Raiders Release OL Alex Cappa
Alex Cappa‘s reunion with Tom Brady and John Spytek did not lead to a full-time starting job. The veteran guard will be a one-and-done in Las Vegas.
The Raiders announced Cappa’s release Friday. The move will create just more than $5MM in cap space for the AFC West team. The veteran guard did log some center snaps in 2025, playing there more often than at guard, but the Raiders will call it a day despite also having four-year guard starter Dylan Parham unsigned.’
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Cappa signed a two-year, $11MM deal following his 2025 Bengals release. The Raiders used the former Brady Buccaneers teammate as an eight-game starter. Cappa, 31, is an eight-year veteran with 104 starts on his NFL resume.
Formerly Tampa Bay’s Ali Marpet guard mate, Cappa did not end up starting in Super Bowl LV due to his only notable injury with the Bucs. The 2018 third-round pick returned in 2021 but left for a Bengals deal in 2022. As Cincinnati overhauled its O-line after a 2021 Joe Burrow sack parade, Cappa inked a four-year, $35MM deal and joined Ted Karras and La’el Collins as veteran imports that offseason. The Bengals cut Collins after one year, while Karras remains with the team.
Lining up as the Bengals’ right guard for three seasons, Cappa received a pink slip before his final year on that $35MM pact. Asked to play a new position with the Raiders, Cappa struggled. As run lanes for rookie Ashton Jeanty were sparse last season, Pro Football Focus graded Cappa as the NFL’s third-worst center (among those with enough snaps to qualify). The Raiders have Jordan Meredith (PFF’s sixth-worst 2025 center) and Jackson Powers-Johnson — a Rimington award winner who has been asked to play guard in the pros — contracted among interior O-linemen. Parham can begin speaking to other teams Monday.
Texans To Extend TE Dalton Schultz
Less than 24 hours after agreeing to a one-year extension with Danielle Hunter, the Texans have a deal in place with Dalton Schultz. Like Hunter, it is a one-year bump.
Schultz is extending his contract through 2027 at a rate of $12.6MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Between the 2026 and ’27 seasons, Schultz is now due $17.6MM guaranteed. Schultz is heading into his fourth Texans season, and this extension positions the former Cowboys draftee to play a fifth in Houston. This move comes hours after the Texans created $8MM in cap space by releasing Joe Mixon.
[RELATED: Texans To Acquire David Montgomery From Lions]
Initially joining the Texans on a midlevel deal (one year, $6.25MM), Schultz impressed in C.J. Stroud‘s rookie season and reupped on an upper-crust pact (3/36). That came shortly before free agency in 2024. Two years later, Schultz became a Texans priority again after another strong season.
Catching a career-high 82 passes, Schultz totaled 777 yards and three touchdowns last season. While the former fourth-rounder’s yards-per-reception number dropped to 9.5 — his first such season since 2020 — Schultz operated as Stroud’s No. 2 target behind Nico Collins during a season in which Houston again featured a subaverage ground attack.
Schultz, 30 in July, was set to carry a $15.9MM cap number in 2026. That will drop thanks to this extension. Should Schultz play out this deal, he will have split his career into five-year runs with Dallas and Houston. The Cowboys turned to Schultz after their Blake Jarwin extension did not pan out, with the former ultimately becoming the team’s Jason Witten successor. The Cowboys prioritized Schultz via a franchise tag in 2022, but like Mike Gesicki in Miami, no extension came to pass before that July’s deadline. A disagreement on term length between Schultz and the Cowboys led him to the market in 2023, and he has not tested it since.
While Schultz’s career-best yardage season remains his 808-yard 2021 in Dallas, he put up 635 yards in his Houston debut to help Stroud to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. After a 535-yard 2024, the pass-catching tight end bounced back to help the team return to the divisional round in 2025. The Texans are a defense-powered operation, but they now have Schultz and Collins signed beyond 2026. Those deals pair with the team’s pair of Iowa State-developed wideouts — Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel; both players are tied to rookie contracts through 2028.
Browns Restructure QB Deshaun Watson’s Contract
It is that time of year again. The Browns are stuck with Deshaun Watson‘s albatross contract, and as expected, they are restructuring it once again.
This could be the final such transaction, as the contract expires after the 2026 season. The Browns are converting most of Watson’s base salary into a signing bonus, according to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. This move would stand to, once again, bring the quarterback’s salary to the veteran minimum and max out the restructure-driven cap space allowed.
The team’s latest restructure will save $36MM in cap space, per Cabot. The Browns gave Watson a fully guaranteed $230MM back in 2022, acquiring him from the Texans in what almost certainly is the worst trade in NFL history (given the contractual ramifications and draft capital exchanged). This marks Cleveland’s fourth restructure on the five-year deal, which is set to bring astonishing dead money in 2027.
If the Browns had a realistic out on the deal this year, they assuredly would take it. But they do not. If Cleveland were to designate Watson as a post-June 1 cut this year, $131.16MM would be spread over two offseasons. Despite the quarterback not coming remotely close to living up to the trade/extension, he will stay on the roster for 2026. In 2027, though, the bill is coming.
The remaining cap charges will be moved to void years from 2027-29, Cabot adds. Watson, 30, is technically part of Cleveland’s latest quarterback competition this offseason. Coming off two Achilles tears, Watson will vie for the job against Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and perhaps a QB to be named later. Considering how poorly Watson played before his first Achilles tear in 2024, it would surprise if he won the job. But Todd Monken is installing a new offense, and Sanders — his Pro Bowl alternate invite notwithstanding — did not exactly seize the job last season.
This season will be Watson’s last in Cleveland. Jimmy Haslam admitted the trade was a mistake last year, before Watson spent the season on the reserve/PUP list. In 2027, however, Watson’s exit will bring an $86.2MM dead money bill. The Browns have structured the contract to create a post-June 1 release scenario in 2027, according to OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald. Watson’s cap hit will drop from $80.72MM to $44.96MM, per OverTheCap. The team now holds just less than $19MM in cap space.
That is an important note, as Watson’s dead money will be spread over two offseasons. In the likely post-June 1 release scenario, Fitzgerald notes Watson would count $34.67MM against Cleveland’s 2027 cap and $51.54MM in 2028. While this will help the Browns avoid the worst single-year dead money hit in NFL history, it also means the team will have to live with the deal on its books for an extra year. By the end of this saga, Cleveland will have carried this contract on its payroll for seven years.
The Browns kept GM Andrew Berry employed despite the veteran exec being in place for the Watson trade. Cleveland changed coaching staffs, and Monken will be aboard for the worst chapter of the contract — as the Browns will be carrying considerable dead money in 2027 and ’28.
Cardinals To Cut DT Dalvin Tomlinson
Dalvin Tomlinson will be a cap casualty for a second straight year. After the Browns released the veteran defensive tackle in 2025, ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss reports the Cardinals are moving on.
Arizona will save $9.4MM by releasing the nomadic defensive lineman, moving its cap-space figure past $48MM. PFR’s Cardinals Offseason Outlook tabbed Tomlinson as a logical release candidate, and the team is separating from the nine-year veteran after a disappointing season.
[RELATED: Cardinals Planning To Release Kyler Murray]
Landing on his feet after the Browns release, Tomlinson agreed to a two-year deal worth $29MM. Although the former Giants and Vikings interior D-lineman started 17 Cardinals games, the season did not go as the team hoped. As the Cardinals slogged to a 3-14 finish — which included a significant defensive regression — Pro Football Focus graded Tomlinson 114th overall among qualified interior D-linemen.
This exit will mark Tomlinson’s first one-and-done stay. After spending four years in New York on a rookie contract, Tomlinson scored a two-year, $21MM Vikings accord. He build up his value in Minnesota, securing a four-year pact worth $57MM in Cleveland to start Jim Schwartz‘s DC tenure. The Browns used Tomlinson as a full-time starter but designated him as a post-June 1 cut last year.
The Cardinals, who employed future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt and future first-team All-Pro Zach Allen together up from 2021-22, have seen some of their D-line investments since fail to deliver much. PFF graded 2024 first-round pick Darius Robinson as the NFL’s worst interior D-lineman last season. Calais Campbell, as he always does, played well but has not decided if he will play an age-40 season. If Campbell does return, he is not a lock to stay in Arizona — even with the team retaining DC Nick Rallis despite firing Jonathan Gannon.
While the Cardinals also used a first-round pick on D-lineman Walter Nolen last year — ahead of what became an injury-plagued rookie season — they have a need up front yet again. Tomlinson, who turned 32 last month, will try his luck in free agency again. Although the former second-round pick has fared well on the market each time he has tried, his next contract will undoubtedly be a fraction of his previous pacts.
Bills Release Taylor Rapp, Dane Jackson
As Buffalo continues to make room for D.J. Moore‘s contract, the team will release two more veterans. Taylor Rapp and Dane Jackson have been cut, per a team announcement.
The Bills released cornerback Taron Johnson and wideout Curtis Samuel earlier today, confirming those cuts now. Rapp’s release will save the Bills more than $3MM, while Jackson’s exit creates $1.2MM in additional funds.
As Connor Byrne’s Bills Offseason Outlook indicated, Rapp was an expected cut after missing much of last season due to injury. The Bills had retained Rapp — a former second-round Rams draftee — on a two-year, $10.63MM deal. This came on the same day as Buffalo’s initial Jordan Poyer release (in March 2024). Poyer, however, made his way back to Buffalo last year and ended up playing extensively in place of Rapp.
Rapp, 28, underwent knee surgery in October and did not return last season. The Bills used Rapp as a reserve in 2023 — behind the longtime Poyer-Micah Hyde duo — and as a regular starter alongside Damar Hamlin in 2024. A 48-game Rams starter, Rapp started 24 games in Buffalo. While the veteran should draw interest elsewhere, this is a crowded safety market. A host of veteran starters are available, potentially pointing to some needing to accept below-market deals.
Buffalo, which has 2024 second-round safety Cole Bishop under contract for two more seasons, brought Jackson back after the veteran DB spent a season in Carolina. A former Bills seventh-round pick, Jackson only saw action in three games last season.
Rounding up the Bills’ wave of Friday cuts, the earlier Johnson release is expected (per The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia) to be a standard cut as opposed to carrying a post-June 1 designation. The Bills announcing the release effectively confirms Buscaglia’s account, as players designated as post-June 1 cuts cannot officially be jettisoned until March 11.
Vikings C Ryan Kelly To Retire
Two centers who relocated to the NFC North via free agency in 2025 have now retired. Following Drew Dalman‘s Bears exit, Ryan Kelly is calling it quits.
The Vikings center announced Friday he will wrap his playing career after 10 seasons. Nine of those came in Indianapolis. Kelly signed a two-year, $18MM Minnesota deal last March.
While Dalman’s retirement proved shocking due to his age (27), Kelly is leaving the game at 32. The former first-round pick made four Pro Bowls during his time with the Colts, landing an extension in 2020. Kelly played out that deal before trekking to Minnesota. He loomed as a possible Vikings cap casualty. The Vikes imported both Kelly and guard Will Fries from the Colts; they will need a new center in 2026.
Drafted 18th overall out of Alabama in 2016, Kelly began his career blocking for Andrew Luck. While Luck abruptly retired three seasons into Kelly’s career, the talented center became an Indianapolis cornerstone as the franchise cycled through quarterbacks over the next several years.
Although Ryan Grigson drafted Kelly, GM Chris Ballard made him a priority during his tenure. The Colts gave Kelly a four-year, $49.65MM extension before the 2020 season. The Colts locked up Braden Smith and Quenton Nelson over the next two summers, forming a strong O-line core. Kelly was at the heart of it, helping Jonathan Taylor win the 2021 rushing title by more than 500 yards. As Taylor zoomed to first-team All-Pro acclaim, Kelly earned his third Pro Bowl nod.
Kelly’s lone All-Pro honor — a second-team selection — came in 2020, when the Colts made the playoffs during Philip Rivers‘ first stint with the team. Snapping primarily to Carson Wentz in 2021 and Matt Ryan in 2022, Kelly picked up his final Pro Bowl accolade as Gardner Minshew‘s snapper in 2023.
Injuries intervened for the decorated blocker in 2024. A knee malady led Kelly to IR midway through the 2024 season, after he had missed two games earlier in the year. Kelly missed seven contests in 2024. He had expressed interest in a second Colts extension, but the team did not reciprocate. After testing free agency, he joined Fries in being part of Minnesota’s 2025 interior O-line makeover.
The Vikes added Kelly, Fries and first-round guard Donovan Jackson to revamp their O-line around holdover tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. Kelly, though, missed nine games in 2025. He suffered two concussions in three weeks, the second leading the $9MM-per-year Viking to IR. Shut down after Week 4, Kelly returned in 12 but ended up missing Minnesota’s final two games. Last season included three Kelly concussions in total, with ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert indicating he suffered at least three more over the course of his career.
Minnesota, which used both Blake Brandel and Michael Jurgens in place of Kelly last season, had released longtime center Garrett Bradbury in hopes Kelly would play multiple seasons. But the team will instead pick up $8.4MM in cap space. This moves the team near cap compliance, with OverTheCap indicating the Vikings are more than $1MM over as of Friday afternoon.
Texans To Release RB Joe Mixon
Days after agreeing to acquire David Montgomery from the Lions, the Texans are moving on from their previous running back trade pickup. Joe Mixon is out, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Considering Mixon missed all of 2025 with an undisclosed injury, this move was expected. The nine-year veteran’s career may be in jeopardy at this point. Mixon underwent surgery recently; his timetable is unknown. This release will come with a non-football injury designation, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero.
Mixon requested the release, Schefter adds, and the move will save the Texans $8MM in cap space. With Montgomery arriving as a younger option to pair with Woody Marks, Mixon was almost definitely headed out of town regardless of a release request.
The Bengals were close to releasing Mixon in 2024, but the Texans came in with a late trade offer — a seventh-round pick — for the longtime Cincinnati starter. Houston then extended Mixon on a two-year, $19.75MM deal. That contract included $13MM guaranteed at signing, representing a nice landing for the veteran RB after he had accepted a Cincy pay cut in 2023.
The 2024 season — which featured several relocated veterans making impacts at running back — brought success for Mixon, who totaled 1,016 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in 14 games. This earned the former second-round pick a Pro Bowl invite, as the Texans returned to the divisional round. But Mixon’s Houston tenure changed last year, when a foot injury sidelined him ahead of training camp. The Texans placed Mixon on the reserve/NFI list to start the season and never activated him.
It is still not known how or when Mixon suffered the injury, but he was never designated for return from the NFI list. GM Nick Caserio said (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson) Mixon did not sustain the injury away from football activities. Though, landing on the NFI list meant the Oklahoma alum was injured away from official Texans workouts. The injury occurred before the summer, with Mixon in a walking boot last spring. That prompted the Texans to sign Nick Chubb, who played on a one-year, $2.5MM deal.
This saga steadily brought negative updates for Mixon. At first, he was to miss multiple weeks of training camp. He then landed on the reserve/NFI list to mandate a four-game absence. Reports then pegged the former Bengals extension recipient may miss all of 2025. By season’s end, Mixon’s NFL future was viewed as uncertain.
Mixon, who has five 1,000-yard rushing seasons on his resume, pursued nonsurgical options last year, according to Wilson. No disclosure was necessary due to Mixon never appearing on an injury report last year, but Wilson adds the team honored Mixon’s request for privacy regarding the ailment.
Commanders To Re-Sign Treylon Burks
Treylon Burks will have another chance in Washington. Washing out in Tennessee, the former first-round pick has agreed to a second contract with the Commanders.
The fifth-year veteran is signing a one-year deal worth up to $4MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Washington added Burks soon after his Tennessee release and used him as an auxiliary wideout alongside Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel last season.
Catching 10 passes for 130 yards (and one memorable touchdown) in his 2025 stint in Washington, Burks will attempt to continue his bounce-back effort after a disappointing Titans tenure. The Titans waived the Arkansas product from IR via injury settlement in October of last year, and a practice squad opportunity with the Commanders emerged soon after.
Burks made one of last season’s most memorable plays, snagging a one-handed touchdown reception despite tight coverage from Broncos cornerback Riley Moss during a Sunday-night contest in November. That was only Burks’ second NFL touchdown, however. With Samuel a free agent, the Commanders will see how Burks fits in new OC David Blough‘s offense.
Entering the NFL with injury concerns, Burks missed 12 games over his first two seasons and played in just five games in 2024. An ACL tear ended Burks’ 2024 season, and he sustained a broken collarbone during Titans camp last summer. Added with the first-round choice Tennessee acquired from Philadelphia for A.J. Brown, Burks has 63 career receptions for 829 yards. The 225-pound pass catcher is entering his age-26 season.
Ravens, Cowboys, Bears Among Top Maxx Crosby Suitors; Others Still In Play
2:11pm: Mentioned previously as a team to monitor with regards to Crosby, the Bears are still believed to be in the mix. Chicago joins Baltimore and Dallas here, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes. The Bears and Raiders swung the Khalil Mack trade nearly eight years ago, though that was with Ryan Pace and Jon Gruden steering those ships, and Chicago appears interested — despite its Dayo Odeyingbo 2025 signing — in adding an impact edge rusher opposite Montez Sweat.
Las Vegas is believed to have received “multiple strong offers,” according to veteran insider Jordan Schultz. Those teams are waiting on the Raiders, per Schultz, though Jones indicates no trade is imminent.
11:34am: One of the stop storylines around the league remains a situation tied not to upcoming free agency but rather a potential blockbuster trade. Maxx Crosby is still in place for the Raiders as things stand, although that could soon change. 
Recent reports have labeled at least 12 teams as being interested to one extent or another. As the new league year approaches, a shorter list of finalists figures to emerge. On that note, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports the Ravens and Cowboys are among the suitors to watch closely as it pertains to Crosby. Colleague James Palmer adds two other teams in particular are firmly in the mix as well.
Vegas has been linked to an asking price matching what the Cowboys received in the Micah Parsons trade. That would require a pair of first-round picks along with a player heading back to the Raiders. No team has been willing to meet that demand yet, but interest remains very high. SportsBoom’s Jason La Canfora adds Baltimore is currently making a “concerted push” to acquire the five-time Pro Bowler. According to multiple officials La Canfora spoke with, the Ravens are prepared to trade the 14th overall pick in April’s draft along with Day 2 capital in a Crosby trade.
GM Eric DeCosta has made a number of high-profile trades during his tenure, taking that route to acquire the likes of Roquan Smith, Marcus Peters and Calais Campbell over the years. A lack of pass rush production was a major issue for Baltimore in 2025, leaving additions on that front as an obvious offseason priority. Free agency will present DeCosta with a number of possibilities, but the most impactful move possible would of course be a Crosby trade.
The Cowboys have previously been linked to the Raiders standout, so today’s update comes as no surprise. Dallas’ production off the edge in 2025 was hindered by the Parsons trade, and a quartet of incumbent players (Jadeveon Clowney, Sam Williams, Dante Fowler and Payton Turner) are pending free agents. Multiple additions could be coming soon as a result, but none would be more substantial than a swap yielding Crosby.
Owner Jerry Jones has stated an abnormal willingness to be aggressive on the open market. That could of course include one or more big-ticket deals in free agency, and a number of recent restructures has given Dallas a degree of cap flexibility. The Cowboys made a splash on the trade front in November by adding defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, and the Parsons swap has left them with two first-round picks in 2026. Parting with one of them as part of a Crosby package could allow for a high-profile EDGE acquisition to pair with Williams along the interior.
Raiders GM John Spytek offered a public expectation to keep Crosby – who will turn 29 in August and whose contract runs through 2029 – in place when speaking at the Combine. Nevertheless, he is listening to offers. The Ravens and Cowboys (not to mention to remaining finalists) will be worth monitoring over the coming days as Spytek weighs his options.
Eagles Aiming For Pre-Free Agency A.J. Brown Solution; Chargers In Play For WR?
A.J. Brown figures to learn his 2026 destination soon. The Eagles, along with the teams in this trade pursuit, want the matter resolved over the next couple of days, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweets. A few clubs have been connected to the standout wide receiver.
The Bills checked in on Brown before agreeing to acquire D.J. Moore, and the Patriots and Ravens emerged as the most likely destinations. The Chargers are another team looking into this situation, Russini adds. Although the Patriots are still in this mix, they might require a price reduction from the Eagles to make the trade.
New England is an acceptable destination for Brown, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The Pats, though, still view Howie Roseman‘s asking price — believed to be first- and second-round picks — as too steep, The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson notes. Philly is not budging on the price, per Russini. Considering how punitive trading Brown before June 1 would be for the Eagles, it makes sense they are sticking to their guns here.
The Rams were also involved in this derby, per Rapoport, but Russini adds the team has since moved on. Considering Los Angeles is sending one of its two first-rounders to Kansas City for Trent McDuffie, it would seem unlikely — even given the Rams’ history with picks-for-players trades — they will not want to trade more high picks for Brown.
Brown being interested in a Foxborough landing is notable given the Patriots’ failure to sell Brandon Aiyuk on such a path in 2024. Brown, 28, would be reuniting with ex-Titans HC Mike Vrabel in this case. While a report indicated the Patriots may not be ready to make a big trade, the team has been linked to Brown at multiple points. The Pats are releasing Stefon Diggs, creating a glaring need at wide receiver. With Drake Maye on a rookie contract, the Pats have a window to make such a move.
The Chargers have Ladd McConkey tied to rookie terms for at least one more season. The Bolts have a Quentin Johnston fifth-year option decision to make, but it seems unlikely the 2023 first-rounder will see that option exercised. Tre Harris arrived in last year’s second round and would stand to play a bigger role in 2026, as Keenan Allen is unsigned ahead of a potential age-34 season. Brown would obviously step in as the Chargers’ No. 1 playmaker. The Bolts lead the NFL in cap space and could certainly add a $32MM-AAV receiver deal. While they are not expected to be aggressive in free agency, a trade for a marquee wideout would provide a major upgrade for Justin Herbert.
If Brown is still an Eagle next season, he will count an affordable $23.39MM against their salary cap. On the other hand, trading Brown before June 1 would level the Eagles with a 43.45MM dead cap charge, a record for his position. They would also lose $20.12MM in spending room. Brown has not requested a trade, but after a rocky recent past, the sides appear close to separating.