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Kris Rhim
LOS ANGELES — The Chargers released outside linebacker Joey Bosa on Wednesday night, cutting ties with their longest-tenured player and one of the best in franchise history.
The move saves them $25.36 million in cap space.
Bosa, 29, was selected by the Chargers with the No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft. His 72 career sacks rank second in franchise history behind Leslie O’Neal (105.5).
Bosa was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016 after posting 10.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. He quickly emerged as one of the league’s best edge rushers, making four Pro Bowls in his first six seasons. He set an NFL record with 19 sacks in his first 20 games.
What to know for NFL free agency
The Chargers rewarded Bosa with a five-year, $135 million contract extension in 2020, a deal that at the time was the richest for a defensive player in NFL history. But injuries have plagued him since; he has played in just 28 games over the past three seasons.
Still, Bosa was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl in 2024, albeit as an alternate, and his 14 games played were his most since 2021. When healthy, he has remained an effective pass rusher; in the Chargers’ playoff loss to the Houston Texans in January, he had a team-high six pressures and one sack.
Bosa made it clear throughout the season that he wanted to be a Charger for life, and he took a pay cut last offseason to stay with the team. Still, he was projected to have a $36.4 million cap hit in 2025, which always seemed untenable for the Chargers, who with his release now have $90.6 million in cap space.
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Now, Bosa will navigate free agency for the first time in his career. Earlier in the offseason, he discussed the potential of playing with his younger brother
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Michael DiRocco
The Jacksonville Jaguars plan to release veteran wide receiver Christian Kirk, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The move will save the Jaguars $10.732 million against the salary cap. Kirk, who was entering the final year of his four-year contract, was scheduled to have the Jaguars’ highest cap number in 2025 at $24.4 million and be paid a $15.5 million salary.
It marks the first significant roster move made by new Jaguars general manager James Gladstone, who was hired on Feb. 21, and new head coach Liam Coen.
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Kirk signed the four-year, $72 million deal in 2022 and immediately set career highs in catches (84), receiving yards (1,108) and touchdown receptions (eight) that season.
But he missed 14 games over the past two seasons because of an abdominal injury and broken collarbone, finishing with a combined 84 catches for 1,166 yards and four TDs in 20 games over that stretch.
With Kirk gone, the Jaguars enter free agency next week with 2023 sixth-round draft pick Parker Washington as their top slot receiver. Washington has 48 catches for 522 yards and five touchdowns in his two seasons.
Kirk, 28, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Arizona Cardinals, catching 236 passes for 2,902 yards and 17 touchdowns.
The NFL's highest-paid players at every position: Here's who makes the most money, from QB to punter
Who are the NFL’s highest-paid players at every position?
We tracked the best-paid players at 16 different positions — including long-snapper — and will keep the numbers updated as more records get broken. To get the full picture on the top earners in this league, we sorted positions by two categories, which in a few cases have the same player at No. 1:
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Three-year average (APY)
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Total guaranteed money
Salary information courtesy of Roster Management System.
Let’s start the highest-paid quarterbacks:
Jump to a position:
QB | RB | WR | TE
OT | OG | OC | EDGE
DT | LB | CB | S
K | LS | P
Quarterback
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: September 2024 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Joe Burrow (CIN), $61.3 million
3. Jordan Love (GB), $58.3 million
4. Trevor Lawrence (JAX), $56.9 million
5. Jared Goff (DET), $55.4 million
6. Tua Tagovailoa (MIA), $54.3 million
7. Justin Herbert (LAC), $53.3 million
Total guaranteed money:
Signed: March 2022 (contract ends in 2027)
Running back
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: March 2025 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Christian McCaffrey (SF), $19 million
3. Jonathan Taylor (IND), $14 million
4. Alvin Kamara (NO), $12.2 million
Total guaranteed money:
Signed: March 2025 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Jonathan Taylor (IND), $26.5 million
3. Christian McCaffrey (SF), $24 million
4. Alvin Kamara (NO), $34.3 million
Wide receiver
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: June 2024 (contract ends in 2029)
2. CeeDee Lamb (DAL), $34 million
3. A.J. Brown (PHI), $32 million
4. Brandon Aiyuk (SF), $30 million
5. DJ Moore (CHI), $28.5 million
6. Jaylen Waddle (MIA), $28.3 million
7. Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET), $28 million
Total guaranteed money:
Signed: June 2024 (contract ends in 2029)
2. CeeDee Lamb (DAL), $100 million
3. A.J. Brown (PHI), $84 million
4. DJ Moore (CHI), $81.5 million
5. Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET), $77 million
6. Brandon Aiyuk (SF), $76 million
Tight end
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: April 2024 (contract ends in 2025)
2. T.J. Hockenson (MIN), $16 million
3. George Kittle (SF), $15.3 million
Total guaranteed money:
Signed: August 2023 (contract ends in 2027)
2. George Kittle (SF), $40 million
3. Mark Andrews (BAL), $37.6 million
Offensive tackle
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: April 2024 (contract ends in 2029)
2. Tristan Wirfs (TB), $28.6 million
3. Trent Williams (SF), $27.6 million
Total guaranteed money:
Signed: August 2024 (contract ends in 2029)
2. Christian Darrisaw (MIN), $74.5 million
3. Penei Sewell (DET), $70 million
4. Andrew Thomas (NYG), $61.9 million
Guard
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: March 2023 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Robert Hunt (CAR), $21 million
3. Quenton Nelson (IND), $20.9 million
Total guaranteed money:
Signed: March 2024 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Chris Lindstrom (ATL), $62.7 million
3. Quenton Nelson (IND), $60 million
Center
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: August 2024 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Frank Ragnow (DET), $14 million
3. Lloyd Cushenberry (TEN), $12.6 million
4. Erik McCoy (NO), $12.5 million
Total guaranteed money:
Signed: August 2024 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Frank Ragnow (DET), $42 million
3. Ryan Kelly (IND), $34 million
4. Erik McCoy (NO), $33 million
Cornerback
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: September 2024 (contract ends in 2029)
2. Pat Surtain II (DEN), $24 million
3. Jaire Alexander (GB), $21.8 million
4. A.J. Terrell (ATL), $20.6 million
Total guaranteed money:
Signed: September 2024 (contract ends in 2030)
2. Denzel Ward (CLE), $71.25 million
3. Marshon Lattimore (NO), $68.3 million
Safety
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: May 2024 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Derwin James Jr. (LAC), $19.6 million
3. Minkah Fitzpatrick (PIT), $18.6 million
Total guaranteed money:
Signed: May 2024 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Derwin James Jr. (LAC), $42 million
T3. Minkah Fitzpatrick (PIT), $36 million
T3. Jessie Bates III (ATL), $36 million
Edge rusher
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: September 2023 (contract ends in 2029)
2. Josh Hines-Allen (JAX), $31 million
3. T.J. Watt (PIT), $30.5 million
4. Brian Burns (NYG), $30 million
5. Myles Garrett (CLE), $26.7 million
Total guaranteed money:
1. Nick Bosa, $119.9 million
Signed: September 2023 (contract ends in 2029)
2. Myles Garrett (CLE), $100 million
3. Josh Hines-Allen (JAX), $88 million
4. Brian Burns (NYG), $87.5 million
Defensive tackle
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: March 2024 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Christian Wilkins (LV), $28 million
3. Alim McNeill (DET), $24 million
Total guaranteed money:
Signed: March 2024 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Christian Wilkins (LV), $82.7 million
3. Quinnen Williams (NYJ), $66 million
Off-ball linebacker
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: January 2023 (contract ends 2027)
2. Fred Warner (SF), $19.5 million
3. Tremaine Edmunds (CHI), $19 million
Total guaranteed money:
Signed: January 2023 (contract ends 2027)
2. Tremaine Edmunds (CHI), $45 million
3. Fred Warner (SF), $40.5 million
Kicker
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: August 2024 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Justin Tucker (BAL), $6.2 million
3. Jake Elliott (PHI), $6 million
Total guaranteed money:
Signed: August 2024 (contract ends in 2028)
2. Justin Tucker (BAL), $17.5 million
3. Jake Elliott (PHI), $14.1 million
Long-snapper
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: September 2023 (contract ends 2027)
2. Joe Cardona (NE), $1.63 million
3. Zach Wood (NO), $1.62 million
Total guaranteed money:
Signed: March 2024 (contract ends 2026)
2. Thomas Hennessy (NYJ), $2.62 million
3. Joe Cardona (NE), $2.6 million
Punter
Highest three-year APY:
Signed: June 2021 (contract ends in 2025)
2. Jack Fox (DET), $3.6 million
3. Tress Way (WSH), $3.3 million
Total guaranteed money:
Signed: June 2021 (contract ends in 2025)
2. Jack Fox (DET), $7.5 million
3. Tress Way (WSH), $6.4 million
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Ben Baby
Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin sat in a mostly empty ballroom at the Westin in downtown Indianapolis recently and had a familiar conversation.
Yet again, the Bengals’ de facto GM was discussing wide receiver Tee Higgins’ long-term future with the team. For the past three offseasons, Cincinnati has had to make a big decision on one of its top offensive players. The decision made Monday is a familiar one for both sides of the negotiation.
The Bengals placed the franchise tag on Higgins for the second straight year. It marks the latest development in a yearslong saga regarding Higgins and a potential long-term extension. Last year, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on an extension for the fifth-year receiver out of Clemson.
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This year, the Bengals tagged Higgins again either as a short-term solution or as a placeholder for a more final resolution this offseason.
Higgins had a career-high 10 touchdown catches last season, and the Bengals were 8-4 in the 12 games he played in in 2024, compared with 1-4 in the five he missed. Since entering the league in 2020, Higgins has 34 receiving touchdowns, tied for the 14th most in the NFL. He’s one of nine players with at least five receiving TDs in each of the past five seasons.
