Transactions News & Rumors

Bills To Sign S Darrick Forrest

March 12th, 2025 at 11:49am CST by Sam Robinson

Already carrying Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop on their roster going into free agency, the Bills have used Day 3 to add two more safeties. After re-signing Damar Hamlin, Buffalo is bringing in a former NFC East starter.

Ex-Washington draftee Darrick Forrest is heading to Buffalo on a one-year deal, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz tweets. Forrest is a 17-game Commanders starter, with most of those opportunities coming during the 2022 season.

Washington drafted Forrest in the 2021 fifth round and made him a primary 2022 starter. That season included 88 tackles and four interceptions. The Cincinnati alum, however, did not grab any INTs outside of that 2022 season. A starter during the ’22 campaign’s second half, Forrest saw his momentum stall in 2023. A shoulder fracture ended his season five games in, and the Commanders changed plans soon after.

Hiring Adam Peters as GM, the team signed Jeremy Chinn to pair with 2023 second-round pick Quan Martin. Even with Kamren Curl leaving in free agency last year, Forrest did not earn his starting job back. He made one start and played only 74 defensive snaps. Washington has lost he and Chinn this offseason; two years remain on Martin’s rookie deal. The team has since signed former Lions and Saints DB Will Harris as a potential option alongside Martin.

Forrest, 26 in May, graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 42 overall safety (out of 88 qualifiers) in 2022. While avenues to the Buffalo starting lineup appear closed, the Bills at least have secured another experienced depth piece a year after their Mike Edwards pact did not work out.

Ravens DT Michael Pierce Announces Retirement

March 12th, 2025 at 11:12am CST by Nikhil Mehta

After a nine-year career, Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce announced that he is retiring (via the Sports Spectrum podcast hosted by former NFL running back Matt Forte).

Pierce expressed appreciation for his time in the NFL and specifically thanked former Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome and former defensive line coach Joe Cullen, who brought Pierce to Baltimore as an undrafted free agent out of Samford University in 2016. He made the Ravens’ 53-man roster as a rookie and never looked back, quickly becoming one of the league’s stoutest nose tackles.

“They gave me a chance when not many people were willing to take a chance on me,” said Pierce. He also thanked “big brothers” Terrell Suggs and Brandon Williams, who mentored him during his first stint in Baltimore.

Pierce played in 60 games (30 starts) for the Ravens from 2016 to 2019 with 3.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss, earning him a three-year, $27MM deal from the Vikings. With a history of asthma and other respiratory problems, Pierce opted out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. He finally debuted in Minnesota in 2021, but played in only eight games due to an elbow injury. He still put up a career-high 3.0 sacks, but the Vikings opted to move on before the 2022 season.

The Ravens then swooped in to reunited with Pierce on a three-year, $16.5MM deal. He played in just three games due to a torn bicep in 2022, but starting all 17 games the following year as a core part of Baltimore’s league-leading defense. Another injury limited Pierce to just 11 games in 2024, but returned by the end of the regular season to end his career with a highlight. In Week 18 against the Browns, Pierce became the heaviest player since at least 2000 to record an interception at 355 pounds. He was also the NFL’s biggest active defender before his retirement.

Pierce’s size made him an effective run-stuffer who could absorb double-teams in the middle of the defensive line. He remained a solid defender until his retirement, but stints on injured reserve in three of the last four seasons made retirement a serious possibility before his age-33 season. The Ravens are currently set to return Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, and Broderick Washington to their defensive line in 2025, but they will need to add depth over the next few months.

Pierce had an option year set to trigger on March 17 that included an additional $2MM option bonus if he remained on the roster, per OverTheCap. Instead, his retirement will leave $2MM in dead money, $1.33MM of which can be pushed into 2026 with a post-June 1 designation. That would save the Ravens $2MM against the 2025 cap with just $667k of dead money this year.

Bucs To Re-Sign DT Greg Gaines

March 12th, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Buccaneers are re-signing defensive tackle Greg Gaines for another season, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

2025 will be Gaines’ third year in Tampa Bay. He is expected to sign a one-year, $3.5MM contract, the same length and APY as his last two deals with the Buccaneers.

Gaines began his career as a fourth-round pick by the Rams in 2019. He carved out a rotational role in his first two years before moving into a starting job in 2021 and 2022. He started 25 games with more than 1,500 snaps in that span, which featured 9.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

The former Washington Husky was not retained by the Rams after his rookie contract expired and crisscrossed the country to sign with the Buccaneers in 2023. He played well enough in his debut season in Tampa Bay to earn another one-year deal for 2024. Across both seasons, he played in 32 games (five starts) with a snap share around 40%. He wasn’t as productive as he was in Los Angeles, though, totaling just four combined sacks and tackles for loss.

The 312-pound lineman will return to his rotational role in Tampa Bay in 2025 backing up Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey. Gaines will need to improve on his recent production to earn a significant raise in the NFL, but the Buccaneers were clearly satisfied with his value over the last two years.

Bills To Bring Back S Damar Hamlin

March 12th, 2025 at 9:18am CST by Sam Robinson

Damar Hamlin became a regular starter for the Bills again in 2024, moving back to the lineup after his injury rehab largely took him off the field in 2023. Despite Hamlin’s rookie contract expiring, the inspirational figure is staying in Buffalo.

The Bills announced they re-signed Hamlin to a one-year deal Wednesday morning. This will keep an experienced player in the fold alongside Taylor Rapp and second-rounder Cole Bishop.

Only used on 17 defensive plays in 2023, Hamlin won a starting safety job last season — after the Bills disbanded their seven-year Micah Hyde–Jordan Poyer safety partnership. Hamlin started all 14 games he played in 2024 and logged a 98% snap share, which checked in beyond his usage rate from 2022. Hamlin, 27 later this month, notched his first two career interceptions last season.

Set to hold a place in NFL history thanks to his recovery from the chest injury that caused cardiac arrest in Cincinnati, Hamlin held an uncertain place with the Bills after his comeback. The former fifth-round pick entered the Bills’ 2024 training camp on the roster bubble, as the team had drafted Bishop highly and signed Mike Edwards. Hamlin, however, beat out both to start alongside Rapp. The Pitt alum made 89 tackles and broke up five passes last season.

Bishop figures to be a threat to Hamlin’s starting position this year, as the Bills chose the Utah product 60th overall. Bishop played on 34% of Buffalo’s defensive snaps last season, starting four games. Pro Football Focus also ranked Hamlin 85th among safety regulars in 2024. The Bills also have versatile backup Cam Lewis rostered entering free agency. Rapp is signed for one more season.

Regardless of Hamlin’s path back to a starting role, his journey back from the near-death scene — one that prompted the first canceled NFL game in decades and prompted the league to devise a contingency plan in case a three-loss Bills team advanced to the AFC championship game that year — will make him a revered figure in Buffalo. If nothing else, Hamlin, who had started 13 games in place of Hyde in 2022, brings plenty of experience as a potential depth player — in the event Bishop takes a step into the starting lineup.

Dolphins, LB Tyrel Dodson Agree To Terms

March 12th, 2025 at 8:51am CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins are re-signing Tyrel Dodson, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz tweets. Dodson is staying in Miami on a two-year deal worth $8.25MM.

The former Bills contributor made 12 starts between his stops in Seattle and Miami last year. As they shook up their linebacking corps midway through last season, the Seahawks cut Dodson, leading him to the Dolphins. Miami will keep working with the waiver claim.

Checking in as a player the Dolphins negotiated with before the legal tampering period, Dodson saw the team up its price just a bit to seal the deal, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson adds. With Anthony Walker and Duke Riley unsigned, Dodson joins Jordyn Brooks as the top linebackers on the Dolphins’ roster.

Not long after trading Jerome Baker to the Titans in a package that brought back Ernest Jones, the Seahawks waived Dodson, who had started all nine Seattle games to that point. Dodson started three with the Dolphins, making his presence felt with turnovers. In just eight Miami games, Dodson nabbed three interceptions. He also broke up four passes during an intriguing start, even as the Dolphins were moving out of the playoff race at that point. Overall, Dodson made 107 tackles in 2024 (eight for loss).

Pro Football Focus graded Dodson as one of the league’s best coverage linebackers last season and slotted the five-year veteran 34th overall at the position. That came after the advanced metrics site ranked him first in 2023, albeit on just 549 snaps. Neither of these placements, however, created robust markets for the former UDFA. Still, Dodson has started 22 games over the past two seasons. He will attempt to secure a starting role with the 2025 Dolphins edition.

Titans To Sign WR Van Jefferson

March 12th, 2025 at 8:45am CST by Sam Robinson

After a year in Pittsburgh, Van Jefferson is on the move again. The Titans are bringing in the former Rams Super Bowl starter, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports.

Jefferson has since played for the Falcons and Steelers. He worked as a George Pickens sidekick in 2024. He will join a Tennessee team that lost Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (to the Dolphins) on Tuesday. Jefferson is a Nashville-area native; he will join the Titans on a one-year contract worth up to $2.5MM.

The former second-round pick was part of a low-level Los Angeles-to-Atlanta trade in 2023 and is still searching for the form that helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI despite injuries to Robert Woods and Odell Beckham Jr. It would be difficult to expect Jefferson to approach the 869 yards he tallied with the ’21 Rams — during a season in which he added 102 more yards alongside Beckham and Cooper Kupp in the playoffs — as the Florida alum has only eclipsed 300 receiving yards in just one other season. Last year, Jefferson totaled 276 and two touchdowns in Pittsburgh.

Jefferson played on a one-year, $1.29MM deal with the Steelers last season. He started 12 games for the team, one that pursued veteran receivers for months before landing on Mike Williams at the deadline. Williams’ presence cut into Jefferson’s role, and the Steelers finally landed their impact receiver addition by acquiring D.K. Metcalf via trade Sunday night.

The Titans most likely have more work to do at receiver, having traded DeAndre Hopkins midway through last season and having seen Tyler Boyd return to free agency Monday. Calvin Ridley is signed for three more seasons, and Treylon Burks‘ rookie contract covers one more — as the 2022 first-rounder’s fifth-year option will almost definitely not be exercised.

Broncos To Bring Back LB Justin Strnad

March 12th, 2025 at 8:41am CST by Sam Robinson

Dre Greenlaw is now the Broncos’ top linebacker, though Alex Singleton is on the way back from his ACL tear. Justin Strnad, however, is coming back after increased 2024 usage.

Strnad is re-signing with the Broncos on a one-year, $2.7MM contract, DNVR Sports’ Zac Stevens tweets. Strnad, who backed out of a Panthers deal in 2024 to stay in Denver, worked alongside Cody Barton as a regular last season.

Having gone two seasons without a start, Strnad also played zero LB snaps in 2022 and ’23. The 2020 Denver draftee, however, became needed after Singleton’s Week 3 injury. Jonas Griffith, who had competed with Barton for the role alongside Singleton in training camp, also went down to leave Strnad as an emergency option. He ended up starting eight games and playing a career-high 676 defensive snaps for a Broncos team that surprised most by making the playoffs.

The usual special-teamer was productive in his increased role, registering eight tackles for loss and three sacks last season. Making 73 tackles in total, Strnad also broke up three passes. Neither Barton nor Strnad was a plus player in coverage for a Broncos team that had also lost Josey Jewell in last year’s free agency, and Pro Football Focus rated Strnad as a bottom-10 LB regular in 2024. But Denver will keep him around as a backup once again. This marks Strnad’s second one-year Broncos accord.

Greenlaw agreed on a three-year, $35MM contract to follow ex-49ers teammate Talanoa Hufanga to Denver. The Broncos will hope the former Fred Warner sidekick is healthy, after a Super Bowl LVIII Achilles tear marred the 49ers’ championship fortunes and the LB’s 2024 season, but they have Strnad back as an option behind two veteran players coming off injuries. This signing also comes after the Broncos have settled on an ILB role for hybrid ‘backer Drew Sanders.

Bills To Sign DT Larry Ogunjobi

March 12th, 2025 at 8:09am CST by Sam Robinson

A second high-profile D-line cap casualty is heading to Buffalo. After agreeing to terms with Joey Bosa on Tuesday night, the Bills have reached a Wednesday-morning agreement with Larry Ogunjobi.

The recent Steelers release will join the Bills on a one-year, $8.3MM deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Incentives could bump the number to $10MM for Ogunjobi, who spent the past three seasons with the Steelers.

This will be Ogunjobi’s first trip outside the AFC North. The eight-year veteran has played for the Browns, Bengals and Steelers, becoming a quality interior pass rusher. The 108-game career starter will join a Bills team that features Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones at D-tackle. Quinton Jefferson and Jordan Phillips, each acquired in-season last year, are free agents.

Ogunjobi’s sack numbers have tailed off in recent years, but he does have three seasons with at least 5.5. These came with Cleveland and Cincinnati. With Pittsburgh, Ogunjobi tallied six sacks in three combined seasons. The Steelers did see the Cameron Heyward sidekick post 15 tackles for loss and 26 QB hits in that span, one that included the Steelers giving him a three-year, $40.5MM contract. Ogunjobi became a release candidate, however, and Pittsburgh cut bait with a season left on the contract.

Working as a starter for the Bengals team that eventually ventured to Super Bowl LVI, Ogunjobi suffered a season-ending foot injury during the team’s wild-card win. An ensuing physical led the Bears to nix a deal with the former Browns third-rounder the following March, as Ogunjobi landed in Pittsburgh on a one-year, $8MM deal. He played well enough to command the above-referenced Steelers extension, and enough of a market formed over the past two days to bring the Bills past $8MM.

Playing on an extension he signed in 2023, Oliver operates as Buffalo’s top interior pass rusher. The former first-round pick posted a career-high 9.5 sacks in 2023 and has combined to deliver 29 QB hits over the past two seasons. Jones, conversely, is the Bills’ top interior run stuffer. It would stand to reason Ogunjobi will play behind this duo as a high-end reserve option. This is certainly a lot to pay such a player, pointing to Bills confidence Ogunjobi can excel as a frequently used second-stringer.

Ogunjobi’s career-high sack total (seven) came with the Bengals in 2021, and he combined for 20 TFLs between the 2018 and ’19 seasons as a Brown. Chosen in the same draft as Cleveland added Myles Garrett, Ogunjobi has never been an advanced metrics darling. But the 48.3 overall grade he received from Pro Football Focus for his 2024 work was especially low and positioned him as the 94th-best interior DL out of 118 qualifiers. Still, the Bills will bet he has quality football left.

Colts, Daniel Jones Agree To Deal

March 11th, 2025 at 11:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

Daniel Jones was known to be facing a Vikings-or-Colts decision and he has made his choice. The former Giants starter is heading to Indianapolis on a one-year deal, as first reported by Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Earlier today, ESPN’s Stephen Holder confirmed Jones was down to either remaining in Minnesota or heading to Indianapolis. Both teams were waiting to see which direction he went, with the call deciding how each would operate under center for the rest of the offseason. After taking Monday to weigh his options, Jones has made a commitment.

This pact will be worth $14MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds. That figure represents the base value of the contract, as Pelissero notes Jones can earn up to $17.7MM. The Colts have their veteran Anthony Richardson competition in place for 2025. $13.15MM is fully guaranteed, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, with Pelissero adding that number is comprised of a $6.5MM signing bonus and $7MM in guaranteed salary. The maximum value of the deal can be unlocked via $850K in active roster bonuses ($50K per game) and playing time/wins/playoffs incentives.

The Vikings made a push to retain Jones, Rapoport reports. To little surprise, though, the chance to earn a starting gig represented a key factor for the former No. 6 pick. Richardson has not developed as planned early in his career, and Colts GM Chris Ballard made it clear his inconsistent play and injury troubles would lead to a veteran addition capable of handling QB1 duties. At a minimum, Jones will able to provide the team with an experienced backup, though Pelissero confirms an open competition is on tap. Indeed, Jones confirmed he was told he would have an opportunity to compete with Richardson (via James Boyd of The Athletic (subscription required)).

The 27-year-old raised eyebrows when he received a four-year, $160MM Giants deal in 2023. That pact – authorized by a Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll regime which did not draft him – did not pan out as planned, and midway through the past campaign his benching was followed up by his release. Minnesota added him on the practice squad with the potential to remain in place for 2025.

That especially remained true in the wake of Sam Darnold turning his Pro Bowl Vikings season into a lucrative Seahawks agreement. With Jones now out of the fold, though, Minnesota is set to rely on 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy as their starter moving forward. The 22-year-old missed his entire rookie campaign due to a meniscus tear, but he will be healthy in time for the 2025 season. A modest free agent signing can be expected to operate as his backup.

Richardson earned the starting gig right away as a rookie, but he was limited to only four games that year due to a shoulder injury. The 2023 No. 4 pick managed 11 appearances this past season, but he was temporarily benched in favor of Joe Flacco as the Colts offense underperformed. Richardson, 22, posted a completion percentage of just 47.7% and a negative touchdown-to-interception ratio last season. A notable step forward will be required in 2025, and the first step in his efforts in that regard will involve winning an offseason competition with Jones.

Bills, DE Joey Bosa Agree To Deal

March 11th, 2025 at 11:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

A wild-card contender will ride to victory in the Joey Bosa sweepstakes. Rather than a 49ers deal to play with his brother, Bosa is heading to Buffalo.

The Bills and Bosa have a one-year, $12.6MM deal in place, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. This reminds of the 2022 Von Miller sweepstakes, when a supposed Cowboys-Rams duel ended with the future Hall of Famer choosing the Bills. Soon after Buffalo released Miller, Bosa will be on track to play opposite Gregory Rousseau.

Also rostering A.J. Epenesa in the second season of a two-year contact, the Bills will be expected to keep the former second-round pick on the bench. Bosa received natural interest from the 49ers, who were the rumored favorites due to Nick Bosa‘s presence on the team. Similar to the 2021 J.J. Watt free agency, a dynamic brother tandem will not form. Joey Bosa also will spurn his hometown team, as the Dolphins showed interest as well. He will join a five-time reigning AFC East champion that continues to be denied Super Bowl berths.

Buffalo will land the older Bosa brother ahead of his age-30 season. Unlike Miller at the time, Bosa has a steady history of nagging injuries that ended up leading to a Chargers release. (That said, Miller did miss all of 2020 and had an ACL tear on his resume previously.) The Bolts re-signed Khalil Mack, despite the potential Hall of Famer being four years older than Bosa. The latter will attempt to prove he can stay healthy with the Bills, whose pass rush could receive a jolt if Bosa is healthy.

The former No. 3 overall pick made it through 14 Chargers games last season but was limited to five in 2022 and nine in 2023. The Chargers gave Bosa pay cut in 2024. He made the Pro Bowl last season but only registered five sacks; his 19 pressures ranked 68th last season. While injuries have taken Joey Bosa off the top tier on which his brother resides, he remains a formidable blocking assignment. His presence figures to boost Rousseau, though the latter will not exactly be viewed as a sidekick the way Mack, Uchenna Nwosu and Melvin Ingram were opposite Bosa with the Chargers. Continuing to invest in their early-2020s draftees, the Bills just gave Rousseau a four-year, $80MM extension.

Five Pro Bowls appear on Bosa’s resume. His career does not closely rival Miller’s at the time of a Bills signing, as it will not take anything close to Miller’s terms (6/120 with guarantees into Year 3) to land the 10th-year veteran. But Bosa has four double-digit sack seasons on his resume. The most recent came in 2021, a season that included seven of Bosa’s career 17 forced fumbles.

Although the Bills have separated from Miller, NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe reported earlier tonight the team has continued to talk with the veteran’s camp about a potential deal at a lower rate. While this Bosa signing could nix that, Wolfe indicated the Bills wanted Miller back and to add another quality edge rusher. Bosa (again, if healthy) would qualify for the latter role, so it will be interesting to see if the team is still interested in working something out to bring Miller back as a rotational rusher. Miller posted six sacks last season, bouncing back from a 2023 slate marred by his injury recovery.

Buffalo has already added ex-Rams pass rusher Michael Hoecht as well. Given an $8MM-per-year deal, Hoecht has worked as a versatile piece during his career. He will come to Buffalo with 13 career sacks. Hoecht and Epenesa may well be Buffalo’s second-string defensive ends, which would seemingly leave little room for Miller. Though, the soon-to-be 36-year-old may not be out of the equation entirely just yet.

The Bills did not see Miller’s prime extend beyond his 2022 ACL tear, and they will bet on Bosa still having some of his left. Rousseau’s arrow is pointing upward, but the former first-rounder has topped out at eight sacks in a season thus far. The Bills were unable to consistently disrupt Patrick Mahomes in the AFC championship game, allowing a Chiefs team they defeated by two scores in the regular season to post its only 30-plus-point game of the season. As the Bills attempt to finally push their Josh Allen-driven nucleus to a Super Bowl, Bosa will be asked to play a central role.

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