Patriots To Sign S Kevin Byard
The Patriots are not resting on the laurels of their elite defensive performance in 2025. Instead, they are continuing to upgrade the unit with veteran safety Kevin Byard. He is expected to sign a one-year, $9MM deal, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
More to come.
Falcons To Sign DL Chris Williams
The Falcons have agreed to a one-year contract with defensive lineman Chris Williams, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. It’s a $2MM deal.
More to come…
Ravens To Re-Sign CB Chidobe Awuzie
Chidobe Awuzie was key member of the Ravens’ secondary in 2025. The veteran corner will remain in place for Baltimore moving forward, with NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reporting a new deal has been agreed to.
This is a one-year, $5MM pact, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic adds. Per Garafolo, that figure will be guaranteed in full. Awuzie played for $1.26MM in 2025, but his Baltimore showing has resulted in a considerable raise this spring.
The Ravens have Pro Bowler Marlon Humphrey and 2024 first-rounder Nate Wiggins atop their depth chart. Both players had rough patches in 2025, however, something which was compounded by the failure of the Jaire Alexander experiment. That resulted in a notable workload for Awuzie, who logged five starts and handled a 59% defensive snap share during his debut Baltimore campaign.
More to come…
49ers Plan To Release Brandon Aiyuk; Commanders Most Likely Landing Spot?
The Brandon Aiyuk saga is nearing an end in San Francisco. The 49ers plan to release the wide receiver, Nick Wagoner of ESPN reports. The team could cut Aiyuk as early as today, per Wagoner, who points to the Commanders as his most likely landing spot.
A 49er since they spent a second-round pick on him in 2020, Aiyuk immediately became a key part of head coach Kyle Shanahan‘s offense. During his best season, 2023, Aiyuk hauled in 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns to earn second-team All-Pro honors. A lengthy contract standoff between Aiyuk and the 49ers occurred during the next offseason.
Unable to reach a deal, San Francisco had an Aiyuk trade in place with Pittsburgh in August 2024. However, after the Steelers’ extension offer for Aiyuk fell short, he agreed to stay with the 49ers two weeks later.
The 49ers kept Aiyuk around with a four-year, $120MM proposal that included $76MM in guarantees, but they will end up receiving little to nothing from the investment. Over his first seven games in 2024, Aiyuk caught just 25 of 47 targets for 374 yards and no scores. His season ended with a torn ACL and MCL in Week 7. Aiyuk has not suited up since then.
While Aiyuk was recovering from his injury last July, the 49ers voided the remaining guarantees on his contract. The team had issues with his rehab effort, and Shanahan revealed that Aiyuk was “extremely distant” during the process. Aiyuk could have filed a grievance against the 49ers through the NFLPA, but he let the 50-day window expire and lost over $26MM.
With Aiyuk still on the reserve/PUP list at the beginning of December, general manager John Lynch expressed hope that he would return down the stretch. Any chance of that vanished when the 49ers put the 27-year-old on the reserve/left squad list on Dec. 13. Lynch said in late January that the 49ers would move on from Aiyuk this offseason, though he has held out for a trade. With the new league year commencing Wednesday afternoon, it does not appear Lynch will find a taker for Aiyuk.
If the 49ers designate Aiyuk a post-June 1 release, they will spread almost $35MM in dead money over the next two seasons ($13.33MM in 2026, $21.25MM in ’27). The team will save $1.32MM on next year’s cap, though those funds will not be available until June.
Once he reaches the open market, Aiyuk will immediately become one of the most talented players available. However, considering the bizarre turn his 49ers tenure took, the 6-foot, 200-pounder will likely have to settle for a short-term contract.
For multiple reasons, Washington has stood out as an obvious Aiyuk fit for months. The team is cognizant of how much he wants to play there, according to John Keim of ESPN. Aiyuk would reunite with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels seven years after the two established a rapport at Arizona State in 2019. Adam Peters, now the Commanders’ GM, was in the 49ers’ front office when they drafted Aiyuk a year later.
With the Commanders in need of receivers beyond No. 1 option Terry McLaurin, Peters has been aggressive on this year’s market. Peters tried to sign Alec Pierce and Romeo Doubs before they reeled in lucrative paydays elsewhere. Having come up empty in those pursuits, Peters could turn his attention to Aiyuk soon.
Colts To Add DE Micheal Clemons
Another of the Jets’ Joe Douglas-era defenders is relocating. Rather than reunite with Robert Saleh or Jeff Ulbrich, Micheal Clemons is heading to Indianapolis.
Clemons is signing a three-year, $17.5MM deal with the Colts, NFL insider Jordan Schultz tweets. The deal can max out at $18.5MM. The Colts were in the Trey Hendrickson market, but the Ravens prevailed there. Losing Kwity Paye to the Raiders, the Colts will bring in the former Jets contributor to be part of their edge-rushing corps.
The Colts just checked the Daniel Jones deal off their to-do list, freeing up cap space after a cap-clogging $37.83MM transition tag number was on the payroll. Some of those savings will go toward Clemons, a full-time starter in 2024 but more of a depth piece in his other three New York seasons.
One of the Jets’ many trade candidates at last year’s deadline, Clemons started six games during a disastrous 3-14 Gang Green 2025 season. Mostly playing behind Will McDonald and Jermaine Johnson last season, Clemons totaled just one sack and five QB hits in 16 games. In 2024, the former fourth-round pick posted a career-best 4.5 sacks.
Clemons, 28, has never posted more than eight QB hits in a season. Although the Texas A&M product was not a regular starter last season, his snap share (55%) outpaced his 2024 number (54%). Last season, DC Steve Wilks used Clemons inside more frequently than Saleh and Ulbrich did. The Colts have regularly turned to their DEs (notably Dayo Odeyingbo and Tyquan Lewis) as hybrid players, though that was under Gus Bradley. Lou Anarumo enters his second season as Indianapolis’ DC.
The Jets, who lost Johnson for the year in 2024 to clear a path for Clemons, are rebooting on their D-line. After trading Quinnen Williams at the 2025 deadline, New York dealt Johnson to Tennessee for T’Vondre Sweat. Ex-Bengal Joseph Ossai is now Big Apple-bound, being set to play opposite McDonald while Sweat takes over as the nose tackle in Aaron Glenn‘s 3-4 front. A career-long 4-3 D-end, Clemons will join Laiatu Latu, JT Tuimoloau and free agency addition Arden Key in Indy.
Seahawks To Re-Sign OT Josh Jones
Josh Jones won a Super Bowl in his debut year in Seattle as the Seahawks’ swing tackle. He will continue in that role in 2026 on a new, one-year contract, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Jones, 28, has changed teams in each of the last three offseasons. He began his career as a Cardinals third-round pick in 2020 and started multiple games at right guard, right tackle, and left tackle in his first three years. Despite a solid season on the blind side in 2022, he was traded to the Texans during roster cuts in 2023. Jones could not carve out a role in Houston and took a one-year, $1.8MM deal with the Ravens to rebuild his value. Baltimore’s healthy offensive line largely kept Jones off the field, though he did feature as the sixth offensive lineman in ‘jumbo’ packages.
That helped Jones earn a $4MM deal in Seattle. An injury to starting left tackle Charles Cross pressed him into duty for the last three games of the season, and he held up enough for the Seahawks to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture.
Also staying with the reigning champs is long snapper Chris Stoll, who has landed a two-year deal (via Pelissero). The 27-year-old signed in Seattle as an undrafted rookie in 2023 and won the long snapping job in training camp. He has played in every game since, including February’s Super Bowl win, but did not receive a restricted free agent tag after the season. Instead, he will stay with the Seahawks for at least the next two seasons.
Jets To Sign K Cade York
Losing Nick Folk after a quality reunion season, the Jets are moving to a much younger option. They are adding Cade York on a one-year deal, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. 
York’s lone full NFL season was his rookie campaign. The 2022 Browns draftee played 17 games, but his eight missed field goals and two missed extra points left plenty to be desired. York was let go during roster cutdowns in 2023, and he has hardly seen any game time since then.
The 25-year-old made a single appearance in 2024 with the Commanders along with five as a member of the Bengals. York has seen plenty of time on and off various practice squads and active rosters over the course of his career. Most recently, he had a brief stint with the Saints but was not used in game action.
During his return to the Jets in 2025, Folk missed a total of only one kick. The 41-year-old led the NFL in field goal accuracy for the third season in a row, so replacing him will be no small feat for the team. York’s lack of experience stands in sharp contrast to Folk’s track record at the NFL level. It would certainly come as no surprise if another kicker were to be added later this offseason to set up a training camp competition.
This York agreement will no doubt check in at or near the league minimum. That will leave the Jets with plenty of financial flexibility as their roster overhaul continues.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Giants’ Steve Tisch Requesting To Transfer Ownership Stake
Giants co-owner Steve Tisch was named in the Epstein files recently. No NFL investigation has commenced, but the longtime Giants leader is preparing to step out of his role.
Team co-owners Steve, Laurie and Jonathan Tisch have sent a request to the NFL’s finance committee to transfer their ownership stakes into their children’s trusts, according to ESPN.com’s Seth Wickersham and Jordan Raanan and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Steve Tisch has co-owned the Giants since 2005.
Tisch’s name is mentioned at least 440 times in the files connected to convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein. Those ranged from casual to problematic. As a result, Tisch is taking a Giants exit ramp after 21 years alongside John Mara atop the organization. If/when the NFL finance committee approves the transfer, the family’s memo states Tisch would “no longer own any interest in the Giants.”
“We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments,” Tisch said earlier this year, discussing his relationship with Epstein. “I did not take him up on any of his invitations and never went to his island. As we all know now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with.”
The emails show Epstein connecting Tisch, 76, to a number of women. Most of the duo’s correspondence appears to have taken place in 2013. Several execs and an owner informed Wickersham and Raanan they expected a Tisch update at this month’s owners meetings. While the controversial emails are undoubtedly at the root of Tisch’s Giants exit strategy, he has not been accused of any crimes. Authorities arrested Epstein on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019. He was found dead in a jail cell in August 2019.
The Mara family founded the Giants in 1925; John Mara serves as the team’s president at CEO. Working in the team facility and speaking on the team’s behalf, Mara has the far more active Giants owner during his partnership with Tisch. The latter is part of the Giants’ decision-making structure, and he did sit in on coaching interviews during the franchise’s effort to lure John Harbaugh earlier this year. Tisch was believed to be the strongest Harbaugh proponent within the organization.
More to come.
Dolphins To Sign Josh Uche
After a one-year stint with the Eagles, edge rusher Josh Uche has found a new home. The Dolphins are signing Uche to a one-year pact, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
A Patriots second-round pick in 2020, Uche was at his best during an 11.5-sack outburst in 2022. He has been unable to reach those heights since then. Over the past three seasons, which he divided among the Pats, Chiefs and Eagles, Uche combined for six sacks in 40 games.
Uche has started just four of 76 games in the NFL. The 6-foot-3, 226-pounder continued in a rotational role last season in Philadelphia, where he came off the bench in all 12 appearances.
Across 244 defensive snaps, Uche registered just three QB hits and one sack. While those numbers are uninspiring, Uche accrued 23 pressures and 21 hurries, per Pro Football Focus. PFF assigned Uche an impressive 85.1 grade for his work as an Eagle.
Now that Uche is heading to Miami, he will reunite with new Dolphins linebackers coach Al Washington. He coached Michigan’s LBs in 2018, when Uche notched seven sacks during his junior year with the Wolverines.
Teaming up with Washington again, Uche could log more playing time on a rebuilding Miami club devoid of edge rushers beyond Chop Robinson. Bradley Chubb led last year’s Dolphins with 8.5 sacks, but they released him in a cost-cutting move. If Uche is successful in helping to fill Chubb’s void, he could set himself up for a better deal a year from now.
Patriots To Release Anfernee Jennings
Although the Patriots shopped outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings before last November’s trade deadline, he ended up finishing the season with the AFC champions. The team is now set to release Jennings, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
This will end a lengthy tenure in New England for Jennings, who joined what was then a Bill Belichick-led franchise in 2020. Initially an inside linebacker, the former third-rounder from Alabama made minimal impact as a reserve during his first three seasons. Jennings missed his entire second year with an undisclosed injury.
After a 16-game, three-start 2022, Jennings took on a much bigger role the next season. As a 14-game starter in 15 appearances, Jennings totaled 66 tackles and 14 TFL over 677 defensive snaps. Jennings only put up 1.5 sacks, but he was a force against the run. The Patriots were impressed enough to hand Jennings a three-year, $12MM deal during the ensuing offseason.
Jennings remained in a starting role in 2024, the Patriots’ lone season with Jerod Mayo as their head coach. The 6-foot-2, 255-pounder recorded career highs in snaps (831), tackles (78), starts (16), QB hits (nine) and sacks (2.5).
In a move that helped spark a drastic one-year turnaround for the Patriots, Mike Vrabel replaced Mayo in 2025. Jennings played 14 games under Vrabel and a new staff, but his impact diminished. Across 280 snaps and three starts, Jennings logged 26 tackles, seven QB hits, five TFL and a pair of sacks. He chipped in another 16 tackles and two sacks in the Patriots’ four-game playoff run. Pro Football Focus ranked Jennings’ regular-season performance a middling 57th among 119 qualifying edge rushers, though he earned a top-20 grade against the run.
In releasing the 28-year-old Jennings, the Patriots will save around $3.8MM. The club lost edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson to the Commanders earlier Wednesday, but it prepared for his exit in agreeing to sign Dre’Mont Jones on Monday.