NFL Player News

Rodgers informed Pittsburgh on Thursday that he plans to sign a contract with the team and attend mandatory minicamp, which kicks off June 10, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Rodgers' decision has been the largest domino waiting to fall of the Steelers' offseason, and the 41-year-old signal-caller now provides the team some much-desired clarity. With Rodgers planning to sign before the start of minicamp, the veteran will get the benefit of a mostly complete offseason to build chemistry with new top wideout DK Metcalf, and to adapt to offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's scheme. While suiting up for all 17 regular-season games with the Jets in 2024, Rodgers completed 368 of 584 pass attempts (63 percent) for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Despite looking less mobile than usual while coming off the Achilles tear that derailed his 2023 campaign, plus dealing with a lingering hamstring injury, Rodgers displayed competence under center and provides the Steelers with a substantial upgrade over Mason Rudolph. The days of Rodgers being a high-end fantasy option at quarterback seem well in the distance, but his arrival bodes well for the value of Metcalf and the rest of Pittsburgh's skill-position players, including TE Pat Freiermuth and RBs Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson.

Pittman (undisclosed) did not return to Thursday's practice after getting tangled up during a route and limping off the field, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Pittman sustained an apparent injury at the final day of Indianapolis' voluntary OTAs, so it's possible an update on his health won't arrive until closer to the start of mandatory minicamp June 10. Meanwhile, head coach Shane Steichen said Thursday that quarterback Anthony Richardson (shoulder) won't participate in mandatory minicamp due to an aggravation of an AC joint injury, which leaves Daniel Jones primed to handle the bulk of first-team reps. Pittman played through a small fracture in his back from Week 5 onward in 2024, tallying a 69-808-3 receiving line across 16 regular-season appearances and 111 targets, while also struggling to overcome inconsistent quarterback play. Though Pittman has fully recovered from the back issue, his status now needs to be monitored until such time as he retakes the practice field.

St. Brown said Thursday that he hasn't been practicing at voluntary OTAs due to an offseason knee procedure undergone to "clean some stuff up," Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reports.

St. Brown stressed that his surgery wasn't major, but that he's being cautious in his recovery. Per Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com, the star wideout expects to be ready for training camp. A minor offseason knee procedure shouldn't warrant any change to St. Brown's offseason ADP in early fantasy drafts, wherein he remains an essential lock to come off the board in the first round. More notable, though, is the attrition on offense Detroit has suffered throughout the offseason, especially with former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson having assumed Chicago's head coach position, and the surprising retirement of top-end center Frank Ragnow on Monday. Still, St. Brown has been one of the league's most consistent receivers since joining the Lions as a fourth-round pick in 2021, with three consecutive seasons over the 1,000-yard mark under his belt, plus back-to-back years scoring double-digit touchdowns. Even if Detroit takes a step back after scoring a league-leading 33.2 points per game in the 2024 regular season, St. Brown remains entrenched as one of Jared Goff's top playmakers in what still projects as a strong offense under new OC John Morton.

Minshew (collarbone) has been pictured throwing at Kansas City's voluntary OTAs, Charlie Riedel of the Citrus County Chronicle reports.

Minshew appears fully recovered from the season-ending broken collarbone that limited him to 10 regular-season appearances (nine starts) with the Raiders in 2024. The veteran journeyman is secure as the No. 2 quarterback behind superstar Patrick Mahomes after signing a one-year deal with the Chiefs in March, with Bailey Zappe and Chris Oladokun battling it out for third-string duties. In the event that Minshew were to see any significant action in relief of Mahomes in 2025, his experience and the presence of pass-catchers Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown and TE Travis Kelce should allow him to pilot coach Andy Reid's offensive scheme to productive ends.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Thursday that Anthony Richardson (shoulder) is dealing with an injury and will not participate in mandatory minicamp June 10-12, leaving Jones in position to dominate first-team reps.

Jones and Richardson have been positioned to split first-team reps in what looks like a truly open competition for the No. 1 quarterback gig, but the latter signal-caller is now sidelined due to an injury to his throwing shoulder and without a return timetable other than hopefully being back "at some point" in training camp, per James Boyd of The Athletic. That leaves Jones, who inked a one-year, $14 million deal with Indianapolis in March, staring down an opportunity to impress while handling the lion's share of first-team reps in mandatory minicamp, and potentially longer depending on Richardson's recovery. Boyd reports that Richardson's shoulder injury is related to the AC joint issue that ended his 2023 rookie campaign early. While Boyd notes that Richardson's current injury isn't expected to require surgery, this appears to be a situation that could fluctuate. For at least mandatory minicamp, Jones will work to take advantage of the opportunity before him and establish quick chemistry with top wideouts Michael Pittman and Josh Downs, as well as rookie 14th overall pick TE Tyler Warren.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Thursday that Richardson (shoulder) is dealing with an injury and will not participate in mandatory minicamp June 10-12.

Steichen said Richardson injured his right throwing shoulder during the start of OTAs last week, per James Boyd of The Athletic, specifying the same AC joint that previously required the young quarterback to undergo season-ending surgery as a rookie in 2023. Per Boyd, Steichen said it doesn't currently look like Richardson will require another surgery, also saying that the signal-caller currently has no return timetable but will hopefully be back "at some point" during training camp. As long as Richardson remains sidelined, free-agency signee Daniel Jones will be positioned to dominate Indianapolis' first-team reps, giving him significant additional opportunities to prove himself capable as the team's Week 1 starter.

Lawrence (shoulder) has impressed coaches throughout OTAs and has been a quick adapter of new head coach Liam Coen's offensive scheme, John Oehser of the Jaguars' official site reports.

Coen singled out Lawrence's "quick decisions" in 11-on-11 red-zone work as praiseworthy, also noting that the fifth-year pro "has done a nice job with his footwork," an area of emphasis for the new offensive scheme. As Oehser notes, the 2021 first overall pick is currently learning his third offensive system in five seasons, but there's reason to be confident in Coen's scheme being the best fit of the bunch for Lawrence, given his track record as offensive coordinator for the Rams and Buccaneers. Lawrence is over six months removed from surgery undergone to address an AC joint sprain in his left, non-throwing shoulder, and he remains on track to be fully cleared for the start of training camp. Rookie No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter has begun the offseason focusing on the offensive side of the ball, providing Lawrence another potential star wideout to join 2024 first-round phenom Brian Thomas. Jacksonville also inked Dyami Brown to a one-year deal back in March, with returnees Parker Washington and TE Brenton Strange closing out a pass-catching corps that saw Christian Kirk, Evan Engram (shoulder) and Gabe Davis (knee) all depart.

Kolar (arm) is an active on-field participant at OTAs, per the Ravens' official site.

Kolar secured a career-high nine of 11 targets for 131 yards and one score while suiting up for 13 regular-season games in 2024, though he remained an afterthought in the receiving game compared to top tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. He missed four games due to a broken forearm, then returned for Week 18 and the playoffs before another arm injury forced him out of Baltimore's divisional-round loss to the Bills, but Kolar now appears fully healthy. As the 2022 fourth-round pick heads into the final year of his rookie deal, he remains positioned for a reserve role behind Andrews and Likely.

Baltimore signed Bateman to a three-year, $36.75 million contract extension Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Bateman inks a contract extension with the Ravens for a second straight offseason, after the team extended him on a two-year, $12.87 million deal through 2026 last April. The 2021 first-round pick put together the healthiest and most productive season of his career in 2024, suiting up for all 17 regular-season contests and securing 45 of 72 targets for 759 yards and nine touchdowns. He's emerged as a reliable deep threat and end zone target for Lamar Jackson, though Zay Flowers remains entrenched atop the wide receiver depth chart, and free agency signee DeAndre Hopkins is an additional competition for targets. With TEs Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely also involved in the passing game, and this team still deploying a run-first approach led by Derrick Henry, Bateman's ceiling in terms of target volume appears capped, but he figures to retain fantasy value as a boom-or-bust weekly option in 2025. Bateman's fantasy outlook is more positive in standard leagues than for PPR scoring.

The Jaguars waived Hodges (knee) with a failed physical designation Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Hodges was carted off the field with a knee injury in Week 9 last season. He was subsequently placed on injured reserve. Hodges appeared in nine games last season, making one start. He played a total of 63 offensive snaps and another 31 on special teams.