The Texans have agreed to terms with cornerback Ronald Darby on a one-year, $2.5 million deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
The Jaguars released Darby last week.
Darby joined the Jaguars last March on a two-year deal worth up to $10 million. He started 12 games and totaled 46 tackles, three tackles for loss and nine pass breakups.
Darby, 31, entered the NFL as a second-round pick of the Bills in 2015. He played two seasons in Buffalo, two in Philadelphia, one in Washington, two in Denver and one in Baltimore before joining the Jaguars.
In his 10-year career, Darby has totaled 447 tackles, eight interceptions, 106 pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He has played 6,222 defensive snaps.
Four years after the 49ers considered making him the third overall pick in the draft, quarterback Mac Jones has finally joined the 49ers.
Via multiple reports, the former Patriots and Jaguars quarterback has agreed to terms with the 49ers. It’s a two-year, $7 million deal, with $5 million guaranteed. Jones can earn up to $11.5 million.
When the 49ers traded up in the 2021 draft, some believed that they’d take Jones in that spot. Instead, the 49ers selected Trey Lance. Jones fell to No. 15.
He made the Pro Bowl with the Patriots as a rookie. His career was derailed when former Patriots coach Bill Belichick made one of the stupidest decisions in recent years, putting a career defensive coach in charge of the offense. It led to a schism between Belichick and Jones, who unlike most Patriots players was willing to push back against Belichick.
Jones was traded to the Jaguars in 2024. He became a free agent on Wednesday.
His arrival comes as the 49ers hope to extend Brock Purdy, the last player taken in the 2023 draft. With Jones under contract through 2026 and Purdy signed for only one more year, Jones gives the 49ers leverage in the event they choose to play hardball with Purdy.
Does he deserve an extension? Absolutely. The challenge becomes pegging the value of it. And there could be a gap that might prompt the 49ers to let it ride for $5.2 million in 2025, knowing that the franchise tag will be available for 2026. And that Jones will still be under contract.
Is it the player? Is it the system? Is it some of both? Those are the most critical questions as Purdy and the 49ers try to figure out what his long-term contract should look like.
Included last week in a purge of veterans from the Jacksonville roster, veteran tight end Evan Engram is looking for a new team.
His search continued on Tuesday, with (per NFL Media) a visit to the Chargers.
Engram visited the Broncos on Monday.
A first-round pick in 2017 from Mississippi, Engram has spent five years with the Giants and three with the Jaguars. He made the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2023.
His best season came in 2023, with 114 catches for 963 yards. Injuries limited him to nine games in 2024. He caught 47 passes for 365 yards in his final season in Jacksonville.
Will Dissly is the top tight end on the L.A. roster. He caught 50 passes for 481 yards and two touchdowns in 2024, his first year with the Chargers.
In less than 24 hours, the Vikings have lost Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and Nick Mullens to free agency. They now need a veteran quarterback.
Their options will become more clear after the last few QB1 dominoes fall. Both the Steelers and Giants are believed to be looking for a veteran starter. The Browns possibly are, too, despite trading for Kenny Pickett. The Titans could be, as well.
The only clear-cut candidate from the remaining crop of free agents is Aaron Rodgers. Available for backup duty are, among others, Jameis Winston, Mac Jones, Joe Flacco, Carson Wentz, Drew Lock, Mason Rudolph, Jacoby Brissett, Taylor Heinicke, Marcus Mariota, Cooper Rush.
Russell Wilson becomes the wild-card of the bunch. If he doesn’t get a starting job, will he accept a backup role? Few players who were ever the highest-paid quarterback in the league welcome the holding of a clipboard. (Flacco is the rare exception.) Will Wilson want to be on a team if he knows he won’t be playing?
Regardless, the Vikings need to do something. Minnesota currently has only two quarterbacks on the roster — 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy and Brett Rypien.
Free agent safety Andre Cisco has agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract with the Jets, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Cisco is 100th on PFT’s list of top-100 free agents.
The Jaguars made him a third-round pick in 2021, and he spent his first four seasons in Jacksonville. He has appeared in 63 games with 47 starts.
Cisco has totaled 229 tackles, 1.5 sacks, eight interceptions, 24 pass breakups and three forced fumbles.
In 2024, he started 14 of the 16 games he played and recorded 68 tackles, an interception and seven pass breakups.
The Jaguars are adding a key piece for their offensive line who has familiarity with new head coach Liam Coen.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Jacksonville has agreed to sign center Robert Hainsey to a three-year deal.
Rapoport notes the contract is worth $21 million with $13 million guaranteed.
Hainsey, 26, was a third-round pick in 2021. He started at center in 2022 and 2023 but moved back to a reserve role in 2024 after the club drafted Graham Barton at No. 26 overall.
In four seasons, Hainsey has 60 appearances with 35 starts. He’ll now be a key piece in implementing Coen’s offensive system, as he played under it when Coen served as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator in 2024.
The Jaguars have also agreed to terms with Patrick Mekari on Monday to improve the club’s offensive line.
The Jaguars continue to be one of the league’s busier teams in the first hours of the free agency negotiating window.
According to multiple reports, they have agreed to a deal with free agent offensive lineman Chuma Edoga. Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports that it is a two-year deal.
Edoga joins cornerback Jourdan Lewis in making the jump from the Cowboys to the Jaguars. The Jags have also agreed to terms with offensive lineman Patrick Mekari, tight end Hunter Long, wide receiver Dyami Brown, tight end Johnny Mundt, defensive back Eric Murray, and quarterback Nick Mullens.
Edoga played 22 games and made 10 starts for the Cowboys the last two seasons. He also made 13 starts as a member of the Jets and Falcons earlier in his career.
The Jaguars are adding a veteran offensive lineman.
According to ESPN, Jacksonville has agreed on a three-year deal with guard Patrick Mekari.
Mekari, 27, started all 17 games for Baltimore in 2024, playing 90 percent of the team’s offensive snaps.
Having joined the club as an undrafted free agent in 2019, Mekari has appeared in 88 career games with 53 starts over the last six seasons.
Mekari landed at No. 71 on PFT’s list of the top 100 free agents in 2025.
The 49ers took a break from talking to quarterback Brock Purdy about a new contract so that they could work on adding a new target for his passes.
According to multiple reports, the 49ers have agreed to a three-year deal with tight end Luke Farrell. The contract is worth up to $20.25 million and includes $11 million in guaranteed money.
Farrell will head to the Niners after spending the last four years with the Jaguars. Jacksonville selected him with the 145th pick of the 2021 draft.
Farrell played 66 games and made 20 starts for the Jags. He had 36 catches for 318 yards in those appearances.
The Jaguars are adding a receiver.
Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, Dyami Brown is heading to Jacksonville on a one-year deal.
The initial report indicates Brown’s contract is worth $10 million, which can move up to $12 million.
Brown, 25, just completed his rookie contract with the Commanders. He set career-highs with 30 receptions and 308 receiving yards in 2024. He was on the field for 44 percent of offensive snaps in his 16 games played with three starts.
A third-round pick in 2021, Brown has 59 career catches for 784 yards with four TDs.
Brown was No. 69 on PFT’s list of the top 100 free agents in 2025.
