Bradley Bozeman

AFC West Rumors: Bozeman, Mahomes, Rice, Raiders

June 1st, 2025 at 9:24pm CST by Ely Allen

The Chargers‘ interior offensive line blocking was a weakness of the team in 2024. The team addressed the right guard position by signing Mekhi Becton after the former first-round pick had a breakout season in Philadelphia. The center and left guard spots, though, are currently a bit more up in the air as Los Angeles has been experimenting with swapping Bradley Bozeman and Zion Johnson from the positions at which they started in 2024.

As the team has continued in this experiment, Daniel Popper of The Athletic has called into question whether or not Bozeman will start at all. While Bozeman has been a starting lineman in the NFL for most of the past four seasons, he has never graded out as one of the NFL’s best interior blockers, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Bozeman filled starting roles at left guard and center for the Ravens throughout his rookie contract, but they allowed him to walk in free agency. He signed with Carolina as a backup, only earning the starting center role because of injury. The Panthers did re-sign him, but they quickly released him only a year into his three-year, $18MM deal.

After he started for a year in Los Angeles, the Chargers gave him a more reserved two-year, $6.5MM deal. Popper seems pretty sure that Johnson will be starting, though whether at center or left guard remains to be seen. He thinks Bozeman could end up starting at the other position, but the team has set themselves up well regardless. Free agent signing Andre James provides insurance at center, while Trey Pipkins III and Jamaree Salyer both started games at guard last year and could potentially step in if Bozeman struggles. The Chargers also drafted Branson Taylor out of Pittsburgh in the sixth round and worked him at left guard in rookie minicamp. Suffice it to say, Los Angeles has plenty of options as they continue to try and improve their interior offensive line.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of the AFC West, starting with a couple from Kansas City:

There was a bit of chatter after it was decided that NFL players would be allowed to participate in flag football in the 2028 Olympics concerning which players would be best suited to represent Team USA. One player sure to show up on many people’s dream team took himself out of the running. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes told reporters he was not planning on playing, saying that he would “leave that to the younger guys.”
Another Chiefs player is making less light-hearted news as wide receiver Rashee Rice continues in his legal struggles. Per Mike Florio of NBC Sports, Rice is now facing a third lawsuit related to the street-racing crash in Dallas back in March of 2024. Kayla Quinn is the latest person to allege that she and her son sustained physical and mental injuries as a result of the incident.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Raiders have developed a reputation for traditionally operating in a cash-poor manner. New limited owner Tom Brady has reportedly made it known that he intends to change that reputation. Per Breer, Brady promised any coaching candidates in January that he and his fellow new limited partners would “materially change” the team’s spending habits.

AFC West Notes: OL, Chargers, Chiefs, Carroll, Broncos

May 18th, 2025 at 5:07pm CST by Ely Allen

Bradley Bozeman has been a starting center in the NFL for most of the past four seasons. He has never graded out as one of the NFL’s best centers, though, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), so the Chargers are starting to experiment with lining former first-round pick Zion Johnson up at center in 2025, per Daniel Popper of The Athletic, bumping Bozeman out to left guard.

Starting as a backup center with the Ravens in 2018, Bozeman was bumped out to left guard so that he could be in the starting lineup in his sophomore season with the team. In the final year of his rookie contract, Baltimore moved Bozeman back to center. As a free agent he signed a one-year deal as a backup to Pat Elflein in Carolina, earning the starting gig when Elflein went out with a season-ending injury. After he stepped up, Carolina extended him to a three-year, $18MM extension but released him just a year later. He rebounded by signing with the Chargers, who, like the Panthers, gave him an extension after his first year with the team.

Johnson has yet to live up to his first-round status in Los Angeles; the Chargers declined his fifth-year option this month. He took over as a starter immediately as a rookie but has been only average at left guard. While it may not result in a permanent switch, it makes sense for the Chargers to at least try swapping Johnson and Bozeman. Neither has been outstanding at their initial positions, and working in a new spot may help one or both players be more comfortable moving forward. With Mekhi Becton improving the right guard spot as he joins a pretty great tackle pair in Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, the Chargers will hope that the swap results in an upgrade to their two weaker offensive line positions.

Here are a few more offseason rumors from around the AFC West:

In a slightly similar situation, the Raiders will be cross-training rookie tackle Charles Grant in hopes that he can serve as the team’s swing tackle, according to Tashan Reed of The Athletic. Las Vegas used back-to-back picks on offensive tackles in the third round back in April, selecting Grant right after drafting Texas Tech’s Caleb Rogers. Rogers may end up getting more looks on the interior as a pro, while the Raiders plan on Grant being an option to play at both tackle spots. Grant spent all five years of his time at William & Mary as a left tackle, but with Kolton Miller entrenched in that starting spot, Grant’s best path to playing time is to compete with second-year right tackle DJ Glaze. It’s not easy to switch from side to side at tackle in the NFL, so Vegas will experiment with Grant at both spots to be safe. They’ll see how well he takes on the shift to the right side in order to determine if he can compete with Glaze, but if he can’t make the change, they’ll keep him working at left tackle, as well, as an option to backup Miller.
While Chiefs rookie offensive tackle Josh Simmons‘ slide to the last pick of the first round was credited in large part to medical red flags, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler informs us that “character concerns” were a bigger deterrent during the pre-draft process. Fowler asserts that most teams he consulted with were not overly concerned with the patellar tendon tear that ended Simmons’ 2024 campaign. Instead, concerns with his approach to practices and run blocking gave pause to teams with mid- to late-first-round picks.
In a recent Q&A, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal fielded a question about whether or not the eventual replacement for Raiders head coach Pete Carroll was already in the building. Carroll is currently on a three-year deal with a fourth-year team option, but if the 73-year-old skipper opted to hang up his headset after putting the team on the right track, Bonsignore does have an eye on a potential successor in the building. Carroll’s two sons are both currently on staff with him in Las Vegas; Brennan Carroll works as the team’s offensive line coach, while Nate Carroll serves as assistant quarterbacks coach. According to Bonsignore, the elder brother, Brennan, is an up-and-coming coach with experience as an offensive coordinator with two programs at the collegiate level. If the eldest Carroll boy is going to get an NFL head coaching opportunity, the cleanest path likely lies in Vegas.
As linebacker Alex Singleton continues striving to make his return from a midseason ACL tear, the Broncos have just been aiming to get him back in time for their 2025 season opener. In an update from Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post, it was reported that Singleton is on track to return in time for training camp. The former undrafted free agent has been increasingly impressive as he’s earned more and more responsibility during stints with the Eagles and Broncos. Even with the first major injury of his career, the 31-year-old continues to surpass expectations with a quick and smooth rehabilitation process.

Chargers Contract Details: Mack, Bozeman, Dye, Conklin

March 22nd, 2025 at 5:57pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on recent contracts signed by the Chargers:

Khalil Mack, OLB (Chargers): One year, $18MM. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Mack’s one-year contract is fully guaranteed with a $10MM signing bonus and an $8MM base salary. Due to some void salary cap carryover, Mack will represent a $26.87MM cap hit in 2025.
Bradley Bozeman, C (Chargers): Two years, $6.5MM. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Bozeman’s new deal has a total guaranteed amount of $3.38MM consisting of a $2.12MM signing bonus and his base salary in 2025 of $1.26MM. Despite no guarantees in the second year of the deal, Bozeman can earn a $500K roster bonus, effective on the third day of the 2026 new league year. Each year of the deal also holds a $2.75MM incentive based on playing time.
Troy Dye, LB (Chargers): Two years, $5.5MM. According to Wilson, the new two-year contract includes $3MM of total guarantees. $1.5MM, in the form of a signing bonus, is guaranteed at signing, while the remaining $1.5MM comes from Dye’s 2025 base salary. Like Bozeman, Dye has a $500K roster bonus for 2026, but Dye’s incentives (up to $1.5MM each year) are based on playing time, sacks, and interceptions and can act as an escalator for his 2026 earnings. Despite a $2MM base salary and $3.25MM cap hit for the second year of his deal, Los Angeles built in a potential out that will allow them to release Dye after this season with only $750K in dead cap.
Tyler Conklin, TE (Chargers): One year, $3MM. Conklin’s recent deal with Los Angeles can be worth up to $4.5MM with incentives, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Garafolo calls Conklin’s incentives “reachable,” insinuating that Conklin should be able to wring out the full value of the deal.
J.K. Scott, P (Chargers): Two years, $6MM. Per Wilson, Scott’s new contract includes $3.15MM of total guarantees, all guaranteed at signing. The guarantees include a $1.9MM signing bonus and Scott’s 2025 base salary of $1.25MM. Unlike Bozeman and Dye, Scott’s $500K roster bonus is effective on the fifth day of the 2026 new league year. Like Dye, though, Scott’s deal has a built-in potential out that will allow Los Angeles to cut him after this year for only $950K of dead cap, despite a salary of $2.35MM and a scheduled cap hit of $3.8MM in 2026.
Jalen Reagor, WR (Chargers): One year, $1.34MM. According to Wilson, Reagor’s deal is just over the veteran minimum, thanks to $360K of guarantees comprised of a $60K signing bonus and $300K of his base salary (worth a total of $1.17MM). Reagor will also net an additional $55K through a workout bonus and could earn a Week 1 roster bonus of $52.5K if he makes the 53-man roster.

Chargers Re-Sign C Bradley Bozeman, P J.K. Scott

March 10th, 2025 at 7:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the second time, Bradley Bozeman has reached an agreement to re-sign with a team. After the Panthers reupped the veteran center in 2023, he is sticking with the Chargers.

The Bolts re-signed Bozeman and punter JK Scott on Monday. Bozeman, 30, played for just $1.13MM with the Chargers last season. The Panthers had given him a raise in 2023, but after playing for the veteran minimum last season, Bozeman may not match the $6MM-per-year deal he was previously on as a Panther.

Despite Bozeman’s low-end contract, he started 17 games for the Chargers. That marked the former Raven’s second straight season of perfect attendance. Pro Football Focus was not particularly complimentary of Bozeman’s initial Chargers year, ranking him 29th among center regulars. That came after the advanced metrics website placed him 21st in 2023.

Los Angeles may not be eyeing Bozeman as a starter once again. GM Joe Hortiz said recently (via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper) that former first-round pick Zion Johnson will be tried at center this offseason. The Bolts, who had previously relocated Trey Pipkins from tackle to guard, have used Johnson as a starting guard — both LG and RG — in each of his three seasons.

Hortiz expressed confidence Johnson could make the transition, despite not playing center at Boston College, either. While Pipkins remains on Los Angeles’ roster, he profiles as a cut candidate, Popper adds. The Chargers could save $6.75MM by releasing the converted tackle, who has been with the team since 2019.

A seven-year veteran, Scott has been the Chargers’ punter for the past three seasons. The 29-year-old specialist has averaged just north of 46 yards per punt in each of the past two seasons.

Chargers Sign C Bradley Bozeman

March 18th, 2024 at 6:51pm CST by Ben Levine

The Chargers are adding an experienced lineman to their offense. The team announced that they’ve signed center Bradley Bozeman.

The former Ravens sixth-round pick emerged as a consistent starter in Baltimore during his sophomore season. Between 2019 and 2021, Bozeman started all 51 of his appearances for the Ravens (including postseason). After spending the early portion of his career as a left guard, he transitioned to center for the 2021 campaign.

He settled for a one-year deal with the Panthers in 2022. After starting 11 of his 17 appearances during his first season in Carolina, the OL signed a new three-year extension last offseason. Bozeman proceeded to start all 17 of his appearances in 2023, with Pro Football Focus ranking him 21st among 36 qualifying centers. He was released by the Panthers last week.

Bozeman can likely be penciled in as the Chargers starting center heading into 2024. A heart-related issue limited starting center Corey Linsley to only three games this past season, and there’s a chance the veteran ends up calling it a career. Career backup Will Clapp was forced into the lineup following Linsley’s absence, but the veteran is currently unsigned.

Panthers To Release C Bradley Bozeman

March 10th, 2024 at 12:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

Bradley Bozeman‘s tenure in Charlotte has come to an end. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Panthers will release the veteran center at the start of the league year on Wednesday. Bozeman was due a $1.5MM roster bonus on March 16, so Carolina will avoid that payment.

Bozeman began his career with the Ravens, seeing first-team playing time at both guard and center. It was in the latter role that he finished his rookie contract in 2021, remaining a full-time starter over the course of that campaign. In his first trip to free agency, the former sixth-rounder headed to Charlotte on a one-year pact. Bozeman made 17 appearances (and 11 starts) in that time.

A mutual interest existed between team and player to work out a new arrangement, and that was indeed the case last March. Bozeman inked a three-year, $18MM deal to remain with the Panthers. After only one year on that pact, however, Carolina – now led by general manager Dan Morgan – will cut bait and begin to search out a replacement. Joe Person of The Athletic notes Bozeman declined to take a pay cut to remain with the team. By timing the release after the new league year begins, the Panthers will have the option of designating this move a post-June 1 cut. That route would yield $2MM in cap savings and $5.64MM in dead money.

Bozeman earned a PFF grade of 62.2 in 2023, a figure which falls roughly in line with most of his past performances . Strong play as a run blocker was overshadowed by shortcomings in terms of pass protection; the 29-year-old was charged with eight sacks allowed as part of a Panthers’ O-line which struggled to keep quarterback Bryce Young upright. Major changes up front will be a top priority for Morgan and Co. in free agency and/or the draft.

The 2024 free agent class already featured a few center options for teams to choose from, but Bozeman will be a notable addition to the group. Highly regarded for his work off the field, the Alabama product has earned the Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination in both Baltimore and Carolina. He will be hard-pressed to land another pact averaging $6MM as he did last offseason, but he should manage to find a new home in relatively short order.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Panthers Re-Sign C Bradley Bozeman

March 13th, 2023 at 6:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Both Bradley Bozeman and the Panthers wanted the sides’ one-year partnership to extend beyond 2022; they reached an agreement to make this happen Monday.

The Panthers are re-signing Bozeman, David Newton of ESPN.com tweets. The Panthers’ starting O-line from 2022 is now entirely locked in for the ’23 season. The Panthers have announced the move.

After only scoring a one-year deal during the 2022 free agency period, Bozeman will receive a midlevel accord to stay in Charlotte. It is a three-year, $18MM contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This year featured a few comparable centers on the market, with Bozeman joining Garrett Bradbury, Ethan Pocic, 49ers resurgent starter Jake Brendel and the recently released Ben Jones. Although the Panthers have a new coaching staff in place, they ended up prioritizing continuity up front.

Bozeman, 28, will stay in place alongside Ikem Ekwonu, Brady Christensen, Austin Corbett and Taylor Moton in Carolina. The Panthers had gone through some issues up front, save for Moton, leading up to 2022. But the Scott Fitterer-Matt Rhule tandem did well to patch up the unit. Frank Reich will inherit a much better O-line — one Pro Football Focus ranked 15th last season — and Bozeman’s re-up ensures Carolina will be the rare team to keep its five O-line starters.

ESPN slotted Bozeman sixth in its pass block win rate metric, and Bozeman played a significant role in the Panthers still managing to deploy a quality run game — largely on the legs of D’Onta Foreman — after trading Christian McCaffrey. Bozeman has been a starter for the past four seasons, lining up as a Ravens guard in 2019 and ’20. The Ravens produced historic rushing totals in those seasons, with Lamar Jackson breaking the quarterback rushing record in 2019. Bozeman moved to center in 2021 but could not generate much interest on the market. After outlasting Pat Elflein in the pivot with the Panthers, Bozeman finally scored his coveted payday.

D’Onta Foreman Would Be “Hot Commodity” In Free Agency

March 5th, 2023 at 11:35am CST by Rory Parks

Panthers running back D’Onta Foreman is expected to be a “hot commodity” should he hit free agency later this month, as Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston.com reports. Foreman recently indicated that he wants to return to Carolina, and Wilson says the team will attempt to retain the Texas product.

After the Panthers traded Christian McCaffrey in October, Foreman became the club’s feature back, and he ended the 2022 season with 203 carries for 914 yards (4.5 YPC) and five touchdowns. That represented a continuation of the solid work he displayed with the Titans in 2021, when he carried the ball 133 times for 566 yards (4.3 YPC) as an injury replacement for Derrick Henry.

So it stands to reason that Foreman would generate interest in free agency, and we heard in December that outside clubs were monitoring his status. Obviously, having a number of teams involved will help Foreman’s cause, but there are also several factors that will limit his earning power. For one, running back is no longer considered a premium position, and Foreman is not an elite talent who will be paid like his Pro Bowl-caliber colleagues. Second, even though players like Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard will likely be kept off the market via the franchise tag, talents like Miles Sanders, David Montgomery, Kareem Hunt, and Devin Singletary could be available, and even Saquon Barkley could be there for the taking.

Plus, Foreman is a between-the-tackles runner who does not offer much in the passing game. In light of all of those considerations, Spotrac estimates that the soon-to-be 27-year-old merits a one-year contract worth $3.4MM. That would be a nice raise from the $2MM salary he earned in 2022, but it would not be a budget-busting sum that the Panthers would be unable to afford (particularly as the team’s other RBs, Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear, are on eminently affordable rookie deals).

In related news, new Carolina head coach Frank Reich has said that the team is prioritizing a new contract for center Bradley Bozeman, as David Newton of ESPN.com tweets. We heard in January that Bozeman is interested in remaining with the Panthers, so there is a good chance that the parties will strike an accord in short order.

Panthers, C Bradley Bozeman Have Mutual Interest In New Deal

January 22nd, 2023 at 1:01pm CST by Rory Parks

The Panthers signed Bradley Bozeman to a modest one-year, $2.8MM contract last offseason, which was something of a surprise given that the Alabama product was coming off a productive season as the Ravens’ full-time starter at center and seemed primed for a more robust market. After an uncertain start to his Carolina tenure, however, both player and team are interested in continuing their relationship, as David Newton of ESPN.com tweets.

Bozeman and Pat Elflein battled for the Panthers’ starting center gig last summer, and the ankle injury that Bozeman suffered in August gave Elflein a leg up in that competition. Indeed, Elflein started the first six games of the 2022 season at the pivot while Bozeman saw only a handful of special teams snap in each of those contests. Elflein was then forced to undergo season-ending hip surgery, which opened the door for Bozeman to take over.

Bozeman played in every offensive snap for the Panthers over the final 11 games of the campaign, and his mauling style of play certainly helped a rushing attack that finished 10th in the league in yards per game despite losing Christian McCaffrey in advance of the trade deadline. Bozeman’s advanced metrics were unspectacular, though, as Pro Football Focus considered him the 20th-best center in the game out of 38 qualified players, and his 63.1 overall grade represented a step back after a strong 73.6 mark in his final season in Baltimore.

Still, the 28-year-old blocker has proven that he is at least a competent starter, with the potential to be more. He also has the ability to play guard at a passable level, which is not insignificant in light of Brady Christensen‘s so-so season at LG.

Elflein — who also has guard experience but who has never been a world-beater — could become a cap casualty (though that is simply speculation at this point). He is under club control through 2023, but the Panthers would realize $4.2MM of cap savings if they were to release him this offseason, money that could certainly go towards a second Bozeman contract.

Panthers C Pat Elflein Expected To Miss Rest Of Season

October 26th, 2022 at 8:12pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like Pat Elflein‘s season has come to an end. The Panthers center is set to undergo season-ending hip surgery, coach Steve Wilks told reporters today (via Darin Gantt of NBC Sports on Twitter).

Elflein landed on injured reserve on Saturday. The veteran had reportedly been dealing with a hip injury that forced him to miss practice time leading up to Week 7. The IR stint meant the offensive lineman would have been sidelined until at least Week 11, but the veteran will ultimately miss the rest of the season.

The center started 42 of his first 43 NFL games with the Vikings between 2017 and 2019. After splitting the 2020 campaign with the Vikings and Jets, he joined the Panthers on a three-year, $13.5MM deal. He was limited to nine starts during his first season with the Panthers thanks to a hamstring injury that knocked him out for a few months. After Pro Football Focus graded him towards the bottom of the center position in 2021, Elflein ranked 21st among 37 qualifiers in six starts this year.

Bradley Bozeman will likely take over in the starting lineup for the Panthers. The offensive lineman started 48 games for the Ravens between 2019 and 2021, but he’s been limited to a backup role during his first season in Carolina, starting only one of his seven appearances.

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