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Vikings Acquire Jordan Mason From 49ers; RB Agrees To Minnesota Extension

March 15th, 2025 at 10:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

Despite receiving the second-round RFA tender from the 49ers this week, Jordan Mason will not play in San Francisco next year. The fourth-year running back has been traded to the Vikings, per his agency (via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).

As part of the deal, Mason has agreed to a two-year Vikings contract, Rapoport notes. The pact has a maximum value of $12MM and includes $7MM guaranteed at signing. Per Rapoport and colleague Tom Pelissero, the trade consists of a 2026 sixth-round pick being sent from Minnesota to San Francisco. The teams will also swap picks No. 160 and 187 in this year’s draft.

Mason totaled only 83 carries during his first two seasons, but in 2024 he was a key member of the 49ers’ ground game. Christian McCaffrey‘s Achilles issues opened the door for the former UDFA to see notable usage, and he received 153 carries on the year. Mason’s success (880 scrimmage yards, three touchdowns, 5.2 yards per attempt average) made it clear San Francisco would look to keep him in the fold moving forward. The decision to apply the second-round tender appeared to lock him into a $5.3MM salary for 2025.

As a result, the 49ers would have been in line for a second-round pick as compensation in the event Mason signed an offer sheet with an outside team which they declined to match. Now, the 25-year-old will be on the move by means of a swap. San Francisco still has McCaffrey on the books, along with Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor. An addition in the 2025 draft – which features several highly-regarded RB prospects – would come as no surprise given this deal.

For the Vikings, meanwhile, Mason will allow for more of a tandem in the backfield moving forward. Aaron Jones impressed while playing on a one-year contract in 2024, setting a new career high in rushing yards. That yielded a new agreement just before the negotiating period opened, and Jones is now attached to a two-year, $20MM pact. While the Vikings expressed a desire to keep the former Pro Bowler in the fold, they also made it clear they intended to reduce his workload after Jones handled 306 touches (the most of his career) in 2024. Mason will help achieve that goal.

The latter recorded double-digit carries seven times in his 12 appearances last year. Mason suffered an ankle sprain in Week 13, however, and the injury ended his campaign. His absence will be felt on a 49ers team which lost Elijah Mitchell to the Chiefs in free agency. Even if Guerendo takes on a larger role next season (after logging 84 carries as a rookie), at least one addition in the backfield can be expected.

Instead of hitting free agency in 2026 after playing on the tender, Mason has now secured more guaranteed than he would have received with San Francisco next season. The Georgia Tech product drew interest from other teams, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports. Now, he will look to duplicate his 2024 success in a new environment as the Vikings aim to provide Jones with an effective complementary rusher.

Aaron Rodgers Mulling Vikings Or Retirement?

March 15th, 2025 at 10:08pm CST by Ely Allen

It seems impossible to avoid the drama that surrounds free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers on what has become an annual basis. From the trade he forced Green Bay into that sent him to the Jets to his insistence on returning from a season-ending Achilles injury on a truncated schedule with unorthodox recovery methods to impacting reunions with most of his old Packers teammates in New York, Rodgers seems addicted to the spotlight.

That hasn’t changed to this day, as a team of Michael Silver, Dianna Russini, and Alec Lewis — all of The Athletic — reports that Rodgers has multiple teams holding out for his decision on where to play in 2025. One thing is a bit different in this situation, though: the decision appears to be out of Rodgers’ hands, at the moment. Per The Athletic, Rodgers has made it known that he is hoping to sign with the Vikings, but it’s head coach Kevin O’Connell who appears to hold sway over whether or not that will happen.

For a player that didn’t seem to want to live in the shadow of Brett Favre, Rodgers seems fairly eager to continue following in his exact footsteps. Rodgers’ desires are not exactly difficult to track here, though. At 41 years old, the veteran quarterback is hoping to land with a team that can contend for a Super Bowl. His move to New York was an attempt to bring a team in the gutter up to his usual championship-caliber, but that proved more difficult than anticipated.

Now, he’ll seek a contender who sat a game short of earning the NFC’s first-round bye in the playoffs with Sam Darnold at quarterback just last year. In fact, The Athletic reports that Darnold’s new salary in Seattle ($33.5MM per year) is around what Rodgers is looking for in a new contract. That being said, salary is not expected to be a sticking point for Rodgers on a new deal.

The real decision here comes from O’Connell, who has been granted key say in this situation by team owners Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. They know that, ultimately, the decision will weigh heaviest on O’Connell as head coach and that O’Connell has the most insight into the Vikings’ current situation at quarterback.

That situation has recently seen Minnesota affirming rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy as the heir apparent for the job moving forward, despite McCarthy missing the entirety of the 2024 NFL season following meniscus surgery. The 10th overall pick last year was not seen as a first-round option for much of the 2023 season, but his national championship-winning season with the Wolverines, combined with quite a few desperate teams looking for rookie passers, resulted in McCarthy hearing his name on Day 1.

While it was initially thought that McCarthy would need to sit and learn for a year, a lack of serious candidates for competition led McCarthy into a battle with Darnold to replace Kirk Cousins as the starter in Minnesota, a battle that Darnold was gifted following McCarthy’s surgery. Now, with Darnold having moved on and McCarthy having sat for the year, it’s presumed that McCarthy should now be ready to take hold of the starting role.

Enter: Rodgers. Obviously, Rodgers has the ability as an experienced veteran to come in and take hold of the starting job. O’Connell isn’t just looking for a starter, though. After a 14-3 season, O’Connell is looking to build off that momentum and take the team to a Super Bowl, even if it doesn’t happen this season.

This forces O’Connell to reconcile with what bringing Rodgers in would mean. First, the upside that Rodgers provides could help for a win-now mentality to take a talented Vikings team to a Super Bowl this season. But, given what we saw from Rodgers last season in New York, Minnesota may not get that upside. They could end up with what we’ve seen in Rodgers last two full seasons: a combined 13-21 record, sub-4,000 yards passing, and just over 25 touchdowns combined with double-digit interceptions, something we hadn’t seen from Rodgers since 2010.

O’Connell also has to reconcile with the social factor Rodgers brings to the team. We saw several instances of dissonance between Rodgers and leadership over his last years in Green Bay and his time with the Jets. Does O’Connell want to risk bringing in what some have deemed to be a toxic personality, especially if there’s no guarantee he returns to the excellence we saw just four years ago?

This could also impact McCarthy’s confidence, leading the young passer to feel as if the team doesn’t believe he’s ready for the job and further stunting his early growth. The alternative would see O’Connell lock in on McCarthy as the future of the position and start to get him as much time in that role as possible. Even if it doesn’t bring them the success of a Super Bowl in 2025, getting McCarthy reps as the leader of the offense would be crucial in the 22-year-old’s development.

It’s an unenviable position for O’Connell who has to weigh several factors in making a decision on whether to take the next uncertain steps with an inexperienced, unproven rookie or an accomplished veteran who could certainly be on the downslide that ends his career.

Regardless of what O’Connell decides, the Giants and Steelers are holding in position, waiting to make their own decisions as a result. Unfortunately for them, it sounds as if Rodgers may not be guaranteed to fall to them even if O’Connell decides not to sign him. According to The Athletic staff, it remains an option that, should the Vikings turn him down, Rodgers may spurn both Pittsburgh and New York in favor of retirement. There is certainly a slew of possibilities that will branch out from O’Connell’s upcoming decision.

Vikings Considering Aaron Rodgers Push; Giants Have Submitted Best Offer?

March 14th, 2025 at 11:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Aaron Rodgers market has persisted long enough that Russell Wilson is taking visits. Appearing to sit behind his former 2014 NFC championship game opponent the aging QB pecking order, Wilson has attempted to shake things up with Browns and Giants meetings. Wilson is meeting with Big Blue today.

But the Giants have done plenty of work on Rodgers. Linked to the 41-year-old cap casualty for several days, the Giants may also be leading the way in terms of offers. Although the Steelers have also made Rodgers an offer, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini indicated during her Scoop City podcast (h/t Steelers Depot) that New York is believed to have submitted a better offer.

Considering the earnings Rodgers has put together, the Giants offering a bit more probably would not move the needle enough. If the former Packers and Jets starter were to join the Giants, fit would most likely be the top box to check. Money is not believed to be the driver of Rodgers’ delay with the Steelers, so it would stand to reason no Giants offer would be pushing him in either direction. That said, a sizable gap forming between the two teams’ proposals could serve as a tiebreaker of sorts.

The Jets discussed Rodgers with “five or six” teams since the Combine, The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson tweets, but they had previously determined they were moving on. It would appear that Gang Green made a last-ditch attempt to trade Rodgers, but nothing transpired on that front. Rodgers became a post-June 1 release Wednesday, saddling the Jets with $49MM in dead money through 2026. The Jets’ new regime making the call to move on from an all-time QB talent only to see three more teams swoop in is rather interesting, and the wild-card suitor here may be helping drive the delay.

Rodgers was viewed as being intrigued by a Vikings partnership — in what would be an eerily similar move to some late-2000s activity involving the Packers’ previous starting quarterback — but SI.com’s Albert Breer adds that, as of Thursday night, the Vikes were merely considering diving into the Rodgers market. Going a bit further here, Russini notes that the Vikings are “seriously” considering Rodgers, who is giving the NFC North team time to make its decision. That extra piece of information from Russini may do the best to explain this delay; the Vikings appear to be holding up the Steelers and Giants’ QB plans.

In addition to completing the Brett Favre arc, a Rodgers-to-Minnesota storyline would leave the Steelers and Giants scrambling at QB. While the Giants hold the No. 3 overall pick — and likely would still be connected to using it to acquire a QB even if Rodgers signs — the Steelers reside at No. 21. Rodgers choosing Pittsburgh would stand to give him the best chance of finishing the 2025 season as a starter, but he has clearly shown respect for what the Vikings have put together under Kevin O’Connell.

Minnesota has now been connected to Rodgers for nearly a week, with the Steelers being in play a bit longer. Both Sam Darnold and Vikes contingency plan Daniel Jones committed elsewhere. Jones was down to a Minnesota-or-Indianapolis choice; had the late-season Vikings addition chosen to stay in the Twin Cities, we might have a Rodgers answer by now. Jones, however, signed with the Colts to push Anthony Richardson. It will be interesting to see if either the Giants or Steelers blink and go with Wilson, whose free agency is in an interesting position at this point.

While it remains interesting Rodgers has this much sway after a wildly underwhelming Jets tenure, the glaring needs the Giants and Steelers bring partially explains it. One member of this trio will be left without Rodgers or Wilson, providing serious complications about 2025 viability. The Falcons have not let Kirk Cousins out of his contract (yet), and the Browns’ interest in Wilson provides another wrinkle here.

The Vikings are still preparing to give the keys to J.J. McCarthy, but a true entrance into the Rodgers derby would seemingly throw a wrench into the 2024 draftee’s timetable. Minnesota’s confidence in McCarthy would also stand to give Rodgers pause, but for now, he appears genuinely intrigued about see what the team’s sales pitch would be.

Contract Details: Fries, Hargrave, Colts, Patriots, Seahawks, Dolphins, Bengals, Bills

March 14th, 2025 at 2:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest details from contracts agreed to during free agency:

  • Will Fries, G (Vikings). Five years, $87.72MM. Unlike other splashy Minnesota deals this week, Fries’ initial numbers were close to the true value. Fries will see $34MM guaranteed at signing. If he is on the Vikings’ roster by Day 3 of the 2027 league year, another $10MM becomes guaranteed, per OverTheCap. Up to $6MM in incentives are also included in this deal.
  • Camryn Bynum, S (Colts). Four years, $60MM. The ex-Viking will see $26MM at signing, per OverTheCap, while KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adds $32MM is guaranteed in total. The remainder of that guarantee impacts Bynum’s 2026 and ’27 base salaries. Of Bynum’s 2026 salary ($10MM), $6MM is fully guaranteed. Of Bynum’s 2027 base ($13.47MM), $4MM is already guaranteed for injury. That $4MM will shift to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the league year, giving Bynum some advanced protection.
  • Carlton Davis, CB (Patriots). Three years, $54MM. This checks in $6MM south of the initial report, but Wilson notes Davis will still see $34.5MM at signing. Davis’ 2025 and 2026 base salaries are fully guaranteed, with a $15MM 2027 base nonguaranteed.
  • Javon Hargrave, DL (Vikings). Two years, $30MM. Minnesota is guaranteeing Hargrave $19MM at signing, while Wilson adds $4MM of the veteran DT’s $14.2MM 2026 base salary is already locked in. Hargrave’s full guarantee on a two-year deal nearly matches Jonathan Allen‘s ($23.26MM) on a three-year pact.
  • Ernest Jones, LB (Seahawks). Three years, $28.5MM. Jones will receive $10MM at signing and $15MM guaranteed in total. Of Jones’ $7.15MM 2026 base salary, Wilson notes $5MM is guaranteed for injury; that $5MM will shift to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2026 league year.
  • Mike Gesicki, TE (Bengals). Three years, $25.5MM. A $6.5MM signing bonus represents the full guarantee, as per usual for the Bengals’ non-quarterback deals (though, Cincinnati’s receivers may have something to say about this policy soon). A $2MM roster bonus is due on Day 5 of the 2026 league year, Wilson tweets.
  • James Daniels, G (Dolphins). Three years, $24MM. $7.26MM is fully guaranteed, per OverTheCap. The Dolphins guaranteed $3.48MM of Daniels’ $6.49MM 2026 base salary for injury at signing, per Wilson; that $3.48MM shifts to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2026 league year.
  • Jarran Reed, DL (Seahawks). Three years, $22MM. Seattle guaranteed Reed $8MM at signing, per OverTheCap. After a fully guaranteed 2025 base salary, $2MM of Reed’s $5.49MM 2026 base will shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2026 league year, Wilson tweets.
  • Michael Hoecht, DE (Bills). Three years, $21MM. Buffalo is guaranteeing Hoecht $13.43MM at signing. Both Hoecht’s 2025 and ’26 base salaries are fully guaranteed, Wilson adds. His $5.74MM 2027 paragraph 5 number is nonguaranteed.

NFL Announces 2025 Compensatory Picks

March 14th, 2025 at 12:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 14: In an unusual step, the NFL has awarded the Saints a seventh-round compensatory pick and stripped one from the Dolphins. The Saints’ pick appears to check in in front of the Browns and Chargers’ Nos. 254 and 255 slots, as NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero notes Cleveland and Los Angeles’ last 2025 picks will slide down one spot. The Dolphins will retain their other seventh-round comp pick, however.

MARCH 11: The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks for teams in the 2025 draft. Based on an add/subtract formula that covers the 2024 free agency period, comp picks span from Round 3 to Round 7. The higher picks go to the teams that endured the most significant free agent losses.

This year, the NFL awarded 35 comp picks. The comp pick formula assigns picks to franchises who suffered the largest net losses, so teams that signed multiple free agents have a lesser chance of receiving picks.

Sorted by round and by team, here are the league’s 2025 compensatory selections:

By round:

Round 3: Vikings (No. 97 overall), Dolphins (98), Giants (99), 49ers (100)*, Rams (101)*, Lions (102)*

Round 4: Dolphins (135), Ravens (136), Seahawks (137), 49ers (138)

Round 5: Bills (169), Cowboys (170), Cowboys (171), Seahawks (172), Bills (173), Cowboys (174), Seahawks (175), Ravens (176)

Round 6: Chargers (209), Ravens (210), Cowboys (211), Ravens (212), Raiders (213), Chargers (214), Raiders (215), Browns (216)

Round 7: 49ers (249), Packers (250), Chiefs (251), 49ers (252), Dolphins (253), Browns (254), Chargers (255), Dolphins (256), Chiefs (257)

By team:

  • Baltimore Ravens: 4
  • Dallas Cowboys: 4
  • Miami Dolphins: 4
  • San Francisco 49ers: 4
  • Los Angeles Chargers: 3
  • Seattle Seahawks: 3
  • Buffalo Bills: 2
  • Cleveland Browns: 2
  • Kansas City Chiefs: 2
  • Las Vegas Raiders: 2
  • Detroit Lions: 1
  • Green Bay Packers: 1
  • Los Angeles Rams: 1
  • Minnesota Vikings: 1
  • New York Giants: 1

* = special compensatory selection

Vikings, LB Eric Wilson Agree To Deal

March 14th, 2025 at 11:56am CST by Adam La Rose

Eric Wilson is set to return to where his career began. The veteran linebacker has agreed to a deal with the Vikings, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Wilson spent his first four years in Minnesota, logging 25 starts during that span. In 2020, he occupied a full-time first-team role and collected 122 tackles, three sacks and three interceptions. In spite of that production, the former UDFA has not managed to secure a multi-year deal during his free agent tenures.

After splitting his time between the Eagles and Texans in 2021, Wilson enjoyed a three-year run with the Packers. He missed four contests during his debut Green Bay season, but since then he has been a regular in the team’s lineup. The 30-year-old started 12 games last year, and his 72 tackles were the second-highest total of his career. Wilson added a pair of sacks and an interception, a sign of the production he will be capable of upon returning to Minnesota.

The Packers re-signed Isaiah McDuffie earlier this month, preventing him from reaching free agency. That two-year deal ensures Green Bay will have continuity at the linebacker spot with Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper still in the fold. The McDuffie move opened the door for Wilson to depart, but this news means the latter will now play his former team twice in 2025.

The Vikings have been active on defense so far this offseason, but the Wilson reunion represents the team’s first outside addition at the linebacker spot. Minnesota still has Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace on the books as starters, but Wilson will offer an experienced rotational option as well as a veteran special teams presence. Kamu Grugier-Hill is a free agent, and this Wilson move could lead him to head elsewhere as the offseason continues to unfold.

Vikings Trade G Ed Ingram To Texans

March 13th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Cutting Shaq Mason and trading both Laremy Tunsil and Kenyon Green, the Texans are remodeling their offensive line. A recent second-round pick will also be part of this equation.

Ed Ingram is heading from Minnesota to Houston, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The Vikings will collect a sixth-round pick in this trade, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds. One season remains on Ingram’s rookie contract. The trade is now official.

The Vikings were considered likely to either adjust Ingram’s contract or cut him altogether. Instead, they found a trade partner and collected value above the pick-swap level. Minnesota will save $3.4MM by making this trade, and Ingram will secure another chance after being benched last season.

This trade helps bring the Texans’ O-line plan into focus. Most significantly, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports Tytus Howard is likely to shift to left tackle. Roving between left guard and right tackle recently, the former first-round pick has some LT experience from earlier in his career.

As Howard shifts to the other side, 2024 second-round pick Blake Fisher is expected to take over at RT. Reuniting with DeMeco Ryans, Laken Tomlinson is expected to man one guard spot after signing a one-year, $4.25MM deal that can max out at $5MM. Ingram may not be guaranteed another, as Juice Scruggs and Jarrett Patterson — whichever player does not become the team’s starting center — will be in the mix for the other guard post.

Ingram, 26, has made 41 career starts. The LSU alum won the Vikings’ starting right guard job out of training camp in 2022 and held it throughout the 2023 season. Last year, however, Minnesota parked the struggling blocker before Week 11. Ingram did not play an offensive snap after that point. Pro Football Focus graded Ingram 66th among guard regulars last season. The advanced metrics site was kinder to the former No. 59 overall pick in 2023, ranking him 38th, but this trade continues to frame the Vikings’ 2022 draft as a dud.

The Vikings chose safety Lewis Cine in Round 1; they cut him last year. Minnesota took cornerback Andrew Booth several spots before Ingram in Round 2 that year; they traded him for a player (DB Nahshon Wright) they cut weeks later. While Wright remains on a reserve/futures deal, Minnesota has achieved success largely in spite of its first Kwesi Adofo-Mensah draft. Ingram has been the most successful of the Vikes’ top three picks that year, and he will attempt to rebound in Houston.

In part because Ingram did not pan out in the Twin Cities, the Vikings signed Will Fries to a five-year contract. Fries joins ex-Colts teammate Ryan Kelly as starters-to-be with the Vikes, and this duo gives Minnesota four veteran contracts along its offensive line. The team has Brian O’Neill at $18.5MM per year and gave Christian Darrisaw a $26MM-AAV extension last summer.

Howard replaced an injured Tunsil at LT during the second half of the 2021 season, impressing at the position en route to Houston picking up his fifth-year option and then extending him a year later. As Howard again moved inside last season, Fisher logged 291 snaps at RT as a rookie. The Texans appear set to move the Notre Dame product into their starting lineup on a full-time basis soon.

The Texans designated Mason as a post-June 1 cut, which will spread out the $12.48MM dead money over two offseasons. The twice-traded guard had started two years for the Texans, but a knee injury ended a lengthy ironman streak last season. Mason, 31, will be on the lookout for a fourth team.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/13/25

March 13th, 2025 at 9:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Aaron Rodgers Still Considering Vikings; Latest On Steelers’ Effort

March 12th, 2025 at 11:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Giants and Steelers have hovered as the leaders in this unusual Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes for multiple days, the future Hall of Fame quarterback is still deliberating. Rodgers is well aware the Giants and Steelers are interested, but the third team linked to him over the weekend is still believed to be in the mix.

Rodgers remains intrigued by playing for the Vikings, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Michael Silver note. Minnesota continues to evaluate its QB options, and we heard over the weekend Rodgers is one of them. While completing the Full Favre would be make for an eerie parallel for his one-time Packers successor, Minnesota has some selling points the other two suitors do not.

Kevin O’Connell is the reigning NFL Coach of the Year, riding to that honor mostly as Sam Darnold went from bottom-tier starter and borderline draft bust to an original-ballot Pro Bowler who threw 35 touchdown passes in guiding the Vikings to a stunning 14-3 record. Darnold targeted All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson, former first-rounder Jordan Addison and Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson. Longtime Rodgers teammate Aaron Jones also did heavy lifting for the 2024 Vikings, and he is back on a two-year, $20MM deal.

Minnesota also finished with a top-five defense last season, and during a week in which the team re-signed Byron Murphy and retained Harrison Smith, the Vikes added veteran D-linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Brett Favre joined a Vikings team that had lost a wild-card game in 2008, albeit with a much worse record than last year’s Minnesota edition; Rodgers may be interested in helping a team to a higher level. Though, the four-time MVP failing to do so in New York — ahead of a Wednesday release — offers a warning sign for the suitors.

Favre took the Vikings to the 2009 NFC championship game, delivering an MVP-caliber season at 40. That ended badly, with a reckless interception stalling a potential game-winning Vikings drive in the NFC championship game. But Favre delivered a strong season at 40, beating Rodgers’ Packers twice. Unretirement No. 3 in 2010 did not go as well, as Favre’s ironman streak ended during a 6-10 Vikes season.

Rodgers is rumored to be interested in playing two more years, which is where a Minnesota decision would become complicated. Unlike in 2009 when they recruited Favre, the Vikings have a young quarterback (J.J. McCarthy) they are planning to build around. The 2009 Vikes had seen three Tarvaris Jackson seasons, as both a starter and backup, by that point. This Vikings regime is high on McCarthy, having centered its 2024 offseason around him before a meniscus tear entrenched Darnold at QB1. Rodgers may not be too keen on serving as a bridge who faces the risk of being benched during his first season with the team.

Chances are, he would not face that reality in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are not in position to grab a starter-level QB in the draft, though one of the QBs off the Cam Ward/Shedeur Sanders tier may rise up draft boards during the pre-draft process. But Rodgers could have a path, even as he will turn 42 in December, to starting throughout for a Steelers team that has a strong defensive nucleus — and one that just acquired D.K. Metcalf to play alongside George Pickens.

The Steelers have made their offer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reports, adding that money is not believed to be driving this Rodgers delay. The decorated quarterback has not publicly confirmed he even intends to play in 2025, though that has been the expectation for a bit. Although the Steelers are unlikely to essentially hand the keys to Rodgers in the way the Jets did, their hesitation on Russell Wilson does raise the stakes for this particular free agency pursuit.

Wilson looms as a Steelers backup option, but time may be ticking there, too. Wilson is visiting the Browns on Thursday and Giants on Friday. While Wilson has settled in behind Rodgers within the QB free agent hierarchy — to the point the Giants would be unlikely to sign him before they know they are out of the Rodgers derby — he remains a capable starting quarterback who could be a bridge option to a rookie.

The Vikings being in the Rodgers mix as well stands to give the 20-year veteran a good chance to remain a starter in 2025. While Rodgers is well off the 2012 Peyton Manning level in terms of free agency prize, as the all-time great’s free agency decision stalled the NFL that offseason, the Rodgers free agency is slowing the market for at least one quarterback and probably a couple more.

The two teams in this derby who do not land Rodgers figure to place an immediate call to Wilson’s camp. Options tail off soon after. Gardner Minshew is available, and Joe Flacco is interested in playing an age-40 season. The line moves to Jameis Winston, Carson Wentz and Mason Rudolph after. The Falcons continue to hold Kirk Cousins hostage, intent on keeping him for a potential trade market.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/25

March 12th, 2025 at 10:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the minor moves from the first day of the 2025 league year:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Yes, a few of these players have graduated from our minor-moves sector, but today’s signing blitz being what it was, they land here. Ford highlights the batch contractually, agreeing (per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter) to a two-year, $4MM deal. Ford played on more than 70% of Cleveland’s special teams snaps over the past two seasons.

Trask will reprise his role as Baker Mayfield‘s backup, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicating the former second-round pick is staying on a one-year, $2.79MM contract. Trask and Mayfield competed for the job in 2023, but as was the case with the Drew Lock–Geno Smith battle a year prior, the winner never looked back. Trask will be in place for a fifth Bucs season, having moved from third-stringer during the Tom Brady era to QB2 in the Mayfield years.

Hawkins will stay with the Patriots on a two-year deal worth up to $2.2MM, according to the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed. A 2022 full-time Falcons starter, Hawkins saw Jessie Bates replace him in 2023. The Falcons later waived Hawkins, who ended up on the Chargers in 2023. The Pats used him as a seven-game starter in 2024, when he made 48 tackles (three for loss).

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