| NFC NORTH |
| MINNESOTABen Solak of ESPN.com thinks the Vikings are so good they don’t need an elite QB: The QB-Proof Award: The VikingsI think the Vikings are the winners of the free agent period. They double-dipped at defensive tackle with Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, and they need just one of the two aging interior pass rushers to hit for them at one of the lone positions of weakness on the defense last season. Star corner Byron Murphy Jr. returns to the outside, and veteran running back Aaron Jones returns on offense.Cover up the quarterback position, and the Vikings have built one of the league’s most competitive rosters. Reveal that J.J. McCarthy is the current starting QB, and everything makes total sense. The Vikings got a first look at how their team would support an inconsistent, imperfect quarterback last season with Sam Darnold at the helm and have used that trial run to iron out the remaining wrinkles. Right guard was a big problem in pass protection, so they spent big money on ex-Colt Will Fries (five years, $88 million). Center Garrett Bradbury also often struggled when dealing with power one-on-one, so another ex-Colt in Ryan Kelly (two years, $18 million) was signed to provide competition.There is no team better suited to incubate a first-year passer than the Vikings. They have an excellent, opportunistic defense that can create short fields. They have an excellent playcaller in Kevin O’Connell, who runs a QB-friendly system. They have an elite pass catcher in Justin Jefferson, along with excellent complementary pass catchers T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison. And now, they have an improved offensive line and likely improved running game as a result. If McCarthy is even an average first-year starting quarterback, the Vikings should win plenty of games.Of course, the Vikings might decide to hedge their quarterback bets. McCarthy was QB5 in last year’s draft and is coming off a major knee injury, after all. But even if they sign a veteran such as Aaron Rodgers, the theory will be the same: that a quarterback can’t help but shine on a team like this. |
| NFC EAST |
| WASHINGTONAlbert Breer on all the moves made by the Commanders: The mandate in Washington is clear—now is the time.Let’s start with Washington Commanders GM Adam Peters trading WR Jahan Dotson and a fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2025 third-round pick and two seventh-round selections (one that was initially Denver’s), and DT John Ridgeway III and their own ’25 seventh-rounder to New Orleans for a sixth-round pick last summer. Peters then flipped the Commanders’ slotted third- and fourth-round picks, and returned the sixth-rounder he got for Ridgeway, to the Saints for CB Marshon Lattimore, who finished the season in Washington and is under contract through ’26.Lattimore came with a sweetner, too—a 2025 fifth-round pick that Peters flipped last month to the San Francisco 49ers for WR Deebo Samuel. After that came Monday’s blockbuster, with Peters packaging the third-rounder (initially Miami’s, and used by the Dolphins to land Jaylen Wright at pick No. 120 last year) and one of the seventh-rounders (initially Denver’s, and acquired in Philly’s trade for TE Albert Okwuegbunam) he received for Dotson, plus second- and fourth-rounders in ’26 to land Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil and the Texans’ ’25 fourth-round pick.So, now, the Commanders have Lattimore, Tunsil and Samuel, and five picks left for 2025: Their own first-rounder, plus second- and sixth-rounders, Houston’s fourth and Philly’s seventh. They’re also down two of their first four picks for ’26 with over a year to work on that.My takeaway is that Washington, rightfully, thinks it’s close. And it’s also pretty cool how they’ve been able to work through all this. As I see it, Peters and coach Dan Quinn inherited a roster needing work at almost every premium position: quarterback, left tackle, edge rusher, corner, and complementary parts at receiver, too.Not every one of those holes has been filled. But a year later, they have Jayden Daniels at quarterback, Tunsil at left tackle, Samuel opposite Terry McLaurin at receiver, and Lattimore at corner. They spackled the edge-rusher situation last year with veterans Dante Fowler Jr. and Dorance Armstrong, so there are long-term questions there. But they have a draft class in front of them now that is unusually deep at that position.Now, it’s certainly possible the draft-pick drain of 2025 and ’26 has an impact on the roster long-term. But, again, the Commanders have a lot of a runway to deal with that from here. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| ATLANTADE LEONARD FLOYD gets a one-year deal from the Falcons. Marc Raimondi ofESPN.com: The Atlanta Falcons have signed defensive end Leonard Floyd, who was released by the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, to a one-year, $10 million contract.Agent Todd France announced the news on Instagram.Floyd had 8.5 sacks last season, his first with the 49ers after signing a two-year, $20 million contract with San Francisco last offseason. He finished second on the 49ers in sacks in 2024, behind Nick Bosa, who had nine.Selected ninth overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2016 draft, Floyd has 66.5 sacks in nine NFL seasons.Floyd, 32, has at least 8.5 sacks every season since 2020. The Falcons have not had a player with that many sacks in a single season since Adrian Clayborn (9) in 2017, the last time the team made the playoffs.A pass rusher was, as usual, a priority for the Falcons this offseason. Atlanta finished second to last in the league in sacks (31) and quarterback pressure percentage (28.1%) last season. |
| CAROLINABen Solak of ESPN.com thinks one DT with a last name starting in W isn’t as good as another: The Panic Award: Panthers sign DT Tershawn WhartonThe biggest fish on the defensive tackle market was ex-Eagle Milton Williams. The counting stats for Williams weren’t inspiring — five sacks and 10 QB hits — but his film was excellent, and the impact of his disruption was clear despite his rotational role. Jalen Carter drew a fair share of double-teams alongside him, but among tackles with at least 100 pass-rush snaps last season, Williams’ pressure rate of 12.5% ranked fourth (per NFL Next Gen Stats). That’s some serious pass-rush juice worth investing in.The Panthers were in on Williams but failed to get it across the finish line. Instead, the Patriots dropped a four-year, $104 million deal on his doorstep, making him the league’s third-highest-paid defensive tackle. But Carolina still wanted to invest in the position, and did so with a three-year, $51 million deal for the ex-Chief Tershawn Wharton.In some ways, Wharton looks like a fine consolation prize to Williams. Like Williams, he broke out with a career-best 6.5 sacks in 2024. Like Williams, he benefited from rushing next to an elite tackle in Chris Jones. And as an undrafted free agent who had to earn his way into a starting role, it’s understandable that Wharton’s just breaking out now and that his best football is ahead of him.But the comparison doesn’t really pass muster. Yes, Wharton’s sack numbers were better, but he had 140 more pass-rush snaps than Williams, and his pressure rate of 8.2% was just above league average. Williams also just hit free agency; Wharton was available last season and signed a one-year, $2.75 million deal, which means his new market is largely the product of his “breakout” season.Wharton spent most pass-rush downs as the pocket-pushing nose tackle whose job it was to corral quarterbacks trying to escape upfield after the other pass rushers turned up the heat — and he did that job well. But the Panthers, who also signed nose tackle Bobby Brown III to a three-year deal, clearly want Wharton to win as a pass rusher next to star defensive tackle Derrick Brown.I’m not convinced Wharton has that juice. Sure, he flashes power as a rusher, and in more of a one-gapping role he could demonstrate a level of pass-rush prowess yet untapped. But this is a common error in the free agent cycle: missing on the real prize and accordingly overpaying for the next-best option to avoid coming away with nothing. The Panthers had money already set aside for a defensive tackle, and when they missed on Williams, they spent it anyway. |
| TAMPA BAYWR CHRIS GODWIN on staying with the Buccaneers. Michael David Smith ofProFootballTalk.com: Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin decided to stay with the only NFL team he has ever played for and sign a three-year contract in Tampa Bay, but he strongly considered leaving.Godwin said on NFL Network that he could have made more money by leaving in free agency and was on the verge of waiting until the market opened, but he and his wife ultimately decided that Tampa is their home and they don’t want to start over elsewhere.“I feel like we were really close,” Godwin said when asked how close he was to leaving. “When it comes to a situation like that you have to really, really consider it. Me and Mariah, we had some really tough conversations. Had some really tough conversations with my agent. Because at the end of the day, we’re trying to figure out what’s going to be best for our family. Not everybody would make that decision and I’m not faulting anybody that would, but at the end of the day I have to go based off my gut, I have to go off my intuition.” |
| NFC WEST |
| SAN FRANCISCOThe 49ers have inked WR DeMARCUS ROBINSON, most recently of the rival Rams. Matt Barrow of The Athletic: A San Francisco 49ers team that lost a veteran receiver after Deebo Samuel was traded to the Washington Commanders picked up another on Tuesday. Former Los Angeles Rams wideout Demarcus Robinson, 30, agreed to terms with San Francisco on a two-year contract, league sources confirmed. The deal is worth $9.5 million, a league source told The Athletic’s Jeff Howe.Samuel and Robinson aren’t similar at all. Robinson is known for his separation skills and Samuel for his yards-after-catch ability. But it’s likely Robinson will help fill the void left by Samuel’s departure, especially early in the season when Brandon Aiyuk still might be recovering from his October ACL tear.Robinson was ranked No. 100 on The Athletic’s updated top-150 free agents list and was the No. 11-ranked receiver.How he fitsKyle Shanahan always wants receivers with separation skills. It’s what drew him to players like Aiyuk, Kendrick Bourne, Dante Pettis and Ricky Pearsall over the last few years. He likes players who can get open in tight spaces and get off the line of scrimmage cleanly. That wasn’t Samuel’s strong suit, and it became problematic last season when defenses played more man coverage against the 49ers. Robinson doesn’t have tremendous size at just under 6-foot-2, he ran an ordinary 4.59-second 40-yard dash before his rookie season and his YAC yardage was minimal last season. But later in his career, he’s been someone who can get open and a wideout the Rams leaned on when more heralded teammates were injured. He played in all 17 games last season and set career highs in catches (31), receiving yards (505) and touchdowns (7).2025 impactRobinson’s biggest role likely will come at the beginning of the season when Aiyuk is still working his way back from injury. One possibility is that Jauan Jennings reprises his role as the team’s primary or “X” receiver and that Robinson works opposite him. That would allow Pearsall to operate out of the slot where he was effective late last season.Cap updateThe 49ers began Tuesday with an estimated $20 million in salary cap space and mostly agreed to one-year deals with incoming players. Robinson’s deal is two years for $9.5 million with $6 million fully guaranteed. It will depend on how the 49ers structured the deal, but there is still plenty of room for the budget-friendly, decidedly un-splashy additions the team has made this offseason.OutlookRobinson was a safe pick in the sense that he’s familiar with San Francisco’s offense and should be up to speed early in the season when the 49ers might need him the most. His skill set — an ability to get open — also meshes well with Brock Purdy, who had trouble throwing into tight windows and against press coverage last season. Robinson, however, will turn 31 early in the season and never has been a dominant receiver. For example, he hasn’t gone over 100 receiving yards in any game over the last two years. He was also arrested and charged with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol after he was pulled over hours after a Rams game in November after being observed traveling more than 100 mph on the 101 freeway near the team’s training complex. |
| AFC WEST |
| LOS ANGELES CHARGERSTE EVAN ENGRAM, brilliant in 2023, injured much of 2024, is visiting the Chargers after being cast aside by Jacksonville. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: Included last week in a purge of veterans from the Jacksonville roster, veteran tight end Evan Engram is looking for a new team.His search continued on Tuesday, with (per NFL Media) a visit to the Chargers.Engram visited the Broncos on Monday.A first-round pick in 2017 from Mississippi, Engram has spent five years with the Giants and three with the Jaguars. He made the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2023.His best season came in 2023, with 114 catches for 963 yards. Injuries limited him to nine games in 2024. He caught 47 passes for 365 yards in his final season in Jacksonville.Will Dissly is the top tight end on the L.A. roster. He caught 50 passes for 481 yards and two touchdowns in 2024, his first year with the Chargers |
| AFC NORTH |
| BALTIMOREThe Ravens think WR DeANDRE HOPKINS has some gas left in the tank. The Athletic:Free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is set for his next destination after agreeing to terms with the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday, team sources confirmed.Hopkins, who’s ranked No. 40 overall (No. 4 WR) on The Athletic’s NFL free agency top 150, heads to Baltimore on a one-year deal worth up to $6 million, league sources confirmed. The Ravens mark Hopkins’ third team in the past two years and the fifth stop in his 13-year career.The decision to join Baltimore could offer the declining Hopkins another shot at a championship after the five-time All-Pro finished his age-32 season with the Chiefs. Hopkins recorded 41 receptions for 437 yards and four touchdowns in 10 regular-season games (five starts) for Kansas City, adding three receptions for 29 yards and one touchdown across three playoff appearances.The Chiefs lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 40-22, in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, where Hopkins grabbed two catches for 18 yards and a score. While his brief Chiefs stint showed flashes, Hopkins could enter 2025 looking at a decreased role as he aims to add to his career totals of 984 receptions (first among all active wide receivers), 12,965 yards (second) and 83 touchdowns (fourth) in 178 games.Hopkins has had 100-plus receiving yards in a game with 12 different starting quarterbacks, tied with DeSean Jackson and Joey Galloway for the most by any player in league history, per the NFL. In 2023, he recorded 75 receptions for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns to secure his first 1,000-yard season since 2020 and seventh of his career.How he fitsHopkins, one of the most accomplished wide receivers on the market, comes to Baltimore after splitting last season with the Titans and Chiefs. The 32-year-old had 56 catches for 610 yards and five touchdowns in 16 total games and averaged 10.9 yards per reception, the lowest mark of his career.The Ravens have been rumored as a potential suitor for years, and Hopkins, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, has spoken excitedly about the opportunity to play with quarterback Lamar Jackson in the past. Jackson suggested to Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta before the 2023 season that the team acquire Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. The Ravens signed Beckham, and now two years later they’re adding Hopkins. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens beat writer2025 impactHopkins may have lost a step, but he’s still a strong route runner with reliable hands. He also won’t need to carry a heavy burden for the Ravens, who have Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman at wide receiver and Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely at tight end. Baltimore, though, is lacking in wide receiver depth behind Flowers and Bateman. Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace, Diontae Johnson, Deonte Harty and Steven Sims are all pending free agents.Hopkins is the first outside free agent to sign with the Ravens this offseason. — Zrebiec |
| CINCINNATIAfter moving around quite a bit, TE MIKE GESICKI was glad to possibly take a little less and play with QB JOE BURROW. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:Tight end Mike Gesicki agreed to re-sign with the Bengals before the NFL’s free agent negotiating window opened on Monday and that decision was one of the talking points at a press conference in Cincinnati on Tuesday.Gesicki signed a three-year, $25.5 million deal and he was asked about not taking the opportunity to see if there was more available on the open market. If he did leave money on the table, Gesicki said he was comfortable paying a “Joe Burrow tax” because of his comfort level with the quarterback, head coach Zac Taylor and the rest of the pieces in place on offense with the Bengals.“There’s so many different guys that were in the back of my mind as I’m thinking about, you know, do I test the market? You hear about your value and all that kind of stuff and what it could be, and at that point, it’s just like, this is what I want,” Gesicki said. “I wanted to go to Cincinnati, and I wanted to be in an offense that allowed me to reach my potential, and I think that this place gives me everything I’m looking for.”Gesicki caught 65 passes in Cincinnati last season, so it’s easy to understand why he was willing to take the bird in hand over whatever else might have been out there. Gesicki said he believes there’s “definitely room to grow on offense,” but hitting new heights might depend on the Bengals’ ability to get wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins under contract as well. |
| PITTSBURGHMike DeFabo of The Athletic doesn’t seem to think QB AARON RODGERS is an upgrade over what QB JUSTIN FIELDS would have provided. Shortly after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season ended with a five-game collapse and another first-round flameout in the postseason, team president and owner Art Rooney II set the stage for the offseason when he stated his preference was to re-sign either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson.“That’ll be the priority,” Rooney said. “I think that will give us the best opportunity to move forward.”Justin or Russ? Russ or Justin?From the moment the Steelers created this unique quarterback dynamic last offseason, the debate has raged about which passer should be QB1 now and into the future. Over the past two months, it’s continued as members of the media and fan base have picked apart the arguments for both sides.As the NFL’s legal tampering period approached on Monday, it appeared the Steelers would finally reveal their decision. Instead, Monday came and went — and so did Fields. As Day 2 of the negotiating window begins, the Steelers still don’t have a quarterback, nor an obvious answer to a question that has lingered since Ben Roethlisberger retired.What was sold to the public as a decision between the two incumbents turned out to be much more complicated than a simple choice between Door No. 1 and Door No. 2.Yes, internally, the Steelers did want Fields to be their quarterback in 2025 … but they also wanted him back at their price. When the New York Jets offered a two-year, $40 million deal with $30 million guaranteed, the quarterback the Steelers benched after a 4-2 start to the season moved on.It’s hard to fault him, especially after Fields handled his demotion with the utmost professionalism and class. But it might not be too soon to start assigning at least some level of fault to Pittsburgh’s decision-makers.Last offseason, the Steelers gambled when they declined to extend Fields after acquiring him for just a sixth-round pick, which was, at the time, a great bargain. Had they taken steps to lock down Fields, they could either have their QB in place right now or, if they weren’t totally sold, flipped him for more compensation. Instead, they let the process play out.Even after the season ended, the Steelers had the chance to get a jump on the market. Weeks ago, they could have tried to bring the decision to a head and get Fields to put pen to paper. However, by letting it drag out until late in the process, they gave Fields the opportunity to test his market value, and he found a bigger payday elsewhere.Now, look: There was never a guarantee Fields would be the Steelers’ franchise quarterback. Actually, it’s pretty unlikely he would have been. How many quarterbacks have taken a significant step forward from Year 4 to Year 5?At the same time, Fields was probably the best of the available options, given the uninspiring rookie class and red flags in free agency. A logical move would have been to pay Fields for two seasons, give him an entire year to work with Arthur Smith and then either stick with him long term or pivot by drafting a quarterback in 2026.But the powers that be chose otherwise.So now what? That’s the question everyone is asking.Last year, in a similarly uninspiring market, the Steelers chose the low-risk, low-cost options. Through his first seven starts, Wilson looked like the best bargain in football, playing on a veteran minimum contract. Maybe it’s still possible they can get better quarterback play for less than what the Jets are paying Fields.But right now, that feels like a gamble.The best reasonably young alternative, 27-year-old Sam Darnold, agreed to a three-year, $100.5 million deal in Seattle. He’s off the market. That leaves Aaron Rodgers, Wilson and Daniel Jones as the top names still left in a picked-over free agency class. It’s also possible Kirk Cousins could be available via trade or if he’s cut, although he’s likely to wait until after the draft to choose his destination to avoid being unseated by a rookie like he was last year.It seems the most likely marriage is with Rodgers. Yes, he’s a four-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion and Hall of Famer. But he’s also 41 years old, a lightning-rod personality and less than 18 months removed from a torn Achilles.After vacationing in Egypt during mandatory minicamp last year, Rodgers was a shell of his former self in his first full season with the Jets. He appeared timid when it came time to throw downfield. Once a magician with mobility, buying time to create outside of structure, Rodgers transformed into a statue. As a result, he was one of the NFL’s worst QBs against the blitz, with a minus-0.20 EPA per dropback against five or more rushers. Only Anthony Richardson was worse.As a whole, Rodgers’ 2024 stats — 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 11 interceptions — were artificially inflated by the fact he attempted the second-most passes in the league (which doesn’t seem to fit with a run-first offense) and that he played tons of garbage-time football.Compare Rodgers’ 2024 numbers to Wilson’s, who still has an outside shot to return if Rodgers ends up with the New York Giants or elsewhere. Wilson comes out on top in several of the most meaningful categories.Now, we could go on, but let’s just put it in blunt terms: Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl’s best friend in the business is former Jets GM Joe Douglas, who once was seen as an up-and-coming builder after drafting the offensive (Garrett Wilson) and defensive (Sauce Gardner) rookies of the year in the same 2022 class. But because Douglas believed in Rodgers too much — and tried to surround the QB with his preferred players — he’s now without a job.The Steelers’ decision-makers are flirting with the same fate.The only way this makes sense is if the Steelers can get Rodgers to agree to a short-term deal at a low price, with the thought that he could provide the bridge to the 2026 draft class, which features a much more robust crop of QBs. But if they overcommit, they might be sentencing the franchise to its own darkness retreat.– – -At running back, the Steelers have signed RB SAQUON BARKLEY’s 2024 backup. Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com: The Steelers are finalizing a one-year deal with running back Kenneth Gainwell, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.Pittsburgh lost running back Najee Harris to the Chargers in free agency, leaving Jaylen Warren, Cordarrelle Patterson and now Gainwell to take over the backfield duties.Gainwell, who turns 26 later this week, leaves the Eagles after four seasons and a Super Bowl victory. Philadelphia made him a fifth-round pick in 2021. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| HOUSTONAlbert Breer of SI.com on why the Texans made T LAREMY TUNSIL available: What happened with Tunsil that made him expendable.Tunsil, to be clear, is well-liked in the Texans’ building. That said, he isn’t a tone-setter, and the offensive line room in Houston last year went the wrong way, becoming borderline toxic, which adds context to the trade of Kenyon Green and the release of Shaq Mason. That’s part of why the Texans figured they probably wouldn’t give him a third top-of-the-market extension in 2026 after having paid him in ’20 (three years, $66 million) and again in ’23 (three years, $75 million).So with his 31st birthday in August, Houston spent the past few weeks quietly measuring trade interest in Tunsil, and eventually found the right deal—the price they received for the 10-year vet is roughly the equivalent of a late first-round pick in the form of the aforementioned swap of the tackle and a fourth-round pick for a third- and seventh- round selections this year, and second- and fourth-rounders in ’26.That gives them resources to find Tunsil’s replacement, if it’s not someone on the roster such as Tytus Howard or Blake Fisher. Will they be able to get a suitable one? How this trade looks in five years rides on it.And while we’re on the big picture, there’s an element of that in this move for the Texans. DeMeco Ryans has kind of makeup he wants on his defense now, with young stars such as Will Anderson Jr. and Derek Stingley Jr. carrying the flag. He’s still trying to find it on offense, and the hope is turning over the roster some on that side—and finding new leaders—helps. |
| INDIANAPOLISThe Vikings figured QB SAM DARNOLD would walk and they could just bring back QB DANIEL JONES. But Jones foiled those plans when the Colts promised him a shot at the starting quarterback spot. ESPN.com: Free agent quarterback Daniel Jones is finalizing a one-year, $14 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.Jones had a chance to return to the Minnesota Vikings but now becomes the challenger to 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson for the Colts’ starting quarterback job in 2025.Colts general manager Chris Ballard said last month at the NFL scouting combine that Indianapolis was planning to have an open competition at the quarterback position, adding that as Richardson “continues to progress in his young career, us adding competition, I think, will help up everybody’s game.”Richardson’s agent, Deiric Jackson, told NFL Network on Tuesday that the third-year quarterback currently is healthy after dealing with oblique and back injuries in 2024.Jackson also told NFL Network that Richardson does not plan to seek a trade, adding that “AR will be ready to roll.”J.J. McCarthy is the only potential starting quarterback under contract with the Vikings after Sam Darnold (Seattle Seahawks) and Nick Mullens (Jacksonville Jaguars) agreed to contracts with other teams Monday. Brett Rypien is under contract but is not a candidate to start.Jones spent the final two months of the regular season on the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad after an unusual end to his time with the New York Giants. He returned from a torn ACL suffered in 2023 to start the Giants’ first 10 games last season. But after starting 2-8, the organization decided to demote him to No. 3 on the depth chart in part to prevent an injury that could have guaranteed future years of his contract.Jones, 27, requested and received his immediate release and decided to join the Vikings once he cleared waivers even though he knew there was almost no chance he would play in a game. Coach Kevin O’Connell and his staff were well underway on their resurrection of starter Darnold, and Jones joined a group of three other quarterbacks — Mullens, McCarthy and Rypien — who were all applying similar lessons.Daniel Jones is 4-0 against the AFC South in his career (all in 2022) and his Total QBR of 81 in those games is the highest by any QB with multiple starts against the AFC South in the past 5 seasons.The Vikings added Jones to the active roster for the playoffs, ensuring he will be part of their compensatory pick formula for 2026, but he did not play in the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.The No. 6 pick of the 2019 draft, Jones has started 69 games over six seasons. He threw more than 15 touchdown passes in only one of his seasons — 24 as a rookie — and his best season came in 2022. In leading the Giants to their only playoff appearance in his tenure that season, he threw for a career-high 3,205 yards, along with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions.He has thrown for 14,582 yards with 70 touchdowns and 47 interceptions in six NFL seasons. Mike Freeman of USA TODAY isn’t impressed: Daniel Jones is headed to Indianapolis, according to several reports. Good luck with that, Colts.If the quarterback already there, Anthony Richardson, cannot beat out Jones, then Richardson does not deserve to be in the NFL.But there’s another problem. If Jones cannot beat out Richardson, then Jones doesn’t deserve to be in the NFL, either.See? A mess. Let me explain.Jones has many positive attributes. He’s a relentless worker and good person. During his time with the New York Giants from 2019-2024, he took some of the hardest hits, over and over and over, you will ever see a quarterback take, and he’d get back up. He possesses an insane amount of toughness. That’s all true.The problem isn’t any of that. The problem is that Jones isn’t a good quarterback.There is proof of this going back years but none more evidentiary than Jones’ game against a horrible Carolina Panthers defense in November. It was one of the worst games I’ve ever seen a professional quarterback play.The game was in Germany and the fact we exposed our German allies to awful football like that has to be some sort of treaty violation. In that game you saw all of Jones’ issues manifest in one glorious contest: holding onto the ball too long, indecisiveness, lack of accuracy. He got sacked on a flea flicker, for goodness sake, despite multiple open receivers downfield.That game sealed Jones’ fate in New York. There was no way the team could move forward with him after that. He was benched for Tommy DeVito and later asked for his release which was granted by the Giants.At the time of his release, according to ESPN Research, since Jones’ rookie season in 2019, he had the worst record (22-44-1, .355 winning percentage) as a starter among quarterbacks with at least 50 starts. Jones also had the lowest touchdown per attempt rate (3.1%) of any quarterback with at least 1,000 passes since 2019, behind Jacoby Brissett (3.2%) and Mac Jones (3.4%).Not all of that is Jones’ fault. A lot of it is. I remember watching that Germany game and thinking Jones had to be jet-lagged or something.But the reason Jones has a chance to start with the Colts is because Richardson has been just as problematic and, in some ways, even worse.Richardson has 11 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions with a 50.6 completion percentage in his 15 career NFL starts. Richardson of course had that problematic moment where he removed himself from a game because he was tired.It was against the Houston Texans and Richardson was sacked trying to extend the play. He got up slowly and initially it looked like he was injured. Afterwards, Richardson told the media that wasn’t the problem.“Tired, I ain’t gonna lie,” Richardson said when asked why he took himself out of the contest. “That was a lot of running right there that I did, and I don’t think I was gonna be able to go that next play. So I just told (Coach) Shane (Steichen) I needed a break right now.”“I had never seen an NFL QB tap out while still being healthy until watching Anthony Richardson,” former Colts punter Pat McAfee wrote on X. “The QB is your franchise. The message it sends is loud and influential.”It wasn’t great what Richardson did. He also made a huge rookie mistake by saying things he didn’t have to say. Not every thought that comes into your brain needs to be spoken out loud.This is the situation in Indianapolis right now. One quarterback is error prone. The other has been accused of quitting on his team. And is error prone.They are both so problematic they could cancel each other out like a fancy math equation.Who is the third stringer in Indy, anyway? Neither is Ben Solak of ESPN.com: The Biggest Portent of Doom Award: The Colts sign QB Daniel JonesOn paper, this is a fine move. The Colts have a young quarterback in 22-year-old Anthony Richardson, for whom the lightbulb simply has not come on. Entering Year 3, Richardson has one last chance to keep his starting job — but the Colts need to hedge their bets.In Daniel Jones, who is 27, they get a still-young quarterback with plenty of starting experience. Out of New York, where expectations were towering for the presumed heir to Eli Manning, he might be able to play a little more free and loose — and in a better offensive environment than the Giants ever afforded him. On a one-year, $14 million deal, Jones is clearly betting that he’ll get some action in place of Richardson — because of Richardson’s poor play, an injury or a training camp battle — and play well enough to cash in during the 2026 offseason.So again, on paper, square deal. The Colts can give Richardson another chance at putting it all together and get the first crack at post-Giants Jones. Two bets instead of one at the quarterback position is good business for a team in need of a starter.In context … c’mon. It’s a quarterback battle between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson. Both general manager Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen endured hot seats this offseason and need success in 2025 to hold on to their jobs. But how much success can a team draw from a QB room of Richardson and Jones when it doesn’t have a dominant WR1 and when two starting offensive linemen just left in free agency? Sure, the ceiling on Richardson is high enough to see a glimmer of hope, but that’s what the Colts have been hanging their hat on for two years. How likely is Richardson to hit that ceiling? And how likely is Jones to have a 2025 season at the level of, say, Sam Darnold’s 2024? The Colts are making some long, long bets at the position.For the last time, yes, it’s objectively a wise move to get Jones in the building to compete with Richardson. But the very fact that it is a wise move to add Jones highlights how dire of a situation the Colts franchise is in. If snagging Jones from the Vikings is a big sigh of relief, then your franchise is in a bad way. What happens next? Jones goes 4-4 as a starter in the back half of the season and the Colts are in the same position again in 2026, trying desperately to sign another low-end QB1 in free agency to save jobs for another year?Even if this move is a wise one, it still tells me storm clouds are gathering on the horizon in Indianapolis. This stat sums it up from Ian Hartitz: @IhartitzLowest passer rating in the NFL over the past two seasons:Daniel JonesAnthony Richardson |
| AFC EAST |
| BUFFALOEDGE JOEY BOSA will not be joining his brother, Nick, in San Francisco. ESPN.com: Five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Joey Bosa reached agreement Tuesday night on a one-year, $12.6 million deal with the Buffalo Bills, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.The Chargers released the 29-year-old Bosa on Wednesday, cutting ties with their longest-tenured player and one of the best in franchise history.The No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft, Bosa made an immediate impact for the Chargers. He was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year that season, posting 10.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. He made four Pro Bowls in his first six seasons and set an NFL record by recording 19 sacks in his first 20 games.The Chargers rewarded Bosa with a five-year, $135 million contract extension in 2020, a deal that at the time was the richest for a defensive player in NFL history. But injuries have plagued him since; he has played in just 28 games over the past three seasons.Still, Bosa was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl in 2024 — albeit as an alternate — and his 14 games played were his most since 2021.When healthy, he has remained an effective pass rusher; in the Chargers’ playoff loss to the Houston Texans in January, he had a team-high six pressures and one sack.Bosa immediately becomes a starter for the Bills’ defensive line, joining defensive end Greg Rousseau, who was signed to a four-year extension Saturday. The Bills released pass rusher Von Miller on Sunday, saving $8.4 million in cap space. Miller was signed to a six-year deal in the 2022 offseason with the hope that adding an experienced and accomplished pass rusher would help push the Bills’ defense over the edge.In adding Bosa, a player who will be 30 when the season begins and has dealt with injuries, there are similarities to the Miller signing, although the one-year deal is a stark difference. The Bills began addressing the D-line Monday by agreeing to a three-year deal with former Los Angeles Rams defensive end Michael Hoecht.Defensive line was a need for the Bills this offseason, with getting after the pass rusher an issue for the team at times, as spotlighted in the AFC Championship Game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Bills general manager Brandon Beane emphasized this offseason that the team believes in building from the lines, and he has not been shy about investing in the group while also not spending too much money to forfeit future seasons.Bosa’s deal is the latest move in what has been a busy offseason for the Bills, who also have reached extensions with wide receiver Khalil Shakir, linebacker Terrel Bernard and quarterback Josh Allen. The Bills have agreed to terms with outside free agents wide receiver Joshua Palmer and Hoecht, as well. |
| MIAMIBen Solak of ESPN.com praises a Dolphins move:The Inaugural Zack Baun Award: The Dolphins sign S Ifeatu MelifonwuThis is being awarded for the small move that suddenly will become a big deal during the season. Ifeatu Melifonwu, who landed a one-year deal, is a talented athlete who switched from cornerback to safety during his career. He was never a full-time starter with the Lions, as he was stuck behind a loaded safety room and has dealt with major injuries. But a healthy Melifonwu should start for the Dolphins, where defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver needs a big box safety to blitz and play over tight ends.Jevon Holland, who signed with the Giants, left big shoes to fill, and it’s unlikely — but not impossible — that Melifonwu can do it on his own. If he can give them even 80% of what Holland did, he’s suddenly a starting-caliber safety in his physical prime. |
| NEW ENGLANDAlbert Breer of SI.com points out that many of New England’s signings this week had history with members of the current Patriots coaching staff: The New England Patriots were perhaps the NFL’s most active team on free agency’s first day, and, outside of their biggest splash (signing DT Milton Williams to a four-year, $104 million deal with $60 million fully guaranteed), there was real rhyme and reason to what they did.In fact, it mirrors what Washington executed last year—investing in third-contract guys that had background with their coaches, to create some certainty in what they were buying and make an effort to get their heads above water. DE/LB Harold Landry III played for Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, LB Robert Spillane was a captain for Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas, OT Morgan Moses was with Todd Downing at the New York Jets, and CB Carlton Davis III was with Terrell Willians last year in Detroit. Those guys aren’t stars, but the Patriots know what they’re getting.So the hope is it creates the effect that Armstrong, Fowler, Tyler Biadasz, Bobby Wagner and Austin Ekeler did for Quinn in Washington, adding some scrappiness and edge and, they hope, identity to a roster that needs help everywhere. The idea for the Commanders at the time was to try and put together a team that might be able to get to .500. I think that’s the concept here, too. (Obviously, a special year from Daniels tilted the scales for Washington, and helped the Commanders do a whole lot more.) |
| THIS AND THAT |
| REMAINING FREE AGENTSAll but two of the top 25 free agents on the list of NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal have signed. Here are the 10 left from his top 35. 11 Amari CooperWR · Age: 31Cooper’s one year on, one year off pattern continued in two places last season. By all accounts, he was playing through injuries late in his Bills stint, which helps explain his lack of production. Teams could buy the dip for one last big season at a reasonable price.21 Asante Samuel Jr.CB · Age: 25Knocked for his poor tackling and inability to play press coverage, Samuel is a playmaker who steadily improved in his Chargers tenure. He’d be a big asset in the right system.26 Cam RobinsonOT · Age: 29Twice given the franchise tag by the Jaguars, Robinson will probably be viewed as a league-average starting left tackle. That’s an upgrade for plenty of teams.27 Stefon DiggsWR · Age: 31Diggs was transitioning to a cagey slot option before tearing his ACL with the Texans. A stay in Houston would make sense for both sides.28 Teven JenkinsOG · Age: 27Young starting guards with draft pedigree don’t usually last in free agency. Jenkins has turned his career around after a slow start in Chicago.29 Javon HargraveDT · Age: 32Niners GM John Lynch said publicly they will release Hargrave, who was the belle of the ball in free agency a few years ago. He’s coming off a torn triceps but can still help a team.30 Levi OnwuzurikeDT · Age: 27Plagued with back injuries for much of his career, Onwuzurike finally improved his durability and consistency in 2024, becoming a favorite of Dan Campbell’s in the process. A good, young rotational lineman.32 Evan EngramTE · Age: 31Engram played in just nine games last year, but was productive when available. He’s less than two seasons removed from his 114-catch Pro Bowl campaign.33 Calais CampbellDT · Age: 39This may seem like a high ranking for a year-to-year guy who turns 39 in September, but Campbell is consistently one of the best players on every team he joins. I’m sick of constantly ranking him too low!35 Josh MyersC · Age: 27No one can seem to agree on whether Myers was the weak link in the Packers’ strong offensive line or an ascending player. Either way, he’s played a lot and is going to get paid to start by some team. ProFootballTalk.com has a list as well, and CAM ROBINSON is the top player remaining as they see it. Vikings offensive tackle Cam Robinson heads into Wednesday as the highest-ranked free agent who is still available. Robinson is the No. 17 player on our list of the NFL’s Top 100 free agents for 2025.Of the 16 players ranked ahead of Robinson, two got the franchise tag: No. 1 Tee Higgins of the Bengals and No. 3 Trey Smith of the Chiefs.Eight of the Top 16 have agreed to terms with new teams:No. 2 quarterback Sam Darnold is leaving the Vikings for the Seahawks.No. 4 edge rusher Josh Sweat is leaving the Eagles for the Cardinals.No. 7 cornerback D.J. Reed is leaving the Jets for the Lions.No. 8 safety Jevon Holland is leaving the Dolphins for the Giants.No. 11 safety Justin Reid is leaving the Chiefs for the Saints.No. 13 cornerback Charvarius Ward is leaving the 49ers for the Colts.No. 14 safety Talanoa Hufanga is leaving the 49ers for the Broncos.No. 15 linebacker Dre Greenlaw is leaving the 49ers for the Broncos.Six of the Top 16 will be staying with the same teams: No. 5 Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin, No. 6 Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley, No. 9 Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton, No. 10 Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, No. 12 Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack and No. 16 Rams offensive tackle Alaric Jackson.And that leaves Robinson, who was traded to the Vikings during the 2024 season after playing his entire eight-year career for the Jaguars before that, as the top-ranked player without a home. He could find his next NFL team today. |
