The NFL’s free agency period is in full swing, with players being able to officially sign deals as of Wednesday, the beginning of the new league year.
There is a sizable contingent of players with Utah ties who entered the offseason as free agents. Some of them have already agreed to their next deal, while others are still getting it sorted out.
Here’s a look at all of the players with Utah ties who entered the offseason as free agents and their status as of Thursday evening. This page will be updated as players agree to deals.
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Players are listed in alphabetical order. This list does not include any players who were recently waived for salary cap purposes.
- Cody Barton, LB, Utah and Brighton High: signed by the Denver Broncos. Barton played on a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders last season. On Wednesday, the Commanders agreed to a deal with another linebacker that is a Utah tie, Utah State legend Bobby Wagner, and on Friday Barton was signed by the Broncos on a one-year deal.
- Julian Blackmon, S, Utah and Layton High: unsigned. Blackmon has played for the Indianapolis Colts his entire NFL career since getting drafted by them in 2020.
- Michael Davis, CB, BYU: unsigned. After going undrafted out of college in 2017, Davis has played his entire six-year NFL career with the Los Angeles Chargers and is coming off a three-year contract.
- Tyler Huntley, QB, Utah: unsigned. Undrafted out of college in 2020, Huntley has been a solid backup for reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson with the Baltimore Ravens since then and even made the Pro Bowl in 2022. Indications are that he may not return to the Ravens, but he should have plenty of suitors who are looking for their QB2.
- Andre James, C, Herriman High: re-signed by the Las Vegas Raiders. Undrafted out of UCLA, James joined the Raiders in 2019 and has been a mainstay there ever since. He agreed to a three-year, $24 million deal to return.
- Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah: re-signed by the Chicago Bears. One of the top cornerbacks in the entire NFL, Johnson signed a four-year, $76 million deal to return to the Bears, who drafted him in 2020. The agreement ended a somewhat tumultuous negotiating process which saw Johnson demand a trade last year. Johnson made his first Pro Bowl in 2023.
- Zack Moss, RB, Utah: signed by the Cincinnati Bengals. Moss spent the last 1.5 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts after being traded there. He will now join the Cincinnati Bengals on a two-year, $8 million contract and is expected to be their lead running back after they moved on from Joe Mixon.
- Patrick Scales, LS, Utah State and Weber High: re-signed by the Chicago Bears. As he has done each spring since 2017, Scales signed a one-year deal to remain with the Bears. Last season he became their longest-tenured player.
- Dalton Schultz, TE, Bingham High: re-signed by the Houston Texans. How times have changed for Dalton Schultz. After spending the first five years of his career with the Dallas Cowboys, Schultz somewhat unexpectedly only got a one-year deal with the lowly Texans last spring. In 2023, however, the Texans came out of nowhere and made the playoffs as quarterback C.J. Stroud won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Last week, Schultz agreed to a three-year, $36 million dollar deal to remain in Houston.
- Sione Takitaki, LB, BYU: signed by the New England Patriots. Takitaki has been with the Cleveland Browns since being drafted by them in 2019, but there were indications that he wouldn’t be brought back, and he has now agreed to a two-year deal with the Patriots.
- Kyle Van Noy, LB/Edge, BYU: unsigned. After going unsigned last offseason, Van Noy joined the Baltimore Ravens three weeks into the 2023 campaign and ended up with a career-high nine sacks. The 32-year-old, however, is once again looking for where he’ll play next season.
- Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State: signed by the Washington Commanders. Still one of the best linebackers in the NFL at age 33, Wagner will join the Commanders on a one-year, $8 million deal after his second stint with the Seattle Seahawks last year (he played his first 10 seasons in Seattle before joining the Los Angeles Rams in 2022). Wagner has been named to the Pro Bowl nine times.