NFL Player News

It was reported earlier that the team “feared” Allen would miss the remainder of the season, but Quinn later confirmed it on Monday. The loss of Allen, who is a long-time vet and leader of the defense, is a tough blow to the 4-2 Commanders. The Commanders currently rank 22nd in both yards and points allowed this season, the loss of Allen could only further their early struggles on that side of the ball.

The Colts are looking for competition to bring in to compete with Anthony Richardson this offseason. In addition to Jones and Brissett, Fowler says Trey Lance and Justin Fields could also be in play. From a play-style perspective, both Lance and Fields could prove to be fits, although it’s hard to imagine any team pursuing Lance as a QB2 given his underwhelming stint with the Cowboys and the brief time he saw the field last season. Last year’s backup turned starter, Joe Flacco, has already expressed interest in playing next season, but whether or not he is back with the Colts is to be determined. A return to the Colts could be in the cards for Flacco, although there’s been little talk of a reunion at this time.

Blackshear would have been a restricted free agent had the Panthers opted to tender him. Now, the fourth-year running back and special teamer will be free to sign with any team when the new league year kicks off. Blackshear led the league with 31 kick returns last year and racked up 791 kick return yards — a career-high. He also returned a career-high 17 punts for 145 yards. Blackshear won’t be pushing for a significant running back role any time soon, but he’ll likely find a new home in the offseason with a chance to compete for a special teams role.

It’s hardly a surprise. The Browns have insisted from the start that they would not honor Garrett’s trade request. Fowler adds that any teams who have called to inquire about his availability have received “an emphatic” no from the Browns, while noting that they haven’t fielded too many calls for the star pass rusher. ESPN’s Dan Graziano also points out in the article that the Browns may not feel compelled to trade Garrett until “they become convinced he won’t play for them” while pointing out the Bills and Eagles as two teams who could aggressively pursue him. In the same way the Browns appear entrenched on not trading Garrett, he appears equally committed to playing for a contender in 2025. It’s safe to say this situation is far from resolved, and may stretch into the summer at this rate.

The Bengals have been a historically cheap franchise, and while a deal is expected to eventually get done with Chase, it wouldn’t be surprising if these negotiations stretched on for a while. Chase’s deal, once completed, is expected to reset the market for non-QBs, after the former No. 5 overall pick went for 127-1,708-17 in 2024, while leading the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. Chase is already under contract through 2025, and while Bengals director of player personnel, Duke Tobin, said that a new contract for Chase will be “a priority” this offseason, it’s hard to know how quickly they will move to get a deal done.

Fields is younger, more dynamic, and went 4-2 in his six starts with the Steelers while throwing for 1,106-5-1 and adding another 289 yards and five scores on the ground. The former No. 11 overall pick appeared to be on pace for a career year before Russell Wilson took the helm as the Steelers’ starter in Week 7. Fowler adds that there’s sentiment that both Fields and the Steelers would be open to a return, but that he’s also expected to have plenty of options if he doesn’t return to the Steel City. Wherever he lands, Fields will likely end up playing on a short-term deal with a chance to prove he’s capable of being a team’s franchise quarterback for the long haul.

If Wilson wants to play football in 2025, then there’s a good chance he will view most teams as a “potential option” for next season. While Wilson returning to the Steelers is a very real possibility, the team has been open about its willingness to consider all options, including Justin Fields, who threw for 1,106-5-1 while going 4-2 in his six starts. Wilson will be 36 at the start of next season and threw for 2,482-16-5 in 11 games. While the numbers were respectable, the veteran quarterback also shouldered plenty of blame for the team’s four-game losing streak to close out the regular season, and their 28-14 defeat in the wild card round loss to the Ravens. He remains a serviceable starter, but Wilson won’t raise the ceiling of too many offenses at this stage in his career.

Graziano mentions in his article that the Giants’ plans at quarterback after missing out on Matthew Stafford seem a bit “unsettled.” While they could stay put at pick No. 3 in hopes of either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders falling to them, it sounds as if both the Giants and Jets — whose QB situation is also up in the air — could be players to trade up for the Titans’ No. 1 overall pick. As of now, the Giants don’t have a quarterback on the roster, as Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito, and Tim Boyle are all set to be free agents. The Jets are expected to release Aaron Rodgers in the coming days, but do have veteran Tyrod Taylor under contract through next season. With the draft over a month away, both teams will have plenty of time to decide if a move to No. 1 is in their best interest, or if staying put is the preferred way to go while holding out until next season to make a move for a franchise quarterback.

According to Graziano, the Falcons “are likely to use most, if not all, of their early-round picks on defensive players.” In hopes of collecting more draft capital, they could be willing to offer up their No. 15 overall pick to get that done, as the head coach Raheem Morris and company look to improve on a defense that ranked 23rd in points and yards allowed, while also ranking 20th in EPA per play. In addition, the Falcons have a handful of veteran defenders set to hit free agency, only further adding to the need to build up the defensive side of the ball. If they are willing to deal their first-round pick, the Falcons should have no trouble finding teams interested in moving into their spot.

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports that the 49ers will receive a fifth-round pick in the deal. Quarterback Jayden Daniels led the team to the postseason in his rookie year, doing so with an all-new coaching staff to boot. The team now adds a veteran “Queen chess piece” in Samuel, a player that is capable of adding numerous layers to an offense already one of the more dynamic units in the league. The addition of Samuel is likely to generate more one-on-one matchups for Terry McLaurin on the perimeter, boosting the fantasy expectations of both players in the process. Brandon Aiyuk has also been rumored to be a potential trade candidate out of San Francisco this offseason, but he would stand to benefit should he remain in the bay area. As too would veteran tight end George Kittle, the latter of whom has held drastic splits with Samuel on and off the field the previous three seasons.

That is of particular intrigue considering his hands measured just 8 6/8 inches at the Senior Bowl, something that sparked some level of controversy with the measurement coming in below the magical 9-inch mark for quarterbacks. Milroe’s draft stock seems to be on the rise during the weekend of the Combine, regardless of how his hands grew in just a few short weeks.