Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that quarterback J.J. McCarthy (knee) has his sights set on being ready for the start of the team's offseason program in April. The head coach said that McCarthy's rehab from season-ending knee surgery in 2024 continues to go well. The 22-year-old first-rounder (10th overall) tore the meniscus in his right knee in the preseason and had to miss all of his first year in the NFL. Meanwhile, Sam Darnold had a career year for the Vikings. Darnold will be an unrestricted free agent in March, but it will be telling whether the Vikings let him walk, place the franchise tag on him or sign him to a multi-year extension. Minnesota still believes in McCarthy as their QB of the future, but depending on how they deal with the Darnold situation, he could be in for another "redshirt" year in 2025.

Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady has been in contact with Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford's camp about the possibility of coming to Vegas, multiple NFL sources told the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore. The Rams have already given Stafford permission to speak with other teams to gauge his market outside of L.A. The 37-year-old signal-caller has two years left on his deal with the Rams, but he's seeking an extension because he has minimal guaranteed money left on his deal and wants to be paid in line with some of the top QBs in the league. If the Raiders are willing to give Stafford over $50 million for a couple more years, it just might lure him away from the Rams, although it wouldn't necessarily make him any more appealing from a fantasy perspective as a QB2 near the end of his career.

On Tuesday, DenverSports.com reported that five-time Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski was eyeing a potential NFL comeback, and the Denver Broncos were listed as a possible top suitor. However, FOX Sports insider Jordan Schultz said he asked Gronkowski about the reports, and the 35-year-old denied the rumors. "Crazy bro. They must know something about me that I don't," Gronkowski said. "I wish I still had those powers, because that would be cool if I did. But I was just in Australia for a few days. Now it's time to relax a little. No football." The former New England Patriot and Tampa Bay Buccaneer is one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, so it would be exciting if he stepped back on the field. However, that doesn't appear to be in the cards based on his comments.

The Los Angeles Rams allowed quarterback Matthew Stafford to explore his market value over the last few weeks, and the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants are two teams with noted significant interest in trading for the veteran signal-caller. Based on the interest around the league, teams are expecting the Rams to drive up the asking price for Stafford if they decide to move him, according to NFL insider Dianna Russini. Stafford is entering his age-37 season in 2025, but the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft is still one of the top quarterbacks in the NFC and could get a middling team over the hump in 2025 and beyond. While it's still unknown if Los Angeles is truly willing to deal him, the chances he is traded have seemingly increased incrementally over the last week. However, it sounds like the Rams will need a significant haul of value to move off the Super Bowl-winning franchise quarterback.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be released in two weeks and will then be free to sign with any team for the first time in his 20-year career. Rodgers, who turns 42 this December, wants to play for a contending team, but he could have trouble finding a good team that actually wants him after he failed to lead the Jets to the playoffs in 2024. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florida reports there was some chatter at the NFL Combine on Tuesday that the future Hall of Famer has reached out to the New York Giants. It's unclear if the Giants, who are also rumored to be interested in trading for Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford, would be interested in Rodgers, even if he'll be on the cheap side as a free agent. If Rodgers is actually interested in the G-Men, it would suggest that he's not generating much interest from other contending teams that are in the market for a signal-caller this offseason.