-done Buccaneers OC is believed to have landed a Johnson-level contract from the AFC South club. Johnson is earning upper-crust coaching money, at $13MM per year. New executive VP Tony Boselli will have a role in the post-Baalke front office as well. While the Hall of Fame tackle is not believed to be above Coen or the GM, he will play a key part here in being set to report to ownership.

If the Bears lose Cunningham, a candidate to watch will be tight end-turned-exec Jeff King. The team’s senior director of player personnel would likely be the man to succeed Cunningham to work with Poles and Johnson, per the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs. A Ryan Pace hire, King has been with the Bears throughout his personnel career, which began in 2015. Via PFR’s General Manager Search Tracker, here is how their process stands now that it is in the finalist stage:

Bears Open To Letting Keenan Allen, Teven Jenkins Depart In Free Agency?

February 17th, 2025 at 8:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Wideout Keenan Allen and guard Teven Jenkins headline the list of pending free agents for the Bears. A departure on the open market in both cases would not come as a surprise.

ESPN’s Courtney Cronin writes neither player is a suitable candidate for the franchise tag, which Chicago used last year on Jaylon Johnson before a four-year extension was worked out. Rather than making a fully-guaranteed commitment in the case of Allen or Jenkins, Cronin notes to no surprise a likelier outcome would see both of them depart in free agency. For the former, that would lead to increased speculation about a return to Los Angeles.

It was reported in January that Allen would only continue his career if he re-signed with the Bears or took a deal with the Chargers or Rams. The six-time Pro Bowler spent the first 11 years of his career with the Bolts, but the trade which sent him to the Windy City came after a restructure agreement could not be reached. Allen wanted to continue with the Chargers, and the potential for a reunion would make for an interesting storyline if no new Bears deal were to be signed.

Allen (who changed agents this summer) would welcome a Chicago contract, and with a 70-744-7 statline from 15 games in 2024 he could remain a starter on the team’s offense moving forward. The Bears already have D.J. Moore on the books, though, and 2024 No. 9 pick Rome Odunze will be counted on to handle a major role for the foreseeable future. Chicago could therefore look to devote cap resources elsewhere this spring.

The Bears are near the top of the list in terms of projected cap space for free agency, but upgrading along the offensive line represents an obvious priority. Jenkins has played a starting role for the unit when healthy over the past three years, seeing time at right guard in 2022 before splitting his time at both guard spots the following year. The 26-year-old worked exclusively at the LG position in 2024.

Drafted as a long-term tackle investment, Jenkins has drawn strong PFF evaluations since he moved inside. The Oklahoma State product approached Chicago about an extension, but to no avail. Injuries have been a consistent issue in his case, with 23 games being missed as a result of different ailments across his first four years in the league. That represents an understandable reason for pause on the Bears’ part as they consider their O-line options.

Aside from right tackle (thanks to 2023 first-rounder Darnell Wright), every starting spot up front is at least something of a question mark for Chicago at this point. Multiple additions to the unit over the coming months would not come as a surprise, and Trey Smith – the top interior blocker set to reach free agency – is a name to watch with former Chiefs staffer Ryan Poles in place as general manager. Making a lucrative move for a guard would signal a likelihood of Jenkins departing.

Quarterback Caleb Williams and new head coach Ben Johnson will face high expectations regarding the Bears’ offense for 2025. That will be the case regardless of if Allen or Jenkins are retained, but it will be interesting to see how the team proceeds on both fronts.

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