After six seasons with the Giants, Darius Slayton finally had a chance to leave, but instead, he’s decided to stick around. The wide receiver is set to sign a new three-year, $36 million deal, according to ESPN.
Slayton caught 39 passes for 573 yards and two touchdowns in 2024 and those numbers could improve if the Giants put a better quarterback under center.
The Bengals have made their fifth move of the day and for the fifth time, it doesn’t involve Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins or Trey Hendrickson. This time around, the team is finalizing a deal with Eagles linebacker Oren Burks. According to NFL Media, the two sides are looking at a two-year, $5 million deal with the key part being that Burks will have a shot to start.
The reason that’s a big deal for Burks is because he’s only started 17 games in his seven-year career. However, he did make a name for himself during the postseason by starting three of Philadelphia’s four games during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run.
The Vikings offensive line just got a boost in the former of Ryan Kelly. After spending the first nine seasons of his career with the Colts, Kelly has to terms on a two-year, $18 million deal with the Vikings that includes $9 million in guaranteed money, according to NFL Media.
Kelly has had trouble staying healthy over the past two years, missing a total of 10 games since the start of the 2023 season, but when he’s healthy, he’s a solid center. In 2024, he only surrendered one sack during his 601 snaps on the field, according to PFF.
The Panthers have had a busy Monday and most of that has been spent adding players on the defensive side of the ball. The team has agreed to terms with Tershawn Wharton on a three-year deal that’s worth up to $54 million and includes $30 million in guaranteed money, according to NFL Media.
The former Chiefs defensive tackle spent the first five seasons of his career in Kansas City before deciding to leave for Carolina. Wharton now joins Tre’von Moehrig and Patrick Jones as defensive players the Panthers have added on Monday. Carolina also handed out a record-setting $100 million extension to Jaycee Horn.
The Dolphins need a backup QB for Tua Tagovailoa and it looks like they’ve found their guy. Zach Wilson has agreed to terms on a one-year, $6 million deal that could be worth a total of $10 million, ESPN has reported. Wilson spent the 2024 season as a back up in Denver, but didn’t throw a single pass during the season. Before that, the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft famously spent three years with the New York Jets.
The wide receiver announced in early February that the Rams were going to try and trade him, but five weeks later, a trade still hasn’t materialized. If the Rams can’t find a trading partner by the time free agency officially starts on Wednesday, then the team is going simply release him, ESPN has reported.
This is not surprising at all. Rams general manager Les Snead had said last week that there was almost no way Kupp would be returning to Los Angeles in 2025. Not to mention, the Rams just added Davante Adams, so they receiver room is kind of full now.
Kupp was the MVP of Super Bowl LVI when the Rams beat the Bengals 23-20. He caught eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns in the win. That came during a 2021 season where he led the NFL in both receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and touchdown catches (16).
We are now more than six hours into the first day of free agency tampering, which is enough time to start judging how each team did and we’re going to do that by handing out some winners and losers.
Cody Bejamin came up with a few winners and losers, so let’s check those out:
WinnersMike Vrabel
Justin Fields
LosersPanthers
Giants
But wait, there’s more! We’ve Cody’s full list of free agency winners and losers here.
When it comes to adding wide receivers, the Texans have been busy. Former Chiefs receiver Justin Watson has agreed to terms on deal with the Texans, NFL Media has reported. Watson is the third receiver to be added to the roster over four days. The Texans traded for Christian Kirk on March 6 and then they added Braxton Berrios on Monday, just hours before agreeing to a deal with Watson.
The Texans have two receivers hitting free agency (Robert Woods and Stefon Diggs) plus Tank Dell coming off a devastating knee injury, so it definitely makes some sense that they’ve added some receiving depth.
It looks like the Colts have decided to totally remake their secondary. Not only did they add safety Cam Bynum, but they’ve also agreed to a deal with Charvarius Ward. The former 49ers cornerback is getting a three-year deal worth up to $60 million that includes $35 million guaranteed, according to ESPN.
The Colts surrendered 229.4 passing yards per game in 2024, which ranked 26th in the NFL. The addition of Bynum and Ward should help them improve on that number.
Ward ranks 18th overall on Prisco’s list of the top 100 free agents.
The Patriots currently have two quarterbacks on their roster and they’re about to add another one. The agent for Josh Dobbs said that his client has agreed to terms on a two-year deal with the Patriots.
With Jacoby Brissett hitting free agency, the means the QB room in New England right now is: Drake Maye, Joe Milton and Josh Dobbs. The addition of Dobbs could open the door for the Patriots to possibly trade Milton. A report from early February suggested that the Pats might look into trading Milton this offseason.
2025 NFL free agency: Patriots sign veteran quarterback Joshua Dobbs to two-year deal
The Cleveland Browns need a quarterback and they acquired one by making a trade for Kenny Pickett from the Eagles, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones has reported. This is a QB for QB trade: Pickett will be going to the Browns while the Eagles will be getting Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round pick from Cleveland.
At this point, Russell Wilson could end up anywhere and when we say anywhere, that includes the Tennessee Titans. According to SNYtv, the Tennessee Titans are interested in Wilson.
The Titans will be an interesting team to watch this week, because if they don’t come out of free agency with a quarterback, that almost guarantees that they’ll end up staying put at No. 1 overall and taking one in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Panthers have already added safety Tre’von Moehrig and defensive end Patrick Jones, and now, they’ve added another defensive player. Former Rams defensive tackle Bobby Brown III has agreed to terms on a three-year, $21 million deal, according to NFL Media. Brown will join a Panthers defensive front that already includes Derrick Brown and A’Shawn Robinson.
Former Commanders receiver Dyami Brown is headed to Jacksonville after agreeing on a one-year, $10 million deal with the team, NFL Media has reported. Brown only had 308 receiving yards during the regular season, but he came up huge during the playoffs. During the Commanders run to the NFC title game, he caught a total of 14 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown. If he brings that kind of production to Jacksonville, this could be a solid signing for new coach Liam Coen.
Malcolm Koonce had a chance to leave Las Vegas in free agency, but instead, he’ll be sticking around for at least one more year. The defensive end has agreed to terms on a one-year, $12 million deal, according to ESPN. Koonce missed the entire 2024 season after tearing his ACL, which limited his market in free agency. However, when he was healthy in 2023, he racked up eight sacks, which ranked second on the team. If Koonce can play like he did two years ago, then this deal could end up being a bargain for the Raiders.
Aaron Rodgers is arguably the top free agent QB left on the market and right now, it’s still not clear where he’ll end up. According to SNYtv, the Giants want Rodgers, but the belief is that the four-time MVP is going to end up signing with the Steelers. Right now, the ball seems to be in Rodgers’ court: He has to pick where he wants to play, but no matter what happens, it does seem like he’ll definitely have a starting job in 2025.
With Jaire Alexander’s future up in the air, the Packers needed to add some cornerback depth and they did that in a big way by landing Nate Hobbs. The former Raiders corner has agreed to a four-year, $48 million deal that includes $16 million in guaranteed money, NFL Media has reported.
The 25-year-old Hobbs was a fifth-round pick in 2021 and he ended up starting 38 games for the Raiders during his four seasons with the team.
After losing D.J. Reed to the Lions, the Jets were in need of some cornerback help and they added that by signing Brandon Stephens. According to NFL Media, the former Ravens corner is getting a three-year, $36 million deal.
Stephen was a third-round pick in 2021 and even though he’s started 48 games during his four years in Baltimore, the Ravens decided to let him walk after his rookie contract expired.
After just one season in Pittsburgh, Donte Jackson is on the move. The cornerback has agreed to terms on a two-year, $13 million contract with the Chargers, according to NFL Media. Jackson led the Steelers in interceptions last season with five and will now play on a Chargers defense that also features Asante Samuel Jr. on the other side at corner.
The Panthers weren’t able to close the deal with Milton Williams, but they did get a deal done with Patrick Jones II. According to ESPN, the defensive end has agreed to terms on a two-year, $20 million deal with the Panthers.
Jones had a solid 2024 season with seven sacks and one forced fumble in 15 games. The Panthers will be hoping he can generate similar numbers in 2025. The 26-year-old Jones was a third-round pick by the Vikings in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Eagles corner has been in talks with the Steelers. The Eagles were expected to release Slay last week, but that never happened, so he’s still under contract. According to Pro Football Talk, Slay has permission to speak with other teams, which is why he was able to talk to the Steelers. Signing in Pittsburgh would make some sense for Slay, because it would reunite him with Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, who was his defensive coordinator in Detroit for four seasons (2014-17).
With Tre’von Moehrig headed to Carolina, the Raiders had a hole at safety and they filled that by agreeing to terms with Jeremy Chinn. The former Commanders safety has agreed to terms on a two-year, $16 million deal, according to NFL Media. Chinn had an impressive season playing under Dan Quinn in 2024 and at $8 million per year, he’ll be less than half the price of Moehrig, who got a deal worth $17 million per year with the Panthers.
We have our first big trade of the day: The Texans are sending Laremy Tunsil to Washington in exchange for a package of picks, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones has reported. Jayden Daniels was sacked 47 times in 2024, which was the sixth-highest number in the NFL and the Commanders are clearly hoping they can bring that number way down.
Here are the terms of the deal:
Texans get: 2025 third-rounder and seventh-rounder, 2026 second-rounder and fourth-rounder
Commanders get: Laremy Tunsil, 2025 fourth-rounder
Giving up Tunsil is an interesting decision for the Texans because CJ Stroud took 58 sacks last season, which was the second-most in the NFL. We graded the trade and you can see who came out on top here.
The Packers have a new offensive guard after agreeing to terms with Aaron Banks. The former 49ers lineman is getting a four-year, $77 million deal, according to NFL Media. With an average annual value of $19.25 million per year, that makes Banks the sixth-highest paid guard in the NFL.
Banks was ranked as the 77th best free agent on Prisco’s top 100 list. He was drafted by the 49ers in 2021 and took over the starting guard job in 2022.
The Bills don’t have much cap room, but they did manage to scrounge together enough money to add Josh Palmer. The former Chargers receiver has agreed to terms on a three-year, $36 million deal that includes $18 million in guaranteed money.
Palmer will now join a receiving room that includes Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman. Palmer is coming off a 2024 season where he caught 39 passes for 584 yards.
The Bengals have made their fourth move of the day and for the fourth time, it doesn’t involve Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins or Trey Hendrickson. This time around, the Benals are signing T.J. Slaton. The former Packers defensive tackle is getting a two-year deal worth $15.1 million, according to NFL Media. The 27-year-old was a fifth-round pick by Green Bay in 2021. He became a full-time starter in 2023 and has started all 34 games the Packers have played in over the past two seasons.
Just hours after getting released by the Falcons, Grady Jarrett already has a new team. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones has reported that the 30-year-old has agreed to terms on a three-year, $43.5 million deal with the Bears. In the past hour, the Bears have signed both Dayo Odeyingbo and Jarrett as they look to get stronger in the trenches.
The Broncos have a new starting safety in the form of Talanoa Hufanga, who’s agreed to terms on a three-year, $45 million deal that includes $20 million in guaranteed money, according to ESPN. Hufanga does have some injury concerns, but if he stay healthy, he’ll definitely be an upgrade in the Broncos’ secondary.
The 26-year-old was a first-team All-Pro in 2022, but he’s missed 17 games due to injury over the past two seasons combined.
The top defensive free agent on Prisco’s top 100 list officially has a new team. The Eagles star pass-rusher is headed to Arizona after agreeing to terms on a four-year deal, $76.4 million deal that includes $41 million in guaranteed money, according to ESPN.
Sweat racked up eight sacks last season, which led the Eagles. He also racked up 2.5 sacks on Patrick Mahomes during Philadelphia’s 40-22 Super Bowl win over the Chiefs.
The 27-year-old will be reuniting with Jonathan Gannon, who was his defensive coordinator for two seasons in Philadelphia (2021-22). Sweat tallied a career-high 11 sacks during Gannon’s final season in Philly in 2022.
Sweat was ranked as the third-best available free agent on Prisco’s top 100 list behind only two offensive players (Sam Darnold and Tee Higgins).
The Bengals have made their third move of the day and for the third time, it doesn’t involve Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins or Trey Hendrickson. Instead, the deal involves Samaje Perine. According to NFL Media, the running back has agreed to terms on a two-year deal worth up to $3.8 million. Perine has spent 3.5 of his eight career NFL seasons in Cincinnati and he’ll now be returning for another one.
