NFL Player News

This is the second season in a row the Vikings have traded for Cam Akers, who has 40 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown this season. This indicates Aaron Jones (hip) may still be feeling the effects of the hip injury he suffered in Week 5, though he was practicing on Monday. Akers adds depth to a backfield with Ty Chandler as the primary backup.

According to McNeill’s agent, Mike McCartney, the Lions agreed to a four-year extension with McNeill. The former third-round pick has 10.5 sacks in 52 games through four seasons with the Lions. Currently starting on the team’s defensive line, McNeill has three tackles for loss through five games this season. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports it is a four-year, $97 million deal, including $55 million guaranteed. The Lions lock up their big nose tackle for four more years before he hits free agency.

The Packers released Brayden Narveson in a corresponding move after he missed five of his 17 field goal attempts this season. They now add McManus, a 10-year veteran who spent last season with the Jaguars, his first nine with the Broncos, and made 81.4 percent of his career field goal attempts. McManus was under investigation of alleged sexual assault stemming from a 2023 incident, but the NFL concluded its investigation by determining there was insufficient evidence a violation of the personal conduct policy occurred. He re-joins the NFL with the Packers.

Callaway last played for the Saints in 2023, though he saw no touches and just 28 snaps in three games. The former undrafted rookie free agent had his best season in 2021, catching 46 passes for 698 yards and six touchdowns as a Saint. Callaway returns to the NFC South to provide receiver depth for the Bucs’ practice squad.

Surtain was estimated as a non-participant for practice for the second day in a row. He exited Week 6 against the Chargers due to a concussion and seems to still be in the protocol. On a short week ahead of a Thursday game against the Saints, it does not look like Surtain is slated to play. The Saints are thin at wide receiver, so Bub Means may be the primary beneficiary here.

Thomas underwent an MRI after the Giants’ Week 6 loss to the Bengals to check on his foot injury. Schwartz reports that Thomas will miss time with the injury and “the fear is it could be a Lisfranc injury.” If it indeed is a Lisfranc, Thomas’ season would be in jeopardy. The Giants’ offensive line will suffer without Thomas, who was expected to be a franchise cornerstone for the team after signing a five-year, $117.5 million deal during the 2023 offseason.

It did not take long for Adams to return from his apparent hamstring injury once he was dealt to the Jets. He missed three games from said injury/trade request and now will return to catch passes from old friend Aaron Rodgers in a primetime Sunday Night matchup against the Steelers for Week 7. The script could not be written better for Adams, who will be a low-end fantasy WR1 as he integrates into the Jets offense. Schefter also added that Adams restructured his contract to lower this season’s cap number to $3.21 million. Two voidable years were added to the deal as Adams’ future in New York will undoubtedly be tied to Rodgers.

That’s back-to-back limited tags for Kamara, who appears to be trending on the right side of questionable ahead of Wednesday’s designations. With Spencer Rattler at quarterback and a ragtag group of receivers, it’s possible that the offense is entirely built on however much Kamara can give the Saints against the Broncos. He’ll be a risky play in season-long leagues due to the general Saints offensive trend — he had just 64 total yards on 18 touches last week.

He seemed to be absent from the portion of the practice open to the media, so Hill appears to be trending towards a questionable status tomorrow. Hill has not played since Week 4 with fractured ribs. If he did play, he’d certainly be an interesting start given the lack of Saints weapons at skill positions this week.

He will almost certainly not clear concussion protocol ahead of Thursday night football. Look elsewhere for wideout help if you need it. Bub Means led the Saints in targets in Week 6 and will perhaps be their No. 1 receiver on Thursday if Rashid Shaheed also remains out.

Shahid is reportedly getting his knee checked to determine the severity of an injury he suffered in the fourth quarter, per Nick Underhill. He definitely appears to be trending towards being inactive for Thursday night. He may also be an IR candidate. Bub Means was New Orleans’ most-targeted receiver last game and may be a viable PPR scam on Thursday night with both Shaheed and Chris Olave likely out.