Category : Red Zone Rumors

The franchise tagging deadline has passed and there are officially only two players who won’t hit the open market. Just Bengals receiver Tee Higgins and Chiefs guard Trey Smith were tagged in 2025. Cincinnati and Kansas City have both indicated that the respective clubs are interested in retaining Higgins and

The deadline to use the franchise tag will pass without the Vikings using one on Sam Darnold. Reports in recent days indicated that the Vikings would pass on using the tag, which carries a $40.242 million guaranteed salary for the 2025 season. Multiple reports on Tuesday afternoon say that the

Football is going Hollywood. And Hollywood is going football. It’s a long-overdue you-got-your-chocolate-in-my-peanut-butter pairing. And the latest example of it comes from Skydance Sports signing 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen to a comprehensive deal that will entail Allen developing (via Alex Weprin of the Hollywood Reporter) “scripted, unscripted, and branded

It looks like linebacker Jack Sanborn will get a chance to hit the open market. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that the Bears will not tender Sanborn a contract as a restricted free agent. Sanborn has appeared in 48 games and made 19 starts for the Bears over the last

The quarterback situation in Minnesota has accurately been described in recent days as “fluid.” There’s a reason for that. Per multiple sources who have interacted with the team in recent months, there’s uncertainty as to who’s running the show. It’s one of the potential byproducts of ownership living and working

Usually, NFL players sign two or three career contracts, at most. Some, like Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, do a few more than that. NFL teams do hundreds. They have the expertise. They know the markets, the precedents. More accurately, they know their players. It now appears that Stafford was never

The Rams have found a trade partner for offensive lineman Jonah Jackson. Per Courtney Cronin of ESPN, Los Angeles has agreed to trade Jackson to Chicago in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2025. The deal cannot become official until the start of the new league year next week. Jackson,

The Cowboys were reportedly ready to place the franchise tag on Osa Odighizuwa, but now that won’t be necessary. According to NFL Media, Odighizuwa and Dallas have agreed to terms on a four-year contract, keeping him in the fold ahead of free agency. He was No. 10 on PFT’s list

On Monday at 12:00 p.m. ET, free agency begins. Sure, it’s only the negotiating window. But that’s when the bulk of the deals start getting done. This year, there will be deals. There always will be deals. But the class seems a bit weaker than it’s been in past years.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders said last month that his first pre-draft visit would be with the Browns and it is reportedly going to happen soon. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that Sanders will be in Cleveland to meet with the team later this week. The Browns have the second overall

As today’s franchise tag deadline approaches, there’s one impending free agent who definitely will not be tagged by his team. Scattered reports emerged on Monday regarding the financial realities that will make it extremely unlikely for the Bucs to tag receiver Chris Godwin. The easier explanation is they can’t do

The Browns have moved to hold onto a pair of their exclusive rights free agents. The team announced that they have tendered contracts to linebacker Winston Reid and tight end Blake Whiteheart. The move blocks both players from negotiating with other teams, so they will almost certainly be back when

Last week at the scouting combine, Steelers General Manager Omar Khan said all options were on the table at quarterback. As the start of free agency draws closer, there’s a little more clarity on where the team’s preferences lie — at least with the QBs who were on their roster

Bill Belichick won’t be making his Hard Knocks debut this year. Word last week was that the second offseason edition of the HBO show created by NFL Films would feature Belichick and the University of North Carolina football team, but the conversations between producers and the school never made it

Wide receiver Darius Slayton knows what kind of team he wants to land with in free agency. Slayton told Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News that he “somewhere where they’re striving to be competitive and that the goal is to win” after spending the last six years doing

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones offered a friendly note on this week’s retirement of Jimmy Johnson. Johnson, who coached the Cowboys to two Super Bowls, announced Monday that he is retiring from his broadcasting job at Fox. Jones, who feuded with Johnson after the two parted ways following their second Super

Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir agreed to a four-year contract extension last week and he was in Buffalo to sign it on Monday. Shakir was a fifth-round pick in 2022 and caught 49 passes in his first two seasons before taking a big jump in 2024. He led the team

Linebacker Blake Lynch is back with the Chiefs. The team announced Lynch’s signing on Monday. Lynch joined the practice squad in Kansas City in December and played in the regular season finale before being released ahead of the team’s first playoff game. Lynch had six tackles and a tackle for

Responding to reports that the 49ers were concerned he was overweight before trading him to the Commanders, Deebo Samuel said he got up to 225 pounds last year, which is 10 pounds above his listed weight. Samuel posted on social media acknowledging talk that he was too heavy during the

Four weeks ago today, Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett made clear his desire to leave Cleveland. With the start of the league year only nine days away, the question remains: Will the Browns relent to his request? If so, where will he go? Garrett wants to play for a contender.

Veteran cornerback Darius Slay has said he wants to play in 2025. He’ll test free agency first. The Eagles are cutting Slay, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Slay will be designated a post-June 1 release, which saves the Eagles some money on this year’s salary cap but pushes a

The Cowboys plan to be selectively aggressive in free agency this offseason and it appears one of their selections will be a move to hold onto wide receiver/kick returner KaVontae Turpin. Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Cowboys will tender Turpin as a restricted free agent.

Rams receiver Cooper Kupp has been on the trade block since January when he announced that Los Angeles would not be retaining him for 2025. But to this point, the club has not reached an agreement to deal the receiver — who has been with the Rams since the franchise

On one hand, the Giants made no major changes after sinking to 3-14 in 2024. On the other hand, co-owner John Mara declared after the season that he’s “just about run out of patience.” The situation creates a strange dynamic for the Giants in 2025. Mara’s words will naturally make

The Vikings are unlikely to use the franchise tag on Sam Darnold, according to multiple reports. The team has until 4 p.m. ET Tuesday to make a final decision. The franchise tag would pay Darnold $40.242 million fully guaranteed for 2025. The Vikings, though, are interested in keeping Darnold, per

The Bears continue their quest for a new stadium. And with efforts to build a new facility in Chicago sputtering, the team is renewing its exploration of a suburban possibility. According to Christopher Placek of the Arlington Height Daily Herald, the Bears have resumed their studies regarding the potential development

Word last month was that the Bengals would use the franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins if they weren’t able to sign him to a long-term deal ahead of Tuesday’s tag deadline and that’s proven to be correct. Higgins confirmed on Monday that the Bengals have used the tag

The Vikings are hiring Jordan Traylor as their assistant offensive coordinator and assistant quarterbacks coach, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports. Traylor, 31, replaces Grant Udinski, who left to become the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator. Traylor spent the past six seasons in New Orleans, most recently as an offensive assistant. He

The Bengals have tagged receiver Tee Higgins for the second straight year. The next question is whether they’ll make good on their stated intention to turn the tag into a long-term deal. The thing about intentions is that they can, and often do, change. If someone makes the Bengals a

Now that the Rams know their starting quarterback will return for at least one year, they can turn their attention to his understudy. On Monday, coach Sean McVay told reporters that the Rams are interested in bringing back Jimmy Garoppolo for a second season. “We would love to bring him

At a time when some reports are indicating that the 49ers had developed a disdain for receiver Deebo Samuel Sr., Deebo feels no ill will toward the 49ers. “49ers know where I stand with them and it’s nothing but love,” Samuel tweeted on Monday night. “Love [G.M.] John [Lynch] and

The Rams have tendered offensive lineman Dylan McMahon, the team announced. McMahon is an exclusive rights free agent. McMahon, 24, originally joined the Rams by signing off the Eagles’ practice squad last season. He started in his lone appearance in 2024, which was the Rams’ Week 18 regular-season finale against

Last week, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said the team hopes to sign receiver Tee Higgins to a long-term deal. Later that day, Higgins tweeted the “cap” emoji, which means he was saying someone was lying, about something. Now that the Bengals have officially placed the franchise tag

The Bengals have their hands full, trying to get receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and edge rusher Trey Hendrickson signed to long-term extensions. They used the franchise tag on Higgins on Monday, giving them more time to either trade him or sign him to a long-term agreement. That means

Quarterback Matthew Stafford will remain with the Rams in 2025 and head coach Sean McVay expects to hold onto a couple of other offensive fixtures as well. Right tackle Rob Havenstein and tight end Tyler Higbee are both entering the final year of their contracts after dealing with injuries that

The Saints are hiring Scott Linehan to their staff, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports. He spent last season as a coaching analyst at Montana. Linehan, whose position is unknown, has not served as an on-field coach since 2020 at LSU when he was the passing game coordinator. He was a

After allowing Matthew Stafford to talk to other teams, the Rams reached a new deal with Stafford to keep him in 2025. But no one knows what the situation will be for 2026 and beyond. Rams head coach Sean McVay said Stafford’s status as the Rams’ starting quarterback will be

The Cowboys have confirmed right guard Zack Martin is retiring. They are honoring him during a news conference at noon ET Wednesday. Martin, 34, was scheduled to become a free agent. He took some time after the season to make his decision and told the Cowboys 12 days ago that

New Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley is building his staff. He has hired three more coaches to positions on the defensive staff, as Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reports that Grady Brown, Robert Blanton and Jay Rodgers are on board. The Saints previously hired defensive coaches Bo Davis, Peter Sirmon

Sam Darnold? J.J. McCarthy? Daniel Jones? Aaron Rodgers? (I’m kidding, I think.) As far as all-universe receiver Justin Jefferson is concerned, the identity of the Vikings’ quarterback is a detail. “I’m not sure who the quarterback is gonna be, and just like I said last year, it truly doesn’t matter

The Bengals announced head coach Zac Taylor’s staff for the 2025 season on Monday. It includes senior defensive assistant Sean Desai, whose hiring was reported last week, and the Bengals also announced that they have hired defensive assistant Mike Moon. They will work under new defensive coordinator Al Golden and

The Fox studio show is going to be a bit different for the 2025 season. Jimmy Johnson announced on a Monday appearance on The Herd that he is leaving the show and retiring from broadcasting. Johnson first worked for the network after his run as the Cowboys head coach ended

On Friday, the Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford mended fences and renewed vows. Or at least staved off a divorce for another year. So what did the Rams offer Stafford to get him to stay? The fact that three days have passed without any numbers being leaked points to the

The UFL’s quarterbacks boycotted a pre-training camp get-together, in protest of the league’s latest offer on a collective bargaining agreement. The move apparently has not sparked a broader effort by players to stay away from the official start of the UFL preseason. Training camp opens today. Per a source with

The Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford looked like they might be heading toward the end of their relationship at this time last week, but a meeting last Friday ended with an agreement on a revised contract for the next two seasons. Rams head coach Sean McVay said before that meeting

The Packers are holding on to one of their own free agents. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that they have agreed to a new deal with linebacker Isaiah McDuffie. It’s a two-year pact worth at least $8 million and up to $9.5 million. McDuffie was a 2021 sixth-round pick and

Veteran guard Alex Cappa is hitting the open market ahead of the start of the new league year. The Bengals announced that they have released Cappa on Monday. The move creates $8 million in cap space for the Bengals. Cappa signed a four-year deal with the team in 2022 and

The Bills are set to allow tight end Quintin Morris to hit the open market next week. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that they have decided not to tender Morris a contract as a restricted free agent. Unless they sign him to another deal, that will make him an

When the 49ers announced their full coaching staff last week, it was revealed that Brian Griese was no longer with the club as quarterbacks coach. At the scouting combine last week, General Manager John Lynch said Griese’s departure was his decision. Lynch noted that when Griese had joined San Francisco

From the moment receiver Davante Adams signed his current contract three years ago, it was always obvious that, come 2025, something had to give. In order to get the annual average for the five-year deal to $28 million, the package included a couple of phony-baloney back-end years carrying $35.64 million