Weaver is also on the Saints’ radar but spoke first with the Bears. Weaver has held jobs in the NFL since joining the Jets as an assistant defensive line coach in 2012 and has twice served as a defensive coordinator. Long thought of as a future head coach, Weaver had two interviews with the Falcons and Commanders during last year’s coaching cycle and could again be viewed as a serious contender for a job this coaching cycle.

The Jaguars become the third team to request an interview with Spagnuolo, joining the Jets and Raiders. The former Rams head coach (2009-2011) also served as the Giants’ interim head coach in 2017 and has a career record of 11-41. Spagnuolo is one of the top defensive minds in the league and has led three Super Bowl defenses during his time with the Chiefs (2019-present). Those who remember Spagnuolo’s first tenure as a head coach will raise their eyebrows at the thought of him getting another chance, but he’s been a popular name in coaching circles for the last few years given his success with the Chiefs.

We’ll see how long the Falcons stick by this stance, but it’s highly unlikely the team will stick with Cousins, who carries a $40 million cap hit, in 2025. This feels more like a bluff by Fontenot and the Falcons, who would benefit most from trading Cousins to a team interested in taking on some of his salary cap. The veteran cornerback carries a pre-June 1 dead cap hit of $65 million and a post-June 1 dead cap hit of $40 million per Over the Cap. Cousins’ time with the Falcons is likely done, regardless of what Fontenot is saying four days after the conclusion of their regular season.

Kingsbury said last week that “at some point,” he would like to be a head coach again but didn’t elaborate beyond that. The Commanders’ offense has thrived in its first season under Kingsbury, ranking in the top 10 in points per game, yards per game, and EPA per play, thanks in large to the high-end play of rookie Jayden Daniels. In article published by ESPN recently, Kingsbury said, “It would take a lot to leave this kid,” while speaking highly of Daniels’ “confidence, humility, and playmaking ability.” He also added that, “If you feel like you haver to force it, then you’re probably not making the right choice,” regarding his coaching future. The Bears make for an interesting landing spot for Kingsbury given his history with quarterback Caleb Williams, but there aren’t quite as many ties pulling him to the Saints. Kingsbury isn’t a lock to leave Washington after just one season, but the desire to land another head coaching job appears to be strong.

The Bears continue to knock out interviews for their head coaching vacancy and have more candidates on tap in the coming days. In two years with the Cardinals, Petzing elevated his offense to a top-12 unit by the end of 2024. The Cardinals also ranked 13th in EPA per dropback and sixth in dropback success rate, which could bode well for Caleb Williams heading into his second season if Petzing and the Bears unite.

Hurts missed a meaningless Week 18 game because of the concussion. However, he didn’t practice at all last week, creating some minor concern that he wouldn’t clear the league’s concussion protocol in time for Philly’s Wild Card game. A limited practice to open the week puts him on track to suit up versus the Packers. All eyes will be on the Eagles’ next two practice reports in anticipation of a full practice for Hurts, but all signs point toward him playing. Kenny Pickett was also limited in practice as he continued to deal with a rib injury.

Flowers did not practice on Tuesday and was not spotted during Wednesday’s session, marking another DNP for the young wideout. Head coach Jim Harbaugh called him day to day on Monday. Even if he misses Saturday’s game, it sounds like there is a good chance Flowers is ready to suit up for the Divisional Round, assuming Baltimore takes care of business against Pittsburgh. In the meantime, Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews will shoulder more of the receiving workload versus the Steelers.

Cooper missed a meaningless Week 18 game for personal reasons and had not returned to the team as of Monday. He was back on the field for a full practice today and is good to go for Buffalo’s Wild Card Round date with the Broncos. The team also listed a back injury for Cooper on their report, though it didn’t limit him in practice and is a non-issue. Splitting time and targets in a crowded receiver room, Cooper will be a boom/bust fantasy option for the opening round of the playoffs.

To no one’s surprise, Kyle Shanahan will retain the play-calling duties in 2025. This marks just the second time in Shanny’s head coaching tenure that he has assigned the offensive coordinator title to someone. The other was in 2021 when Mike McDaniel held the role. Klay, another son of Gary Kubiak, got his start in the NFL as a quality control coach for the 49ers in 2021. He has worked his way up the ranks ever since and, like McDaniel before him, will be a popular name in league circles for head coaching jobs if the 49ers right the ship next year.

Lynch added, “We’re not in the business of letting good players out there.” Samuel is coming off a disastrous season that saw him catch 51 passes for 673 yards and three scores. His dramatic falloff has made him the subject of trade and cut rumors for months, but moving on from him wouldn’t be easy for San Francisco, even if they wanted to. A post-June 1st release only offers the team $5 million in savings with a $30 million dead cap hit spread over two seasons. An extension or a restructure, both of which would help kick the can down the road, are more likely for the veteran receiver this offseason.