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Jets Release WR Davante Adams

March 4th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

As expected, no suitors emerged for Davante Adams on the trade front. As a result, the Jets will move on from the All-Pro receiver.

Adams is being released, as first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. He will now become one of the most intriguing options at the receiver position in free agency. Presuming this move is processed immediately, it will save $29.9MM in cap space while generating $8.36MM in dead money. The release is now official.

No guaranteed salary remained on Adams’ pact, something which essentially made him a rental in the eyes of interested teams ahead of the 2024 trade deadline. The Jets sent a conditional third-round pick to the Raiders for the six-time Pro Bowler, a move which allowed him to reunite with Aaron Rodgers. The latter will be released with a post-June 1 designation, though, so to no surprise Adams will also seek out a fresh start for 2025.

Rodgers and Adams had the potential to remain in place with New York, but their time with the Jets did not yield a playoff berth. On the other hand, the latter racked up 854 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games upon arrival, a sign he can still be counted on to provide high-end production at this stage of his career. Adams, 32, could draw attention in a free agent class light on impact players at many positions (including receiver).

A release was seen as likely one month ago, but the door was still open to a team avoiding free agency and agreeing to a trade (and subsequent restructure or extension to lower Adams’ cap charges for 2025 and ’26). Interest was shown on that front, but to no surprise a deal never appeared to be imminent. A report from yesterday confirmed a release would take place before the start of the new league year next week.

The Jets are allowing fellow ex-Packers wideout Allen Lazard to seek out a trade, but he too is unlikely to generate a market. A release could also be expected in that case, something which would leave the team short on experienced options behind Garrett Wilson on the depth chart. Taking into account the Adams release, New York has roughly $52MM in cap space.

With a change of scenery on tap, several updates have recently emerged regarding where Adams could play next. A return to the Packers could be in store, but a deal sending him to the West Coast is also something to watch for. Rapoport notes the opportunity for the Fresno State product to head west remains a key factor in his free agency. Rodgers, for his part, is still interested in playing with Adams (provided he decides to suit up in 2025), so a partnership between those two on a third team could come into play.

In any case, it will be interesting to see how things play out for Adams given his track record (six 1,000-yard seasons in the past seven years). The Jets, meanwhile, will need to be active in the receiver market in one form or another as they move past the Rodgers investment and the additions which accompanied it.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/3/25

March 4th, 2025 at 9:37pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

More teams made tender/non-tender decisions on restricted and exclusive rights free agents today. Here are the latest updates:

RFAs

Non-tendered: 

Despite 48 appearances, 19 starts, and 1,794 total snaps over the last three years, the Bears will not tender Sanborn, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. While not considered a starting defender, Sanborn could draw interest in free agency as a backup linebacker and core special teams contributor.

ERFAs

Tendered: 

Non-tendered:

Hoffman started the Cowboys’ last seven games of the 2024 season after Zack Martin went down for the season. He primarily played right guard, though he played 109 snaps at center and 19 at left guard, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Martin retired last month, so Hoffman will likely compete for a starting role in 2025 while earning $1.1MM.

Saints To Release RB Jamaal Williams

March 4th, 2025 at 3:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints entered Tuesday more than $47MM over the cap; they have barely a week to move into the black. In what will be a small part of this equation, the team is cutting Jamaal Williams, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.

Leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 2022, Williams was unable to make an impact in New Orleans. The Saints had signed the ex-Packers and Lions RB to a three-year, $12MM deal in 2023. This move will clear nearly $2MM off the Saints’ cap sheet.

Williams, 30 in April, was set to make $3.15MM in base salary next season. With the Saints using the oft-injured Kendre Miller as their top Alvin Kamara backup and having re-signed Clyde Edwards-Helaire this offseason, Williams was an obvious cap casualty. Though the Saints still have tremendous work to do to move under the cap by 3pm CT March 12, they have completed more arduous journeys before.

A spirited figure on Hard Knocks during the Lions’ 2021 summer HBO effort, Williams anchored Detroit’s rushing attack while on his second contract. Although D’Andre Swift had shown elusiveness on his rookie deal, the Lions gave Williams 262 carries during the 2022 season. He turned those into 1,066 yards and an NFL-high 17 rushing TDs. This gave him a springboard into free agency, though it came during a rough year for running backs.

The Lions attempted to re-sign Williams, but he turned down their offer. The terms of Detroit’s proposal were likely similar to David Montgomery‘s three-year, $18MM pact. Williams found less in terms of AAV in New Orleans but did see $8.15MM guaranteed at signing. He had played out a two-year, $6MM Lions deal. Williams has done well to score two modest RB contracts despite spending his career in committees, but he was unable to contribute much to the Saints’ cause.

The ex-Green Bay draftee gained just 304 rushing yards in 2023, despite making four starts in place of Kamara — who was suspended for three games that season. In 2024, that yardage number dropped to 164. Although a Week 18 Williams TD in 2023 — on a rogue play call via Jameis Winston — became a memorable part of the Saints-Falcons rivalry, Williams did not eclipse 3.5 yards per carry during his two New Orleans years.

Packers To Re-Sign K Brandon McManus

March 4th, 2025 at 2:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Brandon McManus‘ 2024 partnership with the Packers became mutually beneficial. The team had given the embattled kicker another chance, while the veteran stabilized a kicking situation that had been spotty.

The Packers are making sure that arrangement sticks for more than one season, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reporting the sides have a deal in place. McManus agreed to a three-year, $15.3MM deal. The pact comes with a $5MM signing bonus. Green Bay brass had expressed interest in keeping McManus, and after a turbulent 2024, the former Super Bowl-winning kicker has another contract in place.

Last year was not a smooth one for McManus, whose Packers contract comes roughly 51 weeks after a one-year, $3.6MM Commanders agreement. After allegations of sexual assault (stemming from a September 2023 incident during a Jaguars international flight), Washington cut McManus. Two flight attendants accused McManus of sexual assault, leading the Commanders to cut bait. Last September, however, the NFL did not suspend the veteran specialist.

McManus, 33, denied wrongdoing but was hit with a civil suit by the anonymous flight attendants. An accusation of McManus trying to kiss one of the women while she was strapped into her seat emerged, with a separate allegation of the kicker “rubbing himself and grinding against them” led McManus back to free agency in June 2024 coming out of a mess that led to scrutiny into the Jaguars having alcohol on a team plane. The league not taking action led to McManus being given another opportunity. He made the most of it with the Packers.

In his first Packers game, McManus drilled a walk-off 45-yard field goal to lift the team over the Texans. That helped a Packers team that had seen Brayden Narveson struggle in the weeks prior. McManus proceeded to make 20 of 21 field goals to help Green Bay back to the playoffs. After the team made 2023 draftee Anders Carlson a one-and-done as Mason Crosby‘s successor, McManus is now in that chair. And he has some security after an impressive half-season.

Best known for a nine-season stay in Denver, McManus had secured multiple extensions to stay with the Broncos. Released months into Sean Payton‘s HC tenure, McManus caught on with the Jaguars and made 30 of 37 field goals in 2023 — his most recent full season. The Packers will bet on McManus’ career-best 95.2% make rate — after he had never previously cleared 86% — giving them a long-term option.

Seahawks Release Dre’Mont Jones, George Fant, Roy Robertson-Harris, Rayshawn Jenkins

March 4th, 2025 at 2:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

A year after the Seahawks cut Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs on the same day, they are removing another significant payroll chunk all at once. Four more Seattle regulars are out.

The team has announced it is releasing Dre’Mont Jones, George Fant, Roy Robertson-Harris and Rayshawn Jenkins. All four were acquired within the last two years, with Fant, Robertson-Harris and Jenkins added in 2024. Seattle entered Tuesday over the cap; these moves free up $27.25MM in funds ahead of the 2025 league year.

These releases only moved the Seahawks to $16.4MM in cap space, and they show how quickly value can decline. In particular, Jones came to Seattle as high-end free agent in 2023. The former Broncos draftee, who played both on the Seahawks’ defensive line and on the edge, is out two years into his three-year accord.

As the Broncos pivoted to Zach Allen during Sean Payton‘s first free agency at the wheel, the Seahawks rewarded Jones with a three-year, $51.53MM contract. Allen climbed to an All-Pro perch on his Denver pact; Jones did not make a similar leap on his. The Seahawks demoted the high-priced defender last season, as they used a first-round pick on Byron Murphy. (The team’s Leonard Williams acquisition also came after its Jones signing.) Though, Jones still started 23 games for the team during a two-season span. Jones, who totaled 8.5 sacks in his two Seattle slates, will land another opportunity soon, as he is only going into his age-28 season.

While Jones is the biggest name included in Tuesday’s round of Seahawks cap casualties, Fant closes out a second stint with the team. The older of the two Fants on the Seahawks’ 2024 roster, George struggled to stay healthy. The converted basketball player-turned-Jets tackle starter came back to his initial NFL team but only played in two games, landing on IR twice due to knee trouble. Opening the season as Seattle’s RT starter in place of the injured Abraham Lucas, Fant went down with a knee injury early in Week 1. The Seahawks saved an IR activation for him but did not see the 2024 free agency addition make it through his Week 9 return unscathed.

This was a theme for the Seahawks, who had re-signed Jason Peters (to the practice squad) as insurance. With Peters now retired and set to mentor Seahawks O-linemen, the team will need to look into more RT help, as Lucas has battled injury trouble for the past two seasons.

It is also unsurprising the Seahawks have released Jenkins, who was benched after he returned from IR midway through last season. The Seahawks gave Jenkins — a 2024 Jaguars cap casualty — a two-year, $12MM deal in the wake of cutting Diggs and Adams. Seattle, which benched Jenkins for Coby Bryant, allowed the veteran safety to seek a trade last week. Nothing materialized, and the eight-year veteran — a Chargers draftee who has started 89 career games — is back in free agency.

The Seahawks traded for Robertson-Harris early last season, obtaining him from the Jags for a 2026 sixth-round pick. The veteran interior D-lineman did not start for the Hawks and logged only a 25% snap share on defense with the team. Robertson-Harris, 31, had been attached to a three-year, $21.6MM deal signed by the Jags in 2023. He has 62 career starts on his resume.

Fant, 32, was tied to a two-year, $9.1MM accord. While the above-referenced cap savings do come out of these cuts, OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald notes $18.4MM in dead money will as well.

Eagles To Release James Bradberry

March 4th, 2025 at 9:37am CST by Adam La Rose

It was learned yesterday that Darius Slay is set to be released by the Eagles. The same is also true of another veteran member of the team’s secondary.

James Bradberry has been informed he will be let go, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. 2025 is a void year on Bradberry’s pact, and he was set to count $5.2MM on the cap. This move will allow the Eagles to avoid paying out a $4.85MM option bonus which was due on September 1. Philadelphia will use a post-June 1 designation, Fowler adds, meaning the team will create $2.1MM in cap savings while generating a dead money charge of just over $3MM.

Bradberry joined the Eagles in 2022, and he partnered with Slay to give the team a highly effective cornerback tandem. Starting all 17 games, the former Panther and Giant earned a second-team All-Pro nod and was expected to remain a key member of the secondary as a result. The following year, however, Bradberry’s coverage saw a notable decline as he allowed 11 touchdowns and a passer rating of 114.3 as the nearest defender.

As a result of that drop-off, the Eagles made a number of moves at the cornerback position (highlighted by the selections of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first two rounds of the 2024 draft). That set Bradberry up for a transition to safety in 2024, but he did not wind up playing this past season. The 31-year-old recently revealed his absence was due to a summer Achilles tear, an injury he said he expects to be fully recovered from in time for OTAs this spring.

Bradberry also made it clear he intends to resume playing cornerback with his next team, although he does not figure to have a strong market over the coming weeks. His release will not be processed until the new league year begins on March 12, but Fowler notes his agent has received permission to speak with teams right away. An agreement could therefore be reached before Bradberry officially becomes a free agent.

The possibility of Slay once again working out a last-minute deal to remain with the Eagles has been mentioned in the wake of his release. Presuming he moves on, though, the team will have Mitchell, DeJean and Kelee Ringo on their rookie contracts at the CB position. Bradberry will turn his attention to joining a fourth career team, and his willingness to play at safety could be a factor in determining where he lands on the open market.

Eagles To Release Darius Slay

March 3rd, 2025 at 11:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

Darius Slay‘s decorated tenure with the Eagles is coming to an end. The Pro Bowl corner will be released, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Such a scenario has been raised recently, meaning the move does not come as a complete surprise. Eyeing one more year in the NFL, Slay will now need to find a new home for the second time in his career. Schefter notes this will be processed as a post-June 1 cut.

As a result, the Eagles will see $4.32MM in cap savings while generating a dead money charge of $9.44MM which can be spread across two years. No guaranteed salary remained on Slay’s pact for 2025, the final year of the deal. By moving on this offseason, Philadelphia will avoid paying out an option bonus of roughly $5MM which was due on September 1. Slay will officially become a free agent at the start of the new league year.

A seven-year stint with the Lions ended in 2020 when Slay was traded to the Eagles. He was a stalwart in the secondary during his time in Philadelphia, collecting three of his six Pro Bowl nods during that span. Of course, Slay’s tenure with the team will be best remembered for the two Super Bowl appearances – including one title – he played a central role in.

Slay’s time with the Eagles appeared to be coming to an end in 2023, but an agreement was reached allowing him to remain in the fold. The former All-Pro racked up between one and three interceptions during each of his first four Philadelphia campaigns, but he was held without one during the regular season in 2024. Slay was nevertheless a key figure on the Eagles’ run to the Super Bowl. Still, the decision to use first- and second-round picks on the CB position in last year’s draft (Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean) foreshadowed a parting of ways.

While Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz notes an Eagles reunion (at a reduced cost compared to the $16MM Slay was owed for 2025) could be in play, the team has other young options to turn to. Mitchell, DeJean and Kelee Ringo are all attached to their rookie contracts; Isaiah Rodgers is a pending free agent but retaining him on a low-cost deal could be a priority for Philadelphia. As the team continues to transition to a younger secondary, Slay should still have a notable market.

Any number of suitors will pursue starting-caliber options at the cornerback position, and even at the age of 34 Slay could serve as an effective one-year rental. The Mississippi State product preferred to finish his career with the Eagles, but he recently noted a return to the Lions represented his next-best scenario. Carlton Davis is a pending free agent, and losing him would leave Detroit in need of a first-team replacement.

Failing that, other teams could emerge especially since Slay will be available on a one-year pact (provided he intends to stick to his stated timeline of retiring after the 2025 campaign). It will be interesting to see where his final NFL campaign takes place.

Bengals Place Franchise Tag On Tee Higgins

March 3rd, 2025 at 11:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

As expected, Tee Higgins will not reach the market in 2025. The Bengals wideout announced on Monday he has been informed of the team’s decision to use the franchise tag on him for the second year in a row.

After Higgins was tagged last offseason, he wound up being the only player who did not eventually work out a long-term pact with his team. That created the expectation of a free agent departure in 2025, where the 26-year-old would have been by far the most sought-after receiver on the market. For the past two weeks, though, signs have pointed to the tag being used once again to prevent that scenario.

When applied the second time around, franchise tags cost 20% more than the previous year’s price. As such, tagging Higgins in 2025 will cost the Bengals $26.16MM. That figure will immediately come onto the team’s books, and the former second-rounder will earn that amount (which is guaranteed in full) if he signs the tag and plays on it next season.

Of course, the tag can be (and often is) used strictly as a placeholder to ensure additional time to negotiate a long-term deal. That was the goal in this situation last time around, but team and player did not come particularly close to an agreement. The sides will have until July 15 to hammer out a contract and avoid another season with Higgins’ future in doubt.

Higgins has worked as a highly effective complement to Ja’Marr Chase, who himself was unable to work out a Bengals extension last summer. The latter is in line to become the league’s highest earner for non-quarterbacks, something the Bengals stated their willingness to authorize at the Combine. In spite of that, the team’s latest offer has reportedly left the sides far apart in contract talks. Chase – who won the NFL’s ‘Triple Crown’ in 2024 – represents an obvious priority on a monster deal but Cincinnati also aims to keep Higgins in place for years to come.

Quarterback Joe Burrow has gone public with his desire to see each of Chase, Higgins and 2024 sack leader Trey Hendrickson retained for 2025 and beyond. Burrow is prepared to restructure his deal to help free up cap space in the immediate future, although Cincinnati has made a number of cost-shedding moves recently as well. Prior to today’s news, the team had roughly $69MM in cap space, but a large portion of that will now be committed to Higgins.

The Clemson product has topped 900 receiving yards four times in his five-year career. Having missed five games in each of the past two campaigns, injuries represent a factor to be considered by the Bengals, but Higgins was connected to a annual average value of $30MM or more in the event he hit the open market. Several suitors (regardless of if the Patriots would have been one of them) were in line to make significant offers. Now, only a tag-and-trade would allow for Higgins to play elsewhere next year.

The 2025 free agent class is short on impact receivers near Higgins’ age, and this year’s draft is not viewed in the same light as previous ones with respect to first-round prospects. Those factors will make the trade market something to watch closely at the position as teams look to make at least modest additions to their pass-catching corps. Deebo Samuel is headed to Washington, but Cooper Kupp is among the veterans set to be on the move soon.

The Chiefs have used the franchise tag to keep guard Trey Smith off the market. He and Higgins were set to among the best free agents (regardless of position) available at the start of the new league year next week. Sam Darnold remains the top option, although the Vikings could keep their 2024 starting quarterback in place by using the tag. A decision on that front will need to be made by tomorrow afternoon. In any case, the most attractive option at the skill positions will not test free agency.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/3/25

March 3rd, 2025 at 9:09pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Teams are starting to decide on their restricted and exclusive rights free agents ahead of the start of the new league year next week. Here are the latest tender/non-tender updates:

RFAs

Non-tendered: 

The Raiders are open to re-signing Turner, but even the lowest RFA tender of $3.3MM was too expensive. The 2022 UDFA played primarily special teams in his first two seasons and didn’t record his first NFL catch until 2024. He started six games last season with 21 touches, 191 yards, and two touchdowns from scrimmage.

ERFAs

Tendered: 

The Rams signed McMahon off the Eagles’ practice squad last September to back up rookie center Beaux Limmer and started the last game of the regular season. He will likely continue in a backup role in 2025 while earning $960k.

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