If you can’t beat them, join them. Liverpool were slow to get on board with the Premier League‘s set-piece revolution, but their willingness to embrace the game’s increasingly agricultural approach has been instrumental in their recent revival, including in Saturday’s 5-2 victory over West Ham United at Anfield.

When Alexis Mac Allister drilled home the hosts’ third goal of the afternoon in front of the Kop, he ensured Liverpool became just the second team in Premier League history to score three goals from corners in the first half of a match, after Manchester United against Leicester City in September 2016. It is the kind of statistic that would have seemed preposterous in the early months of the campaign, when the Reds’ lack of proficiency at both scoring and defending set pieces negatively impacted their fortunes on an almost weekly basis.

Liverpool’s woes in that department were so pronounced that the club opted to part company with set-piece coach Aaron Briggs in December — although manager Arne Slot publicly defended his former colleague when grilled on the matter last week.

“It would be very unfair to Aaron, who was only partly responsible for that, because in the end I’m responsible for everything,” Slot said. “In the end it’s always my responsibility. But we were, in that period of time, so, so, so unlucky.”

– Premier League Power Rankings: Liverpool down in rating of all 20 teams
– Champions League round-of-16 predictions: Osimhen a big threat to Reds
– No one loves late drama like Liverpool. What’s behind their slow starts?

On the evidence of Saturday’s first-half showing, that luck has now started to change. Having been perennial slow starters in the top flight this season, Liverpool raced into an early lead when Ryan Gravenberch recycled possession from a corner and picked out Hugo Ekitike, who finished smartly past Mads Hermansen at the near post.

It was Ekitike’s 11th league goal of the season and his 16th in all competitions, making the France international the first Liverpool player to reach 20 goal contributions this term, with four assists also to his name. West Ham, who had lost just one of their previous six league games ahead of this weekend’s trip to Merseyside, rallied well after the early setback but found themselves on the end of yet more set-piece misery when Virgil van Dijk rose highest to nod Dominik Szoboszlai‘s in-swinging corner into the back if the net.

Liverpool employed the same route to goal again on the stroke of halftime, with Ekitike helping Szoboszlai’s smart delivery into the path of Mac Allister, who finished with aplomb to double his Premier League goal tally for the season.

His strike was Liverpool’s seventh consecutive league goal from a non-penalty set piece — the longest run by any side in the competition’s history. While Slot was right to assert that his team’s drastic uptick in set-piece form should not be pinned on one individual, the contrast in Liverpool’s numbers is stark.

Across their first 20 Premier League matches this season, Liverpool scored just three goals from set pieces — the fewest of any team in the division. Their efficacy from corners on Saturday, however, means they have scored nine set-piece goals in their past eight league games: more than any of their competitors.

“That’s very pleasing because that is the reason we have won,” Slot said in his postmatch news conference. “In my opinion, we have played better when we have lost and conceded from set pieces. But, as I’ve always said, things went back to normal.

“We created quite a lot of chances from set pieces in the first half of the season and almost every set piece we conceded went in, and today you could see exactly the opposite happening. Their first big chance was a set piece that would have gone in, in the first six or seven months, I’m 100% sure. But then it doesn’t and we start scoring from set pieces, things start looking much better and brighter. That’s really pleasing for us, for the team and for the fans as well.”

In a season that has been characterized by late drama, Liverpool deviated from the norm by scoring three goals in the first half of a league game for the first time since the day they clinched the title against Tottenham Hotspur last April. Still, the Reds’ unwelcome habit of making life difficult from themselves once again reared its head in the second half, with Tomás Soucek diverting El Hadji Malick Diouf‘s drilled cross past Alisson Becker just four minutes after the restart.

With nothing to lose, West Ham continued to pose plenty of problems for their hosts before Cody Gakpo‘s deflected effort helped to calm some nerves around Anfield. It was only the Netherlands international’s second goal in the league since his strike in the reverse fixture at the London Stadium in late November, and his impassioned celebration suggested it was a welcome relief to find himself back on the scoresheet.

A late header from Valentín Castellanos and an even later own-goal from Axel Disasi only heightened the erratic nature of Liverpool’s second-half display, and Slot will know more control and composure is required from his team if they are to finish the season in a stronger fashion than they started it.

Nevertheless, Liverpool have now won seven of their past nine games in all competitions and are up to fifth in the Premier League, just three points behind third-placed Aston Villa. They irrefutably remain an imperfect side, and even in securing their joint-biggest top-flight win of the season, they showed there is still plenty of scope for improvement.

But having been late to the set-piece party, Liverpool now look determined to make up for lost time. It might just be the secret weapon they need to make this campaign a successful one.

Players from the men’s and women’s Olympic gold-medal winning hockey teams appeared together on “Saturday Night Live” amid recent political controversy. 

The men’s and women’s players had been publicly pitted against each other after President Donald Trump called the men’s team following their gold medal win against Canada to invite them to the State of the Union, and joked that he would have to invite the women too or he’d be impeached. The joke prompted backlash, primarily from American and Canadian liberals, against the men’s team after the players laughed in response.

Women’s players Hilary Knight and Megan Keller were joined by men’s players Jack and Quinn Hughes on SNL, and made light of the recent controversy. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM 

Knight appeared to reference Trump’s joke.

“It was going to be just us, but we thought we’d invite the guys, too,” Knight said. 

Knight delivered another punchline after Quinn Hughes said the last time the men won gold was 46 years ago at the 1980 Lake Placid Games.

Knight followed by saying the women’s team last won gold two Olympics ago, at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games.

Jack Hughes responded, saying, “Nice burn. These gold medals aren’t just for us, they’re for all hockey fans.”

“Heated Rivalry” actor Connor Storrie hosted the episode. 

Several mainstream media outlets penned op-eds condemning the men’s team for laughing at the joke, visiting the White House to celebrate and attending Trump’s State of the Union address. 

During an interview on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” Friday, Hughes opened up about his respect for the women’s team after McAfee appeared to reference the controversy by joking that Hughes and his teammates “hate” the women players.

“We are hanging out with them so much, the women’s team. We were supporting them. Like, we were at their games, they were at our games,” Hughes said. 

Hughes then appeared to address the recent criticism of his team for its response to Trump’s joke.

“Like all these people talking, how many of them watched their gold medal game? Me and Quinn Hughes were at the game. We were at the game until, like, overtime ended on the glass, and we were jumping up and down so excited for these girls, so excited they won,” Hughes said.

“And how many of these people watched the gold medal game, watched their semifinals game? Like 10 of the 10 of our players went to their game in the round-robin. Like, we supported them so much, and we’re so proud of them. We’re so happy that they won, and they brought a gold medal back and that, you know, I said it, the men’s and women’s team both brought gold medals back. So, just unbelievable for USA hockey.”

Jack Hughes, who scored the game-winning overtime goal against Canada to win gold, reflected on his interaction with the player on the U.S. women’s team who did the same in Keller.

“Me and her had a great moment in the cafeteria after her gold medal game. We played Slovakia the next night, and it was like a late game. And we were in the pasta line — me and Megan. They were just getting ready to go out again, and I just gave her a massive hug, and I said, ‘I’m so happy for you. I’m so proud of you,'” Hughes said.

“A couple nights later, saw her again in the [cafeteria], and we took a great picture and, uh, she just gave me a big hug and was so pumped for me as well.” 

U.S. women’s hockey captain Hilary Knight said on Wednesday’s edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” that Trump’s “distasteful joke” has “overshadow[ed]” the women’s success.

“I thought it was sort of a distasteful joke, and, unfortunately, that is overshadowing a lot of the success, the success of just women at the Olympics carrying for Team USA and having amazing gold medal feats,” Knight said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“We’re just focusing on celebrating the women in our room, the extraordinary efforts, and continue to celebrate three gold medals in program history as well as the double gold for both men’s and women’s at the same time. And really not detract from that with a distasteful joke.”

Hughes’ mother Ellen, a former Team USA player and current player development staff member, said the players only cared about “bring[ing] so much unity to a group and to a country.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

It has been a busy week in Indianapolis at the NFL combine. The top 2026 draft prospects worked out and ran their 40-yard dashes. There was a rare one-for-one trade, and a few more players were granted permission to seek deals. There were also the first few franchise tags ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, and buzz started ramping up for free agency, which begins with the legal negotiation window March 9.

The combine is traditionally a major event for NFL offseason news, so it’s a great source for gathering intel. National reporters Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano spent the week talking to execs, coaches, agents, scouts, players and other team sources to learn more about what could happen in the coming weeks.

What could teams such as Arizona, Miami, Minnesota and Indianapolis do at quarterback? What’s the latest on possible A.J. Brown or Maxx Crosby trades? What might a few teams that surprisingly came up short of the playoffs last season do this offseason to get back on top? And who are the most interesting sleeper free agents to watch for big money? Here’s everything we heard in Indy.

Jump to the latest on:
Vikings QB moves | Geno Smith
Dolphins QB moves | Malik Willis
Cardinals QB moves | Colts free agents
Kirk Cousins | Cowboys defense
Ravens moves | A.J. Brown | Maxx Crosby
RBs | WRs | Sleeper free agents | More

Will the Vikings add quarterback competition?

Graziano: The Vikings are not ready to give up on J.J. McCarthy, their 2024 first-round pick who missed his rookie season because of a knee injury and struggled mightily through an injury-riddled second season in 2025. But they also aren’t ready to hand McCarthy the keys for 2026. The odd quarterback landscape of this offseason makes it difficult to predict where the Vikings land, but if and when someone such as Geno Smith or Kyler Murray gets cut, I could see Minnesota pursuing that kind of passer on a low-cost, one-year prove-it deal.

Bringing in a veteran quarterback who has had some success in the league could be what the Vikings need to get McCarthy’s attention. It would remind him about the parts of his game he still needs to work on and get him back on track to where Minnesota can hopefully harness his talent and build him into the franchise QB it thought he was when it drafted him. If the Vikings don’t land that type of QB, they’d probably pivot to the older free agents in that group, such as Joe Flacco, former Viking Kirk Cousins and, yes, Aaron Rodgers, whom they discussed bringing in last offseason before deciding against it.

It’s also possible that the Vikings look into one of the potentially available unproven backup QBs who could be available via trade, such as Tanner McKee, Davis Mills or even Anthony Richardson Sr. But while such a move might help them feel better about the depth of their QB room, it likely wouldn’t help them accomplish their goal with McCarthy — either get him back on track or at least buy themselves another year to evaluate his long-term viability.

Fowler: I’ve also heard that the Vikings are considering Murray and Smith as they outline their veteran quarterback plan. Tua Tagovailoa and Cousins are also on their radar. Some I’ve talked to are breaking those four into two tiers, with Murray and Smith in the first group.

None of those quarterbacks are free agents, but Cousins will be soon, and the others are available via either a trade or a release. The expectation leaguewide is that a combination of Murray, Smith and Tagovailoa — and possibly all three — will be free agents soon enough, barring intensified trade talks. And many quarterbacks view Minnesota as an attractive destination.

Smith possibly joining the Vikings has been underplayed as a pairing in league circles, but it makes a lot of sense. He’s due $18.5 million in 2026 guarantees but has another $8 million that guarantees on the third day of the new league year. He also offers “bridge QB” cover if the team doesn’t want to bail on McCarthy and show a true QB competition, even if veiled.

play

Why Orlovsky is on board with Vikings signing Aaron Rodgers

Dan Orlovsky explains why he believes the Vikings should look to add Aaron Rodgers this offseason.

Does QB Smith have a sneaky market?

Graziano: Multiple coaches from teams looking to add a QB told me that they were eager to see whether the Raiders would release Smith because they thought his tape from last season suggested he was held back by the Raiders’ offensive system. The Raiders are expected to select Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza with the first pick of the draft, but they’re telling people they’d rather not play a rookie QB in Week 1. So, because they have to pay Smith anyway, they could keep him and start him until Mendoza is ready. If they part ways, there will be interest in Smith.

What will the Dolphins do at QB?

Graziano: The Dolphins continue to tell people that they’ve had trade talks with teams and haven’t given up on trying to trade Tagovailoa, even though that would mean picking up a significant portion of his $54 million in fully guaranteed 2026 salary. But based on my conversations with other teams, I’m skeptical, and I expect Miami to release Tagovailoa by the third day of the league year (when $3 million of his 2027 salary would become fully guaranteed). The Dolphins will almost certainly designate him as a post-June 1 release to help defray some of the $99.2 million in dead money it will cost to release him.

play

Dolphins GM: ‘Everything is on the table’ with Tua

Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan explains how the team is evaluating Tua Tagovailoa’s future in Miami.

Miami could make a contract offer \to free agent QB Malik Willis, but that Tagovailoa dead money could also necessitate the team spending little on the position for 2026. Holdover Quinn Ewers is a possibility mainly because he’s already on the roster, but his chances of winning the job depend in large part on who else the Dolphins bring in.

How does QB Willis’ market look?

Fowler: Willis’ market has been a prominent topic this week. But a team offering him $30-plus million per year doesn’t appear realistic. Many front offices believe the more accurate comp is Justin Fields‘ deal with the Jets last year (two years, $40 million). Could that jump up due to cap inflation and/or multiple suitors? Sure. A range of $20-25 million annually is certainly a good starting point. But Willis hitting the $30 million threshold as a player with six career starts would surprise some of the teams at the combine.

Expect at least two and possibly several teams to be involved on Willis. “Miami is definitely in,” a source said. Arizona is combing the market, too, but it doesn’t seem likely that Willis will end up in Cleveland.

Multiple offensive coaches said Willis has the chance to be the league’s best rushing quarterback and that he has the power in his legs and arm to drive the ball to all parts of the field. “The issue will be that you simply can’t run your whole offense with him,” one prominent offensive coach said. “He’s not ready to handle that. So, whether he can sustain a full season will be a question. But he’s got a lot of ability and terrific character.”

play

The teams Ben Solak expects to be in on Malik Willis

Ben Solak joins Rich Eisen to break down the interest he expects for free agent quarterback Malik Willis.

Is QB Murray out in Arizona?

Graziano: Kyler Murray has $36.8 million in fully guaranteed salary this year, and if he’s on the Arizona roster on the third day of the league year, another $19.5 million in 2027 salary becomes fully guaranteed. So, the Cardinals will want to move on before that happens, whether that means a trade or a release. Odds favor a release because it’s unlikely a team will offer Arizona anything significant in a trade if it has to pay Murray that much guaranteed money over the next two years.

So it’s unclear what the Cardinals will do at QB. Given that Willis spent the past two years in Green Bay with Matt LaFleur, and Matt’s brother Mike LaFleur is the new Cardinals head coach, it’s fair to expect them to at least discuss Willis. They also have Jacoby Brissett under contract for one more year and could roll with him while they scout potential QB prospects in this year’s draft or next year’s class.

Fowler: Free agent Jimmy Garoppolo heading to Arizona is a strong option, too. The Cardinals have interest, and Mike LaFleur is considered very close with Garoppolo. “That’s his guy,” a league source said. LaFleur can create a clean path to restart his quarterback room by adding at least one veteran and drafting a QB. That makes Murray and Brissett expendable, and the feeling in Indy is that Murray wants out of Arizona.

Something to keep in mind with Garoppolo: He has one of the league’s best QB2 jobs with the Rams, who would welcome him back. Joining Green Bay as a No. 2 is also an option.

play

What’s the timeline for Kyler Murray’s future in Arizona?

Josh Weinfuss gives an update on what lies ahead for Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.

How will the Colts navigate QB Jones and WR Pierce?

Fowler: Whether Indianapolis uses the franchise or transition tag on quarterback Daniel Jones or wide receiver Alec Pierce was a front-of-mind topic at the combine. The team has made it clear to Pierce that he will be a Colt, either through a tag or a long-term deal, before the new league year. The Colts have work to do to make that happen, but that is the plan. But while Pierce seems like a logical tag candidate, multiple people connected to the situation believe Jones is a prime candidate for it.

Pierce has a good relationship with Jones. If the team tags Pierce but doesn’t reach a deal with Jones, for example, that could be an issue for Pierce. Conversely, tagging Jones ensures he will be there in 2026, a move that would appeal to Pierce.

A franchise tag for Pierce would come in around $27 million, while Jones would get $43.9 million on the franchise tag and $37.8 million on the transition. Those numbers are steep but reasonable. The Colts haven’t tipped their hand in a possible direction. Pierce would command a massive contract if he hit free agency. In November, we reported his market could hit $20 million. Think higher now.

Graziano: If the Colts can’t get a deal done with Jones by Tuesday’s tag deadline, it sounds like they’ll put the transition tag on him. That means Pierce could hit free agency and another team could sign Jones to an offer sheet (and the Colts wouldn’t get draft pick compensation if he were to sign elsewhere). I think the Colts push to get a long-term deal done with Jones to avoid those possibilities, but as of Saturday morning, it doesn’t sound close.

What about Cousins and the rest of the QBs?

Graziano: The Falcons will release Kirk Cousins before the start of the league year, when his $67.9 million salary would become fully guaranteed under the terms of his reworked contract. Atlanta has to pay Cousins a $10 million roster bonus this year, whether he’s on the team or not, but it does not appear to be interested in bringing back Cousins.

Cousins wants to play this season; I was told the rumors of him potentially retiring to take a TV job are incorrect. But he could be selective about his next destination. The past two times Cousins was a free agent, he received deals from Minnesota and Atlanta quickly. But this time, Cousins likely will wait to see how some of these situations shake out before deciding — even if that means waiting through the offseason for some team’s situation to change in his favor.

Don’t be surprised to see movement with some backup QBs whom teams might want to add as a developmental option or in a depth role. Anthony Richardson Sr. got headlines late in the week after he got permission from Indianapolis to seek a trade, but it’s unclear whether there will be a market for him. Early in the week, there was some talk of the Bears discussing Tyson Bagent‘s availability. Teams that have better-known backups entering the final years of their contracts — such as Bagent in Chicago, Tanner McKee in Philadelphia, Will Levis in Tennessee, Davis Mills in Houston, Jarrett Stidham in Denver, etc. — are seeing if there’s interest and whether they can get trade value out of this offseason’s odd QB market.

Some teams have interest in veteran Joe Flacco after the way he played last season in starting roles in Cleveland and Cincinnati. But a lot of folks in Indy said they expect Flacco to follow coach Kevin Stefanski to Atlanta as an option in case Michael Penix Jr. isn’t ready to start the season.

Can Dallas improve the defense?

Fowler: The Cowboys are crafting a detailed free agency plan to bolster their defense. The new scheme under coordinator Christian Parker needs replenishment. Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean is someone to watch as a green-dot player in the middle of the defense. The Cowboys will monitor the top of the pass-rush free agent options, too. They aren’t guaranteed to spend big, but I believe they will get a pass rusher at some point.

They will also comb the free agent safety class (Arizona’s Jalen Thompson makes sense), and they need a nickel corner. Dallas has felt the void since Jourdan Lewis left.

What is the Ravens’ offseason plan?

Graziano: Baltimore would like to finalize a contract extension with quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has two years left on his deal at $53 million per season. He has $29 million of his 2026 salary guaranteed, but no other guarantees beyond that. And his salary cap number is set to swell to $74.5 million this year.

The Ravens have automatic conversion rights in the contract, meaning they can add more void years, convert salary to signing bonuses and knock down this year’s cap number by as much as $38 million — and they don’t need Jackson’s permission to do it. Jackson’s contract already has void years for 2028 and 2029, though, and Baltimore would prefer to do an extension and avoid dumping more cap charges into future years for which he’s not yet signed. Jackson still doesn’t use an agent, and that has led to some complications in these kinds of talks between him and the team in the past, so it’s hard to handicap the Ravens’ chances of getting it done.

Meanwhile, the Ravens hope they can keep free agent center Tyler Linderbaum. But plenty of people in Indy believe he will get offers that exceed $20 million per year, and that Baltimore won’t want to go that high. The highest-paid center in the league is Kansas City’s Creed Humphrey at $18 million per year, and while GM Eric DeCosta told reporters at the combine that the Ravens had made a “market-setting offer” for Linderbaum, that might not turn out to be enough. Baltimore is already looking out for upgrades at guard (it would not be a surprise to see it address that position in the first round of the draft) and now could need a new center.

I got the impression from my conversations that the Ravens plan to pick up the fifth-year option on 2023 first-round pick Zay Flowers, and that will put him in line to earn $27.298 million in 2027 after making $2.664 million in 2026. Rashod Bateman is coming off a down year but is guaranteed $6.5 million this year, and the Ravens seem inclined to give him another shot in the new offense they’re installing under new coordinator Declan Doyle.

Tight end Isaiah Likely is a free agent, and whether he comes back depends on what kind of market emerges for him outside of Baltimore. Likely is coming off a down year, but he’s still only 25 and could be seeking a larger role with a team willing to sign him based on his potential.

Fowler: The Ravens could be in the market for a safety in free agency, too, per multiple league executives, despite having one of the league’s best in Kyle Hamilton and drafting Malaki Starks in the first round. A growing trend in the league is using three safeties, similar to what Seattle did to great success last season with Nick Emmanwori as a safety/big nickel alongside Julian Love and Coby Bryant. New Ravens coach Jesse Minter was known to experiment with the same setup with the Chargers. I’m not sure how many dollars the Ravens would commit here, but it’s worth noting.

play

Jesse Minter: I want to build a system that allows Lamar Jackson to thrive

New Ravens coach Jesse Minter joins Rich Eisen and breaks down his vision for the team’s offense with Lamar Jackson.

Is WR Brown getting traded?

Fowler: Interest in A.J. Brown has picked up here late in the week. A few teams I consulted believe a trade package including a second-round pick is his true trade value. Would that be enough to lure him from Philadelphia? I’m not sure that gets it done for Eagles GM Howie Roseman. But the buzz around Brown isn’t dissipating. Multiple league executives have maintained that Philly will entertain moving him. New England feels like a logical destination.

During the Eagles’ offensive coordinator search, some candidates got the impression that Brown was part of the plan. That’s why some around the league believe Roseman could target a veteran receiver as part of any trade package — say, if New Orleans can’t reach a deal with Chris Olave in New Orleans, or if Denver wants to entertain a Brown-Courtland Sutton swap.

Graziano: Teams have contacted the Eagles about a potential Brown trade, but word is that Philly’s asking price remains too high. This lines up with what I heard about the Eagles’ stance: They’d be open to the right offer, but it would have to be a really good one. They don’t want to just get rid of Brown or need him off the team for any chemistry reasons.

The Eagles will always listen to trade offers, but if they’re going to move Brown, it sounds like they’d have to be blown away. If you’re not ready to talk about at least your first-round pick, I don’t think that conversation is getting very far at the moment.

play

Peter Schrager: It’s cost-prohibitive for Eagles to trade A.J. Brown before June 1

Peter Schrager breaks down the challenges the Eagles would face in trading A.J. Brown right now.

What about DE Crosby and other trade candidates?

Fowler: It’s somewhat quiet on the Maxx Crosby front. This is a layered discussion because a team source said a few weeks ago that Crosby’s chances of returning were relatively small. But he doesn’t plan to request a trade. He’s tight with Raiders owner Mark Davis, and he probably wouldn’t garner a Micah Parsons-like trade package (two firsts and a key player).

He wants to win, which might not be in the cards for Las Vegas in 2026. Some teams I’ve spoken to believe he will remain with the Raiders — for now. “Why would you trade him?” one GM asked. “He’s a premier player at a premier position.” Added an executive from an NFC team: “I think the price is too high. I’m not sure they really want to move him at this point. But that could change.”

At least a dozen teams have expressed cursory to strong interest in recent weeks.

One player who has strong trade value and a decent chance to be dealt is Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. The Titans, Raiders and Giants are among teams interested in high-end linebackers, and they like Edmunds, who’s only 27 despite eight years in the league. He was granted permission to seek a trade earlier this week.

Two offensive linemen to potentially be included in trades are Green Bay’s Elgton Jenkins and Denver’s Ben Powers. Both have large cap hits and potential value. And at running back, the Lions’ David Montgomery wants out, has a reasonable contract (owed $6 million in 2026) and is 28. That has value. Word out of Indy is that Detroit would want a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder) in return. Seattle makes sense here if it can’t re-sign Kenneth Walker III.

play

Is it time for Maxx Crosby and Raiders to part ways?

Dan Graziano, Bart Scott and Mike Tannenbaum discuss the best course of action for Maxx Crosby and the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason.

What’s the latest on the RB market?

Graziano: Javonte Williams likely set the floor for negotiations for the top free agent running backs after agreeing to a strong deal that keeps him in Dallas and guarantees him $16 million over the next two seasons. The backs who sound like they have a good chance to top Williams’ number are:

• Breece Hall, who will either get a deal done with the Jets before Tuesday’s tag deadline or receive a franchise or transition tag

• Kenneth Walker III, who sounds like he’s generating enough outside interest to spell the end of his time in Seattle

• Travis Etienne Jr., who sounds unlikely to be tagged by the Jaguars and should have a nice market.

Teams I expect to see gauge the free agent RB market include the Chiefs, Texans and Giants, among others. Carolina’s Rico Dowdle and Atlanta’s Tyler Allgeier are both free agents their respective teams would consider bringing back at the right contractual price, but I expect both to get a chance to hit free agency and see if they can get starter-level money elsewhere.

What about the WR market?

Fowler: Mike Evans will limit his choices to a handful of teams in part because of his criteria. He wants a quarterback he believes in, a chance at a Super Bowl, a top-shelf offensive coordinator and the promise of high-volume touches. Only so many teams fit that mold. The Buccaneers will aggressively pursue re-signing Evans and met with his agent, Deryk Gilmore, on Thursday.

Rival teams expect Buffalo to strongly address wide receiver in the coming weeks. And multiple league executives are linking Rashid Shaheed or Romeo Doubs to the Bills. Alec Pierce will most likely be out of their price range.

play

How Joe Brady plans to make the Bills’ offense even better

Bills coach Joe Brady and GM Brandon Beane tell Pat McAfee their plans for Buffalo’s offense and defense this season.

Some around the league are linking Shaheed to the Raiders. The feeling is that Las Vegas likes him a lot, though it will be selective at the position if the money gets too out of hand.

Who are the top sleeper free agents among execs?

Every year, we comb the free agent market to identify players who might do better than fans or the media expect. These aren’t marquee players, but they have enough interest to drive up contract prices to varying degrees, in no particular order.

• Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss: He should be among the top three highest-paid off-ball linebackers in free agency.

• Commanders offensive guard Chris Paul: He had 15 starts last season with a powerful style of play; starting guards with a pulse get paid.

• Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown: He is well-positioned in the CB market after the top players are signed.

• Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes: Here’s another corner well-positioned; teams liked his tape last season, when he was finally healthy.

• Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard: He capitalized on a starter role in Jacksonville and has early interest — not on a huge scale, but he will be a starter somewhere.

• Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor: He was never fully utilized in Minnesota, but the coaches love him.

• Ravens tight end Charlie Kolar: The Y tight end market is en vogue. Kolar is a top option in that equation this year. He can block and catch.

• Panthers center Cade Mays: Some teams anticipate he could make $8 million per year on a new deal.

• Colts pass rusher Kwity Paye: He could be the fourth rusher on the market behind Trey Hendrickson, Jaelan Phillips and Odafe Oweh. He has 30.5 sacks over 74 starts.

• Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone: Scouts and coaches like him more than the public. He has a market.

• Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier: He will be a strong alternative for teams that won’t be spending at the top of the RB market.

• Dolphins offensive tackle Larry Borom: He’s in position for low-end starter’s money after starting 11 games for the Dolphins last season.

What else did you hear at the combine?

Graziano’s notebook:

• Expect the Dolphins to work on extensions this offseason for running back De’Von Achane, center Aaron Brewer and linebacker Jordyn Brooks. Miami is under new management and likely entering something of a rebuild. But along with wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins view those three as core players and moving forward. Waddle is already signed long term, but the other three are free agents in 2027.

• As Jeremy mentioned earlier, the Buccaneers are in talks with Mike Evans and could still bring him back. But their deep wide receiver room and the possibility that he’ll get interest in free agency could mean he’ll finish his career with a different team.

• Tampa Bay will look for edge-rush help this offseason. Veteran Haason Reddick sounds unlikely to return, and though the Bucs have high hopes for 2025 fourth-round pick David Walker, who was impressing them last offseason before tearing his ACL at the start of training camp, they’ll be trying to bring in upgrades on the edge.

• Sabre rattling aside, I expect the Cowboys to reach a deal with Brandon Aubrey at some point in the first week or two of March that makes him the highest-paid kicker in the league. If they don’t get a deal done by the restricted free agent tender deadline, Dallas plans to put a second-round tender on Aubrey. That means he’d make $5.767 million this season if the two sides don’t reach a deal and the Cowboys would get a second-round pick if another team made Aubrey a contract offer they didn’t want to match.

• The Chargers have a pair of free agent edge rushers in Odafe Oweh and Khalil Mack. They’d like to have them back, but they recognize that there’s good depth in free agency and the draft this offseason at edge rusher. They feel they’d be in good position to replace them if they left. The Chargers are looking for interior offensive line help and are a threat to sign Linderbaum (Chargers GM Joe Hortiz was in Baltimore when the Ravens drafted him). They have yet to decide on the fifth-year option for 2023 first-round wide receiver Quentin Johnston.

• Bills left guard David Edwards and center Connor McGovern are free agents. Buffalo would be happy to re-sign one of them, with a bunch of teams looking for interior O-line help, but the Bills have cap issues and could look to replace both. They’ll also look for guys who fit new coordinator Jim Leonhard’s defense, but they believe several of the young defensive players they’ve drafted the past few years are versatile enough that they won’t have to make major personnel changes. There has been speculation that defensive tackle Ed Oliver could be available in trade, but I am told that the Bills have no interest in moving him and that they expect him to be on the team in 2026.

• If the Panthers lose running back Rico Dowdle in free agency, I don’t think they’ll rush to find an external replacement. They have Chuba Hubbard under contract, they like second-year back Trevor Etienne‘s promise and they’re optimistic on 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks, who has played only three games in his career because of injuries. I’m told Brooks is making good progress in his rehab and was up over 21 mph on the treadmill in a recent workout. Carolina is at least hopeful that Brooks can contribute this season, though obviously, his health history will always make that a question. Wide receiver Jalen Coker could receive a contract extension in Carolina.

Fowler’s notebook:

• Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker and Broncos defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers could get a lot of interest. Both have been attached to the $20 million threshold in conversations. They are productive players hitting the market at the right time, without a ton of competition at their respective positions. Whatever the number ends up being, it will be strong. Franklin-Myers’ floor is already pretty high.

• The 49ers are a sneaky contender for some of the good free agents along the defensive line and at wide receiver. They want a disruptive interior rusher to pair with Nick Bosa, for example. John Franklin-Myers is the top option there. At wideout, Green Bay’s Romeo Doubs is considered a good fit for San Francisco’s offense and a potential option, along with Minnesota’s Jalen Nailor.

• Expect Washington to target offensive help, among a lot of other things. When asking about the top tier of free agent running backs, tight ends and linebackers, the Commanders come up a lot.

• Don’t be surprised if Carolina makes some big moves on defense for the second consecutive year. The Panthers will be looking at edge-rush help and might be open to offering a lucrative contract. They need linebacker and slot corner help, too. Devin Lloyd would be an ideal fit in the middle of the defense.

• The Eagles could look in-house for free agent splashes. They will attempt to re-sign Jaelan Phillips, who proved an ideal fit for the defense. They could also extend the contracts of defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter.

• Something an NFL head coach said to me, unsolicited: “Watch for Tua [Tagovailoa] in Atlanta.”

• The sense at the end of the week is that Trey Hendrickson (Bengals) and Odafe Oweh (Chargers) will probably not be franchise-tagged. That could change over the next 48 hours, but Oweh has not received any indication that he will be tagged, and most around the league would be surprised if the Bengals tag Hendrickson. The overwhelming belief in league circles is that the Jets will use the transition tag on running back Breece Hall ($11.3 million), though.