Giants Won’t Move No. 3 Pick For Matthew Stafford; Rams Unwilling To Meet $50MM Asking Price?
The Giants are interested in trading for Matthew Stafford, but the No. 3 pick is (unsurprisingly) off-limits in a potential deal, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic.
New York’s second-round pick (No. 34 overall) would likely be a “starting point” in negotiations with the Rams, per Duggan, though that would also mean that the Giants are willing to meet Stafford’s financial demands.
He reportedly wants $50MM per year, which would represent a 25% increase on the $40MM APY of his current deal. The Rams, for their part, are willing to give Stafford a raise of some sort, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. However, they are not believed to be comfortable giving him the upper-echelon quarterback contract he’s seeking. The Rams clearly didn’t feel comfortable meeting his asking price, which is why they’re allowing Stafford to speak with other teams. He can assess his value and decide if his future is in Los Angeles or elsewhere.
Fowler said that he expects the Steelers and the Giants to explore acquiring Stafford in the coming weeks. Both teams are seeking stability at quarterback after multiple years of turmoil under center, though spending premium draft capital and $50MM per year on Stafford may not be a long-term solution.
Stafford wants his contract situation to be “resolved fairly soon,” per Fowler, who believes the veteran quarterback’s future is still with the Rams. Los Angeles would want to reach an agreement with Stafford as soon as possible to clarify their salary cap picture ahead of free agency.
Long-Term Deal Coming For RG Trey Smith In Kansas City?
An earlier report today discussed how, despite the difficulty the Chiefs would face in adding another eight-figure-per-year deal to their ledger, general manager Brett Veach felt “pretty optimistic” about extending right guard Trey Smith to a long-term deal. An even more recent report from Nate Taylor of The Athletic tell us that there’s “growing optimism” that Kansas City will sign Smith to a five-year deal soon. 
Taylor dropped the news on the Only Weird Games podcast, changing the perspective a bit on the Chiefs’ chances to extend their impressive young guard. Depending on the franchise tag statuses of quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Tee Higgins, Smith has a chance to land one of the largest contracts (per annual average value) in free agency this offseason.
Coming into 2025, the Chiefs already have Patrick Mahomes ($45MM per year), Chris Jones ($31.75MM), Jawaan Taylor ($20MM), Creed Humphrey ($18MM), Joe Thuney ($16MM), and potentially Travis Kelce ($17.13MM) on deals averaging eight figures per year. With three of those big salaries already coming along the offensive line and all but one on the offensive side of the ball, it seemed relatively unlikely that we would see Kansas City dedicate yet another big-money, long-term deal to that particular area of the team. Nevertheless, Taylor seems to be indicating that it’s more likely than we presumed.
Since getting drafted in the sixth round in 2021, Smith has consistently been a top-15 guard in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), grading out as high as the 10th-best guard in the league last year. It took him until this year to be recognized for those efforts, as he earned his first career Pro Bowl invite in 2024, though two Super Bowl rings are probably decent consolation.
We have heard plenty about the Smith situation over the past several months. The Bears have been linked to reuniting him with Ryan Poles, who was on the Chiefs’ staff when they drafted Smith. The Chiefs are not expected to tag the guard, as the position is rarely tagged, due to all offensive linemen being grouped together under the tag formula, meaning that tackles drive up the tag prices for guards. The team will have until 11am CT on March 10 to negotiate exclusively with Smith’s camp. Considering Smith has made it this far, it would take a monster offer to keep him from speaking with other teams.
While the “growing optimism” is surely encouraging, the Chiefs have work to do. It sounds like the groundwork is being laid to establish Smith as the right guard of the future in Kansas City, but they have not crossed the finish line yet. The upcoming NFL Scouting Combine serves as an unofficial tampering period, and the Pro Bowl blocker will probably learn more about who is interested this week while getting an idea of his value. A deal that eclipses Landon Dickerson‘s guard-record extension (four years, $84MM) should be expected, as the cap is again spiking by more than $20MM, and Smith will have the leverage of a tantalizing open market that is sure to reward him handsomely.
Regardless, it seems that things are trending in the right direction for Kansas City to hold on to their talented, consistent, young guard. The sooner they can push this deal across the finish line, the better for the team. Either way, Smith is fast on his way to securing the big bucks and solidifying himself as a household name in the NFL.
Kirk Cousins To Remain Falcons’ QB2
The Falcons are planning to move forward with Kirk Cousins on the roster, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Cousins was tabbed for an offseason release after he was benched for the last three games of the 2024 season. After the season ended, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said that Cousins would remain in Atlanta as the backup quarterback behind Michael Penix.
Fontenot restated those plans at the Combine, adding, “We have to do what’s right for the Falcons,” per D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Cousins’ contract has created a complicated situation in Atlanta. His $27.5MM base salary in 2025 is fully-guaranteed, making a pre-June 1 release almost impossible for the cap-strapped Falcons. A 2026 roster bonus worth $10MM will become fully-guaranteed on March 17, per OverTheCap, which would increase the dead cap hits resulting from a post-June 1 release.
Trading Cousins would allow the Falcons to pass on Cousins’ remaining salary and roster bonuses, but the struggles that led to his benching will likely dissuade any team from giving up draft picks and taking on his contract. Cousins has been linked with the Browns on multiple occasions, but only as a free agent signing, not a trade acquisition.
Cousins’ health also remains a concern. The 36-year-old was noticeably immobile in 2024 after recovering from a torn Achilles the season before. He also suffered injuries to his right shoulder and elbow in Week 10 that contributed to his downturn in play. With such a sizable contract, Cousins is unlikely to draw trade interest until he proves that he can be a healthy, starting-caliber quarterback.
All indications suggest that the Falcons are willing to play out the situation until a more palatable solution presents itself, either via trade or release further down the line. It’s worth noting that the Broncos opted to move on from Russell Wilson – even if it mean absorbing the largest dead cap hit in league history – so that Sean Payton could get a clean start with Bo Nix under center. If Cousins’ continued presence on the roster serves as a distraction, Atlanta may opt for a clean break rather than holding out hope of recouping some value in a trade.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/25/25
Tuesday’s only minor move:
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: RB Lew Nichols
Top Two Teams In Draft Split On Colorado’s Travis Hunter
While the quarterbacks have garnered plenty of attention at the projected top of the 2025 NFL Draft, many recent prospect rankings have Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter as the No. 1 overall prospect, usually joined at the top by two-way Colorado athlete Travis Hunter. If Hunter does end up contending for one of the top two picks in the draft, it could mean two drastically different possibilities for his future in the NFL. 
Hunter was a unicorn at the collegiate level of football. While we’ve seen players in the past like Charles Woodson, Champ Bailey, and Chris Gamble play through college on both sides of the ball full-time, Hunter did so while being a top-four player on his team in snaps played on both offense and defense and while grading out on Pro Football Focus (subscription required) as the best defensive player for the Buffaloes and the second-best offensive player. In the entire nation, Hunter’s 86.3 offensive grade slotted him as the seventh-best receiver in the FBS, while his defensive grade of 88.2 slotted him as the seventh-best cornerback in the country, as well.
His elite, dual-threat athleticism helped Hunter to become the first non-quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy since 2020 (DeVonta Smith) and the first player who played significant snaps on defense to win the award since 1997 (Woodson). In addition, he became the first player in college football history to win both the Chuck Bednarik Award for the nation’s best defensive player and the Fred Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s best wide receiver.
The NFL will be a different story for Hunter, though. In Boulder, coaches knew that, because of the heightened load of playing on both offense and defense on Saturdays, Hunter would need a lightened load in practice during the week. It was also impossible for Hunter to attend both offensive and defensive meetings (as well as broken-down meetings with individual position groups) simultaneously, so he had to budget his time between meetings. Due to the giant learning curve that often accompanies rookies making the jump from college to professional football, that likely won’t fly in the NFL.
So far, the reports we’ve seen coming out of scouting circles have favored Hunter as a cornerback in the NFL who can play in certain packages on offense. This would follow in the footsteps of Woodson, Bailey, and Gamble, who all became defensive backs as pros. Despite the majority seeing this as the probable outcome, there have certainly been a number of teams who are reported to view him as a wide receiver first. It just so happens that one of those teams has the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. Per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, Titans head coach Brian Callahan and general manager Mike Borgonzi view Hunter primarily as a cornerback, while Andrew Berry, general manager in Cleveland, says Hunter is “a unicorn” that they view primarily as a wide receiver.
That means that, if both teams decide to pass up on quarterbacks and Hunter pushes Carter for the honor of top prospect, Hunter’s NFL future could be decided on if he’s selected No. 1 by the Titans as a corner or No. 2 by the Browns as a receiver. After Tennessee spent a third-round pick and a four-year, $76.4MM extension to watch L’Jarius Sneed be one of the worst cornerbacks in football last year, per PFF, the Titans could use a boost in the secondary. Hunter would also be a solid addition to their wide receiving corps, but with Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, he’s not necessarily needed for every possession.
In Cleveland, while Denzel Ward continues to play at a high level, the Browns could certainly use improved performances around him from young guys like Martin Emerson, Greg Newsome, and Cameron Mitchell. On offense, though, Hunter would immediately step in as WR2 behind Jerry Jeudy. With Elijah Moore entering free agency, the Browns next two returning receivers would be Cedric Tillman (339 yards, three touchdowns) and Michael Woods (65 yards, no touchdowns).
On both teams, it’s clear Hunter could provide a massive improvement to either side of the ball, and perhaps on both sides of the ball, if either team is willing to work him there. The difference between Tennessee’s and Berry’s assessments seems to do less with roster needs and more with personal analysis. While the quarterbacks are sure to keep things interesting atop the first few picks of the draft, if Carter and Hunter end up trending around Nos. 1 and 2, it will be interesting to see exactly how the chips fall and what it will mean for Hunter’s professional career.
Broncos To Discuss Courtland Sutton Extension; Team Not Interested In Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel?
Courtland Sutton has now put together back-to-back quality seasons. After helping Russell Wilson rebound from a disastrous 2022 with a 10-touchdown 2023, the Broncos’ top wide receiver aided Bo Nix to boost the team’s playoff chances.
Sutton’s second career 1,000-yard season performed heavy lifting in Denver’s journey to a 10-7 record and first playoff berth in nine years. The veteran wide receiver remains tied to the $15MM-per-year extension he signed during the 2021 season. On one hand, Sutton secured a reasonable deal for a player with his accomplishments at the time. On the other, he tied himself down as multiple market booms transformed the position’s salary landscape.
That four-year, $60MM pact is up after the 2025 season. The Broncos were believed to have made this offseason the point they would discuss new terms with Sutton, after only agreeing to a minor incentive package in 2024. The talented receiver/trade-rumor mainstay is on the team’s extension radar, though it does not seem likely a new deal emerges soon within days or weeks.
“[GM] George [Paton] and I were just talking about it. Those discussions will take place [between] George, Courtland’s [agent],” Sean Payton said (via 9News’ Mike Klis). “We felt he had a real good season; he’s important to what we’re doing. So all of that will happen in time and I don’t think now’s the time.”
Paton did say he will meet with Sutton’s agent at the Combine. Sutton, 29, has made the interesting transition from a player thrown into trade rumors at just about every trade window between the 2022 and ’24 deadlines — these cycles including the Broncos declining a 49ers third-round pick — to one the Broncos are again ready to build around. After unloading Jerry Jeudy and Tim Patrick last year, Denver has Sutton still in place from the John Elway era. While Jeudy did re-emerge (particularly in a monster revenge performance in Denver) with a solid season after being traded, the Broncos saw Sutton post 1,081 receiving yards and eight TDs in 2024. The 6-foot-4 target played the lead role in Nix throwing the second-most TD passes (29) by a rookie in NFL history.
Among active WR deals, Sutton ranks 22nd in AAV. He is due a nonguaranteed $13.5MM, an amount Sutton and his agent have informed the Broncos (via Klis) will be untenable for 2025. While the Broncos have some time to resolve this matter, augmenting their skill-position corps around their WR1 will be a near-future task.
Even if the seven-year vet is retained on a deal more in line with today’s market, the Broncos have questions at receiver. Two-for-two in first-team All-Pro nods as a return man, Marvin Mims has slowly made progress on offense. The team also saw sporadic production from rookies Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin, but it can be argued the Broncos are in need of another piece. Payton, however, pointed to a tight end being a higher priority compared to receiver. Today brought more in that direction.
The Broncos are not believed to be interested in Cooper Kupp or Deebo Samuel in trades, the Denver Post’s Troy Renck adds. Both NFC West standouts are not expected back with their respective teams, but the Rams and 49ers also have been linked to potentially cutting the All-Pros. This would open the door for receiver-needy teams and potentially affect the lot of veteran free agents at the position.
Samuel would be closer to what Payton seeks in his perpetual quest to add a “joker” performer to his offense. Denver lacked reliable pass catchers at running back and tight end last season. Samuel profiles as an inside playmaker, albeit an injury-prone one coming off a down season. He amassed just 670 receiving yards in 15 games and has frequently battled short-term injuries; a more serious Jones fracture is also on Samuel’s medical sheet. Making his name as a slot ace, Kupp has also seen injuries hamper him since his triple-crown season in 2021.
Options will be available to the Broncos in free agency, as Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs and Keenan Allen are all high-end route runners out of contract. Diontae Johnson also profiles as such, but he burned plenty of bridges (while torpedoing his value) during a turbulent 2024. The draft will also be an avenue for the Broncos to add a piece at receiver, as the team searches for RB and TE upgrades as well.
Chargers Hope To Re-Sign Khalil Mack; Team Open To Retaining Joey Bosa
Khalil Mack‘s career will include at least one more season, but it remains to be seen where he will play in 2025. The former Defensive Player of the Year is on track for his first trip to free agency. 
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Mack has spent the past three year with the Chargers, collecting a Pro Bowl nod each time in that span. That brings his career total to nine, and even at the age of 34 a notable market could therefore exist in free agency. The Bolts want to work out a new deal with Mack before the new league year begins, though, something general manager Joe Hortiz spoke about on Tuesday.
“Khalil has never been a free agent in his life and so it might be something where Khalil wants to just say, ‘Hey, I was a free agent, I did it and I came back to LA,'” Hortiz said (via ESPN’s Kris Rhim). ” If it gets to that, that’s my hope.”
During the 2024 offseason – his first as a general manager – Hortiz was tasked with sorting out the Chargers’ cap situation. That was accomplished in large part by the release of Mike Williams and the trade which sent fellow receiver Keenan Allen to the Bears. Instead of moving on from Mack and/or Joey Bosa, Hortiz kept both of the team’s top edge rushers in place on restructured deals.
As a result, Bosa is set to carry a $36.47MM cap charge in 2025. A release would yield considerable cap savings in the case of the pending 2026 free agent, which is why many have pointed to that being a feasible move on the Chargers’ part. Hortiz said, however, he views it as “realistic” for Los Angeles to keep the oft-injured Pro Bowler on his contract as currently constructed (h/t Rhim).
Bosa played 14 games last year, a positive step after he was limited to five in 2022 and nine the following year. The former Defensive Rookie of the Year has spent his entire nine-year career with the Chargers, and Hortiz is clearly open to allowing him to continue on with the organization. If that proves to be the case with Mack being re-signed, the team will have veteran continuity along the edge in 2025.
Bengals To Add Sean Desai To Staff
After a quick demotion from his role as Eagles defensive coordinator, Sean Desai resurfaced in Los Angeles on Sean McVay‘s staff. The veteran defensive coach is now on his way to a fifth team in five years.
The two-time DC is expected to join the Bengals’ staff, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. This will mark a reunion for Desai and new Cincinnati DC Al Golden. The two worked together on Golden’s Miami Hurricanes staff in 2011. Desai served as the Hurricanes’ assistant director of football ops that year.
Desai has seen both his NFL DC stops end after one season. The Vic Fangio disciple succeeded Chuck Pagano as Bears DC in 2021, and while the team had some success on that side of the ball that season, Matt Nagy being fired scattered his staff as well. The Bears ranked sixth in total defense that year, despite Khalil Mack going down midseason with a foot injury. Robert Quinn proceeded to break Richard Dent‘s single-season franchise sack record, totaling 18.5.
Following a one-off with the Seahawks in 2022, Desai landed the Eagles’ DC job. Philly looked to have had Fangio in mind to take over, but timing involving the clunky Jonathan Gannon exit scuttled that. As Fangio proved out of place in Miami, Desai did not succeed in Philly. Nick Sirianni stripped Desai of play-calling responsibilities as the Eagles’ defense struggled to match its 2022 form, leading to Matt Patricia being elevated. Patricia could not stop the bleeding, and the two staffers oversaw a collapse that ended with a Buccaneers runaway wild-card win.
As the Eagles’ belated Fangio hire produced a Super Bowl LIX romp, Desai spent the year as a Rams senior defensive assistant. This Bengals gig will be Desai’s third senior assistant-type role in four years, as he was not assigned to a specific position in Seattle, either. But Desai will bring considerable experience to Golden’s staff. The 41-year-old staffer has been in the NFL since 2013.
Panthers Conducting Extension Talks With Jaycee Horn; Team Communicating With Austin Corbett, Cade Mays
Jaycee Horn is known to be high on the Panthers’ financial to-do list. To no surprise, efforts to work out an extension are underway. 
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Second-year general manager Dan Morgan said on Tuesday (via Joe Person of The Athletic) the Panthers are engaged in talks on a new Horn contract. The former No. 8 pick is currently set to play out his fifth-year option for $12.47MM in 2025. A multi-year accord will check in at a higher rate.
Horn was limited to only three games as a rookie, and he made just six appearances during the 2023 campaign. In his two other Carolina seasons, though, he managed to serve as a full-time starter on a team which has been lacking in impact defenders. The South Carolina product earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2024 after posting 13 pass deflections and a pair of sacks.
While Horn’s coverage statistics included career-worst figures in touchdowns (six) and passer rating (92.7) allowed last year, he is a strong candidate for a lucrative pact provided the Panthers are confident he can remain healthy. Less proven options are on track to fill other roles in the secondary, but Horn (25) can be retained through his prime on a new pact. While the top of the cornerback market – which includes five players averaging at least $20.1MM per season – should not be in reach, a notable second contract will be in play if the sides can make progress in the near future.
As for the Panthers’ offensive line, Morgan and Co. have a number of key decisions to make. Longtime right tackle Taylor Moton is entering the final year of his contract, and none of his $14.3MM roster bonus is guaranteed. The eight-year veteran is slated to carry a cap charge of $31MM, but Morgan noted the team could be willing to keep that figure as is. With a $3MM roster bonus due next month, a restructure or extension could nevertheless be worked out.
Carolina also has to sort out the futures of pending free agents Austin Corbett and Cade Mays. The former recently had his void date pushed back to buy team and player more time to negotiate. Morgan noted (via Person) talks are ongoing with Corbett, who has operated as a starter in Carolina but has been limited to just nine games across the past two years. Mays represents a replacement candidate at center, but as a pending restricted free agent the Panthers will need to work out an extension or commit to a tender shortly. It will be interesting to see how talks go in his case, with the same being true for Horn and the Panthers’ other top priorities in the coming days.
Jason Peters Expected To Retire, Join Seahawks’ Staff
Jason Peters was unable to see any game action during his age-42 season, but the decorated veteran was still in the NFL as a member of the Seahawks’ practice squad. His next gig is not expected to be as a player, which stands to bring an end to one of this era’s best O-line careers.
The Seahawks are hiring Peters to a full-time staff position, GM John Schneider said, with the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta indicating the 21-year veteran’s title will come under the player-engagement umbrella. But Peters will work with the Seahawks’ O-linemen. While this would not slam the door on an emergency return, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds a retirement is expected. Peters turned 43 in January.
Although Peters only saw game action in 19 seasons, he was in the league for 21. He missed the 2012 season due to two Achilles ruptures and did not move up to Seattle’s active roster in 2024. Regardless, Peters is expected to walk away after playing in 248 games. While 61 players reside above Peters on the all-time games-played list, few of them are offensive linemen. Among pure O-linemen, only four (Bruce Matthews, Ray Brown, Jackie Slater and Mike Kenn) played in more games. Peters will be expected to join Slater and Matthews in the Hall of Fame.
A nine-time Pro Bowler, Peters forged a Canton path despite being passed over in the 2004 draft. The former Bills UDFA will be best remembered for his time with the Eagles, whom he helped win a Super Bowl. Peters did not play in Super Bowl LII, having suffered ACL and MCL tears, but opened that season as the team’s left tackle starter. Peters booked both his first-team All-Pro nods (2011, 2013) with Philly and made his final Pro Bowl (2016) during Carson Wentz‘s rookie season.
The Eagles initially acquired Peters in 2009, Donovan McNabb‘s final season. Peters is experienced enough he signed with the Bills during Drew Bledsoe‘s time as the team’s starting QB. Peters moved into Buffalo’s starting lineup at right tackle in 2005. His first full season as a left tackle, 2007, produced a second-team All-Pro honor. Peters had signed a midlevel extension — a four-year, $16.1MM deal — in 2006, but as he picked up a second All-Pro accolade, an impasse on a third contract formed.
Peters did not report to Bills training camp on time in 2008, and while he eventually showed, a trade commenced after that season. The Eagles traded first-, fourth- and sixth-round picks to the Bills for Peters, who landed a four-year extension worth $51.45MM before his first Philadelphia season. Peters then spent the next 12 seasons with the Eagles, agreeing to four more contracts to stay with the team. Peters helped Michael Vick to the Pro Bowl, and joined future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce and then-rookie Lane Johnson in boosting LeSean McCoy to the 2013 rushing title. As the Eagles retooled around Wentz, they had Peters as an upper-crust blindside blocker.
Peters’ final seasons took on an Adrian Peterson-like arc, as the veteran blocker stopped through three teams in three years. The Bears used him as an emergency LT, as Teven Jenkins sustained a back injury before the 2021 season. After 15 starts for that Bears squad, Peters came to Dallas after Tyron Smith‘s season-defining hamstring injury sustained in training camp. Working more in a backup capacity (including some guard time) that year, Peters made his last stop in Seattle. He played in eight games and made two starts for a Seahawks team dealing with RT Abraham Lucas‘ injury trouble.
No pure NFL O-lineman has seen action in a 21st season, but Peters came closest. The Seahawks signed him to their practice squad in October, as Lucas and veteran George Fant dealt with injuries, doing so despite having changed coaching staffs. The Mike Macdonald-led group will keep the veteran around as a mentor.
If this is it for Peters, he will retire with nine Pro Bowl invites and six All-Pro honors. He joined Smith as an All-Decade-teamer for the 2010s. He earned $119.9MM during his 21-year run. It will be interesting to see if the Arkansas alum moves up the coaching ladder in the coming years.