NFL Player News

Butt missed all of 2019 after undergoing left knee surgery. It was his fourth “major” knee operation since 2014. With Albert Okwuegbunam joining Noah Fant in the Broncos’ tight end room, 25-year-old (in July) Butt’s time with the Broncos has probably come and gone.

Rankins was with the Texans in 2023 and Houston lost a bidding war with the Bengals in the 2024 offseason to bring him back. After being released by the Bengals following a disappointing 2024 season where he was placed on the reserve/non-football illness list, it appears the Texans believe the veteran still has something left entering his age-31 season. Wilson reports that Rankins has interest from “multiple NFL teams” and thus, he may get a real contract.

Apparently nobody was biting on New York’s trade calls over the weekend. Adams’ release will free up roughly $30 million in cap space while leaving a $8 million dead money hit on the Jets’ books. Most of the speculation to date has been on Adams either joining forces with Aaron Rodgers in a new locale or returning the west coast. Adams becomes clearly the No. 1 wideout on the market even entering his age-33 season, coming off a 85/1063/8 season in 14 games split between the Raiders and Jets. There should be plenty of interest in his services, and because he was released, he will not count against the NFL’s compensatory draft pick formula for the signing team.

Jackson had been given permission to seek a trade after signing a three-year deal worth $51 million last offseason. Jackson started one game at center for the Rams after missing the first eight weeks of the regular season with a nagging shoulder injury. In Chicago, Jackson will join an offensive line graded by Pro Football Focus as last year’s eighth best pass blocking unit. He’ll rejoin Ben Johnson, who was Detroit’s offensive coordinator when Jackson played for the Lions in 2021. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue reports the Bears will take on Jackson’s salary.

The deal, which allows Dallas to avoid using the franchise tag, is reportedly worth $58 million guaranteed. Odighizuwa’s 60 regular season pressures were third amongst defensive tackles in 2024. The Cowboys, shifting to Matt Eberflus’ more conservative scheme, will need all the one-on-one wins they can get in 2025 and had nothing behind Odighizuwa at the position. It’s perhaps a bit of an overspend, but the Cowboys likely didn’t see any other defensive tackles they valued at Odighizuwa’s level in free agency.

Slayton, 28, expects to garner attention from teams that need to add speed to their roster. He led the Giants in receiving in four of his six seasons in New York, with 21 career touchdowns. In the Giants’ Week 5 win over Seattle this past season, with rookie sensation Malik Nabers sidelined due to a concussion, Slayton had eight catches and 122 receiving yards (both season highs). Slayton said his goal is to land with a winner, “somewhere where they’re striving to be competitive and that the goal is to win.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter said the Jets are open to keeping Lazard in 2025. Brought to New York as part of the failed Aaron Rodgers starter set, Lazard — who has two years remaining on his deal with the Jets — will see if there are any teams interested in his services. After being held to 37 receptions over 12 games in 2024, Lazard’s best shot is to wait for Rodgers to sign with a team and bring in his buddies, as he did with the Jets in 2023. Lazard, 29, is three years removed from his career-best 2022 season in Green Bay. He would count as a $13.2 million salary cap hit for the Jets in 2025, and the Jets can save $6.6 million in cap space by releasing Lazard if no trade materializes.

The Giants, who have the third overall pick right now, would have to convince the quarterback-desperate Titans to give up the top pick. The Giants, per Raanan, would take Miami QB Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick if they make the move. “Speaking with evaluators throughout the league and sources with knowledge of the quarterback market, there seemed to be an overwhelming consensus that Ward is the top option in an overall weak QB draft,” Raanan said, quoting a league source as saying the Giants’ “consistent scouting of [Shedeur] Sanders was a smoke screen.” New York will bring in at least one veteran quarterback option no matter what they do in the NFL Draft on April 24.

Bradberry, entering his age-32 season, will be designated as a post-June 1 release according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Eagles, after releasing longtime CB Darius Slay on Monday, appear more than comfortable with a young coverage unit in 2025 and beyond. Bradberry missed the entire 2024 campaign with a torn Achilles. He’s expected to be ready for OTAs, and should have suitors on the open market this spring. Bradberry has 19 interceptions over eight NFL seasons.

Though the Saints are stuck with Derek Carr in 2025, Rosenblatt sees New Orleans as a sensible landing spot for Sanders should be fall out of the first five picks. “I think it’s conceivable at this point that Sanders drops out of the Top 5; he would offer the Saints a way out of the quarterback purgatory they’ve found themselves in since Drew Brees retired,” Rosenblatt said. “If Sanders falls to No. 9 and the Saints are high enough on him, it’s worth taking the swing.” NFL evaluators have seemed reticent about Sanders’ arm strength coming out of college, with Cam Ward the clear favorite to go ahead of Sanders in the upcoming draft. Everyone from the Giants to the Titans to the Raiders — and now the Saints — have been linked to Deion’s son, who turned 23 in February. The Saints would likely have to move up two or three picks if they want a real shot at Sanders.

Steelers brass has said this offseason that they would only keep one of Wilson of Fields after both quarterbacks underwhelmed as starters in 2024. While Wilson was a more accurate passer — he ranked sixth overall in completion rate over expected last season — Fields was the more efficient signal caller and functioned as a dual threat QB, as he did in Chicago. Though Fields should have a handful of teams interested in him for 2025, the Steelers could push to keep him in Pittsburgh for at least one more season. No matter who the Steelers go with as their Week 1 starter, they are likely to remain one of the league’s run-heaviest offenses.