Jets Notes: Johnson, McDonald, Rodgers
One of the players mentioned as trade candidates ahead of what turned out to be a franchise-reshaping deadline for the Jets, Jermaine Johnson has not rebounded from his 2024 Achilles tear effectively. Entering Week 18, the former first-round pick has three sacks on just six QB hits. The team is believed to have asked for a second-round pick in a trade last month, potentially being offered a Round 2 selection in a pick-swap proposal, and rejected a third-round offer for the fourth-year defender. That may have been a mistake.
The Jets picked up Johnson’s fifth-year option this offseason, doing so despite changing regimes and the current one seeing the 2022 first-rounder rehabbing from the 2024 injury. But an extension should not be considered likely. The chances of an offseason payday in 2026 appear “slim,” according to ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini. Johnson did impress in his previous healthy season (2023), leading to the Jets’ decision to exercise the $13.41MM 2026 option. That number is fully guaranteed. If no offseason extension is on the radar for Johnson, he would stand to again be a trade candidate. The Jets do hold exclusive negotiating rights with Johnson until March 2027, but it appears he will need to show more of his 2023 form (7.5 sacks, 16 QB hits) to warrant a second Jets contract.
Here is the latest from Gang Green:
- The team’s other starting defensive end, Will McDonald, was viewed as closer to untouchable at the deadline. After a 10.5-sack 2024 season, McDonald leads the Jets with eight entering Week 18. But his 2027 fifth-year option (projected at around $15MM) may not be automatic for the Darren Mougey-Aaron Glenn regime, Cimini notes. Four of McDonald’s sacks came in one game — against the Browns — and he ranks 54th in QB pressures (20). Consistency has been an issue for the 2023 first-rounder, per Cimini. Considering McDonald’s 10.5-sack, 24-hit 2024, it would surprise if the Jets passed on his option. After all, they exercised Johnson’s after he showed less through three seasons. But some big questions are in place along the Jets’ post-Quinnen Williams defensive line moving forward.
- OverTheCap currently lists Aaron Rodgers as accounting for $35MM in dead money on the Jets’ 2026 cap sheet, but that may be set for an adjustment. The two-year New York quarterback is now expected to count $28MM in dead cap next year, per CBS Sports’ Joel Corry. A $7MM cap credit is behind the disparity, with Corry noting it stems from an nonexercised option bonus. That $7MM ended up being applied to the Jets’ 2025 cap, which will leave them with some additional space in 2026. If Rodgers will count $28MM on Gang Green’s 2026 cap sheet, the team is projected to hold nearly $90MM in cap space entering 2026. Rodgers still tagged the Jets with $56MM in total dead cap — the second-highest single-player total in NFL history — in total, though it looks like the team will end up paying $28MM in both 2025 and ’26 rather than backloading the punishment.
- The Jets have already fired DC Steve Wilks, continuing the veteran staffer’s nomadic career since his Cardinals one-and-done, and more changes are likely. Defensive line coach Eric Washington is a name to watch with regard to a shakeup, Cimini adds. Washington and Wilks have an extensive past, as both worked on Ron Rivera‘s Panthers staff for most of the 2010s. While the duo went their separate ways after Wilks’ 2018 Arizona hire, with Washington later becoming the Bears’ DC in 2024, Glenn axing a longtime Wilks coworker would add up as he considers changes after a wildly disappointing season.
Jets Expected To Keep HC Aaron Glenn, GM Darren Mougey
There have been a few conflicting reports on Jets head coach Aaron Glenn‘s job security in the past two weeks. A couple of recent updates suggested Glenn’s on shaky ground. Conversely, another indicated he’ll return for a second season in 2026. That will indeed be the case, according to Albert Breer of SI.com. First-year general manager Darren Mougey is also safe, Breer adds.
Jets owner Woody Johnson installed the Mougey-Glenn power structure just under a year ago, hiring the coach before the GM in late January. Moving on from either or both after one season, albeit a dismal campaign in which the team has gone 3-13, would be a questionable look for the organization. That’s especially true with the Jets in the early stages of a full-scale rebuild.
New York took a shot at contending in 2024 with a healthy Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. The club instead sputtered to a 5-12 mark, leading to a regime change and the end of the disappointing Rodgers era. Rodgers and his friend, veteran wide receiver Davante Adams, were among those given their walking papers last offseason.
With Rodgers gone, the Jets took a two-year, $40MM gamble (with $30MM guaranteed) in free agency on former Bears and Steelers signal-caller Justin Fields. That will go down as a miss for Mougey, previously Denver’s assistant GM, and Glenn. The 26-year-old Fields, whom Glenn benched in November, is a surefire release candidate heading into the offseason.
Fields’ inability to nail down the job will put the Jets in the market for a quarterback yet again. Armed with two first-round picks, including the current third overall choice, the Jets could nab one of the draft’s top-ranked passers. That’s assuming they’re high enough on the prospects available.
Mougey acquired the second of his 2026 first-rounders (plus a 2027 first and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell) in a blockbuster trade with the Colts at the Nov. 4 deadline. Despite signing No. 1 cornerback Sauce Gardner to a four-year, $120.4MM extension in July, Mougey shipped him to Indianapolis just under four months later.
Standout defensive tackle Quinnen Williams joined Gardner in exiting at the deadline. Mougey sent him to the Cowboys for a 2026 second-rounder, a 2027 first and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
The Gardner and Williams deals may pay sizable dividends in the future. For now, the Jets are unquestionably in worse shape. Their defense has allowed between 29 and 48 points in four straight games (all losses). Glenn fired his first D-coordinator, Steve Wilks, on Dec. 15, though the unit hasn’t fared any better in two games under interim DC Chris Harris.
The Jets’ defensive woes don’t reflect well on Glenn, a former NFL cornerback (including with the Jets) who was Detroit’s D-coordinator before New York hired him. Identifying Wilks’ successor will rank among his most important offseason tasks. It’s possible Glenn will make other changes to his staff, Breer relays, though it’s unclear which assistants he could replace.
Although Glenn’s first go-around as a head coach has been a bumpy ride, it appears likely he’ll return for the second season of a five-year contract. Between the Jets’ haul of draft picks and a massive amount of spending room (approximately $91MM, per Over the Cap), he and Mougey will be in prime position to upgrade a hole-filled roster in the offseason.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Breece Hall
With 111 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, the Jets’ Breece Hall was among the NFL’s most productive running backs in Week 17. He was a rare bright spot for the Jets in a 42-10 blowout loss to the Patriots. As a pending free agent, it’s possible a Week 18 matchup in Buffalo will be the last time Hall dons a Jets uniform.
Hall joined the Jets as a second-round pick from Iowa State in 2022. The 5-foot-11, 217-pounder totaled single-digit carries in each of his first three games as a rookie, but the Jets leaned on him more after that.
Hall posted his first career 100-yard rushing game in Week 6. He followed that up with a 62-yard touchdown during a four-carry, 72-yard showing the next week, but he suffered a season-ending ACL tear that day in a win over the Broncos. Hall’s rookie campaign ended with 463 yards on 80 carries – good for a robust 5.8 YPC – and five TDs (four rushing, one receiving) in seven games.
While Hall hasn’t approached the YPC mark he logged in his first season, there haven’t been any durability concerns since then. Hall missed a game in 2024, but he played in all 17 the previous year and is on track for perfect attendance again.
Although his injury sapped him of some explosiveness, Hall still averaged 216 carries, 935 yards and five scores as a rusher from 2023-24. He complemented his output on the ground with prolific pass-catching numbers during that two-year stretch, as he averaged 67 receptions, 537 yards and roughly four TDs per season.
With 36 catches, 350 yards and TD, Hall’s impact as a receiver has dropped this year as part of the league’s worst-ranked passing offense. However, as a runner, he has already set career highs in carries (243) and yards (1,065) heading into the season finale. The 24-year-old is also one rushing TD away from tying a personal-best five.
Regardless of how he performs Sunday, Hall will finish the season as the Jets’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Chris Ivory hit the mark in 2015. It’s especially impressive considering the lack of help around him. The Jets have tried three different quarterbacks – Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook – but haven’t found anything resembling an answer at the position. They’ll also go a 10th game without No. 1 wide receiver Garrett Wilson on Sunday. Wilson’s knee issues have left Hall as the Jets’ only significant weapon for most of 2025.
Other teams have taken notice of Hall’s success this season, which bodes well as he gears up for a potential trip to the open market. He was popular in trade rumors leading up to the Nov. 4 deadline. The Chiefs, among the teams with interest, reportedly offered a fourth-round pick for Hall. That wasn’t good enough for the Jets, who decided to ride out 2025 with their No. 1 back.
First-year head coach Aaron Glenn wasn’t with New York when the team drafted Hall, but he has made his affinity for the running back known. Glenn and rookie general manager Darren Mougey, both expected to return in 2026, will likely make some attempt to retain Hall. If the two sides can’t come together on a multiyear agreement by early March, the Jets will have the option of keeping Hall from reaching the market unfettered with the franchise tag. They’d have three choices in that case: 1. Keep him for another year at around $14MM; 2. Trade him; 3. Hammer out an extension by the July 15 deadline.
In the event he becomes a free agent and shops himself around the league, Hall’s next deal could check in around $12MM per year, Rich Cimini of ESPN writes. That would match the average annual value the Packers’ Josh Jacobs landed on the four-year, $48MM contract he inked as a free agent in 2024. Jacobs now ranks sixth among RBs in AAV, and he continues to lead the position in total contract value, but the pact only came with $12.5MM in guarantees.
While Jacobs had a better track record then than Hall does now, the salary cap continues to rise. That should boost Hall’s chances of approaching Jacobs’ payday or at least matching or exceeding $10MM per annum. Nine backs are currently raking in eight figures per year. Hall and other soon-to-be free agents in the Jaguars’ Travis Etienne and the Seahawks’ Kenneth Walker may have an opportunity to join the club in the offseason. All have enjoyed strong careers, but it works in Hall’s favor that he’s the youngest of the three.
Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order
Aside from tonight’s Rams-Falcons game, Week 17 is in the books. Most of the playoff field has been set in both conferences, but there is still plenty to be determined regarding the first-round draft order.
By virtue of their loss on Sunday, the Raiders are now in pole position to secure the No. 1 pick. Vegas sits at 2-14 on the year, with four teams sporting a record of 3-13. Only one of those, however – the Giants – is still in contention to land the top selection. Vegas will play against Kansas City in Week 18, while New York’s season will end against Dallas.
Fernando Mendoza looms as the projected top quarterback option in the 2026 class, with the futures of Dante Moore and Ty Simpson still uncertain. Demand usually outweighs supply at the top of the draft when it comes to signal-callers, and scarcity at the position could very well come into play in April. Mendoza may find himself on the radar of teams not immediately in need of a quarterback depending on how things play out.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.
Here is an updated look at the first-round order:
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-14)
- New York Giants (3-13)
- New York Jets (3-13)
- Tennessee Titans (3-13)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-13)
- Cleveland Browns (4-12)
- Washington Commanders (4-12)
- New Orleans Saints (6-10)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-10)
- Cincinnati Bengals (6-10)
- Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
- Miami Dolphins (7-9)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)
- Dallas Cowboys (7-8-1)
- Detroit Lions (8-8)
- Baltimore Ravens (8-8)
- Minnesota Vikings (8-8)
- New York Jets (via Colts)
- Carolina Panthers (8-8)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
- Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-5)
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
- Buffalo Bills (11-5)
- Chicago Bears (11-5)
- Houston Texans (11-5)
- Los Angeles Rams (11-4)
- Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
- San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
- New England Patriots (13-3)
- Denver Broncos (13-3)
- Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Bradley Chubb Among Those Chasing Incentives
Late-December/early-January football offers myriad playoff scenarios, but incentives also play a key part during this sector of the NFL season. Here are a handful of incentive storylines to follow as the regular season winds down:
- Sam Darnold, QB (Seahawks). As we touched on in March, Darnold’s three-year, $100.5MM deal includes $5MM per year in incentives. He can earn $500K apiece by eclipsing a 100.0 passer rating, throwing at least 28 TD passes and finishing with a completion rate higher than 67.5%. Darnold sits on 25 TD passes and carries a 67.2% completion rate into Week 18. The nomadic QB also holds a 99.2 rating entering the 49ers matchup, putting $1.5MM in play. Darnold also earned $500K by guiding the Seahawks to the playoffs, ESPN.com’s Marc Raimondi notes. While no incentive exists for a Seattle wild-card win, the free agent signing would collect $1MM for a divisional-round win, $1.5MM for reaching Super Bowl LX and $2.5MM for winning it.
- Baker Mayfield, QB (Buccaneers). Mayfield’s three-year, $100MM deal includes a $2.5MM incentive package that can fully or partially trigger depending on the QB’s finishes in five statistical categories. Mayfield can earn $500K apiece if he finishes in the top 10 NFL QBs or top five among NFC arms in passer rating, TD passes, yards, completion percentage and yards per attempt, Ramondi adds. Mayfield sits 12th in yards (sixth NFC) and 11th in TDs (fifth NFC) but outside the top 17 in the other three categories, likely putting only $1MM in play.
- Bradley Chubb, OLB (Dolphins). Chubb can do quite well by season’s end. After agreeing to an offseason rework, the injury-prone edge rusher is set to cash in based on playing time escalators. Sitting at 72% playing time, Chubb is on track to earn more than $3.1MM, which he will do by finishing the season north of 70%, per Raimondi. The former top-five pick has already cashed in a $1.23MM sack incentive by reaching six; he can earn another $900K with eight. Chubb sits at 6.5 through 16 games.
- Keenan Allen, WR (Chargers). Returning to the Chargers on a one-year, $3MM contract, Allen has earned $1MM in reception incentives already, sitting at 73. He is at $750K on his receiving yardage incentives, per Raimondi. The two-stint Charger also has banked $750K by reaching 60 catches and the Bolts qualifying for the playoffs.
- Morgan Moses, RT (Patriots). Moses’ three-year, $24MM deal included a $1.5MM bump for playing 90% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Moses, who has not missed a game in his 12th season, locked that in during the Pats’ Week 17 win over the Jets. This is good news for the Jets, who let Moses walk in free agency. This is expected to bump the value of the 2026 compensatory pick tied to his exit from the seventh round to the fifth, OverTheCap’s Nick Korte notes.
- Joey Bosa, DE (Bills). Avoiding injuries for the most part this season, Bosa has five sacks on his one-year, $12.61MM Bills deal. If he nets No. 6 in Week 18, the 10th-year veteran will earn an additional $250K, per Raimondi. Bosa (15 games played — his most since 2019) is also on track to collect an additional $750K for playing at least 55% of the Bills’ defensive snaps.
- Deebo Samuel, WR (Commanders). Washington did not extend Samuel upon acquiring him via trade, but his deal does include a number of incentives. Already netting $250K in receiving yardage bonuses, Samuel (707 yards) can bump that to $450K if he reaches 800 yards. Samuel already banked $450K by reaching 70 receptions, Raimondi adds.
- Three NFC defenders earned six-figure bumps recently. Cameron Jordan (Saints) collected a $600K bonus by reaching nine sacks, per ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell. The 15th-year defensive end, who has 9.5 sacks in a bounce-back year, agreed to a reworked contract in March. Fellow veteran D-end DeMarcus Lawrence earned an additional $500K by being selected to the Pro Bowl in his first Seahawks slate, according to Spotrac. Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson earned $500K for intercepting a fourth pass this season, ESPN’s Field Yates adds.
Jets HC Aaron Glenn’s Status Uncertain?
Week 17 saw the Jets’ disappointing end to the season continue. Attention will soon turn to free agency and the draft for first-year general manager Darren Mougey, but it remains to be seen if Aaron Glenn will be retained for 2026. 
Glenn’s first season as a head coach has not gone according to plan, especially in recent weeks. The Jets are in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Their margin of defeat in those contests has been 24, 28, 23 and 32 points. New York currents sits 30th in the NFL in points allowed despite Glenn’s background as a defensive coordinator.
Of course, the decision to trade away cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams led to a decrease in expectations on that side of the ball for the second half of the campaign. Nevertheless, the Jets’ struggles in that regard led to DC Steve Wilks being fired. Glenn’s job security was viewed as being uncertain at that point, although a more recent report indicated he will remain in place for next season.
The 53-year-old’s job security is still a talking point at this time, however. Outkick’s Armando Salguero writes Glenn is not safe in the wake of his team’s underwhelming finish to the season. Glenn joined New York on a five-year deal following his tenure leading the Lions’ defense. Moving on after just one campaign would thus come as a surprise even with the team sitting at 3-13. Glenn’s latest comments on the matter point to continued support coming from owner Woody Johnson.
“I do know there’s a belief in me,” Glenn said of Johnson (via Salguero). “I do know I believe in him. That’s why I’m glad I took this job, is because of ownership and what he’s about… I’m disappointed. I know he’s disappointed. So, now we’ve got to figure out what we do to make sure that we get over that hump and move forward.”
Improved play in many respects will be required for the Jets to bounce back in 2026. At least one change will take place on the sidelines when Wilks’ full-time replacement is named. Other moves affecting the coaching staff could be made soon, and Glenn’s standing in the organization will remain something to watch closely through the final week of the campaign.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/27/25
Here are today’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations for the penultimate weekend of the regular season:
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from IR: LB Jay Higgins IV
Buffalo Bills
- Signed from practice squad: TE Keleki Latu
- Elevated: K Michael Badgley, DE Andre Jones Jr.
- Waived: WR Mecole Hardman Jr.
Chicago Bears
- Activated from IR: G Luke Newman
- Elevated: CB Dallis Flowers, WR JP Richardson
- Waived: DT Jonathan Ford
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: DT Howard Cross III, CB Bralyn Lux
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: TE Sal Cannella, QB Bailey Zappe
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: TE Drake Dabney, QB Clayton Tune
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from IR: WR Ashton Dulin
- Signed from practice squad: DT Chris Wormley
- Elevated: C Jimmy Morrissey, G Josh Sills
- Placed on IR: WR Anthony Gould, TE Andrew Ogletree
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: G Jerome Carvin, S Juan Thornhill
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from IR: OL Andrew Meyer
- Signed from practice squad: WR Theo Wease Jr.
- Placed on IR: WR Dee Eskridge, CB Isaiah Johnson, DT Benito Jones
- Elevated: LB Derrick McLendon, OL Josh Priebe
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: WR Ronnie Bell, TE Treyton Welch
New York Giants
- Signed from practice squad: DE Elijah Chatman, C Bryan Hudson, S Raheem Layne, K Ben Sauls
- Elevated: TE Zach Davidson, RE Dante Miller
New York Jets
- Signed from practice squad: CB Tre Brown, G Marquis Hayes, WR Quentin Skinner
- Elevated: QB Hendon Hooker
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: CB Brandon Johnson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: T Jack Driscoll, CB D’Shawn Jamison
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: LB Eric Kendricks, TE Brayden Willis
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: RB Cam Akers, T Amari Kight
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: OLB Jason Pierre-Paul
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: CB Kemon Hall
- Placed on IR: CB Marcus Harris
With Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox both dealing with injuries, the Bills add Latu to the 53-man roster for depth. To make room, Buffalo has parted ways with the veteran, Hardman, just a week after activating him from injured reserve.
A number of players are being called up as standard gameday practice squad elevations for the third and final time on their current contracts. This is the case for Flowers in Chicago, Zappe in Cleveland, Sills in Indianapolis, Driscoll in Pittsburgh, and Kight in Seattle. If their respective teams wish to see them appear in another game this year, they will need to be signed to the 53-man roster, as was done with Wormley in Indianapolis and Chatman in New York this week after they exhausted their three elevations already this year.
Quincy Williams Open To Re-Signing With Jets, Will Prioritize Scheme Fit
Linebacker Quincy Williams has been a prominent member of the Jets’ defense since 2021, but his time with the organization may be running out. While the pending free agent’s future is up in the air, he’s open to re-signing with the Jets under the right circumstances. Williams told Rich Cimini of ESPN that he’s prioritizing “getting put in the right defense” as he gears up for a potential trip to the open market.
“When I’m in the right defense, I ball out,” said Williams, who added: “If that’s at the Jets, that’ll be good. It depends on the D coordinator they bring in and the defense they run. I’m going to take all that into consideration.”
After the Jets claimed him off waivers from the Jaguars in 2021, Williams spent the majority of his first four years in New York under defensive-minded head coach Robert Saleh. Williams was a fit in Saleh’s scheme. He combined for 61 starts over that span, tallied 100-plus tackles in each season, and recorded nine sacks. He was so effective in 2023 that he earned first-team All-Pro honors.
The Jets fired Saleh in October 2024 and rode out the season with interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich, who had been the team’s defensive coordinator. They didn’t promote Ulbrich (now with the Falcons) last offseason, instead hiring another defense-first head coach in Aaron Glenn. Steve Wilks was Glenn’s first defensive coordinator selection, an experiment that failed miserably. Glenn fired Wilks on Dec. 15 and promoted pass game coordinator Chris Harris to handle DC duties for the rest of the year.
Williams has put up 74 tackles, six passes defensed and a career-high 3.5 sacks in 11 games this season, but it hasn’t been a smooth ride. After back-to-back 17-game seasons, he missed four contests with a shoulder injury. The Jets later benched Williams ahead of Week 9, which came after they considered trading him at the Nov. 4 deadline.
“My coaches told me I was underperforming, that I’ve been underperforming since training camp,” Williams said to Cimini at the time.
To his credit, Williams quickly won the job back. Most recently, he was on the field for all 78 of the Jets’ defensive snaps in a 29-6 loss to the Saints in Week 16. Williams registered a season-high 11 tackles in that game, though Pro Football Focus has been down on him all year. PFF ranked Williams 57th among 82 qualifying linebackers at the time of his demotion. He has since fallen to 70th out of 86 qualifiers. His 39.9 grade in coverage sits in the bottom 10 at his position.
With the three-year, $18MM extension he signed in 2023 on the verge of expiring, the soon-to-be 30-year-old Williams will look for another payday on the heels of a down season. The previous regime of Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas at least considered another multiyear deal for Williams, but it doesn’t appear one will materialize under Glenn and GM Darren Mougey.
The Glenn-Mougey duo prioritized a different starting linebacker, Jamien Sherwood, whom they re-upped on a three-year, $45MM contract last offseason. With Williams potentially on his way out of New York in a couple of months, Sherwood may team with someone else in 2026.
Jets Defense Loses Three To IR
As one of the first teams eliminated from playoff contention, the Jets don’t have much to play for down the stretch. That makes it slightly more bearable that today they put three defenders on injured reserve. 
The biggest loss to the unit is that of third-year defensive end Will McDonald. The former first-round selection out of Iowa State has followed up last year’s breakout 10.5-sack campaign with another strong season. A starter in 14 of 15 contests this year, McDonald leads the Jets in sacks (8.0) and tackles for loss (10). As McDonald sits out the rest of the way with a knee injury, the Green & White will close the season with Micheal Clemons and Braiden McGregor filling in across from Jermaine Johnson.
The Jets’ second IR placement simply confirms the end of a rookie’s season. Seventh-round Miami-product Kiko Mauigoa was expected to be a core special teamer and reserve linebacker in his first year as a pro. When starter Quincy Williams was placed on IR three weeks into the season, Mauigoa stepped in to start eight of the next nine games, though his contributions started to tail off in those last few weeks with Williams coming back into the picture. The rookie has missed the team’s last two games with a shoulder injury and has officially been shut down until 2026.
The last loss going into the final two weeks of the season is that of defensive tackle Jay Tufele. Signing with the Jets after finishing out his rookie contract in Cincinnati, Tufele looked to be competing for a starting job early in the offseason. Ultimately, he found himself coming off the bench behind Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs, earning two starts in a healthy rotation. With Tufele’s season ending, depth pieces Khalen Saunders and Payton Page should compete for snaps behind Phillips and Briggs, assuming recent trade acquisition Mazi Smith continues to be designated as a healthy scratch.
With games against the division-rival Patriots and Bills to close out the season, a depleted Jets defense may put up little resistance against two formidable offenses playing for division titles and a potential playoff first-round bye.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/24/25
NFL minor moves this Christmas Eve:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: DE L.J. Collier
Atlanta Falcons
- Designated for return from IR: CB Clark Phillips
Cincinnati Bengals
- Designated for return from IR: C Matt Lee
Cleveland Browns
- Signed off Steelers’ practice squad: G Kendrick Green
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed from practice squad: CB Corey Ballentine
- Elevated: LB Justin Barron
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: OL Kingsley Eguakun, TE Giovanni Ricci
Indianapolis Colts
- Designated for return from IR: WR Ashton Dulin
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed from practice squad: S Terrell Edmunds, WR Shedrick Jackson
Los Angeles Rams
- Designated for return from IR: CB Roger McCreary
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed from practice squad: G Henry Byrd
- Elevated: LB Sione Takitaki
- Placed on IR: TE Gavin Bartholomew, C Ryan Kelly
New York Jets
- Claimed off waivers (from Rams): S Chris Smith
Washington Commanders
- Signed from practice squad: QB Sam Hartman
- Elevated: DT Ricky Barber, WR River Cracraft
A month after coming off injured reserve, Kelly is headed right back to the injured list. Kelly was initially placed on IR after two concussions limited him to only three games in the early stages of the season. It is unfortunately a third concussion this season — and the sixth of his career — that will end his 2025 campaign. This will conclude the first half of Kelly’s two-year deal with the Vikings, who will once again turn to backup Michael Jurgens in his absence.
Also in Minnesota, Byrd’s contract to join the 53-man roster will not just be a two-week deal. According to a post from the X account of his agency, JL Sports, Byrd is joining the active roster on a two-year contract.
In Detroit, these will be the third and final standard gameday elevations for Eguakun and Ricci. If the Lions want to see them in the regular season finale, they will need to sign them to the 53-man roster. That’s what Dallas is doing with Ballentine, who exhausted his third elevation last week.