NFL Player News

With Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer headed for free agency, Hoyer told reporters he would like to return to Cleveland, but left open the possibility of leaving, reports ESPN.com.

Hoyer wants a chance to compete for a starting job and said if it's not in Cleveland, he would be open to signing with another team.

"For me all options are on the table, and obviously Cleveland has a big place in my heart," he said.

Hoyer competed with Johnny Manziel for the starting job in 2014. Hoyer started the first 13 games of the season and went 7-6, before Manziel briefly took over. Manziel recently entered rehab, which Hoyer praised.

"It takes a big person to take those steps," Hoyer said. "I'm hoping for the best for him."

The Tampa Sports Authority, the company responsible for maintaining Raymond James Stadium, responded to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' claims that he injured his calf because of the poor playing surface in Tampa, according to Jenna Laine of SportsTalkFlorida.com.

TSA released the following statement:

"The field quality tests conducted prior to and following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers/ Green Bay Packers game on Dec. 21, 2014 as required by the NFL, indicated that the Raymond James Stadium field was well within compliance with the NFL Field Guidelines. These same tests were conducted at every 2014 Buccaneer home game at Raymond James Stadium and all were well within compliance with the NFL Field Guidelines."

In a radio interview for ESPN Radio Milwaukee on Thursday, Rodgers claimed that league needed to investigate the conditions at Raymond James Stadium.

"The calf was, in my opinion, due to the poor surface in Tampa," Rodgers said. "Tampa’s where I hurt my shoulder as well back in 2008. I think that there needs to be, looked at, some more uniformity as far as the field conditions because I think there are a couple surfaces that are more likely to create injury than prevent injury."

There's some incredible surfaces in the NFL and there’s some ones that I think need to be looked at. Tampa is one of them because of the amount of play I think that happens there. When you put down so much sod, and it’s very uneven and soft, I think it can lend to more injuries. I've played there three times and been hurt there, it might be directly related to the field, twice."

Raiders quarterback Matt Schaub is scheduled to make $5.5 million in 2015. It's "almost a certainty he'll have to restructure or take the risk of being cut by Oakland," reports ESPN.com.

Schaub turns 34 in June and dealt with elbow soreness last season. His salary is commensurate with starting quarterbacks, not a clear backup.

The Raiders would like a veteran to mentor Derek Carr, but not at Schaub's current price, the report said.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has pointed to one stadium surface in particular to blame for the calf injury that slowed him down at the end of the season.

"Due to the poor surface in Tampa," Rodgers said while appearing on his weekly radio show on ESPN Milwaukee.

While Rodgers isn't a fan of the playing surface at Raymond James Stadium, he still had a good day statistically when his Packers played the Buccaneers on Dec. 21. Rodgers completed 31-of-40 passes for 318 yards and one touchdown in a 20-3 win.

Saints quarterback Luke McCown signed a one-year deal for the $970,000 league minimum, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune. He'll compete with Ryan Griffin to back up Drew Brees.

This will be McCown's third season in New Orleans.

Eagles coaches have "showed no confidence" in quarterback Matt Barkley, and he figures to fight for a roster spot this summer, reports Eagles 24/7. Barkley appeared in one game last season and has accounted for five turnovers and no touchdowns in his two-year career.

Philly drafted Barkley at the start of the fourth round of the 2013 draft.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is poised to receive a huge contract extension as he enters the final year of his rookie deal. Before leaving for the offseason, he told reporters he wasn't thinking about his contract during his team's run to the Super Bowl.

"To be honest with you, I haven’t really thought anything about it," he said, per the Seattle Times. "You know, I obviously want to play in Seattle forever. That’s my goal, and I want to be with this organization. I love this organization. I love this city. I love these fans, and I love winning here. We’ve won a lot of football games here, and that’s the goal, you know.

"Every year I step on the field, every time I go out those doors back there, the goal is to have a winning day and the goal is to have a winning practice with great teammates around me. So, I think that’s where my focus is, is just continue to find ways to win, and hopefully it’s here in Seattle forever. But still -- I’m still thinking I’ve got a game on Sunday. That’s what I’m still feeling like.”

The Browns will give "very strong consideration" to trading up in an effort to draft Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, reports Bleacher Report's Jason Cole, citing sources within the organization. Cleveland owns the Nos. 12 and 19 picks in the 2015 draft.

In CBSSports.com's latest mock drafts, experts Rob Rang and Dane Brugler have Mariota going sixth to the Jets. An earlier report from The Star-Ledger indicated the Eagles also could try to trade up for Mariota, who played two years at Oregon under coach Chip Kelly.

Cleveland's quarterback situation is a mess. Brian Hoyer is headed for free agency, and Johnny Manziel just checked himself into rehab.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson plans to go to spring training with the Rangers again this year, according to a report from Fox Sports Southwest. 

Wilson was drafted, but not signed, by the Orioles in 2007, coming out of high school. At NC State, he was drafted by the Rockies in 2010 and played two seasons of Class-A minor league ball. 

Wilson played second base and hit .229 with 5 HR and 29 RBI in 94 games for the Tri-City Dust Devils and Asheville Tourists. 

The Rangers selected Wilson in the 2013 Rule V draft, and he attended one day of 2014 spring training. 

The Rangers' spring camp opens on Feb. 20. It's unknown when Wilson will arrive or how long he'll stay. 

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson turned in a solid game until his final attempt.

Wilson completed 12 of 21 passes for 247 passes and two scores. While he didn't complete his first pass until the second quarter, Wilson made up for that with his deep attempts. He averaged 11.8 yards per completion during the contest. Wilson nearly brought the Seahawks back with the game on the line. After leading the team down to the one yard line, Wilson threw an interception to Malcolm Butler to end the threat. Wilson also had 39 rushing yards.