Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Detroit Lions defensive end
Ezekiel Ansah and Miami Dolphins wide receiver
Jarvis Landry have already been franchise tagged by their respective teams, ensuring the two players do not reach free agency on March 14. Tuesday, March 6 is the last day NFL teams can tag a player. After that deadline, the free agency landscape will come into focus.
Another player who is expected to be taken off of the market before Tuesday is Pittsburgh Steelers running back
Le'Veon Bell, who is likely to be tagged for the second-straight year at the cost of just over $14.5 million. After that, the Steelers and Bell's representatives will continue to work on a deal,
according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The Dallas Cowboys filed the paperwork with the NFL to use the franchise tag on pass rusher
Demarcus Lawrence. Dallas never had any the intention of allowing him to reach free agency.
"We won't let D-Law not be a Dallas Cowboy next year," Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones
said last month. "We'll do everything we can to try to make something work, and if we don't get it done, then we'll franchise tag him. Then we'll go back to work."
The Jacksonville Jaguars were expected to use the franchise tag on wide receiver
Allen Robinson. However,
a recent report states that Jacksonville is likely to allow him to hit free agency instead while the team focuses its efforts on retaining receiver
Marqise Lee.
Other big-name players who could hit the open market include Chicago Bears cornerback
Kyle Fuller, Seattle Seahawks tight end
Jimmy Graham, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver
Sammy Watkins and cornerback
Trumaine Johnson. Of course, there will be no bigger name than Washington Redskins quarterback
Kirk Cousins, who is expected to patiently test free agency but eventually land an NFL-record deal with a new team.
The San Francisco 49ers are expected to be in play for some receiver and cornerback help in free agency but are not likely to heavily pursue many of their own scheduled free agents. With quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo now signed to a five-year deal worth up to $137.5 million, San Francisco is not expected to utilize the franchise tag this year. Unless team-friendly deals can be reached, players like running back
Carlos Hyde and safety
Eric Reid will reach free agency.
49ers general manager John Lynch said last week that the team would like to bring back linebacker
Brock Coyle and expected to meet with Hyde's agent, Doug Hendrickson, at the NFL Scouting Combine, but no new deals are imminent.
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, it's common for the rumor mill to start churning, especially with players who are actively seeking a new contract. It was just two short years ago that WR Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers prior to draft day, only for cooler heads to prevail and eventually agree to a new deal.
Now, it's WR Brandon Aiyuk's turn to try and get paid and rumors surfaced over the weekend that he too would request to be dealt. While that report was quickly shot down by his agent, there's still a lot of discussion about Aiyuk's future and if other teams will come calling on draft night.
Legendary columnist Mike Silver joined
