NFL Player News

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.

Watson (knee) resumed running Monday, per his personal Twitter account.

Since the end of the regular season, head coach Bill O'Brien has stated multiple times that Watson is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a torn right ACL suffered in practice Nov. 2. Watson was handed a timetable of 8-to-9 months, which could allow for participation at the outset of training camp. He appears to be eyeing that as a goal, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com. "Training camp is a guarantee," Watson said last week on Sports Radio 610. "I am making sure I am ready for training camp for sure. ... The more reps I can get during OTAs, during the summer and during training camp is going to be very, very helpful, not just for me but for the whole team. OTAs is the main focus right now." Watson's rehab will continue to be a hot topic after a stellar rookie season in which he tossed for 1,699 yards and 19 touchdowns versus eight interceptions in seven games.

The Redskins haven't ruled out using the franchise tag on Cousins, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Cousins is on the way out of Washington following Tuesday's trade for Alex Smith. Once the transaction is official at the start of the new league year March 14, Cousins will have free reign to determine his future, unless of course the Redskins attempt to leverage the situation into compensation via the use of the franchise tag. The team has a deadline of March 6 to use the tag on Cousins for a third consecutive year. On this occasion, the possibility of a trade could result in a decent haul for the Redskins, instead of waiting for potential draft-pick compensation in 2019. From Cousins' vantage point, he has until July 16 to sign the tag, which would throw a wrench into Washington's offseason plans. The fact the Redskins are even contemplating this route is a gamble, to say the least, but the Cousins' saga could extend beyond what was initially expected after the Smith acquisition.

Garoppolo and the 49ers have gained significant momentum in negotiations on a long-term contract extension and could strike a deal in the near future, a source informed Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

A long-term deal with the 49ers always seemed to be in store for Garoppolo after he was acquired from the Patriots prior to the trade deadline, and San Francisco's interest in extending him likely only intensified after the quarterback guided the team to a 5-0 record in his starts while completing 67 percent of his passes for 1,542 yards and six touchdowns. Per Rapoport, Garoppolo's new contract is expected to place him among the upper echelon of quarterbacks in terms of average annual salary. Garoppolo's eventual signing with the 49ers would mark the second major domino to fall among unsettled quarterback situations this offseason after the Redskins recently agreed to acquire Alex Smith from the Chiefs and sign Smith to a four-year, $94 million extension.

Taylor (concussion) said he would like to remain the quarterback of the Bills, but he will not accept another pay cut to do so. "Nah, that's not really part of the plan right now," Taylor told The Buffalo News on Friday. "Definitely not part of my mindset. I've done that before (last year, when he accepted a $10-million salary reduction over two seasons). I don't think there's a need to do that again. That's definitely not part of my mindset."

The big test of what the Bills aim to do will come in March, when Taylor will be due a $6 million roster bonus. Taylor says he hasn't spoken with the team since the Bills' final game of the season, a playoff loss at Jacksonville. He was a key part in taking the team to its first playoff appearance since the 1999 season, yet his limitations were also exposed at various points throughout the season. The Bills may be the NFL team with the most options for a starting quarterback next season, though the situation is entirely up in the air and elite play at the position seems to be a long way off for the franchise. Buffalo could roll with Taylor for another season, or turn to youngster Nathan Peterman -- who saw snaps in 2017 to very mixed results -- or make a bid at someone like Kirk Cousins on the free-agent market, or finally, use one of its two first-round picks on a potential immediate starter.

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.