Giants OC Mike Kafka To Return To Play-Calling Duties
Mike Kafka will once again be calling offensive plays for the Giants in 2025. Head coach Brian Daboll revealed that his offensive coordinator will return to his role as offensive play-caller, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic.
“Mike’s done a great job this preseason. He’s done a good job with the staff,” Daboll said (via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). “Got a lot of confidence in Mike and the offensive staff. Up to this point, relative to all the preseason games and the meetings we’ve had, I’ve been very pleased with the offensive staff.”
After working his way up the coaching ranks in Kansas City, Kafka joined Daboll’s new staff as offensive coordinator in 2022. After impressing during his first preseason at the helm, Kafka was handed the reins to the offense by his boss. He spent two years handling the offensive play calling while also garnering some head coaching interest.
After finishing as a middle-of-the-road offense in 2022, the Giants had one of the league’s worst offensive showings in 2023. This led Daboll to strip Kafka of his play-calling duties several times towards the latter part of that season, according to Raanan. With “noticeable discontent” on offense, Daboll decided to take over full-time play-calling duties for the 2024 season.
The offense didn’t show much progress with the head coach running the show, and Giants owner John Mara hinted that the team considered pivoting back to Kafka the moment the 2024 campaign came to an end.
“Maybe [Daboll] makes some other changes in the way he operates going forward. I talked to him about, ‘Do you really believe that it’s in our best interest for you to continue calling the plays?'” Mara said (via Raanan). “I said, ‘I’m not going to demand that you do one thing or the other. But are you better off letting somebody else call the plays?'”
There will be one major difference this time around. As Duggan notes, Kafka will call the plays on the sideline, just as he had done throughout the 2025 preseason. During his first three seasons as offensive coordinator, Kafka had been in the booth.
“It was good to be on the sideline,” Kafka said (via Raanan). “It’s always to be right there with the players and see it eye to eye and communicate with them more directly. You can do certain elements of that up in the box. But there’s really no substitute for being on the field.
“I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer. Guys obviously operate a bunch of different ways. So I thought it was cool. It was fun.”
The team’s QB grouping stayed somewhat consistent through the coaching staff’s first three seasons, but with the Giants adding both veteran Russell Wilson and first-round QB Jaxson Dart, it seems they want to optimize their offensive approach ahead of a critical 2025 season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/4/25
Just one practice squad move to pass along:
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DE Garrett Nelson
- Released: QB Hunter Dekkers
As Chase Young deals with a calf injury, the Saints have added some depth on the edge, signing Garrett Nelson to their practice squad. A Nebraska product, Nelson has spent time with the Dolphins, Bengals, and Broncos but has yet to get into an NFL game. To make room on the roster, the Saints moved on from QB Hunter Dekkers, who joined the team as a UDFA this offseason.
Bills Add K Matt Prater To Practice Squad
As Tyler Bass continues to nurse an injury, the Bills have added some insurance at the kicker position. The team announced that veteran kicker Matt Prater has joined the practice squad.
Bass has been dealing with a left hip/groin issue for a month, although his appearance in Buffalo’s preseason finale provided optimism that he’d be good to go for Week 1. However, the veteran kicker was listed as a non-participant on today’s injury report, an indication that he could be sidelined for at least the Bills season opener.
If that ends up being the case, the Bills will have to immediately turn to their newest acquisition. Prater brings plenty of experience to Buffalo, as the 41-year-old has been kicking in the NFL since the 2007 season. A two-time Pro Bowler, Prater’s efficiency dropped a bit during his final seasons in Detroit, including a 2020 campaign where he connected on only 75 percent of his field goal attempts.
He rebounded a bit during his time with the Cardinals, connecting on 84.2 percent of his FGA and 95.6 percent of his XPA. Prater connected on all six of his field goal tries and all 10 of his extra point attempts to begin the 2024 season before suffering a season-ending meniscus injury. That effectively ended his tenure in Arizona, as the Cardinals proceeded with Chad Ryland as their full-time kicker.
Now, Prater will look to continue his career in Buffalo, even if it’s just for a short stay. The Bills previously prepared for a potential Bass absence when they rostered Caden Davis for much of August, but the front office apparently prefers the veteran stability that Prater provides.
Elsewhere on Buffalo’s taxi squad, the team made a handful of expected moves. After agreeing to a deal with Gabe Davis earlier this week, the team placed the injured receiver on the practice squad IR, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. The veteran is still recovering from a meniscus injury suffered last November. Taking his place on the practice squad is safety Jordan Poyer (per Wilson), who was temporarily cut yesterday to accommodate the Davis addition.
NFL Minor Transactions: 9/4/25
As we prepare for tonight’s season opener, here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed to active roster: S Sam Franklin
- Placed on IR: DT DeWayne Carter
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: WR Ryan Flournoy, LB Buddy Johnson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: S Marcus Epps, OLB Patrick Johnson
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived from IR: QB Carter Bradley
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived from IR: CB Tyrek Funderburk, LB Antonio Grier, C Jake Majors, OL Raiqwon O’Neal
49ers, WR Jauan Jennings Agree To Reworked Deal
While Jauan Jennings recently returned to practice without a new deal, it sounds like the 49ers have found a solution for his discontent over his contract. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the two sides have agreed to a deal that will add $3MM in playing-time incentives to the player’s contract.
[RELATED: 49ers’ Jauan Jennings Returns To Practice]
Attached to a two-year, $11.89MM contract that expires at season’s end, Jennings was set to earn $7.5MM in 2025. Thanks to today’s move, Jennings can now earn up to $10.5MM.
A report from July indicated that Jennings was seeking either an extension or a trade, although neither option ended up coming to fruition. The 49ers made it clear all along that they intended to keep Jennings for at least the 2025 season, and per Schefter, the organization offered a multi-year contract extension to the receiver. Instead, Jennings decided to bet on himself and accept the incentive-driven one-year raise.
A former seventh-round pick, Jennings had a breakout season in San Francisco in 2024. As the 49ers navigated a number of injuries on offense, Jennings stepped forward and hauled in 77 catches for 975 yards and six touchdowns. The 28-year-old has also earned a reputation as one of the league’s best blocking WRs; Pro Football Focus ranked him first in run blocking and 13th in pass blocking last season.
With Deebo Samuel no longer in San Francisco and Brandon Aiyuk still recovering from a torn ACL and MCL, the 49ers will be especially reliant on Jennings in 2025. While Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle will still command plenty of Brock Purdy‘s targets, the rest of the team’s receiver depth consists of former first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, recent veteran addition Marquez Valdes-Scantling, rookie Jordan Watkins, and former Chiefs draft pick Skyy Moore.
If Jennings is able to maintain his play from last season, he could be setting himself up for a lucrative contract as a 2026 free agent. The rest of the current positional free agent class includes the likes of Mike Evans, George Pickens, and Jakobi Meyers.
More Parsons/Cowboys Fallout: Negotiations, Extension Length, NFLPA
Following a mid-March meeting between Jerry Jones and Micah Parsons, the Cowboys owner was left with the belief that he reached an extension agreement with his star pass rusher. That deal obviously never came to fruition, ultimately culminating in last week’s stunning blockbuster trade with the Packers.
[RELATED: Micah Parsons Attempted To Restart Cowboys Extension Talks Prior To Trade]
Following that fateful meeting, Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, claims he made several attempts to resume negotiations with the organization. However, Jones apparently stuck to his apparent handshake agreement and refused to return to the the negotiating table.
“To expect somebody like Micah Parsons to be one of the best defenders in the NFL and also a great lawyer when it comes to contracts, I think it’s a bit unfair,” Mulugheta said during an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” yesterday (via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky and Todd Archer). “His job is to go out there and chase quarterbacks, and our job is to go out there and chase commas for him. I’m not sure exactly why it went this way, but we were always prepared and open to negotiating a contract with the Jones family.”
Mulugheta made it clear that his client always wanted to remain a Cowboy, and despite the public stare down with the organization, Parsons would have suited up for Week 1 without a new contract. That made Jones’ refusal to resume negotiations especially frustrating for the player’s camp.
“If you’re a [then-]25-year-old football player and your boss, who happens to be the most powerful person in the NFL, starts talking about contracts, it’s hard for you to end that conversation,” Mulugheta said. “So they had a conversation. Micah nodded his head out of respect.
“Obviously there’s a power dynamic that’s a little different there. One guy’s the owner of the team and the GM, and the other one is Micah Parsons, a young 25-year-old football player. So, I’m not sure if there was miscommunication there by the time Micah walked out, but at no point did Micah believe that he was negotiating a contract.”
While there apparently wasn’t much back-and-forth between the two sides, it sounds like the Cowboys still had a definitive contract on the table. Jones claimed they offered Parsons a contract that would have made him the highest-paid non-QB in league history, and sources told ESPN that the offer exceeded $150MM. However, the main difference in the Cowboys’ standing offer and the four-year, $188MM deal Parsons ultimately accepted from the Packers was the length. As Mulugheta notes, the Cowboys were sticking to a five-year offer, a contract that the agent believes would have cost his client about $60MM to $70MM in future earnings.
There was also some belief that Jones was potentially circumventing CBA rules by attempting to negotiate with Parsons directly. The interim leader of the NFL Players’ Association, David White, seemed to tiptoe around the controversy when asked about the matter.
“We intend to enforce every provision of the collective bargaining agreement when we think that there may be a violation,” White said (via Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press). “And the best way to do that is to call people and say: ‘Knock it off.’ When both sides are able to do that, when needed, that usually makes for a productive management-labor relationship. When it doesn’t work, for whatever reason, that’s when you take it to the next level, which is to file a grievance to go to court, or to take whatever action is available to you under the collective bargaining agreement. In this instance, and here you’re talking about Jerry and Micah and their representatives and the other folks involved, I will say Micah has found his way to Green Bay with a contract that he has publicly stated makes him happy, and that makes us happy.”
One contender for the full-time NFLPA executive director job was a bit more pointed in his criticism. Hall of Fame cornerback Darrelle Revis took to social media to question whether Jones should be held accountable. Revis suggested that the NFLPA could look into a grievance against the Cowboys, although he acknowledged that the subsequent fine would only amount “to pennies.”
“At the very least, the NFLPA should be saying it does not condone what Jerry is doing, that all options are on the table, and reminding players that if ownership ever tries to deal with them directly while represented, they should contact their agent and the union immediately,” Revis wrote. “The bigger issue is respect. Jerry’s actions show that owners have no problem taking advantage of us, and when our union fails to respond, it sends the message that they’ll be able to do the same in the next CBA negotiations if the current leadership remains in place.”
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/3/25
Today’s practice squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: S J.T. Gray
- Released: CB Thomas Graham
Buffalo Bills
- Released: S Jordan Poyer
Detroit Lions
- Signed: QB C.J. Beathard
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Silas Bolden, CB D’Angelo Ross, OT Sidy Sow
- Released: G Reid Holskey, LB K.C. Ossai, OT Jaylon Thomas
New England Patriots
- Signed: LB Darius Harris
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Eli Ricks
- Released: OL Hollin Pierce
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Lance McCutcheon, LB Jon Rhattigan
- Released: OL Aiden Williams
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Russell Gage
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Damien Martinez
Tennessee Titans
- Released: DL Isaiah Raikes
The Ravens added a notable special teamer to their taxi squad today, agreeing to a deal with veteran J.T. Gray. The 29-year-old spent his entire professional career with the Saints before getting cut by the team last week. The majority of Gray’s playing time has come on special teams, where he’s earned three All-Pro nods for his efforts. As Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes, the veteran will likely see a role in Baltimore, as the team is still looking to fill holes left by a handful of departed core special teamers this past offseason.
To accommodate the addition of old friend Gabe Davis to the practice squad, the Bills had to get a bit creative. Temporarily, the team has released veteran safety Jordan Poyer, but the former Buffalo starter shouldn’t be gone for long. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, Poyer is expected to rejoin the Bills practice squad once Davis is placed on the taxi squad injured list.
The Lions landed on a third-string quarterback after holding an audition earlier today. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that the team has signed C.J. Beathard to the practice squad. Beathard worked out for the team earlier today alongside Nathan Peterman. Beathard has only started one game since garnering 12 starts for the 49ers between 2017 and 2020. He split last season with the Jaguars and Dolphins without getting into a game. In Detroit, he’ll serve as a third-stringer behind Jared Goff and Kyle Allen.
NFL Minor Transactions: 9/3/25
Today’s list of minor moves consists of players removed from injured reserve via injury settlements:
Chicago Bears
- Released from IR: S Tysheem Johnson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Released from IR: OT Caleb Etienne
Miami Dolphins
- Released from IR: Bayron Matos
New York Giants
- Released from IR: Jermaine Terry
San Francisco 49ers
- Released from IR: QB Tanner Mordecai
Seattle Seahawks
- Released from IR: John Rhys Plumlee
Lucas Patrick Named Bengals Starting RG
The Bengals have finally settled on their starting offensive line ahead of Week 1. While most of the spots had previously been settled, there were still questions about the team’s choice at right guard. While speaking with reporters today, coach Zac Taylor revealed that Lucas Patrick will get the starting gig to begin the season (per ESPN’s Ben Baby).
Patrick was added on a one-year contract this offseason to provide some competition for holdover Cody Ford, who started nine games during his second season in Cincy. We heard in early August that Ford appeared to have the inside track to keep the job. Patrick sat out a handful of early practices thanks to injury, and his modest $200K in guaranteed money made him a logical cut candidate.
The Bengals added some more depth to the position when they recently signed Dalton Risner, leading to some belief that the recent addition could suddenly be in pole position for the starting RG job. Instead, it was Patrick who won out, although Taylor warned that he wouldn’t be afraid to pivot if the need arises. This means Risner is temporarily the backup guard, while Ford represents the team’s main backup OT option.
Patrick brings plenty of experience to his new squad. The lineman spent the first part of his career as a depth piece in Green Bay, but he emerged as a starting guard in 2020 and starting center in 2021. That performance earned him a two-year contract from the Bears, and after being limited to seven games (five starts) in 2022, the lineman started 15 of his 16 appearances in 2023. The 32-year-old spent the 2024 campaign with the Saints, where he started 10 games.
Patrick’s versatility has clearly been valued by his teams, but the advanced metrics haven’t been especially fond of his on-field production. The veteran has generally graded out as a below-average guard or center throughout his career, although he rebounded with a 37th-place finish (among 77 qualifying guards) in 2024.
The rest of the Bengals offensive line features left tackle Orlando Brown, rookie left guard Dylan Fairchild, center Ted Karras, and right tackle Amarius Mims.
Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers Rescinds Trade Request
The Raiders recently refused Jakobi Meyers‘ trade request, and the wide receiver is no longer pushing the matter. In a candid chat with reporters today, the veteran acknowledged that he’s sticking with the franchise for the time being and has rescinded his trade request.
[RELATED: Raiders Turned Down Jakobi Meyers Interest]
“It’s a job,” Meyers said (via NFL.com’s Nick Shook). “At the end of the day, I’m happy to be doing my job with my boys but I can be happy anywhere.”
Meyers was reportedly seeking a raise on his active $11MM-per-year contract. The Raiders weren’t eager to adjust that arrangement, leading to the receiver’s sudden trade request in late August. The organization made it clear that they didn’t have any intention of moving on from their top receiver, which seemingly ended the conversation relatively quickly.
“I asked, they said no. That’s where that stopped,” Meyers explained. “I mean, I’m just going to keep doing my job until something shakes out either way, honestly. I don’t know which way it’s going to go, but I’ll be ready for whatever.”
A former UDFA, Meyers parlayed his performance in New England into a three-year contract with the Raiders. His first two seasons in Las Vegas have been among the most productive of his career. After hauling in a career-high 10 touchdowns in 2023, Meyers finished with a career-high 1,027 receiving yards in 2024. That latter performance came as the Raiders moved on from Davante Adams, and despite some major changes to the organization heading into 2025, Meyers still sits atop the depth chart.
With the Raiders eyeing a receivers corps that otherwise features Tre Tucker, old friend Amari Cooper, and a pair of rookies (second rounder Jack Bech and fourth rounder Dont’e Thornton), it’s not a surprise that the front office wants to retain Meyers as they install a new offense around Geno Smith. If Meyers maintains his WR1 status throughout the 2025 campaign, he’ll have an opportunity to cash in as a free agent after the season.