Rap adds Rudolph, Fields to Giants’ shortlist

If you have ever thrown a football, get an agent and have them contact the New York Giants. McCarthy and Fields join a list that, per previous reports, already included Gardner Minshew, Mac Jones, and Jimmy Garoppolo. Schefter also named Brandon Allen, who was on the Giants’ roster during training camp, as an option. Jameis Winston will get the start in Week 3, but the journeyman passer looked downright awful in relief of Jaxson Dart last week. The team will be forced to make a move at quarterback if he struggles versus the Titans today. McCarthy would be a true Hail Mary for the G-Men, but he does have a strong tie to the Harbaugh brothers via his time at Michigan.

The Steelers will head into the regular season with Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Drew Allar, who shined in training camp and during preseason outings in Mike McCarthy’s offense. If the 2026 season goes south for Pittsburgh, look for McCarthy to see what he has in Allar and perhaps Howard. Rudolph will likely back up Rodgers to start the regular season.

Yes, it’s only seven-on-seven drills, but for a player coming back from a late-season ACL tear who is hoping to be ready in time for Week 1, it’s a step in the right direction. The Chiefs remain optimistic that their QB1 will be ready to go at the start of the season, and Mahomes himself has said he’s hopeful he’ll be a full participant in training camp. With nearly two months to go until training camp begins, Mahomes has plenty of time left to continue his recovery before the real work begins. In the event he isn’t ready for Week 1, Justin Fields will likely start in his absence.

ESPN’s Nate Taylor reports Mahomes, recovering from a late-season knee injury, participated “in some form and fashion ... during the Chiefs’ opening OTA practice.” The team released a video of Mahomes throwing a short pass while wearing an enormous brace on his injured left leg. Mahomes, entering his age-31 season, is in a race against the clock to be ready for Week 1 against the Broncos. If Mahomes can’t suit up for the season opener, Justin Fields would likely serve as KC’s starter.

Howard is set to compete with veteran Mason Rudolph for backup duties to begin the season. Rudolph and Howard were splitting reps in the team’s offseason program last month. NFL Network reported in January that Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy “likes Will Howard a lot” and sees potential in his offensive system. “I’m not saying the Steelers believe Will Howard will be the quarterback for ten years after Aaron Rodgers is gone,” Breer said. “But I do think Mike McCarthy sees a little something there and wanted to take a closer look.” Howard, going into his age-25 season, threw for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions during his final collegiate season at Ohio State in 2024. He ranked fourth among all CFB quarterbacks in adjusted yards per attempt that season.

Aaron Rodgers’ return has left the Steelers with a four-quarterback room of Rodgers, Rudolph, 2025 sixth-rounder Will Howard, and 2026 third-rounder Drew Allar. Presumably the Steelers wouldn’t want to move on from Howard or Allar on their rookie contracts, which naturally leads to the idea of Rudolph’s roster spot being in jeopardy despite him likely being the backup with the highest floor. These things sometimes just work themselves out via injury, but if everyone makes it to the end of the preseason healthy, the Steelers will probably have to move on from someone rather than carrying four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster.

Howard and Rudolph have split reps so far in Pittsburgh’s offseason program. With Aaron Rodger still on radio silence, the Steelers are making do with their current quarterback room. Howard is a sixth-round pick from last year while Rudolph is a veteran backup who has started for the Steelers before. They are splitting reps, indicating Howard is getting developmental opportunities while the Steelers are keeping Rudolph ready with the offense in case the veteran needs to step in. Of course, all this could be moot if Rodgers returns, but for now Howard and Rudolph are getting equal starting opportunities early in the offseason program.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, other teams had interest in Fields, but his preference was to go to the Chiefs. It’s an interesting landing spot for the former No. 11 overall pick, who is now slated to join his third team in three seasons. With Patrick Mahomes (knee) still recovering from a torn ACL, Fields will be the presumed QB1 for the Chiefs throughout much of the offseason, and could draw the start in Week 1 if Mahomes is unable to start. Fields struggled during his lone season with the Jets, throwing for 1,259-7-1 in nine games while adding another 71-383-4 on the ground. One of the worst sack avoiders in the NFL, Fields was also sacked on 11.7 percent of his dropbacks and had an abysmal 23.3 percent pressure-to-sack rate. Going from one of the best sack avoiders in the league to one of the worst could present an interesting challenge for Andy Reid and the offense in the early portion of the season. That said, Fields’ rushing ability will also add another element to the offense that can be exploited in Mahomes’ offense. While he would be a risky short-term bit in 1QB leagues, Fields will have some later-round value in 2QB/Superflex leagues if Mahomes misses time. Jets beat writer Zack Rosenblatt reports the Jets are paying “all but $3 million of Fields’ $10 million guaranteed salary,” which saves them more money than what it would have cost to release him.

This story comes from ESPN’s Rich Cimini, who also pointed out that Mougey said, “I don’t think (a trade up is) happening.” Much like the Raiders, who currently hold the No. 1 overall pick, the Jets are in QB purgatory. While the Raiders hope Fernando Mendoza will end their years-long struggle at the position, the Jets chances to do the same look bleak at the moment. Justin Fields remains under contract, but the team is likely to move on from him at some point this offseason after a disastrous 2025, and rookie UDFA Brady Cook’s 739-2-7 line didn’t do much to help his case for earning more playing time in 2026. The Jets have some work to do to figure out the quarterback position for next season. Whatever they end up doing, it seems highly unlikely it will involve trading for the 1.01.

The reports comes off the heels of New York swapping Jermaine Johnson for T’Vondre Sweat. Hughes made it clear the Jets aren’t having a fire sale, though it’s hard to see this as anything else. They sent most of their big names packing at the trade deadline last year, with Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams, and Michael Carter all traded. At this point, the Jets are running out of players to deal, even if they want to keep making moves. Justin Fields is expected to be released, but a team looking to sign him could guarantee his services by trading for him. Garrett Wilson was also the subject of trade rumors last year, though the Jets just inked him to a long-term deal and didn’t seem interested in moving him at the deadline.