Titans turn the ball over to Pollard
Running back will replace star Henry, who spent eight years with Tennessee
The Tennessee Titans are replacing four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry with Tony Pollard.
Pollard and the Titans agreed Monday to a Us$24-million, threeyear contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because free agents can't officially sign with new teams until Wednesday, when the NFL'S new league year begins.
The Titans drafted Tyjae Spears last season. Spears was the backup to Henry. Eight-year veteran Henry, who turned 30 in January, is poised to hit free agency Wednesday for the first time in his career.
Pollard, 26, was a fourth-round pick by Dallas in 2019 out of Memphis. He has had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons with the Cowboys using the franchise tag on Pollard for the 2023 season.
The Cowboys declined to tag Pollard for a second straight season despite him running for 1,005 yards and six touchdowns. Pollard also had a career-high 55 receptions for 311 yards. Pollard has 3,621 yards rushing in his career on 762 carries, averaging 4.8 per rush. He also has 176 receptions for 1,319 yards and five TDS.
Henry, the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner, led the NFL in carries with 280 and ranked second in rushing behind the 49ers' Christian Mccaffrey in 2023. He's also one of only eight players to run for at least 2,000 yards in a season and is tied for 13th in NFL history with 90 rushing TDS.
He is just 508 yards shy of Eddie George's franchise rushing mark of 10,009 yards.
The Buffalo Bills reached an agreement on Monday to sign left tackle Dion Dawkins to a three-year contract extension that locks up the starter through 2027, with the deal also expected to provide the team salary cap relief this season.
Also, the Bills re-signed backup defensive back Cam Lewis to a two-year, $4-million contract, said the player's agent, Sean Stellato.
Lewis, who was a pending unrestricted free agent, returns after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Bills.
ESPN.COM first reported Lewis' signing.
Dawkins was entering the final season of a four-year contract, and due to count more than $16.6 million against the salary cap. Buffalo has spent the past few weeks slashing payroll after entering the off-season projected to be a league-high $44 million over the cap.
Re-signing Dawkins solidifies the long-term future of quarterback Josh Allen's primary protector on a line undergoing changes after veteran starting centre Mitch Morse was cut last week.
The Jacksonville Jaguars found a replacement for receiver Calvin Ridley in free agency.
The Jaguars and former Buffalo receiver Gabe Davis agreed to a three-year, $39-million contract during the NFL'S legal tampering period Monday, according to a person familiar with negotiations. The person spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal can't be announced until the new league year begins Wednesday.
Davis could earn up to $50 million with incentives, the person said.
Adding Davis means Jacksonville is moving on from Ridley, who is expected to be one of the top receivers on the market and likely not affordable for a team with little salary cap flexibility right now.
Davis caught 163 passes for 2,730 yards and 27 touchdowns in four years with Buffalo.
He had six more TD receptions in the playoffs.
Ridley caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight TDS in his lone season in Jacksonville. But re-signing him before free agency would have cost the Jags a second-round draft pick they didn't want to give up. Instead, they will give Atlanta a third-rounder to essentially rent Ridley for 17 games. The six-foottwo Davis, who grew up in nearby Orlando, gives quarterback Trevor Lawrence a bigger option who should be able to bring down 50-50 balls and help the offence be more effective in the end zone.
Kirk Cousins is leaving Minnesota for Atlanta, landing another big contract with a well-timed foray into free agency.
Cousins agreed Monday to a four-year deal with the Falcons, his agent Mike Mccartney announced on social media.
Atlanta had a glaring need at quarterback after cycling through Tyler Heinicke and Desmond Ridder last season, and Cousins' wife, Julie, grew up in the metro area.
Working his way back from a torn Achilles tendon in his right foot that sidelined him because of an injury for the first time in his career, Cousins had a 103.8 passer rating in eight games for the Vikings last season that was still the third best in the league despite the lost time.
The epitome of a late bloomer, Cousins enjoyed largely the most effective performances of his career since the Vikings hired coach Kevin O'connell in 2022.
Cousins, for as much as he wanted to finish his career with Minnesota, had also made clear he wanted to be valued with a commitment beyond a token year.