Here are Wednesday’s reserve/futures deals:
Kansas City Chiefs
San Francisco 49ers
Dan Quinn continues to add high-profile names to his Commanders staff. The latest comes after a background with new football ops president Adam Peters.
Anthony Lynn will join Peters in making a San Francisco-to-Washington trek. The 49ers assistant head coach will join the Commanders as the team’s run-game coordinator, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Commanders pursued the former Chargers HC last year, interviewing him for their OC job, but went with Eric Bieniemy. Despite an ownership change and staff overhaul, Schefter notes Lynn is close with Peters and Quinn. This certainly makes sense as the veteran coach’s next landing spot.
In addition to Lynn, Washington will bring ex-Quinn assistant Sharrif Floyd over from Dallas. Floyd will join the Commanders as their assistant defensive line coach, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The former Vikings first-round pick was in place as a Cowboys assistant under Quinn last season. Despite new Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer having coached Floyd in Minnesota, the latter is following Quinn to Washington.
The Commanders, however, will not let their wide receivers coach go. Bobby Engram will stay in that role, per the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala. The former NFL wideout joined Washington’s coaching staff last year. Although Engram was a Ron Rivera addition, he will stay on under Quinn. Outside interest in the veteran assistant emerged, Jhabvala adds.
Lynn, 55, made the most to San Francisco after washing out as Lions OC. Dan Campbell booted Lynn after one season, having taken play-calling duties away. The longtime running backs coach has since played a role in boosting the 49ers’ ground attack. The 49ers hired Lynn to aid their run game, and he received an unexpected personnel boost midway through the 2022 season (via the Christian McCaffrey trade). As a result, San Francisco’s ground attack has enjoyed dominant stretches.
This will be Lynn and Quinn’s first time on the same staff; Peters was with the 49ers for both of Lynn’s seasons in the Bay Area. Lynn, who has been an NFL coach since 2000, went 33-31 as Chargers HC from 2017-20. Lynn joins Kliff Kingsbury as former head coaches on Quinn’s Commanders staff.
Engram, 51, broke into coaching just after his lengthy playing career wrapped. He joins Lynn in having never coached with Quinn. Prior to coming to Washington in 2023, Engram served as Wisconsin’s OC. He was on John Harbaugh‘s Ravens staff from 2014-21, however. Floyd served as the Cowboys’ assistant D-line coach last season. He will follow DC Joe Whitt to Washington.
The Commanders are also hiring Tom Donatell as their defensive backs coach, The Athletic’s Ben Standig tweets. The son of veteran DC Ed Donatell, Tom spent the past three seasons with the Chargers. The Bolts promoted Tom Donatell to defensive pass-game coordinator last year. Quinn and Ed Donatell worked together with the Jets back in the 2000s. The team is also hiring David Raih as its tight ends coach, Schefter adds. Raih worked as the Cardinals’ wide receivers coach under Kingsbury from 2019-20, becoming Vanderbilt’s OC in 2021. He spent last season on the Buccaneers’ staff.
Today’s reserve/futures deals:
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
San Francisco 49ers
Oruwariye spent much of the 2023 season on the Jaguars practice squad, with the defensive back getting into just one game. The former fifth-round pick has more experience than your standard reserve/futures contract, as Oruwariye started 29 games for the Lions between 2020 and 2021. That latter season was one of his strongest, as he finished with 57 tackles, 11 passes defended, and six interceptions.
Arik Armstead missed extensive time down the stretch for the 49ers, but the veteran defensive lineman was back on the field for each playoff game. Now that the season has ended, the former first-round pick revealed the injury he played through.
The nine-year 49er said Tuesday he suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee during the team’s Dec. 3 win over the Eagles, indicating (via the San Francisco Chronicle’s Mike Silver) he will undergo surgery. This operation is expected to sideline Armstead for most of the team’s offseason program, though NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco adds the veteran hopes to return by training camp. Armstead will join Dre Greenlaw in missing offseason time, though the concern regarding the linebacker will overshadow worries on the Armstead front.
Armstead, 30, has run into a number of injuries over the course of his career. The Oregon alum has missed 31 regular-season games since going off the 2015 draft board 17th overall. That said, Armstead turned his career around following some early-career setbacks. He played every 49ers game from 2018-21, earning a lucrative extension during that span. But the past two seasons have brought injuries back into the equation.
Upper-body injuries cost Armstead time early in his career, though he rallied back in time to have the 49ers pick up his fifth-year option and ultimately extend him on a five-year, $85MM deal. In 2022, however, Armstead battled trouble with this same knee. A sprain during the 49ers’ 2022 training camp cost Armstead time, and while he returned for Week 1 that year, a hairline fibula fracture led to a half-season absence. This season, Armstead battled knee and foot injuries before coming back for the 49ers’ divisional-round game.
Despite these setbacks, Armstead has remained vital to the 49ers’ defensive blueprint. The team opted to pay Armstead over giving DeForest Buckner a more lucrative extension, trading the latter to the Colts in 2020. Both Buckner and Armstead have remained upper-echelon D-linemen, though Armstead’s ex-Oregon teammate is a higher-level performer. Buckner has received three Pro Bowl nods while picking up two All-Pro honors, whereas Armstead profiles as more of a high-end role player on the 49ers’ Nick Bosa-led D-line.
One season remains on Armstead’s deal, and the void years San Francisco added upon restructuring the contract make the 6-foot-7 interior defender more difficult to cut. Armstead is set to carry a $28.4MM 2024 cap number — third-highest on the team — and would cost more than $25MM to release in a non-post-June 1 capacity this year. If the 49ers do not extend Armstead before the start of the 2025 league year, they will be hit with $15.5MM in dead money due to the three void years tacked onto the deal. Armstead recorded one sack in the playoffs and five during the regular season, grading as Pro Football Focus’ No. 16 overall interior D-lineman.
With Armstead available, the 49ers rolled out a formidable defensive line in the playoffs. San Francisco paired he and Bosa with big-ticket free agent signing Javon Hargrave, trade pickups Chase Young and Randy Gregory, and former first-round pick Javon Kinlaw. Young and Kinlaw are on track for free agency, while Gregory’s contract — a bill the Broncos footed almost entirely this season — may need to be adjusted or shed from the team’s payroll. Backup defensive end Clelin Ferrell is also a free agent-to-be; Ferrell and Drake Jackson missed Super Bowl LVIII.
Ferrell also suffered a torn meniscus, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows. The 49ers placed the free agency pickup on IR in January. Despite the 49ers trading for Young and Gregory, Ferrell started 17 regular-season games opposite Bosa. The former Raiders top-five pick elevated his stock this season, though the knee injury stands to interfere with Ferrell’s attempt to parlay that rebound into a nice contract.
Armstead is the 49ers’ longest-tenured starter, beating out George Kittle by two years. Injuries have nagged him at points, but the veteran remains a productive player for San Francisco. He and Greenlaw, who suffered an Achilles tear while merely trotting onto the field for a defensive possession, will be out of the picture for a while.
The 49ers’ run to the Super Bowl was driven in large part by the team’s skill-position corps. Most of its members are under contract through the next two seasons, but that is not the case for wideout Brandon Aiyuk. 
The 2020 first-rounder is set to play out his fifth-year option in 2024, which carries a value of $14.12MM. A new contract will cost more than that on an annual basis, and Aiyuk’s name has previously been floated in trade talks. He recently made it clear (via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post), however, that he expects to remain in San Francisco next season and beyond.
The 49ers made one of the most noteworthy additions at the trade deadline, acquiring defensive end Chase Young from the Commanders. In the aftermath of that move, however, it was learned the team would make a second contract for Aiyuk a higher priority than Young, who is a pending free agent. A report from last month confirmed an Aiyuk extension is at or near the team’s offseason to-do list.
The Arizona State product has delivered back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and he earned a second-team All-Pro nod for his production in 2023 (75 catches, 1,342 yards, seven touchdowns). Aiyuk, 25, added a 9-149-1 statline in the postseason, and he has established himself as one of Brock Purdy‘s top targets. The latter will be not be eligible for an extension until next offseason, giving the team at least one more campaign with its current offensive nucleus.
The WR market saw a sharp spike in the 2022 offseason, with the position’s high mark now sitting at $30MM per year. It would come as a surprise if Aiyuk managed to approach that figure, but he could join the growing list of wideouts earning $20MM or more on their current pacts when an extension is worked out. Deebo Samuel is attached to a $23.85MM-per-year deal for the next two years, and making another sizable investment at the receiver spot would be cumbersome from a salary cap perspective.
A new Purdy deal, along with the Nick Bosa extension (which sees a jump in cap hits beginning in 2025) will make a major impact on San Francisco’s financial outlook in the near future. Aiyuk figures to be a central part of both the short- and long-term outlook for the 49ers, though, so talks on a new deal will be a storyline to watch with the team’s offseason now underway.
FEBRUARY 12: With the Super Bowl now in the books, the agreement between Kubiak and the Saints has indeed been finalized, Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport notes. Kubiak’s second coordinator gig will take place in New Orleans in 2024 as part of a staff which has undergone a number of changes.
FEBRUARY 11: Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network confirms that Klint Kubiak’s deal with the Saints is expected to be finalized after today’s Super Bowl (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com). Kubiak reportedly plans to add former Bears quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko to his staff — Chicago dismissed Janocko at the end of the season — and longtime O-line coach John Benton is also likely to be hired, as previously reported.
FEBRUARY 2: Another Kyle Shanahan staffer is on track to move up the ladder. The Saints are working on a deal to hire Klint Kubiak as their next offensive coordinator, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.
No agreement between Kubiak and the Saints can be announced until after Super Bowl LVIII, with the current 49ers pass-game coordinator preparing for the game. Following the Super Bowl, the deal can go through. But it appears the Saints have decided on a name to conclude their long-running OC search.
This will bring a second chance for Kubiak, who spent the 2021 season as the Vikings’ OC. Succeeding his father (Gary) as Minnesota’s play-caller, Kubiak needed to look elsewhere after Mike Zimmer‘s firing. He landed in Denver, and while that brought a Colorado return for the second-generation coach, the Nathaniel Hackett-guided season produced disastrous results. Kubiak, 36, has managed to land on his feet, working alongside QBs coach Brian Griese as Shanahan’s top assistants on offense.
The Saints’ OC search produced some twists and turns. Four interviewees bowed out early or accepted jobs with other teams. Shane Waldron (Bears), Dan Pitcher (Bengals) and Zac Robinson (Falcons) landed OC gigs; Jerrod Johnson agreed to stay with the Texans. This led to a search that will end up taking more than five weeks to complete, with the Kubiak agreement not becoming official until after the 49ers’ eighth Super Bowl.
Kubiak will follow Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniel and Mike LaFleur as Shanahan-tree coaches to have moved into HC or OC positions. The Saints also interviewed Griese, but they will go with the more experienced coach. Kubiak also barely qualifies as a Shanahan tree branch, though the younger Shanahan’s offense is derived from the attack Mike Shanahan and Kubiak’s father used with the Broncos in the 1990s and 2000s. The Shanahan-Sean McVay-based attack continues to succeed, and the Saints are the latest team to buy in.
With Zimmer a defense-based HC, the Kubiaks served as the Vikings’ play-callers in back-to-back seasons. Returning to the sideline in 2020 to replace Kevin Stefanski, Gary Kubiak spent one season as Minnesota’s OC. Klint took over a year later. The Vikings ranked 14th in scoring in 2021, an 8-9 campaign, and 12th in total offense. That year brought Justin Jefferson‘s first All-Pro nod, a 10-touchdown Adam Thielen slate and Dalvin Cook keeping his 1,100-yard rushing streak intact.
Nothing especially positive can be said about the 2022 Broncos’ offense, but Hackett did give Kubiak a play-calling shot — over OC Justin Outten — as that season went south. This season has obviously brought a Kubiak bounce-back effort. Brock Purdy has continued his stunning ascent from his Mr. Irrelevant status, becoming a Pro Bowler and helping the 49ers make up for their Trey Lance misstep. Purdy’s 9.6 yards per attempt is the best mark by a full-season starter since the 1950s, with Kurt Warner‘s 2000 number (9.9) coming in 11 games. The 49ers’ passing attack also nearly became the sixth team in NFL history to see three pass catchers eclipse 1,000 yards, seeing Deebo Samuel‘s October shoulder injury impede that path. Brandon Aiyuk reached a career-high 1,342 yards this season, while George Kittle surpassed 1,000 as well.
This offseason brought new territory for the Saints, who had not changed offensive coordinators since promoting Pete Carmichael in 2009. Carmichael served as one of the longest-tenured coordinators in NFL history, but after two seasons calling the plays post-Sean Payton, Carmichael received his walking papers (Payton has since hired Carmichael in Denver). The Saints did rank ninth in scoring and 14th in total offense this season, but the unit submitted inconsistent work during a 7-10 campaign. Kubiak will be charged with elevating the Derek Carr-led attack in 2024.
Here is how the Saints’ OC search wrapped:
With Super Bowl LVIII in the books, the 2023 campaign has come to a close. Teams outside Kansas City and San Francisco had already turned their attention to the offseason well before Sunday’s game, of course.
Regular season standings determine the order for the top 18 picks, so they have been known since the conclusion of Week 18. For the second straight year, the Bears face the question of dealing away the top selection and starting over at quarterback or re-committing to Justin Fields. Expectations still point toward Caleb Williams heading to Chicago, although the Bears will not move the No. 1 pick at a discounted price.
With the Commanders also in position to add a signal-caller second overall, the Patriots and Cardinals will be worth watching closely. New England will be in the market for a QB, but it may not come via the team’s top selection. Arizona’s position could also be a trade-up target for teams seeking a quarterback addition. This year’s class is expected to be dominated by blue-chip prospects under center, as well as at wide receiver and offensive tackle.
The final 14 spots in the draft order are filled by postseason results. The Chiefs find themselves in familiar territory picking at or near the end of the first-round order for the fourth time in the past five years following another Super Bowl appearance. The team has a mixed track record with its selections in that regard, but another impact rookie would of course help its bid to sustain its impressive run.
While a number of selections will no doubt be swapped between now and draft day, here is the full 2024 first-round order:
FEBRUARY 11: McKinnon is a game time decision, but NFL Network’s James Palmer reports he is expected to play. Sunday’s contest would represent his first action since Week 14, but it would also mark an impressive recovery in relatively short order from his core muscle surgery. McKinnon is a pending free agent, and a strong performance would help his market on another Chiefs deal or one with a new team.
FEBRUARY 10: With the NFL’s season finale taking place tomorrow night, both participants have made their roster moves in anticipation of the biggest game of the year. The 49ers‘ moves are simple as they choose to promote defensive tackles Alex Barrett and T.Y. McGill as standard gameday elevations, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. The Chiefs will make an elevation, as well, while also choosing to swap out an active roster player for a player off of injured reserve. 
[Poll: Who Will Win Super Bowl LVIII?]
The Chiefs standard gameday practice squad elevation will once again be nose tackle Mike Pennel, who has been activated for each of Kansas City’s three playoff victories thus far. In the past, Pennel has been joined by practice squad cornerback Keith Taylor or defensive tackle Matt Dickerson, but it appears Pennel will be the lone practice squad defender activated for tomorrow.
As for the active roster addition, the Chiefs have made the move to officially activate running back Jerick McKinnon off of IR. The veteran rusher has mostly been a non-factor in the Chiefs offense this year but has served a role as the team’s backup pass-catching back. Despite the activation, McKinnon is still listed as questionable going into Sunday night’s game. In order to make room for McKinnon on the active roster, the Chiefs placed All-Pro guard Joe Thuney on IR. Thuney’s status was already known, so clearing him from the active roster should have little consequence at this point.
For San Francisco, Barrett and McGill are expected to be among the seven players listed as inactive for the big game. While this may make the elevations seem trivial, it’s the 49ers way of rewarding the reserve defenders. Elevating Barrett and McGill will provide the two with an additional playoff paycheck before the season ends.
After a crowded carousel previously stopped, the 49ers opened their defensive coordinator position. Here is how the NFC champions’ search looks:
Updated 3-2-24 (10:00am CT)
Atlanta Falcons (Out: Dave Ragone)
Buffalo Bills (Out: Ken Dorsey)
Carolina Panthers (Out: Thomas Brown)
Chicago Bears (Out: Luke Getsy)
Cincinnati Bengals (Out: Brian Callahan)
Cleveland Browns (Out: Alex Van Pelt)
Las Vegas Raiders (Out: Mick Lombardi)
Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Kellen Moore)
New England Patriots (Out: Bill O’Brien)
New Orleans Saints (Out: Pete Carmichael)
Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Brian Johnson)
Pittsburgh Steelers (Out: Matt Canada)
Seattle Seahawks (Out: Shane Waldron)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Dave Canales)
Tennessee Titans (Out: Tim Kelly)
Washington Commanders (Out: Eric Bieniemy)
Atlanta Falcons (Out: Ryan Nielsen)
Baltimore Ravens (Out: Mike Macdonald)
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears (Out: Alan Williams)
Dallas Cowboys (Out: Dan Quinn)
Green Bay Packers (Out: Joe Barry)
Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Mike Caldwell)
Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Derrick Ansley)
Los Angeles Rams (Out: Raheem Morris)
Miami Dolphins (Out: Vic Fangio)
New England Patriots
New York Giants (Out: Don Martindale)
Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Sean Desai)
San Francisco 49ers (Out: Steve Wilks)
Seattle Seahawks (Out: Clint Hurtt)
Tennessee Titans (Out: Shane Bowen)
Washington Commanders (Out: Jack Del Rio)
As part of tonight’s NFL Honors program, the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class has been revealed. It consists of modern-era standouts and two players chosen by the senior committee. Here is the full breakdown of this year’s honorees:
In his second year as a finalist, Freeney received enough support to be voted into the Hall. One of the quickest edge rushers in NFL history, Freeney will reach Canton with 125.5 career sacks. That total ranks 18th in NFL history. The Colts made Freeney their pass-rushing anchor during Peyton Manning‘s extended run as their franchise centerpiece. While the team eventually found a bookend in Robert Mathis, it chose Freeney 11th overall in the 2002 draft with a hope of building a pass defense around the Syracuse alum. Freeney delivered and will book a Hall of Fame nod on his second try.
Freeney finished second to fellow 2024 inductee Julius Peppers in 2002 Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, but the spin-move maven showed what was ahead by forcing nine forced fumbles as a rookie. The 11-year Colt earned four All-Pro honors, joining Mathis as one of the era’s defining pass-rushing duos. Freeney led the NFL with 16 sacks in 2004 and helped the Colts vanquish their Patriots hurdle en route to a Super Bowl XLI win two years later. The Colts gave Freeney a six-year, $72MM extension in 2007.
The enduring sack artist managed to play five seasons following his Colts career, spending time with the Chargers, Falcons, Cardinals, Seahawks and Lions. Serving as a designated rusher near the end of his career, Freeney helped the Cardinals reach the 2015 NFC championship game, after an eight-sack season, and played in Super Bowl LI with the Falcons.
Widely viewed as one of the best linebackers of his era and one of the game’s best tacklers of any period, Gradishar moves into the Hall via the senior committee route. Gradishar’s selection makes him the first member of the Broncos’ “Orange Crush” defense to be enshrined in Canton. That defensive nucleus powered Denver to its first playoff berth, a 1977 season that included postseason wins over 1970s superpowers Pittsburgh and Oakland en route to Super Bowl XII. The Broncos allowed just 10.6 points per game in 1977. Despite multiple rule changes designed to increase offensive productivity in 1978, the Broncos yielded just 12.4 points per contest that year.
A first-round pick out of Ohio State, Gradishar played his entire career in Denver and earned five All-Pro honors. The above-referenced 1978 season featured perhaps the best team in Steelers history, but Gradishar outflanked “Steel Curtain” cogs by being voted as Defensive Player of the Year after helping the 10-6 Broncos back to the playoffs. The off-ball linebacker added 20 interceptions and four defensive touchdowns in his career.
Almost definitely the greatest return man in NFL history, Hester becomes one of the few true specialists in the Hall of Fame. Dabbling at cornerback and wide receiver, Hester provided the Bears tremendous value as a return specialist. Elite in both the kick- and punt-return capacities, Hester set an NFL record with 20 return touchdowns. Famously adding a kick-return score in the playoffs — to begin Super Bowl XLI — Hester delivered one of the great rookie seasons in NFL history. The Bears second-round pick notched six return TDs in the regular season — one coming on a blocked field goal sprint against the Giants — and added No. 7 against the Colts in the Super Bowl.
Hester’s 2007 season dismissed any fluke notions; he posted six more return scores (four on punts) during his NFL sophomore slate. While producing 17 more TDs on offense over the course of his career, Hester never caught on as a pure wideout in Chicago. But he landed on two All-Decade teams for his return work. Eighteen of Hester’s 19 return TDs came in Chicago. Hester’s 14 punt-return TDs are four more than second place all time (Eric Metcalf); he broke the record for combined kick- and punt-return TDs in only his sixth season (2011).
The Falcons gave Hester a three-year, $9MM contract in 2014; he finished his career splitting time with the Ravens and Seahawks in 2016. Seattle signed Hester just before the 2016 playoffs, using him in both its postseason contests that year.
Not collecting a Super Bowl ring like the other two pure wide receiver finalists in this year’s class (Torry Holt, Reggie Wayne), Johnson became well known for putting up monster numbers despite not being gifted a top-tier quarterback. But Johnson operated as one of the most physically imposing receivers in NFL history. The ex-Miami Hurricanes star’s numbers, largely compiled with David Carr and Matt Schaub targeting him, reflect that. Of Johnson’s seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons, four included 1,400-plus. Only Jerry Rice (six) and Julio Jones (five) produced more such seasons. Johnson’s 14,185 career yards rank 11th all time.
The Texans chose Johnson third overall in 2003, the second draft in their history. The 229-pound pass catcher led the NFL in receptions twice and receiving yards in back-to-back years (2008, 2009). Neither of those seasons lifted the Texans to a playoff berth, but Johnson remained in place as the team’s No. 1 wideout when the team finally booked its first two postseason cameos in 2011 and 2012. Johnson amassed 201 yards in two playoff games in 2011, doing so despite Schaub’s injury leaving rookie T.J. Yates at the controls.
Johnson is the Texans’ first Hall of Famer. This is fitting, as he retired with the most games played in Texans history. The longtime WR1 spent 12 years with the team. Johnson signed two Houston extensions spanning at least seven years in length, earning more than $108MM throughout his NFL run. He finished a 14-year career with one season apiece in Indianapolis and Tennessee.
Part of the storied 1985 Bears’ defense, McMichael played 13 of his 15 NFL seasons in Chicago. A Patriots third-round draftee, McMichael found himself in the Windy City ahead of his second season. The Patriots waived the future D-line mainstay during the 1981 offseason. Teaming with fellow Hall of Famers Dan Hampton and Richard Dent (along with William “The Refrigerator” Perry) on Chicago’s D-line, McMichael earned four All-Pro honors while helping a Bears team — one that saw Jim McMahon injuries impede paths to Super Bowls — become a perennial contender.
The Bears did, of course, break through as champions in 1985. That 18-1 team is on a short list of those in the running for the best ever, allowing only 12.4 points per game and outscoring its playoff opposition 91-10. McMichael started 16 games for the ’85 team and suited up every week for an ’86 Bears defense that statistically outflanked its famed predecessor. Better known by some as part of WCW’s Four Horsemen faction during his wrestling career, “Mongo” finished his gridiron run with 95 sacks (three of them safeties). McMichael closed out his NFL stay with the Packers in 1994. His 92.5 sacks with the Bears are second in franchise history.
Julius Peppers, defensive end (2002-18)*Five years after retiring, Peppers remains fourth on the NFL’s all-time sack list (159.5). The former Panthers, Bears and Packers pass rusher finished a half-sack shy of Kevin Greene for third. While Greene needed to wait a bit before enshrinement, voters will send Peppers to Canton on his first try. The former North Carolina two-sport standout came into the league with high expectations, going off the 2002 draft board second overall. He justified those, remaining a productive pass rusher into his late 30s. No active sack artist is within 35 of Peppers’ career total. He is among the rare players to land on two All-Decade teams.
Peppers collected six All-Pro honors, three as a first-teamer, and did quite well on the contract front. Peppers’ rookie contract spanned seven years (and $46MM, before the 2011 CBA introduced the slot system), and the Panthers kept him off the market with a franchise tag ahead of Year 8. During the uncapped 2010, Peppers landed a then-record-setting DE pact from the Bears (six years, $84MM). He played four seasons on that deal, and after the Bears made the 6-foot-6 rusher a cap casualty in 2014, Peppers made an impact for three playoff-bound Packers teams in the mid-2010s.
While this can be considered a big night for the Bears — due to the enshrinements of three former players — Peppers played 10 years with the Panthers, returning home to close out his 17-season run. Fifteen years after he won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in Charlotte, the North Carolina native re-signed with his hometown team. Peppers’ penultimate season brought a 10th double-digit sack showing; he totaled 11 at age 37 to help the Panthers to their most recent playoff berth.
Patrick Willis, linebacker (2007-14)Willis did not overstay his welcome in the NFL, retiring after his age-29 season. The dominant inside linebacker did not lack for accolades in his eight-year career, racking up six All-Pro honors — including five first-team distinctions. The 49ers nabbed Willis in the 2007 first round and turned him loose. Although San Francisco did not form the Jim Harbaugh–Vic Fangio pairing until Willis’ fifth season, he flashed frequently as a young player and was regarded by many as the NFL’s best off-ball linebacker for an extended period.
The Ole Miss alum picked up Defensive Rookie of the Year acclaim and became the rare player to win that award while earning first-team All-Pro honors. Willis tallied a career-high 174 tackles — including a staggering 136 solo — as a rookie to provide an indication of his capabilities. Willis remained in his prime when Harbaugh and Fangio arrived in 2011. While Harbaugh’s arrival elevated Alex Smith and then Colin Kaepernick, Willis’ presence represented a key part of a defense-geared 49ers blueprint that produced three straight NFC championship games and a berth in Super Bowl XLVII.
Willis teamed with NaVorro Bowman to form one of the great linebacking pairs in modern NFL history. Seeing each soar to the first-team All-Pro perch, the 49ers went second-second-third in scoring defense from 2011-13. After suffering a foot injury midway through the 2014 season, Willis opted to call it quits.
* = denotes first year of eligibility
** = denotes senior candidate