NFL Player News

Johnson (illness) faces added target competition after the Giants signed Isaiah Likely to a three-year, $40 million contract Monday, Albert Breer of SI.com reports.

Johnson, a 2024 fourth-round pick, emerged as New York's clear top tight end in 2025 while securing 45 of 74 targets for 528 and five touchdowns across 15 regular-season appearances, but Likely's contract and familiarity with new head coach John Harbaugh make him the favorite to lead the position in pass-catching reps. That said, Johnson figures to remain in a significant role on offense and the Giants made it a priority to re-sign blocking specialist Chris Manhertz prior to the start of free agency. It won't be surprising if New York deploys a heavy rotation at right end during the 2026 season. Johnson missed the final two games of 2025 due to an illness but should be fully healthy to begin offseason activities.

Likely is in line to sign a three-year contract with the Giants, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports.

The initial report has it as a three-year, $40 million contract with a maximum value of $47.5 million. That's a good sign that the Giants envision Likely in a larger role than the one he typically handled in Baltimore, where Mark Andrews and Charlie Kolar also played a lot of snaps at tight end. That said, the Giants still have Theo Johnson on his rookie contract and recently re-signed blocking specialist Chris Manhertz, creating plenty of competition for playing time. Likely doesn't figure to handle huge snap counts even if his receiving usage expands.

Otton is finalizing a deal that will have him re-sign with the Buccaneers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Otton, a 2022 fourth-round pick, was positioned as one of the top available tight ends on the free-agent market, but he'll instead remain in a familiar offense with quarterback Baker Mayfield at the helm. Otton's time in Tampa Bay has largely been characterized by lofty snap counts and low target rates, though he's proven capable of handling larger receiving workloads when injuries at WR necessitate it. He made 58 regular-season starts over the course of his rookie contract, posting his best receiving line in 2024 (59-600-4) despite missing three games. Otton dropped to 59-572-1 last season, with six fewer targets (81) in two more games (16).

The Patriots are tendering Westover, who was an exclusive rights free agent, Mark Daniels of MassLive reports Monday.

Westover will be under contract with the team for 2026 once he signs his tender. He is used almost exclusively as a blocker at fullback and tight end in addition to contributing on special teams. Westover has one catch in 20 regular-season NFL games.

Manertz is re-signing with the Giants on a one-year contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The Giants have re-signed the veteran tight end rather than allowing Manhertz to hit free agency. He's expected to continue filling a depth role in 2026 after appearing in all 17 games during the 2025 season but contributing just one catch.

Kelce is expected to re-sign with the Chiefs for a 14th season, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Kelce weighed retirement this offseason but is now expected not only to continue his playing career for a 14th season in the NFL, but to do so while remaining with the team that selected him in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. The four-time All-Pro has seen his receiving production decline over the past two seasons, across which he's averaged just over 800 receiving yards and four touchdowns, but he remains a key component of Kansas City's passing game and will provide stability for an offense in need of reliability, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee) recovering from ACL and LCL tears suffered last December. Per Albert Breer of SI.com, Kelce's deal to re-sign with the Chiefs is not yet official but is actively in the works.

Adkins and the Broncos agreed on a one-year contract Sunday, Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post reports.

Adkins will remain in Denver for a fourth season after having caught six of 11 targets for 48 yards and a touchdown over nine regular-season contests in 2025. The tight end likely will continue to have limited upside on offense next season, operating behind the likes of Evan Engram and Adam Trautman, the latter of whom inked a three-year deal with the Broncos on Sunday.

The Broncos re-signed Trautman to a three-year, $17 million contract Sunday, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

A favorite of coach Sean Payton, Trautman has spent time with the head coach in New Orleans and Denver and logged 57 percent of the offensive snaps across 17 regular-season games last season. Trautman doesn't do much on the stat sheet but is a trusted blocker. He secured 20 of 23 targets for 195 yards and one touchdown during the 2025 campaign.

Kelce appears set to return for the 2026 campaign, and the Chiefs are in the mix to re-sign him, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.

Kelce is an impending free agent and has been considering whether to continue his career or retire this offseason. The four-time All-Pro spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Chiefs, but it's unclear if he'll stay in Kansas City for his 14th season. Kelce racked up seven straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2016 to 2022, and he's totaled 1,674 yards and eight touchdowns while missing just one regular-season game over the last two years. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is recovering from surgery undergone in mid-December to repair ACL and LCL tears, so Kelce will likely be catching passes from someone else Week 1 if he remains with Kansas City in 2026.

Hockenson (shoulder) and the Vikings agreed to a restructured contract Saturday that lowers his cap number for the 2026 season by $5 million, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Minnesota continues to get closer to cap compliance with this move, getting Hockenson's league-high $21.3 million cap hit (among tight ends) down to a more palatable $16.3 million, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. Hockenson missed the final two games of the 2025 regular season due to a shoulder injury, finishing it with 51 catches (on 66 targets) for 438 yards and three touchdowns in 15 appearances. He and Josh Oliver (ankle) will continue to operate as the Vikings' top two tight ends in the upcoming campaign.