NFL Player News

Goldson is believed to be seeking a deal in the neighborhood of Antrel Rolle’s five-year, $37 million contract. The 49ers will keep him on the roster for the reasonable $6.2 franchise tag cost instead. While Goldson and QB Alex Smith are certain to return for 2012, free agent CB Carlos Rogers’ future is up in the air.

Valdes-Scantling signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys this offseason. He barely garnered more than the veteran minimum and was clearly nothing more than a depth option for the team. With well over 100 career games across six teams to his name, MVS should still find a team willing to carry him on their practice squad in the coming days.

Murphy-Bunting missed 2025 with a torn ACL. He missed a portion of training camp this month, but it is unclear why. He resumed practicing on August 17th. If healthy, he could compete for a backup role elsewhere.

An ill-fated “second-round savior” in the 2023 Draft, now 27-year-old Levis is sent packing from the Music City with 21 starts under his belt. That included zero in 2025 as Levis missed the entire season with a shoulder injury behind No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward. In theory, Levis “competed” for the backup job this summer, but journeyman free agent Mitch Trubisky was always the heavy favorite. Levis has all the physical talent in the world, but not the accuracy or processing, at least so far. It’s possible a more functional franchise could turn him in to a legit No. 2 quarterback, but that does not seem terribly likely at this point.

Pickens is a former third-round pick, appearing in games for the Bears and Chiefs since being drafted in 2023. The 26-year-old signed with the Giants this offseason and took some first-team reps in camp as the team tried several different things to solve their defensive tackle puzzle. Ultimately, the Giants decided Pickens is not a part of the equation for 2026.

Three players landed on what amounts to the “suspended with pay” list on Sunday, but Pelissero reports Nacua isn’t one of them. That does not necessarily mean Nacua is out of the woods for all time with the NFL, but his situation did not rise to the level of Josh Jacobs’ in the eyes of the shield. Now the main Week 1 question mark for Nacua is his groin injury, but it is not expected to keep him out of the Rams’ Australian opener vs. the 49ers.

Mafah became the off man out of the backfield rotation behind starter Javonte Williams Sunday, leaving Malik Davis and Jaydon Blue left to fight for primary backup duties. Blue appears to have an established change-of-pace role, making it more likely Davis operates in more of a pure handcuff fashion to begin the season.

Pole signed with the Chiefs as a UDFA last year. He didn’t make their final roster and spent some time on the Jets’ practice squad before returning to the Chiefs late in the season. Pole went on to make four starts at left tackle late in the year and played reasonably well. His release is a bit of a surprise.

Cooper is facing felony assault charges in addition to other chargers including domestic violence and harassment. The 28-year-old was slated to be Denver’s starting outside linebacker opposite Nik Bonitto, but now they’ll have to look at depth options while waiting for the commissioner to clear Cooper.

Carter signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent last season, appearing in seven games for Atlanta. He carried the ball nine times for 60 yards and lost a fumble in 2025. With the emergence of Tyler Goodson as a viable depth option in the running back room, the Falcons jettison Carter heading into final cuts.