The Athletic's Chad Graff suggests that it could be time for the New England Patriots to move on from wide receiver Kendrick Bourne this offseason, even if he's their top player at their biggest position of need. Bourne missed the start of the 2024 season while recovering from a torn right ACL and caught only 28 passes on 38 targets for 305 yards and one touchdown in 12 games (nine starts) once he returned. With a new coaching regime in town, the Patriots could move on from Bourne, who will be heading into his age-30 season in 2025. New England would save $4.9 million in salary cap space if they cut him before June 1 or $6.3 million if they cut him with a post-June 1 designation. Bourne is under contract with the Patriots through the 2026 season, but it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see this rebuilding organization go in another direction as they completely rebuild their receiving corps.

From RotoBaller

Although reports to this point suggest that the New Orleans Saints will keep quarterback Derek Carr around in new head coach Kellen Moore's first season in 2025, The Athletic's Amos Morale III also points out that Carr is the most obvious cut candidate as well. Moore was non-committal about Carr's future during his introductory press conference, and the Saints are roughly $51 million over the projected 2025 salary cap. Cutting the veteran signal-caller would add to the team's league-leading dead-money total, according to Spotrac, but the Saints have a lot of those contracts coming off the books in 2026. If Moore and his coaching staff decide to stick with Carr, they will at the very least need to restructure his deal. The 33-year-old dealt with more injuries in 2024 and played in a career-low 10 games. Carr has become a pretty big injury risk and will carry a $30 million base salary and $10 million roster bonus in 2025.

From RotoBaller

The Athletic's Alec Lewis writes that the Minnesota Vikings cutting offensive guard Ed Ingram this offseason makes sense if the team is serious about improving their trench play. Ingram struggled in pass protection in 2024 for the third straight season and was benched in Week 11 after being the starting right guard for three seasons. Cutting the former second-rounder in 2022 out of LSU would save the Vikings a minimum of around $3.3 million on the 2025 salary cap. Lewis explains that the move wouldn't be a necessity for the salary cap, as the Vikings already have close to $60 million in cap space this year. The move would essentially be about making the interior offensive line better, especially if the Vikes hand the reigns over to former first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy in 2025.

From RotoBaller

The Miami Dolphins have already cut veteran running back Raheem Mostert, cornerback Kendall Fuller and tight end Durham Smythe this offseason, and The Athletic's Jim Ayello suggests that kicker Jason Sanders could be the next on the chopping block. The Dolphins have one of the worst salary cap situations in the league this year, and cutting big-money players such as left tackle Terron Armstead and linebacker Bradley Chubb would incur huge dead-cap penalties ($32.7 million for Armstead and $27.3 million for Chubb). Sanders has a fair cap hit of $4.7 million in 2025, but the Dolphins could get additional cap space of $3.3 million by cutting him. The 29-year-old was a top-10 fantasy kicker in 2024 and made a career-high 37 of his 41 field-goal attempts in 17 games while missing just two of his extra-point tries. This situation purely comes down to salary-cap space for Miami.

From RotoBaller

The Athletic's Jourdan Rodriguez writes that if the Los Angeles Rams can't trade wide receiver Cooper Kupp this offseason, they could cut him instead. Things are a bit tricky, though: Cutting him before June 1 would incur $22.26 million in dead money while saving only $7.5 million. Kupp has a roster bonus of $7.5 million due on March 17. If the Rams were to designate him as a post-June 1 cut, they'd have $14.8 million in dead money while saving $15 million. According to a league source, the Rams didn't ask Kupp about a contract restructure and appear to be willing to eat some money in order to facilitate a trade. The 31-year-old wideout has been in decline ever since recording the receiving Triple Crown in 2021 with 145 catches, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. Injuries are mostly to blame -- he hasn't played more than 12 games the last three years -- but he could still be fantasy relevant in the right situation elsewhere.

From RotoBaller

The Athletic's Daniel Popper suggests that Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa could be a salary cap casualty this offseason for several reasons. The Chargers do have the sixth-most salary cap space in the league, but even with all that space, keeping Bosa at his $36.47 million cap hit (highest in the league for an edge rusher) in 2025 doesn't make much sense. If they were to cut Bosa, they'd save $25.36 million. Due to injuries, the 29-year-old has played in only 28 of a possible 51 regular-season games in the last three years. He has 14 combined sacks in that span. Bosa's production and availability just have not matched that price tag. He doesn't appear to be the dominant pass-rusher he once was and recorded only 22 tackles (17 solo) and five sacks in 14 games (nine starts) for the Bolts in 2024. Injuries have definitely taken their toll.

From RotoBaller

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Friday that the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Los Angeles Rams personnel executive James Gladstone to be their new general manager. Gladstone had been the Rams' director of scouting strategy for the last three seasons but had been with the Rams for nine seasons in total. He worked closely with general manager Les Snead in strategic planning and the daily scouting process. New Jaguars head coach Liam Coen is familiar with Gladstone from his four years with the Rams, when he served as assistant receivers and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2018-20 and as offensive coordinator in 2022. The 34-year-old Gladstone was the youngest of Jacksonville's five finalists for the GM job. He will replace Trent Baalke, was the Jaguars' GM from 2021 until being fired on Jan. 22 of this year.

From RotoBaller

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Friday that they signed free-agent tight end Donald Parham Jr. to an undisclosed one-year deal. Parham will head to the AFC North after catching 67 of his 100 targets for 764 yards and 11 total touchdowns in 47 games (23 starts) over his four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers after debuting in 2020. The 27-year-old tight end went undrafted out of Stetson College in 2019. His best season was in 2023 with the Bolts, when he caught 27 of his 41 targets for 285 yards and four touchdowns across 14 regular-season games (eight starts). L.A. released him last August and he latched on with the Denver Broncos' practice squad, but he didn't appear in an NFL game. At 6-foot-8, Parham was mostly a red-zone weapon for the Bolts. He'll attempt to win a roster spot with Pittsburgh out of training camp but can be ignored in most fantasy leagues.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch writes that the San Francisco 49ers and star tight end George Kittle have been in talks about a contract extension early this offseason. The 31-year-old is heading into the final year of his current deal in 2025 after a strong 2024 campaign in which he caught 78 passes on 94 targets for 1,106 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 15 starts. The production was all the more impressive after he revealed that he played through cracked ribs for much of the season, and he also missed two games with a hamstring ailment. Kittle's 1,106 receiving yards and eight touchdowns were both the second-best marks of his career. He was the TE1 overall in fantasy, with only Brock Bowers and Trey McBride besting him in total yardage. Regardless of whether he gets a contract extension from the Niners (he likely will), Kittle will be a top-five fantasy TE in drafts this fall.

From RotoBaller

Philadelphia Eagles pass-rusher Nolan Smith (triceps) had surgery on Wednesday for a torn triceps muscle that he suffered in the Super Bowl LIX win over the Kansas City Chiefs, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Despite suffering a torn triceps, Smith gutted it out and played through the injury in the second half of the 40-22 blowout win. Rapoport reports that Smith will be ready for the start of the 2025 season, but he'll likely miss all of the team's offseason program this spring. In his second season in 2024 after the Eagles took him with the 30th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft out of the University of Georgia, the 24-year-old linebacker took a step forward with 42 tackles (21 solo), 6.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, 11 QB hits, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in 16 regular-season games (10 starts). Smith added another four sacks in four playoff games.

From RotoBaller

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said on the Rich Eisen Show on Friday that the Los Angeles Rams have given quarterback Matthew Stafford's agent permission to talk with other teams to gauge his contract value this offseason if he were to be traded. It also helps the Rams in their own negotiations with Stafford by letting the market determine what his value could be in 2025. Pelissero says that it seems like the Rams and Stafford's priority is to run it back in 2025, but if nothing is settled in a couple of weeks, a trade could become more likely. It will all come down to what Stafford views as fair compensation for his services for another year and what the Rams are willing to pay him. If the Rams and Stafford cannot agree on a new deal, the 37-year-old veteran QB will become the most coveted signal-caller available after his strong finish in which the Rams almost beat the eventual Super Bowl-champion Eagles in the playoffs.

From RotoBaller

The Athletic's Nate Taylor writes that the Kansas City Chiefs could release wide receiver Skyy Moore this offseason and save $1.6 million on the 2025 salary cap, according to Over The Cap. Moore would leave behind just $467,819 in dead money. The 24-year-old former second-round pick (54th overall) in 2022 out of Western Michigan has really struggled in his three years in the NFL and hasn't earned much of a role on offense. The Chiefs can also create more salary cap space this season by converting a large chunk of quarterback Patrick Mahomes' $32.3 million roster bonus into a signing bonus. Moore dealt with an abdominal injury in 2024 that landed him on Injured Reserve for the majority of the regular season, and he wasn't able to return in the playoffs. He played in just six regular-season games and didn't record a single catch. Moore has 43 catches for 494 yards and one TD in 36 games to this point.

From RotoBaller

Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort and owner Michael Bidwell said that the team plans to be active in free agency this offseason with more than $76 million available in salary cap space, according to Over The Cap. It's the fourth-most cap space available of any NFL team. "We're going to look for every avenue to improve the team, but we have to be smart about not only this year's team, but as we build for the future and our own players that we want to extend," Ossenfort said. The Cardinals will also continue working on a contract extension for Pro Bowl tight end Trey McBride. Arizona didn't make the playoffs in 2024 but managed to double their win total from the previous season. In addition to locking up McBride long term, don't be surprised if the Cardinals give quarterback Kyler Murray more help in the passing game alongside McBride and former first-rounder Marvin Harrison Jr.

From RotoBaller

The Carolina Panthers released veteran cornerback Dane Jackson on Friday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Jackson signed with the Panthers last spring after spending four years with the Buffalo Bills. It's pretty much a no-brainer move for the Panthers to save a little bit of salary cap space in 2025 after Jackson played in only nine games (three starts) in his lone season in Carolina. In those nine contests, the 28-year-old had just 23 tackles (15 solo), one tackle for loss and two pass breakups. He could have a decent market in free agency and will get a head start, but the Panthers are choosing to go a bit younger in the secondary. Jackson was selected in the seventh round by the Bills in 2020 out of Pittsburgh. In his four seasons with the Bills, Jackson accumulated 152 tackles (129 solo), three interceptions, 28 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 52 games (28 starts).

From RotoBaller

The Chicago Bears informed veteran tight end Gerald Everett on Friday that he is being released after one season, according to The 33rd Team's Ari Meirov. The move to cut Everett will save the Bears $5.5 million in salary cap space for the 2025 season. He'll leave behind just $1 million in dead-cap money after catching only eight passes for 36 yards and no touchdowns as the No. 2 behind Cole Kmet in his lone season in Chicago after signing a two-year, $12 million deal last year. Everett will turn 31 years old in June and probably isn't anything more than a veteran No. 2 TE at this point in his career. Heading into last year, Everett had five straight seasons of at least 408 receiving yards with the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Chargers. His best season came two years ago in 2022 with the Bolts, when he had a 58-555-4 line in 16 games.

From RotoBaller

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who will eventually be released by the Jets this offseason, is looking to play again in 2025 and wants to play for a contender, according to NFL.com's Kevin Patra. When asked what Rodgers is looking for in his next team, he said, "If they got a good team." The 41-year-old four-time MVP tore his Achilles in Week 1 in 2023 and was inconsistent for the Jets in 2024, so it remains to be seen if any contending teams will actually want to sign him this offseason. The teams that are in the market for a veteran QB, such as the Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns, aren't exactly good teams. The future Hall of Famer might have to wait until after the draft in April until later this offseason to figure out the best situation that suits him after throwing for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 17 games in his final year with Gang Green.

From RotoBaller

ESPN's Dan Graziano puts the odds at 75 percent that the Jacksonville Jaguars cut wide receiver Christian Kirk (collarbone) this offseason. Kirk has one year left on his current deal and is scheduled to make $16.5 million in 2025. However, he's coming off a season-ending broken collarbone and has seen his production decline the last two years due to injuries, and the Jaguars have a new head coach and offensive system and will have a new general manager soon. They also signed Gabe Davis last offseason, and Brian Thomas Jr. took over in 2024 as a legitimate No. 1 wideout. Cutting Kirk would save $10.4 million in 2025 salary cap space. Other potential cap cuts to free up money are receiver Josh Reynolds ($4 million) and tight end Evan Engram ($6 million). It's highly unlikely Jacksonville cuts both Kirk and Engram this offseason.

From RotoBaller

The Detroit Lions have a lot of reasons to bring back edge rusher Za'Darius Smith after he proved to be a perfect fit for the team down the stretch last year -- he was the team's best pass-rusher after Aidan Hutchinson (leg) went down -- but The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner thinks it's hard to see Smith coming back on the contract the Lions inherited from the trade with the Cleveland Browns. Designating the 32-year-old as a pre-June 1 cut would save Detroit almost $6 million in 2025 salary cap savings with no dead-money penalties. If he's cut, the Lions would almost certainly then look to bring him back on a new friendlier cap deal. The Lions have the cap space to make a big-time edge-rush move this offseason (potentially trading for Myles Garrett), but that would be a little out of character for this franchise. In eight regular-season games for Detroit after being traded, Smith recorded four sacks.

From RotoBaller

The Athletic's Mike Jones lists Houston Texans defensive tackle Denico Autry as an obvious salary cap casualty this offseason after starting just two of the 10 games he played in after signing a two-year, $20 million deal last year. The 34-year-old veteran did not live up to expectations and recorded only 13 tackles and three sacks in 2024. If the Texans were to cut him with a post-June 1 designation, they would save $9 million on the 2025 salary cap. It's a move that seems likely to happen since the Texans are projected to have barely more than $3 million available in cap space when the new league year begins in March. Autry was suspended for the first six games of 2024 due to performance-enhancing substances and then served as a depth option on the defensive line behind Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter.

From RotoBaller

The Denver Broncos are operating with more than $50 million in salary cap space this year and won't be forced into cost-saving moves like they were a year ago to account for the financial ramifications of releasing quarterback Russell Wilson. However, The Athletic's Nick Kosmider writes that they could still cut linebacker Alex Singleton (knee) and save $5.6 million on this year's salary cap, according to Over The Cap. The 31-year-old suffered a season-ending torn ACL early in 2024 and has no guaranteed money left on the three-year deal he signed in 2023. Singleton would also leave behind just $1.3 million in dead money if he's cut. Another salary cap casualty for Denver could be safety P.J. Locke. The Broncos would save $4.2 million against the 2025 cap if they cut him. Before getting hurt, Singleton had 31 tackles (17 solo) and an interception in just three games played.

From RotoBaller