NFL Player News

With Texans quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett competing for the starting role, coach Bill O'Brien said Thursday he may decide on his starting quarterback before training camp begins, reports NFL.com.

"That decision may be made before training camp," O'Brien said. "They're out here competing [in OTAs and at mandatory minicamp] every single day, and it's pretty intense. So, we may pick a guy very soon. And if we don't, and the decision does go into training camp, it'll be made pretty early on. The team needs to know who the guy is, and we need to go forward."

Geno Smith showed why he's still the Jets' starting quarterback with a rebound performance during Wednesday's practice. 

A day after throwing three interceptions, Smith bounced back with a solid outing that included zero turnovers and fine accuracy, according to ESPN New York.  

"(T)he quarterbacks were decent," Jets coach Todd Bowles said. "We just have to be consistent."

Smith took the majority of the reps during team drills and hit a bomb down the field to receiver Walter Powell for 70 yards. A year ago, Smith totaled 2,525 yards, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. 

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was able to lead the first team in every drill during the first day of mandatory minicamp, according to CSN Bay Area. 

Carr had a finger injury that appeared worrisome earlier this offseason. However, Carr said the injury was mostly a non-issue and that he knew he'd be ready to go this week. 

“It was so minor but it was blown up so much,” Carr said. “…I just had to go through a bit of rehab and stretching. I felt ready to rock a long time ago, and I felt even better today. We’re not going to get too much into it, but I’m 100 percent. If you could be more than 100, that’s where I’d be. I’m fired up to be working and I’m ready for training camp.”

Jets quarterback Geno Smith threw three interceptions during Tuesday's minicamp practice, according to ESPN.com. 

Two of those interceptions came in the red zone, where quarterbacks must capitalize on opportunities to be successful. Despite his mistakes, Jets coach Todd Bowles stayed mostly complimentary of Smith. 

"He's been making some good decisions," said Bowles. "I think his growth is coming along pretty good."

Mark Rodgers, the agent for Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, issued a 16-page letter to the club explaining his position on contract negotiations between Wilson and the Seahawks, as first reported by the NFL Network. 

Wilson is slated to play out the final year of his rookie contract in 2015, making $1.54 million. Rodgers previously started in a radio interview that Wilson is content to wait and see what happens after the season.

"Russell is under contract with the Seahawks," Rodgers said, per ESPN.com. "He absolutely would be fine playing his fourth year under the contract he signed coming out and then moving on from there. I don't feel any particular crunch on time or any real particular deadlines."

Wilson added to the point, saying he isn't necessarily rushing to make a decision on his future past this season. 

"I'm prepared for that 100 percent if that's the case," Wilson said about the final year of his contract. "I want to be here for a long time. I just have to get ready to play. I love the game, and I love being out here with these guys. Ultimately, I just take it one day at a time and see where it takes me."

Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford participated in 7-on-7 drills in Monday's OTA practice, but he didn't take part in any full-team drills. 

Bradford is returning from a season-ending knee injury. 

"It's nice to be out there with the guys, getting a feel for this offense and actually running the plays we're going to run," Bradford said, per Philly.com. "I think the past couple of weeks have gone really well. As far as percentage , I'm not sure, but the knee feels really good

The Seahawks have begun negotiations with linebacker Bobby Wagner on a contract extension, NFL.com reported. Wagner is scheduled to make $977,427 this year, the last season of his rookie contract. 

The team is still attempting to extend quarterback Russell Wilson, who will also complete his rookie contract. The two talks are somewhat related, since the team will only be able to tag one of the two players, if extensions aren't reached. 

Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan used to work with Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins.

While RG III and Colt McCoy had more playing time, Cousins had more passing yards and touchdowns last season, and Shanahan is impressed with what he saw. 

Shanahan said that Cousins had a chance to be a "great quarterback some day". 

"Kirk's one of the sharper guys I've been around," Shanahan said, per NFL.com. "He processes things so fast. He lets it rip. He's as tough as can be."

The Raiders have cleared quarterback Derek Carr to participate in next week's minicamp, but the signal-caller likely will still be dealing with a finger issue on his throwing hand, per NFL Network's Albert Breer. 

While Carr may not be fully healthy at minicamp, the team expects him to be fine for training camp. Carr threw for 3,270 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2014. 

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has never had a receiver like tight end Jimmy Graham on his side of the ball, per The Seattle Times.

Wilson is already building a relationship with the 6-foot-7 Graham in order to find the perfect spots to throw him the ball. So far in organized team activities, the perfect spot has been anywhere.

“Throwing to him is easy,” Wilson said.

Graham, one of the premier targets at tight end, knows it will take a lot of repetition for him and Wilson to eventually get on the same page, but doesn't doubt that the duo will put up big numbers this season.

“That stuff takes time,” Graham said, “but honestly me and Russ have been on kind of this accelerated learning curve. He just gets it up and gives you an opportunity to be great. We’ll be keep working on that, and we’ll be just fine come the season, because that’s a big thing. That’s all about the connection, that’s all about knowing what each other is going to do and what each other likes.”

The Seahawks ranked 20th in the league last year in redzone efficiency, one thing that Graham's size and Wilson's decision-making will dramatically improve.

“That may be one of the biggest things, just the size we have down there when things start to get tight,” offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said.