News & Info/Headlines

Today marked the official beginning of the NFL’s league year. That means all the deals done in previous days, whether trades or signings, can become official -- or in some cases, previous decisions can be reversed prior to becoming official.

In Washington. ... As ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported, running back J.D. McKissic -- who had agreed to sign with the Bills on a two-year, $7 million deal -- will instead remain with Washington on a contract with the same compensation.

McKissic has been productive for Washington over the last two seasons. He had 954 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns in 2020, recording 80 catches for 589 yards.

Then in 2021, McKissic caught 43 passes for 397 yards with a pair of TDs, also rushing 48 times for 212 yards with two scores.

Schefter reports the Commanders initially didn't offer McKissic a contract until he agreed to join the Bills. But when McKissic learned Washington was willing to match Buffalo's offer, he didn't want to leave his current franchise.

McKissic staying with Washington means the Bills will now have to find another dual-threat for their backfield, as Buffalo tries to keep improving its offense with Josh Allen behind center.

For fantasy managers, it's likely to put a ceiling back on Antonio Gibson's workload. There was reporting indicating the team is planning to give Gibson more work in the passing game, but it's not clear how much they'll push that angle with McKissic back on board. ...

Also in Washington. ...The Commanders are re-signing receiver Cam Sims on a one-year, $3 million deal with $2 million guaranteed, a source told Washington Post staffer Nicki Jhabvala. ...

In Miami. ... The Dolphins have signed their second free agent running back of the week.

Agent Brett Tessler announced that his client Raheem Mostert has signed with Miami. It's a one-year deal worth $3.25 million.

Mostert joins Chase Edmonds as new additions to the backfield in Miami. He comes to the team after playing for new Dolphins' head coach Mike McDaniel with the 49ers the last five seasons.

Mostert, who entered the 2021 season as the 49ers' top running back, again couldn't stay on the field, suffering a season-ending knee injury after just two rushing attempts in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions.

That came on the heels of him being limited in 2020 to just 521 rushing yards over eight games because of knee and ankle issues.

All told, Mostert played 46 games in six seasons with the 49ers. Considered one of the fastest players in the league, he averaged 5.7 yards per carry in San Francisco but was unable to stay on the field consistently enough to fill the role of primary back as the team hoped he would.

Mostert burst on the scene during San Francisco's run to Super Bowl LIV after the 2019 season, highlighted by his 220-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.

Mostert, who turns 30 in April, has rushed for 1,610 yards and has 14 total touchdowns since entering the league in 2015.

Also worth noting. ... The Dolphins are signing fullback Alec Ingold to a two-year deal worth up to $7.5 million, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

McDaniel runs a fullback-friendly offense, with Kyle Juszczyk playing more than 50 percent of the 49ers' snaps last season with McDaniel as the offensive coordinator. That's why Miami is willing to make Ingold the second-highest paid fullback in the NFL.

Ingold, 29, spent the past three seasons with the Raiders. He never played more than 23 percent of the team's offensive snaps.

In 41 career games, Ingold has 43 touches for 261 yards and three touchdowns. ...

In Las Vegas. ... Among the first moves Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler are making with their new team involves a pair of players from their old one.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the Raiders are expected to sign running back Brandon Bolden. There's no word on the terms of the deal.

Bolden spent his first six seasons with the Patriots and returned to the team in 2019 after a one-year stint with the Dolphins. That makes him very familiar to both McDaniels and Ziegler.

He ran 44 times for 266 yards and a touchdown last season while also catching 41 passes for 405 yards and two scores. He'll join a backfield that also features Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake and is likely to continue to see playing time on special teams in his new home.

It will also include a familiar face as Jakob Johnson will also from New England to Las Vegas.

Now Johnson will join the Raiders, where McDaniels thinks he can continue to find use for a fullback in his offense.

In addition, wide receiver Mack Hollins is heading to Las Vegas.

According to multiple reports, Hollins has agreed to a one-year deal with the Raiders. No other terms have been revealed at present.

Hollins will be familiar to McDaniels and Ziegler as he faced them four times as a member of the Dolphins the last two seasons. Hollins appeared in all 33 games that the Dolphins played over that span and caught 30 passes for 399 yards and five touchdowns.

The Raiders have Bryan Edwards and Hunter Renfrow set to return from last year's receiving corps but DeSean Jackson is a free agent and Zay Jones is joining the Jaguars. That may mean Hollins isn't the only addition to the group this offseason. ...

In Buffalo. ... While the big focus of the NFL world was on the addition of Von Miller, who played a huge role in the Rams' championship run last season, the team also made a move at tight end when they signed a former Tampa Bay tight end.

No. ... It wasn't Rob Gronkowski, who was mentioned having an interest in his home-town team before Brady's return.

Instead, the Bills will settle for O.J. Howard. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that it is a one-year deal worth $3.5 million with incentives that could push it to $5 million.

Howard was a 2017 first-round pick of the Buccaneers and spent the last five seasons with the team. He tore his Achilles in 2020 and missed the Super Bowl, but returned to play in every game last season.

Howard caught 14 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown in the 2021 regular season. He added two catches for 10 yards in the postseason.

The Bills will team Howard with Dawson Knox in what they hope will be a longer postseason run of their own.

As for Miller, he gets a six-year deal worth $120 million, which is a massive contract for a pass rusher who's about to turn 33 years old on March 26.

When the Rams acquired Miller from the Broncos in November, he had just one year left on his contract, so they knew he would be a free agent in March. Their goal was to keep him beyond the 2021 season, but they weren't able to make that happen.

Miller had five sacks in eight regular-season games with the Rams last season, and then he added four sacks in four playoff games, including two in Super Bowl LVI. Having his presence on the edge was huge for the Rams, both as a pass rusher and a run defender.

Miller's 91.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus marked the ninth time he's had a grade of at least 90, proving to be one of the most consistent and productive players anywhere in the NFL. ...

It Tampa. ... In addition to reaching a long-term deal with Chris Godwin, the Buccaneers agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Breshad Perriman, according to agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey.

Perriman joined the Bucs midway through the 2021 season as a practice squad player, but was promoted to the active roster in December. He ended up playing six games in the regular season, making 11 catches for 167 yards with a touchdown -- the 700th TD of Tom Brady's career.

Perriman caught a 5-yard pass for the Bucs in their postseason victory over the Eagles but was inactive for the divisional round against the Rams.

A Baltimore first-round pick back in 2015, Perriman has 136 career receptions for 2,233 yards with 15 touchdowns for the Ravens, Browns, Buccaneers, and Jets.

In Houston. ... The Texans are signing running back Dare Ogunbowale to a two-year, $3.3 million deal, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported.

He joins a depth chart that currently has Rex Burkhead, Scottie Phillips and Darius Anderson.

Ogunbowale, 27, went to training camp with the Texans in 2017 and spent some time on their practice squad that season. He has played games for Washington, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville.

In 51 career games, Ogunbowale has 144 touches for 753 yards and four touchdowns.

In New York. ... The Jets and Tyler Conklin agreed to terms on a contract Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported.

As CBSSports.com notes, in 2021, Conklin benefited from the loss of Irv Smith for the season due to a torn meniscus in late August, breaking out with a 61-593-3 line on 87 targets in 17 games. With his new squad, Conklin joins C.J. Uzomah to form a remodeled tight end room.

Conklin will play second fiddle to Uzomah, and passes from second-year signal-caller Zach Wilson may be difficult to come by in an offense that includes wide receivers Corey Davis, Elijah Moore and Braxton Berrios. ...

Also of interest. ... The Jets won't have to trade for Joe Flacco this season.

Flacco's agents announced on Wednesday that he has agreed to a one-year deal to return as Zach Wilson's backup in 2022. Flacco was with the team in 2020 and then returned via a trade with the Eagles after Wilson suffered a knee injury.

Flacco started four times in 2020 and appeared in two games and started once in 2021. He went 27-of-42 for 338 yards and three touchdowns in the latter appearances.

The Jets are also looking to keep backup quarterback Mike White.

White, a restricted free agent, got the original-round tender, which means the Jets are offering him a one-year, $2.54 million contract. He can either sign that or sign with another team, which would require that other team to send the Jets a fifth-round draft pick in return.

Last season White briefly became a sensation, starting the first game of his career in Week Seven and throwing for 405 yards in a 34-31 win over the Bengals. He never played as well after that, however, and the Jets don't view him as much more than a potential long-term backup to Zach Wilson.

White originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2018. He spent three years in the league without ever getting on the field before finally playing last season.

In the other New York. ... The Giants are signing tight end Ricky Seals-Jones, a source tells ESPN's Jordan Raanan.

Seals-Jones had 30 catches for 271 yards and 2 TDs last season for Washington.

According to Raanan the opportunity to play a big role gets Seals-Jones to jump from Washington to New York.

The Giants currently have only Rysen John, Jake Hausmann and Chris Myarick on their roster at the position. The team cut Kyle Rudolph and Kaden Smith, and Evan Engram left as a free agent. ...

In Arizona. ... Maxx Williams was off to a solid start in the 2021 season before tearing his ACL in Week 5.

Now he'll get the chance to replicate it in 2022. Per NFL Network, Williams is headed back to the Cardinals on a one-year deal.

Williams caught 16 passes for 193 yards with a touchdown in 2021. He had a seven-reception, 94-yard game in Arizona's victory over Minnesota. And then he caught five passes for 66 yards with a touchdown in the Cardinals' victory over the Rams.

Williams started his career with the Ravens as a second-round pick in the 2015 draft. He has 102 catches for 994 yards with six touchdowns in 72 games with 44 starts. The Cardinals have also re-signed tight end Zach Ertz, giving quarterback Kyler Murray a pair of sizable options on offense.

In Minnesota. ... New Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell will have the opportunity a familiar face joining him in Minnesota this season.

The Vikings announced the signing of tight end Johnny Mundt shortly after the window to officially sign free agents opened on Wednesday afternoon.

Mundt tore his ACL in the sixth game of the 2021 season, so he was not an on-field contributor for much of the team's run to a Super Bowl title. He was a reserve and special teams contributor over his first four seasons in Los Angeles and has 10 career catches for 93 yards.

The Vikings are expected to have Irv Smith back from injury, so Mundt's arrival will help fill the void with Conklin moving on to another team as a free agent. ...

In Carolina. ... The Panthers are signing former Browns wide receiver Rashard Higgins to a one-year contract.

Higgins is a former Browns fifth-round draft pick.

Higgins caught 24 passes for 275 yards and one touchdown last season in 15 games.

In addition, the Panthers will bring wide receiver Brandon Zylstra back for the 2022 season.

Zylstra's agent announced that his client has agreed to a one-year deal with the club. No other terms have been disclosed.

Zylstra has spent the last three seasons in Carolina and set career highs with 18 catches for 250 receiving yards in 2021. He also caught the first touchdown pass of his career, which began with the Vikings in 2018.

In addition to his offensive role, Zylstra has been a regular on special teams in Carolina. He had seven tackles while on those units in 2021.

While they're doing work at wideout, Profootballtalk.com reminded readers they still need to sort out who will be throwing the passes.

To that end, the Panthers are one of four teams who spoke to Deshaun Watson this week with all four teams, the Saints, Browns and Falcons in addition to Carolina, awaiting a decision. ...

In Kansas City. ... The Chiefs are bringing back veteran backup QB Chad Henne.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the Chiefs intend to re-sign Henne on a one-year deal worth $2 million. This will mark his fifth consecutive season returning as the backup QB to Patrick Mahomes, but he could have some competition this time around.

In Week 11, the Chiefs signed UDFA QB Shane Buechele to the 53-man roster. He seems to be someone the organization likes quite a bit and depending on Henne's contract guarantees, it's possible that a player like Buechele could beat out the salty veteran in training camp and the preseason. Buechele is already getting work in with Patrick Mahomes this offseason.

According to NFL Network reporter James Palmer, Henne considered retirement before deciding to come back to Kansas City for another run with the team.

Henne has appeared in eight regular-season games since 2018, starting the Chiefs' Week 17 game against the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020. He's most known for his postseason heroics against the Cleveland Browns in the divisional round of the playoffs in 2020. After Mahomes was knocked out of the game with a concussion, Henne led the team to victory converting a third-and-14 run and a fourth-down pass to Tyreek Hill to seal the victory.