NFL Player News

He got in limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday after not practicing Tuesday. It seems extremely likely he’ll suit up for the Jags on Saturday as he’s managed this injury for multiple weeks now. Tuesday was probably just a rest day.

With the franchise tag deadline looming, it appears the Vikings are unlikely to use their only tag on quarterback Sam Darnold. Schefter did state that the team is still interested in re-signing the quarterback that led them to the playoffs in 2024, but we should now expect those negotiations to carry on deeper into the offseason. The franchise had a legitimate quarterback battle last offseason after drafting J.J. McCarthy in the first round, something that could come into play again should Darnold and the Vikings reach an agreement on a new contract. Turning to the second-year quarterback would open up additional room against the cap and could allow the team to pursue a high profile free agent addition to bolster their roster. There is certainly a lot to consider for GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in the coming months.

The Bills recently signed Rodgers to a reserve/futures deal, but the youngster will now miss significant time as he rehabilitates a torn Achilles suffered during an offseason workout program. Rodgers will undergo surgery to repair the torn ligament with an initial timetable for recovery currently unknown.

The 31-year-old up-and-coming offensive mind gets a couple of new titles in Minnesota after serving as an offensive assistant for the Saints in 2024. He’ll replace Grant Udinski, who was hired by the Jaguars as their offensive coordinator earlier in the coaching cycle.

Hilton took to X to post his thoughts on his status with the Bengals Monday, saying, “New opportunities always present themselves,” also including the ‘prayer hands’ emoji. The now 30-year-old cornerback understand the present situation in Cincinnati, with the team likely focused on wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and edge Trey Hendrickson, the latter receiver of which saw the team utilize the franchise tag earlier in the day. Hilton still has the ability to be an above average slot corner at his advanced age but remains unlikely to be a true difference maker on the perimeter at this stage in his career.

We’re having a hard time believing Dart will go that high, but it should be noted that he seems to have the most helium among the army of sourced writers of the non-Cam Ward/Shedeur Sanders quarterbacks. Rich Cimini reported the Jets — Rick Spielman in particular — were infatuated with Dart earlier this offseason. Given the scarcity at the position, it probably can’t be entirely ruled out that Dart goes in the first round. We’d bet on him being a Day 2 pick at this point.

The 17th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Johnson has struggled in his first three seasons. He finished with a career-best 64.4 PFF blocking grade in the regular season during 2024, but was part of the problem for Los Angeles in their Wild Card loss to Houston. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper writes that this move might mean the Chargers are less than enamored with the free-agent market at center, perhaps preferring some of the guard options that are available. Johnson has not performed well enough to have an assured starting lineup spot in 2025 and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Chargers did try him at a new position this offseason.

On Thursday Cook publicly posted “15 mill year” on an Instagram live feed, and Buscaglia summarizes that as the “current public demand.” The Bills haven’t issued a long-term contract to a running back in the Brandon Beane era, and haven’t used Cook like a true franchise back. Cook logged just 48 percent of the team’s snaps last year and has yet to crack 55 percent in any of his first three seasons. When you stack it all up like that, it looks a lot more likely that Cook will hit free agency than it does that there will be extension discussions at any point this offseason.

Geno Smith is on the final year of his contract and isn’t getting any younger. In addition to that, the Seahawks also have Sam Howell on the roster. Schneider traded for Howell last offseason, but in limited action the former fifth-rounder completed just 5-of-14 passes while throwing for 24 yards and one interception. The four sacks Howell took on 19 dropbacks were reminiscent of his 2023 season with the Commanders, when he was the most sacked quarterback in the league. This year’s draft class isn’t expected to be particularly deep at quarterback, but some intriguing options could emerge on Day 2 or 3 of the draft. It’s possible Schneider and the Seahawks pull the trigger on a rookie if they consider the price to be worth the talent in hopes of finding another gem in the draft.

This echoes a Mark Daniels report from today that the Patriots will have interest in Godwin “if his medicals check out.” With Tee Higgins franchise tagged, the Patriots are suddenly in a position where they have a lot of money to spend and nobody with a great 2024 season to spend it on. Godwin has a terrific track record and is coming off a broken ankle that ended his season after seven games. It certainly appears likely that the Buccaneers will re-sign Godwin before the Patriots get a shot at him, but the Patriots are preemptively going for “we tried” here. Perhaps they’re hoping that the reminder that Godwin can make more money in New England is appealing to him.

McVay says Stafford, 37, isn’t worried about the possibility of the team investing into a quarterback of the future. McVay didn’t mince words about his desire to retain Stafford as the team’s lead quarterback as long as he desires to play, but also said he wants to ensure he has somebody in place when Stafford is no longer “leading the way.” What that looks like is anybody’s guess, but it sounds like the Rams will pull the trigger on a young signal-caller if they think they’ve pinpointed a prospect who can lead them into the future.