RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/4/26
More teams made tender/non-tender decisions on restricted and exclusive rights free agents today. Here are the latest updates:
RFAs
Non-tendered:
- Buccaneers: S Christian Izien, RB Sean Tucker
- Commanders: K Jake Moody
- Cowboys: G Brock Hoffman
- Patriots: CB Alex Austin
Before taking a backseat to second-year safety Tykee Smith this year, Izien served as a major contributor for the Bucs secondary. In his first two years as an undrafted player out of Rutgers, Izien started 14 of 31 game appearances, logging 140 total tackles, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles. Meanwhile, Tucker made himself a bowling ball in the redzone this year, recording a team-leading seven rushing touchdowns on just 86 attempts. His 320 rushing yards were third in Tampa Bay’s running backs room behind Bucky Irving (588) and Rachaad White (572).
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Browns: TE Brenden Bates, WR Malachi Corley, LB Winston Reid, LS Rex Sunahara, K Andre Szmyt, WR Jamari Thrash
- Cowboys: CB Reddy Steward
- Lions: K Jake Bates
- Panthers: WR Jalen Coker, WR Brycen Tremayne
- Vikings: DT Jalen Redmond
While Moody seemingly continues to struggle to stay employed after getting draft in the third round three years ago, Bates and Szmyt will get another go around in Detroit and Cleveland.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/4/26
Minor NFL transactions are picking back up as we near the start of free agency with teams trying to secure any pending free agents before they hit the open market:
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: RB Chris Brooks
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: TE Quintin Morris
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on reserve/retired list: C Bradley Bozeman (story)
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: LB Cameron Goode
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: QB Connor Bazelak
- Exercised club option: P Riley Dixon
Brooks served as a third rushing option in Green Bay this year behind Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson while MarShawn Lloyd sat on injured reserve all season. It was thought that, if Lloyd had been activated off IR, one of Wilson or Brooks would’ve been the odd man out. Though Wilson got significantly more usage (125 carries for 496 rushing yards and three touchdowns) than Brooks (27 carries for 106 yards) this season, Wilson was not tendered as a restricted free agent, and Brooks agreed to a two-year deal to stay in Green Bay.
Known more for his contributions as a blocker and special teamer, Morris has made a place for himself on the roster in Duval. He appeared in 14 games for Jacksonville last year, earning five starts.
Dixon’s two-year contract had a potential out with which, if they had decided not to retain him, his release wouldn’t have created any dead cap money. The team has opted not to go that route, extending his time with the team to the full duration of the contract.
Steelers To Release TE Jonnu Smith
Once Arthur Smith left Pittsburgh, it did not take long for his favorite tight end to follow. The Steelers are releasing Jonnu Smith, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, adding him to a strong crop of free agents at his position.
The move will save $7MM against the salary cap with $3.9MM in dead money, according to OverTheCap. The Steelers currently have just over $40MM in 2026 cap space, so they did not need the money. However, with Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington still in place – and Arthur Smith now at Ohio State – Jonnu Smith became surplus to requirements in Pittsburgh, especially with a $10.9MM cap hit.
Smith, 30, arrived in Pittsburgh last offseason as part of the Jalen Ramsey–Minkah Fitzpatrick swap with the Dolphins. He signed a one-year, $12MM extension with the Steelers, but only received $9MM of that money. In 2025, he only put up 222 yards and two touchdowns on 38 catches, less than half of his production during his Pro Bowl 2024 campaign in Miami.
Smith will now join several other veteran tight ends in free agency. Teams may be cautious after a down year, but the presence of Freiermuth and Washington and the Steelers’ general offensive struggles in 2025 are mitigating factors. But Smith has never received strong blocking grades from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which could limit interest from teams looking for a secondary tight end to help in the run game.
Perhaps Los Angeles could be a landing spot. There, Smith could reunite with Mike McDaniel, his head coach in Miami who is now the Chargers’ offensive coordinator. Smith put up career numbers in his lone season under McDaniel and could serve as an experience TE2 behind 2025 rookie breakout Oronde Gadsden II.
Vikings To Release DT Jonathan Allen
Faced with a tight 2026 salary cap picture, the Vikings are making some tough roster decisions before the new league year. They are expected to release defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Minnesota will see $6.5MM in savings as a result of the move with $17.3MM in dead money, according to OverTheCap. A post-June 1 designation would increase the savings and push more dead money into 2027, but that money would not be available until that date. The Vikings are currently more than $46MM over the 2026 cap, so they will need to process the move right away to get closer to cap-compliance.
Allen, 31, was released by the Commanders last offseason after eight seasons in Washington. He signed a three-year, $60MM deal with the Vikings shortly thereafter and will now depart having seen $23.5MM of that money for just one year’s work.
Allen still had $8MM in guaranteed 2026 salary on his deal, so he will be available to sign with a new team for the veteran minimum. That will strengthen his market after two straight down years. He logged just 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 2024 and 2025 after posting at least 5.5 sacks and 10 TFLs in his previous three seasons, two of which featured Pro Bowl nods. Allen will still be one of the more proven defensive tackles in free agency, and he can be signed right away without affecting the compensatory pick formula, which further adds to his appeal.
The Vikings also released defensive tackle Javon Hargrave this week, but they have several young players ready to step up in the trenches, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. Among them are Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, though only Redmond and Rodriguez made an impact. 2025 undrafted free agent signing Elijah Williams could also push for more playing time after making the 53-man roster as a rookie, but Minnesota may still look for a more experienced DT to round out the unit.
Chiefs To Release T Jawaan Taylor
MARCH 4: The Chiefs have informed Taylor that they will release him today, per Schefter.
MARCH 2: As expected, Jawaan Taylor will be playing elsewhere in 2026. The veteran tackle will be released unless a trade partner can be found, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. 
During his three years in Kansas City, Taylor has not lived up to expectations. Signed to a four-year, $80MM free agent pact in 2023, the former Jaguar has operated as a full-time right tackle starter but continually struggled with penalties. Taylor loomed as a logical cut candidate entering this offseason, and a recent report indicated a release was likely in this case. It would certainly come as a surprise if a team were to take on the final year of his contract, so a cut should take place soon.
Taylor was due to collect a base salary of $19.5MM in 2026 while carrying a cap hit of $27.39MM. Instead, the Chiefs will free up $20MM in cap space with a release; doing so will generate a dead money charge of $7.39MM. Jaylon Moore represents an in-house replacement for Taylor in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, this Taylor cut will move Kansas City into cap compliance (although more cost-shedding move could of course be coming).
Entering his age-28 season, Taylor will offer considerable experience to his next team. With 111 appearances and starts in the NFL, he will look to remain a first-team presence when weighing his free agent options. Given the way things played out in Kansas City, however, the former second-round pick will no doubt receive a much less lucrative deal than he did during his first trip to free agency. Still, tackles at his age do not often become available, so it will be interesting to see how his market develops.
Taylor has remained consistent in terms of his PFF evaluations over the course of his career. The Florida product has has finished no better than 49th among qualifying tackles for overall grade in a season, something which took place during his rookie campaign. Significant improvement would come as a surprise at this point, but Taylor could still be viewed as a veteran capable of handling starting right tackle duties by teams in need of additions up front. A short-term agreement could allow him to line up a new gig in relatively short order.
Moore, 28, has only totaled 18 starts so far in his career. The former 49er will collect $15MM in 2026, the final year of his contract. A full-time role in the starting lineup will of course go a long way in establishing his value for next spring. After left tackle Josh Simmons was limited to eight games as a rookie, Kansas City could be in the market for depth at the position this month. In any case, the team’s setup will not include Taylor for 2026.
Cowboys Restructure Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Tyler Smith’s Contracts
PFR’s Cowboys Offseason Outlook indicated the team exited last week with the league’s worst cap situation. Dallas came into today more than $56MM over the $301.2MM salary ceiling. They are moving back toward cap compliance with some expected adjustments.
The Cowboys restructured Dak Prescott and Tyler Smith‘s contracts Wednesday, ESPN’s Field Yates and Adam Schefter tweet. These moves will create $47MM in cap space, bringing Dallas within $10MM of the 2026 cap. The team also restructured CeeDee Lamb‘s deal to clear more room, per ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. Other possible conversions are available as well. The Lamb move, expected to clear $19MM more in space, slides the Cowboys under the cap.
Dallas used a $28.29MM franchise tag to keep George Pickens off the free agent market. That sank the team deeper into the red. But Pickens is firmly in the Cowboys’ 2026 plans. As a result, contract updates are coming to make it affordable. Quinnen Williams and Osa Odighizuwa‘s deals are also on that list, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris, and a rumored Kenny Clark extension effort would reduce the 2025 trade pickup’s cap hit.
Prescott, 32, is tied to the NFL’s richest contract — a four-year, $240MM extension agreed to hours before Week 1 of the 2024 season. This move will reduce the 11th-year quarterback’s $50.52MM 2026 cap number while inflating future numbers on the through-2028 contract. Before this restructure, Prescott was already due to count more than $74MM against Dallas’ 2027 cap. Another restructure would be on tap before that point.
The Cowboys backed themselves into a corner with Prescott based on previous restructures. His no-tag clause and the void year-driven penalties that would have come in 2025 absent an extension armed the upper-crust QB with extraordinary leverage. He used it to score the $60MM-per-year extension — which still hovers well above the QB market 18 months later.
Lamb is signed through 2028 on a $34MM-AAV extension. The Cowboys have now restructured his deal twice as well. Lamb was due to count $38.24MM on Dallas’ 2026 cap and more than $41MM next year. While Lamb’s 2027 number will balloon, his 2026 figure will drop to create spending space. Smith, who signed the NFL’s most lucrative guard deal last fall ($24MM AAV), is signed through 2030. His cap number will drop from $27.5MM.
Chargers Plan To Release G Mekhi Becton
Already holding more than $84MM in cap space, the Chargers are prepared to create more soon. They are planning to release Mekhi Becton, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.
This release is not yet official, potentially as the team holds out hope for a trade, but Fowler indicates Los Angeles will move on from Becton after one season. The Super Bowl-winning guard signed a two-year, $20MM Bolts deal in 2025. This move will create $9.7MM in cap space for the AFC West club.
[RELATED: Chargers In Play To Re-Sign Khalil Mack]
Mentioned in our Chargers Offseason Outlook as a player who would likely be cut, Becton did not fare as well as he did in Philadelphia. The NFL showed some skepticism about Becton last year, with the former Jets first-rounder taking a few days before committing to the Chargers. The Bolts gave Becton just $6.49MM guaranteed at signing, with the only dead money as part of this upcoming release tied up in a signing bonus.
A timeline is in place on Becton, who is due a $2.5MM roster bonus on March 13. This will bring a resolution. The Chargers including that bonus provided some protection in case the Eagles’ 2024 RG starter could not sustain his bounce-back form. Becton was a season-long Chargers starter at RG but underwhelmed while also missing time — as part of a battered Bolts O-line — due to injury. Maladies defined Becton’s Jets tenure, with the 2020 first-round pick missing almost all of the 2021 and ’22 seasons.
The Eagles moved to Tyler Steen, whom Becton beat out for their RG job in 2024, last season. Philly is not expected to pursue a reunion with Becton once he is released, Essentiallysports.com’s Tony Pauline notes. One season remains on Steen’s rookie contract. This could give the Chargers two guard needs, with LG Zion Johnson poised to be one of the market’s top free agents next week.
Los Angeles gave Becton 14 starts last season; Pro Football Focus ranked Becton 77th out of 79 qualified guards. Set to turn 27 in April, Becton (15 regular-season Eagles starts in 2024) has time to re-route his career. But this represents a significant step back. It could lead to tepid interest in the mammoth blocker in free agency.
Becton caught the Bolts’ attention while playing on a one-year, $2.75MM Eagles deal. That pact came weeks into the 2024 free agency period, as minimal interest came for a slimmed-down Becton after he spent 2023 back on the field — at both left and right tackle for the Jets — after the two-year injury spell. It would not surprise if Becton needs another “prove it” deal to rebound after his uninspiring Chargers campaign.
This release will move the Bolts past $91MM in cap space. Though, L.A. is not expected to be aggressive in free agency this offseason. But an opportunity to bolster the roster in a competitive division awaits for Jim Harbaugh and GM Joe Hortiz.
Cardinals Intend To Release Kyler Murray
Quarterback Kyler Murray‘s time in Arizona is up. Barring a trade, the Cardinals informed Murray they will release him on the first day of the league year, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The Cardinals have hoped to pull off a Murray trade for at least several weeks, but they have had no luck finding a taker. Not only is Murray on a pricey contract, but he sat out 12 games last season with a mid-foot sprain and did not play past Week 5. It was the second significant injury during Murray’s seven-year career. The former No. 1 pick previously tore his ACL in 2022.
[RELATED: Vikings Expected To Pursue Murray As FA]
A release is the preferred outcome for Murray, who will have the freedom to choose his second NFL employer once the Cardinals officially cut him. On the other hand, it’s less than ideal for the team. Along with receiving no compensation for Murray, Arizona will take on a mammoth amount of dead money.
If Murray is not designated a post-June 1 release, the Cardinals will absorb a $54.72MM charge and lose over $2MM in cap space in 2026. A post-June 1 release would spread $77.25MM in dead money over two years (including $70.05MM in 2026). The Cardinals would also lose $17.39MM in cap space next season. The only silver lining for Arizona is that it will escape paying Murray a $19.5MM salary for 2027 that would have vested on the fifth day of the upcoming league year.
Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort was not part of the organization when Murray signed a five-year, $230MM extension in July 2022. Steve Keim was at the helm then, at which point Murray’s stock was at an all-time high. The former Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winner took home Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in his NFL debut before earning back-to-back original-ballot Pro Bowl nods from 2020-21.
The Cardinals won 11 games to break a five-year playoff drought in Murray’s third season, but the Rams leveled them in the wild-card round. While Murray’s extension came several months later, he and the organization have fallen off dramatically since then. The descent began before Murray’s Week 14 ACL tear in 2022. The Cardinals had already lost eight of their first 12 games by then. They went on to finish 4-13. Jonathan Gannon replaced Kliff Kingsbury as the Cardinals’ head coach after the season.
With Murray’s recovery dragging into November 2023, the Cardinals were 1-8 when he returned to make his first start in Week 10. Murray spent the last eight weeks of the year shaking off the rust, and the Cardinals logged their second straight four-win season to begin the Gannon era.
Murray and the Cardinals showed some signs of a rebound in 2024. In Murray’s lone 17-game season to date, the 5-foot-10, 207-pounder completed 68.8% of passes for 3,851 yards (7.1 per attempt), 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, a 93.5 passer rating and a career-best 63.4 QBR. As a runner, the mobile Murray piled up 572 yards on a lofty 7.3 per carry and scored five more TDs. The Cardinals went 8-9 with a plus-21 point differential.
Any progress the Cardinals may have made two years ago vanished during Murray’s injury-wrecked final season in their uniform. After Murray and backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett combined for a 3-14 mark, Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill retained Ossenfort but fired Gannon. Mike LaFleur is now in place as the Cardinals’ head coach. He will either work with Brissett or a different starter in his first year in charge.
Set to turn 29 in August, Murray should draw a decent amount of interest in free agency on a prove-it contract. The Vikings are rumored to have interest in Murray, but they’re just one of several teams in the market for a potential starter.
Colts Place Transition Tag On Daniel Jones
To no surprise, Colts pending free agent quarterback Daniel Jones will not reach the open market unfettered. The Colts are placing the $37.833MM transition tag on Jones, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network was among those to report.
This has been the expected outcome for at least a few days, though it will prevent the Colts from placing either the franchise or transition tag on pending free agent wide receiver Alec Pierce. Teams are only allowed to tag one player. The Colts and Pierce are progressing toward a multiyear deal. Indianapolis will have exclusive negotiating rights with Pierce until the legal tampering period opens March 9.
The 28-year-old Jones follows Jeff George (Falcons, 1996) as the second quarterback to receive the transition tag since the NFL introduced it in 1993. Unlike the franchise tag, a team that loses a transition player to an offer sheet is not entitled to any compensation. The Colts still have the right to match any offer that may come in, though, and they have until July 15 to continue working toward a multiyear agreement.
Jones, whom the Giants drafted sixth overall in 2019, has already signed one massive contract in his career. With the Giants of the belief Jones was a franchise QB, they inked him to a four-year, $160MM extension in March 2023. That wound up a regrettable decision for New York, which waived a struggling Jones in November 2024. He quickly joined the Vikings’ practice squad, but with Sam Darnold their starter then, Jones saw no game action.
The Vikings allowed Darnold to leave for Seattle in free agency last March. Jones exited for Indianapolis’ $14MM payday, but not before he turned down a richer offer from Minnesota. He believed he had a better path to playing time with the Colts than the Vikings, who were prepared to hand the reins to 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy. The Colts also have a recent first-round QB in Anthony Richardson, though his stock has dropped considerably since he went fourth in the 2023 draft. Jones had little trouble beating out Richardson to become the Colts’ starter entering last season.
While expectations were low for the Jones-led Colts at the outset of the season, they stormed to a 7-2 start before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. Jones looked like a far better player than the one who regularly underwhelmed with the Giants. With the Colts in contention for the No. 1 seed in the AFC at the time, general manager Chris Ballard traded his 2026 and ’27 first-round picks to the Jets for star cornerback Sauce Gardner. The gamble blew up in Ballard’s face during an injury-ravaged second half for the Colts.
Gardner, No. 2 corner Charvarius Ward and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner all missed significant time down the stretch. Worst of all, Jones tore his Achilles in a Week 14 loss to the AFC South rival Jaguars. That proved to be a fatal blow for the Colts, who lost their third straight game that day and did not win again.
Bringing 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of retirement to help cover for season-ending injuries to Jones and Richardson (orbital fracture) did not stop the bleeding for the Colts. Once 8-2, they closed the year on a seven-game skid and finished 8-9 for the second season in a row. Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon nonetheless retained Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen.
Although Jones is just three months removed from a serious injury, the Colts are optimistic enough about his recovery to risk a $37.833MM guarantee for next season. Richardson, who has requested a trade, and 2025 sixth-round pick Riley Leonard are the only other passers on the Colts’ roster. There is still at least some chance the Colts will lose Jones (the Vikings are reportedly interested in a reunion), which will continue to make this an interesting situation to watch.
Bears C Drew Dalman To Retire
With free agency approaching, the Bears are suddenly in need of a center. Drew Dalman has informed the team he is retiring at the age of 27, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Dalman joined the Bears on a three-year, $42MM contract in free agency last March. The fact that he is walking away from the game 12 months later comes as a shock. Dalman’s retirement could save the Bears upward of $10MM in cap room, Courtney Cronin of ESPN notes, but it’s a brutal blow to their offensive line.
Dalman started all 17 games for the NFC North champions last season. He earned a Pro Bowl nod for the first time and ranked as Pro Football Focus’ seventh-best center out of 37 qualifiers.
Dalman’s agreement with Chicago came after he spent the first four years of his career in Atlanta. The 2021 fourth-round pick from Stanford spent his rookie year as a backup and played just 68 offensive snaps in 17 games. Dalman turned into a full-time starter in his second year and never looked back. Injuries limited him to 23 games from 2023-24, including just nine in the second of those seasons. That didn’t deter Chicago from making Dalman one of the game’s highest-paid centers. Before deciding to hang up his cleats, Dalman ranked top five at his position in total value, yearly salary and guarantees ($28MM).
The Dalman signing was just part of an offseason O-line makeover for the Bears. They also acquired guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson in trades and spent a second-round pick on tackle Ozzy Trapilo. Dalman, Thuney and Jackson joined right tackle Darnell Wright as full-time starters on what PFF ranked as the league’s third-best unit in 2025. Trapilo took the starting left tackle job from Theo Benedet in Week 12, though the rookie went on to suffer a torn patellar tendon in a wild-card round win over the Packers.
After undergoing surgery, Trapilo is expected to miss a sizable chunk of next season. Between Dalman’s retirement and Trapilo’s recovery, the Bears now have serious work to do up front for the second straight offseason.
The Bears may already have a potential Dalman replacement in mind in free agent Tyler Biadasz. The former Cowboy and Commander has lined up a visit with the Bears, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. A one-time Pro Bowler, the 28-year-old has started in 84 of 92 games since the Cowboys used a fourth-rounder on him in 2020. Biadasz started in all 31 appearances with the Commanders over the previous two seasons, but they cut him on Feb. 26. PFF graded Biadasz a respectable 12th at his position last season.
Biadasz is a credible starting option on the open market, but the Ravens’ Tyler Linderbaum is the prize among pending free agent centers. While the Ravens have already made Linderbaum a market-topping offer, he is inching closer to the March 9 legal tampering period without a deal. The Bills’ Connor McGovern and the Panthers’ Cade Mays are likely next in the pecking order of unsigned centers. Any of them could land on the radar of Bears general manager Ryan Poles, who unexpectedly needs a starting center heading into the new league year.