NFL Player News

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).

Walker agreed to a two-year contract with the Bears on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Walker will presumably compete with Trevor Siemian (oblique) for the backup role behind Justin Fields in Chicago's run-heavy offense. In six appearances (five starts) for the Panthers last season, Walker completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 731 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions while carrying six times for 39 yards.

The Chiefs and Mahomes (ankle) agreed to restructure his contract Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

On the heels of his second Super Bowl title, Mahomes will have $12 million of his 2023 roster bonus converted into a signing bonus, creating $9.6 million in cap space for Kansas City. The team could use the flexibility after losing cogs like wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and safety Juan Thornhill in free agency. As the Chiefs roster currently stands, the top skill-position players are tight end Travis Kelce, running back Isiah Pacheco and wide receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore. As Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reported back on Feb. 13, Mahomes is aiming to be past the right high-ankle sprain that he sustained in the playoffs by the start of OTAs this spring.

Allen came to terms on a contract with the Bills on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

One of Josh Allen's best friends, Kyle will slide in as the favorite for No. 2 duties in Buffalo with Case Keenum signing in Houston. The 27-year-old Allen has made 19 career starts in the NFL, completing 62.6 percent of his passes with 26 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.

The Rams didn't extend Wolford a qualifying offer or contract tender as a restricted free agent Wednesday.

Wolford thus becomes an unrestricted free agent and hits the open market after appearing in three games for the Rams in 2022, completing 38 of 62 passes for 390 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions across 120 offensive snaps. He also rushed eight times for 32 yards and fumbled three times, losing only one. Wolford has been a viable fill-in option over the past three seasons when Matthew Stafford or Jared Goff has been injured, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the Rams bring Wolford back on a cheaper deal than his tender would have paid him.

Brissett reached agreement Wednesday with the Commanders on a one-year deal, Dianna Russini of ESPN reports.

Brissett is coming off a 2022 campaign in which he held down the fort at quarterback for the Browns until Deshaun Watson completed his suspension. In 16 appearances (11 starts), Brissett completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,608 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions while also rushing 49 times for 243 yards and two more scores. Upon joining Washington, he'll likely get the chance to compete for a starting role along with second-year signal-caller Sam Howell, barring further additions to the Commanders quarterback room.

The Panthers didn't tender an offer to Walker as a restricted free agent Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Walker will thus hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent. Carolina is completely overhauling its quarterback room, saying goodbye to both Sam Darnold and Walker after previously cutting Baker Mayfield during the season after he made six starts. Walker made five starts for Carolina in 2022, completing 59.4 percent of his throws for 731 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He'll look for a backup job elsewhere.

The Ravens plan to offer Huntley a contract tender for the 2023 season Wednesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Ravens are expected to place the low restricted tender on the quarterback, meaning that the team would have the right to match any offer sheet Huntley signs. However, Baltimore won't receive compensation in the event that the team chooses not to match any offer sheet. That said, the Ravens presumably prefer to retain Huntley in 2023, especially given the unclear status of star signal-caller Lamar Jackson, who was previously assigned a non-exclusive franchise tag.