NFL

Former Saints, Chargers, and Bills offensive lineman Will Clapp announced his retirement on social media Wednesday. The 30-year-old played seven seasons in the NFL, spending the first four with the Saints. Clapp was drafted in the seventh round by New Orleans and had stints with the Chargers and Bills before returning to the Saints in 2025. However, a foot injury kept him out for the entire season. Clapp now opts for retirement; NOF’s Nick Underhill believes an assistant offensive line coaching gig with the Saints is a possibility as his next move.

Murray and the Cardinals are long overdue for a messy split; ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss previously reported the 28-year-old quarterback and Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort have not talked since the season ended. His camp reportedly prefers that he is cut so he can enter free agency in the new league year. McKenna and Vacchiano also report the Cardinals grew frustrated with Murray due to concerns over his work ethic, leadership, and struggles returning to form after a 2022 ACL tear. It is a fractured relationship that will almost certainly see Murray depart Arizona soon. Whether that is by trade or release is to be determined; Murray’s camp clearly believes his value will be maximized on the open free agent market. Teams looking for a short-term starter will be knocking on Murray’s door if he is indeed released.

There has been a lot of buzz heading into the offseason about Derek Carr returning to the NFL in 2026. Schultz reports there are “teams with winning aspirations” that have interest in Carr, though the Saints still hold his rights. The 34-year-old certainly looks ready to return for the right situation; New Orleans has moved on with Tyler Shough at quarterback, so Carr and the Saints could work together to get him to a team with interest. With many quarterback-needy teams and a relatively dry free agent and draft class at the position, Carr is back in the mix as a starting option for next season.

Cushenberry was one of several marquee signings by the Titans from the 2024 offseason. He landed a four-year, $50 million deal after playing out his rookie deal with the Broncos. Much like most of their other moves from that spending spree, this one failed to pay off. Cushenberry was graded as a bottom-five center by Pro Football Focus in both of his seasons in Tennessee. He should still be able to land a starting job, though his next team will be paying him far less than the Titans did.

The move isn’t quite official yet, but the Falcons have already informed Hodge of his release, per Jordan Schultz. He will join a thin pool of wideouts available in free agency. Hodge appeared in a dozen games in 2025, catching three passes for 31 yards. He is largely a special teamer at this point in his career.

Dalton has one year left on his current deal in Carolina. The team signed him as Bryce Young’s backup in 2023. He saw significant playing time in 2024 and the team kept him around as a break glass incase of emergency option to replace Young. Dalton was only needed for one start last year. He threw for 175 scoreless yards and an interception while taking seven sacks. The Panthers got trounced by the Bills with a final score of 9-40. The fact that there are still teams interested in Dalton, even as a backup, speaks to the stagnant state of quarterback play across the league. The Panthers wouldn’t fetch more than a late-round pick for Dalton.

Edmunds is entering the final season of his four-year, $72 million contract. The Bears could save $15 million by cutting him, though it would be in everyone’s best interest to find a trade partner. However, with his release looking increasingly likely, it may be hard to convince another team to give up draft capital for a player who is about to hit the open market. If that happens, Edmunds should still fetch a high-end contract for a linebacker. He led the Bears with 112 total tackles in 2025 despite missing four games. Edmunds also added four interceptions, nine pass breakups, and one sack to his ledger.

Monken praised Sanders’ “elite play-making ability” and said he will have a shot at the starting job for Week 1. The Browns currently have Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Deshaun Watson on the roster as potential Week 1 starters. Given how poorly all three of them played in 2025, or 2024 for Watson, Cleveland will almost certainly be in the market for a veteran passer in free agency. Barring a surprise in the draft, the Browns will have plenty of options at quarterback, none of which inspire much confidence.

Thomas was drafted by a previous Jaguars regime and his play fell off dramatically — completed with major effort issues — in 2025. “There has been no indication that trading Thomas is something the Jaguars are planning, but there are teams monitoring the situation in case the hypertalented LSU product has fallen far enough down the Jacksonville depth chart that the front office would consider a move,” Graziano said. ESPN’s Ben Solak named the Patriots, Bills, Steelers, and Raiders as potential Thomas suitors this offseason. As a rookie in 2024, Thomas went for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as an explosive threat, mostly with Mac Jones under center for the Jags. Thomas has shown vanishingly little chemistry with Trevor Lawrence, however.

Mannion is expected to lean on run game coordinator and tight ends coach Ryan Mahaffey in installing a zone-blocking scheme reminiscent of the one used by the Shanahans and their acolytes over the decades. Eagles head coach Nick Sirriani said he expects Saquon Barkley — coming off a down 2025 season — to be “exceptional” in the team’s new rushing scheme. “He’s been highly productive in many of the schemes,” Sirianni said of Barkley, who had 28 rushes of more than ten yards in 2025 after having 46 such runs in 2024. The Eagles in 2025 used zone rushing concepts on 45 percent of their carries, the 13th lowest rate in the NFL. They were efficient with zone rushes, logging a 50 percent success rate, the tenth highest in the league.