Free Agent Stock Watch: Ronnie Stanley
After taking a $7.5MM pay cut ahead of the 2024 season, left tackle Ronnie Stanley started every game for the first time in his career and earned Pro Bowl honors as a crucial piece of the Ravens’ league-leading offense.
Now, he is set to enter free agency following his best and healthiest season since his devastating ankle injury in October 2020. Stanley tried to come back to start the 2021 season but played just one game before undergoing surgery for a second time. He took a more gradual approach to his return in 2022, waiting until Week 4 to start and even rotating snaps with Patrick Mekari. He missed a few weeks with another injury, but returned as the Ravens’ full-time left tackle for the rest of the year. The injury concerns continued when Stanley missed Weeks 2 to 4 in 2023 and ended the season once again rotating with Mekari.
Stanley bounced back in 2024, starting all 17 games with a career-high 1,089 snaps. The 2016 first-round pick is still not the dominant pass protector that earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2019, but he is clearly one of the more capable left tackles in the NFL. Given the league’s scarcity at the position, Stanley will likely draw a strong market in free agency.
The Ravens may not let him get that far. Baltimore used the sixth overall pick – the franchise’s highest selection since 2000 – on Stanley in 2016 and signed him to a five-year, $98.75MM extension just three days before his 2020 injury. He has been the team’s preferred left tackle for his entire career when healthy, including the duration of the Lamar Jackson era.
With Mekari also hitting free agency, the Ravens have an uncertain future at the position. They could flip second-year tackle Roger Rosengarten to the blindside, but they would then have to replace him on the right side and deal with the bumps of two new starters on the offensive line. Re-signing Stanley would allow them to bring some continuity into 2025 and keep Rosengarten in the spot where he showed tremendous growth as a rookie. Stanley is an also an excellent fit in Todd Monken‘s offense and a respected leader in the Ravens’ locker room.
Stanley proved his value after accepting a pay cut, so he will be looking to re-establish himself as one of the league’s highest-paid left tackles. He has expressed a desire to stay in Baltimore for the rest of his career, but that doesn’t mean he will give the Ravens a hometown discount. Stanley will likely be seeking upwards of $20MM per year after Garett Bolles signed a $20.5MM APY extension with the Broncos in December. Given his injury history and struggles against elite competition like Myles Garrett and Trey Hendrickson in 2024, Stanley will likely find it difficult to break into the top tier of left tackle contracts at $22MM APY and above.
Stanley is the most proven pending free agent as his position, though a number of potential starters will be available in March. Cam Robinson and Alaric Jackson started for most of last season, while Tyron Smith, Joseph Noteboom, and Jedrick Wills all missed significant time due to injury. None played as well as Stanley in 2024, though he did benefit from Lamar Jackson‘s elite ability to evade pressure and avoid sacks.
Unlike last year’s tackle-rich draft class, the 2025 draft has just two surefire first-round tackles: Will Campbell out of LSU and Kelvin Banks Jr. out of Texas. Neither is expected to fall to the Ravens at the 27th overall pick, and general manager Eric DeCosta is extremely unlikely to trade up. Re-signing Stanley has long seemed like Baltimore’s best and most likely option, though the team was willing to gamble with their offensive line last year.
In addition to the Ravens, Stanley could receive interest from teams like the Patriots and the Jaguars. Both teams have ample cap space this offseason and need new left tackles to protect their franchise quarterbacks. After their stunning Super Bowl defeat due to a leaky offensive line, the Chiefs could also be a dark-horse contender for Stanley’s services. However, he will be 31 by the time the 2025 regular season rolls around. The longtime Raven may very well conclude that his best fit and chance to win a championship will be in Baltimore where he has spent his entire career.
More Accusations Emerge Against Ravens’ Justin Tucker
2025 continues to be a rough year for Ravens veteran Justin Tucker. After underwhelming at points in the kicking game the past two seasons, Tucker opened the new year disappointing off the field, as well. Near the end of January, Tucker was accused of sexual misconduct from six massage therapists; three days later, three more therapists came out with more allegations. This morning Julie Scharper, Brenna Smith, and Justin Fenton of The Baltimore Banner released a report detailing the accounts of seven more massage therapists with similar allegations. 
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.
The second report in early February came from three women who worked at the same Baltimore men’s spa. One woman from that group produced an internal report regarding her interactions with Tucker from 2015. The new report includes accusers from two luxurious spas from the Baltimore area, The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel and the Baltimore Spa & Salon at the Ritz-Carlton Residences. The allegations are similar, including reports that Tucker had an erection for most of a massage, intentionally exposed his genitals, brushed some therapists’ thighs with his fingers, and left what appeared to be ejaculate on the table.
Now totaling 16 accusers, all women reportedly claim that the 2010’s All-Decade Team member’s actions date back to 2012, when the veteran kicker first arrived from Austin as a rookie. The claims see his actions continue until 2016.
As his representatives did after the first allegations, Tucker’s attorneys have denied any wrongdoing and the claim of his being banned. According to the Banner, his legal team even “provided a sworn declaration from the owner of Baltimore Spa & Salon,” which has since closed and been replaced by a new spa, that she never received any complaints about Tucker. As the report adds, though, the therapists in question did not alert their supervisors of Tucker’s actions for fear of losing their jobs.
An NFL investigation into this situation looms, while the Ravens continue to monitor the situation. Three years (but no guaranteed base salaries) remain on Tucker’s pact, and a post-June 1 release would yield $4.2MM in cap savings and create $2.87MM in dead money for 2025 while bringing about an end to the 35-year-old’s Baltimore tenure. Any further developments on this front will continue to shape how the situation is handled.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Jets Finalize 2025 Defensive, ST Staff
The Jets have finalized their defensive and special teams coaching staff for their inaugural season under head coach Aaron Glenn, per a team announcement.
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and special teams coordinator Chris Banjo were in place by the end of January, but it took a few more weeks to finalize their staffs. Several of the Jets’ position coach hires have already been reported, but the team has since added several assistants.
Among them is former Rams and Lions cornerback Dré Bly, who is joining the Jets as an assistant defensive backs coach. He spent the last season in Detroit as a cornerbacks coach and will now follow Glenn to New York.
Cameron Davis, the Lions’ assistant defensive line coach for the last three seasons, is also sticking with Glenn. Davis will take the same position with the Jets under defensive line coach Eric Washington.
Glenn is retaining Nathaniel Willingham on his new staff, albeit in a new position. After coaching nickelbacks in 2024, Willingham will now be the Jets’ assistant linebackers coach. He previously served as a defensive assistant in 2022 and 2023 before a stint in Denver as a defensive quality control coach.
Alonso Escalante is returning to the NFL as a defensive assistant with a focus on nickels. He spent the last two years in the high school ranks, but he has eight years of pro experience with five different teams. Most recently, he was the Panthers’ assistant running backs coach in 2021.
Former Bears, Broncos, and Browns cornerback Roosevelt Williams is taking his first job in the NFL as a defensive assistant. He has spent the last 15 years at the college level and was the cornerbacks coach for Houston Christian University in 2024.
On special teams, the Jets aded Kevin O’Dea as an assistant. He has almost three decades of experience in the NFL, including a previous stint with the Jets as special teams coordinator in 2008 and 2009.
Execs Predict Browns Will Trade Garrett
Every indication out of Cleveland is that the Browns do not want to trade Myles Garrett, but other teams believe they will have to oblige his request.
Four executives think that the Browns will deal Garrett this offseason, according to Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post. Philadelphia was mentioned multiple times as a potential landing spot, citing Browns general manager Andrew Berry‘s history with Eagles GM Howie Roseman. Berry spent the 2019 season as the Eagles’ vice president of football operations under Roseman before returning to Cleveland for his current job.
One AFC general manager predicted that the Browns could receive two first-round picks, though Berry has previously said that compensation wouldn’t soften their anti-trade stance. However, with the Eagles picking 31st overall in 2025 and likely a similar spot in 2026, their picks may be less valuable relative to what other teams can offer.
Ultimately, a trade is unlikely to come together quickly. Unless the Browns – who already hold the No. 2 overall pick in April’s draft – really want to add more 2025 draft capital, they’re incentivized to wait until after June 1 to move Garrett.
As of right now, Cleveland is projected to be more than $30MM over the 2025 salary cap, per OverTheCap. They can create enough space with a few restructures, but moving Garrett would set them back further. So much of his money has been prorated into the future that a pre-June 1 trade would result in a $16.5MM decrease in salary cap space. The Browns would have to eat all $36.2MM of dead money in 2025, while a post-June 1 trade would allow them to divide it between two years.
An early trade offer, therefore, would have to blow the Browns out of the water to make it worth the cap gymnastics required to facilitate the deal. Cleveland could also be hoping that they can improve the roster enough this offseason to convince Garrett to stick around.
Drew Dalman Wants To Re-Sign With Falcons
For the past three seasons, Drew Dalman has operated as the Falcons’ starting center. His rookie contract is set to expire in March, however, leaving a free agent departure as a possibility. 
If Dalman has his way, he will remain with the team for 2025 and beyond. The 26-year-old hopes to re-sign, as noted by D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Working out a new deal will be expensive for the Falcons given Dalman’s level of play once he ascended to the top of the depth chart.
After logging only 68 offensive snaps during his rookie season, the former fourth-rounder took over as Atlanta’s center starter. Dalman played a full season in 2022, drawing a 65.9 PFF grade. That figure was good for 14th amongst qualifying players at the position, but the past two seasons have seen stronger performances. The Stanford product ranked third in PFF grade at the center spot in 2023, and he followed that up with the fourth-best mark this past campaign.
Dalman did so while missing three games in 2023, and an ankle injury limited him to just nine contests this year. That could hinder his value on the open market, but on the other hand his age and contributions to a strong Falcons O-line could make him one of the more attractive options on the market this spring. Atlanta is among the teams currently projected to be over the cap for 2025, and a decision on quarterback Kirk Cousins will need to be made shortly. How the Falcons proceed on that front will of course be central in determining their overall financial outlook and their ability to approach the top of a center market which includes four players earning at least $12MM per year.
Atlanta’s other offensive line starters (left tackle Jake Matthews, left guard Matthew Bergeron, right guard Chris Lindstrom and right tackle Kaleb McGary) are all under contract through at least 2025. While Matthews and McGary do not have any guaranteed salary remaining on their pacts, the Falcons could thus opt for another year of continuity up front at four positions even in the event Dalman were to depart. Ryan Neuzil stepped in for Dalman in 2024, but he is a pending restricted free agent.
A number of veteran centers are on track to reach the open market this year, but Dalman’s age (like that of the Packers’ Josh Myers) could make suitors willing to prepare a long-term investment in March. It will be interesting to see if the Falcons prevent that from happening with a contract agreement being reached before then, or if they will turn their attention to other positions.
Saints Interviewing Two DC Candidates, Doug Nussmeier Today
4:18pm: Nussmeier’s interview will also take place today, Rapoport notes. As the Saints continue to move through their coordinator search process, a hire on both fronts could be made sometime in the coming days depending on how wide of a net the team casts.
12:20pm: The Saints and new head coach Kellen Moore continue to search for his first coordinators in New Orleans. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated tells us that the team will interview 49ers assistant head coach Brandon Staley and Eagles passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Christian Parker for the defensive coordinator position today. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds that Eagles quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier will interview for the offensive coordinator role this week. 
Staley and Nussmeier have both already been mentioned as potential candidates for the two respective jobs. Staley was Moore’s boss in 2023 when the former served as the Chargers’ head coach. Staley was fired by the Chargers following two-plus seasons with the organization. He finished his head coaching stint with a 24-24 record, including a single one-and-done playoff appearance. Prior to his stint with the Chargers, Staley served as the defensive coordinator with the Rams in 2020. He also previously served as linebackers coach for the Broncos and Bears. Though Staley didn’t interview for any other defensive coordinator jobs this offseason, he was mentioned as a candidate for the role with his current team.
Nussmeier and Moore coached together in Dallas from 2018-22, with the former moving from tight ends coach to quarterbacks coach during that span. Moore brought Nussmeier with him to Los Angeles when he took over as Chargers offensive coordinator under Staley in 2023. That stint did not go especially well, but the Eagles allowed Moore to bring Nussmeier alongside him to Philadelphia, where Jalen Hurts led the team to a Super Bowl title. Before their time together in Dallas, Nussmeier served as an offensive coordinator for five college programs — including Alabama, Michigan, and Florida — from 2008-17.
Aside from his connections to Moore, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler points out that Nussmeier also has a familial connection to Louisiana. Nussmeier’s son, Garrett Nussmeier, is set to enter his second year as the starting quarterback at LSU in relatively nearby Baton Rouge. After finishing fifth in the nation in passing yards per game for the Tigers in 2024, Garrett is considered a top prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft. There is one more connection, as well, as the elder Nussmeier’s only two years as an NFL quarterback saw him play in New Orleans.
Parker, 33, interviewed for the Patriots and Packers’ DC jobs last offseason, but likely due to the Eagles’ deep playoff run, he didn’t attend any interviews in this cycle. Before heading to Philadelphia last year, he was a valued staffer in Denver, working in the same defensive backs coaching role under Vic Fangio, Nathaniel Hackett, and Sean Payton. In Denver, Parker oversaw the likes of Justin Simmons and Patrick Surtain. In Philadelphia, Parker mentored a defense that allowed the fewest passing yards in the NFL last year due in part to rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, who finished second and fourth, respectively, in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Here is how the offensive coordinator search is shaping up so far:
- Kevin Koger, tight ends coach (Falcons): Rejected interview request
- Doug Nussmeier, quarterbacks coach (Eagles): Mentioned as candidate; To interview 2/16
- Kevin Patullo, pass-game coordinator (Eagles): Mentioned as candidate
- Robert Prince, receivers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 2/15
And here’s a look at the defensive coordinator search:
- George Edwards, outside linebackers coach (Buccaneers): Mentioned as candidate
- Daronte Jones, defensive pass-game coordinator (Vikings): To interview 1/15
- Christian Parker, passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach (Eagles): Interviewed 2/16
- Brandon Staley, assistant head coach (49ers): Lead candidate?; Interviewed 2/16
Cowboys Finalize 2025 Coaching Staff
The Cowboys replaced former head coach Mike McCarthy with in-house candidate Brian Schottenheimer. Despite the consistency of Schottenheimer remaining from last year, the handling of the coaching contracts by owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones caused many staffers to explore opportunities elsewhere in the NFL, forcing Schottenheimer to build a mostly new coaching staff. The Cowboys announced their finalized staff on Friday, and though many of the hires Schottenheimer has made we’ve already reported on, we’ll list every hire in this post. 
On offense, we were already made aware of the hires of offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, pass game specialist Ken Dorsey, running backs coach Derrick Foster, offensive line coach Conor Riley, and assistant wide receivers coach Tiquan Underwood. We were also aware that former offensive assistant Steve Shimko had been promoted to quarterbacks coach. and that tight ends coach Lunda Wells had been retained to the same role.
We had heard rumors that the team had been working to retain assistant quarterbacks/game management coach Ryan Feder and assistant offensive line/quality control coach Ramon Chinyoung, but Friday’s announcement confirmed that both will remain in slightly different roles. Feder will serve in 2025 as solely game management coordinator and Chingyoung as solely assistant offensive line coach.
The new offensive hire news from the announcement is the additions of Junior Adams as wide receivers coach and Dele Harding in a quarterbacks fellowship. Adams is making his NFL coaching debut after spending the last 17 years coaching at the collegiate level, most recently as (co-)offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Western Kentucky, Washington, and Oregon. Harding, a former linebacker at Illinois, began his coaching career after he finished playing at his alma mater. He spent a year as a defensive assistant for the Texans in 2022. He’s also been a fellow in the past for the Colts and Browns.
On defense, we were already made aware of the hirings of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi, defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton, and assistant defensive line coach Bryan Bing. We’ve also posted on the hirings of Andre Curtis, David Overstreet, and JJ Clark, but clarifications have been made about their roles. We initially reported that Curtis would serve as defensive pass game coordinator, which is true, but he will add safeties coach to his title, as well. Similarly, we reported Clark in a quality control role, but he will also have the title of defensive assistant. Overstreet was initially reported as assistant defensive backs coach, while the Cowboys’ announcement lists him as secondary/cornerbacks coach.
Overstreet will work alongside Darian Thompson, a quality control/assistant linebackers coach for the team last year who was retained as the new secondary/nickels coach. Lastly, former Rams and Jets defensive tackle Tanzel Smart has been hired as a defensive assistant/quality control coach, like Clark. Smart last appeared in a game in 2023 and was cut from the Jets at the roster cut deadline in August.
Both special teams roles, coordinator Nick Sorensen and assistant coach Carlos Polk were already reported.
There we have it: the Cowboys 2025 coaching staff. Schottenheimer doesn’t get the benefit of familiar faces on staff after Jones’ handling of the contracts, so a mostly new staff has been built. We’ll see what the new staff can do in 2025 after a down, injured year last season.
AFC South Notes: Jaguars, Texans, Colts
As the Jaguars continue to search for a new general manager to pair with first-year head coach Liam Coen, Coen continues to build his first coaching staff around himself in Jacksonville. Most recently, two offensive names have been brought up for minor roles on the offensive staff. While Coen, in his extensive experience coaching quarterbacks, will likely take on a lot of responsibility with molding Trevor Lawrence, as head coach, Coen has other responsibilities, as well, so, he’ll need assistance.
Firstly, the team is hiring Fred Walker as an offensive assistant, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. Walker spent the last three years on staff in Las Vegas — two of those years as an offensive assistant before working 2024 as assistant quarterbacks coach. That may not inspire much confidence, considering the state of the position for the Raiders last year, but he did work with Derek Carr in the passer’s last Pro Bowl season in 2022.
Another name the team is looking at to work with Lawrence is James Madison offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dean Kennedy. Kennedy is a young, fast-rising name in the coaching world. He has experience as a graduate assistant with two SEC schools (Mississippi State and Florida) as well as two years as the Gators assistant quarterbacks coach back in 2020-21, when Kyle Trask and Anthony Richardson were in the room.
Following that, Kennedy accepted a role as quarterbacks coach at Holy Cross that turned into his first offensive coordinator role a year later. Last season was his only year with the Dukes, but he led an offense that was 26th in the nation in scoring and beat the North Carolina Tar Heels, 70-50. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Jaguars are interviewing him for an as of yet unreported role.
Here are a couple other coaching updates coming out of the AFC South:
- The Texans are expected to add a new defensive staffer in Toledo defensive line coach Frank Okam, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Okam will serve as the team’s new assistant defensive line coach behind current defensive line coach Rod Wright, whom he played with in college at the University of Texas. Okam also played with head coach DeMeco Ryans when the two were players for the Texans from 2008-10. After defensive line coaching jobs at Rice and Baylor following his playing career, Okam held defensive line coaching jobs for the Panthers and Raiders before returning to the college ranks for the past two years.
- Finally, the Colts are reportedly targeting veteran defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson for a role on their staff, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Indianapolis just recently hired Chris Hewitt away from Baltimore as their new pass game coordinator & secondary coach, so it will be interesting to see what role they’d like to carve out for Henderson. Henderson has served as defensive backs coach for the Jets (2008), Browns (2009-11), Cowboys (2012-15), and Giants (2020-24) with additional years as a defensive passing game coordinator for the Falcons (2016-19) and the Giants last year.
Chiefs Want Travis Kelce Retirement Decision By March 14
The Chiefs are giving Travis Kelce a month to make a decision on his future. According to Nate Taylor and Cale Clinton of The Athletic, the Chiefs have set a March 14 deadline for Kelce to commit to the 2025 season.
While Kelce could try to squeeze more time from his team, the Chiefs do have some leverage via the tight end’s impending roster bonus. Kelce is due an $11.5MM bonus on March 15, and it’s no coincidence that the organization wants clarity before that date. Plus, free agency opens on March 10, so the Chiefs are already sacrificing some crucial roster certainty with this ultimatum.
The 2025 campaign will represent the final year of Kelce’s four-year, $57MM extension from 2020. The future Hall of Famer will be attached to a $19.8MM cap hit, more than half of which comes from that aforementioned roster bonus. While the Chiefs would surely welcome back Kelce regardless of the financials, that’s still a hefty cap charge, and our own Nikhil Mehta recently suggested that the front office could look to lower that hit via a cap-manipulating extension.
In his age-35 season, Kelce compiled some of the worst receiving numbers of his career. He finished the year with a career-low 51.4 yards per game, and his three touchdowns also marked a new career-low. Those numbers did see a jump when it mattered, as Kelce hauled in 13 receptions for 175 yards during the Chiefs’ three-game postseason run.
If Kelce does hang up his cleats, the Chiefs could look towards in-house options to fill the void. Former fifth-round pick Noah Gray finished the year with career-highs in receptions (40), receiving yards (437), touchdowns (five), and offensive snaps (664). This year’s TE free agency class mostly consists of complementary players, including Mike Gesicki and Juwan Johnson.
2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team
Free agency is roughly one month away, and teams are preparing for the first major roster-building checkpoint on the offseason calendar. In several cases, of course, the lead-in to the start of the new league year will require cost-cutting measures.
Teams expect the 2025 cap ceiling to check in somewhere between $265MM and $275MM, providing a general target to aim for before the final figure is unveiled by the NFL. Using a projected cap of $272.5MM, here is a look at where all 32 teams currently stand (courtesy of Over the Cap):
- New England Patriots: $119.8MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $92.53MM
- Washington Commanders: $75.21MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $71.33MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $63.41MM
- Chicago Bears: $62.97MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $58.01MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $53.26MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $46.26MM
- Detroit Lions: $45.69MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $44.26MM
- Tennessee Titans: $44.08MM
- New York Giants: $43.38MM
- Green Bay Packers: $42.14MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $38.33MM
- Denver Broncos: $34.78MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $32.27MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $28.25MM
- Carolina Panthers: $20.33MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $18.08MM
- New York Jets: $16.86MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $5.96MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $2.24MM
- Houston Texans: $99K over the cap
- Kansas City Chiefs: $916K over
- Dallas Cowboys: $2.85MM over
- Miami Dolphins: $5.44MM over
- Atlanta Falcons: $11.15MM over
- Seattle Seahawks: $13.46MM over
- Buffalo Bills: $14.18MM over
- Cleveland Browns: $30.17MM over
- New Orleans Saints: $54.11MM over
These figures will of course change based on where the final cap ceiling winds up for the year, but they take into 
account each team’s carryover amount for 2025. Even with those savings in play, more than one quarter of the league finds itself in need of cost-shedding moves to simply achieve cap compliance by mid-March.
With the Patriots leading the way in terms of spending power, they will be a team to watch closely once free agency begins. The team’s willingness (or lack thereof) to make major free agent additions last year was a talking point, and it will be interesting to see if the regime featuring de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel takes a different approach in 2025. A serious push for Tee Higgins – by far the most sought-after wideout set to hit the market – can be expected.
Aside from Higgins, the Bengals have a number of financial priorities. Working out a monster extension for fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase and a new deal (and accompanying raise) for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson are key goals for the franchise. Quarterback Joe Burrow is prepared to restructure his own pact to create cap space for this offseason, but the team will no doubt need to break with tradition in terms of contract structure and guarantees to keep its core intact.
The Colts’ offseason has been defined in large part by a focus on retaining in-house players during recent years. That approach has not paid off as hoped, and general manager Chris Ballard said last month he plans to oversee a shift in roster-building philosophy this year. With the finances to make at least a modest addition or two on the open market, Indianapolis could be a suitor for some of the middle-class free agent options.
Over the coming weeks, many teams will proceed with extensions and restructures to free up cap space; the Seahawks recently took the latter route with defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Teams like the Steelers (in the case of edge rusher Preston Smith) and Dolphins (with running back Raheem Mostert as well as corner Kendall Fuller and tight end Durham Smythe) have already begin cutting veterans to free up cap space. That will increasingly continue in the near future with respect to the teams currently slated to be over the cap in particular.