NFL Player News

Rams quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke is perfectly happy with starting quarterback Sam Bradford, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"Love him. Love him," Weinke said when asked about Bradford. Weinke, who has evaluated quarterbacks for a couple of seasons now, said Bradford had one of the best pro days he's ever seen. "A few years ago when Andrew Luck came out they said who would you compare him to? And I said the closest I would see is Sam Bradford."

As part of Weinke's interview process with the team, he met with Bradford for roughly three-and-a-half hours. It wasn't really a formal meeting, though, it was more so the two could get to know eachother. 

Bradford has reportedly been granted permission to seek a trade, but it doesn't appear Rams' ownership wants to part with the 27-year-old quarterback. 

Buccaneers cornerback Alterraun Verner made an appearance on NFL Network on Thursday morning and was asked for his preference between the top two quarterback prospects in this April's draft. Although the UCLA grad has seen more of Oregon's Marcus Mariota because he is a Pac-12 guy, he gave the edge to Florida State's Jameis Winston for his team's No. 1 pick in the draft, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

"It's tough. I probably like Winston, from a lot of stuff I've been hearing, a lot of things I've been seeing and things like that," he said. "It's hard for me to go 100 percent there, because I haven't seen him really play. I'm going more on hearsay and things around. From his leadership qualities, that's what I've been hearing a lot. As a quarterback, you want to have that strong leader in the locker room and on the field. Somebody you know you can go out and you feel like you can do anything. From what I hear, that's the type of guy Jameis is. Like I said, the other options are good, too."

Citing multiple league sources, Yahoo Sports reported that the Bills are pursuing a trade for Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. 

Bills beat writer Vic Carucci, of the Buffalo News, disputed the report, saying "a source in the know" said the Bills are not pursuing Bradford. 

Bradford missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in the preseason, the second-straight season he's suffered that injury. 

Lions general manager Martin Mayhew believes that quarterback Matthew Stafford will make a big leap in his second year under the same offensive system designed by coach Jim Caldwell, per MLive.com.

"I can't quantify how much better (the offense is) going to get, but I do think the second year in the offense is going to be great, going to be big for the quarterback," Mayhew said. "Some of the routes and the way that we run them were totally different for Matthew. He hadn't thrown those routes in college or when Scott Linehan was our offensive coordinator, so some of that was a learning process for him. He had a bunch of new receivers out there, guys he hadn't really worked with that much. I think second year in the offense is going to be huge for him, individually."

Stafford threw for 4,257 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2014. It was his fourth consecutive season over 4,000 passing yards and fourth straight with at least 20 passing touchdowns.

The Rams have reportedly been looking into possible trade options for quarterback Sam Bradford. However, coach Jeff Fisher said Friday he does not believe a deal will be made, according to Cleveland.com.

"I was surprised to hear that," said Fisher. "That's inaccurate. No, I mean. We talked about what our plans are for him."

Fisher also said Bradford is their guy heading into the 2015 season. 

"They know that we've been without our first round pick and starting quarterback," Fisher said of the Rams' faithful. "When we've had him, he's 5-2-1 in our division. And we weren't very good when we got here, so we're counting on him. I'm betting on him and if that doesn't happen, then we'll win games with somebody else."

With the Browns' quarterback situation in flux at the moment, there is considerable interest within the organization in acquiring a starting-caliber option this offseason.

According to Bleacher Report's Jason Cole, the Browns are interested in trading for Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. The goal would be to acquire Bradford by only having to give up a second- or third-round pick.

However, the report also states that Bradford has let the Rams know he would not like to be traded.

The Browns are also reportedly interested in quarterback Josh McCown, who was recently cut by the Buccaneers.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher said that QB Sam Bradford is not seeking a trade. 

Two days after reports surfaced that the Rams had given Bradford's agent permission to speak to other teams, Fisher addressed the rumor. 

Speaking at the Indianapolis scouting combine on Friday, Fisher said that the previous reports were "inaccurate". 

While he doesn't forsee dealing Bradford, Fisher added that the team will look to add quarterback depth in the offseason. "I don’t know what that’s going to look like,” he said. “It could be a veteran, could be a draft pick."

Although the Cowboys are reportedly pleased with Brandon Weeden, coach Jason Garrett told reporters he's still leaving the door open to adding a veteran this offseason, per ESPN.

Weeden, 31, is entering the final year of his contract. Last season, he passed for 303 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions while filling in for Romo when he was sidelined with two transverse process fractures. Dustin Vaughan, an undrafted free agent in 2014, was also active for one game last season.

"You're always trying to upgrade your football team," Garrett said. "Obviously, we feel really good about Tony. He had an outstanding year for us last year. Brandon did a really nice job in his opportunities. If you look at what he did -- he played in (four) games, (three) he came in relief for us and the one game he started we didn't play our best game on offense. But it was against a really good defensive team in Arizona. We still feel like he's a young player who needs to play more. He's really growing before our eyes.

"We like what Dustin Vaughn did in the preseason. He is a smart kid. He is really conscientious. He wants to be a good football player and works very hard at it. He's one of those guys, too, a young player and you can see him get better with every rep that he gets. He is going about it the right way. We think he's got a future."

Seahawks general manager John Schneider told reporters during Thursday's combine press conference that there is "no timeline" on Russell Wilson's contract extension, per the Palm Beach Post.

"I've talked to his people, and they know where we're at," Schneider said.

Schneider also indicated last week that he's expecting to find a way to keep his top quarterback on the roster long-term and he is not afraid to do so unconventionally. Wilson, who has one year left on his rookie contract, has led Seattle to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. Wilson registered 3,475 passing yards, with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2014. He also ran for 849 yards and six touchdowns.

With the Browns destined to find a starting quarterback, general manager Ray Farmer told reporters on Thursday that he's done a cost-benefit analysis on trading up for a quarterback, reports the Plain Dealer. The Browns have the No. 12 overall pick in this year's draft.

"Coach (Mike) Pettine has articulated that he wants a starter, so we have to find him a starter," Farmer said.

Farmer was noncommittal when asked whether he believed Johnny Manziel could be the No. 1 come next season. Farmer has spoken to Manziel twice by phone since Manziel checked into rehab.

Farmer wouldn't reveal if he has met with Brian Hoyer's representatives, as well. Hoyer beat out Manziel as the starter last season, but lost his job late in the year. He is expected to become free agent in March.

"Just because a player didn't succeed in one place doesn't mean he won't succeed in another," Farmer said, when asked of the free agency pool.