NFL Player News

This marks the fourth straight offseason in which the Chiefs have redone Mahomes’ mega-contract to create some cap breathing room. This most recent restructure will have Mahomes’ cap hit go from $78.2 million to $34.65 million for the 2026 season. Mahomes’ cap number for the 2027 season will now be over $85 million, according to Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald. Mahomes, entering his age-31 season, is hoping to be ready for Week 1 after suffering a late-season knee injury.

It’s “based on the leverage a franchise tag would have given him,” but for a quarterback with Jones’ career line to ask for this much money while rehabbing a torn Achilles is ... bold. The Colts and Jones obviously seem to want each other, but that was such a big gap in negotiations that Indy simply transition tagged him. Breer believes the team and Jones are still negotiating, and perhaps the transition tag will motivate them to get something more reasonable done. Since Alec Pierce’s negotiations appear to depend on being certain Jones will be back, it would certainly behoove the Colts to put forth good faith offers in a hurry.

After the Instagram hacked saga came to an end, the Packers were able to find a taker for Gary before they (likely) would have released him. The trade will help lower Gary’s cap hit for the Packers and send him to Dallas on a contract that’s perhaps a little higher than he would have received on the open market. In other words: It’s a win-win. Gary isn’t an impressive No. 1 edge rusher for the Cowboys, but they may not be done cooking yet.

The Jets are sending a seventh-round pick that originally belonged to the Chargers in exchange for the 29-year-old safety. Fitzpatrick, who was set to enter the final year of his deal, will sign a three-year, $40 million contract with the Jets, giving them a solid option in the secondary for the foreseeable future. The Jets need all the help they can get after finishing 31st in points allowed and 25th in yards allowed last season. Fitzpatrick, a three-time First-team All-Pro, totaled 82 tackles, six pass breakups, and one interception for the Dolphins last season while earning a PFF grade of 81.8.

Steele agreed to take a paycut to stay in Dallas. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he is now set to make $33 million over the next three years, down from $48.5 million. He can also make another $3 million back, presumably through incentives. The Cowboys, in return, guaranteed $22 million of his remaining money. They created roughly $13 million in cap space.

Hughes also notes that the Dolphins want Malik Willis, but that Smith could be in the team’s contingency plans if the Cardinals were to lure Willis to the desert. Smith, 35, was released by the Raiders over the weekend after a down season. Smith’s struggles extend well beyond his own individual performance, as playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league didn’t do him many favors. Wherever he lands next, he’ll be a cheap option, and makes sense for a Dolphins team that will be paying $54 million in guaranteed money to Tua Tagovailoa this upcoming season.

Ehlinger signed with the Broncos last offseason but didn’t make their final roster. He chose to stay on the team’s practice squad despite receiving 53-man roster offers from other teams. He bounced between the practice squad and the active roster throughout the year. With teams reportedly calling Denver about Jarrett Stidham, the Broncos are keeping Ehlinger around as a potential QB2 option should they choose to move their current backup.

A former seventh-round pick from the 2022 draft class, Brown has started 22 games over the last two seasons while totaling three interceptions and 30 pass breakups over that span. The soon-to-be 27-year-old allowed just 34 receptions for 360 yards and three touchdowns on 63 targets last season while playing on 736 snaps, and earned a career-high 75.5 PFF coverage grade. Brown’s new deal will give the Jaguars a strong corner on the outside for the foreseeable future and keeps him under contract through the 2028 season.

Browning split his first five years in the NFL between the Vikings and Bengals’ practice squads. He finally won the backup job in Cincy in 2023 and went on to throw for 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions while making seven starts in place of an injured Joe Burrow. He signed a two-year deal with the Bengals after the season. Browning took over as the starter in 2025 after Burrow went down with a foot injury. Things did not go as smoothly this time around and he was eventually benched for Joe Flacco, whom the Bengals had to acquire via trade. Though the Bengals threw in the towel on Browning, another team will see his 2023 tape and give him a shot to win their QB2 job in camp.

Manhertz has appeared in all 34 regular-season games for the Giants over the past two seasons. He only has four catches for 37 yards and a touchdown as a Giant, but Manhertz gets paid to block and play special teams. He will continue to do so under John Harbaugh in 2026.

Tagovailoa has two years left on the four-year, $212.4 million contract he signed in 2024. Now, the Dolphins will be on the hook for $54 million in guaranteed money this season, meaning Tua will sign for a league minimum wherever he lands next. Tagovailoa appeared to be stepping into his full potential early in the Mike McDaniel era, throwing for 3,548-25-8 in his first season with McDaniel, which also included a prime Tyreek Hill. A lack of playoff success coupled with defenses figuring out ways to limit Tua resulted in a down 2025, which included a career-high 15 interceptions and a career-low 46.4 success rate on pass plays. A down QB market should leave Tagovailoa with plenty of suitors in the days/weeks ahead, but he’ll likely sign somewhere on a short deal with hopes of landing a big contract in 2027.