Rams Add Kliff Kingsbury, Robert Woods To Staff; Aubrey Pleasant Not Returning
Kliff Kingsbury agreed to join the Rams’ coaching staff on Feb. 6, but his specific role was not publicized for over two weeks. The Rams announced Monday that Kingsbury will work as an assistant head coach.
Kingsbury is officially returning to Southern California three years after serving as an offensive analyst at USC. After coaching star quarterback Caleb Williams that year, the former Cardinals head coach returned to the NFL as the Commanders’ offensive coordinator in 2024.
The Bears chose Williams first overall in the 2024 draft. Kingsbury wound up helping the No. 2 pick, Jayden Daniels, to an otherworldly rookie campaign. Not only did the dual-threat signal-caller earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, but he guided the Commanders to the NFC title game. Philadelphia steamrolled Washington that day, 55-23, and the Commanders did not bounce back last season.
With Daniels and No. 1 wide receiver Terry McLaurin battling injuries that cost them a combined 17 games, the Commanders’ offense plummeted from fifth in scoring to 22nd in the matter of a year. The team reversed its record from 12-5 to 5-12, and Kingsbury reportedly clashed with Commanders general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn along the way.
Kingsbury and the Commanders went their separate ways Jan. 6, but he drew plenty of interest in the month before he agreed to partner up with McVay. The 46-year-old interviewed for head coaching vacancies in Baltimore and Tennessee. He also talked to those two teams and the Giants about their offensive coordinator openings.
Brian Johnson, Kingsbury’s colleague in Washington, will rejoin him on Los Angeles’ staff. After two years as the Commanders’ assistant head coach/offensive pass-game coordinator, he’ll serve as a senior offensive assistant.
The Rams’ offensive staff will also include one of their former wide receivers, Robert Woods. A highly successful Ram from 2017-21, Woods retired from playing on Feb. 17. The 33-year-old will now reunite with McVay, who’s bringing Woods aboard as an assistant WRs coach.
McVay also hired former Rams offensive lineman Brian Allen, one of Woods’ old teammates, as an assistant OL coach. The 30-year-old Allen played his entire career as a member of the Rams, with whom he started in 32 of 50 games from 2018-23. He was the Rams’ No. 1 center on their Super Bowl-winning 2021 team.
In other adjustments to his offensive staff, McVay promoted WRs coach Eric Yarber to senior offensive assistant/WRs and upgraded Rob Calabrese from offensive asssistant to WRs coach. Jimmy Lake will move from senior defensive assistant to pass-game coordinator/defensive backs coach, while Michael Hunter will come in as an assistant DBs coach. Hunter held that job at Ohio State over the past two seasons.
Lake’s promotion suggests the Rams will not retain Aubrey Pleasant, who is no longer listed among their coaches. It’s unclear why the sides appear to have parted ways.
Pleasant first worked for McVay as the Rams’ cornerbacks coach from 2017-20. After dividing the next two seasons between Detroit and Green Bay, he returned to the Rams in 2023. Pleasant was their pass-game coordinator/DBs coach in 2024. He continued to handle the PGC role last season, but McVay also bumped him to assistant head coach.
Pleasant landed D-coordinator interviews with the Cardinals, Browns, Raiders and Chargers earlier this winter. Those teams hired different candidates instead, but perhaps he’ll take an assistant position with one of them or some other club.
Offseason Outlook: New England Patriots
The Patriots are back...depending on who you ask. Most teams could only dream of New England's turnaround in 2025. Following two straight four-win showings, the team ripped off their Jerod Mayo band-aid and opted for old friend and eventual Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel. The results were undeniable. The Patriots won 14 games before a run to the Super Bowl. At the same time, Drake Maye truly broke out, finishing second in MVP voting.
On the flip side, critics point to New England's historically easy schedule, and its run through the AFC playoffs saw them beat a depleted Chargers O-line, a turnover-happy C.J. Stroud and Broncos QB2 Jarrett Stidham. When reviewing their entire 2025 performance, there are rightful reasons for skepticism.
Regardless of your opinion on the quality of the 2025 Patriots, two things can be true. The organization took significant steps forward both in record and future outlook. Plus, besides Maye, the team identified some clear foundational pieces on both sides of the football. At the same time, the Patriots clearly benefitted from some layup opponents, and a step back in 2026 wouldn't surprise many.
Following a spending spree last offseason, there are certainly reasons to believe the Patriots will not spend nearly as much in 2026. However, if the organization wants to prove that 2025 wasn't a fluke, they can't afford to be complacent, as there are still plenty of opportunities for upgrades throughout the roster.
Coaching/front office:
- Defensive coordinator Terrell Williams moved to high-ranking coaching role
- ILBs coach Zak Kuhr promoted as DC replacement
- TEs coach Thomas Brown interviewed for Cardinals' HC job
NFL Not Expected To Make Big Changes To Kickoff Setup
With the NFL’s onside kick setup failing to provide enough drama, executive vice president Troy Vincent suggested last October that changes could be in store in 2026. Replacing the onside kick with a fourth-and-15 or fourth-and-20 play was at least a possibility then.
Current rules dictate that the onside kicking team has to announce its intentions in advance. It was already difficult for the kicking team to recover an onside try before the league introduced that change in 2024. Unsurprisingly, it has been even more of a challenge since then. A meager five of 52 onside attempts were successful last season.
Multiple sources told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that introducing a fourth-and-13 play as an onside kick replacement would be addressed this offseason. However, the competition committee did not have discussions regarding a fourth-and-long alternative during Sunday’s meeting at the scouting combine, according to Vincent (via Kevin Seifert of ESPN). Any tweaks to the onside kick would require 24 votes to pass. There does not appear to be much support across the league for such a radical change, though, per veteran reporter Mark Maske.
“When it was first proposed, it picked up a couple of votes,” Vincent said Monday. “And then it just kind of stalemated. I don’t think there was … much appetite.”
Then the Buccaneers’ head coach, Greg Schiano first floated the fourth-and-long idea to commissioner Roger Goodell over 13 years ago, according to a 2012 Time Magazine piece. Schiano’s suggestion came three years after one of his former Rutgers players, Eric LeGrand, was paralyzed from the neck down while making a tackle on a kickoff. The NFL has since made other significant adjustments to the kickoff in the interest of player safety.
When discussing the kickoff with the competition committee on Sunday, special teams coaches voiced concerns over returners and tacklers suffering concussions (via Maske). However, there will not be any “major changes” to the 2-year-old dynamic kickoff format this offseason, Maske reports. Jeff Miller, the league’s executive vice president, said “the competition committee, the health and safety side agree that we’re definitely on the right track.”
The league moved the touchback spot from the 30-yard line to the 35 in 2025, leading to a massive increase in action. Returners took the ball back on 74.5% of kickoffs last season. The number checked in at 32.8% in 2024.
Malik Willis, Ty Simpson Among QBs Being Evaluated By Browns
The Browns’ quarterback situation could go in a number of directions this offseason. The status quo would see Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson compete for the starting gig, but an outside addition will be explored. 
March will see the free agent and trade markets take shape, and Cleveland will do homework on the top options set to be available. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com specifically names Malik Willis as a passer on the Browns’ radar at this point. That makes Cleveland one of many potential suitors in his case.
Willis is widely seen as the top quarterback on track for free agency. A Packers departure is expected, as the open market is set to present him with a starting opportunity. Cleveland had already been named as a team to watch on the Willis front, with the same also being true of Pittsburgh and Miami. The Dolphins in particular have Willis connections in the form of new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head Jeff Hafley. The 26-year-old could also be pursued by the Cardinals, provided they move on from Kyler Murray.
As Cabot notes, any veteran addition made by the Browns this offseason will not be a short-term rental but rather a passer viewed as having starting potential beyond 2026. That could certainly be the case for Willis if his market reaches expected levels, despite the fact he has only made six starts in the regular season. Cleveland’s financial situation will once again be impacted by Watson’s heavy cap charge, so it would be difficult for the team to win a bidding war.
That leaves the draft as another route to landing a new QB. On that note, Cabot writes Ty Simpson is among the prospects receiving attention in the Browns’ case. The Alabama product is seen as the second-best passer in this year’s class, owing in large part to Dante Moore‘s decision to remain in school for 2026. Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza is on track to be drafted first overall by the Raiders, but Simpson’s landing spot is much more difficult to project at this point.
Having only made 15 starts in college, Simpson is viewed as having notable upside but will carry risk based on his short track record. The 23-year-old’s 2025 season also did not finish nearly as well as it began, something which could hinder his stock. Nevertheless, the Browns – who own two first-round selections along with one in each of the second and third rounds – will have ample opportunity to make another QB investment in April.
Chargers C Bradley Bozeman Announces Retirement
After eight seasons in the NFL, Chargers center Bradley Bozeman is hanging up his cleats. The 31-year-old announced his retirement on Instagram on Monday (via Adam Schefter of ESPN).
The Chargers were the third team for Bozeman, an Alabama product who entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Ravens in 2018. With Matt Skura then serving as the Ravens’ center, Bozeman’s lone start during a 14-game rookie season came at left guard. Bozeman became a full-time starter at left guard in 2019, his first of three straight 16-game seasons.
After Skura left the Ravens to sign with the Dolphins in 2021, Bozeman switched back to center. It turned out to be the last season in Baltimore for Bozeman, who accepted Carolina’s one-year offer in 2022.
Although Bozeman only started in all of 17 games in his first season in Carolina, he was impressive enough for the Panthers to bring him back on a three-year, $18MM contract. The 325-pounder notched a 17-start season in the first year of the deal, but the Panthers released him in March 2024.
A week after his Carolina tenure ended, Bozeman moved to the West Coast on a one-year agreement with the Chargers. Bozeman made just over $1.1MM during another 17-start season, leading the Chargers to award him a raise on a two-year, $6.5MM accord last March.
While Bozeman was again a full-time starter over 16 games in 2025, Pro Football Focus ranked his performance last among 37 qualifying centers. His struggles were among a handful of problems up front for the Chargers, who went without injured left tackle Rashawn Slater for the season and didn’t have right tackle Joe Alt for most of it. As a result of the Chargers’ O-line woes, quarterback Justin Herbert took the league’s second-most sacks (54).
The Chargers may have been in the market for a center this offseason had Bozeman kept playing in 2026. They definitely will be now that Bozeman is walking away after 129 games and 110 starts in the league. His exit will clear the way for yet another new starting pivot for the Chargers. The Bolts have not used the same primary starting center for three straight years since longtime staple Nick Hardwick retired in 2014.
Commanders Re-Sign OL Andrew Wylie
Andrew Wylie was on course for free agency. Instead, he will be remaining in the nation’s capital for at least the next two years. 
Wylie and the Commanders have agreed to a two-year contract, as first reported by Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team. The deal has been confirmed by ESPN’s John Keim, who notes Wylie preferred to re-sign with Washington rather than testing the open market. That will indeed be the case.
According to Meirov, this deal has a base value of $7.5MM. It can reach a maximum of $10.5MM, making this a notable raise compared to Wylie’s most recent contract. In 2025, he took a one-year, $4MM pact to stay in place with the Commanders. The 31-year-old will now be in line to continue serving a notable role along Washington’s offensive line. Wylie will collect a $1.5MM signing bonus, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 adds.
A former undrafted free agent, Wylie found an opportunity for playing time with the Chiefs and established himself as a regular with them. Over the course of five seasons in Kanas City, he totaled 59 starts. That stretch was followed by a three-year, $24MM deal in free agency which sent Wylie to Washington. It allowed the Eastern Michigan product to operate as the Commanders’ starting right tackle.
Things changed last year when Washington drafted Josh Conerly in the first round. Conerly took on right tackle duties during his rookie campaign, and he is in line to continue in that role for 2026. The Oregon alum could be seen as a potential left tackle in the future, but Washington is interested in extending Laremy Tunsil. As long as Tunsil and Conerly are in the fold, Wylie – who drew trade interest in the fall – will be tasked with handling a backup tackle gig; he could also see time at guard, as was the case in 2025.
The Commanders still have a long list of pending free agents whose futures need to be decided on over the coming days. That includes several offensive linemen, but given today’s news Wylie will offer familiarity and a veteran depth presence up front.
Patriots Release Antonio Gibson
After spending his first three NFL seasons in Washington, where he was a 1,000-yard rusher in 2021, running back Antonio Gibson joined the Patriots in March 2024. Gibson inked a three-year, $11.25MM contract to move to New England, but he will not see the deal through. The Patriots announced that they have released Gibson.
Gibson totaled at least 149 carries and 546 rushing yards in each of his first three seasons. He also combined for 21 rushing touchdowns, including a career-high 11 as a rookie, and 124 catches during that span. Gibson added another 48 receptions over 16 games in 2023, but his role on the ground diminished during a 65-carry campaign. He left for the Patriots after that.
Serving as the primary backup to Rhamondre Stevenson last year, Gibson’s rushing attempts nearly doubled from his last season in Washington. He amassed 120 carries for 538 yards, good for a solid 4.5 per tote, and a touchdown. Gibson made less of an impact as a pass catcher, though, notching career lows in receptions (23) and yards (206).
Stevenson and Gibson were still in place last offseason, but the Patriots invested a second-round pick in running back TreVeyon Henderson. The former Ohio State Buckeye went on to lead the AFC champions in carries (180), yards (911) and rushing touchdowns (nine) during a 17-game season. Stevenson put up 603 yards and seven TDs in 14 contests.
Meanwhile, Gibson’s greatest contribution came during a Week 2 victory in Miami. After returning six kicks for 171 yards, including a 90-yard touchdown, Gibson earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. As a runner, Gibson combined for 25 carries, 106 yards and a TD in the Patriots’ first five games. His season ended when he suffered a torn ACL in a win over Buffalo on Oct. 5.
With Stevenson and Henderson sticking around in 2026, it does not come as a surprise that the Patriots are moving on from Gibson as he recovers from a serious injury. Releasing the 27-year-old will save the Patriots $3.14MM in cap space at the cost of $1MM in dead money.
Troy Vincent: Tush Push Ban Not Proposed Before Deadline
The Eagles’ reliance on the tush push, a play they introduced in 2022, helped power them to a Super Bowl championship in 2025. Last February, a couple of weeks after the Eagles crushed the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, the Packers proposed a tush push ban.
Led by since-retired team president/CEO Mark Murphy, Green Bay lobbied to “prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap.”
Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL’s committees on competition and health and safety supported the Packers’ proposal. Nevertheless, after a heated debate across the league, it did not receive enough votes to pass last May. Twenty-two of the league’s 32 teams were in agreement with the Packers. They fell two votes shy of the required 24.
The tush push was a legal play again in 2025, but as of September, momentum toward eliminating it was reportedly growing. However, it appears it will remain part of the game next season. Troy Vincent, the league’s executive vice president of football operations, said Monday that a new call to ban the play did not come in this year (via veteran reporter Mark Maske).
“Haven’t seen one,” Vincent revealed. “And that deadline has passed.”
The Packers’ new president/CEO, Ed Policy, and all other teams apparently did not feel strongly enough to submit a fresh proposal. It’s not especially surprising in the wake of comments that NFL competition committee co-chairman Rich McKay made on Sunday (via Mike Reiss and Kevin Seifert of ESPN).
“There’s no team proposal that I’ve seen from it,” McKay said. “So, I wouldn’t envision it. But you never know.”
As part of their proposal last year, the Packers pointed to player safety and pace of play among their reasons for requesting a tush push ban. A season has passed since then, and the league still has not publicized any health data related to the play, Reiss and Seifert note.
While the Eagles and the rest of the league may continue running the tush push, Vincent said the NFL could consider doing something “about aiding the runner. I mean, we saw players being literally picked up and kind of walked into the end zone. Is that really what we want?”
Chiefs Release DE Mike Danna
Mike Danna‘s run with the Chiefs has ended. The veteran pass rusher was released on Monday, per a team announcement. 
One year remained on Danna’s contract, but none of his scheduled base salary for 2026 was guaranteed. As a result, this move will free up $8.94MM in cap space. Kansas City will take on a dead money charge of just $2.17MM with this release.
The Chiefs entered Monday as one of the teams projected to be over the cap, and Danna was recently named as a cut candidate. Today’s move thus comes as little surprise. The latest Patrick Mahomes restructure helped free up much-needed space, but there is still more work to be done on this front. In any case, Danna will now get a head start on free agency.
The two-time Super Bowl champion worked as a rotational defender early in his Chiefs career before becoming a regular first-team presence. In all, Danna totaled 49 starts during the regular season, with most coming in the past three seasons. During that span, he saw his production steadily head in the wrong direction. Part of Kansas City’s savings from this release could very well be spent on a perceived upgrade along the edge.
George Karlaftis signed a big-ticket extension in 2025, and he will be counted on as an anchor along the defensive front for years to come. Kansas City has former first-rounder Felix Anudike-Uzomah in the fold as well, but he managed just three sacks across his first two NFL campaigns before missing the entire 2025 season. Without Danna in the fold, the Chiefs will likely find themselves in the market for a veteran pass rush addition next month before targeting at least one rookie via the draft.
Danna, 28, is now one of several experienced edge rushers who will be available in free agency. His most productive season came in 2023 (6.5 sacks, 21 pressures). That led to a three-year, $24MM pact being worked out, but it did not yield the expected results. Team and player will now part ways early as the lead-in to the new league year continues.
Saints’ Cameron Jordan Addresses Pending Free Agency
Cameron Jordan‘s contract is set to void just before the start of free agency. It remains to be seen if his career will continue into a 16th Saints season as a result. 
2025 saw Jordan regain his previous form from a production standpoint. The 2010s All-Decade Team member posted 10.5 sacks, reaching double-digits for the first time in that department since 2021. Seen around the league as a potential trade target leading up to the deadline, the franchise icon remained in place through the end of the campaign.
Now, Jordan is in position to once again negotiate a new Saints deal. Entering his age-37 season, a long-term pact or one near the top of the market should certainly not be expected. Jordan is well aware of that, something he recently made clear when speaking about his future.
“If you get a 10-sack season, if I was 26, I’d be asking for top dollar,” the eight-time Pro Bowler said (via NFL.com). “Things I’ve never asked for is top dollar. All I’ve ever asked for is to be valued.”
In 2023, Jordan inked a two-year, $26.5MM pact which helped set him up to retire as a member of the Saints. A restructure took place in March, but another new contract will now need to be agreed to in order to avoid a departure. Jordan would be seen as an impactful addition on any number of teams, especially considering his strong 2025 showing. The Saints are currently over the cap for 2026, but to much less of an extent than previous years.
New Orleans has Carl Granderson on the books through 2027 thanks to his most recent deal. Chase Young, meanwhile, landed a major raise when re-signing with the Saints last year. Those two figure to play considerable roles along the edge in 2026 regardless of how things play out on this front. Nevertheless, efforts between Jordan and the Saints to work out another short-term arrangement would come as no surprise.