NFL Player News

Swaim (concussion) registered one catch on one target for seven yards over eight regular-season games in 2024.

Swaim first joined Cleveland as part of the team's practice squad in September before getting signed to the active roster in October. The veteran tight end didn't get much in the way of looks on offense, as he logged his fewest offensive snaps, receptions and yards since 2015. Swaim ended the season on IR due to a concussion that he suffered in Week 11. He'll be a free agent upon the beginning of the new league year in March.

Morris finished the 2024 regular season with five catches on eight targets for 36 yards and a touchdown over 16 games.

For the third straight season to begin his career, Morris saw more work on special teams than on offense, though he did log over one-third of Buffalo's offensive snaps in four of the team's final eight regular-season contests. His role diminished again in the playoffs, however, as Morris recorded just 12 offensive snaps without any targets over three games. Morris is now slated to be a restricted free agent, and if he's back with the Bills, he'll likely continue to have a minor role on offense given that both Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox are in line to head the team's tight end corps again in 2025.

Kolar (arm) tallied nine catches on 11 targets for 131 yards and a touchdown while rushing once for two yards over 13 regular-season games in 2024.

Though he played in two fewer games than the year prior, Kolar logged 14 more offensive snaps and set career-high marks in catches and receiving yards. He was also a core special-teamer for Baltimore. Kolar spent four weeks on injured reserve due to a broken forearm and suffered another arm injury during the Ravens' divisional-round loss to Buffalo, though there's no indication that the latter injury will impact his availability for the start of next season. Kolar should be back with Baltimore in 2025 for the final season of his rookie contract, but it's hard to see his role growing significantly with both Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely slated to return as well.

The Eagles signed Muse to a reserve/future contract Friday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Muse played in four regular-season games for the Vikings in 2024 before being let go in early January. He joined the Eagles' practice squad for their playoff run but wasn't elevated to the active roster for a single game. Muse will be on Philadelphia's 90-man roster when the new league year begins March 12, which gives him the ability to participate in OTAs, minicamp and training camp.

The Dolphins released Smythe on Friday.

Smythe was a fourth-round pick by the Dolphins in 2018 and appeared in 112 regular-season games for the team. However, following the addition of Jonnu Smith last offseason, Smythe's snaps and role took substantial hits. He played a six-year-low 32 percent of the offensive snaps and caught just nine passes for 53 scoreless yards on 14 targets across 17 appearances. Smythe turns 30 years old in August. The move saves the Dolphins $2.175 million in cap space.

Firkser agreed to a reserve/future contract with the Chiefs on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The veteran tight end appeared in seven games in 2024 (three with the Jets, four with the Chiefs) but didn't draw a single target while playing just 32 snaps on offense. After ending the season on Kansas City's practice squad, Firkser will remain with the organization as a member of the Chiefs' 90-man offseason roster when the new league year begins March 12.

Hill (knee), who is recovering from a torn ACL and carries nearly an $18 million cap hit for the 2025 season, could be a cap casualty for the Saints this offseason, John Hendrix of AthlonSports.com reports.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network speculated Wednesday that the Saints "have a decision coming" this offseason on Hill, with Rapoport noting that it's "hard to imagine" the 34-year-old will be back in New Orleans in 2025. Hill faces a recovery timetable of at least nine months after undergoing surgery in December to repair ligament damage in his left knee, making him a likely candidate to miss at least part of the upcoming campaign. Of Hill's cap hit for 2025, Ross Jackson of Louisiana Sports reports that the $10 million base salary is not guaranteed, leaving New Orleans with a direct avenue to potentially restructure his deal. Jackson also notes that Hill could opt to retire.

Kelce said Wednesday in the latest episode of the "New Heights" podcast that he hasn't determined whether he'll continue his playing career in 2025. "I'm gonna take some time to figure it out," Kelce said of his playing future. "And I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back that it's gonna be a wholehearted decision and I'm not half-assing it, and I'm fully here for them."

Following the Chiefs' 40-22 loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX this past Sunday, Kelce didn't address his future plans in any postgame interviews, but he took to his podcast days later to make his first formal comments on the matter. Though the 35-year-old remained one of the NFL's most productive tight ends in 2024 with his seventh straight season of at least 90 receptions, he averaged a career-low 8.5 yards per catch on his 97 grabs over 16 games. Kelce turned in one of his best performances of the campaign in the wild-card win over Houston (7-117-1 line on eight targets), but he was limited to just six receptions for 58 yards and no touchdowns on 10 targets over the Chiefs' final two postseason games. While he hasn't put a timeline on deciding whether he'll keep playing in 2025, Kelce will presumably inform the Chiefs of his plans before the start of the new league year in March so that the organization can prepare accordingly if he elects to retire. Kelce carries a $19.8 million cap hit for 2025 after agreeing to a two-year, $34.25 million restructured contract extension with Kansas City last April.

Cupp (undisclosed) signed a reserve/future contract with Kansas City on Tuesday, Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports reports.

Cupp was signed to the team's practice squad in late August after failing to make the 53-man roster at the conclusion of training camp. He made his NFL regular-season in Week 14 against the Chargers, during which he logged 10 snaps (six on offense, four on special teams). He ended the 2024 campaign on the practice-squad injured list due to an unspecified injury, but by signing a futures deal, the 24-year-old tight end will be on the 90-man roster once the new league year starts March 12. Assuming he's fully healthy, Cupp will participate in the offseason program and training camp.

Goedert secured both targets for 27 yards in the Eagles' 40-22 win over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday.

The talented tight end helped ignite the Eagles' first touchdown drive with a 20-yard reception on the second play of the possession, and he subsequently drew an unnecessary roughness penalty on the same drive when he took a hit to the head from the Chiefs' Trent McDuffie on a third-down incompletion. Goedert would go on to play a minor role the rest of the way, but by recording a second catch, he finished with multiple receptions in each of Philadelphia's four postseason victories. When healthy, Goedert once again was a key complementary target for Jalen Hurts during the regular season and postseason, but he's slated to head into the final year of his contract in 2025 unless an extension is reached or Philadelphia opts to exercise a potential out that would result in a dead cap hit of just over $11 million.