NFL Player News

Patterson has already visited the Bears and Redskins, but he said Saturday he hopes to stay with the Vikings, the St. Paul Pioneer Prees reports.

Patterson is flying around the country to evaluate the market for his services, with the next stop believed to be Oakland. While players typically opt for the best deal available on their second contracts, Patterson might consider giving the Vikings a slight discount. He re-emerged as a factor in the Minnesota offense last season, catching 52 passes for 453 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 70 targets, in addition to his typically excellent work as a kickoff returner. Patterson will likely have to compete for a No. 3 or No. 4 receiver role wherever he ends up signing.

Murray, an unrestricted free agent, will visit the Seahawks, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Over the last three seasons with the Raiders, Murray has variously served as the lead back and shared the load, yet he's still cranked out 2,278 yards at a clip of 4.2 YPC. Moreover, he's coming off a campaign in which he ranked fifth in the NFL with 12 rushing touchdowns. The Seahawks are meeting with a number of running backs in the coming days -- also, Eddie Lacy, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com -- perhaps in an effort to build up a backfield beset by injuries to Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise (shoulder) in 2016.

Rodgers agreed to a two-year contract to stay in Tampa Bay, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Released by Chicago after the preseason, Rodgers surprisingly found himself in a prominent role with Tampa Bay later in the year, helping the Bucs overcome injuries to Doug Martin (suspension) and Charles Sims (pectoral). Rodgers is probably only the third option when everyone's available, but Martin and Sims have both struggled to stay healthy, and Martin has three games remaining on the suspension he was handed in December.

Oliver (Achilles) will not be tendered by the Chargers, Michael Gehlken reported on Thursday.

This opens the door for Oliver to become an unrestricted free agent, however there is a chance the Chargers opt to bring back the 25-year-old, especially after reportedly losing Danny Woodhead to the Ravens. Oliver missed the entire season after tearing his Achilles, but reports indicate his rehab has progressed well.

Williams signed a one-year, $1.797 million tender with the Dolphins on Thursday, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Williams will therefore be able to have any offer in 2017 free agency matched by the Dolphins. The fourth-year back recorded 35 attempts for 115 yards and three touchdowns in 2016, but fellow backs Jay Ajayi and Kenyan Drake will likely limit Williams' production going forward.

The Eagles are not expected to place a restricted free agent tender on Barner (hamstring), who will thus become an unrestricted free agent at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, CSN Philadelphia reports.

With Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood and Ryan Mathews (for now) already on the roster, Philadelphia decided not to place a one-year, $1.8 million original-round RFA tender on Barner, a 27-year-old scat back who can contribute in the return game. The Eagles might still consider retaining Barnes at a lower price, but he'll at least have a shot to test the waters of unrestricted free agency.

West was extended an original-round tender by the Ravens on Tuesday, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports.

West, a former third-round selection, would net the Ravens a compensatory third-round pick if he were to be signed to an offer sheet by another team after being tendered by Baltimore. The 26-year-old running back had a bit of a renaissance in Baltimore last season as he led the team in rushing (774 yards) and rushing touchdowns (5). Given that he carries such a high original-round tender, it's unlikely that another team would pursue signing him to an offer sheet. With that, look for West and Kenneth Dixon to be Baltimore's primary backs in 2017.

Head coach Anthony Lynn said he believes in using multiple running backs, but he also added that Gordon (knee, hip) will get the ball "over and over" if he gets in a groove, Chargers.com reports. "I'm a proponent of let the hot hand roll," said Lynn. "If Melvin touches the ball and Melvin produces, Melvin will stay in the game. But, we will be using multiple running backs."

Though injuries cost him the final three games of the season, Gordon spent most of his sophomore campaign serving as one of the NFL's few three-down workhorse backs. Lynn seemingly wants to increase the involvement of the team's other running backs next season, but there's no question Gordon will still be heavily used. The biggest concern would be if the team re-signed Danny Woodhead (knee), who could pose a major threat to Gordon's receiving workload. Gordon caught 41 of 57 targets for 419 yards and a pair of scores last season, with four or more receptions in six straight games between late October and early December.

Barner (hamstring) will be a restricted free agent, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

A 2013 sixth-round draft pick, Barner has displayed occasional usefulness as a change-of-pace runner and return man. He won't garner a first-round or second-round RFA tender, but the Eagles might use an original-round tender, which would require another team to surrender a sixth-round selection if it signs Barner. The Eagles would also have the right to match any contract. Should he stick around in Philadelphia, the 27-year-old scat back could compete for touches in a committee.

Vereen (triceps) is scheduled to receive a $500,000 roster bonus on March 13, NJ.com reports.

It would thus make sense for the Giants to release Vereen before March 13 if they don't plan to keep him for 2017. While the late-season emergence of Paul Perkins could make Vereen expendable in the wake of an injury-plagued 2016 campaign, the veteran pass-catching back doesn't have an overly cumbersome contract. Vereen might even be willing to forgo the roster bonus or accept a smaller base salary in exchange for more guaranteed money as he enters the final year of his three-year deal.