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NFL free agency rumors roundup: Latest on Aaron Rodgers, Amari Cooper and more
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- NFL free agency rumors roundup: Latest on Aaron Rodgers, Amari Cooper and more
The bulk of NFL free agents are already off of the market. But rumors still swirl for the top free agents that remain on the market.
That includes quarterback Aaron Rodgers , who has been one of the top free-agent quarterbacks on the market since the Jets released him shortly after the new league year began. In the weeks since, he's been connected to the Vikings , Giants and Steelers , with each team holding varying levels of interest.
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Also still on the market is wide receiver Amari Cooper , who remains the top wide receiver still unsigned.
Here are the latest NFL free agency rumors from analysts around the web:
RUSSELL WILSON CONTRACT: Winners and losers include Shedeur Sanders, Aaron Rodgers
NFL free agency rumors
Aaron Rodgers will likely sign with the Steelers
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Source:NBC Sports' Mike Florio
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Date:March 23
There's no telling when Rodgers will decide to finalize his contract with his next team – perhaps it will once again come during an interview with Pat McAfee – but all of the momentum appears to be behind the veteran landing in Pittsburgh . Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that he was told it's a "safe bet" that Rodgers will end up a Steeler .
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Last Friday, several NFL insiders reported that the 41-year-old spent six hours at the Steelers ' facility meeting with head coach Mike Tomlin, general manager Omar Khan and other personnel. ESPN's Adam Schefter called it a "positive visit," though no contract was signed and no terms agreed upon.
There remains a faint connection between the Vikings and Rodgers as well. Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Wednesday that the team is happy with where its quarterback room is but didn't go so far as to say they're totally out on Rodgers.
When asked if the Vikings could rule out adding the veteran, Adofo-Mensah said, "For me to sit here and say anything is 100% forever, that's just not the job."
Amari Cooper is a fit for the Raiders, Saints
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Source:Bleacher Report's Andrew Peters
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Date:March 25
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With Stefon Diggs signing a three-year, $69 million deal with the Patriots , Cooper remains the top free-agent receiver on the market. Andrew Peters of Bleacher Report laid out two potential outcomes for the 10-year veteran: one, a homecoming to the team that drafted him, and the other, a reunion with his former offensive coordinator.
Peters pointed out the Raiders ' need for a third pass-catching option to pair with tight end Brock Bowers and receiver Jakobi Meyers after trading for quarterback Geno Smith . Cooper spent three and a half years with the Raiders after the team drafted him with the fourth overall pick in 2015.
In that time he caught 225 passes for 3,183 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Also among potential fits according to Peters were the Saints , who have a couple of talented receivers in Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed but could use an extra pass-catcher for injury insurance. Olave and Shaheed missed more than half of the 2024 season with injuries.
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Landing in New Orleans would also reunite Cooper with Kellen Moore, the Saints ' new head coach who served as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator during the receiver's most productive years.
Cooper tallied 292 catches for 3,893 yards and 27 touchdowns while playing in Moore's offensive system in Dallas .
Kirk Cousins will wait until after the draft to approve a trade
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Source:Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer
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Date:March 24
Cousins , who has a no-trade clause in his contract, recently guaranteed himself a $10 million bonus for 2026 when the Falcons kept him on the roster past a March 15 deadline. But that does not guarantee he'll remain with Atlanta into Week 1 of the 2025 season.
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According to Breer, the Falcons may still be workshopping potential trade scenarios, though the actual transaction would most likely occur after the draft. Breer wrote that Cousins is looking to avoid another scenario like the one he found himself in last year, blindsided by Atlanta's decision to draft a quarterback in the first round just months after signing him to a four-year deal.
With that being the case, the Falcons – if they do plan to trade the 36-year-old – would likely need to wait until after the draft to get Cousins to agree to waive his no-trade clause. That would give the former Viking a chance to see how the draft plays out for teams around the league before agreeing to move on to a new organization.
Breer did include a note that Cousins and his team would be willing to work out trade terms before the draft, provided that his next team agrees not to draft a quarterback in the first round in 2025. He also wrote that part of the calculus around a potential Cousins trade is dependent on where Rodgers ends up signing in the coming weeks.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL free agency rumors: Aaron Rodgers, Amari Cooper and more
