NFL Player News

The Cardinals and Brissett haven't made inroads on an amended contract, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

According to Weinfuss, the two sides are "significantly" far apart on a new deal, and Brissett will continue to stay away from Arizona's offseason program without one, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Brissett is seeking an increase in the $1.5 million in guarantees on his current contract for 2026, which likely was spurred by the combination of his output from his 12 starts last season (3,366 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions on 65.1 percent passing), the fact offseason signing Gardner Minshew has $5.14 million in guaranteed money for the upcoming campaign, and the Cardinals drafting Carson Beck in the third round of this year's draft. The situation could gain clarity as the team draws closer to mandatory minicamp (June 8-10), as Brissett's continued absence then would be subject to fines.

Ward noted Thursday that he's he's lost 10 pounds during the offseason by focusing on his diet, Turron Davenport of ESPN reports.

"I think it'll help me with durability...just being faster, getting up in the pocket, and trying to play my speed," said Ward, who Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site indicates has recovered from an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder suffered in Week 18 last season. With that in mind, coach Robert Saleh said Thursday of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, "his arm's perfectly healthy. He's slinging the ball. I mean, he's got some good velocity on it." As the coming campaign approaches, Ward will be working with a WR corps that welcomes back Calvin Ridley, Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike, and that was notably bolstered by the signing of free agent Wan'Dale Robinson and addition of Carnell Tate via the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 Draft.

Stafford and the Rams agreed on a one-year, $55 million contract extension Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Stafford was set to enter the 2026 campaign in the final year of his two-year, $84 million contract that he signed with Los Angeles ahead of the 2025 season, but he now will be under contract through 2027. The 38-year-old is coming off of an MVP campaign in which he compiled 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns while completing 65 percent of his passes over 17 regular-season contests. His new deal is worth up to $60 million dollars, so Stafford could earn up to $105 million over the next two seasons. The Rams drafted the quarterback's successor in Ty Simpson 13th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, and Simpson may get a chance to sit behind Stafford for multiple years.

Levis (shoulder) is participating in OTAs this week, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Levis missed all of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery last summer. With Cam Ward locked in atop the depth chart and Mitchell Trubisky signed earlier this offseason to serve as the veteran QB2, it's unclear what Levis' future looks like in Tennessee. The team could look to trade him ahead of Week 1 if he's able to produce some quality tape during the preseason.

During Wednesday's OTA, Mendoza worked behind Kirk Cousins and Aidan O'Connell and mostly with rookies during competitive periods of the session, per Sam Warren of The Athletic.

The report notes that Cousins took all of the first-team reps Wednesday and was followed by O'Connell and Mendoza, in that order. At this stage, the Raiders have yet to outline plans on when a starter will be named, with GM John Spytek having said, "The best guy will play." That said, with both Spytek and coach Klint Kubiak having previously expressed their inclination to not play a young quarterback right away, Warren and Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com suggest that Cousins is trending toward starting Week 1, citing the veteran signal-caller's ample professional experience, as well as his familiarity with Kubiak's offense. While the Raiders are intentionally easing Mendoza -- the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft -- into the mix, Kubiak has nonetheless been pleased with what he's seen from the highly-touted the rookie so far. "He's as advertised," Kubiak said Wednesday. "He has not disappointed." Given where Mendoza was drafted, it's assumed that the Indiana product will rise to the top of the Raiders' depth chart eventually, but he could begin his pro career, for a time, as Cousins' understudy. However, there's still runway for Mendoza to change the narrative on that front in the coming months, with Kubiak noting Wednesday of the team's QB pecking order, "It's gonna reveal itself, especially in training camp."

Coach Robert Saleh said Thursday that Ward (shoulder) is "perfectly healthy" to begin OTAs, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Ward sustained a sprained AC joint in his right, throwing shoulder in the Titans' Week 18 loss to the Jaguars last season but avoided surgery and seems to be 100 percent for the offseason program. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 Draft, Ward started all 17 regular-season games as a rookie and completed 323 of 540 pass attempts (59.8 percent) for 3,169 yards (5.9 yards per attempt), 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also absorbed a league-high 55 sacks. The Titans have done quite a bit to upgrade Ward's supporting cast this offseason, first signing Wan'Dale Robinson before using the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 Draft on Carnell Tate. Tennessee also signed offensive linemen Austin Schlottmann, Cordell Volson and Austin Deculus in free agency.

During the team period of Wednesday's OTA practice, Cousins was the first quarterback on the field, Ryan McFadden of ESPN reports.

Per the report, Cousins was followed by Aidan O'Connell and then No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, whom the Raiders continue to ease into their offense. While coach Klint Kubiak has yet to provide a timeline for when he'd like to name a starting QB, McFadden suggests that Cousins is the favorite to open the season as the team's No. 1 option, given his ample NFL experience and familiarity with Kubiak's offense. That said, Mendoza -- who has been "as advertised," per Kubiak -- does have time to change that narrative ahead of Week 1, and even if Cousins does handle signal-caller duties for Las Vegas out of the gate in 2026, there's little doubt that Mendoza will rise to the top of the depth chart eventually, given where he was drafted.

Shedeur and Deshaun Watson split first-team reps for most of Wednesday's practice, but Watson then took all the reps at the end in a simulated hurry-up drill, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Reports from Cleveland beat writers are slightly conflicting, but there seems to be agreement that Watson went first through the rotation in early practice periods before Sanders took the first snap in full-team drills. Watson then handled the special period at the end of practice. It sounds like Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green didn't get much first-team work, if any, but the rotation could look different as soon as the next practice. Head coach Todd Monken has mentioned his preference for naming a starting QB before the start of training camp, though he eased off his prior statements Wednesday, telling reporters, "We'll have it set for [Week 1 at Jacksonville]," per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com.

Rodgers said Wednesday that 2026 will be his final NFL season, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Rodgers signed with the Steelers on Monday -- the first day of OTAs. He made the decision to play another season in late April or early May, after the NFL Draft, and was then in Pittsburgh for a couple of weeks before officially signing his one-year contract. He'll turn 43 late in the 2026 season, and there'd be no guarantee of a starting job in 2027 even if he wanted one. Rodgers also mentioned that he anticipated retiring once Mike Tomlin was gone, only to reconsider when the Steelers hired Mike McCarthy, who was Rodgers' head coach from 2006 to 2018 in Green Bay. The offense could look much different from last year's, with the Steelers adding WRs Michael Pittman and Germie Bernard to give a better three-wide look.

Watson was the first QB through the rotation at Wednesday's practice, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Watson took the first snap in individual drills and 7-on-7s, but Shedeur Sanders then went first in 11-on-11s, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic. The two split first-team snaps for the rest of the session, with Watson then taking over at the end for a hurry-up simulation. For individual drills, Sanders was second through the rotation, with Dillon Gabriel going third and Taylen Green predictably last. It's more or less what was expected, given that Watson has 72 NFL starts to his name and is competing with a trio of mid-round picks from the past two drafts. What's less clear is if the initial position means anything beyond deference to age/experience. Browns head coach Todd Monken seems to take Sanders seriously as a candidate for the starting job, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Gabriel (or even Green) take some first-team reps as well.