NFL Player News

In all likelihood, the backup job will go to Bailey Zappe in Week 1. The second-year quarterback who was waived on roster cutdown day was signed to the team’s practice squad the following day, and should have the inside edge on Matt Corral, who the team claimed off waivers late last week. Zappe has spent all summer playing in the Patriots’ new offensive scheme, and was a reliable backup last season, going 2-0 in his starts while throwing for 781 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. Belichick sounds like he’s leaving the door open for Corral to be the backup heading into this week, but as he noted on Monday, “He hasn’t even been on the field yet.”

The deal is worth $24.9 million and is fully guaranteed. As is the case with all first-round picks, his contract includes a fifth-year option. The 49ers shed hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts this offseason and the bulk of those savings came on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive end was an obvious position of need and Williams was widely regarded as the best pass-rusher on the board when 49ers GM John Lynch was on the clock. Williams totaled five sacks in 2024 and left Georgia with 14 sacks across three seasons as a starter.

It’s a fully guaranteed deal worth $17.2 million with a fifth-year team option. Minnesota taking Jackson with the 24th-overall pick came as a bit of a surprise on draft night, but the Vikings needed offensive line help and Jackson was considered worthy of a first-round pick by some draftniks. He was primarily a left guard at Ohio State but successfully kicked out to tackle for the bulk of his senior season. Jackson is likely fated for guard duties in Minnesota, but the positional versatility remains a plus.

Orji played primarily on special teams in New Orleans but was credited with two starts across 16 appearances. He totaled 30 combined tackles and a pair of TFLs. Orji will need to continue seeing work on special teams to make the Titans’ roster.

Henderson was passed on the Cincinnati depth chart by Chase Brown last year and the team even traded for Khalil Herbert midseason. Despite having no role on offense, Williams was active for all 17 games as a special teamer. He will likely hold a similar role in New England if he cracks the team’s 53-man roster.

The Pats also worked out former Bengals running back Trayveon Williams. Mims ran 20 times for 70 yards in 2024 while adding 12 catches for 71 yards through the air. He also got some run on special teams. The Patriots are looking for some extra depth at running back, but there isn’t room for another fantasy-relevant option behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.

Morris is purely a blocking tight end. He caught just 15 passes during his three years with the Bills, though he did manage to find the end zone three times. Morris will back up Brenton Strange in Jacksonville.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Henry is the first running back over the age of 30 to make $15 million per year. Henry hit the open market at the peak of the “running backs don’t matter” discourse and signed a measly two-year, $16 million deal with the Ravens last offseason. He spent the 2025 season stuffing nerds in lockers with 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns on 325 attempts. The monstrous season more than earned him a raise and the Ravens knew the assignment. Rapoport noted that Henry wants to finish his career in Baltimore and the extension will give him the opportunity to do so.

Jenkins is being moved to center ahead of the 2025 season. He is a left guard by trade but has also spent time at both tackle spots during his six years in Green Bay. The Packers signed him to a four-year, $68 million extension in 2022 that runs through 2026. The deal initially made him a highly-paid guard. It now has him as one of the league’s most expensive centers. The Packers could save $20 million by cutting Jenkins next offseason, something they would likely do unless Jenkins is immediately one of the league’s best centers. Jenkins, in turn, is almost certainly looking to up his guarantees on the final two years of the contract. Though, as Demovsky points out, the Packers rarely adjust contracts this far from their expiration, Jenkins could be the exception to the rule.

Prescott in a Wednesday morning radio interview was effusive in his praise of Pickens, who was traded last week from the Steelers to Dallas in exchange for draft compensation. “You put the ball anywhere in his vicinity, very strong hands,” Prescott said of Pickens. “He’s more than a 50-50 catcher. ... I’m excited for him. I know that we need some help at that position.” Pickens, 24, has 2,841 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns over three NFL seasons and is widely expected to see more single coverage in Dallas than he did as the unquestioned No. 1 wideout in Pittsburgh. Opposing coverage units won’t be able to shade safeties toward his side of the field with CeeDee Lamb threatening the middle of the field. Pickens shapes up as a volatile WR2/3 in 2025.

The Week 17 matchup between longtime NFC North rivals will be available exclusively on Netflix. Coming off a devastating Divisional Round loss to Washington last January, the Lions will be prominently featured by the league in 2025. Jared Goff and the Lions beat Minnesota twice during the 2024 regular season: a 31-29 Week 7 victory in Minnesota and a 31-9 Week 18 drubbing in Detroit. Goff combined to throw for 511 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in those games. Justin Jefferson, meanwhile, was limited to ten catches for 131 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings’ 2024 games against Detroit.