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Contract Details: Horn, Pats, Pack, Vikings

March 12th, 2025 at 11:26am CST by Sam Robinson

It’s that time of year. It is time to begin sorting through the contracts agreed to early in free agency. We will start with some of the biggest deals to emerge this week.

  • Jaycee Horn, CB (Panthers). Four years, $100MM. Horn’s Carolina extension covers $72MM in total guarantees (second among CBs) and $46.7MM at signing (first). Horn’s 2025 and ’26 base salaries are fully guaranteed; his $15.74MM 2027 base salary will shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2026 league year, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Additionally, $7.1MM of Horn’s $21.7MM 2028 base is already guaranteed for injury, per Wilson. That amount will shift to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2028 league year.
  • Milton Williams, DT (Patriots): Four years, $104MM. Williams will see $63MM in total guarantees and $51MM at signing, per OverTheCap. Williams’ 2027 base salary ($27MM) is guaranteed for injury; it will shift to a full guarantee if he remains on New England’s roster on Day 3 of the 2027 league year, Wilson tweets.
  • Aaron Banks, G (Packers). Four years, $77MM. Only a $27MM signing bonus is guaranteed, via OverTheCap, as the Packers do not usually include guaranteed salary beyond Year 1. Banks is due a $9.5MM roster bonus on Day 3 of the 2026 league year, Wilson notes. The same structure is in place for 2027, with another $9.5MM bonus due. These represent future guarantee dates on this year-$20MM-AAV accord, though the Pack — as they do with Josh Jacobs — will have a natural out after Year 2 of the deal.
  • Byron Murphy, CB (Vikings): Three years, $54MM. This is significantly lower than initially reported (via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo), as Murphy can only reach the $22MM-AAV number through incentives. Murphy’s first two base salaries are fully guaranteed, per Wilson. Rather than being the NFL’s fourth-highest-paid CB, Murphy is tied for 13th after the true AAV emerged.
  • Charvarius Ward, CB (Colts): Three years, $54MM. This one had the correct value from the start, as Murphy’s subsequent Vikings deal matched these terms. Ward will see $27MM at signing. To reach the $34.98MM total guarantee, he must remain on Indianapolis’ roster past Day 5 of the 2026 league year. As $5MM of Ward’s $12.98MM 2026 base salary is guaranteed at signing, the rest locks in on that March 2026 date, Wilson tweets.
  • Jonathan Allen, DL (Vikings): Three years, $51MM. This also checks in lower (via Garafolo) than initially reported, which is not uncommon. Half of Allen’s $16MM 2026 base salary is guaranteed at signing, with the other half (via Wilson) locking in if the D-lineman is on Minnesota’s roster come Day 3 of the 2026 league year.
  • Jamien Sherwood, LB (Jets). Three years, $45MM. The Jets are guaranteeing $30MM, as ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini notes this is the second-biggest LB guarantee the team has authorized (after C.J. Mosley‘s then-record FA deal in 2019). The Jets included a $7.5MM option bonus due at any point before Week 1 of the 2026 season, Wilson notes. This, along with three void years, will reduce Sherwood’s cap hits; he will not carry a figure north of $11.5MM until 2027.
  • Drew Dalman, C (Bears): Three years, $42MM. $26.5MM of Dalman’s $28MM guarantee comes at signing, giving the ex-Falcons center the second-biggest center guarantee (passing Lloyd Cushenberry‘s 2024 Titans FA deal). $9.5MM of Dalman’s $11MM 2026 base salary is fully guaranteed at signing, per Wilson. The other $1.5MM vests if/once he is on Chicago’s roster on Day 3 of the ’26 league year. Dalman’s 2027 salary is nonguaranteed.

Vikings, G Will Fries Agree To Deal

March 11th, 2025 at 8:37am CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings added one former Colt along the offensive line in the form of center Ryan Kelly yesterday, and another is also headed to Minnesota. Guard Will Fries has a deal in place, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.

This will be a whopping five-year, $88MM pact, Fowler adds. KTSP’s Darren Wolfson’s reported yesterday that the sides were discussing a deal, so it comes as little surprise one has now been worked out. Fries will face massive expectations upon arrival given the nature of this commitment.

Fries does not have a connection to Ryan Grigson like Kelly does, as Fries is a first-time free agent who had joined the Colts in the 2021 draft. Despite not joining a team on Day 1 of the legal tampering period, Fries will cash in. While this is on the longer end of the term-length spectrum — especially as the cap has climbed like his has this decade — Fries is receiving a big number to join the Vikings. Guarantees will provide more illumination, but it is clear Minnesota eyed Fries from the start.

The Vikings have been busy Tuesday, agreeing to deals with two high-profile street free agents (Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave) to beef up their defensive line alongside Harrison Phillips while adding Fries as their other new piece with Kelly. The two Colts defections come as Indianapolis added long-rumored Minnesota Sam Darnold fallback option Daniel Jones. As Jones prepares to take a run at another starting job, two Colts blockers will prepare to help J.J. McCarthy transition after missing his rookie season.

A Colts starter for roughly two seasons, Fries is coming off a season-ending injury. He sustained a broken leg early last year; that halted considerable momentum. The fifth-year veteran is not yet 100%, per ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder, but all indications point to him having no issues being ready for next season on time. This contract certainly displays Vikings confidence on this front. The Vikings needed to go big for Fries, whom the Colts tried to re-sign. Pushes from the Patriots, Giants, Seahawks and Cardinals drove the market to this place, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes, as Fries did very well for himself despite the early-season injury.

Fries, who emerged out of the 2021 seventh round, graded as the league’s second-best guard (per Pro Football Focus) and had won his run- and pass-blocking matchups at a career-best rate (per ESPN) before the Week 5 setback. This came after a 17-start 2023, as Fries had taken over for less effective starter Danny Pinter during the 2022 season.

Not on the younger end among this year’s free agent class, Fries (27 in April) will be asked to start at one of the Vikings’ guard spots. Former second-round pick Ed Ingram‘s Vikings future is in doubt, after a 2024 benching, and Dalton Risner — who has not seen free agent markets come close to Fries’ new level — is again out of contract.

Adam La Rose contributed to this report.

Patriots, Milton Williams Agree To Deal

March 10th, 2025 at 11:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Panthers looked to be the frontrunners to secure Milton Williams, but that will no longer be the case . The Patriots are adding Williams instead, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report.

Williams will head to Foxborough on a monster deal that averages $26MM per season over four years. After the Cowboys kept Osa Odighizuwa off the market, Williams — PFR’s No. 3 overall free agent — will benefit from being allowed to speak with multiple suitors.

Carolina was deep in talks with Williams, who will parlay a big contract year into a seismic second contract. The Panthers were close to a deal, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Patriots then upped their price — on a deal that includes $63MM guaranteed — to end the derby. After Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins reset the D-tackle market last year, Williams will benefit. Assuming the $63MM represents Williams’ guarantee total (as opposed to the amount fully locked in at signing), that still ranks sixth among DTs.

The Eagles had re-signed Zack Baun, but the Super Bowl champions had left Williams, Josh Sweat and Mekhi Becton unattached as the legal tampering period began today. Williams represents the first defection, and Sweat has since committed to the Cardinals, rejoining Jonathan Gannon.

Williams’ contract year produced career-high numbers in sacks (five) and QB hits (10). Used as a part-time starter, the Louisiana Tech product totaled 18 pressures as well, ranking sixth in DT pass rush win rate. Pro Football Focus ranked the former third-round pick as the No. 1 interior pass rusher last season, and the Patriots will buy in while the Eagles will predictably build their DT future around Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.

The Patriots extended Christian Barmore last year but saw him miss most of the season due to blood clots. Barmore returned late in the year and will now pair with Williams to round out a pricey D-tackle duo. Williams joins Harold Landry, Carlton Davis and Robert Spillane as additions aimed at restoring the Patriots to an upper-crust defense. After two-plus decades carrying such chops, New England plummeted to 22nd in yards and points allowed despite Christian Gonzalez‘s All-Pro ascent.

Coming into free agency with the most cap space in the NFL, the Patriots are delivering on Mike Vrabel’s push to both spend in free agency and bolster their lines. Williams will be the biggest bet any team makes on the D-line during this free agency period, and the Pats will expect him to build on a breakout season.

Williams showed flashes before, having supplied a career-high nine tackles for loss during the Eagles’ 2022 NFC championship season. Although his Super Bowl LIX sack-strip-recovery sequence introduced the former third-round pick to the casual fans — ones that were still watching by that point — Williams will be out to prove he is not a one-year wonder.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/10/25

March 10th, 2025 at 10:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor NFL moves that may have been missed during an otherwise extremely busy first day of the tampering period:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Patriots To Add WR Mack Hollins

March 10th, 2025 at 6:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Linked to Tee Higgins and Chris Godwin during this year’s free agency period, the Patriots have yet to make their impact wide receiver splash. But they are adding a depth piece to that mix.

Mack Hollins is coming aboard on a two-year deal, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Hollins’ $8.4MM agreement will reunite him with three-time Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, who had signed him while in charge in Las Vegas.

Perhaps known as much for his shoe skepticism as his on-field work, Hollins has managed to remain a valuable role player for a few teams. The eight-year veteran is coming off a season as a tertiary target in Buffalo but one that managed a regular snap share despite the team giving Curtis Samuel an $8MM-per-year deal and trading for Amari Cooper midseason.

Hollins, 31, logged a 66% snap share with the Bills last season; that beat out Cooper’s (46%) with the team. Hollins also came through on the Bills’ biggest stage, catching three passes for 73 yards and a touchdown in the AFC championship game loss to the Chiefs. During the regular season, the 6-foot-4 pass catcher totaled 378 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, forming a rapport with Josh Allen. The Bills agreed to terms with Josh Palmer today and still have Samuel under contract. That effectively pointed Hollins and Cooper out of Western New York.

Hollins’ only greater single-season snap share came in 2022, when he suited up for the Raiders in McDaniels’ Las Vegas debut. While McDaniels did not enjoy a successful tenure, the experienced play-caller found good use for Hollins, who finished the ’22 slate with career highs in catches (57) and yards (690). Hollins’ best game that season came against Mike Vrabel’s Titans, when he caught eight passes for 158 yards and a touchdown in a two-point Vegas loss.

The Patriots, who pursued a few big-name wideouts last year, still have a hole on their depth chart. A few high-profile receivers remain in free agency — from Cooper to Stefon Diggs to Keenan Allen. The Pats have more to figure out here, but Hollins will supply some depth with scheme familiarity.

Patriots To Sign QB Josh Dobbs, Open To Trading Joe Milton

March 10th, 2025 at 4:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

A busy day for the Patriots now includes a backup quarterback addition. Josh Dobbs is headed to New England on a two-year deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

This pact has a maximum value of $8MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network notes. He adds Dobbs will collect $3.8MM guaranteed. The journeyman will be in position to serve as an experienced backup for Drake Maye moving forward, a role Jacoby Brissett held at the end of the 2024 campaign.

The Patriots will continue Dobbs’ journey around the NFL. While not exactly close to Josh Johnson territory, Dobbs is heading to a ninth NFL team. He comes to New England after a season as San Francisco’s third-string quarterback. Brock Purdy sitting out Week 18 last season did led to a Dobbs start, however, and he impressed. Dobbs completed 29 of 43 passes for 326 yards, two touchdown passes and two interceptions.

While Dobbs dropped a notable performance to close out the season, he was never viewed as likely to re-sign with the 49ers. The team added him last year but bumped 2023 third-stringer Brandon Allen up to QB2, leaving Dobbs — a starter for the Cardinals and Vikings in 2023 — an afterthought until that inconsequential Week 18 game. Dobbs will replace Brissett as Maye’s backup, coming after Brissett had shown pessimism about being back in New England.

Dobbs, 30, has made stops with the Steelers, Jaguars, Browns, Lions and Titans before his three-team 2024. The Titans had used Dobbs as a late-season starter, playing him in front of Malik Willis late in the ’22 season on short notice. The Browns traded Dobbs to the Cardinals just before the 2023 season, and he started eight games for the rebuilding team. Dobbs was needed soon on short notice yet again, as the Vikings turned to him shortly after a deadline-day trade. Dobbs’ Titans tenure is relevant once again, as Mike Vrabel will bring him back despite only coaching him for two games.

For his career, the QB/rocket scientist is a 62.7% passer who has gone 3-12 in starts. A rebuilding Cardinals operation is largely responsible for tanking Dobbs’ win/loss record. He has managed to remain a viable option for several years, moving up from the practice squad level as of late. The Patriots no longer need a Maye bridge, but they will slide Dobbs in behind the prized prospect on their depth chart.

As Dobbs will settle in as the Pats’ QB2, the team is interested in seeing what it could land for Joe Milton. The cannon-armed passer, who started for Maye in Week 18, is coming up in trades, per Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. While the Patriots are high on the 2024 sixth-round pick, Maye is the team’s unquestioned starter and Dobbs is now on track to back him up. Three years remain on the Tennessee prospect’s rookie contract, and the Patriots have discussed him with teams already.

Adam La Rose contributed to this report.

Patriots, Morgan Moses Agree To Deal

March 10th, 2025 at 12:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Morgan Moses will not play for the Jets in 2025 but he will remain in the AFC East. The veteran right tackle has an agreement in place with the Patriots.

This is a three-year, $24MM deal, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. The pact has a maximum value of $28.5MM. Even at the age of 34 and despite the injuries Moses played through this past season, he has landed a notable commitment.

For a mid-30s tackle, Moses has done quite well. He has now enjoyed a lengthy run in Washington, two stops in New York and time in Baltimore during Lamar Jackson‘s rise. Moses has been an enduring right tackle presence throughout his career, making 158 starts. He logged 14 for the Jets last season, helping out as Tyron Smith again ran into injury trouble. Pro Football Focus slotted Moses ranked Moses 52nd overall among tackle regulars, however.

The Jets and Moses were believed to be in talks about another deal, but as the team breaks in Justin Fields at quarterback, it will be looking for a new RT starter. The Ravens had traded Moses back to the Jets, with whom he played in 2021, early in free agency last year. He started two seasons for Baltimore.

This year’s market did not bring much in the way of right tackle help, as a few LTs — Ronnie Stanley, Alaric Jackson, Cam Robinson, Dan Moore, Jaylon Moore — were out of contract. The Patriots were targeting Stanley, but he did not reach the market, with the Ravens re-signing the ex-Moses teammate. PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents list did not include a right tackle this year, but left tackle had been a bigger New England trouble spot during Drake Maye‘s rookie season. The Pats will still have work to do, though Robinson remains available.

Moses’ arrival will help Michael Onwenu settle in at right guard. The Pats have yo-yoed Onwenu from RT to RG during his career. Last season, Onwenu split his time at the two positions but played more inside. This signing would appear to at least halt Onwenu’s run of position switches for a bit. Though, it will be worth monitoring if Moses can keep up solid play into his mid-30s.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Patriots To Sign CB Carlton Davis

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

The Patriots are beginning to do work with their league-leading cap-space figure. After adding Harold Landry and Robert Spillane, secondary help is coming.

Carlton Davis is joining the Patriots on a three-year, $60MM deal, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reported during a TV appearance. This marks a second cornerback domino from the legal tampering period, as the Giants have agreed to terms with Paulson Adebo.

PFR’s No. 16 free agent, Davis has extensive postseason experience and was in solid form before going down with a broken jaw for a Lions team that finished 15-2. The Lions were unable to keep Davis, though they used first- and second-round picks on corners last year. Davis was also linked to the Jaguars before the market opened, but he will head to Boston to play alongside All-Pro Christian Gonzalez.

Well versed in zone- and man-based designs, the former second-round pick started in Super Bowl LV and has lined up as a first-stringer in eight other playoff games. The Buccaneers had re-signed Davis on a three-year, $44.5MM pact in 2022 but traded him to the Lions for a third-round pick last year. Joining D.J. Reed, Rasul Douglas, Charvarius Ward and Byron Murphy as CBs seeking a third contract, Davis has done very well. He becomes the eighth $20MM-per-year corner, following Jaycee Horn‘s record-setting deal from earlier today.

Davis, 28, reduced his completion percentage, passer rating and yards per target figures (55.3, 77.0, 7.5) from 2023-24 despite the Lions having no dependable pass rusher after Aidan Hutchinson’s injury. The 6-foot-1 cover man has started 88 career games. He, Landry and Spillane’s medium-term deals will overlap with Drake Maye‘s rookie pact.

After Bill Belichick had given the Patriots a perennially reliable defense, the team’s performance dropped significantly last season. New England ranked 22nd in both points and yards allowed, falling far despite Gonzalez’s first healthy season producing an All-Pro nod. Landry and Davis will be stepping in as 2025 pillars against the pass.

Patriots To Sign LB Robert Spillane

March 10th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Sam Robinson

Robert Spillane established himself as a starter during his Raiders tenure, and Pete Carroll expressed interest in retaining the veteran linebacker. But free agency will lure him out of Las Vegas.

The Patriots will use their league-leading cap-space figure to bring in Spillane, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported (via NFL Network). It is a three-year, $37.5MM deal, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Spillane will see $20.6MM guaranteed, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur tweets.

After Spillane’s two-year, $7MM deal came following a 59% usage-rate Steelers season, the Raiders were correct in buying low. He started all 34 games he played over the past two years, posting 97 and 98% snap rates in those seasons. The Patriots will pay up for his age-29 and age-30 seasons. Spillane made 158 tackles last season and 148 in 2023, stuffing box scores despite the Raiders failing to improve in this span.

While still better as a thumper type, Spillane showed coverage skills with five INTs and 11 passes defensed in that span. The former UDFA also registered 5.5 sacks in his two Las Vegas years, delivering in just about every facet for struggling teams. Pro Football Focus did observe a disparity between Spillane’s run- and pass-defending skills, ranking him sixth among ILBs in run stoppage and in the bottom third against the pass.

Although Spillane will not be working under Josh McDaniels, this does bring a reunion between a productive Raider and the coach who was in charge when Las Vegas brought him in during the 2023 offseason. Spillane joins a few defenders to stop through New England early in free agency, accompanying Harold Landry, Milton Williams and Carlton Davis. Not landing contracts on the level those higher-end free agents did, Spillane still secured a significant raise from his Raiders pact and will be asked to play a starting role alongside them in Foxborough next season.

Saints To Acquire Davon Godchaux From Patriots

March 10th, 2025 at 8:07am CST by Adam La Rose

After receiving permission to seek a trade, Davon Godchaux is indeed on the move. The veteran defensive tackle is being dealt from the Patriots to the Saints in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

This deal will bring about a homecoming for Godchaux. The Plaquemine, Louisiana native spent his college career at LSU. After spending each of his first eight seasons in the AFC East, he will now head to New Orleans as a starting-caliber option along the defensive interior.

Godchaux has never posted more than two sacks in a season, but he has remained a strong presence against the run during his career. The 30-year-old worked out a new deal with New England last offseason (a two-year pact featuring a fresh set of guarantees), but his name came up in advance of the trade deadline. Godchaux got his wish in not being dealt, but he will now be on the move once the new league year opens and the deal becomes official.

Two years remain on Godchaux’s pact, and his $4MM base salary for 2025 is guaranteed in full. With only a $5MM cap charge for the season, though, the former fifth-rounder will provide the Saints with a cost-effective starter. That would especially be the case if a restructure were to be worked out upon arrival something The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson reports is expected to take place. New Orleans is among the teams which still need to make some moves (via cuts or more restructures) to achieve cap compliance over the next few days, but this deal will bring about cost certainty on the D-line.

New Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has made it clear retooling along the offensive and defensive lines will be a priory this offseason. One notable splash has already been made amongst outside free agents with edge rusher Harold Landry agreeing to a three-year pact. Losing Godchaux will create a vacancy on the interior, but the Pats can now proceed with finding Vrabel’s preference as a replacement as they sort out how to use their considerable cap space in free agency.

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