NFL

Rapp was trending toward missing Sunday’s game after logging back-to-back DNPs to start the week. He will likely miss Friday’s practice as well but will have nearly two full weeks to recover from his injuries if the Bills win to advance to the Super Bowl. Rookie Cole Bishop, who the team selected with the No. 60 overall pick in this year’s draft, will step in to start in place of Rapp. Bishop has totaled 40 tackles and two pass breakups in 16 games for the Bills.

This bit of information comes less than an hour after it was reported the Raiders and Pete Carroll had agreed to terms for Carroll to become the next head coach. According to Howe, Wilson and Carroll have “mended fences” since the Seahawks traded Wilson to Denver ahead of the 2022 season, which could leave the door open for the two to reunite in Vegas. Wilson, who will be a free agent this offseason, threw for 2482-16-5 in his 11 regular season starts with the Steelers, and went one-and-done in the playoffs after losing to the Ravens in the wild card round. He’s a familiar face who Carroll could benefit from having in the building to help bring along a younger quarterback, but he wouldn’t serve as anything more than a one or two-year solution. We’re still early in this process, but Wilson’s name sounds like one to watch as free agency draws closer.

Carroll is the third head coach to be hired by the Raiders since 2022. He’s not getting the 10-year, $100 million deal the Raiders gave Jon Gruden back in 2018, but according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 73-year-old coach has agreed to a three-year deal with the Raiders that includes a fourth-year team option. After spending 2024 in the Seahawks’ front office as an advisor, Carroll is ready to take on one of his toughest challenges in decades — turning around a Raiders team that has just two double-digit win seasons over the last 22 years, and only two playoff berths over that span. He’ll have his work cut out for him playing in the AFC West, where three of the four teams cranked out double-digit wins to make the postseason, while the Raiders finished a dismal 4-13. Currently holding the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Raiders are in dire need of a franchise quarterback — whether that’s by draft, trade, or free agency. Carroll takes over a team that ranked 29th in scoring last season, and allowed the sixth-most points on defense. The Raiders are a long way from being competitive, but Carroll is undoubtedly up for the task.

Underdog Fantasy’s James Palmer said on Thursday that the “buzz is real” between Carroll and the Raiders after Vegas lost out to the Bears on Ben Johnson. Carroll, 73, spent last season in the Seahawks’ front office after mutually agreeing to step down as the team’s head coach following the 2023 season. During his 14-year run as the Seahawks’ head coach Carroll posted a 137-89 record while appearing in two Super Bowls and winning one. Should the Raiders hire him, he would create an immediate culture shift for a team in desperate need of an upgrade in an ever-competitive AFC West.

Thursday’s worst kept secret is now (basically) official. FOX’s Jordan Schultz reports the Jags are “so impressed” with Coen the sides will now “collaborate on the team’s new GM as well.” If that seems insane, it was clear it would be the outcome after the Jags’ stunning Trent Baalke about-face and immediate resumption of talks with Coen. A wizard with Baker Mayfield in Tampa this season — though, let’s be real, Mayfield deserves a lot of the credit after getting back-to-back OCs head-coaching gigs — Coen is strangely no stranger to coaching intrigue, as he left the University of Kentucky for the Rams in 2022 only to return to UK in 2023. It was then off to Tampa where he picked up where Dave Canales left off, overseeing an even more explosive offense. Still only 39 years old, Coen fits the league’s current preferred mold of first-time head-coaching hires. Young, and an offensive play-caller. We’ll see about Coen’s leadership skills. The supposed skullduggery he engaged in with the Bucs this week is mildly concerning. Tasks 1, 2 and 3 for Coen in 2025 will be getting Trevor Lawrence’s career back on the right track.

This escalated quickly shortly after the firing of former general manager Trent Baalke. Schultz notes that barring something unexpected, the 39-year-old is expected to land the opportunity to turn Jacksonville around after their disastrous 2024 campaign. While short on experience, the Buccaneers offense was strong under Coen, and he’ll get to work with a healthy Trevor Lawrence, Brian Thomas Jr. and a few other solid — if unspectacular — weapons on offense.

Saleh was widely considered to be the favorite to get the Jaguars head coaching gig not long ago, but it appears that Liam Coen will be the one who gets that job now that Trent Baalke isn’t in the way. It’d be a return to San Francisco for Saleh, as he was the DC under Mike Shanahan from 2017-2020 before taking over for the Jets. Saleh has had plenty of success leading defenses, and assuming this happens, it should be an upgrade for the 49ers’ group.

Well then. Just days after signing a contract extension to remain with the Buccaneers, the ousting of Jaguars GM Trent Baalke appears to have caught the attention of Coen. It’s hard to know for sure how much of an impact Baalke’s presence appears to have had on the Jaguars this coaching cycle, but Coen’s willingness to again entertain the job nearly 24 hours after Baalke’s dismissal speaks volumes. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Coen and Jacksonville “appears to be headed towards a deal.” Apparently already in town and speaking with owner Shad Khan, we’ll see how quickly a deal gets done between the two sides.

The star rookie corner was knocked from last week’s divisional round matchup against the Rams but is well on his way to playing in the conference championship game against the Commanders. The Eagles defense will need all hands on deck if it hopes to slow Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, and an offense that totaled four offensive touchdowns in last week’s win over the Lions. Barring an unexpected turn of events, it sounds like we can expect Mitchell to be on the field come Sunday. He’ll have a chance to log another full practice on Friday before the team releases its final injury report for the week.

Brown was limited on Wednesday but said he was feeling better. That appears to be the case, as the Eagles’ star receiver was upgraded to a full participant in Thursday’s practice and has a chance to be removed from the injury report entirely by Friday. The Eagles have been managing Brown’s injury for the last several weeks in hopes of having him at his best come game day. He’ll be ready to go for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Commanders.