NFL Player News

Head coach Mike McCarthy relayed Wednesday that the Packers' team trainer said "everything looks good" with regard to Rodgers' recovery from Oct. 19 surgery to repair his right collarbone, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports. McCarthy said Rodgers would be ready to go for the Packers' offseason program, which begins in April.

Rodgers was able to recover from the procedure and return from injured reserve when first eligible to start Week 15 against the Panthers, even though his collarbone hadn't completely healed at that point. The signal caller avoided any reported setbacks in that game, but exhibited some rustiness while completing only 26-of-45 passes for 290 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in a losing effort, which essentially ended the Packers' playoff hopes. The Packers returned Rodgers to IR for the final two games of the season in order to avoid any complications heading into 2018, and it appears that the 34-year-old is now 100 percent healthy. With Rodgers' health seemingly no longer a concern, the Packers' focus will shift to negotiating an extension with the quarterback, who has two seasons remaining on the five-year, $110 million pact he inked with Green Bay in April of 2013.

Bridgewater will become an unrestricted free agent March 14 after the NFL Management Council decided not to toll the quarterback's 2017 contract into the new league year, league sources informed Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Bridgewater spent the first six weeks of the 2017 season on the Vikings' Physically Unable to Perform list. Consequently, there was a chance the final year of his rookie contract might have been 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 wasn't ultimately up to the Vikings, but rather the NFL. It sounds like the NFL has ruled he will be a free agent, but that won't necessarily prevent Bridgewater from returning to Minnesota. The team's plans at quarterback for the upcoming season remain unclear with both Case Keenum and Sam Bradford also set to become free agents in March.

The Vikings don't intend to use their franchise tag on Keenum before the March 6 deadline, allowing the quarterback to instead hit unrestricted free agency, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The franchise tag for quarterbacks is projected at around $23 million in 2018, so the Vikings weren't eager to pony up to keep Keenum at that price coming off just one season as a full-time starter, albeit an effective one. Minnesota's reluctance to use the tag on Keenum doesn't necessarily indicate the club isn't interested in retaining the 30-year-old, but he may rate as a fallback option at this point in the event the Vikings aren't able to ink the top quarterback available on the market in Kirk Cousins, who isn't expected to receive the franchise tag from Washington after the Redskins agreed earlier this offseason to acquire Alex Smith from the Chiefs.

Winston was involved in a car wreck recently and ultimately was cited for careless driving, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Despite Winston being partially at fault for the wreck, a punishment from the NFL is not expected and he escaped uninjured. The 24-year-old will head into the 2018 season on the last remaining year of his contract.

The Bills aren't planning on cutting Taylor (concussion) during the offseason, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Buffalo had considered getting rid of Taylor last offseason before he agreed to a restructured two-year contract, but that hardly gave the 28-year-old much job security heading into 2017. Another parting of ways seemed imminent after a healthy Taylor was benched in favor of rookie Nathan Peterman in the Week 11 game against the Chargers, though the veteran quickly recaptured the starting gig and helped lead the Bills to the postseason for the first time since 1999. Taylor's shortcomings as a passer were plainly visible in a wild-card round loss Jacksonville, wherein he completed 17 of 37 passes for 134 yards, no touchdowns and an interception before exiting on the final drive with a concussion, but there's something to be said about his mobility and ability to avoid turnovers, even though the latter often comes at the expense of big plays downfield. It's unknown if the Bills' current inclination to keep Taylor has more to do with the coaching staff coming around to recognize his strengths or a dissatisfaction with the quarterback options likely to be available via the draft or free agency, but for now, it sounds like Taylor's starting job could be safe, or at the very least he'll have a chance to fight for it. Taylor is owed a $10 million base salary for the coming season and is due a $6 million roster bonus March 16.

Siemian (shoulder) is expected to be available via trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Denver appears ready to move on from their 2015 seventh-round pick as they look to find a signal caller with higher upside to lead its offense. In fact, management is expected to "aggressively" address the quarterback position in free agency and the draft. It isn't clear how much demand Siemian could demand via trade or what teams might be interested, but he has a connection with an assistant coach on the quarterback-needy Jets in run-game coordinator and offensive line coach Rick Dennison, who was the Broncos offensive coordinator in 2016 when Siemian threw for his career-best 3,401 yards and 18 touchdowns in 14 games. With Brock Osweiler set to be an unrestricted free agent, the Broncos otherwise have Paxton Lynch and Chad Kelly (wrist) under contract for 2018.

Driskel underwent surgery to repair the broken left arm he suffered in late December and isn't expected to miss time when the Bengals begin their offseason workout program in April, Jim Owczarski of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Driskel, the Bengals' No. 3 quarterback last season, suffered the injury to his non-throwing arm while taking reps at wide receiver in a practice and landing awkwardly on an attempted catch. Though Driskel's surgery required the insertion of a rod into his arm for stabilization, it doesn't sound like he'll face any restrictions by the time Organized Team Activities get underway. With an arbitration ruling granting AJ McCarron free agency status this spring and the signal caller not expected to re-sign with Cincinnati, Driskel could enter training camp as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart, barring the Bengals adding other experienced or NFL-ready options via trade, free agency or the draft.

Driskel is recovering from a broken left arm he sustained in the Bengals' last week of practice, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

There is no timetable for Driskel's recovery and it's far from certain he'll be ready in time for OTAs.

Garoppolo and the 49ers agreed Thursday on a five-year, $137.5 million contract, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

It was a foregone conclusion that San Francisco would extend Garoppolo to a long-term deal after he led the team to a 5-0 record as starter following his midseason acquisition from New England. Over his six appearances with the team, Garoppolo threw for seven touchdowns and five interceptions while averaging a robust 8.8 yards per attempt. Despite having only seven career starts to his name over his four NFL campaigns, Garoppolo's late-season success with the 49ers resulted in him being lavished with the largest contract in NFL history in terms of average annual salary ($27.5 million per year). The huge financial investment puts significant pressure on Garoppolo heading into 2018, but the quality numbers he was able to put up with a lackluster supporting cast offers optimism that his production will take another leap forward with the return of top wideout Pierre Garcon (neck) from injury, in addition to the likelihood that the 49ers add more weapons to the passing game via free agency, trade and/or the draft during the offseason.

Rodgers (collarbone) expects to be fully ready for offseason programs in April, the Wisconsin State Journal reports.

This news was expected since Rodgers hasn't been held back during his personal workouts so far this offseason. Maybe even more importantly, he also felt well enough to play in the Waste Management Phoenix Open Pro-Am this past weekend. The 34-year-old will head into the 2018 season with two years remaining on his current contract.