NFL Player News

The Vikings aren't committed to Cousins beyond 2023, as his recent restructure pushes more of the cap hit to future years without changing the length of the contract, Chip Scoggins of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The team used void years rather than an extension, but another contract could still happen next offseason or even later this year. While the Vikings hope to find a young quarterback to develop behind their 34-year-old, long-time starter, there's no guarantee of finding the right player this spring or next, especially without the luxury of an early first-round pick. Minnesota's offense largely looks the same as last year through the first few days of the 2023 league year, with the exception of Adam Thielen leaving and blocking tight end Josh Oliver coming over from Baltimore. Quarterback and wide receiver are two of the positions Minnesota could target early in the 2023 Draft, though in terms of filling short-term gaps it's the defense that needs more help. Either way, Cousins is year-to-year with the Vikings, which arguably was the case even before this offseason.

Garoppolo (foot) officially signed with the Raiders on Friday.

When the agreement was announced Monday, it was reported to be a three-year, $67.5 million contract with $34 million in guarantees, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Garoppolo thus will be Las Vegas' No. 1 quarterback in the post-Derek Carr era for the Raiders. While Garoppolo currently is rehabbing from a broken left foot that he suffered Week 13 of last season, he'll be throwing to the likes of wide receivers Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers once the 2023 campaign kicks off in September.

The Cowboys are re-signing Rush to a two-year contract Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Rush proved his worth as a backup last season by leading Dallas' offense to win four of his five early-season starts with Dak Prescott injured. Prescott is the Cowboys' clear starter, but after having proven his proficiency in the team's system, Rush could be worth rostering in deeper fantasy formats that start multiple quarterbacks.

Mariota (knee) agreed to a one-year contract with the Eagles on Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The deal will pay Mariota $5 million and could be worth up to $8 million with incentives. With the Eagles, Mariota, who is bouncing back from a knee procedure, will slot in as the backup quarterback behind Pro Bowler Jalen Hurts. In 13 games (all starts) with Atlanta last season, Mariota recorded 2,219 passing yards, to go along with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while also logging 438 rushing yards (including four TDs via the ground).

The Seahawks and Lock agreed to terms on a one-year contract Thursday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Seattle thus will operate with the same quarterback room from last season in the upcoming campaign, only with no competition in store after the impressive campaign put together by starter Geno Smith, who inked a three-year, $105 million extension in early March. Lock didn't see the field at all in 2022, but he'll at least be veteran insurance in the event Smith has to miss any time in the fall.

The Colts have agreed to terms with Minshew, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Minshew's one-year deal is for $3.5 million (fully guaranteed) and could be worth up to $5.5 million with incentives. The 2019 sixth-rounder joins the Colts a day after the team officially released veteran signal-caller Matt Ryan. The addition of Minshew gives Indy an option with NFL starting experience ahead of the 2023 season, but it remains to be seen how the rest of the QB depth chart will end up shaking out, with the franchise likely to continue bolstering the position, quite possibly via next month's draft.

Siemian was released by the Bears on Thursday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Siemian ended the season on IR after he needed surgery to address an oblique injury suffered in Week 12 warmups. The veteran quarterback, who is now presumably past the issue, has previously spent time with the Broncos, Jets and Saints before landing in Chicago last season. He'll now likely work to find a backup opportunity with a new franchise.

The Patriots have released Hoyer, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Following the release of Hoyer, Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe are the two quarterbacks currently on the Patriots' roster. Now that he's presumably past the concussion that landed him on IR last season, the 37-year-old Hoyer could potentially land a backup gig ahead of the coming season.

Heinicke said his goal is to be "the best backup I can" behind fellow Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports. "They drafted [Ridder] high for a reason," Heinicke added Thursday afternoon.

The catch is that Atlanta didn't draft Ridder all that early (74th overall), while Heinicke's two-year, $14 million contract ($6.32 million guaranteed) makes him one of the better-compensated backups in the league. The team was clear with Heinicke about Ridder being the starter, which figures to carry into Week 1, but that doesn't necessarily mean the second-year pro will have a lot of leeway if he struggles once the season starts. Heinicke's stats from Washington -- 64.0 completion rate, 7.0 YPA, 33:21 TD:INT, 12-11-1 record -- give him a strong argument to be viewed among the two or three best backup quarterbacks in the league.

Howell is expected to enter the offseason program as Washington's top quarterback but could face competition from free-agent signing Jacoby Brissett, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official website reports.

Brissett is a solid backup, but it's good news for Howell if this is the only significant competition brought in during the offseason. The Commanders could still draft a quarterback, of course, but they seem to be high on their 2022 fifth-round pick after his strong showing last preseason and solid outing Week 18 against the Cowboys. While not exactly fleet of foot, the densely built Howell (6-1, 220) ran for 828 yards and 11 TDs his final season at UNC, then had 94 rushing yards last preseason and 35 yards and a TD in his lone regular-season appearance. The mobility should keep him in QB2 range, at least, if he holds on to the top spot on the depth chart, and he'll also benefit from a talented WR room featuring Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel (assuming Samuel isn't a cap casualty this offseason; a move that would save Washington around $10.5 million).