NFL Player News

Cousins (Achilles) is expected to begin negotiating with the Falcons when the legal tampering period begins at 12:00 p.m. ET on Monday, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.

Rumors have connected the two parties for the past couple weeks, and it sounds like the Falcons may be willing to outbid the Vikings for Cousins' services. It's also possible the Vikings up their offer in the presence of a real threat, and Cousins may even give the team an opportunity to match any offer he receives. Whatever the case, Atlanta needs to be taken seriously as a contender for Cousins' services. His presence under center would be a huge fantasy boost for WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts, with RB Bijan Robinson possibly benefiting quite a bit as well.

Beathard is expected to compete with Mac Jones -- who is slated to be traded from the Patriots to the Jaguars -- to be Trevor Lawrence's top backup in 2024, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

The report notes that Beathard is in the final year of a two-year, $4.5 million contract that he signed prior to last season. Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, part of the Jaguars' motivation for the deal is that Beathard has been banged up at times during his stint with the team, with Jones -- a 2021 first-rounder -- giving the team a healthy backup option with plenty of starting experience ahead of the coming season.

Wilson plans to sign a one-year contract with the Steelers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

According to Schefter, it will be a "team-friendly" deal, with the Broncos being on the hook for most of his $38 million salary in 2024. Wilson still hasn't even officially been released by Denver, but it sounds like he's already found his new team. The move should become official when the new league year opens Wednesday afternoon. In Pittsburgh, Wilson will link up with new OC Arthur Smith and be the heavy favorite to open the 2024 season as the Steelers' starter over 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett. For fantasy purposes, it's not a great landing spot in Smith's run-centric, methodical offense, but Wilson should be viewed as an upgrade over Pickett. Wilson's insertion does boost the fantasy stocks of George Pickens, Diontae Johnson and Pat Freiermuth.

Cousins (Achilles) is expected to test the free-agent market this week, though his agent and the Vikings remain in contact, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

"The Vikings are still in this," Pelissero added. But the Falcons and Broncos were two teams mentioned as possible destinations should Cousins ultimately leave Minnesota. Teams are permitted to speak with free agents from other teams starting at 12:00 p.m. ET on Monday. Cousins is expected to command a contract that averages more than $40 million per year.

Mayfield agreed to terms on a three-year, $100 million deal with the Buccaneers on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Mayfield will remain with Tampa Bay as its presumptive starting quarterback for at least the next two years. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the 28-year-old's new deal includes $50 million guaranteed, including $30 million guaranteed in 2024 and $20 million guaranteed in 2025. This contract also includes $5 million per year in incentives, increasing its max value to $115 million. Mayfield originally signed with the squad in May 2023 on a flier, one-year deal worth $8.5 million. He went on to notch career highs in both passing yards (4,044) and passing touchdowns (28) while tossing just 10 interceptions across 17 regular-season starts, and he led the team to a NFC South title and an appearance in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. Star wideout Mike Evans also re-signed on a two-year, $52 million contract with Tampa Bay this offseason while standout slot receiver Chris Godwin also still has two years remaining on his current contract with the team. The retention of these two core receivers should provide Mayfield with a strong base of receiving talent heading into the 2024 campaign.

The Jaguars will finalize a trade Sunday to acquire Jones from the Patriots in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round draft pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The deal won't become official until the new league year begins Wednesday, but assuming Jones is able to pass a physical, the Jacksonville native will join his hometown team heading into his fourth NFL season. Though he served as a 42-game starter over his three seasons in New England, Jones slid to third on the depth chart by the end of the 2023 campaign and finished his tenure with the Patriots with a 66.1 completion percentage for 6.8 yards per attempt and a 46:36 TD:INT. He'll give the Jaguars an experienced backup option behind Trevor Lawrence, who thus far has proven durable in his young career with just one missed game over three seasons. Expect the Jaguars to decline Jones' pricey fifth-year option on his rookie contract this spring, which will make the 25-year-old signal-caller eligible for free agency following the 2024 season.

New England is open to trading Jones and has engaged with discussions in teams around the league, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Patriots have been consistently rumored to be open to revamping the quarterback room this offseason, and Mark Daniels of The Providence Journal reports that the team has no intention of picking up Jones' fifth-year option. Jones, a 2021 first-round pick, finished his third NFL season as a healthy scratch after being replaced by Bailey Zappe as New England's starter Week 13, ending the year with a mediocre 2,120 passing yards and 10:12 TD:INT. It's unclear whether Jones will have a significant trade market at this point, but there are enough questions marks at quarterback elsewhere in the league that some teams may be willing to take a chance on the young signal-caller, even if they may not be willing to part with substantial draft capital.

The Raiders are slated to release Hoyer, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Hoyer appeared in three games (including one start) with the Raiders during the 2023 regular season, en route to completing 23 of 42 passing attempts for 231 yards and two interceptions. With a new GM (Tom Telesco) on board in 2024, Las Vegas will move on from the 38-year-old signal-caller, who now represents an option for teams looking for a veteran NFL backup with ample starting experience.

Wilson is traveling to Pittsburgh on Friday to meet with the Steelers' front office and head coach Mike Tomlin, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.

Wilson has permission to meet with other teams but can't technically sign a contract until the Broncos release him at the start of the league year (Wednesday). Multiple Pittsburgh beat writers have suggested the Steelers want to give 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett another shot as the starting quarterback, but most of what we've seen from Pickett suggests that even this post-prime version of Wilson would give the team a better chance to win in 2024. An offset in Wilson's Denver contract means he has no incentive to maximize his 2024 pay from a new team, so he'll likely choose his next destination based on some combination of likelihood to start, chances of making a playoff run and post-2024 compensation. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Wilson already had an "exploratory meeting" with the Giants earlier this week.

Rodgers (Achilles) recently told the Look Into It Podcast that he hopes to play 2-4 more years in the NFL, per John Breech of CBS Sports.

Rodgers hinted at a multi-year commitment when he was traded to the Jets last offseason, with his contract supporting that notion via full guarantees for his compensation in 2023 and 2024. He famously played just four snaps in the first season before tearing his left Achilles' tendon, and he was unable to return even with an aggressive rehab plan. Rodgers did practice with the Jets toward the end of the season -- including as the first-team QB in Week 18 -- but wasn't able to resume sprinting at full strength before the conclusion of the campaign. He previously mentioned wanting to play two more years beyond 2023, and even in the recent podcast interview he acknowledged he'd need "good fortune" to make it three or four more seasons. Rodgers turned 40 in December and should be back at full strength for the start of the Jets offseason program this spring.