Packers Don’t Expect To Retain QB Malik Willis
Following a successful two-year stint as Jordan Love‘s backup, quarterback Malik Willis will likely be playing elsewhere in 2026. GM Brian Gutekunst admitted that the Packers will likely lose their QB2 this offseason as Willis pursues an opportunity to compete for a starting spot, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport backs that sentiment, noting that a Willis departure “feels like a given.”
The former third-round pick out of Liberty was once viewed as a steal by the Titans, although the QB never had a chance to truly show his talent in Tennessee. He garnered three starts as a rookie but didn’t impress, completing barely 50 percent of his passes for 276 yards and three interceptions (he added another 123 rushing yards and a touchdown on 27 attempts). Following the addition of Will Levis in the 2023 draft, Willis was pushed further down the depth chart, and he attempted only five passes during that 2023 campaign.
Willis was traded to the Packers at the end of the 2024 preseason and was quickly pushed into action after Love suffered an MCL sprain in the season opener. Willis ended up guiding the Packers to wins in each of his two starts while filling in for Love, completing 25 of his 33 pass attempts for 324 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 114 yards and a score on the ground. Willis had a few more cameos throughout the 2024 campaign, tossing another touchdown and adding 24 rushing yards.
It took 11 games for him to make his first appearance of the 2025 campaign, but Willis still impressed in limited reps. He guided the team to a touchdown in a win over the Giants, and he added another passing touchdown and 44 rushing yards while relieving Love in a loss to the Bears. The Packers lost his Week 18 start to the Ravens, but he still completed 18 of his 21 pass attempts, tossed a touchdown, and found the end zone twice on the ground.
While Willis still only has six starts in four years, his successful cameos have set him up for a potential starting gig in 2026. The 26-year-old leads a free agent class that includes the likes of Daniel Jones, Aaron Rodgers, and Russell Wilson. Willis could be seen as a logical bridge QB or a seat-warmer ahead of a young signal caller, or he could be added as competition for an incumbent. Either way, Willis will likely be viewed as more than a QB2, which should price out the Packers.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 2/4/26
Today’s reserve/futures deals:
Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins
Patriots Won’t Activate RB Terrell Jennings From IR
Terrell Jennings won’t be joining the Patriots’ Super Bowl roster. While the running back returned to practice last month, his activation window has come and gone without him joining the active roster. As a result, the former UDFA will remain on injured reserve, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston.
Jennings suffered a concussion in an early-December win over the Giants. He subsequently landed on injured reserve, although he was designated for return on January 14. This meant the Patriots had three weeks to add him to the 53-man roster. However, with a healthy depth chart, the Patriots will keep him sidelined for the season finale.
The former Texas A&M standout joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 draft. He spent most of his rookie campaign on New England’s practice squad, although he did manage to work his way into three contests. Jennings ultimately finished the 2024 season with 33 yards from scrimmage on 13 touches.
He was pushed further down the depth chart following the Patriots’ selection of TreVeyon Henderson during the 2025 draft, although he did get a look on the active roster following Antonio Gibson‘s season-ending injury. Jennings ultimately got into seven games during his sophomore campaign, finishing with 82 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 24 touches.
While the team gave both Rhamondre Stevenson and Henderson extended looks during the 2025 season, the veteran has commanded most of the looks during the postseason. That duo will likely garner all of the snaps at the position during the Super Bowl, with practice squad RB D’Ernest Johnson serving as the emergency third RB on the depth chart.
Extension Talks Between Packers, Tucker Kraft Will Happen In “Near Future”
After emerging as one of Jordan Love‘s preferred targets over the past two years, Tucker Kraft is now in line for an extension. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst told reporters that the front office has already been in contact with Kraft’s camp about “how the organization feels about him”, and extension talks “will happen in the near future,” per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
Kraft is currently rehabbing a torn ACL that ended his 2025 campaign prematurely. The 2026 season will represent the final year of the former third-round pick’s rookie contract.
After showing flashes as a rookie in 2023, Kraft had a breakout showing in 2024. After leaping fellow 2023 draftee Luke Musgrave on the depth chart, Kraft proceeded to haul in 50 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns in 17 games. He was set to exceed those numbers in 2025. Through the first half of the season, the tight end was averaging a career-high 61.1 yards per game, and his six touchdowns had him on pace for double-digit scores.
Unfortunately, Kraft’s season ended in November after he suffered a serious knee injury. While the tight end isn’t targeting a specific return date, he did recently tell the team website that he’s hoping to be “bulletproof” by the start of the 2026 season. Kraft also noted that he didn’t experience any complications from his surgery.
Other than impending free agent Romeo Doubs, the Packers are set to return their same grouping of pass catchers in 2026. However, only 2025 first-round pick Matthew Golden is attached to a contract beyond that campaign. While the team will surely look to lock in some of those receivers, it makes sense that the front office would put in a concerted effort to extend their pass-catching tight end.
While the injury may partly influence the Packers’ offer, the team is surely anticipating Kraft to command a lucrative long-term deal. $20MM in guarantees wouldn’t even put the player in the top-10 at his position, and a $14MM AAV would put him just inside the top-five among tight ends. 2022 fourth-round pick Jake Ferguson would likely be the starting point in negotiations; the Cowboys tight end inked a four-year, $52MM deal ($21.4MM guaranteed) last summer.
Buccaneers Talked To Sean McDermott About Position On Staff
While it seems likelier than not that Sean McDermott will sit out the 2026 campaign, that won’t stop teams from approaching the former Bills head coach about new opportunities. That includes the Buccaneers, who recently talked to McDermott about joining Todd Bowles‘ staff, per Greg Auman of FOX Sports.
Despite Tampa Bay’s interest, Auman notes that McDermott isn’t expected to coach in 2026. Instead, the 51-year-old is expected to re-assess his options during the 2027 offseason. This echoes a report from the other day that indicated that McDermott could sit out the upcoming campaign, although there were some previous rumblings that he could dive right back into coaching.
Tampa Bay would be a logical landing spot for McDermott. Bowles hasn’t employed a traditional defensive coordinator since he earned a promotion from that role in 2022, with the head coach still preferring to call plays on that side of the ball. However, the team could have still eyed McDermott for a significant role on the staff, especially after the Buccaneers saw three defensive coaches depart this offseason (cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross and defensive line coach Charlie Strong were fired while safeties coach Nick Rapone retired).
McDermott also has some connections to the organization. He overlapped with current Buccaneers GM Jason Licht when the two worked for the Eagles, and he also interviewed for the head coaching job in 2016.
McDermott does have coordinator experience, as he was responsible for the defense during stints with the Eagles and Panthers. More likely, he’ll garner some head coaching interest next offseason. After getting fired by the Bills, the coach reportedly received “positive reviews” from those who took a year off from coaching following their ousters, and it appears that McDermott is planning on following the same path.
Jets Complete Five OC Interviews
After moving on from offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand yesterday, the Jets have officially kicked off their search in full force. The team announced that they’ve completed interviews with five candidates. Three names on the list are new: Dolphins quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Darrell Bevell, Bills QBs coach Ronald Curry, and recent Chargers OC Greg Roman. The two other names are Lunda Wells, whose interview we learned about this morning, and Frank Reich, who was previously mentioned as a potential option.
[RELATED: Jets, OC Tanner Engstrand Part Ways]
Bevell has spent the past four seasons as Miami’s QBs coach and passing game coordinator. He helped guide Tua Tagovailoa to a ninth-place finish in MVP voting during his first season at the helm, and he saw the former first-round pick later pace the NFL in passing yards (4,624 in 2023) and completion percentage (72.9 in 2024). Tagovailoa’s numbers took a notable step back in 2025, including a career-high 3.9 interception rate. While that performance may lead to some changes in Miami in 2026, it apparently didn’t do enough to ruin Bevell’s reputation.
Following a brief stop with the 49ers to begin his coaching career, Curry climbed the coaching ladder in New Orleans. As a receivers coach, he helped guide Michael Thomas to two of the most productive seasons of his career, and he led a QBs room in 2021 that relied on three different starters (Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian, and Taysom Hill). He earned a promotion to passing game coordinator in 2022 and was responsible for passing attacks led by Andy Dalton and Derek Carr. He moved to the Bills ahead of Josh Allen‘s MVP season in 2024, and he got a career-high 69.3 completion percentage from the star QB in 2025.
Roman was recently fired by the Chargers following a three-point showing in the team’s Wild Card Round loss to the Patriots. Before that, the veteran coach had stints as offensive coordinator in Baltimore, Buffalo, and San Francisco. He also served as the associate head coach at Stanford under Jim Harbaugh. Considering the Jets’ uncertainty at quarterback, it’s worth noting that Roman has successfully worked alongside a wide range of QBs throughout his coaching career. While he recently had an experienced play-caller in Justin Herbert, he’s helped guide young QBs (like Lamar Jackson and Colin Kaepernick) and journeymen (like Tyrod Taylor).
Before the Jets and Engstrand parted ways, there were rumblings that Aaron Glenn was planning to strip the OC of his play-calling duties while seeking a replacement. Reich was the first coach connected to the gig, and the team was reportedly “progressing” in conversations with the former Colts and Panthers head coach. The 64-year-old remains the favorite for the role. Wells joined the fray this morning, with the Cowboys TEs coach garnering his third OC interview of this year’s cycle. One name that’s rejected the team’s overtures is Jon Gruden, who would have certainly fit Glenn’s desire to find a “head coach” for the unit.
Whoever ends up getting hired for the open OC job will have a tall task of turning around a Jets offense that finished bottom-four in yards and scoring this past season. The team’s QB approach remains uncertain following the failed Justin Fields experiment, and running back Breece Hall is set to hit free agency. Fortunately, the Jets do have some foundational pieces, including a solid offensive line, star wideout Garrett Wilson, and promising rookie TE Mason Taylor.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/28/26
Today’s reserve/futures move:
Tennessee Titans
A former sixth-round pick by the Bengals, Trey Hill got into 25 games in Cincinnati, starting three of those appearances. After spending most of the 2024 campaign on the Bengals practice squad, he spent last offseason with the Packers organization, although he ended up being cut loose at the end of the preseason. He later signed with the Bears practice squad, where he spent most of the 2025 season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/28/26
Two practice squad moves to pass along:
New England Patriots
- Signed: LB Patrick Johnson, WR Trent Sherfield
Patrick Johnson is a new addition in New England, as he spent most of the 2025 campaign on the Eagles practice squad. The former seventh-round pick actually spent the majority of his career in Philly, appearing in 58 games with the organization. He’s garnered 1,902 special teams snaps in his career vs. 615 defensive snaps.
Trent Sherfield is a more familiar face, as he had a stint on the Patriots practice squad earlier this month before getting cut. The veteran wideout brings 124 games of experience to New England, and he’s hauled in 89 career catches for 1,034 yards and six touchdowns. He appeared in 12 games with the Broncos and Cardinals earlier this season, hauling in three total catches.
Chargers Interview Chris O’Leary For DC Job
Jim Harbaugh is once again considering a familiar face for his defensive coordinator vacancy. The Chargers announced this evening that they’ve interviewed Chris O’Leary for the role.
Unlike some of the other familiar candidates for the job, O’Leary wasn’t on the Chargers staff in 2025. Rather, he was on Harbaugh’s inaugural staff in Los Angeles, where the assistant served as the Chargers safeties coach. During that 2024 campaign, O’Leary guided a safeties group that led the NFL in sacks (6.5) and finished fifth in interceptions (nine). As Omar Navarro of the team’s website notes, the Chargers safeties also allowed a 75.9 passer rating when targeted, which was good for third at the position in the NFL.
He left to become the defensive coordinator at Western Michigan in 2025. During his one season at the school, O’Leary led a defense that ranked second in the Mid-American Conference in total defense (17.4 points per game). That mark also ranked ninth in all of FBS.
Other than his one-season stint on the Chargers coaching staff, all of O’Leary’s coaching experience has come in the college game. He got his first gig at Georgia State before being named the safeties coach at Florida Tech in 2017. After one year in that role, he left for Notre Dame, where he ended up spending six seasons. During his time with the Fighting Irish, O’Leary worked his way up from a defensive analyst to defensive backs coach.
Since Jesse Minter left to become the Ravens head coach, Harbaugh has considered a handful of internal candidates for the DC job. That includes safeties coach Adam Fuller, who replaced O’Leary in the role this past season. The full list of candidates includes:
- Steve Clinkscale, defensive backs coach (Chargers): Interviewed 1/26
- Adam Fuller, safeties coach (Chargers): Interviewed 1/26
- Jim Leonhard, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Interviewed 1/28
- Zach Orr, defensive coordinator (Ravens): Interviewed 1/23
- Aubrey Pleasant, pass-game coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/24
- Dylan Roney, outside linebackers coach (Chargers): Interviewed 1/26
- Dennard Wilson, former defensive coordinator (Titans): Interviewed 1/23
Eagles Conduct Second OC Interview With Jim Bob Cooter
The Eagles have cast perhaps the widest net in the NFL in their search for a new offensive coordinator, but it sounds like the organization is starting to settle on some final candidates for the job. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Eagles conducted an in-person interview today with Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter.
We heard previously that the Eagles had requested an interview with the long-time offensive coach. According to Fowler, the two sides previously conducted a virtual interview. While the Philly job would represent a lateral move for Cooter, it appears as if Shane Steichen is willing to let one of his top lieutenants consider a new job.
Cooter has spent the past three seasons serving as the Colts offensive coordinator. Despite having to turn to six different starting QBs over that span, Indy’s offense has still ranked in the top-half of the NFL in yardage in each of the past three seasons. The offense has also had some success scoring the ball, culminating in an eighth-place finish in points scored this past season. While Steichen brings an offensive pedigree, Cooter also earned some praise for his ability to squeeze an impressive showing out of Daniel Jones in 2025.
The 41-year-old coordinator has been coaching in the NFL since 2009. He earned his first OC gig with the Lions in 2016, and he had stints as the Jets running backs coach and the Jaguars passing game coordinator before he got his current job with the Colts in 2023.
Cooter also has some connection to the Eagles. He worked alongside Nick Sirianni when the two were on the Chiefs coaching staff, and he later served as an independent consultant in Philly during the 2021 campaign. When Sirianni announced that move, he noted that he thinks “very highly” of Cooter while describing him as a “great football mind.”
If Cooter ends up back in Philly, he’ll be tasked with guiding an offense that took a significant step back in 2025. After ranking in the top-10 in points scored and yards each season between 2022 and 2024, the team finished 19th in points and 24th in yards in 2025. That performance led to the team parting ways with OC Kevin Patullo after the season.
Since then, the Eagles have looked high and low for a replacement. Cooter joins a long list of candidates that also includes:
- Josh Grizzard, former offensive coordinator (Buccaneers): To interview
- Jerrod Johnson, quarterbacks coach (Texans): To interview
- Sean Mannion, quarterbacks coach (Packers): To conduct second interview
- Matt Nagy, former offensive coordinator (Chiefs): Interviewed 1/21
- Bobby Slowik, senior pass-game coordinator (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/23
- Frank Smith, former offensive coordinator (Dolphins): Interviewed
- Davis Webb, quarterbacks coach (Broncos): Interview requested