NFL Player News

The Jets and Conklin agreed to terms on a contract Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

In 2021 with Minnesota, Conklin benefited from the loss of Irv Smith for the season due to a torn meniscus in late August, breaking out with a 61-593-3 receiving line on 87 targets in 17 games. With his new squad, Conklin joins C.J. Uzomah to form a remodeled tight end room. Conklin likely will play second fiddle to Uzomah, and passes from second-year signal-caller Zach Wilson may be difficult to come by in an offense that includes wide receivers Corey Davis (groin), Elijah Moore (quadriceps/illness) and Braxton Berrios.

Mundt (knee) signed a contract with the Vikings on Wednesday.

Mundt appeared in six games with the Rams in 2021, serving mostly as a depth tight end while hauling in his lone target for nine yards. He sustained a torn ACL in mid-October, so he'll likely be sidelined for the entirety of the Vikings' offseason program. Mundt could be ready to go at some point in training camp, but for the moment, his availability for the start of the 2022 campaign is muddled.

The Browns are slated to release Hooper on Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Rumors had been percolating about Hooper's release, especially after the team used a franchise tag on fellow tight end David Njoku. Though a report last week suggested the Browns would keep Hooper, the team now sounds likely to move on from the veteran two seasons in to his four-year, $42 million contract. The 27-year-old caught 84 passes for 780 yards and seven touchdowns in 29 regular-season games with Cleveland the past two seasons.

Kittle agreed Wednesday with the 49ers on a restructured contract, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Kittle has four seasons remaining on the five-year, $75 million extension he signed in August 2020. The restructure likely entails converting most of his 2022 base salary into a bonus, which could free up nearly $8 million in cap space for the Niners. The 28-year-old tight end will be part of a talented pass-catching corps joined by wideouts Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

Tomlinson signed a one-year contract with the Broncos on Tuesday, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Tomlinson spent part of 2021 on the Ravens' practice squad, but he still appeared in all 17 games and totaled one catch for seven yards. It was the 29-year-old's first reception since 2019, and he's likely to operate primarily as a blocker with his new team.

The Texans have agreed to a one-year deal with Brown, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

The report indicates that the 27-year-old's deal to remain with the team includes $3 million fully guaranteed and could reach up to $4 million with incentives. Brown, who finished last season with 23 catches on 34 targets for 171 yards in 15 games, heads into the 2022 campaign with modest fantasy upside in the context of working in a tight end corps that also includes 2021 fifth-rounder Brevin Jordan.

Uzomah (knee) is slated to sign a three-year, $24 million deal with the Jets, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Uzomah is bouncing back from an MCL sprain that he sustained during the postseason, but his pending deal with the Jets suggests that's not going to be a concern heading into the team's offseason activities. The 29-year-old is coming off a 2021 campaign in which he logged 49 catches (on 63 targets) for 493 yards and five touchdowns in 16 games for the Bengals. With the Jets, Uzomah is in line to serve as the team's top pass-catching option at tight end, a role that could yield fantasy utility in 2022 should the 6-foot-6, 260-pounder click well with second-year signal-caller Zach Wilson.

The idea of Hill (foot) competing for the Saints' starting job at quarterback has "run its course," Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Advocate reports.

Given the 6-to-9-month timeline to recover from his Lisfranc injury, Hill was not certain to be ready for the start of the 2022 campaign anyway. However, with Sean Payton now retired, it appears the Payton-led Hill experiment may be over regardless. Not only did New Orleans find limited success with Hill as a starter, he could hardly hold up to increased usage in a part-time role given the laundry list of injuries he dealt with last season. Instead, it seems that Hill will go back to being used as the position-flexible gadget player we've seen before thanks to the return of offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. Meanwhile, the Saints likely will explore different options for their starting signal-caller, including a possible reunion with Jameis Winston (knee).

Engram is slated to sign a one-year deal with the Jaguars, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Per Schefter, Engram's looming pact is a fully-guaranteed $9 million deal that could reach $10 with incentives. The 27-year-old, who caught 46 of his 73 targets for 408 yards and three TDs in 15 games for the Giants in 2021, now figures to be a key target for Jacksonville's young franchise QB, Trevor Lawrence. In that context, Engram appears poised to see an uptick in targets in 2022, with a corresponding boost in his fantasy output a plausible outcome should he avoid injuries and maintain a higher level of consistency in the process.

Gesicki has signed his franchise tag tender with the Dolphins, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

There had been some speculation that Gesicki might file a grievance over his franchise tag position, but the 26-year-old now is in line to play for the $10.9 million allotted to tight ends. This past season, Gesicki recorded 73 catches (on 112 targets) for 780 yards and two TDs in 17 games, and he'll continue to profile as the Dolphins' top pass-catching option at his position once again in 2022. In the process, he'll maintain fantasy relevance, more so if he's able to hit pay dirt on a more frequent basis. Given that he combined for 11 scores in 31 games between the 2019 and 2020 campaigns, that's a plausible outcome this coming season.