NFL Player News

The Panthers selected Young in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, first overall.

There was plenty of intrigue as to which direction the Panthers would go after giving up a haul to move into the first overall slot. C.J. Stroud and even Will Levis were bandied about as legitimate candidates to go to Carolina, but the team landed on the decorated signal-caller out of Alabama. Young for his own part is a bit of a polarizing prospect. His production as a two-year starter was prolific, and the film shows him to be a decisive and accurate quarterback with next-level anticipation. That said, Young being a success in the NFL would be somewhat unprecedented. He's often compared to Kyler Murray in terms of stature, but while Murray was a prolific runner at Oklahoma, that wasn't much of a calling card for Young (185 total rushing yards in two seasons as the starter). At 5-foot-10 and 204 pounds with average arm strength on deep passes, there's reason for concern that the speed and physicality at the next level will prevent him from reaching his ceiling. As for his fit in Carolina, the Panthers are jumpstarting a rebuild with Young at the forefront. With DJ Moore gone, Young won't have the type of loaded receiving corps he became accustomed to in Tuscaloosa. Andy Dalton was signed this offseason and will likely fill a mentor role while Young gets ready to take over as the starter as early as Week 1. Young's redraft value is murky as of now given the team context and the questions about his transition to the NFL, but he's certainly on the radar as an early pick in dynasty and is likely a QB2 to target in superflex formats.

Herbert's shoulder is roughly 75 percent healed, but he is still a few weeks away from beginning light throwing, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Herbert underwent surgery on his non-throwing shoulder in late January and has been rehabbing since. He may miss OTAs, as the team is likely to play it safe with its franchise quarterback, but there is little concern that he'll be ready for the start of training camp. In the meantime, Herbert and the Chargers have been in talks on a long-term extension.

Jackson has agreed to a five-year deal to remain with the Ravens.

Jackson's previously uncertain status for the coming season has now gained clarity, with the team confirming that the star QB is slated to ink a five-year agreement (worth $260 million, with $185 million in guarantees, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network) with the franchise that drafted him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Earlier this offseason, Jackson -- who the Ravens placed their $32.4 million non-exclusive franchise tag on -- had requested a trade, but he's sticking with the team after all. Now past the sprained PCL that ended his 2022 campaign, the 26-year-old is poised to continue to helm a Baltimore offense that bolstered its pass-catching corps earlier this month by signing veteran wideout Odell Beckham.

Jackson and the Ravens have agreed to terms on a contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Terms of the pending deal have yet to be reported, but after Jackson requested a trade earlier this offseason, his future with the Ravens appeared cloudy. Now, just hours before the 2023 NFL Draft, Baltimore's franchise signal-caller is slated to remain with the team, with a long-term extension now in place, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com.

Rodgers participated in an optional workout with the Jets on Thursday, one day after the deal sending him from Green Bay to New York became official.

Under the terms of the trade, the Jets received Rodgers, a first-round pick (No. 15 overall) and a fifth-round pick (No. 170) in this week's draft in exchange for selections No. 13 (Round 1), No. 42 (Round 2) and No. 207 (Round 6), plus a conditional second-rounder in 2024 that can become a first-rounder if the QB logs 65 percent of New York's offensive snaps this season. Rodgers, who re-worked his contract in order to help facilitate the deal, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, noted in his introductory press conference Wednesday that he's planning to attend most of his new team's voluntary workouts, and the veteran signal-caller quickly made his first on-field appearance with the Jets on Thursday. Though Rodgers hasn't specifically committed to playing beyond the 2023 campaign, indicating that he's focused on the present, comments he has made suggest that he's open to the idea. "They definitely gave up some picks for me to be here," the 39-year-old acknowledged, "so this isn't like one-and-done in my mind."

Hooker (knee) posted a video Wednesday on his personal Twitter account featuring him taking dropbacks for the first time since suffering an ACL tear in November.

Hooker has been optimistic about his rehab from knee surgery, saying in early March that he expected to be ready for training camp, and more recently telling Jeff Howe of The Athletic that he will be "cleared 100 percent" by Sept. 1. While receiving full clearance for the start of camp seems unlikely, Hooker should have a chance to be ready by Week 1, though he'll presumably be a second- or third-stringer at that point. The 25-year-old's age is another major concern for teams, potentially making him a Day 2 pick rather than a Day 1 selection even after he threw 58 touchdowns against five interceptions during his final two years of college at Tennessee.

The Bengals exercised Burrow's fifth-year option for 2024 on Tuesday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.

The two sides remain in talks about a long-term extension, which should get hammered out well before 2024. Picking up the option was merely a procedural move to keep Burrow under team control should extension talks go sideways. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Burrow won Comeback Player of the Year in 2021 and made his first Pro Bowl in 2022 while finishing fourth in MVP voting. He has already played in seven playoff games over the last two seasons, reaching the Super Bowl back in 2021 before falling to Kansas City in the AFC title game last year. Burrow is in line to potentially become the NFL's highest-paid player.

The Jets plan to keep Wilson around in a backup role after trading for Aaron Rodgers on Monday, ESPN.com's Rich Cimini reports.

The report notes that Wilson and Rodgers have become friends, and the Jets hope they can still salvage something from the No. 2 overall pick down the line in 2024 or 2025. Wilson has completed 55.2 percent of his passes for 6.4 YPA as a pro, showing no real progress last season as he was benched for poor performance on two occasions. With Rodgers set to start in New York for the next year or two, the 23-year-old Wilson drops down the depth chart and may even face a challenge from Tim Boyle for the No. 2 QB job.

Purdy is no longer wearing a brace over his surgically-repaired right elbow, ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner reports.

GM John Lynch discussed the 49ers' QB situation Monday, noting that Purdy is "definitely on schedule, hitting all the checkpoints," while Trey Lance isn't actively being shopped but has been mentioned in trade talks "on a couple occasions." Purdy is six weeks removed from UCL surgery and won't be available for offseason practices, with Lynch saying he'll have a better idea about the second-year QB's rehab timeline 12 weeks out from surgery. Lynch said in late March that he expected Purdy to be ready early in the regular season, possibly by Week 1, adding that Purdy is "probably the leader in the clubhouse" to start once he's healthy. A strong offseason and training camp from Lance or free-agent addition Sam Darnold might change that, especially if Purdy is slow to come back from surgery.

The Packers will move on to Love at quarterback after agreeing to trade Aaron Rodgers to the Jets on Monday, Rich Cimini and Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

With the long-awaited deal soon to be ironed out in the coming days, the post-Rodgers era in Green Bay now has clarity. A first-round pick in 2020, Love has just 10 appearances and one start on his resume through three campaigns, having completed 50 of 83 passes (60.2 percent) for 606 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions and rushing 13 times for 26 yards. His performance (113 yards and a TD strike to Christian Watson in one and a half quarters) in place of Rodgers against the Eagles in Week 12 last season likely was the sign the Packers needed that Love was ready to take over the offense. As the roster stands before the 2023 Draft, the skill-position talent at Love's disposal consists of notables like running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon and wide receivers Watson and Romeo Doubs.