NFL Player News

Fields appears on track to open the season as the Giants' No. 2 wide receiver after the team released Darius Slayton on Monday, Matt Iegros of USA Today reports.

Prior to his release, Slayton looked like the leading candidate to handle the perimeter role opposite Malik Nabers (knee). Those duties instead could fall to Fields, a third-round rookie out of Notre Dame. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, Fields drew positive buzz in training camp and the preseason for his physicality and ability to make plays downfield. The Giants still have veterans Darnell Mooney and Odell Beckham on hand to push for playing time, but Fields often took reps ahead of both players while Nabers was sidelined or limited to non-contact portions of practice for much of camp.

Gonzalez signed a four-year, $135 million extension, with $102 million guaranteed, with the Patriots on Monday, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports.

The deal makes Gonzalez the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. The Patriots deemed Gonzalez worth the big contract after he made his first Pro Bowl last season and starred during the team's playoff run to the Super Bowl. Gonzalez now gets some peace of mind with the four-year deal, while New England has one of the league's top defenders in the secondary locked up for the foreseeable future.

Houston is signing Gronowski to its practice squad, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Gronowski initially signed with Miami as an undrafted free agent in May. He was cut in mid-August, then re-signed, then cut again all within the same month. Gronowski ultimately signed with the Dolphins' practice squad, but he was cut once more last Tuesday. He'll now get a chance to impress as part of the Texans' practice squad, though the organization is relatively set at QB on the active roster with C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills.

Kittle (Achilles) is in full uniform for the 49ers' practice session in Melbourne, Australia on Tuesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Earlier in the day, 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said of Kittle: "Super impressed with how he's looked considering the injury and how quick he got back on the field. It's cool to me to see how Kittle looks ... Workload will be determined," per Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News. While that doesn't fully confirm that the star tight end will be ready to play in the season opener against the Rams, the fact that the team seems to be focused on Kittle's gameday workload, rather than his general playing status, suggests that he's more likely than not to suit up. Kubiak did give the caveat that Kittle will need to get through San Francisco's final practices before a decision is ultimately made, and the club's injury reports this week should shed further light on Kittle's level of participation in practice as well as his outlook for the Friday (local time) NFC West clash.

McCaffrey (undisclosed) is in full uniform for the 49ers' practice session taking place Tuesday afternoon local time in Melbourne, Australia, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

McCaffrey wasn't spotted taking part in the early portion of practice Monday, so his presence on the field in full uniform Tuesday is a promising sign for his potential availability for the 49ers' season opener against the Rams. It's been a bit of a mysterious several weeks for McCaffrey, as he was described as dealing with "tightness" in early August and didn't play at all in the preseason while being an inconsistent participant in team drills. San Francisco's injury reports this week should shed some light on McCaffrey's status for the matchup against Los Angeles, but to this point he seems more likely than not to play in that contest.

Stribling (shoulder) is in full uniform for Monday's practice in Melbourne, Australia, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

The practice session is technically taking placing Tuesday afternoon in Melbourne local time, but regardless, Stribling's participation is a positive sign as he looks to rebound from a minor shoulder injury. It remains to be seen what the rookie wideout's level of practice participation will be, but to this point there hasn't been any indication that he's in any danger of missing the season opener versus the Rams. Stribling appears in line for a big role in San Francisco's offense as one of the team's top three wideouts alongside veterans Mike Evans (adductor) and Deebo Samuel.

San Francisco defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said Monday that Bosa (knee) will play in Thursday's Week 1 matchup against the Rams, Harrison Rich of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bosa has been continuing the rehab on his right knee after undergoing surgery for a torn ACL last September. The star edge rusher traveled with the 49ers to Melbourne, Australia ahead of Thursday's season opener, but his status had been uncertain entering the week. Morris seemed to confirm that Bosa will play while speaking to reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday (local time), saying of Bosa, "Oh, he's going out there. Whatever you want to say, he's going. He'll be there. We're not hiding that."

Brown (knee) has been ruled out for the Patriots' Week 1 matchup against the Seahawks on Wednesday, Curtis Crabtree of Fox 13 Seattle reprots.

Brown was part of the team's roster cuts on Aug. 31 but eventually re-signed with the Patriots a day later. Once healthy, he will serve as the New England's backup center behind Jared Wilson.

Thompson (undisclosed) was a participant in Monday's practice, Alex Insdorf of BoltBeat.com reports.

Thompson has returned to practice after missing the last two weeks with an undisclosed issue. It remains to be seen how the rest of Thompson's practice week will unfold, but there is a chance the fourth-round rookie could suit up for Sunday's opener against the Cardinals.

Miller (undisclosed) was moved to the practice-squad injured list by the Lions on Monday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The offensive tackle will not be able to practice with the team for the next four weeks. After that, he can return if he's healthy enough to do so. Miller spent the 2025 campaign on Detroit's practice squad.