OLB Bradley Chubb To Join Bills
Designated a post-June 1 cut by the Dolphins, Bradley Chubb intends to join one of their rivals. The Bills are bringing in the former top-five pick, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Chubb is signing a three-year, $43.5MM contract with Buffalo. Of that total, $29MM is guaranteed. The deal can max out at $52.5MM. This signing could point Joey Bosa out of Buffalo, but with a new defensive system being implemented, the Bills are making changes to that unit early in free agency.
Miami officially designated Chubb a post-June 1 release, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. This long-rumored cut will create $20.23MM in cap space for a Dolphins team that made history with its other post-June 1 designation today. Tua Tagovailoa‘s release will tag Miami with an NFL-record $99.2MM in dead cap. That money will be spread over two years, but it still smashes the record Russell Wilson‘s Broncos release set in 2024.
Long deploying a 4-3 defense, the Bills are switching to a 3-4 scheme under new DC Jim Leonhard. Chubb is a career-long 3-4 outside linebacker, beginning in that role with the Broncos and moving to the Dolphins via a blockbuster 2022 trade. The former Denver Von Miller sidekick has battled major injuries — two ACL tears — during his time as a pro, but he bounced back with a healthy 2025 season. Still, the Dolphins’ new regime moved on.
Drafted two spots before Josh Allen in the 2018 first round, Chubb pursued the rookie-year sack record and reached 12 alongside Miller that year in Denver. He missed most of the 2019 season with an ACL tear and battled more injury trouble in 2021, seeing Denver unload him at the ’22 deadline. Chubb signed a Dolphins extension in 2022 but suffered a second ACL tear late in the ’23 season and missed all of 2024. This led to a reworked deal in 2025.
Returning to play his age-29 season last year, Chubb started in all 17 of the Dolphins’ games and recorded quality counting stats. Chubb finished the campaign with 47 tackles (eight TFL), 20 QB hits and 8.5 sacks. On the other hand, Pro Football Focus was unimpressed with the two-time Pro Bowler, whom it ranked 103rd among 119 qualifying edge rushers.
With Bosa and A.J. Epenesa among their free agents, it was obvious the Bills would need to add at least one established edge rusher this offseason. Those two combined for 1,000 defensive snaps and 7.5 sacks in 2025. Bosa led the league with five forced fumbles, though his impact dropped off to a noticeable degree as the season progressed.
The Bills were involved in the free agency sweepstakes for Trey Hendrickson, but he agreed to a four-year, $112MM deal with the Ravens on Wednesday. They also factored into the initial round of trade talks for Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. While Crosby could become available again after the Ravens backed out of a trade with the Raiders, the Chubb signing may take the Bills out of the running.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
Lions Release DE Josh Paschal
After missing the 2025 season through injury, Josh Paschal will not return to the Lions. The fifth-year defensive end has been released, per a team announcement.
Paschal, 26, was a second-round pick in 2022. He missed at least three games in each of his first three season and did not play at all in 2025 due to offseason back surgery. He spent the year on the non-football injury list and his contract tolled as a result, which would have allowed the Lions to keep him in 2026 for the final year of his rookie deal.
Instead, they will let him hit the open market, where he will likely need to take a one-year, ‘prove-it’ deal to rebuild his stock after so many injuries. The 275-pound defensive end is a decent run-stopper but has not made a consistent contribution in the pass rush. He recorded five tackles for loss in 2023 and 2024 but just five sacks in his career. His pass rush win rate, which started at a solid 8.6% as a rookie, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), fell below 6.0% in each of the next two years.
The Lions will need to add some depth off the edge with Marcus Davenport and Al-Quadin Muhammad also hitting free agency. The team currently lacks a clear starter opposite Aidan Hutchinson, but the ranks of available defensive ends has thinned in the last two days.
Falcons Release QB Kirk Cousins
New Falcons GM Ian Cunningham recently confirmed Kirk Cousins would be released at the start of the new league year. With that checkpoint having been reached this afternoon, Cousins is indeed a free agent. 
The Pro Bowl quarterback has been cut, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms. Cousins’ Atlanta run ends halfway through the four-year, $160MM pact he signed in free agency. A much less lucrative deal will await this time around. This is coming through a post-June 1 designation, per a team announcement. $2.1MM in cap savings will be generated with the Falcons taking on $22.5MM in dead money charges which can be spread out over the next two years.
Atlanta is set to move forward with Michael Penix Jr. at the quarterback spot. The team has also lined up a deal with Tua Tagovailoa, and the ex-Dolphin will operate as a highly inexpensive option under center. It has long been clear Cousins, 37, would be moving on from the Falcons this offseason. His attention will now turn to free agency, although a number of QB spots have already been filled at this point.
Cousins has been mentioned as a candidate to return to Minnesota. Over six years with the Vikings, he largely delivered strong play up to the Achilles tear which ended his 2023 campaign. Kyler Murray has also been released today, however, and Minnesota is widely regarded as the top landing spot in that case.
As a result, Cousins may soon be joining a fourth career team. The former fourth-round pick is likely to line up yet another short-term deal during the latter stages of his career. Pittsburgh was recently named as a potential suitor in this case. That would make sense in the event Aaron Rodgers – whose intentions are not yet known – decides not to play in 2026. The Steelers would be left as one of the few teams without a veteran starter in that instance.
Another team to watch in this case could be the Raiders. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports Vegas can be expected to pursue a Cousins agreement. Geno Smith has been traded to the Jets, leaving the Raiders without an experienced passer. Fernando Mendoza remains on track to be selected first overall in April’s draft. If Vegas prefers to have him sit at the start of his career, adding someone like Cousins could prove to be a prudent move.
Cousins struggled when atop the Falcons’ depth chart in 2024. He was benched in favor of Penix late that season. Cousins then won five of his eight starts during this past campaign, throwing 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. He will likely be counted on as a bridge starter once more, depending on the QB situation he enters with his next deal.
Jets To Sign G Dylan Parham
The Jets are signing former Raiders guard Dylan Parham, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. He will secure a a two-year deal worth up to $20MM.
The Jets have been heavily active this week, but this is their first offensive line addition. With guards John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker set to reach free agency, it was known the Jets would have to make at least one move up front.
Simpson (Ravens) and Vera-Tucker (Patriots) left, paving the way for Parham to join the Jets’ line. He will reunite with reacquired Jets quarterback Geno Smith, who was the Raiders’ signal-caller last season.
A third-round pick in 2022, Parham was a starter for the Raiders for his entire four-year rookie contract. The 332-pound Memphis product was durable in Las Vegas. He played 17 games in each of his first two years before putting together back-to-back 15-game campaigns from 2024-25.
Parham logged significant action at both guard positions during his tenure in Las Vegas. He took all 843 of his snaps at left guard last season. Pro Football Focus ranked the 26-year-old’s play a solid 37th among 79 qualifying guards. Parham is expected to remain on the left side in New York, per Connor Hughes of SNY.
With Parham joining the fold, the Jets may already have next season’s starting line in place. They at least have a capable Parham-Joe Tippmann guard tandem and two cornerstone tackles in Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou. There may be room to upgrade on center Josh Myers, though the Jets inked him to a two-year, $11MM extension in December.
Vikings Release S Harrison Smith
With the new league year beginning today, the Vikings are making a number of financial moves. One of them will be a post-June 1 release of safety Harrison Smith, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reports. 
Smith’s contract was set to void on Friday, so a decision on this front needed to be made in short order. As Seifert notes, this is not a guarantee Smith will be retiring. Minnesota remains open to retaining the franchise icon on a new deal provided he elects to continue playing.
The Smith release has now taken place, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He confirms, to little surprise, team and player remain in communication with one another at this point. Attention will now turn to the matter of Smith’s intentions. Retirement received consideration last offseason before a one-year pact was agreed to.
Minnesota will see $1.3MM in cap savings with this move. Meanwhile, a dead money charge of $3MM can be spread out across the next two years. That figure is separate from the cost of any potential Smith contract if he chooses to play a 15th season. If not, the Vikings will have a notable vacancy to fill in more respects than one.
Smith has collected six Pro Bowl nods during his decorated career. He is currently fifth in franchise history for games played. A move into third would be possible in the event a new deal is worked out. Losing Smith, 37, to retirement would mark a second straight notable departure for the Vikings (after Camryn Bynum departed in free agency in 2025). Smith handled a snap share of 85% this past season.
The Vikings have already confirmed their defensive line will look much different with the releases of Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen. New faces in the secondary can also be expected for 2026, especially if Smith does not return.
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.