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Minor NFL Transactions: 3/9/25

March 9th, 2025 at 9:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

With free agency less than 12 hours away, here are Sunday’s minor moves:

Denver Broncos

Minnesota Vikings

Both players were set to be restricted free agents. With the low-end tender costing $3.26MM this year, neither team appeared likely to tender their respective RFAs. Fraboni was not set to be tendered, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. Fraboni has been Denver’s long snapper for the past two full seasons, arriving during the 2022 season.

Wright has been the Vikings’ punter for the past three years. He averaged a career-high 48.9 yards per punt in 2023 and checked in at 46.5 last season. Wright will earn $1.75MM on a one-year contract, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.

Commanders To Re-Sign TE John Bates

March 9th, 2025 at 9:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Commanders certainly seem to approve of their 2024 tight end setup. After re-signing Zach Ertz, the team is keeping its blocking tight end as well.

John Bates is sticking around, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo, who notes the young Ertz complement is staying on a three-year deal. Washington has used Bates as a supplementary TE piece for four seasons, having drafted him in the 2021 fourth round.

This was among the Commanders’ priorities, ESPN.com’s John Keim adds, and a sufficient offer will keep the four-year vet off the market. Bates, 27, could have tested free agency had he remained unattached by 11am CT Monday. But the warp-speed roster-building missions regularly involve quick changes during the legal tampering period; Bates will sit that out and stay in Washington.

Bates staying represents a notable commitment to tight end, as the Commanders also drafted Ben Sinnott in last year’s second round. Ertz is more placeholder/Jayden Daniels security blanket, but Bates joins Sinnott in being signed through 2027. Bates played 516 snaps to Sinnott’s 311 last season. The 6-foot-6 tight end has 25 career starts under his belt, complementing the likes of Ertz and Logan Thomas during his rookie-contract years.

The Ron Rivera-led regime drafted Bates, whereas Sinnott and Ertz arrived under Adam Peters. That makes this commitment a bit more interesting. Sinnott-Bates has the makings of a long-term TE duo, while Ertz — heading into an age-35 season — is probably year-to-year at this point.

Illustrating his role on last year’s Commanders team, Bates caught just eight passes despite the above-referenced snap share. He caught 20 passes as a rookie and 19 in 2023, but the Boise State alum will continue to make his living as a blocker.

Raiders To Re-Sign DL Adam Butler

March 9th, 2025 at 9:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Adam Butler revived his career with the Raiders, who plucked him off the scrap heap after a 2022 season spent out of football. Despite arriving during the Raiders’ Patriot Way experiment, the ex-New England defensive lineman still has a place in Las Vegas.

The Raiders are re-signing Butler on a three-year, $16.5MM deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Butler had been seeking a raise from his low-end 2024 terms, and Rapoport adds $11MM will come guaranteed to stay with the team under Pete Carroll.

This marks a significant raise for Butler, who played out a one-year deal worth $1.8MM in 2024. Butler, 31 in April, has proven to be a solid interior rusher; he has five sacks in each of the past two seasons. Carroll had expressed interest in bringing back several of the team’s in-house FAs — accumulated under multiple GMs over the past four years — and Butler will be a less expensive piece to retain compared to Tre’von Moehrig, Nate Hobbs, Robert Spillane and perhaps Malcolm Koonce.

A regular in New England from 2017-20, Butler picked up a Super Bowl ring and followed Brian Flores to Miami in 2021. The Dolphins’ next regime did not keep Butler around, cutting him in August 2022. He ended up sitting out that season and landing a reserve/futures deal with the Raiders. Not unlike ex-Pats teammate Jermaine Eluemunor, Butler elevated his stock during a stop in Vegas.

Despite little fanfare during a 4-13 Raiders season, Butler was among the few players to land in the top 20 in pass rush win rate and top 10 in run stop win rate. Butler ranked sixth in the latter category, matching his career high (set in 2023) with eight tackles for loss. Butler primarily worked as a reserve for both Patriots Super Bowl teams he was on in the late 2010s, but he broke through as a Raiders starter last season. After no starts in 2023, Butler made 16 in ’24. He will attempt to build on that and continue in Patrick Graham’s system in 2025.

Commanders, Falcons Interested In Trey Hendrickson; Bengals Made Extension Push

March 9th, 2025 at 9:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 9: Updating the situation, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini notes that the Bengals are talking to several teams and asking for “significant” compensation in a trade. Even if it is not Hendrickson, the Commanders want to add a defensive end, per ESPN.com’s John Keim. Josh Sweat and Khalil Mack headline the list, though Joey Bosa is now available. Younger rushers like Azeez Ojulari and Malcolm Koonce are also set for free agency.

MARCH 6: As the Bengals — perhaps at their quarterback’s urging — have changed their messaging on Tee Higgins, a tricky situation emerged due to Ja’Marr Chase and Trey Hendrickson also being in contract years. With Joe Burrow on a top-market deal, it appeared something had to give. Right now, it looks like that piece will be Hendrickson.

A year after shooting down Hendrickson’s trade request, the Bengals have given their top pass rusher permission to find a new team. With Sam Hubbard retiring Wednesday and Joseph Ossai on the cusp of free agency, the Bengals could need a new plan at defensive end soon. As could be expected, Hendrickson suitors are out there.

[RELATED: Bengals, Ja’Marr Chase Not Close On Deal]

The Commanders are among the several interested teams, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz, who adds the Falcons are also monitoring this situation. With the edge rusher market soaring past $35MM per year, Hendrickson will have a chance to parlay his sack title into a windfall. This comes ahead of the former Saints draftee’s age-31 season, representing an important stage to secure a big payday.

Hendrickson’s camp will have a chance to work out an extension with another team, the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway notes. This would separate the Hendrickson matter from last year’s Haason Reddick situation, when the Jets sent a third-rounder to the Eagles for a player they did not intend to extend — at least, not immediately. The Hendrickson situation would appear to be smoother, as Conway adds the trade compensation part would come next.

The Bengals had negotiated with Hendrickson, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, but the standout D-end did not view the team’s market as in step with his value. Maxx Crosby just signed the NFL’s richest non-quarterback contract, at $35.5MM per year. Hendrickson is tied to a one-year, $21MM deal — agreed to while he was on a four-year, $60MM pact. The market has moved considerably since the latter deal came to pass. Although rumblings of the team being willing to pay Chase, Higgins and Hendrickson emerged, that seemed like wishful thinking.

It probably is no coincidence the Hendrickson trade news is coming not long after. The market could move significantly this offseason, as T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett and perhaps Aidan Hutchinson join Hendrickson in being on the extension radar. Hendrickson now joins Garrett as a trade candidate.

Chase is set to become at least the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver, and a whopping $40MM-per-year number — after his triple-crown season — has been floated. Higgins was tied to a $30MM-plus number at multiple points this offseason, when it looked like free agency was a realistic possibility. As Burrow has turned up the heat on the organization, Higgins has received a second franchise tag. After an extended stretch where it looked like the Bengals would extend Chase and either find a Higgins trade partner — in a tag-and-trade scenario — or merely separate in free agency, the team looks much more serious about extending its high-end No. 2 wideout. That leaves Hendrickson a trade chip.

While the Bengals are not known for third contracts, they did hand those out to both Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins in the late 2010s. Hendrickson technically signed a third Cincy deal, a one-year add-on in 2023, but he is seeking a true extension. He had kept the door open to his next deal coming from another team, and the Bengals are now willing to listen on trade offers.

The Falcons have been in search of a quality edge rusher for many years. Their Matt Judon trade did not produce Patriots-like production from the veteran talent, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter reports the Falcons will not re-sign Judon before free agency. Judon, 32, will hit the market for a second time. Lorenzo Carter is also set for free agency, again bringing a major need for Atlanta at this premium position. GM Terry Fontenot was also in the Saints’ front office when they drafted Hendrickson.

Washington received surprising production from Dante Fowler‘s latest Dan Quinn reunion; the former No. 3 overall pick totaled a Commanders-high 10.5 sacks last season, outproducing $10MM-per-year teammate Dorance Armstrong (five). Fowler is heading back to free agency. While Frankie Luvu has helped out in a pass-rushing role in Carolina and Washington, the team has a need at defensive end. With Jayden Daniels‘ rookie contract opening the door for additions — and the team is preparing to make them on defense — Washington would be a prime destination for a disgruntled D-end.

Trey Smith Signs Chiefs Franchise Tender

March 9th, 2025 at 8:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

It does not appear Trey Smith will consider a holdout. He signed his franchise tender Sunday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. This will guarantee the Pro Bowl guard’s $23.4MM salary.

The Chiefs naturally want this to be a placeholder, and an extension would reduce that $23.4MM cap hold. Kansas City did trade Joe Thuney to Chicago, but the team agreed to terms with Nick Bolton earlier today. This will still leave the Chiefs with work to do on the cap front.

One of just two players tagged this year (along with Tee Higgins), Smith now has a clear path to an extension. The Chiefs broke up their highly paid guard tandem — shortly after it became a high-priced duo — by sending Thuney to the Bears. Smith will be in line to join Creed Humphrey and Jawaan Taylor as a starting O-lineman on a high-end contract. Taylor may well be going into his final year with the team, as the RT has not justified his $20MM-per-year contract, pointing to Smith and Humphrey being the Chiefs’ pillars up front moving forward.

While the Chiefs viewed Bolton as a high priority, they have plenty of work left to do. Before the Bolton money is factored in, OverTheCap lists Kansas City as being more than $9MM over the cap. Even the Saints, who restructured Derek Carr‘s deal yet again, have passed them for available funds. Kansas City could turn to a Patrick Mahomes restructure for a fourth time, though. Regardless of how the Chiefs get there, they need to reach cap compliance by 3pm CT Wednesday. They will also need to carve out spending room to add talent, as left tackle is expected to be an area of emphasis.

Smith, 25, has been the Chiefs’ starting right guard since his 2021 rookie season. He climbed from sixth-round pick, who fell in the draft because of a blood clot issue, to Pro Bowl level. Well regarded by both Pro Football Focus and ESPN’s win rate metrics, Smith is positioned to enjoy his prime protecting Mahomes in Kansas City. The Chiefs will need to be ready for a monster payday to make that happen, and the Thuney trade will arm Smith’s camp with more leverage.

The Chiefs could not come to terms with Orlando Brown Jr. by the July 2022 tag deadline, as the now-Bengals LT declined a six-year offer he deemed light on guarantees. Kansas City gave Humphrey a center-record (by a wide margin) $18MM per year last summer. Smith is positioned to outdo Landon Dickerson‘s $21MM-per-year guard record. The Chiefs will have until July 15 to work out a deal.

Dolphins Interested In Joey Bosa; 49ers Moving Close To Deal?

March 9th, 2025 at 8:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins, who have some familiarity with the Bosa family (albeit decades ago), have entered the mix for Joey Bosa. Although the free agent edge rusher may well join his brother in San Francisco, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini indicates the Dolphins are expected to show strong interest.

Joey and Nick Bosa‘s father, John, was a first-round Dolphins draftee in 1987. While many changes have obviously occurred since, Dan Marino remains part of the organization. The Dolphins have carved out $25MM in cap space, though the 49ers are holding more than $34MM.

This also may be a foregone conclusion, as the most predictable path appears to still be the most likely. The two active Bosas want to play together, and The San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kakakami notes Joey Bosa and the 49ers have engaged in good conversations. Signs are pointing toward Joey Bosa joining his brother and former Ohio State teammate soon, as it might be hard to dissuade the 29-year-old free agent from joining his brother. Joey Bosa has already earned $142MM in the NFL.

A 49ers deal would place Joey in position to start opposite his brother, giving Nick his most talented complementary edge rusher since entering the pros. The 49ers immediately came up as a Joey Bosa suitor, which separates this situation from J.J. Watt‘s free agency in 2021. The Steelers did not emerge as an aggressive participant in the oldest Watt brother’s free agency, though J.J. did say he considered joining T.J. Watt in Pittsburgh.

Joey Bosa’s injury trouble will impact his market, becoming perhaps the defining component, so the two known pursuers will need to weight talent with risk here. The Dolphins remain an injury-riddled operation on the edge, as Bradley Chubb missed all of 2024 with the injury he suffered in Week 17 of the ’23 season. Jaelan Phillips also sustained a season-ending injury for a second straight year. The team did see Chop Robinson show some promise, but Chubb and Phillips have reached career crossroads. Chubb recently accepted a pay cut to stay in Miami; one season remains on Phillips’ rookie deal.

Those injuries left the Dolphins exposed last year, as Shaquil Barrett‘s retirement followed suit. Bosa would not represent the safest bet, but he is one of the most talented players available.

T Morgan Moses Cleared Medically Prior To Free Agency

March 9th, 2025 at 8:00pm CST by Ely Allen

MARCH 9: The Jets are working to re-sign Moses, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. She adds, however, that a trip to free agency is expected in this case. Moses’ health will of course play a large role in determining his market amongst outside suitors, but another New York pact could be in the cards.

MARCH 8: Pending free agent offensive tackle Morgan Moses turned 34 years old this week, yet it seems he’s coming back for another year of football. It takes a lot for an offensive tackle to keep playing at a starting level at that age, and Moses has certainly been dealt his lumps, but according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Moses was “given a clean bill of health from the Jets’ medical staff” today.

In 11 seasons of NFL play, Moses has not been known for missing time with injuries. While he has missed three games in each of the past two seasons, those were his first missed games since his rookie season in Washington in 2014, when he missed time due to a Lisfranc injury.

Last year, Moses missed two games early with a reported grade 2 MCL sprain and a bone bruise. Later on, following his return to the field, it was reported that Moses had been playing through the MCL sprain, a meniscus issue, and a fracture in his knee for several weeks. The veteran lineman had been sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber and rehabbing around the clock in order to get into playing shape each week, despite the Jets being fairly out of range of playoff contention.

While, at 34, it’s not likely that Moses’ clean bill of health will last through another full season, his warrior-like mentality to battle through injuries will not be necessary to start the year. Wherever he plays in 2025, he won’t be working through anything to start the year.

In regard to where he’ll play, ESPN’s Rich Cimini communicated that New York has remained in contact with Moses. Cimini points out that the Jets lack a serviceable replacement for Moses on the roster at the moment and that the free agent market at the position in extremely thin. The NFL draft doesn’t stand to be much help either, as many of the NCAA’s best tackles entering the draft are being viewed as likely interior options at the next level.

The importance that Moses has to the roster is a good sign for his likelihood to re-sign with the Jets. Especially since New York has already cleared him medically, while passing a physical elsewhere might not be as smooth of a process, all signs seem to be pointing to another season with the Jets.

Falcons, Jake Matthews Agree On Extension

March 9th, 2025 at 7:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Michael Penix Jr. ascent no longer makes Jake Matthews a blindside blocker, the Falcons are planning for the veteran tackle to help guide the young quarterback during his rookie-contract years.

Despite turning 33 earlier this year, Matthews has scored a fourth NFL contract. The Falcons are giving Matthews a two-year, $45MM deal, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo reports. This does not look to be a wait-and-see agreement for 2026, as Garafolo adds Atlanta is guaranteeing its longtime left tackle $38MM at signing.

Matthews already was signed through the 2026 season, as the Falcons huddled up with him on a three-year, $55.5MM extension in 2022. GM Terry Fontenot authorized that extension, but Atlanta’s plan has changed significantly since. After keeping Matthews in the fold to help post-Matt Ryan, the Falcons bailed on their Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder experiments to both sign Kirk Cousins and draft Penix eighth overall. The Cousins part of that backfired, via a benching, and the veteran is trying to engineer a release. Cousins remains on the Falcons’ roster, for now, but Penix will be taking the reps with Matthews during the offseason program.

While the Falcons have long-term O-line pieces in Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary, Matthews goes back to a previous era for the franchise. He and Grady Jarrett are the last players remaining from Atlanta’s Super Bowl LI roster. The Falcons chose Matthews in the 2014 first round (sixth overall), installing him as a Ryan blindside protector. Matthews blocked for the former MVP for eight seasons, earning first extension (five years, $72.5MM) in 2018. As the cap has climbed by more than $100MM since, Matthews continues to cash in.

Jake’s father, Hall of Fame O-lineman Bruce Matthews, displayed some of the greatest longevity in NFL history. The former Oiler/Titan mainstay played 19 seasons. Jake has logged 11 but has missed only one career game; that came all the way back in 2014. The Falcons have been able to count on Jake Matthews for more than a sixth of their existence. Pro Football Focus graded the LT stalwart as the league’s 15th-best tackle last season. Though, the third-generation NFL player has just one Pro Bowl (2018) on his resume.

This extension stands to reduce Matthews’ 2025 cap number, which was previously at $21.77MM. The Falcons came into Sunday in the red in terms of cap space, residing more than $5MM over before this Matthews payday. This could point free agent center Drew Dalman out the door. We placed Dalman 14th among free agents this year. He appears certain to become an eight-figure-per-year player soon. The Falcons having Matthews and Lindstrom as their O-line anchors, with McGary and Matthew Bergeron as other starters under contract, would keep them in decent shape if Dalman departs. They would need a center replacement, though.

Broncos To Re-Sign QB Jarrett Stidham

March 9th, 2025 at 6:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

After seeing their Bo Nix draft choice create considerable promise, the Broncos relegated Jarrett Stidham from a starter competition to 17-game backup. But the team is planning to extend its Stidham partnership.

Nix’s 2024 backup is staying in Denver, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. This will be Stidham’s second Broncos contract, after he initially arrived on a two-year deal to back up Russell Wilson. Stidham is staying on a two-year, $12MM deal, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweets. This is a slight raise for the former Patriots draftee, who played out a two-year, $10MM contract. Stidham, 28, will see $7MM guaranteed, per the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel.

Stidham became contract protection for a second straight year, closing out the 2023 season as a two-game Broncos starter. As the Broncos moved to protect against Wilson’s injury guarantee from vesting, they made the move at the same juncture (Week 17) the Raiders did when they moved him into their 2022 starting lineup. Stidham replaced Derek Carr for two games but did not stick around, signing with the Broncos. Rather than bail after Nix won last year’s job and delivered a strong rookie season, Stidham will remain as a mentor.

A six-year veteran, Stidham had entered camp taking first-string reps. But with Nix making a Division I-FBS QB-record 61 starts at Auburn and Oregon, Stidham — Nix’s Auburn QB1 predecessor — never looked like a real threat to hold off the rookie for too long. As it turned out, Nix impressed in the preseason and Sean Payton gave his handpicked passer the job. Stidham’s second Broncos contract will overlap with the two additional seasons in which Nix must stay on a rookie deal.

Stidham went 1-3 as a starter during his 2022 and ’23 two-fers, delivering an impressive performance in a Raiders shootout loss to the 49ers. He guided the Broncos to a win over the Chargers in Week 17 of the 2023 season as well. Those are Stidham’s only four career starts, but the former fourth-round pick has made a nice career as a backup. Stidham did beat out Zach Wilson to become Nix’s backup throughout last season, and with this contract, the former No. 2 overall Jets pick may need to head elsewhere in free agency.

Patriots To Re-Sign TE Austin Hooper

March 9th, 2025 at 6:12pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots have made a big-ticket outside addition in the form of edge rusher Harold Landry, but the team is also making an internal move ahead of free agency. Tight end Austin Hooper will remain in New England for 2025.

Hooper has a one-year deal in place, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The pact has a base value of $5MM and can top out at $7MM. He will continue to operate in a tandem with Hunter Henry after doing so in 2024. Hooper will see $4MM guaranteed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.

After playing out his rookie contract with the Falcons, Hooper bounced around the NFL. He saw time with the Browns (2020-21) followed by one-year stints in Tennessee and Vegas. That was followed by another one-year commitment in 2024, this time by the Pats. Hooper produced 45 catches, 476 yards and three touchdowns in his debut New England campaign.

That came on a $3MM deal which included $2.41MM in guarantees. Hooper has earned a raise on another-one-year pact based on his 2024 play. Henry remains in place as a result of the three-year, $27MM deal he inked last offseason, and after setting new career highs in catches and yards last season he will be counted on to remain a key member of New England’s passing game moving forward. Hooper, 30, represents an effective complement, though.

Adding at the receiver position remains an obvious priority for the Patriots this offseason, and the list of remaining free agents includes Chris Godwin, who has been linked to strong New England interest should he depart the Buccaneers. New England will still have plenty of cap space left once the Landry and Hooper deals are official, and it will be interesting to see if the team moves quickly in making another skill-position move in the coming days.

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