NFL Player News

Koo is getting $11.5 million guaranteed. He was set to be a restricted free agent, but the Falcons are instead locking him up through his age-32 season. Koo is now the league’s second-highest paid kicker at $4.85 million per year, trailing only Justin Tucker at $5 million. Koo bounced around the league a bit with the Chargers and Patriots before settling in with the Falcons in 2019. He’s been dynamite in Atlanta, drilling 92.6% of his field goals, going 87-of-94 in three years, and 95.1% of his extra points in that span. He’s also 13-of-14 on field goals of 50-plus yards. Koo deserves the pay day.

Shrager says the same of Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams. Loveland set career highs in targets, receptions and touchdowns last season, catching 56-of-82 targets for 582 yards and five touchdowns while playing through a shoulder injury. Loveland must continue to work on his overall blocking technique, but he has quietly proved himself as a capable road-grader on inside zone runs during his time at Michigan, which bodes positively for his transition to the NFL. In ESPN’s recent, collaborative mock draft, NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. had the Colts draft Loveland at No. 14 overall. He then had the Lions select Williams 14 picks later at No. 28.

In a recent radio appearance, Seahawks GM John Schneider said that the team is prepared to allow Howell and the recently acquired Drew Lock to compete for the primary backup role behind Sam Darnold. Schneider may have been engaging in a bit of public negotiating, though, effectively telling teams to up their offer. Backup QB Jaren Hall currently sits fourth on the depth chart behind them. Head coach Mike Macdonald increased his QB personnel number to three in-season last year, and new OC Klint Kubiak also worked with three rostered quarterbacks as a member of the Saints’ coaching staff last year. While Hall would be the odd man out if no trade materializes, seeing Howell depart via a draft-day trade this week would be unsurprising.

DeFabo notes in a recent article that Milroe “has generated a lot of buzz in Pittsburgh,” and highlights comments made on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, who said an executive told him the Steelers “really like” Milroe. According to DeFabo, however, he’s “hearing the exact opposite.” The Steelers beat writer goes so far as to predict the team wouldn’t take Milroe if he “is sitting there in the third round.” The Steelers are in need of a quarterback, again, and the Aaron Rodgers saga doesn’t appear to be getting resolved any time soon. Assuming there’s a prospect they like in the draft, the Steelers feel like a near lock to take a shot on a signal-caller at some point, but DeFabo’s bold prediction suggests Milroe is nowhere near the team’s radar. We’ll see how things play out in the coming days, with the draft just days away.

Spytek philosophized on the running back position’s current state and celebrated his alma mater, the University of Michigan, for continuing to value the position. Although he refrained from opining on Jeanty, specifically, Spytek said, “when you sit, where we sit,” ostensibly referencing the No. 6 overall pick, “the idea is to add elite players at any position.” Jeanty certainly qualifies, and he would understand command a first-round fantasy pick were he to play under head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

Wilson said that the idea is to pair “a speed back to go with Joe Mixon,” noting that the Texans actually told Texas RB Jaydon Blue that they plan to draft a running back. Blue was clocked at the second-fastest 40-yard-dash time, positionally, running it in 4.38 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine. He is an accomplished receiver out of the backfield and would fit the mold as a passing-down complement to Mixon. In his 2024 regular season at Texas, Blue rushed 125 times for 706 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 33-of-48 targets for 302 yards and four touchdowns.

Earlier this offseason, the Ravens extended a one-year tender to Washington, giving them the right of first refusal if another team wished to sign him. Had Washington departed, the Ravens would not have received any compensation. The deadline for an outside offer expired at the end of the business day today, which leaves Washington with only two options: Sign the tender sheet and play for the Ravens this season or sit out. Washington understandably opted to test free agency after a breakout 2024 campaign in which he forced seven incompletions, 46 tackles, four tackles for a loss or no gain and one sack. He tacked on one forced incompletion, nine tackles and one tackle for a loss or no gain in the Ravens’ two playoff games.

Dulac added that defensive tackle prospects Mason Graham, Walter Nolen, Derrick Harmon and Kenneth Grant sit atop the Steelers’ draft board. Pittsburgh has reportedly offered Aaron Rodgers a one-year deal and are “willing to wait” for his decision, at least for now. Dulac notes that the Steelers “are still spooked by the whole Kenny Pickett evaluation,” adding that “they took the best quarterback in a very average draft class, and I don’t think they want to make that mistake again.” Per Dulac, both Dart and Sanders will be “in the conversation” for the Steelers, if their preferred defensive linemen prospects are gone, but the pecking order is believed to be “defensive line, running back, wide receiver and quarterback, and you throw a cornerback in there somewhere.” Dulac firmly believes that the Steelers are “all in” on trading up for a “marquee” quarterback prospect in 2026, if nothing pans out this year.

Smith spent much of the 2024 season on the Texans’ practice squad before being promoted to the active roster in December. He secured his lone 2024 target for a two-yard reception. Smith will potentially slot in as the team’s No. 4 tight end. He does not need to be on fantasy radars.

Speculation as to what the Saints will do with the No. 9 overall pick has increased lately, with commentators commonly linking them to Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders. Underhill’s “guess” is “that pick is not going to be a quarterback,” instead labeling the Saints’ No. 40 overall pick as “the sweet spot” for the position. Underhill does not believe there “exists” a quarterback prospect that the team deems worthy of the No. 9 pick, and addressed Derek Carr’s recent shoulder-injury saga by saying, “if [that type of quarterback prospect] didn’t exist before all of this happened, it probably doesn’t exist now.” Should Carr remain a Saint for 2025, he may be battling a second-round rookie for the starting role.

This is likely a non-story. Golden was timed at 4.29 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine, registering the fastest time among wide receiver prospects. While Golden is probably just keeping himself atop news cycles, we can quietly make note of his claim regarding the ankle. Golden reportedly suffered a high-ankle sprain in January. If the ankle really is still bothering him three months later, it could be something to monitor. He was healthy enough to lead his position group at the combine’s most-watched event, though, so fans and fantasy managers alike should not be overly concerned.