NFL Player News

Godwin is the veteran leader of Tampa Bay's WR room following Mike Evans' departure to San Francisco, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

The Bucs signed Godwin to a three-year, $66 million contract last offseason, at which time he was rehabbing from a complicated leg/ankle injury. He ended up playing just nine games in 2025, finishing with a 33-360-2 receiving line, which was a massive drop-off from his 2024 line of 50-575-5 (in only seven games). Prior to the severe injury, he'd been well on his way to a fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season. Godwin now has a shot to get back to that kind of volume, though it's far from guaranteed at age 30, coming off consecutive injury-shortened seasons. Emeka Egbuka may be ready to take over as the No. 1 receiver in Tampa Bay, while there will be additional competition for targets coming from Jalen McMillan, running backs Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell, and tight end Cade Otton. The Bucs could also add a wide receiver in April's draft, with the 15th overall pick or a later selection. Godwin's 2026 base salary of $22 million is already guaranteed, and the Bucs hold a club option for 2027 worth a $20.5 million base salary with a $1.5 million roster bonus.

Thornton (concussion) is set to re-sign with the Chiefs, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports. It's a two-year, $11 million deal, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

After spending his first three seasons with New England, Thornton joined Kansas City ahead of the 2025 campaign and ended up posting career-best marks of 438 yards and three touchdowns on 19 receptions. He also contributed 475 kick-return yards on 18 opportunities. The speedy wideout gives KC a legitimate downfield threat, as he averaged 23.1 yards per catch last year. Thornton ended the season on IR due to a concussion, but there's no indication that the head injury will carry into offseason activities. He'll likely retain a depth wideout role in 2026, though he could move up in the pecking order depending on how else the Chiefs address their wideout corps during the offseason, as both Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster are unrestricted free agents.

Bourne is slated to signed a two-year contract with the Cardinals, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports.

Bourne's pending addition brings a more reliable No. 3 WR to Arizona than Greg Dortch, who is an unrestricted free agent. In 16 regular-season games in 2025, Bourne filled in nicely in a 49ers receiving corps beset by injuries, finishing with 37 catches (on 53 targets) for 551 yards and no touchdowns. Bourne will line up behind holdovers Marvin Harrison (foot) and Michael Wilson with the Cardinals.

The Giants will re-sign Hodgins to a one-year contract, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports.

Hodgins was signed to the Giants' active roster in mid-November after opening the season on the Steelers' practice squad. He appeared in seven regular-season games for the Giants and finished with 10 catches (on 19 targets) for 115 yards and one touchdown. Hodgins will enter training camp in the summer competing for a spot on the Giants' 53-man roster for the 2026 season.

Shaheed is re-signing with the Seahawks on a three-year, $51 million contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

It's a huge amount of money relative to Shaheed's limited receiving production after joining Seattle mid-season, but his work in the return game and as a ballcarrier couldn't have been better. He averaged more than 40 receiving yards per game in each of his three-plus seasons with New Orleans, which hints at upside to become Seattle's No. 2 WR with the benefit of a full offseason catching passes from QB Sam Darnold. That said, fellow wideouts Cooper Kupp and Tory Horton still are under contract in Seattle, giving Shaheed decent competition for playing time alongside target hog Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Minnesota re-signed Scott on Monday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Scott made his regular-season debut in 2025 and ultimately suited up for 16 contests with the Vikings, totaling 32 carries for 114 yards (3.6 YPC) while adding 14 catches for 98 yards and a score through the air. He also contributed on special teams. Though Minnesota's backfield could undergo significant changes over the course of the offseason, Scott appears solidified as a depth option for the 2026 campaign.

Hodge (shoulder) was released by the Falcons with a failed physical designation Monday, Will McFadden and Tori McElhaney of the team's official site report.

Hodge was informed in February that he will be released, and Monday's move makes it official. The 31-year-old wide receiver hasn't finished any of his eight regular seasons with more than 232 receiving yards, but Hodge should garner interest in the free-agent market due to his ability on special teams, for which he made the Pro Bowl in 2024.

The Falcons released Mooney on Monday.

The move has been expected, though earlier reports suggested it might not happen for a few more days. Mooney figures to draw interest from teams that miss out on the top free agents at wide receiver.

Evans is in line to sign a three-year contract with the 49ers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Evans' agent released a statement Monday confirming that the wideout will leave Tampa Bay after 12 seasons. He showed some signs of decline in 2025 and now will turn 33 before Week 1 of 2026, but it's hard to think of a better location for Evans to regain fantasy value -- especially if fellow free agent Jauan Jennings doesn't return to San Francisco. The 49ers have a breakout candidate in Ricky Pearsall, but there's not much else of note in the WR room unless Jennings re-signs (which isn't likely at this point).

Nailor agreed to terms on a three-year, $35 million contract with Las Vegas on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Nailor suited up for all 17 regular-season games with the Vikings in 2024 and 2025, totaling a combined 57-858-10 line on 95 targets in that span. The 2022 sixth-round pick now lands in one of the few wide receiver corps in the league where he projects as a potential starter rather than a complementary option, joining Tre Tucker, Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton. Of course, tight end Brock Bowers (knee) is solidified as the No. 1 pass-catching option for the Raiders, but Nailor looks set to handle a significant role for Las Vegas' future quarterback, with the team slated to release Geno Smith and presumably select a rookie signal-caller at No. 1 overall in April's draft.