S Justin Simmons Wants To Play In 2026
Free agent safety Justin Simmons was on multiple teams’ radars last summer, but the two-time Pro Bowler wound up sitting out the entire season. Despite that, the 32-year-old has not closed the door on his career.
“I’m still a free agent, looking to play for a contender, and we’ll see where that ends up,” Simmons said on his new podcast, The Weekly Cut.
Simmons also wanted to join a contender last season, at which point he was coming off a one-year stint in Atlanta. No deal came together for the longtime Bronco, who spent his first eight years in Denver. The ball-hawking Simmons earned second-team All-Pro honors four times as a member of the Broncos, with whom he racked up an eye-opening 71 passes defensed and 30 interceptions over 118 games. He led the NFL in picks (six) in 2022.
Simmons’ fruitful run in Denver ended when the team released him in a cost-cutting move in March 2024. While Simmons sat on the open market for five months, the Falcons gave him a fully guaranteed $7.5MM a few weeks before the season began. Pairing with fellow standout safety Jessie Bates, the 6-foot-2, 202-pound Simmons registered a 91.37% defensive snap share over 16 starts. Simmons notched seven PDs and two picks, but Pro Football Focus ranked his performance just 68th among regulars at his position.
Even though he missed a year, Simmons is among the most accomplished unsigned safeties remaining as free agency nears the three-week mark. Simmons will not approach his previous payday if he lands anywhere, though, and a deal may not materialize until next month’s draft is in the books.
Cowboys To Sign DL Jonathan Bullard
The Cowboys are adding veteran defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. Bullard has agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $2.5MM.
A third-round pick of the Bears in 2016, the 32-year-old Bullard is joining his seventh team ahead of his 11th NFL season. Bullard, also a former Cardinal, Seahawk, Falcon, Viking and Saint, has appeared in 131 games and logged 59 starts.
In signing with Dallas, Bullard will reunite with defensive line coach Marcus Dixon. The two were together in Minnesota in 2024, the lone 17-start season of Bullard’s career. Bullard posted 41 tackles and a sack that year, the last of his three seasons with the Vikings.
The 6-foot-3, 290-pounder inked a one-year deal with New Orleans last July and went on to appear in 15 games (six starts) in 2025. While Bullard played just 29.73% defensive snaps and made 26 tackles. Pro Football Focus rated his play a useful 62nd among 127 qualified interior defenders.
Bullard missed just two games in his first three seasons, but he combined to sit out 30 from 2019-22. He was far healthier over the previous three years, however, as he put together back-to-back 17-game campaigns before his 15-game stint with the Saints. The Cowboys will hope that continues in 2026. If so, Bullard could play a sizable role on a Quinnen Williams– and Kenny Clark-led defensive line that lost Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas in trades earlier this month. Along with Bullard, the Cowboys have picked up former Chargers D-lineman Otito Ogbonnia on a one-year, $3MM pact.
Colts Finalize 2026 Coaching Staff
The Colts were one of the few NFL teams to retain their head coach and all three coordinators this offseason, but they still announced a number of changes to their staff last month.
Among the new arrivals are Jeremy Bruce, Dillon Doyle, and Aditya Krishnan. Bruce will take on a defensive quality control role after eight yards at various colleges, including three different Power 5 programs. His most recent job was UNLV’s outside linebackers coach.
Doyle is the younger brother of new Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. The two overlapped for one year at Iowa, with Declan serving as an offensive assistant and Dillon playing linebacker. The younger Doyle began coaching a year ago for Central Michigan and served as an intern for the Bills last season.
Krishnan comes to Indianapolis from the Chargers, where he was the director of football research. His position, game management coordinator, is rapidly becoming a standard part of forward-thinking teams’ staffs.
The Colts also promoted three assistants who have spent the last two years in minor roles. Kalon Humphries, previously was a defensive coaching fellow, will now be the assistant defensive line coach. Diego Ortiz, who had a fellowship on the other side of the ball, will be an offensive quality control coach. He will be joined in that role by Brent Stockstill, a former defensive assistant.
Bills Could Trade Up For Edge Defender
Although the Bills have been perennial AFC contenders since 2019, a mediocre pass rush has been among the reasons they have not reached the Super Bowl. While sacks aren’t the end-all, be-all, it is notable that only one Bill (Leonard Floyd in 2023) hit double digits in a season during former head coach Sean McDermott‘s nine-year reign.
The Bills moved on from the defensive-minded McDermott after last season and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach. In his most important hire, Brady tabbed longtime NFL safety and ex-Broncos assistant Jim Leonhard as his defensive coordinator. The Bills have since added a noteworthy pass rusher in Bradley Chubb, whom they picked up on a three-year, $43.5MM agreement in free agency.
Chubb, who is replacing free agent Joey Bosa in Buffalo, may not be the only significant pass-rushing investment the team makes this offseason. With the draft a few weeks away, there is a belief general manager Brandon Beane would be willing to move up from 26th overall for an “impact edge presence,” Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom writes.
“They still don’t have enough bite up front,” one longtime executive told La Canfora.
Transitioning to a 3-4 base defense in 2026, the Bills are indeed light on edge rushers. Chubb and Greg Rousseau are the best in-house options for a defense that ranked 20th in sacks and 27th in pass rush win rate last year. Michael Hoecht is next in the outside linebacker pecking order, but it is unknown how much he will contribute next season after tearing his Achilles last November. Andre Jones and Javon Solomon round out the group, though neither has done much over a combined five NFL seasons.
The good news for the Bills is that this year’s class is heavy on edge rushers. It is the deepest position group going into the draft, according to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, who contends “edge defenders will rule the first round.” Beane may be able to upgrade even if he stays at 26, which would be ideal for a team that’s light on draft capital.
Having already traded their second-round pick to the Bears for wide receiver D.J. Moore, the Bills own seven selections and a mere two in the top 91. They also have other needs to address (interior defensive line, middle linebacker, receiver and secondary depth among them), which Beane will have to consider before potentially trading up.
RB Jeremiyah Love At Top Of Giants’ List?
Drafting running backs early in the first round is back in style. Ashton Jeanty went at No. 6 last year, and in 2023, Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs went eighth and 12th overall, respectively. This year’s draft is expected to add another name to the list. 
The running back most likely to continue this trend in 2026 is Notre Dame star Jeremiyah Love. Tennessee has been a popular projection, as both Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are in the final years of their contracts. However, as ESPN’s Jordan Reid notes, Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi came up in a Chiefs front office that prioritized premium positions with premium draft picks. Taking a running back with the No. 4 pick – especially with needs at more valuable positions – would fly in the face of that philosophy.
If the Titans pass on Love, he will likely wind up in New York, according to Reid’s colleague, Matt Miller. New Giants head coach John Harbaugh may not have such qualms about Love’s position with more of an emphasis on his game-changing talent. He consistently prioritized a strong ground game in Baltimore, though the Ravens never drafted a running back in the first-round during his tenure.
Were New York to choose him, Love would immediately have the best draft pedigree of anyone in the Giants’ running backs room. Veteran Devin Singletary currently holds that honor as a former third-round pick out of FAU. Eric Gray and Tyrone Tracy were fifth-round picks in back-to-back years for New York, in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Singletary and Gray are also set to play on the final years of their contracts. Combined with last year’s fourth-round rookie, Cam Skattebo, there are plenty of mouths to feed, but inserting Love into the room immediately would change the outlook for the current players’ roles in the room.
If running back isn’t the answer in New York, the team’s top decision makers could start the trend for another position that isn’t notoriously taken early on Day 1. Harbaugh was part of a large contingent that attended the Ohio State Pro Day on Wednesday. It was notable enough to see Harbaugh there, given he hasn’t frequented many pro days in recent years, but in Columbus, Harbaugh, team owner Chris Mara, general manager Joe Schoen, assistant general manager Brandon Brown, and player personnel director Tim McDonnell all showed up to evaluate Buckeyes, and Harbaugh was seen getting some face time with standout safety Caleb Downs, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
The highest a safety has ever been drafted was second overall in 1991, when Eric Turner‘s name was called by the Browns. Since then, only two other safeties have even been drafted in the top five picks of the draft, Sean Taylor in 2004 and Eric Berry in 2010. Downs could be the next to join that list if the Giants decide to write his name down a month from now. Harbaugh’s defenses in Baltimore almost always featured strong safety play from names like Ed Reed, Eric Weddle, and Kyle Hamilton. Downs may be just the man to upgrade Big Blue’s defensive outfield in 2026.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
NFL Mailbag: Texans, QBs, Steelers, Chiefs
In the week's edition of the PFR Mailbag, questions on the Texans' offensive line and the Steelers' QB situation are touched on. One of the draft's most intriguing prospects as well as a team with multiple Day 1 picks are also addressed.
Reynold asks:
Have the Texans done enough work on their O-line? [C.J.] Stroud should sue them for malpractice.
Well, if legal action is ever taken by Stroud, at least it won’t be for negligence. The Texans have certainly been busy trying to fix the problem up front. Here’s a quick snapshot of Houston’s moves made up front so far this offseason:
Opinions On Alabama QB Ty Simpson Widely Varied
Even without Dan Orlovsky pouring fuel on the controversial fire, opinions on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson vary widely across a spectrum from people who believe he’s QB1 over Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza to people who see him going in the third round. 27 days until the opening night of the three-day event, teams only have a short time left to determine where Simpson will fall in the 2026 NFL Draft. 
Early on in his 2025 campaign with the Crimson Tide, Simpson looked to be taking the football world by storm as a first-year starter. As the season wore on, injuries seemed to contribute to some regression in his performance, leading to some concern about both his ability and durability. Early draft projections pegged Mendoza as the only likely Day 1 passer, but the need for a quarterback helped push Simpson’s name up into first-round consideration.
One popular projection saw Simpson going to the Steelers at 21st overall. On its surface, the move made sense, setting up the inexperienced starter to sit and learn for a year behind veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is widely expected to re-sign with Pittsburgh to play once again under new head coach Mike McCarthy. According to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, though, Simpson’s lack of starting experience “will almost certainly deter Pittsburgh from picking him up in the first round.”
If Simpson slips far enough, DeFabo thinks the Steelers could reconsider, but how far he needs to fall DeFabo isn’t ready to say. Former contributor at The Athletic Mark Kaboly, now a Steelers correspondent for The Pat McAfee Show, believes Pittsburgh may be targeting a third wide receiver behind D.K. Metcalf and Michael Pittman in the first three rounds, though he doesn’t feel confident Rodgers would get much contribution from a rookie pass catcher, given his preference to target more-polished veterans.
For Simpson, though, even today, ESPN’s trio of Matt Miller, Jordan Reid, and Field Yates illustrated beautifully the array of opinions on Simpson. Asked what percentage chance Simpson has of going on Day 1, Miller answered 25%, Reid said 75%, and Yates opted for 90%. All three contributors for the network seemed to agree that, with the current draft order, no team makes sense for Simpson at their current draft position, but Reid and Yates answered with the belief that a team that is a good fit would find a way to trade back into the first round to secure his services, namely the Cardinals.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic attended Simpson’s pro day and noted that teams do like what they see. Specifically, Simpson’s intangible qualities seem to be a big selling point with some commenting that Simpson could eventually coach after his career as a player ends. His pro comps to two 26-year-olds even highlight his lack of experience and uncertain draft stock. He’s been comped to Bo Nix, a new starter in the NFL, and Brock Purdy, who was drafted 250 picks later than Nix was in their respective drafts.
Whatever the case, Simpson will almost certainly find his way to the NFL within the next 30 days. It will be fascinating to see what further developments alter opinions on the 23-year-old leading up to the draft.
Pro Football Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 3/27/26
Pro Football Rumors' Sam Robinson will be holding a live chat at 3pm Central today, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!
NFLPA Executive Director Search Details, 18-Game Stance
Following the messy departure of the NFL Players Association’s former executive director, the players’ union leaders have opted for full transparency. Earlier this week NFLPA president Jalen Reeves-Maybin penned a rundown of the events leading from Lloyd Howell‘s exit to the return of J.C. Tretter. 
Reeves-Maybin detailed the association’s diligent search processes, first for a search firm and then for executive director candidates. The Executive Committee and Reeves-Maybin looked at eight search firms, holding calls to determine which offered the most to the process. Four were chosen to move on to virtual interviews, then Reeves-Maybin and the committee chose between a final two, landing on TurnkeyZRG.
TurnkeyZRG then embarked on a search that would not directly involve members of the Executive Committee, instead giving updates to and taking input and direction from a designated Search Committee made up of NFLPA members who were not involved in the executive director search that led to Howell’s election. They designed the search after getting answers to a nine-question interview with player representatives from all 32 teams and cast such a wide net that it included an examination of the post-NFL careers of every player drafted since 1985. The candidate pool was eventually driven down to 300 individuals and whittled down further to 32.
Those 32 candidates’ information was uploaded into a portal through which the Search Committee could view biographies, résumés, speeches, writing samples, podcasts, and interviews. They began to selectively advance and eliminate candidates by majority vote. They chose, first, to focus on external candidates, holding virtual interviews with 12 before six were brought in for in-person meetings. They then brought in two familiar candidates for in-person interviews, advancing one. Reeves-Maybin described the final group as “diverse across race, gender, professional background, and lived experience.”
The final four consisted of two external candidates, interim executive director David White, and TurnkeyZRG’s recommendation, Tretter. Having been cleared of any wrongdoing in relation to Howell or any participation in the NFLPA’s suppression of the arbiter’s collusion finding, Tretter was considered a strong candidate in the eyes of the search firm. After the first day with the final four, no candidate received enough first-place rankings to be elected. After one final day of evaluations that included mock media engagement exercises, Tretter was elected to the position “by a strong majority.”
The NFLPA now intends to move forward, past the drama and mistakes of the past regime. Tretter has wasted no time making his voice heard. In a lengthy interview with Mike Jones of The Athletic, Tretter touched on a number of topics. His journey back after stepping down and his plans for the future were front and center. His first strong stance came against the NFL’s insistence that an 18-game schedule is inevitable.
Vowing to “defend (the league’s) players and their health,” Tretter voiced his opposition, making sure to point out that the NFL can ask the union to come to the table, but the NFLPA is under no obligation to start negotiating until the end of the current collective bargaining agreement is in sight. Until then, he’ll start preparing to ensure he’s ready for that negotiation when it comes.
Buccaneers Contract Updates: Goedeke, McCollum, FA Signings
The Buccaneers restructured the contracts of right tackle Luke Goedeke and cornerback Zyon McCollum to clear up cap space for their new free agent signings.
Goedeke was due a $20.275MM roster bonus at beginning of the league year that was not guaranteed in his original contract. Tampa Bay converted it to a guaranteed roster bonus, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, which allows them to prorate the cap obligations like a signing or option bonus. This saved $16.2MM in cap space with a $4.05MM added to the remaining four years of the contract, which now has one new void year.
The Buccaneers executed a similar move with McCollum, who was due a $12.87MM roster bonus that was guaranteed and prorated across the remainder of the contract. That reduced the veteran cornerback’s 2026 cap hit by $10.3MM with increases of $2.57MM in each of the next four seasons, including two new void years.
The moves created a total of $26.5MM in 2026 cap space, allowing Tampa Bay to process its free agency signings while budgeting for their rookie class.
Here are some contract details on those new signings:
- Initially reported as a fully guaranteed deal, A’Shawn Robinson‘s $10MM contract has $9.15MM in guarantees. The remaining $850K will be paid out in the form of a per game roster bonus (via OverTheCap), giving him $50K for every game for which he is active.
- The base value of edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad‘s deal is $4MM with $2.5MM guaranteed, Wilson reports.
- The Buccaneers retained safety and special teams ace Miles Killebrew on a one-year, $1.79MM deal. According to Wilson, the agreement includes $490K in guaranteed money with a $1.3MM salary.
- Tight end Ko Kieft received $413K in guarantees on his one-year, $1.65MM deal, per Wilson. His salary is set at $1.46MM.
- New backup quarterback Jake Browning signed a one-year, $1.3MM deal with $400K guaranteed, per OverTheCap.
- Former Rams and Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom has a base value of $1.55MM with upside to $2.15MM, according to FOX Sports’ Greg Auman. His playtime incentives offer him $100k for a 40% snap share, $200k for 50%, and 300k for 60%.
- Wide receiver Sterling Shepard was a healthy scratch at the end of the 2025 season, leaving him just short of two incentives worth $125k each. The Buccaneers decided to pay out those bonuses anyway, along with an additional $250K, per Auman.