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Panthers Re-Sign QB Andy Dalton

February 21st, 2025 at 8:58am CST by Nikhil Mehta

FEBRUARY 21: The deal is now official, and Over the Cap notes Dalton’s locked in compensation includes a $2.65MM signing bonus. Thanks to a 2027 void year, his cap charges will check in at $3.2MM and $5.85MM for the next two seasons while serving as a cost-effective backup in Carolina.

FEBRUARY 18: The Panthers have signed quarterback Andy Dalton to a two-year, $8MM extension, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal includes $6MM in fully guaranteed money with a maximum value of $10MM.

Dalton will be under contract in Carolina through the 2026 season and can continue his mentorship of former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, with whom he has a “close relationship,” according to Schefter.

Both quarterbacks earned praise from within and without the Panthers organization for how they handled the tumultuous 2024 season. Young was benched after just two games with Dalton starting Weeks 3 through 7. In that span, he completed 106 of his 159 passes for 989 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions.

The Panthers went 1-4 with Dalton under center before a car accident sidelined him in Week 8, giving Young another opportunity to start. Dalton only missed one game, but Young held onto the starting gig on a week-to-week basis. After increasingly positive pronouncements from head coach Dave Canales, Young was finally declared the full-time starter to close out the season.

The Panthers have backed Young as their starter in 2025, but the maturity and experience Dalton demonstrated last season was worth keeping around. He is entering his 15th season and will turn 38 years old in October, so this could be his last contract. With at least $6MM coming his way, Dalton’s career earnings will be at least $115MM, per OvertheCap, and could reach $120MM if he hits the maximum value of the deal.

Dalton’s extension with the Panthers will keep him from hitting free agency, where he was expected to draw interest in the backup quarterback market. The Dolphins explored trading for Dalton last September, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, and were expected to renew their pursuit if he became available in March. Instead, they will likely pivot to Marcus Mariota, provided the Commanders don’t follow the Panthers’ lead and re-sign their veteran backup.

Cowboys G Zack Martin Plans To Retire

February 20th, 2025 at 10:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the greatest interior offensive line careers is set to end. Zack Martin will follow through on retirement, informing the Cowboys he plans to walk away after 11 seasons, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports.

The decorated blocker played out a six-year extension, one adjusted after a 2023 holdout, and was set to hit free agency for the first time. Barring a course change, Martin will pass on testing the market ahead of an age-35 season. This will both strip another O-line constant from Dallas’ roster and tag the team with significant dead money.

Tabbing Martin as a key piece on an offensive line featuring fellow first-rounders Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick, the Cowboys saw him become one of the greatest players in franchise history. He earned seven first-team All-Pro honors and received nine Pro Bowl invites, placing the Notre Dame alum among the very best in NFL history for any O-line position. He was a vital piece for the Cowboys during their Tony Romo– and Dak Prescott-centered periods.

Martin signed a six-year, $84MM contract in 2018, giving the Cowboys seven years of control. As that contract term waned, Martin successfully secured the final two years guaranteed. The Cowboys caved during their top lineman’s 2023 holdout, giving him $36.85MM guaranteed. That covered the 2023 and ’24 seasons. As a result of Martin’s retirement, the Cowboys will be hit with $26.46MM in dead money.

The Cowboys were able to avoid a void years-driven cap crunch with Prescott, giving him a record-smashing extension hours before their Week 1 game. Martin’s money was set to void had he not re-signed with the team before the start of the 2025 league year. This retirement will not help, as it still represents a departure. Although the many restructures the Cowboys performed with Martin’s contract will put them in a bit of a bind thanks to this exit, he rewarded the team for over a decade. Few clubs had comparable options during Martin’s tenure.

Martin’s seven first-team All-Pro nods match Hall of Famers John Hannah and Randall McDaniel for most in NFL history among guards. Among guards to begin their careers in the 21st century, the former Fighting Irish tackle is two above anyone else in this area. Only four offensive linemen (Jim Otto, Ron Mix, Anthony Munoz, Jim Parker) are ahead of Martin in terms of first-team All-Pro placements. Of that quartet, only Munoz began his career after the 1970 merger. One of the most distinguished players on the 2010s’ All-Decade team, Martin will be a safe bet to book a Canton invite in 2030.

Last season, Martin landed on IR due to an ankle injury. The seven missed games matched the most of his career. The only seasons that did not end with a first- or second-team Martin All-Pro distinction involved season-ending injuries (2020, ’24). Beyond that, the Cowboys could bank on him elevating their offense. One of the Jerry Jones–Will McClay era’s top finds, the former No. 16 overall pick helped the Cowboys to six playoff berths. Dallas also accomplished a historically rare feat by seeing DeMarco Murray and Ezekiel Elliott win rushing titles three years apart, with Elliott adding a second crown in 2018 as well. Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle also produced 1,000-yard rushing seasons during Martin’s career, though the latter effort came partially while he was down with injury.

Last summer, Martin floated the possibility 2024 would be his last season. Although a rumor circulated earlier this month Martin was waiting for his injured ankle to heal before making a final decision, he will pass on testing the market. While Martin did quite well for himself ($111.6MM in career earnings), he joins Smith in seeing a lengthy contract prevent him from maximizing his value. Excepting Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys had done well to tie their standout performers to five- and six-year deals; Smith’s lasted eight years. But Martin is the last of the Cowboys’ Romo- and Prescott-era core blockers to depart. Frederick retired after the 2019 season, while Smith joined the Jets in free agency last year.

Dallas has identified another guard standout, installing Tyler Smith there after initially having planned for him to succeed Tyron Smith at LT. The team, which struggled to replace the elder Smith and center Tyler Biadasz last year, now must replace the most decorated O-lineman in its history.

Chargers Re-Sign DB Elijah Molden

February 20th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Being traded to the Chargers shortly before last season, Elijah Molden became one of the pieces that helped Jesse Minter‘s defense climb to No. 1. The Bolts will keep this partnership going.

Molden is staying in Los Angeles via a new three-year contract, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The second-generation NFL DB was on the verge of free agency, but the Chargers evidently made him a good enough offer to pass on the open market. The team has since announced the move.

The deal is worth $18.75MM and includes $13.5MM guaranteed, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reports. This checks in just north of the contract fellow Bolts safety Alohi Gilman signed last March, as the Chargers continue to commit resources to the safety position.

The son of former Chargers cornerback Alex Molden, Elijah arrived as a late-August trade acquisition from the Titans. The sent only a 2026 seventh-round pick for the contract-year player, who made Tennessee’s 53-man roster but did not stay long after that deadline. Molden, however, showed growth in L.A. and helped the team rebound to make the playoffs.

Seeing more time at safety, the former Titans cornerback joined Gilman and Derwin James in Minter’s three-safety looks and finished the season with a career-high three interceptions. Molden, 26, also deflected a career-best seven passes while eclipsing his previous best with 75 tackles as well. Grading him much better against the pass than the run, Pro Football Focus tabbed the former third-round pick as the No. 16 overall safety last season.

The Chargers obtained two ex-Titan DB pieces last year, signing Kristian Fulton as well. Molden had joined Fulton as a Day 2 pick during former Tennessee GM Jon Robinson‘s tenure, which was filled with lofty CB investments that did not ultimately satisfy the organization. Although Molden was a regular who saw extensive time in the slot while in Nashville, he topped out at a 68% snap share during his three seasons there. After playing 15 games with the Titans in 2023, a new coaching staff signed off on dealing him. That trade ultimately sent the 5-foot-10 defender to a team that had longer-term plans for him.

This deal comes weeks after Molden suffered a season-ending broken fibula. His absence certainly hurt in a one-sided wild-card loss to the Texans. In signing him weeks before free agency, the Chargers clearly have no concerns Molden will be ready well before next season. This deal also gives the Bolts three veteran contracts at safety, with James still the league’s second-highest-paid player at the position and Gilman having been re-signed (on a two-year, $10.13MM deal) early in Jim Harbaugh‘s tenure.

The respective free agencies of Fulton and Asante Samuel Jr. leave the Bolts with some questions to answer at corner, but they are loaded up at safety ahead of the Harbaugh-Minter combo’s second season. Molden, who joined the Chargers 23 years after his father’s two-season San Diego stay wrapped, will keep going in Minter’s system as the Bolts attempt to hold off the Broncos and mount a legitimate challenge to the Chiefs in the AFC West next season.

NFL Minor Transactions: 2/19/25

February 19th, 2025 at 7:57pm CST by Ben Levine

One minor move to pass along:

Baltimore Ravens

Keith Kirkwood spent the entire 2024 campaign on Baltimore’s practice squad, but the WR still brings plenty of experience to the roster. The former UDFA has appeared in 31 games in stints with the Saints and Panthers, hauling in 24 catches for 294 yards and three touchdowns.

Patriots Release LB Sione Takitaki

February 19th, 2025 at 3:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sione Takitaki will need to find a third team in three years. The Patriots announced Wednesday they have moved on from the 2024 free agency addition.

The former Browns draftee signed a two-year, $6.65MM deal with the Pats in 2024. Now, his release will expand the Patriots’ cap-space lead on the NFL. Cutting Takitaki will save the Patriots $2.68MM. Not that this team needed cap space, but it is now close to $130MM in available funds.

Seeing more playing time in Cleveland, Takitaki had rejoined Eliot Wolf in Foxborough. Wolf was still with the Browns when then-GM John Dorsey drafted Takitaki in the 2019 third round. Takitaki re-signed in Cleveland in 2023 but moved on last year, finding another short-term payday with the Patriots. His usage rate dropped, however, and checked in at 27% (194 snaps) on defense.

Takitaki, 29, saw an ACL tear end his initial Cleveland contract year in December 2022. While he was back on the field by Week 1 of the 2023 season, more injury issues intervened in New England. Takitaki began the season on the Pats’ reserve/PUP list, missing the first five games and then missing another contest in Week 7. A knee scope required the additional rehab time. Takitaki never gained a regular starting role, being a first-stringer in four games and clearing a 40% snap rate just twice last season.

New England, which saw its defense decline considerably after decades near the top of the league under Bill Belichick, has a host of issues to address in the offseason. The team has a historic amount of cap space, potentially more in light of Wednesday’s news the salary ceiling will check in around $280MM, but plenty of need areas. Ja’Whaun Bentley still leads the way at linebacker for the Pats, but he is coming off a season-ending injury. Jahlani Tavai led the Pats in LB snaps last season, logging 916. Tavai was among the many Wolf extension recipients last year, signing his new deal several weeks after Takitaki joined the team. Mike Vrabel can be expected to address his former position soon, however.

While Takitaki’s knee trouble provided a line of demarcation for him, he has earned more than $10MM during a six-year career. The Browns used the BYU alum as a 36-game starter from 2019-23. Takitaki notched a pick-six in 2020 and intercepted Ben Roethlisberger during the final stages of the Browns’ wild-card upset win in Pittsburgh. As a vested veteran, Takitaki passes straight to free agency.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 2/18/25

February 18th, 2025 at 8:24pm CST by Ely Allen

Tuesday’s free agent tender decisions:

ERFAs

Tendered:

The 49ers made the decision today to tender all of their exclusive rights free agents today. The move restricts the seven players from negotiating with other teams. The players will have the choice to accept the offer and play for the 49ers or not play football in 2025.

San Francisco also has two restricted free agents: linebacker Curtis Robinson and running back Jordan Mason. It is yet to be seen what the team will do with those players who, if tendered, would be allowed to negotiate with other teams but would have to give the 49ers the chance to match any offer.

Minor NFL Transactions: 2/18/25

February 18th, 2025 at 7:37pm CST by Ely Allen

We had a number of minor moves today in the NFL:

Cleveland Browns

Las Vegas Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Bengals Extend P Ryan Rehkow

February 18th, 2025 at 10:33am CST by Adam La Rose

For 14 years, Kevin Huber handled punting duties in Cincinnati. The team found a new contributor at the position in 2024, and he appears set to operate as Huber’s long-term successor.

The Bengals announced on Tuesday that Ryan Rehkow has signed a two-year extension. As a result, he is on the books through 2026 and will avoid ERFA status this offseason. The former undrafted free agent proved to be the team’s top option throughout his rookie season after winning out a competition with Brad Robbins.

The latter handled punting duties in 2023, the first season after Huber’s retirement. Robbins, selected in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, began this past campaign on IR but was among the players slated as designated for return during roster cutdowns. He returned to the active roster in September, but by that point Rehkow had cemented his status as the Bengals’ preferred choice. As a result, Robbins was waived immediately after his activation.

Rehkow grossed 49.1 yards per punt on average, with a net of 43.3. Both figures represented franchise records, and over 47% of the BYU product’s punts landed inside the opposition’s 20-yard line. As a result of that performance, today’s news comes as little surprise.

At the age of 26, Rehkow has the potential to serve as the Bengals’ punter well into the foreseeable future. After he earned $795K during his rookie campaign, a modest raise is likely coming his way as a result of his new pact.

Jaguars Sign QB John Wolford

February 17th, 2025 at 8:16pm CST by Ben Levine

It didn’t take long for the new Jaguars regime to start adding to their roster. The team announced today that they’ve signed quarterback John Wolford and wide receiver Louis Rees-Zammit. Both players were signed to the active roster, which is a more significant commitment than the standard reserve/futures contracts you see at this time of year.

Wolford has bounced around the NFL since going undrafted out of Wake Forest in 2018. Following stints with the Jets and in the AAF, the QB seemingly found a home with the Rams, where he spent several years serving as a backup to Jared Goff and later Matthew Stafford.

Wolford ultimately spent four years with the organization, going 2-2 in his four starts. In seven total appearances with the Rams, the QB completed 58.7 percent of his passes for 626 yards, one touchdown, and five interceptions. He also added another 87 yards on 16 carries.

The 29-year-old could be part of Jacksonville’s solution behind Trevor Lawrence in 2025. Mac Jones filled in admirably in 2024, but the former first-round pick is set to hit free agency. C.J. Beathard also has an expiring contract, so it could be a new-look QBs room for the Jaguars next year.

A former rugby union player, Rees-Zammit got his NFL start with the Chiefs last offseason. He later caught on with the Jaguars’ practice squad, where he spent the majority of his rookie campaign.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 2/17/25

February 17th, 2025 at 7:30pm CST by Ben Levine

One reserve/futures deal to pass along:

Houston Texans

Interestingly, the Texans gave Tucker Addington some extra cash to join their offseason roster. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that the long snapper got $10K in bonus money for putting pen to paper. The Sam Houston State has bounced around the NFL a bit during his career, getting into 10 games in stints with the Patriots, Commanders, and Dolphins.

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