NFL Player News

There's a chance Geno Smith will enter a competition for the starting quarterback job with the Jets.

Speaking at the NFL combine, Jets coach Todd Bowles wouldn't commit to Smith being the team's starter in 2015, via the Palm Beach Post. Part of that has to do with the fact Bowles hasn't met with Smith since taking the head coaching job.

Bowles, via ESPN.com, added that "it's possible" for the Jets to add a veteran quarterback to the mix.

In two seasons, Smith has struggled as the Jets' starter. In 2014, Smith threw for 2,525 yards, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. As a rookie in 2013, Smith threw 21 interceptions to 12 touchdowns.

Rams quarterback Sam Bradford has permission to request a trade, and his agent will speak with other teams this offseason, reports CBSSports.com NFL Insider Jason La Canfora. Because the Rams may have a high asking price for Bradford, the team may prefer to restructure his deal, which could be the most likely outcome, according to La Canfora.

In response to La Canfora's report, general manager Les Snead said "deleting him (from the roster) is not the answer," per the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram.

Bradford, the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Rams in 2010, is coming off his second torn ACL in as many years, and is scheduled to make $12.98 million in base salary in 2015, the last year of his contract. Releasing Bradford would save the team $12.98 million of Bradford's $16.6 million cap charge. Bradford has a career 58.6 completion percentage with 11,065 yards and 59 touchdowns.

When Rams coach Jeff Fisher made the decision to promote Frank Cignetti from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, he said quarterback Sam Bradford played a role in the promotion, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"I had a lengthy discussion with Sam, yes, prior to making the decision," Fisher said. "It was part of the information gathering process. Sam was very forthcoming. He had some firm opinions. I really enjoyed and appreciated his input."

Fisher added that he expects Bradford to be ready for the 2015 season and the plan is for him to compete for the starting role, so the team can have quality options if Bradford suffers another season-ending injury.

"It's not as much from the standpoint of challenging Sam," Fisher said. "It's to have options. We don't know what that looks like right now. We don't know if that's draft, if that's free agency, or what that looks like. But when we line up in September, we'll have somebody there."

Seahawks general manager John Schneider said Tuesday he is expecting to find a way to keep quarterback Russell Wilson on the team long term and he is not afraid to do so unconventionally.

"I think Russell Wilson wants to win championships," Schneider said. "Being a championship caliber team means thinking outside the box a lot of times and we're going to do that with Russell. He knows there are certain dominoes that have to fall in place."

Wilson has one year remaining on his rookie contract and has led Seattle to the Super Bowl two consecutive seasons.

"I've talked to his agent now, much like several of our other free agents. He knows, he gets it," Schneider said. "He wants to win and win for a long time. We're going to do what's best for this organization and that doesn't mean you just do what everybody else around the league has already done."

New Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave will install a no-huddle offense, and quarterback Derek Carr can't wait, reports ESPN.com.

"My last two years at Fresno State were 100 percent no-huddle, and I love it. I’m very comfortable in it," Carr told the website. "They are building this offense around me, and I’m really excited about it. I lit up when they told me." 

Carr said he's unsure how much the Raiders will use the no-huddle, but expects it to be "more than average," the report said. Last year the Raiders mainly used the no-huddle in desperation comeback mode.

This season, look for the no-huddle throughout games.

"We want to play fast," Carr said. "We want to put pressure on the defense. We want to go 100 miles per hour and cause confusion for the defense. It can be a lot of fun."

Musgrave was the quarterbacks coach in Philly last season, working for up-tempo coach Chip Kelly.

New Raiders coach Jack Del Rio is pumped up about working with quarterback Derek Carr, who threw for 3,270 yards and 21 touchdowns with 12 interceptions as a rookie.

“Carr’s a special young talent,” Del Rio told The Jim Rome Show. “He’s got a really quick release, good decision maker; he’s shown some of that grit we’re looking for, some of that toughness, so he’s a guy that we feel like we have an opportunity to build around.”

Carr needs to improve his completion percentage (58.1) and take better care of the ball under pressure after losing four fumbles last season.

The Dolphins are discussing a long-term extension with fourth-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill, a source told the South Florida Sun Sentinel, with the "framework being a seven-year contract worth about $105 million (depending on incentives)."

The paper said the general idea is a $15 million annual salary with only the first two years guaranteed.

Miami has three options regarding Tannehill, per the paper. The team can let him play out the last year of his contract at $2.1 million and allow him to hit free agency; pick up his fifth-year option for 2016 at roughly $15 million, money that would be guaranteed in case of injury; or negotiate an extension.

Tannehill set career highs in passing yards (4,045) and passing touchdowns (27) while throwing a career-low 12 interceptions last season. He has yet to lead the Dolphins to the playoffs.

Rams quarterback Sam Bradford is scheduled to make $12.98 million in base salary in 2015, the last year of his contract. With Bradford coming off his second torn ACL in as many years, the Rams want to restructure the deal, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The paper suggests the Rams could reduce Bradford's base salary "while potentially putting in incentives that could allow Bradford to recoup much of that money." Releasing Bradford would save the team $12.98 million of Bradford's $16.6 million cap charge.

Coach Jeff Fisher said immediately after the season that Bradford will face competition for the starting job from "somebody that's not in the building right now." That excludes backup quarterback Shaun Hill, an impending free agent.

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."