NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • NFL free agency, franchise tag tracker: Vikings not expected to tag Sam Darnold

    NFL free agency, franchise tag tracker: Vikings not expected to tag Sam Darnold

    The NFL’s franchise tag deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Who will receive it this year? What will that mean for the free agent market? Here’s everything you need to know.

    Kansas City Chiefs OL Trey Smith

    Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins

    The Dallas Cowboys, meanwhile, worked out a four-year, $80 million deal with defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, who reportedly would have been place on the tag if a deal couldn’t be reached.

    The franchise tag is a designation NFL teams may use to retain one player set to be an unrestricted free agent and sign them to a set contract for another year. There are exclusive and non-exclusive tags, as well as transition tags.

    Exclusive tags mean the contract must be no less than either the average of the top five salaries at that player’s position or 120% of the player’s salary the previous season, whichever is greater. It also means the player is not allowed to negotiate with other teams and may not sign with another team should they reject the offer.

    Non-exclusive tags mean the contract must be no less than either the average of the top five cap hits at that player’s position or 120% of the player’s salary the previous season, whichever is greater. Unlike the exclusive tag, however, the player is allowed to negotiate with other teams, and if he receives an offer, his current team has the chance to match. If the team chooses not to match, it’s entitled to receive draft compensation equivalent to two first-round draft picks from the signing team.

    Transition tags are another designation NFL teams may use to retain one player set to be an unrestricted free agent and sign him to a set contract for another year. The contract must be no less than the average of the top 10 salaries at the player’s position, and there is no guaranteed compensation. Also, players are allowed to negotiate with other teams.

    Quarterback:…

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  • UNC ‘Hard Knocks’ deal falls through: Tar Heels won’t be featured in Bill Belichick’s inaugural season

    UNC ‘Hard Knocks’ deal falls through: Tar Heels won’t be featured in Bill Belichick’s inaugural season

    Maybe it was just never meant to be. After weeks of talks among the University of North Carolina, head football coach Bill Belichick and NFL Films, the Tar Heels will not be the subject of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” offseason series, sources tell CBS Sports.

    “NFL Films had discussions with Coach Belichick and UNC about appearing on Hard Knocks this offseason but couldn’t reach an agreement,” a spokesperson for NFL Media, which includes NFL Films, told CBS Sports on Tuesday.

    As CBS Sports reported late last week, all sides felt they were close on a deal. But a contract had not been struck yet, though the belief was they’d eventually get there. Sources say creative control was at the center of the sides being unable to reach an agreement.

    Considering where we are in the NFL calendar, as well as the fact that NFL Films had turned to a college program for the first time ever, it is unlikely any NFL team will participate in the offseason edition of the series.

    There were no takers in the NFL after last year’s inaugural run with the New York Giants ahead of what turned into a disastrous 3-14 season. NFL free agency begins on March 12, which doesn’t give the group enough time to find a team that would open its doors for what is the most crucial part of the offseason series.

    Bill Belichick introduces first staff at North Carolina: Family members, ex-players among names to know

    Shehan Jeyarajah

    An announcement regarding the teams participating in the training camp and/or in-season “Hard Knocks” series could be revealed as early as the…

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  • Vikings QB Sam Darnold not expected to get franchise tag as Minnesota makes $40.2 million decision, per report

    Vikings QB Sam Darnold not expected to get franchise tag as Minnesota makes $40.2 million decision, per report

    The Minnesota Vikings might have a new starting quarterback in 2025. Sam Darnold led the team to a 14-3 record last season, but he could be heading elsewhere for the upcoming season with the Vikings unlikely to use the franchise tag on him, according to NFL Media. 

    The decision by Minnesota means that there’s a good chance Darnold will officially become a free agent on March 12. 

    Darnold, 27, is coming off a career season with the Vikings that saw him rank fifth overall in passing yards (4,319) and touchdown passes (35), but he was on a one-year deal. The Vikings brought him in as a bridge quarterback after drafting J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. But once McCarthy injured his knee during the preseason, Darnold was all but assured the starting role. 

    2025 NFL franchise tag deadline: Time, date, everything to know, franchise vs. transition tags explained

    Cody Benjamin

    The Vikings could have guaranteed Darnold’s return to Minnesota for the 2025 season by using the franchise tag, but that would have cost them $40.2 million, which is a high number considering the Vikings only paid Darnold $10 million in 2024. 

    According to multiple reports, the Vikings are going to attempt to re-sign Darnold, but if that does happen, the franchise tag won’t be involved. The NFL’s franchise tag deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, which means the Vikings have until then to make a final decision. 

    Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell hinted in early February that the team might end up letting Darnold hit free agency. 

    “He’s earned the right to be a free agent,” O’Connell said on Feb. 6. “But we will continue to have ongoing dialogue and discussions with him and his…

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  • Maryland football reportedly leads recruitment for another Baltimore 5-star prospect

    Maryland football reportedly leads recruitment for another Baltimore 5-star prospect

    Maryland football already has one five-star prospect committed to its 2026 recruiting class, and it could soon add another.

    St. Frances defensive end Zion Elee pledged his commitment to the program in December, although he has visited other programs after his verbal declaration. Elee, a top target for Penn State, Auburn and other high-end Power Four programs, has since canceled his other spring visits.

    “My recruitment is closed,” Elee posted on X on Feb. 21.

    Another five-star Baltimore native could soon be on his way to College Park. Georgetown Prep star Immanuel Iheanacho plans to visit both Maryland and Oregon this month, according to On3 Sports, as the two Big Ten programs jockey for the star offensive lineman’s future services. Iheanacho has yet to verbally commit to a program, but he told On3 that Mike Locksley and the Terps are currently his favorite school among the dozens who have recruited him.

    The prospect has the potential to start as a true freshman, as his level of athleticism at 6-foot-7 and 350 pounds is rare. He moves well for his size, and he’s one of the strongest high schoolers in the country — he recently posted a social media of himself deadlifting 700 pounds. Like Elee, he’s viewed as a future professional.

    “Could potentially become an immediate impact player for a college football playoff contender in the run game,” 247Sports analyst Hudson Standish writes on Iheanacho’s recruiting profile. “Should be viewed as an intriguing option at RT or IOL with plenty of long-term NFL Draft upside that pairs nicely with ready to contribute heft.”

    If Maryland earns the commitment of Iheanacho, it will mark the first time in program history Maryland lands two five-star recruits in the same class. The historic recruiting efforts — Maryland had a top-25 class in 2025, which included star…

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  • ‘Most fun I ever had’: Jimmy Johnson retires after three decades as Fox NFL analyst

    ‘Most fun I ever had’: Jimmy Johnson retires after three decades as Fox NFL analyst

    Fox Sports analyst Jimmy Johnson looks on before the NFC championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles on Jan. 29, 2023, in Philadelphia. (Chris Szagola / Associated Press)

    More than three decades after first making the jump from the NFL sideline to a TV studio, Jimmy Johnson is retiring from his longtime role as an analyst on “Fox NFL Sunday.”

    The 81-year-old Johnson made the announcement Monday morning during an appearance on “The Herd With Colin Cowherd.”

    “The most fun I ever had in my career, and that’s counting Super Bowls and national championships, was at Fox Sports,” Johnson said. “I have an absolute ball with my friends on the set — best friends I’ve ever had — there with Fox. …”

    “But I’ve made an extremely difficult decision. I’ve been thinking about it for the last four or five years, and I’ve decided to retire from Fox. I’m going to miss it. I’m going to miss all the guys, and I’ll see them occasionally. It’s been a great run starting back 31 years ago.”

    Fox NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment on any potential replacements for Johnson.

    Johnson was a defensive lineman at the University of Arkansas and helped the Razorbacks win the national title in 1964. He later was named to the school’s all-decade team for the 1960s and was inducted into the university’s Hall of Fame in 1999.

    After college, Johnson went into coaching. His first head coaching job was at Oklahoma State from 1979-1983, then he moved on to the University of Miami, where he coached the Hurricanes to the national championship following the 1987.

    In 1989, Johnson accepted the Dallas Cowboys job from team owner Jerry Jones, a former teammate from the Arkansas national championship team decades earlier. Following a win over San Francisco in the NFC championship game on Jan. 17, 1993, Johnson solidified his standing in team lore by greeting his players with what has become one of the best known rhetorical questions in the NFL:…

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  • 2025 NFL mock draft: Giants pass on QB, Jets replace Davante Adams and more in post-combine edition

    Miami (FL)

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  • Mason Alexander dies at 18: Pitt freshman defensive back killed in car accident

    Mason Alexander dies at 18: Pitt freshman defensive back killed in car accident

    USATSI

    Pittsburgh freshman cornerback Mason Alexander died in a car accident in his hometown of Fishers, Indiana, according to multiple reports. Alexander was 18 years old, and was set to take part in his first spring practice with the program. 

    According to police, Alexander was the passenger when the BMW he was riding in attempted to pass a car. The driver quickly realized there was a car coming from the other direction and swerved to avoid a collision, but veered off the road and hit a tree, causing the car to catch fire. Alexander was declared dead at the scene. 

    Alexander was a three-star recruit from Hamilton Southeastern High School, outside of Indianapolis. He was rated among the best players in Pitt’s 2025 recruiting class after he committed to the program during the early signing period, picking the Panthers over offers from Auburn, Florida and Oregon, among others. Alexander posted 52 tackles and one interception as a senior. 

    Former high school teammate Peyton Daniels, who now plays defensive back at Butler, paid tribute to Alexander on social media. 

    “Mason lit up every room he was in,” Daniels wrote. “Brought joy and playfulness to everything and everyone. He could change the entire direction of your day with one interaction. Mason is the embodiment of exceptional. Rest Easy 15.” 

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  • Report: Cowboys, Micah Parsons begin contract talks

    Report: Cowboys, Micah Parsons begin contract talks

    The Cowboys and pass rusher Micah Parsons have begun discussions on a long-term contract extension.

    Discussions toward a new deal are in the early stages of the process, according to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News.

    Parsons is heading into the final season of his five-year rookie contract and scheduled to make $24.007 million in 2025. The Cowboys don’t have much salary cap space, and a long-term deal could be structured to give the team cap relief for 2025 with a signing bonus that Parsons receives this year but is prorated over the duration of the deal.

    Parsons will surely want a contract that beats the deal signed by 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa, who averages $34 million a year and is the NFL’s highest-paid pass rusher.

    It’s unclear whether Parsons will be willing to report to work if he doesn’t get a new contract. He may refuse to participate in any offseason activities until the Cowboys show him the money.

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