NFL Player News

Rodgers completed 33 of 48 passes for 346 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 31-26 loss to the Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game.

As has been the case for the entirety of the season, Rodgers played at an MVP level and nearly led the Packers back from an 18-point deficit. He hit on several big plays to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, connecting for a 50-yard touchdown early in the second quarter as well as gains of 29 and 24 yards. Rodgers' other two scores came from eight and two yards, respectively. His only glaring error came just before halftime, when he threw an interception that ultimately led to a Buccaneers touchdown. Looking toward the 2021 season, Rodgers remains under contract with the Packers and is likely to return to the team to continue his high level of play.

Mahomes doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Bills, but his mobility could be compromised while he contends with a turf toe issue on his left foot, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Before he exited last week's divisional-round win over the Browns with the head injury, Mahomes didn't look to be moving around at 100 percent, though he still avoided taking a sack and scrambled three times for 14 yards and a touchdown. Mahomes was able to take most of the Chiefs' snaps in practice this week and eventually cleared the NFL's five-step concussion protocol, but since most of those sessions were walk-throughs, he didn't put much strain on the toe in question. For his part, Mahomes doesn't seem to believe his toe is a major concern, saying that the injury has "gotten a lot better every single day." The Chiefs still plan to have Mahomes meet with a foot specialist after the season to determine whether he'll need offseason surgery to provide a more permanent fix for the toe.

Stafford and the Lions have mutually agreed to part ways this offseason, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Stafford expressed his desire for a fresh start, and the Lions have agreed to grant that request. In turn, the team will look for a trade partner this offseason. Stafford was impressive once again in 2020, completing 64 percent of his passes for 4,084 yards (7.7 YPA), 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The 32-year-old is a known commodity and would be a valuable addition to a contender. He has three years remaining on his contract, and he'll carry a $20 million cap hit in 2021 if he's traded, according to Field Yates of ESPN. The Lions still have quarterbacks Chase Daniel and David Blough under contract next season, and they hold the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Mahomes (head/toe) has been cleared from the concussion protocol and will play in Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Bills, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Mahomes revealed the big news about 15 minutes after coach Andy Reid told reporters that the QB had one step remaining to clear the protocol. The star quarterback says he hasn't dealt with any concussion symptoms this week, also mentioning that his toe injury feels much better, per Nate Taylor of The Athletic. Mahomes said he'll "go out there and be myself" in the AFC Championship Game against Buffalo.

Coach Andy Reid said Friday that Mahomes has made it through four of five steps in the concussion protocol, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Mahomes took the majority of practice snaps Wednesday and Thursday, with the Chiefs listing him as a limited participant in both sessions. Regardless of his classification on the Friday injury report, Mahomes will need clearance from an independent neurological consultant and the Chiefs' physician before he can play in the AFC Championship Game against Buffalo on Sunday. Chad Henne will fill in at quarterback if Mahomes isn't able to play.

Love did not appear in a regular-season contest with the Packers as a rookie.

Love was a healthy scratch for the Packers all through the regular season while Tim Boyle worked as the backup to Aaron Rodgers, and the same has been true during the postseason. With the 37-year-old Rodgers performing at such a high level to have been named the league MVP, it's difficult to foresee when Love will get a chance to show what he can do in Green Bay's offense. For the time being, and as the offseason approaches, the 2020 first-round pick will focus on continuing to progress in his development with the Packers' coaching staff.

Beathard appeared in six games (two starts) with the 49ers in 2020, completing 66 of 104 pass attempts for 787 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also lost three fumbles and logged six carries for 28 yards.

Beathard played like an efficient game manager when called upon by the 49ers, and he led the team to a win over the Cardinals in Week 16 before closing out the year with a narrow 26-23 loss to the Seahawks in Week 17. Now set to become an unrestricted free agent, Beathard should have displayed enough competence during his San Francisco tenure to compete for a backup role elsewhere in the league.

Mahomes (concussion/toe) was officially listed as limited at practice Thursday.

Though Mahomes continues to be listed as limited by the team, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com notes that coach Andy Reid said that the star QB took the majority of signal-caller snaps during Thursday's practice. Friday's final injury report of the week will reveal whether Mahomes draws an injury designation for Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Bills or is fully cleared to play by virtue of completely passing through the NFL's concussion protocol.

The Chiefs seemingly expect Mahomes (concussion) to be ready for Sunday's game against Buffalo, as he received the majority of first-team snaps during Thursday's practice, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.

Mahomes also took most of the snaps Wednesday, when he was initially listed as a full participant before the Chiefs downgraded him to LP in accordance with the rules of the NFL's concussion protocol. He'll still need to pass through the final stages of the protocol to gain clearance for the AFC Championship Game, so it's possible the Chiefs list him as limited when they release their Thursday injury report.

Kansas City's official injury report now lists Mahomes (concussion/toe) as a limited participant at Wednesday's practice.

Per Adam Teicher of ESPN.com, the team amended its injury report to reflect that Mahomes is still in the NFL's concussion protocol. That said, Teicher points out that coach Any Reid indicated that the quarterback was able to take all the snaps in what is being described as a lighter practice. Mahomes' participation Wednesday in any capacity is a step in the right direction toward him gaining medical clearance for Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Bills.