ESPN's Adam Schefter believes that New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is expected to be a post-June 1 cut by the Jets, would be thrilled by the idea of going to the Los Angeles Rams to play for head coach Sean McVay. However, for that to even be a possibility, the Rams and current QB Matthew Stafford would have to fail to work out a contract restructure for 2025 and then trade him to another team. L.A. would probably be able to sign Rodgers for a lower cost than what they'd have to pay Stafford, but that's assuming McVay and the Rams' front office would even want a 41-year-old aging QB that is probably heading into the final year of his career. Rodgers tore his Achilles in Week 1 of 2023 and threw for 3,897 yards, 28 TDs and 11 interceptions in a disappointing 2024 campaign for the Jets. There's no guarantee he'll be any better if he plays at all in 2025 for a different organization.

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ESPN's Kevin Seifert reports that the Minnesota Vikings are in no rush to place the franchise tag on impending free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold despite his career year in 2024. It doesn't mean they won't eventually use it on the 27-year-old signal-caller, and it doesn't rule out the team giving him a multi-year extension. Another option is that the Vikings tag Darnold and then trade him for draft-pick compensation. Keeping Darnold on the tag in 2025 would cost Minnesota around $40 million, which would be a questionable decision with former first-rounder J.J. McCarthy (knee) waiting in the wings as the franchise QB. Seifert believes the most likely scenario is that the team lets Darnold sign elsewhere while saving the tag for a player like cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., who had a career-high six interceptions in 2024. Darnold set career-highs last year across the board but also had just one TD and a 53% completion percentage in the last two games.

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ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Cincinnati Bengals will attempt to sign wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and defensive end Trey Hendrickson to long-term contract extensions this offseason, according to sources. Higgins will hit free agency on March 12, but a team source thinks Cincy will use the franchise tag on him for a second straight year if an extension isn't reached by the March 4 tag deadline -- a report surfaced on Monday that the Bengals will use the non-exclusive tag on Higgins. Chase, meanwhile, is set to become the highest-paid receiver in the NFL after leading the league in receiving yards (1,708), touchdowns (17) and catches (127) in 2024. Hendrickson could command over $30 million per year after back-to-back seasons of 17.5 sacks as one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL. Quarterback Joe Burrow is willing to alter his contract to allow the Bengals a realistic chance to keep all three star players.

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The Carolina Panthers and quarterback Andy Dalton agreed on a two-year, $8 million deal on Tuesday that includes $6 million guaranteed and has a maximum value of $10 million, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The veteran signal-caller will remain in Carolina, where he's developed a close relationship with starter Bryce Young. Dalton, 37, ended up making five starts for the Panthers in 2024 after the team benched Young following his slow start. In his six appearances in his second year in Carolina, the Red Rifle completed 66.3% of his 160 pass attempts for 989 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions before suffering a thumb injury in a car accident that gave the Panthers a reason to go back to Young to end the year. Young looked the best he has in his young career to close out 2024, so Dalton will be entrenched as his backup entering the 2025 season.

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The Indianapolis Colts will likely have quarterback Anthony Richardson under center to begin the 2025 campaign, but after Richardson's struggles to begin his career, the team would be wise to sign a backup with upside. Richardson has completed just 50.6% of his passes for 2,391 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions through his first 15 games. According to Colts reporter James Boyd of The Athletic, former New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daniel Jones could be a free-agent target for Indianapolis. "Ballard made it clear the Colts will bring in another QB to push Anthony Richardson, and my best guess on who that quarterback will be is Daniel Jones," Boyd wrote. "I suspect my No. 1 choice, Justin Fields, will stay in Pittsburgh, making Jones the next-best/most realistic option in free agency because of his dual-threat abilities." Jones has passed for 14,582 yards, 70 touchdowns, and 47 interceptions in 70 career games. While it's tough to be optimistic about his future, quarterbacks have gone on to find success with new teams in the past.

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Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen has led the team in receiving yards in each of the last two seasons, yet his $8.3 million annual average salary ranks 37th among all wideouts. The 34-year-old posted a 1,000-yard campaign in 2023 before a 615-yard season in just 10 games in 2024. The veteran is reportedly wanting a new deal, but the organization is unlikely to extend him long-term due to his age. However, Joseph Person of The Athletic said the team could offer him a pay bump in the form of converting his per-game bonuses into more guaranteed money. While Thielen is past his prime, he's been a valuable weapon for young quarterback Bryce Young on a team that is lacking high-end pass catchers.

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Former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien is joining the New Orleans Saints coaching staff in the same role, according to NFL.com. Former Cowboys, Chargers, and Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is now the head coach in New Orleans, and the two former NFL quarterbacks worked together in Dallas from 2020 to 2022. Tolzien appeared in 10 NFL games from 2013 to 2017 and threw for 1,065 yards, two touchdowns, and nine interceptions in his career. Despite offseason trade or cut rumors, recent news suggests the Saints are likely to roll with Derek Carr in the QB1 role for at least one more season.

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ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime writes that the Houston Texans are unlikely to use the franchise tag on wide receiver Stefon Diggs (knee) this year because they have limited salary cap space in 2025 and don't want to dump almost $26 million into an aging player coming off a torn ACL. Diggs will also be 32 years old in November. The $26 million this year would be a higher yearly salary than what No. 1 wideout Nico Collins makes at $24,250,000. It means that Diggs might be one-and-done in Houston after they acquired him in a trade with the Buffalo Bills last offseason, even though receiver Tank Dell also suffered a season-ending injury that could keep him out for all of 2025. In his eight games with the Texans, Diggs had a 47-496-3 line on 64 targets. Coming off a serious knee injury, it will be interesting to see what kind of market he'll have, but his landing spot will ultimately determine his fantasy value.

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ESPN's Brooke Pryor writes that it would be cost prohibitive for the Pittsburgh Steelers to use the franchise tag on impending free-agent running back Najee Harris this year after they declined his fifth-year option a year ago. Additionally, neither quarterbacks Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields is worth the hefty price that would come with a franchise tag for a QB. However, Pittsburgh could consider using the transition tag on Wilson or Fields that would give them the ability to match another team's offer. RB Jaylen Warren will also be a restricted free agent, so the Steelers RB room could look quite different in 2025. Harris has over 1,000 yards rushing in all four of his NFL seasons and has started all 68 games, but he's lacked explosiveness by averaging 3.9 yards per carry on his 1,097 rushing attempts. Still, the Steelers could very well re-sign him, especially if they let Warren walk.

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ESPN New York's Rich Cimini writes that the New York Jets aren't expected to use the franchise tag this year on any of their seven starters that are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents. It makes sense that the Jets aren't looking to retain old players under a new regime with head coach Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey. Cornerback D.J. Reed should attract plenty of interest as a free agent and is expected to test the market after ranking 14th out of 77 cornerbacks in 2024 in EPA per target, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. With the tag amount expected to be more than $20 million for cornerbacks, it will be too rich for the Jets. The 28-year-old missed three games due to injury but was reliable otherwise with 64 tackles (52 solo), one sack and 11 pass breakups in 14 starts for the Jets. There's a good chance he'll sign elsewhere this offseason.

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ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques writes that the only player the Miami Dolphins could even remotely consider placing the franchise tag on this offseason would be safety Jevon Holland, but that seems unlikely to happen since it's unreasonable to pay him $20 million in 2025 after he didn't intercept a single pass in 2024. Louis-Jacques thinks the Dolphins should either sign Holland to a long-term contract extension or let him test the free-agent market. The Dolphins didn't use the franchise tag on any of their premier free agents last year, and it's unlikely they'll do so again this year, especially with Holland. In addition to recording zero interceptions, the 24-year-old defensive back finished last year with a career-low 62 tackles (42 solo), one sack, four pass breakups and a forced fumble in 15 games played. He's set to be an unrestricted free agent in March and could be moving on.

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New Detroit Lions offensive coordinator John Morton told FOX 2 Detroit's Dan Miller that the team's offense in 2025 will remain "predicated" on quarterback Jared Goff. "I think it's big because it all starts with the quarterback," Morton said. "Just kind of knowing him -- and when I was here, I was in the quarterback room. So, I have a feel of what he likes, what he doesn't." Morton spent a year with the Lions as a senior offensive assistant in 2022 before coaching for the Denver Broncos the last two years. He also called played under Todd Bowles as the New York Jets offensive coordinator in 2017 but was fired after one season. Morton has been in non-play-calling roles the last six years. He'll be taking over the No. 1 offense and has big shoes to fill after Ben Johnson left to be the head coach for the division-rival Chicago Bears.

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The Associated Press' Stephen Hawkins reports that University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward, who many project to be taken with one of the first picks in the 2025 NFL draft, hasn't decided if he will throw at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis next week. Ward has taken a lot of heat for not playing in the second half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl in a 42-41 loss to Iowa State in December, but he also broke the Division 1 record for career touchdown passes (156) before halftime and won the Davey O'Brien award on Monday for the nation's best QB. He finished his college career with 158 TD passes, and his 18,189 passing yards were third-most in NCAA history behind only Case Keenum and Dillon Gabriel. Ward set single-season school records at Miami in 2024 for yards, completions (305), TD passes (39) and completion percentage (67.2%).

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The Athletic's Jon Machota doesn't think it's realistic to expect the Dallas Cowboys to try to trade for disgruntled Cleveland Browns All-Pro pass-rusher Myles Garrett this offseason, mainly because nothing Dallas has done over the last decade would suggest a blockbuster trade is on the horizon. Machota doesn't see the Cowboys parting ways with pass-rusher Micah Parsons and doesn't think owner Jerry Jones would be willing to give up the draft picks it would cost to acquire Garrett, potentially two first-rounders. Additionally, the Cowboys would have to pony up on a massive contract extension if they were even willing to trade for Garrett. The team's top priority this offseason will be getting Parsons signed to a long-term extension, and the Cowboys have shown recently with star players like Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb that they tend to take their time getting stuff done.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the New Orleans Saints interviewed Philadelphia Eagles assistant head coach and running backs coach Jemal Singleton for their offensive-coordinator job, according to a source. An Eagles official described Singleton as "a big part of what we do on offense and a rising star going forward." New Saints head coach Kellen Moore obviously has a close relationship with Singleton after serving as Philly's offensive coordinator in 2024. The 49-year-old has been with the Eagles since 2021 and helped running back Saquon Barkley set a new NFL record for most yards in the regular season and postseason combined. Singleton also previously served as RBs coach with the Colts, Raiders and Bengals. Moore has already announced that he will call the Saints' offensive plays in his first year as head coach in 2025.

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ESPN's Rob Demovsky writes that there are strong indications that cornerback Jaire Alexander's (knee) time with the Green Bay Packers will come to an end this offseason, as multiple team sources have expressed their frustrations with his inability to stay healthy and/or play through injuries. Alexander didn't play after Nov. 17 in 2024 and went on Injured Reserve in the final week of the regular season before undergoing knee surgery for a torn PCL. He has appeared in seven of 17 regular-season games in two straight years. Alexander somehow still managed to finish second on the team in pass breakups (seven) and was tied for second with two interceptions. He has two years left on his four-year, $84 million extension, but Green Bay could pick up almost $6.8 million in salary cap space in 2025 if they release him and more than $17 million if he's a post-June 1 cut.

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ESPN's Rob Demovsky puts Green Bay Packers impending free-agent kicker Brandon McManus in the must-sign group for the team this offseason. McManus' arrival in October turned around the team's dreadful kicking game after Anders Carlson and Brayden Narveson missed 18 field goals and extra points in 25 games, including the playoffs, in 2023 and early 2024. McManus, meanwhile, made 50 of 51 field goals and extra points in 11 regular-season games last year. He doesn't look like he's lost much at age 33 and was on the veteran's minimum last year because he was coming off an investigation by the league for the personal-conduct policy. "If we were able to get Brandon back, I think certainly that would make me feel very, very, very good about that [specialist] group," general manager Brian Gutekunst said. If McManus returns, he could be a nice fantasy streamer.

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The Athletic's Zac Jackson writes that all indications are that the Cleveland Browns are going to continue to hold All-Pro pass-rusher Myles Garrett and try to present him with a monstrous new contract to try and keep him in Cleveland despite publicly asking for a trade the week before the Super Bowl. The problem is that Garrett apparently has no interest in staying with the Browns and values winning and competing for a Super Bowl championship over money at this point in his career. It's unlikely that Cleveland can lure in an available veteran quarterback this offseason to convince Garrett to stay, either. The 29-year-old six-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro has at least 14 sacks in each of the last four seasons and could fetch the Browns multiple first-round picks if they eventually give in and shop him. Regardless of where he's playing in 2025, he should be a top defensive line pick in IDP drafts.

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If Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is available at the Dallas Cowboys' pick at No. 12 in the first round of the NFL draft in April, The Athletic's Jon Machota thinks the Cowboys will select him. Jeanty has ties to Frisco, Texas, and Dallas has an immediate need for an impact RB, making it virtually impossible for owner Jerry Jones to pass him up. The Cowboys are unlikely to make a notable free-agent signing at the position, but it's clear they need to add playmakers on offense and want to emphasize the running game in 2025. The 21-year-old Jeanty is the top RB in this year's deep class at the position after rushing for 2,595 yards and 29 touchdowns on 375 carries in his three seasons with the Broncos. There are question marks about his long-term durability because of his heavy workload in college, but Jeanty is both powerful and elusive and should be a starting RB in the NFL in his rookie season.

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The Athletic's Tashan Reed writes that quarterback Gardner Minshew II was terrible in 10 appearances in 2024 and won't be in the Las Vegas Raiders' plans at quarterback in 2025. The Raider will free up only $3 million in salary cap space this year while taking a dead-money hit of $10.82 million if they cut him, according to Spotrac. However, if they make him a post-June 1 cut, they'll save $6 million in cap space, with the dead-money hit spread across the next two years -- $7.82 million in 2025 and $3 million in 2026. With Minshew likely being cut this offseason, Aidan O'Connell would be the team's clear starter heading into next season, but the Raiders could draft a new signal-caller, sign one on the open market or trade for someone. Minshew was a first-time Pro Bowler in 2023 with the Colts but threw nine TDs and 10 interceptions in Vegas in 2024 and will be a backup option for anyone that picks him up.

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