NFL Player News

Bills beat writer Vic Carucci says he's been told Taylor (core muscle surgery) is unwilling to agree to a restructured contract that would reduce his pay, The Buffalo News reports.

It's also been reported that Taylor would prefer to return to the Bills, but Carucci's sources say the quarterback and his agent are convinced they can receive a boatload of money if Taylor hits the open market, so they may be unwilling to take a pay cut to keep Taylor in Buffalo. We'll see how much new coach Sean McDermott pushes to keep Taylor in the fold, though the thought all along had been that if the quarterback was going to return for another season, it would be under a reduced deal given that the team has mixed feelings about his 2016 performance.

Head coach Vance Joseph is committed to a quarterback competition between Lynch and Trevor Siemian (shoulder) in the offseason, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post reports.

Pressed into duty on three occasions as a rookie, Lynch didn't express comfort in an offense in which he was under center more often than not. Unsurprisingly, he completed just 49 of 83 passes (59 percent) for 497 yards and two touchdowns versus one interception. A product of the spread offense as a collegian at Memphis, Lynch could thrive under new offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, who has propped up the likes of Tim Tebow, Peyton Manning, and Philip Rivers in his last three stops. Meanwhile, Lynch will be working against the more traditional and risk-averse Siemian as the offseason unfolds.

Head coach Vance Joseph is committed to a quarterback competition between Siemian (shoulder) and Paxton Lynch in the offseason, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post reports.

During a press conference Tuesday, Joseph called the upcoming QB battle "my vision going forward" with Siemian and Lynch. After earning the starting gig in the preseason, Siemian took advantage of the weapons afforded him through his first four games, completing 67.3 percent of his passes for 824 yards and six touchdowns versus three interceptions. However, in the latter contest, he suffered an injury to his left non-throwing shoulder, starting a downward spiral of sorts. Missing another game along the way due to a left foot sprain, he ended the campaign with 3,401 yards on 59 percent passing to go with an 18:10 TD:INT ratio. As the Broncos gear up for the 2017 season, both Siemian and Lynch will be vying to land the top signal-caller gig under the watchful eyes of new offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave.

Taylor, who's still recovering from core muscle surgery, says he'd like to return, BuffaloBills.com reports. "Of course," said the quarterback this week. "I know the team very well. I know how close we are as a team. I know the talent that we have on the team. We can be a very special team, especially with the right leadership, and I believe we have some coaches in that are definitely ready to go out there and make us work and get things turned around. So definitely looking forward to seeing what they can bring."

We'll see if the feeling is mutual after the team got all wishy-washy on him down the stretch amid the Rex Ryan firing. While Taylor has his flaws, he did put up a lot of points with a banged-up offense and has proven to be a good protector of the ball, with 37 touchdown passes and just 12 picks over his two seasons as Buffalo's starter. Plus there may be no one else available that's any better. At issue remains his lack of size as well as troubles bringing the team back from deficits. One thing to note is that Taylor worked with new offensive coordinator Rick Dennison while he was a backup with the Ravens, and is quite familiar with the offense Dennison plans to roll out.

Hoyer (forearm) is "all set" to return to football-related activities, Crain's Cleveland reports.

Hoyer ended the 2016 campaign on injured reserve due to a broken left forearm suffered in Week 7 against the Packers. Now roughly three months removed from corrective surgery, he stated he's received clearance from his doctor to resume football activities, a fortunate development for the quarterback who's set to hit unrestricted free agency.

Siemian (shoulder) is progressing well after shoulder surgery, 9News Denver reports.

Siemian is roughly four weeks removed from minor surgery to his left, non-throwing shoulder and is currently sporting an arm sling to aid his recovery. However, he appears to have avoided any and all setbacks thus far into his rehabilitation, and should therefore be out of the sling in a little over two weeks.

Carr, whose season ended due to a broken right fibula, suffered a fractured right pinkie finger in Week 12, The Mercury News reports.

Carr's offseason focus will rightfully be rehabilitation on his right leg, but prior to the devastating injury, he was toughing out what was believed to be a dislocated finger at the time. In his first two games with the ailment in tow, he completed a measly 36 of 76 passes while averaging just short of 5.0 yards per attempt. He displayed increased comfort in his final two appearances, surpassing 60 percent passing in both outings, as he did in each of the first 11 contests of the year. After Carr went down for good in Week 16, the Raiders' fortunes were effectively sealed, losing out on the AFC West title in the regular-season finale and dropping out of the postseason, 27-14, to the Texans in the wild-card round. If all goes as planned in his recovery, he should be healthy enough to take part in the majority of the offseason program.

Stafford (finger) skipped the 2017 Pro Bowl in order to rest his injured middle finger, MLive.com reports.

Stafford dislocated his right middle finger (on his throwing hand) in Week 14 against the Bears. While he finished out the regular season and also suited up for the Lions' lone playoff game in Seattle, Stafford missed the Pro Bowl because he opted for rest over surgery as a means to recover. However, it isn't clear how much rest his finger may require, or if his treatment plan will delay the start of his offseason preparation.

Tannehill's advanced progress through rehab makes it unlikely that he'll require reconstructive knee surgery this offseason, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports.

Tannehill sustained a partial ACL tear and MCL sprain on Dec. 11 but has since improved the stability of his knee through many strength-focused exercises. In fact, the knee is doing so well that he's already able to play basketball as part of his rehab. While that has proven his knee's ability to tolerate sudden movements, Tannehill still has an MRI scheduled for Monday, at which point his outlook could be updated. As it stands, the quarterback is not believed to need full ACL surgery, but it's still possible that he could travel to Germany to undergo platelet-rich plasma therapy to promote further healing. Whether that happens or not, there's currently confidence that Tannehill's knee will be stable enough for him to be ready to start next season.

Bridgewater's (knee) agent, Kennard McGuire, told Adam Schefter of ESPN that the quarterback doesn't have a defined recovery timetable, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com reports. "I would not overreact to a story that has zero substance and no credibility," McGuire added.

Bridgewater suffered a devastating left knee injury on Aug. 30, tearing multiple ligaments and dislocating the joint. There has been scant reporting during his rehabilitation, likely due to the year-plus recovery that accompanies such ailments. Since the end of the campaign, head coach Mike Zimmer has reaffirmed the Vikings' company line twice, stating the team is unsure when Bridgewater will be healthy enough to contribute but wouldn't rule out the potential that he's available at some point during the 2017 campaign. Nonetheless, a report Friday from Bleacher Report said Bridgewater will likely miss a second consecutive season, as he won't be 100 percent until March of 2017. While it's certainly possible, the Vikings will continue to tread carefully with the 2014 first-round pick.