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.
Seahawks To Begin Geno Smith Extension Talks
Geno Smith was unable to secure a Seahawks extension last offseason, but he is still firmly in the team’s plans for 2025 and beyond. Talks on a new pact are set to commence. 
When speaking to the media on Tuesday, general manager John Schneider said (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times) the Seahawks will begin negotiation on an extension this week. He added no firm deadline is in place but repeated the organization’s stance that having Smith under center now and in the future is still a priority. One year remains on the veteran’s current contract.
Smith is owed $25MM in 2025 as things stand, though – a mark well below the market for veteran starters. His cap hit of $44.5MM is also a cumbersome figure for a Seahawks team which is among those slated to be over the projected cap once the new league year begins in March. A multi-year commitment in the 34-year-old will carry risks for Seattle, of course, but he has posted a winning record during each of his three full seasons as the team’s starter.
Head coach Mike Macdonald has made it clear he wants Smith to remain in place for 2025 and beyond, and a report from the Super Bowl indicated a new arrangement (through a restructure or an extension) could be expected. During Seattle’s offensive coordinator search, the prospect of coaching Smith was an obvious talking point. Klint Kubiak said the opportunity to coach Smith played a role in his decision to head to Seattle.
While the former Comeback Player of the Year intends to continue his career to the age of 40, it came as no surprise when a December report indicated the Seahawks will look into options to succeed Smith this offseason. That could still result in a QB addition through the draft, but no change atop the depth chart will be forthcoming if a deal can be reached. Smith inked a three-year, $75MM pact in 2023; it will be interesting to see where his asking price lands this time around.
Schneider also confirmed (via Condotta) Seattle has engaged in contract talks with linebacker Ernest Jones. The trade acquisition proved to be a productive addition, but team and player paused negotiations at the end of the campaign. The Seahawks still hope to get a deal done with the pending free agent, though, and the looming start of the league year could spur action.
As for wideout Tyler Lockett, Schneider added conversations will take place with his agents. Lockett’s future in the Emerald City has been in question given his lack of guaranteed money for 2025 (the final year of his deal) and scheduled cap hit of nearly $31MM. Schneider is unsure of whether or not Lockett will return next year, but there is a strong chance the Seahawks will have continuity under center moving forward.
Chiefs In Talks With Trey Smith, Looking Into LT Options
Already carrying three eight-figure-per-year contracts along their offensive front, the Chiefs will have a difficult time re-signing Trey Smith. The right guard may well, depending on the franchise tag statuses of Tee Higgins and Sam Darnold, secure the top AAV among free agents this year.
While the Chiefs have been linked to losing Smith soon, GM Brett Veach will not simply let the four-year starter hit the market without dialogue. The three-time reigning AFC champions are in talks with Smith and will move forward with those this week at the Combine. The ninth-year GM said (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson) he is “pretty optimistic” about the situation.
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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 in Round 6, while the Chiefs are not expected to tag the guard. This position is rarely tagged, due to all O-linemen being grouped together under the tag formula, and the Chiefs 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. Of course, the Combine does serve as the unofficial tampering period. The Pro Bowl blocker will probably learn more about who is interested this week. 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 advantage of being on the open market soon.
The Chiefs have left guard Joe Thuney, center Creed Humphrey and, for better or worse, right tackle Jawaan Taylor tied to lucrative deals. Taylor’s 2025 salary ($19.5MM) is guaranteed thanks to a rolling structure that locked in his 2025 money as of March 2024. While Thuney is nearing the end of his career, he is the most decorated Kansas City O-lineman presently, earning four All-Pro nods — including a first-team placement last season — on his resume. Thuney, however, appears set to return to his best position soon.
Andy Reid stopped short of confirming Kansas City’s next left tackle starter was on the roster, but the three-time Super Bowl winner said (via Herbie Teope of the KC Sports Network) that is a position the Chiefs are looking into. The Chiefs could not count on the three players they initially tried at LT — Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris, D.J. Humphries — which led to kicking Thuney outside. That plan worked fairly well, helping the team to another AFC title, but the Eagles exposed it in Super Bowl LIX.
Fortunately for the Chiefs, a few options will be available. Veterans Ronnie Stanley and Cam Robinson are unsigned, while a younger option — two-year Rams starter Alaric Jackson — is also poised to hit the market. Tyron Smith is again available as well, though the decorated ex-Cowboy is a significant injury risk. The Chiefs are projected to sit barely $7MM under the cap, so they will have some work to do between now and the cap-compliance deadline (March 12) before they determine their free agency budget.
While it would be premature to give up on Suamataia as a starter, given his second-round status, the Chiefs may want at least an insurance option in the Donovan Smith mold rather than pit the BYU product against Morris once again.
Dolphins Preparing To Lose Terron Armstead; Team Not Slamming Door On Tyreek Hill Trade?
1:03pm: Armstead intends to reduce his pact to the veteran’s minimum, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports. That is another strong indication he will hang up his cleats, but substantially reducing his base pay will ease the burden of his retirement on the Dolphins’ cap situation. Acquiring depth at the left tackle spot (and others up front) will of course remain a key Miami priority, but the team will soon have added flexibility to do so.
11:29am: Terron Armstead has not given the Dolphins an answer on his 2025 plans, but the team is prepared to move on if need be. Miami is currently operating as though its three-year left tackle will not be back.
The 12-year veteran was not committed to playing in 2024 coming out of the team’s frigid wild-card loss in Kansas City, but he decided to come back. Miami still drafted his heir apparent, choosing Patrick Paul in Round 2. Paul would be in line to take over opposite Austin Jackson if Armstead retired.
“He’s going to take his time with his family and loved ones and make that decision because it’s not an easy one,” Mike McDaniel said (via C. Isaiah Smalls II) at the Combine. “But we will be operating as though we’re moving on in that way simply for the execution of free agency and the draft.”
Armstead, 33, is tied to a nonguaranteed $13.3MM base salary for the 2025 season. He is signed through 2026. The Dolphins went through with a restructure last year, and that will help create a dead money bill if the Pro Bowler retires. If the former Saints draftee walks away this year, the Dolphins will take on $18.4MM in dead cap. But they have a hopeful successor ready.
Paul made three starts last season, as Armstead played well while matching his career high by making 15 starts in a season. For a Dolphins team that has seen injuries largely define Tua Tagovailoa‘s career, losing Armstead will sting. The team is planning to make other O-line updates this offseason as well.
While Miami is not certain to have Armstead, it is safe to say the team is not 100% on retaining Tyreek Hill as well. The mercurial wideout has since backtracked on what appeared to be a clear trade demand, when he refused to reenter a Week 18 game against the Jets. That preceded a call for a South Florida exit. Hill, who will turn 31 this week, attempted to walk it back during Super Bowl week. But the Dolphins have not unequivocally stated (via NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe) they are prepared to retain him after the January dustup.
The Dolphins reworked Hill’s contract to provide the future Hall of Famer with a significant guarantee boost. It would cost them just more than $28MM in dead money in a pre-June 1 trade; that would approach the wide receiver dead cap record the Bills set when they moved Stefon Diggs last year. The Dolphins are believed to be prepared to hear offers for Hill.
Hill is still signed through 2026, but his antics and off-field history do not make him a particularly stable investment — the two 1,700-yard seasons notwithstanding. If the Dolphins want to move on from this level of WR talent, doing so before his age-31 season would naturally yield a better return compared to the team cutting the cord next year. In an offseason in which Cooper Kupp and Deebo Samuel are expected to move, Hill is a variable to watch as well.
As for Hill’s wrist rehab, McDaniel confirmed (via Wolfe) the nine-year vet did undergo surgery. But Hill did not suffer a broken wrist; the surgery instead addressed ligament damage. Hill is expected to be fine for training camp.
Chiefs Expect Travis Kelce To Play In 2025
Travis Kelce has yet to make a firm declaration about his playing future. As the Chiefs await word on that front, it is clear they anticipate having him in the fold next year. 
To no surprise, both head coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach were asked on Tuesday about Kelce’s status. Neither confirmed the future Hall of Famer will play in 2025, but that is the team’s expectation at this point. While Kansas City was recently connected to setting a deadline for a decision (March 14, early in the start of the new league year) Veach’s comments point to Kelce having all the time needed to make a commitment one way or the other after recent conversations with the team.
“He has one more year under contract and still think he has that fire and desire to play,” Veach said of the 35-year-old (via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk). “As far as I’m concerned, there is no deadline. I think we left it at he’d be back and we’re excited to get him back and get him going.”
Kelce’s 823 yards in 2024 marked his lowest total since his rookie year, and his yards-per-reception average (8.5) continued his notable decline in efficiency. Still, the four-time All-Pro has proven to be a reliable target throughout the Chiefs’ run of success and he would be counted on to remain atop the depth chart in the event he were to suit up for a 13th campaign. Kelce is due $17.25MM in 2025 with a scheduled cap hit of $19.8MM.
Kansas City could look to lower the latter figure with a restructure adding further void years onto the 10-time Pro Bowler’s pact. A call on that front will of course not be needed until a final decision is made on Kelce’s part. No timeline is in place for a 2025 commitment to be announced at this point, but how Kelce decides to proceed will be critical as the Chiefs aim to make another Super Bowl run. Optimism is obviously high in the organization that he will remain available for at least one more campaign.
Commanders’ Martin Mayhew Retires; Marty Hurney’s Contract Expires
Despite both Martin Mayhew and Marty Hurney having been key Ron Rivera lieutenants in Washington, both stayed on following the HC’s 2024 firing. Mayhew and Hurney were part of the staff that assembled the franchise’s first NFC championship game entrant since 1991, but both are moving on.
Mayhew, who was part of that famed 1991 Washington team as a cornerback, has announced his retirement, GM Adam Peters confirmed Tuesday. The former Lions and Commanders GM, who will turn 60 later this year, has been an NFL exec since 1999. He was in place as a senior personnel executive in 2024.
In place as an advisor to the GM, Hurney is no longer with the team after his contract expired, ESPN.com’s John Keim tweets. This is not necessarily a firing, as Keim adds this was the expected path for Hurney, who twice served as Panthers GM before rejoining Rivera in Washington.
As for Mayhew, he arrived for his second GM role in 2021. Rivera had operated as coach/GM, effectively, in 2020 but brought in Mayhew for a Washington reunion. Mayhew played four seasons with Washington (1989-92), starting 48 games for the team and collecting a Super Bowl ring in the process. He signed with Tampa Bay during a 1993 offseason that introduced full-fledged free agency to the NFL. Mayhew wrapped his career after four Buccaneers seasons, transitioning to the personnel side not long after.
Serving under ex-teammate Matt Millen for eight years in Detroit, Mayhew succeeded him as GM and held the role for seven-plus years. The Lions fired Millen during their winless 2008 season, and Mayhew helped guide them out of the abyss. The team’s 2009 Matthew Stafford draft choice helped key playoff appearances in 2011 and ’14, with Mayhew’s Jim Caldwell hire also leading to a 2016 playoff cameo. Though, the Lions had fired Mayhew by then. Mayhew served as one of ex-Bucs teammate John Lynch‘s lieutenants in San Francisco, being part of the 2019 staff that turned the team from 4-12 to an NFC champion.
While Mayhew’s Washington GM tenure did not produce a steady contender, he will retire after spending 26 seasons as a personnel man. Hurney, 69, began in the personnel ranks near the outset of Mayhew’s cornerback career.
A former Bobby Beathard staffer in San Diego, Hurney worked his way up to Panthers GM by 2002. Hurney had worked in Carolina previously and was in place as GM when the Panthers booked their Super Bowl XXXVIII trip — a last-second loss to the Patriots. That GM stay lasted 11 years but ended after the 2012 season. Following their Dave Gettleman firing, the Panthers circled back to Hurney, whose second stint in the GM role ran from 2017-20.
Rivera hired Hurney as executive VP of player personnel in 2021. It is not known if Hurney is retiring for good, but he has spent more than 30 years as an NFL exec. The last of which came helping Peters, along with Mayhew, construct an unlikely Super Bowl contender.
As Peters builds his second Commanders team, the coaching staff will include Jesse Madden, who is the grandson of legendary coach/announcer John Madden. Jesse is certainly young in this profession, having recently graduated from Michigan. He was part of the Wolverines’ roster that won the national championship in 2023.
Packers’ Christian Watson Expected To Miss Time In 2025
Christian Watson suffered an ACL tear in Week 18, and as a result he was unavailable for the Packers’ wild-card game. His injury could keep Green Bay shorthanded at the receiver position into the start of next season. 
“Obviously Christian is going to miss some time, probably, at the beginning, more than likely,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said on Tuesday (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). “That’s going to create opportunities for some guys on the roster that I’m excited for. We’ll see how that shakes out.”
The receiver position was a talking point entering 2024 for the Packers as the team lacked a true No. 1 option. Watson has shown the potential to occupy that role when healthy, although he has missed time in each of his three NFL campaigns to date. Being without the former second-rounder for a period could prompt Green Bay to pursue an addition in the near future.
The likes of Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Malik Heath and Dontayvion Wicks are all under contract as part of the Packers’ highly inexpensive receiver room. Green Bay will have the cap space to make a notable addition at the WR position (or others) during free agency, although Gutekunst may turn his attention to reserving funds for retaining in-house players over the coming years. Still, the veteran market could provide the opportunity for a short-term addition aimed at providing a temporary Watson replacement.
Davante Adams is expected to be released by the Jets, and a Packers reunion could be in play as a result. Adding the All-Pro would certainly mark a notable move as it pertains to the receiver depth chart and the pecking order in Green Bay’s passing attack. Failing that, a more modest addition could be on the Packers’ radar with Watson on track to miss time.
The North Dakota State product is a pending 2026 free agent, and his production will be key in determining his market value on a new Packers deal or one sending him to a new team. Watson’s 2025 debut will likely have to wait, however, something which will no doubt hurt his stock.
NFL Begins Justin Tucker Investigation
FEBRUARY 25: When speaking about Tucker’s situation at the Combine, general manager Eric DeCosta said the Ravens will wait until the league’s investigation has concluded before making a decision (h/t Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post). DeCosta has spoken with Tucker as well as with the NFL (as noted by The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec). Until a final report from the league’s investigators is produced, Tucker will thus remain in the organization.
FEBRUARY 21: NFL investigators have begun interviewing women who have accused Justin Tucker of inappropriate conduct during massage therapy sessions, the Baltimore Banner’s Brenna Smith, Julie Scharper, Jonas Shaffer and Giana Han report.
A league investigation became known when the first report of alleged sexual misconduct against the Ravens kicker surfaced. After the latest round of accusers surfaced, it became a given the accomplished special-teamer would be under an NFL probe soon. It is not known how many accusers have met with the league thus far, but the Banner reports the investigation began this week and will continue with at least two more accuser meetings on tap in the next few weeks.
Sixteen women at eight spas and wellness centers have accused Tucker of sexual misconduct during sessions, with reports of the accusations coming out shortly after the Ravens’ season ended last month. Tucker has denied any wrongdoing. The women who have spoken with NFL investigators have done so after being made available by their lawyers, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports.
The initial report in January, also from the Banner, alleged that inappropriate conduct took place at four high-end Baltimore-area spas and wellness centers. Tucker was accused of “exposing his genitals,” touching two of the therapists with his erect penis, and leaving “what they believed to be ejaculate” on massages tables after three of the sessions. Two spas reportedly banned the seven-time Pro Bowler, while several of the therapists either ended sessions early or refused to work with him again.
A woman who is part of the second round of known Tucker accusers produced an internal report about her interaction with the kicker. The claims the massage therapists have lodged range from encounters beginning in 2012 up until 2016. While the lack of any criminal or civil lawsuits separate this Tucker matter from the Deshaun Watson situation earlier this decade, the increasing volume of accusers reminds of what became a career-defining issue for the former Pro Bowl quarterback.
Whereas Watson’s talent and positional value landed him another chance — via a historic trade with the Browns — Tucker is now 35 playing a position much lower on the NFL totem pole. He also struggled to match his All-Pro-level form in 2024. The news of alleged inappropriate behavior threatens the All-Decade kicker’s status with the Ravens and in the NFL, at this point.