Falcons Plan To Place Franchise Tag On TE Kyle Pitts
Kyle Pitts is set to spend a sixth season in Atlanta. The veteran tight end is in position to receive the franchise tag, as first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. 
Pitts will not reach the market based on today’s news. Instead of testing free agency for the first time in his career, Pitts will remain with the Falcons for 2026. The tight end tag is projected to cost $16.32MM, and the team will carry that cost on its cap sheet unless a long-term deal is worked out.
The possibility of the franchise tag has steadily increased in this case, with Pitts enjoying a strong 2025 season and boosting his market value along the way. The former No. 4 pick set a new career high in receptions (88) and touchdowns (five) this past year, bouncing back from a highly underwhelming 2022-24 stretch. Pitts has expressed interest in playing in new head coach Kevin Stefanski‘s offense, and he will be able to do so for at least one year. Many around the NFL expected a tag in this instance, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirms.
As a rookie, Pitts earned a Pro Bowl nod and topped 1,000 yards. The Florida alum was unable to match expectations beyond that point until his 2025 bounce-back campaign. Questions about inconsistency have been raised, and it will be interesting to see if a long-term commitment winds up being made by Atlanta. New president of football operations Matt Ryan was once Pitts’ teammate, putting him and the Falcons’ revamped group of decision-makers in an interesting position.
Atlanta is currently slated to have roughly $26.5MM in cap space, with a number of other priorities on offense to be sorted out this spring. A Kirk Cousins release is among them, while wideout Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson are each eligible for extensions. Keeping those two in the fold well beyond 2026 will be costly, especially if a multi-year commitment winds up being made to Pitts. At the age of 25, the second-team All-Pro could command a lucrative pact from Atlanta this year or outside suitors in 2027 in the event he reaches free agency.
Stefanski’s ability to improve an offense which ranked just 19th in scoring in 2025 will be key. Pitts figures to play a large role in that effort regardless of whether or not he agrees to a new Falcons pact over the coming months. July 15 represents the deadline for franchise-tagged players to work out a long-term pact with their respective teams.
T Rasheed Walker Expected To Draw Interest From Chiefs, Patriots?
Teams are often hard-pressed to find offensive tackles in free agency who are capable of handling starting duties at a high level. When blockers on the blindside in particular become available, there is naturally a strong level of interest.
That will be the case for Rasheed Walker in the event he departs the Packers. Green Bay has long been expected to move on in this case, with 2024 first-rounder Jordan Morgan a strong candidate to be promoted to the role of starting left tackle. That should leave no shortage of suitors for Walker. 
The Browns – who could have an entirely new offensive line in 2026 – were recently named as a potential landing spot for Walker. Cleveland certainly fits the bill as a team in need of stability on the blindside, and a big-money offer in that case would come as no surprise. Winning a bidding war may be needed to secure Walker’s services, though. One salary cap guru who spoke with SportsBoom’s Jason La Canfora predicted a deal averaging $25MM per year will be worked out in this case.
There are currently nine offensive tackles attached to an AAV of $25MM or more. The most recent addition to that list was Charles Cross, who landed a four-year, $104.4MM Seahawks extension in January. Walker could command a similar pact if a sufficient number of suitors emerge. The former seventh-round pick has operated as a full-time starter for the past three years, remaining durable during that time and earning consistent PFF evaluations. Walker has never graded higher than 41st among qualifying tackles, but blockers in their prime often land substantial paydays in free agency.
Entering his age-26 season, Walker is certainly in line to outpace the value of his rookie pact by an enormous amount. La Canfora spoke with multiple general managers who named the Chiefs as a logical suitor in this case. Kansas City’s Kingsley Suamataia draft selection in 2024 did not provide the team with a left tackle, although he settled in at left guard in 2025. The Chiefs’ most recent Day 1 pick was spent on Josh Simmons, who was limited to eight games as a rookie. Simmons may develop into a long-term left tackle solution, but the expected release of Jawaan Taylor will at least create an opening at the right tackle position.
Evaluators also pointed to the Patriots as a team to watch on the Walker front. New England drafted Will Campbell fourth overall in 2025, although New England’s playoff run was marred by poor play up front. Campbell in particular struggled upon returning from a late-season stint on injured reserve, but he received a public endorsement from head coach Mike Vrabel. Keeping Campbell on the blindside is something New England will certainly consider, although with over $40MM in projected cap space the team could certainly afford a high-priced offensive line acquisition in March.
The Chiefs, by contrast, are among the teams currently over the projected 2026 cap. Kansas City will need to shed costs over the coming weeks as a result, but making further additions up front could still be seen as a priority this spring. It will be interesting to see how Walker’s market shakes out with teams vying for a splashy signing on the blindside.
Mutual Interest Between Bucs, Mike Evans; WR To Explore Free Agent Options
Mike Evans will play in 2026, meaning his decorated NFL career is set to include a 13th season. It remains to be seen if a new Buccaneers pact will be worked out or if a first ever free agent departure is in store. 
To no surprise, SportsBoom’s Jason La Canfora reports a mutual interest exists between Evans and Tampa Bay. The sides worked out a two-year, $41MM pact in 2024 just in time to prevent the franchise icon from testing the market. It appears that will not be the case this spring.
Evans’ agents have already conveyed his desire to seek out other options in free agency. La Canfora confirms the six-time Pro Bowler is assessing other teams based on the strength of their offenses and his potential fit. Playing on a Super Bowl contender is obviously a priority for Evans, who earned a ring in 2020 with Tampa Bay.
The Bucs have Chris Godwin under contract for two more years, and the team has made a pair of recent draft investments at the receiver spot (third-rounder Jalen McMillan in 2024, first-rounder Emeka Egbuka in 2025). Moving on without Evans would leave those three in place as the core of Tampa Bay’s passing attack, and there should be no shortage of other suitors lining up outside Evans offers. The Texas A&M product contemplated joining the Chiefs and Texans prior to signing his latest Buccaneers deal.
Injuries limited Evans to just eight games in 2025 and prevented him from registering a 12th consecutive 1,000-yard showing. He will be 33 by the start of next season, so a short-term offer from the Bucs or any other teams should be expected. As La Canfora notes, though, Evans is aiming to remain a full-time starting presence with Tampa Bay or a different suitor; he is still seen as an impact wideout by evaluators around the league. This situation will be worth watching closely as a result.
The likes of George Pickens and Alec Pierce are strong candidates to be retained via the franchise tag shortly. That could leave Evans as one of the top wideouts available on the market once free agency begins in mid-March. Another Tampa Bay re-up remains a possibility at this point, but it may very well take longer than last time for Evans’ future to be settled.
Dolphins Shopping Minkah Fitzpatrick
FEBRUARY 23: During his latest WSVN appearance on Sunday, Fitzpatrick’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) no trade request has been made in this case. Fitzpatrick is nevertheless a stronger candidate to be dealt than some of his teammates, so another deal sending him out of Miami remains something to watch for.
FEBRUARY 18: Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick may be part of a mass offseason exodus of high-priced veterans in Miami. The Dolphins have discussed a Fitzpatrick trade with other teams, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports. It’s unclear if they have made progress in those talks.
[RELATED: Dolphins Offseason Outlook]
Fitzpatrick, a Dolphins first-round pick in 2018, is in his second stint with the franchise. His first run ended when the Dolphins traded him to the Steelers in September 2019 for a package headlined by a 2020 first-rounder. The Dolphins wound up re-acquiring Fitzpatrick in a swap involving another decorated defensive back, Jalen Ramsey, and tight end Jonnu Smith last June.
Fitzpatrick did not add to his five Pro Bowl nods and three first-team All-Pro selections in his first season back in Miami. However, the 29-year-old still put together another productive season.
Over 14 games (all starts), Fitzpatrick tallied 82 tackles, six passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, an interception and his first career sack. Logging a significant number of snaps in the slot, at free safety and in the box, Pro Football Focus ranked Fitzpatrick a superb fifth among 91 qualifying safeties.
Despite his strong output, the floundering Dolphins were open to trading Fitzpatrick before last season’s Nov. 4 deadline. Nothing came together then, but with a new regime of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, the rebuilding Dolphins are making over their roster. Fitzpatrick could soon follow wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, outside linebacker Bradley Chubb and guard James Daniels out the door. The team also figures to give quarterback Tua Tagovailoa his walking papers sometime soon.
The Dolphins were unable to trade the released group of Hill, Westbrook-Ikhine, Chubb and Daniels. Meanwhile, they’ve hit nothing but roadblocks in attempting to move Tagovailoa. Finding a taker for Fitzpatrick should be easier. He’s due a non-guaranteed base salary of $15.6MM in 2026, the last year of his contract. The Dolphins would take on approximately $13MM in dead money with a pre-June 1 trade, but they’d free up $5.83MM in cap space.
Interest In Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Could Push Asking Price To Two Firsts
It’s no secret that Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby is a top trade target for many teams across the NFL, but several factors have the potential to affect if Crosby leaves, where he may end up, and just how much the Raiders might receive if they choose to trade him. According to Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post, the sheer amount of interest in Crosby indicates a return of two first-round picks is very much on the table. 
We’ve discussed something along these lines in the past. The 28-year-old two-time second-team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler has established himself amongst the best edge rushers in the NFL. His seven-year career with the Raiders — six years in Las Vegas after a rookie campaign in Oakland — has amassed 69.5 sacks, 133 tackles for loss, and 164 quarterback hits. Though his awards haven’t stacked up quite as high as some of his colleagues’, his production as an acquirable asset is fully on par with past edge rushers who were traded like Khalil Mack and Micah Parsons.
To be fair, both Mack and Parsons were two years younger when they were traded — Mack in 2018, Parsons last year. When Mack was traded from the Bears to Oakland, the Raiders sent Chicago two first-round picks in return. Last year, Green Bay’s return for Parsons included two first-rounders in addition to veteran defensive tackle (and former first-round pick) Kenny Clark. Elite pass rushers are a commodity in the NFL. Though Crosby is two years older than both former examples, he’s still an elite pass rusher in the NFL, and if he isn’t worth two first-round picks on his own merit, team competition to acquire him is expected to drive his price up to that.
A factor outside of his performance metrics that could influence what we hear coming out of the combine on Crosby is the unknown determination of whether or not he wants to be traded. The Raiders would almost certainly love to hold onto him. The promotion of Crosby’s position coach to defensive coordinator could easily have been done with hopes that Crosby might be more willing to stick around if his main coach were not only retained on the new staff but promoted on it. Alternatively, Las Vegas may see enough value in what a trade offer could bring to their ability to accelerate the rebuild process.
There’s belief that Crosby may even want to stick around himself. Per an earlier report from Bonsignore’s colleague Noah Nussbaum, Crosby bleeds silver and black and may even be excited for the next steps of the Raiders’ rebuild. Alternatively, Crosby has already committed some of his best years to failed rebuild attempts as the franchise has cycled through head coaches and general managers over the years. He may decide that he’s waited long enough, that his patience has run out, and that it’s time for him to maximize his potential for success, both personal and team.
Another determining factor could be which teams opt to pursue Crosby. As we approach this week’s NFL Scouting Combine, coaching and personnel leaders in the NFL are set to convene in Indianapolis to observe and interview top collegiate athletes gathered from across the country.
The casual environment will allow for general managers to have off-the-record conversations through which they can gauge interest in tradeable players and begin negotiations on what price tags might look like. Teams with a standard or limited draft pick arsenal will almost certainly need to pair up the first-round picks from two separate years. A team that has accumulated a larger arsenal of picks, though, may be able to avoid two firsts by grouping several Day 2 picks with a first-rounder.
There are so many directions in which this conversation could go. It’s all speculation at the moment, but as team representatives from around the NFL gather in Lucas Oil Stadium this week, we could find a bit of clarity as ideas start to circulate around the combine.
Offseason Outlook: Jacksonville Jaguars
A winter 2025 housecleaning led to a dramatic turnaround for the Jaguars last season. With general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen taking over as first-timers in their respective roles, the Jaguars stunningly pulled off a nine-win improvement. After sinking to 4-13 in their last year under GM Trent Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson, the Jaguars vaulted to 13-4 and claimed the AFC South title.
Despite homefield advantage, the Jaguars could not make it out of the wild-card round. The playoff-tested Bills upended the Jags in a nail-biter, but there should be plenty of optimism in Duval County going into the second offseason of the Gladstone-Coen era.
Coaching/front office:
- Extended DC Anthony Campanile, OC Grant Udinski
- Campanile interviewed for HC jobs with Cardinals, Ravens, Dolphins
- Udinski interviewed for HC jobs with Bills, Browns
- Hired defensive pass-game coordinator Mathieu Araujo
- Hired offensive run-game coordinator Brian Picucci
- Fired secondary coach Ron Milus
- Assistant O-line coach Keli'i Kekuewa became Stanford's OL coach
A record-tying 10 teams changed head coaches this offseason, leading to an enormous amount of staff upheaval in the past several weeks. Case in point: Of last season's 14 playoff qualifiers, only the Jaguars, Texans and Panthers will return the same offensive and defensive coordinators in 2026. It's especially fortunate for the Jaguars, whose promising DC-OC duo were legitimate candidates to become head coaches. Campanile and Udinski ultimately stuck around on new contracts, giving Coen the luxury of continuity at those all-important positions in his second season.
Texans Not Eyeing Offseason C.J. Stroud Extension?
It is a foregone conclusion that the Texans will exercise quarterback C.J. Stroud’s fifth-year option, thereby assuring him of a $26.53MM salary for 2027. It is less certain that Houston will discuss a long-term contract with Stroud’s camp this offseason, and Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 unequivocally asserts those talks will not commence until next year.
In a lengthy video report addressing recent speculation that Houston could consider trading Stroud – whose middling 2025 regular season culminated in two turnover-riddled playoff contests and another divisional-round exit – Wilson says contract talks are not in the team’s immediate plans. Instead, he believes the club and Stroud will reach an understanding in which the Texans tell the former No. 2 overall pick they will be happy to pay him like a franchise passer a year from now, after a strong 2026 performance.
Although he does not explicitly say so, one of the reports Wilson appears to be referencing is one recently published by Albert Breer of SI.com. Per Breer, it may be difficult to get Stroud to accept anything less than the $60MM-per-year payout that Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott presently enjoys, which Breer suggests will soon become the new benchmark for high-end quarterback contracts.
Of course, given that Stroud followed up his Offensive Rookie of the Year showing in 2023 with two less inspiring seasons, and given that his two most recent playoff games featured a combined five fumbles (two lost) and five interceptions, it is fair to wonder if his track record and upside merit a top-shelf deal. While not as adamant as Wilson, Breer indicates the Texans could delay contract talks until the 2027 offseason.
If Houston does elect to negotiate, its perception of Stroud’s value may be starkly different than the player’s self-evaluation, which could cause the talks to get “sticky.” Breer echoes prior reports that the Texans may be aggressive in seeking an extension for edge rusher Will Anderson, and if they authorize a top-of-the-market pact for the defensive star but not for their QB1, the relationship between Stroud and the club may become strained.
Either development – contentious negotiations or an outright postponement of negotiations – could pique the interest of QB-needy teams, which could then try to pry Stroud away from Houston. Breer does not say the Texans have received calls on Stroud, nor does he indicate they would even entertain such calls if they came in, but it makes sense that other clubs would be monitoring the situation just in case.
But even if they do not believe he is presently deserving of a $60MM/year contract, the Texans have no intention of trading Stroud, per Wilson (who says it would cost at least two first-round picks for an interested team to acquire him). Wilson goes on to say Houston’s plan is to bolster the O-line, upgrade the tight end room, and add another starting-caliber running back. Those moves, in conjunction with a second year under offensive coordinator Nick Caley, are expected to allow Stroud to thrive in 2026 and improve his earning power in 2027.
NFL Coaching Updates: Bengals, Raiders, Chiefs, Vikings, Texans
The only team in the AFC North that didn’t see major coaching regime changes, the Bengals will not be left out of the offseason staff conversations after all. According to ESPN’s Ben Baby, tight ends coach James Casey has earned a promotion. The team has added the position of run game coordinator to his title.
Also, following up on the hiring of Davis Koetter as assistant wide receivers coach three weeks ago, Baby reports that last year’s assistant wide receivers coach, Jordan Salkin, has been retained on staff. Salkin has been moved to assistant quarterbacks coach for the 2026 NFL season.
Here are a few other coaching staff updates from around the National Football League:
- The Raiders, too, named their offensive run game coordinator, announcing today that Mario Jeberaeel has been named to the position. Starting his coaching career at the high school level in 2009, Jeberaeel, a Las Vegas-native, worked his way through the collegiate ranks with stops at Arkansas-Monticello, Kansas, and Abilene Christian before debuting in the NFL with the Falcons in 2021. Starting in Atlanta as a diversity coaching intern working with the offensive line, he was promoted to assistant offensive line coach in 2022 and special projects (defense) coach in 2023. He accepted a role with the Jaguars two years ago as assistant outside linebackers coach but saw his role change to defensive assistant for Jacksonville last year. He’ll be tasked with improving a unit that finished dead last in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2025.
- After losing outside linebackers coach Rod Wilson to the Cardinals, the Chiefs have moved to fill the position with Matt House, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. After a couple collegiate stops to start his coaching career, House dipped his toes in the NFL waters in 2008 as assistant special teams coach with the Panthers before spending the next three years as defensive quality control coach for the Rams. He returned to the collegiate ranks, where he earned defensive coordinator opportunities at Pittsburgh and Kentucky, before first joining the Chiefs as a linebackers coach in 2019. He left Kansas City to serve as defensive coordinator at LSU, and when Brian Kelly fired him after two years, he landed as the Jaguars linebackers coach in 2024. Last year, he returned to Kansas City as a senior defensive assistant. Per Pelissero, the Chiefs blocked multiple requests to interview House over the hiring cycle. The team intended for him to remain as a key part of their staff, and he will do so in 2026 as outside linebackers coach.
- Per Kevin Seifert of ESPN, the Vikings have added Kyle Caskey to their staff as an offensive assistant. Caskey is an older name, returning to the NFL after four seasons away from the league. Caskey first came to the NFL in 2010. In nine years with the Bengals, Caskey spent four as offensive quality control/assistant offensive line coach and the next five as running backs coach. He spent two years after that as running backs coach in Detroit and a final season as offensive quality control of the Jaguars in 2021 before disappearing from the NFL. Caskey resurfaced in 2024 as running backs coach/special teams coordinator of the UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks and was slated to work as the Orlando Storm’s offensive coordinator before accepting this new role in Minnesota. According to Seifert, Caskey’s opportunities in the alternate professional football league were all the result of UFL head coach Anthony Becht, who Seifert claims is spearheading efforts to create opportunities for coaches to go to the NFL. Another one of Becht’s success stories is Bruce Gradkowski, who was hired as an offensive assistant with the Lions last year after his two-year tenure as the Battlehawks offensive coordinator.
- Lastly, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, the Texans are hiring Jay Simpson to join the team as a defensive assistant. After working his way through smaller collegiate roles at South Alabama, UAB, and Arkansas State, Simpson worked last year as the cornerbacks coach at Memphis. He’ll be making his NFL coaching debut with Houston in 2026.
Cardinals Announce Full Staff For New HC Mike LaFleur
On Friday, the Cardinals announced the finalization of their full coaching staff under new head coach Mike LaFleur. While several new names joined the staff, a good number of coaches were retained from Jonathan Gannon‘s prior staff, perhaps due to the late timing of LaFleur’s hiring. We’ve covered many of the coaching updates in previous posts already, but we’ll touch on the announcement’s new information here. 
We actually saw a number of hires break in the days leading up to the team’s announcement. For instance, Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday that former Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski would finally be making the jump to the NFL. A longtime collegiate staffer, Kwiatkowski began his coaching career at his alma mater, Boise State. Following a playing career as a defensive lineman, Kwiatkoski held multiple position coaching roles with the Broncos from 1988-96. He then spent time at Snow CC and Eastern Washington before getting his first DC offer at Montana State. He returned to Boise State as defensive line coach and, eventually, defensive coordinator before working DC jobs at Washington and Texas. His NFL debut will see him coaching defensive line for the Cardinals.
On Thursday, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported that Arizona had finalized the hiring of former Chiefs outside linebackers coach Rod Wilson. Wilson originally debuted in the NFL ranks of coaching as an assistant special teams coach with the Chiefs. After returning to the collegiate level to coach linebackers at South Carolina and Coastal Carolina for two years, Wilson made his way back to Kansas City as a defensive assistant, getting promoted to his most recent position two years ago. In Arizona, Wilson will be asked to shift back inside as the team’s inside linebackers coach. With that news, Zenitz also relayed that last year’s linebackers coach, Cristian Garcia, had been retained but moved to a different position group. Garcia will now serve the team as defensive backs coach.
Zenitz also reported two more minor staff updates before the team’s announcement, breaking that Brett Ekkens and Brent Jackson had been hired. Jackson, formerly a defensive quality control coach with the Colts, will hold the same position in Arizona. When Zenitz broke Ekkens’ hire, the role on staff for the former Tiffin University head coach had not been determined, but the team’s announcement discloses that he will serve opposite Jackson as an offensive quality control coach.
On the offensive side of the ball, the announcement concluded the building of the staff by announcing that Connor Senger has been retained in his role as pass game specialist. Senger had gained some interest from around the league this offseason for potential offensive coordinator openings but, ultimately, didn’t land any offers. With the announcement, it seems Senger will be running it back with the Cardinals, with whom he’ll try to continue to show his coordinator potential. The announcement also revealed the retention of offensive line coach Justin Frye. In addition to assistant OL coach Chris Cook, whose retention was already reported, Senger and Frye represent the only returning offensivee staffers from 2025.
On defense, the only new information was the retention of Matt Feeney as outside linebackers coach and the promotion of Alec Osborne from defensive quality control coach to assistant defensive line coach. They join Garcia (in his new position) as the only three returning staffers from 2025 on the defensive side of the ball alongside defensive coordinator Nick Rallis. The announcement also disclosed that assistant special teams coach Sam Sewell and director of football strategy Kenny Bell had been retained in the same roles. Lastly, formerly hired as a coaching assistant in 2022, Jay Razzano has been named assistant to the head coach.
With all coaching roles filled, the focus will turn to each coach evaluating the players in their position rooms as determinations will now move to the roster and what players the Cardinals will be moving forward with and building around. The fans in Arizona will hope to get more out of LaFleur and Co. than they’ve gotten out of their last three head coaches over the past eight seasons.
TE Isaiah Likely Open To New Ravens Deal
Isaiah Likely has flashed potential while playing out his rookie contract. A first career trip to free agency looms, but remaining in place with the Ravens could still be on the table. 
Selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, Likely emerged as a regular contributor on offense in Baltimore. His most productive season came in 2024 with a 42-477-6 statline. Likely was expected to take another step forward in his walk year, but a preseason foot injury resulted in missed time in the fall. While slowly working his way back to full strength, he managed only 27 receptions and a single score.
Still, Likely could easily generate a strong market in free agency. The 25-year-old could be viewed as an option for an outside team’s primary pass-catching tight end role, something which could price him out of Baltimore. The Ravens signed Mark Andrews to a new deal in December, ensuring the top of their depth chart at the position will remain unchanged through 2026 and beyond. Likely may well need to head elsewhere to take on a full-time starting role as a result.
“With my agent, what I told him was I just want to be able to blossom,” Likely said during an appearance on the Gruden Goes Long podcast. “The last couple years, I’ve had a great vet in Mark Andrews, where he taught me everything to be a star-caliber tight end to the point where it’s like now I just want to be on a team where I can get out there and help a quarterback, help a team be able to put as much points on the board as possible.”
Likely has recorded a catch percentage of at least 72.4% in each of the past three years, and for his career he has averaged 11.6 yards per reception. Interested teams could thus see the Coastal Carolina product as a candidate to break out with an elevated workload. Likely said he is open to re-signing with the Ravens – something which would see him continue to share snaps with Andrews – but added “business is business.”
Baltimore has Andrews along with wideout Rashod Bateman under contract for multiple years. Zay Flowers is coming off his second straight 1,000-yard campaign, and 2026 marks the first offseason in which he is eligible for an extension. Making a big-money commitment to Flowers could leave Baltimore short on available funds in terms of pass-catching options, making Likely a name to watch as free agency approaches.