Transactions News & Rumors

Texans To Re-Sign DE Derek Barnett, LB Jake Hansen; Team To Sign WR Braxton Berrios, DB Tremon Smith

March 10th, 2025 at 9:34pm CST by Rory Parks

Derek Barnett is staying in Houston, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. After being claimed off waivers by the Texans in 2023, Barnett remained with the club via a one-year, $2MM pact last offseason and will sign a one-year, $5MM deal this year.

Barnett is now entering his age-29 season, and after serving as a primary starter on the Eagles’ defensive line earlier in his career, it appears those days are behind him. He nonetheless has earned the trust of head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke, and he saw a 38% snap share last year. That was enough to get him five sacks — his highest total since the 2020 campaign — and two fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns. He never quite justified Philadelphia’s draft investment (he was the No. 14 overall pick of the 2017 draft), but he is a valuable edge presence behind Houston’s starting tandem of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson.

The Texans have also agreed to sign WR Braxton Berrios to a one-year, $2MM contract, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Often lauded more for his return work than his receiving acumen, Berrios did not record a single catch during the six games in which he appeared in 2024 (he suffered an ACL tear in Week 7). However, he did return three kickoffs for 76 yards and seven punts for 103 yards, and he earned First Team All-Pro acclaim in 2021 for his efforts as a return specialist (he led the league with a whopping 30.4 yards-per-return average that season).

It is certainly fair to expect Berrios to get some looks as a returner for Houston. Given that Tank Dell is uncertain to suit up at all in 2025, Berrios could see action as a slot receiver as well. He has been a useful ancillary target in the past, catching 128 passes for 1,208 yards over the 2020-23 seasons, which he split between the Jets and Dolphins.

Tremon Smith, who spent the 2021-22 seasons with the Texans and the following two years with the Broncos, is returning to Houston on a two-year, $7.5MM accord, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Like Berrios, Smith could see more burn in the third phase, as he has never logged a defensive snap share above 17%. Still, he is valued for his ST work, racking up well over 300 special teams snaps in each of the last four seasons. He has clearly impressed during that time, as Pelissero notes that Smith is now the highest-paid core special teamer in the NFL.

Jake Hansen, 26, signed with Houston as a UDFA in 2022 and will return on a one-year pact for 2025, according to Wilson. Hansen will presumably reprise his role as a special teams contributor and depth linebacker.

Steelers Release DT Larry Ogunjobi, To Sign LB Malik Harrison

March 10th, 2025 at 8:49pm CST by Rory Parks

The Steelers have released defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Pittsburgh is also making an addition to its front seven by agreeing to sign linebacker Malik Harrison to a two-year, $10MM deal (via Rapoport’s NFL Media colleagues, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo).

Ogunjobi, who is entering his age-31 season, has spent his entire eight-year career in the AFC North. A third-round pick of the Browns in 2017, the Charlotte alum finished out his four-year rookie pact in Cleveland before joining the Bengals on a one-year accord in 2021. He produced a career-high seven sacks that season, and it initially looked as if he would parlay that statistical success into a three-year, $40.5MM contract with the Bears.

Unfortunately, a foot injury suffered in a playoff game with Cincinnati caused enough lingering issues to compel the Bears to nix the deal, and Ogunjobi ultimately landed with Pittsburgh on a one-year, $8MM pact. He signed a three-year, $28.75MM contract with the Steelers the following offseason, though he will not see the final year of the deal. By releasing Ogunjobi now, Pittsburgh will avoid paying out a $3MM roster bonus due on March 15 and his $4MM base salary for 2025. In all, the club willl save $7MM against the cap and will take on a $3.5MM dead money hit.

Ogunjobi has never been an advanced metrics darling, but the 48.3 overall grade he received from Pro Football Focus for his 2024 work was especially low and positioned him as the 94th-best interior DL out of 118 qualifiers. Still, with 108 starts to his name, he should be able to find a new employer seeking an established interior presence. The Steelers, who will again rely on soon-to-be 36-year-old Cameron Heyward to anchor their defensive front, will surely be on the lookout for DL help early in the draft.

The Steelers got to see Harrison more frequently than most during his first five seasons in the league. The former Ravens draftee functioned primarily as a rotational defender during his Baltimore tenure, though he did see a career-high 38% defensive snap share in 2024. Much of that work came in the latter half of the season, as Baltimore pivoted to Harrison to replace the struggling Trenton Simpson as Roquan Smith‘s primary running mate.

This is the second offseason in a row in which Pittsburgh has poached a free agent linebacker from its longtime rival. The club signed Patrick Queen last year, and now Harrison will likely operate behind Queen and 2024 third-rounder Payton Wilson. Having earned over 300 special teams snaps in each of his five pro seasons, he will likely be asked to take on a meaningful third phase role as well.

Jets Agree To Deal With S Andre Cisco

March 10th, 2025 at 8:47pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jets are in line to have a complete reset at their safety positions in 2025, and it looks like they’ll start by signing former Jaguars safety Andre Cisco. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cisco and the Jaguars have come to an agreement on a one-year, $10MM contract.

A former third-round pick out of Syracuse, Cisco made himself a key part of the Jaguars secondary as a rookie in 2021. He slowly took over the job as a starter from Andrew Wingard that season before establishing himself as a full-time starter. Cisco’s best two seasons came in 2022 and 2023, in which he started all 30 games he appeared in and racked up 15 passes defensed and seven interceptions for 136 yards and a touchdown.

In those two seasons, Cisco graded just above average, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The analytics site ranked him as the 39th-best safety out of 88 graded players in 2022 and the 34th-best out of 95 in 2023. The 2024 NFL season saw a decline in analytics and production for Cisco, as PFF ranked him the 70th-best safety of 98 players graded at the position. Statistically, he only logged one interception to go along with seven passes defensed.

New York will be willing to disregard a down year likely based on Cisco’s youth. At only 24 years old, Cisco already has 47 starts under his belt and has shown he can be effective. The Jets will hope to see that potential turn back into production in 2025. With Chuck Clark, Tony Adams, Ashtyn Davis, and Jalen Mills all hitting the free agent market from New York this offseason, Cisco immediately becomes a crucial addition to the roster.

The Jaguars, on the other hand, have already filled the vacancy left by Cisco, as they’ve reportedly reached a deal to acquire former Texans safety Eric Murray. Murray will team up with Darnell Savage and Antonio Johnson to fill out the back end of Jacksonville’s secondary.

Vikings To Bring Back CB Byron Murphy

March 10th, 2025 at 8:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The youngest of the high-end cornerbacks who entered free agency seeking a third contract, Byron Murphy has fared the best of the bunch so far. The Vikings are bringing Murphy back on a monster raise.

It will take a three-year, $66MM deal for Minnesota to retain Murphy, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport report. Murphy had been a Viking for less than $9MM per year; he has now scored a $22MM AAV after a two-year stay.

After losing Camryn Bynum to a $15MM-per-year Colts deal, the Vikings faced a quandary. Two of their other five secondary regulars — Harrison Smith, Stephon Gilmore — are considering retirement. Losing four of those five, with Josh Metellus being the only returner, would have presented a challenge for a team that relied on players executing Brian Flores’ complex defense. Hours after the Bynum defection, however, the Vikings ensured at least two of their secondary quintet will be back.

PFR’s No. 11-ranked free agent this year, Murphy played a central role in the Vikings’ climb from their woeful Ed Donatell season. Pro Football Focus ranked Murphy as a top-25 corner in 2024, as he improved in yards per target (7.2) and passer rating allowed as the closest defender (76.7) compared to his first Minnesota season. Murphy also was a turnover producer during his first Vikings contract, intercepting nine passes — including six last season — during that term. The six-pick year booked Murphy a Pro Bowl nod. He added 27 passes defensed in that span.

The former four-year Cardinals starter also has extensive slot experience, giving Flores options. Murphy is also only going into his age-27 season. That undoubtedly made the Vikings more comfortable authorizing a $22MM-per-year deal. Murphy has not only outdone the other third-contract-seeking CBs on this market; he has secured a top-five payday at the position. Even after Jaycee Horn‘s new contract is factored in, Murphy becomes the NFL’s fourth-highest-paid corner.

As it turns out, Murphy was right to bet on himself via the two-year, $17.5MM deal. It provided a prelude to a substantial raise, and he was seeking $20MM-plus on this market. The Vikings will count on the 5-foot-11 defender working as their No. 1 corner for at least two more seasons.

Saints To Re-Sign DE Chase Young

March 10th, 2025 at 8:14pm CST by Rory Parks

Although the Saints could not bring back Paulson Adebo, the other key defender they wanted to re-sign is staying. Chase Young will remain in New Orleans, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.

Young, who had signed a one-year contract in 2024, will stay a Saint on a multiyear deal. The Saints saw enough from Young to move out of the “prove-it deal” stage, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds this is a three-year, $51MM agreement. The deal can climb to $57MM based on incentives.

The size of the pact is at least partially a reflection of the fact that proven pass rushers are generally not available on the free agent market given the importance of the position. As a result, even players several tiers below the upper crust of edge defenders can get paid quite handsomely. Young, who has seemingly settled in as a productive EDGE instead of the star he was once projected to be as the No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 draft, is proof of that.

Still, he did put together a solid 2024 season, the second year in a row in which he was able to play a full (or nearly full) slate of games after appearing in just 12 total contests across the 2021-22 campaigns due to a severe knee injury that significantly altered his career trajectory. Because of a subsequent neck injury that both impacted his value at the 2023 trade deadline and again in free agency last offseason, Young joined New Orleans via a one-year accord containing much of its value in per-game roster bonuses.

He maxed out those bonuses by playing in all 17 games. While he only registered 5.5 sacks, Young topped his career high with 21 QB hits, and his 34 pressures were tied for 13th-most in the league. Those underlying numbers suggest that the soon-to-be 26-year-old could still unlock his vast potential, especially since his health woes are now further in the rearview mirror. Even if he does not reach his ceiling, though, he should provide the Saints with quality work on the edge for the next several seasons.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Dolphins To Sign G James Daniels

March 10th, 2025 at 8:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Hitting free agency after an early-season Achilles tear, James Daniels still found a decent market. Rather than accept a “prove it” deal, the three-year Steelers starter is heading to Miami on a multiyear pact.

The Dolphins are signing Daniels, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. It is a three-year, $24MM deal, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. This comes in just south of Daniels’ Steelers contract, but the seven-year veteran is coming off a major injury.

Daniels, 27, is a seven-year starter and a former second-round pick. The Bears let Daniels walk after four seasons, but as the Iowa product entered the NFL at 21, he remained a viable commodity into a second free agency period. While Daniels could have potentially rivaled where Aaron Banks went with the Packers earlier today had he stayed healthy, the Achilles tear provided a setback.

The Steelers had effectively let Daniels know ahead of time no extension was coming, but the previously durable guard had started off his contract year well. Daniels exited the Steelers’ Week 4 loss as Pro Football Focus’ top-ranked guard. While plenty of season remained, Daniels had missed just two starts from 2021-23. Daniels finished ninth in pass block win rate in 2022 and was second only to Colts dynamo Quenton Nelson in run block win rate before going down last season. Pro Football Focus ranked Daniels 33rd among guard regulars in 2023.

The Steelers have retained Isaac Seumalo in his contract year and saw Mason McCormick impress in Daniels’ place last season. The Dolphins, however, saw both their starting guards from last season — Liam Eichenberg and Robert Jones — hit the market. Jones has since committed to the Cowboys on a one-year deal. Daniels will bring considerably more experience (84 career starts) and could be vital for a team expected to lose Terron Armstead to retirement.

49ers To Release FB Kyle Juszczyk

March 10th, 2025 at 8:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

A consistent part of Kyle Shanahan‘s offense throughout the HC’s 49ers tenure, Kyle Juszczyk is reportedly out in San Francisco. The 49ers informed the veteran fullback they are cutting him, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. This had been on the radar for a bit, as the 49ers will pass on paying him a $4.1MM base salary. Juszczyk has been with the team for eight years. The 49ers will save $2.93MM by releasing him.

After playing out his rookie contract in Baltimore, the Harvard product has been a mainstay in San Francisco. He’s also been a routinely top-tier fullback, making the Pro Bowl in each of the past nine seasons and earning first- and second-team All-Pro honors in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Juszczyk is set to join the rest of the league’s best fullbacks on the open market as Baltimore’s Patrick Ricard, Denver’s Michael Burton, and Buffalo’s Reggie Gilliam all see their contracts expire this year, as well. Burton and Gilliam don’t really match the usage of Juszczyk and Ricard in 2024. Juszczyk (537) and Ricard (495) both played around 500 snaps, while the next closest pair (Alec Ingold and Hunter Luepke) didn’t reach 340.

Of the two high-usage fullbacks, Juszczyk is the far more versatile of the two. Nearly 70 percent of Ricard’s snaps were in run blocking, while Juszczyk played 239 snaps run blocking and 256 as a receiver. No fullback matched Juszczyk’s production as a receiver this year, and it could be argued that it’s been that way ever since he came into the NFL.

It difficult to see what’s on the horizon for Juszczyk. Set to enter the 2025 NFL season at 34 years old, Juszczyk is the second-oldest fullback on the market — Nick Bellore will be 36. Finding another home for Juszczyk will require finding a team that knows how to utilize a versatile fullback and wants to take on that project at his age. At this point, a reunion with the Ravens seems as likely as retirement which seems as likely as pretty much every other scenario on the table.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

Chargers Re-Sign C Bradley Bozeman, P J.K. Scott

March 10th, 2025 at 7:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the second time, Bradley Bozeman has reached an agreement to re-sign with a team. After the Panthers reupped the veteran center in 2023, he is sticking with the Chargers.

The Bolts re-signed Bozeman and punter JK Scott on Monday. Bozeman, 30, played for just $1.13MM with the Chargers last season. The Panthers had given him a raise in 2023, but after playing for the veteran minimum last season, Bozeman may not match the $6MM-per-year deal he was previously on as a Panther.

Despite Bozeman’s low-end contract, he started 17 games for the Chargers. That marked the former Raven’s second straight season of perfect attendance. Pro Football Focus was not particularly complimentary of Bozeman’s initial Chargers year, ranking him 29th among center regulars. That came after the advanced metrics website placed him 21st in 2023.

Los Angeles may not be eyeing Bozeman as a starter once again. GM Joe Hortiz said recently (via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper) that former first-round pick Zion Johnson will be tried at center this offseason. The Bolts, who had previously relocated Trey Pipkins from tackle to guard, have used Johnson as a starting guard — both LG and RG — in each of his three seasons.

Hortiz expressed confidence Johnson could make the transition, despite not playing center at Boston College, either. While Pipkins remains on Los Angeles’ roster, he profiles as a cut candidate, Popper adds. The Chargers could save $6.75MM by releasing the converted tackle, who has been with the team since 2019.

A seven-year veteran, Scott has been the Chargers’ punter for the past three seasons. The 29-year-old specialist has averaged just north of 46 yards per punt in each of the past two seasons.

Bengals To Sign RB Samaje Perine, LB Oren Burks

March 10th, 2025 at 7:53pm CST by Rory Parks

The Bengals are reuniting with a familiar face. Per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, Cincinnati has agreed to sign running back Samaje Perine, who spent part of the 2019 season and all of the 2020-22 campaigns with the team, to a two-year contract worth up to $3.8MM. The team is also making an addition to the defensive side of the ball, agreeing to sign linebacker Oren Burks to a two-year, $5MM deal (via Garafolo’s NFL Media colleague, Ian Rapoport).

Operating as a Joe Mixon understudy during his time in the Queen City, Perine proved to be a productive part of the Bengals’ offense, averaging roughly 4.4 yards per carry across the 2020-22 seasons. He eventually established himself as a trustworthy target in the passing game as well, catching 65 balls for 483 yards and five scores from 2021-22.

Perine, 29, spent the last two seasons in the AFC West. After a 2023 slate that saw the Broncos deploy him in a familiar complementary capacity (53 carries and a career-high 50 catches), the Chiefs did not give him as much action as a runner in 2024 (just 20 carries, his lowest total since 2019). He was efficient with those carries, though, averaging 4.6 yards per tote. He also caught 28 balls for 322 yards, and he should slip seamlessly back into an RB room that features Chase Brown and (for now, at least) Zack Moss.

Burks, who will turn 30 later this month, has also spent the entirety of his career as a reserve player, never starting more than five games in a season or seeing a snap share above 34%. Nonethless, Rapoport says the former Packers draftee will get the chance to start for Cincy.

Filling in for an injured Nakobe Dean during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run earlier this year, Burks tallied 25 tackles (three TFL), a sack, two QB hits, and one pass defensed across four postseason games. That showing was perhaps enough to convince the Bengals — who must be cost-conscious given the percentage of the salary cap they are devoting (or will soon devote) to Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins — to give Burks a shot at a starting gig.

This development perhaps signals that Germaine Pratt, who requested a trade last month, will be on the move.

Bills To Sign LB Michael Hoecht

March 10th, 2025 at 7:23pm CST by Rory Parks

The Bills have agreed to sign free agent linebacker Michael Hoecht, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Hoecht, who had spent his entire career with the Rams after signing with the club as a UDFA in 2020, will move across the country to continue his career.

He is also getting a nice payday, especially considering his undrafted status. According to Pelissero, Buffalo has authorized a three-year deal for the Ivy Leaguer, a deal that can max out at $24MM.

Now 27, Hoecht spent the entirety of his rookie campaign on the Rams’ taxi squad, finally getting his first taste of regular season action in 2021. By 2022, he had established himself as a regular part of Los Angeles’ defensive rotation, and he was also shifted from defensive tackle to outside linebacker to take advantage of his unique athleticism. The 6-4, 267-pound defender has frequently been asked to drop into coverage and has even lined up at slot corner from time to time.

In 2023, Hoecht became a full-time starter, starting all 17 of the Rams’ regular season games and their lone playoff contest, racking up an 85% snap share and a career-high six sacks. Pro Football Focus did not think highly of his work that season, however, grading him as the 90th-best edge defender out of 112 qualifiers. Perhaps realizing that the Brown product was better suited to a complementary role, the Rams cut his snap share to 57% in 2024 (although he did appear in all 17 games again).

The Bills, who have been busy extending their own players (including several core defenders), did release Von Miller yesterday and could use additional depth on the edge. Hoecht will provide that while also offering some schematic versatility (as detailed by The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue back in November (subscription required)).

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