In the twelve days since the Dolphins released receiver Tyreek Hill, no other team has emerged as a serious suitor to sign him. During four days at the Scouting Combine, no one said anything to suggest that a pursuit of Hill was happening, or looming.
That makes it difficult, to say the least, to predict his next team. Guesses are nevertheless welcome, via a “next team” wager at DraftKings.
The Chiefs are the current favorites, at +150. Next are the Bills at +600, the Ravens at +700, and the Chargers at +800.
The Patriots, Raiders, and Rams are +1400. The Steelers, Giants, and Broncos are +1600. The 49ers have +1800 odds.
Last week, Chiefs coach Andy Reid provided a lukewarm (at best) assessment regarding a possible reunion, citing Hill’s current health. He continues to recover from a serious knee injury suffered against the Jets in Week 4.
"[W]e talk about everything,” Reid said. “So there’s nothing happening there, but we know what you know — that he’s out there and cranking away, trying to get himself back to where he can play, period.”
There’s another factor when it comes to Hill. As one source put it during our time in Indianapolis, it could be an even more important concern than his knee.
Hill remains the subject of a lingering Personal Conduct Policy investigation, arising from domestic violence allegations made by his estranged wife. And, at times, Hill has been hard to handle. Discontent in Kansas City, coupled with a desire for a new contract after Davante Adams signed with the Raiders in 2022, sparked a trade to Miami while Hill was still squarely in his prime. At the end of the 2024 season, Hill said it was time for him to leave the Dolphins. (He later embarked on a Super Bowl-week apology tour.)
When a player has elite skills, the other stuff can more easily be overlooked. When the skills begin to slip, it’s harder to ignore the factors that make a player less desirable.
At this point, Hill could become a player that teams will begin to seriously assess after free agency and the draft. Any team that hasn’t otherwise addressed the receiver position by early May could pivot to Hill.
For now, it seems as if most if not all teams are content to focus on other options. When the dust settles on the usual paths for adding new players, Hill’s status could come into better focus.
Still, the first question is when and if he’ll be healthy. The second question is whether a team is willing to embrace a player who could be facing a suspension, and who could have a hard time dealing with being anything other than the No. 1 receiver and, in turn, the focal point of the passing game.
Adams has embraced being second fiddle to Puka Nacua in L.A. Hill may need to accept that same kind of role — and to convince a prospective team that, when he says it, he means it.
The Eagles made it clear this week that they’ll listen to offers for receiver A.J. Brown. Whether they’ll accept one remains to be seen.
Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes, based on “sources close to several Eagles,” that a decision will be made sooner than later.
With the negotiation period for free agents opening on March 9, the Eagles presumably would want to move quickly to replace Brown, if they’ll be trading him. Still, they won’t do the deal unless they get what they want.
One thing they may want is an agreement to delay the trade until after June 1. That’s when the cap consequences arising from a trade would be split over two years, instead of being fully absorbed in 2026.
The price for Brown isn’t known. McLane suggests that, at a minimum, the Eagles would want a second-round pick. If multiple teams compete for Brown, the Eagles could get more.
Teams to watch include the Patriots, Bills, Ravens, and Chargers.
They’ve done a good job of being coy about their plans. But it’s obvious that he’s available, for the right proposal. Whether they get an offer they’ll accept remains to be seen.
Teams making decisions about picking up the fifth-year options on the contracts of their 2023 first-round picks now know how much that will cost.
The NFL revealed the values on Friday afternoon. There are four levels of compensation at each position. Players who have made multiple Pro Bowls as an original selection are at the top followed by players with one Pro Bowl selection and players who have hit playing time milestones before reaching the lowest level.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud were the first two picks of that draft and both of them reached the playing time level of compensation. That will leave them with fully guaranteed salaries of $25.904 million if the teams decide to exercise the options, but longer-term extensions are also a possibility now that they have finished their third seasons.
The full list of 2023 first-rounders — there were 31 that year because the Dolphins were stripped of their pick — and their fifth-year option salaries appears below:
1. Panthers QB Bryce Young — $25.904 million (playing time).
2. Texans QB C.J. Stroud — $25.904 million (playing time).
3. Texans DE Will Anderson — $21.512 (Pro Bowl).
4. Colts QB Anthony Richardson — $22.483 million (base).
5. Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon — $21.161 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
6. Cardinals OT Paris Johnson — $19.072 million (playing time).
7. Raiders DE Tyree Wilson — $14.475 million (base).
8. Falcons RB Bijan Robinson — $11.323 million (Pro Bowl).
9. Eagles DT Jalen Carter — $27.127 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
10. Bears OT Darnell Wright — $19.072 million (playing time).
11. Titans OG Peter Skoronski — $19.072 million (playing time).
12. Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs — $14.293 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
13. Packers DE Lukas Van Ness — $14.475 million (base).
14. Steelers OT Broderick Jones — $19.072 million (playing time).
15. Jets DE Will McDonald — $14.475 million (base).
16. Rams CB Emmanuel Forbes — $12.633 million (base).
17. Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez — $18.119 million (Pro Bowl).
18. Lions LB Jack Campbell — $21.925 million (Pro Bowl).
19. Buccaneers DT Calijah Kancey — $15.451 (playing time).
20. Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba — $23.852 million (Pro Bowl).
21. Chargers WR Quentin Johnston — $18 million (playing time).
22. Ravens WR Zay Flowers — $27.298 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
23. Vikings WR Jordan Addison — $18 million (playing time).
24. Giants CB Deonte Banks — $12.633 million (base).
25. Bills TE Dalton Kincaid — $8.162 million (base).
26. Jets DT Mazi Smith — $13.391 million (base) Smith was traded to the Jets by the Cowboys.
27. Jaguars OT Anton Harrison — $19.072 million (playing time).
28. Bengals DE Myles Murphy — $14.475 million (base).
29. Saints DT Bryan Bresee — $13.391 million (base).
30. Eagles LB Nolan Smith — $13.752 million (base).
31. Chiefs Felix Anudike-Uzomah — $14.475 million (base).
Safety Sam Franklin will be sticking around Buffalo.
Franklin joined the Bills late last summer and appeared in all 19 games that the team played during the 2025 season. He’s set to play in a lot more games for them because Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that he’s agreed to a three-year deal with the team.
The contract is reportedly worth up to $7.5 million with $5 million set to come Franklin’s way in the first two seasons.
Franklin saw almost all of his playing time on special teams in 2025 and had 13 tackles on the year. He was also a core special teamer over five seasons in Carolina before moving on last year.
Bills owner Terry Pegula caused a stir when he singled out receiver Keon Coleman as a coaching-staff draft selection in the press conference just after firing former head coach Sean McDermott.
Since then, new head coach Joe Brady, General Manager Brandon Beane, and quarterback Josh Allen have all come to Coleman’s defense as the young wideout heads into his third season.
In his Tuesday press conference at this year’s scouting combine, Beane was asked what Buffalo needs to see from Coleman in order to trust him.
“I think we need to see Keon have the offseason he had a year ago, which was excellent,” Beane said. “We couldn’t have asked for anything more. He came to Phase I, Phase II, all that stuff, dialed in, ready to go. You could tell he’d been working out and then, a lot of the people here were at training camp. He had an excellent camp. Let’s do that again. And then not, you know, some of the things we’ve talked about is just, it’s the maturity, it’s the off the field, that can get in the way.
“I’ve been in this league 28 this will be 29 seasons. I’ve seen that many times get in the way of people’s opportunities to grow and not only on the field, but expand their net worth off the field. And so that is kind of the challenge to Keon. Can you go back and do what you did all offseason and your training camp? And you know, if you remember, he had a great game, game one against Baltimore. Don’t let some of the maturity issues off the field affect the product on the field. If he does that, he’ll have every chance. I know we’ve got some new coaches, and they’re excited to meet him and get to work with him, and were aware of him in the draft process a couple years ago. And so they kind of want to, you know, try to start mold them in the way they see and envision him for our team.”
Coleman, the No. 33 overall pick of the 2024 draft, caught 38 passes for 404 yards with four touchdowns in 13 games with six starts in 2025. That came after his rookie season, in which he caught 29 passes for 556 yards with four TDs in 13 games.
