NFL Player News

General manager Brandon Beane said this week that Bass, who missed the entire 2025 campaign due to a pelvic injury that required surgery, is close to full health again. "If he's not 100 (percent), he's right at it," Beane said Monday as reported on the Bills' official site.

Bass has handled the Bills' kicking duties since being drafted in 2020, but the team was forced to go with Matt Prater and Michael Badgley in 2025, while Bass never came close to suiting up due to a sports hernia, ultimately undergoing surgery in November. Neither Prater nor Badgley is with the team any longer, so it looks like the Bills are comfortable with Bass's prognosis to continue counting on him being their main guy throughout Josh Allen's prime seasons. Bass could be a good target in drafts due to the fact that he has no stats to show off from last season, plus the Bills have a new head coach with an offensive mind in Joe Brady. And there's the fact that Allen advances the football with the best of them.

Aubrey agreed to terms Monday on a four-year, $28 million contract extension with the Cowboys that includes $20 million guaranteed, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Aubrey's new deal with Dallas is record-setting, and as Adam Schefter of ESPN reports makes him the first kicker in NFL history to earn $7 million annually on average. Across 17 regular-season appearances in 2025, Aubrey converted 36 of his 42 field-goal attempts and was especially clutch from 50-plus yards, going 11-for-17. The Cowboys initially assigned Aubrey a second-round tender as a placeholder to work out a long-term deal.

Karty signed his one-year ERFA tender offer with Arizona on Tuesday.

Karty will return to the Cardinals after the team poached him off the Rams' practice squad prior to Week 17 of last season. He suited up for eight regular-season games with Los Angeles in 2025 but struggled in that span, converting just 10 of 15 field-goal tries and 23 of 26 PATs. He'll provide Arizona with depth behind Chad Ryland at the kicker position this offseason.

Szmyt signed his exclusive-rights free-agent tender with the Browns on Monday.

Szmyt had a successful first NFL campaign last season, converting 24 of 27 field-goal attempts (including 5-for-6 from 50-plus yards) and 25 of 26 extra-point tries. He didn't miss a field goal following the Browns' Week 9 bye, going 14-for-14 over the team's final nine games. Szmyt will head into training camp as Cleveland's clear primary kicker.

The Giants released Gano (neck) with a failed physical designation Monday, Patricia Traina of SI.com reports.

Gano ended last season on IR due to a neck injury, and the issue appears to still be a concern. With his release. Gano's time with the Giants will come to an end after six seasons. He's been hampered by injuries over the past three campaigns, playing in only 23 of a possible 51 regular-season games during that span. Gano is approaching his 39th birthday, and it's unclear what his next step will be.

Gano (neck) is set to be released by the Giants, Connor Hughes of SNY.tv reports.

Gano will hit the open market after spending the last six seasons with the Giants. The kicker was limited to just six contests in 2025 as he battled groin and neck injuries, the latter of which required him to be placed on season-ending injured reserve in November. The transaction will save New York $4.5 million in cap space, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic, and the team already signed Jason Sanders to a one-year deal March 10, likely making him the team's starting kicker in 2026. Gano now will look to prove his health and latch on with a new squad this offseason.

Detroit re-signed Bates on Wednesday.

Bates has either inked an new contract with the Lions or officially signed the exclusive rights free-agent tender extended to him by the team in early March. In any case, he's positioned to stick with Detroit for the 2026 campaign. Through two seasons in the NFL, Bates has converted 53 of 63 field-goal attempts (84.1 percent) and 118 of 123 extra-point tries (95.9 percent).

Elliott agreed Thursday to rework his contract with the Eagles, accepting a $1 million pay cut while receiving $5 million guaranteed for 2026, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The Eagles will save $243,000 in cap space with the maneuver, while the guaranteed money virtually assures that Elliott will remain the team's kicker in 2026 following a rough 2025 campaign. After converting 20 of 27 field-goal attempts for a career-worst 74.1 percent rate during the Eagles' 17 regular-season games, Elliott then had a costly missed extra point in Philadelphia's narrow loss to San Francisco in the wild-card round. The 31-year-old still remains under contract through 2028, but the Eagles would likely have more flexibility to move on from him next offseason if he's unable to bounce back in 2026.

The Dolphins re-signed Patterson on Thursday.

Patterson's return to Miami makes sense after he started all 17 regular-season games for the team last year, converting an impressive 27 of his 29 field-goal tries and all but one of his 35 PATs. The success Patterson demonstrated makes him the favorite to open 2026 as the Dolphins' starter, and prompted the team to move on from longtime kicker Jason Sanders (now with the Giants) to begin the offseason. Patterson will have competition for the No. 1 gig, though, in the form of new signee Zane Gonzalez.

Slye is re-signing with Tennessee on a one-year contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Last year, Slye made 28 of 35 field-goal attempts (80 percent), including nine of 14 from 50-plus yards, but with a lack of extra-point attempts (27) mostly keeping him off the fantasy radar. That's largely been the story of Slye's career: providing a strong leg for subpar teams. It doesn't help that he's never been great in terms of accuracy, with an 81.4 percent career conversion rate on field goals. The Titans may bring in competition later this offseason.