NFL Player News
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Stefon Diggs WR | NE
Patriots' Stefon Diggs: Set to be released
The Patriots informed Diggs on Wednesday that he will be released after the start of the new league year March 11, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Diggs rebounded well from an ACL tear that cut his 2024 campaign with Houston short, playing all 17 regular-season games for New England and totaling an 85-1,013-4 receiving line (102 targets) as the No. 1 receiver for Drake Maye in 2025. Per Pelissero, the transaction will allow the Patriots to avoid paying Diggs the $6 million option in his contract that would have become fully guaranteed next Friday, March 13. Now entering his age-33 season, Diggs will need to search for a new landing spot, while New England figures to prioritize searching for a new No. 1 wideout in free agency and/or April's draft. Diggs pleaded not guilty in mid-February to criminal charges stemming form an alleged dispute with his personal chef, which include include a charge of felony strangulation, and he has a pretrial hearing scheduled for April 1.
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Alec Pierce WR | IND
Colts' Alec Pierce: Wants to test free agency
Pierce said Wednesday on the Up & Adams show that he does not expect to re-sign with the Colts before the start of the legal tampering period on March 9, Nathan Brown of the Indianapolis Star reports.
Indianapolis decided to assign the non-exclusive franchise tag to quarterback Daniel Jones (Achilles) rather than Pierce on Tuesday, positioning the wide receiver to hit free agency fresh off having posted a career-best 47-1,003-6 receiving line (84 targets) across 15 regular-season appearances in 2025. The 2022 second-round pick said he's "loved to play" with the Colts, which he called "a great organization," but stated that he's "earned the right to explore free agency and see what's out there." Previously, Pierce has expressed a desire to continue playing with Jones, but it remains to be seen whether it will be feasible for Indianapolis to extend competitive offers to both players. Jones will be able to negotiate with other teams this offseason, with the Colts retaining the right to match any offer he receives.
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Jalen Coker WR | CAR
Panthers' Jalen Coker: Tendered contract by Panthers
Carolina placed an placed exclusive rights free agent tender on Coker on Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
Coker will thus stick with the Panthers on a one-year deal through the 2026 season. He missed the first six games of 2025 due to a quad injury, then logged a 33-394-3 receiving line across his 11 following regular-season appearances. Coker's highlight performance came during his postseason debut, however, when he secured nine of 12 targets for 134 yards and a touchdown during Carolina's wild-card round loss to the Rams. With another offseason of development under his belt, Coker will be a genuine candidate to step up alongside Tetairoa McMillan as one of the Panthers' clear top wideouts during the 2026 season.
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CeeDee Lamb WR | DAL
Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb: Agrees to contract restructure
Lamb agreed to terms Wednesday on a contract restructure with the Cowboys, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Lamb, quarterback Dak Prescott and offensive guard Tyler Smith (knee) all agreed to contract restructures Wednesday, helping Dallas' salary cap situation in advance of the start of the legal tampering period March 9. The soon-to-be 27-year-old wideout's restructure presumably involves converting future guarantees into a signing bonus, meaning he remains under contract through 2028. The 75-1,077-3 receiving line Lamb posted across 14 regular-season appearances in 2025 was the lowest since his rookie year back in 2020, and it coincided with George Pickens breaking out to the tune of 93-1,423-9. With Pickens having been re-signed via the franchise tag, he and Lamb will remain arguably the league's top wide receiver duo during the 2026 campaign.
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Xavier Smith WR | LAR
Rams' Xavier Smith: Tendered by Rams
The Rams tendered Smith on Monday.
Smith was slated to be an exclusive rights free agent, and by receiving a tender, he's now locked in with Los Angeles for another season. The Florida A&M product has served as a depth wideout for the Rams during his two campaigns in the NFL, and he saw his role expand last year with an 18-303-0 receiving line over 16 regular-season games. Smith also was a key component of the Rams' special-teams unit, racking up 301 kick-return yards and 251 punt-return yards. He'll likely be deployed in a similar role next season.
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George Pickens WR | DAL
Cowboys' George Pickens: Officially tagged
The Cowboys officially placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Pickens on Friday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
The transaction is confirmed by Patrik Walker of the team's official site. The non-exclusive franchise tag will allow Pickens to negotiate with other teams beginning with the start of the legal tampering period March 9, but it will also allow Dallas the right to match any offer extended to the breakout wide receiver. As with any franchise tag option, both sides will still have until mid-July to negotiate a potential multi-year deal, and Cowboys ownership has continually expressed a desire to keep Pickens around long-term. If no long-term extension is finalized, Pickens will be slated to play out the 2026 campaign on a fully guaranteed one-year, $28.8 million contract, per K.D. Drummond of USA Today.
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Tory Horton WR | SEA
Seahawks' Tory Horton: Out for spring workouts
Head coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday that Horton (shin/groin) "got fixed up" and won't be available for the start of the Seahawks' offseason program in the spring, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.
Macdonald's comments would seem to imply that Horton had surgery to address the lower-body injuries that kept him sidelined from Week 10 through the end of the Seahawks' postseason run. Horton still appears on track to be ready to go for the start of training camp in late July, but he may not fully participate in OTAs or minicamp. Before getting hurt, the 2025 fifth-round pick had produced a 13-161-5 receiving line on 23 targets and recorded a 95-yard punt-return touchdown over his eight appearances as a rookie.
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Khadarel Hodge WR | ATL
KhaDarel Hodge: Moving on from Atlanta
The Falcons informed Hodge (shoulder) on Wednesday that he will be released, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.
Hodge finished the 2025 season on injured reserve while recovering from a shoulder injury, but assuming that doesn't linger into the start of the upcoming campaign, the 31-year-old should be able to catch on elsewhere as a depth wideout/special teamer. Over his 12 appearances this past season, Hodge caught three of his 10 targets for 31 yards and recorded nine tackles on special teams.
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Alec Pierce WR | IND
Colts' Alec Pierce: GM optimistic for new deal
Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday, Colts GM Chris Ballard said he's hoping the team can re-sign Pierce before he becomes a free agent next month, JJ Stankevitz of the team's official site reports.
"We've had great discussions about both of them," Ballard said of Pierce and fellow impending free agent Daniel Jones (Achilles). "We'll continue to work this week and see if we can get something done. It's been very positive. When both sides are driven to get it done, it usually works out in the right way." Pierce had a career year during the 2025 campaign, posting career highs in targets (84), catches (47) and receiving yards (1,003), while producing six touchdowns. He's led the entire NFL in yards per reception in back-to-back years as one of the game's most dangerous downfield weapons. Pierce would be one of the top free agents available in March if the Colts are unable to hammer out a deal with him.
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A.J. Brown WR | PHI
Eagles' A.J. Brown: Wanted by Eagles, but no guarantees
Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni said Tuesday that his "expectation" is that Brown wants remain with the Eagles but that he "can't guarantee" the wide receiver will play for the team in 2026, Tim McManus of ESPN reports.
"[M]y expectation is [Brown] wants to be here," Sirianni said. "And obviously you want good players like that in your building," but he noted that "I can't guarantee how anything is going to play out into next season." Brown secured 78 of 121 targets for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns across 15 regular-season appearances in 2025, but at times he openly expressed frustration with the consistency of Philadelphia's offense. General manager Howie Roseman emphasized the fact that it is "really hard to find great players" when asked about Brown's status, but he also said the Eagles' policy is "listening to offers for everything and anything." In the event that Brown were to be traded, doing so prior to June 1 would result in Philadelphia incurring over $40 million in dead cap, compared to less than $20 million after that date.