NFL Rumors: Bears Release Glennon, Panthers Cut Jonathan Stewart

Could the Cleveland Browns be taking offers for the No. 1 pick?

While NFL free agency doesn't officially begin until the league's new year starts on March 14, rumors and news are beginning to flow in regarding some big names.

It's also NFL combine week, which brings teams' personnel needs into focus as scouts and executives evaluate the talent available in the draft, which begins on April 26.

Here is all the latest news, buzz and rumors as the Super Bowl hangover wears off and clubs start building for next season.

• Cleveland Browns GM John Dorsey says the team will listen to offers for the No. 1 overall pick if teams call about it. (ESPN.com)

• The Los Angeles Rams will trade or release wide receiver Tavon Austin. He signed a four-year, $42 million deal in 2016 and is due a $5 million roster bonus later this month. (NFL.com)

• The Mike Glennon experiment is ending in Chicago after just one season. The Bears raised eyebrows when they inked Glennon to a three-year deal worth $45 million last season, but the contract only included $18.5 million in guarantees. So Glennon, 28, will earn that $18.5 million despite starting just four games for the Bears. His deal did not make sense for Chicago going forward with Mitch Trubisky firmly established as the starter going forward. (Official)

• The Panthers released the franchise's all-time leading rusher in Jonathan Stewart, who played 10 years with the Panthers. Stewart, 30, had one year and $5.2 million left on his deal, and the move will open up $3.7 million in cap space. He's the third starter the Panthers have released in as many days, with the team cutting defensive players Charles Johnson and Kurt Coleman on Monday. (Official)

• The biggest name on the free-agent market this year is Kirk Cousins, who became available once the Redskins traded for Alex Smith. Multiple teams are sure to be interested in the 29-year-old, including the Broncos, Browns and Jets. But if an early front-runner has emerged it's the Vikings, as Minnesota and Cousins are said to have "mutual interest." The Vikings still have Case Keenum, Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater on the roster (though Bridgewater is expected to hit free agency), so there is sure to be some quarterback shuffling in Minnesota's future.

• Talented but mercurial defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson was released by the Jets after a tumultuous 2017 season. The Jets signed Wilkerson, the team's first-round pick in the 2011 draft, to a five-year extension that included $53 million in guarantees after his Pro Bowl season in 2015, but it just hasn't worked out since. Issues came to a head this season, when Wilkerson was inactive in the last three games after showing up late to multiple team meetings. (Official)

• Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier, who suffered a serious spine injury late in the 2017 season, will not play in the 2018. Shazier still needs assistance to walk but has vowed to return to the football field. (Kevin Colbert, Steelers general manager)

• Two-time Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte announced his retirement after 10 seasons. Forte finishes his career with 9,796 rushing yards though he struggled through an injury-ridden 2017 season. Forte spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Bears, where he emerged as one of the league's most versatile threats, before finishing up with two years with the Jets. (Official)

• The Chiefs received a relatively light return when they traded one of the league's best cornerbacks, Marcus Peters, to the Rams. Per Ian Rapoport, the deal is Peters for a fourth-round pick this year and a second-rounder next year. The reason for the light return might be due to the fact that only three other teams expressed interest in the 25-year-old. (Peter King, Sports Illustrated)