NFL Player News

The release of Fatukasi — which came on his birthday — frees up $3.5 million in cap space for the Jaguars. Fatukasi is a six-year vet of the league and has spent the last two seasons with the Jaguars, totaling 48 tackles and 1.5 sacks over 30 games. Fatukasi has started 44 of the last 45 games he’s appeared in, dating back to his final season with the Jets. At 29 years old, Fatukasi should have a strong market as teams look to add veteran contributors along the defensive front.

Wilks has been coaching in some capacity for 20 years with his time in the NFL dating back as far as 2006. He most recently served as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. Wilks held the gig for one year and was fired after the team’s Super Bowl loss to Kansas City. Atlanta is helmed by Raheem Morris, who also has some Shanahn routes. Morris coached under Mike Shanahan in Washington. The familiarity makes him a strong candidate to be the Falcons’ next defensive coordinator. Wilks also interviewed with the Colts for the same position.

The team also parted ways with safeties coach Michael Treier. The Giants ranked 21st in points per game allowed and 29th in EPA per play. While their offense was the primary issue in 2024, improvements need to be made on defense as well. Henderson, who has been coaching in the NFL for nearly 20 years, should be able to find another job once the head coaching vacancies are settled.

Head coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Monday the Ravens were in “we’ll see mode” with Flowers. While an early-week DNP doesn’t rule him out, he does appear to be less than a 50-50 bet to play this week. Harbaugh did note that Flowers isn’t a player who needs to practice before suiting up. It remains a waiting game for now. If he can’t go, Rashod Bateman will set in as the team’s No. 1 receiver with Mark Andrews as the top overall target.

Woods missed the first practice of the week with a hip issue but was back on the field today. For a veteran wideout, a day off is nothing out of the normal this late in the season. With Diontae Johnson out of the picture, Woods will likely function as Houston’s WR3 in the Divisional Round.

The Raiders have formally requested an interview with Joseph and the Bears are reportedly interested as well. The Jets’ list of candidates is approaching 20 teams and that’s just for the coaches who have been part of the interview process so far. Vegas’s list is much shorter, though Ben Johnson is gaining momentum there. Joseph may miss out on a head coaching gig this time around, but another successful year in Denver could land him a promotion as soon as 2026.

NFL Network reported last week that the Raiders have become “enamored” of Johnson, who has turned the Jared Goff-led Lions into one of the most efficient offenses in the NFL over the past couple years. Fox Sports announcer Tom Brady, who is also part owner of the Raiders, has reportedly been deeply involved in the Raiders’ head coaching search after Vegas parted ways with Antonio Pierce after a disappointing 2024 season. Johnson has been careful with his head coaching opportunities, so it’s far from a sure thing he’ll take the Vegas job.

Rapoport said the Cowboys are expected to request an interview with Saleh, 45, who was fired by the Jets in October after a rocky start to the year. He went 20-36 with the Jets over three-plus seasons and has drawn interest from a number of teams over the past couple weeks. The Niners have talked to Saleh about once again becoming the team’s defensive coordinator, and ESPN reported this week that Saleh is a “sleeper” for the Jacksonville head coaching job. The Raiders have also talked to Saleh about their head coach vacancy. He could have his choice of head coaching opportunities over the next week or so.

Panthers coaches worked primarily on Young’s footwork and drop backs while he ran the scout team after being benched in late September for Andy Dalton. For more than a month, Carolina coaches helped “to refine Young’s footwork and drill into him the importance of urgency in the huddle and pre-snap operation, which Dalton helped demonstrate.” Coaches addressed Young’s habit of jump-passing, which had proved disastrous over the first two games of the season. The result was a far more confident second-year quarterback who showed immense improvement over the final seven games of the 2024 season. Only six quarterbacks had a higher completion rate over expected than Young From Week 11-18. He ended the year with a 251-yard, three-touchdown outing against the Falcons in an upset victory for Carolina. Young, against many odds, has positioned himself as the Panthers’ clear Week 1 starter in 2025.

Montgomery practiced in full Tuesday after missing two games with an MCL injury. “It’s just refreshing kind of to be back in the position where I can help the team,” Montgomery told reporters Tuesday. “I wouldn’t be out there if I wasn’t ready.” If Montgomery suits up against Washington, The Detroit Free Press’ Rainer Sabin said it remains “unclear” how much he will play in his return to action. Jahmyr Gibbs should remain the Lions’ lead back in a matchup against a soft Commanders rush defense that should have a tough time containing Detroit’s league-best rushing attack.

The Bears requested to interview Shaw last week and finally completed an interview with the 52-year-old on Tuesday. Shaw was the head coach for Stanford for 12 seasons, resigning after a disappointing last two seasons. He joined the Broncos as a senior personnel executive for 2024 and now gives the four-time Pac-12 coach of the year gives his first official interview of the coaching cycle. The Bears are interviewing a vast spread of coaches, from college to the NFL, for their open head coaching spot.