Saints, DT John Ridgeway Agree To Terms
John Ridgeway will not be departing on the open market. The defensive tackle has agreed to a new Saints deal, Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report. This will be a two-year, $6.2MM contract.
Ridgeway has spent the past two seasons in New Orleans. He got into 28 percent of his team’s defensive snaps during his first year with the organization, finishing with 15 stops. He seemed prime for a larger role in 2025, but injuries got in the way. A pectoral injury delayed the start of his campaign, and an illness kept him sidelined later in the year. He ultimately started two of his four appearances.
The former fifth-round pick spent the first two seasons of his career with the Commanders. He got into 32 games (six starts) during his stint in Washington, compiling a total of 55 tackles.
Nathan Shepherd and Davon Godchaux are both set to return in 2026, but there could be some leftover reps at DT depending on the status of free agent Jonah Williams. Vernon Broughton could represent Ridgeway’s biggest competition for any backup snaps at the position.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Jets To Sign OLB Joseph Ossai
Joseph Ossai will not return to the Bengals in 2026. The pass rusher’s first trip to free agency will instead send him to New York.
Ossai and the Jets have agreed to terms, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. This will be a three-year pact worth $36MM, Schultz adds. Ossai will receive $22.5MM fully guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Expectations will be high for notable production off the edge in this case for 2026 and beyond as a result.
A third-round pick in 2021, Ossai spent his entire four-year career in Cincinnati. He had a part-time role through his first two years in the NFL but took on more responsibility in 2024. He finished that campaign with 46 tackles and five sacks while getting into about 50 percent of his team’s defensive snaps.
He started a career-high nine games this past year, finishing with 43 stops and five sacks. Pro Football Focus ultimately ranked him 70th among 119 qualifying edge defenders, with the site being most bullish on his run-stopping ability.
He’ll have a chance at a three-down role in New York. The Jets needed to add some pass-rush help following the Jermaine Johnson trade. At the very least, Ossai will contribute on third-down, but the Jets lack of defensive depth (and the team’s financial commitment) means he should see a full-time role for his new squad.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Jets To Bring Back LB Demario Davis
Celebrating his 37th birthday earlier this year, Demario Davis has still managed to score a nice payday. The longtime Saints standout is returning to where his career began.
The Jets are reuniting with Davis, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reporting the All-Pro linebacker agreed on a two-year deal worth $22MM on Monday. Davis will receive $15MM fully guaranteed. In addition to bringing Davis back to the Big Apple, the 15th-year linebacker will reunite with Aaron Glenn — a former Saints assistant.
Davis drew a Jets connection before free agency, as did ex-Glenn Saints charge Alex Anzalone. The latter has committed to the Buccaneers, so the Jets will inject considerable experience into their linebacking corps with Davis. The team has steadily chipped away at Joe Douglas’ LB corps, moving on from C.J. Mosley and not extending Quincy Williams (who hit free agency today). Davis will complement $15MM-per-year ‘backer Jamien Sherwood next season.
Spending eight seasons with the Saints, Davis has been one of the most reliable players at any position. The off-ball linebacker is a blitzing dynamo (45 career sacks; 31.5 in New Orleans) who almost never misses time. Davis, who soared to five All-Pro teams during his Saints run, has not played in fewer than 16 games in a season. He has missed just two games in 14 years, giving the Jets hope he can sustain his late-career form.
The Jets drafted Davis in the 2012 third round, selecting him during Rex Ryan‘s time as HC. Davis played out his rookie deal but returned to New York in 2017, being traded from the Browns back to the Jets. The Saints swooped in on the 2018 FA market and found a steal. A franchise known for linebacker icons found another in Davis, who played at least 97% of New Orleans’ defensive snaps in every 2020s season.
Pro Football Focus has ranked Davis as a top-10 off-ball linebacker in six of the past seven seasons, slotting him fifth even at age 36. By starting games in an age-37 season, Demario Davis will become the NFL’s oldest off-ball LB starter since London Fletcher worked as a 38-year-old starter in 2013. As Glenn aims to avoid being a two-and-done HC, the former Saints assistant will bring in a player he trusts to help the cause.
Bears, DT Neville Gallimore Agree To Deal
Neville Gallimore‘s next NFL gig has been lined up. The veteran defensive tackle has agreed to terms with the Bears on a two-year, $12MM deal, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.
The former third-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career in Dallas, where he served as a depth piece on the defensive line. He had four sacks across his four years with the Cowboys, and he wasn’t retained following the conclusion of his rookie pact.
He spent most the 2024 season with the Rams, where he tallied 19 tackles in 14 games (four starts). He had a standout showing in the playoffs that year, collecting 2.5 sacks in two games.
He caught on with the Colts last offseason and had one of the most productive seasons of his career, finishing with career-highs in tackles (38) and sacks (3.5). Despite the numbers, Pro Football Focus only ranked him 75th among 127 qualifying interior defenders, although the site did appreciate his pass-rush ability.
Gallimore will look to carry over his production to Chicago. He’ll be joining a depth chart that currently features Grady Jarrett and former second-round pick Gervon Dexter. This signing could signal that the team’s set to move on from free agent DT Andrew Billings.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Giants To Sign TE Isaiah Likely
One of the Giants’ first moves of free agency will be the addition of a familiar face. To little surprise, tight end Isaiah Likely will be heading to New York once his new contract is officially in place.
Likely has agreed to a three-year Giants deal, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. The pact has a base value of $40MM and can max out at $47.5MM. Likely will reunite with head coach John Harbaugh after the two worked together in Baltimore for four seasons.
The 25-year-old was considered one of the top tight ends in this year’s class, although his career numbers didn’t necessarily reflect that ranking. Likely mostly played behind Mark Andrews during his time in Baltimore, but he still showed plenty of offensive flashes. He started 17 of his 33 appearances between 2023 and 2024, averaging 36 catches for 444 yards and 5.5 touchdowns per season.
However, thanks in part to Lamar Jackson‘s injury and subsequent late-season struggles, Likely failed to take the step forward that many expected in 2025. The fourth-year player ultimately finished the campaign with career-lows in receptions (27), receiving yards (307), and touchdowns (one).
Now, he’ll be joining his former coach in New York for a potential full-time starting role. Theo Johnson led Giants TEs in snaps last season and will surely be back in 2026 after finishing this past year with 45 catches for 528 yards and five touchdowns. Chris Manhertz is also still around after not missing a game for the Giants over the past two years.
Likely seemed intent to find a starting gig as a free agent, and he was presumably given some assurances about playing time in New York. The Giants also paid him like a starter, with Likely’s new AAV ranking sixth at the position. Still, there’s a scenario where Likely finds himself once again splitting reps at the position.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Ravens, G John Simpson Agree To Deal
In need of improvements at the guard spot, the Ravens are turning to a familiar face. John Simpson is on his way back to Baltimore.
An agreement has been reached on a three-year, $30MM deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Simpson served as a starter with the Ravens in 2023 before doing the same as a member of the Jets for the past two years. He will be counted on to again operate as a first-team staple during his second Baltimore stint.
Following a Raiders tenure that saw him alternating between the starting lineup and the bench, Simpson emerged as a true starter during his one-year stop in Baltimore in 2023. He started all 17 games that season, grading out 49th among 79 qualifiers on Pro Football Focus’ positional rankings.
While that grade would signal he’s more of a situational player, it was still enough to earn him a two-year contract from the Jets in 2024. He outperformed his deal during his first season in New York, finishing the year ranked 11th among 77 qualifiers. However, his production took a step back in 2025, with PFF dropping him to 51st among 79 qualifiers. He was especially punished for penalties, where he tallied 11 flags for 106 yards.
Still, he should represent some veteran dependability for the Ravens. Considering the investment, Simpson will likely slide into his familiar spot at left guard, meaning Andrew Vorhees and Emery Jones Jr. could be left to battle for the RG job.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Dolphins To Sign QB Malik Willis
Despite taking on a record-setting dead money sum from the impending Tua Tagovailoa release, the Dolphins will be the team that signs off on Malik Willis‘ second contract.
Willis is reuniting with Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley in Miami, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who reports the sides agreed on a three-year deal worth $67.5MM. Willis will receive $45MM guaranteed at signing.
While not a $30MM-per-year contract like recent rumors indicated, Willis will still cash in via that nice guarantee number. This figures to provide at least a two-year runway for Willis in Miami, which will spread the Tagovailoa dead cap hit through 2027. Still, a $99.2MM dead cap hit over that span and a $20MM-plus QB salary will be an interesting route to take. A bit of a smokescreen effort may have taken place on the Dolphins’ part, as Sullivan pointed to the team’s cap situation making it difficult to win the Willis sweepstakes.
In terms of AAV, Willis is set to hover in unoccupied territory. This number comes in south of the Baker Mayfield–Sam Darnold tier but well north of backup money. The full guarantee likely became a strong sweetener for the Jordan Love backup, who drew interest from a few teams — the Browns, Cardinals and Steelers among them. Presenting a strange free agency profile with six career starts, Willis ranked seventh on PFR’s top 50 free agents list. He will do much better than Justin Fields in terms of fully guaranteed money; the Jets gave their 2025 starter at $30MM guarantee.
Fields’ $20MM-per-year deal is the only QB contract in this neighborhood, but the Jets are about to terminate that deal. Soon, Willis’ $22.5MM AAV number will be the only QB pact in between Cam Ward‘s rookie salary ($12.21MM) and Mayfield’s current $33.3MM AAV.
Mike Vrabel deemed Willis unplayable late in the 2022 season, after the third-round rookie looked erratic in his short time at the helm. The Titans drafted Will Levis in 2023 and parked Willis behind he and Ryan Tannehill. A new Titans coaching staff signed off on trading the Jon Robinson-era draftee to the Packers for a low-end return in summer 2024. Willis became needed immediately, with Love going down with an injury in Week 1 of that season.
Matt LaFleur customized the offense to suit Willis’ skillset, and the effort created a market. Willis ran his start count from three to six in Green Bay, putting up eye-popping (and unsustainable) numbers. He compiled a 6:0 TD-INT ratio in Green Bay, having completed 70 of 89 attempts at a college-y 12.1 yards per pass. Willis also averaged 6.2 yards per rush (29/261/3). Willis will now work under Bobby Slowik, who will run a LaFleur-type scheme. Both are Kyle Shanahan disciples.
With Willis committing to Miami within an hour of the legal tampering period’s outset, other QB-needy teams will not need to authorize higher-end guarantees — most likely, at least. But some of those teams will be left scrambling, as a host of needs exist on this year’s market. That helped inflate Willis’ value despite the six career starts.
The Dolphins gave Tagovailoa six years but erred by giving him a $53.1MM-per-year extension in 2024. The Mike McDaniel passer showed tremendous promise as an accurate thrower, but concussions gave way to inconsistency for the left-hander. Miami benched Tagovailoa late in McDaniel’s tenure and was never seriously linked to retaining him — despite what would have been a easier route contractually — this offseason. Sullivan will take a risk with Willis due to his limited sample size, but he and Hafley certainly have plenty of information on him from the sides’ two-year overlap in Wisconsin.
Panthers, Jaelan Phillips Agree To Deal
As expected, the Panthers have made a big splash early with respect to a pass rush addition. Jaelan Phillips is heading to Carolina.
Team and player have agreed to terms, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. This will be a four-year, $120MM pact, he adds. Phillips has secured $80MM in guarantees on his second NFL contract.
Despite Phillips’ extensive injury history, the Panthers are betting big. Suffering Achilles and ACL tears in Miami, Phillips bounced back with a solid 2025 season split between the Dolphins and Eagles. Philadelphia could land a third-round compensatory pick, depending on its FA activity this year, thanks to this monster accord. The Eagles were believed to be closing in on a deal to retain Phillips, but they will stand down and let the 2025 trade pickup head to Charlotte.
Carolina missed on Milton Williams last year, being deep in talks before New England’s big offer won out for the impact free agent. The Panthers also lost Brian Burns in 2024, trading the Pro Bowl EDGE to wrap a lengthy saga. Although the Panthers drafted two edge rushers in 2025 (Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen), they will give Ejiro Evero a new lead sack artist.
PFR’s No. 3 overall free agent, Phillips only registered five sacks between his Dolphins and Eagles games last season. But he ranked 12th in pressures and submitted a strong (18.8% pressure rate that hovered far north of Trey Hendrickson or Odafe Oweh’s 2025 numbers). That keyed a huge market, with the $80MM in total guarantees representing the ninth-largest amount among edge defenders.
Phillips and Derrick Brown will be poised to provide an outside-inside tandem, as the Panthers did not feature a player eclipse five sacks in 2025. Carolina made the playoffs anyway, despite a 27th-ranked offense, but has struggled in the sack department since sending Burns to the Giants.
Going into an age-27 season, Phillips has shown better sack work in the past. He notched 6.5 in eight 2023 games, before suffering the Achilles tear on Black Friday. The 6-foot-5 EDGE also combined for 15.5 sacks over his first two seasons. Injuries have been a constant for Phillips, who briefly retired from the sport while at UCLA. Transferring to Miami, Phillips became a first-round pick. His Philly stint cemented one of the better FA cases in recent history, and the Panthers will expect an immediate pass-rushing boost as a result of this commitment.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Commanders To Give LT Laremy Tunsil Record-Setting Extension
The Commanders have their extension agreement with Laremy Tunsil in place. Long rumored as a player Washington wanted to pay, Tunsil has secured a third career extension.
Tunsil agreed to a two-year, $60.2MM extension, insider Jordan Schultz reports. He is the NFL’s first $30MM offensive lineman. For the third time in his career, Tunsil has secured a market-setting extension. Tunsil will receive a $32.5MM signing bonus and a $61.5MM guarantee on a contract that now runs through 2028.
GM Adam Peters said a Tunsil deal was a priority. Considering the four-pick haul the Commanders sent the Texans for the Pro Bowl blocker, that made sense. Tunsil’s deal aligns with Jayden Daniels‘ rookie contract, and Washington entered Monday among the league’s leaders in cap space. Tunsil managing to score another market-topping deal ahead of his age-32 season burnishes his credentials as one of this era’s savviest negotiators.
Rumblings about an extension push emerged in December. The Texans paid the former first-rounder in 2020 and 2023. Tunsil played the 2025 season tied to a three-year, $75MM deal. That pact was set to expire after the 2026 season. The Texans not prioritizing a Tunsil deal in 2024 led them to move on, and after the Commanders saw Tunsil primarily protect Marcus Mariota last season, they will secure his rights beyond 2026 to block for Daniels.
Pro Football Focus ranked Tunsil seventh among qualified tackles in 2025, ranking him as the NFL’s second-best pass blocker. While a Pro Bowl nod did not follow this time, Tunsil secured five of those prior to his Washington arrival. He shrewdly leveraged his 2019 trade price — which included two first-round picks — in 2020 Texans negotiations, scoring a $22MM-per-year deal. After the tackle market did not move much between 2020 and ’23, Tunsil signed that 3/75 Houston extension — one that included $50MM at signing. He continues to do well on this front; the Commanders will need the decorated blocker to keep at his current pace to justify the latest windfall.
Washington released Tyler Biadasz last week, and while they were linked to Tyler Linderbaum, the team already has a higher-end guard salary (Sam Cosmi‘s). It will be interesting to see if Linderbaum joins a line that already has a tackle-record deal as of Monday morning.
Rams To Sign CB Jaylen Watson
After acquiring Trent McDuffie from Kansas City last week, the Rams have now taken another of the Chiefs’ top cornerbacks. The Rams have agreed to a contract with Jaylen Watson, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. It’s a three-year, $51MM deal with $34MM in guarantees, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
This is another bold strike by the Rams, who have poured significant resources into their secondary over the past couple months. Before adding McDuffie in a blockbuster trade and agreeing to terms with Watson, they re-signed safeties Quentin Lake and Kamren Curl to extensions worth up to $81MM combined.
Los Angeles went 12-5 and won two playoff games in 2025, but its defensive backfield was in clear need of improvement entering the offseason. The Rams ranked a below-average 19th in pass defense in the regular season, and an inability to stop the Seahawks’ aerial attack torpedoed them in the NFC title game. Quarterback Sam Darnold went 25 of 36 for 346 yards for three touchdowns, while No. 1 wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught 10 passes for 153 yards and a score.
Corners Cobie Durant, Ahkello Witherspoon and Roger McCreary are among the Rams’ free agents, while Darious Williams retired over the weekend. Durant started in 15 of 17 games and led Rams corners in snap share (72.99%) in 2025, but the Rams look to have added a pair of upgrades in two-time Super Bowl champions McDuffie and Watson.
A seventh-round pick in 2022, Watson spent most of his first two seasons as a reserve. After winning Super Bowl LVII to cap off the 2023 season, the Chiefs traded starting cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to Tennessee. Sneed’s exit opened up a full-time spot for Watson, who went on to start in his final 21 games with the Chiefs.
A broken leg suffered in October 2024 limited Watson to six regular-season games, but he made it back during the Chiefs’ latest run to the Super Bowl. He played in two postseason games, including a Super Bowl LIX loss to the Eagles. Watson went on to enjoy a career year in 2025. Over 15 games (all starts), the 27-year-old tallied 64 tackles, six passes defensed and two interceptions. Pro Football Focus graded Watson 17th among 112 qualifying corners.
Watson, who ranked as PFR’s No. 13 free agent, is now the latest high-profile corner to leave Kansas City in the past several years. Along with McDuffie, Watson and Sneed, Steven Nelson, Marcus Peters, Kendall Fuller and Charvarius Ward all exited during the Andy Reid era. The Chiefs have seldom missed a beat, but now coming off a six-win season, they are down two major contributors at the back end of their defense.