Transactions News & Rumors

Commanders To Re-Sign QB Marcus Mariota

March 12th, 2025 at 1:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

Marcus Mariota will remain in Washington for the 2025 campaign. The journeyman quarterback has a new Commanders agreement in place, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

This will be a one-year pact worth $8MM, Pelissero adds. That marks a slight raise compared to Mariota’s first Commanders contract. After a successful year backing up Jayden Daniels, he will do so again next season.

Pelissero notes Mariota drew interest from outside teams, but he turned that down to remain in the nation’s capital. The former No. 2 pick bounced around the league following his five-year run with the Titans, spending time with the Raiders, Falcons and Eagles before signing with the Commanders last offseason. Mariota made just three appearances in 2024, but he gave the team a veteran mentor for Daniels as he put together an exceptional rookie campaign.

Daniels’ strong play ensured Mariota would have needed to head elsewhere if he intended to compete for a starting gig. The 31-year-old’s last stint atop a depth chart came with the Falcons in 2022, when his passer rating (88.2) fell short of his career average. Failing to secure a long-term opportunity as a starter in Atlanta set Mariota up for a one-year spell as the Eagles’ backup prior to his intra-divisional move to the Commanders last spring.

That signing was seen as an indication the Commanders’ preference was to select Daniels with the No. 2 pick in the draft given Mariota’s mobility. Washington did indeed go in that direction, and the team’s success on offense led to renewed head coaching interest for OC Kliff Kingsbury. The former Cardinals coach ultimately withdrew from the 2025 hiring cycle, citing his satisfaction of working with Daniels. After winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024, Daniels will have both his offensive coordinator and QB2 back with him next season.

As expected, the first two days of the negotiating window brought about considerable movement at the quarterback position. That has continued into Wednesday, with the official start of free agency looming this afternoon. Mariota’s decision to remain in place has taken one more veteran passer off the market.

Chargers Re-Sign LB Troy Dye, WR Jalen Reagor

March 12th, 2025 at 12:20pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Chargers are re-signing veteran linebacker Troy Dye, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Dye’s contract is worth $5.5MM over two years with a maximum value of $8.5MM with incentives, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. Multiple other teams were interested, but Dye opted to stay on the West Coast after growing up in California and playing college football at Oregon.

Dye appeared in all 17 games (five starts) for the Chargers in 2024 with a rotational role on defense and an 80% snap share on special teams. He finished the season with career-highs of 57 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two tackles for loss.

The 28-year-old was originally a fourth-round pick by the Vikings in 2020. He primarily played special teams in Minnesota with eight starts on defense across four years. He signed a one-year, $1.79MM deal with the Chargers in 2024 and is now under contract with the team through the 2026 season.

The Chargers also announced the re-signing of wide receiver Jalen Reagor. The 26-year-old appeared in eight games with seven receptions for 100 yards, but could be in line for a bigger role in 2025 after the departure of Josh Palmer.

Reagor was an Eagles first-round pick in 2020 who struggled to live up to his draft billing in Philadelphia. He was traded to the Vikings ahead of the 2022 season and waived after another disappointing year. Reagor spent 2023 with the Patriots, but couldn’t make the 53-man roster in 2024. He then joined the Chargers’ practice squad in September and was promoted to the active roster in November.

Seahawks To Add Marquez Valdes-Scantling

March 12th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett‘s departures have brought a significant retooling effort at receiver in Seattle. While the team will need to add at least one starter-level receiver to complement Jaxon Smith-Njigba, it is adding a likely depth piece now.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling will sign with the Seahawks, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. The well-traveled wideout agreed to a one-year contract worth up to $5.5MM. After the Chiefs and Bills both cut Valdes-Scantling last year, he caught on with the Saints and played a regular role. He will follow 2024 New Orleans OC Klint Kubiak to Seattle.

Valdes-Scantling made some memorable contributions with the Chiefs, but they moved on from his three-year, $30MM contract after a disappointing 2023 season. The 2022 JuJu Smith-Schuster complementary piece signed with the Bills after the draft but did not see much playing time before an in-season release. With the Saints, however, he became a regular part of a battered receiving corps.

Kubiak used MVS as a downfield threat, as the ex-Packer draftee caught 17 passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns during a half-season in New Orleans. With Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed out, Kubiak needed to find other producers. Although MVS had been trending downward and has enjoyed an inconsistent career, he produced during the short Saints stint. This included a 109-yard, two-TD day in a Saints win over the Falcons. MVS also cleared 50 receiving yards on three other occasions with the Saints to close his age-30 season.

The former fifth-round pick is still better known for his Green Bay and Kansas City stays. The 6-foot-4 receiver totaled a career-high 690 yards for the 2020 Packers, leading the NFL with a 20.9-yard average per catch and adding six TDs during Aaron Rodgers‘ third MVP season. Given a $10MM-per-year deal as the Chiefs pivoted to a cheaper receiving group after Tyreek Hill extension talks turned into a Dolphins trade, Valdes-Scantling amassed 687 yards for the Super Bowl champions that year.

The Chiefs depended on MVS in the 2022 AFC championship game, as a few other among their receiving corps battled injuries. He came through with a six-reception, 116-yard showing to help the Chiefs stave off the Bengals. In 2023, Valdes-Scantling caught two deep balls in a Chiefs divisional-round win over the Bills and added the game-clinching grab against the Ravens. He then caught a third-quarter TD pass in Super Bowl LVIII. Of course, that came after a 315-yard season that featured a costly deep-ball drop in a November loss to the Eagles.

Following the Metcalf trade and Lockett release, the Seahawks have Jake Bobo and fourth-year performer Dareke Young as Smith-Njigba complements. While adding a second wideout with a hyphenated name reminds of a recent Chiefs setup, Seattle will undoubtedly be seeking more help for Sam Darnold soon.

Bills To Sign S Darrick Forrest

March 12th, 2025 at 11:49am CST by Sam Robinson

Already carrying Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop on their roster going into free agency, the Bills have used Day 3 to add two more safeties. After re-signing Damar Hamlin, Buffalo is bringing in a former NFC East starter.

Ex-Washington draftee Darrick Forrest is heading to Buffalo on a one-year deal, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz tweets. Forrest is a 17-game Commanders starter, with most of those opportunities coming during the 2022 season.

Washington drafted Forrest in the 2021 fifth round and made him a primary 2022 starter. That season included 88 tackles and four interceptions. The Cincinnati alum, however, did not grab any INTs outside of that 2022 season. A starter during the ’22 campaign’s second half, Forrest saw his momentum stall in 2023. A shoulder fracture ended his season five games in, and the Commanders changed plans soon after.

Hiring Adam Peters as GM, the team signed Jeremy Chinn to pair with 2023 second-round pick Quan Martin. Even with Kamren Curl leaving in free agency last year, Forrest did not earn his starting job back. He made one start and played only 74 defensive snaps. Washington has lost he and Chinn this offseason; two years remain on Martin’s rookie deal. The team has since signed former Lions and Saints DB Will Harris as a potential option alongside Martin.

Forrest, 26 in May, graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 42 overall safety (out of 88 qualifiers) in 2022. While avenues to the Buffalo starting lineup appear closed, the Bills at least have secured another experienced depth piece a year after their Mike Edwards pact did not work out.

Ravens DT Michael Pierce Announces Retirement

March 12th, 2025 at 11:12am CST by Nikhil Mehta

After a nine-year career, Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce announced that he is retiring (via the Sports Spectrum podcast hosted by former NFL running back Matt Forte).

Pierce expressed appreciation for his time in the NFL and specifically thanked former Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome and former defensive line coach Joe Cullen, who brought Pierce to Baltimore as an undrafted free agent out of Samford University in 2016. He made the Ravens’ 53-man roster as a rookie and never looked back, quickly becoming one of the league’s stoutest nose tackles.

“They gave me a chance when not many people were willing to take a chance on me,” said Pierce. He also thanked “big brothers” Terrell Suggs and Brandon Williams, who mentored him during his first stint in Baltimore.

Pierce played in 60 games (30 starts) for the Ravens from 2016 to 2019 with 3.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss, earning him a three-year, $27MM deal from the Vikings. With a history of asthma and other respiratory problems, Pierce opted out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. He finally debuted in Minnesota in 2021, but played in only eight games due to an elbow injury. He still put up a career-high 3.0 sacks, but the Vikings opted to move on before the 2022 season.

The Ravens then swooped in to reunited with Pierce on a three-year, $16.5MM deal. He played in just three games due to a torn bicep in 2022, but starting all 17 games the following year as a core part of Baltimore’s league-leading defense. Another injury limited Pierce to just 11 games in 2024, but returned by the end of the regular season to end his career with a highlight. In Week 18 against the Browns, Pierce became the heaviest player since at least 2000 to record an interception at 355 pounds. He was also the NFL’s biggest active defender before his retirement.

Pierce’s size made him an effective run-stuffer who could absorb double-teams in the middle of the defensive line. He remained a solid defender until his retirement, but stints on injured reserve in three of the last four seasons made retirement a serious possibility before his age-33 season. The Ravens are currently set to return Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, and Broderick Washington to their defensive line in 2025, but they will need to add depth over the next few months.

Pierce had an option year set to trigger on March 17 that included an additional $2MM option bonus if he remained on the roster, per OverTheCap. Instead, his retirement will leave $2MM in dead money, $1.33MM of which can be pushed into 2026 with a post-June 1 designation. That would save the Ravens $2MM against the 2025 cap with just $667k of dead money this year.

Bucs To Re-Sign DT Greg Gaines

March 12th, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Buccaneers are re-signing defensive tackle Greg Gaines for another season, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

2025 will be Gaines’ third year in Tampa Bay. He is expected to sign a one-year, $3.5MM contract, the same length and APY as his last two deals with the Buccaneers.

Gaines began his career as a fourth-round pick by the Rams in 2019. He carved out a rotational role in his first two years before moving into a starting job in 2021 and 2022. He started 25 games with more than 1,500 snaps in that span, which featured 9.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

The former Washington Husky was not retained by the Rams after his rookie contract expired and crisscrossed the country to sign with the Buccaneers in 2023. He played well enough in his debut season in Tampa Bay to earn another one-year deal for 2024. Across both seasons, he played in 32 games (five starts) with a snap share around 40%. He wasn’t as productive as he was in Los Angeles, though, totaling just four combined sacks and tackles for loss.

The 312-pound lineman will return to his rotational role in Tampa Bay in 2025 backing up Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey. Gaines will need to improve on his recent production to earn a significant raise in the NFL, but the Buccaneers were clearly satisfied with his value over the last two years.

Bills To Bring Back S Damar Hamlin

March 12th, 2025 at 9:18am CST by Sam Robinson

Damar Hamlin became a regular starter for the Bills again in 2024, moving back to the lineup after his injury rehab largely took him off the field in 2023. Despite Hamlin’s rookie contract expiring, the inspirational figure is staying in Buffalo.

The Bills announced they re-signed Hamlin to a one-year deal Wednesday morning. This will keep an experienced player in the fold alongside Taylor Rapp and second-rounder Cole Bishop.

Only used on 17 defensive plays in 2023, Hamlin won a starting safety job last season — after the Bills disbanded their seven-year Micah Hyde–Jordan Poyer safety partnership. Hamlin started all 14 games he played in 2024 and logged a 98% snap share, which checked in beyond his usage rate from 2022. Hamlin, 27 later this month, notched his first two career interceptions last season.

Set to hold a place in NFL history thanks to his recovery from the chest injury that caused cardiac arrest in Cincinnati, Hamlin held an uncertain place with the Bills after his comeback. The former fifth-round pick entered the Bills’ 2024 training camp on the roster bubble, as the team had drafted Bishop highly and signed Mike Edwards. Hamlin, however, beat out both to start alongside Rapp. The Pitt alum made 89 tackles and broke up five passes last season.

Bishop figures to be a threat to Hamlin’s starting position this year, as the Bills chose the Utah product 60th overall. Bishop played on 34% of Buffalo’s defensive snaps last season, starting four games. Pro Football Focus also ranked Hamlin 85th among safety regulars in 2024. The Bills also have versatile backup Cam Lewis rostered entering free agency. Rapp is signed for one more season.

Regardless of Hamlin’s path back to a starting role, his journey back from the near-death scene — one that prompted the first canceled NFL game in decades and prompted the league to devise a contingency plan in case a three-loss Bills team advanced to the AFC championship game that year — will make him a revered figure in Buffalo. If nothing else, Hamlin, who had started 13 games in place of Hyde in 2022, brings plenty of experience as a potential depth player — in the event Bishop takes a step into the starting lineup.

Dolphins, LB Tyrel Dodson Agree To Terms

March 12th, 2025 at 8:51am CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins are re-signing Tyrel Dodson, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz tweets. Dodson is staying in Miami on a two-year deal worth $8.25MM.

The former Bills contributor made 12 starts between his stops in Seattle and Miami last year. As they shook up their linebacking corps midway through last season, the Seahawks cut Dodson, leading him to the Dolphins. Miami will keep working with the waiver claim.

Checking in as a player the Dolphins negotiated with before the legal tampering period, Dodson saw the team up its price just a bit to seal the deal, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson adds. With Anthony Walker and Duke Riley unsigned, Dodson joins Jordyn Brooks as the top linebackers on the Dolphins’ roster.

Not long after trading Jerome Baker to the Titans in a package that brought back Ernest Jones, the Seahawks waived Dodson, who had started all nine Seattle games to that point. Dodson started three with the Dolphins, making his presence felt with turnovers. In just eight Miami games, Dodson nabbed three interceptions. He also broke up four passes during an intriguing start, even as the Dolphins were moving out of the playoff race at that point. Overall, Dodson made 107 tackles in 2024 (eight for loss).

Pro Football Focus graded Dodson as one of the league’s best coverage linebackers last season and slotted the five-year veteran 34th overall at the position. That came after the advanced metrics site ranked him first in 2023, albeit on just 549 snaps. Neither of these placements, however, created robust markets for the former UDFA. Still, Dodson has started 22 games over the past two seasons. He will attempt to secure a starting role with the 2025 Dolphins edition.

Titans To Sign WR Van Jefferson

March 12th, 2025 at 8:45am CST by Sam Robinson

After a year in Pittsburgh, Van Jefferson is on the move again. The Titans are bringing in the former Rams Super Bowl starter, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports.

Jefferson has since played for the Falcons and Steelers. He worked as a George Pickens sidekick in 2024. He will join a Tennessee team that lost Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (to the Dolphins) on Tuesday. Jefferson is a Nashville-area native; he will join the Titans on a one-year contract worth up to $2.5MM.

The former second-round pick was part of a low-level Los Angeles-to-Atlanta trade in 2023 and is still searching for the form that helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI despite injuries to Robert Woods and Odell Beckham Jr. It would be difficult to expect Jefferson to approach the 869 yards he tallied with the ’21 Rams — during a season in which he added 102 more yards alongside Beckham and Cooper Kupp in the playoffs — as the Florida alum has only eclipsed 300 receiving yards in just one other season. Last year, Jefferson totaled 276 and two touchdowns in Pittsburgh.

Jefferson played on a one-year, $1.29MM deal with the Steelers last season. He started 12 games for the team, one that pursued veteran receivers for months before landing on Mike Williams at the deadline. Williams’ presence cut into Jefferson’s role, and the Steelers finally landed their impact receiver addition by acquiring D.K. Metcalf via trade Sunday night.

The Titans most likely have more work to do at receiver, having traded DeAndre Hopkins midway through last season and having seen Tyler Boyd return to free agency Monday. Calvin Ridley is signed for three more seasons, and Treylon Burks‘ rookie contract covers one more — as the 2022 first-rounder’s fifth-year option will almost definitely not be exercised.

Broncos To Bring Back LB Justin Strnad

March 12th, 2025 at 8:41am CST by Sam Robinson

Dre Greenlaw is now the Broncos’ top linebacker, though Alex Singleton is on the way back from his ACL tear. Justin Strnad, however, is coming back after increased 2024 usage.

Strnad is re-signing with the Broncos on a one-year, $2.7MM contract, DNVR Sports’ Zac Stevens tweets. Strnad, who backed out of a Panthers deal in 2024 to stay in Denver, worked alongside Cody Barton as a regular last season.

Having gone two seasons without a start, Strnad also played zero LB snaps in 2022 and ’23. The 2020 Denver draftee, however, became needed after Singleton’s Week 3 injury. Jonas Griffith, who had competed with Barton for the role alongside Singleton in training camp, also went down to leave Strnad as an emergency option. He ended up starting eight games and playing a career-high 676 defensive snaps for a Broncos team that surprised most by making the playoffs.

The usual special-teamer was productive in his increased role, registering eight tackles for loss and three sacks last season. Making 73 tackles in total, Strnad also broke up three passes. Neither Barton nor Strnad was a plus player in coverage for a Broncos team that had also lost Josey Jewell in last year’s free agency, and Pro Football Focus rated Strnad as a bottom-10 LB regular in 2024. But Denver will keep him around as a backup once again. This marks Strnad’s second one-year Broncos accord.

Greenlaw agreed on a three-year, $35MM contract to follow ex-49ers teammate Talanoa Hufanga to Denver. The Broncos will hope the former Fred Warner sidekick is healthy, after a Super Bowl LVIII Achilles tear marred the 49ers’ championship fortunes and the LB’s 2024 season, but they have Strnad back as an option behind two veteran players coming off injuries. This signing also comes after the Broncos have settled on an ILB role for hybrid ‘backer Drew Sanders.

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