NFL Player News

Pickett, who sustained the injury shortly before halftime, was listed as probable to return but reportedly couldn’t get any torque on his throws before the second half kicked off. Mitchell Trubisky has taken over at QB for Pittsburgh. Pickett was 10 for 16 for 73 scoreless yards before leaving the game, with one 10-yard rush.

Smith would seem to push Trent Brown into a swing tackle role next year while giving the Texans a three-deep at tackle of Smith, Aireontae Ersery, and Brown. Smith, who turns 30 later in March, is coming off the two worst seasons of his career in Indianapolis but still managed a respectable 65.3 PFF blocking grade in 2025. It’s not an exciting move, but could lead to competency on the much-beleaguered Texans offensive line.

Robinson’s release frees up $10.5 million and was regarded as a foregone conclusion most of the offseason with Derrick Brown now healthy and Tershawn Wharton also ahead of Robinson on the DT depth chart, The soon-to-be 31-year-old should be a nice run-stop piece on the defensive line in 2026 for some other team.

He is, per Wolfe, the No. 1 priority. But the asking price is “still very high” and so there’s not much common ground on a deal. In other words, nothing has changed. The Patriots have continually leaked interest in other receivers and have been linked to Romeo Doubs, but to nobody’s surprise, Mike Vrabel would rather have Brown as his No. 1 target and that has taken priority.

Leonard played in eight games last season and has totaled 13 tackles and three pass breakups since 2024 while playing almost exclusively on special teams. His return provides valuable depth for the Chargers and their special teams unit.

McFadden appeared in just one game last season after suffering a foot injury in Week 1. The four-year linebacker has started 36 of the 48 games he has appeared in for his career and posted back-to-back 100-plus tackle seasons in 2023 and 2024 while amassing 20 TFLs, six pass breakups, and five fumble recoveries over that span. Now back with the team for 2026, McFadden will have a chance to show what he can contribute under new head coach John Harbaugh in hopes of earning a bigger deal next offseason.

Hughes also notes that “Darren Mougey isn’t a stranger to flipping late-round picks for players he wants,” perhaps indicating Smith could come to the Jets on a trade. The Jets, per Hughes, want a two-deep quarterback room with Geno Smith and Carson Wentz at the position.

This will reportedly make Fairbairn the highest-paid kicker in the NFL, though Brandon Aubrey is sure to test that in the near future. It’s always good to go into the offseason and make sure your best offensive weapon is happy. Fairbairn finished the 2025 season 44-of-48 on field goals and made every single extra point. It is worth pointing out that he missed three games and has spent time on IR in two of the last three years. Still, hard to argue with believing he’s one of the NFL’s best and three of his last four seasons have ended with him converting on 91 percent or higher of his field-goal attempts.

Gonzalez converted 19 of his 22 field goal attempts and was 7-of-9 from 50-plus yards. The veteran kicker has spent the last two seasons with the Falcons and Commanders after injuries sidelined him for the previous two seasons. Gonzalez will likely face competition for the starting kicker job in Miami, but until they add somebody else, he’s the early favorite to replace Jason Sanders.

This comes from a source Holder spoke with, who suggested “8-10" targets a game could be in the range of outcomes for Pierce next season. Given the massive $116 million payday he received to stay with the Colts, and the team’s decision to trade away Michael Pittman, it’s safe to assume there will be more targets available for Pierce in 2026. That said, he’ll still have Tyler Warren and Josh Downs to compete with for targets, and the Colts will likely look to replace Pittman with a player not currently on the roster. Dating back to his college days at Cincinnati, Pierce has never been known as a target hog, but there will be added incentive to get the ball in his hands after his record-setting deal for a free agent receiver. Pierce profiles as a fringe WR2/WR3 until we see more targets come his way. In his breakout 2025 season he finished as a top-24 PPR receiver in 46 percent of his games.