NFL Player News

The Jaguars selected Lawrence (shoulder) in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, first overall.

The long-anticipated first overall pick is officially a Jacksonville Jaguar. Lawrence heads to the NFL as the best prospect at his position in at least a decade after a decorated career at Clemson in which he showed all the traits of a future franchise quarterback. Lawrence (6-foot-6, 213 pounds) took over the starting job for the Tigers as a true freshman and delivered a National Championship victory over Alabama. He finished his collegiate career with a 66.6 percent completion rate on 758 attempts, compiling 10,098 yards, 90 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions while adding nearly 1,000 yards on the ground. Lawrence brings elite arm strength and accuracy, as well as a rare feel for the game. He projects to be the Day 1 starter for the Jaguars as they begin a new chapter under head coach Urban Meyer. Lawrence has already begun throwing after undergoing surgery on his non-throwing shoulder in February.

Rudolph and the Steelers have agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The agreement, which Rudolph and the Steelers agreed upon on the eve of the 2021 NFL Draft, keeps the 2018 third-round pick under contract through 2022. Rudolph is currently slated to serve as the top backup to Ben Roethlisberger during the 2021 season, and he could be in the mix as the team considers its plans at quarterback long-term.

Rodgers is so disgruntled with the Packers that he's told some people he doesn't want to return to the team, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Schefter also reports that the Rams (in February) and the 49ers (on Wednesday) have inquired about trading for Rodgers but were turned away by the Packers, who seemingly hope to mend the relationship with their future Hall of Fame QB. Thursday's report stops short of saying Rodgers will demand a trade, but it sounds like he's considering options to hasten his departure from Green Bay. While recent reports have suggested that won't happen any earlier than the 2022 offseason, the latest info from Schefter suggests Rodgers could try to play hardball and force his way out this spring/summer.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman were both noncommittal on Hurts entering 2021 as the team's starting quarterback, CBS 3 Philadelphia reports. "To name any starters at this particular time...we've been working with these guys for two days," Sirianni said during an April 21 press conference. "My biggest thing is competition. We're going to have competition at every position."

With a new coaching staff in the fold for 2021, all of the Eagles' returning players will have to earn their keep, and Hurts is no exception. As the roster currently stands, Hurts' main competition for the starting job is 36-year-old Joe Flacco. After trading down from the No. 6 overall pick in this week's NFL draft to the No. 12 spot, the Eagles seemingly aren't in position to select any of the top signal-callers on the board, though it won't necessary preclude them from investing an early selection into the position. Hurts started the Eagles' final four games of the 2020 campaign, completing 51.9 percent of his throws for 6.9 yards per attempt and a 5:3 TD:INT while adding 272 yards and three scores on the ground.

Lock will likely have to compete for the Broncos' starting quarterback job in training camp after Denver acquired Teddy Bridgewater from Carolina on Wednesday, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

After demonstrating limited progress in his sophomore season in 2021, Lock never appeared all that likely to make it through the offseason without the Broncos adding some competition, be it in the form of a rookie or veteran. He could still end up having to compete with both, though it might be argued that Wednesday's trade for Bridgewater decreases the odds of Denver picking a quarterback in the early rounds of this weekend's NFL draft. Either way, Lock will need to fight for his job this summer.

The Broncos acquired Bridgewater from the Panthers on Wednesday in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

With $10 million of his $17 million base salary for 2021 being guaranteed, Bridgewater didn't have much value on the open market. In fact, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports the Panthers will pay some of the quarterback's salary to facilitate the trade. Bridgewater is now in line to compete with Drew Lock for a starting job, while Sam Darnold is left as the only quarterback in Carolina with significant NFL experience. This trade seemingly increases the odds of the Panthers drafting a signal-caller and decreases the odds of the Broncos taking one, but it could still go either way in both cases, considering none of Bridgewater, Lock or Darnold looks especially likely to become a true franchise quarterback.

Coach Mike McCarthy said Prescott is making progress in his recovery from a season-ending right ankle injury, Rob Phillips of the Cowboys' official site reports. "He's throwing now, doing footwork drills. He's made a lot of progress," McCarthy noted.

When he suffered the compound fracture and dislocation in Week 5 of last season, Prescott was leading the NFL in passing with 1,856 passing yards to go with nine touchdowns and four interceptions. After surgery was performed that same day, he entered the rehab process, which included a second procedure in December, walking on an anti-gravity treadmill and in a pool, and beginning the aforementioned footwork drills in April. The Cowboys are aiming for Prescott to be healthy and ready for training camp.

Coach John Harbaugh said the Ravens are expected to pick up the fifth-year option on Jackson's rookie contract, Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

With an MVP award and two 1,000-yard rushing seasons under his belt through three years with Baltimore, Jackson is poised to get a payday sooner rather than later. If the Ravens make the aforementioned move by May 3, his contract will be $23.1 million in 2022, but the team also may want to lock him up long-term in the near future, as has been intimated this offseason. Jackson has a new weapon in the passing game via free agent Sammy Watkins, and the Ravens may also use draft capital to improve the receiving corps, which would give Jackson a good chance to surpass 3,000 yards through the air for the second time in his career this fall.

The Browns exercised Mayfield's fifth-year option worth $18.86 million for the 2022 season Friday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

It's not much of a surprise to see Cleveland pick up the option for the 26-year-old, which the team also did for teammate Denzel Ward. Mayfield helped the Browns secure their first playoff victory in 26 years last season after completing 63 percent of his passes for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions while also rushing for 165 yards and one touchdown in 16 games. A long-term extension could be next now that his status is secured for the next two years.

Smith has re-signed with the Seahawks.

Smith has backed up Russell Wilson for the past two seasons, a role that he'll reprise in 2021. While working behind Wilson, who's been durable as a pro, Smith has made just one regular-season appearance for Seattle, in a blowout win over the Jets last year.