NFL Player News

A seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2010, Ware appeared in eight games as a rookie, but went unsigned last season. Ware is a pure depth signing for a Bears team that’s relatively set at cornerback.

This comes from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. In hopes of getting under the cap before the start of the new league year, the Vikings will restructure the deals of both Jefferson and LT Christian Darrisaw, likely by converting portions of their base salaries into guaranteed money. The Vikings rank last in the league in available cap space, per OverTheCap.com, and will likely restructure a few more deals in the coming days to get to a point where they have money to spend in free agency.

Just days after the team opted not to tender Moody as a restricted free agent, they have now re-signed him for next season before the start of free agency kicks off next year. Moody was 18-of-20 on field goal attempts last season for the Bears and Commanders after going 1-for-3 in Week 1 for the 49ers. The former third-round pick only attempted two field goals from 50-plus yards last season, and will likely find himself in a kicking competition later this summer.

To be clear, the Raiders have not confirmed that they will be taking Mendoza No. 1 overall in next month’s draft. That said, Russini notes that “if the Raiders continue to lean toward” selecting him, their preference is to not start Mendoza immediately. It’s an interesting point to consider, especially with the recent release of Geno Smith, that now puts the Raiders firmly in the market for a veteran QB when free agency officially kicks off next month. Mendoza has 35 college starts under his belt and is fresh off leading Indiana to a national championship and a 16-0 season. It’s not uncommon to hear teams say they don’t want to hand a job a rookie QB, even one that is expected to go No. 1 overall, so we wouldn’t read too much into this until teams start reporting to mini-camp and later training camp.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report the move. Smith’s release will clear $8 million in cap space for the Raiders, but the team will also take on $18.5 million in dead money. Smith, like former head coach Pete Carroll, is officially one-and-done with the Raiders. The coach and QB joined forces after a four-year stint in Seattle that saw Smith rebuild his career under Carroll, but they were unable to enjoy similar success with the Raiders. Smith went 2-13 as a starter in Vegas while throwing for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns and a league-high 17 interceptions. Smith, 35, should have plenty of suitors around the league as a veteran who could serve as either a bridge for a younger QB, or as a short-term fix for one season for teams hoping to land a franchise QB in what projects as a strong 2027 draft class.

While the Patriots, Chargers, and Ravens all remain teams to watch as potential suitors for Brown, the fact that no team has submitted an official offer is notable. The Eagles’ asking price for Brown, who turns 29 in June, is reportedly high, and they aren’t expecting to come down from it. While it seems like the Eagles are willing to trade Brown, their high asking prices continues to suggest they would prefer to keep him barring a “godfather offer” coming across the table. As things stand right now, that offer has yet to be seen.

It was reported on Thursday that the Cowboys “thought they were close” to landing Crosby before other teams came out of the woodwork. That said, the Cowboys, who are curiously interested in a star pass rusher, have not been completely deterred from their efforts to land Crosby. Rumors of multiple first-round picks being offered for Crosby suggest the Raiders could get close to what they hoped for when it was reported they wanted a “Parsons-like trade package” in exchange for his services. Russini also reports the Ravens are “a team to watch” as trade negotiations continue to unfold, while adding the belief is that the Raiders “are willing to work on a deal” to trade the five-time Pro Bowler.

According to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns will officially lower the $80.716M cap hit on Watson’s contract for this season. ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reports the move will free up nearly $36 million in cap space. The 30-year-old QB is in the final year of a record-setting contract he signed with the Browns in 2022, but is expected to get a chance to compete with Shedeur Sanders, along with whoever else the Browns bring in, for the starting job this offseason. Watson has played in just 19 games for the Browns in his three seasons with the team, throwing for a pedestrian 3,365-19-12 while going 9-10.

Russini reports that the Eagles are “holding firm on their steep asking price” for Brown, who has been linked to the Patriots and Ravens as the “most likely” trade targets. The Eagles would reportedly like a first-round pick in exchange for the star receiver, and now with the Chargers reportedly in the mix, we could see multiple negotiations take place before a deal is or isn’t made. As a receiver who plays primarily on the outside, Brown would fit nicely with the Chargers and Ladd McConkey, who has played 66.7 percent of his snaps from the slot since 2024. Currently holding the No. 22 overall pick in this year’s draft, the Chargers have the inside edge on the Patriots as far as this year’s first-round picks are concerned, but it will likely take multiple picks to get the Eagles to bite on a trade.

While there has been some speculation that Murray and the Jets could join forces this offseason, the soon-to-be free agent, unsurprisingly, may prefer to go to a team that hasn’t been in rebuild mode for the last decade plus. Things will likely move quickly for Murray once he officially hits the open market, but we now have multiple reports linking the former No. 1 overall pick to the Vikings if there is mutual interest on both sides. Murray would have ample weapons to work with in Minnesota, and QB whisperer Kevin O’Connell would have yet another reclamation project who he hopes can elevate the Vikings in what has become a highly-competitive NFC North.

Wentz signed a one-year contract with the Vikings last offseason and wound up throwing for 1,216-6-5 in five games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in late October. Wentz reportedly suffered a dislocation that tore his labrum and fractured the socket in his throwing shoulder, but the soon-to-be free agent can sign with any team when the new league year kicks off next week, and new Jets OC Frank Reich could have his eye on Wentz. Reich’s familiarity with Wentz dates back to their days in Philadelphia, and in 2021 Reich and Wentz reunited in Indianapolis, where Wentz went on to have a resurgent season while throwing for 3,563-27-7. The Jets are believed to be interested in adding at least two veteran quarterbacks this season, so even if Wentz is signed, we shouldn’t expect him to be the default QB1 if healthy. The connection here is obvious and Wentz can likely be had on a cheap deal. Assuming he doesn’t have a big market, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if a deal was reached between the two sides at some point this offseason.