NFL Player News

The Steelers want to give Pickett another chance to be their starting quarterback, according to Gerry Dulac of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The 2022 first-round pick has thrown 13 touchdown passes in 24 NFL games but went 7-5 as a starter in both of his first two pro seasons. While it's safe to say Pickett won't ever be a top quarterback, the Steelers apparently hope he can become a competent starter under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Dulac suggests the Steelers are unlikely to pursue QBs that definitely would expect to be starters (e.g. Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins) but could end up re-signing impending free agent Mason Rudolph, who replaced an injured Pickett in December and then continued to start once his teammate was medically cleared. It's certainly worth noting that not all of the Pittsburgh beat reporters are as confident as Dulac about the Steelers wanting to give Pickett another shot rather than replacing him with someone like Fields/Cousins/Wilson.

Hoyer completed 23 of 42 pass attempts for 231 yards across three contests with the Raiders in 2023, but he didn't see any game action after rookie Aidan O'Connell secured the full-time starting job Week 9.

Hoyer threw a pair of interceptions Week 7 against the Bears in what turned out to be his final on-field performance of the season, which ultimately allowed the aforementioned O'Connell to prove himself worthy of a roster spot moving forward. Although a $2.6 million dead cap hit would accompany Hoyer's potential release this offseason, it'd be surprising for the Raiders not to move on from the 38-year-old signal-caller, especially given former coach Josh McDaniels' and former general manager Dave Ziegler's departure from the organization. At this stage in his career, retirement isn't off the table for Hoyer, either.

Garoppolo will be suspended for the first two games of 2024 for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances and the Raiders are expected to release him this offseason, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Garoppolo used a prescribed medication without having a valid Therapeutic Use Exemption from the league. He was likely headed for a release anyway, as the Raiders benched him in 2023 and can avoid paying an $11.25 million roster bonus if they cut the 32-year-old before March 17. This suspension may also allow the team to nullify an $11.25 million base salary that previously was guaranteed.

The Seahawks informed Smith on Thursday that he'll remain on the roster through this week rather than be released to avoid a $12.7 million contract guarantee that kicks in Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Smith has two years remaining on the three-year, $75 million contract he signed last offseason, but the deal only had injury guarantees after the first year. His $12.7 million base salary for 2024 is one of those, converting to a full guarantee Feb. 16 (this Friday). Smith then has a $9.6 million roster bonus due March 17, and the Seahawks presumably wouldn't keep him around for now if they didn't also plan to pay that out and have the 33-year-old QB under contract for 2024.

Cincinnati released McCarron on Wednesday.

McCarron joined the Bengals back in November as a depth option, after the team lost starting quarterback Joe Burrow (wrist) to a season-ending injury. The veteran appeared in two contest for the team in relief of fill-in starter Jake Browning, but now McCarron will have to search for a reserve gig elsewhere in free agency.

Richardson has resumed throwing as part of his rehab from right shoulder surgery, per a video posted to his agent Deiric Jackson's X.com account.

Richardson is recovering from season-ending surgery undergone Oct. 21 to address a Grade 3 AC Joint sprain suffered Week 5. He also missed time as a rookie due to a concussion suffered Week 2, but it now looks like the 2023 No. 4 overall pick is trending to be cleared well ahead of training camp. Despite appearing in only four games as a rookie, Richardson managed to display the outlandish potential of his unique size and speed profile. With a full offseason to further his development as a signal-caller, Richardson's fantasy upside for 2024 should make him one of the hottest names at the quarterback position.

The Steelers released Trubisky on Monday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.

Among his five appearances during the 2023 season, Trubisky earned two starts and overall completed 67 of 107 passes for 632 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing 16 times for 54 yards and two more scores. Both Kenny Pickett early and Mason Rudolph late in the campaign played over Trubisky when they were healthy, and with the decision to move on from the latter, he'll get a head start on his next destination.

Purdy completed 23 of 38 pass attempts for 255 yards and a touchdown while adding three carries for 12 yards in Sunday's 25-22 overtime loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.

Purdy was ready for the big moment and handled everything defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo could throw at him despite falling short in the overtime period. The rising star QB surrendered just one sack for a loss of four yards while finishing 10 rating points behind Patrick Mahomes (99.3), whose final touchdown drive for Kansas City earned him the game's Most Valuable Player award. Even with the heartbreaking finish, Purdy's 2023 regular season can only be described as a smashing success after he completed 69 percent of his passes for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns across 16 starts. San Francisco should still have multiple star playmakers surrounding the young quarterback next season as the team looks to get back to the big game in 2024.

Mahomes completed 34 of 46 passes for 333 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 25-22 overtime win over the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. He added nine rushes for 66 yards.

Mahomes led Kansas City to its second straight Super Bowl championship while also taking home his third Super Bowl MVP award. He led two clutch drives to close the game, first leading an 11-play, 64-yard drive that ended in a field goal to tie the game at the conclusion of regulation. During that possession, he completed five of seven passes for 58 yards. His next time on the field came with Kansas City down three in overtime, and Mahomes orchestrated another lengthy drive that ended with a game-sealing, three-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman. The Kansas City defense was the key to the team's postseason run, but Mahomes showed up in the biggest moments to lead an impressive comeback victory.

Hooker did not appear in a game during the 2023 season.

Drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Hooker had a slow start to his professional career while rebounding from a torn ACL from November 2022, when he was a Heisman Trophy candidate at Tennessee. While he did not appear in a game as a rookie, Hooker did serve as the emergency No. 3 quarterback for the final three regular-season games and each of Detroit's playoff contests. With Teddy Bridgewater set to retire this offseason, the path is wide open for Hooker to open the 2024 campaign as Detroit's backup quarterback behind Jared Goff.