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Gerald Everett

Bears Cut Gerald Everett, DeMarcus Walker

February 21st, 2025 at 2:26pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Bears are releasing tight end Gerald Everett (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter) and defensive end DeMarcus Walker (per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo). The team has confirmed the moves via social media.

Everett’s release saves $5.5MM against the Bears’ 2025 salary cap with $1MM in dead money. Cutting Walker saves an additional $5.25MM with just under $700k in dead money. Chicago entered the day with $69MM in cap space, per OverTheCap, and now has more than $80MM ahead of free agency next month.

The Bears were expected to move on from Everett after he underperformed the two-year, $12MM deal he signed last offseason. He recorded just eight catches for 36 yards and zero touchdowns – all career-lows – despite appearing in all 17 regular-season games. The eight-year veteran will now join plethora of experienced tight ends in free agency and may have to take a contract close to the veteran minimum to rebuild his value next season.

Walker, however, gave the Bears a solid return on the three-year, $21MM deal he signed in 2023. He appeared in all 34 games (29 starts) in the last two seasons with seven sacks and 16 tackles for loss. His consistent production could have justified his $5.9MM cap hit in 2025, but the Bears opted to move on from the 30-year-old as one of their first moves under new head coach Ben Johnson. Walker will likely draw interest in free agency from teams looking for pass-rushing depth.

Both players have bounced around the league, but each has been productive at points. The Bears were Everett’s fourth team, while they were Walker’s fourth as well. Both players were 2017 second-round picks — Everett with the Rams, Walker the Broncos — who have now played into their 30s. Each could certainly land another gig, though Walker might have a better shot given how underwhelming Everett’s latest season under Shane Waldron was.

Everett followed Waldron from the Rams to the Seahawks, only straying from the position coach-turned-coordinator’s path during a two-year Chargers stay. Prior to his dud in Chicago, Everett had been fairly consistent. He had posted between 400 and 480 receiving yards in four of his previous five seasons, deviating in 2022 via a career-best 555-yard showing to help the Chargers reach the playoffs. This is also not a strong tight end free agent class, which should at least give Everett a chance at a one-year accord.

The Broncos did not re-sign Walker in 2020, after he had operated as a 3-4 defensive end and OLB, but the Florida State product ripped off a seven-sack season for the Titans in 2022. This helped him score the Bears pact, and he has totaled 16 QB hits in each of his past three seasons. Although being a surefire starter post-Chicago may not be a lock for Walker, he probably has a path to another notable role after operating as a regular Bears first-stringer during his two-year stay.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

NFC North Notes: Mack, Lions, Pack, Addison

February 20th, 2025 at 6:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Ryan Poles‘ rebuild effort began in 2022, the Bears traded Khalil Mack for second- and sixth-round picks. After three Chargers seasons, Mack is hitting free agency for the first time. The decorated pass rusher showed sustained health in Los Angeles, missing only one game in three years, and earned three Pro Bowl nods. The Chargers want Mack back, but the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora notes to not rule out a Bears reunion. Mack is heading into his age-34 season and would profile as a decorated but declining rusher opposite Montez Sweat. Although Poles is expected to receive an extension, he is 0-for-3 in playoff berths for a team trying to maximize Caleb Williams‘ rookie-contract window. The Bears will have a chance to add talent, as they are projected to hold more than $69MM in cap space, and Mack would be an interesting bookend piece — even though both the GM and team president roles have changed from when Chicago acquired him in 2018.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

  • Staying on the Bears, they are not likely to retain Gerald Everett for too much longer. Given a two-year, $12MM deal, Everett followed Shane Waldron to a third team. Waldron was done by midseason as Chicago’s OC, and The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain indicates the veteran tight end will be as well. The Bears gave Everett a two-year, $12MM deal but saw him total just eight catches for 36 yards despite playing all 17 games. By cutting the former Rams, Seahawks and Chargers TE, the Bears would save $5.5MM.
  • The Lions have announced their coaching staff, and some new names have emerged. The most notable among them, Marques Tuiasosopo will make an NFL return more than 15 years after his playing career wrapped. The former Raiders QB is joining the Lions as an offensive assistant. He comes over after four seasons as Rice’s OC, having previously coached QBs and tight ends at Washington, UCLA, USC and Cal. Detroit also hired Justin Mesa as a quality control staffer, and Caleb Collins and August Mangin are joining as defensive assistants. Mesa spent the past four seasons at Washington State, working most recently as the Cougars’ tight ends coach.
  • Detroit is also losing two staffers. Director of scouting advancement Mike Martin is heading to Notre Dame to become the program’s GM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes. Martin has worked under Brad Holmes throughout the GM’s time in Detroit. Another Lions staffer, Jon Dykema, is leaving for the college ranks. Michigan State is hiring the exec to handle contract management for its athletics programs, ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel adds. Dykema had worked as the Lions’ director of football compliance, staying with the team for 15 years; he will now help the Spartans navigate the NIL waters.
  • The Packers are adding to Jeff Hafley’s defensive staff. They are bringing in recent Patriots assistant Jamael Lett as a defensive quality control coach, 247Sports.com’s Matt Zenitz tweets. A former staffer at North Carolina and Akron, Lett also spent time as South Alabama’s special teams coordinator. Lett was part of the Pats’ defensive staff under DeMarcus Covington, who is now the Packers’ D-line coach.
  • Circling back to the player side of the NFC North, Jordan Addison‘s DUI case continues. The Vikings wideout filed a continuance and is set to appear in court, for a pretrial hearing, March 12, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling. Addison pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor DUI charges — stemming from an August 2024 arrest — earlier this year. A suspension would stand to affect his 2025 availability, should this matter be resolved this offseason.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/21/24

July 21st, 2024 at 8:52pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions to wrap up this final weekend before training camps begin:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/19/24

July 19th, 2024 at 6:47pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Friday’s minor transactions:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

New England Patriots

  • Placed on active/NFI list: LB Jontrey Hunter
  • Placed on active/PUP list: RB Terrell Jennings

Seattle Seahawks

Brooks’ appearance on this list doesn’t come as much of a shock. After suffering a torn ACL as a Longhorn last November, he is not going to be cleared for the start of camp, though he can be activated at any time. His injury is considered a “non-football injury” because it occurred before his NFL career began, otherwise he would’ve been on the PUP. Wonnum’s presence on the PUP was also not a surprise as he deals with complications from his offseason quadriceps surgery.

Everett’s appearance, on the other hand, is a bit of a surprise. To date, no injuries have been reported this offseason on the veteran tight end, leaving a bit of a mystery as to the cause of his unavailability.

Williams, who was placed on the NFI list yesterday, lasted one day before passing his physical and getting activated off the injured list. As can tend to be the case, some situations this early can be more precautionary than a tell of something more serious.

Bears To Sign TE Gerald Everett

March 12th, 2024 at 1:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Bears assemble what will almost certainly be their first Caleb Williams-directed offense, they are adding a second tight end for the likely No. 1 pick to target. Gerald Everett will commit to Chicago, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets.

Everett has bounced around since his Rams rookie contract expired, but teams have continually sought the former second-round pick as a starter. The recent Chargers and Seahawks pass catcher will be in place behind Cole Kmet in Chicago.

Despite the Bears extending Kmet last year, they are devoting some notable funds to their complementary TE post. Everett’s deal is for two years and $12MM, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who adds the veteran will receive $6.1MM fully guaranteed. Kmet is signed to a four-year, $50MM extension.

The Bears lost Darnell Mooney to a big Falcons deal earlier today, and while the team is still determining its WR2 plan, it will soon carry a solid one-two TE punch.

Everett, 29, spent the past two seasons in Los Angeles — for the exact terms he signed for in Chicago (2/12) — and totaled 966 receiving yards and seven touchdowns working with Justin Herbert (and some lesser QBs to close last season). With Herbert at the controls throughout 2022, Everett tallied 58 catches for 555 yards.

This Chicago agreement will likely come about because of new OC Shane Waldron‘s history with the South Alabama alum. Waldron was with the Rams when the team drafted him, working as Everett’s position coach in 2017, and throughout his rookie-contract duration. Everett later followed Waldron to Seattle, playing one season there — Waldron’s first as Seahawks OC — in 2021. Set to be Chicago’s new play-caller, Waldron will have a pretty good idea of Everett’s strengths and weaknesses in the scheme the veteran assistant will implement.

Chargers To Sign Gerald Everett

March 20th, 2022 at 6:26pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Chargers have added another piece to their offense. The team is signing tight end Gerald Everett, as first reported by his agency and ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds that the veteran is getting a two-year, $12MM contract. 

Rapoport further details that the deal includes $8MM in guarantees, and can reach a maximum value of $13.5MM. The move marks a return to Los Angeles, as Everett was drafted by the Rams in 2017. He spent four seasons there, making incremental progress in terms of production each year.

Everett’s consistency earned him another deal in the NFC West. He inked a one-year, $6MM contract with the Seahawks last offseason. He responded by posting career highs in receptions (48), yards (478) and touchdowns (four). That made him a useful secondary piece to the Seahawks’ passing game, and earned him a similarly-valued pact that’s twice as long.

With Everett in place, he will take over from Jared Cook, who posted almost identical numbers to Everett in his lone season with the Chargers last year. While Everett will be slightly more expensive, he should fit in as an effective compliment to wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in Los Angeles’ highly productive passing attack.

Seahawks TE Gerald Everett Lands On Reserve/COVID-19 List

September 29th, 2021 at 4:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks are likely to be without Gerald Everett for at least Week 4. The veteran tight end tested positive for COVID-19 and landed on Seattle’s coronavirus list, Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus tweets.

Everett being fully vaccinated would allow him to return if he tests negative twice 24 hours apart. If the fifth-year tight end is not vaccinated, he is subject to 2020 protocols and is certain to miss Sunday’s game and perhaps Week 5 as well. Either way, the Seahawks are likely to be without their recently signed starter Sunday.

Seattle gave Everett a two-year, $6MM deal this offseason, bringing him over after hiring Rams assistant Shane Waldron as OC. Everett has started the season slowly, but he did haul in five passes for 54 yards in the Seahawks’ Week 3 loss to the Vikings.

The team has Will Dissly in place to pick up the slack. The injury-prone pass catcher has played 38% of the Seahawks’ offensive snaps through three games and has four receptions. Seattle also designated second-year tight end Colby Parkinson for return Wednesday and recently signed ex-Packer Jace Sternberger to its practice squad. Parkinson suffered a foot fracture for the second straight summer and has been on the mend since. The Seahawks have 21 days to bump him up to their active roster.

NFC West Notes: Fitzgerald, Stafford, Everett

April 4th, 2021 at 5:26pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

When the Cardinals signed A.J. Green last month, all eyes turned to Larry Fitzgerald and his place on the team. Although the legendary receiver hasn’t made his intentions known just yet, it appears he’s headed in the direction of hanging up his cleats. “Execs anticipate” that Fitzgerald, who is unsigned for 2021, is going to retire, Mike Sando of The Athletic writes. This stops short of being a full-on report, but it certainly sounds like that’s the way things are trending.

With Green now in the fold alongside the returning DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk, the Cardinals’ receiving room would be pretty crowded if Fitz wanted to give it one last go. The surefire future Hall of Famer played in 13 games for Arizona last year, racking up 54 catches for 409 yards and a touchdown. It was easily the lowest output of his decorated 17-year career. We should know more soon, but unfortunately it seems likely we’ve seen the Pittsburgh product play his final down.

Here’s more from around the NFC West on a quiet Sunday afternoon:

  • Matthew Stafford was banged up a lot during his last season with the Lions, and he just had a procedure to address one of those lingering injuries. The new Rams quarterback had surgery on the thumb of his throwing hand last month, a source told Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. Fortunately, Rodrigue reports it was just a simple cleanup and Stafford isn’t expected to miss any real practice time. Stafford said back in February that he had partially torn the UCL in his right thumb. Despite dealing with a slew of significant health issues, he didn’t miss a start last season.
  • The Seahawks signed away tight end Gerald Everett from the Rams in free agency, and it turns out a prior poaching played a large role in that. Seattle hired former Rams passing game coordinator Shane Waldron to be their new OC after firing Brian Schottenheimer, and Waldron played a role in delivering Everett. “Shane is a mastermind,” Everett said, via John Boyle of the team’s official site. “He’s very creative, and I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do in Seattle… When Shane went to Seattle, obviously the idea was there, it lingered in my head.” Everett was a second-round pick of Los Angeles in 2017, and although he never put up huge numbers in Rams offenses that had a lot of mouths to feed, he flashed a lot of potential. “Yes, he was a factor in my decision to come to Seattle,” Everett said of Waldron. The Seahawks gave him a one-year, $7MM deal in March.
  • In case you missed it, the 49ers are asking for a first-round pick in exchange for Jimmy Garoppolo.

Seahawks, TE Gerald Everett Agree To Deal

March 17th, 2021 at 6:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Gerald Everett will stay in the NFC West. The four-year Rams tight end agreed to terms with the Seahawks on a one-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The deal is worth $7MM, including $6MM guaranteed (per Rapoport on Twitter).

There were some high hopes for Everett when he was selected in the second round of the 2017 draft, but he’s yet to put together a standout NFL season. 2020 was arguably a career year for the 26-year-old, but he still only finished with 41 receptions for 417 yards and one touchdown (plus the first rushing touchdown of his career).

It seemed clear that his stint with the Rams was coming to a close when the organization inked fellow tight end Tyler Higbee to an extension. Everett was also mentioned as a potential trade candidate towards the beginning of the 2020 season.

He will now join a Seahawks team that has been searching for tight end stability for a bit now. Seattle relied on the trio of Greg Olsen, Jacob Hollister, and Will Dissly in 2020, with that grouping combining for 73 receptions, 709 yards, and six touchdowns. Olsen has since announced his retirement, opening a spot on the depth chart.

 

NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Golden, 49ers

January 29th, 2021 at 6:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the second time in three years, K.J. Wright is a free agent. The longest-tenured Seahawks player has already signed three contracts with the franchise that drafted him. He is eager to ink a fourth.

“I’m having fun; I love this city. I love this team, so let’s make it happen,” Wright said of a return to Seattle, via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson. “… (A return is) up to Pete (Carroll) and John (Schneider). They know how much I mean to this team. They know I’m a great teammate, a great leader and it would be a great investment — in my opinion — if they invest in K.J. and to bring him back into the building. You get what you pay for, and I bring a lot to the table still.”

Wright, 31, does not sound interested in a hometown discount, per veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson (on Twitter). The Seahawks have paired Wright and Bobby Wagner for nine seasons and used both as sub-package linebackers for most of the 2020 slate. But Seattle drafting Jordyn Brooks in last year’s first round could complicate a Wright return. Pro Football Focus rated Wright as its No. 8 overall ‘backer this past season.

Here is the latest from the NFC West:

  • The Seahawks were not planning to part ways with OC Brian Schottenheimer, but Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes an end-of-season meeting — in which Carroll reinforced his preference to focus on the run game — helped lead to the team changing play-callers. The Seahawks deviated in the season’s first half from Carroll’s run-centric vision but reverted more toward their usual setup down the stretch. It will be interesting to see how Seattle’s offense looks under new OC Shane Waldron, who spent five years in Washington and Los Angeles working under Sean McVay.
  • Markus Golden‘s sack total dropped from 10 in 2019 to 4.5 in 2020, and the Cardinals saw Haason Reddick complete a contract-year breakout. Still, the older Arizona edge rusher would like to return. “It gave me another shock of energy just being back home,” Golden said of the trade that sent him from the Giants to the Cards, via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. “Being here where I know my heart is, it really matters to me to be in Arizona on the Cardinals.” Golden, who signed with the Giants in 2019 and stayed in New York via the rare UFA tender last year, is set for free agency for a third straight year.
  • Big expenses at the top of the Rams‘ payroll have forced the team to let several role players walk in recent offseasons. This year may be no exception. The Rams are unlikely to re-sign Josh Reynolds, Malcolm Brown or Gerald Everett, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic notes (subscription required). The Rams having drafted contributors at these positions in 2020, and having two wideouts (Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods) and a tight end (Tyler Higbee) signed long-term already, pointed this trio to free agency.
  • Jeff Wilson‘s one-year 49ers extension can max out at $3.6MM, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. Wilson will receive $2.05MM fully guaranteed, with another possible $1.55MM available via incentives. The incentives would give Wilson a chance to out-earn the low-end RFA tender price, which OverTheCap projects at $2.24MM for running backs. He is still due to be a 2022 UFA.
  • Nick Mullens underwent elbow surgery last month, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. This, however, was not a Tommy John operation, with Garafolo adding the 49ers backup’s injury was not as severe as initially feared. He is expected to be ready by training camp.
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