NFL Player News

49ers GM John Lynch recently told ESPN's Pat McAfee Show that he doesn't want to trade Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel despite taking Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Trade rumors earlier in the offseason centered on Aiyuk, who is scheduled to play out 2024 under the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. After the Niners drafted Pearsall, a few reporters suggested Samuel was actually more likely to be moved, in which case the Niners presumably would place greater emphasis on signing Aiyuk to a long-term deal. It now appears both will stay with the team this season, as will returning No. 3 receiver Jauan Jennings. That's not a guarantee, but it at least seems more likely that spring 2025 will be the break-up date for San Francisco's veteran WR corps. Aiyuk and Jennings are only under contract through 2024, while Samuel has two more years on his deal but no guaranteed money after this season.

The Chiefs waived Gathings on Saturday, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.

Gathings inked a reserve/future deal with Kansas City back in February after being part of the team's practice squad for nearly two months to close out the 2023 campaign. He's yet to play in a regular-season game.

The Chiefs waived Copeland on Saturday, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.

Undrafted out of Maryland last year, Copeland signed a reserve/future deal with Kansas City back in January, but the team now needs his roster spot for the latest wave of undrafted signees. Copeland has yet to appear in an NFL game.

The Jets signed Harrell on Friday, Ethan Greenberg and John Pullano of the team's official site report.

Harrell totaled four receptions for 45 yards as a sixth-year senior at Miami in 2023. The Jets are thin at wide receiver going into 2024, so he could be in the competition for the last few spots on their final depth chart.

The Chiefs waived Smith on Friday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Smith did not appear in a regular-season game in 2023, and now Kansas City has decided to let him go ahead of 2024. He'll have to look for his next opportunity with a different squad.

Kansas City released Miller on Friday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Miller initially signed with the Chiefs back in January, but after using both free agency and the draft to add depth at wide receiver, Kansas City has now chosen to part ways with him. He hasn't appeared in a regular-season game since 2021.

Beckham is signing a one-year contract with the Dolphins, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

It's a $3 million contract that can go up to $8.25 million with incentives, per Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com. Beckham signed a one-year, $15 million deal with Baltimore last offseason, and while his numbers were solid on a per-route and per-target basis, he never reached even 60 percent snap share after Week 1. He won't have to play too many snaps in Miami, where Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are the top WRs and head coach Mike McDaniel uses FB Alec Ingold a lot. The Dolphins had three or more WRs on the field for just 48 percent of their plays last year, the third-lowest rate in the league. On the other hand, Hill and Waddle tend to come off the field more often than other top receivers, which should give Beckham some chances to contribute in two-wide sets. Still, he's unlikely to have value in most fantasy leagues unless Hill or Waddle is unavailable (and even then it wouldn't necessarily be a sure thing).

Tolbert is in line for a larger role this season after working as the Cowboys' No. 4 WR in 2023, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News reports

After playing just 89 snaps on offense as a rookie, the 2022 third-round pick got a lot more playing time (477 snaps) in his second season, essentially splitting the No. 3 receiver role with Michael Gallup for much of the year. Gallup is now in Las Vegas and hasn't been replaced by a similar veteran or early draft pick, leaving Tolbert as the likely third WR behind entrenched starters CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks. While the role won't necessarily entail a large quantity of targets, Tolbert at least would be positioned for a degree of fantasy value if Lamb were to miss any time with an injury.

Claypool is signing a one-year contract with the Bills, Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com reports.

Unable to make an impact in Chicago or Miami last season, Claypool now heads to his fourth NFL team for his fifth year in the league. It's about as good of a locale as he could've hoped for, as the Bills have a strong-armed franchise QB and questionable depth at WR. Claypool could perhaps serve as a deep threat off the bench even if his days as a starter are numbered.

Moore worked out in April with Bears QB Caleb Williams and fellow Bears WRs Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

The workouts took place shortly before the draft, at which point Williams was all but locked in as the No. 1 overall pick for Chicago (and Odunze considered a strong candidate to join him at No. 9). The Bears ended up with both, completing their offseason makeover on offense after trading for Allen and signing RB D'Andre Swift and TE Gerald Everett. The crowded pass-catching corps means Moore is unlikely to match his career-high 28.8 percent target share from 2023, though there likely will be more overall targets, as the Bears figure to call pass plays at a higher rate and will no longer have sack/scramble-happy Justin Fields under center.