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.

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini notes that Spags also has an interview request from the Raiders. The legendary defensive mind has been in the NFL in some capacity for over a quarter-century with most of his time coming as a defensive coordinator. Spagnuolo’s first stint as a head coach started all the way back in 2009 with the then-St. Louis Rams. He went a disastrous 10-38 and was fired after three sees. Spagnuolo has since rehabbed his image with the Giants and most recently the Chiefs. Spagnuolo has been in Kansas City for six years, winning three Super Bowls in the process. He also has a fourth ring from his time in New York. Though his St. Louis sint looms large, Spags is over a decade removed from that failure and has undoubtedly learned plenty from Andy Reid and others. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get another shot at being a head coach in 2025.

Brady, per Pelissero, wanted to know “what it would take” to lure Belichick away from the University of North Carolina job he took a few weeks ago. Belichick’s deal with the university is over five years, though Belichick reportedly has easy outs in the deal. The Raiders this week fired head coach Antonio Pierce after one disastrous season at the helm. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Belichick could be on the Raiders sideline in 2025.

It’s an important step for Hurts, who has been in the NFL’s concussion protocol since sustaining a brain injury in Week 16 against the Commanders. If Hurts is able to clear the protocol by Thursday or Friday, he should be good to go for Sunday’s Wild Card matchup against the Packers. Hurts had 278 passing yards and two touchdowns against the Packers in Week 1 along with 33 rushing yards. It was the third highest passing total of Hurts’ 2024 campaign.