Cardinals Request HC Interview With Patriots’ Thomas Brown
Add Patriots passing game coordinator/tight ends coach Thomas Brown to the Cardinals’ list of head coaching candidates. The Cardinals have requested an interview with Brown, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.
A running back with Atlanta and Cleveland from 2008-10, Brown climbed up the college coaching ranks before joining the Rams’ staff in 2020. He worked under Sean McVay as a running backs coach, assistant head coach and tight ends coach through 2022.
Brown impressed enough on McVay’s staff to land the Panthers’ offensive coordinator job in 2023, but it ended up as a one-and-done stint. The Panthers finished 2-15 during a season in which they fired head coach Frank Reich in late November. With Brown as their on-again, off-again play caller and rookie Bryce Young at quarterback, the Panthers ranked last in total offense and 31st in scoring.
With the Panthers moving on to a Dave Canales-led coaching staff in 2024, Brown spent the season with the Bears. He began the year as the Bears’ passing game coordinator before replacing the fired Shane Waldron as their offensive coordinator in mid-November. That was the first of two in-season promotions for Brown, who finished the year as Chicago’s interim head coach after the firing of Matt Eberflus. The Bears went 1-4 under Brown, and their offense scored the fewest points in the league in quarterback Caleb Williams‘ rookie campaign.
Brown interviewed to become Chicago’s full-time head coach last January, but the role wound up going to Ben Johnson. That decision has worked out beautifully for the NFC North-winning Bears, while Brown has upped his stock as a Mike Vrabel assistant in New England.
Thanks largely to their passing attack, the Patriots pulled off a stunning 10-win improvement from 2024 to 2025. The 14-3 Pats won the AFC East and will enter the postseason as the second seed in the conference. With Brown’s help, second-year quarterback Drake Maye has quickly turned into an MVP front-runner. Maye finished the season first in completion percentage, yards per attempt, traditional passer rating and QBR. He also ranked third in touchdown passes and fourth in yards.
Unlike the Patriots, the Cardinals don’t have an obvious answer at quarterback. They’re expected to trade or release Kyler Murray in the offseason. Veteran Jacoby Brissett is under contract for another year, but he isn’t a long-term solution. It’s an area Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort and their next head coach, whether it’s Brown or another candidate, will likely address in the coming months.
49ers To Sign LB Kyzir White
Battling a slew of injuries at linebacker as they prepare for a first-round playoff matchup against the Eagles on Sunday, the 49ers are adding veteran insurance at the position. They have agreed to a practice squad deal with Kyzir White, insider Jordan Schultz reports.
The 49ers went through most of the regular season without their best linebacker, four-time All-Pro Fred Warner, who broke and dislocated his ankle in Week 6. Tatum Bethune stepped in as his replacement, but he suffered a season-ending groin injury in Week 18. Meanwhile, the statuses of fellow banged-up linebackers Dee Winters (ankle) and Luke Gifford (quadriceps) are uncertain as San Francisco’s trip to Philadelphia draws closer.
Warner may return if the 49ers advance a couple of rounds in the playoffs. In the meantime, they have another much-needed healthy option in White, though a hamstring injury shelved him for most of 2025.
After signing a practice squad deal with the Titans in early September, White’s only appearance of the regular season came in Week 3. The Titans waived him Dec. 5. The 29-year-old hoped to land with a contender when Tennessee cut him. A month later, he’ll get his wish.
White, who now has 93 games and 73 starts on his resume, entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick of the Chargers in 2018. Also a former Cardinal and Eagle, White has gone over the 100-tackle mark on three occasions and logged two 17-start seasons. He was a full-time starter in 2024 in Arizona, where he finished with 137 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Although White has barely played since his two-year Cardinals tenure ended, he could factor into the 49ers’ postseason plans at linebacker. Eric Kendricks (currently on the practice squad), Curtis Robinson and Garret Wallow are among the injury-riddled team’s other options.
Falcons Request Interview With 49ers Exec Josh Williams
Atlanta is expected to hire Matt Ryan as its president of football operations, but the team is required to interview other candidates for the role first. That may include 49ers director, scouting and football operations Josh Williams. The Falcons have requested a meeting with Williams, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The Falcons are the second team to show interest in the 38-year-old Williams since the regular season ended Sunday. He’s also on the Dolphins’ radar as they search for a general manager. Williams was a finalist for the Jaguars’ GM job a year ago. They interviewed him twice before hiring James Gladstone instead.
After finishing as a runner-up to Gladstone, Williams stayed in San Francisco’s John Lynch-led front office this year. Since joining the 49ers in 2011, Williams has garnered significant experience as a scout. In his current position, he “directs pro and college scouting efforts, supports player development, and assists in contract negotiations,” according to the 49ers’ website.
Williams could follow former Lynch assistants Martin Mayhew, Ran Carthon and Adam Peters in earning a major promotion elsewhere, but landing the Atlanta gig looks like a long shot. Barring an unexpected change of heart from owner Arthur Blank or Ryan, the former quarterback appears to be a near-lock for president of football ops duties.
At minimum, interviewing Williams would help the Falcons satisfy the Rooney Rule. It’s worth noting that they’re also in the market for a GM. That job could conceivably go to Williams, who would work under Ryan. Looking to fill that position, the Falcons have already requested an interview with Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham.
Bills Add K Matthew Wright To P-Squad
With kicker Matt Prater battling a quadriceps injury, his status is uncertain for the Bills’ wild-card round meeting with the Jaguars on Sunday. In the event Prater is unable to play, the Bills added insurance on Tuesday in signing Matthew Wright to their practice squad. To clear a spot for Wright, the Bills released offensive lineman Richard Gouraige.
Prater initially injured his quad in Week 15, leading to a two-game absence. Looking for a temporary fill-in, the Bills worked out Wright and Michael Badgley on Dec. 16.
The Bills passed on Wright for Badgley, whose difficulties with extra points transferred from Indianapolis to Buffalo. Badgley made 18 of 21 extra points this season with the Colts, who cut him Dec. 2. The Bills parted with Badgley after he converted just two of his four PATs with them.
Prater came back for Week 18, but he aggravated his quad in a win over the Jets. If Wright has to take his place in Jacksonville, the nomadic 29-year-old will kick for a fourth team this season. He played in two games with the Texans and one apiece with the Titans and Commanders in 2025. Wright combined to go 5 for 5 on field goals and 4 for 4 on PATs.
Since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent from UCF in 2019, Wright has garnered regular-season experience with eight teams. Over a 33-game span, Wright has hit 60 of 68 field goals (88.2%) and 45 of 47 extra points (95.7%).
Despite strong conversion rates, Wright typically hasn’t lasted long anywhere. His most extensive action in a season came with the Jaguars in 2021. Wright played in 14 of their games that year and made 21 of 24 field goals, though he was a less successful 13 of 15 on PATs. A half-decade later, Wright may have a chance to face Jacksonville in a do-or-die game.
Along with Wright, the Bills added fellow kicker Maddux Trujillo on a reserve/futures contract on Tuesday. Trujillo signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent from Temple last spring, but they waived him with an injury settlement in early September. The 22-year-old is now joining his second NFL organization four months later.
Rams Activate S Quentin Lake From IR
The Rams are getting one of their top defenders back ahead of a first-round playoff matchup in Carolina on Saturday. The team has activated safety Quentin Lake from injured reserve.
The Rams went a month and a half without Lake, who dislocated his left elbow in a Week 11 win over the Seahawks and had to undergo surgery. Los Angeles improved to 8-2 that day and looked like a strong contender for the NFC’s No. 1 spot, but a 4-3 mark without Lake led to a fifth-place finish in the conference.
A sixth-round pick from UCLA in 2022, Lake became a full-time starter in 2024 and continued in that role this year before landing on IR. Lake picked up 61 tackles, a sack, a personal-best 10 passes defensed and the first interception of his career over 10 games in 2025. He was on the field for 100% of defensive snaps during that span. Lake mostly played in the slot, but he also logged 80-plus snaps in the box and at free safety, and lined up along the edge at times.
Recognizing the versatile Lake’s importance to their defense, the Rams locked him up to a multiyear deal on Jan. 1. Lake had been on track to reach free agency in March before inking a three-year, $42MM deal with $25.7MM in guarantees. Healthy again, he’ll have a chance to make an impact during the postseason.
To make room for Lake’s return, the Rams placed linebacker Shaun Dolac on IR with a knee injury, ending his season. The undrafted rookie from Buffalo appeared in all 17 regular-season games and totaled 25 tackles. Dolac played 258 of his 300 snaps on special teams.
Titans Request HC Interviews With Matt Nagy, Steve Spagnuolo, Vance Joseph, Lou Anarumo
JANUARY 6: Tennessee’s interview with Anarumo will take place tomorrow, per Rapoport. He and Pelissero add the Nagy interview will be on Thursday. Spagnuolo will also interview Thursday, according to Albert Breer of SI.com. Those three will be joined by recently unemployed staffers Kevin Stefanski and Raheem Morris as candidates to speak with the Titans at least once.
JANUARY 5: The Titans were the first team to fire their head coach during the 2025 season, moving on from Brian Callahan on Oct. 13. They replaced Callahan with interim choice Mike McCoy, but it didn’t lead to a turnaround. With the Titans’ offseason now underway after a 3-14 campaign, they’re working to find Callahan’s full-time successor.
Tennessee has requested interviews with two Chiefs assistants – offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo – as well as Broncos D-coordinator Vance Joseph and Colts DC Lou Anarumo (via reports from Jordan Schultz, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network). The Titans are also expected to request a meeting with Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, per Schultz. Kingsbury’s name previously came up in connection to the Titans’ job on Sunday.
General manager Mike Borgonzi is leading the Titans’ search, though the next hire will come with owner Amy Adams Strunk‘s blessing. The fact that Borgonzi is considering Nagy and Spagnuolo for the job isn’t a surprise. Borgonzi worked in Kansas City’s front office from 2009-24, giving him plenty of familiarity with Nagy and Spagnuolo.
Both Nagy and Spagnuolo come with head coaching experience, but the former had far more success in his first stop. Nagy led the Bears to a 34-31 mark and two playoff berths from 2018-21. He earned Coach of the Year honors in his first season in Chicago.
Although Nagy doesn’t call the plays as Kansas City’s O-coordinator (that responsibility belongs to Andy Reid), his offensive background appeals to the Titans. Getting the most out of quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, will be among their next head coach’s most important tasks.
An acclaimed defensive assistant throughout his career, the 66-year-old Spagnulo has won four Super Bowls as a coordinator (three with the Chiefs, one with the Giants). However, his initial stint as a full-time head coach couldn’t have gone much worse. The then-St. Louis Rams went 10-38 under Spagnuolo from 2009-11. Spagnuolo later held the interim gig with the Giants after Ben McAdoo‘s firing in 2017. He went 1-3 in that brief run, but Spagnuolo’s stock has since gone way up during his brilliant seven-year reign atop the Chiefs’ defense.
Joseph, one of Spagnuolo’s fellow AFC West D-coordinators, is also a former head coach. While Joseph struggled to an 11-21 mark with the Broncos from 2015-16, his success since returning to Denver as an assistant in 2023 could lead to a second chance as a sideline general. Thanks largely to Joseph’s defense, which ranks first in sacks, second in yards and third in points, the 14-3 Broncos will enter the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Anarumo is the lone candidate in this group who has not worked as a head coach. Now 59, Anarumo was an assistant at various colleges before joining the Dolphins’ defensive staff in 2012. He earned his first D-coordinator job with the Bengals in 2019. Anarumo stayed in place for six years, a span in which the Bengals went to two AFC title games and a Super Bowl, but the team fired him after its defense finished 25th overall in 2024.
Anarumo quickly caught on with the Colts, who spiraled to an 8-9 mark after starting 8-2 in 2025. The Colts’ defense ended the year an underwhelming 21st in points and 23rd in yards, but injuries to DeForest Buckner, Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward took away three of Anarumo’s best players for significant periods of time. The Titans obviously aren’t holding that against him.
The Chiefs, Colts and Commanders failed to qualify for the playoffs, which means Nagy, Spagnulo, Anarumo and Kingsbury are eligible to interview as early as Tuesday, Dianna Russini of The Athletic relays. With the Broncos on a bye, Joseph will be available to discuss the Tennessee job on Wednesday. He’ll do so via Zoom, according to Mike Klis of 9News.
Matt Prater Dealing With Quad Injury; Bills To Work Out Kickers
The Bills are gearing up for this weekend’s wild-card round, but it’s unclear who will kick for them in Jacksonville on Sunday. Matt Prater aggravated a quadriceps injury in the Bills’ Week 18 win over the Jets. Prater is considered day-to-day, head coach Sean McDermott said (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk).
With Prater’s status uncertain, the Bills will work out kickers this week, McDermott announced. This is the third time the Bills have had to go this route in the past few weeks.
After Prater injured his quad in a Week 15 win over the Patriots, the Bills auditioned Michael Badgley and Matthew Wright on Dec. 16. They signed Badgley, who had been out of a job for two weeks after the Colts cut him.
Although Badgley hit 10 of 11 field goals with the Colts, they moved on after he converted just 18 of 21 extra points. His final PAT miss with Indianapolis proved costly in a Week 13 loss to Houston.
Badgley went on to struggle filling in for Prater in two games with the Bills. He made his lone field goal, but he missed two of four extra points. A blocked PAT against the Eagles in Week 17 helped sink the Bills in a 13-12 loss.
It’s unclear whether the Bills will consider a reunion with Badgley, but it’s worth noting that they worked out other kickers while he was still a member of the organization. Younghoe Koo, Gavin Stewart and Maddux Trujillo tried out on Dec. 23 (via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic). The Bills didn’t see any as an upgrade over Badgley at the time. Those three remain on the market alongside the likes of Justin Tucker, Matt Gay and Cade York, among others.
Tucker is easily the most proven kicker available, but the longtime Raven’s performance fell off dramatically in 2024. The 36-year-old has since served a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. The league handed down the punishment after allegations of sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions went public against Tucker last February. Tucker worked out for the Saints in late November and the Colts in early December, but neither team signed him.
If Prater’s unavailable on Sunday and the Bills don’t turn back to Badgley, they’ll use their third kicker of the season in the opening round of the playoffs. Tyler Bass handled the job from 2020-24, but he began 2025 on IR with a hip/groin injury and underwent season-ending surgery on Dec. 1. With Bass on the shelf, the Bills signed the 41-year-old Prater days before the start of the season.
When healthy, Prater has been a reliable option for Buffalo. The two-time Pro Bowler went 18 of 20 on field goals and 46 of 49 on extra points during the regular season, but it’s anyone’s guess whether he’ll participate in the playoffs.
49ers LB Tatum Bethune Out For Playoffs; Latest On Fred Warner
The 49ers’ Week 18 loss to the Seahawks prevented them from securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a division title. To worsen matters, the 49ers’ banged-up defense took more shots in the regular-season finale.
Linebacker Tatum Bethune will miss the postseason after suffering a groin injury, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced (via Nick Wagoner of ESPN). Fellow linebackers Dee Winters (ankle) and Luke Gifford (quadriceps) are also dealing with injuries from the Seattle game. Their statuses for the wild-card round are uncertain, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
As a 2024 seventh-round pick, Bethune barely factored into the 49ers’ defense as a rookie. The former Florida State Seminole played 11 games and logged 165 of his 216 snaps on special teams.
Bethune remained a relatively anonymous member of the 49ers’ roster early this season, but he took on a far bigger role when all-world linebacker Fred Warner broke and dislocated his ankle in a Week 6 win over the Buccaneers.
Warner’s injury opened up playing time for Bethune, who wound up starting in eight of 14 appearances and totaling 94 tackles. While Pro Football Focus ranked Bethune’s performance an unspectacular 69th among 88 qualifying linebackers, he earned a respectable 73.2 grade against the run.
Warner hasn’t played in almost three months, though there’s hope he’ll return if the 49ers make a deep playoff run. Shanahan said Monday that Warner may come back if the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game (via Matt Barrows of the The Athletic). In the meantime, sixth-seeded San Francisco will have to go on the road to beat Philadelphia this weekend and then knock off another opponent in the divisional round.
The 49ers’ defense will face more adversity if Winters and Gifford can’t go Sunday. Winters finished second among 49ers defenders with a 91.5% snap share, trailing only cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, and picked up 101 tackles, five passes defensed and an interception. Gifford’s a lesser presence on defense, but he earned his first Pro Bowl nod for his work on special teams. He led the 49ers’ ST unit with an 80.9% snap share in 2025.
In the event Winters and Gifford are unavailable this week, the 49ers will go into the playoffs with Eric Kendricks (currently on the practice squad), Curtis Robinson and Garret Wallow as their top options at linebacker, Barrows notes. Kendricks is a former Pro Bowler with 143 starts on his resume, but the 33-year-old amassed just 46 defensive snaps in three games with the 49ers during the regular season. Robinson has only started three games (all in 2025) during his five-year career, while Wallow’s most recent start came with the Texans in 2022. The 49ers claimed him off waivers from the Broncos on Dec. 6. A month later, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh may have to rely on Wallow in the playoffs.
Saleh’s defense overcame long-term injuries to Warner and Nick Bosa, who tore his ACL in Week 3, during a 12-win campaign. As injuries continue to mount ahead of the postseason, Saleh’s job isn’t getting any easier.
Falcons Request HC Interviews With Klint Kubiak, Anthony Weaver
An eighth straight season without a playoff berth led to a major organizational shakeup for the Falcons, who fired general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris on Sunday. The Falcons’ former franchise quarterback, Matt Ryan, is expected to take over as president of football operations.
Although Ryan hasn’t officially rejoined the organization yet, Atlanta – with the help of search firm ZRG Partners – is acting quickly to find a new head coach. The team has requested interviews with Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
This head coaching market doesn’t feature many slam-dunk offensive-minded candidates, but the 38-year-old Kubiak has made a case for a promotion this season. Thanks in part to the Seahawks’ Kubiak-led offense, which finished the regular season third in scoring and tied for seventh in yardage, the team went 14-3 and earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
With Kubiak’s help, quarterback Sam Darnold put together a second straight strong season in 2025 – his first with the Seahawks after reviving his career with the Vikings in 2024. Darnold’s favorite target, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, led the league with 1,793 yards.
Kubiak’s presence helped draw Darnold to the Seahawks on a three-year, $100.5MM contract last March. It’s possible the success the two have had since then will lead to a first head coaching job for Kubiak. Moving on from Seattle would mean a third straight one-and-done stint as an offensive coordinator for Kubiak, the son of former Texans and Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak.
Klint Kubiak’s first OC opportunity came with the Vikings in 2021, when he succeeded his retired father in the role. With productive efforts from Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook, the unit finished with above-average rankings in yards (12th) and points (14th). However, the Vikings then made a head coaching change in replacing Mike Zimmer with Kevin O’Connell, and Kubiak did not return in 2022.
After leaving Minnesota, Kubiak divided the next two seasons between Denver and San Francisco. His year as Russell Wilson‘s quarterbacks coach went poorly, but Kubiak boosted his stock as Kyle Shanahan‘s passing game coordinator in 2023. He first worked with Darnold, then a backup to Brock Purdy, that year. It was the first full season as a starter for Purdy, who fared well with Kubiak and helped the 49ers advance to the Super Bowl.
Kubiak’s performance with the 49ers led to his second shot as an offensive coordinator with the Saints last year. In what proved to be quarterback Derek Carr‘s final season, an injury-limited campaign in which he played 10 games, the Saints’ offense wound up 21st in yards and 24th in points. With New Orleans in the midst of a coaching search last January, Kubiak left for Seattle – a move that has gone swimmingly for both sides.
Weaver, 45, was a defensive lineman for the Ravens and Texans from 2002-08. After coaching D-lines with the Jets, Bills, Browns and Texans from 2012-19, he took over as Houston’s D-coordinator under Bill O’Brien in 2020. O’Brien did not last the full season, though, and after the Texans’ defense finished 27th in yards and 30th in points, Weaver didn’t retain his post for a second year.
Following his Houston exit, Weaver had a three-year run as a D-line coach on John Harbaugh‘s staff in Baltimore. He impressed enough with the Ravens to grab the reins as the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator in 2024. While the Dolphins ranked fourth in total defense and 10th in points under Weaver last year, they fell to 22nd and 24th in those categories this season. Nevertheless, Weaver will be part of the head coaching interview cycle for the second straight offseason. He met with the Bears and Saints last winter.
Charvarius Ward Considering Retirement
In reeling in Charvarius Ward on a three-year deal worth up to $60MM last March, the Colts added one of the top cornerbacks on the free agent market. Ward looked like a worthwhile investment when he took the field in 2025, but three concussions limited him to just seven games.
With Ward still dealing with complications from his head injuries, he’s “seriously considering retirement,” Stephen Holder of ESPN reports. Ward’s father has already advised him to retire, according to Holder.
“With the brain injuries, you don’t really see it … until you get older sometimes,” said the 29-year-old Ward, who added that “the more I beat my brain up, the more it’ll affect me as I get older. So, I’ve got a lot of life to live out of football. I’ve got to think about my family and kids, too. So, we’ll see.”
Despite going undrafted out of Middle Tennessee State in 2018, a healthy version of Ward has been a consistently productive corner in the NFL. Ward divided his first seven seasons between Kansas City and San Francisco, where he combined for 89 starts and 10 interceptions. In 2023, his penultimate season with the 49ers, Ward notched a career-high five INTs and led the league with 23 passes defensed. He earned a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro honors for his efforts.
Ward didn’t pull in any interceptions during a 12-game 2024, nor did he in his truncated first season with the Colts. Nevertheless, Pro Football Focus ranked Ward the NFL’s eighth-best corner out of 114 qualifiers in 2025. Ward held opposing quarterbacks to a 56.3% completion rate and an 87.6 passer rating on 48 targets, per Pro-Football-Reference. He finished the year with 25 tackles and seven PDs in seven games (all starts).
Ward was healthy for Indianapolis’ season-opening win over Miami, but he suffered his first concussion of the year in that game and sat out Week 2. After returning to play in three straight, Ward’s second concussion occurred during pregame warmups in Week 6. The Colts placed Ward on injured reserve on Oct. 18. He came back after a four-game absence on Nov. 23, but the Colts made a Nov. 4 trade deadline splash at corner in the meantime.
Then 7-2 and in the mix for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, the Colts swung a massive deal with the Jets for Sauce Gardner, sending two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to New York. The hope was Ward and Gardner would form a shutdown duo for the Colts. That didn’t come to fruition, though, as both corners were rarely healthy at the same time in 2025. They only played together in two games.
Ward went down with his third concussion in a Week 14 loss to the Jaguars, forcing him to IR again, while a calf strain kept Gardner out of three contests. Those injuries played a part in the Colts’ stunning second-half collapse. Once 8-2, their year ended with seven straight losses and a sub-.500 finish.
Although the Colts have not qualified for the playoffs in any of head coach Shane Steichen‘s three seasons, he and general manager Chris Ballard will return in 2026. It’s up in the air whether they’ll have Ward, but with a $7.98MM roster bonus due in March, he acknowledged he’ll have to make a quick decision on his future.