Sources: Bills, WR Joshua Palmer reach 3-year, $36M deal
The Buffalo Bills have reached agreement with former Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer on a three-year, $36 million deal, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
Adding Palmer brings a new outside receiver to the Bills offense with two of the team’s receivers –Mack Hollins and Amari Cooper — set to become free agents Wednesday. The team has also recently signed slot receiver Khalil Shakir, who had one year left on his contract, to a four-year extension.
After the Chargers moved on from wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, Palmer, who had played behind them for three seasons, appeared poised for an increased role, but that never materialized. Palmer finished the season with 39 catches for 584 yards and one touchdown.
At 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, Palmer’s combination of speed and physicality had made him a reliable target for Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, particularly on third downs or 2-point conversions, where Palmer routinely made contested catches.
Still, Palmer took a backseat in 2024 to rookie Ladd McConkey, who had more yards, receptions and touchdowns than Palmer has ever had in a season in his career.
For the Bills, Palmer brings another option for quarterback Josh Allen to add into what the team does at wide receiver as they look to build out the room following departures last offseason. Allen has shown the ability to elevate the players around him as seen in Hollins coming off a career-year. The Bills will likely look to continue to address the position.
Palmer, 25, missed three games in 2024 — one with a calf and elbow injury and the Chargers’ final regular-season and postseason games with a heel injury. Palmer appeared in all 17 games during his rookie season, the only time he was able to do that in his career.
Palmer is a native of Ontario, Canada, and played four years at the University of Tennessee before the Chargers selected him in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.
He has 182 catches for 2,287 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career.
ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg and Kris Rhim contributed to this report.
Josh Dobbs finds a wide-open Kyle Juszczyk who grabs it and lays out for a 31-yard touchdown. (0:24)
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As Kyle Juszczyk walked to the bus to leave State Farm Stadium after the San Francisco 49ers’ 2024 season ended, he was uncertain about what was next.
Juszczyk’s suspicion that he might have played his final game as a Niner was correct. The 49ers informed Juszczyk on Monday night that he is being released, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Juszczyk, 33, told ESPN after that season-ending loss to the Arizona Cardinals that he plans to play in 2025 no matter the team, a sentiment also shared by Schefter’s source.
“I know I’m not done,” Juszczyk said Jan. 5. “I’m definitely not done playing. I’ve seen zero regression. I think especially, I mean, you can turn on the last two games and please show me where I’ve regressed, so I have no plans of stopping.”
Juszczyk and the 49ers nearly parted ways last offseason before Juszczyk agreed to a pay cut to stay with the team. It seemed a similar agreement would be needed this offseason for Juszczyk to play a ninth season in San Francisco, though that did not materialize.
Juszczyk was due to count $6,496,750 on the 2025 salary cap and has void years on the deal through 2028 that would cost an additional $1,674,00 against the cap in 2026 after his contract was set to expire. Juszczyk’s release means the Niners will save $2,926,000 against this year’s cap with an immediate dead money charge of $3,570,750.
Juszczyk was one of the first free agents 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch signed after taking over in 2017.
Juszczyk was named to the Pro Bowl after each of his eight seasons in San Francisco and was first-team All-Pro in 2023 and second-team All-Pro in 2024. He ran for 212 yards and 5 touchdowns on 60 carries and added 184 catches for 1,895 receiving yards and 13 scores in his time with the team.
At the NFL scouting combine in February, Lynch hinted that Juszczyk might be moving on and that seemed more realistic when the team agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $20.3 million with tight end Luke Farrell on Monday. Farrell could handle some of Juszczyk’s former blocking duties.
“We’re trying to make everything work and [with] some tighter constraints than we’ve had in the past,” Lynch said then.
Juszczyk will also come up just short of landing a spot on the Niners’ 10-year club, which honors players who have played at least 10 consecutive seasons in San Francisco. The team hasn’t added any new members since Joe Staley in 2017.
Perhaps more bothersome for Juszczyk is that he came close to winning the Super Bowl on multiple occasions with the 49ers — including two losses in the big game.
“I want to win a ring,” Juszczyk said in January. “I want to win a ring here. But again, if I’m forced to do it somewhere else, I’ve still got so much football left in me. I still love the game so much. I’m still playing at a high level and I know there’s teams out there that can use me.”
Pat McAfee reacts to Sam Darnold signing a three-year deal worth $55 million guaranteed with the Seahawks. (2:26)
The Seattle Seahawks have found their replacement for Geno Smith, agreeing to a three-year, $100.5 million deal with former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal includes $55 million guaranteed, sources told Schefter.
The Seahawks added Darnold three days after agreeing to trade Smith, their starting quarterback for the past three seasons, to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round draft pick.
Darnold’s deal is the latest move in what has been a busy stretch for the Seahawks, who agreed to trade star receiver DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday and released receiver Tyler Lockett and four other veteran players last week.
The Seahawks traded Smith after attempting to negotiate an extension with the veteran quarterback after last month’s NFL scouting combine. Seattle then turned its focus to Darnold, widely considered the top quarterback on the free-agent market.
Darnold reunites in Seattle with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who was the San Francisco 49ers’ passing game coordinator in 2023 when Darnold backed up Brock Purdy.
Darnold, 27, blossomed in the Vikings’ scheme last season, with coach Kevin O’Connell’s careful guidance, leading Minnesota to 14 wins after winning a total of 21 games in his previous six seasons. He ranked fifth in the NFL in passing yards (4,319) and touchdown passes (35) while earning his first career Pro Bowl invitation.
Three of Darnold’s 35 touchdown passes last season came during the Vikings’ 27-24 victory over the Seahawks in December.
Darnold, however, appeared to hit his ceiling as the end of the season. His final two starts were his worst, as he threw a combined 23 off-target throws and took 11 sacks as the Vikings lost games to the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams by a combined score of 58-18.
The Vikings signed Darnold in 2024 as insurance for their plan to draft their quarterback of the future. His primary job was to give the team an option good enough that it would not be forced to play that quarterback, who turned out to be J.J. McCarthy, until he was ready.
Darnold, however, had a strong training camp and was in line to be the Vikings’ Week 1 starter even before McCarthy suffered a season-ending torn meniscus in his right knee during the preseason opener.
The No. 3 pick of the 2018 draft, Darnold spent three seasons with the New York Jets, two with the Carolina Panthers and one as a backup with the 49ers before signing with the Vikings in what was widely viewed as his final opportunity to prove he could be an NFL starter.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert contributed to this report.
ESPN
EDITOR’S PICKS
Sources: QB Allen, Bills reach record $330M deal
21hAlaina Getzenberg
Bills’ leading receiver Shakir lands extension
13dAlaina Getzenberg
Tracking NFL free agency: Live updates on every signing, trade, cut and rumor
27mESPN staff
EDITOR’S PICKS
49ers 2025 free agency tracker: Niners to sign backup tight end Luke Farrell
2hNick Wagoner
Let’s grade NFL free agency deals: Sizing up 30-plus signings, trades
3mSeth Walder
49ers star Christian McCaffrey, model Olivia Culpo expecting first child
5hAnthony Gharib
EDITOR’S PICKS
Why the Seahawks are taking a risk choosing Sam Darnold as their next QB
2hBrady Henderson
Tracking NFL free agency: Live updates on every signing, trade, cut and rumor
27mESPN staff
Let’s grade NFL free agency deals: Sizing up 30-plus signings, trades
3mSeth Walder
Bills agree to terms with free agent defensive tackle Michael Hoecht
The Bills are making an addition to their defensive line.
Free agent defensive tackle Michael Hoecht has agreed to a three-year deal with the Bills, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
The 27-year-old Hoecht originally signjed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent out of Brown in 2020. He made the Rams’ practice squad as a rookie and then made their 53-man roster in his second season in 2021, and he’s been on the Rams since.
Last year Hoecht played 57 percent of the Rams’ defensive snaps and 38 percent of their special teams snaps and he’s likely to provide similar depth for the Bills.
A Division of NBCUniversal.
DISCLAIMER: This site and the products offered are for entertainment purposes only, and there is no gambling offered on this site. This service is intended for adult audiences. No guarantees are made for any specific outcome. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Ⓒ 2024 NBC Universal
Buffalo Bills sign WR Josh Palmer, formerly of Los Angeles Chargers
FILED UNDER:
The Bills have their first free-agent addition, adding former Chargers wide receiver Josh Palmer
The Buffalo Bills have made a significant addition to their wide receivers room, signing former Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Josh Palmer to a three-year, $36 million contract, with $18 million guaranteed per multiple insiders.
Palmer, who is just 25 years old, brings a set of skills that are valued highly by One Bills Drive, but which have been hard to find — specifically, the type of route running and ability to create separation against defensive backs he’s demonstrated against NFL defenders.
Last season with the Chargers, Palmer played in approximately 58% of the offensive snaps, showcasing his reliability as a consistent presence in the Chargers’ offense. Last year, Palmer played 15 games for Los Angeles and caught 39 passes for 584 yards and one touchdown. His best season was in 2022 when he finished with 769 yards on 72 catches with three touchdowns.
Palmer was a third-round pick for the Chargers in 2021, taken 16 spots after Buffalo selected defensive end Boogie Basham and 16 spots before right tackle Spencer Brown.
Originally from Canada, Palmer grew up in Brampton, Ontario, before moving to Florida for his final two years of high school. Brampton is a two-hour drive from Highmark Stadium.
Further contract details should be announced later this week, which we’ll cover in full when available. The new NFL league year begins Wednesday, March 12 at 4 p.m. EDT.
The signing brings into question how Buffalo will construct the wide receiver position in 2025. Amari Cooper is an unrestricted free agent (UFA), and someone who general manager Brandon Beane made a mid-season trade for last season, giving up the Bills’ third-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft as part of the deal. Mack Hollins is also a UFA, and someone who quickly developed key chemistry with quarterback Josh Allen, most notably in leading the team with five touchdown receptions.
With Palmer playing a similar role to that of Cooper, it’s anyone’s guess as to how Beane and the front office will prioritize the receiver position this offseason.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537). Hope is here. GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support (MA). Visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD). Call 877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 21+ (18+ D.C.) and present in select states (for KS, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino). Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT) or visit FanDuel.com/RG.
