NFL Player News

The 49ers signed Sudfeld to a one-year contract Wednesday.

Sudfeld will join a crowded quarterback room in San Francisco that already includes Josh Rosen and Josh Johnson as depth options behind Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle). The 49ers could also invest their No. 3 overall pick in April's draft into a signal-caller, so the addition of Sudfeld could create robust competition even for the third spot on the depth chart.

The Panthers are allowing Bridgewater to talk with other teams to facilitate a potential trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Sam Darnold trade didn't remove all of Bridgewater's leverage, as he still has a $10 million guarantee on his $17 million base salary for 2021. That means there's some chance he sticks around in Carolina, even if it's ultimately as a backup to Darnold. The Panthers seemingly prefer to trade Bridgewater, but that might be easier said than done at this point in the offseason.

Bridgewater could be traded after the Panthers acquired QB Sam Darnold on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Panthers could instead ask Bridgewater to adjust his contract, though a $10 million guarantee on his $17 million base salary gives the quarterback an awful lot of leverage in negotiations. If he does end up staying in Carolina, he'll likely be given an opportunity to compete with Darnold for the starting job.

The Jets traded Darnold to the Panthers on Monday in exchange for a 2021 sixth-round pick and 2022 second-round and fourth-round picks.

The Jets ended up coming away with a strong haul for Darnold, who wasn't expected to be in the team's plans for 2021 with the likelihood of New York selecting a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft. As for the Panthers, a Teddy Bridgewater trade could be on deck, as Carolina plans to exercise the fifth-year option on Darnold's rookie contract, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. Darnold thus looks positioned to enter 2021 as Carolina's starter, and though he struggled to find consistent success during his three years in New York, the Panthers are hopeful that offensive coordinator Joe Brady and a pass-catching corps highlighted by Robby Anderson, DJ Moore and Christian McCaffrey can get the best out of the 23-year-old signal-caller.

The Houston Police Department released a statement Friday regarding a report filed against Watson. "Today, a complainant filed a report with the Houston Police Department concerning Deshaun Watson. As with any allegation, the Houston Police Department is now conducting an investigation and will not comment further during the investigative process."

In recent weeks, 21 civil lawsuits have been filed against Watson alleging inappropriate conduct and sexual assault. The NFL opened an investigation into the matter March 18, at which time the Texans noted they "still stay in close contact with the league as they do" but "do not anticipate making any additional statements until" it concludes, per NFL.com. After Friday's complaint, Watson's lawyer, Rusty Hardin, released a statement on behalf of Watson. According to Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com, the statement said, "We welcome this long overdue development. Now we will learn the identity of at least one accuser. We will fully cooperate with the Houston Police Department." There appears to be no end in sight to Watson's situation as the legal system does its due diligence.

General manager Ryan Pace confirmed Friday that he views Dalton as the Bears' starting quarterback, Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

The Bears had already listed Dalton as the "QB1" heading into OTAs, but to see Pace so openly talk of him as the starter would seem to confirm that a competition with Nick Foles isn't being seriously considered. Per Hoge, the general manger discussed Dalton's style of play -- specifically his affinity for play-action, RPOs and ability to drop back -- as being a good fit for coach Matt Nagy's offense. Dalton should certainly offer Chicago more consistency under center than Mitchell Trubisky did in recent years, but it's also fair to question the fantasy ceiling of a 33-year-old quarterback who only managed two 4,000-yard passing seasons in nine years as a starter.

Stafford underwent surgery on his right thumb in March, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Stafford emerged from last season with an array of injuries, including a partially torn UCL in that thumb, a torn UCL in his left elbow, torn rib cartilage, a sprained ankle and a left knee issue. Following his trade from the Lions to the Rams, he appears to have addressed the first concern, which was described as "elective" and "minor." With his new squad, Stafford will have reliable pass catchers at his disposal, namely Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp (knee), fellow newcomer DeSean Jackson and tight end Tyler Higbee. Through 12 NFL campaigns, the 33-year-old signal-caller has surpassed 4,000 yards eight times but only thrown for 30-plus TD on two occasions.

McCoy signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

McCoy played in four games (two starts) with the Giants last season because Daniel Jones had a hamstring injury. During that time, the 34-year-old quarterback completed 61 percent of his passes for 375 yards (5.7 YPA), a touchdown and an interception. McCoy will serve as a backup to Kyler Murray (ankle) in Arizona.

Jackson has a new option in the passing game with Baltimore's recent addition of Sammy Watkins, Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Baltimore missed out on the top-of-market receivers, instead bringing in Watkins after two weeks of free agency. The signing isn't likely to revolutionize the Ravens offense, but Watkins should at least pose more of a downfield threat than Willie Snead, who recently left Baltimore to sign with Las Vegas. While Watkins now joins Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews as the Ravens' main receiving threats, Jackson could get another weapon from the NFL Draft at the end of April.

The 49ers acquired the No. 3 overall pick in April's draft from the Dolphins on Friday, potentially signaling that the team will acquire a quarterback to replace Garoppolo (ankle), Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

San Francisco is dealing the No. 12 pick in April's draft, a 2022 third-round pick, and first-round selections in 2022 and 2023 in order to move up to No. 3 overall. Schefter notes that the 49ers do not have any immediate plans to trade Garoppolo, but with at least one of this year's top three quarterback prospects guaranteed to be on the board, the 29-year-old veteran's best-case-scenario may be to serve as a bridge option if he remains on the roster. If a prospect such as Zach Wilson, Justin Fields or Trey Lance indeed links with the 49ers, it will only be a matter of time before they enter the starting lineup.