NFL Player News

Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Dave Canales said Wednesday that Trask and fellow signal-caller Baker Mayfield are expected to battle for the starting quarterback job, with the competition potentially extending into the final preseason contest, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

Asked about whether naming a starter at this point in the offseason is preferable, Canales said that he would much rather see Trask get ample opportunity to prove himself, something which wasn't afforded to him during his first two seasons while working behind Tom Brady and hand-picked veteran backup Blaine Gabbert. With both players off the roster and Mayfield not having come close to living up to his status as the 2018 top overall pick to this point in his career, Trask -- who only has nine career pass attempts to Mayfield's 2,259 -- should have a legitimate chance to make his case.

Head coach Dan Campbell said Tuesday on the "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast that he doesn't anticipate Hooker (knee) playing during his rookie season. "Really, this is a redshirt year for him," Campbell said. "He's got to get this leg right first and then he'll learn under Jared [Goff], and then let's see what happens. If he can eventually become your two or maybe down the road, later on, it's more than that, but it's going to be a long time."

The main question within the Lions quarterback room regards the future of Goff, whose release after the upcoming season would only cost Detroit $5 million in dead money. After that comes Hooker's acclimation to the NFL, as the Tennessee product who tore the ACL in his left knee last November remains without a clear timeline to resume full activities. Should Hooker miss most or all of the offseason, it seems unrealistic to think he could give the Lions much of a reason to move off of Goff in 2024 without having much practice time under his belt.

Offensive coordinator Dave Canales said Wednesday the Buccaneers won't rush to name Mayfield or Kyle Trask their starting quarterback, Brianna Dix of the team's official site reports.

Though the Buccaneers didn't add any quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft to potentially challenge Mayfield or Trask, the team did bring aboard veteran John Wolford on Tuesday. Canales said the starting role will go to the quarterback who proves they can take "care of the ball" and "push the ball down the field," and while Mayfield certainly looks like the favorite to win out among the Buccaneers' current options, it's possible a competition could still linger late into the preseason. The 28-year-old Mayfield inked a one-year, $8.5 million contract with Tampa Bay back in March and may be facing his last real chance to re-establish himself as a viable NFL starter.

Wolford signed with Tampa Bay on Tuesday, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

The former Ram gives the Buccaneers a third quarterback on the roster for spring practices, behind Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask. The 27-year-old Wolford started one game for the Rams in 2020 and three last year, but he hasn't shown much promise with only one TD pass and five interceptions on 104 pass attempts in the NFL.

Corral (foot) has gained weight since last year and will try to convince the Panthers to carry a third QB this season, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

The 2022 third-round pick missed his entire rookie season after having Lisfranc surgery in early September. He then saw the Panthers sign Andy Dalton and trade up for Bryce Young at No. 1 overall, leaving Corral and Jacob Eason to duke it out for the possibility of a No. 3 QB job. Coach Frank Reich said in early March that he wasn't sure about Corral's availability for OTAs, so it's possible the second-year QB doesn't practice until training camp.

Bears OC Luke Getsy recently said Fields is "light years ahead of where he was" at the same point last offseason, Colleen Kane of The Chicago Tribune reports.

Fields is entering his third pro season and second year in Getsy's offense after running for 1,143 yards and eight TDs in 15 games last season. It wasn't all good, of course, as Fields took a league-high 55 sacks and fumbled a league-high 16 times for a pathetic Bears team that got the No. 1 pick. They then traded that pick for a package that included WR DJ Moore, and later used a first-rounder on OT Darnell Wright and a fourth-rounder on WR Tyler Scott, giving Fields a lot more help than he had last season. The 24-year-old's progress as a passer is still a major question mark, but the running alone should make him useful for fantasy and suggests massive upside if the Bears are able to throw the ball effectively. With Darnell Mooney (ankle) and Chase Claypool complementing Moore, the team won't lack for speed or athleticism on the perimeter.

Jackson signed his five-year, $260 million contract extension with the Ravens on Thursday.

Baltimore and Jackson agreed to terms on the five-year extension, which reportedly includes $185 million in guarantees, just prior to the start of the 2023 NFL Draft, and both sides have now made the deal official. The team then selected rookie wideout Zay Flowers in the first round, adding another hopeful boost to a wide receiver room that also saw Odell Beckham signed to a one-year deal, and will get Rashod Bateman (foot) back from injury. By virtue of the revamped wide receiver corps, not to mention Mark Andrews' continued presence, Jackson looks set up to thrive with new offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

Rypien and the Rams agreed to terms on a one-year deal Wednesday, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Rypien is coming off a 2022 season with Denver in which he appeared in four games and completed 53 of 88 pass attempts for 483 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. In Los Angeles, the 26-year-old should have the opportunity to compete with rookie fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett for the backup role behind starter Matthew Stafford.

Tannehill will open offseason practices as the starting quarterback while second-round pick Will Levis is third on the depth chart, but Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said that "whatever happens after that will be up to the players," Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

While Vrabel's comments are essentially just coach-speak, other coaches have been known to make stronger commitments to the veteran option -- at least verbally, if not in practice. Widely expected to be a first-round pick, Levis dropped to the second round and went 33rd overall after the Titans traded up to get him. That's early enough to threaten Tannehill's job security, but it's also worth noting that the Titans passed on Levis at 11th overall (instead drafting offensive lineman Peter Skoronski) and didn't trade back into the first round for him. It all makes for a complicated situation, as the team doesn't seem especially confident in Levis becoming a franchise signal-caller but will probably want to see him play at some point before next year's quarterback-rich draft. On top of that, Tannehill has a non-guaranteed $27 million base salary in 2023 -- the final year of his contract -- which means he could still be released before the start of the season if the Titans love what they see from Levis on the practice field this spring/summer. Tannehill said Wednesday that the "whole system is pretty much different" with Tim Kelly replacing Todd Downing as offensive coordinator in Tennessee, per Paul Kuharsky of PaulKuharsky.com.

Siemian agreed to a one-year contract with the Bengals on Wednesday, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

Siemian will get a chance to compete with Jake Browning for the top backup spot behind Joe Burrow in 2023 after Brandon Allen, who operated as Burrow's backup for three straight years, agreed to a deal with the 49ers earlier in the offseason. After operating as a part-time starter for Denver in 2016 and 2017, Siemian has since bounced around the league as a backup. He was with the Bears in 2022 and appeared in two games, completing 15 of 26 passes for 184 yards, one touchdown and one interception.