NFL Player News

There was handwringing about the Patriots’ lack of cornerback depth when Butler landed on injured reserve with an undisclosed issue nine days ago, but this is a strong indication he was already no longer in their plans. The 32-year-old is now a free agent who has appeared in just 25 games since the end of the 2018 season, zero of which came last year. Butler could be at the end of the line after his semi-retirement in 2021.

Jackson, who attended the team’s voluntary minicamp in April, did not show up for OTAs last week, prompting questions about whether his contract situation was a real issues headed into the 2026 season. New Ravens head coach Jesse Minter told reporters last week that he has talked with Jackson and that he knew when his franchise quarterback would decide to show up for OTAs as the team learns a new offense under OC Declan Doyle. Coming off a down year in 2025, Jackson will look to bounce back as a passer and as a runner in 2026.

The Court’s decision not to get involved means the case can head to trial. Justices on the Roberts Court “rebuffed an appeal from the league, which wanted the case handled through its arbitration process rather than open court in New York,” according to the Associated Press. Flores in his lawsuit — which includes Steve Wilks and Ray Horton — alleges the NFL is “rife” with racism in its hiring practices. Flores, the Vikings’ defensive coordinator, brought the lawsuit shortly after the Dolphins fired him as head coach in 2022. The NFL said in a statement that it is “fully prepared to defend ourselves as this matter proceeds.” From 2000 through 2024, according to the AP, 31 of 173 new NFL coaches (18%) are Black. In that 24-year stretch, eight of the 19 head coaches (42%) fired after their first full NFL season are Black.

This was an emphasis of head coach Ben Johnson when he arrived in Chicago after the 2024 season. “Late in some of those games, we were making some heroic plays . . . but it wasn’t necessary if we execute in the first quarter and second quarter,” Barrett said in an interview with the Chicago Sun Times. “We might be up two touchdowns by the time we get to the fourth quarter. We can be efficient and take what the defense is giving. You don’t necessarily have to put the cape on and make those crazy plays because you already were killing them in the first three quarters.” Williams over his two pro seasons has been among the worst out-of-pocket passers. Last season his adjusted yards per attempt on throws outside the pocket (4.8) ranked 29th out of 35 qualifying QBs. His accuracy on such throws ranked 30th. Barrett and the Bears will continue encouraging Williams to take the easy throws in 2026.

League officials, according to Florio, are “still holding out hope” that they can tack on yet another game to the NFL regular season, but time is running out before the league must schedule the Super Bowl in early 2028. NFL players and the players union have pushed back against the idea of another regular season extension, citing player safety. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has acknowledged this in statements on the potential for an 18-game season. “One, safety has to be the primary concern, right?” Goodell said in late April. “If you can’t do it safely for our players, we’re not gonna do it. And that’s why I would say it’s not inevitable.”

Carter missed a month of football last season due to having surgery on both of his shoulders. Speaking with the media, Fangio said Carter appears fine and that the star lineman has “had a good offseason of lifting,” which Fangio believes he began earlier than usual. Carter totaled 33 tackles, three sacks, and five TFLs in 11 games for the Eagles last season, and has remained a key piece of the defense since being drafted No. 9 overall in 2023. It sounds like he should be in good shape for the start of training camp for a defense that ranked fifth in points allowed and 13th in yards allowed last season.

Legette is facing stiff competition for work entering training camp after the Panthers drafted Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell in the third round of this year’s draft. Legette lost the WR2 job to Jalen Coker midway through last season, and caught just 35 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games last season. Legette has a good combination of size and speed on the outside, but the fact that he was a late-career breakout in college suggested he could face an uphill battle to make an immediate impact at the next level. Legette is unlikely to have any redraft value in 2026, even if he can hold on to WR3 duties through training camp.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Despite a productive 156-1,797-14 line in 28 career games, recurring legal issues have caught up to Rice here. The former second-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract and would ordinarily be in line for an extension here, but Rice, who was recently sentenced to 30 days in jail for violating his probation, will need to wait on that. Rice will miss OTAs and mandatory minicamp as a result of his prison stint, and will need to impress both on and off the field this upcoming season if he hopes to secure a long-term extension next offseason. He caught 53 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns in eight games last season and has averaged 64.2 receiving yards per game in his career to go with 7.5 targets per game. Assuming he’s good to go for the start of this season, Rice will profile as a fringe WR1/WR2 with tons of upside.

Fangio, 67, has considered retiring over the last few years, but he says his thought process “never really got serious to where [he] would have done it.” The Eagles’ brass hired Fangio ahead of the 2024 season. Since then, the Eagles’ defense has allowed the sixth-lowest offensive success rate and the second-fewest EPA per play. It’s a talented unit, no doubt, but Vangio’s scheme and playcalling have had a big impact. The defense ranked 25th and 29th, respectively, in 2023.

This theoretical contract would include $25 million guaranteed. Earlier this offseason, Shipley said that the four-year, $78 million contract with $38 million guaranteed signed by Titans WR Wan’Dale Robinson “makes sense.” In his most recent projection, Shipley accounts for Washington’s value as a returner by referencing the contracts signed by Packers WR Jayden Reed and Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed. Both players got three-year deals that were more front-loaded than the earlier projection. Reed’s deal is worth $50.25 million with $20 million guaranteed. Shaheed’s is worth $51 million with $34.7 million guaranteed. Shipley believes Washington could surpass that number, with a good year, if the Jaguars allow him to test free agency next offseason.

Williams also focused on building lower-body strength this offseason, adding five to eight pounds in the process. He believes this strength could help him develop as a centerfield target, which is the primary thing to note for fantasy purposes. A 2019 Rotoworld study showed that targets thrown over the middle, 10-plus yards downfield, are more valuable than those thrown along the sideline at an equivalent depth. Williams went 0-for-5 on centerfield targets as a rookie. Improving his play over the middle will help him challenge for a role in the Patriots’ starting three-wide receiver set. Williams also said he hopes to be more consistent, build chemistry with QB Drake Maye and master the playbook this offseason.