2025 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker
With the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy splitting up, seven teams have made coaching changes so far during this year’s cycle. Here are the candidates connected to each of the HC-needy franchises. If more teams make changes, they will be added to the list.
Updated 2-11-25 (11:40am CT)
Chicago Bears
- Bill Belichick, head coach (North Carolina): Candidate expressed interest
- Joe Brady, offensive coordinator (Bills): Interviewed 1/17
- Thomas Brown, interim head coach (Bears): Interviewed 1/13
- Matt Campbell, head coach (Iowa State): Interview expected
- Pete Carroll, former head coach (Seahawks): Interviewed 1/9; hired by Raiders
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Vikings): Interviewed 1/18
- Marcus Freeman, head coach (Notre Dame): Team wants to interview
- Eddie George, head coach (Tennessee State): Interviewed 1/19
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed 1/11
- Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator (Lions): Hired
- Mike Kafka, offensive coordinator (Giants): Interviewed 1/9
- Kliff Kingsbury, offensive coordinator (Commanders): Interview requested, won’t interview until after season
- Mike McCarthy, head coach (Cowboys): Interviewed 1/15
- Todd Monken, offensive coordinator (Ravens): Interviewed 1/17; to remain with Ravens
- Drew Petzing, offensive coordinator (Cardinals): Interviewed 1/8
- Ron Rivera, former head coach (Commanders): Interviewed 1/12
- David Shaw, senior personnel executive (Broncos): Interviewed 1/14
- Arthur Smith, offensive coordinator (Steelers): Interviewed 1/15
- Adam Stenavich, offensive coordinator (Packers): Interviewed 1/18
- Mike Tomlin, head coach (Steelers): Denied meeting
- Mike Vrabel, former head coach (Titans): Interviewed 1/8; hired by Patriots
- Anthony Weaver, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/9
Dallas Cowboys
- Bill Belichick, head coach (North Carolina): Mutual interest would have existed
- Pete Carroll, former head coach (Seahawks): Discussed position; hired by Raiders
- Leslie Frazier, assistant head coach (Seahawks): Interviewed 1/20
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): Mentioned as candidate; hired by Jets
- Kliff Kingsbury, offensive coordinator (Commanders): Mentioned as candidate; won’t interview until after season
- Anthony Lynn, run game coordinator/running backs coach (Commanders: Mutual interest expressed
- Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator (Eagles): Interviewed 1/17; frontrunner?
- Robert Saleh, former head coach (Jets): Interviewed 1/18
- Deion Sanders, head coach (Colorado): Discussions commenced; no deal expected
- Brian Schottenheimer, offensive coordinator (Cowboys): Hired
- Jason Witten, head coach (Liberty Christian School): Strong contender?
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Joe Brady, offensive coordinator (Bills): Interviewed 1/18
- Liam Coen, offensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Hired
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Vikings): Interviewed 1/17
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed 1/11; hired by Jets
- Patrick Graham, defensive coordinator (Raiders): Conducted second interview 1/23
- Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed 1/11; hired by Bears
- Kliff Kingsbury, offensive coordinator (Commanders): Rumored candidate, won’t interview until after season
- Todd Monken, offensive coordinator (Ravens): Interviewed 1/16; to remain with Ravens
- Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator (Eagles): Interviewed 1/17
- Robert Saleh, former head coach (Jets): Second interview on hold
- Steve Spagnuolo, defensive coordinator (Chiefs): Interviewed 1/10
- Mike Vrabel, former head coach (Titans): Mentioned as candidate; hired by Patriots
Las Vegas Raiders
- Bill Belichick, head coach (North Carolina): Contacted about job
- Pete Carroll, former head coach (Seahawks): Hired
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Vikings): Mentioned as candidate
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed 1/10; hired by Jets
- Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed 1/10; hired by Bears
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Interviewed 1/16
- Todd Monken, offensive coordinator (Ravens): Interview declined; to remain with Ravens
- Ron Rivera, former head coach (Commanders): Interviewed 1/17
- Robert Saleh, former head coach (Jets): Interviewed 1/16
- Deion Sanders, head coach (Colorado): Reportedly interested, but interest is not mutual
- Steve Spagnuolo, defensive coordinator (Chiefs): Interviewed 1/10
- Mike Vrabel, former head coach (Titans): Interview declined; hired by Patriots
New England Patriots
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Vikings): Interested in position
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): Interview declined
- Pep Hamilton, former offensive coordinator (Texans): Interviewed 1/7
- Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator (Lions): Interviewed 1/10
- Byron Leftwich, former offensive coordinator (Buccaneers): Interviewed 1/7
- Mike Vrabel, former head coach (Titans): Hired
New Orleans Saints
- Joe Brady, offensive coordinator (Bills): Hope to schedule second interview; remaining with Bills
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): To conduct second interview; hired by Jets
- Mike Kafka, offensive coordinator (Giants): Conducted second interview 1/25
- Kliff Kingsbury, offensive coordinator (Commanders): To stay with Commanders
- Mike McCarthy, head coach (Cowboys): Withdrew from consideration
- Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator (Eagles): Hired
- Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Mentioned as candidate
- Darren Rizzi, interim head coach (Saints): Interviewed 1/17
- Mike Vrabel, former head coach (Titans): Interview being arranged; hired by Patriots
- Anthony Weaver, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Conducted second interview 1/24
New York Jets
- Bill Belichick, head coach (North Carolina): Showed interest; meeting never scheduled
- Joe Brady, offensive coordinator (Bills): To interview
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Vikings): Interviewed 1/17
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): Conducted second interview 1/21; Hired
- Brian Griese, quarterbacks coach (49ers): Interview declined
- Jeff Hafley, defensive coordinator (Packers): Interviewed 1/17
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Interviewed 1/15
- Mike Locksley, head coach (Maryland): Interviewed 1/10
- Josh McCown, quarterbacks coach (Vikings): Interviewed 1/17
- Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Interviewed 1/8
- Ron Rivera, former head coach (Commanders): Interviewed
- Darren Rizzi, interim head coach (Saints): Interviewed 1/11
- Rex Ryan, former head coach (Bills): Interviewed 1/7
- Bobby Slowik, offensive coordinator (Texans): Interviewed 1/16
- Steve Spagnuolo, defensive coordinator (Chiefs): Interviewed 1/10
- Arthur Smith, offensive coordinator (Steelers): Interviewed 1/16
- Jeff Ulbrich, interim head coach (Jets): Interviewed 1/13; hired as Falcons’ defensive coordinator
- Mike Vrabel, former head coach (Titans): Interviewed 1/3; hired by Patriots
- Joe Whitt, defensive coordinator (Commanders): Interviewed 1/19
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/13/25
Many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing the organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players through the offseason. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:
Arizona Cardinals
- CB Ekow Boye-Doe, LB Elliott Brown, OL McClendon Curtis
Cleveland Browns
- DT Ralph Holley
Denver Broncos
- LB K.J. Cloyd, OLB Andrew Farmer, G Nick Gargiulo, DE Matt Henningsen, DB Tanner McCalister, NT Jordan Miller, CB Quinton Newsome, WR A.T. Perry, OL William Sherman, DB Keidron Smith, CB Reese Taylor, G Calvin Throckmorton, TE Thomas Yassmin
Green Bay Packers
- DL Deslin Alexandre, S Omar Brown, DL James Ester, CB Kamal Hadden, K Alex Hale, G Marquis Hayes, WR Julian Hicks, OL Donovan Jennings, WR Cornelius Johnson, CB Kalen King, DL Jeremiah Martin, TE Messiah Swinson
Los Angeles Chargers
- G Karsen Barnhart, TE McCallan Castles, WR Dez Fitzpatrick, DL Christopher Hinton, LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, WR Jaylen Johnson, LB Tre’Mon Morris-Brash, LB Caleb Murphy, RB Jaret Patterson, S Kendall Williamson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- OT Doug Nester
2025 NFL Cap Carryover, By Team
With the regular season in the books, all NFL teams have declared their cap carryover for the 2025 league year. Unused cap space from the current campaign will roll over, a substantial element of many teams’ financial planning.
Last offseason saw a record-breaking jump in the salary cap ceiling (pushing the upper limit to $255.4MM). To no surprise, another spike is expected but a smaller year-to-year increase is likely to take place. It was learned last month that teams are preparing for the 2025 cap to check in at a figure between $265MM-$275MM.
As teams evaluate key roster-building decisions – including restructures and cuts aimed at manufacturing cap space – carryovers are crucial. It it still not known what exactly the cap ceiling will wind up as, but in the meantime every club’s space which has been rolled over will add a degree of clarity with respect to how their offseason will take shape. Several teams (including the top two on this year’s list) have made a concerted effort in recent years to carry unused space through the course of a campaign knowing a spike in cap charges for core players are forthcoming.
Courtesy of Over the Cap, here is the full breakdown of each team’s 2025 cap carryover amount:
- San Francisco 49ers: $50.01MM
- Cleveland Browns: $41.95MM
- New England Patriots: $34.86MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $33.57MM
- Detroit Lions: $23.73MM
- Washington Commanders: $19.83MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $18.84MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $15.89MM
- Green Bay Packers: $15.11MM
- Tennessee Titans: $14.72MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $11.38MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $10.1MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $8.42MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $6.83MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $6.81MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $6.63MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $6.07MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $5.94MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $5.94MM
- Chicago Bears: $5.08MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $4.89MM
- Houston Texans: $4.81MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $3.15MM
- Miami Dolphins: $3MM
- New Orleans Saints: $2.93MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $2.75MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $2.14MM
- Denver Broncos: $1.91MM
- Buffalo Bills: $1.34MM
- New York Giants: $1.17MM
- Carolina Panthers: $490K
- New York Jets: $346K
CB Justin Bethel Retires
Justin Bethel‘s playing days have come to an end. The veteran corner/special teams ace announced his retirement via Instagram on Wednesday. 
“23 years. 12 years pro,” Bethel wrote. “That’s how long I’ve played the game of football! Been blessed more than I can imagine. Met a lot of great people thanks to football and been to a lot of cool places. But my greatest years are ahead of me.”
Bethel entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2012. He played all 16 games in his rookie year but hardly saw the field on defense. With respect to special teams, though, his 70% snap share showcased his immediate contributions. It was in the third phase that Bethel would go on to make his most notable impact in the NFL. That included three consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 2013-15.
Following a six-year run in Arizona (including the 2017 campaign, in which he logged his heaviest defensive workload), Bethel spent one year with the Falcons. That, in turn, was followed by time with the Ravens, Patriots and Dolphins. He logged a full season in 2023 with Miami but was out of the league this past campaign. Rather than attempting a return for the 2025 season, Bethel has elected to hang up his cleats.
In all, the 34-year-old played 200 combined regular and postseason games in the NFL, collecting five interceptions and 282 tackles along the way. Thanks in large part to his first Cardinals extension, Bethel amassed roughly $20MM in career earnings.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/7/25
Many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing the organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players through the offseason. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:
Arizona Cardinals
- DE Anthony Goodlow, OL Sincere Haynesworth, RB Zonovan Knight, NT P.J. Mustipher
Atlanta Falcons
- WR Makai Polk
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
- TE Jordan Murray
Cincinnati Bengals
- CB Micah Abraham, RB Gary Brightwell, CB Nate Brooks, WR Cole Burgess, OT Andrew Coker, DE Raymond Johnson III, S PJ Jules, S Jaylen Key, G Tashawn Manning, WR Kendric Pryor, LB Craig Young
Indianapolis Colts
Las Vegas Raiders
- DL Tyler Manoa
Miami Dolphins
- WR Tarik Black, LB William Bradley-King, S Jordan Colbert, DT Neil Farrell, OT Ryan Hayes, OL Chasen Hines, LB Dequan Jackson, CB Isaiah Johnson, CB Jason Maitre, OT Bayron Matos, LB Derrick McLendon, TE Hayden Rucci
San Francisco 49ers
- OL Isaac Alarcon, WR Russell Gage, WR Isaiah Hodgins, OT Jalen McKenzie
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/6/25
With the regular season having come to an end, many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts. This allows organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Andre Baccellia, CB Jaden Davis, CB Darren Hall, OL Matthew Jones, WR Tejhaun Palmer, TE Bernhard Seikovits, DL Ben Stille
Atlanta Falcons
- DT Junior Aho, WR Phillip Dorsett, RB Elijah Dotson, WR Dylan Drummond, G Joey Fisher, G Jovaughn Gwyn, DB Lamar Jackson, QB Emory Jones, DE Khalid Kareem, WR Jesse Matthews, DB Benny Sapp III, OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
Carolina Panthers
- RB Emani Bailey, G Ja’Tyre Carter, TE Dominique Dafney, LB Kenny Dyson, LB Thomas Incoom, WR T.J. Luther, TE Jordan Matthews, WR Dax Milne, C Andrew Raym, G Brandon Walton
Chicago Bears
- OL Theo Benedet, OL Chris Glaser, WR John Jackson, LB Carl Jones Jr., DL Jamree Kromah, QB Austin Reed, OL Ricky Stromberg, WR Samori Toure, TE Joel Wilson
Cleveland Browns
- G Javion Cohen, S Trey Dean, DE Marcus Haynes, OT Roy Mbaeteka, TE Tre’ McKitty, OT Julian Pearl, DE Elerson Smith, K Andre Szmyt, OT Lorenzo Thompson
Dallas Cowboys
- G Jack Anderson, DB Luq Barcoo, DT Denzel Daxon, WR Kelvin Harmon, LB Brock Mogensen, WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper, DB Troy Pride Jr., LB Luiji Vilain, WR Seth Williams
Indianapolis Colts
- RB Salvon Ahmed, LB Austin Ajiake, LB Liam Anderson, QB Jason Bean, S Marcel Dabo, CB Alex Johnson, G Atonio Mafi, TE Sean McKeon, WR D.J. Montgomery, DE Durell Nchami, TE Albert Okwuegbunam, DT Pheldarius Payne, G Josh Sills, WR Laquon Treadwell
Las Vegas Raiders
- DE David Agoha, OT Gottlieb Ayedze, CB M.J. Devonshire, CB Keenan Isaac, WR Shedrick Jackson, WR Tyreik McAllister, DE Ovie Oghoufo, C Will Putnam, LB Brandon Smith, RB Isaiah Spiller, OT Dalton Wagner, WR Kristian Wilkerson
New York Giants
- K Jude McAtamney, DL Ross Blacklock, C Bryan Hudson, C Jimmy Morrissey, DL Casey Rogers
New York Jets
- OL Zack Bailey, RB Zach Evans, T Obinna Eze, TE Zack Kuntz, G Kohl Levao, QB Adrian Martinez, LB Jackson Sirmon, WR Brandon Smith, DB Tre Swilling, WR Easop Winston
San Francisco 49ers
- DL Jonathan Garvin, OL Sebastian Gutierrez, DL Tarron Jackson, OL Zack Johnson, CB Chase Lucas, S Jaylen Mahoney, QB Tanner Mordecai, OL Drake Nugent, WR Terique Owens, TE Mason Pline, WR Trent Taylor
Seattle Seahawks
- DT Quinton Bohanna, CB Ryan Cooper, LB Michael Dowell, CB Tyler Hall, C Mike Novitsky, DE Kenneth Odumegwu, S Ty Okada, WR Cornell Powell, LB Jamie Sheriff, LB Tyreke Smith, CB Damarion Williams
Tennessee Titans
- DT McTelvin Agim, DT Abdullah Anderson, LB Curtis Bolton, OL Chandler Brewer, DT Isaiah Iton, CB Gabe Jeudy-Lally, OLB Kyron Johnson, WR Stanley Morgan, TE Thomas Odukoya, S Gervarrius Owens, T Isaiah Prince, RB Jabari Small
Bears Request HC Interviews With Aaron Glenn, Mike Kafka, Drew Petzing, Anthony Weaver
In addition to a much-anticipated Ben Johnson meeting, the Bears are using Black Monday to roll out other interview requests. Four more assistants received invites for meetings.
The Lions’ other top coordinator, Aaron Glenn, will be a popular name once again; he is part of the Bears’ initial batch of requests. Chicago also sent out interview slips to Giants OC Mike Kafka, Cardinals OC Drew Petzing and Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport report.
These meetings will take place along with a Thomas Brown interview. The interim Bears HC is expected to meet with the team, via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin. Although the Bears have realized the difficult situation they put Brown in, it would be rather surprising if he drew serious consideration given the team’s freefall during the season’s second half. It would then stand to reason Brown — the team’s pass-game coordinator, interim OC and interim HC this season — will be relocating for a third straight offseason.
Glenn, 52, has been the Lions’ DC for four seasons. Detroit’s group took a leap to start this season, with Aidan Hutchinson surging to Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner status. Hutchinson’s broken leg gutted Detroit’s pass-rushing capabilities, and other injuries impacted the Lions on that side of the ball. The NFC’s No. 1 seed, however, still finished the season seventh in points allowed. Glenn’s unit also closed the regular season with a strong showing in the winner-take-all matchup with the Vikings, a game that turned into a blowout thanks largely to a bounce-back Lions defensive effort.
While this might be the year for Glenn to break through, this is new territory for Petzing and Weaver. The Cardinals’ OC came up as a name to watch on the HC circuit earlier this season, though Arizona struggled after moving into playoff contention around midseason. Kyler Murray has also not taken a noticeable step forward under Petzing, who came to the desert after residing as Browns QBs coach under Kevin Stefanski. The 37-year-old play-caller coached the Cards to a 12th-place finish in scoring offense, however; that brought a nice jump from 24th in Jonathan Gannon‘s debut.
Landing the Miami DC job last year, Weaver was among three 2023 Ravens assistants to move up last year. The 44-year-old DC’s Dolphins unit also made strides despite not having Bradley Chubb throughout and not having Jaelan Phillips for most of this season. The Dolphins ranked 10th in scoring defense and fourth in yardage, marking improvements from Vic Fangio‘s year in charge. These marks came despite an offense that took major steps back as Tua Tagovailoa battled injuries. Additionally, Russini notes Ryan Poles has done extensive homework on Weaver — in the event the Bears want to follow a defensive hire with another.
Kafka’s stock may have actually received a slight boost this season, as Brian Daboll taking over Giants play-calling duties brought a steep descent. Kafka was at the controls when the Giants made a surprising run to the divisional round in 2022, though his unit — largely without Daniel Jones at the helm — declined in 2023. Kafka may also be a candidate for other OC jobs, with rumors about a split with Daboll — as the Giants may not block him from a lateral move this year — surfaced over the weekend.
Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order
Once again, we saw plenty of change occur in the projected draft order after Sunday’s games. Most notably, the Patriots took themselves out of the top overall draft slot with a win over the resting Bills. While this change likely won’t hurt their ability to select one of the players that interested them most, as they likely weren’t looking to select a quarterback with rookie Drake Maye in place, New England likely could’ve benefitted from collecting some serious draft capital trading out of the top spot to any of the teams seeking quarterback help next season.
One of those quarterback-needy teams, the Titans have officially secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, tying for the worst overall record in the league with the Browns and Giants but holding tiebreakers over both franchises. The Browns and Giants, who both secured the second and third overall picks, respectively, today, are also considered top candidates to draft a passer.
With all three teams at the top of the draft interested in adding help at quarterback, the draft’s top two prospects at the position, Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, saw their chances at getting selected No. 1 overall rise dramatically. Plenty could still occur to change this situation; trades could alter the draft order, and further pre-draft evaluations could change opinions on top prospects.
Still, for the first time since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002, there is a chance that every team drafts in the first round, as no first-round picks have yet been traded. It’s extremely unlikely that this will remain the case, as draft-day trades are a very common occurrence, but it’s still an interesting concept to note this close to the draft.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is how the draft order looks at the regular season’s conclusion:
- Tennessee Titans (3-14)
- Cleveland Browns (3-14)
- New York Giants (3-14)
- New England Patriots (4-13)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
- Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
- New York Jets (5-12)
- Carolina Panthers (5-12)
- New Orleans Saints (5-12)
- Chicago Bears (5-12)
- San Francisco (6-11)
- Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
- Miami Dolphins (8-9)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
- Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
- Arizona Cardinals (8-9)
- Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
- Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
- Houston Texans (10-7)
- Denver Broncos (10-7)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
- Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
- Green Bay Packers (11-6)
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
- Washington Commanders (12-5)
- Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
- Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
- Buffalo Bills (13-4)
- Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
- Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
- Detroit Lions (15-2)
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/4/25
The last minor moves and standard gameday elevations of the 2024 NFL regular season:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to active roster: S Andre Chachere
- Elevated: RB Tony Jones Jr., T Luke Tenuta
- Placed on IR: T Jackson Barton
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: CB Lamar Jackson
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: OL Will Clapp, DE Casey Toohill
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from IR: RB Miles Sanders (story)
- Placed on IR: LB Amaré Barno
- Signed to active roster: DE DeShawn Williams
- Elevated: OLB Thomas Incoom, OLB Kenny Dyson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: DT Domenique Davis, WR Kendric Pryor
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed to active roster: QB Will Grier
- Elevated: CB Troy Pride
- Placed on IR: CB Kemon Hall
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: DE Matt Henningsen
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: DB Morice Norris
- Elevated: DL Chris Smith, CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
Houston Texans
- Signed to active roster: CB D’Angelo Ross
- Elevated: DE Solomon Byrd, S Russ Yeast
- Placed on IR: LB Jamal Hill
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: DE Joe Gaziano
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: LB Blake Lynch, QB Chris Oladokun
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: TE John Samuel Shenker
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from IR: S Alohi Gilman (story)
- Elevated: WR Dez Fitzpatrick, S Eddie Jackson
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: T AJ Arcuri, OLB Keir Thomas
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: T Ryan Hayes, QB Skylar Thompson
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: LB Calvin Munson, OLB Gabriel Murphy
New England Patriots
- Signed to active roster: CB Miles Battle, DE Truman Jones, LB Monty Rice, TE Jack Westover
- Elevated: WR Alex Erickson, TE Mitchell Wilcox
- Placed on IR: C Ben Brown, S Jabrill Peppers, WR Ja’Lynn Polk
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: S Millard Bradford, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: RB Dante Miller
- Elevated: OLB Boogie Basham, T Tyre Phillips
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: CB Sauce Gardner
- Signed to active roster: DL Bruce Hector
- Elevated: CB Tre Swilling, OL Zack Bailey
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed to active roster: DE Alex Barrett, LB DaShaun White
- Elevations: G Drake Nugent, WR Trent Taylor
- Placed on IR: G Spencer Burford, LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: CB Artie Burns, NT Brandon Pili
- Elevated: DT Quinton Bohanna, TE Tyler Mabry
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: CB Dallis Flowers, LB Deion Jones
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: DE Khalid Duke, WR Tay Martin
- Elevated: S Gervarrius Owens, K Matthew Wright
- Placed on IR: LB Otis Reese
Ross’ new deal to the Texans’ 53-man roster is good through the 2025 season, as well. Ditto for Jones, signed to the active roster in New England today.
Sanders returned to practice this week, and his activation will allow him to close out his second Panthers season on the field rather than on the mend. His Carolina tenure has fallen well short of expectations and a release in the near future could be in the cards. Given the team’s backfield injuries, though, Sanders could handle a notable workload tomorrow while potentially auditioning for free agent suitors.
Gilman’s return will be welcomed by the Chargers’ defense. The 27-year-old has remained a full-time starter this season, his second straight handling first-team duties. Los Angeles is assured of a wild-card spot, but moving up to the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoff picture could be possible on Sunday. In any case, Gilman’s presence will be key for a Bolts defense which leads the league in points allowed per game (17.6).
Gardner’s campaign will come to an end after 15 games played. He fell short of a Pro Bowl nod for this first time in his young career, but the fourth pick of the 2022 draft remained a critical member of the team’s secondary when healthy. Gardner is eligible for an extension this offseason, and his financial future (which will include a fifth-year option decision in the spring) will be a key point of focus once New York’s head coach/general manager tandem is in place.
Cardinals Place James Conner On IR
The Cardinals placed running back James Conner on injured reserve on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, sidelining him for Arizona’s regular season finale against the 49ers.
Conner has been dealing with a “lingering right knee injury” this season, according to Cardinals team reporter Darren Urban. The two-time Pro Bowler left the game in Week 6 and again in Week 17, though he did not miss a start in between. Conner will join two other Cardinals running backs – rookie Trey Benson and Emari Demercado – on injured reserve.
Arizona turned to Michael Carter after Conner went down in Week 17 and is set to do so again after promoting him from the practice squad to fill its vacant 53-man roster spot. Carter began his career as a Jets fourth-round pick in 2021 and arrived in Arizona via waivers last season. He recorded 70 yards on 13 carries last week and will be looking to repeat his efficiency as an audition for a 2025 roster spot, with the Cardinals or elsewhere.
The Cardinals signed Conner to a two-year extension at the beginning of December, so they do not want to risk further injury to their expected lead ballcarrier for 2025. He is under contract through the 2026 season, though he could be released for $8MM in cap savings after next season, per OverTheCap.
Conner will finish the 2024 season with a career-high 1,094 rushing yards, though his per-carry and per-game averages were lower than last season. His 414 receiving yards were his most as a Cardinals and the second-highest total of his career.