49ers, TE Jake Tonges Agree To Deal
The 49ers and restricted free agent tight end Jake Tonges have agreed to a two-year, $8MM deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Tonges’ contract includes $5.5MM in guarantees.
This is a nice raise for the 26-year-old Tonges, who was relatively anonymous entering last season. At that point, Tonges had not even caught an NFL pass since he entered the league as a UDFA with Chicago in 2022. Tonges played four games with the Bears as a rookie, but he did not stay in the organization for a second year.
After Chicago waived Tonges in August 2023, the former Cal pass catcher returned to the state to join the 49ers’ practice squad. Tonges did not see any game action in his first year with the 49ers, but he played a big role on their special teams in 2024. He racked up 232 ST snaps, good for fourth on the team, over 16 games.
Tonges put up his second straight 232-snap season on special teams last year. He also became a contributor on the 49ers’ offense, which turned to him for 399 snaps.
A Week 1 hamstring injury to star tight end George Kittle enabled Tonges to step up. He caught his first three passes, including a touchdown, in their season-opening win over the Seahawks. Kittle did not return until Week 7. By then, Tonges had already hauled in 25 passes for 234 yards and three scores. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder finished the year with 34 catches on 46 targets, 293 yards and five TDs in 17 games.
Kittle suffered a torn Achilles in the 49ers’ wild-card round win over the Eagles. The injury will cost Kittle at least some of next season, making it even more important for the 49ers to keep Tonges as insurance.
Falcons To Sign OLB Azeez Ojulari
Azeez Ojulari is headed back to Georgia. The Marietta native and former Bulldog is signing with the Falcons on a one-year deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Ojulari, 25, will need to rebuild his stock in Atlanta after appearing in just three games for the Eagles last season. He will add edge rushing depth behind 2025 first-rounders Jalon Walker and James Pearce, the latter of whom could be facing league discipline as a result of pending felony charges.
The 2019 Giants second-round pick flashed high-end potential as a rookie with eight sacks. Injuries became an issue moving forward, as Ojulari appeared in just 29 games over the next three seasons, though he still put up solid production with 14.0 sacks when healthy. His trade value jumped in the final year of his rookie deal with five sacks in three games right before the 2024 deadline, but no team would meet New York’s asking price.
Ojulari then landed on injured reserve for the third season in a row and took a one-year, $3MM contract with the Eagles in the offseason. Philadelphia’s outside linebacker depth kept Ojulari from earning a consistent role in Vic Fangio‘s defense. He should get more opportunities in a Falcons edge rushing room that let Arnold Ebiketie and Leonard Floyd hit free agency.
The Eagles only played Ojulari for 67 snaps in 2025, so they will not need to find a dedicated replacement. However, Jaelan Phillips‘ departure to the Panthers will leave a much bigger hole in their defense.
Vikings Release DLs Javon Hargrave, Jonathan Allen
Both the veteran defensive linemen the Vikings gave eight-figure-per-year contracts to in 2025 are now out. After releasing Jonathan Allen, Minnesota is now cutting Javon Hargrave.
Dangled in trades recently, Hargrave (via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter) has been informed he will be released. The move will save the Vikings more than $10MM in cap space while bringing nearly the same amount in dead money. The rumored Allen release is now official as well.
The dead cap amount stems from signing bonus proration and a $4MM guarantee on Hargrave’s 2026 salary. Minnesota gave the former Steelers, Eagles and 49ers D-lineman a two-year, $30MM contract in 2025. This is quite the overhaul for the Vikings’ D-line over the past year. After free agency in 2025, they rostered Hargrave, Allen and Harrison Phillips. With Phillips traded to the Jets last August, all three are now gone.
Minnesota has not made a move to add a D-linemen, but it can be assumed some are in the works. Hargrave, 33, started 15 games last season; Allen, 31, started 17. Hargrave bounced back after an injury-shortened 2024 in San Francisco, but this is the second straight year he has been released. The 49ers designated Hargrave as a post-June 1 cut last year; it is not known if the Vikings are making the same move.
A standard Allen release would bring more than $17MM in dead money, and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero indicates a post-June 1 designation will indeed be used. This designation saves $11.2MM this year while moving more than $12MM in dead cap on to the Vikings’ payroll. Minnesota is designating Harrison Smith as a post-June release (for procedural purposes); teams are only allotted two each year.
This also marks Allen’s second straight year being released. The Commanders cut their former first-round D-tackle after eight seasons, and he generated a promising market as a street free agent. The Vikings gave him a three-year, $51MM deal that came with $23.26MM fully guaranteed. That contract has come back to bite the team, one that fired GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah weeks into the offseason. Allen was to see $8MM of his $16.75MM 2026 salary guaranteed. As Adam La Rose’s Vikings Offseason Outlook reminded, Allen’s $23.87MM was the highest figure on Minnesota’s cap sheet.
Allen, 31, and Hargrave each registered 3.5 sacks last season. Both players recovered from 2024 injuries on time; Allen fared better as a pressure artist, recording 11 QB hits to Hargrave’s six. Both players being cut in back-to-back years stands to significantly reduce their earning potential in 2026.
Ravens, S Jaylinn Hawkins Agree To Deal
The Ravens have lined up another piece of business in the secondary. Having already agreed to a re-signing with Chidobe Awuzie, a notable outside addition is coming. 
Safety Jaylinn Hawkins has agreed to terms with Baltimore, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. This is a two-year deal, he adds. Hawkins played his way into a relatively strong market with his Patriots performances over the past two years. Hawkins will earn $10MM on this new pact, Schefter’s colleague Jeremy Fowler adds.
The 28-year-old was a key figure on defense and special teams during his first New England campaign. Hawkins then became a full-time starter in 2025, logging 838 defensive snaps (the second-highest total of his career). He recorded four interceptions, six pass deflections and 1.5 sacks while helping New England reach the Super Bowl. Mutual interest in a new Pats deal existed, but a departure will now take place.
Hawkins played on a series of one-year deals from 2023-25. The most lucrative of those was $1.8MM, so today’s news amounts to a considerable raise. A role as Baltimore’s No. 3 safety can be expected moving forward. The team has Kyle Hamilton attached to the position’s most lucrative contract, while Malaki Starks was selected in the first round of the 2025 draft.
During the opening period of free agency, however, Alohi Gilman (Chiefs) and Ar’Darius Washington (Giants) departed. That created the need for depth on the back end, and Baltimore has moved quickly in the new league year by adding Hawkins. If the former fourth-rounder can stabilize the Ravens’ secondary, this will prove to be an impactful addition. Baltimore struggled mightily against the pass during Zach Orr‘s tenure as defensive coordinator. He has been replaced by Anthony Weaver, while new head coach Jesse Minter will call plays on defense. The fit between his scheme and Hawkins will be interesting to see in 2026.
Commanders To Sign TE Chig Okonkwo
With Zach Ertz‘s NFL future in doubt after an ACL tear, the Commanders are landing one of the top tight ends on the market. Chig Okonkwo is headed to Washington, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo.
The former Titans starter is in agreement on a three-year deal worth up to $30MM, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. While GM Adam Peters said at the Combine the door remained open for Ertz to return on a third contract, this Okonkwo addition may remove that from the equation.
PFR’s No. 37-ranked free agent, Okonkwo brings intriguing upside as a receiving tight end. Paired with bottom-tier quarterback play for most of his Titans tenure, Okonkwo has two 500-yard receiving seasons on his resume. This will also mark a return to the mid-Atlantic region for Okonkwo, who played collegiately at Maryland.
Clocking a 4.52-second 40-yard dash time at the 2022 Combine, the former fourth-round pick started 42 games with Tennessee. He is coming off a career-best 560-yard season, helping No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward during a season in which the Titans were low on reliable weaponry. Despite Tennessee being flush with cap space and wanting to re-sign Okonkwo, he is heading out of town. Although the Titans reunited OC Brian Daboll with Daniel Bellinger on Monday, they will likely be hunting for a receiving TE to replace Okonkwo soon.
Isaiah Likely also defected to the NFC East, following John Harbaugh from Baltimore, and two of the market’s other top TEs — Dallas Goedert and David Njoku — are a few years older than Okonkwo. The first-time free agent is 26, giving Washington a promising option to pair with Jayden Daniels after Ertz played out an age-35 season in 2025.
This contract falls just short of the three-year, $30MM (base value) deal the Saints gave Juwan Johnson last year. It is not known what the base value of Okonkwo’s deal is, but it will be outside the top 12 at the tight end position. The Commanders will pair Okonkwo with high-level blocking tight end John Bates and 2024 second-round pick Ben Sinnott.
At nearly $10MM per year, though, Washington will expect quality production from Okonkwo. Ertz became a solid security blanket for Daniels. The two-time Kliff Kingsbury charge may be in free agency for a bit, as he is rehabbing a major injury. Ertz, however, is hoping to play an age-36 season.
Commanders To Sign S Nick Cross
The Commanders have agreed to a deal with safety Nick Cross, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. It’s a two-year pact worth up to $14MM, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Cross spent his first four seasons in Indianapolis, which grabbed him in the third round of the 2022 draft. The former Maryland Terrapin went down as a quality pickup for the Colts. Cross only missed one game in his first two years, but he saw more action on special teams than as a defender.
Cross’ role changed significantly in 2024, when he became a full-time starter. He went on to conclude his Colts tenure with 34 straight starts over the past two years. The 6-foot, 212-pound box safety combined for a whopping 266 tackles (11 for loss) during that span. He also pulled in four interceptions, including a career-high three in 2024. While ranking third among safeties with 16 pressures last season, Cross recorded personal bests in QB hits (six) and sacks (2.5).
The durable Cross played 99.91% of the Colts’ defensive snaps in ’24 and followed it up with a 95.53% mark last year. Between his track record of availability and solid production, Colts general manager Chris Ballard wanted to keep the 24-year-old. The Colts and Cross were in talks on a new deal as of late February, but an agreement never materialized. Indianapolis will now see another defensive starter exit, having already waved goodbye to Kwity Paye and Zaire Franklin in recent days.
Meanwhile, for the Commanders, Cross is the latest noteworthy addition to a defense that was among the NFL’s worst in 2025. The Commanders finished 27th in the league in points allowed and last in yardage. Along with Cross, they have picked up edge rushers Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson, linebacker Leo Chenal, DT Tim Settle and cornerback Amik Robertson at the outset of free agency.
Browns Place Second-Round RFA Tender On S Ronnie Hickman
MARCH 11: Hickman has now officially been tendered, per a team announcement. His Browns tenure will continue for at least one more season.
MARCH 6: Three years ago, the Browns signed safety Ronnie Hickman as an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State. Fast forward three years and Hickman has established himself as a starting safety in Cleveland. With Hickman becoming a restricted free agent this offseason, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Browns plan to place a second-round tender on the 24-year-old safety. 
Restricted free agents are free to negotiate and sign with other teams, but the original team can assign a tender that affects what needs to happen for the restricted free agent to be moved. With a second-round tender, the Browns have committed Hickman to at least a one-year, $5.81MM deal to stay in Cleveland.
Hickman will still be able to negotiate with other teams and potentially get a bigger deal, though. If he does find a better deal, Cleveland will get the option to match the new team’s offer sheet, If the Browns choose not to match the new team’s offer, they will be granted a second-round pick from the new team. As long as the transaction takes place more than two days before the draft, the second-round pick must be exchanged in the same offseason.
Hickman immediately found a role on the Browns as a rookie. His ability to fill in at safety allowed for Grant Delpit to roam around the defense and serve as a bit of a Swiss Army knife. In the two years since, Hickman has established himself as the team’s stalwart in the defensive backfield. His continued constancy as a deep safety in the past two years has helped the Browns defense establish itself as one of the league’s better units.
On fewer rotations in his first two years, Hickman combined for 70 total tackles, an interception, and four passes defensed. In 2025 alone, Hickman’s 103 total tackles was good for third on the team, and he saw career highs in interceptions (2) and passes defensed (7). The second-round tender is a fairly strong endorsement from the Browns who clearly wish to retain their young starting safety moving forward. We’ll now wait to see if any other teams decide to risk their second-round pick for the opportunity to lure Hickman away from Cleveland.
Dolphins To Sign DB Lonnie Johnson Jr.
Lonnie Johnson Jr. has lined up his next NFL gig. The veteran defensive back has agreed to a one-year deal with the Dolphins, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports.
Miami will be the latest in a long line of stops for Johnson, who entered the league as a second-round pick in 2019. The Kentucky product spent his first three years in Houston, where he logged 19 of his 22 career starts. Johnson has since gone through one-year stints with the Titans, Saints, Panthers and Raiders. He also had brief offseason runs in Kansas City and another in Houston along the way.
Johnson posted his most productive season in 2021, a 55-tackle, three-interception effort over 14 games with the Texans. In 48 games since then, Johnson has recorded just 56 tackles and one pick.
Johnson’s year in Las Vegas got off to an inauspicious start when he suffered a broken fibula in an August practice. When the Raiders assembled their season-opening roster later that month, they placed Johnson on IR with a designation for return. The Raiders activated Johnson toward the end of October. He wound up starting in two of nine games and making 25 tackles. The 30-year-old worked as a free safety for the majority of his snaps (243 of 321).
Johnson is the third depth signing of the day for Miami’s defense. The Dolphins previously agreed to deals with edge rusher Josh Uche and linebacker Willie Gay.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post…
Vikings, RB Aaron Jones Agree On Rework
Aaron Jones will not be a Vikings cap casualty, after all. The sides agreed on a reworked deal that positions the veteran running back to play a third season in Minnesota, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport report.
The adjustment will lower Jones’ 2026 base salary to $5.6MM. Of that total, $5MM will be guaranteed (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter). Jones delivered a 1,000-yard rushing season in his Vikings debut, leading to a 2025 re-signing (two years, $20MM). But injury trouble intervened in 2025.
Ceding time to trade acquisition Jordan Mason last season, Jones rushed for just 547 yards — his fewest since his 2017 rookie season — and missed five games because of a hamstring injury suffered in Week 2. The Vikings dangled Jones in trade talks and were prepared to move on via release if no swap came to fruition, but barely an hour before the NFL’s cap-compliance deadline, the team found a way to retain the aging back.
Jones, 31, initially came to the Twin Cities after declining a Packers pay cut. The former fifth-round pick had already accepted a trim in 2023, but a bigger cut proved too much for the productive veteran to accept. Jones landed with the Vikes on a one-year, $7MM deal and totaled 1,546 scrimmage yards — the second-most of his career — and seven touchdowns in 2024. The seven-year Packer played a central role in the Vikings’ 14-3 season with Sam Darnold at the helm, and the team circled back on a deal that provided $11.5MM guaranteed at signing.
Jones was to earn a $9MM base salary this season; if the Vikings were to cut him, they would have saved nearly $8MM in cap space but taken on nearly $7MM in dead money. Kevin O’Connell‘s team looks set to move forward with a second season with the Mason-Jones RB tandem. The ex-49er infiltrated Jones’ backfield stranglehold, leading the Vikings with 758 rushing yards. Mason averaged 4.8 yards per carry to Jones’ 4.2.
Previously tied to a four-year, $48MM Packers deal agreed to just before the 2021 free agency period, Jones has done well to extend his career. He has four 1,000-yard rushing seasons on his resume. Mason, who backed up fellow 2017 RB draftee Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco, is signed for one more season. His two-year, $10.5MM contract calls for a $4.73MM base salary in 2026.
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.
In New England, Byard will reunite with Mike Vrabel, who was his head coach for much of his time in Tennessee.
The 2016 third-round pick earned a starting job in his second year and received a first-team All-Pro nod after le Vrabel was hired the following offseason, and Byard was a key part of his defense for the next five years. He was named an All-Pro again in 2021 and put up another strong campaign in 2022, but he was sent to the Eagles at the 2023 trade deadline after the Titans’ 2-4 start. That was also Vrabel’s last year in Tennessee.
Byard signed a two-year, $15MM contract to join the Bears in 2024 and started every game. He was one of many players to see a big jump in performance under the new coaching staff in 2025 with seven interceptions and his third first-team All-Pro selection. Chicago worked to retain him, but Byard preferred to join his former head coach and the reigning AFC champions, per The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson.
In New England, Byard will replace Jaylinn Hawkins in the Patriots secondary after his departure to Baltimore. Hawkins started 15 games in 2025 with a team-high four interceptions, production that the veteran ballhawks should be able to replace. Byard will slot in next to rookie standout Craig Woodson, where his decade of NFL experience could foster the development of the 2025 fourth-round pick.