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Contract Details: Allen, Bills, Bears, Giants, Adebo, Packers, Hobbs, Chiefs, Saints

March 13th, 2025 at 2:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Starting with one monster Bills extension and another big-ticket deal, here are the latest contract details from around the NFL:

  • Josh Allen, QB (Bills): Six years, $330MM. Classified as a two-year add-on that provides the reigning MVP with a roughly $90MM raise, the deal includes some key dates. On fully guaranteed salaries in 2025 and ’26, Allen will see all of his 2027 pay become fully guaranteed on Day 5 of the 2026 league year, per OverTheCap. On Day 5 of the 2027 league year, Allen’s 53.5MM salary locks in. $14MM of Allen’s 2029 roster bonus ($22.3MM) becomes guaranteed on Day 5 of the 2028 league year. Allen will be due a $35MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2029 league year. He is tied to a $41.3MM cap number in 2025, but restructures are likely coming; his cap hit spikes to $61.4MM in 2026.
  • Gregory Rousseau, DE (Bills). Four years, $80MM. Rousseau will see $49MM guaranteed at signing, OverTheCap notes, while his 2025 and ’26 base salaries are fully guaranteed. The Bills are providing guarantees into Year 3, as KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes that $5MM of Rousseau’s $16.41MM base is locked in already. The rest will shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2027 league year. A $3MM roster bonus is also in place on Day 5 of the 2029 league year.
  • Paulson Adebo, CB (Giants). Three years, $54MM. The young cornerback will see $34.75MM guaranteed at signing. Despite Adebo only signing a three-year deal, that full guarantee ranks 10th among corners. The Giants guaranteed $13.5MM of Adebo’s $17.25MM 2026 salary, ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell tweets. The rest becomes guaranteed on Day 5 of the 2026 league year.
  • Dayo Odeyingbo, DE (Bears): Three years, $48MM. The ex-Colt will see $29.5MM guaranteed at signing, per OverTheCap. $13MM of Odeyingbo’s $15.5MM 2026 base salary is guaranteed at signing, with Wilson adding the rest locks in on Day 3 of the 2026 league year. A $1MM roster bonus is also due on Day 5 of the 2027 league year; Odeyingbo’s 2027 base is nonguaranteed.
  • Nate Hobbs, CB (Packers). Four years, $48MM. While Hobbs is guaranteed $16MM at signing, the general Packers contract structure resurfaces here. Reminding of Josh Jacobs‘ 2024 deal (also 4/48), his former Raiders teammate has no guarantees beyond that $16MM signing bonus, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes. A $6.25MM roster bonus is due on Day 3 of the 2026 league year, Wilson tweets. The Packers typically do not guarantee second-year salaries, but they would be out $12MM in dead money if they move in on 2026 — due to signing bonus prorations.
  • Darius Slayton, WR (Giants). Three years, $36MM. Now on a third Giants contract, Slayton will receive $22MM at signing, Wilson tweets. That is $10MM more than his second contract was worth in total. Slayton’s 2026 salary is mostly guaranteed, with Wilson adding $9.75MM of that $12.25MM is locked in. A $2.5MM roster bonus in place on Day 5 of the 2027 league year.
  • Juwan Johnson, TE (Saints). Three years, $30.75MM. Johnson will see $21.25MM at signing, with Wilson adding his 2025 and ’26 base salaries are guaranteed. Johnson’s 2027 paragraph 5 number ($7.5MM) is nonguaranteed, but a $2MM roster bonus is due on Day 5 of the 2027 league year.
  • Jaylon Moore, T (Chiefs). Two years, $30MM. The Chiefs are guaranteeing their new left tackle hopeful $21.24MM at signing. A career-long 49ers backup, Moore will see $7MM of his $14.24MM 2026 base salary guaranteed at signing, Wilson tweets.

Saints, CB Isaac Yiadom Agree To Deal

March 13th, 2025 at 10:44am CST by Adam La Rose

Isaac Yiadom is set to return to the Saints. The veteran corner has a three-year deal in place with New Orleans, per an announcement from his agent.

The pact has a base value of $9MM and can top out at $10.5MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Yiadom will collect $4.86MM in guarantees. After spending last season with the 49ers, he will re-join the Saints (for whom he played in 2023).

Yiadom has bounced around the league, spending time with six teams in seven years. The 29-year-old has seen his playing time fluctuate over the years, but he handled a notable workload during his first New Orleans tenure (47% defensive snap share). With Paulson Adebo no longer in the fold, Yiadom could step into a starting gig in 2025 and beyond with this multi-year pact.

In 2023, the former third-rounder posted 14 pass deflections, the highest total of his career. Yiadom allowed a completion percentage of just 48.9% that year, and the Saints are counting on a repeat of that success with this latest pact. After playing on several one-year contracts (including one worth $3MM with the 49ers in 2024), he will no doubt welcome a longer-term commitment carrying the same annual average value as last year’s deal.

New Orleans traded away Marshon Lattimore midway through the 2024 campaign, and that move – along with Adebo’s departure – paved the way for a reset at the cornerback spot. 2024 second-rounder Kool-Aid McKinstry made nine starts as a rookie, and he will be counted on to be a mainstay in the lineup moving forward. Yiadom will face high expectations upon returning to the Saints’ secondary, a unit which will also feature safety Justin Reid next season.

For the 49ers, this news marks another loss in the defensive backfield. Corner Charvarius Ward and safety Talanoa Hufanga landed deals with new teams early this week, and Yiadom’s departure comes after he made five starts last season. San Francisco has added Tre Brown so far in free agency, but further investments will be needed to shore up the secondary.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/11/25

March 11th, 2025 at 10:23pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are today’s minor moves from around the NFL:

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Anger is a 13-year veteran who has spent the last four years in Dallas, which included Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors in 2021 and 2023. He will stay with the Cowboys on a two-year deal, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.

Tonyan had a few strong seasons in Green Bay earlier in his career, but he has struggled to produce over the last two years. He spent 2024 in Minnesota, but only played 15 snaps on offense with zero targets. He will add tight end depth in Kansas City.

Stoops received a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He will be eligible to participate in training camp and preseason games, but will be sidelined for the first two games of the regular season.

McNichols is staying in Washington on a one-year deal, according to Pelissero. The seven-year veteran appeared in 17 games for the Commanders in 2024 and rushed for 261 yards and four touchdowns on 55 attempts. McNichols will likely continue as Washington’s RB3 behind Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler.

Saints Rework S Tyrann Mathieu’s Deal, Complete Host Of Restructures

March 11th, 2025 at 9:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joining his hometown team in 2022, Tyrann Mathieu will play a fourth season with the team. He has agreed to reworked contract, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill reports. The veteran safety will be tied to a one-year, $7.2MM deal that includes incentives, Underhill adds.

The Saints are reducing Mathieu’s 2025 base salary from $6.25MM to $3.5MM, Underhill indicates. Incentives could allow the 13th-year veteran to make money back. If Mathieu plays at least 50% of the Saints’ defensive snaps next season, he will see that base climb to $4MM. Escalators between $4.5MM and $7.25MM are in place as well, Underhill adds. If Mathieu hits a 90% snap share in 2025, he would make more than he would have previously. This move will lower Mathieu’s $11.3MM 2025 cap number.

Mathieu, 32, stands to have a good chance to make money back. He has played at least 86% of the Saints’ defensive snaps in each of his three seasons with the club. He played 100% of them in 2022 and 99% in ’23. The former All-Pro’s contract is still on track to void after the 2025 season.

Mathieu’s agreement follows another batch of Saints restructures, which are commonplace as the team continues its brand of cap manipulation. New Orleans has also adjusted the deals of Cesar Ruiz, Carl Granderson and Khalen Saunders, according to OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald, who adds the trio of restructures saves the Saints $13.7MM in cap space.

New Orleans has also restructured the contracts of Pete Werner and Demario Davis, per NewOrleans.football’s Mike Triplett and ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell. Werner’s adjustment will create an additional $2.5MM in space. These moves also come after Ryan Ramczyk‘s restructure, a move that saved $16MM and likely will precede retirement.

The team is also expected to restructure Erik McCoy‘s deal, Underhill notes. A move that frees up $6.69MM in cap space is anticipated for McCoy, who is signed through 2027. As for Mathieu, it looks like his deal will be pushed through the 2026 season. His 2024 agreement tied him to the Saints through 2025, though customary void years were already present in the deal.

The Saints had resided more than $45MM over the cap recently, but they have completed more arduous journeys to reach cap compliance. Teams have until 3pm CT Wednesday — when the 2025 league year officially starts — move under the cap. OverTheCap presently lists the Saints as making another successful journey, placing them at just more than $20MM in cap room. They just take strange routes to get there.

Carr’s adjustment set to make a 2026 separation much more difficult, as $59.67MM in dead money (which would presumably be spread over two years via a post-June 1 release designation) will come in the event the middling QB is cut next year. The Saints are keeping Carr for 2025; the restructure ensures that. Questions about the Mickey Loomis operation’s increasingly complex blueprint will persist, as the Saints have not come close to escaping the NFL’s middle class since Drew Brees‘ retirement. It appears a similar plan will be in place for 2025. While hiring Kellen Moore represents a significant change, he will be working with a similar roster plan to the past few Saints efforts.

Saints, S Justin Reid Agree To Deal

March 11th, 2025 at 4:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

Justin Reid enjoyed a successful three-year run with the Chiefs, but he will be on the move in 2025. The veteran safety has a deal in place with the Saints, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

This will be a three-year pact, Schefter adds. Reid is set to collect up to $31.5MM with $22.5MM in guarantees. He will now join former Chief Tyrann Mathieu in New Orleans’ secondary.

Mathieu spent time with the Texans before a run in Kansas City which included a Super Bowl win. Reid – who played out his rookie contract in Houston and then won a pair of Super Bowls as a Chief – has followed a remarkably similar career path. A Prairieville, Louisiana native, Reid will head to his hometown team just as Mathieu did in 2022.

New Orleans has emphasized retaining several veterans (especially on defense) in recent years while constantly executing restructures to attain cap compliance. In-house players have been a priority this offseason as well, with edge rusher Chase Young and tight end Juwan Johnson securing new contracts. Reid represents a lucrative outside addition worked out early in the offseason, however.

The 28-year-old served a full-time starter during each of his three Kansas City seasons, missing only two games during that span. Reid remained a key presence in the secondary for all three runs to the Super Bowl, making him one of the safeties in particular and players in general on the market. He checked in at No. 18 on PFR’s Top 50 Free Agent list.

Mathieu, 32, has faced question about his playing future but he made it clear late in the 2024 campaign that he planned on playing at least one more season. Now, he and Reid (signed by the Chiefs as a Mathieu replacement) will be paired together for 2025 and potentially beyond.

Saints To Re-Sign TE Juwan Johnson

March 11th, 2025 at 2:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Saints restructures accumulate (headlined by Derek Carr‘s), the team carved out enough cap room to retain Chase Young. The moves have also elevated New Orleans to a place where keeping Juwan Johnson was feasible.

The Saints are re-signing Johnson on a three-year deal, according to his agency. Johnson checked in on PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents list, as this year — before Evan Engram‘s release — brought a thin tight end contingent. But Johnson was one of the headliners. He is staying in New Orleans on a third contract.

Johnson will score a nice raise on this deal. The veteran pass catcher will be tied to $30.75MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Of that toal, $21.25MM will come guaranteed. Going into his age-29 season, Johnson is coming off his second 500-plus-yard performance. Even though the Saints are changing schemes by transitioning to the Kellen Moore era, Carr will still have Johnson to target moving forward.

The five-year Saint had played out a two-year, $12MM contract. It is worth wondering if Sean Payton‘s Saints West headquarters helped move the price to where it was, as the Broncos are in need of a tight end — even as they roster ex-Saints Adam Trautman and Lucas Krull — as well. Denver hosted Engram on Monday but has not signed him. Regardless of which team drove up Johnson’s price, a former UDFA will benefit and now be tied to an eight-figure AAV.

Over the past three years, Johnson has produced two 500-plus-yard seasons and totaled 14 touchdowns. That included career-high catch (50) and yardage (548) totals in 2024. The converted wideout has shown consistent ability to break away after the catch, with 38.7% of his yardage coming post-reception in 2024. He has averaged at least 11 yards per reception three times as a Saint, with Johnson being one of the team’s few post-Payton success stories. The converted wideout’s best work has come since Payton resigned his post in 2022.

Published before Engram’s release, PFR’s free agent list tabbed Johnson as most likely to become this year’s highest-paid UFA tight end. Although the Bengals gave Mike Gesicki a three-year, $25.5MM deal to stay, that assessment has thus far proven accurate. Johnson rejoins a Saints team still rostering Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau. While Hill has generated more interest, Johnson is now in the clear position as the team’s top receiving tight end.

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

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

Saints To Re-Sign DE Chase Young

March 10th, 2025 at 8:14pm CST by Rory Parks

Although the Saints could not bring back Paulson Adebo, the other key defender they wanted to re-sign is staying. Chase Young will remain in New Orleans, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.

Young, who had signed a one-year contract in 2024, will stay a Saint on a multiyear deal. The Saints saw enough from Young to move out of the “prove-it deal” stage, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds this is a three-year, $51MM agreement. The deal can climb to $57MM based on incentives.

The size of the pact is at least partially a reflection of the fact that proven pass rushers are generally not available on the free agent market given the importance of the position. As a result, even players several tiers below the upper crust of edge defenders can get paid quite handsomely. Young, who has seemingly settled in as a productive EDGE instead of the star he was once projected to be as the No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 draft, is proof of that.

Still, he did put together a solid 2024 season, the second year in a row in which he was able to play a full (or nearly full) slate of games after appearing in just 12 total contests across the 2021-22 campaigns due to a severe knee injury that significantly altered his career trajectory. Because of a subsequent neck injury that both impacted his value at the 2023 trade deadline and again in free agency last offseason, Young joined New Orleans via a one-year accord containing much of its value in per-game roster bonuses.

He maxed out those bonuses by playing in all 17 games. While he only registered 5.5 sacks, Young topped his career high with 21 QB hits, and his 34 pressures were tied for 13th-most in the league. Those underlying numbers suggest that the soon-to-be 26-year-old could still unlock his vast potential, especially since his health woes are now further in the rearview mirror. Even if he does not reach his ceiling, though, he should provide the Saints with quality work on the edge for the next several seasons.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

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.

NFC Notes: Carr, Horn, Kupp, Cowboys, Okereke

March 8th, 2025 at 11:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

Derek Carr‘s contract will be restructured for the second straight offseason, ensuring he remains with the Saints for at least one more year. The veteran quarterback’s future had been in question until the news of his pact being reworked.

General Mickey Loomis said keeping Carr in place was the team’s plan, so it comes as no surprise he will play a third season in New Orleans. The four-time Pro Bowler apparently would have welcomed a change of scenery, though. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Carr was believed to be willing to head elsewhere this offseason by joining a QB-needy team. The Saints, however, never showed a desire to move forward with a trade or release.

Carr made it clear before a final decision on his future was made that he would not welcome a pay cut. His $40MM in 2025 compensation will (to a large extent) now be paid out as a signing bonus, but it was already guaranteed under the pact’s previous setup. Trading or cutting their QB1 would therefore have not been feasible for the Saints, but it is still noteworthy Carr would have been on board with a fresh start after two years with the team.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC:

  • Extension talks are ongoing between the Panthers and Jaycee Horn. When healthy, the former No. 8 pick has proven to be an effective cornerback but injuries in 2021 and ’23 threaten to hurt his leverage. In spite of his missed time, Joe Person of The Athletic writes Horn is believed to be seeking a deal near the top of the position’s market (subscription required). Five corners are attached to an AAV of $20.1MM or more, and Jalen Ramsey leads the way at $24.1MM per year. That figure could very well be overtaken once Sauce Gardner (Jets) and Derek Stingley (Texans) have extensions in place, but Horn, 25, may not slot in very far behind them.
  • Cooper Kupp is known to be on the trade market, with the Rams making clear their intention of moving on from the eight-year veteran. The team is prepared to retain salary to swing a deal, and general manager Les Snead hopes to have one in place by next week (when the 31-year-old’s roster bonus is due). In his first interview since learning of the team’s choice to move on, Kupp said (via Sam Farmer of the L.A. Times) head coach Sean McVay informed him of the move during a face-to-face meting in his office. McVay has left the door (slightly) open to a return with his recent comments, but Kupp has moved forward knowing he will be playing elsewhere in 2025.
  • Brandin Cooks is one of many veteran receivers set to hit the market next week. The 31-year-old has spent the past two seasons with the Cowboys, and in an interview with The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson he said he is open to re-signing. Cooks – who missed seven games in 2024 – added he is fully healthy, and Anderson writes there could be interest from multiple teams. While a return to Dallas is firmly in play, Cooks said he feels he has not been utilized correctly during his time there so far. The 11-year veteran played out a two-year, $20MM deal with the Cowboys.
  • Bobby Okereke‘s second season with the Giants was limited to 12 games due to a herniated disc in his back. The veteran linebacker is expected to be healthy in time for OTAs, but he could find himself on a new team by then. Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News writes there have been rumblings this offseason about the Giants not viewing Okereke’s value in the same light as they did previously. A 2023 free agent signing for general manager Joe Schoen, the former Colt delivered 149 tackles and a pair of interceptions in his debut New York season. His production dropped this past campaign, though, and with two years left on his pact a trade or release could be under consideration. Moving on immediately would not yield notable savings, but a post-June 1 release would free up $9MM later in the offseason. Okereke, 28, is due a $3MM roster bonus March 17.
  • With regard to other Cowboys updates, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News notes veteran defensive ends Carl Lawson and Chauncey Golston could be on the way out. DeMarcus Lawrence hopes to re-sign, but he is also open to exploring his market. The Cowboys currently have Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland on their rookie deals and a pending mega-extension to work out with leading edge rusher Micah Parsons. Inexpensive depth will increasingly be a priority if any or all of Lawrence, Lawson and Golston sign elsewhere. Watkins adds that punter Bryan Anger and long snapper Trent Sieg are among the players Dallas aims to re-sign, something which has already been taken care of in the case of Osa Odighizuwa.
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