The Minnesota Vikings officially did not place the franchise tag on impending free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold by Tuesday's deadline, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. However, the two sides will continue to work towards a deal that is best for both sides. Although the 27-year-old could return to Minnesota after a career year in 2024, it's probably only likely to happen if his market in free agency isn't as robust as expected. The bottom line is that the Vikings don't want to hold back last year's first-rounder J.J. McCarthy (knee) and would probably prefer to bring Daniel Jones back as an insurance policy at a much cheaper cost. After the Los Angeles Rams restructured QB Matthew Stafford's contract, Darnold is the top available signal-caller, with his most likely landing spots being the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants. For fantasy purposes, obviously staying in Minnesota as the starter would be the most ideal for Darnold.

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The Seattle Seahawks released outside linebacker Dre'Mont Jones, offensive tackle George Fan, safety Rayshawn Jenkins and defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris on Tuesday. Jones appeared in all 34 games in his two years in Seattle, although he took a big step back in 2024 with only four sacks, his lowest total since his rookie season in 2019. The 28-year-old started in only seven games last year and had 8.5 sacks, 77 tackles (12 for loss) and 25 QB hits in his time with the Seahawks. Fant, 32, spent most of the year on Injured Reserve in 2024 with a knee injury and only started in two games. Jenkins, 31, lost his starting job to Coby Bryant halfway through last year, which makes it no surprise that he's getting cut. Robertson-Harris, 31, was acquired in a trade last year with the Jaguars and had only 13 combined tackles in 11 games with the Seahawks.

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The New Orleans Saints released running back Jamaal Williams on Tuesday, according to The 33rd Team's Ari Meirov. The move comes after Williams' worst season as a pro in 2024 in his second year with the Saints. The 29-year-old was rarely used behind starter Alvin Kamara and finished with a career-low 48 rushing attempts for 164 yards and one touchdown while adding only nine receptions for 57 yards on 11 targets in 14 games (one start). Williams had a league-high 17 rushing touchdowns in 2022 in his final year with the Detroit Lions but averaged just 3.1 yards per carry, 470 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his 27 games (five starts) in two seasons with the Saints. He's unlikely to garner a ton of interest on the open market in free agency this offseason and will almost certainly have to settle for a depth role at RB wherever he signs.

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The Detroit Lions recently cleared veteran kicker Michael Badgley (groin) from the torn groin that kept him out for all of last season, a source tells NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. While Badgley has made a full recovery, he's now set to become a free agent next week. With the 29-year-old out of commission all year, Jake Bates served as Detroit's regular kicker and was very reliable, missing only three of his 29 field-goal attempts in 17 regular-season games while missing three of his 67 extra-point attempts in his first year in the league. Because of how good Bates looked in 2024, it's likely that the Lions will let Badgley walk in free agency as he heads into his eighth year in the NFL. Badgley has a career 82.4 percent success rate on 119 field-goal attempts in 64 games played. In four games with Detroit in 2023, he made all four of his FGs and went 13-for-15 on extra points.

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Dynasty | The Jets have released wide receiver Davante Adams. Dynasty Analysis: This was always the most likely scenario after the Jets decided to move on from Aaron Rodgers. Adams will immediately become the best receiver on the open market and will have control over choosing who he'll play for next season. He's rumored to be interested in playing on the West Coast, with teams like the 49ers, Rams, and Chargers on his list. He'll also likely wait to see just what happens with Aaron Rodgers before making a choice. He's still a productive player and should still be a WR1/2 next season, regardless of where he lands and his dynasty value shouldn't crater too much with this move. On the plus side, you may be able to return those Davante Adams Jets jerseys.

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The Dallas Cowboys restructured wide receiver CeeDee Lamb's contract on Tuesday, creating $20 million in salary cap space for 2025, according to ESPN's Todd Archer. Dallas just signed defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to a lucrative contract extension and is planning to extend Micah Parsons this offseason in the neighborhood of $40 million per year. Restructuring Lamb's deal gives the organization some flexibility with free agency and with the 2025 NFL Draft coming up in the next few weeks and months. Last offseason, Lamb signed a four-year, $136 million contract extension and is coming off his fourth consecutive campaign with at least 1,100 receiving yards.

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The Philadelphia Eagles are signing running back Saquon Barkley to a two-year $41.2 million contract extension, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. This deal makes Barkley the first-ever $20 million per year ball carrier and locks him in through the 2027 campaign. The former New York Giants No. 2 overall pick dominated in his first season with Philly, racking up 2,005 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns in 16 games. His new deal included $36 million in total guarantees, and he can earn up to an additional $15 million in incentives and escalators. The 28-year-old's new deal could signal a market increase for running backs moving forward after the position became devalued over the last half-decade.

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Dynasty | The Jets have granted wide receiver Allen Lazard permission to seek a trade. Dynasty Analysis: Lazard was always tied to Aaron Rodgers and while the Jets are saying the right things in terms of possibly bringing him back, that seems a little unlikely at the moment. He could fetch a late round pick swap at this point in his career, but is more likely to be released to join Rodgers at his latest stop. Lazard is no more than a roster clogger on dynasty rosters and has minimal dynasty value.

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The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Tuesday that they will release veteran defensive back James Bradberry (leg), a source tells NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The Eagles will designate him as a post-June 1 cut. Bradberry injured his lower leg before the start of the 2024 regular season and spent the entire year on Injured Reserve. In addition to Bradberry, Philly also released veteran cornerback Darius Slay earlier this week after rookie defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean proved more than capable of taking over the Eagles' secondary moving forward. The 31-year-old Bradberry will be playing elsewhere in 2025 and will need to prove to interested teams that he's past his leg injury from last year. In 2022 and 2023 with the Eagles, Bradberry had 98 tackles (78 solo), four interceptions (one for a TD), 30 pass breakups and a fumble recovery in 33 games started.

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The New York Jets are releasing wide receiver Davante Adams on Tuesday, a source tells ESPN's Adam Schefter. Just several days ago, the Jets announced they were open to trading Adams, but everyone knew the most likely outcome was that they'd cut the 32-year-old wideout after deciding that they were moving on from quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The three-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler caught 67 of 114 targets for 854 yards and seven touchdowns from Rodgers in his 11 starts with the Jets, ultimately recording his fifth straight 1,000-yard campaign in 2024 -- he had 209 receiving yards in three games with Vegas before being traded. Adams' best bet for continued high-end fantasy production could be to follow Rodgers wherever he goes, but the future Hall of Fame QB may not be guaranteed a starting gig anywhere. By cutting Adams, the Jets will incur a $38.2 million salary cap hit in 2025.

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The New York Jets have given permission to veteran wide receiver Allen Lazard to seek a trade, sources tell ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Jets are also open to bringing Lazard back in 2025 if he cannot find a trade partner. The 29-year-old probably won't have a robust trade market and is still more likely to be cut by the Jets after they overpaid for him on a four-year, $44 million deal prior to the 2023 season, mainly because he's best buddies with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Lazard had a mere 23 catches for 311 yards and one touchdown in 14 games in 2023 before going for a 37-530-6 line in 12 games in his second season last year. Especially because of the fact that quarterback Aaron Rodgers won't be back in 2025, Lazard will probably be on the move as well and could team up with Rodgers yet again, wherever he goes. The drop-prone wideout is unlikely to be a fantasy factor this fall.

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Denver Broncos impending free-agent quarterback Zach Wilson figures to draw interest on the free-agent market this offseason as a player who could compete for a starting spot in training camp, according to The Athletic's Nick Kosmider. Wilson worked as Denver's third-stringer in 2024, but he's only 25 years old and has five years of NFL experience. In addition to Wilson, Jarrett Stidham is also a free agent, and Kosmider doesn't envision both QBs returning to back up Bo Nix for a second straight year. The Broncos would be interested in having one of Wilson/Stidham back in 2025 to back up Nix, though. Kosmider predicts the Broncos will re-sign Stidham on a one- or two-year deal and add a developmental QB prospect on Day 3 of the NFL draft or through college free agency. If Wilson leaves Denver, he'll most likely settle into a backup role somewhere else.

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The Denver Broncos made it clear at last week's NFL Combine that Drew Sanders will be a permanent part of the linebacker room in 2025, especially with Cody Barton and Justin Strnad both set to be unrestricted free agents next week and Alex Singleton (knee) coming off an ACL injury. Head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton said Sanders will work this offseason at inside linebacker, and they have high expectations for him. "We think Sanders can be a starter in this league at linebacker," Paton said. It doesn't mean the Broncos won't add to the position in free agency, though, and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton could be targets for the Broncos. Baun was a former draft pick when Payton was with the Saints, so he could be the big free-agent splash Denver makes this offseason.

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Outside of getting a long-term deal done with wide receiver Courtland Sutton, The Athletic's Nick Kosmider doesn't expect the Denver Broncos to make a big splash at the receiver position in free agency this offseason. Head coach Sean Payton said that he likes the trajectory of his young receivers in Marvin Mims Jr., Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin, who will all be entering their second or third seasons in 2025. Payton wants to get Mims and Franklin on the field more together so that the Broncos can take advantage of their collective speed. Denver is also eager to evaluate A.T. Perry, who they signed to a Futures deal in January. If the Broncos do make a move at receiver in free agency, it's more likely to be a deal similar to the two-year, $9 million deal they gave Josh Reynolds in 2024. Mims was the Broncos' second leading receiver last year behind Sutton and could generate some late-round fantasy appeal in deeper leagues this fall.

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The Minnesota Vikings want to re-sign impending free-agent running back Aaron Jones, but The Athletic's Alec Lewis writes that even if they do, they are looking for more of a by-committee backfield approach. Lewis expects the Vikings to take a running back in the upcoming NFL draft in April. After signing a one-year, $7 million deal with Minnesota last offseason, the 30-year-old former Packers RB posted his fourth 1,000-yard rushing campaign and added five rushing touchdowns on a career-high 255 rushing attempts in 17 regular-season starts. He also added 51 catches for 408 yards and another two touchdowns. But Jones is now 30 years old, and the Vikings surely want to lessen his load as he ages if they bring him back in 2025. If Jones returns to the Vikings next season, he could end up being more of a shaky RB2 target in fantasy.

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The Athletic's Alec Lewis writes that the Minnesota Vikings want to re-sign cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., which is precisely why they extended the void date of his contract recently, which bought them more time to negotiate a new deal with the pending free agent. Not only does Murphy adore the organization, but the Vikings love his versatile skill set that allows him to play outside, lineup in the slot, blitz, and drop into coverage deep. Because the 27-year-old is younger than some of the more experienced cornerback options in this year's free-agent class and the fact he's also more versatile, he'd have plenty of suitors if he makes it to the open market. If Murphy reaches free agency, his asking price will likely be for around $15 million per year. If Minnesota loses out on Murphy, they may be forced to seek several players to try and replace him.

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League sources think that the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders are the two likeliest landing spots for Minnesota Vikings impending free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold, but the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers could also go after him. Tagging Darnold and trading him for premium draft capital would be the best-case scenario but that's unlikely to happen now that the Vikings aren't expected to use the franchise tag on the 27-year-old. The Athletic's Alec Lewis writes that it only makes sense to re-sign Darnold if his free-agent market is more depressed than expected. It will be more of a luxury since they have plenty of other holes to fill on the roster and don't want to hinder quarterback J.J. McCarthy's (knee) progression after they took him in the first round of last year's draft. Lewis says that the Vikes think the better plan is paying Daniel Jones around $10 million instead of paying Darnold around $35 million.

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Dynasty | The Bengals have used the franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins. Dynasty Analysis: Cincinnati was stuck on this one as Higgins was set to hit free agency. Instead, he gets the tag for the second year in a row and will make $26.2 million for the 2025 season if he's unable to agree to a long-term contract with the Bengals by the July 15 deadline. The two sides seem open to working out a deal, but Cincinnati also has the challenge of getting Ja'Marr Chase under contract as well. Higgins could still be traded as well, but it seems the Bengals are much more focused on getting him in the fold long-term. This is the first significant domino to fall and will keep Higgins on the WR1/2 line for the time being.

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Dynasty | The Bengals have used the franchise tag on Tee Higgins, leaving the elite duo of Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase together. Dynasty Analysis: The Bengals seem dedicated to keeping both Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase together long-term and that's exactly what the doctor ordered for anyone with Joe Burrow as their dynasty QB1. After a career season, Burrow has cemented himself as an elite-level QB1 and keeping this group intact should ensure he has a chance to push for 5,000 yards and possibly even 50 touchdowns next season. In short, this is great news for Burrow.

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Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has high hopes for running back Trey Benson as he heads into his second NFL season in 2025. James Conner re-signed with the Cardinals after posting a career-high 1,094 rushing yards in 16 starts in 2024, but Benson is expected to take on a bigger role and be more productive in Year 2. "If (Trey) takes the necessary jump from Year 1 to Year 2, I think we have two starting backs," Gannon said. "That's how I view those guys. You see certain teams out there with two '1s,' I would say, and I think we should have two '1s' next year." The 22-year-old Benson finished with only 291 rushing yards on 63 carries in his rookie season, but he was playing at his best when he injured his ankle late in the year. Benson's fantasy ceiling will be limited as long as Conner stays healthy in 2025, but fantasy managers that select Conner should look to handcuff him with Benson.

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