NFL Player News
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Brandon Allen QB | NYG
49ers' Brandon Allen: Emergency option again
Allen (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's Super Bowl matchup against the Chiefs, but he will serve as the team's emergency quarterback, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Allen is familiar with the role, serving as the team's No. 3 option throughout most of the season. The 31-year-old will only be allowed to enter the game if Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold are forced out due to injury.
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Mike White QB | CAR
Dolphins' Mike White: Cap decisions coming in offseason
White completed five of six pass attempts for 74 yards with one touchdown and one interception across six regular-season appearances in 2023. He also rushed eight times for a loss of nine yards.
White wasn't called upon to do much as Miami's backup behind Tua Tagovailoa, mostly entering games late in the fourth quarter in contests where the Dolphins were simply running out a large lead. He remains under contract with Miami for the 2024 campaign, but the team has a potential 'out' for only a $1.7 million cap hit, whereas White will otherwise cost a significant $5.2 million against the cap. It wouldn't be surprising to see both sides agree on a restructure in the coming months, if there's mutual interest in remaining together.
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Clayton Tune QB | GB
Cardinals' Clayton Tune: Uninspiring rookie season
Tune completed 12 of 21 passes for 62 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions and had eight carries for 30 yards and one touchdown in seven games during the 2023 season.
In the lone start of his rookie season Week 9, the 2023 fifth-round pick led the Cardinals to their lowest offensive output (58 net yards) in any game of the campaign. In essence, Tune bridged the gap between Joshua Dobbs starting the first eight contests and Kyler Murray getting the rest of the nods after the latter completed his recovery from a torn ACL. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Tune got a handful of short-yardage reps in place of the smaller Murray in the second half of the year, but with Murray's five-year extension officially kicking in for 2024, the former is unlikely to be any higher than No. 2 on Arizona's QB depth chart next season.
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Brandon Allen QB | NYG
49ers' Brandon Allen: Serves as No. 3 for SF
Allen did not appear in a game for San Francisco while operating as the team's third quarterback in 2023.
Allen sat behind Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold on San Francisco's QB depth chart for the entirety of the campaign. Allen was brought in as a veteran option after appearing in 15 games as a reserve over his previous four seasons in the league. Allen will be an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason, but he could be a candidate to re-sign as the 49ers' backup if Sam Darnold decides to walk in free agency.
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Sam Darnold QB | SEA
49ers' Sam Darnold: Solid as backup in 2023
Darnold completed 61 percent of his pass attempts for 297 yards, two touchdowns and one interception across 10 games (one start) with San Francisco in 2023.
Darnold spent the majority of the campaign backing up MVP candidate Brock Purdy, with the veteran's lone start coming in the last game of the regular season with many starters resting for the playoffs. The third overall pick from the 2018 Draft appeared to be more comfortable under center while playing in head coach Kyle Shanahan's system. Darnold's high draft pedigree and improved polish should produce several suitors for the unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason.
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Lamar Jackson QB | BAL
Ravens' Lamar Jackson: Wins second MVP Award
Jackson was named the Most Valuable Player on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Jackson was the favorite for the award since the Ravens downed Brock Purdy and the 49ers in Week 16 in decisive fashion. His overall resume was deserving of the honor as well, as Jackson tallied 29 total touchdowns while racking up career-best marks in passing yards (3,678) and yards per attempt (8.0). It was the second time that he's been named MVP of the league, with the first coming in 2019.
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C.J. Stroud QB | HOU
Texans' C.J. Stroud: Wins Offensive Rookie of the Year
Stroud was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year on Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
The result isn't all that surprising after Stroud posted a 23:5 TD:INT while averaging 8.2 yards per attempt in his rookie season. Perhaps even more impressive was the role he played in the Texans' seven-win improvement from the 2022 campaign. Stroud bested other impressive performances from rookies, including Bijan Robinson, Puka Nacua, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs.
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Baker Mayfield QB | TB
Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield: Looking likely to stay in Tampa
New Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen said Tuesday that Mayfield is one of the reasons he chose the job in Tampa Bay, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Coen said his confidence in Mayfield re-signing is "higher than I probably need [it] to be" but also clarified that it's "probably more 'want' than 'know'." It sounds like the two are on the same page, at least to some extent, as Mayfield said Friday that he expected contract talks to pick up once the Bucs finalized a deal with Coen, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The former Rams offensive coordinator worked with Mayfield at the end of the 2022 season in Los Angeles, before returning to the college ranks in 2023 with Kentucky to resume calling plays. Coen will get his first shot as an NFL play-caller in 2024, and there's a good chance he'll be working with Mayfield -- a candidate for the franchise tag and/or a long-term contract this spring. WR Mike Evans is also scheduled for unrestricted free agency, with his future having a significant impact on Mayfield's fantasy value after the two connected 79 times for 1,255 yards and 13 TDs in 2023.
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Kyle Trask QB | TB
Buccaneers' Kyle Trask: Barely plays in '23
Trask saw action in only two games during the 2023 regular season, failing to complete his only pass attempt and netting minus-1 yard on his only rush attempt. He didn't appear in either of Tampa Bay's postseason games.
Trask and Baker Mayfield engaged in a training camp and preseason job battle in which the latter prevailed, and Mayfield then turned out to be an unqualified success as the Buccaneers' starting signal-caller. As a result of Mayfield's solid play and good health, Trask was a non-factor throughout the campaign and has now put up just 10 regular-season pass attempts in his first three NFL seasons. The Florida product did seem to show plenty of progress from his first two seasons during camp practices and exhibition action, but Trask is still unlikely to be handed the starting gig heading into 2024 even if Mayfield -- a pending free agent -- isn't re-signed.
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Joe Flacco QB | CIN
Browns' Joe Flacco: Intends to play in 2024
Flacco, who is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason, plans to continue his NFL career in 2024, Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press reports.
Flacco will look to keep playing in what will be his age-40 season, though it's difficult to gauge what kind of opportunities he'll garner in free agency. The veteran signal-caller is coming off an impressive late-season run with the Browns in which he led the team to a 4-1 record across five starts, culminating in a wild-card round playoff exit to the Texans. Cleveland is likely to restore a healthy Deshaun Watson (shoulder) as its starter in 2024, but if the team has any concerns about Watson's health, re-signing Flacco could be a priority. If the Browns opt not to bring him back, however, Flacco's strong showing in 2023 ought to at least earn him a backup gig elsewhere in the league.