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Chauncey Golston

NFC Contract Details: Golston, Giants, Bucs, Cowboys, Cards, Panthers, Seahawks, Eagles

March 25th, 2025 at 2:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are more contract details from some recently agreed-upon contracts around the NFC in free agency:

  • Poona Ford, DT (Rams). Three years, $27.6MM. While not quite as high as the $30MM initial report, Ford’s contract includes $15.6MM guaranteed at signing, via OverTheCap. This comes after Ford played the 2024 season for $1.79MM in total. The Rams guaranteed $3.75MM of Ford’s $5MM 2026 base salary at signing. If on Los Angeles’ roster by Day 5 of the ’26 league year, Ford will see the other $1.5MM lock in. If the 29-year-old DT is still on L.A.’s roster on Day 3 of the 2027 league year, a $2.25MM roster bonus is due.
  • Chauncey Golston, DE (Giants). Three years, $18MM. This is slightly less than initially reported, but The Athletic’s Dan Duggan indicates it comes with $12MM fully guaranteed. The Giants guaranteed Golston’s 2025 and ’26 money.
  • Baron Browning, LB (Cardinals). Two years, $15MM. Receiving $10MM guaranteed at signing, Browning will see part of his 2026 base salary guaranteed. $2MM of the trade pickup’s $4.39MM 2026 base is locked in at signing, per Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer, who adds a $2MM roster bonus is due on Day 5 of the 2026 league year. The bonus is not guaranteed at signing. If Browning reaches eight sacks in 2025, his 2026 base salary increases by $2MM. Five sacks represents Browning’s highwater mark thus far.
  • Patrick Jones, LB (Panthers). Two years, $15MM. This is down from the initial report as well, but the ex-Vikings rotational rusher will see $10.25MM guaranteed, The Athletic’s Joe Person tweets. Another $4MM is available via performance-based incentives, per OverTheCap.
  • Evan Brown, G (Cardinals). Two years, $11.44MM. The Cardinals are guaranteeing Brown $6MM at signing, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. If the veteran interior O-lineman is on Arizona’s roster by Day 5 of the 2026 league year, he is due a $500K roster bonus.
  • Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB (Cardinals). Two years, $10MM. Arizona is guaranteeing Davis-Gaither $5MM at signing, Wilson tweets. The veteran linebacker’s $4.39MM 2026 base salary is nonguaranteed, giving the Cardinals an out after one year.
  • Anthony Nelson, LB (Buccaneers). Two years, $10MM. The Bucs guaranteed Nelson $5.5MM to re-sign, Wilson tweets. Tampa Bay included a $500K roster bonus due on Day 5 of the 2026 league year.
  • Markquese Bell, S/LB (Cowboys). Three years, $9MM. Bell will be guaranteed $6.2MM at signing, Wilson adds; this covers the young defender’s signing bonus and 2025 and ’26 base salaries.
  • Jamie Gillan, P (Giants). Three years, $9MM. Down a bit from initial reports, Gillan’s deal includes $4MM guaranteed, Duggan adds. The deal includes $1.2MM via incentives.
  • Solomon Thomas, DL (Cowboys). Two years, $6MM. The Cowboys guaranteed the former No. 3 overall pick $3MM, Wilson tweets. That covers a signing bonus and his 2025 base salary. An additional $2MM is available through playing time- and sack-based incentives.
  • Josh Jones, OL (Seahawks). One year, $4MM. Jones will see $3MM guaranteed at signing, per OverTheCap. This is up from his $665K guarantee with the Ravens last year.
  • Jimmy Garoppolo, QB (Rams). One year, $3MM. The Rams secured Garoppolo for a second season, doing so despite authorizing a pay cut. Garoppolo played out a one-year, $3.19MM deal in 2024. Like in 2024, Garoppolo’s deal is fully guaranteed.
  • Josh Uche, DE (Eagles). One year, $1.92MM. The Eagles guaranteed Uche $1.25MM, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane tweets. $500K in sack-based incentives are available. Uche played for $3MM in 2024. Despite this low-value deal, Philly included four void years.

Giants To Sign DE Chauncey Golston

March 10th, 2025 at 10:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants are staying busy to close out Day 1 of free agency. Hours after bringing in Roy Robertson-Harris, the team is adding Chauncey Golston.

An ex-Cowboys front-seven piece, Golston is making in intra-NFC East move by agreeing to a three-year, $19.5MM deal with the Giants, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. Two-thirds of Golston’s deal is fully guaranteed, the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins tweets.

Formerly a third-round pick out of Iowa, Golston has spent his entire career with Dallas. A starter path did not emerge for the versatile D-lineman until last season, when he lined up as a first-stringer in 13 games. A Cowboys team that lost DeMarcus Lawrence needed Golston more, and he accumulated 5.5 sacks and eight QB hits.

Golston does not present a flashy resume, starting only three games before 2024 and never eclipsing 1.5 sacks before last season either. Going into his age-27 season, Golston does bring experience at both D-end and D-tackle in Dallas’ 4-3 scheme. Playing more on the edge in 2024, Golston may end up an Azeez Ojulari replacement as a third rusher behind Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Though, a D-end role in the Giants’ 3-4 look would open up a starting spot for a player guaranteed two full seasons.

Ojulari has not yet relocated, but that has long been expected. This addition would seem to further point the four-year contributor out the door. As for Dallas, Lawrence has said he hopes to re-sign with the Cowboys; he is coming off a Lisfranc injury that ended his season before the midway point. The Cowboys also have Sam Williams coming off an ACL tear. Williams may be asked to pick up the slack, as he was last year following the Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler exits, but it appears the team is in need for more help alongside Micah Parsons.

NFC Notes: Carr, Horn, Kupp, Cowboys, Okereke

March 8th, 2025 at 11:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

Derek Carr‘s contract will be restructured for the second straight offseason, ensuring he remains with the Saints for at least one more year. The veteran quarterback’s future had been in question until the news of his pact being reworked.

General Mickey Loomis said keeping Carr in place was the team’s plan, so it comes as no surprise he will play a third season in New Orleans. The four-time Pro Bowler apparently would have welcomed a change of scenery, though. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Carr was believed to be willing to head elsewhere this offseason by joining a QB-needy team. The Saints, however, never showed a desire to move forward with a trade or release.

Carr made it clear before a final decision on his future was made that he would not welcome a pay cut. His $40MM in 2025 compensation will (to a large extent) now be paid out as a signing bonus, but it was already guaranteed under the pact’s previous setup. Trading or cutting their QB1 would therefore have not been feasible for the Saints, but it is still noteworthy Carr would have been on board with a fresh start after two years with the team.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC:

  • Extension talks are ongoing between the Panthers and Jaycee Horn. When healthy, the former No. 8 pick has proven to be an effective cornerback but injuries in 2021 and ’23 threaten to hurt his leverage. In spite of his missed time, Joe Person of The Athletic writes Horn is believed to be seeking a deal near the top of the position’s market (subscription required). Five corners are attached to an AAV of $20.1MM or more, and Jalen Ramsey leads the way at $24.1MM per year. That figure could very well be overtaken once Sauce Gardner (Jets) and Derek Stingley (Texans) have extensions in place, but Horn, 25, may not slot in very far behind them.
  • Cooper Kupp is known to be on the trade market, with the Rams making clear their intention of moving on from the eight-year veteran. The team is prepared to retain salary to swing a deal, and general manager Les Snead hopes to have one in place by next week (when the 31-year-old’s roster bonus is due). In his first interview since learning of the team’s choice to move on, Kupp said (via Sam Farmer of the L.A. Times) head coach Sean McVay informed him of the move during a face-to-face meting in his office. McVay has left the door (slightly) open to a return with his recent comments, but Kupp has moved forward knowing he will be playing elsewhere in 2025.
  • Brandin Cooks is one of many veteran receivers set to hit the market next week. The 31-year-old has spent the past two seasons with the Cowboys, and in an interview with The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson he said he is open to re-signing. Cooks – who missed seven games in 2024 – added he is fully healthy, and Anderson writes there could be interest from multiple teams. While a return to Dallas is firmly in play, Cooks said he feels he has not been utilized correctly during his time there so far. The 11-year veteran played out a two-year, $20MM deal with the Cowboys.
  • Bobby Okereke‘s second season with the Giants was limited to 12 games due to a herniated disc in his back. The veteran linebacker is expected to be healthy in time for OTAs, but he could find himself on a new team by then. Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News writes there have been rumblings this offseason about the Giants not viewing Okereke’s value in the same light as they did previously. A 2023 free agent signing for general manager Joe Schoen, the former Colt delivered 149 tackles and a pair of interceptions in his debut New York season. His production dropped this past campaign, though, and with two years left on his pact a trade or release could be under consideration. Moving on immediately would not yield notable savings, but a post-June 1 release would free up $9MM later in the offseason. Okereke, 28, is due a $3MM roster bonus March 17.
  • With regard to other Cowboys updates, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News notes veteran defensive ends Carl Lawson and Chauncey Golston could be on the way out. DeMarcus Lawrence hopes to re-sign, but he is also open to exploring his market. The Cowboys currently have Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland on their rookie deals and a pending mega-extension to work out with leading edge rusher Micah Parsons. Inexpensive depth will increasingly be a priority if any or all of Lawrence, Lawson and Golston sign elsewhere. Watkins adds that punter Bryan Anger and long snapper Trent Sieg are among the players Dallas aims to re-sign, something which has already been taken care of in the case of Osa Odighizuwa.

Giants Trade DT Jordan Phillips To Cowboys

August 14th, 2024 at 8:55pm CST by Ely Allen

The Cowboys are acquiring a division-rival defender, per NFL Insider Josina Anderson. Amidst injury troubles along the defensive line, Dallas has made the move to acquire Giants veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tells us that Phillips’ departure will be accompanied by a pick swap, with New York sending a seventh- along with Phillips in exchange for a sixth-rounder in 2026.

A former second-round pick out of Oklahoma, Phillips has spent most of his career in the AFC East. Drafted by the Dolphins, Phillips made 26 starts in his first three years with the team before seeing his playing time start to dwindle in Year 4. An outburst of dissatisfaction eventually led to Phillips’ getting waived by Miami.

Buffalo quickly picked up their division-rival’s scraps, claiming Phillips off of waivers. He played mostly as a rotation player with the Bills as he finished out his fourth season. In 2019, Phillips rewarded Buffalo for their faith in him, accompanying his nine starts that year with 9.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and 16 quarterback hits — all career-highs by a wide margin.

Phillips leveraged a career year into a three-year contract with the Cardinals. He was a full-time starter during his time in Arizona, but injuries limited him to only 18 games over two years. His limited playing time would lead the Cardinals to release him, allowing the Bills to pick him up once again. Phillips was eased back into a rotation as he continued to play through injuries in Buffalo, starting only one game in 2022. He made nine starts last season but continued to play on a rotational snap count throughout the year.

After briefly considering retirement, Phillips signed with the Giants this offseason. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan tells us that New York has really liked what they’ve seen so far from some young defensive linemen like Elijah Chatman and D.J. Davidson, while Phillips had yet to make much of an impact this summer. Pat Leonard of the NY Daily News echoed this sentiment, claiming that it wasn’t very likely that Phillips was going to make their roster, so a pick swap was a nice consolation prize for a veteran free agent signing that didn’t pan out.

In Dallas, most of the injury issues have been coming at end. Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports that regular defensive tackles Chauncey Golston and Viliami Fehoko have been moved to defensive end to cover for the absences, so it makes sense that the Cowboys were on the lookout for someone to help fill out the middle. With players like Mazi Smith, Osa Odighizuwa, and Carl Davis leading the position at the moment, Phillips provides some much-needed veteran, starting experience as a depth piece.

Cowboys Eyeing DE Help

July 29th, 2024 at 5:44pm CST by Ben Levine

With Sam Williams lost for the season thanks to a torn ACL and MCL, the Cowboys are doing their due diligence on potential replacements. According to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, the team has been “reviewing the tape” on available veteran defensive ends. However, Moore cautions that the team hasn’t lined up any visits/workouts.

[RELATED: Cowboys’ Sam Williams Tears ACL]

While Williams was once buried in the positional pecking order, the Cowboys were going to lean on their depth following the losses of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler this offseason. Dallas is fortunate that they still have plenty of talent on the edge; Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence will continue to lead the depth chart, and the organization also used a second-round pick on Western Michigan’s Marshawn Kneeland.

Beyond that trio, the options are less than inspiring for new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. 2023 fourth-round pick Viliami Fehoko Jr. is the team’s most significant recent draft investment of the bunch, but any of the back-of-the-depth-chart options (including key special teamer Chauncey Golston, 2023 UDFAs Durrell Johnson and Tyrus Wheat, and 2024 UDFA Byron Vaughns) could step into any leftover snaps. There’s a good chance the Cowboys will be patient and evaluate this grouping before pouncing on any free agent options.

Plus, the free agent market has been pretty much picked through. Yannick Ngakoue likely represents the best option at the position, with the likes of Carl Lawson, Markus Golden, and Shaq Lawson also sitting unsigned. The Cowboys will also have more options at their disposal as rival squads trim down their rosters, so there probably isn’t any urgency to find a Williams replacement right now. Stephen Jones basically acknowledged as much when discussing the position with Moore.

“We’ll just see,” Jones said. “It depends on the guy. Everybody is pouring over the tape and seeing if there is anything. But we’re very pleased with what Kneeland has done so far.

“If the right guy is there, we’ll pull the trigger. If not, we’ll kind of keep playing along, see how our guys do and go from there.”

As for Williams, Moore notes that the defender will undergo surgery in August to repair his torn ACL and partially torn MCL. The earlier we’ll see Williams on the field will likely be a month or two into the 2025 campaign.

Cowboys Place Amari Cooper, DeMarcus Lawrence On PUP

July 22nd, 2021 at 12:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have placed wide receiver Amari Cooper and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence on the Physically Unable to Perform list to begin training camp (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPN.com). Cooper is still recuperating from a lingering ankle issue while Lawrence has been hampered by back problems. 

Cooper, a seventh-year veteran, was previously scratched from Cowboys minicamp. He underwent minor ankle surgery in January but the latest trouble surfaced in May. The Pro Bowl wideout has been here before — a sprain cost him time in 2017 and reemerged in early last season. To date, Cooper has not missed a game as a Cowboy. But, if his recovery drags, they’ll be leaning more on Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb.

Lawrence nearly opted out last year, but ultimately went on to appear in all 16 games for the Cowboys with 6.5 sacks. Statistically, his best work came in 2017 and 2018 as he registered a combined 25 sacks. The Cowboys hope that he can quickly put his back (and shoulder) injuries behind him to resume his Pro Bowl form.

The stars will be joined on the list by kicker Greg Zuerlein (back), defensive tackle Trysten Hill (knee), newly-signed rookie defensive end Chauncey Golston (hamstring), and offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt (knee). The Cowboys will also place UDFA receiver T.J. Vasher on the non-football injury list as he works his way back from a knee injury suffered at Texas Tech.

Cowboys Sign Chauncey Golston, Wrap Draft Class

July 21st, 2021 at 9:44am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have agreed to terms with third-round defensive end Chauncey Golston (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). With Golston signed, the Cowboys now have all eleven picks in the fold.

Golston was grabbed with the 84th overall pick, shortly after the Cowboys selected UCLA defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. Together, the two rookies will work to bolster the defensive line depth. Golston will support starters DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory, provided that he can outrank options like Tarell Basham, Dorance Armstrong, and Bradlee Anae. He could also see time on the interior, like he did at Iowa.

“At the end of the day, it’s just football,” Golston said earlier this year. “As long as you’re preparing the right way and you’re not — if I was to just train on the left side, then playing on the right side would be hard. But I’m trying to be as versatile as possible. So, I train on both sides.”

Now that Golston and cornerback Nahshon Wright have agreed to terms, the Cowboys have all of their rookie paperwork squared away. Here’s the full rundown of their 2021 draft class: