The Lions traded Patrick to Jacksonville last offseason. He caught 15 passes for 187 yards and three scores. Patrick is nothing more than a depth option at this point in his career, but the Jets could use some more experience in their receiver room. Aside from Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell and Omar Cooper Jr. appeared to be penciled in for starting roles this year. Even if he doesn’t see the field much, Patrick brings some floor to this young group of players.
The Seahawks will reportedly begin their title defense at home with a rematch against the Patriots. Seattle won the Super Bowl matchup handily, cruising to a 29-13 victory to hoist the Lombardi trophy. The teams will look mostly the same, with some key differences. The Pats won’t have 2025 leading wide receiver Stefon Diggs, while Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker left the Seahawks for the Chiefs. Still, the NFL is starting strong with an immediate Super Bowl rematch.
Jones joins the Raiders after completing a two-season stint with the Dolphins. The 28-year-old has primarily been a rotational defensive lineman through his NFL career so far. He tallied two tackles for loss, including a sack, in 14 games last season. The Raiders will add Jones as rotational depth for a defensive line needing experienced production.
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, Achane cemented himself as a cornerstone piece for a Dolphins offense entering a rebuilding phase. Speed and pass-catching are two of his most valuable traits, making him a high-end RB1 for fantasy purposes. With a deal making him one of the highest-paid running backs in football, Achane figures to see another 200-carry, 80-target season in 2026.
Wharton missed eight games in 2025 fresh off a $45 million contract extension and reportedly underwent surgery in early May on his neck. While it sounds like the PUP list is a near certainty, sources confirmed that the expectation is for Wharton to play at some point in the 2026 season.
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.
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.
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.
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, including accuracy. Dillon Gabriel was the only quarterback with a lower completion rate over expected in 2025.
It’s a Super Bowl rematch for the two teams, who will get the new league year started on Wednesday, September 9th on NBC, the preferred broadcasting network for football watchers. Sam Darnold and the Seahawks will look to get the season started on a strong note against the Patriots and Drake Maye, who looked wildly out-matched the last time these two teams met. It’s one of two games the Seahawks will play on NBC this season, as they will also take on the Chiefs in Week 7 on Sunday Night Football.
An elite athlete at the position, Klein didn’t begin playing football until high school, but totaled 37 passes for 371 yards and one touchdown in his last two seasons at Michigan. While he should still see plenty of playing time in his rookie season, we wouldn’t expect him to contribute much from a fantasy perspective with Dalton Schultz still with the team. Klein is an interesting stash in dynasty leagues but he can be left on the waiver wire in redraft leagues for the time being.
Terrell becomes the lowest-drafted player in NFL history to receive a fully-guaranteed deal. The brother to Falcons corner A.J. Terrell, Avieon Terrell put together a solid career during his time at Clemson, playing almost exclusively on the outside while forcing three interceptions and breaking up another 17 passes. He’s expected to earn an early starting role on the perimeter in his rookie season and should help improve a defense that was already 13th in net YPA allowed (5.8) last season.
There’s still plenty of time for Parsons to rehab to be ready in time for Week 1, but Schefter said “the feeling within the organization has been that Parsons would miss the early part of the season” with a chance to still return fairly early on. Parsons suffered a torn ACL in Week 15 of last season, which makes being ready in time for the 2026 season a tall task. The star pass rusher totaled 12.5 sacks in the 14 games he appeared in last season and was still named a First-team All-Pro in his first season with the Pack.
Dixon signed with the Giants as a UDFA after going undrafted last month. The former North Carolina Tar Heel was facing an up-hill battle to make the roster, but had some Day 3 pedigree and may have heard his name called if not for a hamstring injury that hampered his draft process.
As Fowler notes, Steelers EDGE Nick Herbig is a free agent next offseason. Pittsburgh’s No. 3 pass-rusher is expected to be a hot name on the open market. The Steelers could work toward an extension for him before that happens, but they can’t realistically pay Watt, Herbig, and T.J. Watt top dollar. A Herbig extension might make Watt more valuable to the team as a trade asset. Still, it’s hard to believe the Steelers would trade one of the faces of their franchise at the tail end of his prime. How both he and Herbig play in 2026 will determine what GM Omar Khan does next offseason.
This is one of two games being played on Christmas, which is the Friday of Week 16. The Packers beat the Bears in Week 14 of the 2025 season before losing their final four regular season contests, one of which was an overtime loss to the Bears. They were then bounced from the playoffs by Chicago in the Wild Card Round. Their Christmas matchup will have major playoff implications and could even determine the winner of the NFC North.
Best ball bros are officially frothing at the mouth to stack this contest, not that they needed another reason to draft players from two of the best offenses in the NFL. As Jordan Schultz notes, the Bengals have traveled to Baltimore for a primetime game in each of the past four seasons. Now they get to host a matchup that could determine the fate of the AFC North.
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.
The Seahawks will reportedly begin their title defense at home with a rematch against the Patriots. Seattle won the Super Bowl matchup handily, cruising to a 29-13 victory to hoist the Lombardi trophy. The teams will look mostly the same, with some key differences. The Pats won’t have 2025 leading wide receiver Stefon Diggs, while Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker left the Seahawks for the Chiefs. Still, the NFL is starting strong with an immediate Super Bowl rematch.
Jones joins the Raiders after completing a two-season stint with the Dolphins. The 28-year-old has primarily been a rotational defensive lineman through his NFL career so far. He tallied two tackles for loss, including a sack, in 14 games last season. The Raiders will add Jones as rotational depth for a defensive line needing experienced production.
Rice was originally drafted by the Chargers in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He did not make the team’s final roster and has since spent time on several practice squads. His most recent stop was a short-lived stay in Vegas. Rice is a long-shot to make the Packers’ roster this summer.
The Lions traded Patrick to Jacksonville last offseason. He caught 15 passes for 187 yards and three scores. Patrick is nothing more than a depth option at this point in his career, but the Jets could use some more experience in their receiver room. Aside from Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell and Omar Cooper Jr. appeared to be penciled in for starting roles this year. Even if he doesn’t see the field much, Patrick brings some floor to this young group of players.
The match will be broadcast by Netflix. Per usual, the NFL is quietly claiming more territory outside of the standard Thursday, Sunday, and Monday contests. Week 12 will still have the normal three-game run on Thanksgiving. So far, only a matchup between the Cowboys and Eagles has been announced. The full schedule will be released on Thursday, with plenty of leaks between now and then. The Thanksgiving Eve game could ultimately be a preview of a postseason matchup, given that both the Packers and Rams made the NFC playoffs last year.