NFL Player News

The Chiefs are expected to convert Mahomes' (toe) roster bonus into a signing bonus, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Mahomes has acquiesced to converting his $21.7 million roster bonus into a signing bonus, a move which will save the Chiefs roughly $17 million against the cap. That will allow Kansas City some much-needed flexibility when free agency kicks off, especially considering the team just cut both starting tackles, Eric Fisher (Achilles) and Mitchell Schwartz (back). Mahomes is currently recovering from February surgery to repair a torn plantar plate in his left foot, but he's expected to be fully healthy for the tentative start of training camp. The star signal-caller should thus have plenty of time to build chemistry with any new faces the Chiefs bring in on offense, though it remains to be seen how the NFL adjusts offseason programs in order to account for COVID-19.

Coach Brian Flores expects Tagovailoa to make a big jump in his second NFL season, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

Flores was arguably side-stepping a question about Tagovailoa's status as the starting quarterback for 2021. It would be unusual to move on from a No. 5 overall pick after nine NFL starts, but that hasn't slowed down trade rumors involving Tagovailoa and Texans QB Deshaun Watson. Even if nothing materializes on that front, Miami might consider a QB with the No. 3 overall pick. Flores also mentioned that he'd like to retain Ryan Fitzpatrick, though the 38-year-old seemingly intends to sign elsewhere once he becomes a free agent March 17.

Washington extended Allen (ankle) an exclusive rights free agent tender Wednesday, NFL.com reports.

Allen started four games for the Football Team in 2020 before suffering a season-ending dislocated ankle. He's expected to make a full recovery from the injury by April, and with Alex Smith having been released, Allen and Taylor Heinicke (shoulder) enter Washington's offseason program as the top quarterbacks on the depth chart. Of course, the team could also add more competition in free agency or through April's draft.

Head coach Matt Rhule said Wednesday that Bridgewater (ankle) is "having a tremendous offseason" and currently remains the Panthers' top quarterback, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Rhule's comments run contrary to popular speculation surrounding the Panthers this offseason, which has been that the team would look to upgrade at the quarterback position either in free agency or the 2021 NFL Draft. As David Newton of ESPN.com notes, Bridgewater's name had reportedly been floated as part of a potential deal for Matthew Stafford, who ultimately landed with the Rams. Bridgewater's contract doesn't have a potential 'out' until after 2021, so he could certainly be back with Carolina next season. Of course, Rhule also made clear that the Panthers will analyze the top rookie quarterbacks available and attend their pro days, per Person. Carolina currently holds the No. 8 overall pick in April's draft, and if the team ends up selecting a rookie signal-caller, Bridgewater could make for a fine bridge option.

Allen signed a one-year contract with the Bengals on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Allen started five games last season after Joe Burrow tore his ACL in Week 11. The 28-year-old Allen struggled but was serviceable, completing 63 percent of his passes for 925 yards (6.5 YPA), five touchdowns and four interceptions. Burrow has said he thinks that he'll be ready for Week 1. However, there's still a long road to recovery ahead. Allen would likely start under center if Burrow needs additional time.

The Cowboys and Prescott (ankle) agreed to a four-year, $160 million contract, which includes $126 million guaranteed, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Among the terms of the deal, Prescott received a record-setting $66 million signing bonus and will earn $75 million in 2021, Schefter notes. Schefter added that the Cowboys will place the franchise tag on Prescott on Tuesday, which is a procedural move so they can't use the tag on the quarterback again in the future. With his home for the next four campaigns known, Prescott will resume his recovery from a season-ending ankle injury with an aim toward being healthy for training camp.

The Cowboys and Prescott (ankle) reached an agreement on a new contract Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

The terms of the deal have not been revealed, but Prescott is destined to avoid the franchise tag for a second straight season and instead will remain in Dallas for the long term. He's in the midst of his recovery from a brutal season-ending from Week 5 of the last campaign, but there's an expectation that he'll be healthy enough to take the field by training camp.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie wants to make Hurts' success the priority in 2021, rather than emphasizing competition at quarterback, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.

Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News has a different take, hinting that the Eagles still aren't sure about their second-year signal-caller. While Hurts sits atop the depth chart with Carson Wentz (Colts) out of the picture, Bowen and other Philadelphia beat writers have suggested the Eagles could pick a QB on Day 1 or 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft. This latest report from Mortensen doesn't seem concrete, but it at least does give us a hint about Lurie's thinking with the No. 6 overall pick.

Broncos general manager George Paton said of Lock and the team's quarterback situation, "We're always going to bring in competition at every position, quarterback as well, but I like the track Drew's on," Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

The Broncos made an attempt to trade for former Lions' signal-caller Matthew Stafford in February, according to James Palmer of NFL Network. Such a development renders Lock's status atop the quarterback depth chart as tentative, but Paton has been publicly upbeat about Lock, stating that he has "all the traits you look for in a quarterback." The 24-year-old was tied for an NFL-worst 15 interceptions thrown during the 2020 campaign, while the Broncos QB position as a whole posted bottom-two finishes in both completion rate (54 percent) and passer rating (72.5). Lock generated a much-improved 7:2 TD:INT Weeks 14 through 17, but Denver went just 1-3 in those games.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas said Wednesday he will "answer the call" when trade offers come in for Darnold, Connor Hughes of The Athletic reports.

Douglas also said that his stance on Darnold "hasn't changed," adding that he has "no doubt" about the young signal-caller eventually achieving his "outstanding potential." The Jets have previously indicated that the team wouldn't be making a move at quarterback until evaluations of April's draft class had been fully completed, so Douglas' admission that the team will listen to trade offers for Darnold represents a significant change in tone. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com relays that Douglas still feels there's "no hard timetable" on a decision regarding Darnold's future, however. With the No. 2 overall pick in hand in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jets will certainly be in position to select one of the top quarterbacks on the board if the team elects to move on from Darnold.