University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has seemingly been rising draft boards this offseason, and NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports that he could enter the discussion to be one of the first four quarterbacks off the board. "It's been assumed the top four QBs are Williams, Daniels, Maye, and McCarthy," Russini wrote "But don't be surprised if Penix enters the discussion come Thursday." Penix, who will be 24 years old during his rookie season, had a monster two-year stretch with Washington after four injury-riddled campaigns at Indiana. In 2022 and 2023, combined, the lefty posted 9,544 passing yards, 67 passing touchdowns, and 67 interceptions. He ran between a 4.51 and 4.57 forty-yard dash at the Huskies' Pro Day, so his 226 career rushing yards might not demonstrate his full rushing ability.

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Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff had a monster 2023 season, throwing for 4,575 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He led Detroit to the No. 3 seed in the NFC and the organization won two playoff games in a single postseason for the first time since 1957. On Wednesday, the team signed Pro Bowl wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and offensive tackle Penei Sewell to high-dollar four-year contract extensions, but Goff is reportedly not close to agreeing to a new long-term deal. According to Adam Schefter, no new deal is "imminent" as of now. This will be an interesting development to watch play out, as the former Los Angeles Rams No. 1 overall pick is entering the final year of his contract in the Motor City and could become a free agent next offseason.

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Dynasty | The Lions have signed wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to a contract extension. Dynasty Analysis: The contract is basically a four-year, $120 million extension with $77 million guaranteed, the most ever for a wide receiver in NFL history. It's a huge haul for St. Brown, who has quickly established himself as one of the best players in the NFL. After his 119/1,515/10 season last year, the Lions were going to either pay him or risk losing him after his rookie deal expired. They've clearly chosen to build around him and he should be firmly cemented as a WR1 in dynasty moving forward. St. Brown is an easy target for any team looking for a premier centerpiece to their dynasty team as the best could truly be yet to come.

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Dynasty | The Steelers are not expected to pick up the fifth-year option on the contract of Justin Fields. Dynasty Analysis: This isn't much of a surprise as the Steelers would be on the hook for $25 million in his fifth year and don't even know if they want him as their long-term starter at this point. Pittsburgh is likely going to go into the season with Russell Wilson as their starter but also quietly evaluating Fields to be a possible successor. We'll see what happens but Fields looks like a player who could be a sneaky buy in the next few months leading up to the season as his ADP has tanked.

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Dynasty | The Bengals are picking up the fifth year option on the contract of Ja'Marr Chase. Dynasty Analysis: Consider this a placeholder as Cincinnati now needs to prepare to make Chase the highest paid receiver in the league. Amon-Ra St. Brown has set the market with a four-year, $120 million extension ($77 million guaranteed), so the Bengals are going to need to assemble a few armored cars here soon. Chase and Justin Jefferson should both be set to sign historic deals and while the option being picked up buys the Bengals one more season, dynasty managers shouldn't worry about him hitting free agency any time soon. Chase remains a bona fide candidate for the top overall selection in dynasty leagues.

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Former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning recently talked with Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy and said the Broncos are interested in him with the 2024 NFL draft beginning on Thursday night. "I know Denver is very interested in him and it sounded like a place he'd love to come to but it's a little bit out of his control," Manning told Denver Sports over the air. McCarthy played in a pro-style offense at Michigan and led the Wolverines to the national championship earlier this year. He wasn't allowed to throw the ball that much in college, but he really impressed at his pro day and has been rising up draft boards ever since. McCarthy is a candidate to go in the first five picks on Thursday night, although it seems unlikely that Denver has the ammunition to pull off a trade up into the top five this year to select McCarthy, especially after trading for Zach Wilson on Tuesday.

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Detroit Lions All-Pro offensive tackle Penei Sewell agreed to terms on a four-year, $112 million contract extension with the Lions on Wednesday that makes him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL. The deal also includes $85 million guaranteed. The Lions were active in keeping several key contributors of their offense around for the long term, as they also gave receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown a four-year extension that makes him the highest-paid wideout in the league for the time being. Sewell, who was drafted seventh overall in 2021 out of Oregon, has made the Pro Bowl each of the last two years and was a first-time All-Pro in 2023. The 23-year-old has been a big reason for the Lions' resurgence in the last two years.

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Free-agent cornerback Xavien Howard (foot) was fully cleared for football activities earlier in April, his doctor informed teams in a letter. Howard is currently a free agent and battled a foot injury last year that limited him to 13 games with the Miami Dolphins. In those 13 games, he had 45 tackles (36 solo), an interception and 12 passes defended. Now that the 30-year-old defensive back appears to be fully healthy, he should be able to sign with another team in advance of the 2024 season this fall. The four-time Pro Bowler was a second-round pick by the Dolphins in 2016 out of Baylor and has a total of 331 tackles (258 solo), two sacks, eight tackles for loss, 29 interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), 95 passes defended, four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries (two returned for TDs) in his eight years in Miami.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers did a simple restructure of the salary of pass-rusher Alex Highsmith's contract on Wednesday to create more than $7 million in salary cap space, according to a source. The Steelers will convert a portion of Highsmith's base salary in 2024 into a signing bonus. The 26-year-old former third-round pick in 2020 out of Charlotte has put up 21.5 sacks in the last two years and had 57 tackles (34 solo), seven sacks, eight tackles for loss, 18 QB hits, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and two forced fumbles in 17 regular-season starts in 2023 in his fourth year in the league. Along with All-Pro pass-rusher T.J. Watt, Highsmith is a key member of the Steelers' defense moving forward.

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The Baltimore Ravens signed wide receiver Rashod Bateman to an undisclosed contract extension on Wednesday that ties him to the team through the 2026 season. Bateman was able to stay healthy in 2023, but he was overshadowed by rookie first-rounder Zay Flowers and finished with a disappointing 32 catches for 367 yards and just one touchdown on 56 targets in 16 regular-season games (12 starts) in his third year in the league. The 24-year-old former 27th overall pick in 2021 out of Minnesota hasn't lived up to his first-round billing and has found the end zone just four times in three years. The Ravens continue to say that Bateman is going to have a bigger role in the passing attack in 2024, but fantasy managers will want to see it before they believe it.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers aren't expected to pick up quarterback Justin Fields' $25 million fifth-year option, according to league sources. The Steelers acquired Fields from the Chicago Bears last month for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick. Fields and Russell Wilson will now both be entering the last year of their contracts in 2024. Wilson is fully expected to open the 2024 campaign as the starter under center for Pittsburgh, but if he falters, Fields will get a shot to prove that he belongs with the Steelers beyond this season. The 25-year-old showed some improvement late last year with Chicago, but it wasn't enough to keep him as the franchise signal-caller in the eyes of Bears brass. Fields' fantasy stock is obviously way down entering next season, but he could become a high-upside waiver-wire pickup if Wilson is benched.

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The Detroit Lions agreed to a four-year contract extension with wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown on Wednesday that is worth $120 million with $77 million guaranteed. The deal makes St. Brown the highest-paid receiver in the league and ties him with Miami's Tyreek Hill in average annual value ($30 million). The 24-year-old former fourth-round pick in 2021 out of USC has been an excellent value for Detroit. He's made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons and put up career-highs in catches (119), targets (164), receiving yards (1,515) and touchdowns (10) in 16 regular-season games in his third year in the NFL in 2024. With Quarterback Jared Goff still peppering St. Brown with targets in 2024, he'll continue to serve as a high-end WR1 for fantasy managers.

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The Cincinnati Bengals exercised the fifth-year option for wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase on Wednesday, as expected. Chase is now officially locked up through the 2025 season. The 24-year-old former fifth overall pick in 2021 out of LSU has made the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons in the NFL and set a career-high with 100 catches on 145 targets for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games in 2023, despite the fact that quarterback Joe Burrow (wrist) missed considerable time with a season-ending injury. Chase's seven touchdowns in 2023 were a career-low, but he should bounce back in that department in 2024 as long as Burrow can stay healthy all year. Chase's fantasy arrow continues to point up and he should be considered a top-tier WR1.

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has been in trade rumors ever since the team lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. Although general manager John Lynch has seemingly tried to shut down trade rumors, NFL insider Michael Silver said a potential trade is still "very much in play." "To this point, the 49ers have asked for a 2024 first-round pick," Silver wrote. An executive for another team reportedly said the asking price is too high, while another league general manager said he believes the 49ers might ultimately accept a second-round selection. Aiyuk's camp is reportedly asking for an average salary of around $25 million, a price that San Francisco has been unwilling to offer. The 26-year-old could be a true No. 1 wide receiver for another organization, but the target competition on the 49ers roster has made it more difficult for him to be a consistent producer.

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The NFL announced on Tuesday that their review into potential tampering from the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons is ongoing and will not conclude this week. That said, any potential punishments will come after the 2024 NFL Draft and will not affect this year's draft order. The Falcons are being investigated for allegedly making contact with quarterback Kirk Cousins before they were allowed to, while the Eagles are facing similar circumstances with running back Saquon Barkley. The Miami Dolphins lost their 2023 first-round pick over attempts to acquire quarterback Tom Brady and coach Sean Payton in 2019 while they were active members of other organizations. That said, Atlanta and Philadelphia could be handed similar punishments in future drafts if they are found to have engaged in illegal tampering.

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Free-agent quarterback Logan Woodside signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday, the team announced on X. The former Toledo signal-caller was selected by the Bengals in the 2018 NFL Draft, but he was waived before his rookie season began. He then signed with the Tennessee Titans but lasted just a few weeks with the organization before spending time with the San Antonio Commanders of the AAF. He made his way back to the NFL with Tennessee for three and half years before one and a half years with the Atlanta Falcons. The 29-year-old has completed just four passes for 34 yards in his professional career, so it'd be a surprise if he beat out Jake Browning for the QB2 job behind Joe Burrow.

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The Denver Broncos have picked up the fifth-year option on Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Surtain II, meaning he will remain under contract through the 2025 NFL season. Since being selected by Denver with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama, Surtain has earned two trips to the Pro Bowl and one first-team All-Pro honor. In 50 career games, he has racked up 187 tackles (150 solo), one forced fumble, seven interceptions, and 36 pass deflections. The Broncos are in an interesting time for the organization with Sean Payton at the helm, and the roster needs major reinforcements. However, they have their true No. 1 cornerback locked in for at least the next two seasons.

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The NFL reinstated Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers Sr. from his year-long suspension on Tuesday for violating the league's policy on gambling. Rodgers was with the Indianapolis Colts when he was suspended on June 29 but was released by the team later that day and signed with the Eagles in August. Rodgers said bets were made from his account for people who lived in Florida, where online sports betting at that time remained illegal. At the time of his suspension, Rodgers had placed more than 100 bets, including some on Colts' games. In his three seasons in Indy, Rodgers had three interceptions and 10 passes defensed while also playing on special teams as a kick and punt returner. The Eagles are hoping he can provide them with some secondary depth after their defense last year was highly disappointing.

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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) wants to stick around in the NFL beyond 2024, but he's only signed with the team through this season. Rodgers, even at 40 and coming off a torn Achilles, should give the team a better chance to win than former first-rounder Zach Wilson, who was traded to the Broncos on Monday. But after Rodgers, the QB pipeline is dry. For the first time since 2017, the Jets don't have a young hope at the position. If the 2024 season doesn't go well, they could be looking at an organizational reset. General manager Joe Douglas sounds as if he wants to take a QB in this week's NFL draft, presumably on Day 2 or 3. Tulane's Michael Pratt and Florida State's Jordan Travis took pre-draft visits to the Jets.

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The New England Patriots currently own the No. 3 overall pick in this week's NFL draft. Unsurprisingly, many teams are interested in trading up to the third spot this year to take a quarterback of the future. The problem is the Patriots need a new franchise QB of their own after cutting the cord on Mac Jones this offseason. Also, according to a source, the Patriots are still waiting on a "serious" offer for the pick. So far, the offers they have received have been "laughable," suggesting New England is more likely to stick in the stop and take a young signal-caller to compete with veteran Jacoby Brissett this summer. USC's Caleb Williams is a near certainty to go first overall to the Bears, but the Pats are expected to be picking among LSU's Jayden Daniels, North Carolina's Drake Maye or Michigan's J.J. McCarthy if they stay at No. 3.

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