Today’s standard gameday practice squad elevations in advance of championship Sunday:
Buffalo Bills
Kansas City Chiefs
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Commanders
11:12pm: It doesn’t sound like any deals will come together tonight. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, both Glenn and Newmark have left the Jets facility without deals. Connor Hughes of SNY.tv cautions that all sides will continue to talk, so there’s no huge cause for concern within the Jets front office.
4:45pm: The clear favorites for the Jets are known regarding both the head coach and general manager vacancies. Lions DC Aaron Glenn and Commanders AGM Lance Newmark are meeting in person with the team today, paving the way for a potential hire in both cases. 
New York’s reported intention is to work out an agreement with Glenn before he leaves the facility; especially if that proves to be the case, Newmark could soon agree to take on GM duties. The two have worked together in Detroit, and Newmark is the only candidate so far who has met with the Jets for a second time regarding the general manager vacancy. This situation could produce a pair of hires very soon.
Bovada’s Josina Anderson reports optimism is building with respect to both Glenn and Newmark being brought onboard. An agreement has yet to be finalized in either case, but that could of course change at any time. Considering Glenn has already been in contact with potential coordinator hires, it would come as no surprise if he were to agree to a New York deal. If that does not take place today, however, the Saints will continue to loom as an alternative destination.
Newmark’s Commanders are one of the four teams still playing, but as the Titans’ hiring of former Chiefs exec Mike Borgonzi demonstrated, front office personnel are free to join new teams at any time. Coaches whose seasons have ended cannot do the same, but the Lions’ upset loss this weekend left Glenn (along with Ben Johnson) on the market earlier than expected.
The Jets have leaned heavily on The 33rd Team’s Mike Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman to lead the search for both the HC and GM roles. Both processes have been wide-ranging, but further signs indicate they have come to an end. SNY’s Connor Hughes reports other candidates are being contacted and told they are out of the running, all-but confirming a Glenn-Newmark tandem will soon officially be in place.
Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has been mentioned as an early contender for the Cowboys’ head coaching vacancy, but he may not want to leave Washington after his success with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Dallas may then pivot to Kingsbury’s run game coordinator and running backs coach, Anthony Lynn. He coached the same position for the Cowboys in 2005 and 2006 and later went 33-31 in four seasons as the Chargers’ head coach.
There is “mutual interest” between Lynn and the Cowboys, according to WFAA’s Ed Werner, putting another reunion on the table in Dallas. Former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has already interviewed for the head coaching job, and ex-players Deion Sanders and Jason Witten have also been mentioned as possibilities.
Lynn has not received serious head coaching consideration since he was fired by the Chargers after the 2020 season. He spent 2021 and 2022 as the Lions’ offensive coordinator, then moved onto San Francisco were he served as assistant head coach while also overseeing their running backs. He was in contention for the Commanders’ offensive coordinator gig in 2023, but lost out to Eric Bieniemy, who held the job for just one season.
A year later, Lynn was hired onto Kingsbury’s staff where the two put together one of the league’s top rushing attacks in 2024. The Commanders finished third in rushing yards, fourth in yards per carry, and fifth in rushing touchdowns during the regular season despite injuries to both Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler. Lynn helped get the most out of Daniels, whose 891 rushing yards led the team and ranked second among all QBs this year.
Lynn won’t be available to interview with the Cowboys until at least next week. Neither will Kingsbury, as both coaches will be fully focused on extending the Commanders’ surprising playoff run.
Two weekends of playoff football have come and gone, providing us with 10 more draft slots cemented into position as NFL teams continue to be eliminated from the playoffs. The top 18 picks were already divvied up at the conclusion of the regular season to the teams who failed to make the playoffs, while picks 19-28 have been determined over the past two weeks.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order has been determined by the inverted 2024 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. The playoff squads are being slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular-season record.
The league’s Super Wild Card weekend resulted in the elimination of Chargers, Steelers, Broncos, Packers, Buccaneers, and Vikings after their respective losses. Tampa Bay benefitted from the three-way tie in record with Denver and Pittsburgh, just as the Chargers did over the Packers.
The divisional round of the playoffs resulted in the elimination of the Texans, Rams, Ravens, and Lions. This time, Houston held the tiebreaker over Los Angeles, gifting it higher draft priority.
We are still at a place that, for the first time since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002, there is a chance that every team drafts in the first round, as no first-round picks have yet been traded. It’s extremely unlikely that this will remain the case, as draft-day trades are a very common occurrence, but it’s still an interesting concept to note this close to the draft.
Here is how the draft order looks following two weeks of playoff football:
Given the timing on the decision to move on from Mike McCarthy, the Cowboys are slightly behind other head coach-needy teams around the NFL. A list of candidates has emerged over the past few days, but it could grow in the near future.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Dallas is expected to speak with more potential hires over the coming days (video link). Once the divisional round concludes, several notable coaches will become eligible to conduct in-person interviews with the six teams still in need of a new HC. The Lions’ in-demand duo of Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn are among the staffers available to be hired at any time starting tomorrow, and to no surprise ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes they represent the next two dominoes to fall in the hiring cycle (video link).
Glenn was mentioned yesterday as a potential Cowboys target, but to date no connections have been made between Dallas and Johnson. A different candidate with an offensive background could be on the team’s radar, though. Rapoport names Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury as someone who could receive an interview request from the Cowboys. Washington’s season is ongoing, of course, something which will delay the process by which he could land his next head coaching gig.
Kingsbury returned to the pro game this offseason by joining Dan Quinn‘s staff. The former Cardinals coach and USC staffer has drawn praise for the performance of the Commanders’ offense in general and the play of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in particular. The Bears and Saints have submitted interview requests for the 45-year-old, while the Jaguars have also been mentioned as a potential suitor. Kingsbury made it clear last week he will not take part in any interviews (even virtual ones) until the Commanders’ season comes to an end.
The only remaining interview on the Cowboys’ docket as things stand is with Seahawks assistant Leslie Frazier. Dallas was not among the teams to request an interview with Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, although he is now off the market for at least one more year as a result of his Longhorns extension. It will be interesting to see which other targets emerge for the Dallas vacancy with an increased pool of candidates available.
For the time being, though, here is where things stand with the Cowboys:
2:45pm: Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has since confirmed (via Rapoport) Cosmi suffered a torn ACL. He will miss the rest of Washington’s playoff run in addition to considerable time next season as a result.
12:10pm: The Commanders pulled off a stunning upset of the NFC’s top-seeded Lions in last night’s divisional round contest, though the win came with a price. Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link), Washington fears that starting right guard Sam Cosmi suffered a significant knee injury during the game, and Cosmi is likely to miss the remainder of the club’s postseason run as a result.
Cosmi, who will turn 26 next month, was selected by the Commanders in the second round of the 2021 draft. He would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency this offseason, but after he turned in a stellar 2023 campaign – Pro Football Focus ranked him as the fourth-best guard out of 79 qualifiers – Washington made sure to prevent the converted tackle from hitting the market.
Before the 2024 regular season got underway, the Commanders authorized a four-year, $74MM pact for Cosmi, a deal that keeps the Texas alum under club control through 2028. While only $26.6MM of the contract value was guaranteed at signing, the team clearly envisions him as a long-term O-line fixture.
PFF was not as high on Cosmi’s 2024 work as it was on his 2023 efforts, but his 67.8 overall grade still positioned him as the site’s 23rd-best guard out of 75 qualified players. His work in pass-blocking remained strong – he yielded just one sack and even fewer pressures than he did in 2023 – though his run-blocking suffered a bit in PFF’s estimation.
Nonetheless, his loss will be acutely felt as the Commanders seek to secure their first Super Bowl appearance since the 1991 season. Cosmi is arguably the best blocker on the club’s offensive front, and as good as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is, losing one of Daniels’ top protectors will sting.
Plus, any knee injury of a certain magnitude that a player sustains at this point in the calendar could affect that player’s availability for the following season. An upcoming MRI will reveal more, but for now, it appears certain that the Commanders will rely on Trent Scott to fill the RG void for the rest of the playoffs.
Saturday’s minor moves, including stand gameday practices squad elevations for the weekend’s remaining divisional playoff games:
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Detroit Lions
Los Angeles Rams
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Commanders
Friday’s reserve/futures contracts around the league:
Atlanta Falcons
Buffalo Bills
Minnesota Vikings
New York Jets
Seattle Seahawks
Washington Commanders
Following a successful return to the NFL as the Commanders offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury is once again on the head coach radar. While Kingsbury has already been connected to a handful of jobs, it sounds like the former NFL journeyman isn’t in any rush to return to the top coaching job.
We heard earlier this week that the coach would be wary of leaving his current job in Washington considering the presence of QB Jayden Daniels. Kingsbury is apparently doubling down on his lack of urgency, as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com reports that the current coordinator won’t take any head coaching interviews until after his team’s eliminated from the playoffs. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport backs up this report, noting that Kingsbury’s approach increases the chances of him returning to Washington in 2025.
Instead of the distraction of head coaching interviews, Kingsbury is fully focused on the Commanders upcoming playoff matchup against the Lions. While the Commanders obviously face an uphill battle against the NFC’s top team, Kingsbury could only help to improve his future HC chances with another successful playoff showing.
As Florio notes, Kingsbury also doesn’t have any financial urgency to return to the head coach role. The former Cardinals head coach is still being paid by the organization; the team famously fired Kingsbury less than a year after handing him a six-year extension. Kingsbury’s stint in Arizona saw its fair share of ups and downs, although he lost some of his shine after guiding the team to only one winning season and a single one-and-done playoff appearance through four years.
Since his firing, he’s done an admirable job of rehabbing his reputation. He spent the 2023 campaign at USC, where he worked closely with eventual first-overall pick Caleb Williams. Then, after getting hired as the Commanders new OC, he helped guide his squad to one of the best offensive outputs in team history. His 2024 success came with a rookie under center, as Daniels finished his first NFL season with 25 passing touchdowns and close to 900 yards rushing.
With Kingsbury having worked with two of the league’s brightest young stars, it’s no surprise that he’s back in the hiring cycle. As our 2025 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker shows, the Bears and Saints have already requested interviews with the coordinator, and the Jaguars have also been mentioned as a potential suitor. There’s a chance that Kingsbury could be ready to interview with those organizations as soon as Sunday, but the coach is still risking those teams making a decision before he’s ready for a meeting.
The NFL has placed significant restrictions on Tom Brady during his time as a broadcaster. Since the future Hall of Fame quarterback is now part-owner of the Raiders, he is prohibited from speaking attending practices, traveling to clubs’ facilities or doing onsite interview prep with coaches ahead of broadcast assignments.But a loophole may influence the Raiders’ coaching search.
Brady will be in Detroit for FOX’s divisional-round game (Commanders-Lions), and he would have a chance to both closely evaluate Ben Johnson (and Lions DC Aaron Glenn) and continue speaking with a coach who looks to be — at this juncture, at least — the Raiders’ early favorite.
Raiders-Johnson momentum is building, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore. Clearly residing as a frontrunner here, Johnson is “seriously considering” the Raiders, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur notes. In predicting fits, Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson placed Johnson in Vegas.
While Mark Davis is technically atop the organization, it is widely believed Brady is running the team’s HC and GM pursuits. A report pointed to this search being “Tom’s show,” and Tafur offers more in that direction by adding that the minority owner was heavily involved in the decisions to fire Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco last week. Telesco was ultimately canned because the Raiders wanted to start fresh rather than pair a new coach with a holdover GM.
It is abnormal for a part-owner to have this much influence in searches of this magnitude, but Brady’s stature in the game makes him a special case. The 47-year-old exec’s presence is believed to have driven Johnson to add the Raiders to his interview list. The Lions’ OC has been picky about jobs since first joining a coaching carousel in 2023, and he famously backed out as the Commanders’ frontrunner last year. For Johnson to then be open to taking a Raiders job despite the lack of a quarterback presence and considering Davis’ lack of patience with coaches in recent years, it would certainly say a lot about Brady’s ability to recruit.
Las Vegas may be eyeing a Detroit-centric plan, with Tafur adding Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark is believed to have an early leg up on the competition for the GM job. This would be an interesting development, as Newmark has not received an interview request just yet. Packers exec Jon-Eric Sullivan, Steelers staffer Sheldon White and ex-Brady Michigan teammate John Spytek — a Buccaneers assistant GM — are the interviewees thus far. Spytek held early momentum as a candidate to watch; Newmark making up ground would be interesting due to his history.
Although Newmark left for Washington in 2024, he spent more than 20 years as a Detroit exec. That obviously covers the time Johnson has spent with the franchise, and Tafur adds the Raiders view Newmark as a staffer who could pair well with the 38-year-old play-caller.
Brady began vetting Johnson when he did a Week 9 Lions-Packers broadcast, Tafur offers. This would obviously be an unusual way for a franchise to gather intel on a candidate, and it obviously calls Brady’s FOX role into question as far as objectivity goes. Considering the steam Johnson has gained with the Raiders, the ongoing Brady conflict-of-interest subplot will continue Saturday.
Johnson is still in play for the Bears and Jaguars’ jobs, and while it is not known if the teams have him as a favorite, Mike Vrabel being off the carousel leaves Johnson as the hottest candidate based on history and the Lions’ dominant season on offense. The Jags are believed to be heavily interested. Johnson cannot conduct any second interviews until a Super Bowl bye week, or if the Lions are eliminated earlier.
For Johnson to back out of the Commanders’ search only to join the Raiders would represents a borderline coup for Brady, and it would add even more intrigue to a division that has seen tremendous coaching talent join Andy Reid in recent years. Johnson would join Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh in the AFC West. The Raiders still have interviews to go through, and Johnson’s past should remind this is not a done deal. But this much noise about the situation is certainly interesting this early in the process.