NFL Player News

Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said Tuesday at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine that Legette is recovering from offseason foot surgery, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Legette underwent the surgery to address a lingering issue he played through during the 2024 campaign. The first-rounder is coming off an underwhelming rookie campaign, having put together just a 49-497-4 receiving line on 87 targets across 16 regular-season appearances. Per Steve Reed of the Associated Press, Morgan said Legette's recovery timeline should allow him to return to on-field activities in the near future, though head coach Dave Canales said he's unsure whether the wideout will be ready for the start of OTAs, per David Newton of ESPN.com.

Shakir and Buffalo agreed to terms Tuesday on a four-year contract extension worth up to $60.2 million, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Shakir's new deal reportedly includes $32 million guaranteed at signing. The 2022 fifth-round pick led the Bills in targets, catches and yards during the 2024 regular season, posting a career-best 76-821-4 receiving line on 100 targets. The sure-handed slot specialist also had exactly six catches in all three of Buffalo's playoff games. Looking ahead to the 2025 campaign, Shakir's ability to create yards after the catch positions him to once again be one of Josh Allen's go-to targets.

New Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said the team's passing game will run through Thomas, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

That much is clear; the real question is who else will catch passes from Trevor Lawrence on a regular basis. WR Christian Kirk (collarbone) and TE Evan Engram (shoulder) both are entering contract years without any guaranteed money remaining on their contracts, and WR Gabe Davis (knee) is coming off a disappointing season that ended early due to a meniscus tear. Thomas may be at the level already where competition doesn't really matter and teammates are competing with each other for targets rather than him. He closed 2024 with one of the most productive stretches ever seen from a rookie wide receiver while catching passes from backup QB Mac Jones, posting six straight games with at least 10 targets and 76 yards while averaging 7.5 receptions for 99.8 yards and 0.83 TDs. Similar output over the course of a full season is unlikely even for a player with Thomas' rare combination of size, speed and agility, but it isn't entirely out of the question under Coen, whose lone year as Tampa Bay's offensive coordinator coincided with the top PPR scoring average of Chris Godwin's career (19.7 per game) as well as Mike Evans' best average (17.2) since 2019.

Steelers general manager Omar Khan said Tuesday at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine that he has "a lot of confidence" in Wilson (hamstring), and that the wideout was on pace to contribute during the postseason had Pittsburgh advanced beyond the wild-card round, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

Wilson, a 2024 third-round pick, was limited to a single regular-season appearance in his rookie campaign, but he at least now appears fully recovered from the hamstring issue that caused him to end the year on IR. He also missed time early in the season with an ankle injury sustained in training camp. If he can put together a strong offseason and remain at full health to enter the 2025 campaign, he could have a big role in Year 2. Wideouts Van Jefferson, Mike Williams and Ben Skowronek are all pending free agents for Pittsburgh.

Pickens is entering a contract year and may "hold in" if he doesn't have an extension before the summer, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

Pickens will turn 24 in March, having topped 800 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons. He hasn't quite reached an elite level at his position, but his ability to make difficult, contested catches downfield is second to none, and there's no doubt his production has been negatively impacted by poor quarterback play in Pittsburgh. It's unclear if the QB situation will improve in 2025, potentially adding an extra element of contention to contract negotiations, which may already be difficult in light of Pickens' reputation for mercurial behavior and the gap between his production and his perceived talent/skill. The current CBA essentially eliminates the ability for players to hold out, but if Pickens is unhappy this summer he could opt to show up to the team facilities but not participate in practice.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday that Hill is recovering from left wrist surgery he underwent to address a ligament issue, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Hill was listed on the injury report for much of the 2024 campaign with a 'wrist' designation, which helps on some level to explain his decline in production. He delivered an 81-959-6 receiving line across 17 regular-season games, a notable decrease after he'd exceeded 1,700 receiving yards in each of the prior two years. The veteran wideout pulled himself from Miami's finale against the Jets in Week 18, saying "I'm out," but he recently reframed those comments as mere frustration, saying "I don't want to go nowhere," per Louis-Jacques. Hill should be able to catch a football over the summer as he recovers from the surgery, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post reports.

Texans GM Nick Caserio suggested he's open to re-signing Diggs (knee), but Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle thinks it's unlikely to happen unless the wideout accepts less money than he could get from other teams.

Be it in Houston or elsewhere, there's no question Diggs will have to settle for less than he's accustomed to earning, as he's 31 years old and suffered an ACL tear in late October. He's set to become a free agent while still rehabbing the knee injury, with no assurance of being ready for Week 1 of 2025. The Texans figure to be in the market for high-end WR talent even if they ultimately re-sign Diggs, having lost Tank Dell to a multi-ligament knee tear in late December. Although he's six years younger than Diggs, there's not much reason for optimism about Dell being a significant contributor in 2025. The Texans do at least have Nico Collins, who emerged as one of the league's bonafide No. 1 receivers the past two seasons.

The Seahawks waived Powell on Friday, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Powell spent the second half of the 2024 regular season on the Seahawks' practice squad, and he was signed to a reserve/future contract in early January despite never being elevated to the active roster. Assuming he clears waivers, the 2021 fifth-round pick will look to catch on with another team looking to add depth to its wide-receiver corps.

The Ravens re-signed Kirkwood on Wednesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Kirkwood spent the entire 2024 campaign on Baltimore's practice squad, though he didn't appear in a single game with the team, despite being elevated for the Ravens' AFC wild-card round win over Pittsburgh. The veteran journeyman will spend the offseason competing for an opportunity to reprise a similar reserve role in the 2025 campaign.

The Buccaneers and Godwin (ankle) agreed Tuesday to push back the void date on his contract to March 12, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Godwin is slated to become an unrestricted free agent, and by extending the veteran wideout's void date until the final day of the league year, the two sides will have more time to negotiate a new deal. Auman notes that Tampa Bay will carry some dead money in 2025 from Godwin's current deal no matter what, but the Buccaneers will be able to spread that cap hit over the next two years -- as opposed to having all $18 million on the books next season -- if they are able to work out an extension with the soon-to-be 29-year-old. Godwin ended last season on injured reserve after suffering a dislocated left ankle in Week 7, but he's expected to be healthy by the start of training camp.