NFL Player News

DeVito signed a two-year, $7.4 million deal with the Patriots on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Only $2 million of DeVito's new contract is guaranteed, but he's now set to remain in New England after spending his 2025 campaign as the team's emergency third quarterback. The Illinois product appeared in 12 regular-season games with the Giants from 2023 to 2024, completing 145 of his 222 pass attempts for 1,358 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. With Drake Maye and Joshua Dobbs both under contract for the 2026 season, DeVito is expected to remain the Patriots' No. 3 QB.

Barring a trade, the Raiders will release Smith (ankle) prior to the start of the new league year March 11, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Smith, who is now entering his age-36 season, will depart Las Vegas after just one season with the team, as the Raiders are widely projected to select a new starting quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. After a resurgent three-year stint in Seattle from 2022-24, Smith's inaugural campaign with Las Vegas represented a significant decline, as he completed 67 percent of his passes for just 3,025 yards and a 19:17 TD:INT. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the Raiders have aggressively worked to manufacture a potential trade for Smith in recent days, but it's likelier the veteran signal-caller draws interest on the free-agent market than in a scenario where suitors have to part with draft capital to acquire him. Smith missed Week 18 due to an ankle issue but does not appear to still be dealing with any injury, given he's been the subject of trade talks.

Watson (Achilles) agreed to terms Friday on a restructured contract with the Browns that converts a portion of his $80.71 million cap hit for the 2026 season into bonuses, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Watson's restructure provides Cleveland with increased flexibility ahead of the start of the legal tampering period March 9. The 30-year-old quarterback is heading into the final year of the fully guaranteed five-year contract he inked with the Browns back in 2022, and Cabot reports that Watson is now back to full health after having undergone two surgeries to repair the right Achilles tendon he re-ruptured after the 2024 season. Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry recently named both Watson and Shedeur Sanders as candidates to compete for the team's starting quarterback job in 2026, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.

Rodgers said Wednesday that he has not yet made a decision on his playing future and that the Steelers have not informed him of any timetable to make such a decision, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Rodgers expressed high praise for Pittsburgh and new head coach Mike McCarthy, but it does not appear that the 42-year-old veteran will make a decision about whether or not to play in the 2026 season prior to the start of free agency March 11. While the Steelers have expressed interest in re-signing Rodgers, other QB-needy teams around the league would also stand to be interested in his services, if available. Across 16 regular-season appearances in 2025, Rodgers completed 66 percent of his passes for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The Buccaneers re-signed Bazelak to a one-year, $1 million contract on Wednesday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Bazelak spent the latter half of the 2025 campaign handling the emergency No. 3 quarterback role for Tampa By, working behind both Baker Mayfield and Teddy Bridgewater. While the former Bowling Green standout didn't actually record a single regular-season appearance as a rookie, his debut year as a pro was ultimately encouraging. Bridgewater is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but the Buccaneers will likely either re-sign the veteran or bring in another backup option behind Mayfield, leaving Bazelak to again compete for the third-string gig.

Prescott agreed to terms Wednesday on a restructured contract with the Cowboys, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Prescott and offensive lineman Tyler Smith's (knee) combined restructures free up $47 million in cap space for 2026, and Dallas is also expected to restructure CeeDee Lamb's deal. These restructures presumably involve converting future guarantees into signing bonuses. Prescott is entering his age-33 season fresh off a 2025 campaign in which he completed 67 percent of his passes for 4,552 yards and a 30:10 TD:INT, in addition to rushing 532 times for 177 yards and two scores. With the Cowboys having retained George Pickens for 2026 via the franchise tag and re-signed running back Javonte Williams (shoulder) to a three-year, $24 million deal, Prescott will benefit from significant continuity on offense in 2026.

Sanders will be among the candidates to start at quarterback for the Browns in 2026, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

General manager Andrew Berry indicated that Sanders and Deshaun Watson (ankle) will both be in the mix. The GM also indicated that more names could be added to the battle, suggesting Cleveland is open to either signing a free agent or using draft capital on the position. New head coach Todd Monken did not commit to starting Sanders when speaking at his introductory news conference.

Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry is not committing to naming a starting quarterback but included Watson (ankle) as a candidate, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Berry indicated Watson and Shedeur Sanders will be among those competing for the starting quartebrack job. There are likely to be other names in the mix, whether that be via trade, free agency or the draft. Neither Berry nor new head coach Todd Monken are in a rush to provide details.

Murray (foot) shared a goodbye message to the Cardinals organization on his personal social media accounts Tuesday.

The 28-year-old quarterback is expected to be released by Arizona. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the transaction will occur when the new league year starts March 11, barring the materialization of a last-minute trade. Murray's contract guarantees him $36.8 million in 2026, and were he to remain on the roster March 15, another $19.5 million in guarantees would trigger. Murray missed the final 12 games of 2025 due to a foot sprain, and though he played all 17 regular-season contests in 2024, he also missed a combined 15 regular-season games the two years prior. Despite that checkered injury history, the two-time Pro Bowler will likely be in high demand given the number of teams in need of a starting quarterback, and the lack of enticing options available in free agency or the draft.

Jones (Achilles) received the transition tag from the Colts on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The transition tag allots Jones a fully guaranteed $37.83 million salary for 2026 but allows him to negotiate with other teams, though Indianapolis retains the right to match any offer sheet. Jones carries a 6-8 month recovery timeline after undergoing Achilles surgery in December, so he could be ready for the start of training camp in July. Across 13 regular-season games in 2025, Jones completed 68.0 percent of his passes for 3,101 yards and a 19:8 TD:INT while also adding 45 carries for 164 yards and five scores. The former Giant was on pace for a career year, though a fibula injury suffered in Week 10 hampered his production even prior to his Achilles tear.