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NFC North Notes: Garrett, Lions, Pack, Vikes

March 2nd, 2025 at 9:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Before the Lions zeroed in on Za’Darius Smith at the 2024 deadline, they asked the Browns about their other starting defensive end. As calls came in for Myles Garrett months before his trade request, ESPN’s Kimberley Martin notes the Lions showed the most interest. At the time (as is the case now), the Browns were not interested in moving Garrett. It is interesting that the Lions pursued Garrett and then completed a deal with the same team for Smith, acquiring the two-year Garrett sidekick in a pick-swap deal. Smith is on the radar to stay in Detroit, at a lower rate compared to his two-year, $23MM deal agreed to in 2023. The Lions needed a D-end, having lost Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport for the season, but the Browns did not budge. It would be tough for the Lions to swing a Garrett deal now, as Hutchinson moves toward a market-setting extension.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

  • While Hutchinson will be on the Lions’ extension radar, the team will have two years of rookie-deal control after it exercises the standout pass rusher’s fifth-year option. That did not delay the Lions on Penei Sewell, which will make Hutchinson a player to monitor in an explosive edge defender offseason. The Lions, however, have only this year left on Kerby Joseph‘s rookie deal. The All-Pro safety is targeting an extension, indicating (during an appearance on The Jim Rome Show) he wants to be a “life-long Lion.” Joseph could be a 2026 franchise tag candidate, if nothing transpires on that front before the 2026 free agency period, as the team also has Brian Branch likely in its future extension queue. Branch has two years remaining on his rookie deal.
  • Staying on the subject of extensions, Quay Walker is a candidate for a 2025 Packers payday. Because rush and non-rush linebackers are grouped together on the fifth-year option formula, Walker’s option will check in at $14.75MM. No team has picked up an ILB fifth-year option since 2022 (Devin White), and Brian Gutekunst (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman) did not make it sound like Walker would be an exception. “The linebacker for the fifth-year option is a little wonky because there’s so many edge guys that are part of that, which drives up that number, which probably isn’t great,” Gutekunst said. “But yeah, we’d like to find a way to keep Quay around here long-term, whether that be an extension or something.” The three-year starter will be in a contract year if/when the Pack decline his option.
  • Josh Myers should have a nice free agency market, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who adds the four-year starter did not suffer an injury during the Packers’ wild-card loss to the Eagles. Healthy heading into free agency, Myers may check in as the second-best center option (behind the Falcons’ Drew Dalman) on this year’s market. Gutekunst praised Myers after the season, and the former second-rounder wants to stay. The Packers, who let center Corey Linsley walk before drafting Myers, also have a potential Zach Tom extension to prepare for this year.
  • If the Vikings are to re-sign Aaron Jones, something Kevin O’Connell would be in favor of, they would plan to reduce his workload, via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert. Compiling a career-high 306 touches, the 30-year-old RB totaled 1,546 scrimmage yards — also the second-most in his career. The ex-Packer said he wants to stay in Minnesota, and his void date has been pushed back to March 11, giving the Vikes more time on a re-signing. Jones’ workload came in part because the Vikings lost faith in Ty Chandler, Seifert adds, leading to their second Cam Akers trade.
  • Neither Ed Ingram nor Blake Brandel are locks to be blocking for whichever running back the Vikings start in 2025. Brandel will see $1.65MM of his $2.6MM base salary become guaranteed on March 14, while the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling notes Ingram — who lost his RG job last season — is “highly unlikely” to be brought back at a $5.2MM base salary (thanks to the NFL’s proven performance escalator program) in the final year of his second-round deal.

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.

Packers Shopping CB Jaire Alexander

February 26th, 2025 at 10:54am CST by Sam Robinson

A Green Bay departure for Jaire Alexander is looking likelier. Mentioned as a player expected to be on the move this offseason, Alexander is now being shopped.

The Packers have engaged in trade talks with teams on the veteran cover man, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Two years remain on Alexander’s $21MM-AAV contract. While the Packers are OK moving Alexander for the right price, the CB’s contract would work against the NFC North team obtaining too much in terms of compensation. Then again, the Saints were able to land a third-rounder and two other picks for Marshon Lattimore, a high-priced corner who has been nearly as unavailable as Alexander has over the past two seasons.

GM Brian Gutekunst said Tuesday (via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein) he has not given a player permission to shop himself in trades in the past, but the Combine will be a place where the Packers and the cornerback’s camp huddle up to determine if there is a future here. The Pack followed this path with Aaron Jones, who rejected what would have been a second pay cut. Gutekunst said last year Jones was in Green Bay’s plans and rebuffed Alexander trade rumors. The veteran exec’s tune is different this year on the talented but unreliable corner.

“We’re working through that. He certainly could be, but I think we’ll work through that as we go,” Gutekunst said of Alexander’s place on the 2025 Packers (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman). “We’ve got to get him out there now. I think obviously, we’ve talked about (how) there’s been a lot of frustration on his part. He wants to be out there badly and not being able to be out there at his best has frustrated him and that has frustrated our football team, too, because we’re better with him. But we’ll see.”

Alexander, 28, has not justified his four-year, $84MM deal. That contract stood as the game’s top CB deal for nearly 2 1/2 years, as it took until Patrick Surtain‘s $24MM-AAV accord to top it last September. Alexander had missed most of the 2021 season, which did not slow him on the contract front, but has also been unavailable for extended stretches over the past two years. The former first-round pick has missed 10 games in each of the past two seasons, and the strange coin-toss incident in Carolina — which prompted a one-game Packers suspension — served as one of the memorable moments from this period.

The seven-year veteran is due a $16.15MM base salary in 2025. Given his limited participation over the past two seasons, the Packers are likely not keen on paying that. We heard shortly after the season Alexander’s 2024 season was likely his last in Green Bay. A matter of the Packers obtaining something in return now remains, as the Pro Bowler would be a release candidate otherwise. The Packers would create more than $6MM in cap space by trading Alexander; the move would come with more than $18MM in dead money, however.

Alexander’s likely exit will give the Pack more CB work to do this offseason. Eric Stokes, who did not justify his first-round status on his rookie deal, is on the verge of free agency. Keisean Nixon remains under contract, however. Former seventh-rounder Carrington Valentine, who has been needed regularly due to the first-rounders’ injury trouble, has two years left on his rookie pact.

Packers’ Christian Watson Expected To Miss Time In 2025

February 25th, 2025 at 11:47am CST by Adam La Rose

Christian Watson suffered an ACL tear in Week 18, and as a result he was unavailable for the Packers’ wild-card game. His injury could keep Green Bay shorthanded at the receiver position into the start of next season.

“Obviously Christian is going to miss some time, probably, at the beginning, more than likely,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said on Tuesday (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). “That’s going to create opportunities for some guys on the roster that I’m excited for. We’ll see how that shakes out.”

The receiver position was a talking point entering 2024 for the Packers as the team lacked a true No. 1 option. Watson has shown the potential to occupy that role when healthy, although he has missed time in each of his three NFL campaigns to date. Being without the former second-rounder for a period could prompt Green Bay to pursue an addition in the near future.

The likes of Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Malik Heath and Dontayvion Wicks are all under contract as part of the Packers’ highly inexpensive receiver room. Green Bay will have the cap space to make a notable addition at the WR position (or others) during free agency, although Gutekunst may turn his attention to reserving funds for retaining in-house players over the coming years. Still, the veteran market could provide the opportunity for a short-term addition aimed at providing a temporary Watson replacement.

Davante Adams is expected to be released by the Jets, and a Packers reunion could be in play as a result. Adding the All-Pro would certainly mark a notable move as it pertains to the receiver depth chart and the pecking order in Green Bay’s passing attack. Failing that, a more modest addition could be on the Packers’ radar with Watson on track to miss time.

The North Dakota State product is a pending 2026 free agent, and his production will be key in determining his market value on a new Packers deal or one sending him to a new team. Watson’s 2025 debut will likely have to wait, however, something which will no doubt hurt his stock.

Re-Examining Jets’ Aaron Rodgers Addition

February 23rd, 2025 at 9:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

When the Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers, the move was known to be a short-term acquisition. Still, the future Hall of Famer’s abbreviated tenure in New York took a form neither he nor the team anticipated and both sides are now moving on.

In the spring of 2023, the Jets faced the task of once again attempting to find a feasible solution at the quarterback spot. The Sam Darnold selection (third overall, 2018) did not work out as planned, and the decision to trade him to the Panthers after three seasons as a starter signaled another reset at the position. Zach Wilson (second overall, 2021) underwhelmed during his first two years atop the depth chart and was ultimately traded away like three of the other passers taken on Day 1 from his draft class.

After inheriting Darnold, general manager Joe Douglas was tasked with moving on and finding a suitable replacement. The Wilson selection did not meet that goal, and in 2023 adding an established signal-caller represented an obvious priority. A roster featuring former Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year (Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner) on their initial contracts offered intriguing potential with stable quarterback play. With a Rodgers-Packers separation on the table, the possibility of a trade increased.

Rodgers made public his desire to continue his decorated career with the Jets, and a swap was ultimately worked out in April. Two of his four career MVP awards came in the 2020s, so expectations were high upon arrival in New York for a stretch atop the depth chart with Wilson serving as an understudy. That plan was of course altered right away as a result of Rodgers’ Achilles tear four snaps into his Jets debut. Wilson and Co. struggled on offense en route to a 7-10 record.

By the time Rodgers was back on the field, Wilson had been dealt to the Broncos while Douglas, head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett remained in place after receiving a mulligan from ownership. Issues on offense persisted early in 2024, however, and in the midst of what became a five-game losing streak Saleh was fired. That move was accompanied by Hackett (who worked with Rodgers in Green Bay and was added to the staff not long before the trade was made) being demoted, something Saleh contemplated during the offseason.

While Rodgers managed to remain in the lineup for all 17 games, the staff changes and even the trade acquisition of longtime Packers teammate Davante Adams did not produce the desired results. After dismissing Douglas midway through the campaign, signs pointed to the Jets moving in a new direction once again this offseason. The new regime led by Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn will now take on the renewed task of finding a short- and long-term solution under center.

As that process unfolds, a look back on the price paid to add Rodgers reveals the extent of the commitment the Jets made in acquiring him. Here is the final breakdown of the trade with Green Bay which resulted in his New York arrival:

Jets received:

Packers received:

  • No. 13 pick in 2023 draft (used on OLB Lukas Van Ness)
  • No. 42 pick in 2023 (used on TE Luke Musgrave)
  • No. 207 pick in 2023 (used on K Anders Carlson)
  • No. 41 pick in 2024 (subsequently traded for the selection used on LB Edgerrin Cooper along with a collection of other Day 3 picks)

McDonald certainly enjoyed a much more productive Year 2 than Van Ness, but Cooper’s potential shown late in his rookie campaign in particular has him on track to operate as a key Packers defender for the foreseeable future. From Green Bay’s perspective, of course, the Rodgers swap also allowed the team to move out the remainder of his contract and marked the beginning of the full-fledged commitment to Jordan Love at quarterback.

Rodgers accepted a considerable pay cut upon arrival with the Jets, agreeing to a new pact which took into account his intention of playing at least two years for his new team. Even with that move, he would up collecting $75.05MM for his pair of campaigns in New York. The Jets’ decision to move forward with a release will likely take the form of a post-June 1 cut, something which will generate a dead cap charge of $49MM spread across 2025 and ’26.

Of course, the Rodgers experiment also brought with it the acquisition cost for several of his former Packers teammates. That included the free agent signings of Allen Lazard (four years, $44MM) and Randall Cobb (one year, $3MM) in 2023. The latter retired after his one-and-done Jets campaign, while the former did not produce as expected even when Rodgers was healthy. A Lazard release is expected in the near future, and if the move does not carry a post-June 1 designation New York’s $6.63M in savings will essentially be balanced out by the dead money charge of $6.55MM.

As for Adams, the trade which brought him from the Raiders to the Jets cost a third-round pick (since the conditions required to upgrade it to a second-rounder were not met). The six-time Pro Bowler averaged over 77 receiving yards per contest and scored seven touchdowns in 11 games with New York, but with Rodgers on the way out he is likely to be cut. Moving on from Adams will create considerable savings for the Jets, but doing so before the start of the new league year will nevertheless generate $8.36MM in dead money.

While it is true the Jets would have made other additions at the receiver spot without Rodgers in place over the past two years, the team’s 2023 and ‘24 aggressiveness proved to be quite costly. Counting the Day 1 and 3 selections used in his trade as a wash while adding in the money and cap commitments also made to the Cobb-Lazard-Adams trio (plus the pick used to acquire the latter), the final tally stands at two second-rounders, one third-round selection, roughly $111MM in cash and nearly $64MM in dead money across the next two years. In all, the Jets went 12-22 in the Rodgers era.

In the wake of his split with the team’s new regime, it has been learned Rodgers still has the door open to continuing his career in 2025. Regardless of what happens on that front, it is clear Mougey and Glenn will hope to have better success at the quarterback spot than their predecessors.

Brian Gutekunst Addresses Packers’ Free Agent Outlook

February 23rd, 2025 at 2:23pm CST by Adam La Rose

Last offseason, the Packers were active on the free agent market. Big-ticket deals for running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney helped lead the team to a record of 11-6 and a playoff berth in 2024.

Given the number of core players Green Bay has attached to a rookie contract at the moment, the team currently sits in the top half of the league in terms of spending power with nearly $50MM in available funds. A portion of that figure will of course be needed for retaining in-house free agents and signing the Packers’ incoming draft class, but room for a notable move exists. As things stand, though, one should not be expected.

“I view every offseason that we have to attack it aggressively,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said (via Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal). “Every year there’s not going to be a Josh Jacobs or a Xavier McKinney out there to go get… If it’s right for us, then we’re going to attack it. If they’re not there, it’s not there.”

During Gutekunst’s tenure, the Packers have generally not been known for taking large swings in free agency. Especially after the team made a combined $35.5MM commitment in terms of guaranteed money to McKinney and Jacobs in 2024, it would come as little surprise if Green Bay had a quieter March this time around. Few pending free agents of note are on track to depart, although kicker Brandon McManus represents a priority as the new league year approaches.

Of course, Gutekunst and the Packers will need to look ahead on the extension front while mapping out their spending plans for the near future. Wilde notes 2022 first-rounders Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt could be in line to have their fifth-year options picked up based on how Gutekunst spoke after the season about the Georgia products. A call on both options will need to be made by May 1, but keeping one or both in the fold for 2026 could be followed by a long-term pact being worked out.

Elsewhere on the roster, starting offensive tackles Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom are currently on track for free agency next offseason. Committing to one or both (along with other members of the 2022 draft class) will be key for the Packers, and as a result saving funds for future deals would be a sensible move at a number of positions. As Gutekunst and the Packers look to take a step forward in the highly competitive NFC North next year, a splashy signing or two may not be in the cards.

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.

Departure Likely For Packers CB Jaire Alexander; Team Hopes To Re-Sign K Brandon McManus

February 18th, 2025 at 9:49am CST by Adam La Rose

As the Packers map out their offseason, they have a number of important decisions to make. Among the most notable of those is a call on Jaire Alexander.

Green Bay made Alexander the league’s highest-paid cornerback when he inked a four-year, $84MM extension in the spring of 2022. While his $21MM AAV has since been surpassed on two occasions, expectations have remained high as a result of the pact. Alexander has delivered strong play when on the field since signing his second contract, but the frequency with which he has been sidelined (along with perceived tension with the team) has led to speculation about a release.

“There’s frustration, I think, on both sides, from the fact he can’t get out there,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said when speaking about Alexander’s situation (via Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette). “That’s tough. I feel for him because he wants to be out there, he wants to play. But no disconnect.”

While it is certainly possible at this point that the Packers could elect to keep the former first-rounder in place for 2025, a parting of ways would not come as a surprise. Indeed, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky writes there are “strong indications” Alexander will not be back, adding multiple sources from within the organization are frustrated with his injury-driven absences. After making 16 appearances in 2022, the Packers’ top cover man has been limited to seven games in each of the past two years.

Alexander is set to carry cap hits of $24.96MM and $27.38MM in 2025 and ’26, the final two years of his pact. A release before June 1 would not create a net savings for the team, but a post-June 1 designation would yield just over $17MM in cap space along with a dead money charge of $7.88MM. Those funds could be put towards a less expensive replacement at the CB spot as the Packers also seek out upgrades along the defensive front through free agency and the draft this spring.

In addition to making a decision on Alexander, Green Bay will look to find stability at the kicking spot. The Anders Carlson selection in 2023 did not go as planned, and the Packers spent last offseason cycling though several options at the position. Brandon McManus proved to be a worthwhile midseason addition, though, connecting on 20 of his 21 field goal attempts and each of his 30 extra point kicks. Despite one miss in the wild-card round of the playoffs, McManus is a priority for the Packers with respect to a new deal.

“If we were able to get Brandon back, I think certainly that would make me feel very, very, very good about that [specialist] group,” Gutekunst said (via Demovsky) when asked about retaining McManus.

The Packers currently sit mid-pack in terms of projected cap space, and a modest deal is no doubt all that will be required to keep McManus in place. Green Bay could free up additional funds by moving on from Alexander, and his situation will remain one to watch closely as cost-cutting season unfolds around the league.

2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team

February 15th, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Free agency is roughly one month away, and teams are preparing for the first major roster-building checkpoint on the offseason calendar. In several cases, of course, the lead-in to the start of the new league year will require cost-cutting measures.

Teams expect the 2025 cap ceiling to check in somewhere between $265MM and $275MM, providing a general target to aim for before the final figure is unveiled by the NFL. Using a projected cap of $272.5MM, here is a look at where all 32 teams currently stand (courtesy of Over the Cap):

  1. New England Patriots: $119.8MM
  2. Las Vegas Raiders: $92.53MM
  3. Washington Commanders: $75.21MM
  4. Arizona Cardinals: $71.33MM
  5. Los Angeles Chargers: $63.41MM
  6. Chicago Bears: $62.97MM
  7. Minnesota Vikings: $58.01MM
  8. Pittsburgh Steelers: $53.26MM
  9. Cincinnati Bengals: $46.26MM
  10. Detroit Lions: $45.69MM
  11. San Francisco 49ers: $44.26MM
  12. Tennessee Titans: $44.08MM
  13. New York Giants: $43.38MM
  14. Green Bay Packers: $42.14MM
  15. Los Angeles Rams: $38.33MM
  16. Denver Broncos: $34.78MM
  17. Jacksonville Jaguars: $32.27MM
  18. Indianapolis Colts: $28.25MM
  19. Carolina Panthers: $20.33MM
  20. Philadelphia Eagles: $18.08MM
  21. New York Jets: $16.86MM
  22. Baltimore Ravens: $5.96MM
  23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $2.24MM
  24. Houston Texans: $99K over the cap
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: $916K over
  26. Dallas Cowboys: $2.85MM over
  27. Miami Dolphins: $5.44MM over
  28. Atlanta Falcons: $11.15MM over
  29. Seattle Seahawks: $13.46MM over
  30. Buffalo Bills: $14.18MM over
  31. Cleveland Browns: $30.17MM over
  32. New Orleans Saints: $54.11MM over

These figures will of course change based on where the final cap ceiling winds up for the year, but they take into account each team’s carryover amount for 2025. Even with those savings in play, more than one quarter of the league finds itself in need of cost-shedding moves to simply achieve cap compliance by mid-March.

With the Patriots leading the way in terms of spending power, they will be a team to watch closely once free agency begins. The team’s willingness (or lack thereof) to make major free agent additions last year was a talking point, and it will be interesting to see if the regime featuring de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel takes a different approach in 2025. A serious push for Tee Higgins – by far the most sought-after wideout set to hit the market – can be expected.

Aside from Higgins, the Bengals have a number of financial priorities. Working out a monster extension for fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase and a new deal (and accompanying raise) for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson are key goals for the franchise. Quarterback Joe Burrow is prepared to restructure his own pact to create cap space for this offseason, but the team will no doubt need to break with tradition in terms of contract structure and guarantees to keep its core intact.

The Colts’ offseason has been defined in large part by a focus on retaining in-house players during recent years. That approach has not paid off as hoped, and general manager Chris Ballard said last month he plans to oversee a shift in roster-building philosophy this year. With the finances to make at least a modest addition or two on the open market, Indianapolis could be a suitor for some of the middle-class free agent options.

Over the coming weeks, many teams will proceed with extensions and restructures to free up cap space; the Seahawks recently took the latter route with defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Teams like the Steelers (in the case of edge rusher Preston Smith) and Dolphins (with running back Raheem Mostert as well as corner Kendall Fuller and tight end Durham Smythe) have already begin cutting veterans to free up cap space. That will increasingly continue in the near future with respect to the teams currently slated to be over the cap in particular.

Jaguars To Conduct Second GM Interviews

February 15th, 2025 at 9:40pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jaguars reportedly wrapped up their first round of general manager interviews yesterday, and according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the team will start their second round of interviews in the coming days. Per Pelissero, that will begin with Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan and Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham. Pelissero adds that Jaguars assistant (and interim) general manager Ethan Waugh will also interview this week after not being included initially in the first round of interviews.

Jacksonville conducted their first round of interviews in the last four days, concluding with meetings with Sullivan and Cunningham yesterday. Planning second interviews with each personnel executive the next day bodes well for their standing in the race for the job.

[RELATED: James Gladstone, Josh Williams Also Among Finalists]

Sullivan has spent the entirety of his 22-year career in the NFL in Green Bay, starting as a training camp intern in 2003. He rose up the ranks of the scouting department, eventually serving as director of college scouting from 2016-17. Sullivan had a penchant for hitting on Day 3 picks with the Packers, demonstrated by the drafting of impact players like Blake Martinez, Dean Lowry, Aaron Jones, and Jamaal Williams.

Sullivan’s next role was as co-director of player personnel from 2018-21 before being promoted to his current title in 2022. Sullivan’s success has drawn him plenty of general manager interest around the league. He has been considered for every general manager opening in this year’s hiring cycle, interviewing with the Titans, the Raiders, and the Jets.

Cunningham was one of the initial names to be connected to the Jaguars’ job, along with former Titans general manager Jon Robinson and Buccaneers assistant general manager Mike Greenberg. Cunningham started his front office career with the Ravens back in 2008 before joining the Eagles as their director of college scouting in 2017. He climbed the ranks to director of player personnel before taking an assistant general manager job with the Bears in 2022. He’s spent the past three seasons in Chicago, though he’s flirted with promotions over the past two years. He was a finalist for the Commanders job last year, and he was interviewed for jobs with the Chargers last offseason and the Titans this cycle.

Though Waugh wasn’t included in the first round of interviews, he was mentioned as a strong candidate for the position on Thursday. Waugh had a lengthy tenure in the 49ers’ front office alongside the man these candidates are all striving to replace, former Jacksonville general manager Trent Baalke. The pair worked together from 2005-16, and Waugh worked his way up to vice president of player personnel for the 2021 and 2022 campaigns. He joined Baalke in Jacksonville in May of 2022, taking on his current title. Despite the issues that led to Baalke’s dismissal, Waugh is nevertheless in contention for the job and will interview this week.

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