
Reports: Patriots signing WR Stefon Diggs to $69 million deal
The contract will reportedly include $26 million in guaranteed money.
Diggs is a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection. Since entering the league in 2015, he is third in receptions (857), trailing only Travis Kelce (939) and Davante Adams (919). From 2018 to 2023, he posted six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Diggs had 107 receptions for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns for the Buffalo Bills in 2023. Last offseason, he was traded to the Houston Texans.
The 31-year-old got off to a fast start in Houston with 47 receptions for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. However, his season was cut short, when he tore his ACL in Week 8.
The dynamic wideout will give young quarterback Drake Maye a reliable No. 1 target and improve the New England offense, which finished last in passing yards last season (2,995).

Reports: Giants to sign 10-time Pro Bowl QB Russell Wilson
The deal could reach up to $21 million with incentives, according to ESPN.
Wilson is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks of his era; he is a 10-time Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl champion (XLVIII).
After spending nine years with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos in a blockbuster deal in 2022. After an underwhelming two-year tenure, he was released in 2024 and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Last season, Wilson got back on track, throwing for 2,382 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 11 games, guiding the Steelers to a 6-5 record in those contests. He also rushed 155 yards and two touchdowns. The signal caller earned his first Pro Bowl nod since 2021.
Wilson started for the Steelers' AFC wild-card loss to the Baltimore Ravens, but he put up strong numbers, completing 20 out of 29 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The Steelers mustered only 29 total rushing yards in the game.
The veteran quarterback will look to reenergize the Giants, who are coming off a 3-14 campaign. He will join fellow free agent addition Jameis Winston on the roster. The franchise still has at least one major move to make, holding the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Giants reportedly had interest in four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, who remains unsigned.

NFL transactions: Raiders sign DT Fotu, TE Thomas
Terms of the deals were not announced by the team.
Fotu, 26, recorded 92 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 58 career games (22 starts) with the Arizona Cardinals (2020-2023) and New York Jets (2024).
Thomas, 28, had 119 catches for 1,062 yards with four touchdowns in 99 career games (54 starts) with the Carolina Panthers (2018-24).
--The New York Giants re-signed offensive lineman Aaron Stinnie.
Stinnie, 31, played in 16 games (three starts) last season with the Giants.
Signed as an undrafted rookie by Tennessee, Stinnie played in 47 career games (15 starts) with the Titans (2018-19), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019-23) and Giants.
--The Philadelphia Eagles added depth to their offensive line by signing veteran tackle Kendall Lamm to a contract.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Lamm, 32, underwent back surgery after playing in 15 games (seven starts) last season with the Miami Dolphins. He has also spent time with the Houston Texans (2015-18), Cleveland Browns (2019-20) and Titans (2021).

Seahawks sign veteran TE Eric Saubert
Saubert, 30, has played eight NFL seasons, appearing for the Atlanta Falcons (2017-18), Chicago Bears (2019), Jacksonville Jaguars (2020), Denver Broncos (2011-21), Dallas Cowboys (2023), Houston Texans (2023) and San Francisco (2024).
His best season on offense came in 2022, when he hauled in a career-high 15 receptions for 148 yards and a touchdown for Denver.
Saubert has become valued for both his special teams contributions and blocking ability. Last season, he appeared in all 17 games for the 49ers, logging 302 special teams snaps.
He played 377 offensive snaps, catching 11 of his 14 targets for 97 yards and a TD.

Report: Chiefs re-sign veteran DT Mike Pennel
Terms were not disclosed. Pennel, 33, is heading into his 12th NFL season and fifth with the Chiefs.
He played on a one-year, $1.2 million deal last season and recorded a career-high 3.0 sacks with 25 tackles in 17 games (seven starts) for Kansas City.
The two-time Super Bowl champion has 5.0 sacks, 231 tackles and three forced fumbles in 138 games (25 starts) with the Green Bay Packers (2014-16), New York Jets (2017-18), Chiefs (2019-20, 2023-24), Atlanta Falcons (2021) and Chicago Bears (2022).

Report: Pats match Raiders' offer, retain LB Christian Elliss
The Raiders agreed with the 26-year-old restricted free agent last week to a reported $4.8 million offer sheet and the Patriots had until Monday to match it.
New England's original tender to Elliss was worth $3.26 million. He is now locked in for two more seasons with the Patriots.
Elliss recorded a career-high 80 tackles with 1.5 sacks, five passes defensed and one interception in 16 games (five starts) for the Patriots in 2024. New England claimed him off waivers from Philadelphia in December 2023.
Elliss has 117 tackles in 39 games (six starts) with the Eagles (2021-23) and Patriots.

Report: Titans agree to deal with K Joey Slye
Contract terms were not disclosed.
Slye kicked for the New England Patriots last season and made 26 of his 33 field-goal attempts, including a career-long 63-yarder. His 78.8 percentage was the lowest of his career since his rookie season in 2019 with the Carolina Panthers.
He also has played for the Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders.
In 95 career games, Slye has connected on 81.7 percent of his field goals (147 of 180) and 89.6 percent of his PATs, including a career-high 96.2 percent last season.
Slye, 28, would replace Nick Folk, who led the NFL in kicking percentage on field goals the past two seasons but can't provide the distance that Slye can. The 40-year-old Folk is a free agent.

Reports: Giants reach 1-year deal with WR Zach Pascal
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed for Pascal, who visited the Giants on Monday.
Pascal, 30, did not have a catch while playing predominantly on special teams last season with the Arizona Cardinals. He logged 278 special teams snaps and 68 offensive snaps.
He has 169 receptions for 2,057 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in 112 career games (47 starts) with the Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles and Cardinals.

Reports: Giants sign QB Jameis Winston to 2-year deal
Winston is a 10-year veteran with 87 career starts under his belt. He spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2019, Winston simultaneously led the league in passing attempts (626), passing yards (5,109) and interceptions (30); he finished second in passing touchdowns (33).
After a four-year stint with the New Orleans Saints, Winston played for the Cleveland Browns in 2024. He started seven games, guiding them to a 2-5 record. He threw for 2,121 yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Winston, 31, becomes the second signal-caller on the Giants' roster, joining 26-year-old Tommy DeVito. The franchise is still connected to four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. In addition, they hold the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Winston gives them stability under center. He can be injury insurance behind the 41-year-old Rodgers or a potential bridge option to allow a young quarterback time to develop.

Ex-No. 1 overall pick, college Hall of Famer Kenneth Sims dies at 65
The university said Sims died peacefully at his home. According to a report, Sims had been battling an illness.
Sims played defensive end for Texas from 1978-81 and was a consensus All-American as a junior and senior. He had 23 tackles for loss as a senior, won the Lombardi Award and finished in eighth place in Heisman Trophy balloting.
Sims then went No. 1 in the NFL draft to the New England Patriots in an era in which quarterbacks didn't always go first overall. In this draft, Ohio State's Art Schlichter went No. 4 overall to the Baltimore Colts and BYU's Jim McMahon went fifth to the Chicago Bears. Heisman Trophy-winning running back Marcus Allen was the 10th pick by the Los Angeles Raiders.
Sims had three sacks in nine games as a rookie and placed fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year balloting. He had a career-best 5.5 sacks in 13 games in 1985 before breaking a leg. That caused him to miss the postseason, including the Patriots' Super Bowl XX loss to the Chicago Bears.
Overall, Sims had 17 sacks and five fumble recoveries in 74 games (64 starts) over eight NFL seasons with the Patriots.
Sims was inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 2021. According to Texas, Sims had 322 tackles (50 for loss), 29 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and three blocked kicks during his stellar college career.

Reports: Texans reach deals with OTs Cam Robinson, Trent Brown
Robinson's one-year deal could be worth as much as $14.5 million with bonuses, according to multiple reports. Brown reportedly will receive $3 million.
Houston is looking for tackles after recently trading five-time Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders.
Robinson, 29, has started all 101 regular-season games he's played over eight NFL seasons. He was a second-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 and played 91 games with the team until being traded to the Minnesota Vikings last October.
Brown, who turns 32 next month, has started 96 of 103 games over 10 NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers (2015-17), New England Patriots (2018, 2021-23), Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (2019-20) and Cincinnati Bengals (2024).
The 2019 Pro Bowl pick played just three games for the Bengals last season before sustaining a season-ending knee injury.

Homecoming: Saints reportedly to bring back WR Brandin Cooks
Per multiple media outlets on Friday, Cooks agreed to terms on a contract that bring him back to New Orleans. The Saints selected Cooks with the 20th overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Cooks, 31, recorded 26 catches for 259 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games (nine starts) last season with the Dallas Cowboys.
He has totaled 710 receptions for 9,532 yards and 60 touchdowns in 158 career games (144 starts) with the Saints, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans and Cowboys.
Cooks would join a group of wide receivers in New Orleans that consists of Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, among others.

Agent: Lions sign CB Avonte Maddox to 1-year deal
Maddox, who turns 29 on March 31, capped his seven-year tenure in Philadelphia with a victory in Super Bowl LIX.
Maddox played in all 17 regular-season games (three starts) in 2024 but was on the field for just 33 percent of the defensive snaps, a career low, while losing time to rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
He recorded four interceptions, three sacks, eight forced fumbles and 270 tackles in 81 games (41 starts) since the Eagles made him a fourth-round pick in 2018.
The Lions announced two deals with cornerbacks on Thursday, re-signing Khalil Dorsey and signing former second-round pick Rock Ya-Sin.

Report: QB Aaron Rodgers visiting Steelers on Friday
A deal with the four-time NFL Most Valuable Player "could be forthcoming," per the report.
The New York Jets released Rodgers on March 12, making him a free agent for the first time in his career.
The only quarterbacks on the Steelers' current roster are Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson.
Rodgers, 41, reportedly was mulling offers from the Steelers and New York Giants after the Minnesota Vikings withdrew from contention earlier this week, per multiple reports.
Rodgers passed for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2024, returning from a season-ending Achilles injury suffered in his first game with the Jets in September 2023.
The 10-time Pro Bowl selection ranks fifth in league history in touchdown passes (503) and seventh in passing yards (62,952).

Giants sign WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey
Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team, however ESPN reported it was a one-year pact.
Humphrey, 26, set career highs in catches (31) and receiving yards (293) to go along with one touchdown in 17 games (seven starts) last season with the Denver Broncos.
The 6-foot-4 veteran has totaled 62 catches for 770 yards with seven touchdowns in 58 career games (23 starts) with the New Orleans Saints (2019-21), New England Patriots (2022) and Broncos. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Texas.

Report: Chiefs keep DE Charles Omenihu on $7M deal
Omenihu, 27, tallied one sack in six games (one start) during the 2024 regular season and added one sack and one forced fumble during the Chiefs' three-game postseason run.
He missed the first 11 games last season while rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered in the AFC Championship Game victory at Baltimore on Jan. 28, 2024.
During his first season with Kansas City in 2023, Omenihu missed the first six games while serving a suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. He was arrested in January 2023 on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic assault.
A fifth-round draft pick by Houston in 2019, Omenihu has 19.5 sacks, 53 quarterback hits, 101 tackles and six forced fumbles in 78 games (12 starts) with the Texans (2019-21), San Francisco 49ers (2021-22) and Chiefs.

Titans sign edge rusher Lorenzo Carter
Carter, a third-round pick by the New York Giants in 2018, spent four seasons with the franchise while appearing in 49 games. During that span, the 29-year-old amassed 153 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 14.5 sacks.
The edge has spent the last three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. In 2024, he played 13 games (11 starts) and posted 32 tackles, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble and a career-low zero sacks. According to Pro Football Reference, he had three quarterback pressures and two knockdowns.
The low pass rushing statistics certainly stand out. However, it is worth noting that he was brought on only nine blitzes last season. That is a far cry from his earlier totals; he had a career-high 78 blitzes in 2019.
Carter has also been deployed as an inside linebacker in the past, most significantly in 2021.
At 6-foot-5 and 264 pounds, he is a commanding presence, and he ran a 4.50-second 40-yard dash at the 2019 NFL combine.
The Titans will look to maximize the versatile athlete's abilities this season.

Falcons sign WR Jamal Agnew to 1-year deal
Agnew spent the 2024 season on the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad while recovering from a leg injury.
The wideout was a fifth-round pick by the Detroit Lions in 2017 and quickly made a name for himself as a return man. In his rookie campaign, he led the NFL in punt return yards (447), punt return touchdowns (two), and yards per punt return (15.4). As a result, he was named a first-team All-Pro.
Agnew, 29, signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021, where he received more opportunities on offense. In three seasons with the franchise, Agnew totaled 61 receptions for 641 yards and five touchdowns. In addition, he saw time in the backfield with 23 carries for 195 yards and a score.
The versatile playmaker also continued making an impact in the return game. In 2022, Agnew earned his first Pro Bowl nod after recording 205 punt return yards and 547 kick return yards.
Agnew is coming off a major injury sustained in Week 17 of the 2023 season, but he has the potential to jolt the Falcons' return game. Last season, Atlanta ranked 20th in yards per kick return (26.4) and 17th in yards per punt return (9.5).

'It's a lot of hate': Shedeur Sanders postpones workouts but remains positive
The Colorado quarterback elected not to participate in workouts, though he was in attendance at the event in Frisco, Texas, highlighting the top NFL prospects in the Big 12, and he told NFL Network (broadcasting the event) that he isn't letting critics get to him.
"It's a lot of critics, it's a lot of hate," Sanders said. "But we know what to do. We know how to handle that in every way, so we remain happy."
The showcase, which continues through Friday, features more than 200 football players from the conference. Among the notable participants on Thursday included Arizona's Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who posted the best 40 time of all running backs (4.45), and Utah's Caleb Lohner, who bested all tight ends with a 37-inch vertical jump.
Perhaps the highest-profile athlete in attendance, Sanders chose instead to work out at Colorado's "CU Football Showcase" on April 4. He spoke about his approach and the NFL draft process in general.
"It's definitely a learning experience," Sanders said. "A lot of things aren't in your control, and getting the knowledge from Dad (Deion Sanders) ... coaches, family and friends and everybody that's supporting me and helping me through this process, it's extremely important. I'm thankful that I have those resources."
Sanders is considered a top target of the New York Giants, who select No. 3 overall and have recently parted ways with their previous starting quarterback, Daniel Jones.
Sanders was the Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team quarterback on the All-Big 12 team in 2024, throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns for 9-4 Colorado, finishing eighth in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
Other standouts from the Big 12 workouts have included Arizona State running back DeCarlos Brooks (10-foot, 10-inch broad jump), Oklahoma State tight end Jake Schultz (31 bench press) and UCF running back Peny Boone (6.93 3-cone).

Texans sign veteran CB Ronald Darby
ESPN and NFL Network reported earlier in the week that the Texans' agreement with Darby, 31, was for one year and $2.5 million.
Darby played in 13 games (12 starts) for the Jaguars and recorded 46 tackles, three for loss, and nine pass breakups.
This will be Darby's seventh NFL team after stays with the Buffalo Bills (2015-16), Philadelphia Eagles (2017-19), then-Washington Football Team (2020), Denver Broncos (2021-22), Baltimore Ravens (2023) and Jacksonville.
Darby was a second-round draft pick by Buffalo in 2015 and was runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year after recording 68 tackles and two interceptions. Darby has eight career interceptions, but none since 2019.

Report: Lions adding veteran CB Rock Ya-Sin
Ya-Sin, 28, played primarily on special teams in his lone season with the San Francisco 49ers, totaling three tackles in 13 games in 2024.
The Lions already brought in free agent cornerback DJ Reed on a reported three-year, $48 million contract. Reed, 28, is expected to replace former starter Carlton Davis, who signed with the New England Patriots.
The cornerback room in Detroit is green behind Reed and Amik Robertson, 26, who emerged as the top cover corner after Davis broke his jaw in December.
A pair of 2024 draft picks, Terrion Arnold (first round) and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (second), are also on the current CB depth chart. Arnold is projected as a starter again after making 15 starts in 16 games as a rookie. Rakestraw was never fully healthy because of a hamstring injury.
Ya-Sin has 199 career tackles, two interceptions, 41 passes defended, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 79 regular-season games (39 starts) for the Indianapolis Colts (2019-21), Las Vegas Raiders (2022), Baltimore Ravens (2023) and 49ers.
Indianapolis selected Ya-Sin in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Temple.

Commanders sign WR Michael Gallup
Terms of the deal were not disclosed for Gallup, who returns to the NFL after he retired last offseason.
Gallup, 29, was released from the Las Vegas Raiders' reserve/retired list earlier this month. He signed a one-year contract with the Raiders in April 2024 but opted to retire on the eve of the team's first practice at training camp in July.
With Washington, Gallup will see a familiar face in head coach Dan Quinn, who was the defensive coordinator in Dallas in 2023.
Gallup will join Commanders wide receivers Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, Noah Brown and Luke McCaffrey.
Gallup had 266 catches for 3,744 yards and 21 touchdowns in 86 career games (67 starts) with the Cowboys. His best season was in 2019, when he had 66 receptions for 1,107 yards and six scores.
The third-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Colorado State sustained a torn left ACL on Jan. 2, 2022, while making a touchdown catch against the Arizona Cardinals. In his final two seasons with the Cowboys, he had his lowest yardage totals of his career: 424 in 2022 and 418 in 2023.

Reports: Seahawks OLB Uchenna Nwosu reworks contract
Nwosu, 28, was slated to earn $26.5 million in the final two years of his contract, ESPN reported. Instead, he will make $19.51 million -- $8 million in 2025 while counting $11.85 million against the salary cap for a team savings of about $9.4 million.
He can make up to $5 million more in incentives and escalators tied to sacks, playing time and Seattle qualifying for the playoffs, ESPN reported.
The Seahawks have been spenders in free agency with the additions of quarterback Sam Darnold (three years for a reported $100-plus million), defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (three years for a reported $42 million) and wide receiver Cooper Kupp (three years for a reported $45 million), among others.
Playing time has been an issue in recent seasons for Nwosu, who sustained a season-ending pectoral muscle tear in October 2023 and dealt with a sprained MCL and severe quad strain in 2024.
Nwosu played in only six games each of the past two seasons after starting all 17 regular-season games in 2022. He made two starts in 2024 and made 14 tackles with one sack.
Nwosu had 228 career tackles with 27.5 sacks, 38 tackles for loss, 82 quarterback hits, one interception, eight forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 91 regular-season games (50 starts) for the Los Angeles Chargers (2018-21) and Seahawks.
The Chargers selected Nwosu in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Southern California.

Reports: Texans, DE Danielle Hunter agree to extension through '26
The 30-year-old veteran, who signed with the Texans as a free agent last March after eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, was a Pro Bowl performer for the fifth time in 2024. Hunter racked up 12 sacks, tied for fifth in the league, and the team finished tied fourth in that category.
The extension boosts Hunter's salary for 2025 to $32 million, an increase of $12.5 million, and offers $36.5 million for the added 2026 season. He becomes the second-highest-paid defensive end in the league that year, trailing only Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.
In 136 NFL games, 107 as a starter, Hunter has 99.5 sacks and 508 tackles, including 125 for losses. He has 12 forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
Hunter missed the 2020 season after sustaining a neck injury during camp. Injuries also limited him to seven games in 2021.

Report: Deebo Samuel gets $17M guaranteed in reworked deal
The Commanders also added another $3 million in incentives, per the report.
The Commanders acquired Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers earlier this month in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick. The trade became official on March 12, the start of the new league year.
Samuel, 29, had been set to make a base salary of $16.6 million in 2025 with no money guaranteed prior to the reworked deal, per the report.
Samuel dealt with rib and calf injuries in 2024 but played in 15 games, all starts. He tallied 51 catches for 670 yards, added 42 carries for 136 yards and scored four touchdowns.
He had 334 receptions for 4,792 yards and 1,143 rushing yards with 42 touchdowns in 81 career games (73 starts) with the 49ers, who selected him in the second round of the 2019 draft. He earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro first-team honors in 2021.

Reports: Texans signing OT Cam Robinson to 1-year deal
The Texans get their replacement at left tackle after trading Laremy Tunsil to Washington earlier this month.
Robinson, 29, will have a base salary of $12 million, per the reports.
Robinson has started all 101 games he's played in since the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft.
The Jaguars traded Robinson to the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 29 for a conditional pick (fourth or fifth round) in the 2026 draft. Robinson started the final 10 games of the season for the Vikings.
The Texans received a 2025 third-round draft pick and second- and fourth-rounders in 2026 from the Commanders in exchange for Tunsil.

Lions propose playoff seeding change
Had Detroit lost that game, Minnesota would have wrapped up the ultra-competitive NFC North and the Lions would've dropped to the conference's fifth seed as the team that featured the best record without a division title.
That notion apparently didn't sit well with the Lions, who proposed that playoff seeding should be based on record -- regardless of division honors. That would also mean that winning a division title would not guarantee a home game in the wild-card round.
The NFL revealed a list of potential rule changes on Wednesday, and owners are scheduled to meet on March 30-April 2 in West Palm Beach, Fla. Proposals require the approval of at least 24 of the 32 teams.
Also Wednesday, the Green Bay Packers' formally requested to ban the "tush push" short-yardage play commonly used by the Philadelphia Eagles.
"We're not very successful against it, I know that," Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said last month at the NFL Scouting Combine. "To be honest with you, I haven't put much thought into it. It's been around for a while, we've used it in different fashions with our tight end, so again, I think there will be a lot of discussions about it. I've got to look at some of the information as far as injury rates, things like that, to see. But we'll see."
More than half of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts' 55 career regular-season rushing touchdowns reached the end zone from the tight, rugby-like formation with running backs angled near Hurts to help shove him over the goal line at the snap. Last season, the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens ran variations of the same play.
Below is a list of other proposals:
--The Pittsburgh Steelers proposed that teams would be allowed to have one call with prospective unrestricted free agents from other teams and their agents during the negotiating window before the start of the league year.
--The Lions also proposed eliminating the automatic first down that comes with an illegal contact or defensive holding penalty.
--The Eagles proposed giving both teams a guaranteed possession in overtime during the regular season, aligning with the current playoff rules.
--The Washington Commanders proposed allowing teams to secure scouting credentials for games in the final two weeks of the season for potential playoff opponents.

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe blazes 40 at pro day with Steelers front and center
NFL Network reported some in attendance clocked Milroe as fast as 4.37 seconds on his first of two 40-yard dash attempts.
Milroe flashed a cannon for a throwing arm, another known commodity, but his accuracy and ability to dial in on shorter throws and float the ball between the second and third level remain concerns for NFL evaluators.
Milroe opted to work out with quarterbacks in position drills in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine but did not run the 40. He was clocked Wednesday using handheld timing devices rather than the digital timing system in place at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Perhaps the most significant development on campus was the revelation that projected first-round linebacker Jihaad Campbell, wearing a heavy brace and stabilizing support device to elevate his left arm, had shoulder surgery to repair what he described as a "slight tear" in his labrum. Campbell and offensive guard Tyler Booker are viewed as probable first-rounders in April.
With scouts from all 32 teams in attendance, Milroe's speed -- long known to be an asset -- was not a concern for teams evaluating a QB class featuring purported No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward (Miami) and projected first-rounders Shedeur Sanders (Alabama) and Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss).
Milroe ran indoors at the Alabama practice facility before conducting his throwing session. NFL evaluators differ on the value of the heavily scripted and often overly practiced routine with familiar receivers because it's not an apples-to-apples comparison of those who participate at the combine.
Milroe reportedly met with Steelers general manager Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin before the workout. They were front and center observing the workout as reports percolate about whether Pittsburgh is awaiting a decision from free agent Aaron Rodgers about joining the team.

Netflix bringing back 'Quarterback' for Season 2
On Wednesday, Netflix released the first trailer for the new season, which will stream in July.
The series will follow the three quarterbacks through the 2024 season -- a campaign that had twists, turns and heartbreak for each.
Burrow led his team to five consecutive wins to end the season, falling just short of the postseason. He rallied the Bengals to a 9-8 finish after a 1-4 start and seven losses that came by one touchdown or less.
Cousins, in his first season with the Atlanta Falcons after signing a four-year, $180 million contract, was benched in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. after 14 starts.
Goff quarterbacked the Detroit Lions to a 15-2 season, only to see it come to a stunning end in the NFC divisional round with a 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders.
The first season of "Quarterback" featured Cousins, Patrick Mahomes and Marcus Mariota.
In 2024, Netflix shifted gears to "Receiver," which followed the 2023 seasons of Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

NFL transactions roundup: Jaguars to sign OT Fred Johnson
Financial terms were not disclosed for the 6-foot-7, 326-pound Johnson, who played in all 17 games (six starts) last season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The reported move will return Johnson to the Sunshine State. He was born in Florida and played collegiately for the Gators.
A Super Bowl champion with Philadelphia, Johnson, 27, has played in 62 games (14 starts) with the Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Eagles.
--The Washington Commanders signed defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Wise, 30, spent eight seasons with the New England Patriots. who selected him in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. In 126 career games (61 starts), he has 314 tackles (34 for loss), 34 sacks, 90 quarterback hits, 12 pass breakups, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
--The Tennessee Titans plan to re-sign running back Julius Chestnut to a one-year deal.
Chestnut, 24, is a three-year veteran who joined the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He played in all 17 games and rushed 22 times for 102 yards (4.6 yards per carry).
Last season, he played 50 percent of the Titans' snaps on special teams. He returned 13 kickoffs for 337 yards.

Reports: Vikings won't sign QB Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers reportedly has offers from the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants but had been waiting for word from Minnesota before making a decision to continue playing or retire.
The Vikings selected McCarthy with the 10th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft when he was fresh off of leading Michigan to the College Football Playoff championship. He missed the entire season following surgery to repair his torn right meniscus.
Sam Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in the regular season but chose to let him walk in free agency, and he signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Vikings are a team with sights on the Super Bowl and clearly decided the 22-year-old McCarthy was a better all-around option than the 41-year-old Rodgers.
For starters, McCarthy still is on his rookie deal and will earn a base salary of $960,000. Rodgers would have commanded millions, leaving the Vikings with money they already have used in free agency.
Minnesota has rejected trade discussions with other teams about McCarthy, per reports.
Now, the clock is on Rodgers to tell the Steelers and the Giants of his plans.
One Steelers player, veteran captain Cameron Heyward, said he's tired of waiting on Rodgers, a four-time NFL Most Valuable Player.
"Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don't," he said Tuesday on his "Not Just Football" podcast. "It's that simple. That's the pitch. If you want me to recruit, that's the recruiting pitch. Pittsburgh Steelers. If you want to be part of it, so be it. If you don't, no skin off my back."
Rodgers is coming off a 2024 season in which he led the New York Jets to a 5-12 record. He completed 368 passes for 3,897 yards with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Reports: Packers signing veteran WR/KR Mecole Hardman
Hardman, who turned 27 on March 12, played for the Kansas City Chiefs last season. He had 12 catches for 90 yards as well as five rushes for 62 yards and a touchdown in 12 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury at practice in early December. He also returned 20 punts and five kickoffs.
A three-time Super Bowl champion with Kansas City, Hardman has 178 receptions for 2,302 yards and 16 touchdowns in 80 career games (28 starts) since being picked by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He signed as a free agent with the New York Jets to start the 2023 season before being traded back to the Chiefs that October.
He ended the 2023 season with a 3-yard touchdown catch in overtime to win Super Bowl 58.
Also on Tuesday, the Packers officially announced the signing of former San Francisco 49ers guard Aaron Banks, 27.
The deal is reportedly for $77 million over four years, according to reports last week. Banks has started 43 of 53 games played in four NFL seasons. He was San Francisco's starting left guard the past three seasons.
A second-round pick in 2021 out of Notre Dame, Banks started 16 games in 2022, 14 of 15 games in 2023 and 13 games last season. He missed four of the last six games in 2024 -- two because of a concussion and two due to a knee injury.

Chargers sign former Raiders C Andre James
James, 27, started 11 of the 13 games he played last season for the Raiders, appearing in 81 percent of the offensive snaps. He had spent his entire NFL career with the franchise, beginning in 2019 as an undrafted free agent when the Raiders were in Oakland.
He played 89 regular-season games (60 starts) and started one playoff game in 2021.
James returns to Los Angeles, where he played offensive line for UCLA in 36 games from 2016-18.

Patriots sign QB Josh Dobbs
The team did not disclose terms, but it was originally reported last week to be a two-year, $8 million contract with $3.8 million fully guaranteed, per NFL Network.
Dobbs will back up Drake Maye in New England after Jacoby Brissett left for the Arizona Cardinals earlier this month.
Dobbs, 30, spent last season with the San Francisco 49ers. He took over late in their Week 17 game against the Detroit Lions when Brock Purdy left with an injury and started in Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals. He went a combined 32-for-47 for 361 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions plus two rushing touchdowns in those appearances.
Stints as a backup for Pittsburgh (2018, 2020) and Tennessee (2022) led him to seize on some unlikely opportunities in 2023.
The Arizona Cardinals acquired him from the Cleveland Browns just before the season to be their starter while Kyler Murray continued to rehab from an ACL tear. After eight starts, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings and made four starts for them after a season-ending Achilles injury to Kirk Cousins.
In 23 career appearances (3-12 record in 15 starts), Dobbs has completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 3,281 yards, 17 TDs and 15 interceptions. He has added 520 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.

Report: Browns owners commit $2 billion for new stadium
The team posted a video with an artist's rendering of the new stadium and surrounding property, which will be built in nearby Brook Park, Ohio, near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
The team's lease at their current stadium, near downtown Cleveland and on the edge of Lake Erie, is set to run through 2028. The team moved into the venue in 1999.
The Browns have made the playoffs just three times since the franchise was reestablished in 1999. They were 3-14 in 2024 while giving starts to four different quarterbacks, including Deshaun Watson and Jameis Winston for seven games apiece.
The previous version of the Browns franchise played at Cleveland Stadium from 1946-95.

Panthers WR David Moore reaches 1-year deal
Financial terms were not disclosed by the Panthers.
Moore, 30, had 32 catches for 351 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games (five starts) last season, his first in Carolina.
Head coach Dave Canales knows Moore from their mutual stints in Seattle and Tampa Bay.
Moore has totaled 115 receptions for 1,608 yards and 17 TDs in 74 career games (19 starts) with the Seahawks (2017-20), Denver Broncos (2021), Green Bay Packers (2021), Buccaneers (2023) and Panthers.

Eagles DE Brandon Graham retires: 'No regrets'
The 36-year-old defensive end became a Philadelphia icon, returning from a torn triceps to play in last month's Super Bowl LIX triumph after making one of the biggest plays in the team's first championship in Super Bowl LII.
"I gave it everything I have," said Graham, who ranks third in Eagles history with 76.5 sacks. "I have no regrets."
A first-round draft pick (13th overall) by Philadelphia in 2010, Graham recorded 153 quarterback hits, 126 tackles for loss, 22 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries. He made the Pro Bowl after an eight-sack season in 2020 and recorded a career-high 11 sacks in 2022.
"Brandon Graham is the embodiment of everything you want in a Philadelphia Eagle," team owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. "... It was the way he played the game and the way he carried himself that earned him the love and respect of his coaches, teammates and fans."
In 2024, Graham landed on injured reserve on Nov. 26 after sustaining the triceps injury in a Week 12 win against the Los Angeles Rams.
Activated from IR the day before Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, the team captain played 13 snaps and recorded one tackle in the 40-22 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Graham was one of the heroes of Philadelphia's 41-33 win against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, recording a strip-sack of Tom Brady late in the fourth quarter to help clinch the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy.

Report: Vikings, CB Jeff Okudah agree to 1-year deal
That's according to agent Kevin Conner, the CEO of Universal Sports and Management, ESPN reported. No financial terms were disclosed.
Okudah, 26, is returning to the NFC North, where he started his career with the Detroit Lions, who selected him No. 3 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Due to multiple injuries, he appeared in just 25 games (22 starts) over three seasons in Detroit. He followed that tenure with one year with the Atlanta Falcons (13 games, nine starts) and one with the Houston Texans (six games, no starts).
Over his career, Okudah has two interceptions for 56 yards and a touchdown, as well as 177 tackles and 14 passes defensed.

Eagles extend, enrich standout RT Lane Johnson
Johnson, a 12-year veteran, all with Philadelphia, is having a total of $8 million added for the next two seasons, plus an extra $30 million guaranteed. That brings his compensation for 2025-26 to $48 million, with $40 million assured.
Johnson, who turns 35 in May, will earn $25 million in 2027. He has been an All-Pro first- or second-team selection four times, including each of the past three seasons, and has been a starter in all 158 of his games with the Eagles.
Johnson did not surrender a sack last season, and gave up just one quarterback hit and six pressures. Those numbers are especially significant given that he led the NFL with a so-called "island rate" of 75 percent. That statistic counts the amount of snaps a lineman is left one-on-one with a defensive lineman on quarterback drop-backs.

Eagles add former Giants DE Azeez Ojulari
Ojulari, 24, spent his first four years in the league with the NFC East rival New York Giants.
After an eight-sack rookie season, Ojulari, a second-round pick in the 2021 draft, struggled to say healthy and did not play more than 11 games in any of the three seasons that followed.
In 11 games (five starts) for New York in 2024, Ojulari racked up 28 tackles, six sacks and a fumble recovery. In 46 games (30 starts) for his career, he has 107 tackles, 22 sacks, four forced fumbles and three recoveries.
Ojulari joins the defending Super Bowl champions and is the latest former Georgia player on a defense with several other Bulldogs, including Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, Nolan Smith, Kelee Ringo and Lewis Cine.