Transactions News & Rumors

Cardinals Re-Sign L.J. Collier

March 12th, 2025 at 5:35pm CST by Rory Parks

L.J. Collier will remain in Arizona for 2025. The former first-round edge rusher has agreed to a one-year Cardinals deal, the team announced on Wednesday.

This contract has a maximum value of $4MM, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports. Collier played on one-year pacts for each of his first two Arizona campaigns, and over that span he collected slightly more than $2MM. Following a 2024 campaign that qualifies as easily the best of his career, he has secured a raise.

Switching teams in the NFC West proved to be beneficial for Collier. The former first-round pick of the Seahawks never saw a single-season snap share above 49% during his four-year rookie contract with the team, and he even found himself a healthy scratch at times. Seattle made the easy decision to decline his fifth-year option, which sent him to the open market during the 2023 offseason.

He signed for the veteran minimum with Arizona in March 2023, and he impressed during his first training camp and preseason in the desert. Unfortunately, a bicep tear ended the campaign after just one game, but the Cards had seen enough to bring him back for 2024.

In 17 games (15 starts) last year, Collier enjoyed a 54% snap share and posted career-highs in tackles (29) and sacks (3.5). Those numbers do not jump off the page, and the underlying metrics do not necessarily suggest he will have more statistical success in 2025; he received a poor 49.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which was lukewarm on his efforts as a pass rusher.

As ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss indicates, however, the 29-year-old Collier is a valuable locker room presence who fits well within the club’s defensive scheme. And, as a former Day 1 draft choice who has finally shown flashes of his potential, there is hope for continued growth, or at least a steady presence along the defensive front.

The Cardinals retained another member of their EDGE contingent by agreeing to a re-up with Baron Browning a few days ago, and they also made a big splash and struck an agreement with Josh Sweat on Monday.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Jets To Sign C Josh Myers

March 12th, 2025 at 5:24pm CST by Adam La Rose

One of the top remaining centers on the market has found a new home. Josh Myers has a deal in place with the Jets, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.

This will be a one-year contract, Fowler adds. Myers will collect $3.5MM after serving as Green Bay’s center starter over the course of his rookie contract. This marks New York’s second offensive line addition of the day, with tackle Chukwuma Okorafor also being added.

Neither addition will likely move the needle much for fans. Despite both players bringing a litany of starting experience with them to New York, neither player has graded out very favorably over the years, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Out of 40 centers graded this year, PFF ranked Myers at 38th. His best season analytically came when he ranked 26th of 36 graded players in 2022.

This is less important for Myers than for Okorafor. The team’s starting center from this past season, Joe Tippmann, graded out as the seventh-best center in the NFL, per PFF. Returning guards Alijah Vera-Tucker and John Simpson also graded out favorably as the ninth- and 11th-best guards in the league, per PFF.

The Myers signing is interesting for a team that saw such strong seasons analytically from its three interior linemen. The team will be replacing both offensive tackle spots, though, as Tyron Smith is a free agent (and possibly a retiree), and Morgan Moses has signed with the Patriots. Okorafor and last year’s first-round pick Olu Fashanu are currently slotted for those starting roles on the outside.

Without a starting spot for Myers, it’s assumed that he’ll come in as a potential sixth-man for the offensive line. He doesn’t have the experience to perform as a swing tackle, having played center in college, as well, but he could serve as a fourth interior lineman with extensive starting experience in case of injury.

Green Bay will have a vacancy to fill at center now. They may opt to slide Elgton Jenkins into the role, as he’s started there for them in the past, or they may turn to the draft or other free agents to fill the role externally.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

Eagles To Sign RB AJ Dillon

March 12th, 2025 at 4:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Eagles are signing former Packers running back AJ Dillon, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz. Dillon will come over after five Packers seasons, though 2024 did not involve any playing time. It is a one-year deal, ESPN.com’s Tim McManus tweets.

A four-year Aaron Jones complementary back, Dillon held a regular role in Green Bay as a power threat inside. Although no doubt existed about Jones’ status as the Packers’ 1-A option, Dillon did not go away — much to some fantasy GMs’ chagrin — as a between-the-tackles grinder and frequent red zone option. He will now join an Eagles team with a potential RB2 opening.

Philly lost longtime backup Kenneth Gainwell to a Pittsburgh deal Tuesday. The team’s backfield obviously still revolves around Saquon Barkley, a recent extension recipient, but Gainwell worked as the primary backup to he and D’Andre Swift over the past two seasons. Will Shipley could be in store for a bigger role, though the Clemson alum does not exactly share a skillset with Dillon.

Dillon, 27 in May, produced three 600-plus-yard seasons in Green Bay. Not efficient on Jones’ level, but Dillon still delivered similarly productive seasons in 2021 and 2022, totaling 803 yards in ’22 and 770 in ’23. The former second-round pick combined for 12 touchdowns in that span, helping the Packers transition to a younger receiving corps in that period. After a slightly less productive 2023, the Boston College alum suffered an injury that kept him off the field throughout 2024.

The Packers re-signed Dillon last year but did on the seldom-used four-year qualifying offer. Dillon was tied to a $2.74MM deal last season, but he resided on IR all year. This contract may not even match that, but the Eagles obviously present a great opportunity for running backs. Barkley stayed healthy last year, but the ex-Giant has certainly dealt with a host of injuries during his career. Barkley also led the NFL with 378 touches last season, potentially sounding some alarm bells. Dillon will attempt to earn a backup role, which may be quite important for the 2025 Eagles.

Chargers To Add CB Benjamin St-Juste

March 12th, 2025 at 4:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

At the same time the Commanders were adding Jonathan Jones, they will say farewell to a four-year cornerback contributor. Benjamin St-Juste is heading elsewhere.

The Chargers are signing the former Washington Day 2 draftee, according to his agent. The Bolts lost 2024 starter Kristian Fulton to the Chiefs this week, while Asante Samuel Jr. is unsigned. After St-Juste made his way south from Montreal in 2021, he will head west to a retooling Chargers corner corps.

St-Juste saw more time on the perimeter than inside last season, marking a change for a player who logged 332 slot snaps in 2023. The 6-foot-3 defender has a frame more suited for the outside, also going 200 pounds, and Washington’s new staff used him almost exclusively on the boundary in 2024. The results were not great, however.

While Pro Football Focus graded St-Juste as a bottom-five cornerback last season, Pro-Football-Reference’s coverage metrics charged him with four touchdowns allowed as the closest defender and having regressed in completion percentage and passer rating allowed. The Commanders benched St-Juste in Week 16 and only used him on 24 total playoff snaps. In 2022 and ’23, however, St-Juste allowed 87.1 and 87.3 passer ratings as the closest defender. In 2022, he impressed by yielding a paltry 47.7% completion rate. The Commanders boasted a top-10 defense that year but cratered in the Ron Rivera-Jack Del Rio finale a year later.

The Commanders have in-season trade pickup Marshon Lattimore signed, and the team used a second-round pick to nab Mike Sainristil last year. Although Noah Igbinoghene is a free agent, Jones has extensive experience playing inside and outside. He is leaving the Patriots after 10 seasons.

Jesse Minter transformed a defense that ranked outside the top 20 throughout Brandon Staley’s tenure into one that led the league in yards allowed. The Bolts have now added St-Juste and Donte Jackson; the veteran duo will join promising rookie Tarheeb Still among L.A. CBs.

Commanders To Sign CB Jonathan Jones

March 12th, 2025 at 4:37pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jonathan Jones will be on the move for the first time in his career this offseason. The longtime Patriots corner has a one-year deal in place with the Commanders, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.

This leaves David Andrews as the last player left from the Patriots’ Super Bowl years, as Jones had become a quick fixture on the Pats’ most recent three such seasons. As Mike Vrabel aggressively turns over the roster, Jones is moving on. This deal has a maximum value of $6.5MM, per Fowler.

Operating in the slot and on the outside for the Pats, Jones had been a staple for the team under Bill Belichick and then Jerod Mayo. Jones has made an atypical late-career transition, sliding from perennial slot stopper to a boundary corner. After playing almost all of his 2022 snaps outside, Jones earned a two-year, $19MM deal to stay in what turned out to be Belichick’s finale. The Pats paid up for Carlton Davis, however, and the pricey free agency addition will complement Christian Gonzalez in 2025.

Jones, 31, continued on the outside over the past two years but will probably be better remembered for his slot defense, seeing as those years overlapped with the close of a dynasty. The Patriots added Jones as a 2016 UDFA and immediately put him to work. Jones predated Stephon Gilmore in Foxborough, complementing Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan in 2016. Belichick led Butler, Ryan, Gilmore and J.C. Jackson leave but prioritized Jones, giving him two veteran contracts to stay.

Jones played 132 regular-season games with the Pats and was on the field for eight more playoff contests. Jones joined Butler in not playing in Super Bowl LII, though the former’s absence was not controversial as it came due to injury. While Butler’s absence will be talked about for a while, Jones’ goes overlooked during Nick Foles‘ masterpiece. Jones was open to staying in New England, but MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian had reported he would hit the market.

“I would love to (stay),” Jones said. “It’s rare for a guy to be in one place his entire career. Especially after being undrafted, being here my entire career, I feel indebted to be here.”

Jones will join a Commanders team that let Benjamin St-Juste leave for a Chargers deal. Washington has Mike Sainristil as a potential long-term slot option, and Marshon Lattimore‘s recently acquired contract runs through 2026. With Michael Davis and Noah Igbinoghene unsigned, Jones will have a clear route to a starting role. Considering Lattimore’s run of recent injury trouble, Jones figures to be an important addition.

Jets Sign Chukwuma Okorafor

March 12th, 2025 at 4:32pm CST by Rory Parks

After a very short-lived tenure with the Patriots, Chukwuma Okorafor has a new deal in place that will keep him in the AFC East. The veteran tackle signed with the Jets on Wednesday, per the transactions wire.

Okorafor’s 2024 season could not have gone much worse. The Patriots went into the year with major question marks along the offensive line, including left tackle. Okorafor was the first man up, but he lasted just 12 snaps in New England’s regular season opener before being benched for poor performance. Shortly thereafter, he voluntarily left the team and did not return.

It sounded as if he could even retire, as it was reported that he was “checked out mentally” and “contemplating his future in football.” Last month, though, it became clear that he intended to continue his playing career, and the Pats did him a favor by cutting him early so that he could get a head start on free agency.

Despite the forgettable 2024 season, Okorafor has found a new employer on the first day of the 2025 league year. And while he was clearly miscast as a blindside blocker, he has plenty of starting experience on the right side, serving as the Steelers’ primary RT from 2020-22 (he lost his starting job to Broderick Jones midway through the 2023 campaign).

Though Okorafor was not a world-beater during his time in Pittsburgh, he did enough to land a three-year, $29.25MM deal from the club in 2022. The above-referenced benching in 2023 was triggered not by especially poor play, but by unspecified comments he made at the end of a Week 8 loss.

The Jets allowed 2024 RT Morgan Moses to defect to the Patriots, and it would be surprising if Okorafor represented New York’s primary Moses replacement plan. He will nonetheless provide experienced depth at a (presumably) inexpensive rate.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Jets To Re-Sign CB Isaiah Oliver

March 12th, 2025 at 4:28pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Jets are re-signing cornerback Isaiah Oliver, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Oliver is a seven-year veteran who appeared in all 17 games for the Jets in 2024 with seven starts. He played primarily in the slot in New York, but didn’t make many plays on the ball with just three passes defended and zero interceptions. Oliver will likely return to a similar role in the Jets defense in 2025 while continuing to contribute on special teams.

Originally a 2018 second-round pick by the Falcons, Oliver emerged as a starter during his second season in Atlanta. He started 28 games across 2019 and 2020 and was poised for a similar workload in 2021. A knee injury ended his season after just four games, and Oliver missed the first five games of the 2022 season as he worked he was back to full health.

Oliver then signed a two-year, $6.75MM deal with the 49ers in 2023. He started five of San Francisco’s first eight games, but played sparingly for the rest of the year. The 49ers released him after the season, and Oliver signed with the Jets for $2.5MM in 2024.

The Jets lost D.J. Reed and Brandin Echols in free agency this week, so retaining Oliver alongside new addition Brandon Stephens was important to maintaining their secondary depth.

Titans, G Kevin Zeitler Agree To Deal

March 12th, 2025 at 4:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Continuing to play well into his mid-30s, Kevin Zeitler will once again command a solid one-year deal in free agency. The nomadic starter is heading to Nashville.

The Titans are adding Zeitler on a one-year, $9MM deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Zeitler is moving back to the AFC after a season in Detroit. This will continue a long-running career for Zeitler, who entered the NFL in the 2012 first round.

Although Zeitler is a former Browns blocker, his Cleveland years predated Bill Callahan‘s time as Browns O-line coach. The current Titans OL boss will still coach one of the most experienced guards in NFL history. Zeitler made 16 more starts last season, running his career total to 197. Among guards, that is tied for eighth all time. With 10 starts in 2025, Zeitler can move to third on that list. With another 16-start season, Zeitler can move into the top 15 all time for starts among all offensive linemen.

The Titans have added both Zeitler and left tackle Dan Moore Jr. this offseason. Zeitler will provide tremendous experience on an O-line that features two rookie-contract players (JC Latham, Peter Skoronski) and veterans with inconsistent resumes (Lloyd Cushenberry, Dan Moore). This is a fully revamped O-line now, as two additions have come in each of the past two offseasons. Even as he reaches an age-35 season, Zeitler may be the safest bet here.

This could sting Detroit, which relied on Zeitler to help launch a full-on Jahmyr Gibbs breakout season alongside David Montgomery. Pro Football Focus graded Zeitler as the No. 3 overall guard last season. The Lions were considering a second Zeitler contract, but nothing transpired on that front. He will now head to a team that won 12 fewer games than his previous squad last season.

The former Bengals, Browns, Giants, Ravens and Lions blocker will not exactly be going to a team expected to contend. But the Titans may well be bringing in a first-round quarterback. Having Zeitler around to help that to-be-determined prospect — and/or Will Levis — stands to help a team that went 3-14 in 2024.

Colts To Sign RB Khalil Herbert

March 12th, 2025 at 4:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts are signing veteran running back Khalil Herbert to a one-year deal, per Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. After backing up Chase Brown down the stretch last year, Herbert will move to a Jonathan Taylor RB2 role.

Having flashed at points in Chicago, Herbert will bring more to the table than the Colts’ array of 2024 backups did. Indianapolis did not opt to do much to replace Zack Moss, whom Cincinnati eventually acquired Herbert to fill in for last season. Herbert could provide more cover for Taylor, who has battled injuries after a healthy start to his career.

Working in what amounted to a role as Justin Fields‘ ground-game sidekick, Herbert impressed in 2022 by gaining 731 rushing yards — at a slick 5.7 per carry — and helping the Bears lead the NFL in that category. The former sixth-round pick managed to get there despite starting only one game. Next Gen Stats’ rush yards over expected metric placed Herbert fourth that season, but he gradually fell out of favor with the Bears as his rookie contract progressed.

Herbert, who had played behind David Montgomery that year, made nine starts in 2023. He saw his YPC number drop to a still-respectable 4.6, but the team signed D’Andre Swift last year, giving the former Lions and Eagles starter $14MM fully guaranteed. Herbert entered the Bears’ 2024 training camp on the roster bubble and was ultimately shipped out for a sixth-round pick weeks after the Bengals lost Moss for the season.

After Moss fared well as a Taylor 2023 fill-in — during his contract impasse and later amid the starter’s injury absence — the Colts saw backup Trey Sermon average just 2.8 yards per tote. Sermon is unsigned for 2025, but Tyler Goodson, who performed a bit better as a third-stringer, remains under contract. Herbert will be positioned to spell Taylor, and he should be fairly fresh. The ex-Bears and Bengals contributor has accumulated just 400 career carries.

Titans To Trade Kenneth Murray To Cowboys

March 12th, 2025 at 4:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Kenneth Murray‘s Tennessee stay looks set to end after one season. The Titans and Cowboys have a deal in place that would send the former first-round linebacker to Dallas.

The teams closed out a negotiation that appears to be a pick swap, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reporting the clubs are expected to exchange late-round choices. The Cowboys will be taking on Murray’s two-year, $15.5MM deal. Murray is due a $5.99MM base salary — well north of his 2024 paragraph 5 number — next season. A classic pick-swap structure wrapped this deal, with Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz adding the Titans will receive a sixth-rounder in exchange for Murray and a seventh.

This qualifies as a midlevel contract, as Murray did not justify his draft slot in Los Angeles. While teams annually pass on off-ball linebacker fifth-year options, Murray’s was not exactly a complex decision for the Bolts. They had benched the Oklahoma product at points, though a market still formed. Murray had fans in Tennessee last year, but after one season, he is out.

The Titans signed Cody Barton in free agency but also did not tender Jack Gibbens as an RFA. This comes a year after Tennessee did not extend its partnership with Azeez Al-Shaair past one year. Last season, the team also shipped August trade pickup Ernest Jones to the Seahawks for Jerome Baker, who has not re-signed. As of late, Nashville has not been a hub for linebacker continuity. The Cowboys, however, also have issues to sort out on their defensive second level.

While Pro Football Focus has never been remotely high on Murray, he was productive last season. The 2020 No. 23 pick finished with 95 tackles (eight for loss), 3.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. PFF still labeled Murray as the third-worst full-time linebacker (among off-ball regulars). PFF has graded Murray outside the top 70 at his position in four of his five seasons. The Cowboys will take what amounts to a flier here, as they have Eric Kendricks — after ex-Vikings HC Mike Zimmer‘s second Cowboys stint was a one-and-done — unsigned and DeMarvion Overshown rehabbing a serious injury.

The Chargers had benched Murray in 2021, but by his contract year, he teamed with Kendricks and played 93% of the Bolts’ defensive snaps. Murray, 26, saw action on 94% of Tennessee’s defensive plays last season. That came in a 3-14 campaign that led to GM Ran Carthon‘s ouster. Nevertheless, Murray will have a clear path to first-string work to start Dallas’ 2025 season.

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