NFL Player News

Barkley and the Eagles have reached agreement on a three-year, $37.75 million contract that could be worth up to $46.75 million and includes $26 million fully guaranteed at signing, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

While the dollar amounts in initial contract reports are suspect, Schefter was specific about all the key details on this one. The Eagles have upgraded their offense by swapping out D'Andre Swift (Bears) for Barkley, who figures to have the best offensive line of his career after spending six years with the division-rival Giants. QB Jalen Hurts' proficiency as both a scrambler and short-yardage runner takes away some of the receiving and TD production that might otherwise go to a running back, but the Eagles will surely make Barkley a priority after signing him to a large contract, and at the very least it should be a good situation for piling up rushing yards.

Jacobs is in line to sign a contract with the Packers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Green Bay already has a No. 1 running back in place in Aaron Jones, but AJ Dillon just completed his rookie contract and is slated to move on now that the team is poised to ink Jacobs to a deal. Jacobs missed four games due to injury this past season but still managed to post 1,101 yards from scrimmage and six TDs on the ground for the Raiders, and he's just two years removed from pacing the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards. He'll join forces with Jones to form a formidable tandem out of the Packers backfield.

Pollard is slated to sign a three-year, $24 million deal with the Titans, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

With the looming move, it appears as though Derrick Henry will be playing elsewhere in 2024, while Dallas will be in the running back market in free agency and/or the draft. Pollard is now slated to join a backfield that also includes 2023 third-rounder Tyjae Spears, a context that figures to result in some form of an RB timeshare in Tennessee this coming season.

The Eagles and Texans are interested in signing Barkley, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.

While numerous other teams presumably have some level of interest, it sounds like Houston and Philadelphia are among the more serious candidates at the start of the free-agent negotiating period Monday afternoon. Barkley is widely viewed as the best RB among a strong group of free agents at the position, though it seems D'Andre Swift (Bears) and Tony Pollard (Titans) are ahead of him when it comes to reaching verbal agreements with suitors. Barkley figures to come out ahead of them financially, of course.

Swift and the Bears agreed to terms Monday on a three-year, $24 million contract, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

It's the first major deal reported during the free-agent negotiating period and can't be made official until Wednesday afternoon. Swift figures to step in as the lead back for an offense with a new coordinator (Shane Waldron) and likely a new quarterback (Caleb Williams?), though he probably won't be a workhorse given that the Bears also have Khalil Herbert and 2023 fourth-round pick Roschon Johnson under contract. Herbert, in particular, is a threat to take a good chunk of the carries, as he's averaged 4.9 yards on 364 totes through three pro seasons. Herbert hasn't done much in the passing game -- 43 catches, 4.9 YPT -- and doesn't figure to get many chances there now that Swift is on the team.

Williams is signing a one-year contract to stay with the Bengals.

There was some discussion last offseason about Williams potentially replacing Samaje Perine as Cincy's No. 2 running back, but the 2019 sixth-round pick mostly continued to play special teams. Williams' 156 snaps on offense were easily a career high, but that equated to only 14.4 percent of the team total, whereas on special teams he took 64.2 percent of available snaps (294 overall). He has 77 touches for 381 yards and no touchdowns in 51 career games, and he'll likely be the third-string RB again in 2024.

The Raiders re-signed Abdullah on Friday.

Abdullah has spent the last two seasons with the Raiders, and he'll now remain with the team for the immediate future. The 2015 second-round pick has appeared in all 34 of the Raiders' games since signing with the team, recording 451 yards from scrimmage on 63 touches. The veteran running back is expected to serve as a depth piece in Las Vegas' backfield once again in 2024.

The Bills released Hines (knee) on Wednesday with a non-football injury designation.

Adam Schefter of ESPN previously noted that Hines, who suffered a torn ACL last July and missed the entire 2023 season, will likely be ready to take the field by training camp. Assuming he experiences no setbacks as he finishes up his recovery from knee surgery, Hines should get the chance to compete for a change-of-pace role out of the backfield with another team in 2024.

Jacobs was not among the players that received the franchise tag ahead of Tuesday's deadline to do so, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The same applies to Saquon Barkley of the Giants, which sets the stage for the pair of high-profile running backs to be able to explore their options in free agency next week. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, tagging Jacobs would have cost the Raiders $14.1 million, so it's not surprising that the franchise didn't go in that direction. With the likes of Derrick Henry, Austin Ekeler, Tony Pollard and D'Andre Swift also eligible to become free agents in the coming days, it remains to be seen what sort of contract awaits Jacobs in a crowded RB market, and with that in mind it's still possible he could end up re-signing with Las Vegas.

The Giants don't intend to use the franchise tag on Barkley ahead of Tuesday's deadline, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter report.

Tagging the running back for a second straight year would have put the Giants on the hook for a $12.1 million salary in 2024. Barkley, who turned 27 last month, will become a free agent in the coming days as a result. In his sixth campaign with the team that selected him second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, Barkley carried the ball 247 times for 962 yards and six TDs to go along with 41 catches on 60 targets for 280 yards and four receiving scores over 14 contests in 2023.