18 May 2026
Schefter said on air Thursday night that Murray should be consider the odds-on favorite to start for Minnesota in Week 1 after signing a one-year deal worth more than $36 million. J.J. McCarthy, however, will get a shot to compete for the starting gig after his disastrous, injury-marred 2025 campaign. McCarthy, 23, entering his third NFL season, would have to stay healthy this summer to have a shot at taking the team’s QB1 spot, and he would need to improve in every facet of the game, includin ...18 May 2026
According to Breer, Alexander is comfortable in his current position and “wanted to see the building of the 2026 team through.” Alexander has been with the Chargers since 2024 and previously served as the Jets’ director of player personnel (2019-2023). He’s risen through the ranks since first joining the Ravens in 1999 as a pro personal assistant, and could field more offers for future GM openings if the Chargers have a strong season in 2026.18 May 2026
Fantasy managers will want to tuck this away in the memory bank for later. Harris said that “just based on last year’s late-season production,” he would give the edge to Davis, but said the team has confidence in second-year backs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah as well. Davis is a fifth-year veteran of the league who has spent his entire career with the Cowboys, surviving multiple training camp cuts and stints on the practice squad to remain with the team. Last season, Davis rushed 52 times fo ...18 May 2026
The deal is fully guaranteed for the first three seasons before a semi-team option occurs in year four, bringing $821,574 in guarantees in 2029. Cisse has every opportunity to carve out a significant role in his rookie year after the team retooled its secondary the previous two offseasons.
18 May 2026
The completely guaranteed deal also includes a fifth-year team option due to his draft capital and a $11.598 million signing bonus. Iheanachor should immediately enter the starting lineup on the blind side of whichever quarterbacks starts under center for the Steelers, with the odds-on favorite still veteran Aaron Rodgers.18 May 2026
Perhaps more notable is Fowler’s report that Monken’s offensive concepts are things Watson “has run in the past and been his best at.” The drumbeat is steadily growing louder for Watson, who has gained steam in recent weeks as the preferred option to open 2026 as the Browns starter. Watson is in the final year of the record-setting contract he signed in 2022 and is also returning from a torn Achilles that he initially suffered in 2024 and later re-ruptured, which sidelined him for all of ...17 May 2026
Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud describes Irving as “the chair” of what looks to be a running back by committee with Kenneth Gainwell and Sean Tucker. We’ll see what the price range settles in as for Irving, but it’s hard to imagine him as a top-40 pick based on the past week of updates. The story quotes OC Zac Robinson as saying “Shoot, one guy might get this amount the next week. They might end up balanced, feeling the hot hand, and we’ll see where it goes.”17 May 2026
The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider believes the position is no mistake as veteran guard Ben Powers enters the final year of his contract in 2026. Casey could be groomed as a long-term replacement for Powers if he demonstrates enough to the Broncos in his first season.17 May 2026
Obviously Smith’s fantasy value took a huge hit with the addition of Kenneth Walker. But they also added Emari Demercado and moved up in the fifth round to draft Emmitt Johnson. Per Newell, “It all means Smith faces an important training camp. He’s a seventh-round pick, so the team doesn’t have a great amount invested in him if it does choose to move on.” Smith barely got a chance to run the ball last year, which was damning on its own considering how poor the running back room was, so ...17 May 2026
It should be mentioned that the Raiders are one of the teams that have kept tabs on Najee Harris this offseason — it’s possible that they bring in a veteran back to compete with Washington ahead of the season. But it’s hard to not draw the conclusion that McFadden does from the current depth chart. It’s not like Dylan Laube has done anything at the NFL level either.17 May 2026
Ben Johnson has been quoted as saying ‘We’re not getting a rookie’ when talking about Jones, which feels like a bit of a giveaway that it could be even sooner than Week 11. Jones will have to beat out veteran Garrett Bradbury to win the role, but the drumbeat is that it will happen sooner rather than later.17 May 2026
Aaron Rodgers’ return has left the Steelers with a four-quarterback room of Rodgers, Rudolph, 2025 sixth-rounder Will Howard, and 2026 third-rounder Drew Allar. Presumably the Steelers wouldn’t want to move on from Howard or Allar on their rookie contracts, which naturally leads to the idea of Rudolph’s roster spot being in jeopardy despite him likely being the backup with the highest floor. These things sometimes just work themselves out via injury, but if everyone makes it to the end of ...17 May 2026
He also throws out the Falcons and Rams as “interesting landing spots.” It sounds like a potential return to New England is being tethered to the potential of an A.J. Brown trade, and with that feeling inevitable at this point, Diggs would then move on to the next part of his list if he wasn’t able to return to New England. Diggs has had a very quiet free agency to this point.17 May 2026
It’s not surprising given that Young hasn’t exactly delivered a full stretch of excellent play at any point in his first three years, despite showing real flashes in some games last year. The Panthers front office has largely talked about a Young extension as an idea or something to talk through rather than a certainty. They did pick up his fifth-year option earlier this offseason, so there’s no rush. It’s not surprising that the Panthers haven’t committed to Young yet — they surely ...17 May 2026
Rourke missed all of last season recovering from an ACL tear. He’ll battle Adrian Martinez for the third quarterback job. It’s possible that the 49ers trade Mac Jones — who is in the final year of his contract — at some point before the deadline if they’re able to get a big return for him. Rourke is worth monitoring in large superflex leagues given how often Kyle Shanahan has elevated quarterbacks.17 May 2026
Sure, it’s not like Jaylin Lane or Luke McCaffrey did much in this offense last year, and Deebo Samuel remains an unsigned free agent as we blurb this. Chig Okonkwo probably profiles as the second option after Terry McLaurin at this point, but Williams garnering a real role wouldn’t be surprising in light of how the depth chart currently looks.17 May 2026
Johnson, who was acquired from the Bills in March, has two years remaining on his contract and only $1.175 million of guaranteed money left. It’s not surprising that he’s seeking a new deal, though he’s not exactly guaranteed to get one.17 May 2026
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is worth “up to” $25 million. It includes a base salary between $22 and $23 million, with some extra money tied to incentives. The deal ends Rodgers’ awkward standoff with the only franchise actively pursuing him. It also reunites him with new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy. Rodgers won two of his four MVPs and hoisted his only Lombardi Trophy while playing for McCarthy in Green Bay. Though Rodgers is more of a game-manager at this point in his caree ...17 May 2026
The Dolphins secure their franchise running back, making Achane the NFL’s third-highest paid running back. NFL Insider Jordan Schultz adds that the contract includes $32 million guaranteed; it’s the most guarantees and average salary per year ($17 million) for a running back coming off a rookie contract. The 24-year-old was set to enter the final year of his rookie deal coming off his first career 1,000-yard rushing season. Totaling 1,838 all-purpose yards and making a Pro Bowl last season, ...17 May 2026
As Schefter notes, this is the second time these two teams have faced each other on Thanksgiving in the past three years. The game will be played in Detroit as the first of the usual three-game setup on Thanksgiving. With both teams eying an NFC North title, this game will almost certainly have considerable playoff implications. It will also be another installment in Ben Johnson’s grudge match with his former team.
