Rams To Sign TE Colby Parkinson
As part of a spending spree on offense, the Rams will add to their pass-catching corps. Los Angeles is set to sign tight end Colby Parkinson on a three-year, $22.5MM deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The pact includes $15.5MM in guaranteed money.
This gives the Rams a tight end to pair with Tyler Higbee, who has been in Los Angeles for eight seasons now. Should Parkinson reach certain performance thresholds, he can void the deal after two years, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.
[RELATED: Rams Agree To Terms With Jonah Jackson]
The Seahawks opted to re-sign Noah Fant, but the team will move on from both Parkinson and Will Dissly. Seattle cut Dissly last week, seeing him land in Los Angeles under Jim Harbaugh. Parkinson will join Dissly in L.A., and this contract suggests the Rams have bigger pass-game plans for the Stanford alum than the Seahawks did.
The Rams also could have some decisions to make at tight end, where 2023 trade pickup Hunter Long joins Dissly and now Parkinson. A former fourth-round pick, Parkinson served as an auxiliary Geno Smith weapon over the past two years. After playing little on offense from 2020-21, the 6-foot-7 pass catcher caught 25 passes in each of the past two seasons, catching two TDs in each campaign. Parkinson’s market certainly points to other teams believing there is more meat on the bone here. A 6-7 receiving option with Matthew Stafford does provide intrigue, though Parkinson’s next 350-yard season will be his first.
Parkinson rounds out a Rams receiving corps returning its top receivers, thanks to the Demarcus Robinson re-signing, and regular tight ends. One season remains on Long’s rookie contract, which the Rams obtained in the Jalen Ramsey trade.
Eagles To Sign DE Bryce Huff
Bryce Huff‘s primary wardrobe color will not change, but the ascending defensive end is leaving New York. The Jets will lose their 2023 sack leader to the Eagles.
Philly will pick up Huff on a three-year, $51.1MM deal, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Although the Eagles are big on fortifying their offensive and defensive lines, the Huff addition would seem to point to one of the team’s trade candidates being moved. The team has dangled Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat in potential deals thus far this offseason.
This contract will make Huff the highest-paid UDFA in NFL history, Schefter adds. Huff broke out during a 2023 contract year, leading the NFL in pressure rate. The Jets did not seem to trust Huff as an every-down player, as suspect run defense was an issue for the former post-draft find. But he played well enough last season to advance beyond the “prove it” tier of free agency. The Eagles will bet on Huff on a deal more expensive — on a per-year basis — than Reddick’s.
The Eagles have let Reddick seek a trade and have taken calls on Sweat. Both players are going into contract years, with Reddick having outplayed the $15MM-per-year deal he signed with his hometown team in 2022. While Reddick has not requested a trade, he will certainly take interest in Huff making more than him.
As the Eagles sift through some moving parts here, they will rely on Huff, who had not compiled more than four sacks in a season during his first three years with the Jets. Armed with a quick first step, Huff posted a 21.8% pressure percentage but did so on just 480 defensive snaps. That fell outside the top 70 among edges last year, and Pro Football Focus graded the Memphis alum as a bottom-tier run defender.
It will be interesting to see how the Eagles navigate their DE setup, but after the team saw Reddick and Sweat go cold as its defense cratered late last season, it will invest in a Jets-developed sack artist going into his age-26 season.
Packers Expected To Sign RB Josh Jacobs
A Josh Jacobs-Raiders reunion will not take place. The former rushing champion is expected to join the Packers, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The four-year deal is worth $48MM, the pair report in a follow-up. 
Vegas had an offer on the table as of earlier today, proving the team’s intention of working out a multi-year deal. The threat of free agent departure has existed since last offseason, of course, when Jacobs received the franchise tag and talks on a new deal did not produce an agreement.
Vegas ultimately ended Jacobs’ training camp holdout by agreeing to a revised one-year deal which upped the value of the tag slightly. Coming off his best season, expectations were high in 2023 for the former first-rounder. However, he produced a career low in rushing yards (805) and yards per carry (3.5).
In spite of that, Jacobs represented one of the top backs on the market. The 26-year-old sat in the middle of the pack in terms of age amongst high-profile options who were available, many have whom have quickly landed deals. Terms of the Jacobs deal are roughly in line with many other notable RB deals given out today given the nature of the 2024 market, but to little surprise he has topped the list in terms of length and total value. The Alabama product will immediately take on an every-down role in Green Bay.
For a brief period on Monday, it appeared the Packers would have both Jacobs and incumbent starter Aaron Jones in the fold. However, the latter has been released after attempts to work out a pay cut fell through. With AJ Dillon set to depart in free agency, plenty of backfield carries and targets will be heading Jacobs’ way in 2024. Green Bay enjoyed success on the ground late in the season and into the playoffs, and continuing that production will be a key priority.
Doing so will take on a different dynamic with Jacobs (and not Jones) leading the way, not to mention the O-line departures which the Packers have seen. In any case, Green Bay’s offense will be built in large part on the ground game during Jordan Love‘s second year as a starter.
Jaguars To Sign S Darnell Savage
Jacksonville’s busy day continues. The Jaguars are set to add to their secondary by inking safety Darnell Savage to a three-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
While Savage enjoyed an inconsistent run in Green Bay, it stood to reason a team would bet on the former first-rounder’s talent. Jacksonville will do so. The Jaguars made multiple moves to help their offense Monday, adding Mitch Morse and Gabriel Davis. Savage will be added shortly after the team released Rayshawn Jenkins.
Biceps and groin injuries led to Savage missing seven games last season, but Pro Football Focus viewed it as a bounce-back offering from the talented but inconsistent defender. PFF slotted Savage as the NFL’s No. 15 overall safety last season. That represented a big improvement from 2022, when the Packers benched the 2019 first-round pick.
The Jags moved on from Jenkins after three seasons, but the team still has 2021 draftee Andre Cisco in place as a starter. Savage is poised to join the Syracuse alum as a first-stringer under new DC Ryan Nielsen. The team struggled last season on defense, having brought back most of a unit that underwhelmed in 2022.
Following a late-season collapse, the Jags fired DC Mike Caldwell and a host of other assistants. Savage will be part of the Jags’ solution in what could be a pivotal year for Doug Pederson‘s future. The Packers moved on in a big way from Savage, giving Xavier McKinney the third-most lucrative safety deal in NFL history.
Rams, G Jonah Jackson Agree To Deal
One of the top guards in the 2024 free agent class is coming off the market. Jonah Jackson has agreed to terms on a three-year, $51MM deal with the Rams, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. The pact includes $34MM in guaranteed money.
The Rams are betting big at guard, giving Jackson this money after authorizing a three-year, $48MM payment for Kevin Dotson. With Matthew Stafford‘s 2022 injuries submarining the Rams’ Super Bowl title defense two years ago, they will do more to protect him this coming season.
This move may well move Steve Avila off his guard spot, but the 2023 second-round pick has experience at center. TCU deployed Avila at center during his 2021 junior season. He also saw time there as a sophomore. The Rams look to be designing a Jackson-Avila-Dotson interior. This move probably means 2023 starting center Coleman Shelton will be out of the picture.
While guard represented one of this free agent class’ deepest positions, it is interesting one team will nab two of the top players here. This combination will be the most costly guard duo in NFL history, topping that of the Browns’ Joel Bitonio–Wyatt Teller tandem, which comprises just more than $30MM in combined AAV. The Rams are at $33MM between the Dotson and Jackson signings.
The Lions have Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow on upper-crust accords, with Penei Sewell squarely on the extension radar. With Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown payments coming as well, Detroit had been expected to pass on extending a player it developed from the third round.
Jackson has started all 57 games he has played as a pro. He has been a better run blocker compared to his pass-pro work, which would bode well for a Rams team that saw Kyren Williams take off during his second season. This is a surprising commitment to the guard position, but the team still has Alaric Jackson in the RFA pay window and Rob Havenstein on an affordable deal. If the Rams keep that setup intact for 2024, this is an affordable scenario — even around Stafford’s $40MM-AAV contract. But choices will need to be made come 2025.
Broncos Plan To Sign S Brandon Jones
Denver parted ways with Justin Simmons recently, leaving a vacancy at the safety spot. The team plans to fill it by signing Brandon Jones, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. It will be a three-year deal, he adds.
Although Jones will not land in the same salary range as Simmons, the Broncos are guaranteeing him a notable sum. The ex-Dolphin is signing with Sean Payton‘s team for $12.5MM guaranteed, via the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel. Jones can earn up to $22.5MM on the deal.
This may conclude Denver’s safety spending, as Payton viewed Simmons’ top-five contract as a luxury the team could not afford presently. Given the Russell Wilson development, the Broncos trimming at other positions makes sense. They stripped two of their better starters — Simmons and Jerry Jeudy — off the roster last week.
If the Broncos are done at safety, they will have a trio fairly familiar with one another. Jones joined P.J. Locke and Caden Sterns at Texas; all three safeties were with the Longhorns in 2018, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson.
Jones, 25, is coming off his best season. The 2020 third-round pick graded as a top-20 safety, in the view of Pro Football Focus, which rated the four-year Dolphin as a high-end coverage player and blitzer. Jones ripped off five sacks in 2021. Last season, he intercepted two passes. The 6-foot-1 defender also forced a fumble in each of his four NFL seasons.
The Broncos used Simmons as a seven-year starter, and he camped on the All-Pro second team; four such honors came the veteran’s way over the past five seasons. While the Broncos may be battling uphill without their secondary leader, their top three in 2024 may consist of three college teammates who each have at least three years’ experience.
Commanders To Sign DE Dorance Armstrong
This year’s coordinator carousel gave Dorance Armstrong multiple logical landing spots outside of Dallas. One of them will indeed produce a deal. Armstrong will reunite with his former defensive coordinator in Washington.
The Commanders are signing the longtime Cowboys pass rusher, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Dan Quinn coached Armstrong for three seasons as Dallas’ DC. While the Seahawks hired former Cowboys D-line coach Aden Durde as their DC, Armstrong has a deal to stay in the NFC East.
The Commanders are giving Armstrong a three-year deal that maxes out at $45MM, Fowler adds. For base value, Washington will give Armstrong a three-year, $33MM pact, per the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala.
Re-signed as a Randy Gregory fallback option in 2022, Armstrong fared better than the former Dallas starter since. The Cowboys gave Armstrong a two-year, $12MM deal after Gregory talks fell through at the 11th hour. The team rostering Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence helped Armstrong along, and the Cowboys will have to replace one of their auxiliary pass-rushing pieces as a result of that production.
Armstrong, 26, totaled 8.5 sacks in 2022 and 7.5 last season. He outproduced Lawrence in this span from a sack perspective, and Quinn will bring him aboard as the Commanders regroup following their Montez Sweat and Chase Young trades. The Commanders will still have another DE spot to fill alongside Armstrong, but the six-year veteran will represent a key part of Quinn and Joe Whitt‘s first Washington defense.
A fourth-round pick out of Kansas, Armstrong had all of 2.5 sacks through three seasons and did not surpass 20 pressures in either of the past two. Even following Gregory’s exit, the Cowboys used Armstrong as a rotational rusher on their deep defensive line. More will be expected of Armstrong, who is surely ticketed to become a Commanders starter. Quinn having seen Armstrong for three seasons in Dallas will better position him for success in the nation’s capital. The Cowboys still have Sam Williams under contract, though they will need some help on the edge with Dante Fowler having played out his second Dallas deal.
Jaguars, WR Gabe Davis Agree To Deal
One of the top vertical threats in the 2024 free agent WR class has quickly found a new home. Gabe Davis is headed to the Jaguars on a three-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. 
[RELATED: Jaguars To Sign Mitch Morse]
Davis took to social media last month in a farewell of sorts to Buffalo. Given that, and the lack of extension talks, it was widely expected he would be playing elsewhere in 2024. Davis will receive $39MM in base value on this Jacksonville agreement, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. However, the pact has a maximum value of $50MM.
Across four years in Buffalo, Davis proved himself as one of the league’s top deep-ball specialists. His all-around receiving game did not develop as hoped, though, and consistency was a challenge holding him back from becoming the genuine No. 2 option Buffalo has long been seeking. Still, the 24-year-old was well-positioned to cash in on the open market, and he will play a key role in Jacksonville’s offense.
The Jags have Christian Kirk as a top receiver, but the team remains interested to retaining former trade acquisition Calvin Ridley. The latter will not be re-signed until the new league year given the conditions of his acquisition, but Jacksonville has consistently been named a landing spot for Ridley on his next deal. It will be interesting to see if the team can keep Ridley in the fold having made a big-money investment in Davis.
In any event, the latter will aim to remain a vertical option in Jacksonville, having averaged at least 15.7 yards per catch every year of his career. Davis’ best campaign came in 2022 when he posted a 48-836-7 statline. A repeat of that performance could be in store with his new team, especially if Ridley is indeed headed elsewhere. The Jags had roughly $18MM in cap space entering Monday, so further lucrative additions would come as a surprise at this point.
Bengals Re-Sign TE Drew Sample
The tight end spot has been the source of speculation with respect to the Bengals. An addition could still be coming, but an in-house contributor will remain in place. The team announced on Monday that Drew Sample re-signed on a three-year deal.
After playing out a one-year contract in 2023, Sample will be tied to a $10.5MM accord (per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The Bengals will probably still be on the hunt for a pass-catching option at tight end, but they have one piece of the puzzle solved.
Sample has been with the Bengals since they chose him in the 2019 second round. Cincinnati drew some scrutiny for making that pick, as Sample did not have an extensive pass-catching history at Washington. That has continued in Ohio, though Sample has been a key presence in the Bengals’ run game.
The 6-foot-4 tight end has only topped 175 receiving yards in one season — back in 2020. Pro Football Focus graded Sample as a top-15 run-blocking tight end last season, which came after he re-signed on a one-year deal worth just $1.23MM. The Bengals saw enough from the 27-year-old tight end to make a bigger investment this time, though the guarantees will tell the tale.
Cincinnati let C.J. Uzomah walk in 2022 and Hayden Hurst leave for Carolina in 2023; both players are back on the market, bringing an interesting opportunity for the team. Hunter Henry and Dalton Schultz re-signed before free agency, thinning out the TE market.
Packers To Release LT David Bakhtiari
For some time now, David Bakhtiari has been expected to be released by the Packers. The All-Pro left tackle confirmed that is the route being taken by Green Bay in a social media post on Monday.
This move has been expected for a while, as Bakhtiari’s body has betrayed him over the course of the monster contract he signed during the 2020 season. A New Year’s Eve knee injury sustained in practice that year re-routed the All-Pro’s career, and after more knee trouble came in 2023, the Packers are rebooting at left tackle.
The Packers will save just more than $20MM by cutting Bakhtiari, who was due to count more than $40MM on Green Bay’s 2024 cap. Although no void years are present in this contract, past restructures ballooned that 2024 total. Bakhtiari was set to make $20.2MM in 2024 base salary. A post-June 1 move would increase the cap savings here, dividing the $19.1MM in dead money over two offseasons. The Packers, however, took their medicine on Aaron Rodgers in one year. They may well do the same with his longtime blindside protector.
Since that seminal knee injury, Bakhtiari has missed 39 regular-season games and five playoff contests. He spent most of the 2021 season out of action, only returning for a handful of snaps in Week 18. Work in that meaningless contest led to Bakhtiari sitting in the Packers’ divisional-round follow-up, a loss to the 49ers. Bakhtiari returned to a high performance level in 2022, playing 11 games, but was only able to suit up for one last season.
A five-time All-Pro (two first teams), Bakhtiari thrived after being a third-round Packers pick back in 2013. He was in uniform for three NFC championship games. His absence against the Buccaneers in 2020 became glaring, as Tampa Bay’s edge rushers teed off on Rodgers in the second half that day. Bakhtiari still did well to collect a four-year, $92MM extension weeks before his knee injury in 2020. The Packers, unfortunately, did not get much from that investment.
Green Bay primarily used Rasheed Walker in Bakhtiari’s place last season, keeping former sub Elgton Jenkins entrenched at guard. Pro Football Focus ranked Walker 44th among tackles last season. The former seventh-round pick could certainly be an option, but it would also make sense for the team to make a bigger investment — perhaps in a tackle-rich draft — to succeed Bakhtiari, who would be going into his age-33 season. Despite five knee surgeries, the decorated left tackle had not indicated he was preparing a retirement. The Jets could be in play for Bakhtiari, but it would be with the understanding he would compete for the LT role rather than being handed the gig.