Birds’ NFC East rivals Cowboys, Giants bulk up via trades

Stephon Gilmore is on the move again, and Darren Waller is getting traded from the Raiders less than two weeks after marrying Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum.

Those were among the biggest moves on the eve of free agency Tuesday, the second day in which teams were allowed to negotiate with unrestricted free agents.

The deals can’t be announced until the start of the league year on Wednesday.

In other notable decisions, the Carolina Panthers, who own the top pick in the draft next month and are targeting a quarterback, found their stop-gap QB when they agreed to a two-year, $10 million contract with unrestricted free agent Andy Dalton.

While no teams spent as the Denver Broncos did on Day 1, when they committed a whopping $219.25 million in salaries to a half dozen players, there was plenty of action leading up to the official start of the league year, which arrives at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Broncos’ new Walton-Penner ownership group, by far the richest in the league, continued its spending spree Tuesday by agreeing to a two-year, $7.5 million deal with former Bengals running back Samaje Perine.

The Las Vegas Raiders were busy again, agreeing to a three-year, $33 million deal with former Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who reunites with Raiders coach Josh McDaniels, his former offensive coordinator in New England.

Meyers, who has averaged 70 catches and 800 receiving yards over the past three seasons, was involved in one of the worst gaffes in NFL history when he attempted an unnecessary lateral across the field to quarterback Mac Jones on the final play of a tie game headed to overtime in December. Chandler Jones snatched the ball and raced for a touchdown to give the Raiders a win over the Patriots.

The Raiders’ acquisition of Meyers helped make Waller expendable. They agreed to send Waller to the New York Giants for a 2023 third-round draft pick.

Waller, who made the Pro Bowl in 2020, gives Giants quarterback Daniel Jones a major playmaker and an upgrade at tight end. Last year’s starter, Daniel Bellinger, caught 30 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns.

Waller twice has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards, in 2019 and 2020, before injuries cut into his production the past two seasons. In 2022, Waller caught 28 passes for 388 yards and three TDs, missing eight games because of a pulled hamstring.

The trade for Waller, 30, is an effort to boost the Giants’ offensive talent around Jones, who agreed to a four-year, $160 million extension this offseason.

Tthe Dallas Cowboys acquired cornerback Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts for a fifth-round draft pick. The addition of the five-time Pro Bowler came on the same day Dallas re-signed safety Donovan Wilson as the Cowboys try to further bolster a defense that carried the club at times during a second consecutive playoff season in 2022.

The Cowboys will give up a compensatory fifth-round pick in this year’s draft. It will be the third team in three seasons for Gilmore, the 2019 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year when he was with New England.

Gilmore, 32, played 16 games for the Colts last season, finishing with two interceptions and 11 pass breakups as a four-year Pro Bowl run ended.

The Cowboys also continued a trend of preferring their own free agents when they agreed to contracts to keep leading tackler Wilson (three years, $24 million) and linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (two years, $11 million) in Dallas.

Source: Colts plan to release Ryan

The Indianapolis Colts acquired Matt Ryan last March thinking he would help them make a postseason run, maybe even win a Super Bowl. Now the two sides are now splitting up — and Ryan’s long career could be over.

Indy plans to release the quarterback Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.

By releasing Ryan, 37, the Colts will save about $17.2 million in salary cap space next season.

The Ryan move came as no surprise. Indy holds the No. 4 overall pick in next month’s NFL draft and most analysts expect it to select one of four quarterbacks — 2021 Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, two-time Big Ten offensive player of the year C.J. Stroud, strongarmed Will Levis or Anthony Richardson.

Ekeler can seek trade

Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler could be on his way out. Ekeler’s agent, Cameron Weiss, said the team has given Ekeler permission to seek a trade after both sides could not agree on a contract extension.

Ekeler, who has scored an NFL-high 38 touchdowns over the past two seasons, is entering the final season of a four-year, $24.5 million extension. He is scheduled to earn $6.25 million in the 2023 season.

He led the league with 18 scrimmage touchdowns last season and became the fifth running back in league history with at least 100 receptions. His 107 catches were tied for second most by a running back in a season.