HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Falcons Fire DC Jimmy Lake

January 11th, 2025 at 10:37pm CST by Ely Allen

The coaching turnover continues. Atlanta will officially be looking for a new defensive coordinator as NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that the Falcons have fired Jimmy Lake. In addition to Lake, Atlanta has let go of defensive line coach Jay Rodgers, as well.

Lake, a very experienced defensive backs coach with four universities and four NFL teams on his résumé, was in his first year as a defensive coordinator in the NFL. Following a playing career in college, Lake immediately jumped into coaching. With seven years of college coaching under his belt, Lake got his first NFL coaching opportunity as the assistant defensive backs coach in Tampa Bay under then-defensive backs coach Raheem Morris.

Lake was poached away by the Lions, taking his first full position coaching gig in the NFL as defensive backs coach in Detroit in 2008. After the team famously finished winless, though, the entire coaching staff was let go. After a year hiatus, Lake found himself back in Tampa Bay under Morris, who by that time had become head coach. This time, Lake served in the full role of defensive backs coach. Both Morris and Lake were fired in 2011.

At this point Lake parted ways with Morris, heading back to the collegiate ranks of coaching. He began a stint at the University of Washington in 2014 (his second stint in Seattle) that saw his biggest coaching progressions to date. After two years as defensive backs coach for the Huskies, Lake added the title of co-defensive coordinator for two more years before officially being named defensive coordinator, his first coordinator position at any level.

After two years in that role, then-head coach Chris Petersen stepped down with Lake serving as his successor, earning his first head coaching gig in football. In Lake’s second year on the job, though, controversy arose when he hit a player in the facemask and shoved him in the back while separating him from a sideline scrum. He was suspended without pay and, a week later, let go.

After another hiatus, Lake spent the 2023 campaign back in the NFL as assistant head coach for the Rams, rejoining Morris, who was the defensive coordinator in Los Angeles at the time. When Morris was hired as head coach in Atlanta, he brought Lake in for his first NFL coordinator gig. The Falcons defense struggled, though, finishing 23rd in both points and yards allowed. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Morris became more involved in coaching the defense, realizing improvement was needed on that side of the ball.

Rodgers was working his fourth defensive line coaching gig in the NFL. He had previously served with the Broncos, Bears, and Chargers, coaching Pro Bowlers such as Elvis Dumervil, DeMarcus Ware, Akiem Hicks, and Joey Bosa. The pass rush was a big issue for the Falcons this season, as they finished with only 31 — three away from the lowest team total in the league.

Morris and Atlanta will join a number of other teams looking to fill a coordinator role. The team will likely hire the coordinator and let them fill the defensive line coaching role, unless Morris plans to continue to have control in coaching the defense. If that’s the case, Morris may hire his own preference for the position.

2025 NFL Cap Carryover, By Team

January 11th, 2025 at 9:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the regular season in the books, all NFL teams have declared their cap carryover for the 2025 league year. Unused cap space from the current campaign will roll over, a substantial element of many teams’ financial planning.

Last offseason saw a record-breaking jump in the salary cap ceiling (pushing the upper limit to $255.4MM). To no surprise, another spike is expected but a smaller year-to-year increase is likely to take place. It was learned last month that teams are preparing for the 2025 cap to check in at a figure between $265MM-$275MM.

As teams evaluate key roster-building decisions – including restructures and cuts aimed at manufacturing cap space – carryovers are crucial. It it still not known what exactly the cap ceiling will wind up as, but in the meantime every club’s space which has been rolled over will add a degree of clarity with respect to how their offseason will take shape. Several teams (including the top two on this year’s list) have made a concerted effort in recent years to carry unused space through the course of a campaign knowing a spike in cap charges for core players are forthcoming.

Courtesy of Over the Cap, here is the full breakdown of each team’s 2025 cap carryover amount:

  • San Francisco 49ers: $50.01MM
  • Cleveland Browns: $41.95MM
  • New England Patriots: $34.86MM
  • Las Vegas Raiders: $33.57MM
  • Detroit Lions: $23.73MM
  • Washington Commanders: $19.83MM
  • Dallas Cowboys: $18.84MM
  • Jacksonville Jaguars: $15.89MM
  • Green Bay Packers: $15.11MM
  • Tennessee Titans: $14.72MM
  • Arizona Cardinals: $11.38MM
  • Indianapolis Colts: $10.1MM
  • Seattle Seahawks: $8.42MM
  • Pittsburgh Steelers: $6.83MM
  • Philadelphia Eagles: $6.81MM
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $6.63MM
  • Atlanta Falcons: $6.07MM
  • Minnesota Vikings: $5.94MM
  • Cincinnati Bengals: $5.94MM
  • Chicago Bears: $5.08MM
  • Los Angeles Chargers: $4.89MM
  • Houston Texans: $4.81MM
  • Kansas City Chiefs: $3.15MM
  • Miami Dolphins: $3MM
  • New Orleans Saints: $2.93MM
  • Los Angeles Rams: $2.75MM
  • Baltimore Ravens: $2.14MM
  • Denver Broncos: $1.91MM
  • Buffalo Bills: $1.34MM
  • New York Giants: $1.17MM
  • Carolina Panthers: $490K
  • New York Jets: $346K

RB Javonte Williams Wants To Re-Sign With Broncos

January 11th, 2025 at 9:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

Javonte Williams’ performance as a rookie seemed to put him on track to operate as the lead running back for the Broncos over the long term. His timeshare with Melvin Gordon appeared to be a temporary arrangement, but the team’s backfield plans were altered once Williams suffered ACL and LCL tears in 2022.

The former second-rounder was limited to four games in Year 2 as a result of the injury, and questions were raised about his ability to return to his previous form. Expectations remained relatively high based on Williams’ rookie campaign (1,219 scrimmage yards, seven total touchdowns), but in 2023 he did not stand out as hoped. While playing on a Broncos offense which generally lacked efficiency, Williams averaged only 3.6 yards per carry (although he did surpass 1,000 total yards in the process).

Entering the current campaign, the matter of how head coach Sean Payton and the Broncos would approach the backfield setup was a key storyline. Williams found himself in an open competition with the likes of returnees Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin along with fifth-round rookie Audric Estime and UDFA Blake Watson. In the end, Perine did not survive roster cuts, a development which helped Williams occupy a significant role on Denver’s RB depth chart at times in 2024.

The 24-year-old logged a full 17-game campaign, handling double-digit carries on six occasions. Both McLaughlin and Estime have emerged as regulars in the backfield, though, leaving Williams with his smallest workload to date in a healthy season. Given his status as a pending free agent, his future has remained uncertain over the course of the year.

Williams’ name came up in advance of the trade deadline, but the playoff-bound Broncos elected to keep him in the fold. As Denver’s wild-card matchup approaches, it remains to be seen if Sunday will mark his final game with the team. If Williams has his way, though, he will continue playing in the Mile High City in 2025 and beyond.

“I’d love to be in Denver (next season)” the North Carolina product said (via Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette). I love the coaches. I love the city, my teammates. I love everything about it but I understand it’s a business and however it shakes out I just got to do what I got to do.”

With a yards per attempt average of 3.7, Williams’ 2024 efficiency has left plenty to be desired. That could steer the Broncos toward letting him depart, especially with Estime under team control for three more years and McLaughlin on the books for next season as well. Denver is currently projected to be mid-pack in cap space for the offseason, one in which comparatively few starters (a group led by linebacker Cody Barton) are in need of a new contract. Whenever their season ends, it will be interesting to see if the Broncos match Williams’ desire to work out a new contract.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/11/25

January 11th, 2025 at 8:19pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor transactions and more standard gameday practice squad elevations for the wild-card round of the playoffs:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

As a member of the practice squad this year, Clifford, the second-year passer out of Penn State, was elevated twice. As a member of the active roster, he will be able to serve as Green Bay’s emergency third quarterback, which could be beneficial after starter Jordan Love was knocked out of the team’s Week 18 loss with an elbow injury on his throwing arm, and his backup, Malik Willis, was dealing with a thumb injury on his throwing hand. Both players had two full practices this week and carry no injury designation, but the team will be taking no chances.

Coaching Rumors: Brady, Browns, Bears

January 11th, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Head coach and general manager interviews are underway, and the Raiders are looking to hire both. Already looking to hire a new head coach after firing Antonio Pierce, the Raiders made the move to fire general manager Tom Telesco, as well, at the alleged behest of part-owner Tom Brady. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, that may not be the only influence Brady has brought to the equation.

Initially, reports were that Brady preferred to start clean with a general manager who would work in tandem with a new head coach, resulting in the termination of Telesco. Now, Brady’s effect on the team continues as his influence seems to be bringing in candidates that they otherwise wouldn’t typically land

Russini notes that coaches like Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who has notoriously been picky over his potential jobs, are showing interest in Las Vegas perhaps because of Brady’s influence. We’ll see if that influence continues into the search for a new general manager, as well. The presence of the future Hall of Famer seems to be making Las Vegas a premier destination.

Here are a few other coaching updates around the NFL:

  • The Browns will see assistant wide receivers coach Callie Brownson depart this offseason, per Browns staff writer Kelsey Russo. Brownson will not be remaining in the NFL as she plans to take a job as the senior director of high performance & national team operations for Team USA Football. She’ll be responsible for multiple administrative aspects of both the Men’s and Women’s National Teams for the United States when flag football makes its Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028.
  • The Bears are losing an assistant, as well, this one in the front office. Salary cap analyst and pro scout J.J. Cosh will leave Chicago to accept a position as executive associate administrative director over player management at Georgia Tech. Cosh has been with the Bears for six years, joining the team in 2018 as a scouting analyst. He’ll return to the college ranks after coming to the NFL following an introduction to football at Notre Dame.
  • Like Brownson and Cosh, Seahawks defensive assistant Nick Perry will be departing for the college coaching ranks, as well. A former undrafted safety out of Alabama, Perry eventually returned to Tuscaloosa as a graduate student and defensive analyst. In 2021, Perry was hired as assistant defensive backs coach for the Falcons, holding the position for two years before switching sides and serving as assistant wide receivers coach. This past season, he made the move to Seattle, working as a defensive assistant under first year head coach Mike Macdonald. Now, Matt Zentiz of 247Sports reports that Perry has earned his first full position coaching gig as defensive backs coach at Arkansas.

LSU WR Kyren Lacy Wanted In Fatal Hit-And-Run Accident

January 11th, 2025 at 5:09pm CST by Ely Allen

Kyren Lacy was likely expecting to be preparing for the 2025 NFL Draft at this point in the year. Unfortunately, his focus will seemingly be in a legal battle as Chris Nakamoto of WAFB9 was the first to report that the Louisiana State Police have issued an arrest warrant for the LSU wide receiver.

Lacy was allegedly illegally passing several vehicles while in an area where passing was not permitted. A vehicle in the oncoming lane abruptly braked in order to avoid a collision and the car behind them, a Kia Cadenza, swerved left into oncoming traffic to avoid rear-ending the first vehicle. The Cadenza then collided head-on with a Kia Sorrento that Lacy was attempting to pass. Lacy allegedly drove around the crash and fled the scene, failing to stop and render aid, call emergency services, or report his involvement in the crash.

A passenger in the Sorrento sadly passed away after being critically injured in the crash, and the drivers of both vehicles also sustained injuries. Because of the death as a result of the accident, Lacy is facing charges of negligent homicide and felony hit-and-run. Police say Lacy and his representation have been in communication, are cooperating, and are expected to turn him in.

After playing WR3 to Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. in 2023, Lacy finally got the opportunity to serve as the leading wideout this year in Baton Rouge. Though the offense was not nearly as productive in 2024, Lacy was second on the team in receiving yards after not playing in the Tigers’ bowl game (866 yards), and he led the team in receiving touchdowns (9).

Lacy wasn’t projecting to be one of the top receivers in this year’s draft. In early big boards from ESPN’s staff and Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Lacy was nowhere to be found, but his ideal size and decent production likely solidified him as a late-round flier for teams looking for help at wide receiver. His actions yesterday may deter teams from taking a chance on him, though, and he may face a tough challenge to make it to the NFL.

Jets To Interview Darren Mougey, Lance Newmark, Chris Spielman For GM Job

January 11th, 2025 at 11:04am CST by Ben Levine

The Jets are already well into their general manager search, and we’ve got a handful of new names to add to their robust list of candidates. According to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports, the Jets are interviewing three previously unreported candidates for the job today: Broncos assistant GM Darren Mougey, Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark, and Lions executive Chris Spielman.

[RELATED: 2025 NFL General Manager Search Tracker]

The Jets are also meeting with Bengals exec Trey Brown and Vikings SVP of Player Personnel Ryan Grigson today. We learned about the organization’s interest in the duo earlier this week.

Mougey quickly climbed the ranks in Denver, working his way up from an intern to assistant general manager. He’s provided the front office with a bit of continuity over the past few years, as he is one of the few executives to work under both former general manager John Elway and current general manager George Paton.

“Darren is an outstanding evaluator who has an excellent reputation around the league as an up-and-coming personnel executive,” Paton said when Mougey earned a promotion to Director of Player Personnel in 2021. “Getting to work with Darren over the last five months, he is a strong communicator and has great leadership qualities. We’re fortunate to have Darren leading our pro and college scouting while also being a sounding board on all roster decisions.”

This isn’t Newmark’s first time meeting with the Jets; he also interviewed for the team when they were seeking a GM in 2019 (a job that ultimately went to Joe Douglas). Newmark spent 26 seasons with the Lions, and while he lost out on the team’s most-recent GM search to Brad Holmes, he still stuck around as the team’s senior director of player personnel. That was until last offseason, when Martin Mayhew lured him to Washington to serve as the Commanders assistant GM.

Speaking of the Lions, Spielman has transformed into a key member of Detroit’s front office in recent years. The former Pro Bowl Lions linebacker and FOX analyst works as a special assistant to the team’s president/CEO; he is believed to carry notable power within the organization, and the team made an effort to keep Spielman for the foreseeable future by extending his contract last offseason.

The Jets’ GM search is now at 15 names, with the group of candidates also including:

Bears To Interview Ron Rivera For HC Job

January 11th, 2025 at 9:55am CST by Ben Levine

The Bears are adding a franchise icon to their list of head coaching candidates. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Bears will interview Ron Rivera this weekend for their head coaching job.

Rivera has had multiple stints with the organization, most famously between 1984 and 1992 when the linebacker helped anchor Chicago’s defense. He won a Super Bowl with the ’85 Bears, and he proceeded to spend his entire nine-year playing career with the organization.

A few years following his retirement, Rivera got his first coaching gig in Chicago, serving as a defensive quality control coach for two years. He next spent a half-decade in Philly serving as the Eagles linebackers coach before he returned to the Bears as their defensive coordinator. Rivera earned PFWA’s Assistant Coach of the Year honors following his second season at the helm, and he helped guide an NFC Championship-winning defense in 2006.

The relationship between the two sides broke down following Rivera’s third season as DC. Rivera’s contract wasn’t extended due to failed negotiations, and he ended up leaving to become the ILB coach in San Diego. He was quickly promoted to DC with the Chargers, and he parlayed that performance into the Panthers HC job.

Rivera saw some ups and downs during his time in Carolina. His hiring coincided with the addition of first-overall pick Cam Newton, and the duo eventually led the Panthers to four playoff appearances in five years (including a run to the Super Bowl in 2015). Rivera earned a pair of Coach of the Year honors during that run. A late-season collapse saw the Panthers miss the playoffs in 2018, and the team bottomed out with Newton out of the lineup in 2019. Midway through that latter campaign, Rivera was let go by the Panthers.

He quickly landed on his feet in Washington, as he was named head coach ahead of the 2020 season. The Commanders made the playoffs despite a 7-9 record during Rivera’s first season on the sideline, and they flirted with a .500 record for the next couple of years. After the Commanders went 4-13 during the 2023 campaign, Rivera was fired by the team.

The long-time coach was out of football for the 2024 season, although he made it clear that he intended to return to coaching. It didn’t take long for him to reemerge during this year’s hiring cycle, as he’s already met with the Jets about their job.

Rivera now represents the 18th coach to be connected to Chicago’s job. Some of those targets, like Bill Belichick and Mike McCarthy, didn’t gain any traction, but the team has otherwise interviewed or requested interviews with 15 other candidates (excluding Rivera):

Micah Parsons Hoping For Extension Before Training Camp

January 11th, 2025 at 8:50am CST by Ben Levine

Both Micah Parsons and the Cowboys have expressed interest in keeping the dynamic edge rusher in Dallas for the foreseeable future. Of course, that would require a long-term agreement between the two sides, as Parsons is currently set to enter the 2025 season as an impending free agent.

[RELATED: Micah Parsons Aiming For Cowboys Extension Prior To Free Agency]

While Parsons previously expressed optimism that an extension could be completed before the start of this offseason’s free agency, it sounds like the veteran is starting to move the goalposts on his expectations. While speaking to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Parsons said he “would think” or “[would] hope” that the two sides can agree on a new deal before the start of training camp in late July.

Both sides have said all the right things over the past few months. Parsons has stated his desire to have his number retired in Dallas, while Jerry Jones made it clear that the former first-round pick is a pillar of the organization (alongside Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb). While both the Cowboys and Parsons’ camp seem to have the same goal, that doesn’t necessarily mean that negotiations will be easy.

As Archer notes, Lamb’s negotiations with the Cowboys saw a similar start. Both sides were receptive to a long-term pact, and the pressure started to mount when Lamb was entering the final season of his rookie contract (via the fifth-year option), much like Parsons is now. However, those negotiations dragged on and on, with Lamb finally inking his extension in late August.

“You know, everybody puts a lot on when [the contract is] done,” Jones said when asked about completing extensions as early as possible. “Signing Dak when he signed and signing Lamb, it had nothing to do one way or the other with their injuries, the good things that happened or the negative things that happened. … It makes me wonder if you really think people are really that fragile. Fragile in their mentality. Fragile in their personal self. My point is no, it does not. And a lot of us live not having all the things buttoned up. … And so I don’t believe the timing [is an issue]. What I would really hang your hat on is how much we paid him and what he needs to be and what he is. That’s the big thing.”

Archer opines that inking Parsons early would better help the Cowboys navigate the offseason. Further, an extension could help to reduce the player’s cap hit for the 2025 campaign, making it even easier to add talent as the organization looks to return to contention. Plus, the two sides could avoid the lingering story line of a potential holdout; Archer notes that Parsons’ past attendance at offseason programs has been “spotty.”

One thing is certain: Parsons’ second NFL contract will pay him handsomely. The three-time All-Pro recipient has established himself as one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, with Parsons collecting 52.5 sacks through four seasons in the league.

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