NFL Player News
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Taylor Heinicke QB | LAC
Chargers' Taylor Heinicke: Back with Bolts
Heinicke signed a one-year contract worth up to $6.2 million with the Chargers on Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Heinicke spent the 2024 season with the Chargers as the backup to Justin Herbert but played only 22 offensive snaps while attempting five passes. He's spent parts of a few seasons as a starter and will once again be one of the more competent backups in the league.
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Gardner Minshew QB | KC
Chiefs' Gardner Minshew: Slated to back up Mahomes
Minshew (collarbone) has agreed to a one-year deal with the Chiefs, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
The Raiders released Minshew (collarbone) on Wednesday with a failed physical designation, but just one day later the 28-year-old landed his next assignment, that of backing up star QB Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. In that context, Minshew will remain off the fantasy radar as long as Mahomes is available, but in the event that Mahomes misses any time in 2025, Minshew provides the Chiefs with an experienced and reliable backup option to turn to.
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Russell Wilson QB | NYG
Russell Wilson: Set to visit Giants next
Wilson is leaving Cleveland without a contract and now is expected to visit the Giants, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
It would seem his third option is to re-sign in Pittsburgh, although both that and the New York situation depend on what Aaron Rodgers decides to do, with reports suggesting both teams prefer Rodgers to Wilson. If Wilson signs with the Browns or Giants it'll come with risk of facing competition from an early draft pick, whereas the Steelers don't pick until No. 21 and already used their second-rounder to acquire WR DK Metcalf.
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Aidan O'Connell QB | LV
Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Stuck in backup role again
The Raiders recently traded for Geno Smith, leaving O'Connell as the likely No. 2 quarterback for 2025.
O'Connell got a chance to compete for the starting job last summer, losing out to Gardner Minshew (collarbone) but then taking over mid-season. Minshew ended up taking the job back after O'Connell suffered a thumb fracture, with things later swinging back to the latter after the former broke his collarbone. The team released Minshew on Wednesday, leaving O'Connell in the clear for the second spot on the depth chart, albeit presumably without any chance to push Smith for the starting role.
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Brandon Allen QB | TEN
Titans' Brandon Allen: Lands in Tennessee
The Titans agreed to terms Thursday with Allen on a one-year contract, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Allen appeared in three games last season as Brock Purdy's top backup in San Francisco. Now, the veteran journeyman joins a Tennessee quarterback room that currently only houses himself and Will Levis, but which should see further additions via either free agency or April's draft, in which the team holds the No. 1 overall pick.
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Anthony Richardson QB | IND
Colts' Anthony Richardson: Competition arrives
Richardson (back) looks slated to spend the offseason in an open competition for the No. 1 quarterback spot with Daniel Jones, whom the Colts signed to a one-year contract Wednesday, Stephen Holder of ESPN reports.
General manager Chris Ballard has stated that Indianapolis will hold an open competition to determine a Week 1 starter for the 2025 campaign. That QB battle will take the form of Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, versus Jones, a 2019 first-rounder who started for New York until 2024, when he was benched and ultimately released. Richardson has struggled with both consistency and availability across two seasons in the NFL, having appeared in just four games as a rookie and 11 games in 2024, though he has displayed a higher potential ceiling than the more experienced Jones. Training camp and the preseason will prove pivotal for the careers of both Richardson and Jones, as the pair of signal-callers compete for one starting job.
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Gardner Minshew QB | KC
Gardner Minshew: Released with injury designation
The Raiders released Minshew (collarbone) on Wednesday with a failed physical designation, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.
Minshew is still recovering from the season-ending broken collarbone he sustained Nov. 24. He may well need to wait until he's demonstrably healthy to find a new landing spot. The 28-year-old signal caller started nine of his 10 appearances with Las Vegas in 2024, completing 203 of 306 pass attempts (66.3 percent) for 2,013 yards, nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Minshew may well have to settle for a backup gig as his next opportunity, though there are still teams around the league looking for stopgaps at the No. 1 quarterback spot.
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Mason Rudolph QB | PIT
Steelers' Mason Rudolph: Returning to Pittsburgh
Rudolph is signing a two-year contract with the Steelers, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
The 2018 third-round pick will return to Pittsburgh after a one-year detour to Tennessee, where he went 1-4 as a starter while completing 64.0 percent of his passes for 6.7 YPA (with nine TDs and nine INTs on 228 pass attempts). Rudolph was better than Will Levis but subpar by pretty much any other standard, likely putting him in a backup role for 2025 unless things go horribly wrong for the Steelers over the next couple months. They're reportedly trying to sign Aaron Rodgers, and if that doesn't happen they may consider re-signing Russell Wilson or trading for Kirk Cousins. The initial report on Rudolph's contract has it at two years and $8 million, with $4.5 million guaranteed, putting him in the middle of the market for backup quarterbacks.
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Aaron Rodgers QB | PIT
Aaron Rodgers: Released by Jets
The Jets released Rodgers on Wednesday, NFL.com's Nick Shook reports.
The long-expected move became official shortly after the start of the league year. Rodgers is now said to be deciding between signing with the Giants, Steelers or Vikings, although it isn't clear Minnesota has the same level of interest as the other two teams. The Jets, meanwhile are designating Rodgers as a post-June 1 cut, which means they'll carry a $21 million cap hit until that date, at which point the number drops to $14 million. They'll then take a $35 million dead-cap charge in 2026. The Jets are signing QB Justin Fields to replace Rodgers, and they also have Tyrod Taylor under contract through 2025.
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Mac Jones QB | SF
49ers' Mac Jones: Moving to Bay Area
Jones agreed Wednesday with the 49ers on a two-year, $7 million contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
San Francisco was reportedly interested in Jones ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft, but the organization instead selected Trey Lance with the third overall pick, while Jones fell to New England at No. 15. However, the 49ers will now get a chance to work with Jones after the Alabama product mostly failed to live up to expectations during his first four campaigns in the NFL. Over 52 career appearances in the regular season, Jones has amassed a respectable 54:44 TD:INT, so he'll be one of the NFL's more capable backup options as he slots in on the depth chart behind Brock Purdy next season.