Inside: Everything you should know after a busy two days, plus, the history of tampering, and does free agency really help?
Let’s dive in before another Pro Bowler requests a trade.
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Trade, requests and releases: What you should know
On Monday, the legal tampering period starts (more on that below). Two days later, NFL free agency officially begins. Today? We’re in the probably-tampering period. And it’s no slouch.
A four-minute catch-up, with key answers to eight big questions:
1. Who requested a trade?
Three Pro Bowlers so far. You’ve read plenty about the first one, Myles Garrett. (NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported today that Garrett is “preparing to miss games” if not moved.) Dianna has info on two more:
What Dianna’s Hearing: Metcalf and Hendrickson in trade market
DK Metcalf wants a trade, and the Seahawks are already engaging other teams. The asking price is steep — in two ways. The Seahawks want a first- and a third-round pick, and on top of that, Metcalf wants a new contract in the neighborhood of $30 million annually.
Also, yesterday, Cincinnati gave edge rusher Trey Hendrickson permission to seek a trade. Hendrickson, 30, is the odd man out among the three Bengals stars looking for new contracts, as the team focuses on long-term deals for receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Back to you, Jacob.
The 27-year-old Metcalf reportedly prefers a contender and somewhere warm (sorry, Pats fans). Seattle’s unrealistic asking price makes a quick resolution unlikely, in my opinion. Potential landing spots include the Raiders and Chargers.
As for Hendrickson, he led the NFL in sacks last season (17.5), but that doesn’t appear to be enough for Cincy. Instead of giving him a well-deserved extension, the front office might ship him to a team like the Commanders or Falcons for a second-round pick. Yes, Joe Burrow will need to score 40 just to lose by 10 each Sunday. We assessed potential trades here.
Elsewhere, Falcons QB Kirk Cousins is expected to wait until after the draft to request a trade. I wonder why.
2. Who was traded?
As we discussed on Wednesday, the Bears landed G Joe Thuney. That’s been followed by the Jaguars trading 28-year-old WR Christian Kirk (one day after planning to release him) to the Texans for a seventh-round pick. Jacksonville saves $10.4 million on the salary cap, and Houston gets a desperately needed slot receiver. My grades: A for Houston, B- for the Jags, who helped a division rival improve.
3. Who was let go?
Many big names have been released (or designated as post-June 1 releases) so far. A quick list:
Among those, Cappa has already signed with the Raiders.
4. Who was extended?
Anyone who made sense, except for any Bengals stars, of course. Of note:
Raiders DE Maxx Crosby became the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, signing a three-year, $106.5 million extension with $91.5 million guaranteed. His $35.5 million APY should keep him in Las Vegas until 2030. Overall, Crosby’s story is remarkable.
Zack Baun returns to the Eagles on a three-year, $51 million deal that makes him the league’s fourth-highest-paid linebacker (by APY), while Bobby Wagner remains in Washington on another one-year deal.
5. Biggest restructuring?
This is when a team takes a player’s salary — fully counted against this year’s cap — and converts it into a bonus, allowing the team to prorate it across a maximum of five years. It creates short-term cap space but can land teams in trouble.
QB Deshaun Watson saw his contract restructured again, creating $36 million in 2025 cap space for the Browns. He has two years remaining on the worst contract in NFL history. In less dire news, the Cowboys unlocked nearly $57 million in space by restructuring WR CeeDee Lamb and QB Dak Prescott.
6. Who retired?
Not seven-time Pro Bowler Joel Bitonio, as the Browns guard will return for the final year of his contract. Beat reporter Zac Jackson noted that Bitonio, now 33, had told reporters that retirement was “within the realm of possibilities.”
Jaguars C Mitch Morse retired after 10 seasons, though, as did one of the Bengals’ all-time greats, DE Sam Hubbard, at age 29.
7. Is everyone cap-compliant?
I am once again asking for “Hard Knocks” to do a series on the Saints’ accountants. They will be busy this weekend, as the team is $39.5 million in the red, per Over The Cap. An extra $17.4 million in dead money could be tacked on, too. To get compliant, they’ll need to start by converting QB Derek Carr’s $30 million salary into a roster bonus, with similar restructures for many others.
8. Which former player is now a recycling ambassador?
Remember one-time Pro Bowl receiver Hunter Renfrow? The 29-year-old former Raider is a recycling ambassador, revealed on LinkedIn:
Scratch that off your 2025 bingo card. Let’s talk tampering.
Yes, somebody is probably tampering
The NFL’s first true free agency period began on March 1, 1993. It took all of one player to switch teams before Al Davis was accused of tampering.
That charge is usually difficult to prove, as it often happens over a lunch, a drink or the phone. It can be accidental or intentional, with agents meeting team execs at events like the scouting combine, where they discuss prospects or players currently under team control. Those conversations often turn to upcoming free agents. No one wears a wire.
Those discussions are against NFL rules, which prohibit teams from contacting agents about other teams’ players until the legal tampering period begins. This year, that starts on Monday. Two days later, when the new league calendar begins, players themselves can speak with teams. Got all that?
(There are exceptions for players who were released prior to the deadline or given permission to speak with other teams, which is why Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers can talk with the Giants, for example.)
Since 2008, the NFL’s been assigning more tampering penalties. That year, the 49ers lost a fifth-round pick and third-round swap for contacting the agent of Bears linebacker Lance Briggs. Heck, that’s probably worth it for Briggs, right?!
At that time, the NFL decided something needed to be done, and members of the competition committee recommended a moratorium on signings until a few days after free agency began.
But every year, deals get finalized suspiciously close to the opening of the window. “It’s impossible to have [those contracts] in place so quickly,” a team executive told FOX Sports. “You have teams trying to do the right thing and deals are being done in 20 minutes.”
One agent told Sports Illustrated exactly how far back tampering might go. Discussions with a team representative had begun over lunch, eight months before free agency opened. “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying,” said the agent.
Last year, we saw significant examples. Remember, players cannot speak with teams until free agency officially begins, but these quotes suggested conversations prior to that:
Penalties can involve fines and losses of draft picks. The Falcons forfeited their fifth-round pick in this year’s draft and paid a $250,000 fine, plus GM Terry Fontenot paid a $50,000 fine for improper contact with Cousins and two other signings. The league found insufficient evidence to penalize the Eagles.
Other recent examples include the Cardinals losing draft positioning for tampering with now-HC Jonathan Gannon when he was an Eagles assistant, and the Dolphins losing first- and third-round picks after two executives violated rules (for years) with Tom Brady and the agent of Sean Payton.
Extra Points: The best free agency team?
After signing two All-Pro free agents in 2024, you might think Eagles GM Howie Roseman is great at signing players on the open market. Philadelphia’s actually been below average. Daniel Popper ranked the smartest teams, best player signings and value added per dollar spent (Cowboys!) from the past four years to determine if free agency helps. His findings could surprise you.
Wednesday’s most-clicked: Dane Brugler’s 2025 post-combine mock draft, obviously.
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