NFL Player News

Tagovailoa already had a short stint with the Seahawks but was let go after a few days. Now, the former Maryland Terp will have a chance to earn a spot with the Cardinals. The younger brother of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Tagovailoa enters the league with a fraction of the NFL pedigree as Tua. Like Tua, Taulia also spent time at Alabama but transferred to Maryland ahead of the 2020 season, where he went on to start 37 games for the Terps from 2021 through 2023. An undersized prospect (5’11/208) who is prone to turnovers, Tagovailoa didn’t earn an invite to the combine and may not be long for the NFL, but may get a few more shots to stick on a roster in the coming months.

The update comes passively from team reporter Stu Jackson, who mentions that Higbee’s return-to-play date remains unknown. Isolated ACL tears typically require at least nine months of rehabilitation and Higbee’s combination ACL/MCL injury occurred on January 14th. The PUP list’s minimum four-game stay makes sense. GM Les Snead signed free agent TE Colby Parkinson to a three-year, $22.5 million deal this offseason, ostensibly giving him the first crack at replacing Higbee as the team’s Week 1 starter. Parkinson never earned a full-time role with the Seahawks but tallied 15 explosive pass plays (15-plus yards) as a backup over the last two years.

“Trying to predict who is going to get more targets or more yards is going to be very difficult to do,” Grosbard said on the Rotoworld Football Show. ESPN’s Sarah Barshop said in June that Kupp, 31, stood out during OTAs and minicamp, and head coach Sean McVay said Kupp is operating at full health after dealing with a range of injuries in 2023. In the 11 games in which Kupp and Nacua were active in 2023, Nacua had 92 targets to 89 targets for Kupp. If the oft-injured Kupp can stay on the field in 2024, he could challenge Nacua as LA’s receptions leader.

The Arizona coaching staff, Venerable said, “loves” Conner and his tough running and veteran leadership. “The best version of this offense last year ran through [Conner],” Venerable said during an interview with Rotoworld’s Patrick Daugherty and Denny Carter. “James Conner is one of their best players.” Venerable suggested Michael Carter could mix in behind Conner, rather than rookie RB Trey Benson functioning as the clear RB2. Benson, the 66th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is considered an explosive back, though he never had more than 20 rushing attempts in a single game during his college career. We would expect Benson to be the Cardinals’ lead back should the 29-year-old Conner once again miss time with injury in 2024.

Grosbard, in an interview with Rotoworld’s Patrick Daugherty and Denny Carter, said Williams’ foot-related absence from spring workouts won’t affect his role as LA’s clear-cut lead back. Grosbard described rookie Blake Corum as more of a breather back for Williams, adding the team drafted Corum with the 83rd pick in the 2024 draft because they wanted a “Kyren clone” to fill in for him should he once again miss time with injury. Rams head coach Sean McVay, according to Grosbard, “loves Kyren Williams.” “They see Kyren as the starter,” he added. Williams in 2023 was third in rushing yards and fifth in rushing touchdowns despite missing five games. His health will be worth monitoring during training camp.

The updates continue as Aiyuk and the 49ers are reportedly not nearing a deal after the two sides met last week. However, Garafolo (via NBC Sports Bay Area) also added a trade has “never been something that [Aiyuk] has explored.” While a new deal does not yet seem imminent, it seems Aiyuk is not demanding out. There is still time for a deal to get done, but for now there is only speculation on when Aiyuk will get a new contract.

Gipson has spent the last two seasons with the 49ers, starting in every game. The veteran was a Pro-Bowler with the Browns and has also spent time with the Texans, Jaguars, and Bears. The 33-year-old Gipson has yet to find a team for next season, but will now miss the first six games if and when he signs.

Tavai’s base money in the new deal is $15 million with $6 million in incentives. Tavai, a former second round draft pick by the Lions, had career highs in tackles (110) and tackles for loss (5) in 2023. He’s entering his fourth season with the Patriots.

Barrows pointed to the team’s investment at wideout — including a potential long-term deal with Brandon Aiyuk — and the drafting of Ricky Pearsall in the 2024 NFL Draft as reasons why the traditionally run-first Kyle Shanahan might lean more toward the pass this season. The team’s postseason run-pass splits, Barrows said, could be instructive for how the Brock Purdy-run offense might operate in 2024. The 49ers “called 109 pass plays and only 77 run plays (non-designed Purdy scrambles are counted as called pass plays) over those three games, a drastic departure from their run-forward ratio of the past,” Barrows said. “Given coach Kyle Shanahan’s trust in Purdy, the investment in the receiving room makes a lot of sense.” In 2023, the Niners had a 56 percent neutral pass rate, the 11th lowest in the NFL. They passed on 60 percent of their plays while trailing last season. An increase in Purdy drop backs would change the prospects for every San Francisco pass catcher in 2024.

Multiple sources confirmed that the veteran quarterback’s absence from mandatory minicamp was due to a pre-planned trip to Egypt and that the Jets were made aware of the trip from the initial planning. Rodgers was present during every practice in phase one, missed one week of phase two, and attended all portions of organized team activities earlier in the Spring and Summer prior to his absence during minicamp. Even so, additional repetitions would do Rodgers well considering his reliance on intricate timing and trust to run the offense, both of which he has largely lacked while with the Jets after his 2023 season ended following just two offensive snaps. Head coach Robert Saleh joined Rodgers’ teammates in relaying a message that nothing was awry following Rodgers’ absence in late June.

Hill is currently under contract through 2026 and said last spring he may retire once his current deal expires. Whether or not that comes to fruition is to be determined, but regardless, Hill could still work out a new deal with the Dolphins if the team is interested in getting something done. Hill caught 119 passes for 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, leading the league in receiving yards. The recent new contracts signed by Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jaylen Waddle have increased the market for receivers, leaving more money to be had for the league’s top stars. Hill is undoubtedly deserving of a new contract, but with the bill also coming due for Tua Tagovailoa, it’s possible the veteran receiver will have to wait until Tagovailoa’s deal gets figured out.