NFL Player News

Gay is set to compete with Kansei Matsuzawa for the Raiders' kicking role in training camp, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.

The Raiders moved on from Daniel Carlson after the 2025 season and subsequently brought in the veteran Gay and the rookie Matsuzawa. Gay converted 81 of 101 field-goal attempts over the previous three seasons, split between the Colts, 49ers and Commanders. Matsuzawa is coming off a stellar season at Hawaii, where he made 27 of 29 field-goal attempts in 2025.

Thornton is locked in as a top-three wide receiver for the Chiefs alongside Rashee Rice (knee) and Xavier Worthy (shoulder), Joshua Brisco of SI.com reports.

Thornton was one of five receivers to play at least 33 percent of the team's offensive snaps in 2025, joining Rice, Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hollywood Brown. The last two of those receivers are no longer on the roster, leaving unproven options such as Jalen Royals and Cyrus Allen competing for depth roles behind Rice, Worthy and Thornton.

Mixon (foot) has told people close to him that he believes his playing career is likely over, Cole Thompson of Texans Wire reports.

Mixon hasn't played in an NFL game since rushing 18 times for 88 yards and one touchdown in the Texans' divisional-round loss to the Chiefs during the 2024 postseason. He missed the entirety of the 2025 campaign due to a foot injury, and he recently required another operation while also dealing with blood flow issues to the extremity. Mixon will turn 30 years old Friday and was one of the top every-down workhorse backs in his heyday. He produced five 1,000-yard rushing seasons across his eight years in the league prior to being released by Houston earlier this offseason.

Sanders is set to battle Cade York (groin) for the Jets' kicker job in training camp, Jack Bell of the Jets' official site reports.

Sanders didn't play in 2025 due to a hip injury, but he converted 90.2 percent of field-goal attempts for the Dolphins during the 2024 regular season, missing only four times on 41 attempts. If Sanders regains pre-injury form, he would be the favorite to beat out York, who has a career 73.3-percent conversion rate (33-for-45) on field-goal attempts.

Mendoza signed his rookie contract with the Raiders on Thursday.

Mendoza's deal is for four years, with a fifth-year team option, as is standard for first-round picks. The 2026 first overall pick has $52.72 million of guaranteed money on his deal, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Veteran Kirk Cousins is reportedly the favorite to begin the regular season as the Raiders' starter under center, but those plans could change depending on how Mendoza looks during training camp and the preseason.

Smith is the clear top quarterback for the Jets, but a battle between Bailey Zappe, Cade Klubnik and Brady Cook is ongoing for the second spot on the depth chart, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Smith will likely dominate first-team reps leading up to the regular season, but the Jets will use training camp and preseason play to evaluate their backup options. Of the team's other quarterbacks, Klubnik probably has the best chance of seeing the field eventually in 2026, as the Jets could be motivated to evaluate their 2026 fourth-round pick in meaningful game situations if the team falls out of playoff contention again on the heels of a 3-14 season in 2025.

Pierce will likely be limited for some or all of training camp by his ankle injury, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com reports.

Pierce underwent surgery in late March to address an ankle injury, and his recovery period is expected to linger into training camp. He still has time to heal up before the Colts kick off regular-season play Sept. 13 against the Ravens, but Pierce's recovery progress will be worth tracking throughout training camp. Josh Downs is likely to function as the Colts' top wide receiver in practice if Pierce sits out, with Ashton Dulin, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and rookie seventh-round pick Deion Burks among the players jostling for playing time in Indianapolis' wide receiver room.

Nabers (knee) is expected to avoid opening the regular season on the reserve/PUP list, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

All eyes will be on Nabers and his participation level when training camp opens for the Giants, as he's continuing to work his way back from a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee. The injury occurred in Week 4 of last season, and Nabers had surgery in late October before needing a clean-up procedure this spring. There's a chance he begins camp on the active/PUP list, but it sounds like the star wideout could be ready for the Week 1 opener against Dallas.

Reichard is set to reprise his role as Minnesota's kicker in 2026, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

Reichard cemented his spot as the Vikings' placekicker with an impressive sophomore season in the NFL, as he missed only twice on 35 field-goal attempts during the 2025 regular season. Minnesota doesn't have any competition for the 2024 sixth-round pick on the roster heading into training camp.

Butker is set to work as Kansas City's kicker again in 2026, Nate Taylor of ESPN.com reports.

Butker is entering his 10th consecutive season as the kicker for the Chiefs. He converted 33 of 38 field-goal attempts while playing in all 17 games in 2025. Kansas City doesn't have another kicker on the roster entering training camp, so the team has full faith in the 31-year-old Butker.