NFL Player News

The Packers placed Watson (knee) on the active/PUP list Friday, Zach Jacobson of 247Sports.com reports.

This move is merely procedural as Watson continues his recovery from the torn ACL he suffered in his right knee Week 18 of last season. Considering he's only a bit more than six months removed from the injury, he seems hard-pressed to progress enough to be available Week 1 against the Lions on Sunday, Sept. 7, but coach Matt LaFleur told Ryan Wood of USA Today in early May that Watson "looks like a freak, like he always does. In a positive way." Watson's status will be monitored as the Packers embark on training camp and the preseason, but cut-down day on Aug. 26 will be of keen interst to see if the team moves him to the reserve/PUP list, which would require him to miss the first four games of the upcoming campaign.

Burden (undisclosed) signed a fully guaranteed four-year, $10.965 million rookie contract with the Bears on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Burden followed in the footsteps of fellow rookie second-round wide receiver Jayden Higgins in signing a fully guaranteed rookie contract, becoming the first-ever 39th overall pick to land a fully guaranteed deal. Burden didn't participate in mandatory minicamp due to a soft-tissue injury, but head coach Ben Johnson said in June that he expected Burden to be ready for training camp. With Burden's rookie contract signed, he's set to report to training camp along with the rest of the Bears' rookies Saturday.

Pearsall (hamstring) was placed on the active/PUP list by the 49ers on Friday.

San Francisco will begin training camp shorthanded at wide receiver, as Brandon Aiyuk (knee) was also placed on the active/PUP list Friday, while Jauan Jennings (calf) is seeking a new contract. Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins are the team's top healthy options at wide receiver heading into training camp, though Pearsall could join them soon, as head coach Kyle Shanahan said in June that Pearsall's injury wasn't viewed as a significant concern.

Aiyuk (knee) was placed on the active/PUP list by the 49ers on Friday.

Aiyuk is eligible to practice while on the active/PUP list, though he isn't expected to be available for training camp as he recovers from a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee sustained in October. Fellow wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (hamstring) was also placed on the active/PUP list Friday, though he's expected to have a much more optimistic recovery timeline than Aiyuk. With Jauan Jennings (calf) unhappy with his contract, there will be more opportunities for Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins during training camp.

Boutte, whose name was brought up in offseason trade rumors, remains with the Patriots and is slated to compete for slotting in the team's re-tooled wide receiver corps, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

In his second season with New England, Boutte broke out with 43 catches for 589 yards and three TDs across 15 regular-season games, but the offseason addition of free agents Stefon Diggs (knee) and Mack Hollins, as well as the presence of 2025 third-rounder Kyle Williams, figures to cut into Boutte's snap and target shares. Also in the mix in a crowded WR room are slot man DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, 2024 draftees Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, as well as promising UDFA Efton Chism. Of the entire group, the standing of Diggs, Douglas, Williams and Hollins appear most solid, with Boutte among the handful of WRs poised to battle for the remaining spots on the team's 53-man roster.

Bech signed a four-year deal with the Raiders on Friday.

Bech, who was the 58th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, has an opportunity as a rookie to step into a key role in a Raiders wideout corps that continues to be led by Jakobi Meyers and also includes returnee Tre Tucker and 2025 fourth-rounder Dont'e Thornton. It remains to be seen what sort of volume the 6-foot-1, 214-pounder out of TCU will see out of the gate with Meyers (129 targets in 2024) and TE Brock Bowers (153 targets last season) destined to be QB Geno Smith's primary passing targets, but Bech could emerge as a lineup option in deeper formats if he's able to earn consistent playing time as the 2025 regular season progresses.

Harris is slated to sign his rookie contract with the Chargers after agreeing to terms with the team Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Harris initially was unsigned as the Chargers' training camp opened up, but the 2025 second-rounder now is poised to rejoin his teammates at practice after reaching an agreement with the franchise on the same day that it was revealed that veteran wideout Mike Williams planned to retire. As the coming season approaches, Harris will have an opportunity to carve out a key role (that could yield lineup utility in deeper fantasy formats) in a WR corps that also features Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston, with Derius Davis, KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Jalen Reagor also on hand to compete for targets.

Williams (undisclosed) plans to retire from the NFL, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The Chargers had placed Williams on the active/PUP list Monday, but the wideout now has elected to step away from the game as a player. With the 2017 first-rounder no longer in the mix, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and unsigned rookie Tre Harris profile as the team's top three WRs. After spending last season with the Jets and Steelers, Williams was slated to return to the team that drafted him after signing a one-year deal with Los Angeles in March. Instead, he'll conclude his NFL career with 330 catches for 5,104 yards and 32 TDs over the course of 106 games.

Addison, who had a trial for his 2024 DUI citation Tuesday in a Superior Court of California, pleaded to a lesser offense and will pay a fine and be on probation according to his representation, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

With Addison's court case now complete, the NFL likely will weigh in soon on a possible suspension. Even though he pleaded to a lesser charge, he still could face discipline since the NFL's substance-abuse policy has a baseline punishment for a first-time DUI offense of a three-game suspension.

Rice has been sentenced to five years probation and 30 days of jail time (which can be served during those five years) stemming from the wide receiver's role in a multi-car crash that occurred in Dallas during the 2024 offseason, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Now that a ruling on the matter has been handed down, the NFL could expedite its disciplinary process, with Schefter indicating that Rice is likely to receive a multi-game suspension. Rice and his teammates are scheduled to report to training camp on July 21. Per ESPN.com, Rice -- who suffered a torn right ACL in Week 4 last season -- is expected to be healthy once the team resumes practicing, but the 25-year-old's status now will need to be monitored ahead of Week 1 of the upcoming campaign, considering the possibility that league discipline could be on the way.