NFL Player News

Homer (hamstring) signed a one-year, $2-million deal with the Bears on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The running back will remain with the team that he played for during the 2023 and '24 campaigns. Homer missed Chicago's last three games of 2024 with a hamstring injury but appears to be healthy again. He played more on special teams than offense in each of the last two seasons, recording just six carries for 23 yards and three catches for 11 yards between the two years.

Rivers signed a one-year contract with the Rams on Sunday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Rivers opened the 2024 regular season as the Rams' No. 2 running back behind Kyren Williams, but he was eventually bumped down to third string by rookie Blake Corum. Rivers saw plenty of work on special teams for the Rams last season and should reprise that role in 2025. He finished the 2024 campaign with 22 carries for 99 yards and five catches (on six targets) for 34 yards across 17 regular-season games.

The 49ers traded Mason (ankle) to the Vikings on Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The 49ers placed a second-round tender worth $5.3 million on Mason when free agency began, but he'll now be shipped out along with the No. 187 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft in exchange for the No. 160 pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick, per David Lombardi of SFStandard.com. Mason will receive a two-year contract with the Vikings that's worth up to $12 million and includes $7 million guaranteed. Mason served as the 49ers' starting running back for the first half of the 2024 regular season due to Christian McCaffrey being sidelined with Achilles injuries. Through the first eight games of the regular season, Mason rushed for 685 yards and three touchdowns on 134 carries while adding 10 catches (on 12 targets) for 86 yards, though he missed the final five games due to a high-ankle sprain. Ty Chandler was slated to be the Vikings' backup running back, but Mason's addition is an upgrade to the backfield led by Aaron Jones, who agreed to a two-year contract with Minneosta on March 9.

The Jets are re-signing Nwangwu (hand) to a one-year contract, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Per Pelissero, the deal is worth up to $2.5 million. Nwangwu logged just one offensive snap over two games with the Jets last season, but he dazzled with a 99-yard kick return for a touchdown in Week 13. Nwangwu ended the campaign on IR due to a hand injury, but he's expected to be healthy by the start of training camp.

The Chiefs are re-signing Hunt to a one-year, $1.5 million contract Friday, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.

Hunt joined Kansas City last September in the wake of an early-season IR stint for Isiah Pacheco due to a fractured fibula. He served as the team's starter for a stretch and then split backfield reps with Pacheco once the latter returned to the lineup, up through the Chiefs' loss to Philadelphia in Super Bowl LIX. Hunt concluded the regular season with 200 carries for 728 yards and seven scores across 13 appearances, plus 23 catches for 176 yards through the air (32 targets). A full offseason to get back to 100 percent form may allow Pacheco to reclaim a firm grasp on the lead role of the Chiefs' backfield, which also added speedster Elijah Mitchell in free agency, but Hunt's solid showing in 2024 figures to leave him in position for a solid amount of complementary snaps. The exact pecking order of Kansas City's rushing attack may not gain clarity until training camp and/or the preseason.

Sanders is slated to sign a one-year deal with the Cowboys, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

The Panthers released Sanders on Tuesday after he had a pair of disappointing seasons with the team. He'll now join the Cowboys looking to revitalize his career, and he should have the chance to capture a decent workload as the roster is currently constructed. Javonte Williams is the only other back on the depth chart capable of carrying a traditional workload, though Sanders' fantasy potential won't become clear until after the NFL Draft in late April.

Mattison is signing with the Dolphins, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.

Mattison is swapping teams with Raheem Mostert, whose deal with the Raiders was reported about two hours earlier. While Mostert perhaps has a chance to rebound from a disappointing 2024 and earn a key role, Mattison will merely be competing for a backup job behind De'Von Achane. The Dolphins presumably hope 2024 fourth-round pick Jaylen Wright secures the second spot on the depth chart, with Mattison essentially being a backup plan for the backup. It's a tough situation for earning playing time, albeit with the outside chance of a handsome payoff if injuries eventually thrust him into a starting role in Mike McDaniel's offense.

Mostert is signing a one-year contract with the Raiders, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.

The soon-to-be 33-year-old will join a new-look Vegas offense with Geno Smith at quarterback and Chip Kelly calling plays. It's about the best landing spot possible in terms of opportunity to earn snaps and touches, as the Raiders had arguably the worst backfield in the league last year and haven't signed any other free agents so far this offseason. Of course, more help likely is on the way, be it in the coming weeks via free agency or at the end of April during the NFL Draft. Mostert and Kelly briefly worked together in Philadelphia (2015) and San Francisco (2016), but at a point in Mostert's career when he was struggling to stick around the league and mostly playing special teams.

The Panthers are signing Rico Dowdle to replace Miles Sanders (free agent) as Hubbard's backup, ESPN.com reports.

Hubbard and Dowdle both were lead backs last year, but there doesn't seem to be any doubt about whose show it will be in 2025, considering the former signed a four-year, $33.2 million extension. Dowdle settled for a one-year deal with a reported base value of $3 million, which suggests NFL teams view him as a backup-caliber player even after he ran for 1,079 yards in Dallas last year. Hubbard is the better pure runner, and generally a superior player, but it is possible he cedes more of the backfield work in 2025 (compared to last season) if Carolina's coaches like Dowdle more than they liked Sanders. There's no indication Hubbard's calf and knee injuries from the end of 2024 will be a problem for the upcoming season, whereas 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks figures to miss significant time after tearing his right ACL for the second time in two years.

The Lions re-signed Reynolds to a one-year contract Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Reynolds wasn't tendered by the Lions as a restricted free agent, and he's instead returning to the team at a reduced rate. The 28-year-old appeared in all 17 regular-season games for Detroit last season, rushing 31 times for 139 scoreless yards (4.5 YPC), while adding three catches for 40 yards on five targets in the passing game. He played a career-high 272 special-teams snaps. Reynolds will continue to provide quality depth behind Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.