NFL Player News

The Jets selected Cooper in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 30th overall.

Cooper (6-feet, 199 pounds) was a productive player in his fourth season at Indiana, though less so in the prior three years. Cooper's 4.42-second 40-yard dash verified that he has real NFL speed to leverage his otherwise standout ability after the catch. The Jets pass-catcher rotation is suddenly somewhat crowded after adding Cooper and TE Kenyon Sadiq, so it's not clear how many targets will be left after Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell get their reps.

The Browns selected Concepcion in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 24th overall.

Concepcion began his career at North Carolina State, where he posted one of the most productive true freshman seasons of all time (71 receptions for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns on 106 targets, 41 carries for 320 yards), putting himself on the national map as a big-play open-field menace. His sophomore season was less successful, but Concepcion bounced back as a junior after transferring to Texas A&M in 2025. At 6-feet, 196 pounds Concepcion is just big enough to project for two-wide sets and thus avoid the dreaded 'Slot Specialist' label, but his game will still probably center mostly on the underneath and intermediate portion of the field due to questions with his hands and downfield route-running ability. Concepcion's ability to stop, start and change direction is memorable and should make him a dangerous YAC threat if nothing else. A March knee scope is believed to be a non-issue.

The Eagles selected Lemon in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 20th overall.

The expectation for some time has been that the Eagles will eventually trade A.J. Brown, and the selection of Lemon in the first round only reinforces that expectation. Lemon (5-foot-11, 193 pounds) is a very different receiver from Brown -- Brown is a prototypical boundary receiver whereas Lemon ideally fits in the slot -- but Lemon's play at USC gives reason to suspect he will draw targets and convert targets efficiently as soon as he gets on the field. If the Eagles subtract Brown for Lemon then they might need to allocate more of their passing game toward the underneath and slot than they have otherwise during Jalen Hurts' time as starter.

The Saints selected Tyson in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, eighth overall.

Tyson (6-foot-2, 203 pounds) had the best collegiate production profile between himself and fellow top wideout prospects Carnell Tate and Makai Lemon, but Tyson's injury history understandably caused some anxiety and until Thursday it was unclear whether NFL teams would red-flag Tyson over those injury concerns. That Tyson was picked this early seems to answer the question - the Saints looked into his knee and hamstring injuries and evidently decided to bet on his talent. Tyson suffered a torn ACL, MCL and PCL his true freshman season at Colorado, and hamstring troubles from his 2025 season followed Tyson into the offseason, leaving him unable to participate in pre-draft athletic testing. If one disregards the injuries as the NFL seemingly has, then there are otherwise only reasons to like Tyson. His production was compelling both at Arizona State and Colorado, and while Tyson won't ever be a great big-play threat he shows the ability to dice up the underneath to a high-volume extent, giving him clear 100-catch upside at the NFL level during his best years. Even as a rookie, Tyson should push for a heavy workload right away, likely running as the primary Saints wideout opposite Chris Olave.

The Titans selected Tate in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, fourth overall.

Tate (6-foot-2, 192 pounds) is the first wide receiver off the board and the new hopeful WR1 for Cam Ward. Perhaps Tate was not quite as dominant as teammate Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State, but Smith is fully expected to be the best wideout in the NFL at some point in his career, so there's no shame if Tate isn't quite on that level. Tate produced 51 receptions for 875 yards and nine touchdowns on just 65 targets last year and won't turn 22 until January. Although Tate's 4.53-second 40-yard dash wasn't exciting, all it really means is that Tate won't be running go routes all day in the NFL. His speed is plenty functional enough to draw targets rapidly through the intermediate, and if he can land enough punches on those routes the big plays will occur in due time. Tate and Wan'Dale Robinson are likely locked in as the target leaders for the Titans in 2026, with the likes of Calvin Ridley, Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor fighting for the scraps otherwise.

NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports teams around the league have called the Texans to check on the availability of Collins.

Schultz adds that it "seems unlikely" Houston would trade its star wide receiver, but teams are calling with an understanding that Collins likely needs a new contract, as he's set to enter the final guaranteed year of his contract in 2026. Collins' $20 million salary is far behind the current wideout market after Jaxon Smith-Njigba reset the top of the market with an annual average of $42.15 million earlier this offseason. Collins is theoretically still in the prime of his career after he just turned 27 years old last month, and he's coming off a 2025 campaign that saw him catch 71 of 120 targets for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns across 15 regular-season contests.

Pickens will sign his franchise tag in the coming days, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said this week that the team will not be signing Pickens to a long-term deal this offseason, and once the receiver puts pen to paper on the franchise tag, the team can then trade the wideout. While there has been trade chatter around Pickens, it's unclear if Dallas actually has any intention to make a move after Pickens had a career year in his first season with the Cowboys in 2025, catching 93 of 137 targets for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns across 17 regular-season contests. Dallas may want to see if Pickens can replicate those numbers before committing to him for the long haul.

The Ravens exercised Flowers' $27.3 million team option for the 2027 season Thursday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Picking up Flowers' fifth-year option was viewed as a formality for the Ravens, after the 25-year-old led Baltimore in receptions and receiving yards in each of his three seasons since entering the NFL as a first-round selection out of Boston College in 2023. Though Flowers will be on the books for the next two seasons, the Ravens are expected to initiate talks with the wideout on a contract extension over the next few months. Flowers will be locked in as Baltimore's clear top target heading into the upcoming campaign and could have a chance at building on the career-best 86-1,211-5 receiving line he produced in 2025 after the Ravens let Isaiah Likely walk in free agency and have thus far not brought in any major reinforcements at receiver or tight end.

The Cowboys aren't sure if Pickens will participate in the offseason program after they ended negotiations on a long-term contract, but the team is optimistic he'll sign his franchise tag before Week 1, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Pickens likely was hoping for a multi-year deal with a signing bonus larger than his $27.3 million franchise tag. The Cowboys are hoping he'll respond to their direct approach, having informed agent David Mulugheta last week that they don't want to discuss a long-term contract and hope Pickens will play under his tag. For now, Pickens isn't technically under contract and thus can't be fined for missing practices or meetings. If he were to remain unsigned at the start of the regular season, he'd then miss out on $1.52 million each week until he signs and reports to the team. In the meantime, trade rumors are sure to swirl, especially given that this announcement comes on the eve of the 2026 NFL Draft. Pickens would have to sign his franchise tag to facilitate a trade, with any team acquiring him then having until July 15 to hammer out a long-term contract. That said, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones gave the impression that he expects Pickens to eventually sign his tag and play for the team in 2026.

Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said Wednesday that Pickens will play out 2026 under the franchise tag, with no negotiations toward a long-term deal, Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com reports.

It's unusual for a team to make this kind of announcement, especially with nearly three months remaining before the July 15 deadline for franchise-tagged players to negotiate contracts. Pickens hasn't signed his tag and thus can't be fined for missing team activities. The tag is worth $27.3 million, which means he'll miss out on around $1.52 million per week if he declines to sign before the start of the regular season. Pickens hasn't made public comments on the situation, but it's probably safe to say he isn't thrilled.