NFL Player News

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta reiterated Thursday that he wants to sign Jackson to a long-term deal and believes the quarterback is "the right player for this team," ESPN's Jamison Hensley reports.

It's no secret the Ravens hope to keep Jackson; they just haven't been willing to give him the contract he wants. He's also been unable to find it from another team, perhaps in part because the non-exclusive franchise tag would require the loss of two first-round picks if the Ravens were to not match an offer sheet. The team has until July 17 to work out a long-term deal with Jackson, who has yet to sign the franchise tender and thus won't be at the start of the offseason program to learn new OC Todd Monken's playbook. DeCosta's comments Thursday came at the introductory press conference for Odell Beckham, who didn't receive any assurances Jackson will be with the team but expects it will play out that way. "The goal is to come here and have that possibility with [Jackson]," Beckham said Thursday.

Zappe indicated that he'll be ready if presented with the opportunity to compete with Mac Jones for the Patriots' starting QB job, Eric Edholm of NFL.com reports. "If my opportunity presents itself, I'm going to take full advantage of it," Zappe noted Wednesday. "I'm going to do everything I can to help the team win. That's really all I can say from that standpoint. That's coach (Bill) Belichick's decision, whatever he decides. But if the opportunity presents itself, I'm going to be ready and take advantage of it."

As a rookie, Zappe started two games while Jones dealt with an ankle injury, and overall the 2022 fourth-rounder recorded 65 completions on 92 passing attempts for 781 yards with five TDs and three picks in four appearances. Given that Belichick declined last month to specifically confirm Jones as the Patriots' starter this coming season, there's been speculation that Zappe could make a run at the job this summer. However, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com relays via team sources that the Patriots appear committed to seeing if Jones can get back on track after an uneven 2022 campaign while at the same time being amenable to Zappe pushing the 2021 first-rounder in his third season as a pro. In any case, following the offseason departure of Brian Hoyer, Jones and Zappe are currently the top two quarterbacks on New England's roster, with the team likely to add depth at the position in the coming weeks and months.

Murray (knee) did squats Friday, 13 weeks removed from surgery on an ACL tear, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

While he still has a ways to go before he can sprint or do agility work, Murray is showing tangible signs of progress as rumors swirl around the league about what the Cardinals will do with the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming draft. They're widely expected to stick by Murray as the franchise QB, which means they can trade back and accrue more picks or have their choice at No. 3 of any non-quarterback in the draft (assuming the first two picks are signal-callers). The timing and severity of Murray's injury has led many to suggest he could miss the start of the season -- including team owner Michael Bidwell -- but new head coach Jonathan Gannon hasn't quite gone that far, instead merely saying he'll be cautious even if the 25-year-old is eager to get back on the field, per Johnny Venerable of PHNX Cardinals.

Mahomes (ankle) avoided offseason surgery and has been able to do most of his workouts this offseason, NFL.com's Christian Gonzales reports.

Shortly after winning his second Super Bowl ring, Mahomes said he didn't think the injury he'd been playing through would impact his availability for OTAs this spring. Coach Andy Reid provided another positive report in late March, furthering the notion that Mahomes will be cleared for full participation when the Chiefs begins on-field work May 22. The team's offseason workout program opens April 17, with the first phase limited to strength and conditioning, injury rehab and meetings. Notable departures since last season on the offensive side include WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman, LT Orlando Brown (replaced by Jawaan Taylor) and OC Eric Bieniemy (replaced by Matt Nagy, who previously had the same role in 2016-17). Reid said he expects 2022 second-round pick Skyy Moore to handle a larger role this year, but the Chiefs also figure to add more talent to their WR room before Week 1 to make up for the offseason losses.

Boyle signed a one-year contract with the Jets on Thursday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

Boyle will reunite with new Jets offensive coordinator Nathanial Hackett, who the signal-caller worked with while both were with Green Bay in 2019 and 2020. The 28-year-old will presumably serve as a backup for his new team, which currently has Zach Wilson and Chris Streveler on the roster at the QB position.

The Raiders signed Hoyer to a two-year contract Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Hoyer spent the last three years in New England, and he now reunites with coach Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas. The 37-year-old quarterback looks primed to operate as the top backup to Jimmy Garoppolo, though that could potentially change depending on the team's actions in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.

Blough should get a chance to compete with Colt McCoy (undisclosed) for the Cardinals' backup quarterback role, which takes on added importance with Kyler Murray rehabbing from an ACL tear, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

McCoy is also recovering from an unspecified surgery, potentially opening the door for Blough to be the first-team quarterback when offseason practices begin. McCoy's injury wasn't nearly as serious as Murray's, so the 36-year-old should be ready for training camp even if he misses part or all of OTAs. Blough is 0-7 as a starter in his NFL career, completing only 57 percent of his pass attempts while throwing more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (six), and the Cardinals re-signed him in March on a one-year, $1.23 million contract that includes only $76,250 guaranteed,

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.