Patriots Activate Mack Hollins From IR
An already strong Patriots offense will welcome back a key reinforcement against the Broncos in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. The Patriots have activated wide receiver Mack Hollins from injured reserve. Hollins landed on IR with an abdomen injury on Dec. 27.
After a solid 2025 showing with AFC East rival Buffalo, Hollins joined New England on a two-year, $8.4MM agreement in free agency. The move reunited Hollins with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who first coached the well-traveled wideout in Las Vegas in 2022.
Hollins posted career highs in receptions (57), targets (94) and yards (690) in his lone season with the Raiders, and he was similarly productive this year before his IR stint. In his first 15 games as a Patriot, the 32-year-old Hollins hauled in 46 receptions on 65 targets, racked up 550 yards, and found the end zone twice.
Despite missing the last two games of the regular season, Hollins led Pats receivers in snaps (657), edging out Kayshon Boutte and Stefon Diggs. The Patriots and MVP-contending quarterback Drake Maye nonetheless rattled off four straight wins without Hollins, including playoff victories over the Chargers and Texans.
With a win in Denver over backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, a former Patriot who will fill in for the injured Bo Nix, New England will earn its 12th trip to the Super Bowl. The Patriots will enter the game as rare road favorites, and the return of Hollins should further increase their chances of pulling it out.
Along with activating Hollins, the Patriots made a handful of other roster moves on Saturday. The team placed defensive tackle Eric Gregory on IR, elevated running back D’Ernest Johnson and DT Leonard Taylor from the practice squad, and released receiver Trent Sherfield from its taxi squad.
Sherfield, who played 10 games with the Broncos this season, signed with the Patriots on Jan. 13. There’s little doubt the Patriots quizzed Sherfield on the Broncos during his short stay in New England.
Klay Kubiak Withdraws From HC Searches
Although he has been a candidate in multiple head coaching searches this month, 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak has removed himself from consideration, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. Kubiak will remain in San Francisco in 2026.
The 37-year-old Kubiak drew attention from the Steelers and Raiders in this winter’s hiring cycle. The news of Kubiak’s withdrawal came shortly before the Steelers agreed to hire Mike McCarthy as their head coach. Meanwhile, the Raiders haven’t found Pete Carroll’s replacement yet, but we know it won’t be Kubiak.
There’s still a possibility Klay’s brother, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, will land the Las Vegas job. Both Kubiaks have interviewed for the position. The Bills, Browns and Cardinals are the only other teams with vacancies.
A former Colorado State quarterback, Klay Kubiak has garnered all of his NFL coaching experience with the 49ers. He joined the organization as a defensive quality control coach in 2021. Kubiak spent the next two years as the 49ers’ assistant quarterbacks coach before working as their offensive passing game specialist in 2024.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan promoted Kubiak to offensive coordinator in 2025, a year in which the 49ers overcame a rash of key injuries to finish seventh in yards and 10th in scoring. Backup quarterback Mac Jones started in place of an injured Brock Purdy eight times, tight end George Kittle missed six games, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall sat out eight, and fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk didn’t play at all.
Shanahan continued as the 49ers’ primary play-caller during their injury-ravaged 2025. Nevertheless, Kubiak is important enough to the coaching staff that Shanahan would block other teams from hiring him as an offensive coordinator.
“He’s our offensive coordinator, so I don’t know, why would you let him be somebody else’s offensive coordinator,” Shanahan said last week.
For his part, Kubiak prefers to continue working with Shanahan, according to Russini. Shanahan has been the 49ers’ head coach since 2017, but he has only given the OC title to Kubiak and Mike McDaniel. While McDaniel held the role for just one season before he left to become the Dolphins’ head coach in 2022, Kubiak is now poised for a multiyear stint. With another productive season in 2026, Kubiak may reemerge as a name to watch during next winter’s hiring cycle.
Raiders Interview Brian Daboll For HC
The number of open head coaching positions and top coaching candidates are both starting to dwindle as six of the 10 open positions this offseason have been filled. Having seen two of the three candidates they invited for second interviews land jobs elsewhere, the Raiders continue to expand their board. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, former Giants head coach Brian Daboll interviewed for the open job in Las Vegas today. 
Since his midseason dismissal from New York, Daboll has remained a name to watch for head coaching jobs in this cycle. He was one of 18 coaches interviewed for the top job in Tennessee, and just recently interviewed for the Bills‘ open job. With his latest interest from the Raiders, Daboll only has two options available, but if Vegas thinks they’re ready to hire Daboll, they may want to move fast to make it happen, considering the 50-year-old made it known that Buffalo was his preferred destination. His four years as offensive coordinator with the Bills was what got him a head coaching opportunity in the first place, after all.
Daboll hasn’t just been getting head coaching interest coming out of his first tenure in a lead position. With some programs remembering the work he did as OC in Buffalo before he landed in New York, he’s garnered some offensive coordinator interest, as well. Daboll was set to interview for the open job with the Chargers before it became known that the team was expected to hire former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel to the role, and he did interview this past week for the OC role in Philadelphia. McDaniel’s continued availability for other positions may mean that job isn’t quite closed to Daboll, though.
Daboll was also mentioned as a candidate for the Titans’ OC job, but he has yet to interview for it. Similar to what he said with a head coaching opportunity in Buffalo, Daboll made it known that the OC opportunity in Nashville would be his preferred destination, if he’s unable to land a head coaching gig.
As for Vegas, former Chargers DC Jesse Minter landed with Baltimore as head coach after two rounds of interviews with the Raiders, and former Packers’ DC Jeff Hafley came off the board before he could make it out to his scheduled second interview in Vegas, landing the job in Miami. The only candidate who has completed two interviews with the Raiders who is still available is another defensive coordinator in Carolina’s Ejiro Evero. After other candidates either landed elsewhere or withdrew from consideration for the position, Las Vegas has nine candidates, other than Daboll, with whom they’ve conducted a preliminary interview.
Here’s how the Raiders’ coaching search is shaping up at this latest point of the process:
- Joe Brady, offensive coordinator (Bills): Interviewed 1/18
- Brian Daboll, former head coach (Giants): Interviewed 1/24
- Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Conducted second interview 1/20
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Vikings): Mentioned as candidate
- Jeff Hafley, defensive coordinator (Packers): To conduct second interview 1/21
- John Harbaugh, former head coach (Ravens): Contacted
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Interviewed 1/8
- Klay Kubiak, offensive coordinator (49ers): Interviewed 1/18
- Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator (Seahawks): Interviewed 1/9
- Mike LaFleur, offensive coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/16
- Mike McDaniel, former head coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/19
- Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator (Chargers): Conducted second interview 1/20
- Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Interviewed 1/8
- Nate Scheelhaase, pass game coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/16
- Chris Shula, defensive coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/16
- Kevin Stefanski, former head coach (Browns): Interviewed 1/8; withdrew from search
- Davis Webb, quarterbacks coach (Broncos): Interviewed 1/7
49ers Don’t Expect To Trade Mac Jones
Then in the market for a capable backup to starting quarterback Brock Purdy, the 49ers brought in Mac Jones on a two-year, $7MM contract last March. The move paid off in 2025 for San Francisco, which earned a playoff berth despite turning to Jones as its starter for almost half the season.
With injuries holding Purdy out of eight games, Jones helped the 49ers to a 5-3 mark during a 12-win campaign for the club. Across 11 appearances, Jones posted career highs in completion percentage (69.6), yards per attempt (7.4), passer rating (97.4) and QBR (62.9). The 27-year-old fired 13 touchdowns against six interceptions along the way.
Before teaming up with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, Jones endured a couple of down years as a Patriots starter and a Jaguars backup. The 15th overall pick in 2021, Jones finished second to Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. The Alabama product also helped lead the Patriots to the playoffs then, but the team peaked under Jones that season.
After back-to-back subpar years, the Patriots sold low on Jones in sending him to the Jags for a sixth-round pick in 2024. While logging seven starts in place of an injured Trevor Lawrence in his lone year in Jacksonville, Jones’ struggles continued.
Departing Jacksonville for San Francisco led to Jones’ revival under Shanahan, making it conceivable that quarterback-needy teams could inquire about his availability this offseason. Bringing in Jones and his $2.81MM base salary may be an attractive option for clubs seeking a veteran QB who can at least compete for a starting job. As you’d expect, though, the 49ers’ public stance is that Jones will remain in their uniform in 2026.
On the potential of dealing Jones, Shanahan stated (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area): “As any player on our team, including myself and John (Lynch), you always listen to people and trade offers, but we’re also not into getting rid of good players. So, I’d be very surprised if Mac wasn’t around us next year.”
Lynch echoed Shanahan’s sentiments, adding, “Like Kyle said, you always listen, but I know we’re a better football team with Mac Jones on our roster.”
While Jones’ presence benefited the 49ers in 2025, Purdy is locked in as their starter. With that in mind, an offseason trade involving the 49ers’ clear-cut backup may be on the table if a competitive enough offer comes along. A mid-November report identified Jones as a “prime trade candidate,” and it’s worth noting that he turned down better offers last March before latching on with the 49ers. It’s unknown which teams lost out on Jones in free agency then, but perhaps they’ll circle back on the trade market this year.
Wink Martindale Set For Second Interview For Jets’ DC Job
Former Ravens and Giants defensive coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale is in New York for a second, in-person interview for the Jets’ defensive coordinator vacancy, per SNY’s Connor Hughes.
Martindale, 62, is entering his 30th year as a coach. He spent the last two years as Michigan’s defensive coordinator but did not uphold the standard by his predecessors, Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter, two of his former assistants in Baltimore who are now head coaches for the Seahawks and the Ravens, respectively. Martindale was not retained by new Wolverines head coach Kyle Whittingham for the 2026 season, making him a free agent and positioning him for a move back to the NFL.
With a second interview, Martindale is emerging as a top candidate for the Jets’ DC job, if not an outright frontrunner. He has been in contact with head coach Aaron Glenn “throughout the process, going back a few weeks,” according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. The two coaches have not overlapped with the same team during their time in the NFL – including Glenn’s playing career – but they no doubt are familiar with each other given their time in the NFL.
Martindale’s blitz-heavy system could help the Jets get more out of a pass rush that only produced 26 sacks in 2025, the second-fewest in the NFL. Sending Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys at the trade deadline certainly did not help, but he only produced one sack in his first eight games. Jermaine Johnson only recorded three sacks, though he was only a year removed from a torn Achilles. But Glenn’s credentials as the Lions’ defensive coordinator got him the job in New York, so the team is likely expecting him to find ways to generate pressure regardless of his personnel.
Martindale, who had a heavy hand in creating the systems now run by Macdonald, Minters, and other NFL DCs, may not have the best recent history, but he is still a respected defensive mind with a knack for pressuring opposing quarterbacks.
Here is an overview of the Jets’ search for a new defensive coordinator:
- Mathieu Araujo, cornerbacks coach (Dolphins): Interviewed
- Ephraim Banda, safeties coach (Browns): Interviewed
- DeMarcus Covington, defensive line coach (Packers): Interviewed
- Chris Harris, interim defensive coordinator (Jets): Interviewed 1/18
- Daronte Jones, defensive backs coach (Vikings): Interviewed
- Jim Leonhard, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Interviewed
- Don Martindale, defensive coordinator (Michigan): Conducting second interview 1/24
- Jim O’Neil, defensive assistant/safeties (Lions): Interviewed
Cardinals Schedule Second HC Interview With Anthony Weaver
Continuing a busy week, Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver has booked a second head coaching interview with the Cardinals, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. That meeting will take place Sunday.
Weaver held second head coaching interviews with the Ravens and Steelers earlier this week. The 45-year-old is also a candidate in Buffalo, which will discuss its open job with him today.
Weaver remains “very much in the mix” to end up as Mike Tomlin‘s successor in Pittsburgh, Peter Schrager of ESPN reports. However, after he wraps up his summit with the Bills, he’ll turn his attention back to Arizona.
Weaver joins Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile as the first two candidates to set up second interviews with the Cardinals. Unsurprisingly, Campanile is “firmly in the mix” to land the position, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Either Weaver or Campanile would be a second straight defensive-minded hire for Arizona, which is coming off a subpar three-year run with Jonathan Gannon at the controls. The Cardinals fired Gannon after he went 15-36 and posted a dreadful .294 winning percentage.
A defensive lineman with the Ravens and Texans from 2002-08, Weaver has garnered over a decade of experience as an NFL coach since his playing career ended. The two-time defensive coordinator (with the Texans in 2020 and the Dolphins since 2024) has managed mixed results in that role.
Houston’s Weaver-led defense ranked 27th in points and 30th in yards, and he didn’t keep the job for a second season after the Texans moved on from head coach Bill O’Brien and interim HC Romeo Crennel. Weaver then returned to his former stomping grounds in Baltimore, where he coached the defensive line under coordinators Wink Martindale and Mike Macdonald from 2021-23.
Weaver parlayed his work with the Ravens into a promotion in Miami, whose defense was a significant strength in his first season at the helm. The Dolphins finished fourth in total defense and 10th in scoring. Although they fell to 22nd and 24th in those respective categories in 2025, it’s clear teams aren’t holding that against Weaver.
Almost three weeks since Gannon’s ouster, here’s where the Cardinals’ HC search stands:
- Joe Brady, offensive coordinator (Bills): To conduct in-person interview
- Thomas Brown, tight ends coach (Patriots): Interview requested
- Matt Burke, defensive coordinator (Texans): Interviewed
- Anthony Campanile, defensive coordinator (Jaguars): Conducted second interview 1/22
- Jeff Hafley, defensive coordinator (Packers): Interviewed 1/14
- John Harbaugh, former head coach (Ravens): Contacted
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Interviewed 1/10, considered “strong candidate”
- Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator (Seahawks): Interviewed 1/10
- Mike LaFleur, offensive coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/16
- Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator (Chargers): Interviewed 1/13
- Raheem Morris, former head coach (Falcons): Interviewed
- Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Interviewed 1/9
- Robert Saleh, defensive coordinator (49ers): Interviewed 1/15
- Chris Shula, defensive coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/16
- Arthur Smith, offensive coordinator (Steelers): Interview requested
- Anthony Weaver, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): To conduct second interview 1/25
Dolphins Interview Clint Hurtt For DC
As he works to assemble his first staff with the Dolphins, Jeff Hafley has identified Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt as a defensive coordinator candidate. The Dolphins have interviewed Hurtt for the position, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
Hafley’s interest in Hurtt suggests incumbent Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is on his way out, which isn’t a surprise. Weaver is a candidate for a handful of head coaching jobs. If he doesn’t land any of those, he’ll likely serve as an assistant on another staff in 2026.
If Hurtt takes over for Weaver, it would represent a homecoming of sorts for the 47-year-old. Hurtt is a former Miami Hurricanes defensive tackle who began his coaching career there in 2003 as a graduate assistant.
After going on to coach defensive lines at Miami, FIU and Louisville, Hurtt got his start in the NFL as the Bears’ assistant D-line coach in 2014. He became the Bears’ outside linebackers coach the next season and stayed in Chicago through 2016.
Hurtt’s tenure in the Windy City led to prominent roles on Pete Carroll‘s staff in Seattle. He served as the Seahawks’ assistant head coach and DL coach from 2017-21, and then Carroll promoted him to defensive coordinator. The results left plenty to be desired, though. The Seahawks’ defense ranked 25th in scoring in back-to-back seasons under Hurtt. The unit also finished 26th in yards in 2022 and 30th in 2023.
With Mike Macdonald replacing Carroll as the Seahawks’ head coach in 2024, Hurtt joined coordinator Vic Fangio‘s defensive staff with the Eagles. Part of a Super Bowl-winning team in his first year in Philadelphia, Hurtt has overseen two straight Pro Bowl campaigns for Jalen Carter. Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo and Milton Williams (now a Patriot) are among other D-linemen who have held their own on Hurtt’s watch over the past couple of years.
Whether the Dolphins hire Hurtt or another candidate, Hafley has made clear that he will call defensive plays in 2026, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
“it’s really important to me,” Hafley said. “The details will be exactly how I want them.”
The Dolphins hired Hafley after a successful two-year stint as Green Bay’s defensive coordinator. The Packers were especially effective in 2024, when they ranked sixth in scoring defense and fifth in yards allowed. Hafley and his coordinator choice will have their work cut out in attempting to turn around a Miami defense that finished 24th and 22nd in those respective categories in 2025.
Offseason Outlook: Kansas City Chiefs
Home for the playoffs for the first time since 2014, the Chiefs are also about to watch an AFC championship game for the first time since 2017. Kansas City's remarkable run ended with an elimination in Week 15. As the team fought to stay alive, it lost Patrick Mahomes to a torn ACL. This ushers in rare uncertainty for the NFL's safest 2020s bet.
During an offseason in which John Harbaugh, Mike Tomlin and now Sean McDermott are relocating, Andy Reid is now the NFL's longest-tenured HC. Mahomes is also targeting Week 1 for a return. This could remind of a blip, a la the Golden State Warriors' step back between their Kevin Durant period and resurgence soon after, but the Chiefs still have roster issues to sort out in a division that includes formidable opposition.
Coaching/front office:
- HC Andy Reid agreed to return for 14th season
- OC Matt Nagy interviewed for Cardinals, Ravens, Raiders, Giants, Titans' HC jobs, Eagles' OC post
- Eric Bieniemy rehired as OC
- DC Steve Spagnuolo interviewed for Giants, Titans' HC jobs
- Fired wide receivers coach Connor Embree, RBs coach Todd Pinkston
- Hired Chad O'Shea as new WRs coach
This will be Reid's 14th season in Kansas City and 28th season as an NFL head coach. The three-time Super Bowl winner is believed to be the game's highest-paid HC. That and Mahomes' status gives the all-time great plenty of incentive to come back after his worst season since a 4-12 Eagles showing led to a firing. Reid, who will turn 68 in March, has reshaped his legacy in Missouri by turning the tide for a franchise that had gone 50 years between Super Bowl berths.
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New 18-Game Season Proposal Comes With International Guarantee
Despite having signed a 10-year collective bargaining agreement in 2020, the NFL and the league’s ownership group have been pushing relentlessly for what they’ve insisted is an “inevitable” addition of an 18th game to the NFL regular season schedule. The newest update on the owners’ 18-game proposal comes with an international twist, as well. 
The NFL’s 2020 CBA expanded the regular season from 16 to 17 games, reducing the preseason from four to three games, and added the standard gameday practice squad elevation rules that allow for NFL teams to call up two taxi squad players each week to be active on a gameday roster. It also altered the postseason, bringing in a third wild-card team for each conference and eliminating the first-round bye for the No. 2 seed of each conference, creating two more games for the first round of the playoffs.
The news of a shorter preseason runup to the regular season and extra games in the regular season and playoffs brought mixed reactions from the players. While the extra games meant extra paychecks, the altered schedule brought questions of health considerations after the NFL Players Association had done so much to advocate for player safety in prior years. So, as the NFL immediately began to bang the table for the addition of an 18th game, the NFLPA and the players it represents made it clear that they were not fans of the idea.
This week, though, the newest updates came out of New England, when Patriots owner Robert Kraft appeared on 98.5 The Sports Hub and gave the crew the lowdown on the owners’ current plan. The plan, as it currently stands, is to expand the regular season from 17 to 18 games, shortening the preseason from three to two games, while also guaranteeing that each team will play an international game, expanding the international schedule to 16 games.
“I want to tell you guys that we’re going to push like the dickens now to make international (games) more important with us,” Kraft informed them. “Every team will go to 18 (regular season games) and two (preseason games) and eliminate one of the preseason games, and every team every year will play one game overseas.”
He went on to expound on what it would mean for the players, but the only topic he really touched on was money. Not offering any considerations for player health, Kraft spoke to the additional revenue that increased international presentations and additional regular season home games would bring to the league and how that would help the owners “to grow the cap and keep (their) labor happy.” As long as players and the NFLPA continue to push back on any notion of altering the existing CBA, though, the league and owners will be forced to wait until the CBA expires in 2031.
If the league and ownership is able to get a regular season expansion, though, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk claims that postseason change could, once again, follow. In each of the past two years, the final week of the regular season has featured a game in which two teams in the same division are playing for the No. 1 seed, with the losing team being forced to go on the road against a division winner with a significantly worse record. Per Florio, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and some teams have been pushing behind the scenes for teams to be seeded in the postseason regardless of division, eliminating home games for the league’s worst division-winners.
At the urging of the NFL, the Lions — one of the four teams to play in those Week 18 games — proposed the new rule, but the proposal never made it to a vote. Regardless, of the pushback from the players and NFLPA, the league and owners are going to continue working towards their 18-game goal, and Florio claims that some “in key circles” believe the postseason seeding change could tag along with the potential addition of an 18th game.