Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza Not Throwing At NFL Combine
Coming off a Heisman-winning, championship season, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has become the overwhelming favorite to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Already sitting atop most draft boards, Mendoza has chosen to pass on the opportunity to improve his stock. According to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, Mendoza doesn’t intend to throw at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. 
Mendoza is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he led the NCAA with 41 touchdown passes. Accompanying those scores was a 72.0 completion percentage, 3,535 passing yards, and only six interceptions. In two blowout College Football Playoff games leading to a berth in the National Championship, Mendoza dominated Alabama and Oregon, throwing eight touchdowns to only five incompletions — not interceptions, incompletions.
Coming off some of his best play on college football’s biggest stages, Mendoza sees no need to go for a big day in Indianapolis in front of coaches, scouts, and general managers. “The combine, I don’t think throwing’s going to be a priority just because it’s such a quick turnaround,” Mendoza said on a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
Mendoza had previously mentioned attending the combine, so it looks like he’ll at least be in Indianapolis to interview with any teams who think he stands a chance at falling past the first pick of the draft. While drills at the combine appear to be off the table, Mendoza told McAfee and company that he intended to help his wide receiver teammates as best he could at the Hoosiers’ pro day.
“At the combine, you’re throwing to different receivers, it’s a whole different thing,” he said. “And I want to make sure I give my guys the best chance. I want to throw at pro day with my guys, with my running backs and be there with the boys.”
Mendoza is likely referring to his top targets this year, wide receivers Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt, who are both projected to be Day 2 picks in April. While scouts likely would’ve appreciated seeing him throw with players he hasn’t spent the whole season with, his stock at the moment doesn’t seem to have anywhere to go but down. He’ll help his receivers look good to help them potentially improve their draft stock, but participating in the combine won’t do much to help his already sky-high stock.
RB Kenneth Walker Wants To Re-Sign With Seahawks
In November, a report surfaced indicating Kenneth Walker was not a clear-cut re-signing target for the Seahawks. But circumstances have changed since. The team has advanced to Super Bowl LX, and Zach Charbonnet is out after suffering an ACL tear in the divisional round.
Charbonnet is under contract for one more season but is now rehabbing a major injury. Walker is set for free agency, and Mike Macdonald recently expressed interest in the former second-round pick staying. Walker, 25, also wants to remain in the Pacific Northwest.
“I’ve been here four years, so you know I’ve gotten to know a lot of stuff about Seattle, and you know a lot of the city, and I feel like they feel good about me as well,” Walker said, via NFL.com’s Kevin Patra. “So if it was my choice, though, I’d definitely stay.”
Considering the talent gap between Walker and his healthy backups, it would behoove the Seahawks to enter into contract talks. The team has barely a month left of exclusive negotiating rights with its starting running back. Walker is poised to join Breece Hall and Travis Etienne as the top RBs available on this year’s market. Hall has been connected to a possible franchise tag, which is projected (via OverTheCap) to come in around $14.5MM. A transition tag, which brings no compensation in the event of an unmatched offer sheet, is projected to cost more than $11MM.
The Seahawks are in great shape, cap-wise, having signed Sam Darnold to what looks like a wildly team-friendly contract. They are projected to hold more than $73MM in cap space. The team will likely enter extension talks with Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but talks with DB Coby Bryant did not produce a deal. Defenders Boye Mafe and Riq Woolen also are expected to hit free agency next month. Walker could suddenly profile as a player at or near the top of the NFC champions’ priority list.
Walker stayed healthy this season, playing 17 games, and posted his second 1,000-yard slate (1,027) but has seen injury trouble affect him during periods on his rookie contract. And the team gave Charbonnet a bigger role in 2025. Charbonnet tallied a 49% snap share this season to Walker’s 47%. The 2023 second-round pick had previously held more of a true backup role, but he impressed in training camp this year and secured the trust of Klint Kubiak and Co. Charbonnet will now be a candidate to begin next season on the reserve/PUP list; that would strengthen Walker’s leverage in Seahawks talks.
The Hawks have re-signed RBs in the past, inking Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny to second contracts. They also re-signed Marshawn Lynch under GM John Schneider in 2015. Both Carson and Penny ran into injury trouble on their second deals, however. The team drafted Walker months after Carson’s career-ending neck injury. Seattle will need to pony up more money if a second Walker pact is to commence, but it would now make sense for the team to show interest.
NFC Staff Updates: Cardinals, 49ers, Cowboys, Lions, Buccaneers
New Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur quickly hired Nathaniel Hackett as his offensive coordinator, and he is now looking for coaches to run his defense and special teams.
Arizona is interviewing a number of candidates for defensive coordinator, while Giants special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial has emerged as a leading candidate to take over as special teams coordinator, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
Ghobrial, 37, has spent the last two years with the Giants. Before that, he served as the Jets’ assistant special teams coordinator on Robert Saleh‘s staff, overlapping for two years with LaFleur. Ghobrial previously worked for a number of college programs as well as the Lions in 2017.
The Giants had a solid year on special teams in 2025. They ranked fifth in yards per kickoff return (27.7) and 10th in average starting field position (31.3). Cornerback Deonte Banks also recorded one of the NFL’s five kick return touchdowns last year.
Here is the latest from the coaching ranks across the NFC:
- Elsewhere in the NFC West, the 49ers are hiring former Dolphins offensive assistant Roman Sapolu to their staff, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. He previously served as Hawaii’s offensive coordinator and Fresno State’s run game coordinator. He is also the son of former NFL offensive lineman Jesse Sapolu, who won four Super Bowls with the 49ers between 1983 and 1997.
- The 49ers also promoted team president Al Guido to Chief Executive Officer, per a press release. Guido first arrived in San Francisco in 2014 as the Chief Operating Officer before his promotion to president.
- The Cowboys are retaining Jamel Mutunga, who spent the 2025 season in Dallas via the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. He will be the team’s assistant running backs coach moving forward, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.
- The Lions are promoting assistant offensive line coach Steve Oliver to tight ends coach, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He will replace Tyler Roehl, who left Detroit to become Iowa State’s offensive coordinator.
- The Buccaneers are making internal promotions to replace cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross (fired) and safeties coach Nick Rapone (retired), according to Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds. Rashad Johnson will take over Ross’ role while Tim Atkins will succeed Rapone. Both served as assistant secondary coaches in 2025.
More Changes To Eagles’ Offensive Staff Expected
The Eagles are making some changes to their offensive coaching staff under new coordinator Sean Mannion.
Packers wide receivers coach Ryan Mahaffey is moving to Philadelphia as the Eagles’ new run game coordinator, per Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Mahaffey is replacing former Eagles assistant Jeff Stoutland, who served as the team’s run game coordinator for the last eight seasons in addition to his role as offensive line coach.
The 38-year-old former fullback has worked closely with Green Bay’s receiving corps in the last two years; before that, he served as the team’s assistant offensive line coach (2022-2023) and offensive quality control coach (2021). Mahaffey will also take on the role of tight ends coach in Philadelphia.
The Eagles may also be moving on from quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler. If they do, Raiders quarterbacks coach and interim head coach Greg Olson is a likely candidate, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. He coached Mannion while he was on the Rams in 2017 and the Seahawks in 2023, his final year as a player.
Olson, 62, has a long history in the NFL with offensive coordinator stints with five teams and QBs coach jobs with three more. Most recently, he worked with Geno Smith in both Seattle and Las Vegas, Derek Carr (also in Vegas), and Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff in Los Angeles.
HOF QB Sonny Jurgensen Passes Away
Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen passed away Friday at the age of 91, his family announced.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our husband, father, and grandfather, Sonny Jurgensen,” Jurgensen’s family stated. “We are enormously proud of his amazing life and accomplishments on the field, marked not only by a golden arm, but also a fearless spirit and intellect that earned him a place among the greats in Canton.”
A former Duke Blue Devil whom the Eagles chose in the fourth round of the 1957 draft, Jurgensen evolved into one of the greatest signal-callers in the history of the sport. After serving as a backup over his first four seasons, including to fellow Hall of Famer Norm Van Brocklin during Philadelphia’s championship-winning campaign in 1960, Jurgensen became a full-time starter in 1961.
In his first year leading the Eagles’ offense, Jurgensen broke through with league highs in completions (235), yards (3,723) and touchdown passes (32). He earned his first of four All-Pro selections and his first of five Pro Bowl nods that season.
Jurgensen again led the league in passing in 1962, but the Eagles spiraled to a 3-10-1 record after going 10-4 the previous year. The team posted another dismal record of 2-10-2 in 1963, including a 1-6-1 mark in Jurgensen’s starts, and traded him to Washington for quarterback Norm Snead and defensive back Claude Crabb in the ensuing offseason.
The move to Washington rejuvenated Jurgensen, who played his last 11 seasons with the team formerly known as the Redskins. He spent his first seven seasons in Washington as a starter. Jurgensen went to four Pro Bowls and led the league in passing three times during that span. He wound down his career as Billy Kilmer‘s backup from 1971-74 before retiring at the age of 40.
Jurgensen, who became a member of Washington’s Ring of Fame, ranks second in franchise history to Joe Theismann in completions, attempts, yards and touchdown passes. With 31 TD passes in 1961, he continues to hold the single-season franchise record 65 years later. The team retired his No. 9 in 2022.
“Sonny Jurgensen is, and always will be, one of the defining legends of Washington football,” Commanders owner Josh Harris said. “He was a brilliant leader, Hall of Fame quarterback, and had one of the best arms the game has ever seen. … Our hearts and prayers are with Sonny’s family, friends, and everyone who loved him.”
Also a member of the Eagles’ Hall of Fame, Jurgensen sits fifth on their all-time TD passes list. Despite playing during the pre-1978 “Dead Ball” era, Jurgensen ranks 26th all-time in TD tosses (255) and 51st in yards (32,224). He led all “Dead Ball” era QBs in passer rating (82.62). Jurgensen is a member of the 1960s All-Decade Team who earned enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983. He enjoyed a 38-year career as a broadcaster after he hung up his cleats.
Packers To Hire Penn State WRs Coach Noah Pauley
The Packers are expected to hire Penn State wide receivers coach Noah Pauley for the same job in Green Bay, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
2025 was Pauley’s first season at Penn State. He did not have much immediate success with the Nittany Lions’ wide receivers, but his previous work at Iowa State and North Dakota State are much stronger parts of his resume.
As the Cyclones’ wide receivers coach from 2022 to 2024, Pauley played an instrumental role in the development of Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. The two made huge strides under Pauley’s tutelage and combined for 167 receptions, 2,377 yards, and 17 touchdowns in their final college season. Both were drafted by the Texans last April – Higgins with the 37th overall pick, Noel with the 79th – and put up solid but unspectacular rookie seasons.
In a way, it is surprising that the Texans have not looked into hiring Pauley considering their investment of the players he developed in college. Houston also drafted Xavier Hutchinson in 2023, a year after Pauley coached him to career- and Big 12-high stats of 107 receptions and 1,171 receiving yards.
Before Iowa State, Pauley coached now-Packers wide receiver Christian Watson at North Dakota State. The two will reunite in Green Bay, though Watson is in the last year of his contract. So are Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks, while Matthew Golden and Savion Williams were both drafted last year.
It seems like the Packers will not be signing Romeo Doubs, and the cap hits of quarterback Jordan Love, edge rusher Micah Parsons, and right tackle Zach Tom will get bigger and bigger in the coming years. The team will also need to extend tight end Tucker Kraft, so extending multiple receivers may be out of the question. Pauley will therefore be crucial to the Packers’ continued strategy of drafting and developing young wide receivers while avoiding pricey extensions and free agent contracts. His main task will be getting Golden, the No. 23 pick last year – back on track after his disappointing rookie year.
2026 NFL Offseason Outlook Series
Pro Football Rumors is breaking down how all 32 teams’ offseason blueprints are shaping up. Going forward, the Offseason Outlook series is exclusive to Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers, and that link provides details on how to sign up for an annual membership.
This post will be updated as more Outlooks are published.
AFC East
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots
- New York Jets
AFC North
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tennessee Titans
AFC West
- Denver Broncos
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
NFC East
- Dallas Cowboys
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
NFC North
- Chicago Bears
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
Bills Hire DL Coach Terrance Jamison
The Bills are set to hire Illinois co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Terrance Jamison as their DL coach, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Jamison will replace Marcus West, who joined the Buccaneers in the same role last week.
Like new Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, Jamison played college football at Wisconsin. Their careers with the Badgers didn’t overlap, but they were on the Illinois coaching staff together in 2023. Leonhard left after one season to join the Broncos’ staff.
An assistant at a handful of colleges since 2008, Jamison coached Bengals star pass rusher and soon-to-be free agent Trey Hendrickson at Florida Atlantic from 2014-16.
More recently, Jamison spent the past half-decade at Illinois. The 38-year-old helped develop defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton, now with the Commanders, into a 2024 second-round pick. Jamison also assisted with edge rusher Gabe Jacas‘ 11-sack effort in 2025. After earning first-team All-Big Ten honors, Jacas could come off the board sometime in the first few rounds of April’s draft.
Now heading to Buffalo for his first job in the pros, Jamison will work on a staff that will likely implement a 3-4 base defense in 2026. The Bills ran a four-man front under former head coach Sean McDermott and ex-defensive coordinator Bobby Babich.
Jamison stands to inherit linemen Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, Deone Walker and T.J. Sanders, though it’s not yet clear if Leonhard regards all of those players as fits for his scheme. Meanwhile, after combining for upward of 1,400 snaps in 2025, Joey Bosa, A.J. Epenesa and DaQuan Jones are scheduled to reach the open market in March. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see all three walk in free agency.
Elsewhere on the Bills’ staff, rookie head coach Joe Brady will retain several of McDermott’s former assistants, per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic. Kelly Skipper (running backs), Rob Boras (tight ends), Austin Gund (assistant offensive line), DJ Mangas (quality control/assistant wide receivers coach), Mark Lubick (passing game specialist/game management) and Kyle Shurmur (offensive quality control) will return in 2026. Brady, the Bills’ offensive coordinator before they promoted him to replace McDermott, is already familiar with all of those coaches.
Eagles RT Lane Johnson, LG Landon Dickerson Could Retire
After longtime offensive line coach/run game coordinator Jeff Stoutland stepped down earlier this week, the Eagles may be facing even bigger changes up front. Right tackle Lane Johnson and left guard Landon Dickerson could retire, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer said on his Uncovering the Birds podcast. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network hears similarly in regards to Dickerson.
Johnson, who signed an extension through 2027 less than a year ago, expressed confidence that he’d play out the contract. While McLane expects that to happen, Johnson is now contemplating his future in the wake of an injury-limited season. A Lisfranc sprain kept the 35-year-old stalwart out of the Eagles’ last seven regular-season games and their wild-card round loss to the 49ers.
At 27, it’s far more surprising that Dickerson may have played his last down. Dickerson inked an extension through 2028 two years ago. However, it’s clear that injuries have taken their toll on the five-year veteran.
Dating back to his college days at Florida State and Alabama, Dickerson has undergone 13 surgeries, including a right meniscus operation last August. Dickerson managed to make it back for Week 1, though an ankle injury later shelved him for two games.
When healthy enough to play, both Johnson and Dickerson have been full-time starters throughout their careers. Johnson has started in all 168 appearances since the Eagles chose the ex-Oklahoma Sooner fourth in the 2013 draft. He’s now a six-time Pro Bowler, a five-time All-Pro (three second-team selections, two first-team nods) and a two-time Super Bowl champion. Johnson, whom Pro Football Focus ranked 19th out of 86 qualifying tackles in 2025, is still capable of playing at a high level.
The same is true of Dickerson, PFF’s 28th-rated guard among 80 qualifiers this past season. Since the Eagles drafted him in the second round in 2021, Dickerson has started in 77 of 78 appearances and earned three Pro Bowl trips.
Like Johnson, he was an integral part of a line that helped lead the Eagles to their most recent Super Bowl title in 2024. They also played major roles in running back Saquon Barkley‘s 2,000-yard campaign, the ninth in league history.
With free agency a little over a month away and the draft coming up in April, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is surely hoping for answers on the futures of Johnson and Dickerson sooner than later. That’s especially true with reserve linemen Fred Johnson and Brett Toth slated to hit the open market.
Thanks to Lane Johnson’s injury, Fred Johnson made eight starts in 2025. Fred Johnson said last month he’d like to re-sign with the Eagles, but he also considers himself as a starting-caliber player. If the 28-year-old sees a clearer path to playing time elsewhere, he could exit Philadelphia next month.
It may be easier to retain Toth, who has only made six starts in his five-year career. He picked up a career-high four this past season while logging 199 snaps at left guard and 164 at center. Re-signing Toth would at least give the Eagles more depth along the interior, where they could lose Dickerson.
Even if both Johnson and Dickerson hold off on retiring, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Roseman focus on replenishing the offensive line in the draft. Roseman hasn’t picked an O-lineman in the third round or higher since he chose right guard Tyler Steen in Round 3 (65th overall) in 2023. Steen is now fresh off his first season as a full-time starter. Steen, left tackle Jordan Mailata and center Cam Jurgens are locked in as starters heading into 2026, but there are now serious questions surrounding the other two spots.
Greg Roman Expected To Join Giants Staff
FEBRUARY 6: Roman is expected to serve as a senior offensive assistant, Jordan Raanan of ESPN reports.
FEBRUARY 5: Greg Roman is set to reunite with John Harbaugh in New York. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, there’s a “strong possibility” the veteran coach joins the Giants in a “to-be-determined role.”
[RELATED: Giants To Hire Matt Nagy As OC]
Roman had a six-year stint on Harbaugh’s Ravens staff, including four as offensive coordinator. Baltimore had the league’s best offense during his first season at the helm, and they were a top-10 unit in 2020. However, when Lamar Jackson battled injuries in 2021 and 2022, the Ravens saw their offensive rank drop to the late teens. Roman resigned following that 2022 campaign. Roman also had a stint on Baltimore’s staff between 2006 and 2007, but he didn’t stick around when Harbaugh was hired in 2008.
Following his first Baltimore stint, Roman served as Stanford’s associate head coach under Jim Harbaugh. Roman followed his boss to San Francisco, where he served as the 49ers offensive coordinator for four seasons. While the passing attack struggled under the coach, the 49ers rushing game was one of the best in the NFL, with Roman guiding Frank Gore to four standout campaigns. He later joined Rex Ryan‘s staff in Buffalo, and despite guiding the Tyrod Taylor-led offense to nearly-top-10 showings, he only lasted two years with the Bills.
Roman’s stint in Buffalo was followed by his long tenure in Baltimore. After spending a year out of football, he caught on with Jim Harbaugh’s staff in Los Angeles, where he coached the Justin Herbert-led offense in 2024 and 2025. The Chargers ended up moving on from the offensive coordinator following a three-point showing during the team’s playoff loss to the Patriots. Despite his underwhelming performance with the Chargers, Roman was still a finalist for the Jets OC job that eventually went to Frank Reich.
With that opportunity settled, Roman is now set to reunite with John Harbaugh in New York. It’s uncertain exactly what role he’ll serve on the Giants staff. The team has already added Matt Nagy as their new offensive coordinator, but there are still plenty of open gigs on the staff. Roman has extensive experience coaching tight ends, although the Giants did bring in former Ravens TEs guru Danny Breyer as their new pass game coordinator. Considering his past success with RBs, perhaps Roman could find himself with a key role on that part of the Giants offense.