Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) will miss most, if not all, of the 2025 season after his second ACL tear in 2024 as a rookie. In addition to Brooks, the Panthers are expected to cut running back Miles Sanders. It's why The Athletic's Joseph Person has the Panthers taking SMU RB Brashard Smith with a fifth-round selection in his 2025 mock draft. Smith could be a nice change-of-pace option behind starter Chuba Hubbard next year in the Panthers' backfield. The 21-year-old Brooks can be avoided in all single-year fantasy drafts this fall after suffering a gruesome injury in his first year in the NFL. Brooks could have a lengthier recovery after already tearing the same ACL in his final collegiate season at the University of Texas. In three games in 2024, Brooks had nine carries for 22 yards and caught all three of his targets for 23 yards.

When asked whether wide receiver Tyler Lockett would be on the roster for the 2025 season, Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said the team is "working through that" and will make a decision in the next month or so. It's not a ringing endorsement for the 32-year-old veteran pass-catcher after he fell to 49 receptions on 74 targets for 600 yards and just two touchdowns in 17 games (14 starts) in 2024 in his 10th year with Seattle. His 600 receiving yards and two TDs were his fewest since the 2017 season, his third year in the league. Lockett will have a $30.8 million salary cap figure this year, and releasing him would save the Seahawks $17 million against the cap. If Lockett doesn't take a pay cut, Seattle will most likely release him after the emergence of second-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba in 2024.

ESPN's Adam Schefter writes that the Cincinnati Bengals could work to re-sign impending free-agent wide receiver Tee Higgins before he officially becomes a free agent or put the $26 million franchise tag on him, which is lower than what he'd likely receive on the open market. The Bengals could also choose to tag and trade Higgins, but that option would require carrying their cap space past the new league year. Complicating matters is the fact that fellow wideout Ja'Marr Chase is entering the final year of his contract and will be looking to become the highest-paid receiver in NFL history in a deal that could average close to $40 million per year. Cincy has around $46 million in salary cap space, but it remains to be seen if they can pull off retaining both Higgins and Chase. Higgins has 34 touchdowns and two 1,000-yard seasons in five NFL seasons but could become a legitimate WR1 in 2025 if he leaves the Bengals.

On his New Heights podcast, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said that he is planning to take his time this offseason as he decides whether to retire from professional football following a 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. "I'm gonna take some time to figure it out. And I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back that it's gonna be a wholehearted decision and I'm not half-assing it, and I'm fully here for them," Kelce said. "I think I can play, it's just whether or not I'm motivated or it's the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person to take on all that responsibility." The 35-year-old 10-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro managed 97 receptions in 16 regular-season games but had only three touchdowns and 823 yards, his fewest since his rookie season when he played just one game. If Kelce does return in 2025, he'll still be on the TE1 radar in fantasy, but his days of being the first TE off the board are over.

Former New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney has been arrested on one count of aggravated assault by strangulation of a woman, per TMZ. Toney was booked in Douglas County in Georgia on Feb. 6 on counts of aggravated assault -- strangulation and obstructing/harassing 911 calls. A judge set a bail of $25,000 on each count, and records show that Toney was not in custody on Feb. 7. Police documents allege that Toney put his hand around a woman's throat and squeezed "with enough force to cause her to be unable to breathe." The 26-year-old former first-round pick by the Giants played in three games with the Cleveland Browns in 2024 but didn't catch any passes before being waived in early December. Per the NFL's personal-conduct policy, Toney could be facing a suspension to begin the 2025 season.