Falcons RT Kaleb McGary Retires
After missing all of last season with a knee injury, Falcons right tackle Kaleb McGary is retiring at the age of 31. Agent Collin Roberts announced the news on Wednesday.
A career-long Falcon, McGary joined the organization as the 31st overall pick in the 2019 draft. The former Washington standout became an immediate starter in Atlanta, which kept him atop its depth chart for his entire career. McGary started in 92 of 93 appearances in the NFL. Before a lost 2025, McGary played between 14 and 17 games in each season.
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McGary and left tackle Jake Matthews started opposite each other during their entire six-year run together. The Falcons almost split up the duo a few years into McGary’s career. They were not impressed enough with McGary’s work to pick up his fifth-year option in 2022. However, with McGary on the verge of leaving in free agency the next spring, the Falcons kept him around on a three-year, $34.5MM pact. That was the first of two significant paydays for McGary, who put pen to paper on a two-year, $30MM deal last August.
Unfortunately for McGary and the Falcons, he never played a snap on his final contract. McGary went down in practice in late August. He wound up spending the season on injured reserve. Backup Storm Norton also missed 2025 with a knee injury. That left Elijah Wilkinson to play every down at right tackle for the Falcons, though they did not re-sign him in free agency. Wilkinson joined the Cardinals on a two-year, $6.5MM agreement.
The 2026 Falcons are guaranteed to start a left-handed quarterback (either Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr.), but it is unclear who will protect the passer’s blind side. Atlanta has not made any notable additions in free agency, perhaps leaving Norton as the in-house favorite to start. The Falcons may add a potential McGary replacement in the draft, though they do not have a first-round pick and own just five selections in total. General manager Ian Cunningham wants to acquire more picks, which could be an even higher priority in the wake of McGary’s retirement.
Prospect Profile: Monroe Freeling
Ever since about the midway point of the 2025-26 NCAA season, the same few names have been atop 2026 NFL Draft position rankings for offensive lineman. Though some questions have arisen over whether these players will be guards or tackles at the next level, Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, Utah’s Spencer Fano, and Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor have repeatedly been projected as the first offensive linemen off the board in some order. In recent weeks, though, Monroe Freeling has started to test the boundary between those three and the rest of the draft class’s top linemen.
A member of the Class of 2023, Freeling was a top 10 offensive tackle recruit in the country, per 247Sports, receiving some five-star grades but not locking down a consensus five-star rating behind the likes of Proctor and Mauigoa. A gigantic prospect, it didn’t take long for Freeling to burst onto the recruiting scene.
Despite hiding out at Oceanside Collegiate Academy in South Carolina, Freeling received his first offers in his sophomore year, and they were big ones. His first offer came from the school he would eventually commit to, Georgia. Over the next few months several other big offers began to roll in. In the summer before his senior year, Freeling took official visits to Notre Dame, Florida, and Miami, as well as an unofficial visit (paid for on his own dime) to Alabama.
Committing to the Bulldogs in the final days of the summer, Freeling saved his final official visit for a trip to Athens in December. Two weeks later, he signed his letter of intent and enrolled about two more weeks after that. As the offensive line shuffled around pieces throughout his true freshman season, Freeling only saw the field in garbage time and special teams, appearing in nine contests and burning his redshirt. In his sophomore season, Freeling established a bigger role, starting the year as a core special teamer and coming off the bench as the Bulldogs’ primary swing tackle. Nine games into the season, he was asked to step in for a struggling, injured Earnest Greene III at left tackle, and he started the final five games of the season.
Freeling entered his junior year as the starting left tackle for Georgia, retaining the role from the end of his sophomore campaign. Despite earning that leading role, he was still very much an unfinished product. A high ankle sprain slowed him down a bit as the team got into SEC play, but he improved in each showing from week to week. Learning as he went, Freeling tended to rely heavily on his intelligence and physical gifts to make up for short-comings in his technique and abilities.
Those physical assets are a big reason he’s flown up draft boards lately. Ever since he started playing football, Freeling has worked hard to fill out his long, broad frame. He uses every inch of that frame to fill up space and absorb rushers. Unsurprising for a Georgia lineman, his biggest strengths are in the run game, where his burst off the ball gives him an early edge on moving defenders, and his raw power does a lot of work opening holes. That same quickness off the line gives him a good head start in pass pro, where he is alert and ready to defend against stunts and counters.
The longer plays go on, though, Freeling’s focus tends to slip. He can sometimes overextend himself in the run game, ending up on the ground a bit too often. Late in pass pro, he may stop moving his feet and get caught lunging at persistent, late rushers. He puts himself in good position when landing heavy hands on rushers, but when he goes too wide with his hands early and misses, defenders can have success getting into his body and using his high center of gravity to stand him up on his heels.
Overall, Freeling is a bit of a project but a quick, smart learner. He has elite size and excellent athleticism, but with only one full year of starting experience under his belt, any team drafting him will need to be prepared to put the finishing touches on him as an NFL tackle. Depending on whether or not a team feels confident in their ability to develop him, Freeling currently projects as a first-round prospect, improving on early second- to third-round projections. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network ranks Freeling as the 20th-best overall prospect and the fourth-best tackle, while Dane Brugler of The Athletic slots him at 17th overall and third for offensive tackles.
Freeling may fit best with a team that can afford to bring him up slowly into a starting role. If needed, though, Freeling’s time in Athens proved that he can succeed while learning on the job and could start right away, if needed. His elite physical traits will ensure he hears his name in the draft; the only question will be how early into the process it gets called.
Giants Not Eyeing Dexter Lawrence Raise
The 2023 offseason established a new salary bracket among interior defensive linemen, bridging the sizable gap between Aaron Donald and the field at the time. Dexter Lawrence was among the ascending D-tackles who did so, joining Quinnen Williams, Jeffery Simmons and Daron Payne in being given top-five DT deals that offseason.
Lawrence, Payne, Simmons and Williams remain tied to those extensions. As could be expected, some other interior D-linemen have passed this quartet as the salary cap has soared. Milton Williams, Jordan Davis and Zach Allen each passed $25MM per year; Davis and his ex-Eagles teammate are at $26MM AAV. Alim McNeill and Nnamdi Madubuike surpassed the above-referenced foursome as well.
By far the best piece of the 2019 Odell Beckham Jr. trade for either the Giants or Browns, Lawrence proved worthy of the four-year, $90MM extension he signed in May 2023. He ventured to three straight Pro Bowls and booked two second-team All-Pro spots (2022, ’23). The popular New York nose tackle then tallied nine sacks in just 12 games in 2024. That led to a push for at least a deal revision in 2025, but the Giants only provided incentives.
While Lawrence has requested a trade based largely on extension talks not progressing, his timing is not great. The Clemson alum is coming off a regression, totaling just a half-sack and a career-low eight QB hits. Lawrence eclipsed 20 hits in 2022 and ’23, and even with Leonard Williams gone by 2024, Lawrence remained in high gear. Joe Schoen also posited some of Lawrence’s 2025 statistical issues stemmed from the elbow dislocation he sustained in 2024. That comment likely resonated with Lawrence’s camp, but the Giants do not seem eager to appease the disgruntled player.
The Giants are eyeing neither a trade nor a raise, with the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz indicating the team does not look to have a strong desire to reward Lawrence after last season. The team would prefer Lawrence play out his current deal, which has two years remaining. No guaranteed money is left on the contract, and John Harbaugh said he anticipated Lawrence skipping the start of the team’s offseason program.
“The Giants, speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here,” Harbaugh said, via Schwartz. “I believe Dexter wants to be here. That’s a good formula. But there’s business involved. It’s a business proposition. We know it’s pro football. These things happen every year pretty much on every team. Not surprised by it. Saw it coming a few weeks back probably.”
The new Giants HC called Lawrence “super important” earlier this year, as the Giants made it clear he would not be traded to free up any cap space. Rumblings about a trade price matching or exceeding what the Cowboys sent the Jets for Quinnen Williams — a 2027 first-rounder, a 2026 second along with DT Mazi Smith — has surfaced, but Schwartz adds the Giants would need to be “blown away” by a proposal to consider moving on.
“I don’t know that granting a request is really the right way to say it, because it doesn’t really work that way,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not like a Christmas gift, it just doesn’t work like that.”
As the DT market shifted in 2023, Harbaugh was part of a key standoff that offseason. He and the Ravens held firm against Lamar Jackson‘s trade request and worked out an extension for the superstar quarterback. This Lawrence situation represents Harbaugh’s first notable test on the contract front as the Giants’ top decisionmaker.
How New York proceeds could reveal how much power Schoen still has. The hire of longtime NFL exec Dawn Aponte as VP of football ops undercut the GM’s organizational influence. She and Harbaugh running the show may not be great news for Lawrence, a Dave Gettleman draftee whom Schoen extended.
A hardline stance will not go over well with the decorated D-lineman’s camp, either, as he has fallen to No. 11 in terms of DT AAV ($22.5MM). Lawrence, 28, also played out the guarantees on his contract. That point of a deal regularly spurs action, and Lawrence is proceeding down this path.
It sounds like the Giants are prepared to wait out the eighth-year standout, who is due a nonguaranteed $18.5MM base salary this season. Lawrence’s next step will be to withhold services at mandatory minicamp. That would bring a small fine. This dragging to training camp would certainly be interesting, as Lawrence would then be put to a hold-in or holdout decision.
Players almost never sit out regular-season games in contract stalemates, though Chris Jones — the DT position’s current salary kingpin — did so in 2023. We are a ways away from Lawrence needing to make that call, but as an impact player on a defense that ranked 31st against the run last season, staying away from workouts will certainly command the attention of the new Giants regime.
Texans Exercise Will Anderson Jr., C.J. Stroud’s Fifth-Year Options
The Texans will be committing nearly $50MM in guaranteed money to their two first-round draft choices from 2023. Both Will Anderson Jr. and C.J. Stroud are extension candidates, and each is now signed through the 2027 season.
Houston is exercising both players’ fifth-year options, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates. Stroud’s option checks in at $25.9MM, while Anderson’s comes in at $21.51MM. Anderson is on the Texans’ extension docket this offseason, and while a Stroud payday may now be pushed to 2027, the Texans are making the expected one-year commitment to the former Offensive Rookie of the Year.
[RELATED: 2027 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
Anderson’s fifth-year number comes in on the third tier of the option ladder, with the former Alabama standout being named to one original-ballot Pro Bowl. Stroud has not been invited to a Pro Bowl on the original ballot, so he qualifies for the second rung on the QB ladder. That is still a hefty chunk of change for the quarterback. If Stroud indeed plays the 2027 season in Houston, he will be the franchise’s first five-year starting quarterback since Matt Schaub.
Soaring to the first-team All-Pro level last season as a dominant pass rusher on a menacing Texans defense, Anderson has generated extension buzz for months. The Texans paid Derek Stingley Jr. early, giving him a record-setting extension in his first offseason of eligibility. Anderson may well follow suit, as rumors have trended in that direction. The Texans paid J.J. Watt in his first year of extension eligibility back in 2014. Anderson does not have a Defensive Player of the Year honor under his belt like Watt did when Houston paid him, but the 2023 No. 3 pick has become one of the NFL’s best edge rushers.
Discussions have begun with Anderson, who will be a candidate to at least approach where Micah Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson took the market to close a transformative year on the EDGE market. Anderson will not turn 25 until September, and he has totaled 23 sacks over the past two seasons. The 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year racked up 12 sacks last season opposite perennial sack ace Danielle Hunter, forming one of the NFL’s best rush tandems in recent memory. This duo joined Stingley in powering Houston to a third straight playoff berth, with the Texans’ defense smothering the Steelers in Round 1 after a strong regular-season surge to reach 12 wins.
Parsons’ market reached $46.5MM per year, with his Packers extension stalling Hutchinson’s Lions talks. Hutchinson scored a defender-record $141MM guaranteed, while Parsons came in at $136MM. Anderson’s camp will be eyeing those figures, though the Texans have shown a willingness — as Stingley’s deal showed — to complete three-year extensions. That would reduce the total cash figure while allowing Anderson a chance at a third contract sooner. This easy option decision, however, reflects how well the Texans did choosing Anderson — whom they traded up nine spots for after selecting Stroud at No. 2.
Stroud came off the board one pick after former Alabama QB Bryce Young, whom the Panthers chose first overall. While Stroud has been the better of the two, it is not sure a thing either team will commit to a long-term deal this offseason. Rather, both clubs may want to wait another year to evaluate their signal-callers. Stroud and Young have put together uneven careers thus far.
Although the Texans have gone a terrific 28-18 in Stroud’s starts, the 24-year-old’s effectiveness has arguably dipped since a stellar 2023 introduction. A concussion sidelined Stroud for three games last season. The team kept its once-floundering season afloat by winning all three of backup Davis Mills‘ starts. Meanwhile, the Texans won nine of Stroud’s 14 outings. He completed 64.5% of passes, averaged 7.2 yards per attempt and tossed 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions. While his traditional passer rating (92.9) checked in at 17th, he finished a much more impressive 11th in QBR (61.7).
Stroud has helped the Texans to the playoffs in each of his seasons, but they have not gotten past the divisional round. The Stroud-led team suffered particularly ugly second-round defeats to the Ravens in 2023 (34-10) and the Patriots last January (28-16). Stroud had one of the worst games of his career in New England, where he completed 20 of 47 passes and threw four picks in miserable weather.
Discussing Stroud’s playoff struggles, head coach DeMeco Ryans said (via Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2): “Being young in his career, he’s gained a ton of valuable experience and a ton of playoff experience and seeing that it hasn’t gone as we would like it to go there in the playoffs. Of course, you always want to win it all. But when you go through those difficult moments, those tough times, you learn from them. I know C.J. has learned from those moments.”
Heading into a pivotal fourth year, Ryans believes Stroud is “dialed in,” adding, “I’m excited to see how this continues to transition to him having a really great year for us.”
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
NFC Staff Updates: Lions, Rams, Commanders, Seahawks, Cardinals, Eagles
Lions team president Rod Wood is set to retire sometime before the 2026 season, and Detroit is currently in the process of finding his replacement.
The team has only interviewed internal candidates so far. A search firm is working to identify external candidates who will begin interviewing in April, Wood said (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). The panel will include Wood, owner Sheila Hamp, and a number of other top executives including former Lions linebacker Chris Spielman. Head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes will also have the opportunity to offer their input.
“In terms of what I’m looking for, I’m looking for the best person to lead the Lions,” Wood continued. “Ideally somebody who’s got the right kind of executive presence and leadership skills, some COO or CEO experience running a big organization. It doesn’t necessarily have to be somebody with football experience but that would be an advantage if it works out.
A number of other NFC teams have also made staffing moves in recent weeks:
- The Rams added former Browns general manager Phil Savage as a consultant in their personnel department, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Savage most recently worked for the Jets, starting in 2019 as a senior personnel advisor. He finished the 2024 season as the interim general manager after Joe Douglas was fired and served as a consultant to the new regime last year.
- The Commanders hired John Glenn as a special teams assistant, per a team announcement. He will work alongside special teams coordinator Larry Izzo and his assistant, Brian Schneider, who is going through cancer treatment, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic.
- Former University of Washington offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty has been hired by the Seahawks as an offensive assistant, a NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He will become the latest Huskies coach to move to the local NFL team, a pipeline that included his predecessor, Ryan Grubb.
- The Cardinals reunited with Nick Hart as a scouting assistant, according to Inside the League’s Neil Stratton. He previous worked in Arizona as a Nunn-Wooten scouting fellow.
- Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni indicated (via Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP) that former offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland would not return to Philadelphia this year, though he did not rule out the possibility. It was revealed early this offseason Stoutland would not only be off Philly’s staff, after an acclaimed stint as O-line coach, but would not head to another team in 2026. It remains to be seen whether the widely praised staffer will return to the league.
49ers Finalize 2026 Coaching Staff
The 49ers made a number of coaching changes this offseason with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh accepting the Titans’ head coaching job and taking a number of assistants to Tennessee.
San Francisco gradually filled its vacancies and recently announced a full staff, including official titles for new hires and several internal promotions.
Jerry Gray arrived in San Francisco in February and has since been announced as the team’s defensive pass-game coordinator. He is entering his fourth decade of coaching defensive backs and will work closely with cornerbacks coach Ray Brown.
The 49ers also promoted a few members of their defensive staff. Johnny Holland, who has primarily worked with linebackers in his nine seasons with the club, will now serve as the defensive run game coordinator. Replacing him as the linebackers coach will be K.J. Wright, who spent 11 years playing the position for the Seahawks and Raiders. He first joined the 49ers in 2024 as a defensive quality control coach.
The team made a number of internal promotions on the offensive side of the ball, too. Joe Graves was promoted from offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach to run game coordinator. Taking his role will be Jacob Webster, who is being promoted from an offensive quality control role. The same is true of Deuce Schwartz, now an offensive assistant/tight ends coach.
Roman Sapolu, who was also hired in February, will be the assistant offensive line coach, overseeing the position he once played at Oregon State and coached at multiple college programs. He will serve under offensive line coach/assistant head coach Chris Foerster.
Malik Nabers Not Expected To Begin Giants Training Camp On Time
One of the reasons that John Harbaugh took the Giants’ head coaching gig was his excitement about the young talent on their roster. However, he will have to wait a while longer for two of those players to be healthy enough to join the rest of the team on the field.
Wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo were both present for the start of the Giants’ offseason program this week, but both are still rehabbing from major injuries that ended their 2025 seasons. Nabers tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee in Week 4; Skattebo suffered a fractured and dislocated ankle in Week 8.
Harbaugh indicated that Skattebo would be on the field “at some point” for spring practices, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. Any OTA or minicamp participation from the second-year running back would be a good sign for his ability to take the field at the start of training camp.
Skattebo is ahead of Nabers, who will be back “closer to the season,” Harbaugh added. His pronouncement somewhat contradicts general manager Joe Schoen‘s previous prediction that Nabers would be “ready for training camp.”
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart may not have his top wideout and running back on the practice field at the beginning of OTAs, but he will be able to start building chemistry with free agent signing Darnell Mooney. The veteran wide receiver signed in New York for a one-year, $3MM contract that includes another $7MM in incentives, which range across a number of categories, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan.
Mooney can earn $250K for playing at least 75% of the Giants’ offensive snaps. $375K is available for eclipsing 35 receptions, which increases every 10 with a maximum of $2.5MM for 75 catches or more. The same is true for receiving yards, starting at $375K for 450 yards and increasing every 150 with up to $2.5MM available for recording at least 1,050 yards. Mooney will also receive $375k for three touchdowns, $750K for five, $1.25MM for seven, and $1.75MM for nine or more.
Mooney did not hit any of these numbers in 2025, a down year for the veteran receiver, so all of his incentives are considered Not Likely To Be Earned. They will not count against this year’s salary cap, and if Mooney hits any of them, the Giants will be charged on next year’s cap.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/8/26
Here are today’s midweek minor transactions:
New York Jets
- Signed ERFA tender: LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Received roster exemption (international player): LB Julius Welschof
Going undrafted out of Indiana in 2022, McCrary-Ball will be back for his fourth year in New York. After serving solely on special teams in his first two years, McCrary-Ball saw some extended time on defense for the first time in his career last year.
Welschof has been with the Steelers since he signed with the team as an undrafted free agent two years ago out of Charlotte, where the German-born defender had transferred after five years at Michigan. With the international player roster exemption, the Steelers will be able to place Welschof on their practice squad in the regular season without him counting against the 16-man limit.
S Jessie Bates Wants To Retire A Falcon
The Falcons lost a notable contributor to retirement when right tackle Kaleb McGary hung up his cleats Wednesday. Shortly before the McGary news broke, safety Jessie Bates declared that he would like to spend the rest of his career in Atlanta (via Josh Kendall of The Athletic).
“I want to retire as a Falcon,” the eight-year veteran said. “My family loves it here.”
Unlike McGary, the 29-year-old Bates is not ready to walk away. But with just one season left on his contract, Bates’ long-term future with the Falcons is in question. The sides have not engaged in extension talks.
A highly productive Bengal over his first five seasons, the former second-round pick left Cincinnati for Atlanta after the 2022 campaign. The Falcons gave Bates a four-year, $64MM contract, then one of the five all-time richest deals at the position.
The Falcons have extended their playoff drought to eight years since they added Bates, but he has been worth the investment. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder has not missed a game in Atlanta, where he has started in all 51 appearances. His defensive snap shares have ranged from 98.38% to 99.47% in each of his Falcons seasons, and he has added 13 interceptions and eight forced fumbles. The ball-hawking Bates picked off a career-high six passes and amassed 132 tackles in 2023, which is surprisingly his lone Pro Bowl season to date. He also earned second-team All-Pro honors.
Bates was a second-team All-Pro for the third time last season, during which he came down with another three INTs and upped his career total to 27. After working with safeties Richie Grant and Justin Simmons over his first two years in Atlanta, Bates teamed with a new partner in Xavier Watts last season. Watts emerged as a core defender as a rookie, giving the Falcons at least one long-term safety starter.
Bates is set to join Watts for at least another year, but it could be their last as a tandem. While Bates wants to ride out his career in Atlanta, his fate is in the hands of a front office that was not in place when he joined the team.
Browns Meet With WR KC Concepcion, TE Kenyon Sadiq
The Browns are clearly lacking receiving weapons as the 2026 NFL Draft nears. Armed with two first-round picks, they could snag at least one pass catcher with a high selection. The team hosted a pair of likely first-rounders in Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion and Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq on Wednesday, per reports from Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Cleveland is light at wideout, especially after Jerry Jeudy‘s production plummeted last season. Jeudy went from 90 catches and 1,229 yards in 2024 to 50 and 602 in those categories in 2025. No other returning Browns receiver even reached the 25-catch mark, and they have not added anyone of note to the group this offseason. That explains their interest in Concepcion and several other draft-bound receivers. Concepcion may be more realistic for the Browns’ second first-rounder (No. 24) than their top selection (No. 6).
The Browns are not expected to re-sign longtime starting tight end David Njoku, who remains a free agent, after finding a replacement last year. A third-round rookie in 2025, Harold Fannin was a rare bright spot in Cleveland’s offense. The 6-foot-4, 241-pounder led the Browns in catches (72), yards (731) and receiving touchdowns (six). Fannin’s presence suggests the Browns do not need to make a major investment in a tight end. However, as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator from 2023-25, new Browns head coach Todd Monken made use of the Mark Andrews–Isaiah Likely pass-catching duo.
Monken and the Browns will at least consider pairing Sadiq with Fannin, though it is unclear if they are interested in using a top-10 pick on the position. Sadiq may not be there at 24, yet six could be too rich in this case. Only three tight ends (including Kellen Winslow II to the Browns in 2004) have come off the board at No. 6 or higher since 2000.
Regardless of whether the Browns take him, Sadiq looks like a shoo-in first-rounder after a second-team All-America season and a spectacular performance at the Combine. He has a notable Cleveland connection in quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who played with Sadiq at Oregon in 2024. That may not matter, though, considering Gabriel is not expected to start for the Browns in 2026.