NFL Player News

Gado struggled in minicamp but is back atop the depth chart with Ahman Green (thigh) still out. Najeh Davenport is in danger of being cut.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Pierce laid out his plans for the Raiders’ future after his team put the finishing touches on a 4-13 season with a 34-20 loss to the Chargers in Week 18. Pierce hasn’t heard anything regarding his future, but we wouldn’t be so quick to assume the team will retain him in 2025. That said, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday that Pierce’s job could be safe, as he and owner Mark Davis have had “regular conversations” about the team’s future. The Raiders are in desperate need of a franchise quarterback, something they never attempted to acquire in Pierce’s first full season with the team. After dismissing three coaches since 2021, it’s possible Davis opts to stay patient with Pierce and give him a chance to construct a legitimate offense this offseason.

It puts his training camp status in jeopardy. Murray is under contract for 2025, but his cap number of $10 million may be untenable and the Titans could save $7.5 million against the cap by releasing him. Murray was inactive for the last two games of the season after trying to play through the injury in Weeks 15 and 16. He finished the year with 3.5 sacks, 95 combined tackles, and two passes defensed.

Kraft opened his Monday presser by taking full responsibility for the firing of former head coach Jerod Mayo, who Kraft said was put in an “untenable” situation. Shortly after, he announced that Wolf and senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith would return to their roles next season while adding they will be “looking for people working together.” Kraft dodged any questions about the possibility of Mike Vrabel being at the top of his coaching wish list, but nobody would be surprised to see the former Patriots linebacker and Titans head coach return home if the two sides came to an agreement. It will be a busy few days in New England as the team looks to sort itself out and find the next coach to usher in the post-Belichick era.

Also New York’s associate head coach, Kafka is getting this interview in spite of the Giants struggles on offense in 2024. Last year Kafka got a second interview with the Seahawks for the team’s head coaching vacancy and also interviewed with the Titans and Cardinals. This suggests the Bears will cast a fairly wide net for their coaching search, though they at least need to reach out to Dick Jauron before we can say they’re on par with what the Jets are up to.

This was a report before Sunday’s game, but the added context of Jerry Jones’ answer on Sunday of “I don’t know that I am considering making a change” adds fire to the idea that the Cowboys will simply retain McCarthy. Because Dallas promoted Jason Garrett from his role as OC in 2010 and interviewed only McCarthy and Marvin Lewis in the 2020 cycle, it could be argued that they haven’t done an expansive and real coaching search since they fired Bill Parcells. Jones may just be comfortable keeping on at this point despite a down year from McCarthy.

Boyd’s report is via team sources. It’s at least a little surprising that the Colts wouldn’t try to find a quarterback to push Richardson after an uninspiring sophomore season, but this is how the Colts under Chris Ballard have operated: They aren’t afraid to give their younger players extended looks even after they’ve struggled. What are the Colts going to do, fire Ballard? Richardson, who told reporters his back problems “might be chronic” enters the offseason needing to take a big leap to prove everybody who believed in him right.

“Got no reason to say no, so I guess yeah,” was the direct quote from Macdonald to a Seattle radio show. Smith was not the problem in Seattle in 2024, but he’s getting old enough that the Seahawks probably should start considering the future this offseason. No, John, Sam Howell doesn’t count. Smith struggled in the red zone this year but was otherwise a great quarterback dealt a bad hand on the offensive line. He should be fantasy-relevant in 2025, if not someone you want starting every week in standard leagues.

It was part of a blanket release in which the team affirmed they were also keeping head coach Brian Daboll. It has been rumored for some time that the Giants wanted to keep both in their roles, with John Mara endorsing them at midseason. But an embarrassing 3-14 record put them deeper under the microscope. Mara told reporters that improvement needed to come soon because “it better not take too long, because I’ve just about run out of patience.” It sure feels like an uncomfortable edict for a team that hasn’t shown much improvement under Schoen and needs a lot of help to get to mediocre in a suddenly-stacked NFC East.

Greenberg reportedly grew up as a Jets fan in Long Island, New York. Not to be confused with notable Jets fan and ESPN personality Mike Greenberg, the Buccaneers’ Greenberg has spent 15 seasons with the team and is in his second season as assistant general manager, per the team’s site. Greenberg has risen through the ranks in the Buccaneers’ organization and originally joined them in 2010 as a player personnel assistant. He seems like a long shot to land the Jets’ general manager vacancy, but he’ll get his shot, along with several others, to impress Woody Johnson and company.

Rapoport notes that Watson is believed to have “suffered additional damage” in addition to his ACL injury. It’s a devastating blow to the Packers and Watson, who has struggled to stay healthy during the first three years of his career. With his season likely over, Watson will undergo further evaluation to determine the extent of the damage, his availability for the start of the 2025 season is undoubtedly in question. Watson caught 29 passes for 620 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games this season, and has appeared in just 38 of a possible 51 games since being drafted in 2022.