Rams Expect To Retain WR Davante Adams For 2026
As part of the Rams’ roster moves at the receiver spot last offseason, Davante Adams was added via free agency. His two-year pact was structured in a way which left Los Angeles an out during the 2026 offseason. 
The Rams are currently set to have Adams carry a $28MM cap charge for next season. The team could create $20MM in savings with a trade, while a release carrying a post-June 1 designation would free up $18MM. Neither route should be expected, however. Head coach Sean McVay said on Monday (via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop) he has “no reason to believe” Adams will not be retained for 2026.
[RELATED: Rams Extend McVay, GM Les Snead]
The former Packer, Raider and Jet arrived with the Rams tasked with providing a veteran presence following the release of Cooper Kupp. Adams was limited to 14 games during the regular season due to a hamstring injury, but he was a key figure on the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense. The 33-year-old totaled a league-leading 14 touchdowns while adding 789 yards on 60 catches. Adams managed to return to the lineup in time for the playoffs, posting a statline of 11-185-1.
Puka Nacua is eligible for an extension this offseason, and he will no doubt become one of the league’s highest-paid wideouts once his new deal is in place. That will need to be taken into consideration as the Rams contemplate the Adams situation. The six-time Pro Bowler is owed $24MM next season; $6MM of that figure will be paid out as a roster bonus in mid-March. Any efforts to work out a restructure or extension will take place before that point.
Tutu Atwell remained in place with the Rams by signing a one-year, $10MM deal last offseason. He once again faces the possibility of departing via free agency this spring, although there will not be a strong market in Atwell’s case after he made just six catches in 2025. Los Angeles is currently projected to be among the league leaders in cap space this offseason. That should help accommodate Adams’ jump in cap hit along with any potential Nacua raise if one is to be finalized this spring.
Adams has played 12 seasons in the NFL, with most of them seeing him play alongside Aaron Rodgers. Another reunion with the four-time MVP would come as a surprise at this point, but a second campaign partnered with Matthew Stafford would allow Adams to remain a productive contributor.
Buccaneers Add Ken Zampese, T.J. Yates To Offensive Staff
With Zac Robinson taking over as their offensive coordinator, the Buccaneers recently made two other key hires on that side of the ball, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Ken Zampese will serve as a senior offensive assistant, and former NFL QB T.J. Yates will work as the Buccaneers’ passing game coordinator.
Yates is replacing Kefense Hynson, the Bucs’ passing game coordinator in 2025, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports. Hynson’s expected to coach elsewhere next season.
Considering Robinson’s history with Zampese and Yates, it’s no surprise they’re accompanying him to Tampa Bay.
Zampese was a senior offensive assistant in Atlanta during Robinson’s run as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator from 2024-25. Yates was the Falcons’ QBs coach in 2024 before moving to passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach this past season.
Zampese is now set to reunite with Buccaneers signal-caller Baker Mayfield, whom the Browns took first overall in the 2018 draft. Mayfield spent his first NFL season with Zampese, then the Browns’ QBs coach, and finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
With Mayfield entrenched as Tampa Bay’s starter eight years later, Robinson, Zampese and Yates are walking into a better QB situation than they had in Atlanta. The Falcons made huge investments in free agent signing Kirk Cousins and first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. heading into the 2024 campaign, but neither lived up to expectations over the past two seasons.
While Cousins and Penix combined to throw for the fifth-most yards in 2024, they put up a below-average passer rating (86.6) and tossed just two more touchdowns (21) than interceptions (19). The Cousins-Penix tandem dramatically lowered their INT total to eight in 2025, but they plummeted to 19th in yards and only threw 19 TDs.
The Buccaneers finished one spot worse than the Falcons in passing yards this season, though a slew of costly injuries contributed to Mayfield’s drop in production from a career-best 2024 showing. Wide receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan combined to miss 30 games. Stalwart offensive linemen Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke and Cody Mauch combined for 26 absences.
Godwin, McMillan, Wirfs, Goedeke and Mauch are sure to return to Tampa Bay next season, though Evans and tight end Cade Otton are a little over a month from reaching free agency. Evans and Otton are important parts of the Buccaneers’ passing attack, but it’s anyone’s guess if Yates will have an opportunity to work with either of them in 2026.
Evans’ exit would still leave the Bucs with Godwin, McMillan and Emeka Egbuka atop their receiving corps. Nevertheless, losing the franchise icon after 12 years would be a significant blow.
Up front, Wirfs, Goedeke, Mauch and the rest of the Buccaneers’ offensive linemen will have a new assistant OL coach in Andrew Mitchell, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. An NFL lineman from 2010-12, Mitchell spent 2025 as Oklahoma State’s O-line coach. Mitchell blocked at Oklahoma State for Robinson, then the team’s QB, from 2008-09. Seventeen years later, Robinson is giving Mitchell his first pro coaching position. Mitchell will work under offensive line coach Kevin Carberry in Tampa Bay.
Titans, Cardinals Eyeing Gus Bradley For Defensive Coordinator
Less than two weeks ago, it appeared 49ers assistant head coach Gus Bradley was poised to replace the departed Robert Saleh as the team’s defensive coordinator. While Kyle Shanahan called Bradley an “obvious” candidate for the position in late January, the head coach hired Raheem Morris to run the 49ers’ defense on Sunday.
Bradley is still on the 49ers’ staff, but other defensive coordinator jobs are on the table for the 59-year-old. Both the Titans and Cardinals are interested in Bradley, Albert Breer of SI.com reports. Landing with either team would give Bradley a fifth chance to serve as an NFL defensive coordinator.
Bradley previously led defenses with the Seahawks (2009-12), Chargers (2017-20), Raiders (2021) and Colts (2022-24). He was particularly successful from 2011-12, the beginning of Seattle’s dominant “Legion of Boom” era, which convinced the Jaguars to hire him as their head coach.
The Bradley era couldn’t have gone much worse for Jacksonville. The Jags gave Bradley nearly four full seasons, but after he managed just 14 wins in 62 games, the team pulled the plug in December 2016.
Bradley’s Jaguars tenure produced disastrous results, though he garnered more working experience with Saleh after the two coached on the same staff in Seattle from 2011-12. They reunited in San Francisco this past season, but Saleh left last month to become the Titans’ head coach. There’s now a chance Bradley and Saleh will work together with a fourth different franchise in 2026.
Although Bradley’s relationship with Saleh is a plus, the latter will call the defensive plays in Tennessee. Conversely, Bradley would work as the Cardinals’ play-caller, and that could tip the scales in their favor, according to Breer. Bradley and just-hired Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur have no previous experience together. Nevertheless, bringing in Bradley would give the offensive-minded, first-time head coach a grizzled complement on the other side of the ball.
Despite the presence of a defensive-minded head coach in Jonathan Gannon, LaFleur’s predecessor, the Cardinals ranked a subpar 27th in yards allowed and 28th in points surrendered in 2025. The Titans, 21st and 28th in those categories, endured similar struggles under defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. Saleh is now eyeing Bradley to take over for the fired Wilson, but he’ll have to fend off the Cardinals for his services.
John Harbaugh Tried To Talk Todd Monken Into Taking Giants’ OC Job
When John Harbaugh was nearing an agreement to become the Giants’ head coach in mid-January, all signs pointed to then-Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken taking the same position in New York. Monken, who worked under Harbaugh in Baltimore from 2023-25, was in discussions with the Giants on a contract as recently as last week.
To Harbaugh’s chagrin, his plan went out the window when Monken became the Browns’ head coach last Wednesday. While Harbaugh told Bob Brookover of NJ Advance Media he’s “proud of [Monken],” he’s nonetheless disappointed the two didn’t reunite with the Giants
“I tried to talk him out of it,” Harbaugh said. “That’s my job, right. I really thought he was coming with us, but Cleveland was in there all along and he had been there before in 2019 as the offensive coordinator, so they knew him and he wanted this opportunity”
With Monken out of the picture, the Giants are still without an offensive coordinator in early February. However, Harbaugh believes there are still “a lot of really good candidates” out there. Harbaugh’s history of O-coordinator hires suggests he’ll opt for someone who has called plays before, Brookover notes. All seven OCs Harbaugh worked with in Baltimore from 2008-25 came with prior play-calling experience.
“Proven guys are always probably the most interesting, but then proven guys also have scars,” he told Brookover. “Sometimes people don’t want to live with the scars. But if you don’t have any scars you haven’t been in any fights.”
So far, the Giants have either interviewed or considered interviews with Brian Callahan, Jim Bob Cooter, Shane Day, Kliff Kingsbury, Robert Prince and Alex Tanney. Prince is no longer in the running, having joined the Falcons as their wide receivers coach last week.
Day and Tanney are left as the only members of the group who have not called plays in the NFL. Unless Harbaugh veers from his typical approach, it seems likely Callahan, Cooter, Kingsbury or a yet-to-be-named candidate who’s an established play-caller will serve as the Giants’ top offensive coach in 2026.
Cowboys, WR George Pickens Have Not Held Contract Talks
George Pickens enjoyed a highly productive debut season with the Cowboys. He is on track for free agency at the moment, although the franchise tag looms as an option for Dallas to prevent a departure. 
The alternative of a long-term contract remains one the team has shown interest in. As things currently stand, however, there is considerable progress still to be made on the negotiation front. Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News confirms no contract talks have taken place yet with Pickens’ camp.
Acquired via trade from the Steelers last offseason, Pickens quickly made it clear he was comfortable playing out the 2025 season without an extension in hand. As Watkins notes, a second contract averaging at least $30MM annually was the target before the start of the campaign. Pickens certainly helped his earning potential by setting new career highs in several categories.
The former second-rounder finished eighth in the NFL in receptions (93), third in yards (1,429) and tied for fourth in touchdowns (nine). Pickens will thus have a very strong case for joining the $30MM-per-year club at the WR position. There are currently nine receiver contracts with an average annual value at or above that figure; Ja’Marr Chase‘s Bengals extension tops the market at $40.25MM per season. He and Justin Jefferson (Vikings) are the only two wideouts whose contracts contained more guarantees at signing than the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb commitment.
The investment made in Lamb (four years, $136MM) in the summer of 2024 obviously represents a challenge for the Cowboys as they plan out future spending on offense. Having Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott on the books for years to come is something which must be weighed by Dallas. The team enjoyed a strong showing from running back Javonte Williams, and to little surprise a new Cowboys pact will be sought out in his case prior to free agency. Talks with Williams have taken place.
Pickens is represented by Athletes First, the agency led by David Mulugheta which also has Micah Parsons as a client. Direct negotiations between Parsons and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did not yield the desired results last offseason, but Jones expects to speak directly with Pickens this spring. It will be interesting to see how that plays out once negotiations begin.
The franchise tag for receivers is projected to cost roughly $28.82MM next season. Teams have until March 3 to apply the tag. That comes just before the onset of free agency and the start of the new league year. Before that point, updates on the Pickens situation will be worth watching for closely.
Dolphins To Retain Joe Barry, Austin Clark
The Dolphins a have a new head coach in Jeff Hafley, but his first staff will include some holdovers from the Mike McDaniel era. The team is retaining inside linebackers coach/run game coordinator Joe Barry and defensive line coach Austin Clark, per reports from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Barry, who signed a multiyear deal to stay in Miami, will enter his third season with the club in 2026. He joined McDaniel’s staff after a three-year run as the defensive coordinator in Green Bay. The Packers fired Barry on the heels of a January 2024 loss to the 49ers in the divisional round.
Interestingly, it was Hafley who replaced Barry as the Packers’ defensive coordinator. Two years later, Barry will work under Hafley and new Dolphins DC Sean Duggan in South Florida.
Clark is now set to serve under his third HC since he became the Dolphins’ OLBs coach in 2020. Brian Flores originally hired Clark, who’s coming off his fifth season leading their defensive line.
Clark will continue coaching the likes of Zach Sieler, Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips in 2026. The Dolphins invested heavily in Grant, the 13th overall pick in last year’s draft, and spent a fifth-rounder on Phillips. Neither Grant nor Phillips offered great production as rookies, but they finished second and third, respectively, in snaps among Dolphins D-linemen.
Elsewhere on the Dolphins’ staff, they’re adding former Georgia Tech OLBs coach Darius Eubanks as an assistant special teams coordinator (via Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 and Pete Nakos of On3). Brock Olivo, a special teams analyst with Missouri from 2023-25, is also heading to Miami as an assistant ST coach, according to agent Paul Sheehy of ProStarSports. The move will reunite Olivo with new Dolphins special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, who held the same position with the Bears from 2018-21. Olivo assisted Tabor in Chicago from 2018-19.
While Eubanks and Olivo are on their way in, the Dolphins are not expected to retain assistant HC/tight ends coach Jon Embree, Jackson reports. The 60-year-old is a longtime McDaniel confidant who worked with him in San Francisco from 2017-21 and moved to Miami when the latter became its head coach in 2022.
With 88 catches, 884 yards and eight touchdowns, Jonnu Smith had a career year under Embree in 2024. No other Dolphins tight end exceeded 35 catches during Embree’s four years on the staff, though Darren Waller was productive during an injury-limited 2025. Waller came out of a one-year retirement to record 24 catches, 283 yards and six TDs in nine games. It’s unknown if the 33-year-old Waller will return to Miami next season, but he’ll have a different position coach if he does.
NFL To Continue Playing Games In Madrid; Paris Debut Coming In 2026
10:30am: Announcements from the league and the Saints have since confirmed the report. New Orleans will indeed play in the NFL’s first ever Paris game during the 2026 season.
9:02am: The NFL played its first ever game in Madrid this season. The league will continue to visit the Spanish capital in 2026 and beyond. 
A multi-year partnership has been reached which will see the NFL stage regular-season contests at the Bernabéu Stadium, per a league announcement on Monday. Games will continue to be played at the home stadium for Real Madrid, as this year’s Dolphins-Commanders matchup was in November. The iconic venue will host another game in 2026, adding further to the list of international markets confirmed for next year.
The NFL will once again play three games in London during the 2026 season. Munich and Rio de Janeiro will each be the site of one contest, and the league will also make its debut in Melbourne. Continued international expansion has long been known as a major goal for the NFL, with a growing list of markets serving as hosts for games and global investments being made in the development of flag football. Expansion to an 18-game regular season is expected to be accompanied by a setup which sees all 32 teams play overseas once per year.
The Dolphins are among the teams which hold international marketing rights in Spain, which made them a logical choice to take part in the debut Madrid contest. The Eagles and Bears also hold rights there, so it would come as no surprise if one of them were to make the trip to Spain in 2026. It is already known the Rams will be participating in the Melbourne game next season.
The NFL is regularly exploring new markets, and Paris has long been on the league’s radar. A regular-season game being played there as early as 2026 was raised as a possibility in November, and it appears as though that will indeed be the case. A weekend report from RMC Sport indicates the Saints and Browns are set to play against each other at the Stade de France in October of next season. Nothing has been confirmed by the NFL at this point, however.
New Orleans is the NFL’s only team which currently has marketing rights in France. That makes the Saints an obvious candidate to participate in the league’s Paris debut. An announcement confirming their inclusion in the 2026 international series will be something to watch for this offseason.
Steelers To Hire Danny Crossman As Special Teams Coordinator
The Steelers have landed on a choice for their special teams coordinator vacancy. Danny Crossman is expected to be hired, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Pittsburgh lost longtime STC Danny Smith last month when he took the same position in Tampa Bay. The team has searched for a replacement ever since, with an interview request recently being submitted for Bubba Ventrone (who ultimately joined the Rams). The Steelers also spoke with Matthew Smiley as part of their interview process.
In the end, it will be Crossman taking charge of Pittsburgh’s special teams. He will bring considerable experience to the position. Crossman entered the NFL coaching ranks with the Panthers in 2003. He was eventually promoted to special teams coordinator in 2007, a role he held in Carolina for three years. That was followed by multi-year stints in Detroit and Buffalo in the same capacity.
Crossman joined the Dolphins’ staff in 2019 as special teams coordinator. The 59-year-old took on the additional title of assistant head coach for 2021, but that only wound up lasting one season. Once head coach Mike McDaniel arrived in 2022, Crossman returned to the role of special teams coordinator, remaining in Miami for another two years. After one season out of coaching, he will join Mike McCarthy for the coming season.
The Steelers have undergone a number of changes on the sidelines recently, highlighted of course by Mike Tomlin‘s resignation. A new defensive coordinator (Patrick Graham) is now in place, and the Crossman hire will fill another important vacancy. Attention for McCarthy and Co. will increasingly turn toward replacing Arthur Smith at the offensive coordinator spot as the hiring cycle continues to play out.
Klint Kubiak Intends To Become Raiders’ Head Coach
A recent report pegged Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak as the favorite for the Raiders’ head coaching vacancy. While no agreement was immediately struck upon the completion of Kubiak’s second interview with Las Vegas brass — nothing can be finalized until after Super Bowl LX — the club is “zeroing in” on Kubiak, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Pelissero’s NFL Network colleague, Ian Rapoport, says the Raiders believe they have their guy. 
More importantly, Kubiak himself intends to work out a deal with Las Vegas, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Kubiak, who also took a second interview for the Cardinals’ HC post on Saturday, was one of the most popular candidates in this year’s cycle. In all, he interviewed with seven of the 10 clubs in need of a head coach.
Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was among the candidates who interviewed twice with the Raiders. According to The Athletic’s Joe Person, Evero was still in contention to be hired during the time when Kubiak was weighing his options.
Las Vegas’ opening was not seen as particularly desirable. The club just finished a 3-14 season, does not have a particularly inspiring roster outside of a couple of high-end players, and plays in a difficult AFC West. However, the Raiders do have two things going for them: the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, and the second-most projected cap space in the league (just shy of $90MM, per OverTheCap.com).
With that No. 1 overall pick, the expectation is that the Raiders will select reigning Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, who quarterbacked Indiana to a 16-0 season and a CFP National Championship in 2025. Mendoza is easily the best passer in his class, and Las Vegas was said to be seeking an offensive-minded HC to pair with their presumptive top draft choice.
With Kubiak, the team has exactly that. The 38-year-old’s stock has risen sharply in recent years, including three different offensive coordinator stints. Each of Kubiak’s tenures with the Vikings, Saints and Seahawks have proven to be just one year in length, but they have elevated his status as one of the league’s most highly regarded offensive minds. Kubiak’s NFL resume also includes pass-game coordinator duties with the Broncos (2022) and 49ers (2023).
A coach in various capacities dating back to 2010, Kubiak has never led a college or pro staff before. He represents an unknown as a result, but that is also true of many other first-time head coaches hired during the 2026 cycle. The Raiders will aim for stability on the sidelines with this hire, something which has been sorely lacking during the franchise’s Vegas period. Changes on the coaching staff and in the front office have been commonplace in recent years.
A housecleaning took place last offseason with head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco each being dismissed after only one full season in their respective roles. The Raiders brought in John Spytek as GM, making him part of a front office influenced in large part by minority owner Tom Brady. Together, they played a key role in hiring Pete Carroll as head coach.
Expectations were high for at least modest success in 2025, with Carroll and a reunion with quarterback Geno Smith seeming to provide a strong floor for the Raiders. Not much (if anything) went according to plan, however, with Carroll firing two of his coordinators in the middle of the campaign. No observers were surprised when Carroll himself was dismissed one day after the season ended. That began a lengthy search, one which has now landed on Kubiak. Brady and Kubiak “hit it off” during the interview process, Schefter’s colleague Jeremy Fowler adds.
The Seahawks thrived with Kubiak and new quarterback Sam Darnold in place for 2025. Seattle earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC before winning two straight home games to reach next week’s Super Bowl. A strong defense has contributed greatly to their shared success over the course of the season, but Darnold was highly productive in the NFC title game (321 yards, three touchdowns, no giveaways). It will be interesting to see how the Seahawks fare next season with another new OC in place, the third since Mike Macdonald took over as head coach.
Provided the Kubiak agreement will become finalized after the Super Bowl, the Cardinals loom as the only NFL team with a head coaching vacancy. Kubiak’s decision to join the Raiders will thin Arizona’s list of final candidates even further.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Cardinals Hire Mike LaFleur As HC
Once the news broke about Klint Kubiak’s agreement to join the Raiders after the Super Bowl, one head coaching vacancy remained. That has not proven to be the case for very long. 
The Cardinals are working to hire Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur as their new head coach, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. No deal has been finalized at this point, Schefter adds. The sides are nevertheless working toward a five-year agreement. A team announcement has since been made confirming the news.
LaFleur has long loomed as a strong candidate for this position. He was among the staffers who conducted an in-person interview with Arizona, a team which saw several others withdraw from consideration. Upon learning of Kubiak’s decision, the Cardinals were left with a trio of finalists. According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, LaFleur, along with Raheem Morris and Anthony Weaver, were left waiting to hear from the team as of Sunday afternoon. The Cards have clearly gotten in touch with LaFleur in short order.
“We had the opportunity to speak with an outstanding group of candidates during this very thorough process and gathered tremendous insight from each of them,” a statement from owner Michael Bidwill reads. “At the end of that process, it was clear that Mike LaFleur possesses all the traits necessary to lead this team to success as its head coach. He is highly intelligent with an exceptionally sharp, creative football mind. Mike is also a dynamic and innovative leader and exactly the type of person we were looking for to guide our team as its head coach.”
This will be LaFleur’s first opportunity to be a head coach at the college or NFL levels. He has thus become the latest member of the Sean McVay coaching tree to take charge of an NFL staff. The Cardinals had a HC with a defensive background for the past three years in the form of Jonathan Gannon. As Arizona hoped, his replacement will arrive with a track record of work on the offensive side of the ball.
LaFleur has spent the past three years as an offensive coordinator with the Rams. He did not call plays during that stretch, but he was the Jets’ playcaller in 2021 and ’22. The 38-year-old has also been an OC in college and a pass-game coordinator with the 49ers before. This hire will see him work for a third NFC West franchise. Coming off a year where the Cardinals were the division’s only team to fall short of the postseason, quick improvement on a number of fronts will be sought out.
Arizona won four games during Gannon’s first year in place alongside fellow 2023 hire Monti Ossenfort. That HC-GM combo oversaw an improvement to eight wins last year, something which suggested another step forward could be possible in 2025. Instead, an injury-riddled Cardinals team finished the campaign on a nine-game losing streak. That led to Gannon’s ‘Black Monday’ firing, with Ossenfort remaining in place.
The Cardinals have a number of staffing vacancies at the moment, and former offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is among the staffers who now need to be replaced. It will be interesting to see if LaFleur will call plays on offense upon taking over head coaching duties for the first time. In any event, his attention will turn toward building a staff.
For the Rams, meanwhile, the search for a new offensive coordinator will begin once again. McVay has tapped external candidates for the gig in previous years, but an obvious in-house candidate looms for 2026. Pass-game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase was among the most popular staffers who did not receive a head coaching opportunity, and his stock has risen quickly in short order. It would come as little surprise if, after a search which satisfies the Rooney Rule, Scheelhaase wound up being promoted to OC.
The Cardinals’ QB situation is unsettled at the moment, with Kyler Murray uncertain to be retained. Sorting out his situation will be a top priority for LaFleur and Co as the offseason unfolds. Regardless of how the team proceeds on that front, Arizona will look for needed improvement on offense and a stronger showing defensively, something which could be sparked in large part by better injury luck.
LaFleur is now joined by his older brother Mike as an NFL head coach, although the two will not meet head-to-head during the 2026 regular season. With this hire now official, all 10 HC vacancies around the league have been filled.