NFL Player News

Bears OC Luke Getsy recently said Fields is "light years ahead of where he was" at the same point last offseason, Colleen Kane of The Chicago Tribune reports.

Fields is entering his third pro season and second year in Getsy's offense after running for 1,143 yards and eight TDs in 15 games last season. It wasn't all good, of course, as Fields took a league-high 55 sacks and fumbled a league-high 16 times for a pathetic Bears team that got the No. 1 pick. They then traded that pick for a package that included WR DJ Moore, and later used a first-rounder on OT Darnell Wright and a fourth-rounder on WR Tyler Scott, giving Fields a lot more help than he had last season. The 24-year-old's progress as a passer is still a major question mark, but the running alone should make him useful for fantasy and suggests massive upside if the Bears are able to throw the ball effectively. With Darnell Mooney (ankle) and Chase Claypool complementing Moore, the team won't lack for speed or athleticism on the perimeter.

Jackson signed his five-year, $260 million contract extension with the Ravens on Thursday.

Baltimore and Jackson agreed to terms on the five-year extension, which reportedly includes $185 million in guarantees, just prior to the start of the 2023 NFL Draft, and both sides have now made the deal official. The team then selected rookie wideout Zay Flowers in the first round, adding another hopeful boost to a wide receiver room that also saw Odell Beckham signed to a one-year deal, and will get Rashod Bateman (foot) back from injury. By virtue of the revamped wide receiver corps, not to mention Mark Andrews' continued presence, Jackson looks set up to thrive with new offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

Rypien and the Rams agreed to terms on a one-year deal Wednesday, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Rypien is coming off a 2022 season with Denver in which he appeared in four games and completed 53 of 88 pass attempts for 483 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. In Los Angeles, the 26-year-old should have the opportunity to compete with rookie fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett for the backup role behind starter Matthew Stafford.

Tannehill will open offseason practices as the starting quarterback while second-round pick Will Levis is third on the depth chart, but Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said that "whatever happens after that will be up to the players," Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

While Vrabel's comments are essentially just coach-speak, other coaches have been known to make stronger commitments to the veteran option -- at least verbally, if not in practice. Widely expected to be a first-round pick, Levis dropped to the second round and went 33rd overall after the Titans traded up to get him. That's early enough to threaten Tannehill's job security, but it's also worth noting that the Titans passed on Levis at 11th overall (instead drafting offensive lineman Peter Skoronski) and didn't trade back into the first round for him. It all makes for a complicated situation, as the team doesn't seem especially confident in Levis becoming a franchise signal-caller but will probably want to see him play at some point before next year's quarterback-rich draft. On top of that, Tannehill has a non-guaranteed $27 million base salary in 2023 -- the final year of his contract -- which means he could still be released before the start of the season if the Titans love what they see from Levis on the practice field this spring/summer. Tannehill said Wednesday that the "whole system is pretty much different" with Tim Kelly replacing Todd Downing as offensive coordinator in Tennessee, per Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com.

Siemian agreed to a one-year contract with the Bengals on Wednesday, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

Siemian will get a chance to compete with Jake Browning for the top backup spot behind Joe Burrow in 2023 after Brandon Allen, who operated as Burrow's backup for three straight years, agreed to a deal with the 49ers earlier in the offseason. After operating as a part-time starter for Denver in 2016 and 2017, Siemian has since bounced around the league as a backup. He was with the Bears in 2022 and appeared in two games, completing 15 of 26 passes for 184 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Allen agreed Wednesday with the 49ers on a contract, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Allen spent the last three years as Joe Burrow's backup in Cincinnati but will move to the West Coast for the 2023 season. Trey Lance has been medically cleared after undergoing ankle surgery last fall, while Brock Purdy continues to work his way back from elbow surgery. Jimmy Garoppolo is no longer in the picture, but the 49ers have brought in Sam Darnold, and now Allen, as depth options behind their two promising young quarterbacks. In his four-year career, Allen has completed 56.7 percent of his passes for 1,611 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.

The Saints waived Luton on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Luton spent last season with New Orleans' practice squad and signed a reserve/future contract with them in January. However, the Saints no longer had a need for the 27-year-old after signing Derek Carr and drafting Jake Haener in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, so Luton will now look for another opportunity elsewhere.

GM Brad Holmes said Tuesday that the Lions have had "internal dialogue" about signing Goff to a contract extension, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

This is far from a no-brainer, considering Goff has two years remaining on his contract and the Lions just used the 68th overall pick on Hendon Hooker (knee). Their new addition is already 25 years old and still rehabbing from an ACL tear he suffered in November, though Hooker did recently say he anticipates being "cleared 100 percent" by September. Even if that happens, Goff will be the Week 1 starter in 2023, leading an offense with solid blocking and incoming early draft picks at the skill positions in running back Jahmyr Gibbs, taken 12th overall, and tight end Sam LaPorta, selected 35th. A possible extension for Goff might be more about lowering his cap hits for 2023 ($30.98 million) and 2024 ($31.98 million) than actually committing to him beyond the next two years. Even after his 2022 rebound, the 28-year-old is unlikely to ever be a top-10 quarterback and probably can't convince the Lions to give him guaranteed money beyond 2024 unless he really lights it up in 2023. His current deal guarantees $5 million of his $20.98 million base salary for 2023 and has no guarantees for 2024.

Love agreed Tuesday with the Packers on a one-year extension worth up to $22.5 million, including $13.5 million fully guaranteed, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Love and the Packers found a workaround shortly before the deadline to lock in fifth-year options for 2020 first-round picks. The team apparently wasn't comfortable guaranteeing Love a $20.3 million salary for 2024, so instead he accepted a one-year extension with a smaller guarantee and a slightly higher ceiling. The 24-year-old is set to take over as Green Bay's starting quarterback after the Aaron Rodgers trade, leading an offense with Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon in the backfield and Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed projected as the top three wide receivers. The Packers took Reed in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft while also adding tight end Luke Musgrave in round two, tight end Tucker Kraft in round three and wideout Dontayvion Wicks in round five.

Willis remains the backup quarterback in the immediate aftermath of the draft, but he will have to earn the role moving forward, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Titans selected Willis in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, so to call his future with the team into question appears drastic on the surface. However, after he struggled immensely in limited action as a rookie, Tennessee opted to spend an early second-round selection on Will Levis in this year's draft. Ryan Tannehill remains the clear starter for the time being, though coach Mike Vrabel said that he will let the player's performance dictate their spot on the depth chart as the season draws closer. As a result, Willis is heading into a pivotal time for his pro career, even though he's entering only his second season.