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Kevin SeifertMar 19, 2025, 09:27 AM ET
Close- Kevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.
The Minnesota Vikings are moving past their discussions with free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers, leaving second-year player J.J. McCarthy atop the quarterback depth chart as offseason practices approach, sources told ESPN.
The Vikings spent the better part of a week considering their options after Rodgers made clear he preferred to sign with the team, sources said. The internal deliberations intensified after 2024 starter Sam Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks and free agent Daniel Jones, whom the Vikings envisioned as a veteran wingman for McCarthy, rejected their contract offer and signed instead with the Indianapolis Colts.
Minnesota has received trade interest in McCarthy but has rebuffed those inquiries, a source told ESPN, confirming an NFL Network report.
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McCarthy has recovered from surgery in August to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, an injury that made him the first quarterback in the modern draft era to be selected in the first round and miss his entire rookie season because of injury. Signing Rodgers would have added a future Hall of Fame quarterback to a team that won 14 games last season and likely would have pushed McCarthy’s timetable to the 2026 season.
Instead, the Vikings plan to give McCarthy their first-team snaps during OTA practices and minicamp, sources said. Should McCarthy get reinjured or demonstrate a need for more development time, the Vikings could revisit their discussions with Rodgers before the start of training camp if he has not signed elsewhere.
Sources described the possibility of Rodgers joining the team as “non-zero,” but all along sources have maintained that there was only a small chance that coach Kevin O’Connell would upend the organizational plan for McCarthy, whom O’Connell has called “our franchise quarterback.”
Most of the Vikings’ moves this offseason have implied an intent to move forward with McCarthy, including the decision not to use the franchise tag on Darnold and let him move on. The Vikings have committed more than $300 million to players during the free agent period, an NFL high, in anticipation of building around McCarthy’s rookie contract.
The Vikings will need to continue working to find a veteran backup for McCarthy, as multiple candidates have signed elsewhere while the Vikings discussed Rodgers. Veteran
NFL free agency has started to slow down since officially opening last Wednesday, so it’s a good time to take stock of the moves. Some teams have made splash signings, adding standouts like Sam Darnold, Davante Adams, Justin Fields, Josh Sweat and Carlton Davis III to their rosters. Other top free agents — notably Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Stefon Diggs — are still searching for their next team.
What were the best and most puzzling moves so far in free agency? Which teams secured the top value contracts? We asked 10 of our NFL experts to weigh in with their picks from the past week or so.
Check back all week, as we will continue to update this file with a new question each day. We will tackle teams that aced free agency (Thursday) and teams that came up short (Friday).
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Best moves | Head-scratching moves
Top bargain deals
What was the best bargain signing of free agency?
Matt Bowen, NFL analyst: The Dolphins signing wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Miami landed Westbrook-Ikhine on a two-year, $6.5 million deal, which is a bargain for a potential No. 3 receiver. With his build-up speed on the perimeter, he can be schemed at the third level. He’s also a willing blocker in the run game and brings special teams upside as a gunner. In 2024 with the Titans, Westbrook-Ikhine caught nine touchdowns on just 32 receptions.
Jeremy Fowler, national NFL reporter: The Jets signing center Josh Myers. This is a quality center who started all but one game for Green Bay over the past three seasons. But he didn’t get big money in free agency — he signed for one year, $2 million ($3.5 million with incentives) — similar to Chicago’s Drew Dalman and Minnesota’s Ryan Kelly. So the Jets capitalized. Though New York has Joe Tippmann slated as the starter, the presence of Myers — new Jets quarterback Justin Fields’ center at Ohio State — looms large.
Pamela Maldonado, sports betting analyst: The Chargers signing running back Najee Harris. His $5.5 million for one year is like hitting a value bet. His running style aligns with the Chargers’ offensive goals — physical, consistent and reliable. It’s not flashy, but this kind of move pays off when games get gritty.
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Tim McManusMar 18, 2025, 12:13 PM ET
Close- Tim McManus covers the Philadelphia Eagles for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2016 after covering the Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine’s Birds 24/7, a site he helped create, since 2010.
PHILADELPHIA — Defensive end Brandon Graham, the author of the most impactful play in Eagles franchise history, announced his retirement Tuesday after 15 seasons in the NFL.
Graham, a first-round pick out of Michigan in 2010, spent his entire career in Philadelphia. He holds the team record for most regular-season games played (206) and is third all time in sacks (76.5). The two Lombardi Trophies he helped deliver were placed at either side of him as he emotionally read his farewell speech in the team’s auditorium, where family, friends, coaches and teammates gathered to honor him.
“You all know I gave everything I had in this,” said Graham, his voice breaking as he began to well up. “I don’t have no regrets.
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“Fifteen years ago, I walked into this city as a young man with dreams — big dreams — a little bit of nervousness, and a whole lot of fire in my heart. I had no idea back then what this journey would bring. I didn’t know how many times I’d be tested, I didn’t know how much I would grow, and I sure didn’t know how deeply I would fall in love with these fans and the team and this city.”
His strip sack of Tom Brady in the closing moments of Super Bowl LII helped secure a narrow win over the New England Patriots and delivered the first Lombardi Trophy to the city of Philadelphia.
That elevated Graham to icon status in Philly and marked the pinnacle of his turnaround after he was labeled a bust early in his career following a slow start largely due to injuries.
Graham flashed a big smile when the play was brought up.
“That’s always going to be a good one. A Michigan guy against another Michigan guy,” he said. “It was a big moment in my career, and that’s where I felt like things started to get even better from that point on.”
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie praised Graham for the “many memorable moments” he provided the franchise and its fans.
“Brandon Graham is the embodiment of everything you want in a Philadelphia Eagle,” Lurie said in a statement. “…It was the way he played the game and the way he carried himself that earned him the love and respect of his coaches, teammates and fans.”
Graham made his lone Pro Bowl in 2020 and recorded his first double-digit sack campaign in 2022, posting 11 takedowns. This past season was initially thought of as a retirement tour of sorts, but he took on an expanded role under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and was the team’s most productive edge rusher early in the season.
Graham tore his triceps in late November against the Los Angeles Rams and announced in the locker room afterward that he would miss the remainder of the season.
He quietly rehabbed behind the scenes, however, and was able to return for the team’s decisive Super Bowl LIX win over the Kansas City Chiefs, providing the storybook ending to one of the most consequential careers in Eagles history.
“If I didn’t make it back to the Super Bowl, I probably wouldn’t be up here right now,” he said. “I promise you, I’d be begging to come back for one more. But I was happy to be able to make it back to play with my guys, to put that uniform on one last time in a big moment, on the big stage.
“Me being able to be a part of that, that was all I needed to know. I feel like my prayers were answered, being able to come back and be with them boys one last time.”
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DJ Bien-AimeMar 17, 2025, 09:41 AM ET
Close- DJ Bien-Aime covers the Houston Texans for ESPN. He joined ESPN in July of 2022 after covering the New York Jets for the New York Daily News. He’s a former athlete who finished his college career at Louisville. You can catch DJ on ESPN Radio on his show “Talkin’ Texans.”
HOUSTON — Derek Stingley Jr., and the Houston Texans have agreed to a three-year, $90 million extension that makes him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
The deal includes $89 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN, and the average annual value surpasses the previous record for cornerbacks, which was set last week by Jaycee Horn, whose four-year, $100 million extension with the Carolina Panthers averages $25 million per season.
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Stingley is coming off an All-Pro season in which he had five interceptions (tied for sixth most), 18 pass breakups (second most) and allowed the second-lowest completion percentage among cornerbacks with at least 200 coverage snaps (46.7%), according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
The No. 3 pick in the 2022 draft led a pass defense that ranked sixth in passing yards allowed (201) as he took on the challenge of guarding premiere wide receivers, including