NFL News Post Combine - Chaos Abound
The NFL Combine is over, and the rush to the end of the franchise tag period has been completed. What’s happened during that time period? Let’s talk about it.
Hey everyone, TC here. Happy to have you here as I prepare for the NFL free agency rush coming down the pipeline in 5 days.
A large chunk of business is completed during the week of the NFL combine. Illegal…legal…nobody cares. The NFL creates so many story lines this week.
Franchise Tags:
Kyle Pitts (TE) - $15.045 million. The Atlanta Falcons have a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski. Bringing his west-coast system to the NFC South, a system that could generate a big performance year for Kyle Pitts. The two sides have until July 15th to complete a contract beyond the tender. Newly minted General Manager Ian Cunningham could opt to wait on a new contract and use the franchise tag as the audition for Pitts. The top of the tight end market is currently set at $19.1 million APY with George Kittle.
George Pickens (WR) - $27.298 million. The Dallas Cowboys applied the franchise tag early in the designation period. The two sides are not quite at the same valuation. Pickens would easily eclipse the $30 million APY market on the open market. I expect a long-term contract to be completed near the July 15th deadline. Similar to the timeline of Dallas and Dez Bryant in 2015.
Breece Hall (RB) - $14.293 million. The two sides (NY and Klutch Sports) were close on executing a long-term contract, but ultimately ran out of time. The franchise tag designation was applied by the team to buy another 4 months of negotiating time. I don’t expect this negotiation to drag out until July. A new contract with an APY in excess of $15 million could be completed quickly. Additional insight from Connor Hughes on X on why New York opted for the franchise tag over the transition tag.
Daniel Jones (QB) - $37.833 million (Transition). The Indianapolis Colts were trying to complete contract extensions with both quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce. The team could use only one tag, and ultimately decided to use the transition tag with Daniel Jones. Jones will be able to negotiate with other teams, and Indianapolis will have the right to match any offer. If the team does not match, Jones will depart without draft compensation. I doubt any team will submit an offer sheet, knowing Indianapolis will match it. Why do all the negotiating for Indianapolis? Alec Pierce is the big winner here.
Kenneth Walker (RB) - No Tag. Seattle, following their usual roster-building style, will not use a franchise tag on the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Walker’s market should be robust and will provide a critical baseline for Breece Hall’s camp. Watch out for the NFC East to compete for Walker’s services in 2026.
Trey Henderickson (Edge) - No Tag. For the better part of a month, the consensus around the league was that Cincinnati would use a franchise tag placeholder for Hendrickson to secure a trade that would return significant draft assets. If you know me well, I believe that is against the spirit of the CBA, but this has been done in the past. Cincinnati opted to forgo the tag. Hendrickson will see the open market with the potential to score one more big payday. This was a surprise to say the least.
New Contracts:
Javonte Williams (RB) - 3 years/$24.0 million/$16.0 million guaranteed. This contract set a clear barometer for the floor for the lower 1st/2nd tier runningback free agent group. The value is appropriate, the structure follows the Dallas methodology, and Williams secured $16 million guaranteed at signing. What surprised most was Dallas getting this deal done now. Dallas, historically, has dragged out contract negotiations well beyond what is expected. This signing was a welcome surprise for all sides.
Tytus Howard (OL) - 3 years/$63.0 million/$?? million guaranteed. The details are scant with the Howard extension in Cleveland. This came on the heels of being traded from the Houston Texans to the Cleveland Browns (more on this below). Cleveland clearly values Howard as an offensive tackle.
Trades:
David Montgomery (RB) - The Houston Texans sent draft pick 4.128, a 2027 7th round pick, and fourth-year offensive lineman Juice Scruggs to the Detroit Lions for veteran runningback David Montgomery. The bruiser back has two years remaining on his current contract, valued at $15.0 million, with $6.0 million due in 2026. It remains to be seen if Houston will complete a contract renegotiation with Montgomery (similar to Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon). Houston likely got a taste of the asking price for Kenneth Walker and Travis Etienne, prompting a shift in focus to David Montgomery, who reportedly was ready to depart Detroit.
Tytus Howard (OL) - The Houston Texans traded Howard to the Cleveland Browns for 5.140. Howard and Cleveland negotiated a contract extension simultaneously with the trade. From Houston’s perspective, this is clear evidence that the team did not share the same valuation for Howard. Houston did not want to complete another restructure, pushing more money forward (giving Howard even more leverage in 2027). An extension was the path forward for Houston. However, with the two sides not close on the valuation, Houston pivoted to the trade with Cleveland.
Fun Stuff:
Mack Hollins (WR) - The New England Patriots rewarded veteran wide receiver with a $400,000 signing bonus to cover a missed performance incentive in the regular season. Hollins missed game time due to a non-injury-related illness. Rarely will teams offer this type of gesture.
Jimmie Ward (DB) - Ward missed the entirety of the 2025 season due to injury (and legal issues), and was placed on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform. As per the CBA, Ward’s contract was set to toll forward to the 2026 season with the same terms. This included a $2.0 million salary guarantee. On March 2, 2026, the team released Ward. This immediately caused confusion regarding the salary guarantee. While I have been unable to obtain a definitive answer, this appears to be a matter of effective tolling timing. My suspicion is that the tolling effective date starts on the new league year, March 11th.
Restructures:
Spencer Brown (OL) - The Buffalo Bills and Spencer Brown completed a contract restructure. This included converting $13.025 million of salary and roster bonus money into a signing bonus. The restructure included an additional void year for salary cap purposes. This created $10.42 million in 2026 cap savings, pushing that money forward into future years.
Expect a bevy of contract restructures and renegotiations this week as teams work to either get cap compliant or create space for free agency spending.
Releases:
Jawaan Taylor (OL) - The Kansas City Chiefs informed Jawaan Taylor of his pending release. The transaction has not been made official as of yet. This release will save $20.0 million in cash and the same against the 2026 salary cap.
Marshon Lattimore (DB) - The Washington Commanders informed Lattimore of his pending release. The transaction has not been made official as of yet. Two years after sending multiple draft picks to New Orleans, Washington now moves on, creating $18.5 million in cap savings with $18.5 million in cash.
Tyler Biadasz (OL) - In a surprising move, Washington released veteran center Tyler Biadasz on March 3, 2026. This comes two years after signing Biadasz to a 3-year $30 million contract during the 2024 free agency period. The transaction created a minimal $2.1 million in cap savings and $8.3 million in cash savings. Biadasz will quickly find work, with an already scheduled visit with the Chicago Bears after the surprise retirement news of Drew Dalman.
Be sure you are subscribed to follow along. I will continue to bring you all the free agency news in the coming weeks.
-TC