NFL Player News

Bridgewater has agreed to terms on a contract with the Lions, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Bridgewater previously spent time in Detroit as the backup to Jared Goff in 2023, and he returned to the NFL in 2025 to provide depth behind Baker Mayfield with the Buccaneers. Last year, across four regular-season appearances, Bridgewater completed eight of 15 pass attempts for 62 yards without a touchdown. He also carried the ball three times for four yards. The 33-year-old signal-caller will provide the Lions with stability in the event that Goff misses any time in 2026.

Brissett is on track to keep his starting job after the Cardinals settled for Gardner Minshew as their QB addition at the start of free agency, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

The catch is that Arizona still has time this offseason to add a third quarterback to the mix. Multiple reports suggest Minshew will come in behind Brissett on the depth chart, though Brissett hasn't been informed of any specific plans for the QB roles, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. The 33-year-old Brissett is entering the second season of a two-year contract, after providing competent QB play during a 2025 campaign where not much went right for the Cardinals. They ended up leading the league in pass attempts, but a new coaching staff may not be as quick to abandon the run, even in trailing game scripts. To that end, the Cardinals are signing power runner Tyler Allgeier to challenge James Conner (ankle) and Trey Benson (knee) in the backfield.

Penix (knee) won't necessarily be Atlanta's starting quarterback once he's healthy, as new addition Tua Tagovailoa will get a real chance to earn the job, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

It looks like a good situation for Tagovailoa to rehabilitate his value while Penix rehabs from the third ACL tear of his football career. Both QBs are left-handed, theoretically making things easier for new head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to manage their passing game. The Falcons are also signing WRs Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus to replace Darnell Mooney, giving the quarterbacks more options behind the ball-dominant trio of Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts, but it'll be a while before Penix throws passes to his new teammates. Tagovailoa figures to handle first-team reps through the offseason program and into training camp, at the very least. Beyond that, a lot will depend on health, with both lefties sporting poor track records for availability.

The Jets have agreed to a trade with the Raiders to acquire Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The next chapter of Smith's career will feature his return to the team that selected him in the second round of the 2013 Draft. Of course, it wasn't until his stint as a starter with Seattle from 2022-24 that Smith finally blossomed, earning two Pro Bowl berths and throwing for over 4,000 yards on two occasions. The 35-year-old signal-caller fell to earth while playing behind Las Vegas' porous offensive line in 2025, but the Jets hope the veteran can find his footing again in New York, where he will benefit not only from superior protection behind a line anchored by tackles Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou, but also a pair of valuable offensive playmakers in WR Garrett Wilson (knee) and RB Breece Hall (knee). Smith's arrival also confirms that Justin Fields (knee) is no longer in the team's plans.

Allen is set to sign a two-year, $4.1 million contract with the Bills, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Allen has spent most of his career as a backup and played in three games for Detroit last season, going 0-for-2 on pass attempts. With Buffalo, he'll likely be the No. 2 QB behind Josh Allen and replace previous backup Mitchell Trubisky, who is expected to sign with Tennessee. Kyle Allen's contract could be worth up to $6.1 million with incentives, per Schefter.

Pickett is slated to sign a one-year contract with the Panthers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Journeyman QB Andy Dalton remains under contract with the Panthers, but considering his guaranteed money ($2 million) is half that of Pickett's, the latter seems poised to be Bryce Young's backup in 2026 while Dalton could see himself cut for minimal cap savings. Since moving on from Pittsburgh after the 2023 season, Pickett has made 11 appearances (three starts) the last two campaigns between the Eagles and Raiders, completing 53 of 87 passes (60.9 percent) for 479 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions, rushing 14 times for 37 yards and one more score and fumbling twice (one lost).

Minshew is in line to sign a one-year contract with the Cardinals, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Minshew's odds of starting Week 1 will depend on Arizona's other moves this offseason, with Jacoby Brissett and Kedon Slovis being the other QBs currently under contract. Minshew replaced an injured Patrick Mahomes (knee) in Kansas City this past December, only to suffer a season-ending knee injury of his own during his first start. Initial reports said the injury might be an ACL tear, but Minshew ultimately was diagnosed with just a bone bruise and made a full recovery by the end of January, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Tagovailoa and the Falcons have reached an agreement on a one-year, $1.3 million contract, Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com reports.

The deal should become official Wednesday evening after the Dolphins release Tagovailoa, who is due $54 million in guaranteed money. His new contract offsets what he's owed from Miami, so there's no incentive to sign for more than the minimum. With fellow left-handed quarterback Michael Penix rehabbing from ACL surgery, Tagovailoa could get a chance to revive his value under new Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski. Atlanta has been busy in the opening hours of free-agent negotiations, releasing WRs Darnell Mooney and KhaDarel Hodge after quickly reaching agreements with WRs Olamide Zaccheaus and Jahan Dotson. The WR room still looks shaky beyond Drake London, but Bijan Robinson and a strong offensive line go a long way.

Keenum is re-signing with the Bears on a two-year contract Monday, Chris Emma of The Score reports.

Keenum served as the third-string quarterback behind Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent in 2025. That role isn't expected to change in 2026, but Chicago values the 38-year-old Keenum's experience and will keep Keenum aboard as a mentor to Williams.

Mariota is re-signing with the Commanders, Ben Standig of Big 100 Washington D.C. reports.

The 33-year-old QB is signing a one-year contract with Washington for the third consecutive offseason. He was one of the league's better backup quarterbacks the past couple of years, and there should be a degree of continuity with internal promotion David Blough replacing Kliff Kingsbury as the offensive coordinator.