Monthly Archive 2025年3月4日

Alex Cappa has been a starter on the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line for the past three seasons, but he won’t be returning for a fourth season. The team has decided to cut ties with Cappa in a move that was announced on Monday.

Although Cappa had started 50 games for the Bengals over the past three years, their decision to release him isn’t a huge surprise. For one, his production went down last season. Joe Burrow was sacked 48 times in 2024, which was the tied for the fourth most in the NFL, and Cappa was part of the problem. According to Pro Football Focus, Cappa’s overall grade last season was 50.5, which ranked 110th out of 135 guards.

The other reason this move wasn’t a huge surprise is because it frees up a massive amount of salary cap space for the Bengals. Cappa was set to have a $10.25 million cap hit in 2025 and although the Bengals will take a dead cap hit of $2.25 million, the important part is that the move will free up $8 million in cap space.

Agent’s Take: Bengals could pay a much steeper price if they don’t heed Joe Burrow’s plea to lock up stars
Joel Corry
Agent’s Take: Bengals could pay a much steeper price if they don’t heed Joe Burrow’s plea to lock up stars
The Bengals now have roughly $68.7 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap.com, which is the fifth most in the NFL.

The fact that Cappa got released one day before the franchise tag deadline probably isn’t a coincidence. If the Bengals don’t get an extension done with Tee Higgins by Tuesday’s tag deadline, then they’ll almost certainly tag the wide receiver in a move that will cost $26.1 million. Once they use the tag, that money will immediately count against the cap, so the Bengals likely wanted to free up as much cap space as possible before officially using it.

If Higgins does get tagged, the Bengals need to make sure they still have an ample amount of cap space remaining so that they can get new deals done with both Ja’Marr Chase and Trey Hendrickson. On top of that, the team will need some cap space for free agency, which explains why the Bengals have been busy looking for ways to add extra cap room.

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Alex Cappa
CIN • OG • #65
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This is the second time in less than two weeks that the Bengals have freed up a chunk of salary cap space by cutting a player. Back on Feb. 21, they released Sheldon Rankins in a move that freed up $9.6 million in cap space. Between Rankins and Cappa, the Bengals have picked up $17.6 million in cap room for the 2025 season.

Cappa likely won’t have an issue finding a job in free agency. Although he struggled in 2024, he’s been a consistent starter in the NFL. After the Buccaneers made him a third-round pick in 2018, Cappa ended up starting 46 games over four seasons in Tampa. He then signed with the Bengals prior to the 2022 season and ended up starting at least 16 games in each of his three seasons in Cincinnati.

The 2025 NFL offseason is now in full swing, with the Super Bowl in the rear view and the scouting combine complete. There is plenty more still to come, however, as all 32 teams prepare for the annual shuffle of veteran players via free agency and trades. And that’s not accounting for April’s draft, when a swarm of other prospects will enter the professional stage looking to carve out roles of their own.

Spring programming follows the winter activity, with teams quickly transitioning from roster-building to on-field work, and before you know it, the 2025 season will be upon us. Need a handy guide for all the important offseason dates still to come? We’ve got you covered.

Here’s a full rundown of the biggest events and when they’re scheduled to take place:

Starting now
Trade negotiating: All NFL teams are permitted to discuss and/or agree to any trades involving players or draft picks. However, if a trade includes players on existing contracts, it cannot be finalized and processed until the start of the league year in March (see below).

March 4
Franchise tag deadline: At 4 p.m. ET, teams are no longer permitted to apply the franchise or transition tag to eligible players. Players who’ve been tagged, however, do not yet have to sign their contract.

2025 NFL free agency: League releases numbers for franchise and transition tags this offseason
Jeff Kerr
2025 NFL free agency: League releases numbers for franchise and transition tags this offseason
March 10
Free agent negotiating period begins: Starting at 12 p.m. ET, all NFL teams can contact and negotiate potential contracts with the certified agents of players with expiring contracts. Agreements can be reached in principle, but they cannot be officially signed.

March 12
New league year: At 4 p.m. ET, the 2025 offseason officially gets underway, meaning any negotiated contracts or trades can be finalized and processed. Any free agent or trade discussions that begin after this point can be finalized immediately.

March 30-April 2
Annual league meeting: NFL owners will gather in Palm Beach, Florida, to discuss proposed rule changes and other league matters.

April 7
Offseason programming begins: NFL teams that hired a new head coach — the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets — are eligible to gather for spring workouts.

April 18
Restricted free agent deadline: Any players without contracts as restricted free agents (three or fewer accrued NFL seasons) must sign an offer received by their respective teams, or remain free agents.

April 21
Offseason programming expands: All NFL teams can begin spring workouts.

April 24-26
2025 NFL Draft: Teams will select college prospects in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

May 1
Fifth-year option deadline: NFL teams wishing to exercise the fifth-year option built into the contracts of 2022 first-round draft picks must do so by this date.

May 2
Rookie minicamps begin: Starting now, NFL teams are able to hold one three-day minicamp (from Friday to Sunday or Saturday to Monday) on one of the two weekends following the draft.

May 20-21
Spring league meeting: NFL owners will gather to discuss league matters in the Minneapolis area.

July 15
Franchise tag extension deadline: Teams desiring to sign tagged players to long-term contract extensions must do so by 4 p.m. ET, or said players will be required to play under the tag in 2025.

Mid-July
Training camps open: NFL teams can begin their summer training camps, first for rookies, then for veterans, in preparation of the 2025 preseason and regular season.

Through the early part of this offseason, rampant trade rumors surrounded Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. The New York Giants were interested, as were the Las Vegas Raiders and presumably other teams.

Alas, Stafford isn’t going anywhere. He agreed with the Rams to a reworked contract, and he’ll remain in Los Angeles for at least another year. According to head coach Sean McVay, Stafford was never really going anywhere anyway.

“That was never something that felt like ever got close, and it was never something that I allowed my mind to go to,” McVay said, via ESPN.

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Matthew Stafford
LAR • QB • #9
CMP%
65.8
YDS
3762
TD
20
INT
8
YD/ATT
7.28
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McVay also said he expects to go through the same process again with Stafford next year, via The Athletic, and to do it again on a year-to-year basis for as long as Stafford wants to continue playing. The Rams also agreed last offseason to adjust Stafford’s contract so that he would remain with the Rams for 2024.

Stafford’s 2024 numbers look somewhat pedestrian on the surface: He completed 65.8% of his passes at an average of 7.3 yards per attempt, with 20 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Yet once Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp returned from their injuries, his numbers spiked. He went from 7.3 yards per attempt to 7.9, and his touchdown-to-interception pace jumped to 29 touchdowns and seven picks while he was on a 4,029-yard pace.

2025 NFL Mock Draft: Giants trade up to No. 1 after missing out on Matthew Stafford; defenders dominate top 10
Kyle Stackpole
2025 NFL Mock Draft: Giants trade up to No. 1 after missing out on Matthew Stafford; defenders dominate top 10
He then played well in the postseason, going 45 of 71 for 533 yards and four scores against two of the NFL’s best defenses. It makes sense, then, that McVay is breathing sighs of relief upon his return to the fold. He has “been sleeping better these last couple days” since the team agreed to terms with Stafford, McVay told The Athletic.