NFL Player News

The Bills signed veteran quarterback Mitch Trubisky to a two-year deal on Wednesday, presumably to serve as Josh Allen's top backup.

Kyle Allen played the backup role for Josh Allen in 2023, but with the latter mostly healthy that yielded only spot mop-up duties, as the former never even attempted a pass. Kyle Allen likely won't be doing that for the Bills in 2024 following the Trubisky signing, as Trubisky comes with a better resume and has a first-round label from 2017. Plus, Trubisky is better suited to serve as at least a partial replica of Josh Allen, as both have strong arms, can be tough to tackle and have running ability. There may no longer be room for Kyle Allen on the roster.

The Steelers are "tentatively planning" to meet with Wilson before the start of free agency, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The Broncos have given Wilson permission to talk with other teams even though he won't be released until March 13, the start of the 2024 league year. While previous reports out of Pittsburgh suggested the Steelers were ready to move forward with Kenny Pickett and maybe Mason Rudolph as their quarterbacks, the upcoming meeting with Wilson suggests there's at least some level of interest in bringing in a new starter. The decision may end up coming down to financials more so than confidence (or lack thereof) in Pickett. If nothing gets done in Pittsburgh, other potential suitors for Wilson could include the Raiders and Falcons.

Trubisky agreed to a two-year contract with the Bills on Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

The Steelers released Trubisky last month after a two-year run with the team in which the 29-year-old went 2-5 as a starter and was benched multiple times in favor of Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph. Trubisky spent the 2021 season as Josh Allen's backup with the Bills and will head back to a familiar spot, where he'll replace Kyle Allen as Buffalo's No. 2 quarterback.

Mayfield is on track to become an unrestricted free agent March 13, with the Buccaneers having placed the franchise tag on Antoine Winfield on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Mayfield and Tampa Bay still have time to negotiate on an extension before free agency, but with Winfield having received the franchise tag and Mike Evans having been re-signed on a two-year, $52 million contract, the veteran quarterback is now the team's biggest looming question. The 2018 No. 1 overall pick is coming off a solid 2023 campaign in which he threw for a career-high 4,044 yards with a solid 28:10 TD, assisting the Buccaneers in securing a third-straight NFC South title plus an NFC Divisional Round cameo. It's been reported that Mayfield desires to remain in Tampa Bay, so he could be willing to agree to a team-friendly contract, but there are enough questions at quarterback around the NFL that the soon-to-be 29-year-old should be legitimately pursued by other teams if allowed to hit the open market.

Denver announced Monday that Wilson has been informed he will be released by the team after the NFL's new league year begins March 13.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Wilson's release will save the Broncos an extra $37 million in guaranteed money, while Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com notes that the team will still need to endure an NFL-record $85 million in dead cap over the next two years. Those financial ramifications highlight the extent to which Wilson's two-year stint in Denver was characterized by disappointment. The veteran ended the 2023 campaign with 297 completions on 447 pass attempts for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 15 games, numbers which may have seemed merely mediocre were it not for his sizable salary compensation and the valuable draft picks the Broncos parted ways with for his acquisition from Seattle. When free agency officially begins, Wilson will get a chance to search for a fresh start elsewhere, while coach Sean Payton and Denver once again will have to start anew at the quarterback position.

Burrow (wrist) said Sunday that he expects to be "cleared for full contact and everything" by mid-May, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Burrow also said he's able to lift weights "basically normally now" and has started throwing small medicine balls as part of his rehab. The QB had surgery Nov. 27 to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist, 11 days after suffering the injury in a Week 11 loss at Baltimore. Prior to that, Burrow had found his groove with multiple TD passes in five straight games, bouncing back strong after throwing just two TDs over the first four weeks of the season while dealing with a lingering calf injury from training camp. He anticipates being ready for his normal throwing routine at OTAs, though it sounds like he'll take it slow until then.

Rourke is slated to re-sign with the Patriots, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The Patriots claimed Rourke off waivers from the Jaguars back in December, and the 25-year-old will remain with the team in 2024 to provide quarterback depth. At this stage, however, it remains to be seen who Rourke will be working behind this coming season, with Mac Jones' future with New England to be determined and the franchise potentially adding a signal-caller in April's NFL draft.

GM Omar Khan said Thursday that Rudolph knows the Steelers want to re-sign him, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports.

Kaboly and Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via 93.7 The Fan) both have suggested that the Steelers prefer to re-sign Rudolph and move forward with him and Kenny Pickett as the quarterbacks for 2024, though Khan didn't rule out the possibility of acquiring a veteran starter or drafting a QB. It sounds like Rudolph would get the chance to compete for a starting job if he re-signs, as Khan said Thursday that Picket will be subject to competition even though the Steelers believe in him. The team is sending mixed signals, but it does at least seem clear that Rudolph and the Steelers have already discussed a contract extension. The 28-year-old replaced an injured Pickett late last season and then kept the starting job even after Pickett was healthy, leading Pittsburgh to three straight wins at the end of the regular season before falling to the Bills in the first round of the playoffs.

The Cowboys will pick up Lance's $4.25 million roster bonus for the 2024 season, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Lance didn't play a snap for the Cowboys in 2023 after he was traded by the 49ers late in training camp. However, Dallas is optimistic about the growth he made and reportedly has not considered cutting him. Unsurprisingly, the team will not pick up Lance's fifth-year option, which would have been worth $22.4 million. In the best-case scenario, he'll be the Cowboys' backup quarterback entering 2024.

The Bengals tendered an offer Wednesday to Browning, an exclusive rights free agent.

Undrafted out of Washington in 2019, Browning made the first nine appearances of his NFL career last season, starting seven games following Joe Burrow's season-ending injury. Browning had the Bengals in playoff contention right up until the end of the season and finished with a league-best 70.4 percent completion rate for 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions while adding 127 yards and three scores on the ground. He's the favorite to open 2024 as Burrow's top backup.