Chargers Re-Sign Khalil Mack
Khalil Mack will not test free agency ahead of the 2026 season. He will instead remain in place with the Chargers for next year. 
Mack has agreed to a one-year deal with Los Angeles, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Bolts will retain at least one of their two high-profile edge rushers as a result of this news. Mack has been in place with the team since 2022. This latest re-signing is now official, per a team announcement.
Retirement was once again a talking point at the end of this past season. It was reported earlier this month, however, that Mack planned on playing in 2026. That will indeed be the case. A re-signing was mentioned as a likely scenario in this case, so today’s news comes as little surprise.
During each of his first three Chargers seasons, Mack earned a Pro Bowl nod (bringing his career total to nine). He set a new career high in sacks with 17 in 2023, and upon arrival new general manager Joe Hortiz made it a priority to keep him in the fold. Mack played on a one-year, $19MM pact in 2024, and he did the same on a deal worth $1MM less the following season. Both of those contracts were fully guaranteed.
Team and player have worked out the same arrangement this time around. This is once again a fully guaranteed accord valued at $18MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. That includes a $10MM signing bonus (h/t Over the Cap). Los Angeles will have Mack in the fold as a key figure in the pass rush department while Tuli Tuipulotu plays out the final year of his rookie contract. The latter earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2025 and if/when an extension is signed in his case, it will bring about a major raise.
Mack was limited to 12 games this past year, but he has largely remained durable during his Chargers tenure. With 11.5 sacks since 2024, expectations will remain high for at least steady production along the edge in this case. The former Defensive Player of the Year has racked up 113 career sacks, good for 28th all time. Only six active players have more, and a move into the top 25 will be within reach.
Attention will now turn to the matter of fellow Chargers edge rusher Odafe Oweh. He is currently one of the top pending free agents among pass rushers, and a first career trip to the open market looms. Hortiz has expressed a desire to retain not only Mack but Oweh as well. It will be interesting to see if he manages to do so, something which could be feasible given the Chargers’ healthy cap situation.
Ravens, QB Tyler Huntley Agree To Deal
Tyler Huntley‘s tenure in Baltimore will continue. The pending free agent quarterback has agreed to a new Ravens deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. 
This is a two-year pact. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes it has a base value of $5MM. Incentives can push Huntley’s earning potential to $11MM, per both reports. This agreement has now been made official by an announcement from his agent.
Since arriving in the NFL, Huntley has spent most of his career with Baltimore. The former undrafted free agent has made 32 combined regular and postseason appearances; 27 of them have come as a member of the Ravens across two different stints. Huntley saw time with the Browns during the 2024 offseason before retuning to Baltimore. Later that year, he departed the practice squad to sign with the Dolphins and fill in for an injured Tua Tagovailoa.
Huntley once again wound up in Cleveland this past summer, although he did not survive roster cutdowns. That resulted in a Baltimore return via a practice squad deal. The 28-year-old found himself back on a depth chart including Lamar Jackson, but free agent signing Cooper Rush was in place as well. Rush received the first opportunity to replace an injured Jackson early in the 2025 season, but Baltimore’s offense struggled mightily with him at the helm.
Huntley eventually took over, and he handled starting duties in Weeks 8 and 17. Baltimore won both of those games, and over the course of the season Huntley set new career highs in completion percentage (77.6%), yards per attempt (6.4) and passer rating (103.1). Those figures came about in large part due to a small sample size, of course, but they helped raise the Utah’s product’s value ahead of a free agent period lacking in high-end quarterback options.
Huntley could have tested the market next week. Instead, he has agreed to a deal which will extend his current Ravens tenure. Rush is on the books for 2026 as things stand, but this news points even further in the direction of a release in his case. That would leave Jackson – whose pending extension remains a key cost-saving move yet to be finalized – and Huntley atop the QB depth chart moving forward.
This agreement marks a raise from the $1.17MM Huntley made in 2025. Baltimore has other key financial decisions to make for a number of reasons, not the least of which being creating the cap space needed to finalize the Maxx Crosby trade. With plenty more work to be done, the Ravens have at least settled their quarterback setup ahead of the new league year.
49ers To Re-Sign K Eddy Pineiro
When the 49ers were desperate to find some consistent kicking last year, they took a flyer on Eddy Pineiro and the former Panthers kicker delivered with a huge season. As a result, San Francisco has moved to secure him on a long-term basis, and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the two sides have come to an agreement on a four-year, $17MM deal. The deal is said to include $10MM in guaranteed money. 
Pineiro actually started off as a soccer player growing up in Miami and signed a scholarship offer to play at FAU before running into some academic issues. He opted to play soccer at ASA College, a small juco in the area, and, at the behest of his father, eventually made his way out to Alabama for a placekicking combine with the football program. After impressing Nick Saban and earning a scholarship offer, Pineiro committed to the Crimson Tide before later decommitting and opting to stay in state with the Gators.
After going undrafted in 2018, Pineiro signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent but spent his entire rookie season on injured reserve. Over the following offseason, Chicago traded for the second-year kicker, expecting him to compete to replace Cody Parkey after the Bears’ infamous “double doink” playoff exit. Pineiro was the winner of the kicking competition and made his NFL debut kicking the whole season with Chicago, going 23-for-28 on field goals and 27-for-29 on extra point attempts.
A groin injury put Pineiro on IR again for the entire 2020 season, and he spent 2021 bouncing around. He spent bits of that year with the Colts, Commanders (then the Football Team), and Jets but only appeared in games with New York, making 8-of-8 field goal attempts and 9-0f-10 extra points. In 2022, he landed with the Panthers after an injury to Zane Gonzalez. This began a three-year stint in Carolina, seeing him play in all but two games for the Panthers over that time. Pineiro really seemed to establish himself as a franchise kicker, for his new team. At some point in his third year in Carolina, Pineiro edged into the all-time lead for career field goal percentage in NFL history. Though the record quickly slipped from his grasp, he’s been back and forth with a few active kickers ever since then.
After the Panthers neglected to re-sign Pineiro to a fourth one-year deal with the team, he signed a last-second contract with the 49ers a week into the 2025 NFL season, following the team’s dismissal of former third-round pick Jake Moody. Pineiro had his choice of a couple options after trying out for the Bills and getting interest from the Falcons, but it was San Francisco that won out. Pineiro went on to win the hearts of the 49er faithful, along with the nickname “Eddy Dinero,” and after the season came to an end, securing his future apparently became a priority for the team.
All three members of the 49ers kicking battery were on expiring contracts in 2025. San Francisco re-signed veteran long snapper Jon Weeks to an extended deal at the start of February and has now secured Pineiro for the foreseeable future. In order to bring the whole crew back in 2026, all that remains is for the 49ers to ink veteran punter Thomas Morstead to a new deal for next year, as well.
Although Pineiro remains in the all-time most accurate kicker race (he currently sits at second, behind Cameron Dicker, and remains in active competition with Dicker, Harrison Butker, Brandon Aubrey, and Chris Boswell, who round out the top five active kickers), his new contract only puts him as the 14th-highest paid kicker in the NFL in regard to annual average value ($4.25MM per year). His reported guarantee-total of $10MM is eighth-highest for a kicker contract in the NFL.
Rams Announce Retirement Of CB Darious Williams
The Rams made a major addition to their secondary by trading for Trent McDuffie this week. The unit has now suffered a loss, albeit a less impactful one, with the retirement of veteran cornerback Darious Williams.
Williams, who is about to turn 33, was entering the last year of his contract and was seen as a possible cap casualty with $7.5MM in potential savings. Instead, he will hang up his cleats after 104 games played, 69 starts and a championship ring from Super Bowl LVI in 2022. That is a strong career for an undrafted free agent, especially one who started playing college ball at a Division III school.
In fact, Williams is the only player from Marietta College to play in the NFL. He spent his freshman year with the Pioneers and transferred to UAB, where he made the team as a walk-on in 2014. He remained at the school even after the football program briefly shut down, per Greg Beachum of the Associated Press, and went on to start 18 games across the 2016 and 2017 seasons, earning a first-team All-Conference USA nod in the second.
The Ravens signed Williams as an undrafted rookie in 2018 and he made the 53-man roster with Jimmy Smith serving a suspension. He appeared in three games on special teams and was waived when Smith was eligible to return. Baltimore wanted to retain Williams, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, but the Rams swooped in and claimed him instead.
Williams only appeared in one game during his first year in Los Angeles, but he carved out a rotational role on defense and a core role on special teams. He stepped into a starting job in 2020 and was retained in 2021 on a restricted free agent tag.
Another year as a starter earned Williams a three-year, $30MM deal from the Jaguars in free agency in 2022. He started 28 games over the next two seasons and was released with one year remaining on his contract. He then returned to Los Angeles on a three-year, $22.5MM deal, of which he earned $15MM.
With McDuffie already acquired, the Rams will not need to seek a direct replacement for Williams, though they could still look to upgrade their secondary.
Williams will retire with just over $43MM in career earnings and, according to Nate Atkins of The Athletic, will now move into a new role as a father.
Packers Trade DT Colby Wooden For Colts LB Zaire Franklin
The Packers and Colts continue a busy weekend ahead of free agency as the two teams have reportedly come to an agreement to trade Green Bay defensive tackle Colby Wooden for Indianapolis linebacker Zaire Franklin, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. No picks were needed to facilitate what is simply a player for player deal that results in both teams filling a position of need. 
The motivation for the Packers is clear here. Given that off-ball linebackers are grouped into the same fifth-year option calculation as outside linebackers, first-round linebackers hardly ever see their fifth-year options picked up. This was the case with Packers’ 2022 first-round pick Quay Walker, who is bound for free agency after four years in Green Bay. The Packers evaluated well when they landed linebacker Edgerrin Cooper in the second round two years ago, but in a base 3-4 defense, they need a second solid starter at inside backer.
The Packers did not intend to let Walker go quietly. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the team made several runs in an attempt to re-sign him before free agency. The acquisition of Franklin all but guarantees that Walker is bound for the open market, though, and he’s expected to make a bit of a splash there whenever he does.
Franklin was a late bloomer for the Colts, joining the team as a seventh-round pick out of Syracuse in 2018 and not establishing himself as a full-time starter until his fifth year with the team. In his first three years in Indy, Franklin spent most of his time on special teams, though he did rotate in on defense occasionally and fill in as a spot starter. Despite his humble contributions to the stat sheet, Franklin made his presence felt in the building. An organizational favorite, he was named a team captain in his third year with the team. His reputation throughout the building in those first three years likely made him stand out in the mind of then-defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon. Now Green Bay’s new defensive coordinator, Gannon may have had a preference on who would replace Walker.
In 2021, Franklin started to see a bit more playing time while still playing second fiddle to All-Pro Shaquille Leonard and Bobby Okereke. By 2022, though, Leonard was extremely limited from offseason back surgery, and Franklin got his first opportunity to work as a full-time starter in the NFL. He made that opportunity count as he led the team in total tackles (167) and tackles for loss (12, career high).
After finishing fourth in the NFL in total tackles in his first year as a starter, Franklin finished second in league in 2023 with 179 tackles (a career high) and finally led the league in 2024 with 173. His efforts as the league-leading tackler landed him second-team All-Pro honors as he supplemented the eye-popping stat with 11 tackles for loss, a career-high 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, six passes defensed, and five forced fumbles. His numbers dropped off a bit in 2025, but even in a down statistical year, Franklin led the team in total tackles (125), adding seven tackles for loss, two sacks, and five passes defensed.
Even before he got his opportunity as a full-time starter, the Colts showed their faith in Franklin by re-signing him on a three-year, $12MM contract to keep him from free agency after his rookie contract expired. After seeing Franklin in his role as a starter for two years, the team avoided letting him play on a contract year, agreeing to extend him on a three-year, $31.26MM deal. That extended deal still has two years remaining on it. With a $6.24MM base salary and a per game active roster bonus that could total $765K for the season, he represents a $7MM cap hit for his new team in 2026. That $7MM will come off the books in Indianapolis as the team looks to create some cap space with intentions to try and hold on to pending free agents Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce, but they’ll need to add back to the linebacking corps at some point after losing Franklin.
Wooden has also been a bit of a late bloomer as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. A fourth-round pick out of Auburn in 2023, Wooden played a rotational role in his first two years with the team, appearing in 30 games over that time and not logging his first start until Week 12 of his sophomore campaign. In limited time, he was still able to make a decent impact, totaling 37 tackles, three tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, a half sack, and two batted passes. He became a full-time starter of Year 3 in Green Bay, only coming off the bench in the team’s regular season finale.
With veteran defensive tackle Neville Gallimore set to become a free agent, Wooden comes in to add some depth and starting experience to the line. USA Today’s Ryan Wood notes that Wooden was Green Bay’s best run defender on the interior line, but that doesn’t speak to much as Pro Football Focus (subscription required) still graded Wooden’s run defense quite a bit below average. Still, Wooden’s first season as a starter was generally perceived as solid, and he’s sure to continue improving as he gets more game time under his belt.
In Green Bay, Wooden’s departure means a lost starter along the defensive line, and that could be exacerbated as the team still doesn’t appear to be in a great position with outside linebacker Rashan Gary. Labeled a likely cut candidate, it seemed as though Gary’s time with the Packers had run out with a viral social media post on Gary’s account yesterday, but claims of an Instagram hack disputed the release of the veteran defender. It’s still believed, though, that Gary could be traded or released, per Rapoport. If that does happen, the Packers could be searching for pass rushing help on both the edge and the interior line.
In the end, each team scratches the other’s back a bit in this deal. The Colts are giving the Packers a capable, former All-Pro starter to replace what they’re losing at inside linebacker, and the Packers are taking some of the salary cap burden off the Colts shoulders and supplying them with some depth and starting experience along the defensive line. Both teams are far from being done making moves, but their opening action here in the leadup to free agency gives us a glimpse at their overall goals for the offseason.
Bills To Re-Sign C Connor McGovern
Re-signing veteran interior offensive lineman Connor McGovern was a huge priority for the Bills this offseason, and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the two parties reached an agreement on a new four-year, $52MM contract today to avoid free agency. A report from Ian Rapoport claiming the team was closing in on this four-year pact preempted the final news, but Schefter broke the deal with details, including a guaranteed amount on the new contract of $32MM. 
McGovern came into the NFL as a third-round pick for the Cowboys in 2019. After sitting out his entire rookie season with a torn pectoral muscle, he served as a backup behind an impressive Dallas duo in Zack Martin and Connor Williams. McGovern found eight starts in his first season of play, filling in a couple times when Martin filled in at tackle and getting the rest of his starts as Martin sat with a concussion or a calf injury. In Year 3, he returned to a backup role but stole a few starts as Williams was benched for a short time due to a tendency to commit too many penalties. McGovern earned the starting left guard job in the last year of his rookie contract and, in addition to allowing just two sacks and committing one penalty he continued to show his versatility with some spot starts replacing center Tyler Biadasz.
Off of a strong final year in Dallas, McGovern landed in Buffalo on a three-year, $22.35MM deal as the Bills looked to replace veteran left guard Rodger Saffold. Starting all 17 games, McGovern was part of an offensive unit that allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL in 2023, but individually, McGovern left plenty of room for improvement in the run game. Part of the Bills’ solution for this was a position shift.
Buffalo pursued some cost-cutting moves in 2024 and opted to release veteran center Mitch Morse, shifting McGovern inside to fill the newly vacant role. Starting 16 games at this new position, McGovern looked much more balanced with his pass-pro and run-grading duties. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he graded out as the 10th-best center in the NFL as he earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career. In his second year as a full-time center, McGovern continued to improve, grading out as PFF’s ninth-best center in 2025.
After McGovern’s Pro Bowl campaign, the team began extension discussions with him and fellow interior lineman David Edwards. As those discussions continued, it became clear to that it may end up being one or the other between McGovern and Edwards. McGovern didn’t seem confident that it was going to be him sticking around. Just a few days ago, he told The Athletic’s Tim Graham that the team hadn’t contacted him once and that the feeling in his gut was that his time with the Bills was “over and done.” In the end, though, McGovern got the deal, and the consensus opinion remains that Edwards will be bound for free agency, likely to land a bit more money than his presumed former linemate.
In what looks to be a decent crop of free agent centers this offseason, McGovern was largely seen as the No. 2 option. Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum has not reached a new deal with the team that drafted him 25th overall in 2022, despite Baltimore’s best attempts. Linderbaum is expected to set a new market at the position with some reports claiming an aim of $25MM per year, a jump of $7MM from the reigning highest-paid center Creed Humphrey‘s $18MM annual average value. Seeing where the market could’ve ended up, the Bills were smart to lock McGovern in at the time and rate that they did.
With McGovern off the market, all eyes will be on Linderbaum now. There’s a bit of a dropoff in quality after Linderbaum as Panthers center Cade Mays, Browns center Ethan Pocic, and Broncos center Lloyd Cushenberry round out the pack of free agent options at the position. The Ravens had kept an eye on McGovern in case they couldn’t hold on to Linderbaum, but McGovern cashes in here with Buffalo as the NFL’s third-highest paid center, and the Bills secure a key piece of the interior of an offensive line that has helped Buffalo see the 2024 MVP and the 2025 leader in rushing yards.
Texans To Re-Sign LB E.J. Speed
The Texans are re-signing linebacker and special teams ace E.J. Speed, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. He will receive a two-year deal worth up to $13MM with $7.5MM in guaranteed money, which includes a $4MM signing bonus.
Speed’s new contract represents a strong raise after a successful debut year in Houston. He signed for $3.5MM last offseason (via OverTheCap) and appeared in 16 games with a 44% snap share on defense and a core role on special teams. The 30-year-old was a key part of the Texans’ league-leading defense, recording a 9.6% run stop rate that ranked fifth among all linebackers with at least 150 run defense snaps, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Originally a Colts fifth-round pick in 2019, Speed earned a roster spot as a special teams ace and began to see more time on defense in 2021. He re-signed with the team on a two-year, $8MM deal in 2023 and stepped into a starting role. The following year, he played nearly every snap in 2024 and ranked second on the team and 12th in the league with 142 tackles.
Despite that, Indianapolis did not re-sign Speed for a second time last offseason. He stayed in the AFC South and landed in Houston, where he served as the No. 3 linebacker behind Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o. Speed will continue in that role in 2026 as the Texans attempt to repeat their incredible defensive performance during the 2025 season.
Speed is the third Texan to sign a new contract this week. The team re-signed offensive tackle Trent Brown and extended edge rusher Danielle Hunter on Thursday, taking care of two of their top offseason priorities. Other key pending free agents include right guard Ed Ingram and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. With more than $30MM in cap space (pending Speed’s exact contract details), Houston has enough money to pursue new contacts with both players (or any others set to hit the market), though they may also want to pursue upgrades in free agency. They also have to budget for long-term deals with Will Anderson and C.J. Stroud, who will both become eligible for an extension this offseason.
Raiders To Trade DE Maxx Crosby To Ravens For Two First-Round Picks
After speculation earlier today that the Ravens were making a push for Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, a deal has reportedly been made. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Las Vegas has agreed to send Crosby to Baltimore in exchange for the Ravens’ first-round picks for the next two years. The trade cannot be officially processed until the new league year starts next week, but the agreement appears to be in place. 
It had been reported that the Ravens were one of a few teams making a strong push for Crosby, and about half an hour ago, NFL insider Jason La Canfora relayed that the Ravens weren’t just interested here, they were “desperate for an impact (defensive) lineman.” It was actually in this post from La Canfora that it was first reported that Baltimore was willing to deal two first-round picks.
That news, by itself, was headline-worthy. A franchise notorious for the way it builds through the draft, the Ravens had never — in their short, 30-year history — traded a future first-round pick — let alone two — in exchange for a player. The closest such situation came all the back in 2003, the only other time the team gave up a future first-round pick. They gave their 2004 first-rounder to the Patriots in order to move back up into the first-round, after having taken Arizona State record-setting pass rusher Terrell Suggs at No. 10 overall, to select Cal quarterback Kyle Boller with the 19th pick that year.
This should speak volumes about how badly the Ravens felt they needed to acquire Crosby. It was only a year ago that Baltimore finished just behind Denver for the most sacks in the NFL thanks to breakout performances from veteran Kyle Van Noy and fourth-year pass rusher Odafe Oweh who combined together to take down the quarterback 22.5 times. This year, the Ravens held the third-lowest sack total in the league. Van Noy missed a couple games and Oweh was traded to Los Angeles after only five, but the two defenders’ sack total in Baltimore this year was 2.0.
Perhaps even more detrimental to the Ravens’ pass rush in 2025 was the season-ending loss of defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike. The second-team All-Pro tackle suffered a Week 2 neck injury that not only sidelined him for the remainder of the year but also put Madubuike’s long-term future in question. It’s been six months since the disruptive lineman went down, and with the team still not able to offer a positive update on the matter, reports of Baltimore’s desperation for an elite defensive lineman and today’s subsequent trade may spell out the worse for Madubuike.
With the future of the Ravens pass rush looking as dour as it ever has, what better gift could new head coach Jesse Minter be presented with than Crosby? Minter’s defense is Los Angeles last year saw much more success than Baltimore’s, even getting 7.5 sacks out of Oweh, who was sackless before getting traded. Minter also got to see Crosby up close and personal three times during his tenure as defensive coordinator for the Chargers. One has to imagine Minter had some influence on the decision to pursue the AFC West star.
Trade interest in Crosby dates all the way back to 2023. Having just signed a four-year, $94MM extension of his rookie contract, Crosby delivered a breakout season, notching 12.5 sacks and a league-leading 22 tackles for loss. During another lost season in Las Vegas, the vultures circled over Crosby around the trade deadline, but the Raiders rebuked all advances. In an effort to endorse then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce for the official job, the fiercely loyal Crosby threatened to request a trade should Pierce not be retained.
When the trade deadline rolled around the next season, and Pierce’s 2-4 start as the full head coach had the vultures circling again, the team had to fight off trade inquiries once again. In the offseason last year, trade interest once again swirled around Crosby and the Raiders, but ultimately, the team signed him to a new three-year, $106.5MM extension keeping him under contract through the 2029 NFL season. For the third trade deadline in a row, though, Vegas had to continue to deny that Crosby was available.
Things took a turn for the worse near the end of the season when, in an attempt to secure their best chance at the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Raiders shut Crosby down for the final two games of the regular season. In response to hearing his team’s decision, Crosby immediately exited the facility, and it was reported that he would evaluate his future in Vegas. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, that decision by the Raiders “soured his belief that Las Vegas was the right place for him.” Ever the loyal teammate who once had claimed hopes of finishing his career with the Raiders, Crosby did not publicize his trade requests as the Raiders muddied the waters to maintain leverage in trade negotiations, even though both sides “knew that Crosby’s future was sealed back in mid-December.”
A year after having signed his extension, Crosby finally will get traded. It had been reported that the Raiders were looking for a Micah Parsons– or Khalil Mack-level package in exchange for Crosby. In regard to Parsons, that meant two first-round picks and an impact player, while Mack was traded — along with a second- and fifth-round pick — for two firsts-, a third-, and a sixth-round pick. There were rumored contenders in Super Bowl participants Seattle and New England, but early thoughts were that the Parsons/Mack-like asking price was too high.
The Raiders didn’t feel a need to lower the price, though. They felt that, as interest in Crosby grew and the pressure to offer just a bit more continued to increase, someone would eventually meet the price they needed to hear to pull the trigger.
The Bears and Cowboys entered the fold, and it was disclosed that the Ravens joined the chase a few days later. It simply came down to the fact that Ravens were the first to breach the threshold of two first-round picks, which was apparently, all the Raiders were actually looking for. The Cowboys reportedly were only willing to offer a first- and second-round pick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, despite holding two Day 1 selections after the Parsons deal. According to Russini, the Jaguars also attempted to get in the mix, but the lack of a first-round pick this year — from the trade up to draft Travis Hunter — prevented them from putting together a competitive offer.
In exchange for finally making this trade, the Raiders have put themselves in excellent position for a reboot in 2026. They now hold the Nos. 1 and 14 picks in the upcoming draft, and according to Vincent Bonsignore of the California Post, the effects of the Crosby trade and the eventual release of quarterback Geno Smith will put Las Vegas at a league-leading approximate $127MM in cap space. With a fresh staff under newly hired head coach Klint Kubiak and all signs pointing to the arrival of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the first pick of the draft, the Raiders are as primed as they’ll ever be to make the turnaround of the century.
Raiders To Release QB Geno Smith
Geno Smith will indeed prove to be a one-and-done passer in Vegas. Barring a last-minute trade, the Raiders will release the veteran, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 
Smith’s future has been in question since Vegas secured the No. 1 pick in April’s draft. Earlier this week, signs increasingly pointed to a release taking place in the event no trade partner was found. Suitors will no doubt wait for Smith to become a free agent before making a push to acquire him.
The 35-year-old does not appear to be particularly downtrodden over today’s development, given his reaction on social media. Smith will become one of many veteran quarterbacks on the market with free agency looming. A long-term commitment would come as a surprise, but NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports multiple teams are expected to show interest in this case.
The Seahawks brought in Klint Kubiak as their offensive coordinator last offseason. That set up a potential pairing with Smith, but with Seattle bringing in Sam Darnold Smith wound up being dealt to Vegas. Immediately after the Super Bowl, Kubiak was hired by the Raiders as their new head coach. Once again, though, no time will be spent with Smith in his case. A parting of ways points even further to Vegas selecting Fernando Mendoza first overall in April.
That remains the widespread expectation, but Dianna Russini of The Athletic cautions the Raiders’ preference would be to have Mendoza sit at the beginning of his rookie campaign. If insurance for the Heisman winner is to be added, Russini points to free agency as the route GM John Spytek and Co. will take. Vegas is not lacking in cap space, so finances will not be an issue when QB options are evaluated.
Cutting Smith will yield $8MM in cap savings while generating a dead money charge of $18.5MM. He was on course to see $8MM in 2026 compensation become guaranteed on March 13, leading to the timing of this decision. Smith will join Kyler Murray and – in all likelihood – Tua Tagovailoa as starting quarterbacks released by their respective teams. Their free agent prospects will be worth watching closely once the new league year begins next week.
In 2022, Smith earned Comeback Player of the Year honors with a strong Seattle showing. The team’s Russell Wilson replacement led the NFL in completion percentage that season, and in the following year he secured a second straight Pro Bowl nod. Smith landed a new Seahawks contract in 2023, and he inked a two-year, $75MM pact upon arrival in Vegas. A less lucrative deal is no doubt coming this time around after the former second-rounder topped the league in interceptions (17) in 2025.
Offensive success proved highly difficult to come by for Vegas this past season. Kubiak and a much different coaching staff is now in place, and his ability to develop Mendoza and a core led by tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty will be critical moving forward. Smith will not be part of that effort, as his next NFL opportunity awaits.
Bears To Acquire C Garrett Bradbury From Patriots
Garrett Bradbury is heading back to the NFC North. Days after Drew Dalman‘s retirement, the Bears have a deal in place to acquire Bradbury from the Patriots, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
Chicago is sending a 2027 fifth-round pick (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter) to New England for Bradbury, who logged six seasons as the Vikings’ starting center before being cut in 2025. The former first-round pick started every game for the Patriots last season, doing so after logging 88 starts with the Vikings from 2019-24.
The 2025 offseason dispersed Dalman and Bradbury elsewhere. A four-year Falcon, Dalman signed a three-year, $42MM Bears deal. Not too long after his Vikings release, Bradbury landed in Foxborough via a two-year, $9.5MM pact. The Bears will pick up Bradbury’s $3.7MM 2026 base salary.
This trade comes after Tyler Biadasz, who visited the Bears in the wake of the Dalman retirement news, agreed to a three-year Chargers deal worth $30MM. Chicago will save quite a bit at center compared to Dalman or Biadasz, though Bradbury will likely be a downgrade from Dalman’s 2025 work.
Pro Football Focus graded Bradbury as the NFL’s No. 29 overall center last season. The Patriots voyaged to Super Bowl LX, but their O-line featured shaky stretches beyond merely Will Campbell‘s late-season struggles. Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson are certainly familiar with Bradbury from previous NFC North clashes, but it is worth wondering if the Bears will add a center option in the draft as well. Bradbury will turn 31 in June.
The Vikings gave Bradbury a three-year, $15.75MM deal in 2023; that came after then-GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did not pick up the Rick Spielman draftee’s fifth-year option. PFF has never graded Bradbury as a top-10 center, but the advanced metrics site did place him 11th in 2022. Rankings outside the top 20 have followed in the years since.
The Bears, who officially placed Dalman on the reserve/retired list today, look to be passing on a free agent market that also includes Connor McGovern, Cade Mays, Lloyd Cushenberry and Ethan Pocic. Tyler Linderbaum is PFR’s No. 1-ranked free agent, but with Biadasz potentially being too pricey for the Bears (if that is indeed the case), the four-year Ravens starter’s explosive market certainly would be.
Chicago looks set to plug Bradbury into an O-line returning starters Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright — while LT Ozzy Trapilo will spend part of the season rehabbing a patellar tendon tear — while New England will need a new center. Ben Levine’s Patriots Offseason Outlook mentioned Bradbury as a potential cut candidate. It is worth wondering if the Patriots will be in the market for a free agent upgrade soon. The Bradbury trade will also mark a reunion for Thuney and Bradbury, who played together at NC State.