NFL free agency, offseason updates: ‘Legal tampering’ period nears but big moves already in full swing

The Broncos are close to retaining defensive lineman D.J. Jones. Specifics of that deal are not yet known, though ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that it will be close to $13 million per year.

Jones had 42 total tackles last season, his third with the Broncos. He'd be a great get for their defensive front next season as they look to build off of their first playoff appearance in nearly a decade.

The Commanders and backup tight end John Bates have agreed on a three-year contract, NFL Network reports.

Terms of the deal were not reported. Bates joins starting tight end Zach Ertz in reaching a deal this offseason to return to a Commanders team that advanced to the NFC championship game last season behind Rookie of the Year quarterback Jayden Daniels.

A block-first tight end, Bates tallied eight catches for 84 yards last season.

The Raiders and defensive tackle Adam Butler have agreed to a three-year, $16.5 million deal, NFL Network reports.

Butler, 30, tallied five sacks, 10 quarterback hits, 65 tackles and eight tackles for loss in 17 games last season. His 16 starts were more than his 13 combined in six previous NFL seasons.

Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith has signed his franchise tag, NFL Network reports.

Smith's signature ensures that he will remain with the Chiefs in 2025 and perhaps beyond. The two sides still have the option to work out a long-term deal. If they don't, Smith will be the highest-paid guard in football next season with a $23.4 million salary.

The Atlanta Falcons and left tackle Jake Matthews have agreed to a two-year, $45 million contract extension, NFL Network reports. The deal includes $38 million in guaranteed money, according to the report.

Matthews, 33, is a former Pro Bowler who's played his entire 11-season career with the Falcons.

It's a little after 8 p.m. on the east coast, and so much has happened across the league. Talk about a chaotic Sunday...

DK Metcalf is on the move. The Pittsburgh Steelers struck a deal with the Seattle Seahawks to land Metcalf on Sunday afternoon. Metcalf will then sign a five-year, $150 million deal with the team, according to the NFL Network.

Metcalf requested a trade out of Seattle this offseason. The team selected him in the second round of the 2019 draft, and he's spent his entire career there. He had 992 yards and five touchdowns last season, and came just shy of completing what would've been his third straight 1,000-yard campaign.

For more on the trade, click here.

The Buffalo Bills and MVP quarterback Josh Allen have agreed to a six-year contract extension that runs through the 2030 season.

The Bills announced the deal. Per multiple reports, the contract is valued at $330 million and includes a $250 million guarantee, the largest in NFL history. Allen and Buffalo agreed to the deal on Sunday despite his previous contract having four years remaining. Allen will sign the lucrative contract just weeks after being named NFL MVP for the first time.

For more, read here.

The Broncos are keeping backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham around for another season. Stidham, who will enter his sixth season in the league, helped back up rookie Bo Nix last season as they made the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.

The Patriots are also bringing back Austin Hooper on a one-year, $5 million deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The tight end had 476 yards (his best output since the 2019 campaign) and three touchdowns last season in New England.

The New England Patriots reached a three-year, $43.5 million deal with linebacker Harold Landry on Sunday, according to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Landry had 71 total tackles last season, his sixth with the Titans.

The Jets struck a three-year, $45 million deal to bring back linebacker Jamien Sherwood on Sunday. The deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, has $30 million fully guaranteed for Sherwood, who had 95 total tackles last season in New York.

Davante Adams is headed to Los Angeles. The longtime wide receiver, who was recently released by the New York Jets, struck a two-year, $46 million deal with the Rams on Sunday afternoon.

He'll join the Rams as the team is preparing to move on from longtime wide receiver Cooper Kupp. It will mark Adams' third team in the past two seasons.

For more on Davante Adams' deal with the Rams, click here.

The Seahawks and linebacker Ernest Jones have agreed to a three-year, $33 million contract extension with $15 million in guaranteed money, NFL Network reports.

Jones played last season on the final year of his four-year $4.79 million rookie contract. Jones, who was drafted by the Rams, started last season with the Titans then played the final 10 games with the Seahawks following a trade to Seattle. Now he has a long-term deal with the Seahawks.

Jones, 25, recorded 94 tackles, two pass deflections and a forced fumble last season. His is the second deal of the day reported out of Seattle after the Seahawks reportedly reached terms with with defensive tackle Jarran Reed.

Aaron Jones is sticking around in Minneapolis. The running back struck a two-year, $20 million deal with the Vikings on Sunday, according to multiple reports.

Jones is coming off a career-season in the Twin Cities. He racked up 1,138 yards and seven total touchdowns while helping the Vikings to a 14-3 record in his first season with the franchise. While they lost in the wild-card round after narrowly missing out on the top seed in the NFC, Jones coming back is a huge get for the Vikings after one of their best seasons in recent memory.

For more on Aaron Jones re-signing with the Vikings, click here.

The Lions will release defensive end Za'Darius Smith to cut future salary cap costs, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports.

Unfortunately for Smith, the decision comes six weeks after he posted a photo on social media of a Super Bowl-type ring he had made in anticipation of next season. However, the Lions could bring Smith back on a reworked contract which would salvage the ring.

Smith was acquired by Detroit from the Browns before the trade deadline, bringing in pass-rushing help after Aidan Hutchinson's season ended with a broken leg. He had four sacks, 12 combined tackles and three tackles for loss with the Lions. For the season, Smith notched nine sacks and 63 total pressures.

By releasing Smith, the Lions will save $5.7 million on their cap for 2025 and $5.2 million for 2026.

The Kansas City Chiefs and linebacker Nick Bolton have agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal with $30 million in guaranteed money, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

The 2021 second-round draft pick has been a key defender on Chiefs teams that have played in three consecutive Super Bowls and won two. He tallied 106 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and three sacks last season.

The Seahawks and defensive tackle Jarran Reed have agreed to a three-year deal contract up to $25 million, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. The contract will keep Reed from hitting free agency.

Reed, 32, tallied 4.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hits, 45 tackles and five tackles for loss in 17 games last season.

The Bills are releasing edge rusher Von Miller, NFL Network reports.

Miller, 36, played 13 games for Buffalo last season, registering six sacks with 17 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and 32 total pressures.

Cutting him will save the Bills $8.5 million on their salary cap. Miller and the Bills are open to him rejoining the team, according to Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.

The Saints cap maneuvering continues.

According to ESPN, New Orleans is restructuring Derek Carr's contract to free up nearly $31 million in cap space.

The Saints have been heavily leveraged against the cap in recent seasons and have needed to make moves like this simply to get under the cap in recent seasons. The move also means that Carr will now carry a cap number of $69 million in 2026. Unless, of course, the Saints make more cap moves.

Per Spotrac, New Orleans was over $38 million over the cap as of Saturday before Carr's deal was redone. That means the franchise needs to make more moves simply to be cap compliant.

Marquis "Hollywood" Brown is returning to the Chiefs for another season. The six-year veteran receiver has agreed to a one-year contract with Kansas City, according to several reports. The deal could earn him up to $11 million.

Last season with the Chiefs, Brown was limited to two games (starting one) after dislocating his shoulder during the preseason and eventually undergoing surgery. He returned during Week 16 and notched nine receptions for 91 yards in total. In the postseason, he caught five passes (on 13 targets) for 50 yards.

Brown, 27, had his best season in 2021 with the Ravens, tallying 91 receptions for 1,008 yards and six TDs. For his career, he's totaled 322 catches for 3,735 yards and 28 scores with Baltimore, the Cardinals and Chiefs.

Gesicki, 29, caught 65 passes for 665 yards and two touchdowns last season, his first with the Cincinnati Bengals. He spent the 2023 season with the New England Patriots and his first five NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

Rousseau, 24, just completed his fourth NFL season. He had 53 total tackles and eight sacks in 16 games last season.

Rousseau's signing comes after LB Terrell Bernard and WR Khalil Shakir both signed extensions to stay in Buffalo.

Landry, 28, played 98 games in Tennessee, recording 393 tackles, 50.5 sacks and two interceptions.

After failing to find a trade, Allen will hit the free agent market next week. The 30-year-old, a two-time Pro Bowler, partially tore his left pectoral muscle in Week 6 and missed most of the 2024 season.

Barnes, 25, played only three games last season after suffering a knee injury in September. He has 194 total tackles and four interceptions in four seasons with the Lions.

The 25-year-old Bernard has 247 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 5 interceptions over the past two seasons with the Bills.

The Cleveland Browns pass rusher requested a trade last month and has rejected advances by the team to talk about a contract extension.

The Browns, as of now, have no plans to trade Garrett.

Shortly after the Jaguars traded receiver Christian Kirk to the Texans and letting wideouts Josh Reynolds and Devin Duvernay go, the team is reportedly releasing tight end Evan Engram.

Releasing Engram will save Jacksonville $5.98 million in salary cap space, according to ESPN's Michael DiRocco.

Engram, 30, was limited to nine games last season due to hamstring and shoulder injuries. He caught 47 passes (on 64 targets) for 365 yards and one touchdown. The 2024-25 campaign was his third with the Jaguars after playing his first five NFL seasons with the Giants.

Additionally, the Jaguars released cornerback Ronald Darby on Thursday. Jacksonville now has $60 million in salary cap space, according to Spotrac.

The Commanders are bringing back leading tackler Bobby Wagner on a one-year contract, according to several reports. The deal could be worth up to $9.5 million with $8 million guaranteed, reports NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Wagner, 34, led Washington with 132 tackles last season, a performance that earned him second-team All-Pro honors and his 10th Pro Bowl selection. The Commanders had the fourth-ranked defense in the NFC, allowing an average of 327.9 yards per game.

The 2024-25 season was Wagner's first with the Commanders after 11 with the Seahawks (who drafted him in the second round in 2012) and one with the Rams. He's averaged 155 tackles during his 13-year NFL career with 2.9 sacks and eight tackles for loss.

DeVito, 26, has played 12 games in two seasons with the New York Giants. He has 1,358 passing yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions in his NFL career.

Hargrave, 32, has played nine NFL seasons with the Steelers, Eagles and 49ers. He has 380 career tackles and 45.5 sacks.

He played only three games during the 2024 season after suffering a partially torn right triceps, which required season-ending surgery.

Atwell played in all 17 games last season, recording 42 catches for 562 yards..

Morse, 32, was a second-round pick in 2015 by the Kansas City Chiefs. He moved to the Buffalo Bills in 2023 and played his final season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played 143 career NFL games and was a Pro Bowler in 2022.

The Cleveland Browns were nearly $22 million over the salary cap before this move.

Watson has two years left on his five-year, $230 million contract signed in 2022. He is owed $46 million in 2025 and 2026.

The Seahawks appear to be setting a high bar for what they want in return for DK Metcalf.

The 27-year-old receiver requested a trade from the team on Wednesday and according to The Athletic, the Seahawks want a first and third-round pick in return.

Will a team actually meet that asking price? You can at least understand why the Seahawks are asking for a first-round pick. In 2022, the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins for the No. 29 pick in the draft along with a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick and two 2023 picks. The Dolphins then made Hill the highest-paid receiver in the NFL at the time with a contract extension.

A week before Hill was traded, the Raiders traded a first-round pick and a second-round pick to the Packers for Davante Adams.

Like Hill, Metcalf will get a contract extension from a team that trades for him. He's in the last year of his current deal with a cap number over $30 million. That number would very likely go down for the 2025 season with an extension.

Joey Bosa's time with the Los Angeles Chargers is officially over. The team opted to release the star pass rusher on Wednesday night. He had been with them since the team selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in 2016, when they were still located in San Diego.

Bosa had 22 total tackles and five sacks last season. The move will free up more than $25 million in cap space.

For more on the Chargers' split with Joey Bosa, click here.