NFL Player News

On the subject of his Achilles rehab, Jones said Friday, "I'm doing everything. Cleared to do everything. I think it's just about, at this point, sharpening that," James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

That said, Jones acknowledges the injury he sustained Dec. 7 last year is still on his mind, noting on that front, "you're still thinking about it. I think (you) probably will until you get playing." An important milestone in the QB's ongoing recovery will be a return to 11-on-11 drills, with Coach Shane Steichen having previously noted that the plan is for Jones to resume work in those drills when training camp begins later this month.

Minshew's teammate Jacoby Brissett, who is in the midst of a contract dispute with the Cardinals, posted a recent photo Thursday on Instagram that showed him getting in some work with several teammates, Tyler Drake of Arizonasports.com reports.

That Brissett -- who didn't take a single practice rep during Arizona's offseason program -- connected with WRs Marvin Harrison and Simi Fehoko, TEs Trey McBride and Elijah Higgins along with fellow QB Kedon Slovis is a positive sign, but at this stage it's unclear if or for how long the signal-caller's contract issue lingers once the Cardinals re-take the field. In the absence of Brissett, the team's expected Week 1 starter, Minshew took the majority of first-team QB reps throughout the offseason, so this will be a situation worth monitoring closely once Arizona's training camp commences July 22.

During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, coach Kevin O'Connell declined to shed much light on the upcoming QB competition between Murray and J.J. McCarthy, Nick Shook of NFL.com reports.

As training camp approaches, O'Connell has yet to declare a QB pecking order, though he did offer brief assessments of the team's top three signal callers, as well as his general approach to evaluating the position. "Kyler has come in and done a great job," O'Connell noted of the team's offseason free-agent acquisition. "J.J., I think, has benefit[ed] from it; he's had a really good spring. Carson Wentz is the veteran quarterback in the room. As a guy who's played seven or eight quarterbacks in four years, the two years we had our starter play the whole season, we won 13 and 14 games. So we want to try to get back to the standard of having the quarterback position be a driving force behind us winning by doing their job, by hopefully activating the great players they get to play with." Valuable context regarding this looming job battle is slated to arrive once training camp commences later this month, but at this stage Murray profiles as the favorite to draw Minnesota's Week 1 start.

Brissett, who is in the midst of a contract dispute with the Cardinals, posted a photo Thursday on Instagram that showed him getting in some work recently with several teammates, Tyler Drake of Arizonasports.com reports.

As he strives for new contract terms, Brissett stayed away from Arizona's voluntary work this offseason, and while the veteran signal-caller was present for the team's mandatory minicamp last month, he did not participate in practice. That he connected with WRs Marvin Harrison and Simi Fehoko, TEs Trey McBride and Elijah Higgins along with fellow QB Kedon Slovis ahead of training camp is a positive sign, but it remains to be seen if or for how long Brissett's contract issue lingers once the Cardinals re-take the field. For now, Drake notes that Brissett remains the team's expected Week 1 starter, but Gardner Minshew (who took the majority of first-team QB reps this offseason) and 2026 third-rounder Carson Beck also could enter the conversation this summer, pending Brissett's status.

Mayfield reiterated Saturday to Steve McGehee of KWTV that he wants to remain in Tampa Bay on an extension, but the quarterback added that there is still work to be done to reach a middle ground in negotiations.

"I would love to be there," Mayfield said of Tampa Bay. "I think both sides want to get it done. Now it's a matter of finding that middle ground and what makes both sides happy." He previously said that he wants a new deal before training camp opens July 27. The two sides reportedly weren't close to a deal earlier in June, and Mayfield didn't provide an update on the progress, though he made it clear that he hopes to remain with the Buccaneers long-term.

Gabriel, who "had a very nice spring," per Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, approaches training camp competing for a depth role behind Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders.

While the signal-caller competition between Watson and Sanders was a top storyline during Browns' offseason program, Gabriel -- who started six games a rookie -- and 2026 sixth-rounder Taylen Green are also still in the mix at the position. For now, it appears as though Gabriel and Green are slated for compete for the No. 3 QB job this summer, though injuries or even an unexpected transaction in the future could alter that narrative.

As the coming campaign approaches, Shough is slated to work in an offense that was bolstered by the addition of first-round WR Jordyn Tyson, third-round TE Oscar Delp and RB Travis Etienne via free agency, Ross Jackson of Louisianasports.net reports.

As a rookie, Shough appeared in 11 regular-season contests and went 5-4 as the Saints' starting QB after taking over for Spencer Rattler in November. In the process, he completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 2,384 yards, with 10 touchdowns and six picks, while adding 45 carries for 186 yards and three rushing TDs. This coming season, the 2025 second-rounder approaches training camp atop a signal-caller depth chart that still includes Rattler, as well as Zach Wilson and Hunter Dekkers. In addition to the Saints' investment in added weapons at the skill positions for Shough, the team looked to fortify its protection unit by signing veteran guard David Edwards and TE Noah Fant, who is underrated as a blocker, per Jackson. With continued growth in in his second campaign as a pro, Shough has a chance provide solid fantasy value in 2026 relative to his average draft position.

Ahead of training camp, offensive coordinator Nick Caley notes that said he's seen Stroud take a leap this offseason, Jonathan M. Alexander of The Houston Chronicle reports.

"There was a lot of progress that C.J. and the offense made last year," said Caley, who enters his second year as Houston's offensive coordinator. "We continued to get better from the start of the season to the end of the regular season and just continued to make progress from week to week. So we're going to continue to build on that. It's a new year. C.J. has done a great job out here. Looks good. Locked in." During the 2025 regular season, his third campaign with the Texans, Stroud -- who had his fifth-year contract option picked up in April -- threw for 3,041 yards with 19 TDs and eight picks in 14 games to go along with 48 carries for 209 yards and a rushing score. Looking ahead, he'll look to rebound from a forgettable four-interception outing in his team's divisional-round postseason exit last season, while working with a pass-catching corps that continues to feature WRs Nico Collins and Jayden Higgins, along with TE Dalton Schultz. The Texans also traded for RB David Montgomery this offseason and added TEs Foster Moreau and Marlin Klein with the goal of establishing a more effective ground game to help balance out the team's offense, per Nick Shook of NFL.com.

Darnold notes that cleaning up his footwork and reducing his turnovers are among his goals heading into the 2026 season, Eric Edholm of NFL.com reports.

In his first year with the Seahawks, Darnold helmed his team's Super Bowl LX win over the Patriots, but despite that success the veteran QB acknowledges that there's still work to be done in terms of "continuing to hone in on the deep ball" as well as understanding how he can get better that way by "quieting (his) feet in the pocket." Darnold -- who threw for 4,048 yards and 25 TDs in 17 regular-season games in 2025 -- also points to his 20 regular-season turnovers (14 interceptions and six fumbles lost) as an area that he can improve. Looking ahead to the coming campaign, the 29-year-old will be working with a pass-catching corps that returns WRs Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed and TE AJ Barner. Following the free-agent departure of RB Kenneth Walker, the team added Jadarian Price in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to bolster a backfield that awaits the recovery of Zach Charbonnet, who's bouncing back from a torn ACL.

Jones, who dealt with a sore shoulder during the 49ers' spring program, threw passes this week at Tight End University, an event hosted by teammate George Kittle (Achilles), David Lombardi of the San Francisco Standard reports.

The fact that Jones was out there throwing this week suggests that Brock Purdy's top backup should be good to go come training camp. Though there was some speculation this offseason that Jones could be on the move, he'll remain a valuable insurance policy at QB for the 49ers, on the heels of a 2025 regular season in which Purdy missed eight games, all of which Jones started in his place.