NFL Player News

Wentz (shoulder) signed a contract with Minnesota on Thursday, Rob Kleifield of the Vikings' official site reports.

Wentz will return to Minnesota for a second season, adding depth to a quarterback room that already includes the recently-signed Kyler Murray as well as holdovers J.J. McCarthy (hand) and Max Brosmer. Murray and McCarthy will likely be competing for the starting job throughout training camp and the preseason, but if the Vikings were to trade McCarthy prior to Week 1, Wentz could open the 2026 campaign in the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Before undergoing season-ending surgery on his left shoulder in late October, Wentz made five starts in place of an injured McCarthy during the 2025 season, completing 110 of 169 pass attempts (65.1 percent) for 1,216 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions while adding 57 yards on 11 carries. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network relays that Wentz has since recovered from surgery, so the 33-year-old should be a full participant for the Vikings' offseason program.

The Eagles agreed to terms Wednesday on a trade that sends a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Panthers in exchange for Dalton, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Dalton brings substantial veteran experience to the table as a new backup option behind Jalen Hurts, and his arrival could signify that Philadelphia is engaging in trade talks surrounding Tanner McKee, as Connor Hughes of SNY.tv reports. In 2025, Dalton logged four regular-season appearances with the Panthers (one start), in which span he completed 68 percent of his pass attempts for 293 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Since entering the league in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft, the 38-year-old signal-caller has totaled 169 regular-season starts.

The Jets are slated to trade Fields (knee) to the Chiefs in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports

With Patrick Mahomes recovering from a torn ACL that he sustained Dec. 14, Fields should have an opportunity to work as Kansas City's QB1 this offseason, provided he's past the knee issue he dealt with at the end of the 2025 season. Beyond that, it's possible that Fields -- whose ability as a rusher boosts his fantasy utility -- will begin the 2026 campaign as the team's starter, a potential scenario that hinges on the pace of Mahomes' recovery. Per Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site, coach Andy Reid noted in February that Mahomes has been making good progress in that regard, while the star signal-caller previously noted that he wants to be ready for Week 1 yet acknowledged that he "can't predict what happens throughout the process," per ESPN.com.

The Chargers signed Lance to a one-year contract worth up to $6.75 million Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Lance is returning for a second campaign in Los Angeles following stints with San Francisco and Dallas. As Justin Herbert's backup last season, Lance saw action in four games (including a Week 18 start versus Denver), completing 27 of 57 pass attempts for 226 yards and a 0:1 TD:INT while adding 17 carries for 85 yards. The mobile quarterback should be the frontrunner to back up Herbert.

The Bengals signed Johnson to a contract Saturday.

Johnson will turn 40 in mid-May, but he's not yet ready to hang up his cleats. This will be his third stint with the Bengals, who are one of 14 teams he's spent time with during his NFL career. Johnson should have a path to working as the backup to QB Joe Burrow, as Sean Clifford is the only other QB currently signed to Cincinnati's roster following the departure of Jake Browning to Tampa Bay.

Tagovailoa officially signed his one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Falcons on Friday.

Falcons GM Ian Cunningham confirmed Friday that Tagovailoa will compete with Michael Penix (knee) for the starting quarterback role in Atlanta, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com. Both are oft-injured left-handed quarterbacks, but Tua is the healthier of the two at the moment, as he passed a physical in order to effectuate his contract with Atlanta while Penix is recovering from November surgery to repair a torn ACL. Penix has a chance to be ready for the start of the regular season, but Tagovailoa could have the early edge in Atlanta's QB competition while Penix works his way back into form.

Falcons GM Ian Cunningham confirmed Friday that the team is bringing in Tua Tagovailoa to compete with Penix (knee) for the starting quarterback role, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

Tagovailoa has agreed to a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Falcons and will join the team if he passes his physical. Both Penix and Tua are left-handed quarterbacks who have dealt with numerous injuries. Penix underwent surgery in November to repair a partially torn ACL in his left knee, but he's aiming to be healthy ahead of Week 1. Once healthy, Penix is slated to compete with Tagovailoa for the starting job.

McCarthy (hand) is unlikely to enter Week 1 as a starter after the Vikings signed Kyler Murray, according to Alec Lewis of The Athletic.

For what it's worth, Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell declined to comment on expectations for a 2026 starter when reporters asked him Thursday. Reading between the lines, McCarthy's poor 2025 performance would make him a major underdog if a job battle were to take place, even against a post-prime version of Murray (who turns 29 in August). O'Connell is saying all of the things one might expect about continuing McCarthy's development, but odds are it'll be happening from the bench for at least the early part of the 2026 campaign.

The Vikings signed Murray to a one-year contract Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

With Murray set to collect $36.8 million from the Cardinals in 2026 following his release from the team, Murray will earn the veteran league minimum from the Vikings, according to Schefter. The contract also contains a no-tag clause for next offseason, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Minnesota was always viewed as the likely landing spot for Murray, and he'll now be considered the slight favorite to win the QB1 job over J.J. McCarthy, though this will be one of the more fascinating position battles of the summer. After winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 followed by back-to-back Pro Bowl selections in 2020 and 2021, Murray's career was somewhat derailed by injuries and poor play. A fresh start appeared to be necessary, and he'll now have Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison at his disposal should he win the job over McCarthy.

The Cowboys released Grier on Thursday.

Grier inked a reserve/future contract with the team last month but is now out after Dallas signed Sam Howell as the team's QB3 this week. The 30-year-old Grier hasn't appeared in a regular-season NFL game since his 2019 rookie season with Carolina.