NFL Player News

Butler (6’4/297) enjoyed a career year as a fifth-year senior with the Vols in 2021. In addition to seeing the most snaps in his career, he also totaled 47 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, and five sacks - all personal bests. He displayed good explosiveness at the Combine, finishing second among defensive tackles in both the vertical and broad jumps, but underwhelmed with just 17 bench reps. Competing against stout SEC offensive fronts, some of Butler’s best performances came against the likes of Georgia, Alabama, and Ole Miss. He shows a relentless motor for getting after the quarterback and has the ability to win in one-on-one blocks with a multitude of moves. Butler’s best fit will likely be in a 4-3 defense as a one or two-gap defender.

The entire Dolphins front office is now essentially a Packers front office after they hired GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley away, so that’s an easy tie. Mike LaFleur, the new head coach in Arizona, can pick the brain of his brother (Green Bay’s head coach) about Willis. We’ve tied Willis to the Dolphins earlier this offseason, but it’s a little surprising to see the Cardinals as a potential suitor given how well Jacoby Brissett played down the stretch in 2025.

Vasso had been a candidate for the Browns, Raiders, Titans and Cardinals defensive coordinator openings, but will instead stay put in Houston with a contract extension. These were the first major sniffs of interest Vasso has had for a coordinator opening, but the league-wide amount of interest in him bodes well for his chances of eventually getting a job down the line.

The key to this report is Crosby’s meniscus repair, which Rapoport notes makes him unlikely to be medically cleared before free agency officially begins. Thus, any acquiring team would be taking a leap of faith on the 28-year-old’s health for the 2026 season. We would be surprised if the Raiders traded him after the draft, where they’d seem to lose a lot of leverage, but the Micah Parsons trade did just happen right before the start of the 2025 season so it can’t be entirely ruled out.

He’d be entering his age-37 season, but most of the smoke since the end of the season has pointed in this direction. The Chiefs are currently significantly over the cap and would probably need to shuffle some salaries around to get Kelce — an impending free agent — under contract. Kelce himself has reportedly been in touch with the Chiefs about a return, and Dianna Russini reported yesterday that many close to Kelce believe he will return. Rapoport says we should expect clarity “sooner, rather than later” on Kelce’s 2026 status.

It’s not exactly an inspiring move, but Ben Johnson is the one calling the plays so we probably shouldn’t worry about it too much. Taylor played a part in Trevor Lawrence’s regression under Doug Pederson as a playcaller in Jacksonville. The only Bears out-of-house interview we’ve heard of for this job was Cardinals pass game specialist Connor Senger, who could still wind up on this staff in a lower position now that Mike LaFleur has taken over as Arizona’s head coach.

Not surprising given the tenor of the news, but as Schefter notes, the Dolphins would be hard-pressed to get anything for him. Schefter says the Dolphins are willing to pay down a portion of the contract to make a trade happen, but the most likely exit point for this remains a post-June 1 cut that would spread his dead cap hit over a couple of years ala Russell Wilson’s departure from the Broncos. Tagovailoa has a real chance to be starting elsewhere in 2026 just based on how many chairs there are to fill, but he’ll undoubtedly be an uninspiring fantasy starter.

There’s not a real link here to hold on to yet, the sources are not chirping a specific team, but it’s unsurprising that Carr would consider giving it another go as he’s still just 35 and the quarterback market this offseason is desolate. One complicating factor is that the Saints retain his rights and may ask for something in a trade to move on from their former signalcaller. Carr is reportedly “throwing fully as part of his regular exercise routine.” At this point we’d expect someone to make the plunge on Carr, the only question is the cost.

“It would not be a surprise if Rodgers is back in Pittsburgh,” Pelissero says. Look for us to repeat some version of this blurb 20 times over the next five months, and after that perhaps we’ll get an actual resolution. Hiring Mike McCarthy — who Pelissero notes has spoken to Rodgers several times — surely put this in motion. Rodgers and the Steelers would also need to work out a contract for him to return.

Pearce is alleged to have been fleeing a domestic dispute. Not good, to put it mildly. It somehow gets worse when you factor in the charges Pearce is facing following the chase and subsequent crash, including two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated stalking. That’s in addition to “fleeing or eluding police with lights or siren.” Social media footage shows what appears to be Pearce in a struggle with police following the chase. The 22-year-old had a sensational rookie season following the Falcons’ aggressive move up to get him late in the first round, but this has him in danger of a massive suspension, perhaps missing all of 2026. There’s also the very real possibility of a jail sentence. Stay tuned.

This has been our lean for a while, too, but it’s interesting Schefter’s sources are already confirming so at this early stage of the offseason. The tag window opens Feb. 17 and closes March 3. The sides would then have until mid-July to negotiate a long-term deal. The tag would guarantee Pickens roughly $28 million. Although the 25-year-old (next month) surely won’t mind the monster one-year payday, he will undoubtedly view this as his best chance at a mega long-term deal. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has claimed he desires the same outcome, but Dallas has become as bad as any team at negotiating long-term deals. A mercurial player like Pickens playing on a one-year pact would have the potential to end poorly for both parties. It’s definitely one of the offseason’s top early storylines.