Zaccheaus to the Bears, Moses to the Pats | Hoos in the NFL Free Agency Edition

NFL free agency is in full swing and that means a great deal of player movement across the 32 teams of the National Football League, as those franchises look to spend money and improve their team or save money and build for the future. There have been a few signings involving former Virginia football players. Let's take a look at the latest news on this free agency edition of Hoos in the NFL.

Former Cavalier wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus will play for a fourth different NFC team in as many seasons, signing with the Chicago Bears as a free agent. Zaccheaus went undrafted out of Virginia and spent the first four years of his career as an Atlanta Falcon, before playing one season with the Philadelphia Eagles and then joining the Washington Commanders last year for their run to the NFC Championship Game. Now, Zaccheaus will bolster the receiving corps of former No. 1 pick Caleb Williams and likely play a role in Chicago's return game. This will be another one-year deal for Zaccheaus, who had 45 catches for 506 yards and three touchdowns last season for the Commanders.

Veteran right tackle Morgan Moses is staying in the AFC East, but heading to a different team as the former New York Jet has signed with the New England Patriots, who are making big moves to try to shore up the offensive line in front of Drake Maye. The 34-year-old tackle signed a three-year, $24 million contract and could make as much as $28.5 million with incentives.

The Arizona Cardinals re-signed former UVA safety Joey Blount, who gave the team a big lift on special teams in the last couple of seasons. Blount was a restricted free agent and the Cards opted to lock him in to a two-year deal before other teams had a chance to make him an offer in free agency. According to a report from Yahoo! Sports, Blount's new deal is worth $3.75 million, including a $400,000 signing bonus, and he can earn up to $4.75 million with incentives.

In other Cardinals news, former UVA linebacker Elliott Brown signed a futures deal with Arizona back in January and will have the opportunity to battle for a spot on the active roster or practice squad in training camp. After his time at Virginia, Brown played two seasons in the Canadian Football League for the Edmonton Elks and he led the league in sacks in 2024 with eight, earning himself an opportunity in the NFL.

The Cleveland Browns have had two former Virginia safeties in their defensive backfield for the last two seasons. Now, they have none. Rodney McLeod Jr. announced his retirement at the end of the season and the Browns announced this week that they have terminated the contract of Juan Thornhill, citing injury concerns after the former Cavalier missed six games in each of the last two seasons with calf injuries. Thornhill, who won two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, is now an unrestricted free agent and reportedly visited the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday (March 13) to discuss a potential signing.

The Baltimore Ravens have allowed former Virginia defensive end Brent Urban to become an unrestricted free agent. The 33-year-old edge rusher was in his second stint with the Ravens and has spent eight of his 11 years in the NFL in Baltimore.

Bryce Hall is an unrestricted free agent after he played just one game on his one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He suffered a season-ending injury (dislocated ankle and fractured fibula) in the 2024 season-opener last September.

Other former UVA football players who should still be under contract with their respective teams are wide receivers Dontayvion Wicks (Green Bay Packers) and Malik Washington (Miami Dolphins), tight end Jelani woods (Indianapolis Colts), offensive lineman Chris Glaser (Chicago Bears), and defensive end Charles Snowden (Las Vegas Raiders). Tom Pelissero reported that Snowden has been tendered by the Raiders, which means he can only play for that team next season. Glaser spent most of the season on Chicago's practice squad, but made the active roster and played snaps in the Bears' final three games of the season. Jelani Woods has missed the last two seasons with injuries, but still has a year to go on his rookie contract with the Colts.

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