Former LSU players set to hit NFL free agency

The NFL season officially wrapped Sunday with the Philadelphia Eagles’ rout of the Kansas City Chiefs in Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

And teams’ offseason schedules will quickly begin ramping up with franchise and transition tagging next week, the draft combine the following week and free agency just a month away.

Here’s a look at the dozen former LSU standouts who spent the most time on active NFL rosters this season and are scheduled for free agency.

Others such as Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Will Clapp, Philadelphia Eagles running back Tyrion Davis-Price and Carolina Panthers tight end Stephen Sullivan will be available after spending most of the year on their teams’ practice squads.

And veterans such as running back Leonard Fournette and cornerback Patrick Peterson did not sign with teams in 2024, but have not yet officially retired and have remained open to potential returns.

The legal tampering period opens March 10, with contracts officially able to be signed March 12.

Kwon Alexander (Detroit Lions LB, 30)

The veteran linebacker spent time between the active rosters and practice squads of two playoff teams, the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions, in his 10th NFL season. He started a pair of games for each team and finished the season with a combined 12 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in five total games.

K’Lavon Chaisson (Las Vegas Raiders OLB, 25)

The fifth-year edge rusher had career-highs across the board — 32 tackles, five sacks, a forced fumble and an interception — in his first season with the Raiders after four years with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

D.J. Chark (Los Angeles Chargers WR, 28)

Chark missed most of this season battling his way back through injuries, but ultimately made the first playoff appearance of his seven-year career. The former Alexandria star caught five passes for 41 yards and a touchdown in his first season in Los Angeles.

Reid Ferguson (Buffalo Bills LS, 30)

Buffalo’s longest-tenured player is a free agent this year after wrapping up his ninth season with the franchise, including the past eight steadily on the active roster. Ferguson played all 20 regular season and playoff games for the Bills this season and earned six All-Pro votes at his position.

Kristian Fulton (Los Angeles Chargers CB, 26)

Fulton played in 16 games, including 15 starts, with an interception and a career-high 54 tackles in his first season with the Chargers after spending his first four years with the Tennessee Titans. His playoff appearance marked his first since the 2021 season.

Donte Jackson (Pittsburgh Steelers CB, 29)

The former football and track standout at Riverdale and LSU snatched a career-high five interceptions — tied for sixth-most in the league — in his first season in Pittsburgh after playing his first six years with the Carolina Panthers. He also finished with 40 tackles and a fumble recovery in 16 games, all of which he started. 

Terrace Marshall Jr. (Las Vegas Raiders WR, 24)

The 2019 national champion played seven games for the Raiders and caught three passes for 41 yards in his first season with the team after three years with the Carolina Panthers.

Jalen Mills (New York Jets DB, 30)

The veteran defensive back finished his ninth season overall and first with the Jets with 44 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. Mills played his first five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, before three years with the New England Patriots.

Duke Riley (Miami Dolphins LB, 30)

The former John Curtis and LSU standout, now an eight-year veteran in the league, wrapped up his fourth season as a special teams mainstay for the Dolphins, but saw his defensive snaps drop off notably. Riley finished the season with 11 total tackles in the highest special teams snap count (371), but second-lowest defensive snap court (43) of his career.

Devin White (Houston Texans LB, 26)

The 2020 Super Bowl champion with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed with the Texans for the rest of the season in October after being released by the Philadelphia Eagles. The former North Webster and LSU star finished the season, his sixth in the league, with 19 tackles in seven games for Houston.

Tre’Davious White (Baltimore Ravens CB, 30)

Baltimore acquired the former All-American and All-Pro cornerback from the Los Angeles Rams during this season to provide some veteran depth to its secondary. White finished his eighth career season with 24 tackles in 13 total games, including a pair of playoff games for the Ravens, after being hampered by injuries the past few seasons.

Cade York (Cincinnati Bengals K, 24)

The Tigers’ former record-setting kicker is an exclusive-rights free agent this offseason after ending this season with the Bengals with the best stretch of his young career thus far. After losing his job in Washington earlier the season after an 0-for-2 game, York hit nine of his 11 attempts for Cincinnati, including a career-long 59-yarder.