The ball is reportedly in Aaron Rodgers’s court.
Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who reported on Tuesday that the Steelers could pivot back to Russell Wilson if talks with Aaron Rodgers bog down over money, now reports that Pittsburgh has made an offer to Rodgers — and that the Steelers are simply waiting for a decision from Rodgers.
It seems like a matter of semantics, frankly. Unless the offer was conveyed on a take-it-or-leave-it basis, Rodgers could respond with a counteroffer that seeks a sweetened financial pot.
Regardless, it’s tempting to think that Rodgers, who not long ago was potentially out of options, has found a way to make it all about himself. Again.
Consider the candid (or staged to look candid) photos of Rodgers walking on a beach, possibly draped in velvet, while contemplating, well, something. In two weeks, Rodgers has gone from a guy who has had to reach out to the Giants to a guy who has options.
Whether he’s doing it on purpose or just doing what he does, he’s become the center of the NFL’s attention, for maybe one last time. We’re focused on him. We’re talking about him.
As long as the Steelers don’t move on to another veteran option, he can take his time. At some point, however, they’ll need an answer.
And, when he gives one, he’ll likely complain about all of the attention that his handling of the situation naturally generated.
He’s back.
Vikings safety Harrison Smith will (via NFL Media) return for another season in Minnesota — his 14th in the NFL. He’ll make $10.25 million, with up to $3.75 million in incentives.
A first-round pick in 2012, the 36-year-old Smith has spent his entire career with the Vikings.
He’s a six-time Pro Bowler. He was named a first-team All-Pro in 2017, and a second-team All-Pro in 2018.
Smith has appeared in 192 regular-season games with 191 starts. He has 37 career interceptions.
The Vikings confirmed a number of previously reported agreements after the start of the new league year on Wednesday afternoon and they also announced one that had not leaked ahead of time.
Defensive back Tavierre Thomas is joining the NFC North club. The Vikings did not announce the terms of the deal.
Thomas had 14 tackles in 17 games for the Buccaneers last season. He was almost exclusively a special teamer in Tampa, but started 19 games over three seasons with the Browns before heading down to Florida.
Thomas joins cornerback Isaiah Rodgers as new additions to the secondary in Minnesota. The team’s deals with center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries were also part of the announcement.
Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave was officially released by the 49ers when the new league year began at 4 p.m. ET and he landed a new gig a short time later.
Word earlier this week was that Hargrave would sign with the Vikings and multiple reports on Wednesday afternoon are that he has agreed to a two-year contract. The deal is worth $30 million with $19 million guaranteed.
Hargrave tore his triceps in the third game of the 2024 season and did not return to action. He had 44 tackles and seven sacks in the 2023 regular season and 10 tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery to help the 49ers to the NFC title.
The Vikings are also adding Jonathan Allen to their defensive line as they double down on adding recently released veterans.
The following are PFT’s top 100 free agents for the start of the 2025 league year. The rankings include prospective unrestricted free agents and released players. The list will be updated as events warrant, with signings, tags and re-signings denoted when announced and/or reported. Players released after initial publication may be added and all 100 players initially on the list will still be listed after any additions.
1. Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. (Franchise tagged by the Bengals on March 3.)
2. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Seahawks on March 10.)
3. Chiefs offensive guard Trey Smith. (Franchise tagged by the Chiefs on Feb. 27.)
4. Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat. (Agreed to four-year deal with the Cardinals on March 10.)
5. Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Bucs on March 10.)
6. Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Ravens on March 8.)
7. Jets cornerback D.J. Reed. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Lions on March 10.)
8. Dolphins safety Jevon Holland. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Giants on March 11.)
9. Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Chiefs on March 9.)
10. Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. (Agreed to four-year deal with the Cowboys on March 4.)
11. Chiefs safety Justin Reid. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Saints on March 11.)
12. Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Chargers on March 10.)
13. 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Colts on March 10.)
14. 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Broncos on March 10.)
15. 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Broncos on March 10.)
16. Rams offensive tackle Alaric Jackson. (Agreed to three-year extension with the Rams on February 28.)
17. Vikings offensive tackle Cam Robinson.
18. Falcons center Drew Dalman. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Bears on March 10.)
19. Lions cornerback Carlton Davis. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Patriots on March 10.)
20. Eagles linebacker Zack Baun. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Eagles on March 5.)
21. Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Jets on March 9.)
22. Jets edge Haason Reddick. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Buccaneers on March 10.)
23. Eagles offensive guard Mekhi Becton.
24. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
25. Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Vikings on March 10.)
26. Colts offensive guard Will Fries. (Agreed to five-year deal with the Vikings on March 11.)
27. Packers center Josh Myers. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Jets on March 12.)
28. Vikings safety Cam Bynum. (Agreed to terms on a four-year deal with the Colts on March 10.)
29. Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Commanders on March 6.)
30. Eagles defensive lineman Milton Williams. (Agreed to sign with the Patriots on March 10.)
31. Lions defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike. (Agreed to new deal with the Lions on March 12.)
32. Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel.
33. Vikings running back Aaron Jones. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Vikings on March 9.)
34. Jets wide receiver Davante Adams. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Rams on March 9.)
35. Raiders safety Tre’von Moehrig. (Agreed to terms with the Panthers on March 10.)
36. Saints tight end Juwan Johnson. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Saints on March 11.)
37. Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper.
38. Steelers running back Najee Harris. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Chargers on March 10.)
39. Lions offensive guard Kevin Zeitler. (Agreed to one-year deal with Titans on March 12.)
40. Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Chiefs on March 8.)
41. Cardinals linebacker Baron Browning. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Cardinals on March 9.)
42. Eagles cornerback Darius Slay. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Steelers on March 12.)
43. Steelers offensive guard James Daniels. (Agreed to three-year deal with Dolphins on March 10.)
44. Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson. (Agreed to three-year deal with Panthers on March 10.)
45. Saints edge rusher Chase Young. (Agreed to three-year deal with Saints on March 10.)
46. Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
47. Colts edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Bears on March 10.)
48. Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton.
49. Giants linebacker Azeez Ojulari.
50. Chiefs defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Panthers on March 10.)
51. Falcons safety Justin Simmons.
52. Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Giants on March 10.)
53. Buccaneers offensive guard Ben Bredeson. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Buccaneers on March 10.)
54. Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Chiefs on March 11.)
55. Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Seahawks on March 9.)
56. Vikings edge rusher Patrick Jones. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Panthers on March 10.)
57. Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Bucs on March 7.)
58. Commanders edge rusher Dante Fowler.
59. Vikings safety Harrison Smith. (Agreed to one-year deal to return to Minnesota on March 12.)
60. Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas.
61. Chargers edge rusher Joey Bosa. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Bills on March 11.)
62. Steelers quarterback Justin Fields. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Jets on March 10.)
63. Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Raiders on March 10.)
64. Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Bengals on March 10.)
65. Commanders safety Jeremy Chinn. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Raiders on March 10.)
66. Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane. (Agreed to sign with the Patriots on March 10.)
67. Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
68. Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins.
69. Bears offensive lineman Teven Jenkins.
70. Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Jaguars on March 10.)
71. Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Falcons on March 11.)
72. Ravens offensive guard Patrick Mekari. (Agreed to sign with the Jaguars on March 10.)
73. Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen.
74. Cowboys defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Seahawks on March 12.)
75. Commanders tight end Zach Ertz. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Commanders on March 8.)
76. Bengals defensive tackle B.J. Hill. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Bengals on March 10.)
77. Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Seahawks on March 9.)
78. Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. (Agreed to one-year deal with Ravens on March 11.)
79. Colts center Ryan Kelly. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Vikings on March 10.)
80. Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis. (Agreed to sign with the Jaguars on March 1.)
81. Colts safety Julian Blackmon.
82. Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Bengals on March 8.)
83. Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo. (Agreed to sign with the Giants on March 10.)
84. Dolphins defensive lineman Calais Campbell.
85. Falcons edge rusher Matthew Judon.
86. Colts linebacker E.J. Speed.
87. Jaguars offensive guard Brandon Scherff.
88. Steelers offensive tackle Dan Moore. (Agreed to four-year deal with the Titans on March 10.)
89. Chargers defensive tackle Poona Ford. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Rams on March 10.)
90. Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.
91. Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Panthers on March 12.)
92. Browns quarterback Jameis Winston.
93. Cardinals outside linebacker Kyzir White.
94. Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Chargers on March 10.)
95. Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs. (Agreed to a four-year deal with the Packers on March 10.)
96. Jets offensive tackle Morgan Moses. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Patriots on March 10.)
97. Broncos inside linebacker Cody Barton. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Titans on March 10.)
98. 49ers defensive lineman Javon Hargrave. (Agreed to terms with Vikings on March 11.)
99. Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills.
100. Rams defensive tackle Bobby Brown. (Agreed to terms with the Panthers on March 10.)
101. Jaguars safety Andre Cisco. (Agreed to a one-year deal with Jets on March 10.)
102. Cowboys edge rusher Chauncey Golston. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Giants on March 10.)
103. Vikings quarterback Daniel Jones. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Colts on March 11.)
104. Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Steelers on March 11.)
When the new league year begins at 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the Jets will release quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He’ll officially become a free agent, for the first time in his 20-year NFL career.
So what will happen next?
Nobody knows, at this point. It’s widely believed to be a two-team race between the Steelers and the Giants. If Rodgers’s goal is to cap his career in the postseason, it shouldn’t be a question.
As of Tuesday, it became obvious that the sticking point for Rodgers and the Steelers is money. They need each other. The gap suggests Rodgers believes the Steelers need Rodgers more than Rodgers needs the Steelers — and the Steelers believe Rodgers needs the Steelers more than the Steelers need Rodgers.
Meanwhile, the Vikings could be lurking. Which could become a boom-or-bust proposition for Minnesota in 2025. The last time the Vikings embraced a former Packers and Jets quarterback, it went well. They made it to the NFC Championship with Brett Favre, where they outplayed (but lost to) the Saints. (Contributing factors included Adrian Peterson’s fumbles, the bounty on Favre, his ill-advised, Favre-being-Favre, cross-body throw when the team was in range for a potential game-winning field goal, an inexplicable too-many-men-in-the-huddle penalty after a timeout that made the potential game-winning field goal five yards longer, and the inherently unfair overtime rules that allowed a team to win the toss, take the ball, convert a couple of first downs, and walk off as the winner with a three-pointer).
The dynamics will change if/when any of the three teams decide to punt on Rodgers and address their veteran-quarterback needs elsewhere. That’s the risk Rodgers takes by taking time to make a decision. If the Vikings add, for example, Jameis Winston, they’ll be out. If the Giants or Steelers sign Russell Wilson, they’ll be out. And Rodgers, as it relates to having maximum options and in turn maximum leverage, could be (to use the technical terminology) shit out of luck.
The football world came to a standstill in 2012, when Peyton Manning was contemplating his options. Rodgers currently doesn’t have that kind of cachet. He had two subpar years with the Jets. And he has been more underwhelming than overwheling in the postseason for a lot longer than that.
Not long ago, it looked as if he had only one option for 2025 — the Giants. Once the Vikings and Steelers address their obvious needs at the position, it could be back to signing with the Giants or waiting for a starter on a short-list contender to suffer a season-ending injury. Whenever that might be. If it even happens.
Quarterback Daniel Jones opted for the Colts over the Vikings. It wasn’t about the money. Because the money is not great.
The one-year, $14 million base deal ties $850,000 of the package to per-game roster bonuses. Only $13.15 million is guaranteed.
But there’s upside. Jones can earn up to $3.7 million in incentives, based on playing time, wins, and whether the Colts make it to the playoffs.
It’s still not a massive deal. If he wins the starting job, he’ll be the lowest paid NFL starter on a non-rookie contract. And, if he plays well, Jones will set himself up for a much better contract in 2026.
Anthony Richardson will have something to say about whether Jones starts. If the veteran’s arrival sparks Richardson to address his flaws and throw himself fully into football, Jones might end up sitting and watching.
Free agency officially begins Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. But after a flurry of agreements on Monday and Tuesday, most of this year’s top free agents have either re-signed with their old teams or agreed to terms with new ones.
Vikings offensive tackle Cam Robinson heads into Wednesday as the highest-ranked free agent who is still available. Robinson is the No. 17 player on our list of the NFL’s Top 100 free agents for 2025.
Of the 16 players ranked ahead of Robinson, two got the franchise tag: No. 1 Tee Higgins of the Bengals and No. 3 Trey Smith of the Chiefs.
Eight of the Top 16 have agreed to terms with new teams:
No. 2 quarterback Sam Darnold is leaving the Vikings for the Seahawks.
No. 4 edge rusher Josh Sweat is leaving the Eagles for the Cardinals.
No. 7 cornerback D.J. Reed is leaving the Jets for the Lions.
No. 8 safety Jevon Holland is leaving the Dolphins for the Giants.
No. 11 safety Justin Reid is leaving the Chiefs for the Saints.
No. 13 cornerback Charvarius Ward is leaving the 49ers for the Colts.
No. 14 safety Talanoa Hufanga is leaving the 49ers for the Broncos.
No. 15 linebacker Dre Greenlaw is leaving the 49ers for the Broncos.
Six of the Top 16 will be staying with the same teams: No. 5 Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin, No. 6 Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley, No. 9 Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton, No. 10 Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, No. 12 Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack and No. 16 Rams offensive tackle Alaric Jackson.
And that leaves Robinson, who was traded to the Vikings during the 2024 season after playing his entire eight-year career for the Jaguars before that, as the top-ranked player without a home. He could find his next NFL team today.
Free agent wide receiver has agreed to terms on a two-year, $8 million deal with the Broncos, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.
The Broncos gave free agent Josh Reynolds a similar contract last offseason but ended up cutting him before last season ended.
Sherfield, 29, spent last season with the Vikings. He played 17 game with one start and saw action on 179 offensive snaps and 221 on special teams. Sherfield caught eight passes for 83 yards and a touchdown and made eight tackles.
Sherfield has played three seasons for the Cardinals, one for the 49ers, one for the Dolphins, one for the Bills and one for the Vikings.
In his career, he has 86 catches for 1,013 yards and six touchdowns with 36 special teams tackles.
The Steelers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers are negotiating. At this point, they both need each other. And they each could be overplaying their hand.
Pittsburgh has no viable alternative to Rodgers, unless the Falcons change their minds about not trading Kirk Cousins. Russell Wilson, despite the great things he has done in his career, likely isn’t the answer to this question: “How do we finally win another playoff game?”
But Rodgers has no viable alternative to Pittsburgh, if he hopes to not go out like the last shot from a Roman candle. Unless the Vikings decide to complete the Favre cycle, it’s the Giants and 7-10 at best or the Steelers and a likely trip to the playoffs.
What will it take to get it done? Is the magic number $45 million per year? $40 million? The quarterback market has spiked in recent years, and it would seem to be difficult to justify Rodgers taking less than $45 million per year, at a time when 14 quarterbacks are making that much or more.
The problem for Rodgers is that it was widely believed he’d take a low-end deal with the Rams, if Matthew Stafford had left. Regardless of whether Rodgers would have been a bargain if he’d been able to play in Southern California, the Steelers have a clear need. But they seem to be hoping to go cheap at the quarterback position, like they were able to do a year ago when they paid Wilson, Justin Fields, and Kyle Allen — combined — less than what Mason Rudolph got in Tennessee.
The cap keeps going up. The cash keeps going up. The market keeps going up. There’s a big, but fair, number that works for both sides, if they truly want to partner up. If they can’t agree on money, maybe they truly don’t.
