News About AFC Teams

Cleveland Browns News

The Browns signed OL Teven Jenkins to a one-year, $3 million deal.

Why It Matters: This is a paltry sum for a starter and one that has been at least a league-average starter since shifting inside to guard for the Bears. The Browns hit on Wyatt Teller in a 2019 trade with the Bills that only cost them a fifth and sixth-round pick in exchange for Teller and a seventh-round pick, and they might have gotten a starting guard at a bargain basement price once again. Some have even speculated that they could trade Teller to a needy team for draft capital after signing Jenkins, but between Jenkins never playing more than 14 games in a season and franchise cornerstone Joel Bitonio going into his age 34 season after briefly contemplating retirement, they would be better off preserving one of the better trios at guard in the league.

Los Angeles Chargers News

The Chargers signed TE Tyler Conklin to a one-year, $3 million deal.

Why It Matters: Will Dissly flirted with fantasy relevance at tight end for the Chargers last year, so it's not a stretch to think that Conklin will at least be a bye/injury option and late-round pick in best-ball leagues as the primary pass-catching tight end for Justin Herbert. Ladd McConkey is the clear #1 passing game option, but Quentin Johnston has been inconsistent, and Mike Williams' value might be more in his clear-out routes to stretch the defense than his ability to win downfield on those routes, so Conklin's reliable short-range routes and hands could surprise in PPR leagues. Conklin's previous team - the Jets - signed Chargers free agent tight end Stone Smartt earlier in free agency, so the two teams essentially traded tight ends after the Chargers missed out on Evan Engram.

New England Patriots News

The Patriots signed WR Stefon Diggs to a three-year, $69 million deal.

Why It Matters: The contract comes with a $26 million guarantee, so it's basically a one-year team with two team options for 2026 and 2027. Diggs is reportedly ahead of schedule in his return from an ACL tear, and he'll need to be the team's clear #1 receiver for this signing to pay off. The Patriots arguably overpaid for Diggs, but they were prepared to overpay for Chris Godwin and had more money and needs than talent to spend on and fill those holes, so it's better for them to err on the side of making additions than being frugal with their copious cap room. Diggs's 10/11th round ADP is sure to rise on this news, although if Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter is there at the #4 pick, the Patriots should run to the podium. The Patriots are set at corner after signing Carlton Davis, so that should mean that Hunter will primarily play wide receiver and provide significant target competition for Diggs. 

Pittsburgh Steelers News

The Steelers and QB Aaron Rodgers had a six-hour meeting at team facilities.

Why It Matters: This, combined with the Giants signing Russell Wilson, would seem to indicate that Rodgers will join the Steelers sooner or later, but the most recent buzz is that Rodgers is considering sitting out the 2025 season. Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would not rule out revisiting conversations about Rodgers joining the team, mentioning that free-agent signings after the draft do not count against compensatory picks. Adofo-Mensah also said that the plan is and that the team wants J.J. McCarthy to be the Week 1 starter, so this situation seems to have gotten murkier after this extended meeting pointed in the direction of a potential marriage. There were reports that Rodgers and Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith spent a lot of time together during the meeting. That's important because the Steelers aren't going to hire Nathaniel Hackett to cater to Rodgers like the Jets did, and Smith and Wilson reportedly clashed at times last year. As some expected, we could be waiting a while before we know where or if Rodgers will play in 2025.

Tennessee Titans News

The Titans sent President of Football Ops Chad Brinker, GM Mike Borgonzi, HC Brian Callahan, Asst GM Dave Ziegler, VP Reggie McKenzie, scouting Director AJ Highsmith, OC Nick Holz, and QB coach Bo Hardegree to QB Cam Ward's pro day.

Why It Matters: The Titans also reportedly sent their in-house video and website teams to the pro day. This would be quite a smokescreen if the Titans are looking in a different direction at #1. It appears to be certain that Ward will go #1, and it feels more likely by the day that he'll be a Titan. Ward also visited with the Browns this week, and NFL Insider Adam Schefter believes that Cleveland (or the Giants) could still try to knock the Titans' socks off with an offer to move up from #2 or #3. This overwhelming show of interest in Ward by the Titans could be genuine but also serve the purpose of inducing the highest possible offer from Cleveland and the Giants before they make their final decision. Don't expect any definitive reports about the outcome until draft day, and perhaps even until the Titans are on the clock, as the NFL has a strong interest in keeping the audience in suspense to preserve interest and ratings for the draft broadcast.

News About NFC Teams

Minnesota Vikings News

GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did not rule out revisiting discussions with Aaron Rodgers later in the offseason, but said QB J.J. McCarthy starting is the outcome they "want" and are "headed toward".

Why It Matters: Many believe that Rodgers would prefer to follow the Brett Favre career path and play for the Vikings this year, but Minnesota is not assuring him of a starting job or offering him a starter's contract. It's not clear if that would change after the draft when a signing would not count against the team's compensatory draft picks - as Adofo-Mensah pointed out during the press conference where he made these comments - or if Rodgers is fully in on playing in 2025 after this week saw reports that he is considering sitting out the season. The Vikings did make offers to Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold, but they chose teams with clearer paths to starting jobs, so we should take Adofo-Mensah's assertion that the team plans on and wants McCarthy to start in Week 1 at face value. We should still pencil in McCarthy as the starter for Minnesota this year but not overlook the Vikings' desire to have a strong backup option when forecasting the season for the team's offense with McCarthy at the helm.

New Orleans Saints News

The Saints signed WR Brandin Cooks to a two-year, $13 million deal.

Why It Matters: Cooks was set up with a potentially fantasy-rich role as Dak Prescott's No. 2 last year, but preseason knee issues were a precursor to a very underwhelming season. Now, he'll be Derek Carr's No. 3 in an offense that probably won't be among the more prolific passing attacks in the league. Cooks has proven you can go home again, returning to the team that drafted him in the first round in 2014 after stops with the Patriots, Rams, Texans, and Cowboys. Still, a return to fantasy relevance is unlikely, which is reflected in his undrafted ADP in early Underdog best ball leagues.

New York Giants News

The Giants signed QB Jameis Winston to a two-year, $8 million deal and QB Russell Wilson to a one-year, $10.5 million contract.

Why It Matters: For a few days there, it looked like Malik Nabers could be the latest recipient of the Jameis Winston bump in fantasy leagues, only for the Giants to sign Russell Wilson and swing Nabers back in the other direction of fantasy frustration. While we can't close the door on the team drafting Shedeur Sanders at #3 or even moving up for Cam Ward, this move is at least a hedge against those outcomes being thwarted by the Titans and Browns. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for a rookie to have Winston and Wilson mentoring them, and the quarterback room would still be among the cheapest in the league. But for now, we should project the Giants offense with Wilson as the starter and Winston as the backup. We could still see the Winston-to-Nabers connection at some point if Wilson doesn't improve from his December losing streak swoon last year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers News

GM Jason Licht said WR Chris Godwin is "hitting all of the milestones" in his recovery from a dislocated ankle.

Why It Matters: The Bucs have already seen Godwin through a full recovery from an ACL tear, and they felt comfortable signing Godwin to a three-year deal for over $20 million a season despite this injury. His return-to-play timeline still lacks specifics, but his ADP is hovering in the late 50s even though he greatly outproduced that last year before going down with the ankle injury. Jalen McMillan's ADP is starting to drop into the late 80s after Godwin was re-signed, but he should still be seen as a possible upside play if Godwin is slow to return to form. We'll be very interested to see if Godwin starts camp on the PUP list. If he doesn't, then his current ADP will be a great value.

Washington Commanders News

The Commanders signed WR Michael Gallup.

Why It Matters: Gallup retired last year, so this was a bit of a surprise. If there is a wide receiver depth chart he could break into, it would be the Commanders. Gallup was never the same after a 2021 ACL tear, but he'll only have to beat out Chris Moore or K.J. Osborn to win a spot catching passes from Jayden Daniels. He's still a longshot to make it all the way back to a regular season roster spot, but we're rooting for Gallup after his injury at age 25 kept us from seeing what he was capable of during his prime.