NFL Player News

Smith gained two key targets Thursday, as the Jets drafted tight end Kenyon Sadiq 16th overall and wide receiver Omar Cooper 30th overall, Mitch Sherman and Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic report.

Smith was acquired in the offseason to take over as the starting quarterback for a Jets offense that lacked playmakers in the passing game, as Garrett Wilson led the team with 395 receiving yards in 2025 despite being limited to seven games by a knee injury. The Jets are expected to get a healthy Wilson back in 2026 and now boast two additional first-round talents among their pass catchers in Sadiq out of Oregon and Cooper from Indiana. The 35-year-old Smith has thrown 90 touchdown passes over the past four regular seasons, with three of those campaigns coming in Seattle before he played for the Raiders in 2025.

Rams coach Sean McVay said after the Rams drafted Simpson 13th overall Thursday that the rookie quarterback out of Alabama will compete with Stetson Bennett for the backup quarterback role, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

The Rams drafted Simpson with an eye on the future, but Los Angeles remains focused on winning in the moment with 38-year-old Matthew Stafford locked in as the starting quarterback. Simpson, who made only 15 starts in college, should benefit from sitting behind Stafford, but the rookie first-round pick won't have the second spot on the depth chart handed to him. The Rams likely will use training camp and the preseason to evaluate whether Simpson or the 2023 fourth-round pick Bennett will go into the season as Stafford's top backup.

Cousins is set for a quarterback competition with rookie first overall pick Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O'Connell, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.

The Raiders drafted Mendoza on Thursday after signing Cousins earlier in April. According to McFadden, the Raiders' top brass would prefer not to thrust a rookie quarterback into action immediately, but GM John Spytek said the best player will start. Cousins' edge in experience gives the veteran signal-caller a viable chance to beat out Mendoza, at least initially, though it wouldn't be surprising to see Mendoza eventually take over the starting job at some point during the 2026 regular season.

The Rams selected Simpson in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 13th overall.

In what might go down as the most shocking pick of the first round, the Rams picked Simpson as their quarterback of the future at the 13th pick, something around 20 slots earlier than most projected Simpson to go off the board. Simpson (6-foot-1, 211 pounds) only started one year at Alabama and posted troubling efficiency numbers (64.5 percent completed, 7.5 YPA), but to be fair the surrounding cast at Alabama was probably the worst it has been in some number of years. The Rams know Matthew Stafford and his creaky back can only take so many more hits, and with the Simpson selection the team resolved to get ahead of whenever Stafford has to hang up the cleats.

The Raiders selected Mendoza in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, first overall.

Mendoza (6-foot-5, 236 pounds) was all but locked in as the first overall pick as soon as the draft order was set, because franchise quarterback prospects go first overall and Mendoza has everything teams look for in that regard. Even as a modest recruit out of Miami who had to go all the way to out west Cal to find a starting opportunity at the FBS level, it was clear by about mid-October of the 2025 season - his first and only season at Indiana - that Mendoza had established himself as the top QB in the country. Indeed, the Hoosiers went 16-0 in 2025 and Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy in what went down as one of the most memorable storybook seasons in college football history. Mendoza was utterly dominant in 2025, completing 72.0 percent of his passes at 9.3 yards per attempt, producing an outrageous 41 passing touchdowns on just 379 attempts versus six interceptions. Though not a runner by initial inclination, Mendoza is plenty capable and decisive as a rusher, offering both athleticism and power. With new coach Klint Kubiak running the show the Raiders offense should soon be the best it has been in a number of years, though the exact timing of Mendoza's full arrival remains to be seen. The Raiders signed Kirk Cousins to a one-year deal this offseason, and Kubiak previously said that it's not his preference to place a rookie at the starting QB position. Mendoza can force the issue by outplaying Cousins in training camp, but at worst Mendoza is expected to take over as starter at some point before the 2026 season concludes. Whenever Mendoza takes over, there's reason to expect he'll be at least an average starting signal-caller soon or immediately from that point.

Sanders started Cleveland's first 11-on-11 team period at voluntary minicamp Tuesday, though he rotated reps with fellow QBs Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.

Sanders is firmly in the mix in Cleveland's quarterback competition, though there isn't necessarily much information to glean from the chronology of team drills at this stage in the offseason. That said, new head coach Todd Monken did note that "[t]he plan was to have [Sanders] have a few more reps, but to let Deshaun [Watson] and [Sanders] both have reps with the ones." Monken's comments essentially confirm assumptions that Sanders is entering spring workouts as the favorite for No. 1 QB reps over Watson, while Gabriel ranks closer to No. 3 on the depth chart, though things stand to be fluid given the ongoing nature of this positional competition. Across eight regular-season appearances (seven starts) as a rookie, Sanders completed 57 percent of his pass attempts for 1,400 yards, seven TDs and 10 INTs.

Colts coach Shane Steichen noted Tuesday that Jones is already handling dropbacks at this stage of his recovery from a torn right Achilles, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Jones suffered his Achilles tear on Dec. 7 last year, so the QB still has a way to go in his recovery, and the Colts have not yet offered a timeline on when Jones might be fully cleared. Steichen did note that the signal caller is having a "phenomenal rehab," adding that he's confident Jones is doing everything he can to be ready sooner rather than later. With Jones still on the mend, Riley Leonard will handle first-team reps during OTAs, as Anthony Richardson (eye) -- who has requested a trade -- wasn't present at all for the start of Indy's voluntary workout sessions.

Grier is signing with Carolina on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Grier will sign on as the Panthers' third-string QB, behind Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett, providing the team with positional depth in advance of the 2026 NFL Draft. A 2019 third-round pick, Grier hasn't logged any regular-season action since he made two appearances as a rookie with Carolina.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Monday that Jones is progressing well in his recovery from the torn Achilles the quarterback suffered in December and added that the club is shooting for the QB to be ready to play by Week 1 of the upcoming season, James Palmer of The Athletic reports.

Palmer notes that the Colts aren't putting a timeline on Jones' return to game action, but Ballard's comments indicate that the signal-caller could be ready from the outset of the campaign. Ballard said that Jones is currently throwing and moving and is in a "really good spot," echoing the viewpoint the QB shared on The Pat McAfee Show in mid-March. Indianapolis placed the transition tag on Jones in early March before signing him to a two-year deal less than two weeks later, making it clear that the organization views him as a central part of the team's future.

Stafford and the Rams are progressing toward a new contract extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Stafford may not attend all offseason activities until a new extension is finalized by the sound of things, though Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports that the age-38 QB is present for the start of Los Angeles' voluntary workout program Monday. Of course, with Stafford coming off an MVP season in which he threw a career-high 46 TDs to go with 4,707 passing yards, there's little reason to be concerned about rust. His current deal runs through the 2026 season, though head coach Sean McVay expressed optimism earlier this offseason that Stafford could extend his career beyond this upcoming campaign. Meanwhile, star wideout Puka Nacua is attending voluntary workouts after having checked into a rehab facility in March.