Everyone concedes that quarterback Derek Carr (shoulder) was dealing with a torn right labrum and "significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff," but not everyone believes it's the full story of why he abruptly retired, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Katherine Terrell. Just before free agency in early March, word began to spread within league circles that Carr, who was heading into the third year of a four-year, $150 million contract, was open to playing elsewhere. According to three league sources, one of his representatives spoke with at least two teams in the market for a QB about potential interest in Carr. A team source said Carr had a close kinship with last season's coaches in New Orleans, who are all now gone, and the Saints' plan to restructure his contract was another potential source of friction. New head coach Kellen Moore never fully committed to Carr being the starter in 2025, either, before learning of his shoulder injury. It sounds as though in addition to his shoulder injury, Carr knew 2025 was going to be his last with the Saints, and rather than trying to figure out a plan to play elsewhere, he decided to hang up his cleats.

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Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders went from being a projected first-round pick in this year's NFL draft to not being taken until No. 144 overall in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns. The Browns passed on Sanders six times before taking him with their seventh pick. However, head coach Kevin Stefanski is confident Sanders can be a successful NFL QB. "We're getting a guy that really is not so concerned about where he landed in this draft, but he is willing to put in the work and that's what we're going to do," Stefanski said. The 23-year-old has a long ways to go to work his way up a QB depth chart in Cleveland that includes Joe Flacco, Deshaun Watson (Achilles), Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. He's accurate but has average arm strength, and his athleticism doesn't jump off the page. NFL teams believe he's a backup, at best. Time will tell if Sanders can prove them wrong.

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The Cleveland Browns and rookie third-round tight end Harold Fannin Jr. agreed to term on a four-year, $6.7 million contract on Friday, a source tells FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz. Fannin set FB single-season records for catches (117) and receiving yards (1,555) by a tight end at Bowling Green in 2024 and will now join a Browns tight end room that includes David Njoku and Blake Whiteheart, among others. The 20-year-old was selected with the 67th overall pick in the third round. Although his production in college speaks for itself, he's undersized at the position at 6-foot-3 and 241 pounds and also isn't fast enough to have a ton of long-term fantasy upside. The Browns will try to develop Fannin's pass-catching skills so that he can eventually overtake Njoku as their starting TE, but that's unlikely to happen in 2025, if ever.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have waived Keaontay Ingram with an injury designation. The organization previously spoke highly of the 25-year-old running back, but his tenure in Kansas City comes to an end after just one game and zero offensive touches. Prior to his one-year stint with the Chiefs, Ingram amassed 181 scrimmage yards and one touchdown through two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. The former sixth-round pick out of USC could land somewhere else as a depth body in camp, but it's hard to envision him having any fantasy relevance in 2025.

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Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told the media that he added 7-on-7 passing reps to the team's practice program in order to maximize reps for rookies. According to Zac Jackson of The Athletic, rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel took the first snaps in the competitive drills, which was expected given that he was selected 50 picks earlier than Shedeur Sanders. The Browns gave Sanders plenty of reps, too, and Stefanski cautioned against reading into the exact order of quarterbacks. "I wouldn't look into anything," Stefanski said. "I think you'll see this whole weekend, going through the spring we don't pay too close attention to who's in for that first snap." This surely won't be the last time we hear about competition in the Browns' quarterback room, and it's important not to speculate about any decisions with Week 1 still several months away. Over these next few months, Cleveland will look to narrow its quarterback room down from five players to just two or three. Deshaun Watson (Achilles) doesn't really factor into the Browns' plans this year, but Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Gabriel, and Sanders could all get involved.

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ESPN's Jordan Ranaan writes that if all goes well with New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson as the starter and he stays healthy, rookie first-round QB Jaxson Dart will sit and redshirt in his first year in the NFL. If things don't go well and the Giants are losing, or if Wilson gets hurt, Dart is expected to find his way into the lineup. The 6-foot-2, 224-pound 22-year-old has the size and skills to succeed in the NFL, but he lacks a true wow characteristic and will probably benefit from sitting and learning in his first year in the league. The G-Men have extra QB insurance in veteran former first-rounder Jameis Winston, too, which means Dart could be the backup if Wilson gets injured or benched. Even if Dart does end up making starts in 2025, he won't really be on the redraft radar in fantasy as the Giants prioritize his long-term development.

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On Thursday, the Indianapolis Colts claimed defensive tackle Eric Johnson II off waivers after the New England Patriots recently released him. The Colts also waived safety Marcel Dabo and designated tight end Maximilian Mang as an exempt/international player. Johnson will enter his fourth season in the league and serve his second stint with the Colts after they selected him in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Missouri State product appeared in 11 games for the Patriots in 2024, notching 17 tackles (two solo). He's a fine rotational piece on the defensive line, but doesn't project to make too much of an impact on the field or in fantasy. Johnson hasn't garnered a single start through 39 career games and is currently buried way down on the team's unofficial depth chart.

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Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison has a jury trial set for June 16 following his 2024 citation for DUI. The trial is set to take place in the Superior Court of California. A pre-trial hearing was held on Monday. In December, Addison pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor DUI charges. He is accused of driving under the influence with at least a .08% alcohol level near the Los Angeles International Airport after a police officer found him asleep at the wheel and blocking a lane of traffic. The 23-year-old's status and situation should be monitored. While the NFL has not been quick to act in many cases like these, he could face punishment from the league depending on the results of the trial.

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New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (illness) has been cleared for football activity and expects to play in Week 1, according to NFL.com. The 2021 second-round pick out of Alabama played in just four games due to a blood clot issue, so this is great news for the team and the 25-year-old. Barmore has appeared in 48 games over the last four years, totaling 139 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 15.5 run stuffs, one forced fumble, and nine deflections. He'll play opposite newly signed free agent Milton Williams in 2025, and the duo could be an underrated unit in the NFL.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars released tight end Patrick Murtagh on Thursday, according to NFL.com. The 25-year-old Australian joined the NFL International Player Pathway in 2023 and was assigned to the Detroit Lions before stepping down due to a medical issue. He then spent time with the Jaguars in 2024 and this offseason before being cut. The organization recently signed former Buffalo Bills tight end Quintin Morris, and has Brenton Strange, Johnny Mundt, and Hunter Long already on the roster. Based on development thus far, it would be a surprise if Murtagh ever appears in an NFL game.

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According to details from a forthcoming book reveal, quarterback Caleb Williams and his family consulted with lawyers to find potential ways around being drafted first overall by the Chicago Bears in 2024. "Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die," Carl Williams, Caleb's father, told Seth Wickersham, author of "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback," in the months before the 2024 draft. Caleb Williams ultimately decided he could make it work in Chicago before struggling to a QB16 finish in a rookie season that saw Bears head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron both fired. The 23-year-old threw for 20 touchdowns and six interceptions while taking a league-high 68 sacks. The good news is that the Bears did everything they could to give Williams help heading into his sophomore season, so the former first overall pick is set up to succeed in Year 2.

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The Tennessee Titans claimed linebacker Anfernee Orji off waivers from the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday and waived running back Jabari Small in a corresponding move, according to Paul Kuharsky. Orji went undrafted out of Vanderbilt before joining the Saints for his rookie season in 2024, where he accumulated 30 tackles (16 solo) and two tackles for loss in 16 games (two starts) in his first year in the league. The 24-year-old will now look to earn a 53-man roster spot in Tennessee in training camp this summer. Small, 23, also went undrafted out of Tennessee before joining the Titans. The 5-foot-9, 198-pounder spent time last year on the Titans' practice squad and did not get into an NFL game. He's unlikely to be claimed off waivers, at which point he'll be free to sign with any NFL team before training camp this summer.

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The New England Patriots announced that they released defensive tackle Eric Johnson II on Wednesday after signing free-agent running back Trayveon Williams. The Patriots claimed Johnson off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 28 of last year. The 26-year-old played in 11 games with New England last year and finished with 17 total tackles (two solo) in his third NFL campaign. Johnson was originally a fifth-round selection (159th overall) by the Colts in 2022 out of Missouri State. The 6-foot-4, 320-pounder had only 18 tackles (seven solo), one sack, a tackle for loss and one fumble recovery in 28 games (no starts) in his first two years in the league in Indy. Johnson will be looking to find a new team before training camp starts this summer.

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Green Bay Packers passing-game coordinator Jason Vrable said that wide receiver Jayden Reed is up to 199 pounds (up from 185 as a rookie) and has been one of the leaders of the receiver group this offseason. Vrable said that Reed has been "helping Matthew Golden with every single play." The 25-year-old was on pace for his first 1,000-yard season in 2024 in his sophomore campaign in the first half before fading down the stretch and then suffering a dislocated shoulder in the wild-card playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite the team adding Golden and Savion Williams in this year's draft, the Packers still view Reed as their "top receiver." However, until we see it, the slot wideout's volume could be volatile, even with Christian Watson (knee) potentially miss half the season. Reed has the potential for a breakout, but he should be viewed as a boom/bust WR3/flex.

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New Orleans Saints executive vice president/general manager Mickey Loomis announced earlier this week that the team signed free-agent wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones and safety Terrell Burgess to undisclosed one-year deals and waived safety Millard Bradford and running back Jordan Mims in corresponding moves. Both Peoples-Jones and Burgess took part in the team's rookie minicamp last weekend on a tryout basis. Peoples-Jones, 26, was a sixth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2020 out of Michigan. He was on the Detroit Lions' practice squad last year but last played in an NFL game in 2023, when he caught 13 of 25 targets for 155 yards and no touchdowns in 15 games (six starts) with the Browns and Lions. DPJ will face an uphill battle for a starting role in New Orleans as receiver depth behind Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Brandin Cooks and Bub Means in 2025.

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Per the team, the New England Patriots have signed running back Trayveon Williams to an undisclosed contract. New England also released defensive lineman Eric Johnson II. The veteran back spent the first six seasons of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals after linking up with the team in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The 27-year-old will join a running back room consisting of Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, and second-round rookie TreVeyon Henderson. Williams is likely to have little impact regarding the ground game, considering he has 62 career carries in 69 games. However, he did appear in all 17 contests last season for Cincinnati on special teams, so he could occupy a role there for New England.

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The Green Bay Packers have agreed to terms with rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden on a four-year, $17.57 million contract. Green Bay spent the No. 23 overall pick on the Texas alum, making him the first first-round wideout since the franchise selected Javon Walker in the first round of 2002. With the contract, he becomes the highest-paid Packers WR. The depth of Green Bay's wide receiver room is one of the most noteworthy knocks against him, but Golden brings something to the table that the other pass-catchers don't, and that's his blazing speed. The 21-year-old makes for an intriguing addition to the team's roster as a deep threat and should get an opportunity to play right away. However, it isn't easy to project significant volume coming his way. Even if he works to the top of the pecking order in the WR corps, the Packers have made it clear they'd like to establish the run -- bolstering the third-lowest pass rate in the NFL in 2024. Golden could prove to be an effective weapon for Jordan Love in the passing game, but the spread-it-around ways of the Packers' offense won't do him any favors.

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According to the NFL transaction log, the San Francisco 49ers have signed defensive end Mykel Williams to a four-year, $24.94 million deal. The team selected the former Georgia Bulldog with the No. 11 overall pick in April's draft. Williams is a rawer prospect than you'd expect to be a top-15 pick, but with more time and reps, he could become a force off the edge. If he continues evolving his game and picks up a thing or two while working across from teammate Nick Bosa, the two could form a formidable duo and give offensive lines fits with blocking assignments. It's a best-case scenario for him, but it's possible given his length and traits. He recorded at least seven tackles for loss in each of his three seasons at Georgia.

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Fourth-round rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals officially signed his rookie contract with the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday, according to Charles Goldman of AtoZ Sports. The Utah State product was viewed by many as a potential Day 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he ultimately fell to the defending AFC Champions in Round 4. In 20 games over the last two seasons, Royals collected 126 receptions for 1,914 yards and 21 touchdowns. His landing spot with Patrick Mahomes is exciting, but he's not likely to make a significant fantasy football impact in Year 1 while sharing an offense with Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, and Marquise Brown. He's worth a late-round flyer in dynasty setups, but redraft expectations should be tempered.

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Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker missed nearly his entire rookie campaign in 2023 while recovering from a torn ACL, and he appeared in just three games last year. Overall, he completed three of his six passing attempts for 62 yards. The former third-round pick out of Tennessee is competing with Kyle Allen for the backup job behind Jared Goff this offseason, and quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell said Hooker is "off to a good start." The 27-year-old hasn't been able to take command of the backup role, which isn't a promising sign, but he remains an intriguing deep-league superflex stash in the event of a Goff injury. Hooker tallied 2,079 yards and 25 touchdowns in 49 collegiate games and would have a fantastic supporting cast to work with if he is ever called into action.

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