2026 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates
We are now in Year 34 of the franchise tag, a retention tool that came about during the same offseason in which full-fledged free agency spawned. The NFL salary cap is rising at a rate allowing teams to hammer out more extensions than in previous periods. That has helped dilute free agency talent pools. This led to a 2025 landscape in which only two players — Tee Higgins and Trey Smith — received the franchise tag. The cap, which stood at $279.2MM in 2025, is expected to rise beyond $301MM this year.
This year’s free agent class looks to feature only one tag lock, but a handful of players make sense as candidates to be kept off the market. An antiquated NFL system regarding positional classifications also affects this year’s free agency crop, as a couple of high-end UFAs-to-be (Tyler Linderbaum, Devin Lloyd) would likely be kept off the market if the league modernized how it sorted positions with regards to tag prices.
Teams who use the franchise or transition tag have until July 15 to complete an extension; otherwise, negotiations cannot restart until after the 2026 season. The transition tag does not bring any compensation back for an unmatched offer sheet, but the two-first-rounder component associated with a franchise tag has not been especially relevant in ages. Although offer sheets have come out in previous eras (Sean Gilbert and Dan Wilkinson signed unmatched offers in the 1990s), clubs avoid these in fear of an unmatched proposal requiring two first-round picks to be sent to the tagging team.
The tag window opens at 3pm CT today. With clubs having until 3pm CT on March 3 to apply tags, here is who may be cuffed:
Likely tag recipients
George Pickens, WR (Cowboys)
Projected tag cost: $28.82MM
The Cowboys have regularly turned to the tag over the past decade. They cuffed DeMarcus Lawrence in 2018 and ’19 before locking down Dak Prescott in 2020 and ’21. The latter Prescott tag was procedural, as the quarterback used the threat of a lofty second tag number hitting Dallas’ cap sheet as leverage toward a player-friendly extension — one that laid the groundwork for his 2024 player-friendly extension. The Cowboys then kept Dalton Schultz (2022) and Tony Pollard (’23) off the market. After two years without unholstering their tag, the Cowboys appear all set to prevent Pickens from reaching free agency.
Acquiring Pickens in a May 2025 trade with the Steelers — which featured a 2026 third-round pick as the top asset going back to Pittsburgh –Dallas reaped immediate benefits from that swap. Pickens, 24, smashed his career-high receiving mark with 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. That booked the former second-round pick his first Pro Bowl honor; more impressively, Pickens was named a second-team All-Pro. The mercurial ex-Steeler WR1 was more than 300 receiving yards clear of CeeDee Lamb for the Cowboys’ receiving lead; even though Lamb missed three games, Pickens’ per-game average (84.1) better Lamb’s (76.9).
A tag surfaced on the radar here in mid-November, and momentum has steadily built for Pickens to follow in Dez Bryant‘s footsteps as a Cowboy wideout being kept off the market. It will take a near-Saints-level odyssey for the Cowboys to create sufficient cap space for a Pickens tag and reasonable spending room; they are projected to be more than $30MM (per OverTheCap) north of the 2026 salary ceiling, but enough smoke has emerged here — after Pickens fit the tag profile upon arrival — to make it safe to expect this outcome.
The Steelers shipped out Pickens in part because of reliability concerns, but the 6-foot-3 playmaker outperformed — with a considerable QB upgrade in Prescott — his previous work. With Lamb tied to a $34MM-per-year deal and Prescott on an NFL-record $60MM-AAV extension, the Cowboys are far from certain to extend Pickens. A tag-and-trade play has surfaced as a possibility, but with negotiations not having begun as of early February, expect the Cowboys to use the tag to at least buy themselves more time on their ultra-talented WR2.
On tag radar:
Breece Hall, RB (Jets)
Projected tag cost: $14.54MM
The Chiefs offered a fourth-round pick for Hall at the deadline, but the Jets held onto their starting running back after having asked for at least a third-rounder. Hall denied a report he was seeking a New York exit — after the blockbuster deals involving Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams — but he could have a chance to explore his value on the open market soon. The Jets, however, have spoken highly of the 1,000-yard rusher. The tag has surfaced as a possibility.
Hall, 24, is more than two years younger than Etienne. He will thus command more in free agency. The former second-round pick is also more than three years removed from the ACL tear that sidetracked his rookie season. The Jets waited on a Hall extension, keeping him on his rookie contract while giving Gardner and Garrett Wilson big-ticket deals, but Aaron Glenn has spoken highly of the Iowa State alum.
Gang Green wants to retain Hall. The easiest way for that to happen would be to extend his negotiating window via the tag. A $12MM-per-year offer could await the fifth-year player, making a tag logical. If the Jets were to place the transition tag on Hall, it would cost them a projected $11.73MM. They would receive no compensation in the event of an unmatched offer sheet, thus allowing another team to dictate the contract structure a la the Packers’ Kyle Fuller offer sheet in 2018.
The Jets saw Hall sidekick Braelon Allen miss much of the season, but the former Joe Douglas-era fourth-round pick remains signed through 2027. Allen gives the Jets some protection against a Hall exit, with a mid-round 2027 compensatory pick possible as well. But Hall is a dynamic RB that will be an attractive FA commodity if unattached come March 9. The Jets have a big decision to make over the next two weeks.
Trey Hendrickson, DE (Bengals)
Projected tag cost: $34.8MM
The defensive end tag is projected to come in at $27.32MM, but because Hendrickson was attached to a $29MM salary (following a late-summer raise), he is the rare tag candidate to whom the 120% rule would apply. As PFR’s glossary indicates, “the amount of the one-year offer is determined by a formula that includes the salary cap figures and the non-exclusive franchise salaries at the player’s position for the previous five years. Alternately, the amount of the one-year offer can be 120% of the player’s previous salary, if that amount is greater.” In Hendrickson’s case, it would be.
Reunion Between Kirk Cousins, Vikings Gaining Momentum?
The Vikings’ desire to add competition for quarterback J.J. McCarthy could lead them back to old friend Kirk Cousins. With the Falcons expected to release Cousins in the next few weeks, he could be free to sign anywhere soon.
There is “growing sentiment” among NFL executives in the QB market that Cousins will rejoin the Vikings, Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom reports. The move would reunite the 37-year-old with head coach Kevin O’Connell, who had success with Cousins in the past.
In 2022, the Vikings’ first season under O’Connell, Cousins threw for 4,547 yards and 29 touchdowns on his way his fourth and most recent Pro Bowl nod. The Vikings went 13-4 and won the NFC North, but a 9-7-1 Giants team upended them in the wild-card round.
Statistically, Cousins got off to an even better start in 2023. However, a Week 8 Achilles tear wound up ending his Vikings tenure.
With Cousins hitting free agency during the ensuing offseason, the Vikings tried but failed to re-sign him. They were unwilling to give Cousins full guarantees through 2025. That wasn’t going to fly for Cousins, who went on to accept the Falcons’ Godfather offer of four years, $180MM and $100MM in guarantees.
A month and a half after adding Cousins, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot took another enormous gamble in drafting former Indiana and Washington signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall. It came as a major surprise, and Cousins later revealed he may have re-signed with the Vikings had he known the Falcons would draft Penix.
“It felt like I had been a little bit misled or certainly if I had had the information around free agency, it would have affected my decision,” Cousins said last summer. “I had no reason to leave Minnesota, as much as we loved it there, if both teams were drafting a quarterback high.”
Despite Fontenot’s efforts, the Falcons still don’t have a clear answer at QB. Cousins struggled to regain form in the first year of his contract, leading head coach Raheem Morris to bench him for Penix ahead of Week 16. The Falcons were 7-7 and fighting for a playoff spot when Morris made the change. They finished 1-2 under Penix and missed the postseason for the seventh straight year.
Penix remained Atlanta’s starter entering last season, but it proved to be another rough season for the club. The Falcons went 8-9 again, and the oft-injured Penix was inconsistent before suffering a partially torn ACL in Week 11. The Falcons were 3-7 at the time. Cousins quarterbacked them to a 5-2 mark to wrap up the season, but it wasn’t enough to save Fontenot or Morris. Owner Arthur Blank fired the pair and replaced them with a new regime of president of football Matt Ryan, GM Ian Cunningham and head coach Kevin Stefanski.
A couple days after ousting Fontenot and Morris, the Falcons reworked Cousins’ contract, which signaled a forthcoming release. If Cousins is still a Falcon on the third day of the league year, he’ll earn a guaranteed $67.9MM for 2027. The restructuring also includes an $80MM poison pill for March 13, according to La Canfora. Considering the language in his deal, he’s as good as gone. The Falcons would take on a $35MM dead cap charge in designating Cousins a post-June 1 release, but they’d spread that over two seasons ($22.5MM in 2026, $12.5MM in ’27). The team would also save $2.1MM in cap room next season.
As is the case with the Falcons and Penix, the Vikings don’t know if they have the solution in their own 2024 first-round passer. Two picks after Penix came off the board, the Vikings selected McCarthy 10th overall.
A year after winning the national championship at Michigan, McCarthy missed his entire rookie campaign with a torn meniscus. The Vikings didn’t miss a beat without McCarthy, though, as veteran Sam Darnold revived his career during a 14-win outburst.
After their season ended with an ugly wild-card round loss to the Rams, the Vikings didn’t retain Darnold. They also couldn’t prevent late-season backup acquisition Daniel Jones from leaving for a chance to start in Indianapolis. Darnold walked in free agency for the Seahawks’ three-year, $100.5MM offer. One season later, Darnold and the Seahawks are Super Bowl champions. Jones had a terrific year in his own right before it ended with a torn Achilles in Week 14.
Meanwhile, the Vikings are coming off a nine-win season in which poor QB play torpedoed their chances of earning a playoff berth. McCarthy posted subpar numbers over 10 starts, and three injuries – a high ankle sprain, a concussion and a hairline fracture in his right hand – kept him out of seven games. The Vikings have since fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the GM who drafted McCarthy.
“They can say what they want publicly, but they have some serious questions about McCarthy,” one GM told La Canfora.
Vikings executive vice president Rob Brzezinski is now their interim GM, but O’Connell wields plenty of decision-making power. If he regards Cousins as an ideal veteran to place in the QB room with McCarthy, a reunion could be in store.
Offseason Outlook: Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons entered last season aiming to break a seven-year playoff drought. At the very least, finishing above .500 for the first time since 2017 would have represented a modicum of progress. It turns out that's all it would have taken to win an underwhelming NFC South in 2025. The Falcons still couldn't do it. While their subpar 8-9 record matched the top mark in the division, tiebreakers doomed the Falcons to a third-place finish behind the Panthers and Buccaneers.
The Falcons rattled off four straight victories to end the season, but it was a hollow winning streak for a team that was eliminated from playoff contention in Week 14. Fed up with another season of unsatisfactory results, owner Arthur Blank hit the reset button on his front office and coaching staff.
In an effort to lead Atlanta back to relevance, Blank lured 14-year Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan from his CBS gig with a newly created position: president of football. Ryan has since steered the Falcons to a new GM and head coach, but not everything has gone according to plan. With foundational edge rusher James Pearce Jr. facing five felony charges, Ryan has already encountered unexpected adversity in his first several weeks atop the Falcons' front office.
Coaching/front office:
- Fired general manager Terry Fontenot, head coach Raheem Morris
- Hired Matt Ryan as president of football
- Hired Ian Cunningham as general manager
- Hired Kevin Stefanski as head coach
- Hired Tommy Rees as offensive coordinator, replacing Zac Robinson
- Retained defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich
- Hired Craig Aukerman as ST coordinator, replacing Marquice Williams
- Hired Alex Van Pelt as QBs coach, replacing D.J. Williams
- Hired Bill Callahan as O-line coach, replacing Dwayne Ledford
- Hired Tanner Engstrand as pass-game coordinator
- Hired Robert Prince as wide receivers coach, replacing T.J. Yates
- Defensive pass-game coordinator Mike Rutenberg became Browns' DC
Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson Unlikely To Generate Strong Tag-And-Trade Market
The nature of Trey Hendrickson‘s Bengals future is once again in doubt this year. A free agent departure looms unless Cincinnati uses the franchise tag in this case. 
After playing a one-year agreement in 2025, Hendrickson has long been expected to find a new home this spring. A departure would set the Bengals up for a compensatory pick in 2027, but they could instead aim for immediate draft capital by tagging Hendrickson and then trading him to an interested team. Taking that route would likely not yield a notable return.
The Bengals will use the upcoming Combine to evaluate Hendrickson’s market, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. That comes as no surprise, as many major roster decisions are informed when front office executives and player agents gather in Indianapolis. The Bengals will gauge the willingness of suitors to acquire Hendrickson in a tag-and-trade scenario, but the presence of other pass rushers on the market will lessen the willingness of outside teams to pursue a trade in this case.
An executive Conway spoke with predicted teams will be prepared to spend no more than a third-round pick in a Hendrickson trade. Any acquiring team will be required to work out a long-term pact with the four-time Pro Bowler, something which the Bengals have – in highly public fashion – been unable to do for quite some time. That will limit the number of genuine contenders to acquire Hendrickson, who was previously the subject of much stronger trade offers.
The pending free agent class includes a number of younger options than Hendrickson, who is approaching his age-31 season. The likes of Jaelan Phillips, Odafe Oweh and Kwity Paye are each on course to reach the open market for the first time in their careers. The list of free agents will also include another veteran in the form of Bradley Chubb, whose Dolphins release was learned of on Monday, while a blockbuster Maxx Crosby trade remains a possibility. The depth of alternative targets, coupled with Hendrickson’s injury-shortened 2025 campaign, could limit the Bengals’ ability to line up a significant trade package.
Hendrickson was limited to just seven games this past season due to core muscle surgery. The former Saint was highly productive during his healthy campaigns, though; in 72 Bengals contests, Hendrickson racked up 61 sacks. A parting of ways would come as no surprise with this largely successful Cincinnati partnership having run its course in the eyes of many. Nonetheless, the team may have a difficult time finding adequate value as part of its reset on the edge.
Packers ST Coordinator Rich Bisaccia Stepping Down
The Packers coaching staff is dealing with another notable departure. After losing defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to Miami last month, assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia is suddenly stepping down, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
“While we are disappointed to lose a person and coach as valuable as Rich, we respect his decision to step down from the Packers,” coach Matt LaFleur said in a statement. “Rich was a tremendous resource to me and our entire coaching staff who had a profound impact on our players and our culture throughout the building. We can’t thank him enough for his contributions to our team over the last four years. We wish Rich, his wife, Jeanne, and the rest of their family all the best moving forward.”
Bisaccia has been coaching consistently since the 1980s, and he’s held an NFL job since the 2002 campaign. He’s served as a special teams coordinator in stops with the Buccaneers, Chargers, Cowboys, and Raiders prior to his job in Green Bay.
He got his first and only crack at a head coaching gig with the Raiders in 2021 following Jon Gruden‘s resignation. The interim HC ended up guiding his team to a 7-5 record and a playoff appearance, the team’s second postseason nod since their Super Bowl loss in 2002. Despite the team’s success, the organization ended up opting for Josh McDaniels as their new head coach for 2022, leading to Bisaccia seeking a job elsewhere.
The veteran coach caught on as the special teams coordinator in Green Bay, where he’s spent the past four seasons. He earned the additional title of assistant head coach in 2023, and he inked an extension with the organization last offseason that was intended to keep him in Green Bay through the 2026 campaign.
The Packers special teams unit struggled mightily this past season. While the team got a standout showing from punter Daniel Whelan, the Packers managed a league-low 5.6 yards per punt return. The unit also had a handful of miscues that ultimately led to losses for Green Bay. This included a Week 3 loss to the Browns where Brandon McManus‘s potential game-tying field goal attempt was blocked. A week later, the Packers tied with the Cowboys in a game that saw their opponent return an extra point for a score.
Later, in Week 16 against the Bears, Romeo Doubs failed to secure a crucial onside kick recovery in an eventual overtime loss. These ST woes culminated in the team’s playoff loss to Chicago. The Packers blew an 18-point lead in a game that saw McManus miss a pair of field goals and an extra point.
While Bisaccia is stepping away from his job in Green Bay, it doesn’t sound like the coach is calling it a career. In his statement, Bisaccia seemed to indicate that he’ll take some time away before considering another gig.
“Coaching for the Green Bay Packers was truly an honor, and I will always be grateful for my time here,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to whatever is next for me and my family, and I wish nothing but the best for everyone in the organization.”
Now, LaFleur will have to go back to the drawing board to figure out the team’s special teams weakness. The Packers may have to look outside the organization for a solution, as assistant special teams coach Byron Storer already left Green Bay for a promotion in Cleveland.
NFC Staff Updates: Vikings, Seahawks, Commanders, Falcons, Packers
The Vikings lost multiple position coaches this offseason, with tight ends coach Brian Angelichio taking the Steelers’ offensive coordinator job while offensive line coach Chris Kuper accepting the same position in Philadelphia. Last week, the team finalized their replacements for those coaches, per a team announcement.
Angelichio will be succeeded by Ryan Cordell, who spent the last four years as the Vikings’ game management coordinator/passing game specialist. He will continue in his new game management role as he transitions to his new job working with Minnesota’s tight ends. That group is currently led by T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver with second-year players Ben Yurosek and Ben Sims set to return in 2026.
To fill Kuper’s role, the Vikings promoted assistant offensive line coach Keith Carter, which in turn opened up his position. Longtime college coach Derek Warehime will fill that vacancy after three years at Coastal Carolina (OL coach/run game coordinator) and three at New Mexico (offensive coordinator/tight ends coach).
Here’s a look at other staff changes from around the NFC:
- Seahawks offensive line coach John Benton will be staying in Seattle in 2026, according to FOX13’s Curtis Crabtree. Benton interviewed for the team’s offensive coordinator job after Klint Kubiak‘s departure, but was passed over in favor of Brian Fleury. Coaches in Benton’s position may sometimes search for greener pastures with a team that offers a better chance at a future OC gig, but it is hard to argue with his decision to remain with the Super Bowl champs.
- LSU safeties coach Jake Olsen was reportedly set to take a job on the Commanders’ defensive staff under new DC Daronte Jones, he has reversed course. Lane Kiffin and the Tigers convinced Olsen to stay in Baton Rouge, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
- Wisconsin wide receivers coach Jordan Reid is expected to take the Falcons’ assistant quarterback job, according to Zenitz. Reid previously served as the WRs coach at Western Michigan; before that, he had internships with the Panthers and the Vikings.
- The Packers are also drawing from the college ranks. Former Auburn general manager and LSU director of player personnel Will Redmond is set to join Green Bay’s front office in a personnel role (via Zenitz).
Bucs Announce Changes To 2026 Coaching Staff
The Buccaneers announced several changes to their coaching staff last week (via team writer Scott Smith), which features the addition of three new assistant coaches.
The first is defensive assistant Todd Bowles Jr., son of Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles. Bowles Jr. just finish his college playing career, during which he played defensive back at Rutgers and Long Island. He will likely work with Tampa Bay’s secondary in 2026.
Also joining the Bowles’ staff is assistant special teams coach Luke Smith, the nephew of the Bucs’ new special teams coordinator, Danny Smith. The two worked together in Pittsburgh last season, where the younger Smith was a quality control coach. Before that, he spent nine years at Duquesne, primarily as the Dukes’ wide receivers coach.
Bowles Jr. and Smith getting a job via their family seems like another case of football nepotism, and it probably is. But that may not always be a bad thing. Just look at some of today’s head coaches, like Kyle Shanahan, Jesse Minter, Klint Kubiak, who all spent time working under their fathers before growing into the foremost offensive minds in the league. The league is littered with assistant coaches with familiar names, though not all of them are successes.
Assistant offensive line coach Andrew Mitchell is the Bucs’ last new hire. Previously the offensive line coach at New Mexico State (2022-2024) and Oklahoma State (2025), Mitchell is now set for his first job in the NFL. He will reunite with the Bucs’ new offensive coordinator, Zac Robinson, almost two decades after they played on the same team at Oklahoma State. Mitchell, a former offensive tackle, blocked for Robinson, who was then the Cowboys’ starting quarterback.
These may not be the last coaching moves the Buccaneers make this offseason, but their 2026 staff is largely set. Tampa Bay will be hoping that better injury luck and a new offensive play-caller can get them back on top of the NFC South.
Seahawks Looking To Extend Jaxon Smith-Njigba
To the surprise of nobody, the Seahawks are hoping to sign Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the long haul. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team is hoping to extend their star wideout this offseason.
[RELATED: Seahawks Unlikely To Tag Kenneth Walker]
We learned earlier today that the Seahawks weren’t expected to franchise tag running back Kenneth Walker. Part of the reason for that decision was the team’s desire to re-sign a number of their impending free agents, and Schefter also noted the organization’s intention to sign JSN to a long-term pact.
While the former first-round pick topped 1,000 receiving yards in 2024, he emerged as one of the league’s most dynamic offensive players in 2025. Smith-Njigba earned Offensive Player of the Year honors after hauling in 119 receptions for a league-leading 1,793 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He added another 17 catches for 199 yards and two scores in the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl championship.
The Seahawks will surely pick up Smith-Njigba’s fifth-year option this offseason, meaning the WR will be attached to his rookie contract for two more seasons. Still, the Seahawks may look to extend the star receiver before his demands hit record levels. A number of WRs reset the market last offseason, topped by Ja’Marr Chase‘s $40.25MM average annual value.
JSN could eventually top that number with continued league-leading production, and at the very least, he’ll make a push for a top-four spot at the position. Puka Nacua‘s extension talks with the Rams could also inform JSN’s earnings; Nacua is entering the final season of his contract and should also push for a position-leading deal.
At the very least, Smith-Njigba should command a contract that rivals Justin Jefferson‘s $35MM AAV or CeeDee Lamb‘s $34MM AAV. Considering JSN’s production in 2025, that could end up representing some significant savings for the Seahawks.
Bears LB Tremaine Edmunds, TE Cole Kmet Could Be Cap Casualties
The Bears have quietly become a very expensive football team. At the moment, the team is projected to be above the 2026 salary cap by $5.3MM, per OverTheCap, with 13 players currently scheduled for a cap hit over $10MM.
Chicago can become cap-compliant with a few simple restructures. But a team that was two wins away from the Super Bowl in 2025 will be looking to add to their roster to gear up for another playoff run. That could lead them to consider releasing a few veterans with high cap numbers.
Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and tight end Cole Kmet are the Bears’ top potential cap casualties, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. Edmunds is scheduled for a $17.4MM cap hit in 2026, while Kmet will account for $10.8MM. Those are hefty figures for players at non-premium positions, and the team may already have cheaper, younger replacements for both players on the roster. Neither has guaranteed money remaining on their contract.
Edmunds, 27, is entering the final year of the four-year deal that brought him to Chicago during free agency in 2023. He and T.J. Edwards, the Bears’ other starting inside linebacker, missed a combined 11 games last season, during which time D’Marco Jackson and Nephi Sewell emerged as solid contributors at the position. Edwards still has guaranteed money on his deal, but the team could save $15MM against the cap by cutting Edmunds. Jackson and Sewell would then be positioned for a training camp battle for the right to start next to Edwards in the middle of the defense.
Kmet, 26, saw a decreased role in 2025 after the arrival of rookie tight end Colston Loveland, and his production dropped accordingly. But Kmet had already taken a step back in 2024, and Loveland looks ready to step into a leading role role in 2026. The Bears still use plenty of two tight end sets and do not have a clear TE2 on the roster, making him a less likely cap casualty candidate, per Cronin. Such a move would create $8.4MM in cap space.
An even less likely move for the Bears would be trading D.J. Moore, though it is not completely out of the question, according to Cronin. He is due $24.25MM in each of the next four years, per OverTheCap, though only this year’s compensation is guaranteed. Other teams may value multiple years of contract control of a proven star wideout who has yet to cross 30 years of age. With no guaranteed money left after 2026, an acquiring team could also move on without issue during any of the next three offseasons if Moore is no longer worth his salary.
Chicago has Rome Odunze and Luther Burden as the long-term core of their receiver room, so they might be willing to move on from Moore for the right draft compensation. The added resources in terms of cap room and draft picks would help them fill his snaps while saving money for upgrades at other positions.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/17/26
One minor move to pass along:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: QB Emory Jones
Emory Jones initially made a name for himself at Florida in 2021, and he later spent time at Arizona State (2022) and Cincinnati (2023) before trying to make it as a professional. The QB caught on with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2024, and after not making the roster, he briefly joined the DC Defenders of the UFL.
He subsequently signed with the Falcons and stuck on their offseason roster in 2025. He was waived/injured after suffering a concussion during the 2025 preseason and eventually reverted to injured reserve. He ended up spending the entire season there.