NFL Player News
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Jared Goff QB | DET
Rams' Jared Goff: Restructures deal
Goff agreed Friday to restructure his contract with the Rams by converting approximately $8.8 million of his $10 million base salary into future bonuses, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.
The restructuring is expected to save the Rams $7 million against the salary cap while having no impact on Goff's overall compensation, so it's a win-win move for both sides. The savings should come in handy for Los Angeles as it looks to potentially extend the likes of Jalen Ramsey and Cooper Kupp, who are both entering the final years of their rookie deals.
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Case Cookus QB | NYG
Case Cookus QB | LAR
Case Cookus: Joining Big Blue
Cookus is in line to to sign with the Giants as an undrafted free agent, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Cookus was a four-year starter at FCS-level Northern Arizona, though he had two seasons cut short by injury. The 23-year-old completed 60.3 percent of his passes for 4,114 yards, 31 touchdowns and seven interceptions during his final season.
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Jameis Winston QB | NYG
Jameis Winston: Nearing deal with New Orleans
Winston (thumb) is in the process of finalizing a one-year contract with the Saints, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reports.
Reports surfaced shortly after the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft on Saturday that the Saints were interested in bringing Winston aboard, and the two sides were apparently able to quickly hammer out the parameters of a deal. As Mike Triplett of ESPN.com notes, the Saints may choose to wait until after 4 p.m. ET on Monday to make Winston's signing official, as New Orleans wouldn't lose out on a future compensatory draft choice after that deadline. Assuming the deal ultimately gets finalized, Robinson notes that Winston wouldn't be guaranteed the top backup quarterback job that was vacated when Teddy Bridgewater signed with Carolina in March; instead, Winston would be forced to battle with holdover Taysom Hill for the No. 2 role in a best-case scenario. Even though Winston's path to a starting gig in New Orleans would be blocked barring an injury to Drew Brees, the opportunity to spend a developmental year under offensive guru Sean Payton could help the 26-year-old cash in as a free agent next offseason in a manner similar to Bridgewater, who signed a three-year, $63 million deal with the Panthers.
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Matt Barkley QB | JAC
Bills' Matt Barkley: Another added to QB room
Barkley will have a new teammate in the quarterback group after the Bills added Georgia's Jake Fromm in the fifth round of the draft this weekend.
Fromm comes with a higher pedigree than the usual fifth-rounder following a tremendous career at Georgia, and while he's seen as a smart guy and excellent reader of defenses, it may also be difficult for the youngster to even approach Barkley's familiarity with the Buffalo offense in what could be a shortened offseason due to COVID-19. More likely, Fromm will have to prove he's a better candidate than Davis Webb and hope the Bills keep three quarterbacks on the active roster instead of two. Still, Fromm is a promising enough guy that he adds a question mark to Barkley's long-term status with the team.
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Tommy Stevens TE | NYG
Saints' Tommy Stevens: New Orleans selects in seventh
The Saints selected Stevens in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 240th overall.
Stevens (6-foot-5, 235 pounds) arrives from Mississippi State after transferring there from Penn State previously. Stevens is rough as a passer -- he completed only 121 of 202 career pass attempts for 1,469 yards (59.9 percent completion rate, 7.2 YPA), 15 touchdowns and six interceptions in his career, but he's a standout athlete who offers an uncommon rushing threat at quarterback. Stevens' selection could indicate an intention by Sean Payton to shift to a new scheme once Drew Brees is done as starter, a scheme where the quarterback runs frequently.
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Ben DiNucci QB | DEN
Cowboys' Ben DiNucci: Lands in Dallas
The Cowboys selected DiNucci in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 231st overall.
DiNucci started his career at Pittsburgh before being supplanted by Kenny Pickett. He transferred to James Madison in 2018 and had a successful run for the Dukes, leading them to the FCS Title Game as a senior. DiNucci completed 70 percent of his passes for 3,441 yards and 29 scores in 2019 and added 569 yards and seven scores on the ground. He'll likely be a camp arm who might make the practice squad in 2020, but current Dallas backup QB Cooper Rush is hardly locked into a roster spot if DiNucci impresses the coaching staff.
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Cole McDonald QB | ARI
Titans' Cole McDonald: Picked up by Tennessee
The Titans selected McDonald in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 224th overall.
The Hawaii quarterback will have a steep learning curve in the NFL, coming from a wide-open air-raid system in college. McDonald was nonetheless prolific in that system, throwing for 4,135 yards and 33 scores in 2019. He had some turnover issues, however, as his interceptions spiked from 10 in 2018 to 14 this past season. McDonald has pro-level tools with the necessary arm strength to make most of the throws at this level. He's also athletic, having run the fastest 40 among quarterbacks at this year's combine with a 4.58. His ability to improve his processing speed and ability to read defenses will tell the tale as to whether he'll stick in the NFL.
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Jake Luton QB | LV
Jaguars' Jake Luton: Onto Jacksonville
The Jaguars selected Luton in the 2020 NFL Draft, 189th overall.
Luton is a big-bodied quarterback at 6-foot-6 and 224 pounds with 10.38-inch hands. He improved year-over-year at Oregon State and vaulted himself into draftable status with a strong senior year in which he threw for 28 touchdowns while completing 62 percent of his passes. It's unlikely that he'll challenge Gardner Minshew in 2020, but Minshew himself was a sixth-rounder ticketed for backup duties just one year ago. Look for Luton's main battle to be with Joshua Dobbs for the No. 2 role.
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Jake Fromm QB | DET
Bills' Jake Fromm: Snagged by Buffalo in fifth round
The Bills selected Fromm in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 167th overall.
The Bills had a need at backup quarterback behind Josh Allen, even with Matt Barkley still under contract for 2020, and Fromm offers the team developmental upside at the position. The Georgia product was knocked for his modest size (6-foot-2, 219 pounds), arm strength and athleticism in the pre-draft processes, but he showcased significant talent during his three-year starting career at Georgia. It's somewhat of a surprise that Fromm fell all the way to the fifth round, considering his touted ability to read the field and his record of success with the Bulldogs, but as a result he'll get the benefit of developing as a backup in Buffalo, which boasts a solid O-line and receiver corps.
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Mitch Trubisky QB | TEN
Bears' Mitchell Trubisky: Fifth-year option unlikely
Trubisky (shoulder) may not have his fifth-year option picked up by the Bears, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
This seems rather obvious considering the Bears traded a fourth-round compensatory pick to the Jaguars for Nick Foles in what was billed by the front office as a means to "improve the competition" at quarterback, but it's still a relatively important note considering the team has until May 4 to make a final decision. If the Bears do surprisingly choose to opt in for the fifth and final year, Trubisky's 2021 salary would be projected to be around $24 million.