The Cardinals have agreed with linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither on a two-year deal worth up to $11 million, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.
The Bengals made Davis-Gaither a fourth-round pick in 2020, and he spent his first five seasons in Cincinnati.
He played all 17 games last season with seven starts, seeing action on 534 defensive snaps and 311 on special teams. Davis-Gaither totaled 82 tackles, one interception and four passes defensed.
He served as the third linebacker behind Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson.
In his career, Davis-Gaither has recorded 204 tackles, two interceptions, 11 passes defensed and two forced fumbles.
The Bengals agreed to a two-year deal with former Eagles linebacker Oren Burks earlier in the day.
Defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga is the latest addition to the free agent haul in New England.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Tonga has agreed to a one-year deal with the Patriots. It is set to pay him $2.7 million for the 2025 season.
Tonga had 22 tackles in 13 games for the Cardinals during the 2024 season. He had 43 tackles and a half-sack in two seasons with the Vikings and 24 tackles while playing for the Bears in his rookie season.
The Patriots have also struck deals with defensive tackle Milton Williams, cornerback Carlton Davis, linebacker Robert Spillane, and offensive tackle Morgan Moses since the free agent negotiating window opened on Monday.
Josh Sweat is going to be coached by Jonathan Gannon again.
Sweat, the top edge rusher on the market, has agreed to sign a four-year deal with the Cardinals on Monday, according to multiple reports.
The initial reports indicate Sweat’s contract is worth $76.4 million with $41 million guaranteed.
No. 4 on PFT’s list of the top 100 free agents of this offseason, Sweat put together a strong 2024 season. He finished the year with 8.0 sacks, nine tackles for loss, and 15 quarterback hits.
Sweat then added 2.5 sacks in Super Bowl LIX to help lead Philadelphia to victory.
A fourth-round pick in 2018, Sweat had spent his entire career with the Eagles. He’s recorded 43.0 sacks with 54 tackles for loss and 97 QB hits in his seven-year career. Gannon, Arizona’s head coach, was previously Philadelphia’s defensive coordinator.
The Cardinals are bringing back a key piece of their offense.
Per NFL Media, Arizona is re-signing offensive lineman Evan Brown to a two-year contract.
The initial report notes Brown’s deal is worth $11.5 million.
Brown, 28, started all 17 games for Arizona in 2024, playing 98 percent of the team’s offensive snaps and 17 percent of special teams snaps.
Brown has appeared in 74 games with 57 starts for the Giants, Dolphins, Browns, Lions, Seahawks, and Cardinals since 2019.
Linebacker Baron Browning joined the Cardinals during the 2024 season and he won’t be moving on to another team as a free agent.
According to multiple reports, Browning has agreed to a new deal with the team. It’s a two-year, $15 million pact with $4 million in incentives for Browning with the NFC West club.
The Cardinals acquired Browning in a midseason trade with the Broncos. Denver received a 2025 sixth-round pick in return.
Browning had 14 tackles and two sacks in eight games with Arizona. He had 114 tackles, 9.5 sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in 43 games over three-plus seasons with the Broncos.
The Commanders are bringing back another one of their key free-agent additions from 2024.
Tight end Zach Ertz has agreed to terms on a one-year deal to remain in D.C., per multiple reports.
It’s a one-year, $6.25 million contract for Ertz, with another $2.75 million available in incentives, via Tom Pelissero of NFL Media.
The move comes on the same day the Bengals re-signed tight end Mike Gesicki, which removed one of Ertz’s potential destinations for 2025.
Ertz caught 66 passes for 654 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He added 18 catches for 155 yards and one touchdown in three playoff games.
The 34-year-old Ertz entered the league in 2013, as a second-round pick of the Eagles. He was a member of the Super Bowl LII championship team. He was traded to the Cardinals during the 2021 season, where he remained through 2023.
Ertz joins linebacker Bobby Wagner as Super Bowl winners who have returned for a second shot at taking Washington back to the top of the mountain for the first time since 1991.
The Cardinals have struck deals that will keep a couple of their players from hitting the open market next week.
The team announced that they have signed safety Joey Blount to a two-year deal and long snapper Aaron Brewer will be sticking around on a one-year contract.
Blount was set to be a restricted free agent after appearing in 15 games last season. Most of his playing time came on special teams and Blount recorded five tackles. He has 20 tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 37 career games for Arizona and Seattle.
The 2025 season will be Brewer’s 10th in Arizona and his 14th NFL season overall.
Veteran defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris may have a spot on a new team soon.
Robertson-Harris was released by the Seahawks this week and he has already lined up a visit with another NFC West club. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that Robertson-Harris will meet with the Cardinals on Friday.
The Seahawks traded for Robertson-Harris during the 2024 season and he had 13 tackles and a pass defensed in 11 games for Seattle. He was in Jacksonville for three-plus seasons before the trade and opened his career with four seasons in Chicago.
Robertson-Harris has 211 tackles, 19 sacks, and a fumble recovery over his entire career.
Joey Bose officially became a free agent on Thursday. He can sign with any team, at any time.
The folks at DraftKings have installed the 49ers as the betting favorite to unite Bosa with his younger brother, Nick. The odds at +220.
Next on the list is the team that cut him, the Chargers. They’re 4-1.
The Lions are 8-1, and the Bears and Patriots land at 9-1. Next are the Bengals and Cardinals at 10-1, followed by the Commanders and Eagles at 12-1.
There’s talk of a potential “frenzy” for Bosa’s services, especially since this year’s free-agent class doesn’t have an overabundance of high-end options.
Kyler Murray is entering his seventh season still looking for his first playoff win. He has no bigger believer in his ability to lead the Cardinals to their first playoff win since 2015 than Jonathan Gannon.
Gannon consistently has sung his quarterback’s praises since he became the head coach in 2023. He did again this week at the Scouting Combine, placing the blame for the Cardinals’ 2-5 finish last season on himself and the team while predicting a big 2025 season for Murray.
“I don’t think it’s the quarterback, it’s the whole team. Myself, it’s the whole team,” Gannon said about the team’s non-playoff season. “I’m really excited where he’s at right now. I really am. I’m not going to make any power statements but he’s going to have a hell of a year, I know that.”
Murray, who tore an ACL on Dec. 12, 2022, had his fewest rushing attempts per game last season at 4.6.
“I would say [with a] dual-threat quarterback, we always got quarterback run game up,” Gannon said. “Some games more than others he extends and runs. I like when he extends and throws it down the field over people’s heads, but there’s no doubt he has that element to his game, and when he uses it, if he uses it at the appropriate time, he can kill you. I’m glad he’s our quarterback.”
Murray has made the Pro Bowl twice, in 2020 and 2021, but he is 36-45-1 in his career, and he had his worst career game in his only playoff game. He is under pressure to win and win soon.
