Tracking NFL free agent news and rumors

The NFL free agency tampering period started at noon eastern on March 15th and ends in on Wednesday at 4pm. That 52-hour period is when teams are able to talk with agents and players, but we all know that many have already started discussions.

We’ve already seen some big names taken off the free agency list, as two of the top players, Dak Prescott and Aaron Jones have agreed to return to their respective teams. Those deals have been made official, but numerous deals over the past six weeks have not been formally announced. For example, the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff trade is technically not completed, nor is the Carson Wentz trade to the Indianapolis Colts. All teams involved will announce those deals Wednesday after the 4 p.m. start of the new league year.

There are still plenty of players who will be looking for new teams and a raise in free agency still. We will keep you up to date with all the news and rumors throughout the tampering period. Here’s to your team making all the right moves this offseason!

News and Rumors

JuJu Smith-Schuster has decided to stay in Pittsburgh for another season. He did end up giving the Steelers a discount, as he took an $8 million one-year deal when there was better money or better quarterbacks elsewhere. He’ll look to put up a good season in 2021 and raise his

The Denver Broncos have signed Justin Simmons, keeping him from playing on the franchise tag again this season. Simmons will become the highest paid safety in the league and anchor the Broncos secondary on a four-year, $61 million dollar deal.

This one slipped by the tracker, but shouldn’t slip by you, as the Seahawks have signed tight end Gerald Everett, formerly of the Rams. Everett has flashed some upside, especially in a game against the Seahawks in 2019, but has mostly been on the wrong side of a committee with Tyler Higbee. The Seahawks do have Will Dissly and some serviceable backups, so Everett isn’t a lock to lead the way, but he does have sleeper appeal if he can.

Kenny Golladay’s top suitors appear to be the Bengals and Giants, but now the Baltimore Ravens are making inquiries according to Adam Schefter. The Ravens have appeared to be out of the race for a top wide receiver, but they are at least doing their due diligence in a market that doesn’t look to be paying much for receivers this year.

The Cincinnati Bengals biggest need this offseason was getting more protection for Joe Burrow and they’re off to a good start by signing ex-Vikings lineman Reilly Reiff. They should still add more to the line, but Reiff is a strong signing and good news for the Bengals 2021 offense.

The Detroit Lions are letting Kenny Golladay walk and Marvin Jones has already signed with the Jaguars. To replace those losses they’ve signed Breshad Perriman, formerly of the Ravens and Jets. They can of course bring in more receivers, but Perriman could end up being the de facto No. 1 this season. Jared Goff isn’t likely to be of much use in fantasy this year.

The Miami Dolphins will add Will Fuller to their receiver room, per Adam Schefter. This move gives Tua Tagovalia a strong group of receivers with Fuller as the likely No. 1 and DeVante Parker as the No. 2. Add in Preston Williams and Mike Gesicki to make for an offense that can win games in 2021.

Mitchell Trubisky won’t get a chance to compete for a starting job in 2021, as he is heading to Buffalo to backup Josh Allen. He should be a competent backup and his ability to run fits the Allen mold. He’s a good pickup for a team looking to stay consistent as they work toward the playoffs and a Super Bowl run.

The Las Vegas Raiders have asked Marcus Mariota to take a pay cut from the $10.7 million to $3 million, which he is unlikely to do. They will try to trade him, which could happen, but there’s little doubt he will be moving on to a new team and could compete for a starting job if the right spot presents itself.

The Los Angeles Chargers will replace tight end Hunter Henry with Jared Cook, as he’s agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $6 million, per Josina Anderson. Cook should be a comparable player to Henry and serve as a field stretcher and big red-zone target for sophomore Justin Herbert. Unfortunately for Donald Parham truthers this is a big blow. The Saints will roll with Adam Trautman as their starter in 2021.

The New York Jets might not be done adding receivers. After bringing in Corey Davis, they now have set their sights on JuJu Smith-Schuster. Adding him to Denzel Mims and Jamison Crowder would give the Jets a formidable wide receiver crew.

UPDATE: The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t completely out of the JuJu sweepstakes just yet.

The Denver Broncos have decided to rescind Phillip Lindsay’s RFA tender. This will give him a chance to find a new team and possibly a larger role in 2021. His ability has been evident on the field and he should find some interest in free agency.

Curtis Samuel joins Ryan Fitzpatrick, Antonio Gibson and Terry McLaurin in Washington to form a strong offensive group. Add that to their already great defense and there should be some excitement in D.C. this season.

Marlon Mack will remain in Indianapolis after re-signing with the Colts, per Tom Pelissero. This isn’t the greatest news for Jonathan Taylor, but he proved himself enough last season to be the no-doubt lead back going into 2021 and should be able to hold off Mack as long as he’s healthy.

Kenny Golladay has been rumored to the Dolphins and Giants, but it looks like the Giants may be closing in on him. He’s the type of receiver they really need to fill out their wide receiver room and it looks like they are going to do their best to bring him into the fold.

The Arizona Cardinals will add A.J. Green to their wide receiver room this season, per Ian Rapoport. At this point in his career, he likely won’t make a huge impact, but if he can stay healthy, he should be a solid player on the other side of DeAndre Hopkins.

Touchdown maker Marvin Jones will land in Jacksonville to become one of Trevor Lawrence’s targets, per Ian Rapoport. Jones is a solid receiver, who can help any team, but his veteran presence should be extra helpful to the Jaguars as they work to get their passing offense going with their No. 1 pick.

The Buffalo Bills found their John Brown replacement by agreeing to terms with Emmanuel Sanders, per Dan Fete. He will get a one-year contract worth $6 million. Stefon Diggs should continue his big target numbers, as Sanders isn’t going to command more targets than Brown or Cole Beasley.

The Tennessee Titans have re-signed tight end Anthony Firkser to a one-year deal, per Terry McCormick. This isn’t huge news, but with Jonnu Smith now in New England, Firkser could end up as TE1 in Tennessee. If so, he would have fantasy appeal on a good offense.

Jamaal Williams will join the Detroit Lions on a two-year deal. This is concerning for D’Andre Swift’s workload, but he is still the No. 1 back and unfortunately, he was never going to be a 25 touch per game player. Williams could see enough work to have some appeal in deeper leagues. Much like he had in Green Bay.

The 49ers have re-signed Trent Williams and added Alex Mack to their offensive line. Williams is the star of the group and will become the highest paid offensive lineman in the league.

The Las Vegas Raiders have found their Nelson Agholor replacement by adding the Bills John Brown, per Ryan Talbot. Brown should be a veteran presence on the team and be a good source of knowledge for Henry Ruggs. His fantasy upside isn’t great with Ruggs, Bryan Edwards, Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow all in the mix on a team that likes to run the ball. He should end up being the top wideout, so the upside is there to be the lead guy, but there are obstacles.

Andy Dalton is your new Chicago Bears starting quarterback! Maybe that doesn’t deserve an exclamation point. But here we are. Adam Schefter reports that Dalton will sign a one-year deal and at $10-13 million, he looks like the frontrunner to start for Chicago in 2021.

The Giants and defensive end Leonard Williams have come to an agreement which will pay Williams a fully guaranteed $45 million in a three-years $63 million overall contract, per Adam Schefter. Williams had his best season last year when he upped his sack numbers to 11.5 while continuing to play the run at a high level.

Packers breakout tight end Robert Tonyan received a second-round tender, likely keeping him in Green Bay. There is always a chance another team goes after him, but a second round pick will likely keep teams away.

Kenny Golladay remains the top free agent wide receiver on the market, and it appears the Dolphins and Giants are showing the most interest.

The New York Jets have agreed to a three-year deal with ex-Titans wide receiver Corey Davis. Davis played his best football last season and will start alongside Denzel Mims and Jamison Crowder. Unfortunately, the Jets offense is likely to lag this season, making it tough for Davis to see much fantasy upside unless the team can somehow land a top-tier quarterback.

Leonard Fournette is in the Seattle Seahawks sights, as they have lost Carlos Hyde to free agency and the Jaguars and Chris Carson is also a free agent. Albert Breer reports that the Buccaneers are still interested as well. Seattle still has Rashard Penny, but they won’t go into the season with just one main back, as they like to have multiple backs who can handle big chunks of work.

The New England vs. Tampa Bay drama has written itself as the Patriots have gone all out in free agency, but the Buccaneers might not be done with poaching Patriots. Former should have been Super Bowl MVP James White could end up with his old quarterback, as the Bucs are interested in him.

The New England Patriots have gone free agency crazy! Their latest move involves their second top free agency tight end signing, as they’re bringing in ex-Chargers TE Hunter Henry, per Adam Schefter. He will join ex-Titan Jonnu Smith to be a focal point of their 2021 offense.

Ryan Fitzpatrick decided not to retire like some reports suggested. Instead, he has decided to give it another go after a strong 2020, but this time with the Washington Football Team, per Adam Schefter. He will be the starter going into camp.

The New Orleans Saints have agreed to a one-year incentive laden deal with quarterback Jameis Winston, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. He appears to be the frontrunner for the starting job, but Taysom Hill isn’t going away.

Gronk is back for one more year. Rob Gronkowski signed a one-year deal as the Bucs appear intent on bringing the band back for another Super Bowl run. He returned from retirement last year and finished the 2020 season with 45 catches for 623 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Patriots continue to make plays in the free agency market, signing WR Nelson Agholor to a two-year deal. In his single season with the Las Vegas Raiders, Agholor totaled 48 receptions for 896 receiving yards and 8 TDs — a career year. It’s not the big-time splash that New England is in need of, but it helps.

The Raiders look to beef up their defensive front against Patrick Mahomes in the NFC West. They’ve reached a deal with LB Yannick Ngakoue, per Adam Schefter. Ngakoue spent the first four years of his career with the Jaguars prior to being traded to the Vikings in 2020... and then being traded to the Ravens later in 2020.

The Houston Texans have added wide receiver Andre Roberts to their wide receiver room, per Tom Pelissero. Hopefully Roberts isn’t in any way a replacement for Will Fuller.

Sophomore quarterback Justin Herbert just got a new center, as the Packers Corey Linsley will join the Chargers, becoming the highest paid center in the league, per Tom Pelissero.

The Cleveland Browns were looking for secondary help this offseason and have found it in safety John Johnson, formerly of the Los Angeles Rams, per Mary Kay Cabot. He was easily one of the best safeties on the market.

The Browns backed up the Brinks truck for Johnson:

After letting their left and right tackles go this offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs have started the work of remaking their offensive line by signing Patriots OL Joe Thuney, per Mike McCartney.

And now the details on Thuney’s contract:

The Patriots are going all in on free agency with yet another signing. This time OLB Matt Judon will join the team coming from Baltimore, per Tom Pelissero. Bill Belichick seems ready to get back to his usual winning ways.

The New England Patriots will get their Rob Gronkowski replacement, as the Titans TE Jonnu Smith will head to New England, per Adam Schefter.

The Carolina Panthers have a big chunk of their offensive line from last year in free agency. They needed to bring in some help on the line and they’ve started with the Jets Pat Elfein. He gets a nice contract to help whoever the Panthers have behind center, per Adam Schefter:

The Titans will be down a starting WR and TE as they will allow Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith to walk. Both will find suitors, with Smith being one of the top tight ends in free agency.

Super Bowl champion edge rusher Shaq Barrett will return for another season in Tampa Bay. It looks like the Buccaneers are going to do their best to keep their Super Bowl core intact to try for a repeat in 2021.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter has the details on his new contract: