NFL Player News
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Will Grier QB | DAL
Eagles' Will Grier: Finds work in Philly
The Eagles signed Grier to a one-year deal Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
The 100th overall pick in the 2019 Draft by the Panthers, Grier is joining his sixth team since entering the NFL. He hasn't appeared in a regular-season game since his rookie season, when he started two contests for Carolina and completed 28 of 52 passes (53.8 percent) for 228 yards, zero touchdowns and four interceptions. In all likelihood, Grier will be a camp quarterback for the Eagles behind Jalen Hurts and newcomer Kenny Pickett.
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Deshaun Watson QB | CLE
Browns' Deshaun Watson: Could begin throwing Tuesday
Watson (shoulder) could begin light throwing as soon as Tuesday, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Watson will have limitations this spring after underdoing surgery Nov. 21 to repair a displaced fracture in his right shoulder socket, but the Browns expect him to be ready for training camp in late July. He's been rehabbing in Los Angeles, with private QBs coach Quincy Avery and Browns TE David Njoku flying out Monday to join him. While a fully guaranteed contract ensures Watson will get another chance as the starting QB after two disappointing seasons in Cleveland, the team has much better depth at his position for 2024 after signing Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley earlier in March.
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Joshua Dobbs QB | NE
49ers' Joshua Dobbs: Finds work in San Francisco
The 49ers and Dobbs agreed to a contract Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
In 13 games (12 starts) between the Cardinals and Vikings this past season, Dobbs completed 262 of 417 (62.8 percent) of his passes for 2,464 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also was viable as a runner, averaging 5.5 yards on his 77 carries while scoring six TDs on the ground. Brock Purdy is the unquestioned starting quarterback for San Francisco, but Dobbs' recent on-field work should give him a leg up on the backup job ahead of holdover Brandon Allen.
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Dak Prescott QB | DAL
Cowboys' Dak Prescott: Restructures bonus in contract
Prescott restructured his contract over the weekend, Field Yates of ESPN reports.
The Cowboys converted a $5 million roster bonus into a signing bonus and added two void years to free up $4 million in 2024 cap space. They can further reduce Prescott's present-year cap hit by either extending him or doing a similar restructure with the $29 million base salary for the final year of his contract. Dallas hasn't done much else through the first week of free agency, despite losing last year's starters at left tackle (Tyron Smith - Jets) and center (Tyler Biadasz - Commanders).
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Tyler Huntley QB | BAL
Browns' Tyler Huntley: Lands with Cleveland
Huntley agreed to a contract with the Browns on Sunday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Huntley will stick in the AFC North after serving as one of the primary backup quarterbacks behind Lamar Jackson in Baltimore over the past four seasons. The 26-year-old is set to join Cleveland on a veteran minimum deal, according to Tom Withers of the Associated Press. With four accrued seasons under Huntley's belt, this veteran minimum deal should carry a base value of one-year, $1.13 million. He'll likely compete with Jameis Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson (hip) for the primary backup role behind starting quarterback Deshaun Watson (shoulder).
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Justin Fields QB | KC
Steelers' Justin Fields: Viewed as backup to Russell Wilson
Fields, whom the Steelers acquired from the Bears on Saturday in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick, isn't expected to compete for Pittsburgh's starting quarterback job and is line to serve as a backup to Russell Wilson during the 2024 season, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Though Fields is due a larger salary in the final year of his rookie deal in 2024 than Wilson will earn on his one-year, $1.21 million contract, the Steelers are inclined to have Fields learn from Wilson rather than looking for the 25-year-old to directly challenge the nine-time Pro Bowler for the top spot on the depth chart. While Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that the Steelers are expected to decline Fields' pricey $25.66 million player option for 2025 prior to the May 2 deadline to do so, such a move wouldn't necessarily preclude Pittsburgh from re-signing the signal-caller next offseason if they're satisfied with his work in practices or in any action he might see in place of Wilson during his first season in the organization. Given that the 2025 sixth-round pick the Steelers gave up to acquire Fields would turn into a fourth-round pick if he plays more than 51 percent of the team's snaps this season, Pittsburgh has some extra incentive to stay committed to Wilson, at least for the early part of the campaign. Fields' fantasy outlook could brighten in 2025 if the Steelers commit to him as a starter or if he lands a more favorable opportunity elsewhere in free agency next spring, but at least for the upcoming season, he doesn't look as though he'll be anything more than a luxury stash in most redraft leagues.
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Russell Wilson QB | NYG
Steelers' Russell Wilson: Will start over Fields
Wilson is expected to serve as Pittsburgh's starting quarterback in 2024, even after the Steelers acquired Justin Fields from the Bears on Saturday in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round draft pick, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
The Steelers acquired Fields one day after officially inking Wilson to a one-year contract, but the addition of Fields doesn't look as though it'll affect Wilson's standing as the team's projected starting quarterback during the upcoming season. As such, the 25-year-old Fields is slated to serve in a backup role to the 35-year-old Wilson, who is coming off a pair of underwhelming campaigns with Denver. The acquisition of Fields could still influence Pittsburgh's quarterback plans beyond 2024, and at a minimum, the Steelers would have a talented and experienced signal-caller waiting in the wings should Wilson suffer an injury or struggle early on in the season to ignite the team's passing game.
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Justin Fields QB | KC
Steelers' Justin Fields: Traded to Pittsburgh
The Steelers acquired Fields from the Bears on Saturday in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round draft pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
According to Schefter, the 2025 pick can become a fourth-round pick if Fields reaches an unspecified playing-time threshold with the Steelers in 2024. The trade sets up an interesting quarterback situation for the Steelers, who signed Russell Wilson to a low-cost one-year deal in free agency after he was waived by the Broncos earlier in the week. The Bears, meanwhile, have cleared the deck to draft a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which in all likelihood will be USC's Caleb Williams.
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Jimmy Garoppolo QB | LAR
Rams' Jimmy Garoppolo: Finds new home in L.A.
The Rams and Garoppolo (suspension) agreed to a one-year contract Friday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Garoppolo didn't exactly uphold the three-year contract he signed with the Raiders last March, appearing in just seven games due to injury and an eventual benching for rookie QB Aidan O'Connell after Week 8. Overall, Garoppolo completed 110 of 169 passes (65.1 percent) for 1,205 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions in his stint with the silver and black. The current offseason has included a two-game suspension because of a violation of the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, but Garoppolo figures to serve as Matthew Stafford's backup Week 3 and beyond in the coming campaign once the former completes the ban.
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John Wolford QB | MIN
Buccaneers' John Wolford: Back with Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay signed Wolford (illness) to a one-year deal Friday, Buccaneers' general manager Jason Licht reports.
After spending the end of last season on the Buccaneers' practice squad, Wolford has agreed to return to Tampa Bay in 2024. The 28-year-old quarterback has appeared in seven games (four starts) throughout his three-year NFL career, completing 61 of his 104 passes for 626 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions. It seems as if Wolford is past the illness he was dealing with towards the end of last year, and he'll likely have the opportunity to compete for Tampa Bay's backup quarterback role with Kyle Trask this offseason.