G Will Fries Interested In Re-Signing With Colts
Following a breakout 2023 campaign, Will Fries was looking to build on his momentum ahead of his impending free agency. Naturally, things didn’t go as planned, as the Colts offensive lineman suffered a fractured right tibia in Week 5 that ended his 2024 season prematurely.
The 26-year-old doesn’t only have the uphill battle of returning from his injury in 2025…Fries will also be tasked with landing his next contract. If the free agent lineman has his way, he’ll return to the only NFL team he’s ever played for.
“This place is special,” Fries said of the Colts (via Nate Atkins of the Indy Star). “… From coming in here as a rookie with guys having my back when I didn’t play much and then getting an opportunity to start and then being able to start the year after that. There’s so many good people here.
“All I want to do is repay them with how hard I can work, playing the best I possibly can for those who believe in me and for my family and for myself. That’s what it’s meant to me to be here.”
The former seventh-round pick made only three appearances as a rookie and nine starts as an emergency fill-in in 2022. He was positioned atop the depth chart in 2023 and made the most of it, starting all 17 games while finishing as Pro Football Focus’ 32nd-best offensive guard. He seemed to take an even larger step forward in 2024, as PFF listed him second at his position before he suffered the season-ending injury.
While Fries has shown that he belongs in a starting lineup, his injury undoubtedly clouds his upcoming free agency. As Atkins notes, the lineman could end up settling for a one-year deal as he looks to build his value back up ahead of next year’s free agency. On the flip side, Fries could make a strong argument for being the second-best guard in this year’s free agency class (behind Kansas City’s Trey Smith), and there could still be a number of teams willing to bank on his upside (and expected recovery).
That could very well be the Colts, who would happily slide Fries back atop their depth chart. As Atkins notes, the team once drafted Tanor Bortolini in the fourth round with the expectation that he’d eventually be a starter, but it’s been assumed that he’ll take over for center Ryan Kelly. The team’s other backup guard options, including Mark Glowinski and Danny Pinter, are also set to hit free agency, so Fries would help the Colts retain some continuity opposite Quenton Nelson.
Justin Fields Interested In Re-Signing With Steelers, Wants Chance To Start
As the Steelers navigate their quarterback options ahead of the offseason, there’s been an increasing sentiment that they prefer to keep Justin Fields over Russell Wilson. If that’s the case, then the organization may be in luck, as it sounds like the free agent is also interested in sticking with Pittsburgh. However, that would require some concessions.
[RELATED: Support In Steelers’ Building For Retaining Justin Fields Over Russell Wilson?]
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes that Fields joins the Steelers in being interested in a new contract. However, the writer cautions that the QB would need at least “a shot” at being the team’s starter.
Following an offseason trade from the Bears to the Steelers, Fields started each of Pittsburgh’s first six games. While it was a brief cameo, it was one of the best showings of the QB’s career, as the former first-round pick tossed five touchdowns vs. one interception, added another five scores on the ground, and guided his team to a 4-2 record. Once Wilson returned, Fields only got into 13 more snaps for the rest of the season.
Still, with Wilson being at the helm for the team’s five-game losing streak to end the year, there’s been growing support for the team to retain Fields instead of his veteran teammate. During an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic continued to beat that drum, noting that Fields remains the team’s top option at the position (via Matthew Marczi of Steelers Depot).
Wilson would still be positioned as the team’s “Plan B,” and the organization may have to pivot to the older player if Fields is priced out of Pittsburgh. Kaboly estimated a two-year offer for Fields worth around $25MM to $30MM, with the reporter noting that the Steelers may have to overpay to make sure the player doesn’t truly test free agency.
Fields, is expected to have a market beyond the Steelers, and even if the organization does pony up to retain the player, they’d surely bring in some competition. Either way, it’s seeming like the front office continues to trend towards keeping only one of their top two quarterbacks from the 2024 campaign.
Patriots Release LB Sione Takitaki
Sione Takitaki will need to find a third team in three years. The Patriots announced Wednesday they have moved on from the 2024 free agency addition.
The former Browns draftee signed a two-year, $6.65MM deal with the Pats in 2024. Now, his release will expand the Patriots’ cap-space lead on the NFL. Cutting Takitaki will save the Patriots $2.68MM. Not that this team needed cap space, but it is now close to $130MM in available funds.
Seeing more playing time in Cleveland, Takitaki had rejoined Eliot Wolf in Foxborough. Wolf was still with the Browns when then-GM John Dorsey drafted Takitaki in the 2019 third round. Takitaki re-signed in Cleveland in 2023 but moved on last year, finding another short-term payday with the Patriots. His usage rate dropped, however, and checked in at 27% (194 snaps) on defense.
Takitaki, 29, saw an ACL tear end his initial Cleveland contract year in December 2022. While he was back on the field by Week 1 of the 2023 season, more injury issues intervened in New England. Takitaki began the season on the Pats’ reserve/PUP list, missing the first five games and then missing another contest in Week 7. A knee scope required the additional rehab time. Takitaki never gained a regular starting role, being a first-stringer in four games and clearing a 40% snap rate just twice last season.
New England, which saw its defense decline considerably after decades near the top of the league under Bill Belichick, has a host of issues to address in the offseason. The team has a historic amount of cap space, potentially more in light of Wednesday’s news the salary ceiling will check in around $280MM, but plenty of need areas. Ja’Whaun Bentley still leads the way at linebacker for the Pats, but he is coming off a season-ending injury. Jahlani Tavai led the Pats in LB snaps last season, logging 916. Tavai was among the many Wolf extension recipients last year, signing his new deal several weeks after Takitaki joined the team. Mike Vrabel can be expected to address his former position soon, however.
While Takitaki’s knee trouble provided a line of demarcation for him, he has earned more than $10MM during a six-year career. The Browns used the BYU alum as a 36-game starter from 2019-23. Takitaki notched a pick-six in 2020 and intercepted Ben Roethlisberger during the final stages of the Browns’ wild-card upset win in Pittsburgh. As a vested veteran, Takitaki passes straight to free agency.
No Chiefs Trey Smith Tag Expected; Guard-Record Deal Anticipated In Free Agency
The Chiefs’ issues blocking a dialed-in Eagles pass rush in Super Bowl LIX figure to work against them in free agency as well. Philadelphia’s dominant victory highlighted the importance of quality offensive linemen, and one of Kansas City’s three Pro Bowlers will be paid as such soon.
An expectation the Chiefs will lose their four-year right guard in free agency emerged soon after the Eagles’ conquest, but the AFC champions could prevent this by unholstering the franchise tag. Guard are almost never tagged, as the CBA groups interior O-linemen and tackles together, and Kansas City is not expected to make an exception here. No Smith franchise or transition tag is expected, The Athletic’s Nate Taylor notes (subscription required).
[RELATED: Bears Interested In Adding Smith?]
Although the 2025 salary cap has not produced a number yet, OverTheCap projects the O-line tag to come in beyond $25MM. That would be a tough ask for a Chiefs team, despite the luxury Patrick Mahomes‘ through-2031 contract has provided on the restructure front, projected to come in less than $1MM under the 2025 cap as of Wednesday. A $25MM-plus cap hold for a Smith tag would greatly hinder the Chiefs from improving.
Because of tackle salaries ballooning the tag numbers for other O-linemen, guards regularly score big in free agency. Teams’ reluctance to protect them via the tag has seen only two players (Brandon Scherff, Joe Thuney) be tagged at the position over the past 15 years. The Patriots’ 2020 Thuney tag proved a rental, as a 2021 Chiefs O-line overhaul soon included a then-record payment for the quality LG. One year remains on Thuney’s five-year, $80MM contract.
Smith departing in free agency would create a right guard need, but the Chiefs already carry a deficiency at left tackle. The highest-profile O-line spot will require immediate attention, as the Chiefs will surely slide Thuney back to LG after he served as a patchwork solution for a team that has struggled to staff its LT post since not re-tagging Orlando Brown Jr. in. While Wanya Morris and Kingsley Suamataia remain under contract, neither should be expected to head into the offseason program as the Chiefs’ projected LT starter. Thus, that will likely require a free agency addition. Fortunately for the Chiefs, a few options — Ronnie Stanley, Cam Robinson and Alaric Jackson — could soon be available. Though, a notable left tackle addition may cost the Chiefs a proven interior blocker.
Going into his age-26 season, Smith should be viewed as likely to reset the guard market, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Eagles LG Landon Dickerson moved that bar to $21MM per year in 2024, and this afternoon’s update on the salary cap — which is now set to land between $277.5MM and $281.5MM — will be welcome news for this year’s top free agents. Despite not accumulating the accolades Dickerson has, Smith — who made his first Pro Bowl this past season — will benefit based on position and teams’ interest in securing a high-end blocker without an injury history. The former sixth-round pick has missed one career game.
After the Chiefs gave Creed Humphrey a record-shattering center extension, they still expressed interest in a Smith deal. The team carried that interest into the regular season, and as recently as the midseason point, the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs notes the expectation around the league was the Chiefs would find a way to keep Smith on a second contract. That sentiment has since shifted, pointing toward the Chiefs standing down and being resigned to losing the former Day 3 find.
Kansas City has three blockers (Humphrey, Thuney, Jawaan Taylor) signed to big-ticket contracts. While Taylor has been more problem than solution at right tackle, the penalty maven’s 2023 market produced a player-friendly deal that saw his 2025 salary ($19.5MM) become guaranteed in March 2024. The Chiefs may need to live with the disappointing free agent signing for one more season, as no cap relief would come via even a post-June 1 cut.
As the three-time reigning AFC champs determine a left tackle solution, their right guard is on the doorstep of a monumental payday. With the March 4 tag deadline not appearing to apply here, Kansas City has until March 10 to negotiate exclusively with Smith.
Lions’ Jameson Williams Avoids Suspension In Connection With 2024 Gun Incident
A gun incident involving Jameson Williams produced an internal police review in Detroit, but no charge ended up surfacing in connection with the fall development. That still left the blossoming wide receiver open to an NFL suspension, but he is in the clear there now as well.
Williams will not face NFL discipline here, per ESPN.com. The Lions wideout has already been suspended under the NFL’s gambling and PED policies, but he will not be kept off the field under the personal conduct umbrella.
A strange early-morning sequence October 8 involving Williams handcuffed led to the former first-round pick being released, only to see an investigation into the police department’s conduct take place. Officers placed Williams in cuffs and nearly booked him on a gun charge. Williams was to be taken to jail before being released from custody shortly prior to being booked. This incident occurred after midnight Oct. 8, 2024.
An officer’s suspected effort to have Williams evade an arrest due to his Lions status was part of the investigation, but an internal review cleared the Alabama alum of a concealed weapons charge. Months later, Williams will not see a fourth season interrupted. The former No. 12 overall pick already missed most of his rookie season due to injury and lost time due to the gambling ban in 2023. The above-referenced PED suspension cost Williams two games last season, but he broke through for a 1,000-yard slate anyway.
Williams and his brother were pulled over in Detroit, and the stop led to Williams — the passenger in the vehicle — admitting he was in possession of a gun without a concealed pistol license. Williams, 23, identified himself as a Lions player to police at the time of the early-morning arrest. A sergeant who arrived to back up the arresting officers soon made several calls to superiors asking if Williams needed to be arrested on the concealed weapon charge. (The sergeant’s cellphone wallpaper included a Lions logo.) The aforementioned internal review cleared this officer of wrongdoing, and Williams has now avoided a criminal charge and an NFL ban.
The Lions will have until shortly after the draft to pick up Williams’ fifth-year option. While Williams has not proven especially reliable, the rising team has shown patience with him through the spate of early-career issues. He finished with eight regular-season touchdowns, adding a ninth in the Lions’ shootout divisional-round loss to the Commanders. Williams is now extension-eligible as well, but the option could keep him on his rookie deal through 2026.
With Williams having only one season as a consistent receiving weapon on his resume and the team having Amon-Ra St. Brown on a $30MM-per-year deal, it would make sense if Detroit exercised the option and gave Williams a “prove it” year of sorts in 2025. That will be the next step on the talented wideout’s career timeline, as the Lions will presumably be curious to see if he can steer clear of any further off-field trouble now that this incident is in the rearview mirror.
2025 Salary Cap To Land Beyond $277MM
The latest salary cap projection arrived in December, hinting at a modest increase. As it turns out, that update undersold where the NFL’s 2025 salary ceiling will check in.
That projection pointed to the 2025 cap falling between $265-$275MM, but ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano indicates a boom beyond $280MM is now in play. The NFL has informed teams it will instead land between $277.5MM and $281.5MM. Anywhere in this range will mark at least a $22MM increase from 2024 ($255.4MM). Until Wednesday, teams had been operating on a prediction the cap would land between $272-$275MM, CBS Sports Jonathan Jones adds.
This greater-than-expected increase will not break the record 2024’s cap set, but it be a welcome sight after the rumor that had indicated a lesser jump would take place. Teams suddenly will have a few extra million to throw around in free agency and to allocate toward extensions. This will also mark a massive jump from where the cap was just four years ago.
The COVID-19 pandemic leading to fanless stadiums (in some cities) and heavily capped attendance (in others) in 2020 led to the 2021 cap dropping to $182.5MM. Four years later, the cap will have risen by nearly $100MM.
This continues a stream of growth, a trend that did not develop during the 2011 CBA, which featured stagnancy it its early years before roughly $10MM-per-year climbs as the decade progressed. A 2020 CBA that has included two additional playoff games, a 17th regular-season contest, new TV deals and increased gambling partnerships has seen cap spikes by more than $16MM each year since the pandemic-induced decrease of 2021 and by at least $20MM three times since then.
Last year’s record-setting jump ($30.6MM) could have featured a bigger spike, as the league’s memo (via The Athletic’s Dianna Russini) indicates a smoothing effort took place to produce a more gradual climb rather than have a near-$40MM bump in 2024 and a far lesser surge this year. Roughly $1MM of this year’s bump will also come via performance-based pay.
The 2024 increase brought new position-record contracts at many positions. Chris Jones eclipsed the salary ceiling Aaron Donald‘s then-outlier contract had set for defensive tackles, while Chiefs teammate Creed Humphrey is more than $4MM clear (AAV-wise) than any other center. The guard market saw Landon Dickerson check in with a new record ($21MM per year) just before the 2024 league year opened, while both Patrick Surtain and Jalen Ramsey agreed to deals that broke the cornerback record by a substantial margin. Christian McCaffrey later broke his own RB AAV record by securing a two-year, $38MM extension last summer, and the tackle market included Tristan Wirfs and Penei Sewell establishing new position records.
The two highest-profile positional spikes came at quarterback and wide receiver, respectively. The $30MM-AAV WR club expanded from one to six, with Justin Jefferson‘s $35MM-per-year contract the new standard. After the $50MM-per-year QB club added several new members, Dak Prescott used unique leverage to secure a $60MM-AAV extension hours before the Cowboys’ Week 1 game. While another quarterback topping that this year may be unlikely — barring true Bills-Josh Allen renegotiations transpiring — position records elsewhere (likely headlined by Ja’Marr Chase at receiver and a few edge rusher extension pursuits) are likely thanks in part to Wednesday’s news of better-than-expected cap growth.
Here is how the cap has looked over the past two CBAs:
- 2011: $120.4MM
- 2012: $120.6MM
- 2013: $123.6MM
- 2014: $133MM
- 2015: $143.3MM
- 2016: $155.3MM
- 2017: $167MM
- 2018: $177.2MM
- 2019: $188.2MM
- 2020: $198.2MM
- 2021: $182.5MM
- 2022: $208.2MM
- 2023: $224.8MM
- 2024: $255.4MM
Ravens Re-Signing Stanley Will Be ‘Priority’
Ronnie Stanley put together the healthiest season of his career in 2024, rebuilding his value after length absences over the previous four seasons just in time to hit free agency.
The Ravens, however, may not let him reach the open market. Re-signing the veteran left tackle will be a “priority” for Baltimore, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. Tagging Stanley is theoretically an option, but such a route would present multiple obstacles for the Ravens.
To start, the team is currently projected to have just under $6MM in 2025 cap space, per OverTheCap. For offensive linemen, the franchise tag is projected to be $25.2MM with a transition tag of $22.7MM. The Ravens can free up the space to absorb a tag, but that would still force them to cut other players and/or push more money into the future.
The Ravens may want to tag Stanley to give themselves more time to reach an agreement on a multi-year contract like they did with Lamar Jackson and Nnamdi Madubuike. However, negotiating with Stanley on the tag would likely set his asking price above what the team is willing to pay. Even with the lower transition tag, Stanley would be set for $22.7MM in fully-guaranteed money in 2025, after which he could hit free agency or be tagged again. A second tag would cost the Ravens $27.4MM in 2026, which could make Stanley’s extension demands reach $50MM over two years, far above his expected value on the open market.
Ultimately, a contract similar to the ones signed by Garett Bolles, Dion Dawkins, and Taylor Decker in 2024 would represent a solid deal for Stanley after he took a pay cut last year. The Ravens could continue their use of void years to prorate money into the future and minimize Stanley’s cap burden in 2025. That would allow them to pursue additional free agents to shore up their secondary with Brandon Stephens expected to hit the open market in March.
Dolphins Not Expected To Tag Jevon Holland
The Dolphins are not expected to place the franchise or transition tag on Jevon Holland, according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, setting him up to be one of the top safeties on the free agent market.
The franchise tag for safeties is projected to be $19.6MM, and the transition tag is projected to be $15.6MM, per OverTheCap. The Dolphins are currently projected to be $5.4MM over the 2025 salary cap, so they would have needed to make additional moves to accommodate a tag for Holland by the start of the new league year.
Oftentimes, though, the tag is used as a placeholder to allow extension negotiations to continue, which could lead to a long-term deal with a smaller 2025 cap hit. However, the Dolphins did not make significant progress towards an extension before the 2024 season, indicating that they and Holland remain far apart.
The Dolphins may not be completely out on re-signing Holland, but they seem willing to let him test the market this spring. That’s partially because the team has “a lot of needs elsewhere,” according to Wolfe, though letting Holland walk will certainly add to that list. Jordan Poyer, Miami’s other starting safety in 2024, is also set to hit free agency and may follow his former Bills teammate Micah Hyde into retirement.
After Antoine Winfield Jr. reset the safety market last offseason, Holland will likely be looking for an APY at $18MM or higher. The 2021 second-round pick has a strong pedigree as a three-time captain and defensive playmaker, though he has struggled with injuries and lower ball production over the last two seasons. That may limit his APY to the $16-17MM range of Xavier McKinney and Jessie Bates, especially with several other safeties set to hit free agency.
Holland could receive interest from the Jaguars, per Wolfe, who are looking to add playmakers on defense after hiring Anthony Campanile as defensive coordinator. Jacksonville has plenty of cap space and a clear hole in the secondary that Holland could fill.
Chargers To Host 2025 Game In Brazil
FEBRUARY 20: The NFL’s game in Brazil in 2024 was heavily criticized for deficient field conditions that made it difficult for players to find their footing. The league is working to address those concerns in coordinator with Brazilian stadium officials, per ESPN’s Kris Rhim, though this season’s matchup hosted by the Chargers is set to be played in the same stadium as last year.
FEBRUARY 19: The NFL is officially returning to Brazil in 2025. The Eagles and the Packers squared off at São Paulo’s Arena Corinthians in 2024, and the Chargers are set to host another regular season game there in 2025, per a team announcement.
Earlier reports indicated that the NFL was in talks with Brazilian officials regarding a long-term hosting agreement. Scheduling a follow-up to last season’s matchup is a sign that the NFL plans to play in Brazil for years to come.
Like last year, the game will take place on the first Friday of the regular season; in 2025, that will be September 5. The league has not yet announced the other team who will be playing in Brazil, though the Chargers’ 2025 away opponents are already known. They are scheduled to host the rest of the AFC West, the Jaguars, the Titans, the Cowboys, the Giants, and the Dolphins.
The NFL has scheduled 49 international games since 2007 with just six between divisional opponents. That makes it less likely that the Chargers would host the Broncos, Chiefs, or Raiders in Brazil, though the last two games in Mexico City featured teams from the same decision. Since the Jaguars and the Dolphins are hosting other international games, the NFL is unlikely to make them travel overseas a second time in one season. That leaves the Titans, Cowboys, and Giants as the primary candidates to face the Chargers in Brazil. The NFL’s full schedule will be announced later this spring.
There are now seven confirmed international games set for 2025: three in London, England (hosted by the Jets, the Browns, and the Jaguars), one in Berlin, Germany (hosted by the Colts), one in Madrid, Spain (hosted by the Dolphins), and one in Dublin, Ireland (hosted by the Steelers). The NFL is permitted to schedule up to eight international games per season, per Mark Maske of The Washington Post, though the Jaguars’ annual games at Wembley Stadium do not count towards that total.
Browns Preparing Myles Garrett Extension Offer; Team Still Unlikely To Consider Trade?
The future of Myles Garrett remains uncertain at this point, with his public trade request still standing. It would come as no surprise around the league if a deal sending him away from the Browns were to take place, but Cleveland’s intention remains keeping him in the fold. 
Two years remain on Garrett’s pact, and he is owed roughly $45MM across that span. Without any outstanding guaranteed salary on the deal, any acquiring team would need to work out an extension moving him near (or to) the top of the edge rush financial pecking order while providing new locked in money. The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year is not using his trade request as a means of securing a new contract, however.
In spite of that, the Browns’ willingness to work out a raise with Garrett appears to be undeterred. As The Athletic’s Zac Jackson notes, the team looks to be prepared to make a “monstrous” extension offer which would keep the 29-year-old in Cleveland. (subscription required). Any new commitment on Garrett’s part would of course put to rest the chances of a trade for at least the near future and make it likely he would finish his decorated career with the Browns.
Team and player are not in alignment with respect to contending in the immediate future, and uncertainty at the quarterback spot represents a suitable reason on Garrett’s part to prefer a change of scenery. With that said, Cleveland will be able to afford an inexpensive bridge starter in free agency once the latest Deshaun Watson restructure takes place, and the No. 2 selection in April’s draft could give the team the opportunity to add a rookie to the mix. Especially if the Browns make a notable addition under center, they could attempt to rebuke trade offers and retain Garrett for 2025 and beyond.
On that point, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com writes the team could very well be prepared to wait this situation out through the start of next season (subscription required). She adds that could even be the case if Garrett were to sit out games in 2025, something which would be aimed at accelerating the trade process. Offers including at least one first-round pick and more can be expected this offseason from interested suitors, although general manager Andrew Berry has previously stated a pair of Day 1 selections would not be sufficient to make a trade something he would be prepared to entrain.
That sentiment would no doubt especially hold true after the draft, so late April represents an unofficial deadline for any movement on the Garrett front. If a renewed effort were to be made by the Browns to work out an extension, a new wrinkle to this situation would come into play.