NFL Player News

The Patriots have made it known that they are keeping an open mind throughout the pre-draft process. While it’s expected they will take a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick; they appear to be just as open to trading the pick to acquire other assets and presumably focus on a quarterback later in the draft. With other teams in need of help at quarterback, there are several teams currently picking outside of the top five — i.e., the Vikings, Broncos, and Giants — who could make a move into the No. 3 spot to select one of the top passers in the class.

Wingard started all 16 games he appeared in for the Jaguars last season, finishing second on the team in tackles (84) while also breaking up a career-high nine passes and picking off one pass. The veteran safety has started 10 or more games twice in his career, and could serve as a reliable starter in the Cardinals’ secondary for first-year head coach Mike LaFleur.

Heck is a six-year veteran of the league who has 29 games of starting experience under his belt. In his lone season with the Buccaneers, Heck started six of the 17 games he appeared in, with all of his starts coming at right tackle. He earned a PFF grade of 45.2 last season while allowing 32 pressures and three sacks.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, other teams had interest in Fields, but his preference was to go to the Chiefs. It’s an interesting landing spot for the former No. 11 overall pick, who is now slated to join his third team in three seasons. With Patrick Mahomes (knee) still recovering from a torn ACL, Fields will be the presumed QB1 for the Chiefs throughout much of the offseason, and could draw the start in Week 1 if Mahomes is unable to start. Fields struggled during his lone season with the Jets, throwing for 1,259-7-1 in nine games while adding another 71-383-4 on the ground. One of the worst sack avoiders in the NFL, Fields was also sacked on 11.7 percent of his dropbacks and had an abysmal 23.3 percent pressure-to-sack rate. Going from one of the best sack avoiders in the league to one of the worst could present an interesting challenge for Andy Reid and the offense in the early portion of the season. That said, Fields’ rushing ability will also add another element to the offense that can be exploited in Mahomes’ offense. While he would be a risky short-term bit in 1QB leagues, Fields will have some later-round value in 2QB/Superflex leagues if Mahomes misses time. Jets beat writer Zack Rosenblatt reports the Jets are paying “all but $3 million of Fields’ $10 million guaranteed salary,” which saves them more money than what it would have cost to release him.

McNichols is the third running back to sign with Washington in recent days. The 30-year-old vet has been used sparingly over the last two seasons with the Commanders, but has totaled 705 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns on 133 touches. It seems highly unlikely that McNichols would beat out Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, or Jerome Ford on the running back depth chart, meaning he could be more of a camp body unless the Commanders opt to keep four running backs on the roster.

According to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, the Falcons converted $12 million of Terrell’s salary for next season into a $12 million signing bonus, lowering his 2026 salary to $3 million. Terrell is under contract through the 2028 season and appeared in 15 games for the Falcons last season, totaling 68 tackles and 12 pass breakups while earning a PFF coverage grade of 57.3.

The Bucs converted $20 million of Goedeke’s roster bonus into a signing bonus to clear $15.2 million in cap space for 2026. The fourth-year lineman signed a four-year, $90 million contract extension last offseason and appeared in 11 games last season after a foot injury sidelined him for multiple weeks. Goedeke earned a PFF blocking grade of 75.8 last season and did not allow a sack despite giving up 22 pressures.

The Patriots continue to sound like the only serious suitor for Brown, but Rapoport also notes that a trade for Brown “may be revisited in June” given where things stay right now. The Eagles’ decision to wait until June to trade Brown would reduce the dead money the team would take on this season from $40 million to $20 million. The impending trade of Brown already feels like a never-ending saga, so it only makes sense that this story would carry into the summer.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Cowboys added an option along with void years to Gary’s deal to lower his 2026 cap number to $5.44 million and his 2027 number to $8.24 million. Gary was traded to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick and is coming off a season in which he totaled 45 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and seven TFLs. The veteran lineman is under contract through the next two seasons.

This timeline should allow Skattebo to participate in organized team activities, which typically occur in late May. The burly second-year back resumed running on Wednesday, and Skattebo put his speed at about “75.0 percent.” He has not yet resumed “exploding” forward, and is instead focused on “the jog and the striding.” Good for him. Skattebo currently sits atop the Giants’ depth chart and could warrant RB2 treatment if the Giants abstain from adding meaningful backfield competition for him in the 2026 NFL Draft. Reports initially indicated the team could add a veteran in free agency, but nothing came to fruition.

The 49ers drafted Burford as a fourth-round pick back in 2022. This is his first time hitting the free agent market. Burford injured his knee in Week 2 against the Saints and was placed on injured reserve. He returned in Week 9 and manned the left guard spot from there on out. Burford performance can be somewhat volatile. He generally grades out as a replacement-level player and most recently earned a 62.6 PFF run-blocking grade in the 2025 regular season. The Chargers’ offensive line was hit hard by injuries last season. Adding Burford could improve its depth.