NFL Player News

The Raiders lost Gardner Minshew to a broken collarbone in Week 12’s loss to the Broncos, giving O’Connell another chance as starter. O’Connell has been miserable throughout his 11 NFL starts. That includes two 2024 starts in which he threw for 324 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Indecisive and inaccurate, O’Connell represents a massive downgrade for Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers over the season’s final month. Look for Desmond Ridder to eventually get a chance under center for the Raiders.

Morton, taking over for departed Detroit OC Ben Johnson — now Chicago’s head coach — said his prior experience with Goff would inform the direction of the team’s offense in 2025. “I think it’s big because it all starts with the quarterback,” said Morton, who worked as a Lions senior offensive assistant in 2022. “Just kind of knowing him — and when I was here, I was in the quarterback room. So, I have a feel of what he likes, what he doesn’t. That’s important as a play-caller.” Goff thrived under Johnson over the past two seasons: Only Brock Purdy and Josh Allen had higher drop back success rates, and only three QBs had a better drop back EPA than Goff. Morton is short on play calling experience; the Jets fired him after the 2017 season, his only year of play-calling experience. Whether Morton can continue putting Goff in favorable situations will loom large as the Lions enter 2025.

Ward appears unlikely to participate in the Combine, like other recent highly touted prospects primed to go in the first couple picks of the draft. Ward did, however, offer a warning to NFL teams who might pass on him because he sat out the second half of his final collegiate game. “You’re either going to draft me or you’re not,” Ward told the Associated Press Monday. “If you don’t draft me, that’s your fault. You’ve got to remember you’re the same team that’s got to play me for the rest of my career, and I’ll remember that.” Ward threw for 39 touchdowns and 4,313 yards for the Hurricanes last year, adding 204 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. The QB-needy Titans, who have the first overall pick in the 2025 draft, seem like a likely landing spot for Ward.

The team parted ways with former strength and conditioning coach Jeremy Scott and hired Hingst to fill the position Monday. Hingst has a long history of strength and conditioning coaching positions in the NFL having previously served in the same position for the Eagles from 2013 to 2020 and the Vikings the previous four seasons.

Kelly had been in the position for the Raiders for three seasons and recently interviewed for the Jaguars’ general manager position before being let go by the Raiders. He worked his way through multiple organizations before his most recent position, having served as a collegiate scout, assistant coordinator of pro and college scouting, and assistant director of professional personnel with the Broncos, director of pro scouting and assistant director of player personnel for the Bears, and his most recent position with the Raiders. That level of professional experience likely warrants another look by a different franchise but Kelly currently finds himself on the job hunt.

According to Florio, this news comes from a source with “direct knowledge of the situation.” Reports of the Steelers reaching out to the Jaguars surfaced last Thursday, but little news has materialized on the topic since. Days after the Jaguars said any notion of trading Lawrence was “ridiculous,” Florio’s report eliminates any possibility that a call was ever made. The Jaguars seem intent on staying with Lawrence, which makes sense from an organizational team point and a financial one, as a trade of Lawrence would result in a $100 million dead cap hit while also costing them $83 million against the cap. It’s probably safe to assume this is the last we hear of this story.

Hurney served as an advisor with the team in 2024 after being carried over from the Ron Rivera regime. Hurney, who turned 69 in December, was hired as the Commanders’ executive VP of football/player personnel in 2021 and relegated to his advisor role after the team went out and hired a new coach and general manager last offseason. With his contract now expired, Hurney is no longer with the Commanders and is free to sign with any team who may be interested in his services.

Jones is entering the final year of a three-year deal he snagged in the 2023 offseason and the Seahawks would save $11.57 million in cap space in 2025 by releasing the veteran. The veteran defensive lineman has been a bit of a disappointment for Seattle, finishing with decent PFF pass rush grades of 65.9 and 65.1 over the past two seasons while notching only eight sacks. Dugar writes that Jones “might be the team’s fifth-best pass rusher when everyone is healthy.”

Good luck, folks. Garrett has made it clear that winning has become a top priority late in his career and said earlier that he’s willing to do “whatever it takes” to facilitate a trade. While a hefty new contract could persuade him to stay, it wouldn’t change the fact that Garrett would be heading into his ninth season with a team that’s in near rebuild mode after going 3-14 last season. A trade still sounds like his best bet if he hopes to play for a contender. To date, the team has expressed no interest in trading him. This standoff will be a major NFL offseason story.

“The ties to Frisco, Texas, and the need for an immediate impact running back would probably be too much for Jerry Jones to pass up. Dallas doesn’t have enough playmakers on offense,” Machota adds. With Brian Schottenheimer at head coach, the running game should be an obvious focus for the Cowboys. Jerry Jones likes to repeat things that he believes worked, and the Ezekiel Elliott pick “worked” in his mind. So, yeah, this passes the smell test for us as well. Jeanty is widely expected to go in the top 20 picks and should be one of the first names off the board in fantasy rookie drafts in 2025.

The Chargers badly needed a field-stretching weapon after releasing Williams last offseason and never truly found one. Popper points out that Williams has a “built-in rapport with quarterback Justin Herbert from their four seasons together.” Williams would be a cheaper option than someone like Tee Higgins, who even if he is franchise tagged could be available in a trade. Williams could be a candidate for a rebound after a whirlwind season where a rehab-addled one-year deal with the Jets (along with Aaron Rodgers complaining about him) led to the receiver getting dealt to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline.