NFL Player News

Head coach Kevin O'Connell announced Wednesday that McCarthy will serve as the Vikings' third-string quarterback for Sunday's season opener versus the Packers.

After losing out in the battle with newcomer Kyler Murray for the starting job prior to the preseason opener, McCarthy will plummet all the way to third on the depth chart heading into Week 1, with Carson Wentz settling in as Murray's top backup. O'Connell said that he considers the No. 2 quarterback "a week-to-week thing," so McCarthy could leapfrog Wentz on the depth chart in future games depending on how he performs during practice. In any case, the fact that the 23-year-old McCarthy has to battle for the No. 2 job less than three years after being selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is an indiction Minnesota doesn't view him as its long-term solution under center.

Coach Kevin O'Connell announced Wednesday that Wentz will serve as Kyler Murray's backup for Sunday's game against the Packers.

Wentz gets the QB2 nod over J.J. McCarthy, who will likely be inactive as the emergency third quarterback. O'Connell said this will be a week-to-week thing. Murray is expected to have a long leash as the Vikings' starter this season.

Rourke (ribs) did not appear on the 49ers' injury report Tuesday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Rourke has fully recovered from the ribs injury that he suffered during the preseason. He will now be good to go for Thursday night's regular-season opener against the Rams in Australia.

Mayfield and the Buccaneers agreed Tuesday on a three-year, $165 million contract extension, Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport of ESPN report.

Though Mayfield's self-imposed deadline of the start of training camp for signing a new contract came and went without a new deal in place, the two sides revisited extension talks in the last few days and were able to find common ground. With the extension in place, the Buccaneers will avoid the risk of losing Mayfield in free agency next offseason and keep him on their books through 2029. Mayfield's first three seasons in Tampa Bay have been a resounding success, with the quarterback averaging 31.6 touchdown passes per season and having led the team to two playoff appearances.

Kansas City head coach Andy Reid said Tuesday that Mahomes (knee) has a "pretty good chance" to start next Monday's season opener versus the Broncos, Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star reports.

Mahomes didn't play in any preseason games, but he was cleared for 11-on-11 work early in camp and steered clear of any setbacks in his recovery from Dec. 15 surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. Kansas City will release its first injury report Thursday, and assuming the star QB is listed as a full participant, it would confirm that he's on track to start against Denver. Mahomes will likely be playing without one of his top protectors, however, as Reid said that starting left tackle Josh Simmons (back) has a "good chance" of sitting out Week 1, per Matt McMullen of the team's official site.

Houston is signing Gronowski to its practice squad, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Gronowski initially signed with Miami as an undrafted free agent in May. He was cut in mid-August, then re-signed, then cut again all within the same month. Gronowski ultimately signed with the Dolphins' practice squad, but he was cut once more last Tuesday. He'll now get a chance to impress as part of the Texans' practice squad, though the organization is relatively set at QB on the active roster with C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills.

Coach Todd Monken said Monday that Green could be active and have a package of plays in Sunday's game against the Jaguars, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

It's unclear if Green would be active as the QB2 over Shedeur Sanders, or if Cleveland would make three quarterbacks active, but the idea is out there to get Green some plays after he showed off his elite athleticism with 66 yards on eight carries in the preseason finale. Green is big and athletic and set positional records at the combine back in February when he ran a 4.36 40-yard dash with a 43.5-inch vertical and 11-foot-2 broad jump. There's an outside chance Green sees playing time as a rookie for a Browns team that is likely looking at another rebuild at the quarterback position.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Rush will serve as the top backup to starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the Falcons' Week 1 game against the Steelers, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

Though the decision on the Falcons' Week 1 starter came down to Michael Penix (knee) and Tagovailoa, Penix will ultimately be inactive for the season opener rather than serving as the No. 2 quarterback. Penix took part in just six 11-on-11 practices during training camp while completing his recovery from the ACL surgery he underwent last November, so the Falcons will wait for him to get more reps in before making him available for his 2026 debut, either as a replacement in the starting lineup for Tagovailoa or as Tagovailoa's top backup. With Penix out of the mix for at least the first game, Atlanta will go with the more seasoned Rush over undrafted rookie Jack Strand as the No. 2 option behind Tagovailoa.

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said that Penix (knee) will be inactive for Sunday's season opener in Pittsburgh, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

While addressing the media shortly after the Falcons named Tua Tagovailoa their Week 1 starter Monday, Stefanski noted that Penix had taken part in only six 11-on-11 practices during training camp, so the third-year quarterback will need some more time to get back to full speed following last November's ACL tear before making his 2026 debut, per Raimondi. The Falcons were pleased enough with Penix's progress to wait until less than a week before the opener to name a starter, which suggests that he'll likely get a chance to supplant Tagovailoa atop the depth chart at some point this season. While Penix is in street clothes for Week 1, Cooper Rush will step in as Tagovailoa's backup, and undrafted rookie Jack Strand will serve as the No. 3 quarterback.

Penix (knee) won't start the season opener Sunday in Pittsburgh, after the Falcons named Tua Tagovailoa their top quarterback heading into Week 1, Will McFadden and Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.

Though Penix is expected to receive the opportunity to start at some point in 2026, he'll have to wait at least one more week before getting his chance while he continues to work his way back from the torn ACL he sustained last November. Penix didn't play in the preseason and wasn't cleared to take part in 11-on-11 drills until Aug. 22, so he'll need to get some full practices under his belt before the Falcons consider moving him into the starting role over Tagovailoa, who completed 10 of 13 pass attempts for 117 yards in two exhibition contests but fumbled twice and generally struggled to push the ball downfield during the preseason and training camp. The Falcons kept four quarterbacks on their roster following cut-down day, so Cooper Rush and Jack Strand will be available as backup options if Penix isn't ready to serve as Tagovailoa's understudy in the season opener.