{"id":787664,"date":"2026-03-02T22:37:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T22:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/787664\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T22:37:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T22:37:13","slug":"afc-free-agency-rumors-tyler-linderbaum-broderick-jones-trey-hendrickson-bengals-browns-ravens-steelers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/787664\/","title":{"rendered":"AFC Free Agency Rumors: Tyler Linderbaum, Broderick Jones, Trey Hendrickson, Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Athletic\u2019s Zac Jackson<\/a> writes that the Browns are expected to seriously consider trading for Colts QB Anthony Richardson<\/a> to compete with their current depth chart.\u00a0
\nThe Browns are doing extensive homework on Alabama QB Ty Simpson and the buzz at the Combine was he could be drafted earlier than expected. (Tony Pauline<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Sports Illustrated\u2019s Albert Breer<\/a> has heard Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum<\/a> is shooting for a contract worth $25 milion a year as a free agent. He doesn\u2019t think he and his agent quite get there but Linderbaum will still come out quite well wherever he lands.\u00a0
\nESPN\u2019s Jeremy Fowler<\/a> notes the Ravens have been kicking the tires on the free agent safety market despite having two former first-round picks in Kyle Hamilton<\/a> and Malaki Starks<\/a>. He points out new HC Jesse Minter ran a lot of three-safety looks with the Chargers and that could be a feature he\u2019s hoping to add to his unit in Baltimore.\u00a0
\nESPN\u2019s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano<\/a> mention Ravens TE Charlie Kolar<\/a> should have a strong market, as blocking tight ends have cashed in to a healthy degree in recent seasons.\u00a0
\nRavens GM Eric DeCosta said he\u2019s spoken with QB Lamar Jackson<\/a> a lot over the last month, and he\u2019s \u201cbeen engaged,\u201d but he wants to keep negotiation details in-house. (Jeff Zrebiec<\/a>)
\nDeCosta was clear they team wants to re-sign TE Isaiah Likely<\/a>. (Zrebiec<\/a>)
\nDeCosta also expects CB Marlon Humphrey<\/a> to be back in Baltimore and doesn\u2019t necessarily need a contract adjustment: \u201cI love Marlon.\u201d (Zrebiec<\/a>)
\nRegarding DT Nnamdi Madubuike<\/a>, DeCosta said he has no update. (Zrebiec<\/a>)
\nDeCosta has not spoken with LB Roquan Smith<\/a> about a contract alteration. (Zrebiec<\/a>)
\nWhen it comes to TE Mark Andrews<\/a>, DeCosta believes he still has a lot left in the tank, and acknowledged the pressure that comes with three tight ends set to hit the market. (Josh Tolentino<\/a>)
\nMinter said Madubuike was at the facility a few weeks ago, but he prefers to keep those conversations private. (Zrebiec<\/a>)
\nCBS Sports\u2019 Matt Zenitz<\/a> reports the Ravens are set to hire Dolphins assistant LBs coach Matt O\u2019Donnell on their defensive staff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Athletics\u2019 Mike DeFabo<\/a> writes the Steelers seem to be operating under the assumption, at all levels of the organization, that QB Aaron Rodgers<\/a> will inform them of his plans in the next few weeks. They think Rodgers will return but can\u2019t be definitive.\u00a0
\nHe adds things are still fluid with TE Jonnu Smith<\/a>, even though GM Omar Khan said they had the financial flexibility to keep him. The Steelers are evaluating how Smith could fit in the new offense.\u00a0
\nDeFabo notes Steelers LT Broderick Jones<\/a>\u2018 neck injury is a bigger deal than the team has let on. It\u2019s not clear if Jones will be ready for training camp or even the season, and his injury could impact Pittsburgh\u2019s decision on his fifth-year option in May, worth $19.07 million fully guaranteed in 2027.\u00a0
\nHe adds the Steelers have started doing homework on tackle prospects and checked with the agent for at least one veteran pending free agent.\u00a0
\nThe sense from around the league and team is that the Steelers want to extend OLB Nick Herbig<\/a> while also keeping veteran OLB Alex Highsmith<\/a>, per DeFabo.
\nDeFabo says the Steelers talked with the reps for both CBs James Pierre<\/a> and Asante Samuel<\/a> Jr. about re-signing on new deals. He thinks keeping both should be attainable, though he notes a league source told him he was shocked any team was willing to medically clear Samuel last year after spinal fusion surgery.\u00a0
\nDeFabo mentions the Steelers had formal Combine interviews with Alabama QB Ty Simpson and Miami QB Carson Beck. He gets the sense experience is a big factor for Pittsburgh\u2019s quarterback evaluations, which is a negative for Simpson and a positive for Beck.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?<\/p>\n

Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors<\/a> on X.com<\/a>\u00a0and FACEBOOK<\/a>\u00a0for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Athletic\u2019s Zac Jackson writes that the Browns are expected to seriously consider trading for Colts QB Anthony…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":754234,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2026],"tags":[1586,6310,1504,8483,465,2037,4699,7,4698,5856,7470,895,759,7142,111166,6313,23556,466,1503,20708,7427],"class_list":{"0":"post-787664","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-aaron-rodgers","9":"tag-alex-highsmith","10":"tag-anthony-richardson","11":"tag-asante-samuel-jr","12":"tag-broderick-jones","13":"tag-carson-beck","14":"tag-charlie-kolar","15":"tag-football","16":"tag-isaiah-likely","17":"tag-james-pierre","18":"tag-jonnu-smith","19":"tag-lamar-jackson","20":"tag-mark-andrews","21":"tag-marlon-humphrey","22":"tag-matt-odonnell","23":"tag-nick-herbig","24":"tag-nnamdi-madubuike","25":"tag-roquan-smith","26":"tag-trey-hendrickson","27":"tag-ty-simpson","28":"tag-tyler-linderbaum"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116161979862384468","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/754234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}