ESPN's Dan Graziano suggests that the Tennessee Titans, who hold the first overall pick in this year's NFL draft, could draft a quarterback and also sign a bridge QB in free agency, similar to what the Atlanta Falcons did in 2024 when they signed Kirk Cousins and drafted Michael Penix Jr. in the first round. The best bridge-QB options this offseason figure to be Sam Darnold, Cousins, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. The salary cap number for a rookie QB selected first overall won't be much more than $7 million in 2025, and none of the free-agent QB options are likely to command $100 million in guaranteed money that Cousins received from the Falcons last offseason. One thing is pretty much guaranteed: the Titans will add at least one QB after a very disappointing 2024 campaign from Will Levis in which he was benched in favor of Mason Rudolph.
Feb 24, 2025 11:19 PM EST
NFL Competition Committee chairman and Atlanta Falcons CEO Rich McKay told reporters on Monday at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis that the league is considering changes that would lead to more kick returns in 2025. The committee will discuss giving teams possession at the 35-yard line instead of the 30-yard line in addition to kickoffs being attempted from five yards further back. The change to the new dynamic kickoff in 2024 led to a 57 percent rise in returns and a lower injury rate, according to the NFL. Additionally, the committee will try to find ways for the onside kick to be tweaked to improve the odds of the kicking team recovering the ball. Any changes that the committee proposes would require the approval of 24 of the 32 teams, as always.
Feb 24, 2025 9:59 PM EST
NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent told reporters on Monday at the scouting combine in Indianapolis that an unidentified team has submitted a rule proposal to ban the "tush push." Unless the team withdraws its proposal, NFL owners could vote on the proposal next month at the annual league meeting in Florida. If it did go to a vote, 24 of the league's 32 owners would have to vote in favor for it to pass. "It's the way they deemed it, the tush push. ... It's on our agenda. The club proposal is, 'We need to make some adjustments to that. Is that a viable football play?'" Vincent said. The Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills have used the play more than the rest of the NFL combined, according to ESPN Research, using the short-yardage play 163 times. They've scored or achieved a first down on 87% of their attempts, while the rest of the league has been successful only 71% of the time.
Feb 24, 2025 9:52 PM EST
The Athletic's Chad Graff is guessing that the New England Patriots will aggressively pursue a trade for a wide receiver this offseason. The Cincinnati Bengals are expected to use the franchise tag on Tee Higgins, who would have been the top free-agent wideout available. Graff also guesses that New England would prefer to use the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft to select an offensive or defensive lineman. With the Bengals trying to keep Higgins, the top names at the WR position will be Chris Godwin, Amari Cooper and Stefon Diggs (knee). In terms of a potential trade, the Patriots could target the New Orleans Saints' Chris Olave, the Seattle Seahawks' DK Metcalf or the Los Angeles Rams' Cooper Kupp. Graff thinks the Patriots could trade for Kupp, sign Godwin and draft a rookie receiver in the third round to add to a WR room that includes DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk and Kayson Boutte.
Feb 24, 2025 9:19 PM EST
The Athletic's Mike DeFabo thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers might want to consider trading safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who hasn't played at a Pro Bowl level in two years. Even if the Steelers were to trade the big-money star, they'd still have the NFL's most expensive defense. Pittsburgh is set to have the most expensive defense in the league in 2025 for the fourth straight season with $163.8 million in salary cap hits, according to Over The Cap. That number is $27 million more than the second-highest spender on defense, the Tennessee Titans. If Fitzpatrick were traded, the Steelers would save $15.5 million of his $24.4 million salary cap hit this year, which would help them address an undermanned offense. The former 11th overall pick bounced back in 2024 and made the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career by recording 96 tackles (62 solo), one interception and a forced fumble in 17 regular-season starts.
Feb 24, 2025 8:29 PM EST
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Friday that the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Los Angeles Rams personnel executive James Gladstone to be their new general manager. Gladstone had been the Rams' director of scouting strategy for the last three seasons but had been with the Rams for nine seasons in total. He worked closely with general manager Les Snead in strategic planning and the daily scouting process. New Jaguars head coach Liam Coen is familiar with Gladstone from his four years with the Rams, when he served as assistant receivers and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2018-20 and as offensive coordinator in 2022. The 34-year-old Gladstone was the youngest of Jacksonville's five finalists for the GM job. He will replace Trent Baalke, was the Jaguars' GM from 2021 until being fired on Jan. 22 of this year.
Feb 21, 2025 9:59 PM EST
Philadelphia Eagles pass-rusher Nolan Smith (triceps) had surgery on Wednesday for a torn triceps muscle that he suffered in the Super Bowl LIX win over the Kansas City Chiefs, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Despite suffering a torn triceps, Smith gutted it out and played through the injury in the second half of the 40-22 blowout win. Rapoport reports that Smith will be ready for the start of the 2025 season, but he'll likely miss all of the team's offseason program this spring. In his second season in 2024 after the Eagles took him with the 30th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft out of the University of Georgia, the 24-year-old linebacker took a step forward with 42 tackles (21 solo), 6.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, 11 QB hits, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in 16 regular-season games (10 starts). Smith added another four sacks in four playoff games.
Feb 21, 2025 9:39 PM EST
Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort and owner Michael Bidwell said that the team plans to be active in free agency this offseason with more than $76 million available in salary cap space, according to Over The Cap. It's the fourth-most cap space available of any NFL team. "We're going to look for every avenue to improve the team, but we have to be smart about not only this year's team, but as we build for the future and our own players that we want to extend," Ossenfort said. The Cardinals will also continue working on a contract extension for Pro Bowl tight end Trey McBride. Arizona didn't make the playoffs in 2024 but managed to double their win total from the previous season. In addition to locking up McBride long term, don't be surprised if the Cardinals give quarterback Kyler Murray more help in the passing game alongside McBride and former first-rounder Marvin Harrison Jr.
Feb 21, 2025 4:32 PM EST
FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz reports that the New Orleans Saints officially hired former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley as their new defensive coordinator on Friday, according to sources. Once it was clear that former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was getting the Saints' head-coaching job, Staley was considered the front-runner to run the defense. The 42-year-old was the Chargers head coach from 2021-23 and hired Moore as his offensive coordinator in 2023. Staley was then fired by L.A. on Dec. 15, 2023, after a 5-9 start. He spent last season as the San Francisco 49ers' assistant head coach. Before becoming the Chargers' head coach, Staley was the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator in 2020. The Rams defense led the league in scoring defense and total defense that year. He'll have plenty of work on his hands to turn around the Saints defense in 2025.
Feb 21, 2025 4:14 PM EST
The New Orleans Saints are hiring Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier as the team's next offensive coordinator, according to Nick Underhill. Nussmeier has worked with new Saints head coach Kellen Moore with the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, and Philadelphia Eagles. The 54-year-old has seven years of NFL coaching experience after working in the college ranks for 15 years. He is also the father of current LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who could be a top quarterback prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. With New Orleans likely to be in the QB market after the 2025 campaign, that relationship could be noteworthy.
Feb 20, 2025 2:32 PM EST
Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller had a bounce-back season in 2024, but he carries the second-largest salary cap hit on the team for 2025 at $23.8 million as a rotational player. The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia writes that the Bills must do something about Miller's contract, and without taking a pay cut, he's likely to be released. If Miller is cut, Buffalo would save $8.4 million on this year's salary cap while accounting for a $15.4 million dead-cap hit. Buscaglia suggests the Bills could negotiate a pay cut with Miller equal to or greater than how much they'd save on the cap by releasing him. He turns 36 next month and is under contract for three more years, but none of his remaining money is guaranteed. The eight-time Pro Bowler and former Super Bowl MVP did have six sacks last year but totaled only 17 tackles (13 solo) in 13 regular-season games for the Bills.
Feb 20, 2025 10:37 AM EST
ESPN's Brady Henderson writes that the franchise tag isn't an option for the Seattle Seahawks to use on impending free-agent linebacker Ernest Jones IV this offseason, and the team has only used the tag twice since general manager John Schneider took over in 2010. Inside linebackers, which is what Jones is, and pass-rushing outside linebackers are all viewed the same for tag purposes, and Over The Cap projects the tag number for all linebackers in 2025 to be north of $27 million. That's well beyond what the 25-year-old would fetch on the open market on a per-year average. Jones played for the Seahawks and Tennessee Titans in 2024 and finished with 100-plus combined tackles for the third straight year, which is why it's likely that he and Seattle figure out a new deal before he actually hits the open market in early March.
Feb 19, 2025 11:51 PM EST
FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz writes that his sense all along is that the Jacksonville Jaguars general manager job is Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham's to lose. Cunningham was a two-time finalist for the GM job with the Tennessee Titans and has already won Super Bowls with the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles. One league source described Cunningham as having "exactly the type of temperament and scouting background teams want these days." However, it's unclear exactly how he'd fit with Jags owner Shad Khan for an organization looking for its first Super Bowl appearance. "I think both Tony and Shad believe he's the guy. He interviewed well virtually, and the expectation is he'll do the same in person on Wednesday," a source said. Jacksonville is down to five candidates for the job and is expected to make a decision later this week.
Feb 19, 2025 7:34 PM EST
The Philadelphia Eagles promoted former pass game coordinator/associate head coach Kevin Patullo to offensive coordinator on Wednesday, according to NFL.com. The 43-year-old replaces Kellen Moore, who landed the head-coaching gig with the New Orleans Saints following to Eagles' Super Bowl LIX victory. Patullo has worked with head coach Nick Sirianni since 2018 when both joined the Indianapolis Colts' offensive staff under Frank Reich. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is set to have his third offensive coordinator in three seasons.
Feb 19, 2025 2:21 PM EST
The NFL announced on Wednesday that the Los Angeles Chargers have been selected as the NFL's designated team for the second-ever regular-season game in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as part of the international game slate for the 2025 season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Chargers' opponent on Friday, Sept. 5, will be announced at a later date. It's L.A.'s first international contest since they hosted the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs in Mexico City in 2019, losing 24-19. The Chargers have also played two games at London's Wembley Stadium against the Tennessee Titans in 2018 and New Orleans Saints in 2008. The NFL's first game in Brazil featured the Philadelphia Eagles beating the Green Bay Packers by a score of 34-29 at Brazil's Arena Corinthians in Week 1 of last season.
Feb 19, 2025 10:54 AM EST
The Baltimore Ravens are letting the NFL's investigation play out before making a decision on kicker Justin Tucker, who has been accused by 16 massage therapists of improper sexual conduct. However, head coach Jim Harbaugh said before the 2022 season that "we're kind of zero tolerance" with players accused of sexual misconduct. Tucker has three years left on his current contract. If the Ravens were to cut him before June 1, they'd take a $7.5 million dead cap hit in 2025. So if they do choose to move on from the 35-year-old, he'd likely be a post-June 1 cut, which would create $4.5 million in salary cap savings and spread out the dead-money hit over the next two years. If they keep Tucker, they would likely bring in another kicking option to give themselves insurance in case he's suspended under the NFL's personal-conduct policy. At the very least, Tucker could be hit with a lengthy suspension in 2025.
Feb 18, 2025 8:42 PM EST
The Washington Commanders hired Jesse Madden to their coaching staff as an offensive quality control coach, according to Commanders.com. Madden is the grandson of Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden and just graduated from the University of Michigan. Madden played quarterback before switching to cornerback and was a member of the 2024 Michigan College Football Playoff National Championship team. He enters his first year as an NFL coach in 2025.
Feb 18, 2025 1:48 PM EST
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien is joining the New Orleans Saints coaching staff in the same role, according to NFL.com. Former Cowboys, Chargers, and Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is now the head coach in New Orleans, and the two former NFL quarterbacks worked together in Dallas from 2020 to 2022. Tolzien appeared in 10 NFL games from 2013 to 2017 and threw for 1,065 yards, two touchdowns, and nine interceptions in his career. Despite offseason trade or cut rumors, recent news suggests the Saints are likely to roll with Derek Carr in the QB1 role for at least one more season.
Feb 18, 2025 1:44 PM EST
ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques writes that the only player the Miami Dolphins could even remotely consider placing the franchise tag on this offseason would be safety Jevon Holland, but that seems unlikely to happen since it's unreasonable to pay him $20 million in 2025 after he didn't intercept a single pass in 2024. Louis-Jacques thinks the Dolphins should either sign Holland to a long-term contract extension or let him test the free-agent market. The Dolphins didn't use the franchise tag on any of their premier free agents last year, and it's unlikely they'll do so again this year, especially with Holland. In addition to recording zero interceptions, the 24-year-old defensive back finished last year with a career-low 62 tackles (42 solo), one sack, four pass breakups and a forced fumble in 15 games played. He's set to be an unrestricted free agent in March and could be moving on.
Feb 18, 2025 10:04 AM EST
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the New Orleans Saints interviewed Philadelphia Eagles assistant head coach and running backs coach Jemal Singleton for their offensive-coordinator job, according to a source. An Eagles official described Singleton as "a big part of what we do on offense and a rising star going forward." New Saints head coach Kellen Moore obviously has a close relationship with Singleton after serving as Philly's offensive coordinator in 2024. The 49-year-old has been with the Eagles since 2021 and helped running back Saquon Barkley set a new NFL record for most yards in the regular season and postseason combined. Singleton also previously served as RBs coach with the Colts, Raiders and Bengals. Moore has already announced that he will call the Saints' offensive plays in his first year as head coach in 2025.
Feb 17, 2025 11:52 PM EST
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