NFL Player News

Thomas-Oliver (6'2/184) is not a career defensive back. When he got onto FIU’s campus in 2016, Thomas-Oliver was initially a wide receiver and caught over 30 passes as a freshman. By 2017, though, Thomas-Oliver’s favor at WR seemed to fade, pushing him to switch to CB. Since the switch, Thomas-Oliver has been the program’s top DB and has recorded 18 passes defended in his two seasons on defense.

Of course, the reality of the situation is that the 49ers often take their time on these huge extensions. Nick Bosa and Brandon Aiyuk are recent examples that lingered well into training camp and almost to the start of the season. “If that’s an opportunity to be able to get that done quick, that’d be great. Just so we can get back for phase one,” Purdy said. The 49ers don’t have a huge cap hit to shed ahead of free agency by extending Purdy, so they probably don’t have a lot of incentive to hurry this along. But it should get done at some point this offseason.

McCaffrey told reporters he could have played if the 49ers had made the playoffs. He will probably still be in the RB1 pool on the massive upside of his receiving talent in 2025 drafts, but he looked noticeably slower when he returned in 2024 and, well, we won’t blame grudge-holding fantasy managers for not trusting updates about his health after this past season. It will be interesting to see how that plays out in best ball over the coming months.

Smith has done a solid job in Pittsburgh this year, even if it remains memeworthy how often Cordarrelle Patterson will pop up in a big moment. The former Falcons head coach has three consecutive 7-10 years under his NFL belt as a head coach in Atlanta, as well as three highly-regarded years with the Titans and now Steelers as an offensive coordinator. The Bears are reportedly trying to find both a “leader of men” type as well as someone who can spark Caleb Williams’ development.

The Bears become the second team to request an interview with Flores, who is also being eyed by the Jets early in the coaching cycle. The former Dolphins head coach (2019-2021) has spent the last two seasons serving as the Vikings defensive coordinator and helped coach up one of the top defensive units in the game this season. Flores led the Dolphins to a winning record in two of his three seasons at the helm and is one of the stronger retreads to pickup steam thus far.

Hurts entered the league’s concussion protocol after suffering a brain injury in Week 16 against the Commanders. While there’s still a good chance the Eagles’ signal-caller will be back in time for the NFC Wild Card game against the Packers, his extended stay in protocol gets more concerning by the day. The Eagles won’t take the practice field until Wednesday, giving Hurts nearly two more days to get cleared in time to resume practicing with the team. If he’s not able to get on the field Wednesday, there will be legitimate cause for concern about his availability come Sunday. Things remain wait-and-see for now.

“It’s not good,” LaFleur said when asked about Watson’s injury on Monday. While we still don’t know the full severity of Watson’s injury, we do know that initial tests confirmed a torn ACL, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported earlier in the day that Watson is believed to have “suffered additional damage” beyond that. It sounds like Watson will be on a long road to recover in time for the start of the 2025 season. His absence in the postseason will likely lead to more opportunities for both Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks on Sunday against the Eagles in the NFC Wild Card round.

Brady gains his second interview on the circuit from a team he worked for as an offensive assistant in 2017 and 2018 before taking over the LSU passing game for one incredible season you may remember. The Saints were rumored before the offseason started to have interest in coaches with familiarity to the team under GM Mickey Loomis, and Brady certainly fits that bill. Aaron Glenn likely starts out as the favorite for the job, but Brady looks to have course-corrected his stock in Buffalo after a disastrous time in Carolina in 2020-2021.

It’s unknown how bad Moreau is injured, but if he has ligament tears he could open training camp on the PUP list. If Moreau’s knee injury is deeply serious, the 2025 season would probably be in jeopardy given how late in the season this injury occurred. Moreau enters the final year of his three-year Saints contract in 2025 and has a $4.6 million cap hit. The Saints can save $2.5 million against the cap if they release him.