The NFL free agency negotiating period began Monday, and five top running backs have already found new homes.

The Philadelphia Eagles brought in Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs will sign with the Green Bay Packers, the Tennessee Titans agreed to terms with Tony Pollard, the Chicago Bears added D’Andre Swift and the New York Giants landed Devin Singletary.

Barkley's agreement is reportedly for three years and $37.75million, while Pollard and Swift will both reportedly earn $24million over three years. The terms of Jacobs’ and Singletary's contracts are unknown.

Barkley stays in the NFC East after spending his first six NFL seasons with the New York Giants.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft has run for 5,211 yards and 35 touchdowns in 74 career games while adding 288 receptions for 2,100 yards and 12 TDs.

The Giants added Singletary after losing Barkley. Singletary played one season with the Houston Texans in 2023 and established a career high with 898 rushing yards after totalling 3,151 yards on the ground with the Buffalo Bills from 2019-22.

Jacobs has rushed for 5,545 yards and 46 touchdowns in 73 games since the Raiders drafted him with the 24th overall pick in 2019. After agreeing to terms with Jacobs, the Packers informed Aaron Jones that he would be released.

Pollard is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, and Tennessee brings him aboard with Derrick Henry being a free agent.

Henry’s 9,502 rushing yards and 90 rushing touchdowns are the most in the NFL since the Titans selected the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner in the second round of the 2016 draft.

Swift set a career high with 1,049 yards on the ground in 2023 during his only season with the Eagles.

Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a four-year contract, Cousins’ agent Mike McCartney posted on social media Monday.

The deal is worth up to $180million, according to multiple media reports, and includes $100million in guaranteed money.

Cousins, who will turn 36 before the start of this season, is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon that he sustained in Week 8 last year.

The move ends Cousins’ six-year tenure in Minnesota and leaves the Vikings with serious questions at the quarterback position. Minnesota lost six of their final seven games last season with Nick Mullens, Joshua Dobbs and Jaren Hall each getting their turn to start under centre.

"After significant and positive dialogue with Kirk and his representatives, we were unable to reach agreement on a contract that fits the short and long-term visions for both Kirk and the Minnesota Vikings," general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said in a statement Monday.

"Our approach heading into free agency always included layers of contingencies regarding the quarterback position. We are moving forward with plans that allow us to continue building a roster that can compete for a championship."

Cousins was selected to three Pro Bowls while in Minnesota, leading the Vikings to a 50-37-1 record and two play-off appearances.

While the Vikings face uncertainty, the Falcons have found stability at quarterback for the first time since Matt Ryan retired, assuming Cousins makes a full recovery.

Atlanta went 7-10 last season while riding the pendulum between Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke.

With bright, young talents like Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London, the Falcons are hopeful Cousins can lift their offence and help end a six-year play-off drought.

In 150 career games, Cousins has completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 39,471 yards, 270 touchdowns and 110 interceptions.

The NFL free agency negotiating period began Monday, and four top running backs have already found new homes.

The Philadelphia Eagles have brought in Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs will sign with the Green Bay Packers, the Tennessee Titans agreed to terms with Tony Pollard and the Chicago Bears added D’Andre Swift.

Barkley's agreement is reportedly for three years and $37.75million, while Pollard and Swift will both reportedly earn $24million over three years. The terms of Jacobs’ contract are unknown.

Barkley stays in the NFC East after spending his first six NFL seasons with the New York Giants.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft has run for 5,211 yards and 35 touchdowns in 74 career games while adding 288 receptions for 2,100 yards and 12 TDs.

Jacobs has rushed for 5,545 yards and 46 touchdowns in 73 games since the Raiders drafted him with the 24th overall pick in 2019.

Pollard is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, and Tennessee brings him aboard with Derrick Henry being a free agent.

Henry’s 9,502 rushing yards and 90 rushing touchdowns are the most in the NFL since the Titans selected the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner in the second round of the 2016 draft.

Swift set a career high with 1,049 yards on the ground in 2023 during his only season with the Eagles.

One of the top defensive free agents is no longer on the market.

The Las Vegas Raiders are signing Christian Wilkins to a four-year, $110million contract, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

The deal, which was reported on Monday, includes $84.75million in guaranteed money.

Wilkins had spent his first five seasons with the Miami Dolphins after being selected 13th overall in the 2019 NFL draft.

The 28-year-old is coming off a career year, tallying nine sacks and 23 quarterback hits while forcing one fumble.

Among all defensive tackles, Wilkins' 59 QB pressures were fifth most in the NFL.

He has proven to be quite durable, playing in all 17 games in each of the last three seasons and has only missed two games in his career.

With Las Vegas, he'll help bolster a defensive front that is led by Maxx Crosby, who registered a team-high 14 1/2 sacks in 2023.

The NFL free agency negotiating period began Monday, and three running backs are already off the market as Josh Jacobs will sign with the Green Bay Packers, the Tennessee Titans agreed to terms with Tony Pollard and the Chicago Bears added D’Andre Swift.

The terms of Jacobs’ contract are unknown, while Pollard and Swift will both reportedly earn $24million over three years.

Jacobs has rushed for 5,545 yards and 46 touchdowns in 73 games since the Raiders drafted him with the 24th overall pick in 2019.

Pollard is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, and Tennessee brings him aboard with Derrick Henry being a free agent.

Henry’s 9,502 rushing yards and 90 rushing touchdowns are the most in the NFL since the Titans selected the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner in the second round of the 2016 draft.

Swift set a career high with 1,049 yards on the ground in 2023 during his only season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Last week, the Indianapolis Colts gave Michael Pittman Jr. the franchise tag.

This week, they're giving him a new contract.

The Colts and Pittman are finalising a three-year, $70million deal, according to multiple sources.

The contract, which has a maximum value of $71.5million and includes $46million in guaranteed money, is expected to be signed Monday.

Indianapolis placed the franchise tag on Pittman on March 5, giving the sides time to work on a long-term deal.

A second-round pick of the 2020 draft, the 26-year-old is coming off his best pro season, ranking fifth in the NFL in receptions (109) with 1,152 yards and four touchdown catches.

His 10 games with eight or more receptions were the most in the league.

After going 4-12-1 in 2022, the Colts showed big improvements on the field last season and just missed the play-offs with a 9-8 record.

With 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson coming back from a season-ending injury and Pittman in the mix, the expectations are raised for Indianapolis in 2024.

Russell Wilson has quickly found a new team following his unceremonious release from the Denver Broncos, as the Super Bowl champion quarterback announced Sunday night he has agreed to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

NFL.com reports that Wilson will sign a one-year contract with the Steelers for $1.2 million, the league minimum for a veteran player with 12 seasons of NFL experience. Wilson is already due nearly $38 million in guaranteed money on the ill-fated five-year, $245 million extension he signed with the Broncos before the start of the 2022 season.

Wilson declared his intentions in a post on social media platform X that read: "Year 13. Grateful. @Steelers,".

The Broncos informed Wilson of his release, which will officially take place when the new league year begins on Wednesday, last week.

Wilson joins a Steelers team that reached the play-offs last season with a 10-7 record despite instability at the quarterback position. Pittsburgh started three players - 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett and veterans Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky - under center, with Pickett the only member of that group still under contract.

Pickett lost his starting job in December to Rudolph, who proceeded to win his three late-season starts to get the Steelers into the post-season, where they were dealt a 31-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the opening round.

Denver acquired Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks in March 2022 in a blockbuster trade, though the nine-time Pro Bowler was never able to bring the same success to the Broncos as he did during a highly successful 10-year run in Seattle. The Broncos went 11-19 in Wilson's 30 starts and unofficially announced their intentions to move on when they benched the 35-year-old for the final two games of 2023 in order to avoid an injury that would guarantee his 2025 salary.

Wilson did put up solid numbers despite Denver's 2023 struggles, as he threw for 3,070 yards with 26 touchdowns and a 98.0 passer rating while being intercepted just eight times in 15 starts.

The charismatic quarterback accomplished far more during his long tenure in Seattle, helping the Seahawks to eight post-season appearances highlighted by a victory over the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII during the 2013 campaign. Wilson compiled a 104-53-1 regular-season record and went 9-7 in the playoffs with the Seahawks while amassing 4,000 passing yards in a season four times.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield have agreed to a three-year contract that could be worth up to $115million for the former No. 1 overall draft pick.

The deal includes $50million in guaranteed money and is $100million in total, with Mayfield able to earn $5million in incentives per season.

Mayfield took over for the retired Tom Brady last season and led Tampa Bay (9-8) to the NFC South title.

The Buccaneers then upset the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs before losing to the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round.

Mayfield, the first overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2018, started all 17 regular-season games last season and set career highs in passing yards (4,044) and passing touchdowns (28).

He threw for 686 yards and six touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s two postseason contests.

In 89 career regular-season games with Cleveland, the Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay, Mayfield has passed for 20,332 yards with 130 touchdowns and 74 interceptions.

He owns a 40-46 record as a starter.

The New England Patriots are moving on from former first-round draft pick Mac Jones at quarterback.

The Patriots are finalising a trade which will send Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The trade, which was first reported Sunday by Adam Schefter of ESPN, cannot be made official until the new league year begins on Wednesday, and he passes a physical.

The terms of the trade are still being finalised, but Schefter reported the Jaguars would send a sixth-round draft pick to the Patriots in exchange for Jones.

New England selected Jones 15th overall in the 2021 NFL draft, and he put together an encouraging rookie season, throwing for 3,801 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions for a 92.5 passer rating in leading the Patriots to a 10-6 record and a play-off berth.

The 25-year-old has been unable to build upon that Pro Bowl season, however, throwing 24 TDs with 23 interceptions in the last two years combined.

Among quarterbacks with at least 300 pass attempts in 2023, Jones' 77.0 QB rating was the second worst. 

His poor play led Patriots coach Bill Belichick to pull Jones from four games in favour of backup Bailey Zappe, until he ultimately benched Jones for good in Week 13.

In Jacksonville, Jones will serve as a backup to Trevor Lawrence, who was selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 draft.

Jones, who went 2-9 as a starter last season, was born in Jacksonville.

The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Chris Jones reached agreement Saturday on a five-year deal that contains $95 million guaranteed, his agents told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Jones will have the highest-ever average annual salary for a defensive tackle once the deal is complete.

Jones, 29, would have been the top prize amongst defenders in free agency, but the Chiefs made him their top priority after he held out of all training camp last year and missed the first game of the regular season.

He eventually came to an agreement on a reworked deal with more incentives and went on to record 10.5 sacks and earn first-team All-Pro honors for the second straight season as the Chiefs won a third Super Bowl in four years.

Jones has recorded 75.5 sacks in 123 career games since Kansas City selected him with the 37th overall pick in the 2016 draft.

The Denver Broncos agreed to trade wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for two 2024 draft picks, multiple media outlets reported Saturday.

Denver will receive a fifth- and a sixth-round pick in next month’s draft for Jeudy, a former first-round selection.

Trades cannot be made official until the start of the 2024 league year next week.

Jeudy, the No. 15 overall pick in the 2020 draft, will play in 2024 on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract and is scheduled to be a free agent after the upcoming season.

In four seasons with the Broncos, Jeudy was a solid contributor but failed to live up to his lofty draft status or the dominance he displayed at Alabama.

Jeudy showed signs of frustration with Denver’s offence last season, during which he caught just two touchdowns.

Ultimately, Denver was either unwilling or unable to sign Jeudy to a long-term contract extension and cleared his $13million cap hit from their books.

The Broncos continue to shed salary after announcing plans to release quarterback Russell Wilson and safety Justin Simmons.

The Browns got a complementary receiver to play alongside Amari Cooper as they hope to continue building a championship offence around Deshaun Watson.

In 57 games across four seasons with the Broncos, Jeudy made 211 catches for 3,053 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Baltimore Ravens kept star defensive tackle Justin Madubuike off the open market with a franchise tag earlier this week, and struck a four-year, $98 million deal with him on Friday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The contract includes $75.5 million in guarantees and $53.5 million at signing and keeps the 26-year-old with the Ravens through the 2027 season.

“Justin is one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL and a cornerstone on our defence,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “We are thrilled for Justin and his family and equally happy for our fan base. This is a great way to start the new league year!”

Last season, Madubuike was named second-team All-Pro and was invited to his first Pro Bowl after he had the ninth-most sacks in the league (13) and finished sixth among all defensive tackles in tackles for loss (12).

He more than doubled his pressures from the previous season and helped Baltimore’s defence become one of the league’s best.

Madubuike became the first Ravens player to record double-digit sacks since Terrell Suggs had 11 in 2017.

The Ravens drafted Madubuike in the third round of 2020, and he became a starter in his second season.

The Chicago Bears and star cornerback Jaylon Johnson have worked out a four-year, $76 million deal, two days after the team placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on the 24-year-old.

Johnson is guaranteed $43.8 million at signing and will make $28 million in the first year of the deal, according to sources.

“We’re extremely excited to be able to keep Jaylon here for the next four years,” general manager Ryan Poles said in a statement. “He’s an integral part of our defense and his leadership will help our team continue to ascend.”

Johnson would have been due $19.8 million in 2024 had he not agreed to extension prior to the July 15 deadline.

Johnson has started all 53 games he’s appeared in since the Bears selected him in the second round with the 50th overall pick in the 2020 draft.

He had four interceptions and returned one for a touchdown last season after picking off one pass in his first three years. Johnson had 10 passes defensed and forced one fumble and was selected second-team All-Pro.

The Bears finished 7-10 last season and missed the playoffs for the third straight season. They own the No. 1 and No. 9 overall picks in next month’s draft.

The New York Giants will not place the franchise tag on Saquon Barkley, allowing the two-time Pro Bowl running back to become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins next week.

Multiple media outlets reported the news on Tuesday, which is the deadline for teams to use their tag.

Barkley has been with the Giants since they selected him second overall in the 2018 NFL draft.

New York tagged Barkley last July, one day before the team opened training camp for the 2023 season.

In 14 games last year, Barkley rushed for 962 yards with six touchdowns, and also caught 41 passes for 280 yards with another four TDs.

His average of 3.89 yards per carry ranked 32nd among 48 qualifying players, and his 38 carries of negative yards were the most in the NFL.

As a rookie, he made an immediate impact, gaining a league-leading 2,028 yards from scrimmage with 15 touchdowns to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Following injury-marred years in 2020 and 2021, Barkley enjoyed a bounce-back season in 2022, finishing seventh in the NFL in scrimmage yards with 1,650 and earning a Pro Bowl selection - his first since 2018.

Although his production dipped last season, his 26 rushes of 10 or more yards in 2023 were tied for eighth in the league among running backs.

In 74 career games, he has 5,211 rushing yards with 35 touchdowns and 2,100 receiving yards with another 12 TDs.

Barkley can still return to the Giants, but will also be one of the most coveted players available on the open market.

The Russell Wilson era in Denver opened with such excitement and hope for the Broncos.

Just two years later, it's ending with considerable disappointment.

The Broncos announced on Monday that they will release Wilson after the start of the new league year, which begins on March 13.

"On behalf of the Broncos, we thank Russell for his contributions and dedication to our team and community while wishing him the best as he continues his career," Broncos GM George Paton and coach Sean Payton said in a statement released by the team.

"As we move forward, we are focused on building the strongest team possible for the 2024 season and beyond. We are excited to improve this offseason and will have the flexibility to get better through the draft and free agency.”

The decision to cut Wilson allows Denver to save an extra $37million in guaranteed money for 2025, though he is still guaranteed $39million for the 2024 season.

The Broncos paid a hefty price to acquire Wilson in March of 2022, in a deal that will go down as one of the biggest trade busts in NFL history.

Denver sent two first-round draft picks, two second-round draft picks, a third-round selection and three players to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for the nine-time Pro Bowler.

Then shortly before the start of the 2022 season - before he had even played a game for the Broncos - the team signed Wilson to a massive five-year extension worth more than $242million.

The trade looked to be doomed from the start as Wilson struggled mightily in his first season in Denver as the Broncos finished last in the AFC West with a 5-12 record in 2022.

After throwing 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and compiling a career-worst 84.4 QB rating in 2022, Wilson had 26 TDs and eight picks in 2023 for a 98.0 rating - eighth best in the NFL.

Although he played better this past season, Denver opted to bench Wilson for its final two games with a play-off berth nearly out of reach.

The Broncos split their final two contests and ended up missing the play-offs for the eighth year in a row.

Wilson, who led Seattle to a Super Bowl championship following the 2013 season, will turn 36 in November, and will likely be able to find another starting job after a nice bounce-back season in 2023.