Saints LB Demario Davis Intends To Play Year 15
Ahead of this weekend’s season finale, veteran Saints linebacker Demario Davis made it known that the team’s trip to Atlanta will not be his last game in an NFL uniform. According to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, Davis told the media that he intends to return for his 15th NFL season. 
Davis is just wrapping up his 14th year in the league and his eighth in New Orleans. Since joining the Saints — to be more accurate, since his 2017 campaign that led to him signing with the Saints — Davis has routinely ranked amongst the NFL’s best middle linebackers. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he ranked as the 17th-best player at his position in 2017 and didn’t rank any lower than that until last year, when he graded out as the 19th-best linebacker in the league. He continued to excel in 2025 and currently ranks as the NFL’s sixth-best linebacker, in the eyes of PFF.
Davis has also been somewhat of an ironman in the NFL, never missing more than one game in any season of his career. As a third-round rookie out of Arkansas State, Davis only made three starts but played in every game of his first season in the league. Since then, out of a possible 212 games, Davis has been a starter in 209 and played in 210. Davis credited a lot of new developments in the culture surrounding the game of football for his ability to play this long and remain this healthy in his NFL career.
More important to him than his strict availability, as shown by his consistent PFF grades, is his continued ability to play at a high level. Because he was able to meet benchmarks he set for himself — which were just his prior year stats — he was able to decide that he would play another year and said it was probably the earliest point in a season in recent years that he’s known he wanted to continue to play.
“I’m not trying to plateau. I’m not trying to break even. I’m not trying to peak,” he told reporters today, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. “I’m just trying to get better, and like, when I’m getting better, it’s like an indicator that I’m on the right track. And so, because I’ve done that, I think that gives me a lot of confidence that I’m looking forward to returning.”
As for whether or not he will still be wearing a Saints uniform in Year 15, Davis said he knows there’s a time and place for the business aspect of things. The five-time All-Pro, who turns 37 in 10 days, is set to become a free agent in the offseason.
“I don’t think in terms of the business element before the business element presents itself,” Davis said. “We’re in a game where contracts do matter, but that’s such a small part of your career. That happens in a little small window in the offseason once every other year or every couple of years. And when that time gets here, man, in 14 years, that’s always worked itself out.”
He continued, “I’ve never had to really negotiate a contract. They’ve always negotiated themselves. And so, when that time gets here, that’s like very low concern meter right now. What I’m focused on is finishing the season strong, kind of putting an exclamation point on what has been an individual and a collective good season for the defense and the team.”
He ended his comments by noting “good reason for optimism” for the Saints’ future, as rookie quarterback Tyler Shough aims to end the season on a five-game winning streak. He may see a strong Year 2 for the young passer coming, but Year 15 will be his focus after this week.
Packers Claim CB Trevon Diggs
JANUARY 1: The Packers were the only team to submit a claim in this case, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports. Diggs could see time right away and a familiar face on the sidelines will help in that regard. As Rapoport notes, Packers defensive pass-game coordinator Derrick Ansley was Diggs’ secondary coach at Alabama. It will be interesting to see if that dynamic helps spark a rebound in play late in the campaign.
Per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley expressed to the media that “he wants (Diggs) to play on Sunday against the Vikings.” Hafley made sure to emphasize that they “need to make sure that he’s ready to go” and didn’t make any promises, but both Diggs and his coaches seem to want him on the field this weekend.
DECEMBER 31: One day after the Cowboys cut him, cornerback Trevon Diggs will land with a playoff team. The Packers have claimed Diggs off waivers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.
In claiming Diggs, the Packers will commit to paying his $472K game check for Week 18. He’ll earn another $58,823 if he’s active against the Vikings this Sunday, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. Beyond that, there’s no guaranteed money left on Diggs’ contract. However, he remains under team control through 2028 on the five-year, $97MM extension he signed with Dallas in July 2023.
Diggs, a 2020 second-round pick from Alabama, scored his enormous payday after a scintillating start to his career. He made the Pro Bowl twice in his first three years, a stretch in which he intercepted 17 passes. He finished with a jaw-dropping 11 picks in 2021, the most in a season since former Cowboy Everson Walls came down with 11 in 1981, en route to first-team All-Pro honors.
Diggs’ 11-INT showing remains his only 17-game season to date. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder has dealt with a laundry list of injuries since then. An ACL tear limited Diggs to two games in 2023. He missed six more games in 2024 as a result of a calf tear and another knee surgery. It was more of the same in Diggs’ last hurrah with the Cowboys, who placed him on IR with lingering knee problems and a concussion on Oct. 25. He played in just eight of Dallas’ 16 games this year before the team cut him.
The Cowboys opened Diggs’ 21-day practice window on Nov. 30, but they didn’t activate him until Dec. 20. It came as a surprise after Diggs indicated he was healthy enough to play the previous week. He said he was “upset“ the Cowboys didn’t activate him in Week 15. It wasn’t the first disagreement between Diggs and first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
The decision to move on from Diggs reportedly came on the heels of Schottenheimer denying the Maryland-born defender’s request to remain in Washington after the Cowboys’ Christmas Day win over the Commanders. Diggs, who wanted to stay with his family, ignored Schottenheimer’s orders and skipped the team’s flight back to Dallas. That may have sealed his fate with the Cowboys.
While Diggs and Schottenheimer clashed, a massive decline in the corner’s effectiveness was likely the main reason Dallas parted with him. The 27-year-old has gone without an interception this season, and Pro Football Focus ranks his performance 80th among 113 qualifiers at his position. Worse yet, according to Pro-Football-Reference, Diggs has yielded a 77.3% completion rate to the nearest receiver and a 157.2 passer rating over a sample of 22 targets. A perfect rating checks in at 158.3.
Although Diggs has struggled immensely this year, the Packers aren’t risking much in claiming him. The Packers will be able to move on after the season if they want, and they desperately need healthy cornerbacks right now.
Locked into the seventh seed in the NFC with one game left, the Packers are dangerously thin at corner behind Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine. Green Bay placed Kamal Hadden on IR on Tuesday and did the same with Nate Hobbs on Wednesday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Hobbs, who has played in 11 games and started five this year, will miss at least four contests with a knee injury.
Diggs, Shemar Bartholomew and Jaylin Simpson will provide the Packers a few more game-ready options at the position. The Packers signed Bartholomew and Simpson from their practice squad to their active roster on Tuesday.
Rams S Quentin Lake Extended, Designated For Return From IR
6:31PM: In addition to extending Lake today, the Rams announced that he has been designated to return from injured reserve. After missing the team’s last six games, the window is now open for Lake to return in time for the regular season finale in Los Angeles.
2:17PM: The Rams signed fourth-year safety Quentin Lake to a contract extension, per a team announcement.
The deal is worth up to $42MM over three years with $25.7MM guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Lake, a 2022 fifth-round pick, was set to hit free agency this offseason but will now be under contract in Los Angeles through the 2028 season.
The 26-year-old primarily played special teams as a rookie before carving out a role in the slot in 2023. He then broke out last year as a versatile piece of the Rams’ secondary with 511 snaps in the slot, 398 as a free safety, and 244 in the box, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). This season, he has been the primary nickel in Los Angeles and ranks 12th in the league with 0.80 yards allowed per snap out of the slot (via PFF).
Lake’s contract ranks 11th among NFL safeties in terms of guaranteed money, per OverTheCap. The base value of his deal is unknown, but his maximum APY of $14MM would also rank 11th. That is a solid raise over Lake’s Day 3 rookie contract while also being a strong value for the team after the safety market rose above $25.1MM this offseason. Lake’s versatility is especially valuable to a Rams front office that does not invest a lot into their secondary. They can now approach the offseason hunting for value in free agency and the draft knowing that Lake can take on whatever role is needed to fill out the unit.
Extending Lake likely means that the Rams will not retain veteran safety Kamren Curl, whose contract expires at the end of the season. He will join a free agent class that no longer includes Lake, but does have a number of other rising talents like Jaquan Brisker and Ronnie Hickman, among others. Of course, other teams will likely seek to retain their top pending free agents before the offseason begins, so the ranks of available safeties could dwindle by the time free agency actually approaches.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/1/26
2026’s first practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: G Tyler Cooper
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: P Trenton Gill
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: S Mark Perry
- Placed on practice squad/injured list: TE McCallan Castles
New England Patriots
- Signed: CB Miles Battle, C Brenden Jaimes
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/1/26
Here’s our first minor NFL transactions of the 2026 calendar year:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed off waivers (from Vikings): LB Austin Keys
- Placed on IR: S Kitan Crawford
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed from practice squad: DE Khalid Kareem
- Placed on IR: CB Mike Hughes
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: G Ben Cleveland
Miami Dolphins
- Signed off Raiders’ practice squad: QB Cam Miller
New England Patriots
- Signed from practice squad: CB Kobee Minor
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from IR: T Cameron Williams
After suspending him three weeks ago, the Ravens have finally removed Cleveland from the 53-man roster. The former third-round pick out of Georgia has never lived up to his draft stock and, despite struggles with the interior line in Baltimore, failed to ever earn a role on offense. Legal trouble in the offseason didn’t stop the team from re-signing him to a one-year deal, but whatever the cause for the suspension, it seems it was severe enough to end the contract. It’s unclear if they’ll look to retain Cleveland on the practice squad.
After miss two games earlier this year, Hughes has sat out of the Falcons’ last three contests with an ankle injury. The starting cornerback coming back from injury for a meaningless regular season finale doesn’t make much sense, so Atlanta has placed him on injured reserve to free up a spot on the 53-man roster.
Williams, the sixth-round rookie out of Texas, may not make his NFL debut this weekend, unless, maybe, on special teams, but his activation ensures he doesn’t spend nearly his entire rookie year on IR.
Bills DT Ed Oliver Undergoes Knee Surgery
Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver has been working back from a biceps tear since late October. There’s a chance Oliver will return sometime during the playoffs, but he’ll also have to overcome a knee injury first. Oliver underwent a meniscus cleanup on Monday, head coach Sean McDermott announced (via Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News and Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic).
This is the third significant injury of the season for Oliver, who incurred this unexpected setback during rehab. He only played in three regular-season games before going on IR.
After a stellar showing in the Bills’ Week 1 win over the Ravens, Oliver suffered an ankle injury in practice and missed four games in a row. He returned to play in two before tearing his biceps. The seventh-year man finished 2025 with 12 tackles, 11 pressures, seven TFL, five QB hits and three sacks.
While Oliver was only around for 108 defensive snaps during the regular season, Pro Football Focus awarded him an elite 90.4 grade against the run over that small sample. The Bills rank eighth in total defense and 12th in points allowed, but they’ve struggled to stop the run without Oliver.
The Bengals, Commanders and Giants are the only teams that have yielded more rushing yards than the Bills. Unlike those three, the 11-5 Bills earned a playoff berth. However, they’ll enter the postseason as a wild card for the first time since 2019. The 13-3 Patriots snapped the Bills’ five-year streak atop the AFC East.
Depending on the outcome of this week’s slate, Buffalo will finish anywhere from fifth to seventh in the AFC. The Bills will likely have to win three consecutive road games to advance to the Super Bowl. That’s a lot to ask with or without Oliver. If Oliver stays on the shelf during the playoffs, the Bills will have to continue leaning on fellow veteran starter DaQuan Jones and two rookies – fourth-rounder Deone Walker and second-rounder T.J. Sanders – as their top options at D-tackle. Larry Ogunjobi, Jordan Phillips and Phidarian Mathis are on hand as depth.
Jones and Phillips missed the Bills’ Week 17 loss to the Eagles with injuries, but their defense held up well in limiting Saquon Barkley to 68 yards on 19 carries. Meanwhile, quarterback Jalen Hurts didn’t complete a second-half pass during a 13-for-27, 110-yard afternoon. Regardless of whether Oliver returns, similar defensive performances in the coming weeks would increase the Bills’ chances of making a lengthy playoff run.
Packers QB Jordan Love Clears Concussion Protocol; Clayton Tune To Start In Week 18
Packers quarterback Jordan Love has cleared concussion protocol, but head coach Matt LaFleur will rest his starter in Week 18. With the 9-6-1 Packers locked into the seventh seed in the NFC, they will start third-stringer Clayton Tune against the Vikings on Sunday (via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic).
Love suffered his head injury in a 22-16 loss to the Bears in Week 16. Backup Malik Willis impressed in relief that night and played well again filling in for Love in Week 17, but the Packers fell 41-24 to the Ravens to extend their losing streak to three.
Willis is now dealing with a hamstring injury, making it unclear who will serve as the Packers’ No. 2 QB in their regular-season finale (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN). Desmond Ridder, who joined Green Bay’s practice squad on Wednesday, may back up Tune.
Although the Packers are skidding as they head toward the postseason, it’s a relief for them that Love is healthy again as the wild-card round approaches. Assuming he doesn’t play this week, the fifth-year man will end his regular season with a 66.3% completion rate, 7.7 yards per attempt, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions in 15 games. Love ranks second in QBR (73.4), trailing only Patriots MVP candidate Drake Maye, and seventh in traditional passer rating (101.2).
Tune, 26, is in line for his second NFL start. The Houston product entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2023. His lone start came as a rookie against the Browns in Week 9. It didn’t go well for Tune, who completed 11 of 20 passes for a meager 58 yards and two interceptions in a 27-0 loss. He has only attempted six passes in the regular season since then, including four after Willis aggravated a shoulder injury last week. He completed one pass and tossed another pick against the Ravens.
Tune, whom Green Bay signed from its practice squad to its active roster Wednesday, joined the organization after Arizona released him in late August. Four months later, he’ll have an opportunity to start a game for a playoff-bound team.
Cardinals Place DT Walter Nolen, CB Garrett Williams On Injured Reserve
JANUARY 1: Both Nolen and Williams have undergone surgery, Gannon said (via Urban). Gannon declined to confirm whether or not Nolen suffered an ACL tear, but in any case his attention will be focused on rehabbing during the offseason.
DECEMBER 30: Nolen underwent surgery on his left knee, according to ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. Neither the severity nor extent of the injury have yet to be reported.
DECEMBER 22: The Cardinals are placing defensive tackle Walter Nolen and cornerback Garrett Williams on injured reserve, head coach Jonathan Gannon (via team reporter Darren Urban).
Both defenders went down in Arizona’s loss to the Falcons in Sunday. Nolen suffered a non-contact injury to his left knee, while Williams is believed to have suffered an Achilles tear. Gannon only confirmed the areas that were injured for each player but did not elaborate on the specifics.
Nolen, 22, was drafted in the first round of April’s draft (No. 16 overall), but spent the first eight weeks of the season on the PUP list with an calf issue. He debuted in In Week 12, Nolen went down with a knee injury early in the game and missed the next two contests. It is unknown if he injured the same knee on Sunday afternoon.
Nolen has only played 169 snaps this year, so the Cardinals defense is used to playing without him. They have five other defensive tackles on the roster who could fill the rotation for the rest of the year, thought they could call on Zachary Carter or Wyatt Bowles from their practice squad.
Williams, 24, took over the Cardinals’ slot cornerback job midway through his 2023 rookie season. He carried that role into 2024 and allowed completions on just 56.5% of his targets. He also finished as the league’s 10th-ranked cornerback with 5.3 yards per target.
That performance built hype for his third-year effort, but he landed on injured reserve after just two games with a knee injury. Williams missed five games and returned to the field in November, but he has not been able to replicate last season’s results. He has allowed a 79.3% completion rate and 8.3 yards per target as part of a Cardinals defense that has generally struggled to stop opposing offenses this year.
Arizona moved safety Jalen Thompson into the slot during Williams’ absence earlier this year and brought Dadrion Taylor-Demerson in to fill Thompson’s snaps. The Cardinals could use the same approach or reconfigure their secondary to give younger defensive backs some playing time at the end of the season.
Ravens ‘Very Optimistic’ That Lamar Jackson Plays In Week 18
JANUARY 1: Jackson said on Thursday that he will “100%” play in Pittsburgh on Sunday night. He will likely take the field with extra protection for his back.
DECEMBER 31: Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was a full participant in the team’s first practice of Week 18, an extremely encouraging sign for his availability for Sunday’s win-or-go-home matchup with the Steelers.
Jackson went down in Week 15 with a severe back contusion that held him out of practice last week. He was listed as doubtful and did not play on Saturday night against the Packers. Backup Tyler Huntley filled in and confidently commanded the offense to a 41-24 victory. Most of the credit goes to Derrick Henry, who finished with 36 carries for 216 yards and four touchdowns, but Huntley made plays whenever they needed to be made. He completed 80% of his passes, converted a number of key first downs through the air, and added 60 yards on eight rushing attempts.
Head coach John Harbaugh said that he was “very optimistic” about Jackson’s status, adding that the two-time MVP’s status improved throughout last week. He was seen at Wednesday’s practice wearing some kind of protective equipment, per Brian Wacker of The Baltimore Sun.
Obviously, Jackson taking the field would be a major boost for the Ravens offense. Though they can continue to lean on Henry, Jackson is undoubtedly a better passer than Huntley and his availability would open up the offense to its full complement of plays. The Ravens rushed for 217 yards in their first meeting with the Steelers a few weeks ago, so offensive coordinator Todd Monken should be motivated to stick with the run either way.
Huntley’s success against the Packers on Saturday and the Bears in Week 8 indicates that Baltimore’s offense would still be in good hands if Jackson cannot go. That would be Jackson’s fourth absence of the season and Huntley’s third start.
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers Not Committed To Retirement
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers entered the 2025 season believing it would be in last, but his comments on Wednesday indicate that he is still open to playing in 2026.
Rodgers spoke about his future this week and acknowledged the obvious: he is 42 years old and is not under contract for next season. This is a change from his previous stance in June – after he signed with the Steelers – when Rodgers was “pretty sure” he would retire after the season. He also noted that he signed a one-year deal in Pittsburgh for that reason. His words on Wednesday indicate, at at minimum, that he has not made up his mind.
If Rodgers were to play in 2026, the main question would be where. He believes that he would have options if he decides to keep playing, which could include the Steelers. He expressed his satisfaction with the organization on Wednesday, which could play a factor in his decision.
“I’ve enjoyed this experience, and everybody in Pittsburgh has been fantastic to me on and off the field,” Rodgers said (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor). “And it’s really what I was hoping for this experience was, it’s been even better than I was hoping.”
Running it back with the Steelers would, of course, mean that the team wants to continue the partnership as well. They appear to be open to the idea. Otherwise, it is hard to know which teams, if any, would be interested in Rodgers.
Rodgers mentioned a few other factors in his decision, including his wife’s insight and his physical ability to keep playing. He may also want to end his career on a better note, especially if the Steelers miss the playoffs with a loss to the Ravens on Sunday night. In general, he putting up similar stats to last season’s numbers with the Jets, but he is also on pace for his fewest yards per game as a starter.
“Anytime you’re in a first-year offense, there’s always some growing pains within the offense,” Rodgers said. “It’s always like, you feel like, if you had another year, what you could do.”
The Steelers offense has been middling at best this year, but it is their first year with Rodgers under center and D.K. Metcalf out wide. The running game has not thrived, and Rodgers has not had a reliable No. 2 receiver to target. Pittsburgh is always interested in wide receivers and the prospect of adding one or two this offseason could inspire Rodgers to come back.
It is also worth noting the past media circuses around Rodgers’ decisions about if and where he will play in the future. If he does decide to return for the 2026 season – his 22nd in the NFL – the process could drag out as it has in years past.