Eagles send Gardner-Johnson to
Texans. Vikings bolster offensive, defensive lines in NFL free agency
[March 12, 2025]
By ARNIE STAPLETON
The Philadelphia Eagles' top-ranked defense is getting a major
makeover a month after ending Patrick Mahomes' bid to lead the
Kansas City Chiefs to a third consecutive Super Bowl title.
A day after defensive tackle Milton Williams and edge rusher Josh
Sweat accepted offers to leave Philly via free agency, the Super
Bowl champs agreed to send safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the
Houston Texans for guard Kenyon Green and a swap of late-round draft
picks, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press
on Tuesday.
Like free-agent contracts, trades will become official with the
start of the new league year on Wednesday.
Green, who was the 15th overall pick in the 2022 draft, started 23
games for Houston over two seasons. He didn’t play in 2023 because
of a shoulder injury.
The Texans also agreed to trade left tackle Laremy Tunsil to
Washington on Monday. They have big holes up front on an offensive
line that struggled to protect C.J. Stroud last season.
On Monday, when the league's legal tampering window opened, Williams
agreed to a deal with New England worth $26 million annually and
Sweat agreed with the Arizona Cardinals on a four-year, $76.4
million contract.
The terms of the deals are all according to people familiar with the
negotiations who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity
because teams generally don’t announce contract terms and the deals
can’t be signed until Wednesday.
The Buffalo Bills also moved to upgrade their defense, bringing in
pass rusher Joey Bosa on a one-year, $12.6 million deal to replace
the departing Von Miller.
The Minnesota Vikings continued an aggressive reconstruction of
their interior lines by agreeing to terms on contracts with former
Washington defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (three years, $60
million) and former Indianapolis guard Will Fries (five years, $88
million), who followed center Ryan Kelly from the Colts to the
Vikings.
Allen missed half of last season after tearing a pectoral muscle,
but he returned for the final four games, including the playoffs as
the Commanders reached the NFC championship game.
Because Allen was released last week for salary cap savings before
the expiration of his previous contract, the Vikings were allowed to
host the two-time Pro Bowl pick on a visit to team headquarters and
announce the deal ahead of the signing period.
With the addition of Fries and Kelly, the Vikings have taken two big
steps toward smoothing out the expected debut of quarterback J.J.
McCarthy — after his rookie season was waylaid by a knee injury and
Sam Darnold departed for Seattle.
Fries will bring instant chemistry with Kelly, a four-time Pro Bowl
pick over nine seasons with the Colts whose arrival might well mean
the end of Garrett Bradbury’s six-year tenure as Minnesota’s
starting center.
The Vikings have had one of the best tackle tandems in the league
with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, but interior pass
protection has hurt them often. That was never more apparent than in
their wild-card round loss to the Rams two months ago, when Darnold
was sacked nine times.
The biggest roster reshaping is going on in San Francisco, which
released edge rusher Leonard Floyd, who quickly agreed to a
one-year, $10 million deal with the Falcons.
The Niners have lost several starters from last season’s team
through free agency, trades and releases. General manager John Lynch
said last month at the scouting combine that the 49ers would need to
get younger and cheaper after going 6-11 in an injury-plagued 2024
season.
The Seattle Seahawks locked up a key player on defense, signing
linebacker Ernest Jones IV to a three-year contract worth a reported
$28.5 million. Jones was set to become a free agent Wednesday.
Jones found a long-term home after making two big moves last season.
He was traded from the Rams to Tennessee just before the start of
the season and then dealt again to Seattle in October for a
fourth-round pick and linebacker Jerome Baker.
[to top of second column] |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving, right, runs against
Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen during the
second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game in Tampa,
Fla., Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, file)
Jones played a big part in Seattle's defensive
turnaround last season under first-year coach Mike Macdonald. He
took over as middle linebacker as soon as he arrived and had 94
tackles, two passes defensed, one forced fumble and an interception
in 10 games.
The Saints are bringing former Chiefs cornerback
and Louisiana native Justin Reid (three years, $31.5 million) back
to his home state and they also re-signed tight end Juwan Johnson to
a three-year deal his agent, AJ Vaynerchuk, confirmed was worth up
to $34.5 million.
The Chiefs also are losing veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who
agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract with the Ravens.
QB moves
Challenging Anthony Richardson for the starting quarterback job in
Indianapolis this offseason will be Daniel Jones, who agreed to a
one-year, $14 million contract.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard projected this sort of move was
in the works when he told reporters at the NFL’s annual scouting
combine Indy would have an “open” competition for the job.
Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in 2019 by the Giants who went 24-44-1
in New York with one playoff victory, will get a chance to prove he
can still be a starter. He finished last season as a backup for the
Vikings after the Giants released him.
Richardson was the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft but has
struggled with both injuries and accuracy in his first two NFL
seasons, going 8-7 as a starter. Last season, he had the lowest
completion rate, 47.7%, of any starting NFL QB.
Other deals
— The Commanders agreed to sign S Will Harris to a two-year
contract. Harris leaves New Orleans after one season to become the
replacement for Jeremy Chinn in Washington.
— The 49ers added some depth at safety a day after losing Talanoa
Hufanga to Denver. San Francisco agreed to a one-year deal with
former Atlanta second-round pick Richie Grant. The Niners also
agreed to a one-year deal with former Tennessee special teams
standout Luke Gifford, who tied for the NFL lead with 10 tackles on
special teams last season, according to Sportradar.
— The Cowboys retained free agent DT Osa Odighizuwa (four years, $80
million) and shored up their thin interior defensive line by adding
former Jets DT Solomon Thomas (two years, $8 million).
— The Dolphins agreed to sign WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on a two-year
deal. He set a career high by scoring nine touchdowns last season
for the Titans.
— The Falcons' first free agent addition is LB Divine Deablo (two
years), who had 63 tackles in 14 games with the Raiders last season
and 106 in 15 games in 2023.
— The Chiefs agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract with former
Titans and Chargers CB Kristian Fulton.
— Carolina released veteran RB Miles Sanders and agreed to terms
with P Sam Martin on a 1-year deal.
— The Broncos announced they're bringing back long snapper Mitchell
Fraboni on a three-year contract. The deal is worth $4.175 million.
___
AP Pro Football Writers Rob Maaddi, Dave Campbell and Josh Dubow and
AP Sports Writer Michael Marot contributed to this report.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
