Month: March 2025

The Buffalo Bills announced on Wednesday that veteran safety Damar Hamlin has agreed to a one-year contract extension.

Hamlin spent the last four years with the Bills, originally a sixth-round pick by the Bills in 2021 NFL draft out of Pittsburgh. The safety began his career as a backup and special teams player before becoming a starter in 2022-23 due to injuries sustained by the Bills’ starting safeties.

Hamlin, 26, experienced an on-field cardiac arrest during the “Monday Night Football” game in Cincinnati on Jan. 2, 2023.  He was hospitalized for more than a week in 2023, and was medically cleared to return to football. He served as a backup in 2023 as he worked his way back, both mentally and physically; and returned to a starting role in 2024, with 14 starts.

During his 2024-25 campaign, Hamlin totaled 89 combined tackles, five passes defensed and a career-high two interceptions, in addition to a fumble recovery.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers and former Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell have agreed to a one-year deal. Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports was the first to report the news, with league sources confirming the deal to ESPN on Wednesday.

Gainwell, who turns 26 later this week, was the fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He spent the last four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, totaling 1,906 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns over his first 66 career appearances. In 2024, Gainwell played 301 offensive snaps and 114 on special teams in 17 games. He had 91 touches for 406 yards and a touchdown in the regular season and added 16 touches for 68 yards in the postseason. Playing behind MVP finalist Saquon Barkley last season, Gainwell finished with 75 carries for 290 yards and a touchdown, with 12 of those carries resulting in first downs.

The deal with Gainwell comes shortly after the Steelers lost starting running back Najee Harris to the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency. Harris led the Steelers with 1,326 yards from scrimmage, including 1,043 rushing yards, over 17 starts last season.

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The Indianapolis Colts are finalizing a move to acquire quarterback Daniel Jones on a one-year, $14-million deal that could be worth up to $17.7 million based on incentives. Jones now becomes the challenger to 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson for the Colts’ starting quarterback job in 2025.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter,“Former Vikings QB Daniel Jones is finalizing a one-year, $14 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts, per sources. Jones had a chance to return to Minnesota, but now becomes the challenger to the Colts’ former first-round pick Anthony Richardson.”

Jones was drafted sixth overall by the Giants in 2019, and has played all six of his seasons in NY, tallying 14,582 yards with 70 touchdowns, 47 interceptions and 50 fumbles over 70 career appearances. He signed a four-year, $160-million contract with the Giants ahead of the 2023 season that came with $92 million guaranteed.  The QB was released by the New York Giants in November; he threw for 2,070 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions before being benched and eventually released.  He signed with the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad and later moved up to the team’s active roster in time for the playoffs; however, he did not make an appearance.

The 27-year-old Jones will now compete with Richardson (who has been plagued with injuries)  in his first two seasons in the NFL since being drafted fourth overall in 2023.

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The Houston Texans have traded star offensive guard Kenyon Green in exchange for Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, sources told ESPN. The Eagles will send Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick to Houston, in exchange for Green and a 2026 fifth-round pick.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo posted on X: “Sources to me and @RapSheet: The #Eagles are trading S C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the #Texans in exchange for former first-round G Kenyon Green plus a pick swap. CJGJ and a 2026 6th-rounder to Houston for Green and a 2026 5th.”

Gardner-Johnson, 27, was the fourth-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2019 NFL Draft. He totaled 51 passes defensed, 18 interceptions and four sacks through the first 74 games of his career, initially joining the Eagles in a 2022 trade from the Saints. The Eagles signed the veteran safety to a three-year, $27 million contract last off-season. He totaled 59 combined tackles, 12 passes defensed, six interceptions and a forced fumble over 16 starts last season.

Green, 23, was the No. 15 overall pick by the Texans in the 2022 NFL Draft, and appeared in 27 games over the last three seasons (though he missed the entire 2023 campaign due to a shoulder injury). The 6-foot-4, 325-pound guard appeared in 12 games, including nine starts, last season for the Texans.

Gardner-Johnson expressed his love for Philadelphia in a series of X posts Tuesday morning, writing: “This decision wasn’t mine, but I walk away proud of what we built together. To my teammates: Brothers, we bled, cursed, and laughed through it all. To the coaches and front office: Thank you for trusting a kid from Florida with a chip on his shoulder to lead this defense. And to the Philly Faithful — you’re unmatched. You embraced my edge and fire, for this game even when I got too hot.”

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