NFL Player News

WIth Jaxon Smith-Njigba gutting through injury and tough coverage, Kupp was actually the Seahawks’ leading wideout as he hoisted the second Lombardi Trophy of his sterling career. Outside the Sean McVay cocoon for the first time during his nine-year career — and not by choice — Kupp chose the ascending Seahawks in free agency even though he would clearly be the No. 2 wideout. “Clearly” became a chasm, with Smith-Njigba out-gaining his veteran teammate 1,793-593. Kupp did manage to stay largely healthy for the first time in four years, and saw a modest usage spike during the postseason. Four months shy of his 33th birthday, Kupp has no guaranteed salary for 2026, but cutting him would create as much dead money as cap savings. He could be in for a restructure, but Kupp will likely be back with the Seahawks. Where he is unlikely to be is in the top 40 in fantasy after this season’s WR52 finish by total PPR points.

Likely, an unrestricted free agent, could see interest from multiple teams this spring, including the Commanders, who are likely to move on from veteran TE Zach Ertz after his catastrophic knee injury in 2025. “Likely would bring more upside with his catch-and-run ability. A move player in the formation, Likely would also be schemed to create underneath one-on-ones,” Bowen said. In his four seasons with the Ravens, Likely popped off a few times in a run-heavy offense, usually when Mark Andrews was sidelined. Likely since the start of the 2024 season ranks fourth among all tight ends in ESPN’s open score, which measures a player’s ability to separate from defenders. He would be an intriguing fantasy option as an every-down player in Washington.

Miami is among the teams expected to pursue Willis, a former third-round draft pick, this offseason. Willis showed great improvement over two seasons in Green Bay, spot starting in place of Jordan love a few times and appearing in 11 games as the Packers quarterback. Willis has connections to new Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley and new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan from their time with the Packers. “Let’s envision a scheme built around motion/movement, with play-action elements woven in; that would set up Willis well as a thrower, and the QB run game would generate conflict for opposing defenses,” Bowen said. “Willis’ development in Green Bay creates upside for the Dolphins.” Willis’ mobility and arm strength would certainly bring more upside to the Miami offense than departing starter Tua Tagovailoa.

Coming off a 2025 season in which he caught 47 passes for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns as the Colts’ de facto WR1, Pierce is expected to be a popular name in free agency among wideout-needy teams. ESPN’s Ryan McFadden said last week that the Raiders would also pursue Pierce in free agency. “Pierce has the vertical stretch ability to produce down the field and can play a volume role as a multilevel target for quarterback Cam Ward,” Bowen said. In Tennessee, Pierce would instantly become the team’s No. 1 receiver, though it’s hard to say if Ward would be an upgrade over the quarterbacks Pierce had in Indianapolis last season. Ward in 2025 was 21st out of 35 qualifying QBs in accuracy on downfield throws. His 9.6 percent downfield passing rate was among the lowest in the league.

Nagy landed with John Harbaugh’s team after three years as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator and will now be charged with developing Dart in his second pro season. “When I think of Nagy with Jaxson Dart, I think of the spectacular season the new OC helped Alex Smith put together in 2017, with so many spread-offense elements baked in not just to maximize Smith but to develop Patrick Mahomes,” Breer said. “All the movement stuff the Chiefs were doing that year, in theory, should apply organically to Dart’s physical skill.” Kansas City ranked tenth in both offensive success rate and EPA per play over Nagy’s three seasons as OC. They were in line with the Dolphins and Seahawks in drop back EPA with Mahomes at the helm.

Brady, an announcer for Fox Sports, was very much involved in the team’s search for a new head coach after the Raiders fired Pete Carroll after one season. They landed on former Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who apparently, like Brady, is “hard-working,” creating “a high level of accountability and discipline, and could lead. And the leadership part didn’t necessarily mean the guy had to be a wake-up-the-echoes speaker.” That the Raiders are building the team in Brady’s image is no surprise given hi success over 23 NFL seasons. That Brady is so intimately involved with shaping an NFL franchise while working as an announcer is another issue entirely.

Rosenblatt added that “it feels likely that the Jets slap Hall with the non-exclusive franchise tag or the transition tag and then figure something out from there.” Hall is among the players likely to be tagged in the coming weeks to prevent him from exploring free agency and leaving a Jets team from which he has grown distant in recent years. Last year after the Jets completed a fire sale of their top players, Hall’s social media posts strongly implied he wanted out of New York. Rosenblatt said it’s “notable that in a year in which Hall surpassed 1,000 rushing yards — the first time a Jet has done that since 2015 — he did not win Team MVP, an award voted on by his teammates.” Hall, who will be 25 in May, has averaged 60.7 rushing yards per game and 29.4 receiving yards over 56 appearances for the Jets since 2022. Last year he notched a career high receiving success rate. He eclipsed 100 rushing yards in just four games.

Retaining other free agents and signing Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a new mega-deal are the Seattle’s priorities this offseason. They’ll likely let Walker, Super Bowl MVP who propelled the Seahawks to a championship this season, explore free agency in the coming months. Walker will have a range of suitors, including teams that will surely be willing to make him a clearcut lead back after Walker shared the workload with the ultra-inefficient Zach Charbonnet in 2024 and 2025. Look for Walker to get a huge deal — as far as running back contracts go — from a team ready to make him the centerpiece of their offense. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said the Seahawks front office might “believe that Walker won’t get what he’s looking for on the open market” and make a run at bringing him back to Seattle on a short-term deal.

The Raiders continue to round out their new-look coaching ranks as they bring in former Titans run game coordinator Travis Smith to serve as their defensive line coach. Smith coached with the Raiders from 2012 to 2021 in multiple capacities, most recently serving as their assistant defensive line coach before stints with the Bears and Titans. Most notably, Smith served as the defensive line coach for the Bears between 2022 and 2024.

According to the site, Irving’s “recovery and rehab are not expected to significantly impact his offseason preparation.” Irving missed multiple games due to a foot and shoulder injury last season, but it was the shoulder injury that kept him sidelined until his return in Week 13. With Rachaad White likely leaving via free agency, Irving could be in line for a bell cow role for the Bucs in 2026. The third-year back rushed for 173-588-1 last season but averaged 20.3 touches per game when active. Hopefully a full offseason to recover will have him back to his rookie form after his efficiency numbers dwindled late last season.

Speaking on Sports Extra with Josh Moser, Rosenhaus said Hill is “progressing well” in his recovery and intends continue his playing career. Hill, 31, was released by the Dolphins after four seasons with the team, and still has a lot to overcome after suffering a dislocated knee and torn ACL last season, and is not a lock to be ready to go come training camp. If he does intend to play, teams could opt to bring him in and continue to work with him through rehab until he is up to speed, but it seems unlikely Hill would get more than a one-year deal given his age and current injury status. When healthy, Hill still has plenty to offer a team in need of an explosive playmaker, and could see several contenders line up for his services in the coming months.