▪ The strongest contract was, believe it or not, for a center. The Raiders gave former Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum a massive deal — three years and $81 million, for a $27 million annual average that is 50 percent higher than the next highest-paid center (Creed Humphrey, $18 million).
Not only did Linderbaum, 25, blow away every other center contract, but it’s essentially all guaranteed — the first two years and $60 million are fully guaranteed, and the final $21 million becomes guaranteed a year ahead of time. It’s similar to the contract Kirk Cousins signed with the Vikings in 2018, a three-year, fully guaranteed deal worth $84 million.
Get Starting Point
The Raiders overpaid, but you have to when your team has won only 15 games over the last three years. And signing the NFL’s best center to anchor the offensive line is a smart way to protect incoming rookie QB Fernando Mendoza.
▪ Colts QB Daniel Jones has savvy agents. Three years after negotiating a $40 million-per-year contract with the Giants, Jones has cashed in again with the Colts, signing a two-year, $88 million deal that can increase to $100 million with incentives.
The Colts had placed the transition tag on Jones, which guaranteed him a salary north of $37 million, but Jones will instead make $50 million in 2026. The $88 million is also more than Jones would have earned had the Colts simply tagged him two straight years ($81 million). Plus, this short-term contract allows Jones to hit free agency again in two years, when he’ll be 30. Not bad for a quarterback coming off an Achilles injury.
▪ The Dolphins are probably going to have a rough year in 2026, but owner Stephen Ross does deserve some credit for writing big checks. After releasing Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins will still owe him $52.7 million this year, with the Falcons only paying the minimum $1.3 million. At that price, most owners would demand their team keep the quarterback and play him, but Ross allowed new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley to make the moves they saw fit.
That also included giving Malik Willis a real contract — three years and $67.5 million, with the first two years and $45 million guaranteed. Considering the Dolphins could have simply paid Geno Smith or Kyler Murray the minimum $1.3 million this year, it’s admirable that the Dolphins spent real money on Willis, for a total of $75 million at the QB position. I would bet that the ability to spend on Willis was a condition for Hafley and Sullivan taking on the Dolphins’ dumpster fire.
Willis is still an unknown with 89 passes the last two years in Green Bay, but if anyone has inside info on him it’s “Haf and Sully,” who also came from Green Bay.
The Dolphins are still paying big bucks to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, even though he signed with the Falcons.Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press
▪ As for Tagovailoa, he landed in a solid spot in Atlanta. Tagovailoa will probably start the season, as Michael Penix likely won’t be ready as he returns from a torn ACL. And Tagovailoa will get indoor games, good weather in the NFC South, and great weapons including Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts. I won’t be surprised if Tagovailoa has a decent season and keeps Penix on the shelf longer than expected.
▪ I really don’t understand why the Jets went after Smith instead of Murray. There is no future with Smith, 35, even if he plays well (he won’t). Murray is 28 and not too long ago was a No. 1 overall pick.
For a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs in 15 years and hasn’t had a quarterback since Joe Namath, why not take a shot on Murray, still a dynamic playmaker who perhaps just needs a change of scenery? It also would come with zero risk, since Murray costs only the minimum $1.3 million, and for just one year.
Instead, the Jets, for some reason, settled on a journeyman, and they’re paying Smith $3.3 million, even though they could’ve had him for the same price as Murray.
The Vikings got a steal in Murray. The Jets are still the Jets.
▪ The Seahawks haven’t added any outside free agents but lost three starters from their Super Bowl-winning defense — edge Boye Mafe (Bengals), safety Coby Bryant (Bears), and cornerback Riq Woolen (Eagles) — plus running back Kenneth Walker (Chiefs).
▪ The least inspiring moves of the week — players following their former coaches to new teams. The Giants signed three of John Harbaugh’s former players — tight end Isaiah Likely, fullback Patrick Ricard, and punter Jordan Stout. The Bills traded for D.J. Moore, who played for coach Joe Brady when they were in Carolina. The Chargers signed Mike McDaniel favorites fullback Alec Ingold and guard Cole Strange. The Titans signed four of Brian Daboll’s former Giants, including receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, and three of Robert Saleh’s former Jets, including defensive John Franklin-Myers. (“Let’s recreate the Giants and Jets” is probably not the best marketing pitch in Nashville).
▪ A few signings I liked: The Panthers spending big on edge rusher Jaelan Phillips ($120 million over four years) and linebacker Devin Lloyd ($45 million over three years) … The Steelers remaking their secondary with cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Asante Samuel Jr. and safety Jaquan Brisker … The Steelers acquiring receiver Michael Pittman for a late-round pick swap and signing him for a reasonable $70 million over three years … The Titans stealing cornerback Alontae Taylor from the Saints for three years, $58 million … Kicker Nick Folk, 41, joining the Falcons, finding an indoor team where he will thrive for another decade.
SALARY-CAP WOES
Dead money hurting Dolphins
It’s worth taking a closer look at the Dolphins’ salary cap, because they are burning through resources like no team in NFL history.
In order to release Tua Tagovailoa and deal with his record $99 million in dead salary-cap money, the Dolphins first triggered an option bonus then declared him a post-June 1 release, which split the dead money into $55.2 million this year and $43.8 million next year.
Tagovailoa is hardly the Dolphins’ only expensive release, though. They’re also carrying around $70 million in dead cap space for Tyreek Hill, Jalen Ramsey, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Terron Armstead.
Add in Tagovailoa, and several smaller transactions, and the Dolphins have $144 million in dead cap money, almost 48 percent of their salary cap ($302 million).
The Dolphins will still be able to field a team in 2026 because the salary cap is flexible and easy to manipulate. But they may not be so competitive as they clear out the old mess and create a clean slate for 2027.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s relationship with the 49ers went downhill fast last season.John Froschauer/Associated Press
ETC.
One receiver who is available via trade and could eventually be cut is the 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk. The 49ers signed him to a four-year, $120 million contract in 2024, but the relationship broke down last year while Aiyuk was rehabbing from a significant torn ACL. The 49ers placed him on the reserve/left squad list and voided his future guarantees after Aiyuk went MIA and didn’t follow his rehab plan, costing him nearly $30 million.
The Commanders, whose general manager, Adam Peters, used to work in San Francisco, are a rumored destination for the 27-year-old Aiyuk. However, even Aiyuk’s private receiver coach, former NFL receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, warned teams about acquiring him.
“Yeah, they should want him, but you have to be very careful,” Houshmandzadeh said on the “Speakeasy” show. “What he did last year was kind of crazy. You’ve got all this guaranteed money, you’re not showing up, you’re getting fined, and you basically forgo over $30 million. If you’re a team, you’ve got to structure that contract the right way. You’ve got to make sure you protect yourself because of what he has shown you. I’ve just never seen anybody do this at so young of an age.”
A few notes on the final snap-count numbers from the 2025 season:
▪ Fourteen offensive players participated in 100 percent of snaps, all offensive linemen. Cowboys tackle Terence Steele played the most offensive snaps in the NFL (1,162), followed by Bears center Drew Dalman (1,153), who just retired.
▪ Only one defensive player hit 100 percent — Titans linebacker Cody Barton. Bears safety Jaquan Brisker and Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss missed one snap all season, and Bears safety (and new Patriot) Kevin Byard missed two, at age 32 (1,219 out of 1,221, including playoffs).
▪ Of non-offensive linemen, Broncos QB Bo Nix played the highest percentage of snaps (99.65 percent), missing just four of 1,141 snaps in the regular season. Drake Maye (96.06 percent) was one of 10 quarterbacks over 95 percent.
▪ Of offensive skill players, Raiders receiver Tre Tucker led the way at 94.86 percent, followed by Justin Jefferson (94.01), Trey McBride (91.01), Jameson Williams (90.27), and Ja’Marr Chase (91.01 percent). Christian McCaffrey led running backs at 82.98 percent.
▪ The top defensive snap takers were almost all linebackers and defensive backs. Among edge rushers, Aidan Hutchinson led the way (90.54 percent), followed by Maxx Crosby (83.11) and Myles Garrett (82.27).
The top three defensive tackles were Chris Jones (73.24 percent), the Dolphins’ Zach Sieler (72.83) and Browns rookie Mason Graham (72.32).
▪ The Patriots had three offensive linemen over 94 percent — right guard Mike Onwenu (98.9), center Garrett Bradbury (97.99), and right tackle Morgan Moses (94.51). Rookie safety Craig Woodson led the defense at 93.22 percent.
The NFL is usually fiercely protective of its intellectual property. The league over the years has had no problem going after the little guy, constantly harassing media, bloggers, and tweeters to remove all unauthorized uses of All-22 video and archived interview clips, under the threat of revoking credentials.
Yet what was the league’s response when the White House produced a 36-second video last Friday that included several clips of “jacked up” NFL hits spliced over footage from the Iran war?
Silence, of course. An NFL spokesman did not respond when asked if the league had granted the White House approval to use its video clips. The video has since racked up 10.5 million views on X.
The obvious answers are: A. Of course the White House didn’t get permission. Stealing IP is part of its social media strategy; B. The NFL clearly has no interest in provoking the current administration; C. Half of the owners, including New England’s, are practically in the administration, anyway.
The irony of the video, of course, is that almost every bone-rattling hit chosen by the White House to hype its war is now considered illegal in the NFL.
The Raiders appear to be prepared to stick with defensive end Maxx Crosby after a trade with the Ravens fell through.Ashley Landis/Associated Press
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta knows many people don’t believe his story, that the Ravens truly wanted to acquire Crosby, and hated to have to fail him on his physical. During his news conference Wednesday evening, DeCosta spoke of how much he respects the Raiders, which traces back to his childhood roots in Taunton.
“I should say that I’ve got a lot of respect for Mark Davis, the Raiders, John Spytek,” DeCosta said. “Shoot, Al Davis was born in Brockton, Mass. I’ve always admired that. I’m from Massachusetts, right down the street. I love the Raiders, they’ve been one of my favorite teams.”
As for the Raiders, Crosby wrote on X, “Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see. I’m a Raider. I’m back.” And the Raiders are reportedly telling teams that they’re now keeping Crosby and he’s no longer available.
We’ll see. There are long-term issues between Crosby and the Raiders that are lingering. The Raiders are still rebuilding and could use the draft picks and financial flexibility provided by a Crosby trade. It sounds like they’re just doing whatever they can to drum up a trade market for him again. They still have six weeks until the draft.
Buried in DeCosta’s news conference was his response that the Ravens and Lamar Jackson “ran out of time” in trying to negotiate a new contract before the start of free agency. The Ravens instead did a simple restructuring of Jackson’s current contract, converting $50 million into a signing bonus and creating about $40 million of cap space. It gave the Ravens breathing room, but proved once again that nothing is easy when it comes to Jackson and his contracts … The Cardinals signed Gardner Minshew this past week, but only after talks with Jimmy Garoppolo hit a snag, per a source. It sounds as if Garoppolo wants to return to the Rams to backup back up Matthew Stafford … Because of war in Iran, Tom Brady’s flag football event with Fanatics Studios on March 21 was moved from Saudi Arabia to Los Angeles. The tournament will include two teams of NFL players, plus the US men’s national team. Receiver Stefon Diggs is on the list of participants, but considering he remains unsigned, he might want to take it easy and not risk injury … Left tackle Kolton Miller, punter AJ Cole, and Crosby remain the three players left from the Raiders’ last season in Oakland (2019) … The video footage of the Patriots’ AFC Championship game afterparty that got broken up by Boston police looked fairly tame, all things considered. In most NFL cities, players don’t even have to worry about their parties being broken up at 2:30 a.m. … Jaguars GM James Gladstone said the team has “no interest” in trading receiver Brian Thomas, whose production fell flat after a stellar rookie season. Considering Thomas is a former first-round pick, and has two cheap years left on his rookie contract, it would be a major red flag if the Jaguars made him available … The Titans’ new uniforms are a bit simple, but have a nice, clean look that harken back to the “baby blue” Oilers days. Now the Titans don’t have to troll the Texans with the Oilers throwback uniforms when they play each other … The Patriots own pick 6-198 in this year’s draft, and it is well traveled. It originated with the Vikings, then was sent to the Texans for RB Cam Akers (Oct. 15, 2024), back to the Vikings for guard Ed Ingram (March 13, 2025), to the 49ers for RB Jordan Mason (March 15, 2025), then to the Patriots for DE Keion White (Oct. 28, 2025).
Patriots’ lackluster start to free agency
With NFL free agency starting on Monday, the Patriots made few moves. Ben Volin and Chad Finn discuss what needs to be done during free agency.
Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected].
