What happened in the first week of NFL free agency: From Kirk Cousins to the Falcons to Justin Fields' trade to the Steelers

Running back A.J. Dillon is officially back with the Packers after passing a physical and signing a new deal on Friday. Quarterback Jordan Love's reaction shows his approval for the Quadfather's return as he will team up with new signing Josh Jacobs in Green Bay's backfield.

Assuming Michael Gallup is not a part of the team’s future, whether his departure comes via trade, immediate or a post-June 1 cut, the Cowboys need to figure out what the plan is behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks. At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Stephen Jones mentioned Jalen Tolbert as having a “real breakout year,” which is a rather generous way to describe a 22-catch, 268-yard, two-touchdown 17-game season.

There’s no question that Tolbert was improved in his second year following a rough rookie season, but a lot of that had to do with special teams contributions and a sheltered role on offense. The optimism for Tolbert’s future is understandable given his trajectory but No. 3 receiver isn’t a throwaway depth position anymore, and certainly not in the Cowboys’ offense. If Dallas feels Tolbert is the answer, that’s fine but some added depth can’t hurt. Jalen Brooks (six catches, 64 yards as a rookie in 2023) would be next in line behind Tolbert.

If tight end Jake Ferguson continues to ascend, he may be the most viable second or third receiving option behind Lamb and Cooks. He’s earned Dak Prescott’s trust and the two have shown strong chemistry, particularly in the middle of the field.

Worrying about receiver may seem unnecessary given the roster’s bigger holes but the Cowboys are a passing offense with a highly compensated quarterback. The offense will function through the air, and there needs to be enough playmakers to make it happen.

More reaction from Aaron Donald’s retirement pours in, including from a longtime teammate in Andrew Whitworth.

The Browns are expected to hire former Titans coach Mike Vrabel as a consultant, per a league source.

Drew Lock put the competition for the Giants starting quarterback to rest.

“Daniel Jones is the starter of this team and that’s been conveyed to me,” Lock said when asked what his role will be with his new franchise.

When speaking with reporters on Friday, Lock added that he knows he needs to come in and push Jones to be the best he can be as well. Jones is coming off a torn ACL, and while the Giants are hopeful he can be ready by training camp, they needed depth in the quarterback room. Lock filled that by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $5 million, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. Lock said all he’s been told as of now is that he can expect a lot of reps in OTAs.

Lock’s declaration on his role comes after Seahawks GM John Schneider said he wanted to keep Lock but the Giants “basically sold him on the opportunity to compete to be the starter.” Speaking on Seattle radio Show “Wyman and Bob” on Thursday, Schneider also said that Lock views this situation with the Giants as possibly being similar to Baker Mayfield in Tampa last year.

While Lock said he’s good friends with Mayfield, he said he did not have a talk with Schneider about Mayfield. Lock said he was told about Schneider’s comments as he’s not on social media.

“I had one conversation with Schneider and I called him after I made the decision to come here and I just wanted to say thank you for the opportunities that they gave me there and bringing back kind of the old player that I used to be, and that's where it really got left,” Lock said. “He asked me if it was a one or two (year deal) and I said it's a ‘one’ and he said, ‘OK, awesome.’ And I just said thank you one more time. And he said you were great for us and we appreciate everything you did for us and that's all the words that I had for him in that conversation.”

The 27-year-old Lock had made 23 career starts. Lock was selected by the Denver Broncos with the No. 42 pick in the 2019 Draft. He was actually Senior Bowl roommates with Jones. In Denver, he lost a starting quarterback competition as a rookie but then ended up making five starts when Teddy Bridgewater was injured. Lock was the starter the following year before being sent to Seattle after the 2021 season as part of the Russell Wilson deal.

Russell Wilson signed his contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is being introduced today. He seemingly has moved on from his "Let's ride" catchphrase, too.

The Bears have diligently worked to amass veteran talent over the past year, and their late-season push — a 5-3 finish after a 2-7 start — suggests they’re making a lot of good decisions in that regard.

Allen is one of the most productive receivers of his generation. Sure, he’ll turn 32 next month, but he just racked up a career-high 108 receptions in only 13 games. He’s eclipsed 100 catches and 1,000 yards in five of the last seven seasons.

Allen has the rare combination of being a possession-style receiver and a big-play threat all at once. He’ll be a tremendous asset for quarterback Caleb Williams, the presumptive No. 1 pick, or whoever happens to be throwing him the ball next season. Allen, wideout D.J. Moore and tight ends Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett will be a dangerous group if the Bears can get quality quarterback play.

As for the Chargers, they’ve been mired in a cap crunch. They restructured contracts for edge rushers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa and released wide receiver Mike Williams. They traded Allen to save $23.1 million in cap space in their ongoing quest to recalibrate the books.

Rival teams knew these four moves would be in the works in some capacity, and they expected trades to yield late draft picks as a result. A fourth-round pick isn’t likely to do nearly enough to replace Allen’s value, but it’s probably a better return than it could have been.

Read more here on the trade's grades

Former Jaguars DE K’Lavon Chaisson and the Carolina Panthers have agreed to a one-year, $5M deal, per league sources.

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is retiring after a 10-year NFL career, he said Friday.

"Throughout my career, I have given my everything to football both mentally and physically — 365 days a year was dedicated to becoming the best possible player I could be," Donald wrote in a statement posted to social media. "I respected this game like no other and I’m blessed to be able to conclude my NFL career with the same franchise that drafted me. Not many people get drafted to a team, win a world championship with that team and retire with that team. I do not, and will not, take that for granted.

"As I turn my focus to a new chapter, I don’t know what the future holds, but I am excited about the off-the-field possibilities. I’m looking forward to spending more time with my wife, Erica, and my kids, Jaeda, AJ, Aaric and Aali. The greatest reward was being able to play this game with them by my side, and I can’t wait to watch them live out their dreams just as they watched me live out mine."

More to come.

New outside linebacker Brian Burns was a workhorse in Carolina, playing more than 75 percent of the Panthers’ defensive snaps in each of the past three seasons. He’s joining another edge rusher accustomed to a heavy workload, as Kayvon Thibodeaux played 87 percent of the Giants’ defensive snaps last season.

That’s a good thing, as the Giants will want the player they just paid $141 million and the player they recently took with the No. 5 pick in the draft on the field as much as possible. But having two outside linebackers who rarely leave the field raises questions about how many snaps will be available for Azeez Ojulari.

Reducing Ojulari’s workload is certainly not a negative, as the Giants have been overly reliant on the 2021 second-round pick the past two seasons. Ojulari’s extended absences due to injury have been crippling due to the team’s lack of edge depth.

Ideally, Ojulari will shift into a pass-rush specialist role. But the Giants will want Burns and Thibodeaux on the field hunting quarterbacks on passing downs. No one in that trio has the body type to slide inside, so unless new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen has a creative package in mind, Ojulari will likely only see the field when he’s rotating in for Burns or Thibodeaux.

Again, that’s not a bad thing since the Giants are counting on Burns and Thibodeaux to be game-changing players. Ojulari may seem expendable, but the Giants aren’t planning to trade the 23-year-old as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, according to a league source. Having a third edge rusher with 16 sacks over the past three seasons gives the Giants much better edge depth than they’ve had in years.

It’s not ideal for Ojulari to have his contract year crashed by Burns. But even pass-rush specialists cash in, so Ojulari could secure a solid payday if he’s productive in a reduced role.

Continue reading.

Fantasy owners, take note. I loved the Los Angeles Chargers adding Gus Edwards from the Ravens. I had thought all along that Saquon Barkley would be a culture upgrade for new coach Jim Harbaugh and his vision for the Chargers’ new offense. But as Barkley’s contract numbers crept higher, Edwards became more attractive.

He brings a full toolbox and good production with just a bit less dynamic athleticism. The Ravens’ running-back-by-committee kept Edwards’ numbers down, but he is a better player than that. He will be a 235-pound bellcow for a Chargers team looking to add toughness and physicality to fit its new identity.

This question is no longer about just one position, though the Cowboys’ lack of action at running back is glaring and an obvious place to begin. However, the instability at offensive line factors in heavily as well. Tony Pollard had his share of struggles last season but the guys up front didn’t help make his job much easier. Now, there is a major question at center following Tyler Biadasz’s departure and uncertainty lingers at left tackle with Tyron Smith still unsigned.

Among running back, center and left tackle, center is probably the least concerning at this point because there are solid options to be had in the NFL Draft. However, getting a starting left tackle in the NFL is always a challenge and the draft is lackluster at running back.

In terms of this stage of free agency, the priority needs to be left tackle, particularly finding a number that works to bring back Smith. The veteran options at running back have dried up and there’s not much differentiation among the guys still looking for jobs. One would assume that Dallas adds a veteran somewhere along the way, whether it’s from the current available options or somebody who gets cut soon. One of the young guards on the roster could be an option to serve as placeholder at center before a solution is acquired in the draft.

The Cowboys’ running game doesn’t need to be some prolific ground attack that carries the offense, like Emmitt Smith, DeMarco Murray or Ezekiel Elliott did. It does need to be competent enough to be situationally effective and give the passing game a play-action look that warrants respect. Right now, the cupboard is bare across the entire operation.

The Seattle Seahawks’ hiring of Mike Macdonald had a different level of intrigue than some of the other coaches during this cycle because of what he inherited.

The Seahawks won nine games in 2023, the most of any team to change head coaches this offseason. Macdonald stepped into an organization that has won at least seven games every year since 2010. General manager John Schneider felt the team underachieved last season and wanted to find a coach who could take Seattle to the next level and compete for a championship.

Viewed through that lens, there were important questions for Schneider and Macdonald to answer through their offseason moves. Geno Smith’s contract and his role as the starting quarterback were atop the list, followed in no particular order by the money being allocated to safeties, the plan at inside linebacker, whether or not to retain defensive tackle Leonard Williams, how to address the offensive line, a handful of other expensive veteran deals and their external free-agent signings.

Through the first week of free agency, the most pertinent question remains unanswered: What do the Seahawks plan to be in 2024?

Their moves thus far don’t lay out a clear vision.

Macdonald led one of the league’s best defenses last season in Baltimore, and he’s got some work to do on that side of the ball in Seattle. The defense — which was the NFL’s seventh-oldest when adjusting for snaps played, according to ESPN — was not good in 2023. The Seahawks’ moves so far have made the defense less expensive but not necessarily poised to take this team to the next level.

Continue reading.

The Minnesota Vikings are moving up in the draft. They will trade with the Houstons Texans. Minnesota will get the 23rd and 232nd pick. Houston will get the 42nd, 188th and a second-round pick in 2025.