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    Stafford: Retirement decision ‘year-to-year’

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    Rams QB Matthew Stafford said retiring from football will be a ‘year-to-year’ decision.

    Stafford discussed retirement rumors on Chris Long’s podcast, Green Light. He said a retirement decision would be “year-to-year...committing to more than that feels a little bit daunting and I think a little bit unfair to the team and myself.” The 38-year-old is looking only to the short-term, knowing he is “ready to play this year.” Stafford is not looking to make long-term decisions at this stage of his career without knowing how his body will feel after a season of play. The veteran also mentioned he has talked to Tom Brady and Drew Brees about playing into his 40s and is open to the prospect of doing so. However, Stafford is only focusing on the upcoming season for now; the Rams will be in Super Bowl contention between his return and the addition of Myles Garrett on defense.
Lawrence 'running the whole operation' in OTAs
Kyle Dvorchak discusses Trevor Lawrence's development going into the second year under Liam Coen's tutelage with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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  • LA Quarterback #9
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    Stafford’s degenerative back issue cost him almost all of training camp last year, yet he “returned and cast those fears aside with the best season of his life.” The Rams have reportedly realized how well the time off served Stafford, as a “critical form of load management,” and plan to do some of that again this year. Per Atkins, this has been the plan for some time, and it explains why the Rams tried to sign veteran QBs like Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins, “and why they valued the backup role enough to help justify spending the No. 13 pick on QB Ty Simpson.” In other words, don’t be alarmed if we see Simpson taking a few first-team reps this summer. Stafford remains a locked-in QB1. However, we will, of course, track all of his notable offseason developments here at Rotoworld.
  • LA Quarterback #9
    Stafford aggravated a disc injury between the offseason workout program and training camp last year. He did not practice until August 18th. Reports on the injury ran the gamut. At one point, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue reported that the Rams “aren’t worried” about the injury, before later reporting that the back injury “is going to be a thing” all year. Ultimately, time spent in an Ammortal chamber outside the Rams’ facility helped Stafford get ready for an NFL MVP season. Injury risk is, of course, present. But Stafford remains one of the rare pocket passers capable of producing an elite QB1 season. Draft him accordingly.
  • LA Quarterback #9
    Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is worth up to $60 million with incentives. He can make up to $105 million over the next two seasons. Stafford, 38, is now the 11th quarterback currently averaging more than $50 million per year. Rams rookie QB Ty Simpson ostensibly now gets two seasons to learn from one of the game’s best pocket passers, while serving as Stafford’s primary backup. Stafford can once again be treated as a locked-in QB1 for fantasy.
  • LA Quarterback #9
    The match will be broadcast by Netflix. Per usual, the NFL is quietly claiming more territory outside of the standard Thursday, Sunday, and Monday contests. Week 12 will still have the normal three-game run on Thanksgiving. So far, only a matchup between the Cowboys and Eagles has been announced. The full schedule will be released on Thursday, with plenty of leaks between now and then. The Thanksgiving Eve game could ultimately be a preview of a postseason matchup, given that both the Packers and Rams made the NFC playoffs last year.
  • LA Quarterback
    The SEC coach, speaking to ESPN anonymously about the 2026 quarterback class, said he was surprised Simpson was the 13th player off the draft board but compared him favorably to Matthew Stafford, who will remain LA’s starter in 2026. “It’s a great fit for him from a system standpoint, and who he’s going to be behind for a year,” the SEC coach said. “There’s a lot of similarities [with Stafford]. [The pick] was the biggest [surprise], a guy who didn’t have a ton of starts, but when he played, he played well. His long game is going to be really good.” Not every college coach was bullish on Simpson’s NFL prospects. One SEC defensive coordinator said it was more difficult to prepare for Jalen Milroe than it was to get ready to face Simpson. “He’s not ready to go be a starter in the NFL right now, he’s got work to do,” the coordinator told ESPN.
  • LA Quarterback
    This should put to bed any rumors that McVay was caught off guard by the Rams taking Simpson with the 13th overall pick in the 2026 draft. “They wanted to make it private and didn’t want people to know that they were interested,” Simpson told ESPN Radio on Monday. Simpson said he was told by members of the Rams organization not to tell anyone the team was interested in taking him as an heir apparent to Matthew Stafford, who will start for LA in 2026 and possibly 2027. That McVay hosted hours-long top-secret meeting with Simpson likely means he’s fully bought into the rookie as the future of the Rams. Simpson, 23, could spend his first two NFL seasons on the bench, however.
  • LA Quarterback #9
    The Rams drafted former Alabama QB Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick last night, and were quick to assure fans that Stafford is their starting quarterback “of the present and the future.” Getting a multi-year deal done as soon as possible should quiet concerns about his status with the team. Stafford is currently under contract for only the 2026 season.
  • LA Quarterback
    It’s hard to ignore how disenchanted McVay looked at the press conference following the team’s decision to draft the heir apparent to Matthew Stafford in the first-round of the draft on Thursday night. McVay, was quick to point out that “this is Matthew’s team” when asked about the pick, and didn’t appear too interested in discussing the selection when pressed. Despite these things, Fowler said sources familiar with the situation believed McVay was “absolutely” on board with GM Les Snead’s decision to make the selection, with another adding that the two were “in lockstep” the entire way. Only time will tell how things unfold from here, but given the overall shock of he pick and McVay’s first reaction after, it’s understandable that people have questions about where things stand between McVay and Snead, who have made a handful of “win now” moves this offseason after falling just short of appearing in the Super Bowl last year. Simpson is unlikely to see the field much in 2026 barring an injury to Stafford and could be stuck for multiple years behind Stafford should he opt to play beyond next season.
  • LA Quarterback
    Rodrigue, during an NFL Daily podcast discussion about the Rams taking QB Ty Simpson with the 13th pick in the first round of the 2026 draft, said the Rams have traditionally operated with a level of hubris uncommon in pro football. “I don’t say that as an insult,” Rodrigue said. “Because they have job security and continuity they have built a reputation of going and trying things, of shooting their shot.” Rodrigue described the Rams’ first-round selection of Simpson as “really surprising” considering the offensive line and defensive holes the team has to fill for 2026 and beyond. Rams head coach Sean McVay has said the starting quarterback job belongs to Matthew Stafford going into 2026, and that Simpson will compete with Stetson Bennett for backup duties. Simpson has almost no chance of playing this season unless Stafford, 38, goes down with injury.
  • LA Quarterback #9
    Reports from earlier today indicated the Rams might be interested in drafting Simpson, and general manager Les Snead reportedly told Simpson’s parents that the former Alabama quarterback was worthy of being a first-round pick. We figured they could bring him aboard via a late-first-round pick, but evidently, the team was set on snagging him as soon as possible. Simpson spent three seasons as a college backup before earning the starting role last year. He now heads back to the QB2 spot until Stafford, 38, moves on. Earlier this week, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Rams and Stafford “have made significant progress on a new extension.” He is currently under contract through 2026.

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  • DAL Cornerback #29
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    C.J. Goodwin retired after 12 years in the NFL.

    The former 2014 undrafted free agent spent time with the Steelers, Falcons, Cardinals, Giants, 49ers and Bengals before joining the Cowboys in 2018. Per NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk, Goodwin appeared in 108 games with the Cowboys, playing 2,211 snaps on special teams, 62 on defense and one on offense. He totaled 94 tackles, two passes defensed and two forced fumbles over the course of his career.
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    ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports that Patriots owner Robert Kraft would like the Patriots to play a game in Scotland someday, and “the NFL views the possibility as appealing.”

    The Patriots’ Gillette Stadium served as a host site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup games. Scotland’s Tartan Army fans reportedly “brought spirit” to the point that it caught Kraft’s attention, prompting the Patriots’ owner to tell NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that he would like his team to play a game in Scotland someday. Reiss also notes that the “economic stimulus from record beer sales at some local bars probably made an impression on Kraft.” Reiss’ sources say that this isn’t yet an “active” situation, and instead falls in the “conversation” phase between league and owner, at this time. The NFL intends to continue its international expansion, and NFL teams that seek out international fan bases will only hurry that process along.
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    ESPN’s Mike Reiss writes that it is “hard to imagine” Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez will participate fully in training camp without signing a contract extension first.

    Gonzalez will make $2.259 million in 2026 and $18.11 million in 2027, via his contract’s fifth-year option. However, he is eligible for a contract extension and Reiss notes that the NFL’s top cornerbacks are making more than $30 million per year in some cases. Reiss believes Gonzalez “might have been sending a message to the team this spring” by sitting out the majority of the voluntary program and participating only in “the lower-speed/lower-tempo parts of mandatory minicamp.” We think Reiss is probably onto something here. Gonzalez turned 24 today and has already earned one second-team All-Pro nod and Pro Bowl honors. Gonzalez employs the same agent as Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon. Both players were drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft’s first round, and have had their fifth-year options exercised, though neither has signed a long-term deal. Witherspoon also has earned a second-team All-Pro and has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons. Perhaps extensions for both players could happen in rapid succession at some point. Stay tuned.
  • SEA Quarterback #14
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    ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Seahawks QB Sam Darnold is “really comfortable” with new OC Brian Fleury increasing the team’s shifts and motion rates this year.

    Per Fowler, Seahawks tight ends are “going to be moving all around” the formation this season. Whether Darnold targets TEs AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo more often remains to be seen, but we can take this as a net positive for the offense overall. Shifts and motion give the defense an extra item to monitor. Motion added 0.25 yards per play to the NFL average last year. The 49ers averaged the fourth-highest shifts and motion rate (74.3 percent) in the 2025 regular season, while Fleury served as their run game coordinator and tight ends coach. The Seahawks’ 67.4 percent rate ranked 12th. Fleury will call plays offensively for the first time in his career, and former OC Klint Kubiak will not be easy to replace. This is an encouraging report for the Seahawks’ fantasy-scoring prospects, though.
  • SEA Wide Receiver #22
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    ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed “is going to be a big-time player” in 2026 after successfully taking on an expanded route tree this spring.

    Shaheed reportedly had “major” performances throughout spring practices, “hitting it off” with QB Sam Darnold. Per Fowler, the Seahawks will continue to use WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba on those PPR-friendly short and intermediate routes that helped him finish as the overall WR2 in total PPR scoring. But, rather than keeping Shaheed stuck in a field-stretching role, they plan to “give more short-to-intermediate stuff” to Shaheed as well. Shaheed still has to go out and score more fantasy points this season, but this is the exact type of role change he needed to go from a frustratingly volatile performer to one with reliable WR3/FLEX potential.
  • SF Wide Receiver #19
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    ESPN’s Nick Wagoner believes 49ers WR Jacob Cowing has “a chance to carve out a role as a returner with some opportunities in the passing game.”

    This doesn’t exactly sound like a fantasy-friendly role. Wagoner listed him as the 49ers’ player who was the “biggest surprise” of organized team activities and mandatory minicamp, “consistently making big plays down the field in team drills and 7-on-7.” Unfortunately, the wide receiver room is crowded. Despite the solid play, Cowing will have a tough time earning a reliable role in the offense.
  • SEA Running Back #36
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    ESPN’s Brady Henderson reports that Seahawks RB George Holani “is squarely in Seattle’s backfield plans for 2026.”

    It has been tough for some to accept that the former undrafted free agent will have a role this season, but reports continue to indicate that Seahawks coaches trust him. Henderson notes that Holani performed well as a fill-in for RB Zach Charbonnet (knee) as a passing game player during the playoffs. Charbonnet has received positive rehab reports, and a Week 1 return is considered possible. In that scenario, Holani could still rotate in as a backup. If Charbonnet is sidelined to begin the year, Holani should handle the passing down role. Whether that usage facilitates a FLEX-worthy workload remains to be seen.
  • TB Wide Receiver #15
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    ESPN’s Jenna Laine reports that Buccaneers WR Tez Johnson stood out at organized team activities and mandatory minicamp.

    Laine compliments Johnson for standing out among the Buccaneers’ wide receivers, competing in “arguably the most competitive room on the team.” The second-year wide receiver posted a 28/322/5 receiving line as a rookie and should turn in another usable, if volatile FLEX season while stretching the field for Tampa Bay in 2026.
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    ESPN’s Courtney Cronin listed Bears WR Zavion Thomas as the team’s “biggest surprise” player in spring practices.

    Thomas turned in a 4.28-second 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine this year. Per Cronin, he has taken “ample reps as a punt returner this spring and showed that he can be more than a special teams star with his skill set on offense.” Bears coach Ben Johnson said Thomas was regularly making plays, but adds that they need to “make sure that we can trust him and he’s going to align where he needs to and run the route the way we need him to.” It sounds like Thomas is still in the developmental phase, but if he can refine his route running and prove himself reliable, he “could be a big weapon” for the Bears this year.
  • NYJ Wide Receiver #15
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    ESPN’s Rich Cimini believes Jets WR Adonai Mitchell “solidified himself as the No. 2 receiver” in spring workouts.

    Per Cimini, Jets coaches thought Mitchell would take a leap this offseason, but he managed to exceed their expectations. Mitchell has reportedly “displayed a firm grasp of the new system,” while showing off his vertical speed and building chemistry with QB Geno Smith. Mental gaffes have been Mitchell’s biggest developmental issue. If he really has figured out that aspect of the game, Mitchell should return usable, if volatile FLEX numbers this season.