NFL Player News

Fields said Wednesday during his appearance on the "St. Brown Bros Podcast" that he prefers to stays in Chicago but wants to know if he's getting traded as soon as possible.

Fields downplayed his recent decision to unfollow the Bears' official account on Instagram, noting that he also unfollowed other accounts (including the NFL's) to avoid having football content on his timeline during the offseason. He had nothing but praise for Bears fans and the city of Chicago, but Fields also seemed well aware of the possibility of being replaced by the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Talking with teammate Equanimeous St. Brown and Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown on their podcast, Fields mentioned a couple of the teams rumored to have interest in trading for him, saying that the Steelers have a great stadium atmosphere and the Falcons have impressive playmakers on offense. Atlanta is the early favorite in betting markets to acquire the Georgia native, with other possibilities including Pittsburgh, New England, Las Vegas and Denver. Despite Fields' desire for a quick resolution on his future, the Bears' decision on whether to keep him on the roster for 2024 or work toward a trade could drag on for weeks, or even months.

Huntley finished the 2023 regular season having completed 21 of 37 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns over five games. He added 15 carries for 55 yards.

The bulk of Huntley's production came in his lone start during the final game of the regular season, when he went 15 for 28 for 146 yards with one touchdown. His other appearances came in blowout wins over the Browns, Lions, Seahawks and Dolphins. Huntley could be heading toward an impasse with the Ravens, as he's set to become an unrestricted free agent just as Lamar Jackson's $260 million contract extension kicks in, Baltimore may opt for a more cost-efficient backup quarterback as a result. The fact that the team traded for rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham during the season only strengthens that notion. Should Huntley hit the open market, he'd be a strong option for any team looking to bolster its quarterback room. However, it's unlikely that he would be brought in anywhere with a serious expectation to start.

Watson (shoulder) is on track or slightly ahead in his rehab schedule and will begin throwing in March, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The quarterback had surgery Nov. 21 to repair a fractured right shoulder socket. Watson resumed work in the weight room last week and is already discussing the possibility of organizing offseason throwing sessions with teammates for the third year in a row. New Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said he's optimistic about getting Watson back to the level of play he demonstrated in Houston, and the the QB's fully guaranteed contract ensures the Browns will give him another chance as the clear starter despite disappointing showings in the second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023. The contract runs through 2026 (Watson's age-31 season).

The Steelers want to give Pickett another chance to be their starting quarterback, according to Gerry Dulac of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The 2022 first-round pick has thrown 13 touchdown passes in 24 NFL games but went 7-5 as a starter in both of his first two pro seasons. While it's safe to say Pickett won't ever be a top quarterback, the Steelers apparently hope he can become a competent starter under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Dulac suggests the Steelers are unlikely to pursue QBs that definitely would expect to be starters (e.g. Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins) but could end up re-signing impending free agent Mason Rudolph, who replaced an injured Pickett in December and then continued to start once his teammate was medically cleared. It's certainly worth noting that not all of the Pittsburgh beat reporters are as confident as Dulac about the Steelers wanting to give Pickett another shot rather than replacing him with someone like Fields/Cousins/Wilson.

Hoyer completed 23 of 42 pass attempts for 231 yards across three contests with the Raiders in 2023, but he didn't see any game action after rookie Aidan O'Connell secured the full-time starting job Week 9.

Hoyer threw a pair of interceptions Week 7 against the Bears in what turned out to be his final on-field performance of the season, which ultimately allowed the aforementioned O'Connell to prove himself worthy of a roster spot moving forward. Although a $2.6 million dead cap hit would accompany Hoyer's potential release this offseason, it'd be surprising for the Raiders not to move on from the 38-year-old signal-caller, especially given former coach Josh McDaniels' and former general manager Dave Ziegler's departure from the organization. At this stage in his career, retirement isn't off the table for Hoyer, either.

Garoppolo will be suspended for the first two games of 2024 for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances and the Raiders are expected to release him this offseason, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Garoppolo used a prescribed medication without having a valid Therapeutic Use Exemption from the league. He was likely headed for a release anyway, as the Raiders benched him in 2023 and can avoid paying an $11.25 million roster bonus if they cut the 32-year-old before March 17. This suspension may also allow the team to nullify an $11.25 million base salary that previously was guaranteed.

The Seahawks informed Smith on Thursday that he'll remain on the roster through this week rather than be released to avoid a $12.7 million contract guarantee that kicks in Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Smith has two years remaining on the three-year, $75 million contract he signed last offseason, but the deal only had injury guarantees after the first year. His $12.7 million base salary for 2024 is one of those, converting to a full guarantee Feb. 16 (this Friday). Smith then has a $9.6 million roster bonus due March 17, and the Seahawks presumably wouldn't keep him around for now if they didn't also plan to pay that out and have the 33-year-old QB under contract for 2024.

Cincinnati released McCarron on Wednesday.

McCarron joined the Bengals back in November as a depth option, after the team lost starting quarterback Joe Burrow (wrist) to a season-ending injury. The veteran appeared in two contest for the team in relief of fill-in starter Jake Browning, but now McCarron will have to search for a reserve gig elsewhere in free agency.

Richardson has resumed throwing as part of his rehab from right shoulder surgery, per a video posted to his agent Deiric Jackson's X.com account.

Richardson is recovering from season-ending surgery undergone Oct. 21 to address a Grade 3 AC Joint sprain suffered Week 5. He also missed time as a rookie due to a concussion suffered Week 2, but it now looks like the 2023 No. 4 overall pick is trending to be cleared well ahead of training camp. Despite appearing in only four games as a rookie, Richardson managed to display the outlandish potential of his unique size and speed profile. With a full offseason to further his development as a signal-caller, Richardson's fantasy upside for 2024 should make him one of the hottest names at the quarterback position.

The Steelers released Trubisky on Monday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.

Among his five appearances during the 2023 season, Trubisky earned two starts and overall completed 67 of 107 passes for 632 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing 16 times for 54 yards and two more scores. Both Kenny Pickett early and Mason Rudolph late in the campaign played over Trubisky when they were healthy, and with the decision to move on from the latter, he'll get a head start on his next destination.