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Rams To Retain Matthew Stafford

February 28th, 2025 at 11:08pm CST by Adam La Rose

Speculation about Matthew Stafford‘s future is now over. The decorated quarterback will remain with the Rams for at least one more season.

A new, restructured deal was first reported to be agreed upon by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The team has since announced the news that Stafford is staying put. He will play a fifth season with the Rams.

Financial details have not yet emerged, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes this new Rams deal will be worth less than Stafford could have landed on a pact with a new team. A trade remained a distinct possibility once his camp received permission to find a trade partner, a development which came about amidst challenges with respect to working out another short-term arrangement. Team and player avoided a training camp holdout last year by increasing Stafford’s 2024 pay without adding new years (or future guarantees) to his pact.

As a result, the Super Bowl winner approached the new league year with $27MM in base pay scheduled, including a $4MM roster bonus due next month. Finding a resolution before that point represented a logical goal for all involved, and an agreement has in fact been made. The most recent reporting on this storyline – the dominant topic of conversation at the Combine – noted Stafford was set to speak with the Rams today.

To say the least, that summit has gone over quite well. Stafford will continue his tenure in Los Angeles, which has included a Super Bowl win and one of his two career Pro Bowls. He has continued to deal with a number of ailments during the second chapter of his NFL tenure, however, and in 2022 he was limited to only nine games played. The Georgia product has remained generally durable since then, but questions of availability will remain moving forward.

In the wake of the Rams’ divisional round loss, Stafford took time to contemplate his future. He quickly made it known he intended to continue playing in 2025, and Sean McVay and the Rams have repeatedly stated their desire to keep him in the fold. That will be the case in spite of numerous conversations taking place between Stafford’s camp and interested teams. In particular, the Raiders and Giants made pitches to work out a contract agreement in the hopes of then attempting to generate a suitable package of draft capital to send to Los Angeles.

Both Las Vegas and New York were believed to be prepared to make a two-year offer including between $90MM and $100MM in guarantees. That comes as little surprise considering Stafford was known to be angling for an AAV of $50MM on his next pact. The Rams were reportedly unwilling to meet that asking price, so it will be interesting to see how this new arrangement takes shape. If additional void years are included as part of today’s arrangement, Stafford’s 2025 cap hit ($49.67MM) could be reduced.

The Raiders and Giants will now be forced to look elsewhere at the QB position. Stafford represented a massive offseason domino at the position, and the effect today’s news has on the other experienced passer set to reach the market will be notable. With an underwhelming draft class looming, teams could move with urgency in March to secure short-term fixes under center.

Veteran backup Jimmy Garoppolo is a pending free agent, and his departure could lead to the Rams leaning on 2023 fourth-rounder Stetson Bennett (who has yet to play in the regular season) to handle QB2 duties. A Stafford successor is not in place in the organization, and his regression in statistical output from 2024 offers a warning sign that more could be coming in that regard moving forward. Nevertheless, McVay and the Rams will enjoy continuity atop the depth chart next season.

Rams To Re-Sign LT Alaric Jackson

February 28th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

Alaric Jackson will indeed be avoiding a trip to free agency. The fourth-year left tackle was known to be making progress on a new deal, and one is now in place.

Jackson and the Rams have agreed to a three-year contract, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports. This will be a $57MM pact including $35MM in guarantees. Instead of hitting free agency, Jackson will now be on the books through the 2027 campaign.

The former UDFA took over from Joe Noteboom as the Rams’ preferred left tackle ahead of the 2023 campaign. Noteboom’s efforts to serve as Andrew Whitworth‘s long-term successor did not go according to plan, opening the door for Jackson to step in. The latter has started all 29 of his appearances across the past two campaigns.

Jackson earned a PFF grade of 66.6 during his first full campaign atop the depth chart. That left plenty of room for improvement, but the Rams made a short-term commitment to him via the second-round RFA tender last offseason. That move allowed him to collect $4.89MM during the 2024 campaign; the 26-year-old’s play certainly allowed him to command a much more lucrative pact this time around.

Showing improvement in pass protection in particular, Jackson graded out as PFF’s 18th-best tackle in 2024. It thus comes as no surprise he represented a key offseason priority for the Rams. Shortly after an agreement was reached which will keep quarterback Matthew Stafford in the fold for at least 2025, the team has additional cost certainty on offense.

12 offensive tackles are currently attached to an AAV of at least $20MM. Jackson’s deal checks in at $19MM per season, confirmation that he does not have the track record of many of the blockers ahead of him in the financial pecking order but also a strong commitment on the part of the Rams that he will continue developing over the life of the deal. Details on Stafford’s new pact are not yet known, but it is safe to assume Jackson will remain in place through the team’s transition to a new starting QB.

The right tackle spot could be a question mark in the future for the Rams since Rob Havenstein‘s $11.5MM-per-year deal will expire after the 2025 campaign. Regardless of whether or not the 32-year-old is retained past the coming season, though, Jackson’s medium-term future is now secure. The Windsor, Ontario native will look to justify this lucrative investment while remaining a key figure up front for Los Angeles.

The Rams can now turn their attention to sorting out their interior O-line situation. 2024 free agent signing Jonah Jackson has been given permission to seek a trade, having been benched midway though his debut Los Angeles season. A parting of ways could be on tap in that situation, but Alaric Jackson will remain a mainstay on the blindside for years to come.

Myles Garrett ‘Not Open’ To Extension With Browns

February 27th, 2025 at 11:52pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Myles Garrett is “not open” to a contract extension with the Browns, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.

Garrett’s trade request has been one of the biggest stories of the offseason. The Browns have insisted that they will not move Garrett and are reportedly willing to make him the highest-paid defensive player in the league to keep him in Cleveland. That contract could come in as high as $40MM per year, the highest APY of a non-quarterback in NFL history.

But this situation isn’t centered around money. Garrett knows he can get a top-of-the-market contract from most teams in the NFL, but he’s looking for something without a price tag: a Super Bowl. Based on his assessment of the Browns’ immediate future, they won’t be competing for a Lombardi trophy in the immediate future.

Garrett is entering his age-30 season but remains at the height of his powers, which is one of the motivations behind his trade request. He doesn’t want to chase a championship in the twilight of his career; he wants to lead a defense to the Super Bowl during his prime. Crucially, he doesn’t want to waste any time participating in a rebuild in Cleveland.

The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year is coming off of his fourth straight season of at least 14.0 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. He set a career-high in the latter category with 22 in 2024 on his way to his sixth Pro Bowl and four first-team All-Pro selection. He would immediately be the best player on most defenses in the NFL and would likely fetch one of the biggest trade hauls in league history.

While the Browns would receive plenty of draft capital to rebuild their roster, the cap implications of trading Garrett make it a difficult move to swallow. If both sides maintain their current position, they’ll continue their standoff into the summer. Garrett will likely skip offseason workouts and refuse to participate in training camp. From there, he could even hold out into the regular season.

Prolonged hold-outs have rarely worked out in the players’ favor, but Garrett has a few factors working for him. First, if he genuinely doesn’t care about the money, he won’t mind forfeiting his game checks to get the trade he wants. He’s the type of player that can transform a defense overnight, and he would carry a low 2025 cap hit in a trade which would allow almost any team to acquire him.

Even if they get a massive trade offer, the Browns could still play hardball and ensure that Garrett plays for no one but them. However, how the team treats their former No. 1 overall pick will impact their reputation with other players around the league. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin once said that teams want “volunteers, not hostages.” Players feel the same way and could avoid Cleveland in the future if they think the team won’t honor a request to leave.

There’s no easy answer for the Browns, so their impasse with Garrett is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Once the team has more clarity on their roster after free agency and the draft, they may revisit the trade request as a way to kickstart their rebuild.

Chiefs’ Travis Kelce Will Play In 2025

February 27th, 2025 at 11:04pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is planning to play in 2025, as first reported by ESPN’s Pat McAfee and confirmed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Kelce’s comments on his podcast after the Super Bowl indicated that he was considering retirement after 12 seasons and 200 games between the regular season and the playoffs. With a $12.5MM roster bonus due on March 15, the Chiefs reportedly set a March 14 deadline for his decision. When asked about Kelce at the Combine, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach both said that they expect him to play this year. (Veach also shot down the idea of a hard deadline for Kelce’s decision.)

McAfee then reached out directly to Kelce, who responded via text that he is “coming back for sure.” The four-time All-Pro promised to get in the best shape of his career in order to “get back to the mountaintop.”

“[I] got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle,” Kelce continued. “I can’t go out like that!!!!”

Indeed, Kelce was one of many Chiefs to struggle in the Super Bowl, finishing with just four receptions for 39 yards. The offense was shut out in the first half and only managed six points in the third quarter. They added two more touchdowns in the fourth, but the game was all but over by that point.

With Kelce set to return this year, the Chiefs will likely explore a contract extension to lower his $19.8MM cap hit, especially with Trey Smith now on the franchise tag. Such an agreement wouldn’t ensure that Kelce will play beyond the 2025 season; rather, it would allow the Chiefs to prorate more of his cap burden into the future.

For now, though, Kelce (and Smith) will be playing for the Chiefs in 2025 as they vie for their fourth Super Bowl in five years.

Chiefs Place Franchise Tag On Trey Smith

February 27th, 2025 at 9:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

The NFL’s top pending free agent amongst offensive linemen will not reach the market. The Chiefs plan to use the franchise tag on guard Trey Smith, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The move is now official, per a team announcement.

The franchise tag groups all offensive linemen together, something which often makes using it on interior blockers a cumbersome endeavor for teams. Smith has long been known to be a key priority for Kansas City, though, and this move will ensure he remains with the team for at least one more season. If no long-term deal is worked out, the Pro Bowler will earn $23.4MM next year.

The top of the guard market reached $21MM per season when Landon Dickerson inked an Eagles extension last year. Smith was in position to surpass that figure on a multi-year pact of his own in the event he reached free agency, something which at one point seemed likely given the report from last week which stated no franchise or even transition tag was expected in this case. Even if he were to play out the one-year tag in 2025, the 25-year-old would break the record for guard compensation given its value.

On Wednesday, it was learned the Chiefs were preparing a long-term Smith extension. Such a pact – should one be worked out – will represent a massive commitment up front on the team’s part, something which has already been witnessed by the free agent deals for left guard Joe Thuney and the extension for center Creed Humphrey. The latter reset his position’s market by a wide margin in August with a four-year extension averaging $18MM per season. If things go according to plan for Kansas City, the team will have the league’s highest-paid center as well as its top earner amongst guards playing alongside each other for years to come.

The tackle positions remain an issue for the Chiefs, as the Super Bowl illustrated. Smith has been a consistent presence along the interior, though, ranking between 10th and 15th in terms of PFF evaluation for guards in each of his four seasons. The Tennessee product will of course be expected on to remain a top blocker either on the tag or a new deal moving forward. Having missed only one game so far, Smith’s durability will no doubt help his case for an extension.

A number of teams in better cap shape than the Chiefs would have been in position to make a strong push for Smith on the open market; former Chiefs exec Ryan Poles and the Bears in particular may have been a suitor to watch on that front. A tag-and-trade could still be in order in the event the Chiefs cannot work out a deal (having taken that route with cornerback L’Jarius Sneed last year), but for now Smith is on track to play for the AFC champions once again.

A left tackle addition is a priority for Kansas City this offseason, so more developments can be expected up front in the near future. Regardless of what takes place on that front, though, Smith is in line to play out at least one more campaign with the team. Presuming no trade occurs, he and the Chiefs will now have until mid-July to work out a long-term extension.

Abdul Carter Has Stress Reaction In Foot, Will Not Undergo Surgery

February 27th, 2025 at 8:25am CST by Ben Levine

FEBRUARY 27: Further testing has revealed that surgery is not advised, Schefter notes in an update. As a result, Carter will indeed work out at his Pro Day in advance of hearing his name called early on Day 1 of the draft.

FEBRUARY 26: Abdul Carter won’t participate at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine, and it was assumed the blue-chip prospect was simply saving his energy for Penn State’s Pro Day. Instead, the projected first-overall pick may skip all workouts as he deals with a foot injury that could require surgery.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Carter underwent tests today that revealed a stress reaction in his right foot. The prospect is considering “pre-emptive surgery” that would result in a screw being inserted in the foot. That route would require about eight weeks of recovery, which at the very least would put Carter’s availability for the start of rookie minicamp in doubt.

Alternatively, Carter could skip the surgery. Schefter hints that the edge rusher could still participate at Penn State’s Pro Day later this week and “prove to NFL teams that he doesn’t need [surgery].” Carter, his family, and his agents consulted with doctors today to “gather more information,” and there’s an expectation that the player’s camp will make a decision later this week (per Schefter).

“There are mixed opinions on whether he needs surgery, and we will figure that out in the near future,” Carter’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told Schefter.

Carter already entered the pre-draft process with an injury, as the defending Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year was nursing a shoulder injury he suffered in Penn State’s playoff game versus Boise State. Carter recently stated that he’s back to around 90 percent health, and Rosenhaus recently sent a memo to NFL teams stating that the player has been cleared to resume training.

Even with the growing list of injury concerns, Carter isn’t expected to see a hit to his draft stock. Along with Travis Hunter, Carter was considered one of the draft’s two elite prospects, and teams will gamble on the pass-rushing upside despite any injury concerns. Rosenhaus said as much when speaking with reporters.

“Either way, worst case scnario, we don’t expect this to impact where he is drafted,” Rosenhaus said. “After visiting with teams this week, I believe he’s going to be the No. 1 overall pick. “

Titans Grant OLB Harold Landry Permission To Seek Trade

February 26th, 2025 at 8:12am CST by Sam Robinson

Making a successful comeback after an ACL tear kept him off the field in 2022, Harold Landry is suddenly at a career crossroads. The quality edge rusher has resumed his career as a dependable pass rusher, doing so while on back-to-back struggling Titans teams.

With two years remaining on what was viewed as a team-friendly contract at the time of signing (2022), Landry has joined Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel and Jonathan Allen in being given permission to shop around. The Titans are granting Landry permission to find a trade partner, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports.

The Titans finished 3-14 last season, down from 6-11 in Mike Vrabel‘s finale. They have squandered some quality Landry efforts, as he has racked up 19.5 sacks since returning from ACL rehab. Landry has not missed a game over that span, putting to rest much of the concern about being recovered from the injury.

Two seasons remain on Landry’s four-year, $87.5MM extension — one signed just before free agency in 2022. He is due a $17.5MM base salary in 2025. The Titans have paid out the guarantees on their top edge rusher’s contract. Tennessee has relied on Landry to anchor its edge-rushing corps throughout his career, having been unsuccessful in landing a complementary piece for much of that period. Additions like Bud Dupree and Jadeveon Clowney did not pan out. Arden Key is currently in that spot; one season remains on his three-year contract.

Going into his eighth season, Landry is 28. He would stand to generate trade interest for a Titans team squarely in rebuild mode after firing a GM (Ran Carthon) for the second time since December 2022. Both the HC and GM who drafted Landry and were in place when he signed his extension are gone. As Josh Sweat leads the way in terms of free agent edges available (all due respect to 34-year-old Khalil Mack), teams seeking help at this premium position can now target Landry in a swap. The Landry news also comes as the Chargers face an uncertain future with Joey Bosa.

Edge rusher fireworks continue this offseason, one that has already included Myles Garrett requesting a trade out of Cleveland. (The Browns are not planning to honor that request.) Joe Burrow also continues to push the Bengals to extend Trey Hendrickson, who joins T.J. Watt and Micah Parsons in a contract year. While Landry has not proven to be in that class, he is not too far off. The 2018 second-round pick produced a career-high 12 sacks in 2021 — before adding 1.5 in a Titans divisional-round loss to the Super Bowl-bound Bengals.

The Boston College product has also proven reliable, even as the Titans have crumbled around him. As Tennessee has struggled to keep key players healthy and to find a post-Ryan Tannehill QB solution, Landry has maintained his form. A team acquiring Landry would have two years of control left as well, though the prospect of an updated contract will undoubtedly come up. Landry is now the NFL’s 16th-highest-paid edge defender.

If the Titans and Landry can find a trade partner, connections to Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter stand to heat up. Carter will be a player the Titans consider at No. 1 overall, despite the organization not seeing Will Levis fill its QB need. While Travis Hunter will be in that mix as well, Tennessee has also been closely tied to trading down. Teams have reached out about the top pick already. Landry would add notable draft capital if moved, as the Titans attempt a rebuild under new GM Mike Borgonzi.

Rams Give QB Matthew Stafford Permission To Speak With Other Teams

February 22nd, 2025 at 10:45pm CST by Ely Allen

We’ve seen some interesting developments in the past couple of months concerning the future of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles. Today’s newest update comes from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network who tells us that the team has given Stafford’s agent permission to speak with other teams about his value. Rapoport makes it clear that this is not a trade request, just an external appraisal.

Following the end of the Rams’ 2024 campaign, Stafford began to contemplate his future in the league, potentially weighing the possibility of retirement before ultimately making the decision to play in 2025, after some pressure for clarity from the team. As the team was waiting for that clarity, though, the Rams made it known that they were considering trading the veteran quarterback. This rumor led to interest from several teams who began to contact Los Angeles with interest in Stafford.

With today’s update, we see that the Rams have been hearing these offers and are hoping to use them to assist in their contract negotiations. Our previous most recent update hinted that the 37-year-old was seeking a raise on his next deal. This new tactic from the Rams could be seen as an attempt to let the rest of the league do their work for them. This would be similar to what the Ravens attempted last year, when they placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson, and most teams expected them to match any offer sheet after letting other teams determine Jackson’s worth.

This is a less official version of this. This is closer to the MLB’s arbitration process, in which the team and player can’t come to an agreement on a player’s value, so they use a third-party arbiter to make the determination for them. As the Rams and Stafford struggle to find level ground in contract discussions, the hope is that outside teams will participate and give their two cents on what Stafford’s next contract should look like.

More likely, teams, if they don’t really believe they have a chance to land Stafford in a trade, could try to inflate the cost of a Stafford deal in order to handicap the Rams as much as possible. This possibility is underlined by a report from Rapoport’s colleague Mike Garafolo, who tells us that these other teams don’t believe this means the Rams and Stafford are headed for a split and that trade compensation will remain a hurdle to them actually acquiring the passer.

Another hurdle to acquiring Stafford via trade is the $45.3MM in dead money trading Stafford’s contract would cost the Rams, according to Jason Fitzgerald of OvertheCap.com. Still, Fitzgerald believes that the Rams would be willing to deal Stafford for a return they deem worthy, but if that adequate trade offer doesn’t come, they would work with the veteran on a modified contract.

Saints Hire Brandon Staley As DC

February 21st, 2025 at 10:39pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Saints are hiring former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley as their next defensive coordinator, per Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

Staley has been a top candidate for the Saints’ DC gig ever since Kellen Moore was hired as head coach. Moore was the Chargers’ offensive coordinator in 2023, Staley’s last season as head coach. Staley was fired before the end of the regular season and spent 2024 as an assistant head coach with the 49ers. He interviewed with the Saints last weekend and emerged as the favorite for the job, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

2025 will be Staley’s ninth season coaching in the NFL. He began his career at the college level before moving to the pros as an outside linebackers coach under Vic Fangio in Chicago (2017-2018) and Denver (2019). Staley was then hired by the Rams in 2020 as defensive coordinator. His defense finished first in total points and yards allowed, which helped him land the Chargers’ head-coaching gig after just one year as a coordinator.

Staley led the Chargers to a 9-8 record in his debut season with a top-five offense under second-year quarterback Justin Herbert. A 10-7 record in 2022 was enough for a playoff berth as a wild card, though the Chargers lost to the Jaguars in the first round. 2023 saw significant regression on both sides of the ball, leading to Staley’s firing after a 5-9 start. Of particular concern was the Chargers’ defensive struggles during his tenure; the team never finished higher than 20th in points or yards allowed across his three seasons.

Staley’s history with Fangio likely helped him land the job in New Orleans. Fangio is currently the Eagles’ defensive coordinator and worked with Moore in Philadelphia last season. The two led elite units on either side of the ball to a 14-3 record in the regular season and a victory in Super Bowl LIX. Staley will likely install a scheme similar to Fangio’s in New Orleans in an effort to turn around a Saints defense that allowed the third-most yards in the NFL in 2024.

The Saints may face criticism for their hiring process. Their other two candidates, Daronte Jones and Christian Parker, are both minorities. Given Staley’s early status as a frontrunner for the job, the Saints’ meetings with Jones and Parker could be seen as sham interviews that were only conducted so the team could comply with the NFL’s Rooney Rule.

New Orleans also considered some college coaches for their defensive coordinator vacancy, including Colorado DC Robert Livingston, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Here is a final update on their search:

Jaguars Hire James Gladstone As GM

February 21st, 2025 at 10:08pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Jaguars are hiring Rams director of scouting strategy James Gladstone as their next general manager, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

The team confirmed the hire via social media, and Jaguars owner Shad Khan released a statement (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport) calling Gladstone “exceptional in every regard.” Gladstone will reunite with Liam Coen, a Rams assistant from 2018-20 and their OC in 2022. Although Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham was viewed as the frontrunner, it certainly makes sense Coen would want a former coworker to start fresh with him in Jacksonville.

Gladstone will become the youngest general manager in the league at 34 years old. He was previously a high school coach in St. Louis before being hired by Rams general manager Les Snead. Gladstone has spent the last eight years in Los Angeles including the last four as director of scouting strategy. Gladstone will become a GM four years after former Rams staffer Brad Holmes took over in Detroit. Holmes’ Lions success surely did not hurt Gladstone’s chances, though Coen’s status in Jacksonville probably played a bigger role here.

The Rams consistently hit on their draft picks in Gladstone’s tenure despite trading away most of their first-round picks. He will hope to bring that success to Jacksonville, which had an inconsistent drafting record under Trent Baalke. The Jaguars currently hold the fifth overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, giving Gladstone a chance to add an elite prospect with his first pick as GM.

Snead may look to an internal promotion to replace Gladstone in Los Angeles. Candidates could include director of data and analytics Jake Temme and scouting strategist Nicole Blake, per Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic.

Gladstone was not considered a frontrunner for the Jaguars’ GM job when the team first requested to interview him, partially because he was not considered for any of the other vacancies this hiring cycle. He impressed team decision-makers enough in his first interview to earn a second, solidifying him as a finalist for the job in Jacksonville. Now, he will team up with Coen in an effort to rebuild the team after a 4-13 showing in 2024.

The Jaguars’ GM vacancy was the last to be filled of this year’s hiring cycle, so Gladstone will have to move quickly to prepare the roster for free agency. Jacksonville currently has just under $40MM in cap space, but could create another $35MM of room by moving on from Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, and Josh Reynolds. Reynolds made just one catch in 2024 and won’t be worth his $4.26MM cap hit next season. Kirk and Engram both played well in 2022 and 2023, but experienced a downtick in production last year before going down with season-ending injuries. They represent the team’s two biggest cap hits in 2025, so the new regime may prefer to cut ties rather than extend players they didn’t originally sign.

Gladstone beat out a number of veteran executives for the GM role in Jacksonville in what Khan called “a painstaking but energizing interview process.” Below is a full list of their candidates:

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