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Seahawks To Re-Sign Ernest Jones

March 9th, 2025 at 5:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

Another high-profile linebacker has avoided free agency. Ernest Jones has worked out a new Seahawks agreement in lieu of testing his market.

This will be a three-year, $33MM pact, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. $15MM in guarantees is present, he adds. After being acquired via trade by the Seahawks, Jones will now remain a key member of their defense for the foreseeable future.

Jones was traded from the Rams to the Titans in August, setting him up to spend his walk year in Tennessee. Instead, the 2021 third-rounder wound up being dealt to Seattle ahead of the trade deadline. Jones racked up 94 tackles and an interception in 10 games upon returning to the NFC West, and talks on a long-term deal allowing him to remain in Seattle for 2025 and beyond took place.

Those discussions were temporarily paused, but it remained clear leading up to this point that a mutual interest still existed for a deal to be worked out. Now, in line with several other linebackers remaining in place before gauging their markets during the legal tampering period, an agreement has been reached. Defensive tackle Jarran Reed was re-signed earlier today, and he and Jones will remain impactful members of the front seven moving forward.

Jones underwent knee surgery following the regular season, something which may have hurt his market to an extent had he elected to speak with outside suitors. Instead, he will remain in place for a Seahawks team already aware of his health situation. Jones’ new pact will move into the top 10 in AAV for linebackers once it and the many other recent deals at the position becomes official.

The likes of Zack Baun (Eagles), Nick Bolton (Chiefs), Bobby Wagner (Commanders), Lavonte David (Buccaneers) and Jamien Sherwood (Jets) have all re-upped with their respective teams recently. Once the new league year begins later this week, few options of note will be available at the position in free agency. Jones could have used that as a means of landing a more lucrative deal, but he will continue his career in the Emerald City.

Bengals To Re-Sign OL Cody Ford

March 9th, 2025 at 4:39pm CST by Adam La Rose

Cody Ford has served in a number of capacities over the past two seasons with the Bengals. The veteran offensive lineman is set to continue doing the same.

Ford has avoided free agency by re-signing with the Bengals, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. This will be a two-year deal, he adds. Ford logged 16 appearances and nine starts last season, and he will represent a familiar face for the team at multiple O-line positions moving forward.

The former second-rounder did not develop as planned during his time with the Bills, and he started only three games during his one-year run with the Cardinals. Ford took a one-year pact worth just over $1MM to join the Bengals in 2023, and despite playing only 79 snaps that year he was retained on another (slightly more lucrative) pact. The 28-year-old’s performance from 2024 has now earned him a multi-year commitment.

Ford’s 689 snaps from last season were the second-most of his career, trailing only his rookie pact. The Oklahoma product saw most of his time at left tackle, although he also worked at the other tackle spot as well as left guard. He will be able to compete for a first-time gig on the inside this offseason or operate as an experienced swing tackle depending on how the Bengals address their O-line this spring.

Cincinnati cut Alex Cappa after three years as a full-time starter. Cordell Volson is a pending 2026 free agent, meanwhile, so the team could look to make multiple guard additions between the open market and the draft. Even if new competition for starting gigs emerge in the coming months, Ford will remain in place as (presumably) a low-cost depth option capable of stepping into a larger role as needed. .

Vikings, Aaron Jones Agree To Deal

March 9th, 2025 at 3:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

Aaron Jones will continue his Vikings stay. The veteran running back has agreed to a two-year, $20MM deal, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The move is now official, per a team announcement.

The pact includes $13MM in guarantees, nearly double what Jones took last offseason on his one-year Minnesota pact. Of that total, $11.5MM is fully guaranteed, according to OverTheCap. The longtime Packers starter was a cap casualty in advance of the team’s decision to make a long-term commitment to Josh Jacobs. That resulted in Jones making the intra-divisional move, one which proved to be fruitful.

The 30-year-old handled a career-high 255 carries during his debut Vikings season; Jones also set a new personal mark with 1,138 rushing yards. Topping 1,500 scrimmage yards for the third time in his career, the veteran demonstrated he can still be effective in leading a backfield. He will be counted on to do so again with this new agreement in place.

Jones said in January he aims to finish his career in Minnesota, and today’s news is a step in that direction. A mutual interest existed from the team to work out a new agreement, with Jones’ void date being pushed back to March 11. That decision gave the parties additional time to hammer out a contract without any dead money charges from the 2024 one coming into play.

After Jones racked up 306 touches in the regular season, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team would look to reduce his workload in the event a new deal were to be worked out. As a result, Minnesota could be in play for a modest free agent investment in the backfield or the addition of a rookie sometime in April’s draft. The Vikings only have four picks as things stand, though, so other positions could be seen as a higher priority.

Minnesota will have Jones on the books as well as Ty Chandler in the backfield. Cam Akers is a pending free agent, and if he were to depart the team would need to add depth over the course of the offseason. Regardless of what plays out on that front, Jones will be in line to remain the Vikings’ lead back.

Lions To Release Za’Darius Smith

March 9th, 2025 at 2:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

Marcus Davenport will remain in place with the Lions for next season, but the same will not be true for Za’Darius Smith. The latter will be released, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Smith began the 2024 season with the Browns, having served as a full-time starter with the team the year before. Once Aidan Hutchinson suffered a broken leg, however, adding an edge rusher became a top priority with the Lions. Smith was quickly named as the top target in Detroit’s pursuit of a stopgap, and a deal was worked out in November.

The three-time Pro Bowler was a key figure upon for the Lions upon arrival, logging a 60% snap share and recording four sacks. Hutchinson will be back for the start of next season, however, and Davenport took a one-year pact to stay in the Motor City. This move will free up $5.73MM in cap space for the Lions while not generating any dead money charges. Smith, 32, was due a $510K option bonus in September, but that will no longer be the case.

After playing out his rookie contract with the Ravens, Smith spent a total of four seasons with the Packers and Vikings. His Browns tenure was followed by a return to the NFC North, and after registering nine total sacks last season it will be interesting to see how strong of a market he has. Several veteran edge rushers have been let go recently, on the other hand, and the likes of Joey Bosa and Harold Landry are also in need of a new team this spring.

Once this move is processed, the Lions will have nearly $57MM in cap space. That will leave plenty of funds available for outside additions or moves aimed at retaining more members of a team which posted the NFC’s best regular season record in 2024. Smith played a role in that success last year, but that will not be the case in 2025.

Chiefs To Re-Sign LB Nick Bolton

March 9th, 2025 at 1:31pm CST by Adam La Rose

The top remaining linebacker in the 2025 free agent class will not reach the market. Nick Bolton has a new Chiefs agreement in place.

This will be a three-year, $45MM pact, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The deal includes $30MM guaranteed and ensures Bolton will remain a focal point on Kansas City’s defense for the foreseeable future. One major piece of offseason business has been taken care of before the start of the new league year.

Bolton checked in at No. 10 on PFR’s Top 50 Free Agent List, finding himself as the top linebacker even when Zack Baun was on track to test the market. The latter re-signed with the Eagles after his stellar Philadelphia debut, and Bolton has now landed a lucrative new contract which will keep him in place. One day before his 25th birthday, he has secured a deal which ranks fourth at the position in average annual value.

A second-round pick in 2021, Bolton has started all but four games in his career. The Missouri product entrenched himself as a productive figure right away, notching 112 tackles as a rookie. Bolton has reached triple digits twice more since then, with his 2023 campaign being limited to eight games. With six pass deflections this past campaign, he demonstrated a playmaking ability against the pass as well as his run-stopping production.

As a result, it appeared as though a departure would be necessary for Bolton to secure a notable payday. Willie Gay left in free agency last offseason (albeit on a one-year deal), and losing Bolton this spring would have dealt another blow to the second level of Kansas City’s defense. Even with Trey Smith being retained via the franchise tag, though, the Chiefs have managed to keep the two-time Super Bowl winner in the fold.

Today’s news further limits the number of inside linebackers who will be available once free agency begins. Baun and Bolton are off the market, while Bobby Wagner (Commanders) and Lavonte David (Buccaneers) have re-upped with their respective teams on one-year deals. That could help the asking price for the remaining members of what is generally viewed as an underwhelming free agent class as the rest of the LB market takes shape.

The Chiefs were among the teams which entered Sunday above the salary cap, and with Joe Thuney set to be traded at the start of the new league year multiple questions loom along the offensive line. Kansas City’s attention will no doubt increasingly turn in that direction now that Bolton’s future has been worked out.

Seahawks, DT Jarran Reed Agree To Deal

March 9th, 2025 at 1:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jarran Reed was set to reach free agency in the coming days, but that will no longer be the case. The veteran defensive tackle has a new deal in place with the Seahawks.

Team and player have agreed to a three-year contract, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The pact has a maximum value of $25MM. Reed has been with Seattle (the second time around) for the past two seasons, and his tenure there will continue as a result of this deal. Providing further details, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network adds Reed will collect $8MM in 2025, noting the base value of the deal is $22MM.

The 32-year-old began his career with the Seahawks, playing there from 2016-20. His Seattle release paved the way for a pair of one-year tenures with the Chiefs and Packers before a reunion took place. Reed took a two-year, $9MM pact to return to the Emerald City in 2023, and his performances during his second tenure with the franchise has earned him an even larger commitment.

A seven-sack season in 2023 showcased Reed’s continued ability to make an impact against the pass, although his production and playing time saw a drop this past season. The former second-rounder handled a 72% snap share upon returning to Seattle, but that figure fell to 60% in 2024. Reed still managed 4.5 sacks, 20 pressures and 45 tackles, though, and he will be counted on to remain a key contributor along the defensive front moving forward.

Seattle used a first-round pick on Byron Murphy during last year’s draft, and The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar notes the team hopes to increase his workload in 2025 (subscription required). Murphy logged a 49% snap share as a rookie, and it would come as no surprise if he were to see a jump in playing time in Year 2. Reed – whom Dugar wrote the Seahawks were interested in retaining – will nevertheless remain a starting presence with his second Seattle tenure being extended.

Seattle entered Sunday with roughly $62.5MM in cap space. This Reed deal will eat into that figure, as will a Sam Darnold contract if the team’s preferred quarterback option can be added. In any case, the Seahawks will still have funds available for other free agent additions this week.

Cardinals Re-Sign OLB Baron Browning

March 9th, 2025 at 12:58pm CST by Ely Allen

The Cardinals didn’t get to see a ton from outside linebacker Baron Browning after trading for him last year. Regardless, they brought him in for a reason and, with that in mind, they will reportedly bring him back in 2025, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The new contract is a two-year, $15MM deal that can be worth up to $19MM. The team has since announced the news.

Howard Balzer of CardsWire commented on an interesting note that the early reports of the deal fail to mention any guaranteed money. While the numbers will eventually come out, the guaranteed numbers may not be super favorable for Browning as he still has plenty to prove after a relatively down 2024 season.

Browning originally came to the NFL as a third-round pick out of Ohio State. The former five-star recruit earned plenty of starts over his first three seasons, logging 26 starts in 38 appearances. As a rookie, the Broncos played Browning exclusively as an off-ball linebacker. He was fairly average in the position, totaling 58 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a quarterback hit.

A year later, Denver moved Browning to an edge rushing role. With eight starts in 14 games at his new position, Browning tallied five sacks, eight tackles for loss, and 12 quarterback hits. In his second year at the new spot, Browning started nine of 10 game appearances, logging 4.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hits. Despite slightly lesser stats, albeit in four fewer games, Browning’s analytical evaluation improved greatly in that second year as a pass rusher, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Despite the early promise Browning showed, Denver seemed to move on from Browning last year in favor of players like Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Jonah Elliss, and Dondrea Tillman. Browning had reportedly been seeking a role as a starter that he wasn’t getting in Denver, and the Broncos were not likely to re-sign him. They opted, instead, to trade Browning midseason to the Arizona in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick.

The Cardinals followed Denver’s lead, keeping Browning as an edge rusher. Playing in the rotation, the fourth-year player logged two sacks, four tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits in eight games with Arizona. The team was intrigued by what he brought to the table and expressed interest in bringing him back. They’ve now done so, and they’ll see what he has to offer over the next two seasons.

Bills To Release DE Von Miller

March 9th, 2025 at 9:18am CST by Ely Allen

Shortly after securing their future at the pass rushing position, the Bills are moving on from a veteran at the same position. According to a joint report from NFL Network reporters Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Buffalo is releasing pass rusher Von Miller. It’s a cost-cutting move as the Bills take advantage of a potential out built into the 35-year-old’s contract.

Miller was three years into a six-year, $120MM extension, but a potential out was built in after the third year of the deal. At this point in the contract, Miller had no remaining guarantees, and the Bills are able to cut him with $15.42MM of dead money and $8.4MM in cap savings. If the team were to have designated him as a post-June 1 release, they could’ve lessened the dead money to $6.37MM, increasing the cap savings to $17.44MM, but Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports that this is just a regular, pre-June 1 release.

Though, Miller is set to turn 36 before the next regular season starts, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports that Miller “plans to play” in 2025 for his 15th year of NFL football. While multiple reports have claimed that both Buffalo and Miller are open to a reunion on a cheaper deal, Miller will have the option to explore opportunities with other contending teams now that he has been released. Miller would be in pursuit of his third Super Bowl victory.

Miller is one of the most accomplished pass rushers in NFL history. Since sacks became an official stat in 1982, Miller ranks 16th all-time with 129.5. Just eight more sacks would put him in the top 10. With three teams, he’s been a three-time first-team All-Pro, a four-time second-team All-Pro, and an eight-time Pro Bowler. He also won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2011 as the No. 2 overall pick out of Texas A&M and was a Super Bowl MVP.

It’s been a long time since many of those accolades occurred, though. In fact, they all came during his 11-year tenure in Denver. After sitting out the entire 2020 season with injury, Miller was traded midseason to the Rams, with whom he won his second Super Bowl. He hasn’t reached double-digit sacks since 2018, and he only has six total over the past two years in Buffalo, with all six coming this past season.

With that six-sack season, he was able to display that he still has the talent to be a situational pass rusher in the NFL, but he’ll likely need to lower his expectations on compensation. Miller was due to earn $17.5MM in cash this season with Buffalo, $20MM in 2026, and $30MM in 2027. With the numbers he’s put up in recent years, combined with his age and injury history, wherever Miller goes, he won’t be sniffing that kind of money.

If he truly wants to land with a contender, there are certainly options. In the AFC, the Chiefs are perennial title favorites. He could always return to Buffalo on a more favorable deal or head to the AFC North and visit the Ravens or Bengals. In the NFC, the Eagles and Lions have been powers in the last few years, and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post pointed out an intriguing connection with the Commanders. Washington’s general manager, Adam Peters, was serving as a national scout in Denver when the Broncos drafted Miller.

While he may not fetch a stellar price, Miller should have plenty of options to return to the field in 2025. His potential as a pass rusher should be enough, but the expertise he brings to the game can help mold younger, developing pass rushers, as well. While the pass rushing success of young players in Buffalo like Gregory Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa can’t be fully attributed to Miller, his presence surely didn’t hurt.

Miller joins a crowded free agent position group, though. Teams looking to grab an impact pass rusher will likely go after the likes of Josh Sweat, Khalil Mack, Malcolm Koonce, Chase Young, Haason Reddick, DeMarcus Lawrence, and others before coming to him.

Ravens To Re-Sign LT Ronnie Stanley

March 8th, 2025 at 11:25pm CST by Ely Allen

It looks like Ronnie Stanley‘s time in Baltimore is not over quite yet. Surprisingly, the Ravens were the first to announce the deal on X. Diana Russini of The Athletic quickly followed to inform us that Stanley is signing a three-year, $60MM extension with $44MM guaranteed at signing. Stanley was the fourth-ranked player on our list of the Top 50 Free Agents in 2025.

Returning Stanley to the fold is huge for the Ravens, as this is not the year to be wanting for a left tackle. In free agency, after Stanley, the top options at left tackle are now Dan Moore, Cam Robinson, and an aging Tyron Smith, who has been reportedly mulling retirement. In the draft, a concern has been raised about needing tackles as many of the graduating tackles in the draft have been seen as better fits for the interior line by many evaluators.

Another reason this is huge for Baltimore is that it helps them to avoid doing a full offseason overhaul of their offensive line for the second year in a row. Last year, the team went to work in the offseason in order to replace both starting guards (John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler) and their starting right tackle Morgan Moses.

They attempted to fill the guard spots with Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees, with their sixth-man of the offensive line Patrick Mekari filling in at right tackle. When Vorhees struggled, they shifted Mekari into the left guard spot and started rookie second-round pick Roger Rosengarten at right tackle for the rest of the season. Mekari is still currently on track for free agency, but the team has shown how much they value his versatility in the past. Even if he does leave, filling an interior lineman spot will be a much less Herculean task than if they had let Stanley walk.

This isn’t the first time the Ravens have extended Stanley, and they are likely praying that this time goes much smoother. After picking up Stanley’s fifth-year option back in 2019, the team made Stanley the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL following an All-Pro season in which Pro Football Focus graded him the second-best tackle in the league and named him the best pass blocking tackle in the NFL. The five-year, $112.8MM extension came partway through the 2020 season.

Two days later, Stanley was carted off the field with a season-ending ankle injury. The next season, after playing in the season-opener, Stanley was once again placed on injured reserve after undergoing season-ending ankle surgery. He wouldn’t return until Week 5 of the 2022 season, after having missed 29 of the 30 games since he signed his extension. After shaky seasons in 2022 and 2023, Stanley started every game last year, making his first Pro Bowl appearance since that All-Pro season in 2019.

Knowing this injury history and seeing as how Stanley is set to turn 31 before the 2025 season, Baltimore was reportedly hesitant to get to $20MM per year, according to Russini’s colleague Jeff Zrebiec. But seeing the other options, and the likely overpayment that is sure to occur for those secondary options, the Ravens will likely feel pretty good about the price they paid for their tried-and-true blindside blocker, especially as the negotiating period starting Monday was sure to bring in much higher offers. Stanley’s pact will see $44MM paid out over the first two years, per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe.

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, those other options, namely Moore and Robinson, could both command up to $15MM per year in the open market now. For tackles that PFF (subscription required) graded out as the 42nd- and 53rd-best tackles in the league, respectively, that’s a steep price to pay.

Stanley was reportedly drawing significant interest from the Patriots, Chiefs, and Commanders. With the Ravens keeping Stanley off the open market, New England, Kansas City, and Washington will likely be duking it out for the Moore, Robinson, and perhaps Jaylon Moore, who’s started 12 games for the 49ers in the four years of his rookie deal.

With Stanley putting pen to paper, the Ravens have officially checked off perhaps the biggest task on their to-do list for the offseason. Key free agents like Mekari, fullback Patrick Ricard, and cornerbacks Brandon Stephens and Tre’Davious White are set to hit the open market soon, and the team still would like to improve at the cornerback, pass rusher, and interior offensive line positions. With free agency and the draft looming, the Ravens are set up well to make a push next season in an effort to get Lamar Jackson that elusive Super Bowl with his blindside tackle beside him.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/8/25

March 8th, 2025 at 10:23pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

New York Giants

Ferguson’s new pact is four years in length, per a team announcement. The eight-year veteran has spent his entire career with the Bills, and his Buffalo tenure will continue for the foreseeable future. Ferguson, 30, has only missed one game to date. His most recent pacts have averaged between $1.08MM and $1.33MM per year, and that will no doubt be the range for this latest one.

Darren Waller‘s retirement created an opening at the tight end spot for the Giants. Manhertz did not operate as a key pass-catcher, but the veteran served as a blocker as he has at other spots during his career. After playing in a rotational capacity on offense and chipping in on special teams, the 32-year-old will be counted on to handle a similar workload in 2025.

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