The Buccaneers are finalizing a three-year extension with QB Baker Mayfield, according to multiple reports. The pact will reportedly pay him $100 million, with $50 million guaranteed and another $15 million available in incentives. The impact: Mayfield looks like the Tampa Bay QB for at least the next two years -- and probably the next three. He enjoyed a rebound 2023 and will continue to have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as his top two wideouts. Mayfield delivered six top-12 fantasy finishes at the position last season and remains a nice value at his low draft cost. He should remain a solid late QB2 for 2024 redraft leagues.
The Bears have agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal with S Kevin Byard, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That positions Byard to take over the starting spot vacated when the team released S Eddie Jackson in February. Byard, of course, spent the second half of 2023 in Philly after a trade from Tennessee. But the Eagles released him this offseason. Byard still finished among the top 15 fantasy DBs, his seventh straight year among the top 24. Byard should remain a solid bet to remain in that range heading into his age-31 campaign.
The Patriots are sending QB Mac Jones to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick. That should be enough to set Jones as Trevor Lawrence's backup, given that he carries a $5 million cap number. It's also almost certainly just a one-year setup. Jacksonville must now decide this offseason on Jones' fifth-year option (for 2025) -- and that'll be an easy "no" on a year that would guarantee nearly $26 million in salary. We'll see whether Jones gets a shot to redeem himself in Jacksonville ... and where he lands in 2025. His only real dynasty value at this point is as a handcuff to Lawrence in superflex formats.
The Cowboys have given WR Michael Gallup permission to seek a trade, according to The Dallas Morning News' Calvin Watkins. Watkins adds that Gallup is unlikely to find much of a trade market because other teams expect Dallas to release him. That would save the Cowboys $9.5 million in 2024 cap space. Gallup has totaled just 842 yards on 11.5 yards per catch in 31 games since tearing an ACL late in the 2021 season. He ranked 77th out of 80 qualifying WRs in 2022 yards per route and then 70th out of 80 last year. We'll see where Gallup lands, but there's little reason to be optimistic for his 2024 fantasy value. His departure would leave opportunity in Dallas for WR Jalen Tolbert -- although we'd expect the Cowboys to add to the position in free agency and/or the draft.
The Seahawks and WR Tyler Lockett have agreed to a restructured deal that will pay $30 million over the next two years, with $13 million guaranteed and a max value of $34 million. That locks in the veteran wideout with Seattle in 2024. The biggest impact here might be on second-year WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He ranked a clear third among Seahawks in targets last season, drawing 5.5 per game to Lockett's 7.4 and D.K. Metcalf's 7.2. JSN will need to pass one of those guys to become truly fantasy relevant. A new coaching staff presents opportunity for offensive design to change. But the new regime clearly believes Lockett remains good. And Metcalf just turned 26 in December. Lockett's Underdog Fantasy ADP sits WR56 to date, compared with Smith-Njigba's WR38. That sure looks imbalanced in the veteran's favor from here. Keeping the WR trio together helps QB Geno Smith's outlook -- assuming he keeps the job, of course.
The Broncos are trading WR Jerry Jeudy to the Browns for fifth- and sixth-round picks in this year's draft, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's clearly a cost-cutting move for Denver, which avoids the nearly $13 million cap hit of the final season on Jeudy's contract. The move should allow second-year WR Marvin Mims to hit the starting lineup, though he'll have to compete with returning WR Tim Patrick. Jeudy arrives to a Cleveland corps that already sported WRs Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore. Right now we'd bet on Jeudy garnering more targets than Moore, who earned just 16.7% target share in his first year with the Browns. But it's certainly not an exciting landing spot for Jeudy's upside. That's magnified by QB Deshaun Watson's lackluster play in 2023 before his season-ending shoulder injury. Jeudy's fine to stack with Watson on best ball rosters at their respective prices: WR61 in Underdog Fantasy ADP for Jeudy; QB23 for Watson. Just don't expect either to be a championship winner. That said, Watson sports a nice crew of pass-catchers now, with the aforementioned wideouts and TE David Njoku. Cleveland second-year WR Cedric Tillman, meanwhile, looks blocked from relevance for at least one more year. He's not a must-hold in dynasty.
Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald stopped short of committing to QB Geno Smith as the 2024 starter in a Friday radio appearance. "We're always looking, always trying to figure out what’s best for the team all the time," Macdonald said. "I'm excited for Geno to come in here and start playing and start working. ... I don't want you to feel like I'm dodging this answer, but that's what I'm excited about, for him to come in here and start to build this team the way we envision building it." It's a rather cookie-cutter, coachspeak answer for early March -- but worth noting nonetheless. Smith is under contract for 2024 at a $26.4 million cap hit, and the Seahawks don't currently pick until 16th overall in this spring's draft. They'd likely need to trade up to land one of the top four QBs in the class. It's still more likely than not that Smith is under center for Seattle come Week 1, but don't consider him locked in at this point.
The Patriots and TE Hunter Henry have agreed to a new three-year contract, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports. Henry was scheduled to hit free agency next week but will now remain in New England under new HC Jerod Mayo and OC Alex Van Pelt. Henry posted a 42-419-6 line across 14 games last year, finishing 15th among TEs in PPR points per game. He ranked 14th in Pro Football Focus receiving grade and 26th in yards per route run among 33 qualifying TEs. The 29-year-old could still be a fantasy asset in 2024. His value will largely depend on what New England does at QB and WR this offseason.
WR Michael Thomas will not be back with the Saints in 2024. The New Orleans Times Picayune's Jeff Duncan wrote on Thursday that Thomas will be released. Thomas fired back on social media that he signed just a one-year deal with New Orleans last offseason and is simply becoming a free agent. ESPN's Kat Terrell reports that Thomas’ contract allows the team to either rework it or release him this offseason. Regardless of the details, Thomas will be playing for a team other than the Saints this season for the first time in his career. Injuries have limited him to just 20 games over the last four years. He averaged 4.2 catches and 49 yards over the first nine games of 2023 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Thomas turned 31 earlier this month. We'll see how much interest he draws on the open market and where he ultimately lands. Thomas no longer possesses an exciting fantasy ceiling, but we're not totally ruling out the possibility of him helping fantasy teams as a depth piece.
The Dolphins signed TE Jonnu Smith to a 2-year deal worth up to $10 million. Smith was inconsistent in 2023 but ultimately set career highs in catches (50) and yards (582). His run-after-catch ability will have a chance to shine alongside Tua Tagovailoa. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Smith excelled on screens last year, notching 71 yards over expectation. That ranked third among all NFL players. At 29 (in August), Smith could push for low-end TE2 value this fall. We'll see if Miami adds additional pass-catching depth in the draft.
The Bills are releasing S Jordan Poyer and CB Tre'Davious White. The Poyer release means Buffalo must replace both starting safeties. Micah Hyde is also a free agent and reportedly considering retirement. White struggled with injuries over the past three seasons, most recently tearing an Achilles' tendon at the beginning of October. We'll be surprised if White lands more than a supporting role anywhere in 2024 -- and perhaps beyond. We'll see how the Bills address safety this offseason. Damar Hamlin is the only safety currently under contract. The NFL's Comeback Player of the Year played just 17 defensive snaps in 2023 and likely isn't an answer for 2024.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that TE Zach Ertz has agreed to a one-year deal with the Commanders worth "up to" $5 million. We'll be curious to see more specific terms on the contract -- such as whether it even guarantees he'll even break training camp with the team. Ertz managed just 27 catches over six games for the Cardinals last year, coming off a 2022 ACL tear. He failed to reach another active roster after Arizona waived him Nov. 30. (He finished the year on Detroit's practice squad.) Ertz will turn 34 in November and has set career lows in yards per catch each of the past two seasons (8.6, then 6.9). He spent his pre-2023 Arizona time playing under then-HC Kliff Kingsbury, who joined Washington as OC this offseason. We'll see how much that factored into Ertz's signing and what Kingsbury might have planned. The Commanders have room on the TE depth chart after dumping Logan Thomas, with only Cole Turner and John Bates under contract. But the Ertz signing shouldn't exclude them from making any other moves at the position. You can consider Ertz as a third TE late in your best ball drafts, but we wouldn't chase him any earlier than that.
The Colts are using their franchise tag on WR Michael Pittman. The two sides have been working on a long-term deal and have until July 15 to get something done. If they don't, Pittman will play the 2024 season on a one-year, $21.8 million deal. The 26-year-old has scored as a top-20 PPR WR in each of the last three seasons, including a career-best WR14 finish last year. He's holding steady at 16th in our dynasty WR rankings.
The Panthers released TE Hayden Hurst, according to The Athletic's Joe Person. Hurst caught 18 balls over the first nine games of last season and then missed the final eight with a concussion that led to post-traumatic amnesia. Hurst has said that he wants to continue his football career, but he's not a good bet to be a fantasy asset in 2024 or beyond. We'll see where he lands next.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that TE Dalton Schultz has agreed to a three-year $36 million deal with the Texans, including $23.5 million "fully guaranteed at signing." That appears to lock Schultz in with the Texans for at least the next two years -- obviously good news for a TE who will turn 28 in July. Schultz isn't an exciting athlete even relative to his position and has yet to reach 11 yards per catch in an NFL season. But he has caught at least 57 passes in four straight years, averaging 3.8 or more per game in each. Schultz's 10.8 yards per reception last year marked a career high. And being tied to QB C.J. Stroud for the next 2-3 years is obviously a good thing. His re-signing means you can forget about any 2024 dreams you might have had for TE Brevin Jordan, who remains under contract with the Texans for one more year. Schultz has finished four consecutive campaigns among the top 10 TEs in total PPR points. He sits 15th among TEs in ADP for both Underdog Fantasy and FFPC drafting right now. That makes it a good time to get some Schultz on best ball rosters -- at least until/unless his ADP climbs.
The Giants will not use the franchise tag on RB Saquon Barkley, allowing him to hit the free-agent market later this month, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Barkley is coming off a RB9 finish in PPR points per game, compiling 1,242 total yards and 10 TDs across 14 games. He averaged just 3.9 yards per carry but ranked a solid 13th among 49 qualifying RBs in NFL Next Gen Stats' Rush Yards Over Expected Per Attempt. The 27-year-old might no longer be an elite RB, but he's still a good bet to capture a big workload wherever he lands next.
The Panthers have applied the franchise tag to Edge Brian Burns. That's no shock. Carolina reportedly declined sizable trade offers in the past for Burns, who will be just 26 for the 2024 season. Any team that believes the young pass rusher is worth two first-round picks could still sign him to an offer sheet in free agency. And the Panthers could still swap Burns to recoup some picks from last year's Bryce Young trade. But for now, we'll assume Burns sticks in Carolina and remains a solid-to-good IDP option.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio writes that he has "very credible indications" that QB Kirk Cousins is "seriously considering" a move to Atlanta to sign with the Falcons. Cousins' wife grew up near Atlanta, and the Falcons "have always been the top alternative to the Vikings for Cousins," per Florio. Cousins would be a nice fit playing indoors in new OC Zac Robinson's offense with WR Drake London, TE Kyle Pitts, and RB Bijan Robinson. Likewise, a move for Cousins would be excellent news for the fantasy value of Atlanta's key weapons. We should know who Cousins will be playing for in 2024 within the next couple of weeks.
As expected, the Broncos are releasing QB Russell Wilson. The team will endure large cap hits this year and next but avoid having to pay Wilson in 2025. He remained decent last year, rebounding vs. 2022 in most stat categories. But it clearly wasn't good enough for the Broncos, who turned to Jarrett Stidham to start the final two games. We'd bet on the 35-year-old Wilson landing another starting gig -- or at least a chance to compete for a starting gig. Denver, meanwhile, has to find a new answer. Stidham has never looked like a long-term NFL starter. The Broncos pick 12th in the upcoming NFL Draft, which might prove too late for any of the top four QBs. We wouldn't be surprised to see Denver try to move up. The values of WR Courtland Sutton, WR Jerry Jeudy, WR Marvin Mims, TE Greg Dulcich, and others will depend heavily on that QB decision.
Ohio State TE Cade Stover measured in at nearly 6'4 and 247 pounds at the NFL Combine. He displayed enough speed with a 4.65 forty – plus a 1.59 10-yard split. A former DL/LB, Stover transitioned to TE in 2020. Following two developmental years, he popped from 2022-2023 with 77-982-10. He brings excellent play strength and the ability to make tough, contested catches. Already 24 (in June), he’s on the older side for a prospect. But the timing of his position switch suggests he could reach another level within the next few seasons. Round 3 draft capital is firmly in play here.
Search
