The NFL’s new league year will begin on Wednesday, March 12 at 4 p.m. ET. At that time, free agents can officially sign new contracts for the 2025 season and beyond.
Of course, there will be plenty of action before that day arrives. NFL teams are attempting to re-sign some of their own stars, considering using the franchise tag ahead of the March 4 deadline and assessing potential trades that could improve their roster or provide them with extra draft capital.
Plenty of big-name players will change places during the 2025 NFL offseason. Deebo Samuel has already been traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Washington Commanders in a deal that can’t be finalized until the new league year. Aaron Rodgers is also expected to move onto the third team of his career as he looks to erase a disappointing two-year stint with the New York Jets from his memory.
USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates and the latest rumors about players who will be available in NFL free agency and via trade below.
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NFL free agency rumors
Rams trading guard Jonah Jackson to Bears for sixth-round pick
Date: March 4
Source: ESPN’s Courtney Cronin
The Rams gave Jackson, a marquee free agent signing in 2024, permission to seek a trade after he played just four games during his lone season in Los Angeles. The Rams found a taker, as the Bears sent a 2025 sixth-round pick to Los Angeles for the veteran guard’s services.
Chicago’s entire starting interior offensive line was set to hit free agency in 2025, and they needed help along the front after Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times as a rookie. New Bears head coach Ben Johnson worked with Jackson for four years with the Detroit Lions, so that familiarity should make Jackson an ideal plug-and-play option at guard.
Cowboys avoid franchise tag, sign Osa Odighizuwa to extension
Date: March 4
Source: ESPN’s Adam Schefter
The Cowboys were set to slap Odighizuwa with the franchise tag if they couldn’t agree to a long-term extension before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline. The parties agreed to a four-year, $80 million contract with $58 million in guarantees to allow Odighizuwa to stay in Dallas.
Odighizuwa racked up 60 pressures (third-most among defensive linemen, per PFF) in 2024 while recording a career-high 4.5 sacks. He and Micah Parsons will be charged with leading Dallas’ pass rush once again in 2025.
Eagles to release DB James Bradberry as a post-June 1 cut
Date: March 4
Source: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler
The Eagles already released Darius Slay, designating him as a post-June 1 cut. They are now parting with another veteran in Bradberry, whose release with a post-June 1 designation will save the Eagles $2.1 million in cap space.
Bradberry was a second-team All-Pro in 2022 and started 16 games in 2023. He racked up 13 pass defenses and an interception while playing cornerback. He was slated to move to safety for the 2024 season but missed the whole campaign with a lower-leg injury.
Cowboys expected to place franchise tag on DT Osa Odighizuwa
Date: March 4
Source: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport
The NFL’s franchise tag deadline will pass at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 4. Ahead of that, the Cowboys are expected to place the tag on defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. The $25.122 million tag is expected to be a ‘placeholder,’ per Rapoport, as the two sides have ‘had in-depth talks on a long-term extension.’
Odighizuwa had a career-high 4.5 sacks in 2024 and finished third among defensive linemen with 60 pressures. The 26-year-old graded as Pro Football Focus’ 12th-best pass rusher among interior defenders.
Vikings unlikely to place franchise tag on QB Sam Darnold
Date: March 3
Source: ESPN’s Adam Schefter
Tagging Darnold would cost the Vikings $40.242 million for the 2025 NFL season. That number is unpalatable considering it would eat up nearly two thirds of Minnesota’s $62.85 million in available cap space and the Vikings have 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings to become the team’s long-term starting quarterback.
The Vikings remain interested in re-signing Darnold, per Schefter, but will face competition for his services on the open market. The 27-year-old had the league’s sixth-highest passer rating last season (102.5) and led the Vikings to a 14-3 record.
Bengals place franchise tag on Tee Higgins
Date: March 3
Source: Tee Higgins
Higgins simply posted the word ‘tag’ on X (formerly Twitter) to announce he had been slapped with the franchise tag for a second consecutive offseason.
Higgins is set to make $26 million on his second consecutive one-year tenure. The Bengals will now be tasked with trying to sign both him and Ja’Marr Chase to lucrative, long-term extensions.
Eagles releasing Darius Slay as a post-June 1 cut
Date: March 3
Source: ESPN’s Adam Schefter
The Eagles entered the 2025 offseason with three defensive starters set to hit free agency. They are going to make it four, as the team is planning to release Slay, a 34-year-old veteran, ahead of free agency.
Slay had 13 pass defenses in 2024 but failed to log a regular-season interception for the first time since his rookie season in 2023. The emergence of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean evidently made the veteran expendable.
The Eagles will save $4.3 million by making Slay a post-June 1 cut. That could help Philadelphia in its efforts to keep pending free agents Josh Sweat, Milton Williams and Zack Baun.
Sean McVay won’t rule out Cooper Kupp returning to Rams
Date: March 3
Source: Jourdan Rodrigue, The Athletic
The Rams told Kupp they were going to trade him during the 2025 NFL offseason. However, McVay didn’t close the door on reversing that decision if the team can’t find a trade partner for the veteran receiver.
‘I would never speak in absolutes,’ McVay said when addressing the potential for Kupp to return.
The 49ers fetched a fifth-round pick in a recent trade for Deebo Samuel. The Rams may be seeking similar compensation for Kupp, who is set to have a $29.78 million cap hit in 2025.
Jets shopping WR Davante Adams; will release him if not traded
Date: March 2
Source: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport
The Jets aren’t just moving on from Rodgers during the 2025 NFL offseason. They are also expected to part with veteran receiver Adams, for whom they traded ahead of the 2024 NFL trade deadline.
Adams will have a $38.2 million cap hit in 2025, so trading him may be complicated. The Jets are expected to release him if they can’t find a taker for the 32-year-old wide-out, per Rapoport.
Justin Fields ‘has edge’ over Russell Wilson with Steelers
Date: March 2
Source: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler
The Steelers don’t have a quarterback under contract heading into the 2025 NFL offseason. Their two starters from 2024 – Fields and Wilson – are set to be free agents, along with third-string quarterback Kyle Allen.
Fowler reports Pittsburgh has the soon-to-be 26-year-old Fields ahead of Wilson, 36, in its pecking order at quarterback. However, both remain options for the team, and Fields may draw more interest than Wilson on the open market.
The Jets and Raiders are believed to be interested in Fields, per Fowler.
Cowboys could use franchise tag on DT Osa Odighizuwa
Date: March 2
Source: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler
The Cowboys are trying to agree to a long-term extension with Odighizuwa, the team’s best interior pass rusher. If they can’t agree to a multi-year contract, Fowler reports Dallas will use the franchise tag on Odighizuwa ahead of the March 4 deadline to do so.
Odighizuwa had 4.5 sacks for the Cowboys in 2024 and ranked third among interior defensive linemen with 60 pressures, per Pro Football Focus. If franchised, the 26-year-old would be set to play on a one-year, $25.1 million contract in 2025. Dallas has just under $3.9 million in available cap space, according to OverTheCap.com.
49ers ‘open to trading’ WR Brandon Aiyuk
Date: March 1
Source: Michael Silver, The Athletic
The 49ers traded starting receiver Deebo Samuel during the 2025 NFL combine. Could they also trade Aiyuk? San Francisco appears interested in the possibility, though Silver isn’t sure teams would be willing to trade for Aiyuk on a big-money contract as he recovers from a torn ACL.
49ers general manager John Lynch was asked about the Aiyuk trade rumors at the combine.
‘Yeah, that typically happens with really good players,’ Lynch said, per 49ers Webzone. ‘I remember, I think two years ago, having similar conversations. You get calls, and you always listen to calls.’
49ers trade Deebo Samuel to Commanders
Date: March 1
Source: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport
The 49ers gave Samuel permission to seek a trade ahead of Super Bowl 59. About a month later, they dealt him to the Commanders, who made the NFC championship game last season, for a fifth-round pick.
Samuel had a down year by his standards, logging 51 catches for 670 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games. All marked his lowest totals since the 2020 season, during which he played just seven games.
Samuel has one year remaining on the three-year, $71.55 million extension he signed with the 49ers in 2022. He is due to make $21.7 million in 2025, per NFL.com.
Giants interested in QBs Aaron Rodgers, Sam Darnold
Date: Feb. 28
Source: ESPN’s Adam Schefter
The Giants were among the teams interested in pursuing Matthew Stafford before he agreed to a restructured contract with the Rams. With Stafford off the table, New York is considering Rodgers – who will be released by the Jets – in its search for a veteran quarterback, per Schefter.
The Giants also hold an interest in Darnold, a player who they considered signing as a backup to Daniel Jones during the 2024 NFL offseason. They ultimately signed Drew Lock to a one-year, $5 million deal while Darnold landed with the Vikings.
Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Sam Darnold among Raiders QB options
Date: Feb. 28
Source: ESPN’s Adam Schefter
The Raiders were among the teams connected to Matthew Stafford but will have to pivot with the veteran returning to Los Angeles. That could involve chasing one of Darnold, Fields or Wilson as free-agent stopgaps, per Schefter.
Wilson has an obvious connection to the Raiders after spending a decade with Pete Carroll in Seattle. Fields and Darnold represent younger alternatives, with the former possessing excellent mobility and athleticism and the latter coming off a breakout Pro Bowl season under the tutelage of Kevin O’Connell.