Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III is the new running back for Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, the Miami Dolphins settled on Malik Willis for a reset at quarterback and wide receiver Mike Evans is headed to San Francisco after 12 years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
People with knowledge of the agreements told The Associated Press on Monday — the opening day of NFL free agency — that Walker is leaving the Seattle Seahawks after winning a championship and that the Dolphins reached a deal with Willis after announcing earlier in the day they were releasing Tua Tagovailoa.
The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because contracts can’t be signed until Wednesday, the first day of the new league year.
The negotiating window opened with a flurry of significant deals, including the Indianapolis Colts keeping their top free agent in wide receiver Alec Pierce, a Glenbard West alumnus.
Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and the Carolina Panthers agreed on a four-year, $120 million contract with $80 million guaranteed. The Philadelphia Eagles were hoping to retain Phillips after sending a third-round pick to Miami for him at the trade deadline last season. Phillips had five sacks combined for the Dolphins and Eagles.
The Dallas Cowboys added edge rusher Rashan Gary in a trade with the Green Bay Packers for a 2027 fourth-round pick. The Packers acquired star Micah Parsons from the Cowboys a week before the season last year. Gary was the 12th pick in the draft in 2019, two years before Dallas drafted Parsons in the same spot.
Walker and the Chiefs agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $45 million, with $28.7 million guaranteed. The 25-year-old fills perhaps the biggest need as the Chiefs try to bounce back from a 6-11 season. Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, their top two running backs, are both free agents.
The deal came as Kansas City was nearing an agreement to bring back four-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce for his 14th season.
Walker is the fourth Super Bowl MVP to change teams the next season: Larry Brown went from the Cowboys to the Raiders in 1996, Desmond Howard from the Packers to the Raiders in 1997 and Dexter Jackson from the Buccaneers to the Arizona Cardinals in 2003.
The Dolphins reached an agreement with Willis a few hours after dumping Tagovailoa — who later agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons — and incurring a record $99 million hit on their salary cap. Willis will reunite with general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and first-year coach Jeff Hafley. They were together in Green Bay, where Willis spent the last two seasons.
Miami made another move by agreeing to trade safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets for a seventh-round pick.
The Jets further revamped their defense by agreeing to deals with former New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis — who will return for a third stint in New York — former Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata, former Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Joseph Ossai and former Packers pass rusher Kingsley Enagbare.
The Jets drafted Davis in the third round in 2012, and he returned in 2017 after a year in Cleveland. The 37-year-old played the last eight seasons for the Saints — including three with current Jets coach Aaron Glenn as the defensive backs coach.
Onyemata, a fourth-round pick by the Saints in 2016, also knows Glenn from their time in New Orleans. He played the last three years in Atlanta and has 31 career sacks and 401 tackles. Ossai had five sacks in each of the last two seasons for the Bengals.
The 49ers added a proven pass catcher in Evans for quarterback Brock Purdy, agreeing to a three-year contract with a player who had 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first 11 seasons before injuries limited him to eight games in 2025.
The move for the 32-year-old Evans comes with the 49ers planning to release Brandon Aiyuk. They placed him on the reserve/left squad list last season after he stopped showing up to rehabilitate a knee injury that had sidelined him for a year.
The Colts keeping Pierce on a four-year, $116 million deal coincided with them sending Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a late-round draft pick. Pittman spent his first six seasons with Indianapolis.
The Tennessee Titans were among the teams with the most to spend going into free agency and tapped connections to first-year coach Robert Saleh and new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. The headliners were defensive end John Franklin-Myers and cornerback Alontae Taylor on deals with annual average values of at least $20 million. Franklin-Myers played for the Jets when Saleh was their coach.
The Titans also filled a need at receiver by adding Wan’Dale Robinson, whom the New York Giants drafted when Daboll was a rookie head coach in 2022. The Giants fired Daboll last season.
Another former Giant, cornerback Cor’Dale Flott, also is headed to the Titans, who are rebuilding a battered secondary and have a decision looming on L’Jarius Sneed’s future.
The 25-year-old Robinson was the first player 5-foot-8 or shorter with 1,000 receiving yards since 5-7 Richard Johnson in 1989 and the third since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Robinson had 1,014 yards on 92 catches.
The Minnesota Vikings kept one of their unrestricted free agents off the market with a new contract for 10th-year veteran linebacker Eric Wilson, and they agreed to terms with former Steelers cornerback James Pierre.
Wilson, who returned to his original team last season, had career highs in tackles for loss (17), sacks (6½), quarterback hits (10) and forced fumbles (four).
Cleveland added guard Zion Johnson, a 2022 first-round pick who spent his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Browns are looking at an overhaul on offense, with several starters in free agency.
Running back J.K. Dobbins is returning to the Denver Broncos on a two-year contract. He ran for 772 yards and four touchdowns over 10 games before a foot injury in November ended his season. Dobbins returned to practice before the AFC championship game but didn’t dress for the Broncos’ 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots.
The Detroit Lions agreed to a contract with Larry Borom, the likely replacement for left tackle Taylor Decker after he asked for his release before the start of free agency. Borom has 38 starts over five seasons with the Dolphins and Chicago Bears. The Lions also added Cade Mays, who started 20 games at center the last two seasons in Carolina.
The Buffalo Bills have a starting need at cornerback and agreed to a three-year deal with Dee Alford. He has 23 starts in 64 games over four seasons with the Falcons. Alford could start opposite Christian Benford. The Bills also agreed to sign quarterback Kyle Allen to a two-year contract, bringing him back for a second stint as Josh Allen’s backup after Mitch Trubisky’s departure to Tennessee.
The Giants brought in two players familiar to new coach John Harbaugh from his time in Baltimore, adding tight end Isaiah Likely and All-Pro punter Jordan Stout. They also filled a defensive need with linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
Looking to bounce back from a 5-12 season, the Washington Commanders spent big money in free agency to sign edge rusher Odafe Oweh while also bringing back left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Oweh’s contract is worth $100 million over four years, with $68 million guaranteed.
The Cowboys made another move for a beleaguered defense that was among the NFL’s worst last season, agreeing on a three-year deal with safety Jalen Thompson, who spent his first seven seasons in Arizona.
