HEADLINES

Cowboys Offered Micah Parsons, First-Rounder For Quinnen Williams During Training Camp

November 28th, 2025 at 10:22pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently revealed that he offered Micah Parsons plus a first-round pick to the Jets in exchange for Quinnen Williams during training camp. We had previously heard Cowboys-Jets discussions commenced during the runup to the eventual Parsons swap with the Packers, but the longtime owner has provided a rather notable detail here.

“I wanted a one and Parsons for Williams,” Jones said on 103.5 The Fan. That seems like an absurd offer, but Jones left little up to interpretation.

“A one and Parsons for Williams,” he repeated. Later, he added that the deal did not go through because the Jets “did not have the cap room to pay [Parsons].”

Jones also said something similar to WFAA’s Ed Werder: “We tried at training camp with the Jets to basically make an exchange that was ready to go, heads up, with Quinnen and Micah and a 1, and we didn’t get it done.”

Parsons, of course, was instead sent to the Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. The Cowboys later acquired Williams before the trade deadline for a package including a 2027 first-rounder, a 2026 second-rounder, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.

Jones has slowly revealed more and more information about the Parsons trade since it was completed. During a September radio appearances on ESPN New York, Jones said that called the Jets regarding Williams when he was shopping Parsons before the season. The Jets were not interested, he claimed, because they “didn’t have the resources to entertain [the] conversation,” similar to his pronouncement on 103.5.

If Jones’ latest revelation is true, that means two things. First, he was willing to sacrifice a massive amount of value to move Parsons and acquire Williams. Second, the Jets made a huge mistake in not accepting the deal.

Though Williams is an excellent defensive tackle, Parsons is undoubtedly a better and more valuable player, even at a higher price point. This year, Williams has 2.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss this season; per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he ranks fifth among interior defenders with 40 pressures but 38th with a 12.1% pass rush win rate.

Parsons, meanwhile, has 12.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss, plus 67 pressures and a 24.3% pass rush win rate, both top-three marks among NFL edge rushers. In his career, he has averaged 0.89 sacks and one tackle for loss per game; Williams’ per-game numbers are 0.41 sacks and 0.60 tackles for loss.

Those numbers may not tell the complete story of either player, but it seems like the Jets should have taken Jones’ offer. Sure, they would have had to pony up for Parsons’ mega-extension, but they were already prepared to move on from Williams. Adding an extra first-round pick on top would also give the Jets an opportunity to add another starter – if not a star – on a rookie contract. That would help to offset the financial cost of acquiring Parsons.

But Jones’ words should also be taken with a grain of salt. He has spent a lot of time trying to retroactively justify trading away Parsons, especially after using some of the resulting draft capital to acquire Williams. Claiming that the Jets were not interested in Parsons and a first-rounder for Williams serves to downplay the former’s value and boost the latter’s.

The idea that the Jets could not afford to pay Parsons does not hold water, either. After his extension, the All-Pro edge rusher’s cap hit in 2025 is just $9.97MM. New York certainly could have designed a similar contract structure and absorbed

Perhaps the Jets did want to commit so much money to Parsons as they were clearly contemplating a rebuild. Parsons would still be a cornerstone for that effort, but he may not have wanted to weather any losing seasons in the hopes of a future turnaround. But again, adding another first-round pick would have accelerated that process, and a core of Parsons, cornerback Sauce Gardner, and wide receiver Garrett Wilson seems like a solid foundation for the Jets to build from. That is an expensive trio, but having elite players at three of the sport’s most important positions is a good problem to have.

Instead, the Jets declined the Cowboys’ initial offer for Williams before moving him and Gardner at the deadline as part of what appears to be a full-on franchise reset.

Pro Football Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 11/28/25

November 28th, 2025 at 10:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Pro Football Rumors' Sam Robinson will be holding a live chat at 1pm Central today, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS
  • Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Sam Robinson
  • Join exclusive weekly live chats with Sam
  • Remove ads and support our writers

Commanders’ Tavita Pritchard Taking HC Job At Stanford

November 28th, 2025 at 10:17pm CST by Ely Allen

The Commanders are experiencing a rare midseason staffing change after quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard was named the new head coach at Stanford University, his alma mater. The move was first announced by ESPN’s Pete Thamel and confirmed shortly after with an official announcement from the school.

Stanford serves as an alma mater for Pritchard in several ways beyond just the traditional sense. Yes, he attended school in Stanford and played quarterback for the Cardinal from 2006-09. While he didn’t win any awards as a player, he once led the Cardinal — as a replacement starter — to an upset win over the top-ranked Trojans when Stanford was a 41-point underdog. After serving as a full-time starter in his junior year, Pritchard took a backseat as a senior behind freshman phenom and future No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck, who currently serves as Stanford’s general manager.

Following his playing career, Pritchard immediately turned to coaching, joining the Cardinal’s staff as a graduate assistant. He served two years after that as a defensive assistant before getting his first position coaching job as running backs coach in 2013. The next year, he moved to coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers mentoring future NFL names like quarterback Kevin Hogan and wide receivers Ty Montgomery, Trenton Irwin, and JJ Arcega-Whiteside over the next four years.

In 2018, he was promoted to offensive coordinator while retaining the title of quarterbacks coach. While the offense under Pritchard — and then-head coach David Shaw — was never blazing, he was a key part of the development of quarterbacks Davis Mills and Tanner McKee. He accepted the quarterbacks coaching position in Washington for then-head coach Ron Rivera‘s final year leading the team, and he was retained when the Commanders transitioned from Rivera to Dan Quinn and from offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to Kliff Kingsbury.

According to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, Pritchard will coach in the Commanders’ Week 13 game against the Broncos on Sunday night. No plans have been disclosed past that, but the insinuation seems to be that Pritchard will then shift his focus to the NCAA’s early national signing period in early December.

Young quarterback Jayden Daniels won’t lack for mentors, despite Pritchard’s departure. For the remaining five games of the year, Jhabvala predicts assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough could step into full position coaching role, and Kingsbury still stands as a huge influence in his role as coordinator. Blough, who recently retired from his playing career back in 2023, is in his second year on the Washington staff, and the higher-ups like him a lot.

Broncos CB Patrick Surtain Set To Return After Pectoral Tear

November 28th, 2025 at 9:27pm CST by Ely Allen

On Tuesday, we saw Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton confirm that he intended to fulfill expectations of a Week 13 return from injury, and today we saw the same from cornerback Patrick Surtain. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Surtain will go into Sunday night’s contest without an injury designation and should play for the first time this month.

We had known for weeks that the injury Surtain sustained against Dallas back in October was a pectoral injury. Other than that, all we were told was that he was week-to-week and that he may not need a full injured reserve stint before coming back. Well, according to Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette, Surtain informed the media today that he suffered a partial pectoral tear.

The team gambled correctly, too, considering this ended up being a four-week injury. An IR placement requires four games, and with the Broncos just coming off their bye week, Surtain would’ve had to sit out an additional game, had they put him on IR. Though Surtain reportedly feels confident that he’ll be able to play his best this weekend, Mike Klis of 9NEWS tells us that the 25-year-old will wear a harness in this weekend’s game.

When Surtain exited the team’s victory over Dallas with injury, Denver turned to cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, a fifth-round pick last year out of Mizzou, to finish the game in his place. This decision kept first-round rookie Jahdae Barron in his rotational role in the slot, as opposed to asking the first-year defender to change roles in the middle of a game. Up to that point in the season, though, Abrams-Draine had only played two snaps on defense.

The Broncos did give Barron a chance to start across from Riley Moss the next week against the Texans, but after the rookie struggled a bit in what was only his second career start, Abrams-Draine was asked to take the first-team role back partway through the game, and he started each of the next two weeks, as well. With Surtain set to return this weekend, Abrams-Draine’s likely will no longer be a starter, but after shoring up the position to keep Denver’s eight-game win streak alive, he’ll likely get more defensive opportunities after playing most of the first half of the season as a special teamer.

This serves the Denver secondary well as they emerge from Surtain’s absence a deeper group. On Sunday night, they’ll face off against a Commanders receiving corps that returns Terry McLaurin next to Deebo Samuel after McLaurin endured a four-week absence of his own.

NFL Minor Transactions: 11/28/25

November 28th, 2025 at 9:06pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Friday’s minor NFL transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

Washington Commanders

With leading receiver Drake London set to miss his second straight game with a knee injury, Drummond joins the 53-man roster off the taxi squad. He was unable to be a standard gameday practice squad elevation, since he’d already been elevated three times this year.

Chosen is headed to the waiver wire after three games with Washington. He caught five balls for 53 yards on eight targets as an elevation off the practice squad, but after getting signed to the 53-man roster two and a half weeks ago, he only saw one target in the team’s overtime loss to Miami.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/28/25

November 28th, 2025 at 8:37pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s practice squad transactions from around the NFL:

Green Bay Packers

New England Patriots

Finding himself on waivers after missing two extra point attempts at MetLife last weekend, Havrisik went unclaimed on the waiver wire. Brandon McManus is back off the injury report, but Havrisik will remain on the taxi squad in Green Bay, just in case.

Reynolds’ five-year run in Detroit finally has come to an end. Originally an undrafted free agent out of Kutztown University in 2019, Reynolds bounced around before landing with the Lions just before the start of the 2021 season. After two years with Detroit’s practice squad, Reynolds spent most of the last two and a half years on the team’s 53-man roster until getting waived yesterday. He brings a bit more experience to the Patriots’ taxi squad backs over Baker, the undrafted rookie from Elon.

Colts QB Daniel Jones Playing Through Fractured Fibula?

November 28th, 2025 at 7:36pm CST by Adam La Rose

NOVEMBER 28: After being limited in practice on Wednesday, Jones followed up yesterday’s full participant status with a second straight practice with full participation, and despite his reported fibula injury, he is expected to play this Sunday, per Joel A. Erickson of the IndyStar.

Neither today’s practice report nor the comments of head coach Shane Steichen acknowledged the rumors of a fracture in Jones’ lower leg, according to ESPN’s Stephen Holder, but in his comments to the media, Steichen said, “We would never put (Jones) out there if we thought something could go wrong.” The only hint reporters could glean came during an observable portion of practice in which Jones appeared to have a slight limp (video courtesy of James Boyd of The Athletic).

NOVEMBER 27: The Colts have cooled off in recent weeks, losing two of their last three games and only scoring 20 points in both of those contests. The health of quarterback Daniel Jones has also emerged as a talking point.

Jones has been dealing with a lower leg issue recently, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports it is a fracture in his fibula. Rapoport adds Jones intends to continue playing through the injury, citing a source who states the fracture is not a concern. The Colts have neither confirmed nor denied Jones’ reported diagnosis.

Nevertheless, ESPN’s Stephen Holder reports Jones will be listed as a full participant for today’s practice. He echoes the sentiment that this ailment is not expected to result in missed game time. Jones was listed as limited once in practice last week, and the same was true for yesterday’s practice report. Otherwise, the standout free agent signing has managed to log full sessions recently.

When speaking to the media, Jones himself said (via James Boyd of The Athletic) he first realized the issue last week but added he is unsure when exactly it occurred. The former first-rounder noted the ailment is affecting his fibula but also declined to confirm whether or not any fractures have taken place.

Jones won out a training camp competition with Anthony Richardson and he has started every game so far for his newest team. The ex-Giant has set new career highs in several categories this year, giving his market value a considerable boost. A new Indy deal will bring with it a considerable raise, but negotiations on that front are not expected to begin until the offseason.

As a result, Jones’ play down the stretch will be make for a compelling storyline. The 28-year-old struggling during the closing stages of the season would likely still leave the Colts in a playoff spot, but that could have a notable impact on his valuation. Jones took a one-year pact worth $14MM, nearly all of which was guaranteed. Both a franchise tag and a long-term deal will be far more expensive from the Colts’ perspective if either route ends up being taken.

Richardson remains on injured reserve at this point. That leaves sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard as the Colts’ backup. Leonard has not seen any game action since Jones suffered the injury, and it appears that will continue to be the case moving forward.

Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown To Miss ‘A Week Or Two’

November 28th, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Ely Allen

NOVEMBER 28, 7:00pm: Confirming speculation over the last 24 hours, MRI and other medical tests show a low ankle sprain for St. Brown with no structural damage, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. This is mostly good news, as it means a quick return for the 26-year-old. The injury is still depicted as a one- to two-week ailment, but with so much to play for at this point in the season, it’s thought that St. Brown will push hard to get back on the field for his team.

NOVEMBER 28, 9:46am: St. Brown is believed to be dealing with a low ankle sprain, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports. That points further in direction of only a short-term absence, and Pelissero adds to little surprise an IR stint is not expected in this case. The Lions will only play one game between now and December 14.

NOVEMBER 27: The Lions have persevered through several injuries throughout the season to remain in the thick of the playoff race. But currently sitting outside of the postseason with only five games remaining, Detroit has an uphill battle on its hands. That battle will be made a bit more difficult as the Lions could be without leading wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown for the next two games.

St. Brown was knocked out of today’s game against the Packers when left guard Kayode Awosika rolled up on his ankle from behind while the receiver was blocking. St. Brown was able to limp off the field, but he went straight to the locker room and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game. Without a diagnosis just yet, head coach Dan Campbell informed the media of the situation.

“I don’t feel like this is long, long-term, so that’s the good news,” Campbell said (per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “But that doesn’t mean it won’t be here for — it could be a week or two, maybe, if we’re lucky.”

Working against the Lions is the fact that, unlike every other team playing on Thanksgiving Day, Detroit and Dallas don’t get a 10-day rest as they play each other for Thursday Night Football next week. The Lions will get a 10-day rest the following week, though, before they head out for a tough trip to Los Angeles.

The Lions have already lost star tight end Sam LaPorta for, likely, the rest of the season, and wide receiver Kalif Raymond (ankle) and tight end Brock Wright (neck) were ruled out for today’s game. Without St. Brown on the field, Jameson Williams took over the WR1 role and put up big numbers as Jared Goff‘s main weapon. Rotational receiver Isaac TeSlaa and practice squad elevation Tom Kennedy were asked to step up into complimentary roles and delivered a combined six catches for 71 yards and a touchdown.

If the Lions are going to be without St. Brown for two weeks, they may look to add a body or two. Raymond may be able to play next week, and the team also has Georgia seventh-round rookie Dominic Lovett on the 53-man roster, but Lovett has mostly been a special teamer. In addition to Kennedy, Detroit also rosters Malik Cunningham and undrafted rookie Jackson Meeks on the practice squad.

Whatever route they choose, the Lions have a tough road ahead of them. Depending on the results of the Bears’ trip to Philadelphia tomorrow night, the Detroit could be as many as two games behind the current division-leader. They already are essentially two games behind the second-place Packers, since Green Bay swept the season series and would win a one-on-one tiebreaker. They would need some help to move into a Wild Card spot, as well. And that doesn’t mention the fact that the Lions have two current playoff teams remaining on the schedule, and a Week 17 trip to Minnesota is the only time they’ll see a sub-.500 team for the rest of the year.

The schedule ahead is hard enough by itself for the Lions. Opening up this difficult closing stretch without their top receiving weapon will make the road that much steeper. St. Brown will likely have some testing done in the coming days to determine the severity of his injury and give the team an idea of just how long they’ll be without him.

Cardinals Release Xavier Thomas; Baron Browning To Return In Week 13

November 28th, 2025 at 6:46pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Cardinals will have outside linebackers Baron Browning and BJ Ojulari on the field together for the first time this season in Week 13.

Browning is returning from a two-game absence due to a concussion, while Ojulari missed Arizona’s first nine games as he recovered from last year’s knee injury. With both players back in the fold, the Cardinals waived 2024 fifth-rounder Xavier Thomas, per team reporter Darren Urban.

Despite playing 54% of the team’s defensive snaps in his nine appearances, Browning has just 26 tackles, two sacks, and three tackles for loss on the season. However, he has been credited with 22 pressures and a 12.5% pass rush win rate, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which both rank third among the Cardinals’ pass rushers. Based on those numbers, he is due for some better production for the rest of the season.

Thomas only appeared in four games this season with 15 snaps on defense and 42 on special teams. As a rookie, Thomas played 208 snaps with 2.5 sacks and two tackles for loss, but the addition of Josh Sweat this offseason and the return of Ojulari in Week 11 pushed him out of the rotation. Thomas will hit waivers and leave a dead cap hit of $93k in 2025 and $186k in 2026.

Bills Place Curtis Samuel On IR, Promote WR Gabe Davis

November 28th, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Bills swapped wide receivers on their active roster on Friday by placing Curtis Samuel on injured reserve and signing Gabe Davis from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

Samuel was sidelined with knee and elbow injuries in Week 12, his fifth absence of the season after missing Weeks 1 through 4. He has only logged 81 receiving yards in six games despite a 40% snap share when active. This is his second disappointing campaign in a row after signing in Buffalo during the 2024 offseason. His three-year, $24MM contract has not aged well and he will likely be released as a cap casualty in the offseason. A pre-June 1 cut would save $6.275MM against the Bills’ 2026 salary cap with $3.45MM in dead money, per OverTheCap. A release after June 1 would save $8MM in 2026 with $1.725MM of dead money in 2026 and 2027.

Davis reunited with the Bills just before the start of the regular season, but did not see the field until second-year wideout Keon Coleman was benched in Week 11. Davis has started the last two games and caught four of his six targets for 62 yards on 59 snaps. His promotion to the 53-man roster indicates that he will continue to feature in Buffalo’s passing game for the rest of the season.

The Bills will also be without a number of key starters for their Week 13 matchup against the Steelers. Left tackle Dion Dawkins, right tackle Spencer Brown, and linebacker Terrel Bernard will all be sidelined on Sunday, according to the team’s injury report.

Dawkins briefly left last week’s game against the Texans to be checked for a concussion, but was cleared to return. After the game, however, symptoms reappeared, forcing the nine-year veteran into concussion protocol. He did not participate in practice this week.

Brown also went down in Week 12. His shoulder injury happened after Dawkins returned to the game; both tackles were replaced by swing tackle Ryan Van Demark in their respective absences. Van Demark will likely start at left tackle, which will set up rookie Chase Lundt to make his first career start at right tackle. The sixth-round pick has made one appearance this season, a three-snap effort in Week 4.

Bernard suffered an elbow injury in Houston, which will likely result in an uptick in work for Shaq Thompson and Dorian Williams. Bernard is tied for the most solo tackles and tackles for loss on the Bills defense.

Though Brown and Bernard could miss multiple games with their injuries, they are not expected to land on injured reserve, per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic.

Load More Posts