NFL Player News

Coach Klint Kubiak confirmed Tuesday that Cousins will open training camp as the Raiders' starting quarterback, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.

"When we go out to practice tomorrow, Kirk is the starting quarterback," Kubiak said. "He's the guy, and he deserves it because he's played really good football. But I want Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O'Connell to push him." This has been the Raiders' plan all along after Cousins opened spring practices as the QB1. While Cousins may get the Week 1 nod against the Dolphins on Sept. 13, Mendoza is fully expected to make rookie-year starts. Cousins made eight starts for the Falcons last season and completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions across 10 total regular-season appearances.

Coach Kevin O'Connell noted Tuesday that Murray and J.J. McCarthy are slated to split reps with the first-team offense during training camp, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

O'Connell has a timeline in place to announce the Vikings' starter at QB, but at this stage it's unclear how long he'll wait to make that call. For now, Murray profiles as the favorite to land the Week 1 start, but that's a narrative that could change if McCarthy looks sharp as training camp progresses.

McCarthy and Kyler Murray will split first-team reps during the early portion of training camp, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

McCarthy and Murray continue to engage in what seems like one of the league's few true quarterback competitions. Head coach Kevin O'Connell has stated that he has a timeline in place to announce a starter, but what that schedule is hasn't been revealed publicly. A 2024 first-round pick, McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to injury and then logged an up-and-down Year 2, throwing for 1,632 yards with an 11:12 TD:INT across 10 regular-season starts in 2025.

Allar is set to work with the third-string offense in training camp, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Allar is set to compete with Will Howard, working with "the other groups" as Mason Rudolph takes snaps with the second-team offense. With Aaron Rodgers currently set to remain as the No. 1 quarterback, Allar and Howard will need to fight to take the No. 3 spot on the depth chart.

Though Richardson's trade request is still on the table, GM Chris Ballard's stance regarding the QB's status remains unchanged, Kevin Bowen of 1075thefan.com reports.

Ballard said the current intention is for the Colts to carry three quarterbacks into the regular season, and for now Richardson remains in the backup mix behind Daniel Jones, along with Riley Leonard and Easton Stick. Regarding Richardson, whom the team took fourth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, Ballard noted, "We are not just giving him away." It's still possible that another team looking for QB depth will explore dealing for Richardson in the coming weeks, but for now he's on track to compete for slotting behind Jones (Achilles), who indicated Monday that he'll be full go to start training camp.

Mayfield and the Buccaneers are not expected to engage in further contract talks prior to the start of the regular season, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Mayfield previously set a self-imposed deadline to finalize any new extension by the start of training camp, and with Wednesday's camp kickoff right around the corner, it appears the 31-year-old quarterback will play out 2026 on the final year of his deal. That leaves Mayfield in position to potentially hit free agency in 2027, though Tampa Bay will always have the option to deploy the franchise tag or negotiate an extension prior to the onset of free agency. Mayfield is looking to bounce back from a 2025 campaign in which he was held back by injuries, but he surpassed 4,000 passing yards in both of his prior seasons, including his 4,500-yard, 41-TD showing in the 2024 regular season.

Mayfield and the Buccaneers have made no real progress toward a contract extension with training camp slated to begin Wednesday, July 29, Jeremy Fowler and Jenna Laine of ESPN.com report.

Mayfield remains under contract for 2026 and is locked in as Tampa Bay's starter, but the lack of movement keeps his long-term status unsettled as camp begins. The stalemate does not materially change his fantasy outlook in redraft formats, though a contract-year setup adds pressure for Mayfield to rebound after an injury-marred 2025 season. The former Cleveland QB has previously expressed a desire to conclude negotiations prior to the start of training camp in order to keep his full focus on team activities.

Jones (Achilles) said on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday that he'll be "full go to start training camp" Wednesday.

Jones said he'll be participating in 11-on-11 drills when training camp opens Wednesday, which would suggest he won't begin camp on the active/PUP list. "I'm ready to go," Jones continued. The quarterback suffered a season-ending torn right Achilles in Week 14 last season and is nearly eight months removed from the injury. Jones threw at OTAs during the spring, and his rehab has gone off without a hitch by all accounts.

Minshew, who handled first-team reps at practice Sunday, will move back to the No. 2 quarterback role when the Cardinals return to practice Tuesday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

Minshew will bump back to the backup role now that teammate Jacoby Brissett has come to terms with Arizona on a new contract that provides him a raise for the 2026 campaign. Expectations are that Minshew will kick off the regular season as the No. 2 option behind Brissett, though rookie third-rounder Carson Beck also will have the chance to compete for opportunities in training camp. Minshew is fully recovered from the season-ending knee injury he suffered while operating as the backup to Patrick Mahomes (ACL) in Kansas City in 2025.

Brissett and the Cardinals agreed to a reworked contract Sunday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Brissett's new deal will increase his 2026 compensation to $15.5 million guaranteed and up to $21 million with incentives, meaning he'll still become an unrestricted free agent after this season. It ends a stalemate in contract negotiations between the veteran quarterback and the Cardinals that started in mid-April right before the 2026 NFL Draft, which led to Brissett sitting out of OTAs before reporting to mandatory minicamp and training camp. Now that talks have resolved with a restructured contract, Brissett can focus his efforts toward training camp and strengthening his hold on the starting quarterback job, with Gardner Minshew and rookie third-round pick Carson Beck battling for the backup role. Brissett is coming off a career year in 2025, when he completed 64.9 percent of passes for 3,366 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions across 14 regular-season games (12 starts).