NFL Rumors: Ja'Marr Chase sends a firm message and Bradley Chubb landing spots

With Super Bowl LX in the rearview mirror, the offseason is in swing for all 32 NFL teams. That means roster cuts, NFL Draft prep, and preliminary free agent discussions. The rumor mill is buzzing, with lots of activity on the horizon — and a couple major news drops on Monday already. Tyreek Hill is out in Miami and the ripple effects are vast.

The latest NFL reporting includes the Niners' latest wide receiver conundrum, another Dolphins star getting the axe, and Ja'Marr Chase attempting to motivate a weak Bengals front office.

49ers not interested in George Pickens or Deebo Samuel

The San Francisco 49ers won 12 games this past season despite crippling injuries on defense and a largely uninspiring wide receiver room, not to mention an extended absence from QB1 Brock Purdy. Kyle Shanahan remains one of the best in the business, but if the Niners want to get over the hump in a competitive conference, they could use some help.

Unfortunately, it does not sound like San Francisco is keen on sweeping upgrades — at least not offensively. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports said the Niners won't target either George Pickens or Deebo Samuel in free agency. Moreover, he expects Jauan Jennings, their top receiver last season, to sign elsewhere.

This would leave the Niners with a disgruntled and oft-injured Brandon Aiyuk, a promising but unspectacular Ricky Pearsall, and a whole lot of nothing at wide receiver. Star tight end George Kittle tore his Achilles in the playoffs. Christian McCaffrey just led San Francisco in receiving yards as a running back. He played every single game, but given his rather extensive injury history, that is not a workload the Niners can depend on wholeheartedly.

There are other options out there beyond the players mention in Maiocco's report — Tyreek Hill, Alec Pierce, potentially A.J. Brown or D.J. Moore via trade. But it's worth remembering how reluctant the Niners were to pay Aiyuk and Samuel at the peak of their respective values. Thus, it remains to be seen if this front office has the gumption to max out the resources available to Purdy and Shanahan on the field.

Dolphins cut Bradley Chubb: 5 potential landing spots

While the Tyreek Hill cut generated all the headlines Monday afternoon, even more impactful was the Miami Dolphins' decision to move on from Pro Bowl defensive end Bradley Chubb. The 29-year-old led the team with 8.5 sacks last season, tacking on 47 tackles (eight tackles for loss) and 20 QB hits.

Chubb missed all of 2024 as he recovered from a torn ACL, but he appeared in every game for Miami in 2025, operating close to the peak of his powers. As such, he should expect lots of phone calls from interested suitors in the days and weeks ahead.

Here are a handful of viable landing spots:

Philadelphia Eagles

Chubb played some of his best football under Vic Fangio in Denver. Howie Roseman is a fiend for quality pass-rushers. Chubb's former teammate, Jaelan Phillips, is expected to leave in free agency and this Eagles pass rush typically ranks near the top of the NFL each season. Chubb knows the scheme and he still has plenty of gas in the tank. He will look even better with so much talent around him on the Eagles D-line.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills' pass rush really faltered in the postseason, one of many reasons Sean McDermott is no longer coaching in Upstate NY. It's not for lack of talent necessarily, as Buffalo has the marquee names. But there are holes in need of plugging and Chubb would do the job. The whiplash of moving from sunny South Beach to snowy Buffalo does not sound enviable, but Chubb has plenty of tundra experience dating back to his Denver days.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys — stop me if you've heard this before — need to improve their pass rush. Trading Micah Parsons remains one of the dumbest things ever, but Jerry Jones has more than enough evidence to support the pursuit of a quality edge rusher this offseason. If Dallas' defense can even tread water, that offense should propel them into the playoffs. Chubb does not solve everything, but he solves a lot of their issues.

Chicago Bears

The Bears offense really started cooking down the stretch of last season. Caleb Williams is evidently the most clutch man alive, and the Bears were always a prayer and a superhuman throw away from erasing their deficit. That said, the defense was not Super Bowl-worthy, and it ultimately burned them in the NFC Divisional Round. Chubb applying pressure off the edge would help the Bears take that next step in a competitive division.

Atlanta Falcons

James Pearce Jr. put up 10.5 sacks as a rookie, only to find himself in considerable legal trouble after receiving multiple felony charges in a Florida traffic incident. Should Atlanta have a sudden need to reinforce their edge rush, Chubb is an easy solution. He grew up in Georgia, attending high school in nearby Powder Springs.

Ja'Marr Chase has thoughts on the Bengals' offseason

The Cincinnati Bengals finished 31st in yards allowed (380.9) and 30th in points allowed (28.9) on defense last season. That is not a recipe for success. When Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase are both healthy, this Bengals offense can trade blows with any team in football. But after three straight seasons without a playoff berth, the defensive crisis in Cincinnati has become impossible to ignore.

It's not hard to chart how Cincy got here. The front office spent a ton of money on the offense — Burrow, Chase and Tee Higgins all received cushy extensions — and didn't feel comfortable pouring those same resources into building a sustainable defense. Trey Hendrickson is a free agent this summer. It will get even worse if the Bengals don't take active steps to improve the situation.

Chase knows exactly what needs to be done.

"Yeah. I mean, everybody pretty much knows what we need,” Chase said (h/t Sports Illustrated). “I’ve said it out in the media. All I gotta do is sit back and watch. I can’t control that, so all I gotta do is control my production. I mean, at the end of the day, I’m just stating my opinion on what I think we need. So, you know, I sit back, let the organization do what they do, and I just gotta let my play do the rest."

He does not even need to say it to say it, you know? Literally everybody knows. The Bengals won't have trouble scoring points. Staying healthy? Maybe. But points come easily when this group is at full strength. Unfortunately that goes for both sides of the football, and when points come easily on defense, that's generally a bad thing.

If Cincinnati can't scrounge together enough nickels and dimes to improve their defense, we should all prepare for another lost season. Al Golden is getting a second shot as coordinator, but his seat is extremely hot — even if the Bengals' persistent failures hinge almost entirely on their cheap front office.