NFL Player News

Sample visited Arizona earlier this week. Once faced with some competition for his services, the Bengals acted quickly to bring him back. Sample only appeared in two games last year because of a season-ending knee injury. He previously served as a blocker for the Cincy offense, though he did manage to real in 40 passes as the team’s primary starter in 2020. Sample will return to Cincinnati as a blocking tight end and a special teams contributor for the upcoming season.

Tobin is the de facto general manager of the Bengals and has held his current title for over 25 years. Speaking with the Cincinnati Enquirer at The Senior Bowl, Tobin said, “I would expect that we could come together on something that makes sense for both sides.” The Bengals played hardball with Chase last summer and he ultimately turned down their final offer. Unsurprisingly, betting on himself worked out well for the superstar wideout. His 127/1,708/17 receiving line earned him the triple crown. He became just the fifth receiver to lead the league in all three categories since the merger. The historic season gives Tobin almost no room to negotiate. Chase will be the highest-paid receiver in NFL history soon enough. By how much is the only question.

Scheelhaase made the leap from the college ranks to the pros last year, joining Sean McVay’s staff after spending six years with Iowa State. He was promoted to offensive coordinator for his final season with the Cyclones. As with most members of McVay’s staff, Scheelhaase has quickly garnered the attention of the rest of the league. Both the Bucs and Jags are interested in him as an offensive coordinator. If Scheelhaase lands one of the jobs, he will either replace fellow McVay disciple Liam Coen in Tampa Bay or join him in Jacksonville.

As Schultz notes, new head coach Aaron Glenn will not be calling plays on defense, putting extra emphasis on the defensive coordinator job in New York. Wilks last coached in 2024, serving as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. He was fired after a single season despite San Francisco making the Super Bowl. Wilks also interviewed for defensive coordinator openings with the Colts and Falcons this offseason, though both positions have since been filled.

The Jets and Jaguars are interviewing Blough for their quarterback coach vacancies while the Bears want him as a pass game coordinator. Blough only joined the coaching ranks a year ago following the end of his playing career. His success working with superstar rookie Jayden Daniels has obviously earned him a promotion.

Harris, who parted ways with the Titans at the end of the regular season, is in the running to work as Aaron Glenn’s defensive coordinator. Glenn said he won’t call plays as New York’s head coach. Harris has taken on various roles with the Titans, Commanders, Chargers, and Bears since entering the coaching ranks in 2012 following his NFL career as a safety. Tennessee’s defense last season allowed the NFL’s fifth highest drop back EPA.

Widely considered a strictly boundary option coming into the league, Thomas made the most of his slot opportunities. Twenty-eight percent of Thomas’ 2024 routes came from the slot, and only Puka Nacua and Marvin Mims had a higher yards per route run from the slot. “I did not know he had the ability to do what he did in the slot,” Coen said. “I probably didn’t evaluate him hard enough, but also, they did a good job getting that right.” Only six receivers had more yards after the catch on slot targets than Thomas in 2024. He was fifth in wideout receiving yards as a rookie. Coen’s offense could funnel more short-area targets to Thomas in 2025, making him an elite fantasy option in all formats.

Caley, another on the Sean McVay coaching tree, is also in the running for the Texans’ OC gig. Caley has spent the past two seasons under McVay in LA after serving multiple offensive roles for the Patriots from 2015 to 2022. Tampa is looking to fill their offensive coordinator opening after Liam Coen reneged on a contract extension to take the Jacksonville head coaching job.

Prescott said he was enthused to continue working under Schottenheimer, who has served as the Dallas offensive coordinator over the past two seasons. “The simple conversation I had with (owner) Jerry (Jones), post the decision of Mike walking, was simply that, the continuity,” Prescott said. “They wanted to keep continuity. Obviously had a lot of success with this group, with these men, and knew this was important to me. And Shotty has been a huge factor in that, setting up the game plan, creating the game plan. If you wanted to find continuity in place, look no further than Shotty.” Prescott struggled in 2024, throwing 11 touchdowns over eight games before suffering a season-ending hamstring injury that all but ended the Cowboys season. In 2023, Prescott posted 4,516 yards and 36 touchdowns in a Dallas offense that ranked third in success rate and second in EPA per play. The Cowboys in 2025 offense should look awfully familiar under Schottenheimer.

Boyd, who followed former Bengals OC Brian Callahan to Tennessee last offseason, had a meager 39 catches for 390 yards over 16 games in 2024 — his lowest totals since 2017. Boyd, 30, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. His best bet for more playing time and opportunities would likely be a team without much wideout depth, though that describes the 2024 Titans pretty accurately.

McCarthy has decided to forego coaching for the 2025 season and will focus on the 2026 hiring cycle. The Saints head coaching job was the last one available, but with Eagles OC Kellen Moore emerging as a frontrunner, it was not enticing enough for McCarthy to keep his name in New Orleans’ search. He coached the Cowboys for the past five seasons, but parted ways with the team after the 2024 season. McCarthy has made the playoffs in 12-of-18 head coaching seasons between the Packers and Cowboys, including a Super Bowl XLV win. The Saints now turn to their remaining head coaching options, Kellen Moore chief among them.