Patriots, Seahawks Make Final Roster Moves For Super Bowl LX
As the last two teams standing in the fight for the Lombardi Trophy in the 2025 NFL season, the Patriots and Seahawks get the honor of making the final minor moves of the season. Both teams have opted to utilize their two standard gameday practice squad elevations for the big game. 
New England is going with the age-old metric of “it if ain’t broke, don’t fix it” in their elevation strategy. For the third contest in a row, the Patriots have designated running back D’Ernest Johnson and defensive tackle Leonard Taylor as their two taxi squad callups. Both players opened their 2025 campaigns on different teams.
Johnson’s 2025 story began as a late training camp addition in Baltimore, where he failed to make the initial 53-man roster but landed on the practice squad. After three weeks without seeing action, Johnson was released from the Ravens’ taxi squad and landed on Arizona’s. He appeared in one game, getting one carry, for the Cardinals before getting released again. He rebounded once more, landing in New England just before Halloween, and was elevated in two straight games before getting signed to the active roster for a third. He contributed sparingly to the run game, logging just 14 carries for 25 yards, but served as a main kick returner in the final two weeks of the season. After being relegated back to the practice squad for the playoffs, Johnson has continued in that kickoff returning role.
Taylor began the year with the Jets, who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Miami (FL) in 2024. Taylor was featured in New York’s defensive line rotation in Weeks 2 & 3 for the Jets but, after not appearing in the team’s next three games, was waived from the team. As soon as he cleared waivers, New England signed him to their practice squad in mid-October, but he wouldn’t debut for his new team until a Week 15 elevation. Taylor has played in every game since then as a taxi squad elevation, with the team incorporating him into the defensive rotation a good amount in the final two weeks of the regular season. Though his playing time has reduced a bit in the playoffs, Taylor came through in a big moment, making the key block of a Denver game-tying field goal attempt in the final five minutes of the AFC Championship.
Seattle is sticking to the status quo, as well, designating running backs Cam Akers and Velus Jones Jr. as their two practice squad elevations. For their previous two playoff games, the Seahawks elevated Jones for the divisional round and both Akers and Jones for the conference championship. Like the Patriots’ duo, both backs started their 2025 campaigns elsewhere in the NFL.
After spending the offseason in New Orleans and getting cut in training camp, Akers landing in a familiar spot signing with the Vikings for a third time, this one on practice squad contract. Minnesota elevated him for three straight weeks from Weeks 3-5, giving him five carries for 19 yards in Week 3 and running a trick play in which he threw a 32-yard touchdown in Week 5, but having run out of elevations, he was released from the practice squad in late November. Four days later, he landed in Seattle. He was elevated for the last three games of the regular season, serving as a special teamer in those games and the conference championship.
Jones also spent his offseason with the Saints. He made the initial 53-man roster but was used exclusively as a special teamer. After getting shuffled back and forth to the practice squad in October, Jones was waived again and landed this time on Seattle’s taxi squad. The Seahawks elevated him for three straight games from Weeks 13-15, and though he mainly remained a core special teamer, he did get 32 rushing yards on four carries in Week 14. Though he was elevated for both of Seattle’s playoff games, he only made an appearance late in the team’s blowout win over the 49ers in the divisional round.
While the practice squad elevations won’t be getting much coverage on Super Bowl Sunday, these hard-working players have found ways to make enough of an impact for these championship contenders that they’ve been called up for duty one more time. They’ll look to show up for their team under the brightest lights of the season.
Adam Gase, Max McCaffrey Could Join Chargers’ Staff
4:16pm: According to OutKick’s Armando Salguero, Gase will be flying to Los Angeles early next week to discuss the potential of him assuming the pass game coordinator position for the Chargers. As Zenitz suggested in his initial report, it’s considered a strong possibility that the trip will end Gase’s six-year hiatus from the NFL.
10:28am: Adam Gase hasn’t coached in the NFL since the Jets fired him in 2020, but the 47-year-old could resurface on the Chargers’ staff next season. Head coach Jim Harbaugh is “strongly considering” Gase for the Chargers’ passing game coordinator role, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reports.
In joining the Chargers, Gase would take over for soon-to-be Ravens assistant Marcus Brady and team with two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert. Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel would be landing a seasoned staffer in Gase, who carries 16 years’ experience in the pros.
Gase has held high-level assistant jobs with the Lions (QBs coach, 2007), Broncos (QBs coach from 2011-12, offensive coordinator from 2013-14) and Bears (O-coordinator, 2015). However, he’s better known for his ill-fated head coaching tenures with the Dolphins and Jets.
Gase took the reins in 2016 in Miami, which won 10 games and earned a playoff berth that year. Things went downhill from there, though. After the Dolphins combined to go 13-19 over the next two seasons, they fired Gase.
It didn’t take long for Gase to land with the Jets, who hired him under two weeks after the Dolphins canned him. Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, whom Gase coached in Denver from 2012-14, recommended him to Jets owner Woody Johnson. Despite Manning’s endorsement, Gase’s run as the Jets’ sideline leader was a disaster. They went 7-9 in 2019 and then spiraled to a 2-14 mark the next season, leading Johnson to hand Gase his walking papers.
Gase, owner of an ugly 32-48 record in a half-decade as a head coach, has stayed connected to the game despite not officially working for any teams since 2020. When Antonio Pierce was the Raiders’ interim head coach in 2023, he invited Gase and fellow former HCs Tom Coughlin and Marvin Lewis to participate in meetings. Gase, the son-in-law of Denver senior defensive assistant Joe Vitt, also spent time around the Broncos and offensive coordinator (then their QBs coach) Davis Webb last summer, per Jon Heath of Broncos Wire.
Along with Gase, Dolphins offensive assistant Max McCaffrey is a candidate to join the Chargers’ staff, according to Zenitz. There’s a “strong possibility” the Chargers will hire McCaffrey, possibly as their running backs coach, after he worked for McDaniel in Miami from 2023-25. Kiel McDonald, the Chargers’ RBs coach from 2024-25, will not return next season, per Daniel Popper of The Athletic. That could open the door for McCaffrey.
An NFL receiver from 2016-18, the 31-year-old McCaffrey is the brother of superstar 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey and Commanders wideout Luke McCaffrey. He began his coaching career assisting with Northern Colorado’s WRs in 2020.
Deadline Set For Expected Kirk Cousins Release
FEBRUARY 7: When the Falcons restructured Cousins’ contract a month ago, they set a pretty glaring deadline by which they would need to cut the veteran quarterback. The team shifted $35MM of 2026 base salary to 2027, increasing that year’s base salary to $67.9MM, a number that would become fully guaranteed if Cousins is still on the roster on March 13 of this year. Therefore, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Atlanta is expected to release Cousins before that date.
In speculating on Cousins’ future, Schefter relayed that, while Cousins wants to play next season, the door is open to both retirement and television. Cousins got a bit of experience on the small screen after the season while appearing on CBS’s postseason pregame show, and if he isn’t able to find a quarterback-needy team on which he can make an impact, he may just make the full-time transition to television or could just hang it all up altogether.
JANUARY 30: Though the Falcons hired one of Kirk Cousins‘ former coaches, he is still expected to be on his way out of Atlanta in early March, per Josh Kendall of The Athletic.
Cousins, 37, worked closely with new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski during their shared time in Minnesota. Stefanski was the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach when Cousins signed with the team in 2018 and was promoted to interim offensive coordinator during the season. He held onto the gig for the 2019 season and called plays for Cousins as he passed his way to his second Pro Bowl.
However, their reunion is expected to be extremely short-lived. Cousins’ contract was recently reworked to essentially force his release before the start of free agency. The Falcons would consider re-signing Cousins’ on a cheaper deal than his current contract, but he will likely look for a clearer starting opportunity elsewhere. Michael Penix‘s ongoing recovery from knee surgery could sideline him at the start of the 2026 season, but he is expected to retake the starting job once he is healthy.
If Cousins cannot find a more appealing situation, he may opt for a return to Atlanta to once again work with Stefanski. He would start until Penix comes back on the field, and theoretically, he could play well enough to keep the starting job. That seems unlikely given his performance in the last two years, but perhaps Stefanski could reinvigorate the veteran quarterback.
Stefanski acknowledged his connection with Cousins after he was hired by the Falcons, but did not provide any insight on his future.
“Obviously, I have a previous relationship with Kirk, but I don’t know if it’s the time yet to talk about all those types of things,” Stefanski said (via Kendall). “Those conversations will come in due time.”
Jets Hire Two Former Pittsburgh Staffers
As Jets head coach Aaron Glenn continues to shuffle his staff in Year 2, he added a pair of former Steelers staffers freed up by expiring contracts and the departure of Mike Tomlin from Pittsburgh. He also looked at an internal candidate to fill a vacant role on his defensive staff.
On Wednesday, New York announced that Karl Dunbar would be trading out his black and yellow for green and white as the Jets’ new defensive line coach. Dunbar should be fairly familiar with the role, considering he held it from 2012-14. In addition to his two stints with the Jets, the veteran 58-year-old assistant has held DL coaching roles with college powerhouses LSU and Alabama and the Bears, Vikings, Bills, and Steelers in the NFL.
A five-year stint in Minnesota saw him build the “Williams Wall,” coaching interior defenders Kevin Williams and Pat Williams on the league’s best run defense for three straight seasons. Arriving in Pittsburgh the year after Cameron Heyward‘s first first-team All-Pro season, Dunbar’s defensive lines with the Steelers became notorious for bringing pressure as other contributors like Javon Hargrave, Stephon Tuitt, Chris Wormley, Keeanu Benton, and Derrick Harmon all scheduled frequent meetings at the quarterback over his eight-year tenure.
Joining Dunbar in the trip from Pittsburgh is tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts who, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, will be assuming the same role in New York. Roberts started his coaching career working two years at FAU as running backs coach and spending two more with the Owls coaching wide receivers. After that, apart from a single 2016 season in which he coached tight ends at Indiana’s high school powerhouse Carmel, the 60-year-old assistant has enjoyed a 22-year career as an NFL coach. Aside from a three-year stint as a running backs coach with the Chargers, his NFL career has been spent solely as a tight ends coach with stops at Jacksonville, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh.
He’s coached such veterans as Marcedes Lewis in Jacksonville, Kellen Winslow in both Cleveland and Tampa Bay, Dallas Clark, Coby Fleener, and Dwayne Allen in Indianapolis, Hunter Henry in Los Angeles, and Eric Ebron, Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and Jonnu Smith in Pittsburgh. He’ll take over a position room that should return talented rookie Mason Taylor in 2026.
Lastly in New York, as the Jets looks to replace linebackers coach Aaron Curry, one of several departures shortly after the end of the 2025 season, Glenn has opted to interview Nathaniel Willingham for a potential promotion, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The son of storied collegiate head coach Tyrone Willingham, Nathaniel first came to the NFL as a quality control coach for the Broncos in 2019 after a four-year stint at Stanford. He joined the Jets in 2022 as a defensive assistant, was promoted to defensive backs/nickelbacks coach in 2024, and was retained as assistant linebackers coach last year. He’ll how hope to earn his way back to a position coaching role under Glenn for 2026.
Browns Retain Christian Jones In New Role
Todd Monken has been busy filling out his first NFL staff. In Cleveland, the offensive coordinator turned first-time head coach added three two new faces to his offensive staff and retained a respected coach from former head coach Kevin Stefanski‘s staff.
The familiar face sticking around is Christian Jones, who served as the Browns tight end coach in 2025. According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, Jones is expected to remain on Monken’s staff in Cleveland but will work over a different group of pass catchers now as wide receivers coach. Jones came to Cleveland a year ago, leaving his previous role as assistant quarterbacks coach with the Giants.
In his first year with the Browns, he helped rookie third-round tight end Harold Fannin make an easy transition from college to the NFL. Despite several other receiving stars getting extra games in the College Football Playoffs, Fannin ended 2024 as the NCAA leader in receptions (117) and receiving yards (1,555), adding 10 touchdowns in 13 games. As a rookie competing with veteran David Njoku for targets, Fannin led the Browns in targets (107), receptions (72), receiving yards (731), and receiving touchdowns (6). Jones will now turn his attention to the team’s receiving corps, which should return its top receiving trio of Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, and Cedric Tillman.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that former Pittsburgh offensive assistant Matt Baker is expected to join the Browns as assistant quarterbacks coach under new QB coach Mike Bajakian. Baker, formerly an undrafted quarterback who made stops on several practice squads from 2006 to 2009, turned to coaching when his playing career came to an end. After minor roles at Ole Miss and Western Michigan, Baker took a role as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Division-III John Carroll.
He made the jump to the NFL in 2023 as a special teams assistant with the Falcons in 2023 and spent the past two season in his most recent role with the Steelers. He’ll assist Monken, Bajakian, and company in navigating the tail end of Deshaun Watson‘s contract, the development of second-year passers Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, and the potential addition of more young quarterbacks through the draft.
The other addition to the offensive staff came today as Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reports that the team is expected to add Bobby Johnson as an assistant offensive line coach under new OL coach George Warhop. Johnson brings plenty of experience, having held OL coach duties at his last three stops in Buffalo, New York, and Washington. Unfortunately, he finds himself taking a step back into an assistant role after getting fired from his last two jobs. The Giants fired him after the team gave up the second-most sacks in NFL history (85) in 2023, and his first year with the Commanders saw the team give up the eighth-most sacks in the league that year.
Tyrod Taylor Open To Re-Signing With Jets
After spending the past two seasons with the Jets, well-traveled quarterback Tyrod Taylor is a few weeks away from returning to free agency on March 11. Regardless of whether he hits the open market, Taylor is open to re-signing with the Jets, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.
Taylor revealed that the Jets expressed interest in re-signing him at the end of the season, though the 36-year-old acknowledged “conversations in January are different than conversations in March.”
The Jets have since moved on from offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, who lasted just one year on the job. They replaced Engstrand with the experienced Frank Reich on Wednesday and then hired Seth Ryan as their passing game coordinator on Saturday.
While Taylor believes “[Engstrand] has a promising career” ahead of him, he’s excited about the possibility of working with Reich.
“I think going out and getting coach Frank Reich was a good move,” he said. “I know he’s had a ton of success throughout this league. If I do go back to the Jets, I’m looking forward to seeing what that looks like and what are the next steps.”
It’s unclear which QBs Reich and Ryan will coach in 2026, but it’s fair to say the Jets don’t have any obvious solutions in the fold. The team took a fairly expensive gamble on former first-round pick Justin Fields in free agency last March, but the two-year, $40MM pact with $30MM in guarantees hasn’t worked out at all. Head coach Aaron Glenn benched Fields for the rest of the season in mid-November, and the Jets are expected to release the soon-to-be 27-year-old in the near future.
Fields and Brady Cook, who struggled mightily as an undrafted rookie, combined for 13 starts in 2025. The other four went to Taylor, but he also offered lackluster production. In parts of six games, Taylor completed just 59.7% of passes and posted a paltry 5.8 yards per attempt with five touchdowns, five interceptions and a 72.9 passer rating. Taylor suffered a groin injury in a Week 14 loss to the Dolphins and didn’t play again for the rest of the year.
Now a veteran of seven teams and 15 seasons, Taylor joined the Jets on a two-year, $12MM contract in 2024. Whether it’s with the Jets or another club, it’s doubtful he’ll do as well on his next deal. Taylor would be at the lower end of a veteran free agent class that’s currently set to include Daniel Jones, Malik Willis, former Jets teammate Aaron Rodgers, ex-Ravens teammate Joe Flacco, Marcus Mariota and Russell Wilson, among others.
Jets Hire Seth Ryan As Passing Game Coordinator
After a year as the Lions’ assistant tight ends coach, Seth Ryan is taking over as the Jets’ passing game coordinator, Rich Cimini of ESPN reports. Ryan is the son of ex-Jets head coach Rex Ryan and the grandson of former Jets defensive line coach Buddy Ryan.
Set to turn 32 in March, Seth Ryan is a former Clemson wide receiver whose coaching career began with the Chargers in 2019. He spent two years on Anthony Lynn‘s staff, but the Chargers fired Lynn after 2020. With Lynn then becoming the Lions’ offensive coordinator, Ryan followed him to the Motor City. Although Lynn only held his job for a year, Ryan wound up lasting a half-decade on Dan Campbell‘s staff.
Ryan was the Lions’ assistant wide receivers coach from 2021-24, a period in which he mostly worked with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond and Josh Reynolds. Unfortunately for Ryan, in his lone season with the Lions’ tight ends, starter Sam LaPorta missed eight games with a back injury.
Ryan will now take on a much bigger role in New York, where he’ll assist new offensive coordinator Frank Reich. The two will aim for massive improvements to a Jets passing game that easily ranked last in the NFL in 2025. The team will head into the heart of the offseason without an answer at quarterback after big-money pickup Justin Fields flopped this past season.
Although the Jets signed Fields for a guaranteed $30MM last March, head coach Aaron Glenn benched him for the rest of the year in mid-November. The Jets are expected to move on from Fields sometime soon. Journeyman backup Tyrod Taylor is slated to hit free agency, though the club is interested in re-signing him for what should be a fairly cheap deal. The Jets also have Brady Cook, but he was in over his head as an undrafted rookie.
Along with seeking a capable QB in either free agency or the draft, where they own two first-round picks (Nos. 2 and 16), the Jets will need to find more weapons in the passing game for Reich and Ryan. The Jets have a legitimate star in No. 1 wide receiver Garrett Wilson and a promising tight end in Mason Taylor. There’s little else in the cupboard, though receivers Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie did see their production increase after the Jets acquired them in trades before the Nov. 4 deadline.
As recent second-round picks (Metchie in 2022, Mitchell in 2024), the Jets may continue to hope at least one of them turns into a consistent contributor. Even if that happens, the Jets would benefit from adding more receiving talent this offseason. They have the cap space and the draft capital to make it happen.
Giants Hire Mike Bloomgren As OL Coach
The Giants will hire Mike Bloomgren as their offensive line coach, Bob Brookover of NJ Advance Media reports. Bloomgren held the same position with the Browns in 2025, his lone year on the job.
The 49-year-old Bloomgren, known as a disciple of renowned offensive line coach Bill Callahan, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Alabama in in 1999. Bloomgren’s first NFL opportunity came as an offensive quality control coach with the Jets in 2007. Callahan joined their staff a year later. The two spent three seasons together until Blomgren returned to the college level.
Bloomgren was Stanford’s O-line coach from 2011-17, a seven-year stint in which he also served as the run game coordinator for two seasons and the offensive coordinator for five. He then earned a promotion as Rice’s head coach. Although Bloomgren held the post for almost seven full seasons, the Owls went just 24-52 under him. Rice fired Bloomgren after a 2-6 start in 2024.
Bloomgren is now coming off a rough season in Cleveland, whose offensive line dealt with a rash of injuries. Guard Joel Bitonio appeared in all 17 games and played almost 100% of snaps, but fellow guard Wyatt Teller, tackles Dawand Jones and Jack Conklin, and center Ethan Pocic all missed significant time. The Browns’ banged-up line ended the season as Pro Football Focus’ 31st-ranked group.
Now on his way to the Giants, Bloomgren will work with head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy for the first time. Bloomgren will take over for Carmen Bricillo, whom the Titans hired last week, and inherit a better situation up front than he had in Cleveland.
With Bricillo’s help, PFF graded the Giants’ line as the ninth-best unit in the league in 2025. Cornerstone left tackle Andrew Thomas, left guard Jon Runyan Jr. and center John Michael Schmitz are all under contract for 2026. However, right-side starters Jermaine Eluemunor (tackle) and Greg Van Roten (guard) are on track to hit free agency in March. Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen will have offseason decisions to make at those spots.
Elsewhere on New York’s staff, Harbaugh is expected to bring in Broncos cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch as the Giants’ defensive backs coach, per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. After two years as a defensive quality control coach, the Broncos elevated Lynch to a bigger role this past season. Although Ja’Quan McMillian enjoyed an especially strong 2025 campaign under Lynch, the Broncos fired the coach last week.
Also a former assistant with the Chargers, Raiders and Lions from 2018-22, Lynch doesn’t have any working experience with Harbaugh or new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. They’ll attempt to improve a pass defense that finished a middling 16th in 2025 after adding a pair of pricey free agents, cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland, last offseason. The Giants are now facing the potential exits of corner Cordale Flott and safety Dane Belton in free agency this year.
Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Likely To Seek Trade
FEBRUARY 7: The belief around the league is that Crosby “would be highly interested in pursuing a change of scenery,” Dianna Russini of The Athletic writes. The Raiders would indeed demand a significant return, but they won’t force Crosby to stay if he wants out, according to Russini. As of now, an offseason trade seems like a strong possibility.
FEBRUARY 5: The dustup between Maxx Crosby and the Raiders regarding his injury shutdown brought considerable awkwardness, and teams around the league monitored the situation closely. That is likely to continue.
As Klint Kubiak will soon prepare to transition from Super Bowl play-caller to one of the architects behind the latest Raiders rebuild, he will soon be briefed on the Crosby situation. We heard last month a Crosby trade would be in play, and Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reinforces that. Crosby is likely done in Las Vegas, according to Glazer, who indicated during an appearance on Yahoo Sports Daily the injury issue last season and the prospect of another Raiders rebuild will likely push the eighth-year edge rusher to seek a trade.
The Raiders would want to keep Crosby, per Glazer, who would expect any trade to unfold before the draft. A Crosby trade would arm the Raiders with considerable draft ammo, but it is important to note the player is more eager to find an exit door than the team is to accommodate him. That could lead to an impasse, but the Crosby trade watch continues as the 2025 season wraps.
As many as 20 teams contacted Glazer after the contentious injury shutdown occurred. With Crosby displaying elite form in 2025, the Raiders would certainly ask for a first-round pick and then some ahead of the All-Pro’s age-29 season. The Raiders are not strangers to holding multiple first-round picks in a draft, but they squandered opportunities upon trading Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper. A new regime would be tasked with making a two-first-rounder draft pay off — in the event Crosby is moved before this one.
Pete Carroll was believed to be against a Crosby shutdown, moving the blame/credit (as the Raiders secured the No. 1 overall pick) on the front office. This stands to benefit Kubiak, who will soon be coaching (barring a shocking course change) Fernando Mendoza and either have Crosby ready for an eighth season or a substantial picks package in exchange for trading the standout edge rusher.
The Raiders’ Carroll-Tom Brady-John Spytek regime extended Crosby last March, pushing his contract through 2029. Two years remained on the deal Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler authorized in 2022, and Crosby secured a $35.5MM AAV on his new pact. The Raiders would not be significantly affected by dead money, despite having paid Crosby recently, in the event of a trade. The contract includes a $30MM base salary for 2026 that would be transferred to an acquiring team. Rather than load up the deal with signing bonus money that would go on Las Vegas’ cap in the event of a trade, this regime made Crosby’s guarantee consist mostly of 2025 and ’26 base salaries.
Frontloading the contract will make it easier to move, pointing to this Raiders regime having a potential trade in mind when it structured the deal. If the Raiders trade Crosby, they would only be on the hook for his 2026 signing bonus proration ($5.1MM) in dead money. That represents an opportunity if Brady and Spytek want to go down this road.
When the shutdown happened before Week 17, Crosby “vehemently disagreed” with the decision. With Glazer reporting the edge rusher’s displeasure with the Raiders’ decision, it is not too hard to connect dots here. A report then indicated Crosby would evaluate his future in Vegas, and a video of him playing basketball and jumping on a trampoline despite an injured knee represented a clear message to the Raiders. The team, which also placed Brock Bowers on IR before a Week 17 loss to the Giants, had incentive to lose and completed the mission — a goal Crosby did not share.
Glazer pointed to a Micah Parsons-like return for Crosby. Las Vegas two first-rounders would be a bit of a surprise considering Parsons was heading into his age-26 season. But, as referenced above, Crosby is signed through 2029 on a contract that has since been dwarfed by Parsons and Aidan Hutchinson. That would be attractive to contending teams.
A bidding war would obviously benefit the Raiders, but we have seen these situations resolved peacefully in the recent past. Myles Garrett went from saying he was done in Cleveland to signing a four-year, $160MM extension. With the Raiders already paying Crosby, money may not resolve this matter. But no trade request has emerged. The Raiders have also refused to part with Crosby at recent trade deadlines, with Mark Davis confirming his top player’s unavailability at the 2024 deadline. The Patriots and Seahawks asked about Crosby before his extension last year. It does appear now, however, that Raiders fans need to prepare for the prospect of one of the best defenders in franchise history being moved soon.
Poll: Who Will Win Super Bowl LX?
Eleven years after the Malcolm Butler interception, the Patriots and Seahawks will reconvene to decide an NFL champion. Super Bowl LX is the Patriots’ 12th Super Bowl appearance and the Seahawks’ fourth, but none of the players who played in Super Bowl XLIX are involved here. A small percentage of these rosters carry Super Bowl experience, but for the most part, retooled teams will vie for this year’s title.
The Patriots have completed one of the great turnarounds in NFL history, moving from 4-13 in back-to-back seasons to a 14-3 record en route to the AFC’s No. 2 seed. Drake Maye trailed Matthew Stafford by one first-place vote in the MVP race, as the QBs contested the closest vote since 2003. The Patriots added some veterans around their QB’s rookie contract, as the Seahawks did 11 years ago around Russell Wilson‘s, but their coaching moves became the most significant alterations.
Mike Vrabel is set to coach in his first Super Bowl after playing in four with the Pats from 2001-07. The former linebacker/goal-line pass catcher joined Ben Johnson as the top HC candidates available last year, and while interest from other teams emerged, Vrabel committed to a New England return quickly. Robert Kraft made a mistake in not conducting a coaching search in 2024, committing years before to promote Jerod Mayo to succeed Bill Belichick, and the owner acknowledged that miss by firing him after one season. Vrabel has played the lead role in restoring the Pats to a Super Bowl team.
Vrabel’s decision to bring back Josh McDaniels for a third Patriots OC stint has made a considerable difference as well. Fired in-season by two AFC West teams, McDaniels is unlikely to earn a third HC opportunity. No interviews came this year, despite Maye’s ascent to the MVP precipice. McDaniels topping out on the OC tier would be a boon for the Patriots, as they could ensure Maye play-calling continuity with a defensive head coach. That is rather rare in the modern NFL.
McDaniels, 49, could provide a tremendous advantage for the underdog Pats on Sunday night. The veteran staffer is set for his sixth Super Bowl as an offensive coordinator. This ties Steve Spagnuolo — McDaniels’ former Rams boss — for the most Super Bowls by a coordinator. But McDaniels was with the Patriots for their Super Bowl XLVI appearance, rejoining the team under OC Bill O’Brien after his Rams one-and-done, and he was on Belichick’s staff for the Pats’ first three Tom Brady-era Super Bowls.
The Pats do not have any players left from their Brady-years Super Bowl berths, having bid farewell to Jonathan Jones, David Andrews, Deatrich Wise and Joe Cardona this past offseason. But the Vrabel-McDaniels pairing stands to help in a game where the AFC champion looks to have the inferior roster.
New England used its cap space to add ex-Vrabel Titans edge rusher Harold Landry and win the Milton Williams sweepstakes. No 2025 FA (Sam Darnold included) received a bigger at-signing guarantee than Williams’ $51MM. The Pats also signed O-line starters Morgan Moses and Garrett Bradbury. With Maye and Christian Gonzalez on rookie deals, the Pats gave Carlton Davis a three-year, $48MM accord.
Seeing Chris Godwin reject a strong offer, the Patriots inked Stefon Diggs, who has led a third team in receiving during an 11-year career. The team’s K’Lavon Chaisson flier (one year, $3MM) has paid dividends as well, with the former Jaguars first-round bust upping his free agency stock with a 7.5-sack season. The team’s 2025 draft class yielded four starters — left tackle Will Campbell, LG Jared Wilson and safety Craig Woodson, kicker Andres Borregales — and oft-used RB2 TreVeyon Henderson. Campbell, Henderson and Wilson helped the Maye-led offense rank first in EPA per play.
It is certainly worthwhile to mention the Patriots’ favorable schedule to reach this point. New England’s docket included just one victory over a team with a winning record (an October victory in Buffalo), and its playoff slate brought unimpressive offensive work. That postseason schedule featured a Texans team missing Nico Collins (and then second-leading receiver Dalton Schultz), and the Broncos losing Bo Nix late in their divisional-round win may well have altered the Super Bowl matchup, as the Pats limped to a 10-7 win over a Jarrett Stidham-quarterbacked team.
New England will face a more formidable opponent in Seattle. The Seahawks went 14-3 and led the NFL in DVOA; the Patriots ranked ninth. Seattle’s defense ranked first in scoring and second in EPA per play.
Mike Macdonald‘s team beat six regular-season opponents with winning records. While the Seahawks feasted on an injury-battered 49ers team in Round 2, the NFC’s No. 1 seed left no doubt with a 41-6 dismantling. The Seahawks then outdueled MVP Matthew Stafford in a thrilling Rams rubber match; DVOA slotted Los Angeles second this season.
The Seahawks did well to bail on Geno Smith extension talks when they did, foisting another declining quarterback on an AFC West team. John Schneider‘s previous such move — the 2022 Russell Wilson blockbuster — armed the Seahawks with an eight-asset package that helped set up this Super Bowl team. The Broncos ended up trading two top-10 picks, which became left tackle Charles Cross and Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Schneider, who became the Seahawks’ lead decision-maker via Pete Carroll‘s 2024 firing, has moved toward a Hall of Fame-caliber resume thanks to these two trades and guiding a team back to a Super Bowl berth with a fresh nucleus.
Seattle’s Klint Kubiak OC hire helped the team lure Darnold to town, and the team did well to sign the 2024 Vikings Pro Bowler to a three-year, $100.5MM deal. Darnold only received $37.5MM guaranteed at signing; another $17.5MM is due days after the Super Bowl. Given Darnold’s performance, it is safe to assume he will remain on the roster when that guarantee vests next week.
While the Seahawks only boasted one receiver with more than 600 yards, Jaxon Smith-Njigba‘s 1,793 led the NFL and earned him Offensive Player of the Year acclaim. Schneider also made a savvy deadline addition with Rashid Shaheed, acquiring the contract-year deep threat/return man from the Saints for fourth- and fifth-round picks. Shaheed has returned a kickoff and a punt for a score while providing Seattle with a solid auxiliary receiving option alongside Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp.
Macdonald’s defensive expertise has illuminated the value defense-oriented HCs can bring — amid annual quests for offense-oriented leaders — and additions DeMarcus Lawrence and Nick Emmanwori have made impacts. Emmanwori joins guard Grey Zabel as pivotal 2025 draft choices for the NFC champs, who also have benefited from re-signing Leonard Williams (2024) and Ernest Jones (2025) after trades. It will be interesting to see if that trend continues with Shaheed.
The Seahawks are currently 4.5-point favorites over the Patriots. Will Seattle win championship No. 2 and avenge the Butler sequence, or will New England break a tie with Pittsburgh to claim its seventh Super Bowl crown? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on the matchup in the comments section.