The Pittsburgh Steelers made All-Pro pass-rusher T.J. Watt the highest-paid defensive player in the league before the 2021 season at around $28 million per year, and ESPN's Dan Graziano suggests the best way for the Steelers to knock down Watt's team-high $30.4 million salary cap number in 2025 is to give him an extension as he heads into the final year of his previous extension. A new extension could be much trickier to navigate, though, and could drag well into the offseason. Watt is 30 years old now and will be in a market in which both Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons will be looking to set the edge-rusher market. Even though Watt had 11.5 sacks (down from 19 in 2023), he was still plenty disruptive with 61 tackles (40 solo), 19 tackles for loss, 27 QB hits, four pass breakups and a league-high six forced fumbles in 17 regular-season starts. He's injury-prone, but you know you're getting a beast in IDP leagues when he's healthy.

Washington Commanders DE Jonathan Allen has been granted permission to seek a trade.

From TheHuddle

ESPN's Dan Graziano suggests that the Tennessee Titans, who hold the first overall pick in this year's NFL draft, could draft a quarterback and also sign a bridge QB in free agency, similar to what the Atlanta Falcons did in 2024 when they signed Kirk Cousins and drafted Michael Penix Jr. in the first round. The best bridge-QB options this offseason figure to be Sam Darnold, Cousins, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. The salary cap number for a rookie QB selected first overall won't be much more than $7 million in 2025, and none of the free-agent QB options are likely to command $100 million in guaranteed money that Cousins received from the Falcons last offseason. One thing is pretty much guaranteed: the Titans will add at least one QB after a very disappointing 2024 campaign from Will Levis in which he was benched in favor of Mason Rudolph.

From RotoBaller

If the Cleveland Browns soften their stance and decide to trade All-Pro pass-rusher Myles Garrett this offseason, they would have to wait until after June 1 to make it work from a salary cap perspective. Trading Garrett before June 1 would result in a dead-money hit of more than $36 million, which is way higher than the roughly $19.7 million that he'd count against the 2025 cap if he was on their roster. The problem with having to wait to trade Garrett until after June 1 is that the Browns couldn't get draft picks for this year in return for him. It's probably why the Browns held firm on their stance of not wanting to trade Garrett, even after he publicly requested a trade in the week before the Super Bowl in early February. If the Browns look to trade the disgruntled star pass-rusher after June 1, it's possible they could receive two first-round selections for the 2026 draft.

From RotoBaller

LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell has been the player most linked to the New England Patriots heading into this year's NFL draft, writes The Athletic's Chad Graff. If Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter is off the board by the time the Patriots pick at No. 4 overall, Graff says that it would come down to Campbell or Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham for him. Graham could be rated higher, but Campbell fills more of an immediate need to New England on their offensive line. The final decision could come down to how the Pats address their O-line in free agency. Another factor could come down to Campbell's less-than-ideal arm length, which could mean he's destined to play guard at the next level and mean he'd be more of a reach at fourth overall. The biggest knock against Graham is that this year's defensive tackle class is very deep.

From RotoBaller

The Athletic's Chad Graff is guessing that the New England Patriots will aggressively pursue a trade for a wide receiver this offseason. The Cincinnati Bengals are expected to use the franchise tag on Tee Higgins, who would have been the top free-agent wideout available. Graff also guesses that New England would prefer to use the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft to select an offensive or defensive lineman. With the Bengals trying to keep Higgins, the top names at the WR position will be Chris Godwin, Amari Cooper and Stefon Diggs (knee). In terms of a potential trade, the Patriots could target the New Orleans Saints' Chris Olave, the Seattle Seahawks' DK Metcalf or the Los Angeles Rams' Cooper Kupp. Graff thinks the Patriots could trade for Kupp, sign Godwin and draft a rookie receiver in the third round to add to a WR room that includes DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk and Kayson Boutte.

From RotoBaller

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter (shoulder), who could be the No. 1 overall pick in his year's draft, will not work out at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis this week because he isn't fully recovered from the shoulder injury that he suffered against Boise State, according to his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey. The young pass-rusher played through his shoulder injury in the semifinal game against Notre Dame and was only recently cleared to resume training. Carter will do physical exams and interviews at the combine but won't do on-field workouts until his Pro Day at Penn State on March 28. While Carter could be in play for the No. 1 overall pick, it's still more likely that either Miami quarterback Cam Ward or Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders go No. 1 to the Tennessee Titans in April.

From RotoBaller

The Las Vegas Raiders re-signed safety Isaiah Pola-Mao to a two-year contract extension worth up to $8.45 million on Monday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Pola-Mao was a restricted free agent and the nephew of Hall of Fame defensive back Troy Polamalu. The 25-year-old former undrafted free agent out of USC eventually latched on with the Raiders and made his NFL debut back in 2022. He started the final 1 games for the Raiders in 2024 and was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 16. In 17 total games played (14 starts), Pola-Mao broke out to the tune of 89 tackles (57 solo), one sack, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Pola-Mao will now stick around in Vegas for another two seasons and should play a key role again in their secondary in 2025. He had only 40 combined tackles and two sacks in 27 games (no starts) in his first two seasons with the Raiders.

From RotoBaller

Dallas Cowboys impending free-agent quarterback Trey Lance is expected to move on in free agency this offseason, as chief executive officer Stephen Jones said that Lance is "probably going to be looking for something different." The Cowboys acquired Lance from the San Francisco 49ers before the start of the 2023 season, but he didn't play at all that year and appeared in just four games (one start) in 2024 as the third-stringer, throwing for 266 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Backup Cooper Rush is also headed toward free agency, but the Cowboys would probably prefer to draft a new QB to groom as Dak Prescott's (hamstring) backup than re-sign Lance. The 24-year-old former third overall pick by the Niners in 2021 was injured in his rookie season and hasn't really ever gotten the chance to live up to his high expectations. He'll be looking for backup work on the open market in March.

From RotoBaller

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports that the Cleveland Browns are releasing veteran safety Juan Thornhill, according to sources. After meeting in recent days, both sides agreed that the best decision was to release Thornhill so that he'll have a few weeks of a head start on free agency this offseason. The 29-year-old had one year and $7 million left on his deal with Cleveland. He will be designated as a post-June 1 cut and will save the Browns $3.2 million on the 2025 salary cap. It's not a surprising move, as Thornhill only played in 11 games in each of his two seasons after signing a three-year, $21 million deal before the 2023 campaign. He had become a rotational player late last season and accumulated 103 tackles (72 solo), no interceptions and four pass breakups in 22 starts for the Browns in his two seasons. Thornhill spent his first four years with the Chiefs after they took him in the second round in 2019.

From RotoBaller

Carolina Panthers impending free-agent WR David Moore and TE Tommy Tremble could remain with the Panthers on short-term contracts, in the opinion of The Athletic's Joe Person.

From TheHuddle

The Athletic's Mike DeFabo thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers might want to consider trading safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who hasn't played at a Pro Bowl level in two years. Even if the Steelers were to trade the big-money star, they'd still have the NFL's most expensive defense. Pittsburgh is set to have the most expensive defense in the league in 2025 for the fourth straight season with $163.8 million in salary cap hits, according to Over The Cap. That number is $27 million more than the second-highest spender on defense, the Tennessee Titans. If Fitzpatrick were traded, the Steelers would save $15.5 million of his $24.4 million salary cap hit this year, which would help them address an undermanned offense. The former 11th overall pick bounced back in 2024 and made the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career by recording 96 tackles (62 solo), one interception and a forced fumble in 17 regular-season starts.

From RotoBaller

Dallas Cowboys impending free-agent CB Jourdan Lewis is a player the Cowboys are want to re-sign this offseason, according to chief operating officer Stephen Jones.

From TheHuddle

The Athltic's Mike DeFabo writes that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens, who is heading into the final deal of his rookie contract in 2025, could "hold in" at training camp this summer to force the Steelers to either trade him or give him guaranteed money early. DeFabo thinks that it's unlikely the Steelers will give Pickens a contract extension this summer after head coach Mike Tomlin said the 23-year-old wideout needed to "grow up" after a win over the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals. Pickens showed up late on Christmas Day against the Kansas City Chiefs and got into a shouting match with a fan in the regular-season finale. Pickens has shown plenty of talent as a pass-catcher, but his immaturity could get him run out of town. His 2025 fantasy value will depend largely on who the Steelers choose to be their starting quarterback.

From RotoBaller

Atlanta Falcons impending free-agent LB Matt Judon has not had any contract talks with the Falcons at this point.

From TheHuddle

Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford has received trade interest from the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders.

Fantasy Spin: Stafford and the Rams continue to talk about a possible contract, but he has several teams interested in him if he is placed on the trade block. He will be a starting quarterback for a team in 2025 but probably will be a high-end No. 2 quarterback in most leagues.

From TheHuddle

The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan M. Alexander doesn't think the Houston Texans will make a big push to try and re-sign impending free-agent wide receiver Stefon Diggs (knee) this offseason. General manager Nick Caserio has made it sound like the door is open for Diggs to return in 2025, but Alexander thinks Diggs would have to give the Texans a hometown discount for a reunion to happen, even with fellow wideout Tank Dell (knee) potentially missing all of the 2025 season. Diggs is now 31 years old and is rehabbing a torn ACL that he suffered in late October, so it will be interesting to see what his free-agent market will look like. Because he might not be ready for Week 1, it could drive his price down, potentially creating an opportunity for the Texans to land him on the cheap. If Diggs were to return, he'd be the clear No. 2 to Nico Collins.

From RotoBaller

FOX Sports' Peter Schrager reports that there is no bad blood between the Los Angeles Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford, but Stafford is merely looking to get paid what he thinks he's worth. It's purely a money issue, and Stafford wants to get paid more than $50 million per year. The Rams recently gave Stafford permission to talk with teams potentially interested in trading for him about how much they'd be willing to pay him, and Schrager says some teams would be willing to give Stafford more than what the Rams are currently willing to pay him. The question now becomes what those teams would be willing to give up to acquire Stafford from the Rams, and whether Stafford would actually want to play for those teams. Schrager mentions the Steelers, Giants and Raiders as potential trade suitors for Stafford. Stafford is 37, but he was one pass away from playing the NFC Championship this past season.

From RotoBaller

Dynasty | Wide receiver Stefon Diggs is not expected back with the Texans. Dynasty Analysis: Diggs was supposed to make a big impact with the Texans this season but tore his ACL instead, ending his season way too early. He ended the season with 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns, putting his long and short-term future in doubt as a player in doubt as he's now 31 years old. It seems he'll be looking for a new team as a first-time free agent but the market for players of his age coming off ACL injuries is typically pretty tepid. Diggs' dynasty value is starting to fall pretty dramatically.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Dynasty | Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is skipping the workout portion at the NFL Scouting Combine, Dynasty Analysis: No surprise here, really. Sanders is protecting his own interests and his Father is pulling some pretty tight strings as well. In some ways, Sanders controls his own destiny as he's one of very few players who doesn't necessarily need the NFL paycheck to lose leverage. In the end, he's likely going to be a top-five pick, but that team is also going to need some assurance that he's willing to play for them as well. Regardless, he looks like a solid first round rookie pick this Spring.

From Dynasty League Fantasy