NFL Player News

The Dolphins signed Achane to a four-year, $68 million contract extension Wednesday, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports.

Achane was headed into the final year of his rookie deal, and new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley had been adamant that the talented running back is a building block of the future in Miami, even after the Dolphins shed salary this offseason. Achane's new deal will pay him $17 million per year in new money, making him the league's third-highest-paid running back behind Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey. Achane started all 16 regular-season games in which he appeared last season, totaling a career-high 1,350 rushing yards and eight touchdown on 238 carries, averaging a league-high 5.8 yards per carry. He added 67 catches for 488 yards and four additional touchdowns on 85 targets in the passing game. Achane is still just 24 years old and figures to be a top-12 fantasy pick this season.

The Jets waived Smith (undisclosed) from their injured-reserve list with an injury settlement Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Smith spent only a couple days on the Jets' injured-reserve list before parting ways with the team entirely. Unless he's claimed during the current waiver period, he's on track to become an unrestricted free agent.

Houston waived Thomas (undisclosed) with an injury designation Wednesday, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Unless he's claimed by another team during the current waiver period, Thomas is on track to revert to the Texans' injured reserve list. Then, he'd have to stay there for the entire 2026 season unless an injury settlement is negotiated with the club.

The Raiders signed Jones (back) on Wednesday.

Jones appeared in 14 games with Miami in 2025, but he was shut down ahead of Week 17 with a back injury. Now, he's evidently in good shape for football activities again and is getting a shot with a new team. Las Vegas recently lost defensive tackle Leki Fotu to the Giants in free agency, and it's reasonable to suspect Jones could fill a similar role to the one Fotu left behind with the Raiders.

The Jets have agreed to terms with Patrick, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

In 16 regular-season games with the Jaguars in 2025, the 32-year-old caught 15 of his 24 targets for 187 yards and three touchdowns. With the Jets, Patrick will add veteran presence to his new team's wide receiver room while bringing inside-outside flexibility to the table. As things stand, Patrick figures to compete for rotational WR snaps behind Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell and Omar Cooper.

Green Bay claimed Rice off waivers on Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Rice was waived by the Raiders on Monday and now gets a fresh start in the Packers' wide receiver corps, which saw Romeo Doubs (signed by New England) and Dontayvion Wicks (dealt to Philadelphia) depart this offseason. A 2024 seventh-round pick, Rice was initially selected by the Chargers, with whom he combined for 10 offensive snaps across three regular-season games as a rookie. He was cut by Los Angeles in 2025 and then spent time on the practice squads of the Patriots, Seahawks and Raiders.

Nabers had a procedure on his knee "multiple weeks ago" to remove scar tissue, but the Giants don't anticipate any change to the wideout's recovery timeline, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Nabers initially had surgery Oct. 28 to address ACL and meniscus tears in his right knee. He then dealt with stiffness in the knee this spring and had the clean-up procedure at some point in April. The Giants reportedly still hope Nabers will be ready for Week 1, but it's not looking especially good for his full participation at the start of training camp. He'll likely remain limited to meetings and rehab work during the offseason program, ceding first-team WR reps to the likes of Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin and Malachi Fields.

The Buccaneers announced Tuesday that Irving (shoulder) may not be fully cleared for the start of OTAs, Andrew Harbaugh of USA Today reports.

Irving missed seven games from Week 2 to Week 12 due to a combination of shoulder and foot/ankle injuries in 2025. Though he returned for Tampa Bay's final six regular-season games, the 2024 fourth-rounder shared snaps with Sean Tucker (re-signed) and Rachaad White (signed with Commanders) and never quite looked fully healthy. The shoulder injury required an offseason procedure to address and Irving isn't yet cleared to practice, though Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports that his rehab is proceeding on schedule. Per Auman, Irving is expected to be limited during OTAs, which will take place between late May and early June, before being fully cleared for the start of training camp in July. Presumably, he will also be limited at mandatory minicamp from June 16-18. Tampa Bay added Kenneth Gainwell to the backfield via a two-year, $14 million contract in free agency, positioning Irving to face increased competition for touches, especially for change-of-pace work and third-down scenarios.

The Falcons shared a video Tuesday showing Penix (knee - ACL) throwing to Drake London during spring offseason workouts, Marc Raimondi of ESPN reports.

Penix is six months into his recovery from a partially torn left ACL suffered in mid-November of the 2025 season, his third such injury in the last eight years, so his participation in throwing drills is an encouraging sign. Atlanta has confirmed that the third-year QB is taking part in Phase 2 of the offseason program, which includes individual and group work but not yet 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 team drills. Beyond continuing his rehab and meeting the expected trajectory of Year 3 development, Penix also faces the challenge of learning new head coach Kevin Stefanski's offense while competing for the starting job with fellow southpaw Tua Tagovailoa, who signed a one-year, $1.3 million deal with Atlanta this offseason. Penix has offered optimism that he will be ready for Week 1, though the Falcons haven't provided an official timetable for his recovery.

The Packers claimed Lachey off waivers Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Lachey is headed to Green Bay after having been waived by the Texans on Monday. The 24-year-old will look to earn a spot on the Packers' final roster and make his regular-season debut during the upcoming campaign.