NFL Player News
-
Drake Maye QB | NE
Patriots' Drake Maye: Not seen throwing Thursday
Maye (shoulder) did not participate in throwing drills during the portion of Thursday's practice open to the media, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports.
Maye was listed as limited on Wednesday's estimated injury report due to a right shoulder issue and seems destined for a similar designation Thursday. Head coach Mike Vrabel said Thursday that there's "not much" concern about Maye's shoulder injury, per Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site, and Ben Volin of The Boston Globe reports that Vrabel confirmed the issue was sustained during Sunday's 10-7 win over the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. New England may simply intend to use the first half of their two-week practice period in advance of Super Bowl LX against the Seahawks on Sunday, Feb. 8 to allow their key starters some rest. If Maye doesn't begin to ramp up his activity level at practice Friday, expect him to do so next week.
-
Michael Penix Jr. QB | ATL
Falcons' Michael Penix: Expects to be ready for Week 1
Penix (knee) said Wednesday he "look[s] forward to being back Week 1," but he added "we'll see" and noted that Atlanta's medical staff will have "the last word" on his recovery timetable, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Penix mentioned his familiarity with the process of rehabbing from ACL tears, as he suffered similar injuries twice during his collegiate career, both to his right knee. Currently, Penix is rehabbing from a torn left ACL for which he underwent surgery Nov. 25, roughly 9.5 months prior to Week 1 of the 2026 campaign. That places Week 1 squarely within the typical 9-to-12-month recovery timetable for ACL tears, albeit on the earlier end of the scale. Per Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site, new head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Tuesday that Penix already has resumed "attacking his rehab" at the team's training facility. Stefanski expressed excitement about Penix as "a young player who will continue to develop and continue to get better." Meanwhile, veteran Kirk Cousins is the only other quarterback under contract with Atlanta for 2026, though he reworked his deal with the team in early January in a maneuver that likely will result in either another restructure or his release prior to March 13, per Field Yates of ESPN.
-
Josh Allen QB | BUF
Bills' Josh Allen: Facing 8-to-10-week recovery
Allen is facing a recovery timetable between eight and 10 weeks after undergoing surgery to address a broken bone in his right foot, which puts him on track for the start of OTAs, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Allen was spotted with crutches and wearing a walking boot on his right foot Thursday. Per Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News, Allen stated that he underwent surgery to address an avulsion of the fifth metatarsal in his foot that he played through down the stretch of the 2025 campaign, and Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports that the injury is older in origin but was aggravated versus Cleveland in Week 16. In the wake of Buffalo's win over Jacksonville in the wild-card round, Allen also dealt with left knee and right finger injuries this season, but it doesn't appear those will hamper him this offseason. It's encouraging that Allen is expected to be healthy well in advance of OTAs in May, as following the dismissal of Sean McDermott and hiring of Joe Brady, the 29-year-old quarterback will have to adjust to a new head coach for the first time in his NFL career.
-
Josh Allen QB | BUF
Bills' Josh Allen: Wearing walking boot
Allen (foot) is sporting crutches and a walking boot at new head coach Joe Brady's introductory press conference Thursday, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports.
GM Brandon Beane said Wednesday that Allen may require an offseason procedure on his right foot, but the star quarterback's availability for the offseason program won't be impacted if he does go under the knife. Allen's use of a walking boot and crutches one day later could be quiet confirmation that such a procedure has already been scheduled or accomplished. The 29-year-old initially injured his foot in Week 16, resulting in lingering soreness that he dealt with until the end of the 2025 campaign. Prior to Buffalo's loss to Denver in the divisional round, Allen also dealt with injuries to his left knee and right finger. In any case, all expectations are that Allen will be ready to take the field with his teammates by the start of OTAs in May, providing plenty of time to adjust to the first change at head coach he's seen in his eight-year NFL career.
-
Bo Nix QB | DEN
Broncos' Bo Nix: To be back on field in 4-to-6 weeks
Nix said Wednesday that he'll begin training again in about 4-to-6 weeks after undergoing surgery on a "simple bone break" in his right ankle last Tuesday, Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post reports.
That's not to say Nix won't require 12 weeks to recover fully, as reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN on Sunday, but the second-year quarterback will resume on-field work about when he normally would in the offseason after his season ended when he suffered the injury near the end of the Broncos' divisional-round overtime win against the Bills. Nix racked up 3,931 passing yards, 356 more yards on the ground and 30 total touchdowns (25 through the air, five rushing) in 17 regular-season games in 2025, so he'll remain a steady option for fantasy purposes in the upcoming campaign once he's healthy.
-
Sam Darnold QB | SEA
Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Listed as limited Wednesday
Darnold (oblique) was listed as limited on Wednesday's practice estimate, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.
Since injuring his left oblique in practice ahead of the Seahawks' divisional-round game against the 49ers, Darnold has operated with practice restrictions but suited up for both of the team's playoff contests, completing 37 of 53 passes (69.8 percent) for 470 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in the process. After Sunday's victory over the Rams in the NFC Championship Game, coach Mike Macdonald told Brady Henderson of ESPN.com on Monday that Darnold was dealing with some soreness, but the oblique issue remains "nothing major." Darnold will have a week and a half to get as healthy as possible ahead of Super Bowl LX versus the Patriots on Sunday, Feb. 8.
-
Drake Maye QB | NE
Patriots' Drake Maye: Dealing with shoulder injury
Maye was listed as limited on Wednesday's estimated injury report due to a right shoulder injury.
During New England's three-game run to Super Bowl LX, Maye has taken an NFL-leading 15 sacks, which may have contributed to a below-average 55.8 completion percentage so far in the playoffs (down from a league-high 72 percent from the regular season). Still, he put up 533 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions, rushed 24 times for 141 yards and one TD and fumbled six times (three lost) during that span. Maye appears to be tending to some residual wear and tear as a result, but his status will continue to be watched during the Patriots' two-week ramp-up period for a matchup with the Seahawks on Sunday, Feb. 8.
-
Gardner Minshew QB | ARI
Chiefs' Gardner Minshew: Avoids surgery, already healthy
Minshew (knee) will not require any procedures to address the season-ending knee injury he suffered in Week 16 and is already back to full strength, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Minshew missed the final two games of the regular season due to a left knee injury initially reported as a torn ACL and was then diagnosed as a non-displaced tibial plateau fracture, though Schefter now reports that the veteran quarterback merely suffered a bone bruise. After having played out the 2025 season on a one-year, $1.17 million contract with the Chiefs, Minshew will now be fully healthy in time to hit free agency this offseason. If he doesn't reunite with Kansas City, Minshew should have little difficulty securing a backup role elsewhere in the league.
-
Aaron Rodgers QB | PIT
Steelers' Aaron Rodgers: Wanted back by Steelers
New Pittsburgh head coach Mike McCarthy said Tuesday the team would "definitely" want Rodgers back if he decides to play in the 2026 season, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
After Mike Tomlin stepped down as the Steelers' head coach in mid-January, it was reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that Rodgers was unlikely to re-up with the team after playing out 2025 on a one-year contract. A reunion with McCarthy might make the 42-year-old quarterback reconsider, however, as the two won Super Bowl XLV together with Green Bay back in 2011 -- coincidentally, a 31-25 victory over Pittsburgh. If he doesn't return to the Steelers, Rodgers will most likely retire.
-
Sam Darnold QB | SEA
Seahawks' Sam Darnold: Clutch play earns ticket to SBLX
Darnold completed 25 of 36 pass attempts for 346 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for nine yards on three attempts in Sunday's 31-27 NFC Championship Game win over the Rams.
Darnold was dealing with oblique discomfort during the practice week, but he did not carry a designation into Sunday's playoff tilt. Often criticized for his shortcomings in high-stakes games, Darnold overcame that narrative by producing one his finest performances from the pocket (127.8 QBR) in order to send the Seahawks to Santa Clara, CA for Super Bowl LX. The 346 passing yards were the most the 28-year-old has slung through 19 starts with Seattle. It was also the first time the veteran signal-caller has thrown three touchdown passes with no turnovers in a game this season. Darnold and the Seahawks will have two weeks to prepare for a stiff Patriots defense before the two teams meet in the Super Bowl on Feb. 8.