NFL Player News

Lockett is unlikely to remain with the Seahawks without taking a pay cut, ESPN's Dan Graziano reports.

Lockett is one of the team's veteran leaders and ranks second in franchise history with 8,594 receiving yards, but his receiving volume fell off a cliff in 2024 -- 4.4 targets per game in an offense that provided 8.1 for Jaxon Smith-Njigba and 7.2 for DK Metcalf. The 32-year-old is scheduled for $17 million in 2025 compensation, including a non-guaranteed $5.3 million roster bonus due March 16. Lockett presumably will be released before that date unless he accepts a pay cut, or else an extension that drastically reduces his compensation and doesn't include any/many guarantees beyond 2025.

Kirk (collarbone) may be released this offseason, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano.

Kirk has one season remaining on a four-year, $72 million contract and is scheduled for up to 16.5 million in non-guaranteed compensation. He's mostly lived up to a contract that was widely criticized as an overpay at the time of signing, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Jaguars will keep him, as he's 28 years old and coming off a disappointing 2024 season in which he suffered a broken collarbone, while rookie Brian Thomas emerged as the team's clear No. 1 receiver. Gabe Davis had a worse season than Kirk and suffered an injury (a meniscus tear) that comes with more long-term concern, but Davis has full guarantees on his contract for 2025, leaving the Jaguars with no financial incentive to release him.

Kansas City general manager Brett Veach said Tuesday at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine that the team "will look to get [Brown] back," Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star reports.

Brown, who missed the first 15 weeks of the 2024 season due to a sternoclavicular joint injury sustained in the preseason, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent March 12. He produced 50 receiving yards on five catches (13 targets) across three postseason appearances after posting 91 yards on nine catches (15 targets) across his two regular-season games. Heading into his age-28 season, a return to Kansas City could be the best scenario for Brown's fantasy value, though Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice (knee) are projected to lead the team's wide receiver corps in 2025.

Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said Tuesday at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine that Legette is recovering from offseason foot surgery, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Legette underwent the surgery to address a lingering issue he played through during the 2024 campaign. The first-rounder is coming off an underwhelming rookie campaign, having put together just a 49-497-4 receiving line on 87 targets across 16 regular-season appearances. Per Steve Reed of the Associated Press, Morgan said Legette's recovery timeline should allow him to return to on-field activities in the near future, though head coach Dave Canales said he's unsure whether the wideout will be ready for the start of OTAs, per David Newton of ESPN.com.

Shakir and Buffalo agreed to terms Tuesday on a four-year contract extension worth up to $60.2 million, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Shakir's new deal reportedly includes $32 million guaranteed at signing. The 2022 fifth-round pick led the Bills in targets, catches and yards during the 2024 regular season, posting a career-best 76-821-4 receiving line on 100 targets. The sure-handed slot specialist also had exactly six catches in all three of Buffalo's playoff games. Looking ahead to the 2025 campaign, Shakir's ability to create yards after the catch positions him to once again be one of Josh Allen's go-to targets.

New Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said the team's passing game will run through Thomas, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

That much is clear; the real question is who else will catch passes from Trevor Lawrence on a regular basis. WR Christian Kirk (collarbone) and TE Evan Engram (shoulder) both are entering contract years without any guaranteed money remaining on their contracts, and WR Gabe Davis (knee) is coming off a disappointing season that ended early due to a meniscus tear. Thomas may be at the level already where competition doesn't really matter and teammates are competing with each other for targets rather than him. He closed 2024 with one of the most productive stretches ever seen from a rookie wide receiver while catching passes from backup QB Mac Jones, posting six straight games with at least 10 targets and 76 yards while averaging 7.5 receptions for 99.8 yards and 0.83 TDs. Similar output over the course of a full season is unlikely even for a player with Thomas' rare combination of size, speed and agility, but it isn't entirely out of the question under Coen, whose lone year as Tampa Bay's offensive coordinator coincided with the top PPR scoring average of Chris Godwin's career (19.7 per game) as well as Mike Evans' best average (17.2) since 2019.

Steelers general manager Omar Khan said Tuesday at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine that he has "a lot of confidence" in Wilson (hamstring), and that the wideout was on pace to contribute during the postseason had Pittsburgh advanced beyond the wild-card round, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

Wilson, a 2024 third-round pick, was limited to a single regular-season appearance in his rookie campaign, but he at least now appears fully recovered from the hamstring issue that caused him to end the year on IR. He also missed time early in the season with an ankle injury sustained in training camp. If he can put together a strong offseason and remain at full health to enter the 2025 campaign, he could have a big role in Year 2. Wideouts Van Jefferson, Mike Williams and Ben Skowronek are all pending free agents for Pittsburgh.

Pickens is entering a contract year and may "hold in" if he doesn't have an extension before the summer, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

Pickens will turn 24 in March, having topped 800 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons. He hasn't quite reached an elite level at his position, but his ability to make difficult, contested catches downfield is second to none, and there's no doubt his production has been negatively impacted by poor quarterback play in Pittsburgh. It's unclear if the QB situation will improve in 2025, potentially adding an extra element of contention to contract negotiations, which may already be difficult in light of Pickens' reputation for mercurial behavior and the gap between his production and his perceived talent/skill. The current CBA essentially eliminates the ability for players to hold out, but if Pickens is unhappy this summer he could opt to show up to the team facilities but not participate in practice.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday that Hill is recovering from left wrist surgery he underwent to address a ligament issue, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Hill was listed on the injury report for much of the 2024 campaign with a 'wrist' designation, which helps on some level to explain his decline in production. He delivered an 81-959-6 receiving line across 17 regular-season games, a notable decrease after he'd exceeded 1,700 receiving yards in each of the prior two years. The veteran wideout pulled himself from Miami's finale against the Jets in Week 18, saying "I'm out," but he recently reframed those comments as mere frustration, saying "I don't want to go nowhere," per Louis-Jacques. Hill should be able to catch a football over the summer as he recovers from the surgery, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post reports.

Texans GM Nick Caserio suggested he's open to re-signing Diggs (knee), but Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle thinks it's unlikely to happen unless the wideout accepts less money than he could get from other teams.

Be it in Houston or elsewhere, there's no question Diggs will have to settle for less than he's accustomed to earning, as he's 31 years old and suffered an ACL tear in late October. He's set to become a free agent while still rehabbing the knee injury, with no assurance of being ready for Week 1 of 2025. The Texans figure to be in the market for high-end WR talent even if they ultimately re-sign Diggs, having lost Tank Dell to a multi-ligament knee tear in late December. Although he's six years younger than Diggs, there's not much reason for optimism about Dell being a significant contributor in 2025. The Texans do at least have Nico Collins, who emerged as one of the league's bonafide No. 1 receivers the past two seasons.