NFL Player News

Hooker (knee) posted a video Wednesday on his personal Twitter account featuring him taking dropbacks for the first time since suffering an ACL tear in November.

Hooker has been optimistic about his rehab from knee surgery, saying in early March that he expected to be ready for training camp, and more recently telling Jeff Howe of The Athletic that he will be "cleared 100 percent" by Sept. 1. While receiving full clearance for the start of camp seems unlikely, Hooker should have a chance to be ready by Week 1, though he'll presumably be a second- or third-stringer at that point. The 25-year-old's age is another major concern for teams, potentially making him a Day 2 pick rather than a Day 1 selection even after he threw 58 touchdowns against five interceptions during his final two years of college at Tennessee.

The Bengals exercised Burrow's fifth-year option for 2024 on Tuesday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.

The two sides remain in talks about a long-term extension, which should get hammered out well before 2024. Picking up the option was merely a procedural move to keep Burrow under team control should extension talks go sideways. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Burrow won Comeback Player of the Year in 2021 and made his first Pro Bowl in 2022 while finishing fourth in MVP voting. He has already played in seven playoff games over the last two seasons, reaching the Super Bowl back in 2021 before falling to Kansas City in the AFC title game last year. Burrow is in line to potentially become the NFL's highest-paid player.

The Jets plan to keep Wilson around in a backup role after trading for Aaron Rodgers on Monday, ESPN.com's Rich Cimini reports.

The report notes that Wilson and Rodgers have become friends, and the Jets hope they can still salvage something from the No. 2 overall pick down the line in 2024 or 2025. Wilson has completed 55.2 percent of his passes for 6.4 YPA as a pro, showing no real progress last season as he was benched for poor performance on two occasions. With Rodgers set to start in New York for the next year or two, the 23-year-old Wilson drops down the depth chart and may even face a challenge from Tim Boyle for the No. 2 QB job.

Purdy is no longer wearing a brace over his surgically-repaired right elbow, ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner reports.

GM John Lynch discussed the 49ers' QB situation Monday, noting that Purdy is "definitely on schedule, hitting all the checkpoints," while Trey Lance isn't actively being shopped but has been mentioned in trade talks "on a couple occasions." Purdy is six weeks removed from UCL surgery and won't be available for offseason practices, with Lynch saying he'll have a better idea about the second-year QB's rehab timeline 12 weeks out from surgery. Lynch said in late March that he expected Purdy to be ready early in the regular season, possibly by Week 1, adding that Purdy is "probably the leader in the clubhouse" to start once he's healthy. A strong offseason and training camp from Lance or free-agent addition Sam Darnold might change that, especially if Purdy is slow to come back from surgery.

The Packers will move on to Love at quarterback after agreeing to trade Aaron Rodgers to the Jets on Monday, Rich Cimini and Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

With the long-awaited deal soon to be ironed out in the coming days, the post-Rodgers era in Green Bay now has clarity. A first-round pick in 2020, Love has just 10 appearances and one start on his resume through three campaigns, having completed 50 of 83 passes (60.2 percent) for 606 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions and rushing 13 times for 26 yards. His performance (113 yards and a TD strike to Christian Watson in one and a half quarters) in place of Rodgers against the Eagles in Week 12 last season likely was the sign the Packers needed that Love was ready to take over the offense. As the roster stands before the 2023 Draft, the skill-position talent at Love's disposal consists of notables like running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon and wide receivers Watson and Romeo Doubs.

Huntley signed his restricted free agent tender with the Ravens on Monday, Clifton Brown of the team's official site reports.

As a result, the QB is slated to play this season on a one-year deal worth $2.67 million. Over the past two campaigns, the 25-year-old has made nine starts for Baltimore, including one playoff game. Huntley's role in the coming months hinges on how Lamar Jackson's situation plays out, but as things stand, the Ravens hope to have the star signal-caller (who was assigned a $32.4 million non-exclusive franchise tag by the team) available to lead the offense in 2023.

The Jets acquired Rodgers from the Packers in exchange for a package of draft picks Monday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

Along with Rodgers, the Jets are acquiring the No. 15 overall pick in Thursday's NFL Draft and a 2023 fifth-rounder, at No. 170 overall. Headed to Green Bay are the 13th overall pick Thursday night, the No. 42 overall selection on Friday and a sixth-rounder at No. 207 on Saturday. The Packers also are receiving a 2024 second-rounder that will become a first-round pick if Rodgers plays 65 percent of the offensive snaps this upcoming season. It's a pretty sizable haul, considering the team had little leverage other than just keeping Rodgers around. The book now can be closed on this drama, with Rodgers quarterbacking a Jets offense that features Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman as his top three wideouts while Corey Davis is still viewed as a likely release candidate. Rodgers' fantasy arrow trended downward last season, but perhaps reuniting with old-turned-new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will help him bounce back to his MVP-like numbers from 2020 and 2021.

Huntley plans to sign his restricted free agent tender Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Huntley has been working out at the Ravens' facility and will spend the upcoming weekend in Florida throwing with teammates. He made nine starts the past two seasons, including one playoff game, coming away with three wins and six losses while mostly keeping the team competitive. The Ravens still hope to have Lamar Jackson under center by Week 1, but Huntley seems to be the fallback plan if Jackson doesn't sign a long-term contract or his franchise tag and remains absent into the regular season. If Jackson were to be traded this offseason, the team presumably would have more cap space and draft capital to bring in legitimate competition for Huntley.

Tagovailoa said Wednesday that he considered retirement this offseason but instead decided to prioritize training that may help him avoid future concussions, the Miami Herald reports.

Tagovailoa noted that doctors told him he isn't at significant risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and doesn't have any extra risk of suffering additional concussions. Head injuries limited him to 13 games last season in what was otherwise a breakout campaign, with Tagovailoa throwing 25 touchdowns to only eight interceptions while leading the league in yards per pass attempt (8.9). He'll have a similarly favorable setup this season under second-year head coach Mike McDaniel, with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle forming the fastest wideiout duo in the NFL and having a strong argument to be considered the best. The team's skill-position players look much the same as in 2022 minus tight end Mike Gesicki, whose role had been scaled back under McDaniel in any case.

San Francisco has received inquiries from teams around the league about trading for Lance (ankle), Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The 49ers have reportedly only heard trade requests for Lance rather than actively making calls, though the team's willingness to listen is another hint that Brock Purdy (elbow) is in the lead to start when healthy. Rapoport confirms that no deal is imminent, but given that San Francisco also brought in Sam Darnold as a potential backup option this offseason, it wouldn't ultimately be surprising to see Lance get a fresh start elsewhere. Since being selected third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lance has shown flashes in his mere four career starts, but he will likely still need further development even if he's medically cleared in time to fully participate in offseason activities. If he remains in San Francisco, Lance is expected to split first-team reps with Darnold until Purdy is able to make his way back on the field.