Rams, S Kamren Curl Agree To Deal
The Rams continue to make moves in the secondary prior to the start of free agency. Kamren Curl will not be testing the market next week. 
Curl and the Rams have agreed to a three-year deal, as first reported by Mike Garafolo, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The pact has a base value of $36MM and can reach a maximum of $39MM. Curl joins Quentin Lake as a Los Angeles safety who has avoided a trip to free agency by landing a payday.
That tandem will remain intact for 2026 and beyond given today’s news. Curl has operated as a full-time starter during his two years with the Rams. That stint was preceded by four years in Washington, and it resulted in a free agent Los Angeles pact worth $4.5MM per year. Curl played his way into a considerable raise, setting himself up to be one of the top earners at the safety position this offseason. He has not needed to test the market to secure his next NFL contract, though.
The Rams nearly reached the Super Bowl this past season despite ranking 19th against the pass. Upgrading the secondary was seen as a clear priority as a result, and earlier this week Los Angeles swung a trade for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie. Provided an extension can be worked out in his case, improved play at the defensive third level for years to come will be expected.
After a four-year run without an interception, Curl managed a pair of picks in 2025. The soon-to-be 27-year-old also set or matched his career high in tackles (122) and sacks (two) this past season. Remaining a strong contributor over the course of this next contract would be key in ensuring the Rams continue to be one of the NFC’s top contenders. He and Lake will look to further develop their safety partnership with plenty of time to do so given their respective pacts.
Yesterday, Los Angeles worked out a new deal with tight end Tyler Higbee. Coupled with today’s Curl agreement, the team has managed to take care of a few important pieces of business prior to the new league year beginning.
Chargers Sign C Tyler Biadasz
The Chargers have found their new center in advance of free agency. Shortly after hosting Tyler Biadasz, a deal has been worked out. 
A three-year, $30MM pact has been agreed to between Los Angeles and Biadasz, Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report. The Bolts recently saw Bradley Bozeman retire, creating an opening at the center spot. A number of options are on course to test the market next week, but the team has moved quickly in landing Biadasz, whose signing is now official.
After playing out his rookie contract with the Cowboys, Biadasz was among the players who followed Dan Quinn from Dallas to Washington in 2024. He did so by also inking a 3/30 pact at that time, but the Commanders proceeded with a release last week. That gave the 28-year-old a head start on free agency and allowed him to meet with suitors. In addition to the Chargers, Biadasz was believed to have visited the Bears as part of their search for a Drew Dalman replacement. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk clarifies, however, that no Chicago summit actually took place.
In the lead-up to free agency, Chargers GM Joe Hortiz made it clear he did not anticipate any big-money additions in March. That came as little surprise given his roster-building philosophy was shaped by a long Ravens tenure, but it led to questions about how Los Angeles’ substantial cap flexibility would be used. It remains to be seen how Hortiz will address the guard position moving forward – with Mekhi Becton set to be released and Zion Johnson a pending free agent – but the center spot has now been taken care of.
Biadasz, a Pro Bowl alternate in 2024, started 53 games with the Cowboys and all 31 of his Commanders contests. The Wisconsin product will be counted to remain a first-team presence on his third NFL team while offering plenty in the way of experience. Provided the Chargers get better luck on the health front with tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, improved play up front can be expected for 2026.
Having entered Friday with over $99MM in cap space, the Bolts can certainly afford several other additions over the coming days. The guard position in particular will now be one to watch as Hortiz seeks out replacements for Becton and – in the event he lands elsewhere – Johnson.
Bears, Bills Finalizing D.J. Moore Trade
D.J. Moore‘s Bears future has been in question, and he will indeed be on the move soon. The veteran wideout will be dealt to the Bills once the new league year begins, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Chicago will receive a 2026 second-round pick (No. 60 overall) in the deal while sending a 2026 fifth-rounder back to Buffalo, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The Bears will also see $16.5MM in cap savings, according to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap, though that will not kick in until the trade is processed at the start of the new league year. As a result, they will need to make other moves to become cap-compliant by next Wednesday.
The Bills will take on the remainder of Moore’s contract, which runs through 2029. He is owed $24.5MM in each year with the same cap number. His 2026 salary is already guaranteed, and $15.5MM of his 2027 salary guarantees on March 13.
Buffalo is also guaranteeing $15.5MM of Moore’s 2028 salary as part of the trade, per Schefter. It is unclear if they are expanding the 2027 guarantees to cover the entire year’s salary. Moore, notably, has negotiated fully guaranteed compensation for each of his first nine seasons in the NFL and could very well get to 11 as a result of this deal.
Along with the second-rounder they moved to acquire him, that is a hefty commitment for a player who just posted career-low receiving numbers in the NFL’s 10th-ranked passing offense. His 1.44 yards per route run in 2024 and 1.24 YPRR in 2025 are the lowest figures of his career, per Pro Football Focus, (subscription required). However, that can be partially attributed to a crowded Bears offense that featured a strong running game and young pass-catchers Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, and Luther Burden.
Still, Buffalo had a clear desire to upgrade their receiving corps. They checked in on A.J. Brown and Alec Pierce, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, but ultimately opted to reunite Moore with head coach Joe Brady. The two last worked together in Carolina in 2020 and 2021, during which time Moore put up 2,350 yards and eight touchdowns on 159 receptions.
Perhaps Brady can get him back to that production or better in a receiver room with less competition – Khalil Shakir was the only Bills wideout to top 40 receptions or 500 receiving yards last year. But given the financial and draft compensation, it is hard to like this trade for the Bills. Moore is about to turn 29 after two years of decline and the team is essentially tied to him through his age-31 season after adding guarantees to his deal.
Texans To Extend DE Danielle Hunter
For a second straight offseason, Danielle Hunter will extend his Houston stay by a year. The Texans are giving the Pro Bowl defensive end a one-year extension, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports.
Hunter agreed to a one-year, $40.1MM deal, per Wilson. This comes a year after the Will Anderson Jr. bookend inked a one-year, $35.6MM pact. This agreement, which includes a $30.7MM signing bonus (per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero), pushes Hunter’s Texans tie through the 2027 season.
This marks Hunter’s third Texans agreement. The team gave the longtime Vikings edge rusher a two-year, $49MM deal that came almost fully guaranteed in 2024. Hunter rewarded the Texans’ investment, as Houston and Minnesota essentially traded edges (with Jonathan Greenard signing with the Vikings), and has since earned two extensions. This deal stands to reduce Hunter’s 2026 cap number — previously at $31.3MM.
The latest Hunter agreement includes a favorable structure. Hunter will see his 2027 base salary ($30.2MM) come fully guaranteed, with Wilson indicating his money is locked in. This represents a win for Hunter, who has opted to go year-to-year past age 30. The youngest player in NFL history to reach 50 sacks, Hunter will turn 33 in October.
Building a Hall of Fame case since coming back from an injury-plagued stretch in the early 2020s, Hunter has been a key part of what has become a formidable Texans defense. The former third-round pick has recorded 27 sacks as a Texan, playing in every Houston game since signing. This included a 15-sack 2025 season, a campaign that earned him second-team All-Pro honors. With Anderson landing on the All-Pro first team, Houston has assembled one of the top edge-rushing duos in recent NFL history.
Coming back from a season-nullifying neck injury (2020) and a pectoral malady that limited him (2021), Hunter has tallied between 22 and 23 QB hits each season from 2022-25. He ripped off a career-high 16.5 as a Viking in 2023, providing considerable momentum into free agency. Hunter had been tied to a below-market contract since 2018, and a Vikes rework meant he could not be franchise-tagged in 2024, leading to a Colts-Texans bidding war. While Indianapolis was believed to have offered more money in total, Houston won out with a $48MM guarantee at signing. The addition has bolstered DeMeco Ryans‘ defense.
When first signed, it looked like the Texans would use Hunter’s contract to complement the rookie deals of Anderson and C.J. Stroud. But Nick Caserio‘s decision to extend him in 2025 turned this into a longer-term partnership. Although Hunter is approaching his mid-30s, he has been a dominant player in Houston.
In the sack era (1982-present), only 26 players have more QB drops than Hunter. The 12th-year veteran has 114.5 despite missing a full season. Hunter is 24 sacks away from the top 10 all time. While keeping up that pace may be a tall order, Hunter has seven double-digit sack seasons on his resume.
Born in Jamaica, Hunter grew up in the Houston area. He replaced Greenard as Anderson’s older sidekick, and the Texans’ defense benefited. Houston ended last season ranked second in scoring defense and first in EPA per play. The unit smothered the Steelers in the wild-card round, rampaging to a 30-6 win, before seeing Stroud struggles in the divisional round bring a defense-powered season to a close.
With Caserio and Co. expected to discuss an extension with Anderson this offseason, Stroud is on track to remain tied to his rookie deal in 2026. Hunter’s accord is the NFL’s fifth $40MM-per-year defender deal, following Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson. This is a unique pact, however, as the rest of those contracts covered at least three years in length.
49ers Want More Than Second-Rounder For Mac Jones; Latest On Trent Williams
The 49ers landed backup quarterback Mac Jones on a two-year, $7MM contract in free agency last March. The team wound up turning to Jones far more than it planned to in the first year of the deal. With a toe injury limiting starter Brock Purdy to nine games, Jones made eight starts and did a nice job keeping the car on the road. The 49ers went 5-3 in Jones’ outings.
Jones may have boosted his stock enough to become an appealing trade candidate, but the market has not been “robust” so far, Matt Barrows and Vic Tafur of The Athletic write. While the 49ers are not shopping Jones, they at least expected someone to offer a third-round pick or better, according to Barrows and Tafur.
General manager John Lynch‘s asking price is even higher than a third, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic hears. Lynch is looking for a second-rounder and more. That is a steep cost for a signal-caller who has put together an inconsistent five-year career.
Jones, whom the Patriots drafted 15th overall in 2021, had a solid rookie year as a starter. Taking over after Cam Newton‘s forgettable season as the Patriots’ starter, Jones helped the Pats to 10 wins and a playoff berth. The Alabama product fizzled over the next two seasons, though, leading the Patriots to trade him to the Jaguars in March 2024. Jones only brought back a sixth-rounder then. He went on to underwhelm in relief of an injured Trevor Lawrence over seven starts.
Jones had a far better year in San Francisco, where he set career highs in completion percentage (69.6%), yards per attempt (7.4), passer rating (97.4) and QBR (62.3). He threw for 2,151 yards and tossed 13 touchdowns against six interceptions across 289 attempts. Those are good numbers, but not enough to convince anyone to give up prime draft capital. Unsurprisingly, there is some skepticism toward the 27-year-old and a belief that his 2025 rebound was the product of head coach/offensive guru Kyle Shanahan.
“The 49ers gonna throw in Kyle Shanahan in the deal, too?” one general manager asked (via Barrows and Tafur).
As of January, Shanahan was not expecting a Jones trade. Shanahan said then that “you always listen to people and trade offers, but we’re also not into getting rid of good players. So, I’d be very surprised if Mac wasn’t around us next year.”
Barring something unforeseen, it appears Jones will indeed remain in a 49ers uniform next season. On the other hand, there is still plenty of uncertainty around future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams. With the 49ers and Williams struggling to agree on an adjusted deal to lower his $38.84MM cap hit, a Feb. 23 report surfaced indicating the team could release him. Speaking to the media that afternoon, Lynch said the 49ers and Williams’ camp are “all on the same page.”
Nothing has been done about Williams’ contract over a week later, leaving a release as a possible outcome. The two sides have not made any progress, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, who says the 49ers and Williams still have work to do to prevent a divorce.
If the 12-time Pro Bowler reaches free agency, there should be plenty of interest despite his age. The 37-year-old continues to play at a high level, and retirement is not imminent. Williams still believes he has two or three seasons of football left in him, Garafolo reports.
Offseason Outlook: Pittsburgh Steelers
After an adjusted plan yielded the same result, the Steelers will see a major change in 2026. Mike Tomlin resigned his post, falling a few years short of Chuck Noll for longest-tenured head coach in Steelers history. Tomlin did not seek another job, and it remains to be seen if he will follow Bill Cowher in walking away for good after a Pittsburgh exit.
Rather than go with a young coordinator like they did in 1992 and 2006, the Steelers hired a Pittsburgh native with nearly 20 years' worth of HC experience. Mike McCarthy is not positioned to be a long-term answer with his hometown team, and the former Packers and Cowboys leader is one of the oldest HCs hired in NFL history. Will McCarthy start his Pittsburgh tenure with an Aaron Rodgers reunion?
Coaching/front office:
- Head coach Mike Tomlin resigned after 19 seasons
- Mike McCarthy hired as HC replacement
- Hired Brian Angelichio as offensive coordinator
- Hired Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator
- Tabbed James Campen as offensive line coach, Jahri Evans as assistant OL coach
- Retained Tom Arth as quarterbacks coach
- Hired Jason Simmons as defensive pass-game coordinator
- Added Joe Whitt as secondary coach, Domata Peko as D-line coach
- Assistant GM Andy Weidl interviewed for Falcons' GM job
Tomlin became the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl at the time of the Steelers' Super Bowl XLIII conquest; he was 36 when the team held off the Cardinals. Sean McVay eclipsed that (by winning at 35), but Tomlin's ascent remains among the fastest in NFL history. The quotable leader then led the Steelers back to the biggest stage, with the team narrowly losing to Rodgers' Packers in Super Bowl XLV. Pittsburgh remained an AFC power in the years to follow, reaching the 2016 conference title game. But the ensuing postseason skid had come to define the back half of Tomlin's tenure.
Pro Football Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 3/5/26
Pro Football Rumors' Sam Robinson will be holding a live chat at 2pm Central today, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!
Raiders Warming To Prospect Of Maxx Crosby Trade?
John Spytek said at the Combine he envisioned Maxx Crosby being a Raider in 2026, but the second-year GM planned to listen to offers. With a Crosby trade being a clear gateway to accelerating a Raiders rebuild before this year’s draft, the team may be warming to the prospect of moving on.
Teams in the trade market are now under the impression the Raiders are more open to trading the All-Pro edge rusher, insider Jordan Schultz notes. The Bears, Cowboys, Patriots and Seahawks have been mentioned as prospective suitors. Crosby has naturally drawn widespread interest, with a sizable chunk of the NFL checking in after his late-season IR placement began a spiral that has led to this point.
The Raiders are believed to have set a high asking price — perhaps as much as two first-rounders and a player — for the 28-year-old star rusher. Teams around the league have viewed the AFC West team’s ask as exorbitant, but with a bidding war perhaps unfolding, Spytek may be able to keep his price point around the Micah Parsons/Khalil Mack level.
As covered in our Raiders Offseason Outlook piece, Crosby’s 2025 Raiders extension represents a wrinkle in this process. The tackle-for-loss maven is signed through 2029 on a $35.5MM-per-year contract. Generally, blockbuster pass rusher trades come to pass because of contract squabbles. That was the case with Parsons and Mack, with many others in recent NFL history falling into that category as well.
Crosby being prepared to play on his current contract gives an acquiring team an advantage, as that deal — tops among edge rushers when signed last March — is now sixth in terms of AAV at the position. While Mark Davis has slammed the door on Crosby trade interest in the past, we may see a swap soon.
If the Raiders hang onto Crosby past the draft, a deal would not necessarily be dead. The Parsons and Mack swaps were executed just before the season, but the Raiders would be acquiring 2027 draft capital instead of being able to surround likely No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza with more help this year.
With the team missing the past four playoff brackets since Crosby’s first extension, cashing out now is a logical move. Although a few talented edge rushers are set to hit free agency, none would stand to make the kind of impact Crosby would. The next few days will be interesting on this market, as the Raiders will surely have a handful of offers by free agency.
Rams Want To Re-Sign Jimmy Garoppolo; Cardinals Still On Radar
After two years as Matthew Stafford‘s backup, Jimmy Garoppolo may be in store for a raise — as a potential return to the starter level awaits. But his current team is interested in another deal.
The Rams have had Garoppolo on $3.18MM and $3.1MM contracts over the past two years. This came after the Raiders ditched the veteran’s three-year, $72.75MM deal after one season. If a starting job could be open elsewhere, it would stand to reason Garoppolo would be leaving L.A. But the Rams want to keep him.
[RELATED: Rams To Acquire CB Trent McDuffie From Chiefs]
“I love Jimmy; I would absolutely want him back,” Sean McVay said. “I did see those reports too on Mike [LaFleur] trying to steal our guy, but no, Jimmy’s a really good player and so we would love him back.
“I’m sure he’ll have multiple opportunities and then we’ll see where we’re at. You guys know how I feel about him when we’ve spoken about him and we would love him back. I’m also not naive to the fact that he’ll probably have a lot of opportunities and if those are things that he wants to pursue that give him a chance to play, I would understand that.”
A Garoppolo-Cardinals connection emerged recently, and CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones adds Arizona is still believed to be interested. In that scenario, Garoppolo would be following LaFleur to Arizona. LaFleur spent the past two seasons coaching Garoppolo with the Rams. The Dolphins have also emerged as a potential suitor, as their upcoming Tua Tagovailoa release — which will bring a record-smashing $99.2MM in dead money spread over two years (in the expected post-June 1 scenario) — will hamstring the AFC East club.
Garoppolo, 34, was tied to a five-year, $137.5MM 49ers contract — a record at the time of signing (February 2018) — and he reunited with Josh McDaniels in Vegas. Garoppolo’s rough 2023 Raiders stay banished him to the QB2 level, but with a number of vacancies opening up this offseason, there appears to be an appetite for another opportunity — most likely as a bridge option.
The Rams are unlikely to pay Garoppolo too much more than they gave him in 2024 or ’25; in the event multiple other teams get involved, L.A. would presumably need a new backup. McVay helped Baker Mayfield rehab his career during a 2022 partnership, and the Rams moved to Carson Wentz in ’23. Stafford stayed healthy throughout this season, but the reigning MVP has played through injuries during much of his career. Garoppolo represents a much bigger risk, as the Cardinals or Dolphins would need to have a capable backup due to the former 49ers and Raiders starter’s 32 missed games due to injury from 2018-22. But he may have another shot to start somewhere again soon.
Broncos Plan To Retain G Ben Powers; DL John Franklin-Myers Expected To Depart
Today’s Broncos agreement to extend Alex Palczewski will not put him on a path to becoming the team’s new left guard starter, after all. Ben Powers, mentioned as a trade candidate for weeks, is now expected to stay in Denver.
The Broncos are not planning to trade or release Powers, per 9News’ Mike Klis; the team will also not ask the eighth-year guard for a pay cut. This places Powers on track to earn $11.99MM in base salary this season — the final year of his contract. More notably, this will give the Broncos an offensive line featuring five players earning at least $12MM per year.
[RELATED: Looking Into Broncos’ Offseason Outlook]
Denver extended left tackle Garett Bolles (four years, $80MM) and right guard Quinn Meinerz (four years, $72MM) in 2024, doing so before re-upping center Luke Wattenberg (4/48) in November 2025. Powers, however, started Sean Payton‘s O-line overhaul, signing a four-year deal worth $52MM early during the 2023 legal tampering period. RT Mike McGlinchey soon signed a five-year, $87.5MM pact. Powers, who is tied to a $18.16MM 2026 cap number, is the only player Denver starting blocker unsigned for 2027. McGlinchey, Meinerz and Powers sit as the Broncos’ top three cap hits.
Palczewski is now locked in through the ’27 season, perhaps giving the Broncos an heir apparent at LG. The former UDFA looks to reprise his role as the Broncos’ swingman/sixth O-lineman in 2026. Powers, 29, has operated as Denver’s left guard starter throughout his tenure. A biceps injury, however, sidelined the ex-Raven for nine games last season. In 2024, however, Powers led all interior O-lineman in run block win rate.
The 2026 season also represents a new chapter for the Broncos, as it is a gap year of sorts between the Russell Wilson dead money period and Bo Nix‘s extension eligibility. Nix cannot sign an extension until 2027, giving the Broncos a chance to bolster their team around a rookie deal this year. It looks like part of that effort will be retaining all five pricey O-line starters; Pro Football Focus ranked Denver’s front first overall last season.
While Powers is due back, the Broncos are expected to lose John Franklin-Myers. Set to test free agency Monday, Franklin-Myers has not engaged in offseason talks with the Broncos, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. This situation has been headed this way for a while, as Franklin-Myers — despite expressing interest in staying — has long been expected to leave. This year’s market places the veteran D-lineman in commanding position to score a monster raise.
Placed sixth on PFR’s top 50 free agents list, Franklin-Myers is viewed as by far the best interior D-lineman set to be available Monday. Sent to Denver in a Jets salary dump during the 2024 draft, Franklin-Myers (29) combined for 14.5 sacks as a full-time starter as a 3-4 D-end for the Broncos — who formed two top-three defenses during the supporting-caster’s two seasons. Franklin-Myers, who had been tied to a four-year Jets deal worth $55MM prior to the April 2024 trade, is seeking a three- or four-year contract, per Tomasson.