1 month agoThe Dallas Cowboys and quarterback
Dak Prescott have a mutual understanding of his contract situation, according to sources, with no offers from Dallas despite Prescott being in a contract year. "We are where we are, locked and loaded for this year," owner Jerry Jones said. With no indication of a new deal coming, it looks like the 30-year-old signal-caller will play out the 2024 season on the final year of his contract. The three-time Pro Bowler threw for 4,516 yards and a league-high 36 touchdowns in 17 regular-season games in one of his best showings, but the Cowboys fell flat in the playoffs yet again. There's still time for the two sides to work something out to help ease the burden of Prescott's $55.46 million salary cap hit this year. Fantasy-wise, Prescott will be a QB1 consolation prize after the elite names at the position come off the board.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
1 month agoThe NFL announced that this year's Hall of Fame game, the first preseason contest of 2024, on Aug. 1 will feature the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans. The game will feature the upstart Texans, who won a playoff game in 2023 under first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback
C.J. Stroud against a Bears team that is expected to take USC QB
Caleb Williams first overall in the upcoming draft. The league will also hold two games on Christmas Day this year, which falls on a Wednesday. Last year's Christmas Day tripleheader drew historic ratings, with all three games ranking among the top-five Christmas Day NFL games on record, dating back to 1988.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The 33rd Team - Ari Meirov
1 month agoNFL owners on Tuesday agreed to move the trade deadline to Tuesday after Week 9 of the 2024 season. In addition to moving the trade deadline back, three penalty categories -- intentional grounding, roughing the passer and hits out of bounds -- were added to the list of plays that replay assist can advise officials on. Teams can also use a practice-squad player as their emergency No. 3 quarterback on game days after requiring that player to be an existing member of the 53-man roster in 2023. Replay officials will be authorized to suggest a real-time reversal of a penalty on "specific, objective aspects of play when clear and obvious video evidence is present." It's a step toward creating the NFL's own version of a "sky judge," but one that gives the on-field referee the final word.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Kevin Seifert
1 month agoNFL owners approved a new hybrid kickoff rule on Monday, according to a source. After years of tweaked turned one of the game's most exciting moments into a "dead, ceremonial play," the league hopes the change will lead to fewer injuries and more returns. The format originated in the XFL. In 2024, kickers will continue to kick from the 35-yard line, but the other 10 players on the kickoff team will line up at the receiving team's 40-yard line. At least nine members of the return team will line up in a "setup zone" between the 35- and 30-yard lines. Up to two returners can line up in a "landing zone" between the goal line and the 20-yard line. No one other than the kicker and returner(s) can move until the ball hits the ground or hits a player inside the landing zone. No fair catches will be allowed. The rule change on kickoffs should mean more kicks returned in 2024 and better starting spots for offenses.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
1 month agoThe Green Bay Packers signed free-agent kicker
Greg Joseph to an undisclosed deal on Tuesday, according to his agent, Brett Tessler. Joseph kicked for the division-rival Minnesota Vikings the last three seasons and holds the NFL record for game-winning kicks in a season (five) and the Vikings record for longest field goal (61 yards). The 29-year-old went 83-for-101 on his field goals and 112-for-124 on extra points during his time in Minnesota. In addition to Joseph, the Packers have last year's sixth-rounder,
Anders Carlson, on their roster, but Carlson struggled mightily in his rookie season and could now be on his way out. Joseph finished the 2023 season as the No. 24 kicker in terms of overall fantasy points and should be on the streaming radar in 2024 with Green Bay.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Brett Tessler
1 month agoTennessee Titans wide receiver
Calvin Ridley is expected to see a lot of targets in his first year with the team in 2024. "You're looking at a very similar role to what
Ja'Marr Chase played," Titans head coach Brian Callahan said. The new Titans head coach previously coached Chase as the offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals. Ridley might not be the overall talent that Chase is, but his fantasy price is going to go up considerably if the Titans indeed use Ridley similarly to how Chase is used in Cincinnati. With the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023, the 29-year-old was mostly used as a deep threat on the outside and finished with the second 1,000-yard season of his career and eight touchdowns in 17 starts. If he's running more intermediate routes out of the slot in 2024, Ridley's fantasy ceiling could be even higher.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: This Is Football - Kevin Clark
1 month agoGreen Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur implied that we'll see more of new running back
Josh Jacobs in the passing game than the 40 catches per year he averaged in five seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders. "Just studying him, I think
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1 month agoCleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam said on Monday that they are close to reaching contract extensions with both head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry. In the last four seasons with Stefanski and Berry at the helm in Cleveland, the Browns have made the postseason twice and even won a playoff game against the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns have gone 37-30 in the regular season since both men were hired. They've gone 1-2 in the postseason but advanced to the playoffs last year despite season-ending injuries to key players like
Deshaun Watson,
Nick Chubb, Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills. It remains to be seen how long their new contract extensions will be, but both Stefanski and Berry have earned the right to stick around longer.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Cleveland Plain Dealer - Mary Kay Cabot
1 month agoPittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward (groin) had a cleanup procedure this offseason to help fix a lingering issue with his groin and core-muscle surgery from in-season, but head coach Mike Tomlin doesn't think Heyward's recovery would linger into the training programs this offseason. "I'm not anticipating it to be a factor by the time we get to training camp," Tomlin said. The 34-year-old veteran should have missed 12 weeks last year after his initial surgery, but he powered back quicker than that. He also dealt with a knee issue that kept him from practicing fully throughout almost the entire season. The six-time Pro Bowler could bounce back in IDP fantasy leagues in 2024 if he's completely healthy. Heyward had only two sacks in 11 starts in 2023 but recorded 20.5 sacks the previous two seasons combined.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Steelers Now - Nick Farabaugh
1 month agoWhile New York Giants president and CEO John Mara still has faith in quarterback
Daniel Jones (knee), he told reporters on Monday at the NFL meetings that he wouldn't stop general manager Joe Schoen from taking a quarterback in the upcoming draft. "I think the Daniel (Jones) we saw in 2022 is the real deal. I still have all the confidence in the world in him. … Yes, I think we all expect him to be the starter in 2024," Mara said. Jones is no lock to be ready for Week 1 in 2024 after tearing his ACL last year, but the Giants continue to stay that when he's healthy, he'll be the team's starter under center. The G-Men aren't giving up on the former sixth overall pick in 2019 out of Duke, but 2024 might be his make-or-break season. Drafting a QB this year would give the Giants some insurance at the position.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Mike Garofolo
1 month agoThere's a chance that quarterback
Zach Wilson could end up staying with the New York Jets in 2024. "If we don't trade him, we're going to keep him," owner Woody Johnson said. The Jets gave Wilson and his representatives permission to seek a trade last month, but with the rest of the league already making moves to acquire other QBs ahead of next month's NFL draft, the demand for Wilson has been non-existent this offseason. If the Jets do end up trading Wilson, they'll basically be giving him away. The former No. 2 overall pick in 2021 out of BYU has fallen flat in his three NFL seasons and was benched in 2023 after throwing for 2,271 yards, eight touchdowns and seen picks in 12 games (11 starts) after
Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) got hurt. The Jets already signed veteran
Tyrod Taylor to serve as Rodgers' backup in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Brian Costello
1 month agoFor now, quarterback
Jarrett Stidham is the Denver Broncos' potential starter in 2024, but head coach Sean Payton declined to say Stidham was in the top position for the job. "He's definitely competing to be the starter," Payton said. "I don't think we have a term 'driver's seat' really. But he is going to compete for that position. I know he's anxious and excited to do that, and I'm sure there will be other candidates that will be competing with him." Stidham and
Ben DiNucci are the only QBs on the current roster after the team released
Russell Wilson this offseason, but the Broncos are a candidate to trade up in the first round of next month's draft for a potential franchise signal-caller. Stidham has flashed some potential late the last two years with the Raiders and Broncos, but not enough for him to be outright named the starter this offseason.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com - Kevin Patra
1 month agoFormer New England Patriots running back
Damien Harris announced his retirement from professional football on Monday at age 27. The Patriots selected Harris in the third round (87th overall) in the 2019 NFL draft out of Alabama, and he had 449 rushing attempts for 2,094 yards and 20 touchdowns in his four years in New England in 38 regular-season games (34 starts) while adding 40 receptions on 51 targets for an additional 281 receiving yards. Harris spent the 2023 campaign with the Buffalo Bills but played in only six games before suffering a season-ending concussion/neck injury that saw him be taken off the field in an ambulance. He'll end his NFL career after just five seasons, recording 2,188 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on 427 carries with the Pats and Bills.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Patriots.com - Evan Lazar
1 month agoIndianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen wouldn't say definitively that quarterback
Anthony Richardson (shoulder) will be cleared by next month but he "should be" after missing most of his rookie season in 2023 with an AC joint sprain that required season-ending surgery. "I know he's super fired up and ready to roll through the spring practice and training camp and this season," Steichen said. The 21-year-old had surgery on Oct. 24 and began throwing last month. This year in training camp, Richardson will take all of the starting reps while
Joe Flacco serves as his backup. Having his role clearly defined at this stage of the offseason, as well as another year in the same system, should make Richardson feel more comfortable than he did as a rookie. His brief showing in 2023 gave fantasy managers a quick glimpse into his high-end QB1 upside, mainly because of his elite rushing abilities.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - James Boyd
1 month agoFree-agent wide receiver
Quez Watkins is signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The 25-year-old was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but he has not made much of an impact playing behind star wideouts
A.J. Brown and
DeVonta Smith over the last two seasons. However, he adds a much-needed element of speed to the Steelers' wide receiver room, and he can be utilized as a field-stretcher for
Russell Wilson in 2024. Watkins has just 98 receptions for 1,249 yards and six touchdowns through his first 49 NFL games. Expect him to serve as the team's WR3 or WR4 this season. Although
Diontae Johnson was traded to the Carolina Panthers, the Steelers will likely heavily target the wideout spot in next month's NFL Draft.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: Jeremy Fowler
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