NFL Suspends Seahawks OLB Derick Hall For 1 Game
The NFL suspended Seahawks outside linebacker Derick Hall for “an act of unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct” during Thursday night’s game against the Rams, per a league announcement.
Hall is planning to appeal, according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson. If the suspension is upheld, the 2023 second-round pick would miss the Seahawks’ Week 17 matchup with the Panthers on December 28. He would also forfeit just under $88k in salary, per OverTheCap.
The suspension notice specifically referenced a first-quarter play after which Hall appeared to intentionally step on the leg of Rams guard Kevin Dotson. Dotson went down after a teammate crashed into him from behind and Hall stepped on his left leg after the play ended. No flag was thrown; though another Ram saw Hall and gave him a shove, the game’s attention was still on Dotson, who had to be carted off with a left ankle injury and did not return. The veteran offensive lineman was in a boot and on crutches after the game, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Dotson’s injury appeared to happen before Hall’s post-play aggression, though him unnecessarily stepping on his leg have made it worse. Regardless, the incident clearly drew a swift response from the league office.
The 24-year-old has appeared in 13 of Seattle’s 15 games with a 46% snap share when active. After breaking out with eight sacks and six tackles for loss in 2024, Hall has just one sack and two tackles for loss this year. However, he is posting career-highs in pass rush win rate (16.1%) and pressure rate (14.8%), both of which lead the Seahawks defense, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
The Seahawks have a number of ways to deal with a one-game absence from Hall. Rookie outside linebackers Jared Ivey and Connor O’Toole could see some more playing time in Week 17. Head coach Mike Macdonald has also been creative with his deployment of rookie safety Nick Emmanwori and could ask the first-round pick to take on some more work off the edge.
Dolphins Expected To Retain Mike McDaniel; Champ Kelly To Receive GM Intervivew
The Dolphins demoted Tua Tagovailoa to the third-string spot on their depth chart this week, potentially signaling an end to the inconsistent passer’s six-year Miami tenure. As for the coach that pulled the trigger on this move, no change is expected.
Although the Dolphins lost to the Steelers and are now eliminated from the playoffs, Mike McDaniel being allowed to make the Tagovailoa-for-Quinn Ewers switch may be telling. The belief in Miami is that McDaniel will stay for a fifth season, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes.
Prospective HC and GM candidates informed Jones their expectation is McDaniel will be retained and have a chance to spark a turnaround. One source told Jones a belief in the building is McDaniel was given a “tough hand” this year, and unlike the since-ousted Chris Grier, the sideline leader will be given a chance to bounce back in 2026. This is not the first time we have heard McDaniel was likely to be kept, but this coming after the Tua news certainly carries more weight.
It may be tough to see McDaniel’s job being easier next year, assuming he stays. If the team follows through with a Tagovailoa release, it would bring a staggering $99.2MM dead money hit. That dead cap number would be split between 2026 and ’27, continuing a line of pricey Dolphins post-June 1 moves, but will significantly hinder Miami’s roster-building capabilities regardless of where the 2026 salary cap settles.
Only the Broncos have incurred a dead money hit north of $60MM, via their $84.6MM Russell Wilson release. The Dolphins have cut Byron Jones and Xavien Howard using the post-June 1 transaction (2023, 2024), and they needed to wait until after June 1 this year to trade Jalen Ramsey. Even in doing that, Ramsey set a defender record by accounting for $35.86MM in dead cap (spread between 2025 and ’26).
With Ramsey dead money at nearly $21MM next year, having Tagovailoa’s seismic sum hit the cap will make for a difficult task as McDaniel and a to-be-determined GM attempt to recover. Tagovailoa played the lead on-field role in the Dolphins securing back-to-back playoff berths for the first time since its 1997-2001 run of postseason appearances, but McDaniel appears set to outlast the QB in South Beach.
As we look set to see plenty of defense-based coaches generate HC interest on the upcoming carousel, keeping McDaniel makes sense due to his offensive acumen. McDaniel played the lead role in turning Tagovailoa around, with Tyreek Hill being a rather notable part of that effort, and did memorably test the Bills — in a three-point wild-card loss — with third-stringer Skylar Thompson at the helm. It appears McDaniel will be given a chance to see if he can develop another quarterback. It remains a mystery, barring a surprising Ewers stretch-run effort that convinces the Dolphins to stand down at the position, who that player will be if Tua is indeed jettisoned.
No team will be willing to pay the full Tagovailoa freight in a trade, per Jones. If Miami is to move on, it will need to eat a sizable portion of the QB’s $54MM 2026 guarantee in a trade. If Tagovailoa is on the Dolphins’ roster by March 13, a $3MM 2027 guarantee vests as well. Any action on the contract should naturally be expected before that date.
The prospect of McDaniel being paired with a new GM injects risk regarding timelines. Teams have begun to steer their operations toward HC-GM alignment in recent years, though the Bears are having success despite Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson arriving at different points. The Jaguars and Raiders fired their GMs (Trent Baalke, Tom Telesco) for alignment purposes. It will be interesting to see how the Dolphins’ GM search unfolds with the to-be-determined exec being tied to McDaniel.
It will be considered likely the Dolphins hire an outside GM, but Jones adds interim boss Champ Kelly will receive an interview. Kelly was close to earning the Raiders’ GM job in 2024, only to be kept in the assistant GM role once Telesco was hired, and is respected around the league. Kelly interviewed for the Jags’ job this past offseason and met about the Panthers’ vacancy in 2024. He has been the Dolphins’ interim leader since Grier’s Halloween exit. Kelly oversaw the trade of Jaelan Phillips for a third-round pick; the veteran exec also kept Jaylen Waddle at the deadline, hiking up the Bills’ price due to their AFC East status.
The Dolphins are also considering splitting up their GM role in a sense. They have given SVP of football and business administration Brandon Shore more responsibility post-Grier, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Both Breer and Jones point to a potential setup in which McDaniel, Shore and a GM report to Stephen Ross, with Breer going as far as to say there is a “good chance” this setup will be in place in Miami come 2026.
Serving as the Dolphins’ cap chief, Shore has been with the franchise for 16 years. He has been in his current role since 2021. Being a key part of the Tagovailoa extension (four years, $212.4MM) the team now appears interested in escaping, Shore making a move up the ladder after that development certainly shows his sturdy organizational standing. Shore’s presence could well be a factor in the Dolphins’ GM pursuit as well, should the Dolphins truly be interested in an arrangement in which two or three staffers report directly to ownership.
Philip Rivers Tied To Vet-Minimum Salary
When the Browns added Joe Flacco late in the 2023 season, he began on the team’s practice squad before bumping up to the active roster. The journeyman also played for more than the prorated veteran minimum.
Once signed from the Cleveland’s P-squad, Flacco was attached to a one-year, $2.2MM deal. Philip Rivers is on no special arrangement as an emergency starting quarterback. The unretired passer is tied to the veteran minimum for what is expected to be a short second stint with the Colts, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes.
The vet minimum for players with more than seven years of service time is $1.26MM. With Rivers set to be on the Colts’ roster for four games (in all likelihood), he will earn $279K for his Indianapolis stay.
He last played for $25MM in Indy, reuniting with Frank Reich as a free agent. That AAV matched Tom Brady‘s Buccaneers number in 2020. Rivers walked away following his age-38 season, leaving the Colts to try the trade route (Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan) before what appears to be a whiff via the draft (Anthony Richardson). During a first career chapter that presents a solid Hall of Fame case, Rivers collected more than $242MM.
Richardson, whose fully guaranteed rookie deal ($33.99MM) runs through the 2026 season, is in the IR-return window. Rivers will remain the Colts’ starter in Week 16, however. With the team hosting the 49ers on Monday night, a national audience will observe the 44-year-old passer’s effort to keep the Colts (8-6) in the playoff race.
In a gutsy effort against the Seahawks, Rivers added a touchdown pass to his career total. That number now stands at 422 — sixth in NFL history. Although Matthew Stafford sits in ninth, with Dan Marino (420) and Ben Roethlisberger (418) between he and Rivers, the MVP favorite has a chance to pass the former Chargers standout this season. That will depend on how Rivers fares against the 49ers and whether Shane Steichen turns to Richardson or Riley Leonard — a player who should be considered more likely than Richardson to be on the 2026 roster — over the final two weeks.
Jets Shutting Down WR Garrett Wilson
Trudging through another down season, the Jets will not opt to bring back their cornerstone wide receiver from IR. Aaron Glenn confirmed Friday (via the New York Post’s Brian Costello) the team is shutting down Garrett Wilson.
This will go down as a lost season for the recently extended pass catcher. Wilson has not played since Week 10, going down with knee trouble. Wilson’s knee sprain affected the same knee that caused him to miss time earlier in the season.
[RELATED: Jets Add Hendon Hooker, To Start Brady Cook In Week 16]
That issue hurt a Jets passing attack which entered the season with questions about a shaky Wilson supporting cast. The team has shaken up that group, acquiring Adonai Mitchell in the Sauce Gardner trade and then granting Allen Lazard‘s cut request this week. No one claimed Lazard on waivers; he remains in free agency.
With the Jets starting 0-7 and entering Week 16 at 3-11, neither side stood to gain anything — particularly when draft position is factored in — by Wilson returning from IR. He will have an extended onramp toward 2026, when the Jets will almost definitely have a new starting quarterback. The team benched Justin Fields and will likely release him from the two-year, $40MM deal he signed in March.
Wilson signed a four-year, $130MM extension in July, making him the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid wideout — behind Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and D.K. Metcalf. Illustrating the Jets’ aerial difficulties this season, Wilson’s 395 receiving yards still lead the team. No other Jets wideout has accumulated 250 yards; Wilson’s four receiving touchdowns still pace the team by two. As Costello points out, the Jets last season in which no one eclipsed 500 receiving yards came in 1976. Rules at the time significantly restricted passing attacks, and Lou Holtz was a one-and-done (well, 11 games-and-done) HC that year.
The Jets observed Wilson become a quality receiver despite being restrained by a bad quarterback situation over his first two seasons. Wilson still started his career 3-for-3 in 1,000-yard seasons, doing so after a short-lived demotion to the team’s No. 2 receiver during Davante Adams‘ Big Apple cameo. After rumors of Wilson discontent emerged, the Glenn-Darren Mougey regime made him a priority. While the team trading Gardner so soon after his cornerback-record extension proved shocking, it prioritized Wilson at the deadline. He will undoubtedly enter 2026 as the Jets’ top skill-position player.
Falcons HC Raheem Morris Discusses Kirk Cousins’ Future
DECEMBER 19: To little surprise, Kendall’s colleague Jeff Howe writes a Cousins trade should not be expected this offseason. If a parting of ways is to take place, a release represents the logical path from Atlanta’s perspective. With plenty of uncertainty on the sidelines and in the front office, though, Cousins’ future remains unclear.
DECEMBER 18: With the goal of establishing a long-term plan at quarterback, the Falcons made multiple aggressive moves to bolster the position after the 2023 season. Their first bold strike came when they signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180MM pact with $100MM in guarantees in March 2024.
With Cousins in the fold on a mega-deal, there was no expectation the Falcons would immediately use a high pick on a passer in that spring’s draft. They stunningly did just that in selecting former Indiana Hoosier and Washington Husky Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall.
Despite Penix’s presence, Cousins entered 2024 as the Falcons’ unquestioned QB1. Although he signed with Atlanta after prolific runs in Washington and Minnesota, Cousins’ Vikings tenure ended with a torn Achilles in Week 8 of 2023. Over two years since suffering that injury, he hasn’t regained his old form.
Cousins bounced back from his Achilles tear to start the Falcons’ first 14 games last season. He posted mediocre-at-best numbers and led the team to a middling 7-7 record, though, and head coach Raheem Morris benched Cousins for Penix ahead of Week 16. Although the Falcons lost two of three under Penix and missed the playoffs for the seventh straight year, he showed enough to remain the starter heading into 2025.
With Penix taking over, Cousins was interested in a change of scenery in the offseason. Nothing came together on that front, leaving Cousins as a ridiculously expensive backup.
As was the case with Cousins in 2024, Penix didn’t look like the answer this year. His season ended with a partially torn ACL in a Week 11 loss to the Panthers. The Falcons, 3-7 at that point, turned back to Cousins to close out a dud of a campaign. The 37-year-old has put together a couple of strong performances and a pair of clunkers in his return to a starting role. Cousins turned back the clock in a Week 15 win over the Buccaneers, completing 30 of 44 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns.
Now 5-9, the Falcons are guaranteed to miss the playoffs again. Owner Arthur Blank will spend the next three weeks evaluating Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot. They aren’t locks to return next year. Neither is Cousins, whose contract remains an albatross.
There are still two years left on Cousins’ deal, but the four-time Pro Bowler has the mentality of a soon-to-be free agent. Cousins said Wednesday that he feels as if he’s on an “expiring contract,” per Josh Kendall of The Athletic.
With an untenable $57.5MM cap hit in each of the next two seasons, it’s logical for Cousins to approach it that way. Designating Cousins as a post-June 1 release would enable the Falcons to spread out $35MM in dead cap over the next two seasons, Kendall notes. While an offseason split seems likely, Morris isn’t closing the door yet.
“Everything is on the table,” Morris said in regards to Cousins’ future. He later added: “We planned on the amount of years we put in his contract and hopefully potentially more. We will all sit down at the end of the season and have those discussions and talk about those things.”
Considering Penix may not be ready at the start of 2026, ditching Cousins would add to the Falcons’ questions under center. Morris said he still views Penix as the “quarterback of the future,” but his so-so performance in the pros and long-running history of serious injuries dating back to college don’t inspire confidence.
Whether it’s Cousins or someone else, the Falcons will have to line up a capable insurance policy at the position for next year. With Morris and Fontenot potentially on the outs, it’s possible a new regime will decide Cousins’ fate.
Bears WR Rome Odunze Out For Week 16; IR Stint Being Considered
Rome Odunze has been dealing with a foot injury since late October. The second-year receiver will miss Week 16, and a longer absence is being considered by the Bears. 
Odunze’s upcoming absence will be his third in a row. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports he is considered week-to-week at this point, but a decision will need to be made soon regarding a potential move to injured reserve. Head coach Ben Johnson recently noted Chicago could elect to shut Odunze down for a stretch.
“We’re going to do what’s best for Rome first and foremost,” Johnson said (via Fowler’s colleague Courtney Cronin). “I know he wants to be out there and helping. It’s hard to tell him no sometimes… So there may be a case where we have to protect him from himself a little bit and just make sure we get him right and he’ll be able to help us down the road.”
Moving Odunze to IR would see him miss the final three weeks of the regular season but also the Bears’ wild-card game (in the likely event Chicago reaches the playoffs without securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC). Such a transaction would carry significant weight as a result, but it would allow Odunze to focus on healing in full before making his return. The 23-year-old has been a focal point in the Bears’ passing game when on the field, and that will no doubt continue once he is healthy.
Selected ninth overall last year, Odunze posted a 54-734-3 statline as a rookie. Like everyone associated with the Bears’ offense, expectations were high for improvement this season. Odunze has delivered so far with six touchdowns and a 15.0 yards per catch average in 12 games. A starting role will await him upon return, although it remains to be seen when that will take place.
The Bears (10-4) will host the Packers (9-4-1) in a critical divisional matchup tomorrow night. Rookie wideout Luther Burden will also be absent for that game, leaving Chicago shorthanded at the position. As the team continues to strive for top spot in the NFC North, the injury status of Odunze in particular will be worth monitoring.
Dolphins TE Darren Waller Unsure Of Playing Future
When the Dolphins traded away Jonnu Smith, questions were raised about how they would replace his production at the tight end spot. In a move which few (if any) observers saw coming, Darren Waller was acquired upon unretiring. 
Waller’s career seemed to be over when he hung up his cleats last offseason, but the opportunity to reunite with Frank Smith (now the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator after working with Waller during his Raiders tenure) prompted his decision to return to the NFL. With the 2025 season winding down, it remains to be seen if he will continue playing next year.
“I will evaluate at the end of the season and see what I want to do,” the 33-year-old said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). “I’m not leaning one way or the other right now. Just focusing on enjoying these moments we’ve got.”
Injuries were prevalent in Waller’s career prior to his retirement, and he has been sidelined on multiple occasions with the Dolphins. The former Pro Bowler has made seven appearances and counting, and that stretch includes a pair of two-touchdown performances. In all, Waller has totaled 243 yards and six scores on 20 catches this season. He could remain a red zone option for 2026 in the event he remains in Miami.
Having been eliminated from the playoffs on Monday, the Dolphins have three games remaining in their season. Healthy once more, Waller will look to remain available down the stretch as Miami turns to rookie Quinn Ewers under center. A strong finish to the campaign on offense in particular could be key in determining whether head coach Mike McDaniel (and by extension Smith and the rest of the team’s staff) will be retained this offseason. That, in turn, will likely play a large role in Waller’s decision on his own future.
Greg Dulcich and Julian Hill are pending 2026 free agents. The Dolphins’ tight end room also includes undrafted rookie Jalin Conyers, whose pact runs through 2027. Plenty of changes could be taking place soon at the position as a result, although part of the team’s planning will depend on how Waller chooses to proceed.
Two Teams Have Expressed Interest In Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick‘s return to football as head coach at North Carolina could not have gone much worse. Despite an underwhelming product on the field and an unusual amount of news off the field, Belichick is still apparently attracting some interest from the NFL.
[RELATED: Bill Belichick Expected To Draw Interest From Multiple Teams]
According to Josina Anderson, two unidentified NFL teams have recently expressed interest in the future Hall of Fame coach. This follows a report from last month that Belichick was expected to receive interest from multiple organizations.
While Anderson doesn’t mention any definitive suitors, she does note that “upper-level personnel” with the Falcons, Giants, and Browns are “still fond” of Belichick. It’s only natural to connect the Giants to the iconic head coach, as Belichick had a long and successful stint as the team’s defensive coordinator, a stretch in which he earned a pair of Super Bowl rings.
After the Giants moved on from coach Brian Daboll in November, there were some rumblings that the organization could take another look at Belichick. The coach was quick to deny any interest in the opening while restating his commitment to the Tar Heels. Similarly, there were reports that Belichick wasn’t included in the team’s “shortlist of candidates.” Either way, depending on the results of the Giants’ initial survey of coaching candidates, it wouldn’t be completely unfounded for the team to land back on Belichick.
Browns ownership doesn’t have any connection to the coach; in fact, Belichick coached the iteration of the Browns that ultimately transformed into the Baltimore Ravens franchise. The 73-year-old still represents a major “what if” for the city of Cleveland. Belichick never had the same success as he would later have in New England. In five seasons with the Browns, he only had a single winning season, and he finished his tenure with a 36-44 record. The coach did help lay the groundwork for the franchise’s future success in Baltimore, and there’s been a sentiment that he would have continued with the Art Modell-iteration of the organization had they stayed in Cleveland.
The Falcons’ lone connection to Belichick is a public flirtation back in 2024. Atlanta appeared to be the lone serious suitor for the coach following his ouster with the Patriots, but the Falcons ended up opting for Raheem Morris instead. There’s already been whispers that Morris could be on his way out in Atlanta, and perhaps Arthur Blank ends up turning back to one of his main alternatives from several years ago.
Belichick hasn’t done much in 2025 to help his case for a future NFL gig. He had a dreadful first season as North Carolina’s head coach, guiding his squad to a 4-8 record. The Tar Heels also failed to qualify for a bowl game for the first time in seven years. At the same time, Belichick was embroiled in a number of off-the-field stories. From his continued pettiness with the Patriots to his handling of recruits and incumbents to his his very-public dalliance, Belichick’s legacy would have done better had the coach stayed off the field (and out of the headlines).
Of course, Belichick’s illustrious resume will always keep him in the NFL coaching cycle. It’s hard to blame teams from being enticed by Belichick’s eight Super Bowl rings, including six as the head coach of the Patriots. Even if he doesn’t garner a job this offseason, this surely won’t be the last we hear his name connected to open jobs.
Jaguars Extend WR Jakobi Meyers
Jakobi Meyers has been in Jacksonville for just over a month, and the Jaguars are already committing to the wide receiver for the long haul. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Jaguars are signing Meyers to a three-year extension. The move is now official, per a team announcement.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the three-year pact is worth $60MM, including $40MM guaranteed. The $20MM average annual value will place Meyers 25th on the list of the league’s highest-paid WRs. The $40MM in guaranteed money now ranks 24th at the position.
The Jaguars acquired Meyers from the Raiders in early November for fourth- and sixth-round picks. The veteran has seen a significant role in his first six appearances with the organization, hauling in 27 catches for 355 yards and three touchdowns. Most notably, the Jaguars have gone 5-1 in those six games and are second in points scored over that span. As James Palmer of NFL Network details, people in the Jaguars organization believe the receiver has “transformed” the offense, with Jordan Schultz adding that he’s never heard a team speak so “glowingly and positively” about a midseason acquisition.
With Meyers now locked in for the next few years, Trevor Lawrence can count on some continuity with his receivers corps. The Jaguars have used their last two first-round picks on wideouts Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. Thomas has taken a bit of a step back following a productive rookie campaign, while Hunter’s rookie season ended with only 298 receiving yards. Still, the trio should now lead one of the most intriguing WR rooms moving forward.
Meyers proved his consistency early on in his NFL career. Despite the Patriots alternating between Tom Brady, Cam Newton, and Mac Jones at QB, the wide receiver managed to carve out a role in each of his first three seasons. New England curiously decided to pivot to JuJu Smith-Schuster during the 2023 offseason, opening the door for Meyers to ink a three-year deal with the Raiders. The wideout experienced another carousel of QBs in Las Vegas, but he still managed to compile 1,881 yards and 14 touchdowns through his first two years with the organization.
As an impending free agent, Meyers seemed like a prime trade candidate heading into this year’s deadline. In seven games with the Raiders in 2025, the veteran hauled in 33 catches for 352 yards. In total, he’s snagged 60 catches for 707 yards and three touchdowns this season. Meyers’ extension will remove him from what was already an underwhelming WR free agency class. Mike Evans will lead that grouping, with the likes of Wan’Dale Robinson, Deebo Samuel and former Jaguar Christian Kirk representing the other top names on the market.
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