NFL Player News

Carr (fibula) is approaching 100 percent health, NFL.com reports. "[He's] Walking around already, stretching it out," his brother, David Carr, said on NFL Total Access on Tuesday. "He can't do a lot for the bone, but he's going to be back. He'll get a whole full offseason in, and that's going to be the best part."

David was backing up the assessment of Raiders left tackle Donald Penn, who learned from Derek himself that he's "almost 100 percent." Prior to breaking his right fibula in Week 16, the younger Carr had put everything together in his third season, leading the Raiders to a 12-3 record and falling 63 yards short of the first 4,000-yard campaign of his career. As intimated by his brother, Derek is expected to be good to go for the offseason program, which can kick off for the Raiders as early as April 17.

Taylor (groin) has recovered from January surgery and has been medically cleared for offseason activities, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

Taylor was never expected to be in much danger of being limited during the offseason, but the fact that he's back to full strength is nonetheless significant. He's now eligible for the $27.5 million bonus due March 11, which wouldn't have kicked in had he not been cleared by that date. It still remains unclear if the Bills are willing to pay out that bonus, and Taylor's prior refusal to restructure his contract could ultimately prompt Buffalo to release him by March 11. If that's the case, Taylor likely wouldn't have much trouble finding a starting gig elsewhere, as the 2017 draft class isn't ripe with high-end signal callers and several teams look to be in need of an established option at quarterback.

Cousins and the Redskins aren't expected to reach terms of a multi-year contract prior to the franchise tag deadline on March 1, The Washington Post reports.

For the second consecutive offseason, the Redskins are expected to use their franchise tag on Cousins, per Adam Schefter of ESPN, which would be accompanied by a cap commitment of $23.94 million for the 2017 campaign. Holding leverage over the organization due to a lack of QB talent on their roster, no equivalent options on the upcoming free-agent market, and an underwhelming draft class, Cousins has significant leverage in contract negotiations once the tender is signed. The parties will still have until July 15 to reach an agreement on a long-term deal, with Cousins' representation potentially being able to gauge his value against Tony Romo and Jay Cutler, among other signal-callers, if and when they're in new uniforms.

Goff has been working with renowned quarterback coaches Tom House and Adam Dedeaux in Los Angeles this offseason, ESPN's Alden Gonzalez reports.

Goff's teaming up with House and Dedeaux comes after last year's top overall pick endured a rocky rookie campaign that included just five touchdowns versus seven interceptions in seven games played. Over that span, Goff averaged the fewest yards per attempt (5.31) in the league, but by working with House and Dedeaux, whose list of clients includes Matt Ryan, Drew Brees and Eli Manning, Goff will hope their program's focus on conditioning, mechanics, nutrition and the mental side of playing quarterback can translate into an improved second season.

The Lions informed Orlovsky that he will not be re-signed this offseason, The Detroit Free Press reports.

Over the weekend, Orlovsky was told the team will let his contract expire at the end of the league year in order to go in a different direction at backup quarterback. The main beneficiary in this situation is Jake Rudock, the Lions' sixth-round pick in 2016 who will replace Orlovsky as the No. 2. It isn't clear what sort of market awaits the 33-year-old veteran, but Orlovsky should be able to latch on somewhere due to his serviceability as a second-string signal-caller as well as the veteran presence he can provide a locker room.

Shaw (lower leg) expects to return in time for OTAs, The State reports. "I'm getting the strength back. I'm back running and throwing, so taking it day by day and getting better every day," the quarterback said.

Shaw missed the entire 2016 campaign due to a broken leg suffered in the preseason. When healthy, he'll enter a fluid Bears quarterback picture. Not only is Jay Cutler (shoulder) facing an uncertain future with the organization due to his underwhelming on-field performance since signing a seven-year, $126 million contract in 2014, but the other two names above Shaw on the depth chart, Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley, are both set to be unrestricted free agents. Shaw and No. 5 QB David Fales, on the other hand, will be restricted free agents. Further complicating matters is the likelihood of the team selecting a quarterback in this year's draft. All in all, at this point in time it is anyone's guess what the future holds in store for the 25-year-old.

Head coach Mike Mularkey said Wednesday that Mariota (fibula) likely won't take part in workouts until training camp, Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com reports.

Progress has been made from the broken right fibula that brought Mariota's second season to a close in Week 16. In particular, his rehab now includes work on a pool treadmill. Prior to the update from Mularkey, Mariota was expected to be a participant in OTAs in May or June, per Jason Wolf of The Tennessean. However, the Titans will now be "very cautious" with their franchise quarterback to ensure he avoids any setbacks as the offseason unfolds.

Bills beat writer Vic Carucci says he's been told Taylor (core muscle surgery) is unwilling to agree to a restructured contract that would reduce his pay, The Buffalo News reports.

It's also been reported that Taylor would prefer to return to the Bills, but Carucci's sources say the quarterback and his agent are convinced they can receive a boatload of money if Taylor hits the open market, so they may be unwilling to take a pay cut to keep Taylor in Buffalo. We'll see how much new coach Sean McDermott pushes to keep Taylor in the fold, though the thought all along had been that if the quarterback was going to return for another season, it would be under a reduced deal given that the team has mixed feelings about his 2016 performance.

Head coach Vance Joseph is committed to a quarterback competition between Lynch and Trevor Siemian (shoulder) in the offseason, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post reports.

Pressed into duty on three occasions as a rookie, Lynch didn't express comfort in an offense in which he was under center more often than not. Unsurprisingly, he completed just 49 of 83 passes (59 percent) for 497 yards and two touchdowns versus one interception. A product of the spread offense as a collegian at Memphis, Lynch could thrive under new offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, who has propped up the likes of Tim Tebow, Peyton Manning, and Philip Rivers in his last three stops. Meanwhile, Lynch will be working against the more traditional and risk-averse Siemian as the offseason unfolds.

Head coach Vance Joseph is committed to a quarterback competition between Siemian (shoulder) and Paxton Lynch in the offseason, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post reports.

During a press conference Tuesday, Joseph called the upcoming QB battle "my vision going forward" with Siemian and Lynch. After earning the starting gig in the preseason, Siemian took advantage of the weapons afforded him through his first four games, completing 67.3 percent of his passes for 824 yards and six touchdowns versus three interceptions. However, in the latter contest, he suffered an injury to his left non-throwing shoulder, starting a downward spiral of sorts. Missing another game along the way due to a left foot sprain, he ended the campaign with 3,401 yards on 59 percent passing to go with an 18:10 TD:INT ratio. As the Broncos gear up for the 2017 season, both Siemian and Lynch will be vying to land the top signal-caller gig under the watchful eyes of new offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave.