HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Vikings Sign Daniel Jones To Active Roster

January 7th, 2025 at 5:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

After spending more than a month on the Vikings’ practice squad, Daniel Jones is making the move up. Minnesota is signing the veteran quarterback to its 53-man roster.

To make room for the former Giants starter, the Vikings waived Brett Rypien. This marks the second time this year Rypien has been let go; the Bears released him in August. Rypien had resided on Minnesota’s active roster since signing with the team two days later.

As this is a true signing rather than a practice squad elevation, Jones would now net the Vikings a compensatory pick — depending on how Minnesota proceeds in free agency — in the 2026 draft, the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling notes. Jones would have been in line to fetch the Giants a comp pick, but the NFC East team forfeited that right by waiving him.

Talent-wise, Jones would make sense as the player who would be best suited to replace Sam Darnold in the event of an injury, but backup Nick Mullens has been in Kevin O’Connell‘s system for three seasons now. Mullens, however, went 0-3 as a Minnesota starter last season. Jones went 2-8 with the Giants this year, as far as wins and losses go, and did not come close to justifying the four-year, $160MM extension the Giants bailed on midway through. That said, Jones played efficiently in 2022 and is a former No. 6 overall pick. It would stand to reason this move to the 53 would position him as a player the Vikings would strongly consider using in an emergency.

For the first time in his career, Darnold has not missed a start during a season. Illnesses and injuries have plagued the former Jets No. 3 overall pick during his starter seasons, removing Darnold’s 2023 49ers stay from this equation. The former Jets and Panthers starter missed three games apiece in 2018 and ’19 and then was sidelined for four in 2020. A broken collarbone sidelined Darnold for much of the 2021 season, and a high ankle sprain — sustained after Baker Mayfield had beaten him out for Carolina’s QB1 gig — kept him out for much of the 2022 slate. Though, the Vikings have seen Darnold provide stability after J.J. McCarthy‘s season-ending knee injury.

While Darnold has transformed his free agency stock — to the point the Vikings may use the franchise tag to keep him off the market — Jones’ is rather murky. A thin QB crop, even factoring in Kirk Cousins‘ likely release, would stand to help the six-year Giants starter. But his injury past and mostly shaky track record (zero seasons north of 7.0 yards per attempt) will make teams hesitant. For now, he is in place as insurance on a 14-3 Vikings team. Free agency will loom soon after.

Bears Request HC Interview With Bills OC Joe Brady

January 7th, 2025 at 5:16pm CST by Ben Levine

Mentioned as a potential candidate last week, Joe Brady is indeed drawing interest for the Bears head coaching vacancy. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears have requested an interview with the Bills offensive coordinator.

Following a stint in college, Brady served as the Panthers offensive coordinator between the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He was fired following that latter campaign and quickly caught on with the Bills as their QBs coach. He spent a year-plus coaching Josh Allen before earning a promotion to interim OC following Ken Dorsey‘s ouster.

Brady earned the full-time gig this past offseason, and the Bills proceeded to finish the 2024 campaign ranked second in points scored and 10th in yards. Despite losing top wideout Stefon Diggs, Brady helped guide Allen to another MVP-caliber season, and running back James Cook led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns.

Considering his success in Buffalo, it’s no surprise that Brady has become a popular name during this year’s hiring cycle. The Jaguars, Jets, and Saints have already requested interviews with the coordinator, and he’s also now set to meet with the Bears. As ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler points out, Brady does have a relationship with Bears QB Caleb Williams. Specifically, Brady tried recruiting Williams to LSU when he served as the Tigers’ pass-game coordinator.

The list of Bears HC candidates continues to grow. Via PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, here is how the Bears’ search stands so far:

Brian Flores To Accept Every Interview Request, Interested In Patriots’ HC Position

January 7th, 2025 at 4:32pm CST by Adam La Rose

Brian Flores‘ first head coaching opportunity came with the Dolphins and lasted three seasons. Since his dismissal in 2021, his oft-discussed NFL experience has resulted in several interviews but no HC gigs as of yet. The 2025 cycle marks the next time in which that could change.

When speaking about his situation on Tuesday, Flores made his intentions clear with respect to the upcoming interview process. The Vikings defensive coordinator said he will meet with every team which submits an interview request. So far, the Bears and Jets have done so; in the wake of the Raiders’ decision to fire Antonio Pierce, there are now four other head coaching vacancies around the league.

“It’s an honor, certainly, that I definitely don’t take that lightly,” Flores said about head coaching interviews (via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert). “I look forward to having those conversations and talking to people about my football journey, my leadership journey.”

As his racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and several teams continues to work its way through court, Flores again finds himself in position to speak with suitors for a second HC opportunity. The 43-year-old worked on the Steelers’ staff in 2022 before taking his current position at the helm of Minnesota’s defense. The unit ranked fifth in points allowed this year, while leading the league in interceptions and finishing fifth in sacks. That success has yielded continued interest in the 2025 cycle, although Flores declined to say if he feels his upcoming interviews are set up merely to satisfy the Rooney Rule.

In any case, at least one of the vacancies Flores has not yet been connected to has his attention. The former Patriots staffer indicated he is interested in New England’s vacancy, one which opened on Sunday with Jerod Mayo‘s firing. The former Patriots linebacker was dismissed after one year in charge, and another ex-player (Mike Vrabel) is seen as the top candidate to replace him. Flores joined New England’s staff as a scouting assistant in 2004, and his tenure with the organization included working on special teams and defense through the 2018 season.

“I mean, we’re talking about going home where it all started,” Flores said when asked about potentially interviewing with the Patriots. “So I think that’s a place that’s definitely a special place… So I would say yes [to speaking with the team]. But at the same time, it’s not up to me as to whether or not they would want to talk to me or anything like that.”

Flores’ Dolphins tenure began with a 5-11 season, and it was followed by 10-6 and 9-8 campaigns. His handling of many Miami players – including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa – has been a frequent talking point, along with clashes with general manager Chris Grier. A fresh start remains his goal, though, and it will be interesting to see if the current hiring cycle produces a long list of suitors.

Bears Not Ruling Out Trading For HC; Latest On Team’s Search Process

January 7th, 2025 at 3:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears have not seen a coach stick around for a long-term stay since Lovie Smith, having seen Matt Nagy‘s tenure stop at four years and Matt Eberflus‘ end before Year 3 was done. As they hope to find a leader who can maximize Caleb Williams — or one whose OC hire will do so — the Bears are keeping their options open.

Ryan Poles said the Bears might have some surprises in this search, via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley. A trade for a head coach is also not something Poles will rule out. Trades for HCs’ rights are not too common, but they have produced splashy results in the modern era.

Sean Payton has turned the Broncos around after their disastrous Nathaniel Hackett season, while Bruce Arians‘ unretirement keyed a Buccaneers Super Bowl win. Turn-of-the-century deals involving Bill Belichick, Jon Gruden and Mike Holmgren also all produced Super Bowl appearances, with the Patriots’ play yielding this century’s best run of success. First-round picks changed hands in the Payton, Belichick and Gruden trades. A second went to the Packers for Holmgren, while a late-round pick swap brought Arians to Tampa.

The Bears have not gone down this road. To be fair, they are far from the only team not to have done so. Speculation about a Kyle Shanahan-to-Chicago trade did not take off, with 49ers brass quickly confirming the two-time NFC champion HC was not going anywhere. Kevin O’Connell, oddly, came up in trade rumors as well. This may pertain to potential Vikings extension talks, but multiple teams have expressed interest in acquiring the high-end play-caller’s rights. While an intra-division trade involving O’Connell would be extremely unlikely, a call to the Browns on what it would take to obtain the recently extended Kevin Stefanski — slated to stay in Cleveland, as his team is trapped with the Deshaun Watson contract — would make sense.

As far as who will be making this call for the Bears, Poles is still leading the charge. Though, candidates are curious as to president Kevin Warren‘s role within the organization. Previously viewed as a business-side boss, Warren has instead been playing a regular role in personnel. Warren joins Poles, owner George McCaskey, co-director of player personnel Jeff King, director of football administration Matt Feinstein and executive VP Liz Geist on the search committee.

Assistant GM Ian Cunningham represents an interesting omission, but ESPN.com’s Cronin adds the three-year Bears exec would be added to the committee if efforts to secure a promotion elsewhere to not pan out. Cunningham faced off with 49ers exec Adam Peters in the finals for the Commanders’ GM job last year and has interviewed elsewhere since arriving in Chicago. He has not received any interview requests yet this year, though only two teams — the Jets and Titans — are hiring. The Tennessee opening also only emerged Tuesday morning.

McCaskey is not expected to play a lead role here, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, who indicates Poles and Warren will instead shape this hire. Potentially helping to explain any potential trade rumors involving this job opening, a source told Jones that Warren may want a splashier hire to help his stadium project — one that has seen some twists and turns since it launched — across the goal line. The team has scheduled a Mike Vrabel meeting, and Lions OC Ben Johnson — a long-rumored target — is expected to interview as well. The Bears have also reached out to the Cowboys on Mike McCarthy but have not heard back. McCarthy’s Dallas HC contract expires January 14.

Via PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, here is how the Bears’ search stands so far:

Titans Fire AGM Anthony Robinson, Other Staffers

January 7th, 2025 at 3:37pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Titans were named as a potential team to watch regarding a front office move, and that proved to be the case on Tuesday. General manager Ran Carthon was fired after two seasons in that role.

As a result, the Titans join the Jets as teams in need of a new GM. Tennessee will lean on president of football operations Chad Brinker to lead the search, and he will have a central role in roster-related decisions moving forward. Other members of the front office staff are also out.

Four staffers have been fired in addition to Carthon, as noted by veteran reporter Paul Kuharsky. The list includes assistant general manager Anthony Robinson, who like Carthon was in place for two years. Robinson was tapped for an AGM role alongside Brinker in May 2023, bringing an end to his time with the Falcons. He joined Atlanta’s staff as a full-time scout in 2011, working his way up to the post of college scouting director in 2019.

Robinson’s stock continued to rise, and in 2021 he interviewed for Atlanta’s general manager position. The Falcons ultimately went with Terry Fontenot, though, which helped explain Robinson’s decision to head elsewhere in relatively short order. After a brief run in Nashville, however, he will once again find himself on the move. It will be interesting to see if he generates interest from the Jets for their GM positing or if he lands another position in a different front office.

As Kuharsky notes, vice president of team operations Brent Akers as well as VP of football technology Anthony Pastrana have also been dismissed. Their respective tenures with the franchise date back to the late 1990s, so their absences will be notable. In addition, senior security director John Albertson has been fired.

Prior to the news of those dismissals, Bovada’s Josina Anderson reported the Titans were expected to add to their personnel department. That will of course be the case now, and Brinker (in tandem with the new general manager, once that hire is made) will have several positions to fill this offseason.

Ravens WR Zay Flowers’ Wild-Card Availability Uncertain

January 7th, 2025 at 2:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens are favored to beat the rival Steelers during their upcoming wild-card game, but Baltimore may be shorthanded on offense. Wideout Zay Flowers is dealing with a knee injury and his availability for this week is a question mark as a result.

Flowers went down during the Ravens’ Week 18 win against the Browns. The team’s starters played most of the game, one in which a win was required to clinch top spot in the AFC North. Initial testing indicated a knee sprain, per Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz. That pointed to a week-to-week timeline, although more recently head coach John Harbaugh has indicated Flowers is day-to-day at this point.

Harbaugh noted (via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic) Flowers is attempting to recover in time to play on Saturday, declining to confirm if the injury in question is in fact a sprain. In any case, missing the second-year wideout would be a major development for the Ravens given his importance to the team’s passing attack. Flowers set a franchise rookie record with 858 yards last year, leading to high expectations for 2024. With a 74-1,059-4 regular season statline, it is safe to say he met them.

The Ravens have enjoyed a strong season on offense this year, and the play of quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry have of course played a key role in that regard. Flowers has topped the WR depth chart during the year, though, and his absence would create a notable vacancy. Fellow former first-round pick Rashod Bateman would see an uptick in targets if Flowers were to miss Saturday’s game; Bateman played all 17 games in a season for the first time in his career in 2024, posting career highs in yards (756) and touchdowns (nine). Baltimore – having moved on from trade acquisition Diontae Johnson – also has Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace and fourth-round rookie Devontez Walker at the WR spot.

Since Harbaugh added Flowers’ ailment is not seen as season-ending, the possibility remains he will be back to full strength in time for the divisional round provided the Ravens advance. For now, though, he could be sidelined as Baltimore looks to beat Pittsburgh for the second time this year.

Lions’ Derrick Barnes, Carlton Davis Out For Season; David Montgomery Nearing Return

January 7th, 2025 at 2:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions’ injury activation puzzle continues to come into focus. Dan Campbell shed light on some of his players on IR and those rehabbing injuries while still on the active roster. Good and bad news has emerged.

Chiefly, David Montgomery‘s dodging of a season-ending injury — the feared scenario when Detroit’s starting running back went down in Week 15 — is close to producing a return. After Montgomery took part in a full workout before the Lions’ Week 18 game, Campbell said (via the Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers) he expects the recently extended RB to be ready for the team’s divisional-round matchup.

Generally, when “team fears”-driven headlines surface, bad news emerges. This represents a rare positive development from that place, and the Lions now have two more weeks to prepare Montgomery to reform his elite tandem with Jahmyr Gibbs, who thrived as the team’s starter in the veteran’s stead. Gibbs is coming off a four-touchdown performance in the Lions’ dismantling of the Vikings. As a result, Gibbs’ backfield mate has more time to recover.

While Gibbs took on a bigger role this season, Montgomery still totaled 775 rushing yards and 12 TDs in 14 games. Montomgery also became a far more significant part of Detroit’s passing attack, amassing 341 receiving yards after totaling just 117 in his first Lions season. The team gave him a two-year, $18.25MM extension weeks before his MCL injury.

Montgomery does not factor into the Lions’ IR-return puzzle, having been kept on the active roster. Otherwise, he would have needed to wait one more week to return. Linebacker Derrick Barnes does, but Campbell said neither he nor Carlton Davis will be expected to play again this season. Barnes has been on IR since September with a knee injury. The Lions had not ruled him out, pointing to a potential late-season reemergence. Like D-lineman John Cominsky, however, no comeback is likely.

This is a tough blow to a former Day 3 pick in a contract year, and Barnes had started 26 games for the Lions since being part of the first Campbell-Brad Holmes draft. That included three starts this year. While Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez are done for the season, Alex Anzalone‘s return alongside Jack Campbell made a difference against Minnesota. Barnes’ injury activation place could be allocated to rookie DB Ennis Rakestraw. Campbell said the second-round pick is likely to be ready to go soon, Rogers adds. Rakestraw, a cornerback chosen 61st overall, suffered a hamstring injury during a late-November practice. The Missouri alum would represent some insurance, having only played 46 defensive snaps this season, for a position group battered by injuries.

Davis sustained a broken jaw in Week 15, and while the Lions did not place the trade pickup on IR as hope existed regarding a potential 11th-hour return, Campbell said (via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett) that is unlikely. Acquired in a package that brought a third-round pick to the Bucs, Davis started all 13 games he played for the Lions. He is heading toward free agency. Turning 28 just last week, the former Super Bowl LV starter should be expected to command extensive interest.

The Lions saw free agency addition Amik Robertson play quite well in relief Sunday night, operating primarily on Justin Jefferson and largely neutralizing the Vikings superstar. The former Raiders regular has started the past three games in place of Davis, playing alongside first-rounder Terrion Arnold. Being unable to put weight on his injured foot upon leaving the Lions’ Week 18 tilt, Arnold suffered a foot contusion. While Campbell stopped short of confirming Arnold would be back for Round 2, the fourth-year HC called the rookie’s prognosis “positive.”

Mike Vrabel On Jaguars’ HC Radar?

January 7th, 2025 at 1:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jaguars unveiled their initial list of head coaching targets on Tuesday. The team has submitted an interview request with eight candidates so far, but other staffers will likely receive a look as well.

One of those could well be Mike Vrabel. The former Titans head coach is on the Jaguars’ “wish list,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. That comes as little surprise given the fact Vrabel has long been considered one of the top candidates in the 2025 hiring cycle. He has already interviewed with the Jets, while the Bears have issued an interview request. The Saints plan to line up a meeting as well.

Of course, the former Coach of the Year has long been connected to the Patriots given his success with the team as a player. Vrabel won three Super Bowlers with New England and he has a strong relationship with owner Robert Kraft. Once Jerod Mayo became a one-and-done coach, many immediately pointed to Vrabel as a logical replacement, and recent reporting on the matter confirms he is perceived as the team’s top candidate.

Jacksonville’s initial list of targets only includes one former head coach: Robert Saleh. The 45-year-old was in place at the helm of the Jets from 2021 through the first five weeks of this campaign. His firing brought about an end to his first NFL head coaching gig, one which was preceded by a four-year stretch as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. That, in turn, came after Saleh worked with a number of teams as a position/quality control coach, including three years coaching the Jaguars’ linebackers. Currently working as a Packers consultant, his candidacy will be one of the more interesting ones to follow this winter.

As Schefter notes, Lions coordinator Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn are also top Jaguars targets. That falls in line with the interest both coaches have already received from other teams and comes as no surprise since both have received an interview slip from Jacksonville. Vrabel (whose Browns contract recently expired, leaving him free to speak with teams at any time) could also become a name to watch as the Jags seek out their Doug Pederson replacement.

Jets Request HC Interview With Saints’ Darren Rizzi

January 7th, 2025 at 1:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Darren Rizzi has not been eliminated from the Saints’ full-time HC post, though considering how the only interim coach-turned-full-timer since 2017 fared, it would be rather surprising if New Orleans gave this scenario serious consideration.

Antonio Pierce went 4-13 as Raiders HC and is not certain to return. The 2023 interim Las Vegas leader, however, received interview requests from the Falcons and Titans last year. Pierce’s 5-4 run as interim Raiders HC impressed elsewhere as well. A year later, Rizzi is receiving outside interest after his half-season interim run.

[RELATED: Rizzi Aiming To Become Saints’ Full-Time Head Coach]

The Jets have made Rizzi part of their search process, requesting a meeting, per NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill. This is an unusual place to be, as Rizzi is both expected to be included in the Saints’ interview process and would be on track to remain part of New Orleans’ next coaching staff even if he does not land the full-time HC gig. A Jets meeting could, however, throw a wrench in those plans.

Rizzi, 54, has been a special teams coordinator since 2010 and has coached in the NFL since 2009. The Jets observed Rizzi’s ST work from 2009-18, when he was with the Dolphins; the final nine years of that stint came as Miami’s ST coordinator. While working under Tony Sparano, Joe Philbin and Adam Gase, Rizzi was not brought back under Brian Flores. The Saints hired him in 2019 and bumped him up to assistant HC in 2022.

The Saints went 3-5 under Rizzi. That represents an achievement in itself given the injuries to Derek Carr, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed on offense. New Orleans won its first two games with Rizzi at the helm and then pushed Tampa Bay in the teams’ Week 18 matchup, making the eventual NFC South champions sweat before ultimately falling. While Rizzi presented a compelling case, the Saints’ struggles with Dennis Allen — another Sean Payton assistant promoted — would point to an outside hire of some sort taking place.

Courtesy of PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, here is how the Jets’ HC search looks so far:

Brian Daboll May Step Out Of Play-Calling Role; John Mara Criticizes Giants’ Defense

January 7th, 2025 at 1:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

After OC Mike Kafka primarily called Giants plays from 2022-23, Brian Daboll took the reins this past season. Despite being at the controls as Josh Allen morphed from raw talent into superstar with the Bills, Daboll could not do much with the 2024 Giants’ offense. As a result, he nearly lost his job.

John Mara, however, retained both Daboll and GM Joe Schoen but issued directives that an improvement must take place immediately. Daboll is now entertaining a step back into a CEO coaching role, though the fourth-year Giants HC did not confirm if the idea of another shift was his or Mara’s.

[RELATED: Mike Kafka Drawing HC Interest]

Mara said Monday he talked to Daboll about moving off play-calling, but Daboll subsequently insisted (via the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard) he broached the subject. When pressed as to who initiated that conversation, Daboll admitted it was perhaps Mara who did. While this seems an important detail, Daboll will be coaching for his job early in the 2025 season — regardless of which party brought this up.

Daboll could not coax quality play from Daniel Jones, despite he and Kafka doing so in 2022. Jones struggled during an injury-plagued 2023 and did not bounce back this season, leading to an in-season cut and a move to the Vikings’ practice squad. The Giants then went around Drew Lock to give Tommy DeVito the first crack at replacing Jones. Lock then took the wheel to close the season, offering inconsistent play down the stretch. The Giants finished 31st in scoring, but in Daboll’s (slight) defense, they were 30th in 2023. This came after a Saquon Barkley-dependent offense placed 15th in 2022, leading to a divisional-round appearance.

Changes on offense may not be all that comes out of a disastrous 3-14 season. Mara criticized Shane Bowen‘s defense when assessing the season, potentially calling the former Titans DC’s job status into question. The Giants did climb from 26th to 21st in total defense, despite not having Dexter Lawrence for a third of the season and missing Kayvon Thibodeaux for a sizable chunk in the middle. New York’s secondary struggled, however.

“Quite frankly, I didn’t think our defense played very well this year at all,” Mara said, via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. “I know that when you have an offense that performs like that, you’re putting more pressure on your defense. But we need to make improvements there. I’m tired of watching teams go up and down the field on us. So, I think that has to be addressed.”

Despite Hard Knocks‘ offseason effort showing Bowen being given a key voice in defensive personnel, Dunleavy reminds he was not the Giants’ first choice for the job. Bobby Babich and Dennard Wilson were the team’s initial preferences, Dunleavy adds.

The Bills promoted Babich — a former Daboll Buffalo coworker — to DC, while Wilson instead took the Titans’ DC gig. The Giants were one of three other teams to request a DC meeting with Babich, while Wilson — a former Eagles DBs coach — was one of three Ravens assistants to become a DC elsewhere in 2024. He met about the Giants’ job in mid-January; Big Blue did not hire Bowen until Feb. 5.

Monitoring Bowen’s status will be important for Giants fans over the next few days, as it would be difficult to expect the team to carry on as is after a 3-14 season. Nevertheless, Daboll will soon be the team’s longest-tenured HC since Tom Coughlin.

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