NFL Player News

Russell Wilson's football career seems to be going well, but the Seahawks quarterback won't reneg on his pledge to show up at Rangers' spring training, reports FOX Sports. The Rangers picked Wilson, who spent two seasons in the Rockies' farm system, in the Rule 5 draft in December.

Wilson said then he'd love to show up to spring training, and his agent says nothing has changed. It's unclear, however, what Wilson will do there. Take batting practice? Speak to the team? 

A second baseman, Wilson batted .229 in 93 minor-league games after the Rockes drafted him in the fourth round in 2010.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson overthrew tight end Zach Miller on his first Super Bowl pass before settling down to play an extremely efficient game. Wilson finished 18 of 25 for 206 yards and two touchdowns and ran three times for 26 yards.

He did not commit a turnover while posting a 123.1 passer rating and repeatedly converting third downs. In the second half, Wilson hit Jermaine Kearse for a 23-yard touchdown and Doug Baldwin for a 10-yard score.

"It was a great team win," Wilson said, noting Seattle got major contributions from offense, defense and special teams.

The Seahawks' Russell Wilson was the sixth quarterback taken in the 2012 draft. The 5-foot-11 Wilson plays like a man with something to prove, and has his team in the Super Bowl.

"I'm very competitive," Wilson told NFL Network. "I believe I could be picked before all those guys, but it wasn't going to affect me either way. I knew that the Seattle Seahawks were going to pick me. I was going to make the 31 other teams regret it."

Redskins backup quarterback Kirk Cousins "believes he is ready to start" and is open to an offseason trade, reports ESPN's Adam Schefter. Washington is expected to field calls about Cousins from quarterback-needy teams, possibly including Cleveland, the report adds.

Cousins appeared in five games this season, throwing for 854 yards and four touchdowns against seven interceptions.

Jets general manager John Idzik said he has spoken with quarterback Geno Smith about handling the social side of the NFL after two regrettable offseason incidents.

Smith was involved in a verbal altercation with a Virgin America flight attendant after refusing to shut off his cell phone before takeoff, though the airline was the one that issued an apology. Lewd photos of Smith were previously posted on Instagram by an Atlanta woman who claimed to have had an affair with him.

"When you're a quarterback in the NFL and you're a quarterback for a franchise in a big market such as New York, all eyes are on you 24/7," Idzziki told ESPN. "I think Geno is experiencing this first-hand. Obviously, I've kept in close contact with him. This is part of learning how to deal with these things.

"We've addressed them, he's addressed them, so [I have] no real concerns that way. It's just how to deal with your celebrity and the visibility that goes along with that position."

Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer is resigned to his team drafting a quarterback in May, but remains confident that he will be the starter in 2014.

Hoyer won all three games he started this season, though he was knocked out of the third against Buffalo. The Browns collapsed thereafter, losing 10 of their last 11 to once again rev up speculation that they must fill their need for a franchise quarterback in the draft.

"It's pretty much inevitable, they will draft a quarterback and that's nothing new," Hoyer said via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "In this league, there's always someone coming up behind you or laterally moving. There's going to be someone for me to compete with, which I have no problem with. That makes you better.

"I was able to start for three games last year, and we did well. When I played, we won, and I'm just looking forward to trying to get back to where I left things off. I think as long as I have a chance, I feel confident in my abilities."

Hoyer completed 57 of 96 passes for 615 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is 3,000 miles east of New Jersey as Denver and Seattle prepare for the Super Bowl. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Stafford is in London to promote his team's game against Atlanta on Oct. 26 at Wembley Stadium. In a radio interview, he spoke about his philosophy in regard to attending the ultimate NFL game.

"I've never been to the game, a lot of players do this," he said via the Oakland Press. "They don't want to go to the game unless they play in it. That's how I feel about it. Nothing against it, I don't want to be a fan ... I want to make sure when I go to the game that I'm suiting up and trying to win it."

The Browns' Brian Hoyer told the official team's radio program he's planning on being the starting quarterback heading into the 2014 season. Hoyer tore his ACL in his second start against the Bills and missed the rest of the year.

"I'm feeling great, rehab's going well ... made a lot of progress with the running," Hoyer said. "Definitely on track, if not ahead, looking forward to getting back."

Despite the good play by Hoyer in 2013 the Browns are expected to bring in another quarterback this offseason.  

Jets coach Rex Ryan has refused to make the same commitment to soon-to-be second-year quarterback Geno Smith that he did in the 2013 offseason to demoted Mark Sanchez.

Ryan told the media last year that Sanchez would get the first preseason snap, but has not uttered the same promise about Smith. "We'll see who's on the roster before we make that decision," he told the New York Daily News.

Smith proved inconsistent in his first year. He completed 56 percent of his passes for a Jets rookie-record 3,046 yards, but managed just 12 touchowns and 21 interceptions. He suffered through a stretch in which he tossed just one scoring pass and 11 picks.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees believes new Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi is going to bring out the best in Matthew Stafford, according to mlive.com.

Lombardi worked as Brees' quarterbacks coach for five seasons before joining the Lions. Brees said he sees some similarities between the Lions and Saints personnel, and believes Lombardi will find a way to make things work in Detroit. Brees added that he knew Lombardi would be in line to get a coordinator job. "You can kind of tell when assistant coaches are just kind of ready for that next step -- to be a coordinator, to be a playcaller," Brees said.