NFL Player News

The Bears re-signed Peterman on Thursday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Peterman, who's entering his seventh NFL campaign, is now slated to remain in Chicago for a second consecutive year following Thursday's signing. The 28-year-old will presumably compete against the newly-acquired PJ Walker throughout the offseason for the Bears' backup quarterback job behind starter Justin Fields.

Head coach Arthur Smith announced Tuesday that Ridder will be the Falcons' starting quarterback to begin the 2023 campaign, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

After the acquisition of Taylor Heinicke earlier this month, Rothstein reported that Ridder was still expected to retain the starting gig, and Smith finally confirmed as much. Smith's comments also suggest that the Falcons aren't targeting a quarterback with the No. 8 overall pick in the upcoming draft. Ridder took over for a struggling Marcus Mariota and started the final four games of the 2022 campaign, completing 63.5 percent of his pass attempts for 708 yards and two touchdowns while carrying 16 times for 64 yards. Ridder didn't throw an interception in any of those contests but lost fumbles in Week 17 and 18 wins over the Cardinals and Buccaneers, respectively.

Coach Matt LaFleur noted at the Annual League Meeting on Tuesday that "it's going to be a progression" as the Packers move from Aaron Rodgers to Love at quarterback, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

The expected trade of Rodgers from Green Bay to the Jets has yet to go through, but both LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst have relayed this week the Packers' intention to deal their long-time signal-caller. Aside from the pending transaction, the team also must make a decision on whether to pick up the fifth-year option on Love's rookie contract, which needs to happen by May 1. Since being selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Love hasn't gotten much in-game action with Rodgers leading the offense. In 10 appearances (one start), Love has completed 50 of 83 passes (60.2 percent) for 606 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

The Chargers and Herbert (shoulder) are working toward a long-term contract extension for the QB, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN reports. "Those talks are ongoing," coach Brandon Staley noted Tuesday. "We're at the beginning of all that, but (we) all know how we feel about him."

While there's no concrete timetable for the team to get a lucrative extension with Herbert done, Staley emphasized that "the major takeaway is that Justin is going to be our quarterback, and we're so excited that he is leading our franchise." The 2020 first-rounder is slated to earn $4.23 million in the fourth season of his rookie deal, with Thiry adding that the Chargers are in line to exercise his fifth-year option. In the meantime, Herbert continues to recover from surgery on the labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder that he underwent Jan. 25, with his participation level once offseason workouts commence still to be determined.

Coach Mike Vrabel confirmed Tuesday that he expects Tannehill (ankle) to remain the Titans' starting QB in 2023, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Vrabel did acknowledge that the team's roster for the coming season remains under construction, but for now Tannehill, who is moving past an ankle injury that landed him on IR last December, sits atop the Titans' QB depth chart, with 2022 third-rounder Malik Willis currently the only other signal-caller that the team has under contract. Meanwhile, Tennessee seems destined to add pass-catching depth following the offseason departures of wideout Robert Woods and tight end Austin Hooper.

Coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged Tuesday that there is not yet a precise timeline for Purdy's return following the quarterback's March 10 procedure to repair his right elbow, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

With that in mind, Shanahan indicated that the 49ers should have a better idea of where Purdy stands in his recovery once he's about 12 weeks removed from surgery, noting Tuesday "we'll see at three months if he'll be ready for camp, or if not, then perhaps we say it's gonna go slow. It might be Week 1 and, at the latest, Week 4. It's just all estimations, and we'll see what happens." As long as Purdy is sidelined or limited, 2021 first-rounder Trey Lance (ankle) and free-agent addition Sam Darnold will have an opportunity to log added practice reps, but Nick Wagoner of ESPN relayed Monday that Purdy is viewed as the current front-runner to be the team's starting signal-caller when healthy -- at least according to GM John Lynch.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday he expects Lance (ankle) to split first-team reps with Sam Darnold during early offseason workouts as Brock Purdy (elbow) recovers from surgery, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.comg reports.

Lance is expected to be 100 percent for the start of OTAs, but Shanahan noted that it's still possible he has to be eased into action, which wouldn't be the case for Darnold. It appears that the 49ers are heading for a legitimate quarterback competition this offseason, though GM John Lynch said Monday that Purdy is "probably the leader in the clubhouse" to start once he's healthy, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. As Purdy's recovery timetable remains cloudy, Lance and/or Darnold could make the most of their upcoming opportunities and win over San Francisco's coaching staff. By virtue of his unique rushing abilities, Lance could potentially be the most interesting fantasy option of the trio if he were to get another chance to start.

Coach Sean McVay said Tuesday at the Annual League Meeting that Stafford (neck) is healthy and "there will be no limitations" when he resumes football activities, Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network reports.

Stafford is recovering from a spinal cord contusion that caused him to miss the last seven games of the 2022 season, but it appears that he's on track to participate in offseason workouts without any significant limitations. The 35-year-old play-caller's health will be one of the more pivotal factors in determining the Rams' success during the upcoming campaign, though the same can be said for star wide receiver Cooper Kupp (ankle), who is working his way back from tightrope surgery. Stafford didn't throw in offseason workouts last spring due to elbow tendinitis, so it will be notable if he's indeed able to participate in April's OTAs without any restrictions.

GM John Lynch said Monday that Purdy (elbow) is "probably the leader in the clubhouse" to start at quarterback for the 49ers, if healthy, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

Purdy, who is recovering from right elbow surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament, has earned some sway "with the way he's played," but Lombardi reports that Lynch made it clear that he'll be competing with both Trey Lance (ankle) and Sam Darnold for the starting gig this offseason. Darnold currently is healthy, and Lance should be by the start of OTAs, while Purdy may resume throwing in June. It's possible the results of San Francisco's quarterback competition won't be fully solidified until closer to the start of the 2023 regular season.

Jackson announced Monday via his personal Twitter account that he requested a trade from the Ravens on March 2.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said, "We love [Jackson]," in his press conference Monday at the NFL's annual meeting, when asked for a response to Jackson's trade announcement. However, after a lengthy contract dispute, the star quarterback has made it known that he prefers to move on from Baltimore. The Ravens placed the $32.4 million non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson earlier this offseason, but he has yet to sign the tender. Other teams can negotiate a contract with Jackson due to the non-exclusive tag, which Baltimore could match or alternatively gain two first-round draft picks as compensation, but Jackson's now-public announcement of a trade request could motivate teams around the league to more heavily pursue direct dialogue with the Ravens instead. Additionally, Harbaugh said Monday that Jackson has now fully healed from the sprained PCL in his left knee that caused him to miss Baltimore's final six contests of the 2022 campaign, per Jonas Shaffer of TheBaltimoreBanner.com.