NFL Player News

Following Washington's pending acquisition of fellow QB Alex Smith, which caught Cousins by surprise, free agency awaits the 29-year-old signal-caller March 14, ESPN's John Keim reports.

Once complete, the deal that will send Smith to Washington will effectively end Cousins' six-year stint with the franchise. Still in his prime and coming off a 2017 season in which he threw for 4,093 passing yards while logging a 27:13 TD:INT ratio, Cousins is poised to secure a lucrative long-term deal in free agency. While teams such as the Broncos, Browns, Jets, Vikings, Jaguars, Cardinals and Bills could elect to pursue the 2012 fourth-rounder, it's worth noting that Cousins' stated goal is sign with a winning franchise, the Denver Post reports.

There's a possibility Bridgewater's contract is tolled for the 2018 season, Courtney Cronin of ESPN reports.

Bridgewater, who's set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the league year, spent the first six weeks of the 2017 season on the Vikings' Physically Unable to Perform list. Consequently, that could mean the final year of his rookie contract might be pushed forward to the 2018 campaign -- meaning Bridgewater would remain under contract at the same $1.35 million he earned in 2017. The decision to toll Bridgewater's contract is not up to the Vikings, but rather the NFL. While it's unclear how soon a verdict could be made, the outcome has significant implications for the Vikings' current quarterback dilemma considering none of Bridgewater, Sam Bradford or Case Keenum are currently under contract in 2018. However, even if Bridgewater's contract is ultimately tolled, there's a strong likelihood the NFL's player union would challenge the ruling in court in order for Bridgewater to seek a more lucrative contract on the open market.

Coach Bill O'Brien indicated last week that Watson (knee) is ahead of schedule and could be available in some capacity during the Texans' Organized Team Activities, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

The team's offseason program begins in mid-April and runs until mid-June. With that in mind, Watson wouldn't totally commit to a timetable that would entail him taking the field during OTAs, but he expressed zero doubt with regard to his training camp availability. "Training camp is a guarantee," Watson noted. "I am making sure I am ready for training camp for sure. OTAs, it just depends on everything on how it is coming along, but for sure training camp." Prior to tearing his right ACL in early November, Watson was in the midst of a fantastic rookie campaign, in which he threw for 1,699 yards and 19 touchdowns (versus eight picks) in seven games. Assuming no hiccups in his recovery, Watson figures to be at or near full health in advance of Week 1, and if that's the case his name will presumably appear in the top tier of most fantasy rankings.

Bridgewater made one appearance for the Vikings in 2017, attempting two passes that resulted in one incompletion and one interception.

On the mend from a freak knee injury he suffered in the summer of 2016, Bridgewater began the 2017 season on the Physically Unable to Perform list and wasn't available to practice until October. By the time he was ready to take the field, Case Keenum was playing at a high level and had the Vikings well-positioned for the playoffs, giving Minnesota little reason to turn back to its 2014 first-rounder. Bridgewater now enters the offseason as an unrestricted free agent -- along with Keenum and Sam Bradford -- leaving Kyle Sloter as the only quarterback under contract with the Vikings in 2018. There's been no indication on Minnesota's front on what it plans to do this offseason to address the situation.

Bradford completed 32 of 43 passes for 382 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions over two games for the Vikings in 2017.

Coming off a 2016 season in which he recorded the highest completion percentage in league history, Bradford came out blazing to start the 2017 campaign, dicing the Saints for 346 yards and three scores in Week 1. However, he seemingly suffered an unspecified left knee injury in the process and only made one more game appearance before ending the year on injured reserve. Bradford was ultimately activated during the Vikings' playoff run, so he appears to be entering the offseason at full health, but the Oklahoma product is nonetheless facing an uncertain future considering he'll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the league year.

Rodgers (collarbone) stated Wednesday at the Waste Management Phoenix Open Pro-Am that he's "feeling good," Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Just over six weeks removed from landing on injured reserve for the second time this season, Rodgers is participating in a golf tournament, so he appears to be in a good spot regarding his recovery from a fractured right clavicle. That's not to say he's all the way there, but considering the 2017 campaign has yet to wrap, there's little doubt he'll be a full go once the Packers' offseason program kicks off in April. Since he last took the field Week 15, the Packers have altered both the front office, replacing general manager Ted Thompson with Brian Gutekunst, and coaching staff, hiring Joe Philbin as offensive coordinator. As a result, the playmakers around Rodgers and the scheme, respectively, may experience changes in the offseason.

Mariota's outlook for the 2018 season received a major boost following the Titans' hiring of offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, Jason Wolf of The Tennessean reports.

LaFleur held the same job with the Rams this past season, but he'll now handle offensive play-calling duties with Tennessee after ceding those to head coach Sean McVay in Los Angeles. Tennessee's willingness to part with head coach Mike Mularkey and his staff after the season despite reaching the divisional round in the playoffs suggests the franchise believes getting Mariota back on track is the key to the team's future success. The 24-year-old quarterback regressed overall this past season despite an improved team context, though he led the league in passer rating (122.8) and yards per attempt (11.1) on play-action passes. It's no coincidence that LeFleur relied heavily on play-action passing in the past while tutoring Matt Ryan and Jared Goff.

Mahomes will become the Chiefs' new starting quarterback with Alex Smith being traded to the Redskins, Terez Paylor of The Kansas City Star reports.

It's clear Mahomes has been the Chiefs' quarterback of the future since the team moved up 17 spots to draft him in the first round last April, but it's now apparent that the future is here. The 22-year-old has one start under his belt, a 27-24 win over the Broncos in Week 17 in which he completed 22 of 35 passes for 284 yards and one interception. Known for a rocket arm and athleticism, Mahomes will now get the entire offseason to get accustomed to his new role in the Chiefs' offense.

With Alex Smith being traded to the Redskins, Cousins is expected to enter free agency, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Cousins has been franchised tagged by the Redskins the past two seasons but the quarterback will now have the opportunity to sign a lucrative long-term deal elsewhere. Cousins instantly becomes one of the top commodities in the open market after recording three straight seasons with over 4,000 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.

Carr acknowledges that the back injury he suffered in Week 4 of the 2017 campaign was something he had to contend with as the season progressed, CSN's Scott Bair reports. "I had to deal with it," Carr noted. "I had to do certain things to manage it, but I just didn't talk about it. I didn't want it to be an excuse."

After suffering three transverse process fractures in his back on Oct. 1, it was originally estimated that Carr would miss 2-to-4 weeks, but he only ended up sitting out one contest. Though it would be a stretch to say Carr's back issue was the only reason for his statistical regression in 2017, it certainly didn't help his cause. Looking ahead, Carr now has a full offseason to heal up, plus he's excited to work with a new head coach in Jon Gruden. Carr indicated that he wants Gruden to be tough on him, and we suspect his wish will be accommodated by the intense coach, who the signal-caller has known since the two filmed a Gruden QB Camp segment in 2014. It's also worth noting Gruden has a 10-year deal with the Raiders, which effectively ends the team's recent coaching carousel, and we'd expect the team to make some tweaks at the skill positions, possibly at running back, where Marshawn Lynch's 2018 status has yet to be cemented, according to ESPN's Paul Gutierrez.