Transactions News & Rumors

Patriots, Morgan Moses Agree To Deal

March 10th, 2025 at 12:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Morgan Moses will not play for the Jets in 2025 but he will remain in the AFC East. The veteran right tackle has an agreement in place with the Patriots.

This is a three-year, $24MM deal, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. The pact has a maximum value of $28.5MM. Even at the age of 34 and despite the injuries Moses played through this past season, he has landed a notable commitment.

For a mid-30s tackle, Moses has done quite well. He has now enjoyed a lengthy run in Washington, two stops in New York and time in Baltimore during Lamar Jackson‘s rise. Moses has been an enduring right tackle presence throughout his career, making 158 starts. He logged 14 for the Jets last season, helping out as Tyron Smith again ran into injury trouble. Pro Football Focus slotted Moses ranked Moses 52nd overall among tackle regulars, however.

The Jets and Moses were believed to be in talks about another deal, but as the team breaks in Justin Fields at quarterback, it will be looking for a new RT starter. The Ravens had traded Moses back to the Jets, with whom he played in 2021, early in free agency last year. He started two seasons for Baltimore.

This year’s market did not bring much in the way of right tackle help, as a few LTs — Ronnie Stanley, Alaric Jackson, Cam Robinson, Dan Moore, Jaylon Moore — were out of contract. The Patriots were targeting Stanley, but he did not reach the market, with the Ravens re-signing the ex-Moses teammate. PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents list did not include a right tackle this year, but left tackle had been a bigger New England trouble spot during Drake Maye‘s rookie season. The Pats will still have work to do, though Robinson remains available.

Moses’ arrival will help Michael Onwenu settle in at right guard. The Pats have yo-yoed Onwenu from RT to RG during his career. Last season, Onwenu split his time at the two positions but played more inside. This signing would appear to at least halt Onwenu’s run of position switches for a bit. Though, it will be worth monitoring if Moses can keep up solid play into his mid-30s.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Patriots To Sign CB Carlton Davis

March 10th, 2025 at 12:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots are beginning to do work with their league-leading cap-space figure. After adding Harold Landry and Robert Spillane, secondary help is coming.

Carlton Davis is joining the Patriots on a three-year, $60MM deal, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reported during a TV appearance. This marks a second cornerback domino from the legal tampering period, as the Giants have agreed to terms with Paulson Adebo.

PFR’s No. 16 free agent, Davis has extensive postseason experience and was in solid form before going down with a broken jaw for a Lions team that finished 15-2. The Lions were unable to keep Davis, though they used first- and second-round picks on corners last year. Davis was also linked to the Jaguars before the market opened, but he will head to Boston to play alongside All-Pro Christian Gonzalez.

Well versed in zone- and man-based designs, the former second-round pick started in Super Bowl LV and has lined up as a first-stringer in eight other playoff games. The Buccaneers had re-signed Davis on a three-year, $44.5MM pact in 2022 but traded him to the Lions for a third-round pick last year. Joining D.J. Reed, Rasul Douglas, Charvarius Ward and Byron Murphy as CBs seeking a third contract, Davis has done very well. He becomes the eighth $20MM-per-year corner, following Jaycee Horn‘s record-setting deal from earlier today.

Davis, 28, reduced his completion percentage, passer rating and yards per target figures (55.3, 77.0, 7.5) from 2023-24 despite the Lions having no dependable pass rusher after Aidan Hutchinson’s injury. The 6-foot-1 cover man has started 88 career games. He, Landry and Spillane’s medium-term deals will overlap with Drake Maye‘s rookie pact.

After Bill Belichick had given the Patriots a perennially reliable defense, the team’s performance dropped significantly last season. New England ranked 22nd in both points and yards allowed, falling far despite Gonzalez’s first healthy season producing an All-Pro nod. Landry and Davis will be stepping in as 2025 pillars against the pass.

Titans To Add LT Dan Moore Jr.

March 10th, 2025 at 12:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The left tackle market is moving. After the Rams and Ravens respectively re-signed their options, the Chiefs took Jaylon Moore off the market. Now, the Titans are adding Dan Moore Jr.

Moore agreed to a four-year, $82MM deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported during a TV appearance. The four-year Steelers LT will receive $50MM guaranteed. This marks a massive agreement for Moore, whom the Steelers had effectively informed would not be back thanks to back-to-back first-round tackle draft choices.

PFR’s No. 13 overall free agent, Moore will outdo Stanley’s $20MM-per-year number. The Titans will bet big on a player who allowed the NFL’s most sacks (12) last season. Some of that most likely was due to Moore blocking for two sack-prone QBs — in Justin Fields and Russell Wilson — but the Titans are bringing in Moore to play on a line featuring two first-round picks (Peter Skoronski, JC Latham) and high-priced center Lloyd Cushenberry.

Pro Football Focus has never been high on Moore, ranking the former fourth-round pick outside the top 40 at tackle in each of his seasons. But Moore thwarted challenges to his Pittsburgh blindside job in each of the past two years. The Steelers are still moving Broderick Jones to left tackle, with Troy Fautanu slated to man the right side.

A 66-game starter, Moore is going into his age-27 season. With Jackson off the market, the Titans have decided on Moore over a more proven option in Cam Robinson, who will turn 30 this year. This move would appear to mean Tennessee is readying to move Latham from left to right tackle. Latham had ended his college career at RT but became one of the many rookie tackles to change sides last season. PFF graded Latham 56th among tackles in 2024.

The Titans’ 2025 starting quarterback is not yet known, but it appears it will be Moore guarding his blindside. The Titans have four locked-in starters up front, with only their right guard position up for grabs. And, as the Steelers made it clear Moore would be a one-contract player, the Texas A&M alum will land on his feet.

Jaguars To Sign CB Jourdan Lewis

March 10th, 2025 at 12:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

After eight years with the Cowboys, Jourdan Lewis is on the move. The veteran slot corner has a deal in place with the Jaguars, Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Peter Schrager of NFL Network report.

This will be a three-year deal worth $30MM, Rapoport notes. Lewis will receive $20MM guaranteed and $12.5MM in 2025. The pact continues a recent trend regarding the upward movement in the slot corner market. For Lewis, this is a massive pay bump; he was tied to a one-year deal worth $2.83MM last season.

Lewis is leaving Dallas after eight seasons, disbanding the team’s CB trio that has placed DaRon Bland on the perimeter opposite Trevon Diggs. The Cowboys have been unable to keep that troika healthy all at once, with Bland having previously replaced Lewis after he suffered a career-threatening foot injury. Lewis made it back from that malady in 2023 and has played 16 games in each of the past two seasons.

The slot market now includes eight-figure AAVs for a handful of players, including Kenny Moore, Taron Johnson and Michael Carter. Lewis and Nate Hobbs (Packers) rounded out the group Monday, as the cap’s $24MM spike has impacted this undervalued position. Pro Football Focus graded Lewis 29th last season, one spot in front of Moore, as he has displayed good health after the 2022 foot setback.

The Jags will pay the going rate for Lewis despite the former Cowboys third-rounder heading into his age-30 season. Moore, Johnson, Carter and Hobbs were each younger when they signed for eight figures on average. It will be interesting to see if Lewis can sustain his solid play in Jacksonville into his early 30s, as cornerback primes tend to run shorter than their receiver counterparts’.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

CB Paulson Adebo To Join Giants

March 10th, 2025 at 12:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

This year’s free agency market features a host of cornerbacks seeking a second free agency payday, but the Giants are adding a first-time UFA. Paulson Adebo is joining the Giants, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo reported during a TV appearance. It is a three-year deal. Adebo will collect $18MM per year with $36MM guaranteed, per a Garafolo update.

Joining Asante Samuel Jr. as a CB regular taking his first shot at free agency, Adebo also joins the four-year Charger in coming off an injury-marred season. Adebo sustained a broken femur last October, halting a strong run for a player who had seen extensive time as New Orleans’ No. 1 corner due to Marshon Lattimore‘s injury trouble.

Adebo’s last healthy season (2023) produced notable improvements in coverage. While we still do not have tremendously reliable metrics to measure coverage, Adebo was charged with yielding only 6.7 yards per target and allowing a 55% completion rate as the closest defender in 2023. He allowed one touchdown pass that year and yielded merely a 62.7 passer rating. In 2024, Adebo allowed a 60% completion rate and only a 71.9 passer rating as the closest defender.

Traditional metrics back Adebo’s case more, as he has been a consistent turnover-forcing presence. Adebo combined for seven interceptions over the past two seasons, breaking up 28 passes in that span. The Saints relied on the 6-foot-1 defender for extended stretches in that span, as the organization grew frustrated with Lattimore’s injury recovery paces. After trading Lattimore, the Saints had shown interest in retaining Adebo. But New Orleans’ annual cap issues may have impacted that effort.

The Giants have not seen their recent first-round pick, Deonte Banks, grow into a consistent option. They have questioned Banks’ work ethic, going so far as to bench him briefly last season. As Banks has struggled, the Giants now have a better option in Adebo to play alongside the 2023 draftee and slot Dru Phillips. With the team still housing a formidable pass-rushing trio in Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, it will hope a better cover man can round out a pass defense that ranked 24th last season.

That said, the Giants were eighth in passing yards allowed. While teams did not run into many shootouts in Giants matchups during a dreadful Big Blue season, Shane Bowen’s defense was not the lead area to fix. That domino will fall later for the Giants, whose current regime’s futures likely depend on how the quarterback situation is addressed. For now, though, an early defensive addition could move the needle, as Adebo is not expected to be a candidate to end up on the reserve/PUP list following his broken leg.

Patriots To Sign LB Robert Spillane

March 10th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Sam Robinson

Robert Spillane established himself as a starter during his Raiders tenure, and Pete Carroll expressed interest in retaining the veteran linebacker. But free agency will lure him out of Las Vegas.

The Patriots will use their league-leading cap-space figure to bring in Spillane, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported (via NFL Network). It is a three-year, $37.5MM deal, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Spillane will see $20.6MM guaranteed, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur tweets.

After Spillane’s two-year, $7MM deal came following a 59% usage-rate Steelers season, the Raiders were correct in buying low. He started all 34 games he played over the past two years, posting 97 and 98% snap rates in those seasons. The Patriots will pay up for his age-29 and age-30 seasons. Spillane made 158 tackles last season and 148 in 2023, stuffing box scores despite the Raiders failing to improve in this span.

While still better as a thumper type, Spillane showed coverage skills with five INTs and 11 passes defensed in that span. The former UDFA also registered 5.5 sacks in his two Las Vegas years, delivering in just about every facet for struggling teams. Pro Football Focus did observe a disparity between Spillane’s run- and pass-defending skills, ranking him sixth among ILBs in run stoppage and in the bottom third against the pass.

Although Spillane will not be working under Josh McDaniels, this does bring a reunion between a productive Raider and the coach who was in charge when Las Vegas brought him in during the 2023 offseason. Spillane joins a few defenders to stop through New England early in free agency, accompanying Harold Landry, Milton Williams and Carlton Davis. Not landing contracts on the level those higher-end free agents did, Spillane still secured a significant raise from his Raiders pact and will be asked to play a starting role alongside them in Foxborough next season.

Rams To Re-Sign Jimmy Garoppolo

March 10th, 2025 at 11:50am CST by Sam Robinson

Sean McVay said recently he wanted the Rams to re-sign Jimmy Garoppolo. After the team took care of its higher-profile quarterback matter, QB2 continuity is on tap.

The latest veteran to stop through and back up Matthew Stafford, Garoppolo has a one-year deal in place to stay with the Rams, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo reported on NFL Network. Garoppolo secured a similar base value ($4.51MM) compared to his 2024 contract, but NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds $9MM in incentives are also included. This would seemingly pertain to potential Garoppolo starts, should Stafford go down.

Garoppolo followed Baker Mayfield and Carson Wentz into town as the Rams’ backup QB. Unlike Mayfield, Garoppolo did not need to play any games of consequence. Although the Rams could have moved up in the NFC playoff seeding hierarchy, they sat a host of starters in Week 18. Garoppolo received the start and played well, throwing for 334 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Seahawks.

The Rams had given Garoppolo a landing spot after a rough Raiders season. The Raiders had benched Garoppolo, after Davante Adams had made calls for it during a season in which the team fired Josh McDaniels, and made him a post-June 1 cut. In a rather interesting turn, Garoppolo and Adams are back together. The Rams acquired the All-Pro receiver Sunday night. If Stafford’s injury trouble produces an absence, Netflix’s Receiver project will be worth circling back to as a reminder of how poorly that QB-WR fit was in Las Vegas.

Garoppolo, 33, had been the 49ers’ primary starter for five seasons. He guided the team to Super Bowl LIV and then helped San Francisco out of a jam the Trey Lance miss caused, coming off the trade block to sign a reworked deal to stay in 2022. While the 49ers advanced to the NFC title game once again, it was Brock Purdy at the controls that year.

Making 64 career starts, Garoppolo has seen a litany of injuries keep that number fairly low. He suffered an ACL tear in September 2018 and played only six games in 2020, as ankle trouble surfaced. After playing through multiple injuries in 2021, Garoppolo suffered a Jones fracture to introduce Purdy to the NFL world in 2022. He missed two games with the Raiders in 2023 and ended up on the backup tier soon after the team’s McDaniels firing.

The Rams want to develop a young QB behind Stafford, via The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, but Stetson Bennett has not proven to be that option. For now, Garoppolo will remain the team’s Stafford insurance policy.

Chiefs, RB Elijah Mitchell Agree To Deal

March 10th, 2025 at 11:42am CST by Sam Robinson

Known to be interested in making a free agent running back addition, the Chiefs have moved quickly in doing so. Elijah Mitchell has a one-year deal in place worth up to $3.5MM, as first reported by Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

Kansas City is taking a flier on an injury-prone back, one who missed all of last season after San Francisco played the Christian McCaffrey backup on IR before setting its 53-man roster. Mitchell had previously sustained setbacks as a rookie and in 2022, when the 49ers used two IR activations on the sixth-round pick.

Mitchell memorably usurped Trey Sermon, a third-round pick presumed to be the 49ers’ lead back going into the 2021 season, ahead of his first game and led the ’21 49ers in rushing (963 yards). The mid-major product missed six games that season and 12 in 2022, going down with two MCL injuries in the latter season. When Mitchell returned from the first of those, the 49ers had traded for McCaffrey. As McCaffrey zoomed to the 2023 rushing title, Mitchell totaled 75 carries for 281 yards and two scores in 2023.

The Chiefs won a bet on a previous injury-prone 49ers castoff, seeing Jerick McKinnon shake off two full-season absences and play three years as a passing-down back alongside the likes of Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Isiah Pacheco. Edwards-Helaire is now with the Saints, and Pacheco is coming off a season in which a broken leg slowed his momentum. Kareem Hunt, added in the wake of Pacheco’s leg break, is again a free agent.

Losing Samaje Perine to the Bengals on Monday, the Chiefs have only Pacheco and 2024 UDFA Carson Steele on the roster as RB holdovers. Mitchell, 27, will vie for a backup job, but the Chiefs should be expected to make another addition — perhaps in the draft — to round out their group.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Commanders To Sign DT Javon Kinlaw

March 10th, 2025 at 11:38am CST by Adam La Rose

The Commanders have quickly found a new starter along the defensive line. Javon Kinlaw is headed to the nation’s capital.

Kinlaw has a three-year, $45MM deal in place with the Commanders, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The pact includes $30MM in guarantees, a major raise compared to his one-year Jets tenure. This agreement will allow for Kinlaw to reunite with general manager Adam Peters, who was in the 49ers front office which drafted him.

Washington already had an expensive DT tandem in the form of Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen, but after granting the latter permission to seek a trade, the team released him. That move seemed to open up a starting spot for 2024 second-rounder Johnny Newton, but Peters has instead made another lucrative investment at the position.

Kinlaw faced high expectations as the 14th overall pick in 2020, but his San Francisco tenure did not go according to plan. Injuries were a problem in his second and third seasons, a span in which he played only 10 total games. The South Carolina product logged a full campaign during his walk year, but even that only landed him a one-year Jets deal.

The Jets represented a quick stopover for Kinlaw, who used a “prove it” deal to his advantage despite Gang Green finishing 5-12 and regressing on defense. The former first-rounder’s knee trouble did not limit him, as the five-year vet started all 17 Jets games and tallied a career-high 4.5 sacks and five tackles for loss. Going from a one-year, $7.25MM contract to $30MM guaranteed represents one of the 2024 seasons bigger wins, even though it largely came off the radar.

Payne’s new sidekick will be expected to build on this, and while his injury past provides some concerns, Peters is plenty familiar with the risks Kinlaw once brought. Ahead of an age-28 season, Kinlaw will be taking over for Allen on a deal not too far south of where the Pro Bowler stood.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Bengals To Re-Sign DT B.J. Hill

March 10th, 2025 at 11:38am CST by Sam Robinson

The Bengals unraveled defensively last season, squandering an All-Pro-caliber Joe Burrow season and an actual All-Pro campaign from Ja’Marr Chase. The team overhauled its defensive staff as a result, but at least one free agency piece from Lou Anarumo’s unit is staying.

Former trade acquisition B.J. Hill is rejoining the Bengals on a three-year, $33MM deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Hill will earn $16MM guaranteed as part of this agreement.

Monday’s agreement marks Hill’s second with the Bengals, who had benefited from their 2021 trade with the Giants in obtaining the former New York regular. Hill has started 50 games with the Bengals during his four-year Cincinnati stay. He previously secured a three-year, $30MM deal, having played a key role during the Bengals’ Super Bowl LVI season.

Hill fared better in 2023, having smashed his previous career high by posting 21 QB hits. The former Giants draftee has no other seasons with more than 12; he tallied nine in 2024. While Hill only added three sacks to his career total (23.5) last season, he also finished with a career-best seven tackles for loss. While little went right for the Bengals defensively in 2024, Hill showed enough to convince a new defensive staff he was worth bringing back at an eight-figure-per-year rate.

Cincinnati saw its Sheldon Rankins investment bust, amplifying Hill’s value. The team has also since agreed to terms with nose tackle TJ Slaton, who is on track to operate as a D.J. Reader nose tackle successor. The onus will be on Hill, then, to provide interior pressure, as Slaton is primarily a run defender. It remains to be seen — though it seems unlikely — if these two will play alongside Trey Hendrickson in 2025.

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