Seahawks sign veteran TE Eric Saubert

Saubert, 30, has played eight NFL seasons, appearing for the Atlanta Falcons (2017-18), Chicago Bears (2019), Jacksonville Jaguars (2020), Denver Broncos (2011-21), Dallas Cowboys (2023), Houston Texans (2023) and San Francisco (2024).

His best season on offense came in 2022, when he hauled in a career-high 15 receptions for 148 yards and a touchdown for Denver.

Saubert has become valued for both his special teams contributions and blocking ability. Last season, he appeared in all 17 games for the 49ers, logging 302 special teams snaps.

He played 377 offensive snaps, catching 11 of his 14 targets for 97 yards and a TD.

Report: Chiefs re-sign veteran DT Mike Pennel

The Kansas City Chiefs have re-signed veteran defensive tackle Mike Pennel, ESPN reported Monday.

Terms were not disclosed. Pennel, 33, is heading into his 12th NFL season and fifth with the Chiefs.

He played on a one-year, $1.2 million deal last season and recorded a career-high 3.0 sacks with 25 tackles in 17 games (seven starts) for Kansas City.

The two-time Super Bowl champion has 5.0 sacks, 231 tackles and three forced fumbles in 138 games (25 starts) with the Green Bay Packers (2014-16), New York Jets (2017-18), Chiefs (2019-20, 2023-24), Atlanta Falcons (2021) and Chicago Bears (2022).

Report: Pats match Raiders’ offer, retain LB Christian Elliss

The New England Patriots matched the Las Vegas Raiders’ offer sheet for linebacker Christian Elliss, NFL Network reported Monday.

The Raiders agreed with the 26-year-old restricted free agent last week to a reported $4.8 million offer sheet and the Patriots had until Monday to match it.

New England’s original tender to Elliss was worth $3.26 million. He is now locked in for two more seasons with the Patriots.

Elliss recorded a career-high 80 tackles with 1.5 sacks, five passes defensed and one interception in 16 games (five starts) for the Patriots in 2024. New England claimed him off waivers from Philadelphia in December 2023.

Elliss has 117 tackles in 39 games (six starts) with the Eagles (2021-23) and Patriots.

Report: Titans agree to deal with K Joey Slye

The Tennessee Titans are signing veteran kicker Joey Slye, NFL Network reported Monday.

Contract terms were not disclosed.

Slye kicked for the New England Patriots last season and made 26 of his 33 field-goal attempts, including a career-long 63-yarder. His 78.8 percentage was the lowest of his career since his rookie season in 2019 with the Carolina Panthers.

He also has played for the Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders.

In 95 career games, Slye has connected on 81.7 percent of his field goals (147 of 180) and 89.6 percent of his PATs, including a career-high 96.2 percent last season.

Slye, 28, would replace Nick Folk, who led the NFL in kicking percentage on field goals the past two seasons but can’t provide the distance that Slye can. The 40-year-old Folk is a free agent.

Reports: Giants reach 1-year deal with WR Zach Pascal

The New York Giants agreed to terms on a one-year contract with wide receiver Zach Pascal on Saturday, per multiple reports.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed for Pascal, who visited the Giants on Monday.

Pascal, 30, did not have a catch while playing predominantly on special teams last season with the Arizona Cardinals. He logged 278 special teams snaps and 68 offensive snaps.

He has 169 receptions for 2,057 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in 112 career games (47 starts) with the Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles and Cardinals.

Reports: Giants sign QB Jameis Winston to 2-year deal

The New York Giants are signing quarterback Jameis Winston to a two-year, $8 million contract, according to multiple media reports Friday.

Winston is a 10-year veteran with 87 career starts under his belt. He spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2019, Winston simultaneously led the league in passing attempts (626), passing yards (5,109) and interceptions (30); he finished second in passing touchdowns (33).

After a four-year stint with the New Orleans Saints, Winston played for the Cleveland Browns in 2024. He started seven games, guiding them to a 2-5 record. He threw for 2,121 yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Winston, 31, becomes the second signal-caller on the Giants’ roster, joining 26-year-old Tommy DeVito. The franchise is still connected to four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. In addition, they hold the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Winston gives them stability under center. He can be injury insurance behind the 41-year-old Rodgers or a potential bridge option to allow a young quarterback time to develop.

Ex-No. 1 overall pick, college Hall of Famer Kenneth Sims dies at 65

Former No. 1 overall NFL draft pick and College Football Hall of Famer Kenneth Sims died Friday at age 65, the University of Texas announced.

The university said Sims died peacefully at his home. According to a report, Sims had been battling an illness.

Sims played defensive end for Texas from 1978-81 and was a consensus All-American as a junior and senior. He had 23 tackles for loss as a senior, won the Lombardi Award and finished in eighth place in Heisman Trophy balloting.

Sims then went No. 1 in the NFL draft to the New England Patriots in an era in which quarterbacks didn’t always go first overall. In this draft, Ohio State’s Art Schlichter went No. 4 overall to the Baltimore Colts and BYU’s Jim McMahon went fifth to the Chicago Bears. Heisman Trophy-winning running back Marcus Allen was the 10th pick by the Los Angeles Raiders.

Sims had three sacks in nine games as a rookie and placed fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year balloting. He had a career-best 5.5 sacks in 13 games in 1985 before breaking a leg. That caused him to miss the postseason, including the Patriots’ Super Bowl XX loss to the Chicago Bears.

Overall, Sims had 17 sacks and five fumble recoveries in 74 games (64 starts) over eight NFL seasons with the Patriots.

Sims was inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 2021. According to Texas, Sims had 322 tackles (50 for loss), 29 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and three blocked kicks during his stellar college career.

Reports: Texans reach deals with OTs Cam Robinson, Trent Brown

The Houston Texans reportedly agreed to deals with free-agent offensive tackles Cam Robinson and Trent Brown on Friday.

Robinson’s one-year deal could be worth as much as $14.5 million with bonuses, according to multiple reports. Brown reportedly will receive $3 million.

Houston is looking for tackles after recently trading five-time Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders.

Robinson, 29, has started all 101 regular-season games he’s played over eight NFL seasons. He was a second-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 and played 91 games with the team until being traded to the Minnesota Vikings last October.

Brown, who turns 32 next month, has started 96 of 103 games over 10 NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers (2015-17), New England Patriots (2018, 2021-23), Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (2019-20) and Cincinnati Bengals (2024).

The 2019 Pro Bowl pick played just three games for the Bengals last season before sustaining a season-ending knee injury.

Homecoming: Saints reportedly to bring back WR Brandin Cooks

Wide receiver Brandin Cooks and the New Orleans Saints reportedly are headed for a reunion.

Per multiple media outlets on Friday, Cooks agreed to terms on a contract that bring him back to New Orleans. The Saints selected Cooks with the 20th overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Cooks, 31, recorded 26 catches for 259 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games (nine starts) last season with the Dallas Cowboys.

He has totaled 710 receptions for 9,532 yards and 60 touchdowns in 158 career games (144 starts) with the Saints, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans and Cowboys.

Cooks would join a group of wide receivers in New Orleans that consists of Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, among others.

Agent: Lions sign CB Avonte Maddox to 1-year deal

The Detroit Lions signed former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox to a one-year contract, agent Jason Chayut confirmed Friday.

Maddox, who turns 29 on March 31, capped his seven-year tenure in Philadelphia with a victory in Super Bowl LIX.

Maddox played in all 17 regular-season games (three starts) in 2024 but was on the field for just 33 percent of the defensive snaps, a career low, while losing time to rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.

He recorded four interceptions, three sacks, eight forced fumbles and 270 tackles in 81 games (41 starts) since the Eagles made him a fourth-round pick in 2018.

The Lions announced two deals with cornerbacks on Thursday, re-signing Khalil Dorsey and signing former second-round pick Rock Ya-Sin.