NFL Player News

Pitts signed his franchise tender with the Falcons for the 2026 season Thursday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Pitts thus is locked in for the coming campaign at a salary of $15.045 million. After posting 1,026 receiving yards as a rookie first-round pick in 2021, the tight end has fallen short of 1,000 yards in each of his subsequent four seasons, but he bounced back last year with an 88-928-5 line on 118 targets in 17 regular-season games. Pitts' potential signal-callers for 2026 are Michael Penix (knee) and newcomer Tua Tagovailoa, who will be competing for the starting job during the offseason program through the preseason.

The Bears waived Frazier on Thursday, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Frazier, whom the Bears took in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, subsequently sat out all of last season after being placed on the non-football injury/illness list due a personal issue. Finley notes that in January, GM Ryan Poles said that Frazier had a "mountain to climb" to contribute in 2026 because he missed so much time last season. "He needed to play." Since then, the Bears added depth at Frazier's position by making fellow cornerback Malik Muhammad a fourth-round selection in last month's NFL Draft.

With regard to the right shoulder issue he managed ahead of Super Bowl LX, Maye noted Wednesday that he's doing "great," ESPN.com reports.

Mike Reiss of ESPN previously reported that Maye said he received a pain-killing injection for his throwing shoulder before his team's loss to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, a game in which the QB completed 27 of 43 passing attempts for 295 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Since then, Maye indicates that he's had "no problems at all" on that front while confirming that he didn't require an offseason procedure. As the coming campaign approaches, the Patriots return a number of the key skill players that Maye worked with in 2025, with free-agent addition Romeo Doubs representing a notable addition to a wide receiver corps that no longer includes Stefon Diggs. Additionally, there's plenty of speculation that A.J. Brown could be headed to New England (via a trade with Philadelphia) on or after June 1, and if that ends up being the case, Maye's 2026 fantasy prospects would be boosted by the addition of a true WR1.

The 49ers' selection of Stribling at No. 33 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft was partially motivated by the organization's strong belief in his personality, leadership and work ethic, according to Matt Barrow of The Athletic.

It also doesn't hurt to have 4.36 speed at 6-foot-2, 207 pounds. Mock drafters nonetheless projected Stribling as a mid-round pick, for the most part, due to concerns about age (24 in December) and his lack of an elite statistical season in college (career highs of 882 yards and six TDs). Reasonable arguments both, though the latter concern is somewhat mitigated by his combination of early success (44-471-5 in 2021 at Washington State) and strong cumulative production (2,964 career receiving yards across three schools). It sounds like the 49ers are even more impressed by Stribling's intangibles/personality, having given him their "gold helmet" label -- a designation they use each year for a handful of prospects viewed as the best culture fits. The franchise clearly is invested in Stribling's success, but his immediate future may entail a not-so-glamorous competition for the No. 3 WR job in an offense that prefers FB Kyle Juszczyk over a third WR outside of clear passing situations. The 49ers also have Christian Kirk, Demarcus Robinson and 2025 fourth-round pick Jordan Watkins hoping to compete for depth roles behind Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall, both of whom missed large portions of 2025.

Rodgers is set to meet with Steelers officials in Pittsburgh this weekend as he looks to reach agreement on a deal to return to the team in 2026, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Per 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh, Rodgers is expected to sign with the Steelers over the weekend, but Rapoport relays that no deal has been finalized. In late April, Pittsburgh placed an unrestricted free agent tender on Rodgers, but since signing the tender would put the quarterback under contract for approximately $15 million in 2026, it's likely just a placeholder until he and the Steelers can work out a deal with more favorable financial terms. Applying the tender to Rodgers would also entitle the Steelers to a compensatory draft pick if he signs elsewhere prior to July 22, though at this stage of the offseason, the 42-year-old isn't believed to have any serious suitors other than Pittsburgh. Until Rodgers puts pen to paper on a new deal, veteran Mason Rudolph will be the most experienced member of a Steelers quarterback room that includes 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard and rookie third-round pick Drew Allar (ankle).

Wohler (foot) said Wednesday he believes he will be healthy when Indianapolis starts training camp in July, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

General manager Chris Ballard indicated a couple weeks ago that Wohler was at the end of his rehab process for the Lisfranc injury he suffered during preseason last year, and Wohler echoed those sentiments to reporters Wednesday. The Colts recently added promising safety prospect A.J. Haulcy in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but they're still otherwise relatively thin at the position behind returning starter Camryn Bynum, so a strong start to training camp could still start Wohler on a trajectory toward earning a depth spot on the 53-man roster for 2026.

Van Noy said Tuesday that he does not plan to retire before the 2026 season, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

Van Noy, now 35 years old, was far less productive for Baltimore in 2025 (20 tackles, 2.0 sacks) than he was in the 2024 regular season (41 tackles, 12.5 sacks). However, even after his 13th year in the league, he's still expressing a desire to suit up for the upcoming campaign. Since his contract with the Ravens expired after last year, he's an unrestricted free agent, but it is yet to be seen if another club will be willing to take a chance on the veteran edge rusher.

Stroud improved his diet this offseason in an effort to lose weight, according to DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com.

Stroud shouldn't lack for motivation, coming off a 2025 campaign in which he and his offensive line were the weak links on an otherwise loaded team. The Texans then picked up his fifth-year option this offseason, though it's not equivalent to a huge vote of confidence when the price tag ($25.9 million) is lower than what it costs to re-sign even a mediocre starting QB. There's still hope in Houston that Stroud can be more than mediocre, with help from a remade offensive line that added first-round pick Keylan Rutledge and veterans Braden Smith, Wyatt Teller and Evan Brown. The combination of better blocking and a locked-in QB could do wonders for Houston's offense, but even a slimmed-down version of Stroud is unlikely to offer much in the way of rushing stats for his fantasy managers.

Wilson recently got a contract offer from the Jets, but he said Wednesday that he's undecided between continuing his football career and joining a television broadcast team, NFL.com's Kevin Patra reports.

Wilson, 37, would join the Jets as a backup to Geno Smith, who not so long ago served as Wilson's backup in Seattle. The Jets currently have Brady Cook, Cade Klubnik and Bailey Zappe behind Smith on the depth chart, so they may pursue a different veteran QB if Wilson ultimately follows the QB-to-TV pipeline (or chooses another NFL team).

Jaguars GM James Gladstone said Wednesday that Hunter (knee) should be a "full go" for training camp and will continue playing on both sides of the ball, per The Rich Eisen Show.

Gladstone made similar comments about positional expectations in January, saying Hunter will play on both sides of the ball (without elaborating on the extent). Jacksonville brass may not even have an answer there internally, after Hunter's rookie season was cut short by an LCL tear at the end of October. Fellow WRs Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington then emerged down the stretch, teaming up with Brian Thomas to form a solid trio at the position. All three are still under contract, whereas Jacksonville lost CB Greg Newsome to the Giants in free agency, leaving a clear opening for a starting job. Conventional wisdom right now suggests Hunter will fill that job while working in a part-time role on offense. It's a reasonable expectation, yet best viewed as an evolving situation rather than a locked-in plan. For now, Hunter is a limited participant in the offseason program, with early workouts unlikely to provide any meaningful hint about his NFL future.