NFL Player News

Peko was waived last week, but is back now that he’s healthy. He replaces Tyrique Jarrett on the active roster.

Love took a hit to the elbow in Week 18 and did not return. Though, with little to play for versus the Bears, it didn’t make much sense for him to retake the field in the second half. Head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters after Sunday’s game that Love was held out as a precaution and will be good to go for their Wild Card Round matchup with the Eagles. A limited practice keeps him on pace to suit up this week. As a road dog versus a surging Philly defense, Love will be one of the weaker fantasy options at quarterback 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.

He added that he expects that to continue throughout the week. Lattimore missed the final two weeks of the regular season with the lingering hamstring issue, but it sounds like he is on track to return for Washington’s Wild Card Round matchup with the Bucs. Quinn told reporters every on the roster is practicing in some capacity save for a handful of rest days, so Lattimore seemingly got in some work on Wednesday as well. Thursday’s session, a full-speed workout, will be more revealing for Lattimore’s status.

Belichick, of course, took a job as the head coach of the North Carolina Tarheels last month. While it’s hard to accept the fact that he has left the NFL behind, the greatest professional football coach ever will spend at least one year in the college ranks, likely more. Per Russini, “His sole focus is on coaching and recruiting for North Carolina.” Belichick could get plenty of interviews for the various head coaching vacancies around the league if he wanted to, but it sounds like he won’t even dip his toes in the water this offseason.

Nick Sorensen was promoted to defensive coordinator ahead of the 2024 season but was let go after the team allowed 25.6 points per game this year. Per Shanahan, Sorensen could be retained as the team’s special teams coordinator or in another role. Staley previously served as the Rams’ defensive coordinator for a year before being hired as the Chargers’ head coach. He lasted three seasons and was fired after a disappointing 2023. Robert Saleh is expected to be offered the defensive coordinator job if he doesn’t land another head coaching gig, so Staley is likely stuck in his role for at least another year.

Metchie dealt with the shoulder issue earlier this season but wasn’t on the injury report last week. It’s possible the issue flared up in Week 18, or the Texans may simply be giving him some extra rest with a Wild Card Round matchup versus the Chargers on the horizon. Either way, he should be good to go for Saturday’s game, putting him on the radar as a flyer in DFS tournaments.

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.

The move makes too much sense not to happen unless Saleh unexpectedly lands a head coacing gig. He has an interview lined up with the Jaguars next week, though he isn’t likely to be their first choice with rising stars like Ben Jonhson and Aaron Glenn on the market. Saleh spent four years as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator before being hired away by the Jets. Even his firing proved how valuable Saleh was on the defensive side of the ball as the Jets’ defense utterly collapsed the moment they parted ways with him. If Saleh doesn’t get another shot at being a head coach this year, we fully expect him to return to San Francisco.

Spytek previously held the title of Vice President of Player Personnel for the Bucs before being promoted to assistant GM two seasons ago. He is one of six interview requests the Titans have made. Fellow Tampa Bay staffer Mike Greenberg also has an interview request from the Jets. Having flawlessly transitioned from the Tom Brady era to the Baker Mayfield era, the Bucs front office will rightfully get plenty of looks for new jobs elsewhere in the league.