NFL Player News

Mayfield agreed to terms on a three-year, $100 million deal with the Buccaneers on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Mayfield will remain with Tampa Bay as its presumptive starting quarterback for at least the next two years. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the 28-year-old's new deal includes $50 million guaranteed, including $30 million guaranteed in 2024 and $20 million guaranteed in 2025. This contract also includes $5 million per year in incentives, increasing its max value to $115 million. Mayfield originally signed with the squad in May 2023 on a flier, one-year deal worth $8.5 million. He went on to notch career highs in both passing yards (4,044) and passing touchdowns (28) while tossing just 10 interceptions across 17 regular-season starts, and he led the team to a NFC South title and an appearance in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. Star wideout Mike Evans also re-signed on a two-year, $52 million contract with Tampa Bay this offseason while standout slot receiver Chris Godwin also still has two years remaining on his current contract with the team. The retention of these two core receivers should provide Mayfield with a strong base of receiving talent heading into the 2024 campaign.

The Jaguars will finalize a trade Sunday to acquire Jones from the Patriots in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round draft pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The deal won't become official until the new league year begins Wednesday, but assuming Jones is able to pass a physical, the Jacksonville native will join his hometown team heading into his fourth NFL season. Though he served as a 42-game starter over his three seasons in New England, Jones slid to third on the depth chart by the end of the 2023 campaign and finished his tenure with the Patriots with a 66.1 completion percentage for 6.8 yards per attempt and a 46:36 TD:INT. He'll give the Jaguars an experienced backup option behind Trevor Lawrence, who thus far has proven durable in his young career with just one missed game over three seasons. Expect the Jaguars to decline Jones' pricey fifth-year option on his rookie contract this spring, which will make the 25-year-old signal-caller eligible for free agency following the 2024 season.

New England is open to trading Jones and has engaged with discussions in teams around the league, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Patriots have been consistently rumored to be open to revamping the quarterback room this offseason, and Mark Daniels of The Providence Journal reports that the team has no intention of picking up Jones' fifth-year option. Jones, a 2021 first-round pick, finished his third NFL season as a healthy scratch after being replaced by Bailey Zappe as New England's starter Week 13, ending the year with a mediocre 2,120 passing yards and 10:12 TD:INT. It's unclear whether Jones will have a significant trade market at this point, but there are enough questions marks at quarterback elsewhere in the league that some teams may be willing to take a chance on the young signal-caller, even if they may not be willing to part with substantial draft capital.

The Raiders are slated to release Hoyer, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Hoyer appeared in three games (including one start) with the Raiders during the 2023 regular season, en route to completing 23 of 42 passing attempts for 231 yards and two interceptions. With a new GM (Tom Telesco) on board in 2024, Las Vegas will move on from the 38-year-old signal-caller, who now represents an option for teams looking for a veteran NFL backup with ample starting experience.

Wilson is traveling to Pittsburgh on Friday to meet with the Steelers' front office and head coach Mike Tomlin, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.

Wilson has permission to meet with other teams but can't technically sign a contract until the Broncos release him at the start of the league year (Wednesday). Multiple Pittsburgh beat writers have suggested the Steelers want to give 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett another shot as the starting quarterback, but most of what we've seen from Pickett suggests that even this post-prime version of Wilson would give the team a better chance to win in 2024. An offset in Wilson's Denver contract means he has no incentive to maximize his 2024 pay from a new team, so he'll likely choose his next destination based on some combination of likelihood to start, chances of making a playoff run and post-2024 compensation. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Wilson already had an "exploratory meeting" with the Giants earlier this week.

Rodgers (Achilles) recently told the Look Into It Podcast that he hopes to play 2-4 more years in the NFL, per John Breech of CBS Sports.

Rodgers hinted at a multi-year commitment when he was traded to the Jets last offseason, with his contract supporting that notion via full guarantees for his compensation in 2023 and 2024. He famously played just four snaps in the first season before tearing his left Achilles' tendon, and he was unable to return even with an aggressive rehab plan. Rodgers did practice with the Jets toward the end of the season -- including as the first-team QB in Week 18 -- but wasn't able to resume sprinting at full strength before the conclusion of the campaign. He previously mentioned wanting to play two more years beyond 2023, and even in the recent podcast interview he acknowledged he'd need "good fortune" to make it three or four more seasons. Rodgers turned 40 in December and should be back at full strength for the start of the Jets offseason program this spring.

The Bills signed veteran quarterback Mitch Trubisky to a two-year deal on Wednesday, presumably to serve as Josh Allen's top backup.

Kyle Allen played the backup role for Josh Allen in 2023, but with the latter mostly healthy that yielded only spot mop-up duties, as the former never even attempted a pass. Kyle Allen likely won't be doing that for the Bills in 2024 following the Trubisky signing, as Trubisky comes with a better resume and has a first-round label from 2017. Plus, Trubisky is better suited to serve as at least a partial replica of Josh Allen, as both have strong arms, can be tough to tackle and have running ability. There may no longer be room for Kyle Allen on the roster.

The Steelers are "tentatively planning" to meet with Wilson before the start of free agency, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The Broncos have given Wilson permission to talk with other teams even though he won't be released until March 13, the start of the 2024 league year. While previous reports out of Pittsburgh suggested the Steelers were ready to move forward with Kenny Pickett and maybe Mason Rudolph as their quarterbacks, the upcoming meeting with Wilson suggests there's at least some level of interest in bringing in a new starter. The decision may end up coming down to financials more so than confidence (or lack thereof) in Pickett. If nothing gets done in Pittsburgh, other potential suitors for Wilson could include the Raiders and Falcons.

Trubisky agreed to a two-year contract with the Bills on Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

The Steelers released Trubisky last month after a two-year run with the team in which the 29-year-old went 2-5 as a starter and was benched multiple times in favor of Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph. Trubisky spent the 2021 season as Josh Allen's backup with the Bills and will head back to a familiar spot, where he'll replace Kyle Allen as Buffalo's No. 2 quarterback.

Mayfield is on track to become an unrestricted free agent March 13, with the Buccaneers having placed the franchise tag on Antoine Winfield on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Mayfield and Tampa Bay still have time to negotiate on an extension before free agency, but with Winfield having received the franchise tag and Mike Evans having been re-signed on a two-year, $52 million contract, the veteran quarterback is now the team's biggest looming question. The 2018 No. 1 overall pick is coming off a solid 2023 campaign in which he threw for a career-high 4,044 yards with a solid 28:10 TD, assisting the Buccaneers in securing a third-straight NFC South title plus an NFC Divisional Round cameo. It's been reported that Mayfield desires to remain in Tampa Bay, so he could be willing to agree to a team-friendly contract, but there are enough questions at quarterback around the NFL that the soon-to-be 29-year-old should be legitimately pursued by other teams if allowed to hit the open market.