Month: January 2025

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/7/25

Many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing the organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players through the offseason. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

  • DE Anthony Goodlow, OL Sincere Haynesworth, RB Zonovan Knight, NT P.J. Mustipher

Atlanta Falcons

  • WR Makai Polk

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

  • TE Jordan Murray

Cincinnati Bengals

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

  • DL Tyler Manoa

Miami Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/7/25

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Washington Commanders

  • Signed: DT Haggai Ndubuisi
  • Released: OT Max Pircher

To make room for veteran RB Ezekiel Elliott, the Chargers moved on from a veteran wideout. Laviska Shenault spent the majority of this season with the Seahawks, where he hauled in five catches in 11 games. The former second-round pick caught on with the Chargers practice squad in December and ended up getting into one game with the squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/7/25

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

A handful of playoff teams designated players for return from IR today, opening the 21-day window for activation. While there’s a chance these players are activated at some point during the postseason, they could also merely be providing the team with another body during practices.

Rams Place RB Blake Corum On IR

Blake Corum‘s rookie season has officially come to an end. The Rams announced that they’ve placed the first-year running back on injured reserve.

Corum suffered a fractured forearm during the Rams’ season finale. The injury will knock Corum out for the entire postseason, and the team has opened his roster spot by placing the rookie on IR.

A former standout at Michigan, Corum’s college career culminated with him earning the National Championship Offensive MVP. He was ultimately the third RB off the board (behind Jonathon Brooks and Trey Benson) when the Rams selected him in the third round of this past year’s draft.

With Kyren Williams dominating the backfield shares, snaps were difficult to come by for the Rams other RBs. Ronnie Rivers seemed to be the team’s initial choice for RB2, but the rookie eventually overtook his teammate, with Corum garnering the majority of the team’s backup RB snaps after their Week 6 bye. Corum ended up finishing his rookie campaign having compiled 265 yards from scrimmage on 65 touches.

With the rookie out of the lineup, Rivers will likely step up as the team’s top backup. The team is also rostering Cody Schrader, and the team announced that they’ve added veteran RB Royce Freeman to the practice squad.

Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty Declares For Draft

The nation’s top running back prospect has officially declared for the NFL Draft. Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty announced on X that he’s heading to the NFL for the 2025 season.

“I’m excited to announce I am declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft,” Jeanty said in part of his statement. “The opportunity to play in the NFL is a dream of mine, and I’m proud to represent Boise State and all of those who have helped me along the way at the next level.”

Following two productive seasons with the Broncos, Jeanty took his performance to another level in 2024. The running back ended up leading the FBS in rushing yards (2,601) and touchdowns (29), leading to him being runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.

That performance also firmly put Jeanty on the NFL map. Jeanty wasn’t very involved in Boise State’s passing attack, but many pundits have labeled the prospect as a three-down back in the NFL. The prospect is all but certain to be the first RB off the board, and there’s also a good chance he hears his name called in the first round of the draft.

Teams have generally been wary of using first-round picks at the position in recent years, with only five RBs being selected in the first round since 2020 (Clyde Edwards-Helaire in 2020, Najee Harris and Travis Etienne in 2021, Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs in 2023). Jeanty should be the latest inclusion to that exclusive list, and there shouldn’t be any shortage of suitors for the dynamic offensive player. The Cowboys have often been mentioned as a landing spot, especially since the player is a native of Frisco, Texas.

OT Tyron Smith Considering Retirement

Tyron Smith‘s illustrious career may soon be coming to an end. The veteran offensive tackle revealed today that he’s considering retirement, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

“I’ve got to make a lot of decisions going forward,” Smith said. “Within the next couple weeks, I have to decide what I’m going to do as far as playing or not playing.”

Smith’s first season with the Jets ended in November after he suffered a neck injury that required an extended stay on injured reserve. Smith revealed that his flirtation with retirement isn’t related to his growing list of injuries, with the OT also noting that he’s regained “full range of motion” in his neck.

Following a 13-year stay in Dallas, the Jets recruited Smith to New York this past offseason. The offensive tackle was accompanied by his fair share of risk, as the lineman hasn’t made it through a season unscathed since 2015. This included a recent stretch where Smith missed 37 games between 2020 and 2023.

Naturally, the Jets filled their contract with incentives, as the $6MM pact could reach a $20MM value based on playing time. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com notes, the Jets recently cleaned up their books and paid off some of those incentives as bonuses. Now, instead of letting the veteran’s contract void out, the team would likely designate Smith as a post-June 1 cut, allowing them to defer some of the owed money to 2026.

Things obviously didn’t work out for the Jets nor Smith in 2024, but the team can rest easy knowing they have their future LT on the roster. First-round pick Olu Fashanu filled in for Smith at the position down the stretch and will be penciled into the starting lineup heading into the offseason.

Vikings Sign Daniel Jones To Active Roster

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

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

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

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 Stefanskislated 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 Johnsona 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: