NFL Player News

Both players will miss the first six weeks of the season. If New England’s other wideouts stay healthy, they will have some difficult roster decisions. Noticeably absent from this list: TE David Thomas and DT Richard Seymour, who the team will need to decide on by this weekend.

Schefter also reports that “at least one team besides the Bears checked into the idea that it could somehow try to trade for Tomlin.” Any trade for Tomlin would require his approval, as the veteran head coach currently has a no-trade clause baked into his current deal. It’s a bold move by the Bears, but one that clearly shows their desire to nail their next head coaching hire after cycling through four different head coaches and interim head coach Thomas Brown since 2013. When asked earlier about the possibility of approving a trade to another team, Tomlin simply said, “Save your time.” We also know the Steelers don’t have any plans to move on from Tomlin, as previously reported by Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Barring an unexpected turn of events, Tomlin, who signed a three-year extension last offseason, will remain with the Steelers in 2025.

The Saints put in a request to speak with Moore nearly two weeks ago. Now, the team will have a chance to speak with the 35-year-old offensive coordinator a day before the Eagles are set to face the Rams in the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs. Moore has already talked to the Cowboys about their head coaching vacancy, and is expected to be a top candidate to return to Dallas, but he’ll have other potential suitors in the Saints and also the Jaguars, who requested to interview him. Moore’s stock was at its highest when he was the Cowboys offensive coordinator (2019-2022) but it took a bit of a hit after the team opted to move on from him for the 2023 season. His one-year stop with the Chargers didn’t do much to help his case, either, but a strong first season in Philly again has him in consideration for head coaching jobs. It feels like only a matter of time before Moore eventually gets his shot as a head coach. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if the Saints or Cowboys were the first to give him that opportunity.

Rapoport reports that linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) will also play after being listed as questionable on Friday. Mixon suffered his ankle injury on Wednesday and was a DNP on Thursday, so we don’t know much about the severity of his injury other than it’s not believed to be “a major injury,” according to a report from Friday. It sounds like the Texans will be able to lean on Mixon in his normal role on Saturday as the Texans hope to top the Chiefs and make a trip to the AFC Championship Game next week.

Brady helped helm the Chargers’ passing offense to a 10th-ranked 7.6 yards per attempt average this season. He spent five seasons in various passing-game and offense-related roles with the Colts before serving as an offensive consultant (2022) and senior offensive assistant (2023) for the Eagles. His single season with the Chargers has evidently impressed folks in the Patriots’ organization and he is now a name to watch in this hiring cycle.

The Jaguars have interviewed eight head coach candidates thus far and the two Lions coordinators appear to hold the top two spots on the ownership’s wish list. While Glenn is considered a highly sought-after coach in his own right, it stands to reason that Johnson is the organization’s top choice.

The meeting reportedly took place on Tuesday but impressively remained under wraps until Friday evening, perhaps a sign of things to come with new no-nonsense head coach Mike Vrabel at the helm. Brown worked for the Panthers in 2023 and the Bears in 2024, receiving three in-season promotions of sorts during that span. Brown was given play-calling duties for three games in the Panthers’ failed 2-15 season as team leadership searched for answers. Brown then began the 2024 season as the Bears’ passing game coordinator before rising to offensive coordinator and eventually the interim head coaching position. Studying under Vrabel for a season or two could give Brown the mentoring he needs to officially make the leap into the NFL’s head coaching ranks once and for all.

Schefter also said that he thinks both Johnson and Jerry Jones have “other ideas” for this offseason’s hiring cycle. Schefter then refocused the conversation on the Raiders and Bears, saying “I know everybody’s got Ben Johnson anointed to the Raiders... I’m not in that camp right now. Why is everybody ignoring Chicago?” Schefter carefully added that Johnson could still end up as the Raiders’ new head coach but highlighted the AFC West’s highly competitive nature and the Raiders’ undesirable quarterback situation. The NFC North is certainly not a soft division but the Bears do have the requisite skill position players to hit the ground running in 2025.

The move was widely reported this morning, though Schefter noted that a deal wasn’t officially done until later in the day. After winning three Super Bowls in Kansas City, Borgonzi is now tasked with turning things around Tennessee, starting with the No. 1 overall pick. He will presumably get a shot at hand-picking his franchise quarterback to go along with a young head coach in Brian Callahan. Though it’s not an easy job by any means, Borgonzi walks into a situation that gives him plenty of resources to work with, which is more than many first-year general managers can say.

After practicing in full this week, Watson is good to go for Kansas City’s Divisional Round matchup with the Texans. Watson played nearly every snap of the Chiefs’ first five games before going down with the ankle injury. He had six pass breakups and 21 total tackles through six appearances. Watson’s return will bolster an already-strong Kansas City defense.

Rogers’ NFL career includes stints with the Commanders, Eagles and Falcons. He also notably suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in May 2023. He now gets a chance to carve out a backup role with the Bills.