Bears Release LB Amen Ogbongbemiga
The Bears have released linebacker and special teamer Amen Ogbongbemiga, Courtney Cronin of ESPN reports. The 27-year-old will head to free agency early.
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The Nigerian-born Ogbongbemiga began his NFL career as an undrafted rookie with the Chargers in 2021. He made their roster that year and went on to appear in 15 games. Ogbongbemiga logged two starts along the way, but with 110 defensive snaps, the Oklahoma State product made a limited impact in that area.
With 260 special teams snaps, Ogbongbemiga played a far bigger role in that phase in his first season. That has remained the case throughout his five-year career.
After two more seasons working almost exclusively on special teams in Los Angeles, Ogbongbemiga signed with Chicago in March 2024. His 83.75% ST snap share ranked third on the Bears, leading general manager Ryan Poles to retain Ogbongbemiga on a two-year, $5MM deal last March.
The investment didn’t pay off for Chicago, which sent Ogbongbemiga to IR with a knee injury before the season. He wound up sitting out the first nine weeks of 2025. After the Bears activated him in early November, Ogbongbemiga went on to total 215 snaps (133 on special teams, 82 on defense) and 17 tackles in eight games. The 226-pounder also logged one start, his first since his rookie campaign.
The Bears entered Thursday $5.3MM over the salary cap (via OverTheCap). In moving on from Ogbongbemiga, they’ve freed up $2.07MM at the cost of just $375K in dead money.
Rashid Shaheed ‘Would Love’ To Re-Sign With Seahawks
As the Saints’ offensive coordinator in 2024, Klint Kubiak coached Rashid Shaheed during an injury-limited season for the wide receiver. Kubiak left to take the same job with the Seahawks last year, but he and Shaheed reunited at the Nov. 4 trade deadline. Then 6-2 and seeking a field-stretching receiver/returner, the Seahawks sent a 2026 fourth- and fifth-round pick to the Saints for the speedy Shaheed.
Shaheed, who never caught more than 46 passes in a season from 2022-24, had already totaled 44 through nine games when the Seahawks acquired him. With 499 yards, he was also on pace to surpass the career-best 719 he notched in 2013. However, Shaheed’s offensive production dipped as a member of the Seahawks, with whom he caught 15 passes for 188 yards and no touchdowns in six regular-season games.
While Shaheed joined the Seahawks with a pair of touchdown catches, he didn’t add to that total after the trade. But the 6-foot, 180-pounder made up for it with three return TDs, including a crucial 58-yard runback against the NFC West rival Rams in Week 16.
The Seahawks trailed 30-14 when Shaheed lined up to catch the punt. His return set the wheels in motion on a furious comeback that led to a 38-37 win. It also played a major role in Seattle securing a division title. The Seahawks, who improved to 12-3 that night, finished 14-3 to earn the No. 1 seed in the conference.
Shaheed did not make a huge impact as a receiver during a three-game postseason in which he caught three of 10 targets for 78 yards. However, he set the tone in taking the opening kickoff to the house in a 41-6 blowout of the 49ers in the divisional round. That began a triumphant Seattle playoff run which culminated in a 29-13 victory over New England in Super Bowl LX.
Thanks to his blend of offensive and special teams skills, the 27-year-old Shaheed is on track to earn a significant raise in free agency next month. Kubiak is now gone, having taken the Raiders’ head coaching job, but Shaheed told NFL Network that he wants to “run it back” with the reigning champions (via Eric Edholm of NFL.com).
“Conversations are definitely going to be heating up towards March,” Shaheed said. “But you know, I would love to come back. I loved my experience here, I’m loving the Pacific Northwest, and obviously the organization is second to none.”
With a little under $62MM in salary cap space (via OverTheCap), the Seahawks have ample breathing room as free agency approaches. That could increase the odds of re-signing Shaheed, though general manager John Schneider also has decisions to make on several other important free agents-to-be.
Super Bowl MVP-winning running back Kenneth Walker III joins Shaheed as a high-profile offensive contributor without a contract. On the other side of the ball, key defensive backs Coby Bryant, Josh Jobe and Riq Woolen are all unsigned. The Seahawks are unlikely to retain all five of those players, which could lead to Shaheed exiting for a pay raise someplace else.
Broncos Set To Hire Ronald Curry As Wide Receivers Coach
Ronald Curry was on Buffalo’s staff for the last two seasons, but the 46-year-old has spent a sizable portion of his coaching career with Denver’s Sean Payton. After Curry and Payton worked together in New Orleans from 2016-21, they’re set to reunite next season. Curry is expected to take over as the Broncos’ wide receivers coach, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reports.
This would represent a role change for Curry, the Bills’ quarterbacks coach from 2024-25. Josh Allen won an MVP during that span, but it wasn’t enough for the Bills to retain Curry this offseason. A divisional-round loss to the Broncos convinced the Bills to fire head coach Sean McDermott and promote offensive coordinator Joe Brady as his replacement. Curry was on Brady’s offensive staff for both years in Buffalo, and the two were also Saints assistants together from 2017-18.
Despite his familiarity with Curry, Brady brought in a new face, Bo Hardegree, as his QBs coach. A few days before that, the Jets and Broncos interviewed Curry for their offensive coordinator jobs. The Jets wound up hiring Frank Reich, while the Broncos made the slam-dunk decision to promote Davis Webb from QBs coach/pass-game coordinator.
The Broncos are now poised to add an experienced Payton assistant and a former NFL receiver to Webb’s offensive staff. Curry, a former basketball player and QB at North Carolina, was a Raiders wideout who hit the 50-catch mark three times from 2002-08.
Curry’s career as an NFL coach began in 2014 as an offensive assistant in San Francisco, where he worked for two years. He went on to wear many hats with the Saints over eight seasons, five of which he spent with Payton. Curry was an offensive assistant for two years, a receivers coach for three, a QBs coach for three and a pass-game coordinator for two.
In rejoining Payton in Denver, Curry will replace fired receivers coach Keary Colbert. He’ll take charge of a group of wideouts featuring Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant and Marvin Mims. That’s a respectable quartet, but as PFR’s Sam Robinson wrote in his Broncos Offseason Outlook, the team could still explore receiver upgrades in the coming months.
Colts Expected To Re-Sign Daniel Jones
After a turbulent six-year run with the Giants, Colts quarterback Daniel Jones‘ resurgence was one of the NFL’s pleasant surprises during last season’s first three months. Jones guided the Colts to an 8-4 record through his first 12 starts, but a torn Achilles in a Week 14 loss to the Jaguars ruined his season and helped sink his team.
Season-ending injuries to Jones and backup Anthony Richardson left the Colts desperate enough to bring 44-year-old Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist Philip Rivers out of retirement. While that made for a fun story, the Colts did not win another game.
Indianapolis was in the catbird seat for a playoff spot for a large portion of 2025, but the team is now reeling from a second straight 8-9 finish. The Colts’ playoff drought climbed to five years during their second-half collapse. To make matters worse, the Colts do not have a first-round pick until 2028 (then 7-2, they traded their next two No. 1s to the Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner) or an established starting quarterback under contract.
Jones is scheduled to reach the free agent market next month, but there is mutual interest in a second Colts deal. The two sides are expected to commence negotiations soon (if they haven’t already). Among teams chasing quarterbacks, there is “growing consensus” Jones will stay in Indianapolis, Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom reports.
“Jones is going back to the Colts. It makes too much sense not to happen,” one general manager told La Canfora.
The fact that Jones is just two-plus months removed from an Achilles tear increases the likelihood of remaining with the Colts, per La Canfora. The belief is that it would make plenty of sense for Jones to re-up with the Colts and recuperate in a familiar setting. Otherwise, in going elsewhere, he’d add the burdensome task of learning a new offense to an arduous recovery process.
Regardless of whether Jones sticks with the Colts, a substantial raise over last year’s $14MM deal is in order despite an inconsistent career and his recent injury. Considering the Colts and other teams are starved for a starting signal-caller, the 28-year-old is a candidate for the franchise tag (worth a projected $47.32MM) or another large contract.
With his stock then on the rise in New York, Jones secured a four-year, $160MM extension in March 2023. It was a disastrous decision by the Giants, who went on to cut Jones in November 2024. He finished the season as a Vikings backup before signing with the Colts in free agency. Jones was a buy-low pickup then, but a year later, he likely has more earning potential than any other pending free agent QB.
While the Colts expect Jones to bounce back from his injury by training camp, there is skepticism GM Chris Ballard will tag him by the March 3 deadline.
“Ballard was going to put the (franchise) tag on him if he didn’t get hurt,” another GM informed La Canfora. “Everybody knew that. Now he can keep him without tagging him.”
If that’s the case, Jones’ next Colts pact would “likely” be incentive-laden, according to La Canfora. Should the Colts work something out with Jones before March 3, it may enable them to tag one of his key weapons, wide receiver Alec Pierce, at a lesser cost (a projected $28.82MM).
Jones formed a nice rapport with Pierce, a soon-to-be free agent who has led the league in yards per catch two years in a row. Despite just 47 receptions, the field-stretching Pierce posted his first 1,000-yard season in 2025. If the Colts don’t franchise Pierce in the next two weeks, it would set up the 2022 second-rounder to reel in a much more valuable deal than the four-year rookie contract he just finished.
Raiders Add Travis Smith, Rick Dennison To Coaching Staff
FEBRUARY 19: The Raiders confirmed on Thursday that Dennison’s title will be offensive line coach, to little surprise.
FEBRUARY 16: The Raiders hired Travis Smith to be their defensive line coach under new head coach Klint Kubiak, per a team announcement.
Smith is returning to Las Vegas after three years in Chicago (defensive line coach) and one in Tennessee (defensive run game coordinator). He was announced as the Titans’ senior defensive assistant/pass rush specialist on Robert Saleh‘s staff, but is instead opting to reunite with the Raiders, for whom he coached from 2012 to 2021. He served in a variety of roles on the defensive side of the ball and worked closely with Maxx Crosby at the beginning of his career.
Also joining Kubiak’s staff is Rick Dennison, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Dennison, 67, has spent the last three decades coaching in the NFL, primarily working with offensive linemen with coordinator stints in Denver, Houston, and Buffalo. He and Kubiak have worked together since 2016, Dennison’s last year as the Broncos’ OC and Kubiak’s first as an offensive assistant.
The two then overlapped in Minnesota from 2019 to 2021, after which Dennison stepped away from coaching. He returned to the NFL in 2024 to join Kubiak’s offensive staff in New Orleans as a senior assistant and followed him to Seattle last year. Dennison then served as the Seahawks’ run game coordinator/senior offensive advisor in 2025 and will now join the Raiders in a yet-to-be announced role.
Kubiak is still looking to fill the quarterbacks coach position on his staff, and Vikings asst. OC/asst. QBs coach Jordan Traylor is a candidate for the job, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. He previously worked under Kubiak in New Orleans in 2024, on the same staff as Dennison and now-Raiders OC Andrew Janocko.
Cardinals Undecided On QB Kyler Murray’s Future
New Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur is in the process of finalizing his coaching staff. He and the rest of the team’s decision-makers also have to arrive at a decision shortly on Arizona’s approach at the quarterback spot. 
Kyler Murray is already guaranteed $36.8MM in compensation for the coming season. He is scheduled to see $19.5MM vest in the form of his 2027 base salary on the fifth day of the new league year, a point which is fast approaching. Clarity on Murray’s status will no doubt emerge before then, but for now the Cardinals are still weighing their options.
“Just like everything else on the roster, open conversations in this building,” LaFleur said when speaking to the media about Murray’s situation (via team reporter Darren Urban). “No timeframe on that.”
Keeping Murray in the fold for 2026 has been mentioned as a possibility, but a parting of ways would not come as a surprise to many. Arizona is expected to pursue a trade of the former No. 1 pick. Of course, the list of suitors willing to take on the remainder of his contract could prove to be rather short. The Cardinals could then decide to cut Murray and allow him to find his next team via free agency.
The most recent reporting on the matter pointed to a release being the likeliest outcome. Cutting Murray with a post-June 1 designation would create over $5MM in cap space but still leave the Cardinals with a massive dead money charge to be split between the next two seasons. With most of his 2026 earnings already accounted for, Murray would represent an attractive option for suitors on the open market. The 28-year-old could be added on a low-cost deal while looking to rebuild his stock in a new setting.
With free agency lacking in clear-cut QB1 candidates and this year’s draft class not held in high regard, Murray could generate a notable market in the event his seven-year Cardinals career were to come to an end shortly. Jacoby Brissett is on the books for next season, but Arizona would be required to add at least one passer this offseason if a Murray departure were to take place. As free agency draws nearer, the Cardinals will remain a team to watch closely.
Raiders’ No. 1 Pick ‘Virtually Unattainable’
Since the NFL/AFL merger in 1967, 13 teams have traded out of the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The Raiders, owners of the No. 1 choice this year, will not add to the total. To no surprise, the Raiders plan on using the pick, which is “virtually unattainable,” per Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom.
The Silver and Black prevailed over the Giants in a late-season chess match to finish last. The Raiders secured the selection after shutting down their two best players, defensive end Maxx Crosby and tight end Brock Browers, ahead of a Week 17 matchup with the Giants. While it didn’t go over well with Crosby, now the subject of ongoing trade rumors, the Raiders locked up last place with a 34-10 loss.
Had the Giants fallen to the Raiders and ended the season 32nd, a trade involving the No. 1 pick may have been more realistic. After all, the Giants are optimistic they have an answer at quarterback in 2025 first-rounder Jaxson Dart.
With Dart in tow, the Giants would have been in prime position to receive a haul for No. 1 overall. The same is true of the Raiders, but unlike the Giants, they are in dire need of a prized young quarterback. They are certain to take Indiana Heisman Trophy winner and national champion Fernando Mendoza with their pick.
If this year’s class featured other high-end QB prospects, perhaps the Raiders would entertain moving down. But there is no surefire first-round passer available beyond Mendoza. Arch Manning returning to Texas and Dante Moore staying at Oregon no doubt crushed some QB-starved teams’ hopes.
With Manning and Moore putting off the NFL for another year, Raiders part-owner Tom Brady – arguably the greatest QB of all-time – is dead set on Mendoza.
“You aren’t getting that pick from Brady,” a GM in the market for QB help told La Canfora.
In 2020, with LSU’s Joe Burrow looking like a generational prospect, the Dolphins reportedly offered the Bengals four first-rounders for No. 1. That wasn’t enough for the Bengals to pass on Burrow, who has lived up to the hype when healthy.
On the possibility of a similar offer for Mendoza, a GM said to La Canfora: “Is somebody going to throw three ones (first-round picks) at them to draft the kid from Indiana? That’s not going to happen. They’re drafting the quarterback.”
Mendoza is a strong prospect, but he isn’t on the level Burrow was when the latter was on his way to the pros. With that in mind, it’s unlikely another team would mortgage the future for Mendoza in the way the Dolphins would have for Burrow.
When Mendoza’s move to Las Vegas becomes official in April, he’ll form an enticing duo with rookie head coach Klint Kubiak. The Raiders are understandably eager to pair Mendoza with Kubiak, whom they hired after he won Super Bowl LX as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator last season.
Offseason Outlook: Miami Dolphins
During an offseason in which several head coaches were held responsible for organizational shortcomings while general managers retained their jobs, the Dolphins were the rare team to start fresh. Despite initially giving Mike McDaniel some input in the team's GM search, the Dolphins canned their four-year HC and will reboot around Packers staffers.
Miami brought in Green Bay exec Jon-Eric Sullivan, who hired two-year Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to succeed McDaniel. Sullivan inherits a quarterback quandary, thanks to ousted GM Chris Grier's ill-advised Tua Tagovailoa extension. The Dolphins are staring at a record-setting dead money number. Were the team to keep Tagovailoa for one more season, a 2027 breakup would be much easier. As it stands, a 2026 separation looks like where this is headed. And it will overshadow Miami's first Sullivan-Hafley offseason.
Coaching/front office:
- Fired head coach Mike McDaniel
- Hired Jeff Hafley as HC replacement
- Hired Jon-Eric Sullivan as general manager
- Promoted senior pass-game coordinator Bobby Slowik to OC
- Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver became Ravens' DC
- Hired Sean Duggan a DC replacement
- Hired Kyle Smith as assistant GM, Chris Tabor as special teams coordinator
- Added Kevin Patullo as pass-game coordinator
- QBs coach hire Nathaniel Hackett became Cardinals' OC; Bush Hamdan named replacement
- Defensive pass-game coordinator Brian Duker became Jets' DC
- Retained defensive pass-game coordinator Joe Barry
- Added Ladell Betts as RBs coach, Tyke Tolbert as WRs coach
Reporting shifted in the wake of Grier's Halloween firing. McDaniel appeared to have done enough to retain his job for a fifth season. The Dolphins won four straight games to reach 6-7 and the fringes of the wild-card race. This included an upset win over the Bills. But an ugly showing in Pittsburgh on a Monday night brought big-picture changes.
Chiefs’ Rashee Rice Accused Of Domestic Violence In Civil Suit
Domestic violence allegations against Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice surfaced in early January. A month and a half later, accuser Dacoda Jones – Rice’s ex-girlfriend – filed a civil lawsuit against him in a Dallas court on Monday, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports. She is seeking more than $1MM from Rice.
According to the alleged victim, Rice repeatedly assaulted her between December 2023 and July 2025. Last month, she displayed photos of injuries that Rice allegedly inflicted on her. Jones, who has two children with Rice, claims most of the alleged abuse occurred when she was pregnant. Accusations first emerged last month.
“Rice has grabbed, choked, strangled, pushed, thrown, scratched, hit, and headbutted Ms. Jones, as well as hit her with inanimate objects,” the lawsuit says (via Michael Rothstein and Nate Taylor of ESPN).
In response, Rice’s attorney Sean Lindsay stated (via Adam Schefter of ESPN): “On October 9th, 2025, well after the parties’ relationship had ended, Ms. Jones stated under penalty of perjury in a sworn Affidavit for a Non-Prosecution that ‘Mr. Rice and I had a verbal argument, but he did not punch me.’ We will allow the legal process to run its course and have no further comment at this time.”
In a statement of their own, the Chiefs said, “The club is aware [of the lawsuit] and remains in communication with the National Football League.”
The NFL, which began investigating Jones’ claims last month, said Wednesday that “the matter remains under review.” It’s unclear if the league will discipline Rice in this instance, but it has already handed him one suspension in his three-year career. Rice served a six-game ban to open last season stemming from a hit-and-run crash in Dallas in March 2024. Rice, then facing eight felony counts, turned himself in a week and a half later.
After pleading guilty to felony collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury, Rice was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years’ probation. He was also ordered to pay $115K to the injured victims.
In May 2024, mere weeks after Rice’s street-racing incident, he was the subject of an investigation for alleged assault on a photographer. The accuser did not press charges, but it continued a disturbing trend of off-field problems dating to Rice’s time at SMU.
During the 2023 pre-draft process, NFL teams became aware of an alleged incident in which Rice or a member of his party fired multiple shots into an empty car belonging to a member of SMU’s basketball team. It wasn’t enough to prevent the Chiefs from using the 55th pick in the draft on Rice, who has been an important cog in their offense when available.
Rice played a 16-game rookie season and helped the Chiefs to a Super Bowl title, but he has combined for just 12 appearances since then. An LCL tear limited Rice to four games in 2024, and he had nine absences last season as a result of his suspension and a concussion. He’s on track to play the final year of his rookie contract in 2026.
Dolphins Could Pursue Jimmy Garoppolo
After six up-and-down years with the Dolphins, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will likely exit Miami in the near future. Releasing or trading Tagovailoa would put the Dolphins in position to add another veteran passer this offseason.
Packers backup Malik Willis is a rumored target, but the Dolphins are at a disadvantage in cap space (a projected $3.18MM, per OverTheCap) compared to other teams that may chase him. Rams reserve Jimmy Garoppolo, who should come at a much lower price than Willis, is also a name to watch for the Dolphins, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.
The 34-year-old Garoppolo spent the past two seasons behind 2025 MVP winner Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles. After starting one game in 2024, Garoppolo didn’t attempt a pass in three appearances last season. A crack at playing time in Miami, where Garoppolo would presumably compete with 2025 seventh-rounder Quinn Ewers, may entice the 12-year veteran.
Since beginning his career as a Patriots second-rounder in 2014, Garoppolo – once considered the heir apparent to Tom Brady – has played for four teams and accumulated 64 starts. His most recent attempt as a full-time starter came with the 2023 Raiders, who erred in handing him a three-year, $67.5MM deal in free agency that March. Eight months later, after Garoppolo performed poorly over six starts, the Raiders benched him for Aidan O’Connell in November. They released Garoppolo during the ensuing offseason.
Garoppolo’s Las Vegas stint did not go according to plan, but he was in position to land his expensive contract after enjoying success with the 49ers from 2017-22. In 2019, a career year, Garoppolo completed 69.1% of passes and threw for 3,978 yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The 49ers went 13-3 in the regular season and advanced to Super Bowl LIV, but they lost 31-20 to the Chiefs.
As PFR’s Sam Robinson noted in his Dolphins Offseason Outlook, new head coach Jeff Hafley and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik overlapped with Garoppolo in San Francisco. As the defensive backs coach from 2016-18, Hafley was on the other side of the ball. But Slowik worked closely with Garoppolo as an offensive assistant/pass-game specialist/pass-game coordinator from 2019-22. If the Dolphins are merely looking for an inexpensive stopgap to replace Tagovailoa, we could see Garoppolo reunite with Hafley and Slowik in 2026.