NFL Player News

The Jets released McLaughlin on Friday.

McLaughlin only made one appearance for the Jets last season, in which he wasn't afforded the chance to make a single field-goal try. He did suit up for three games in Jacksonville, converting four of five field-goal attempts and three of four extra-point tries.

Carlson signed his restricted free agent tender from the Raiders on Thursday, NFL reporter Aaron Wilson reports.

In March, Las Vegas extended Carlson a second-round tender, a price that other organizations were unlikely to pay. Thus, he's back in the desert for a second consecutive year and a member of the Raiders for a fourth campaign. Carlson is coming off his best statistical season, when he connected on 33 of 35 field-goal attempts (94 percent) and 45 of 47 point-after tries (96 percent).

Rohrwasser was waived by the Patriots on Tuesday.

The Patriots will stick with Nick Folk in the 2021 season, so Rohrwasser -- their 2020 fifth-round pick -- will leave the team before he made his NFL debut. Rohrwasser was quite good in his senior year at Marshall, connecting on 18 of 21 field-goal attempts (86 percent).

Maher was waived by Arizona on Saturday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Maher joined the team on a reserve/future contract in January and was expected to compete for the starting job after Zane Gonzalez hit free agency. However, that need for the team disappeared after it signed Matt Prater on Saturday, leaving Maher to look for a new team in free agency.

The Chargers are re-signing Badgley, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Badgley is coming off a disastrous season, having converted just 73 percent of his field-goal attempts (worst among all kickers who attempted 30 or more field goals in 2020), including just two of six tries from 50-plus yards out. The team also signed placekicker Tristan Vizcaino earlier this month, and more competition for Badgley could surface as the offseason progresses.

The Patriots have re-signed Folk to a one-year deal, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Per the report, Folk's contract includes $1.225 million guaranteed, giving him a chance to reprise the role he filled capably in 2020. The 36-year-old finished last season with 108 points while connecting on 26 of his 28 field-goal attempts and hitting 30 of his 33 extra-point tries. Also currently on the Patriots' roster are fellow kickers Roberto Aguayo and Justin Rohrwasser.

Prater signed a two-year contract with Arizona on Wednesday.

After enduring a disappointing year with Zane Gonzalez, the Cardinals are turning to a 14-year veteran coming off seven seasons in Detroit. Prater is a two-time Pro Bowler who boasts an 83.2 percent career field-goal conversion rate, though he dropped all the way down to 75 percent in 2020. The 36-year-old will be looking to bounce back in Arizona this season, and being part of a high-scoring offense led by Kyler Murray could lead to plenty of fantasy upside.

The Raiders extended Carlson a second-round tender Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Carlson was outstanding for the Raiders in 2020, making 33 of 35 field-goal attempts and 45 of 47 extra-point tries en route to a single-season franchise record of 144 points. This should prevent an offer sheet for Carlson, who will earn $3.384 million in 2020 if he signs the tender.

Hopkins is signing a one-year, $2.5 million contract with Washington, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

With nearly $1.9 million guaranteed, anything short of a complete meltdown in training camp should send Hopkins into Week 1 as Washington's kicker. He hasn't gained much traction in fantasy football since the Kirk Cousins era, but Hopkins could re-emerge on the radar if his team continues to improve. Hopkins will turn 31 in October, and he has career conversion rates of 83.9 percent (FGs) and 94.9 percent (PAT), i.e. close to league-average.

Hopkins is expected to re-sign with Washington, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Ben Standig of The Athletic adds that Hopkins' deal, which is expected to be signed after free agency officially begins March 17, will be for one year. The veteran kicker boasts an 84 percent field-goal conversion rate over six seasons in Washington, though in 2020 he converted just 27 of 34 field-goal tries (79 percent) over 16 regular-season games.