NFL Player News

Stroud was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year on Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The result isn't all that surprising after Stroud posted a 23:5 TD:INT while averaging 8.2 yards per attempt in his rookie season. Perhaps even more impressive was the role he played in the Texans' seven-win improvement from the 2022 campaign. Stroud bested other impressive performances from rookies, including Bijan Robinson, Puka Nacua, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs.

New Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen said Tuesday that Mayfield is one of the reasons he chose the job in Tampa Bay, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Coen said his confidence in Mayfield re-signing is "higher than I probably need [it] to be" but also clarified that it's "probably more 'want' than 'know'." It sounds like the two are on the same page, at least to some extent, as Mayfield said Friday that he expected contract talks to pick up once the Bucs finalized a deal with Coen, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The former Rams offensive coordinator worked with Mayfield at the end of the 2022 season in Los Angeles, before returning to the college ranks in 2023 with Kentucky to resume calling plays. Coen will get his first shot as an NFL play-caller in 2024, and there's a good chance he'll be working with Mayfield -- a candidate for the franchise tag and/or a long-term contract this spring. WR Mike Evans is also scheduled for unrestricted free agency, with his future having a significant impact on Mayfield's fantasy value after the two connected 79 times for 1,255 yards and 13 TDs in 2023.

Trask saw action in only two games during the 2023 regular season, failing to complete his only pass attempt and netting minus-1 yard on his only rush attempt. He didn't appear in either of Tampa Bay's postseason games.

Trask and Baker Mayfield engaged in a training camp and preseason job battle in which the latter prevailed, and Mayfield then turned out to be an unqualified success as the Buccaneers' starting signal-caller. As a result of Mayfield's solid play and good health, Trask was a non-factor throughout the campaign and has now put up just 10 regular-season pass attempts in his first three NFL seasons. The Florida product did seem to show plenty of progress from his first two seasons during camp practices and exhibition action, but Trask is still unlikely to be handed the starting gig heading into 2024 even if Mayfield -- a pending free agent -- isn't re-signed.

Flacco, who is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason, plans to continue his NFL career in 2024, Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press reports.

Flacco will look to keep playing in what will be his age-40 season, though it's difficult to gauge what kind of opportunities he'll garner in free agency. The veteran signal-caller is coming off an impressive late-season run with the Browns in which he led the team to a 4-1 record across five starts, culminating in a wild-card round playoff exit to the Texans. Cleveland is likely to restore a healthy Deshaun Watson (shoulder) as its starter in 2024, but if the team has any concerns about Watson's health, re-signing Flacco could be a priority. If the Browns opt not to bring him back, however, Flacco's strong showing in 2023 ought to at least earn him a backup gig elsewhere in the league.

General manager Joe Schoen reiterated Tuesday that the Giants are planning for Jones (knee) to enter training camp as their starter, though Schoen noted that the team isn't ruling out selecting a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, Connor Hughes of SNY.tv reports.

Despite being rewarded with a four-year, $160 million contract extension last offseason, Jones failed to quell concerns that he's not the long-term answer at quarterback for the Giants. He completed 108 of 160 pass attempts (67.5 percent) for 909 yards (5.7 YPA), two touchdowns and six interceptions to go with 206 rushing yards and a touchdown on 40 carries in six games before suffering a season-ending ACL tear in his right knee and undergoing surgery Nov. 22. Given the timing of the procedure, Jones should be ready for the start of training camp in late July, but the Giants own the No. 6 overall pick in the draft, putting them in a solid position to select a signal-caller from what's regarded as a strong quarterback class. If the team elects to address needs elsewhere on the roster with the No. 6 pick, Jones would head into the upcoming season with much more job security.

Lock completed 48 of 76 passes for 543 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions across four games in the 2023 season. He also rushed five times for 14 yards.

Lock started two games, finishing with a 1-1 record after a thrilling win over the Eagles in Week 15. The 27-year-old quarterback recorded 7.1 YPA while 10 of his 76 passes went for 20-plus yards. Lock certainly appears to be one of the top backups in the league, but his chances of being a starter in 2024 are slim, especially with a solid rookie quarterback class coming in. Nevertheless, he'll be a free agent in March and could seek a better chance to start elsewhere, as Geno Smith's contract all but guarantees he's the starter in Seattle to begin next season.

Purdy completed 20 of 31 pass attempts for 267 yards, a touchdown and an interception in Sunday's 34-31 win over Detroit in the NFC Championship Game.

Purdy put his athleticism on display with five rushing attempts for 48 yards, with his biggest scramble of 21 yards coming on third down in the fourth quarter to help San Francisco secure victory. He overcame an ugly pick in the first half to rally his team back from a 17-point deficit coming out of the half. The last pick in last year's draft has now produced two comeback victories in the playoffs to lift the 49ers to the Super Bowl. Purdy can continue disproving any remaining doubters with a win over the Chiefs on Sunday, Feb. 11 in the final game of the 2023 season.

Goff completed 25 of 41 passes for 273 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Sunday's 34-31 loss to the 49ers.

Goff did a solid job of keeping the Detroit offense on schedule in the first half, as the team found the end zone three times. The running game was the primary force behind that success, however, and miscues by players other than Goff primarily led to the unit stalling in the final two quarters. The end result was a mediocre performance for Goff, as he averaged only 6.7 yards per attempt, and his lone touchdown came with just 56 seconds remaining in the game and the Lions down two scores. Despite the disappointing end to the campaign, Goff enjoyed a solid season, as he reached 30 passing touchdowns in the regular season for the first time since 2018 while averaging a solid 7.6 yards per attempt. He remains under contract with Detroit for 2024, though it will be interesting to see if the team offers him a long-term extension during the offseason.

Mahomes completed 30 of 39 pass attempts for 241 yards and a touchdown while rushing six times for 15 yards in Sunday's 17-10 win over the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.

Mahomes got things cooking early with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce on the Chiefs' opening drive. It would be the only trip to the end zone for the superstar duo in a playoff matchup that was decided by Kansas City's defense. Mahomes did his part by completing 77 percent of his passes and going 8-for-18 on third down. The two-time Super Bowl champion has his sights set on a third Lombardi Trophy when the Chiefs take on the winner of Sunday's NFC Championship Game in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 11.

Jackson completed 20 of 37 passes for 272 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the Ravens' 17-10 AFC Championship Game loss to the Chiefs on Sunday. He also rushed eight times for 54 yards and lost a fumble while catching one of his deflected passes for 13 yards.

Jackson's final yardage numbers looked perfectly acceptable from a fantasy perspective, but his real-world impact on the game was both more muted and detrimental than those figures imply. The dynamic quarterback struggled with finding open targets against the Chiefs' suffocating coverage throughout the afternoon, and several of his rush attempts were the result of intense pressure from Kansas City. Jackson's second turnover was also critical, as he was picked off in the end zone with 6:54 remaining and the Ravens down by 10 points. The crushing ending to the season aside, Jackson put himself in position for MVP honors by throwing for 3,678 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions while adding 821 rushing yards and another five scores across 16 regular-season games, and in 2024, he'll play out the second year of the massive contract extension he signed this past offseason.