HEADLINES

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/8/25

March 8th, 2025 at 8:37pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are Saturday’s tender decisions around the league:

RFAs

Tendered:

Williams and Kohou have received the right of first refusal tender from their respective teams. That will set them up for $3.26MM in 2025, but if they depart via an offer sheet Chicago and Miami will not receive any compensation. Van Lanen has received the original round tender (which is valued at $3.41MM), as noted by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. As a result, Jacksonville would receive a sixth-round pick as compensation in the event he signed an offer sheet from an interested team which the Jags declined to match.

Panthers Re-Sign C Austin Corbett, TE Tommy Tremble

March 8th, 2025 at 7:25pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Panthers will have plenty of continuity up front in 2025. One day after tendering restricted free agent Cade Mays, the team has ensured Austin Corbett will be in place as well.

The latter agreed to terms on a new contract, the team announced Saturday. Joe Person of The Athletic notes it is a one-year pact. All five starters from Carolina’s 2024 offensive line are now on the books as a result of today’s move, one which comes not longer after it was learned the Panthers were in talks with both of their centers from last year.

Corbett inked a three-year, $26.25MM deal in free agency after emerging as a capable starter during his time with the Rams. The 29-year-old was limited to only five games in 2024, though, and the short-term nature of his latest pact is a reflection of the leverage he lost. Nevertheless, Corbett will be counted on to reprise his starting center gig next season as he looks to rebuild his value.

Pass protection was a major issue during quarterback Bryce Young‘s rookie campaign. The Panthers responded by signing guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis to big-ticket free agent deals. Those two remain on the books, as do tackle starters Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton. As Young looks to build off the promise he showed late in 2024, he will have the same unit in front of him next year.

The Panthers also announced they have reached agreement on a two-year deal with tight end Tommy Tremble. The 2021 third-rounder was on track for free agency with his rookie contract expiring, but he will remain in place. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports the pact includes $8MM guaranteed and has a maximum value of $16MM. Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer adds this deal’s base value is $10.5MM.

Tremble’s snap share hovered around 50% for each of his first three seasons, but it jumped to 69% in 2024. The 24-year-old missed five games (after previously being absent for only one the rest of his career), but he still managed to match his personal mark with 23 catches and set a new career high with 234 yards. If he can continue to provide Carolina with complementary production, Tremble will prove to be a worthwhile short-term investment for the team.

The Panthers entered Saturday with just over $27MM in cap space. These moves will eat into that figure to an extent, but the funds for outside additions – particularly on defense – will be available when the new league starts next week.

Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy Will Not Be Charged In Domestic Violence Case

March 8th, 2025 at 6:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

6:16pm: Worthy will not be charged in this case, Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick said (via Tyler Davis and Claire Osborn of the Austin American-Statesman). This case has been declined after discussions with multiple witness along with Worthy and his attorneys. Barring the arrival of new information which could lead to prosecution being sought, the matter will be therefore be closed.

9:01am: Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy was arrested Friday night in Texas on a charge of assault against a family or household member by impeding their breathing or circulation, Fox26’s Will Kunkel reports. Worthy, 21, is currently in the Williamson County Jail, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Kirk Bohls. This is a felony domestic violence charge, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.

Chosen in last year’s first round, Worthy impressed and played a central role in the Chiefs’ third straight Super Bowl appearance. However, he has run into what could be significant off-field trouble. This arrest comes less than a year after 2023 Chiefs second-round pick Rashee Rice‘s involvement in a street-racing incident, which brought eight felony charges. The Chiefs are gathering information on Worthy’s arrest, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones adds.

Worthy’s attorneys released a statement indicating (via the Austin American-Statesman’s Cedric Golden) indicated the victim was a woman who “was recently asked to leave Mr. Worthy’s residence upon discovery of her infidelity. She had made a number of extortive efforts prior to this baseless allegation.” The third-degree felony charge carries a penalty of between two and 10 years in prison, ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher notes. Even if the charge could be reduced to a misdemeanor, Worthy will be facing a potential NFL suspension.

Rice remains expected to face a suspension. The Chiefs have shown a tremendous tolerance for off-field problems; they have continually seen key players run into trouble. Wide receiver has been the most common roster spot to cause such problems for the Chiefs, dating back to Tyreek Hill‘s issues and involving Justyn Ross‘ placement on the commissioner’s exempt list after a 2023 arrest.

The ex-Texas Longhorn joined the Chiefs as last year’s No. 28 overall pick. The team traded up (via the Bills) to land the player who set the Combine 40-yard dash record. Worthy started slowly but became a more consistent piece of Kansas City’s offense down the stretch, totaling at least 40 receiving yards in each game he played from Week 11 on. Worthy finished his rookie season with 638 receiving yards and 104 more on the ground, producing nine touchdowns.

Worthy also scored two TDs in Super Bowl LIX. Aided by garbage time in the Chiefs’ blowout loss, Worthy set a rookie Super Bowl record with 157 receiving yards (on eight catches). He will be expected to team with Rice to give the Chiefs a better receiving corps than they trotted out in 2024, but Worthy’s charge provides a significant early-career impediment.

This familiar territory for the Chiefs comes days before free agency. As the three-time reigning AFC champions will need to consider veteran options as potential Rice stopgaps, as the SMU alum is rehabbing a season-ending knee injury. Worthy’s status may now factor into Kansas City’s plans.

Saints Restructuring QB Derek Carr’s Contract

March 8th, 2025 at 5:08pm CST by Ely Allen

After many reported discussions concerning how the Saints and quarterback Derek Carr would handle his compensation in 2025, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports that the team is expected to convert most of the $40MM due to him into a signing bonus for salary cap purposes. Per Garafolo, this transaction indicates that New Orleans has every intention of riding with Carr as their starter next season.

Carr was due a $30MM base salary which was set to become fully guaranteed next week. The longtime Raiders starter was also set to collect a $10MM roster bonus; both compensation packages have been converted into a signing bonus. Carr was scheduled to carry a 2025 cap charge of nearly $51.5MM, but today’s move will lower it to $20.4MM (h/t ESPN’s Katherine Terrell).

New Orleans – as per usual – used restructures as a means of achieving cap compliance last offseason. That included reworking Carr’s contract, but the inflated cap figure and his missed time in 2024 led to questions about his future in the organization. That remained the case after the four-time Pro Bowler made it clear he would not entertain the idea of a pay cut as part of the Saints’ financial moves this spring. Last week, however, general manager Mickey Loomis said the team planned to keep Carr in the fold for at least one more year.

As a result, today’s news comes as little surprise. Carr will remain in New Orleans for his 12th career season and third with his current team. The soon-to-be 34-year-old played a full campaign in 2023, and the Saints’ 9-8 record suggested playoff contention would be feasible with him at the helm moving forward. Things did not go according to plan this past season, though, as Carr was limited to just seven games. New Orleans dealt with a number of other injuries on offense, and the team will hope a fresh start on that front along with new head coach Kellen Moore in place will spark improvement in 2025.

Once the season – one in which Dennis Allen was dismissed – had ended, Loomis said the Saints’ next head coach would have a role in shaping how they proceeded at the quarterback position. Despite being a rookie HC, Moore thus faced a key decision upon arrival. His input has resulted in a short-term confirmation that Carr will stay in place. He is on the books for 2026 with a non-guaranteed $50MM salary. The Fresno State product was already due to carry a cap charge of roughly $61.5MM before the restructure; that number will spike with future cap hits being moved into the future.

2023 fourth-round selection Jake Haener and 2024 third-rounder Spencer Rattler remain in place as backup options should Carr miss time next season. With the QB depth chart intact for at least one more year, Moore and the Saints will aim to bounce back from a disappointing run last campaign. As the start of the new league year approaches, the team still needs to free up approximately $10MM in additional funds to achieve cap compliance.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Giants Extend P Jamie Gillan, Re-Sign Tommy DeVito

March 8th, 2025 at 4:32pm CST by Ely Allen

The Giants shored up two under-the-radar positions today, locking down both punter Jamie Gillan and quarterback Tommy DeVito to return in 2025. Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Gillan is staying in New York on a three-year extension, while DeVito’s signing was announced by Dan Salomone, the senior managing editor of Giants.com.

According to Pelissero, Gillan’s deal is worth up to $10.2MM over the three-year period, placing him somewhere in the top five highest-paid punters in the NFL, depending on what the final numbers turn out to be. If the face value of the deal ends up being over $9MM, he will be in the top four.

Gillan just finished his sixth year in the NFL, splitting his time almost evenly between New York and Cleveland, where he first started. The Scotland-native signed with the Browns as an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2019. He took over punting duties as a rookie, demonstrating a strong leg and an ability to pin opposing offenses inside the 20 with regularity. Near the end of his third season with the Browns, Gillan was waived after sitting out of two games, and he signed with the Bills’ practice squad, though he failed to appear in any games with them.

When that season ended, the Giants signed him to a reserve/futures deal, and he became their primary punter in 2022. He’s held the role ever since, aside from four games last year when Matt Haack filled in due to injury. Gillan took his job back after returning to health, and with today’s extension, it looks like he’ll spend another three years in New York.

Quarterback doesn’t seem like an under-the-radar position to lock down, but DeVito’s role on his renewed deal will likely continue to be as a backup. DeVito shined in backup duty as a rookie, filling in for an injured Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor. In six starts, he went 3-3, throwing eight touchdowns to just three interceptions. He lost both of his starts last year as a fill-in, completing 70.5 percent of his passes but failing to register a touchdown or interceptions.

DeVito was set to be an exclusive rights free agent, but the team tendered and re-signed the former undrafted Illinois product, barring him from communicating with other teams on the market. While DeVito and Drew Lock return as the top two passers on the roster, it’s unlikely that either will be the preferred starter by the time the season swings around.

Lions Re-Sign DE Marcus Davenport

March 8th, 2025 at 2:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Former first-round pick Marcus Davenport has bounced around in the last couple years since his contract with the Saints expired, but it looks like he’ll remain in Detroit for a second season in 2025. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Lions have re-signed Davenport to a one-year deal worth up to $4.75MM.

Unfortunately, this new contract doesn’t come from the team recognizing and rewarding a strong performance but instead comes from a second chance to make a first impression in Detroit. Davenport signed initially with the Lions last year after a disappointing prove-it year in Minnesota. Unfortunately, a season-ending elbow injury sidelined the 28-year-old after only the third week of the season.

The UTSA product has had issues with health throughout his career, never playing a full season. Since getting drafted, Davenport has only appeared in 69 of a possible 116 games. He’s flashed at times, totaling 10.5 sacks over his first two seasons with the Saints and tallying a career-high nine sacks in 2021 after having his fifth-year option exercised. That fifth year in New Orleans only produced half a sack in nine starts, though, leading to his one-year tryout with the Vikings, in which he only appeared in four games.

The Lions, unfortunately, don’t have the luxury of passing up on potential due to injury history. Last year saw the team’s Super Bowl hopes fall apart along with their defensive line as star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson only made five starts due to a season-ending leg injury. Several other injuries across the defense forced Detroit to make a number of signings and trades to accommodate.

In the aftermath of last season, bring back Davenport makes a lot of sense. The team can’t really pass up on the potential Davenport offers to the defense, and they knew Davenport wanted to come back. He would’ve had all season to rehab with the team’s doctors, so they should have a very good understanding of where he’s at in his recovery process and health journey. Davenport will hope to reward their faith with the comeback season that has eluded him these last few years.

Chiefs To Re-Sign WR Marquise Brown

March 8th, 2025 at 12:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two of the Chiefs’ wide receiver starters were set to hit free agency, but a Saturday agreement will chop that total to one. Marquise Brown is re-signing with the team, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reports.

Brown agreed to a one-year deal that could be worth up to $11MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero add. This deal comes after Brown missed 15 regular-season games due to a shoulder injury. Although injury trouble has become a regular occurrence for Brown, the former Ravens and Cardinals wideout will attempt to bounce back in an offense he learned last year.

Free agency brought Brown to Kansas City last year, as the former first-round pick signed for just $7MM in base value. While incentives were part of the deal, Brown lost out on that route after suffering an SC joint injury that required surgery. Brown did make his return in Week 16, but he did not make much of an impact in the playoffs for a Chiefs team that saw its threepeat bid end with a blowout Super Bowl loss.

Brown, 28 this year, caught nine passes for 91 yards in his two regular-season games with the Chiefs. He added just five catches for 50 yards in the team’s three playoff games. The Chiefs will bet on the 5-foot-9 receiver showing better form next season, when the team will hope for better luck on the health front for the former Ravens and Cardinals starter.

Coming into the NFL with a first-round pedigree, the Oklahoma alum’s stock has trended downward since a 1,000-yard season in 2021. The Ravens managed to trade Brown for a package that included a first-rounder, but he missed eight total games with the Cardinals and did not clear 800 yards in a season. Brown was with Arizona during its period that brought Kyler Murray ACL rehab; the Cardinals lost Murray in December 2022 and did not have him back until November 2023. Brown also dealt with health trouble, suffering a foot fracture in 2022 and a heel injury that nagged him in 2023. Brown topped out at 709 yards during his two-year Arizona tenure.

The Chiefs have seen their post-Tyreek Hill receiver plans largely fail to pan out. The Chiefs have struggled at this position over the past two years, seeing injuries and underperformance reduce a former offensive juggernaut to a station-to-station offense that grew to rely more on a better defense and late-game escapes. Kadarius Toney did not pan out, and Rashee Rice suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Week 4 last season. DeAndre Hopkins largely did not impress after being a trade pickup. Although Rice and Xavier Worthy respectively came on down the stretches of the 2023 and ’24 seasons, both have been arrested over the past year. Worthy’s domestic violence arrest Friday places him on the suspension radar along with Rice.

These issues leave the Chiefs in need of having available receivers. Brown is far from a beacon of availability, but the Chiefs may need to lean on him more when Rice’s likely suspension commences and if Worthy ends up facing a ban as well.

Raiders Still In Play To Draft First-Round QB

March 8th, 2025 at 11:54am CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders have their 2025 starting quarterback, needing to give up only a third-round pick for him. Geno Smith‘s reunion with Pete Carroll checked off the most important box for the Raiders during their offseason, and a new contract will be expected for the ex-Seahawk.

A meeting between Carroll, Tom Brady, John Spytek, Chip Kelly and QBs coach Greg Olson charted a course after the Raiders’ Matthew Stafford effort failed. The team wanted to have an established veteran over an untested rookie, according to The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, who indicates the meeting came after “several members” of the Raiders’ offensive staff preferred a vet.

That said, the Raiders have still acquired a soon-to-be 35-year-old quarterback. While Smith’s presence could allow the Raiders to reset and table their need to draft a passer — perhaps when more appealing QB draft classes emerge after 2025 — but Reed adds this trade is not expected to take the Raiders out of the mix for a first-round QB investment this year entirely.

The Raiders may need to keep this up to make their pick more valuable in a potential trade, as smokescreen efforts regularly involve quarterbacks, but the team has done extensive homework on Round 1 passes in each of the past two years. Of course, two different regimes went through those process. Spytek and Brady will lead this one. A quarterback chosen outside the first round also may be in play.

Already linked to Jalen Milroe recently, the Raiders were particularly impressed with he and Texas’ Quinn Ewers after going through concepts with them at the Combine, per Reed. Both players are not currently viewed as first-round prospects, but we have seen QB prospects vault to that status during the pre-draft process many times in the draft. How teams fill their positions in free agency will also impact perception on these two, Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough ahead of the draft. The Raiders were linked to a Cam Ward trade-up, but now that they have Smith, it seems highly unlikely they would move up for the Miami passer. Shedeur Sanders may well be available at No. 6, though the Colorado product’s stock his falling.

The Seahawks had put off adding a Smith heir apparent in the 2023 and ’24 drafts, and while they had not seen their QB match his 2022 Comeback Player of the Year form, Smith remained a solid option under center. He finished 14th in QBR in 2023 and started 17 games last season, though his QBR fell to 21st.

Smith saw his interceptions climb to 15 but also matched his 2022 yards per attempt figure (7.5) and established a new high for completion percentage (70.4) with a mark that bettered his NFL-leading 2022 number (69.8). Smith should provide the Raiders with flexibility, likely giving them a multi-season starter.

Nothing had gone especially well for the Raiders at quarterback since they cut Derek Carr. Neither Jimmy Garoppolo nor Gardner Minshew proved the answer, with each being benched during stays that involved injuries and, eventually, post-June 1 cuts. The Raiders will need a Smith heir apparent in the not-too-distant future, but taking a Day 2 QB and evaluating him this year would not cut into the team’s resources to build around Smith too much.

Bengals To Re-Sign TE Mike Gesicki

March 8th, 2025 at 11:02am CST by Sam Robinson

Playing for three teams over the past three years, Mike Gesicki has been unable to land a lucrative deal despite being franchise-tagged in 2022. That will change soon for the veteran tight end.

The Bengals have a deal in place to retain Gesicki, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who adds it is a three-year contract worth $25.5MM. This marks a change of pace for Gesicki, who had signed one-year deals (with the Patriots and Bengals) after his Dolphins franchise tag season.

Cincinnati had gone from C.J. Uzomah to Irv Smith Jr. to Hayden Hurst to Gesicki at tight end over the past four seasons. As his Dolphins days show, Gesicki is the best receiving option out of this group. He showed that form last season, accumulating 665 receiving yards (10.2 per catch) and two touchdowns. This represented an important offseason for Gesicki, who will turn 30 in October. He was running out of time to secure a notable multiyear deal.

Gesicki’s career veered off course after the Dolphins tagged him in 2022. Despite unholstering the tag to keep the productive pass catcher in the fold, Mike McDaniel did not turn to him much in his first season. As Tyreek Hill took over Miami’s passing game, Gesicki shifted to a tertiary role. He went from 780 yards in 2021 to 362 in 2022. That set up a modest 2023 market, as the Patriots added the former second-round pick for just $4.5MM. That checked in well behind what Hurst fetched from the Panthers.

Another substandard season (29 catches, 244 yards) for Gesicki led to a worse 2024 contract — a one-year, $2.5MM Bengals deal. The Penn State product was able to reverse this trend, as the Bengals are committing to keeping Joe Burrow‘s troops in-house. After endless rumors indicating Tee Higgins would leave in 2025, the longtime Cincy No. 2 receiver has been re-tagged while an extension is now planned. Gesicki represents more capital devoted to the team’s pass-catching group, but the Bengals no longer appear likely to pay Trey Hendrickson. The reigning sack king is free to explore trades with the aim of being paid elsewhere.

Never much of a blocker, Gesicki still provided the Bengals with their most receiving yards by a tight end since Jermaine Gresham in 2012. This will give the Bengals a key weapon to keep going alongside Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, though the price is skyrocketing for a team that had Chase and Gesicki on bargain rates last season.

Bills Extend DE Gregory Rousseau

March 8th, 2025 at 10:58am CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills are checking several items off their to-do list before free agency. After extending Khalil Shakir and Terrel Bernard, they have a deal in place with Gregory Rousseau.

Buffalo’s top pass rusher agreed to terms on a four-year, $80MM extension Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Rousseau will see $54MM guaranteed. The Bills have announced the extension. This will keep a cornerstone piece in Buffalo through 2029, which coincides with the timelines Shakir and Bernard’s contracts created. Rousseau was going into his fifth-year option season.

Although the Bills looked to have Von Miller humming as their top pass rusher during his 2022 season, the future Hall of Famer’s Thanksgiving ACL tear changed the equation. Miller has not closely resembled his pre-tear form, but Rousseau coming along gave the Bills vital support during that period. With Miller’s future in Buffalo uncertain, Rousseau is staying on what could be a team-friendly deal.

Rousseau’s $20MM AAV checks in 13th among edge rushers. His $54MM total guarantee comes in ninth. While Rousseau has yet to make a Pro Bowl roster or post a 10-sack year, he is only going into his age-25 season. The Miami product is likely only coming into his prime. It is quite possible the Bills will generate considerable value on this pact, which was agreed to after another cap spike ($24MM).

In terms of rate as his position, Bernard has fared the best among the three early Bills extension recipients. James Cook is asking for a high-end running back contract, and Christian Benford will command an upper-crust CB salary. But Rousseau and Shakir did not approach the top tier at their respective positions.

Rousseau matched his career high with eight sacks last season but established a new personal standard with 24 QB hits and 16 tackles for loss. Even as Miller returned to usable form, after a woeful 2023, Rousseau remained the Bills’ D-end anchor. The team still has A.J. Epenesa signed as well and has been mentioned as a Myles Garrett suitor (in the event the Browns relent on their no-trade stance), but this extension shows faith in Rousseau.

The Bills now have both their cornerstone D-linemen on what look like favorable contracts. They inked Ed Oliver to an extension in 2023; the former first-rounder’s deal now checks in 17th among D-tackles. Rousseau opted to avoid a contract year and potential 2026 franchise tag by taking a $20MM-per-year deal now. That might not have been the best value play, but it will ensure he is a long-term Buffalo cog. The $54MM guarantee is not anything to scoff at, either.

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