Falcons, Raiders Request To Interview Panthers’ Ejiro Evero For HC
Hours after we learned of his preseason extension, Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero received requests to interview for head coach positions with the Raiders (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter) and Falcons (per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). Evero has received some head coaching interest in two of the past three offseasons, but this is the first we’ve seen of his name in this year’s cycle. 
In 2023, Evero’s defense being a lone bright spot in Denver led to him receiving his first head coaching interest, securing interviews for all five vacancies in Arizona, Carolina, Denver, Houston, and Indianapolis. He conducted second interviews with the Texans and Colts and was even rumored to be a finalist for the Cardinals’ job, but ultimately, he accepted a new defensive coordinator position under Frank Reich in Carolina.
The following coaching cycle, continued defensive coaching success with the Panthers kept Evero’s name in the running for a number of open head coaching jobs. Of the eight vacancies in 2024, Evero interviewed for three of them. All three teams (Falcons, Panthers, and Seahawks) brought him back to conduct a second interview, but once again, he returned to his coordinator gig with the Panthers, this time for new head coach Dave Canales.
After featuring so prominently in the previous two coaching cycles, it was surprising to see the 2025 cycle come and go without hearing Evero’s name. This may have been a result of Evero’s defense in Carolina suffering some lows that we hadn’t seen in the coach’s recent tenure as coordinator. In 2024, the Panthers finished dead last in total defense, scoring defense, and rushing defense while finishing 23rd in pass defense. While not outstanding in 2025, the Panthers defense rebounded strongly and Evero is once again being recognized with head coaching interest.
The Falcons have already interviewed four candidates, splitting philosophies evenly with two offensive-minded candidates and two defensive-minded candidates. The team has requested interviews with three other candidates and, including Evero, all four are defensive-minded. It’s interesting to see Atlanta bring Evero in for an interview. His defense swept the Falcons in the regular season, including a 30-0 shutout in Charlotte.
The Raiders have interviewed five candidates for their head coaching job at this point in time, and all but one were offensive-minded coaches. They also have an interview planned with another offensive-minded candidate, but they’ve put out requests to interview two defensive-minded coaches, in addition to Evero.
Follow along with Pro Football Rumors’ 2026 NFL Head Coaching Tracker to see the latest on each candidate’s prospects and each team’s candidates.
Rams OC Mike LaFleur To Interview This Week With Raiders, Cardinals
While his older brother threatens to make headlines of his own in this year’s coaching cycle, Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur deserves his own flowers as he is set to interview this week for head coaching positions with both the Cardinals and Raiders, according to ESPN’s Peter Schrager. It had been rumored in the last few days, but these will be the first head coaching opportunities made available to the 38-year-old coordinator in his young career. 
A former quarterback, LaFleur didn’t see the same level of success as his brother, Matt, playing his college ball at Division-III Elmhurst University. He switched to safety for his final year as a player then became an offensive assistant for his alma mater in his first coaching gig. His next job came at Saint Joseph’s College in Indiana as quarterbacks coach for a year and, eventually, offensive coordinator. He spent a year in 2013 at Davidson as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks & wide receivers coach, his first taste of coordinator duties.
In 2014, LaFleur made his NFL coaching debut as an offensive intern with the Browns. The next year, he followed his brother to Atlanta, serving as an offensive assistant while Matt coached quarterbacks. When Matt earned his first offensive coordinator job in Los Angeles in 2017, Mike found his way to San Francisco where he was awarded the position of passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach. He dropped wide receivers from his duties two years later then, in 2021, followed Robert Saleh from the 49ers to New York to serve below Saleh as the Jets’ offensive coordinator.
Despite working with a cast of characters that featured Zach Wilson at quarterback, Michael Carter, Tevin Coleman, and Ty Johnson at running back, and Elijah Moore, Corey Davis, Keelan Cole, Jamison Crowder, and Braxton Berrios at wide receiver, LaFleur took an offense that had finished last in the NFL in total offense and 31st in passing offense and saw the unit improve to 26th in total offense and 20th in passing offense in his first season. Adding rookies Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, LaFleur’s second year saw the offense finish 25th in total offense and 15th in passing offense.
LaFleur then got the opportunity to follow in his brother’s footsteps as the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2023. He inherited a talented roster that had experienced injuries in 2022 but quickly returned the offense to success with second-year running back Kyren Williams adding a rushing element the team’s newly balanced unit. Wide receiver injuries limited the offense’s effectiveness last year, but LaFleur and the Rams rebounded this year to field the NFL’s top total offense, top scoring offense, top passing offense, and seventh-best rushing offense.
The Raiders are looking to replace Pete Carroll after a one-and-done season with the team. Under Carroll and two different offensive coordinators, Las Vegas finished dead last in the NFL in total offense, scoring offense, and rushing offense while finishing 28th in passing offense. The offense is centered around key young pieces like running back Ashton Jeanty, wide receiver Tre Tucker, and tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, and will have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which some assume may be used to draft Indiana’s Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The Raiders would be looking for LaFleur to bring an offensive punch to match what was a decent defense this past year, though it may be losing Maxx Crosby in the future.
The Cardinals are replacing Jonathan Gannon after his three years with the team yielded a 15-36 regular season record. Arizona may be looking to make changes at quarterback this offseason, but the offense rosters one of the league’s best tight ends in record-setter Trey McBride and a strong pair of receivers in Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. The team should also return running back James Conner after his 2025 season-ending injury. Unlike the Raiders, it was the Cardinals’ defense that struggled through most of the season and would need to see major improvements under a new coaching staff.
Now that the seal is broken, LaFleur may start getting calls from other openings around the league. The two teams that have contacted him have already interviewed several candidates that LaFleur will need to outshine; not to mention that may become more difficult if his brother joins the fray. For now, LaFleur can look forward to entering new territory as he prepares for his first head coaching interviews.
More Details Emerge On John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Exit
This coming Tuesday, Ravens team owner Steve Bisciotti will meet with the media to do an interview with reporters for the first time in four years, per a report from The Athletic, featuring Dianna Russini, Jeff Zrebiec, and Ian O’Connor. The topic of discussion will center around his ultimate decision to dismiss John Harbaugh, the head coach of the past 18 seasons and only the third head coach in the franchise’s 30-year history. 
Harbaugh’s tenure as the head coach in Baltimore came to an end following a loss in the team’s regular season finale that determined if the Ravens would have a winning record, win the AFC North, and make the playoffs in 2025. The following day, Harbaugh met early Monday morning with general manager Eric DeCosta, executive vice president (and former general manager) Ozzie Newsome, and team president Sashi Brown. The meeting was intended to be a discussion about Harbaugh’s vision for the team and staff moving forward, and though an “unsettled” feeling hung in the room, the thought was still that momentum was moving in the right direction for Harbaugh.
Following the meeting, Harbaugh led a final team meeting with 2025’s roster and roamed around the locker room as players cleaned out their lockers and said goodbyes for the offseason. Many of the players in the building reportedly expected some level of change at the assistant coach or coordinator level, but expectations were that Harbaugh would be returning.
The next day, Bisciotti reportedly began to meet with multiple players throughout the day to discuss their thoughts on Harbaugh and the direction of the team, with one player even reportedly meeting at Bisciotti’s house for the discussion. Like has been seen from differing reports between NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter, even the players inside the building had different views of Harbaugh and his hold on the locker room, which perhaps speaks to his actual hold on the locker room.
There had been noticeable grumbling throughout the year about the coaching staff, most notably concerning Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Per a joint report from ESPN’s Jamison Hensley and Jeremy Fowler, players showed particular discontent with Monken’s playcalling. Some disagreement on the team’s run/pass balance, targets for certain pass catchers, and star running back Derrick Henry‘s usage was heard throughout the year. Any vocalization of these issues likely rang loud in Bisciotti’s ear as Harbaugh appeared willing to run it all back with the coordinators returning to their roles next year.
The biggest point of concern, in terms of lack of connection, was Harbaugh and Monken’s connection to star quarterback Lamar Jackson. The two sides respected and admired each other, as they would frequently support and defend each other to the media throughout the years, but they often appeared to be on different pages, with Harbaugh and Monken struggling to understand Jackson, who would reportedly internalize frustrations. With Bisciotti and players in the locker room looking to Jackson as one who holds the franchise’s future in his hands, the coaching duos inability to truly get on the same page with him proved detrimental.
Following his meetings with players Tuesday evening, Bisciotti called Harbaugh as the coach drove home for the day and informed him of his decision. A day was given to let emotions subside, then Harbaugh met with Bisciotti on Thursday to hear the owner’s explanation for his decision. An annual meeting after the season is the usual for Bisciotti and Harbaugh, but with the possibility of a full coaching search on the horizon, prompter action became a necessity. 
Harbaugh is reportedly at peace with the decision and has moved on to search for new opportunities to be a head coach elsewhere. Upon his dismissal, he immediately became the top option for several teams looking to fill a vacancy, and though many have reached out to express interest, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reports that Harbaugh will take the weekend to narrow down the interviews he will take to three or four teams.
In looking for clues on which teams may get a slice of his time, Russini notes that Harbaugh is spending today and the next few days watching film specifically on rookie quarterbacks Jaxson Dart and Cam Ward, while staying in communication with decision-makers from both the Giants and Titans along with members from his own most-recent coaching staff. This is a critical part of the evaluation of head coaching candidates for those teams, as Russini adds that one of the first three questions each team is asking candidates is what their plan is for the young passers.
Ever since he became available the Giants have made it known that Harbaugh at the top of their wish list, and the research he’s putting into Dart suggests he may have mutual interest. The Titans don’t have any obvious connection to Harbaugh, but general manager Mike Borgonzi shares an ex-coworker in Andy Reid with Harbaugh. Borgonzi and Harbaugh’s shared relationships with Reid may lend to familiarity in culture and approach. And if Harbaugh had any issues deciphering Jackson’s internalized frustrations, Ward has had no trouble being extremely vocal about his own. We’ll see if each team makes Harbaugh’s final three or four interviews and who may join them.
Ravens Interview Kevin Stefanski For HC; Browns Plan John Harbaugh Interview
The Ravens and Browns will always be tied to each other. The Ravens are sometimes referred to as “the old Browns,” in reference to the old Cleveland franchise’s move to Baltimore in 1996. Now, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, the two cities could potentially see two coaches make the same (and opposite) move that the franchise made 30 years ago. 
Cabot reports that former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski interviewed with the Ravens yesterday for an opportunity to replace John Harbaugh as the team’s next head coach. Meanwhile, the Browns are planning to set up an interview with Harbaugh to fill the seat left vacant after they fired Stefanski on Monday. Cabot reports that Cleveland was one of the original seven teams to immediately reach to Harbaugh following his Tuesday dismissal, and they hope to meet with him as he begins his interview circuit in the coming week.
Harbaugh and Stefanski are two of the hotter names in the coaching market right now. After a stagnant Ravens team cut Harbaugh loose, he immediately jumped to the top of every team’s wish list, boasting a 180-113 regular season record, having made the playoffs in two-thirds of his seasons in Baltimore, and having brought the franchise its second-ever Lombardi Trophy. His reputation as a leader of men and culture-builder had every team with a vacancy (and some without one) reaching out to inquire on his availability.
Stefanski’s success in Cleveland wasn’t nearly as sustained, but it was still incredibly impressive. He came into his first head coaching opportunity to take over a franchise that hadn’t won a playoff game since 1994, made the playoffs since 2002, or even had a winning record since 2007, and he broke all three streaks in his first year with the team. Stefanski also maintained some level of success over the next few years, keeping the Browns competitive despite a quarterback carousel that, at times, felt beyond his control and taking the team to the playoffs a second time in 2023.
Stefanski’s ability to keep the team mostly afloat despite blow after blow being dealt to the quarterbacks room due to injury or legal trouble has teams giving the 43-year-old a strong look to remain a head coach in 2026. Now that we know Baltimore has been involved, aside from the Browns, the Cardinals are the only team with a vacancy that we haven’t seen linked to Stefanski in any way. He’s been a rumored candidate in Miami, plans to interview today with the Titans and later with the Falcons, and has already interviewed with the Giants, Raiders, and now the Ravens.
The Ravens’ head coaching search will be an extensive, competitive one as the job became, perhaps, the most attractive opening the moment Harbaugh was let go. Stefanski becomes the 11th name linked to the position and the fourth candidate to have interviewed for it. The distribution of candidates has been extremely even concerning offensive versus defensive background, and Stefanski’s addition to the list pushes the ratio in favor of offensive candidates 6:5.
In Cleveland, Harbaugh is one of eight candidates currently in the mix. The Browns have already interviewed two internal candidates (both coordinators Tommy Rees and Jim Schwartz) and one external candidate, Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde. They have interviews scheduled with Harbaugh’s former offensive coordinator, Todd Monken, and Bengals OC Dan Pitcher. and have requested one with Chargers DC Jesse Minter.
You can follow along with all the team openings and candidates involved in PFR’s 2026 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker. We’ll see if the cities of Baltimore and Cleveland trade pieces once again, but as the Tracker will show, there are many names in consideration for both teams and many teams interested in both candidates.
Falcons Interview Five For President Of Football Position
Earlier this week, it was announced that former Falcons long-time quarterback Matt Ryan was expected to be hired into a new position in Atlanta’s front office. It was initially reported as a president of football operations job, but it seems the title the Falcons are going with is just president of football. 
Per Falcons senior reporter Tori McElhaney, team owner Arthur Blank described the position, saying, “The leader in this new role will set the vision for our team. Our new head coach and general manager will report to the new president of football, and they will work collaboratively as a football leadership team on all football decisions. Final decision-making authority will rest with the president of football.”
This shines new light on the position as one superior to that of the head coach and general manager, who will both apparently report to this president of football. Today, the team also announced that five candidates have been interviewed for the position that had been expected to go to Ryan days ago. Lions chief operating officer Mike Disner, Panthers executive vice president of operations Brandt Tilis, 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams, Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, and Ryan, the current CBS analyst, were the five interviewed candidates.
Disner started his career as an intern in New England before joining the Cardinals, with whom he spent six years as director of football administration. He then spent four years at the NFL Management Council before eventually joining the Lions. He’s been credited as being a part of the leadership group that oversaw the current general manager and head coach hirings in Detroit and connecting business strategy with football operations. The team believes Disner’s experience fits Blank’s expectations for the role very well.
Tilis also spent time at the NFL Management Council, afterwards finding his way to Kansas City. He worked for the Chiefs for 14 seasons, starting as a salary cap/contract analyst, then advancing through director of salary cap and football operations analytics, and director of football administration roles to become vice president of football operations. After three years in that role, Tilis was offered his current job in Carolina. Tilis’ financial acumen is what Atlanta covets here. He’s known as having been the lead negotiator when the Chiefs extended quarterback Patrick Mahomes to his 10-year deal. His role with the Panthers has seen him play “a role in creating cap stability while improving roster health and talent,” once again displaying the type of overarching vision that Blank is looking for.
Williams took to the business world in New York City following the end of his collegiate playing career at Columbia. He joined San Francisco’s scouting department in 2011 and has been with the team ever since, serving in the roles of pro personnel scout, NFS scout, area scout, and national scout before being elevated to his current role last year. Williams was also a participant in the NFL’s Front Office and General Manager Accelerator Program in 2024.
Cunningham started in Baltimore as a player personnel assistant, working his way up to area scout in his nine seasons with the team. He left the Ravens for Philadelphia to serve as director of college scouting before moving up to assistant director of player personnel and, eventually, director. In 2022, he was hired into his current role with the Bears, who had never had an assistant GM before. His meteoric rise through the ranks of his two prior programs and the quick turnaround to success that has followed his arrival in Chicago has Atlanta intrigued in his potential to do something similar with the Falcons.
It would be prudent to point out that, as two external minority candidates, Williams and Cunningham technically satisfy the Falcons’ Rooney Rule requirements that tend to apply to the hiring of positions such as general manager or head coach. Since this position seemingly oversees both, Atlanta may have been covering their bases by interviewing four other candidates, including the two minority candidates, instead of just hiring Ryan as initially thought in original reports. That being said, ESPN’s Adam Schefter called Cunningham “a favorite for the job,” but that remains to be seen.
Ryan was the last interviewed candidate announced by the team today, and his experience obviously comes from the 14 years he spent as the franchise’s starting quarterback. He’s reportedly become a trusted voice in the building, and his relationship with Blank makes him widely expected to land the position, as initially reported. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Ryan concluded the team’s interviews for the position, and a decision is now expected to come in the near future.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/9/26
A few more reserve/futures deals trickled in today:
Cleveland Browns
Miami Dolphins
- DT Keith Cooper Jr., T Braeden Daniels, TE Cole Turner, T Carter Warren
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/9/26
Here are Friday’s minor moves as we head into the first weekend of the 2025-26 postseason:
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: OLB Nick Hampton, S Tanner Ingle
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Designated for return from IR: DE Isaiahh Loudermilk
The Rams calling up practice squad elevations in anticipation of the NFL’s opening playoff games tomorrow, while the Steelers are looking to add some defensive line depth for their own attempt at a playoff run.
Stefon Diggs’ Arraignment Postponed Past End Of Playoffs
In the final days of the calendar year, Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs found himself facing legal trouble stemming from an alleged incident in early December. According to Travis Anderson of The Boston Globe, Diggs will not need to miss time for legal proceedings after a judge granted his request to postpone the arraignment until February 13, five days after Super Bowl LX. 
The allegations, which Diggs has denied, see the veteran pass catcher facing a charge of felony strangulation or suffocation and a charge of misdemeanor assault and battery on a personal chef. The female chef was allegedly working as a private chef for Diggs when a financial dispute arose. In a police report, she alleged that Diggs entered her unlocked bedroom and, as the dispute continued in-person, “smacked her across the face.” She then claims that Diggs “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck” and that she feared she may pass out as a result.
David Meier, Diggs’ attorney, has asserted Diggs innocence, claiming that the actions as the alleged victim has stated them “did not occur.” He classified the situation as “an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction,” and announced that Diggs “looks forward to establishing the truth in a court of law.” At the same time, Meier also made it known that Diggs is seeking a financial resolution with his accuser.
Diggs’ teammate, defensive tackle Christian Barmore, is facing domestic assault charges of his own, which emerged the day after Diggs’ situation hit the media circuit. The NFL has released a statement recently to say that both players remain eligible to play as the postseason is set to begin this weekend. If the team does end up getting as far as the Super Bowl, Barmore will likely need to request a similar postponement. His arraignment is currently scheduled for February 3, five days before the league’s season finale.
Assuming New England wins its first two playoff games, though, both Diggs and Barmore should remain available throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs. This is ideal news for an offense that has seen Diggs’ receiving yards total (1,013) nearly double that of the next closest receiver (Kayshon Boutte, 551).
John Harbaugh Didn’t Lose Locker Room?
In an appearance today on The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN’s Adam Schefter pushed back on one of the narratives that gained traction in the wake of John Harbaugh‘s dismissal in Baltimore. As McAfee suggested the insiders had seen this coming, Schefter voiced his dissent to the notion Harbaugh had lost the locker room.
“I don’t think that information right there could be any…less true,” Schefter exclaimed. “The players were coming to his office, crying, hugging him, sending him ‘goodbyes,’ calling him one by one. If they felt that way, why are Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers and Isaiah Likely and all these players coming in crying, hugging him, giving him these long, warm goodbyes. I’m not buying it.”
[RELATED: Assessing Lamar Jackson’s Role In Ravens’ Coaching Decision]
As the interview continued, McAfee appealed to one of his frequent guests, former NFL center A.Q. Shipley to back up what Schefter was claiming. Shipley, who played for Harbaugh and the Ravens back in 2013, the second season of his eight-year career, called Harbaugh his favorite coach, after which Schefter chimed in to say that “that would be consistent with the type of things” that he had heard from other players. Shipley pointed to instances in which Harbaugh had his players’ backs and spoke to the respect that those moments garnered within Shipley and his teammates.
As McAfee went on to question why the departure would occur, if that were the case, Schefter mused on the concept that, sometimes, it’s just time for a change. He pointed to the Broncos as a two-time example of this fact, first utilizing the example of Dan Reeves. Reeves coached Denver for the first 12 years of his coaching career, amassed a 110-73-1 record, made the playoffs six times, won the division five times, advanced to the AFC Championship four times, and advanced to three Super Bowls but lost all three. Then-owner Pat Bowlen opted to part ways with Reeves and promoted Wade Phillips. Though, two years later Bowlen circled back to Mike Shanahan, who would win back-to-back Super Bowls shortly after, the first championships in franchise history.
Later on, in Denver, John Fox stepped in as head coach, and in a short, four-year stint went 46-18, winning the AFC West every season but losing his only Super Bowl appearance in 2013. Once again, the Broncos decided to move on from success, and Gary Kubiak won them their third Super Bowl the next year. Harbaugh had so much success up front, winning nine playoff games in his first five years, but as the franchise concluded his 18th season seeing only four more playoff wins in the 13 years since their Super Bowl victory, it’s clear there was a similar feeling with owner Steve Bisciotti.
It’s not all gloom for Harbaugh, though, as Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports reports that nine suitors have already emerged for Harbaugh; there are only seven open jobs in the NFL right now, including Baltimore. That means three teams with head coaches in place already have kicked the tires to inquire about his possible interest. The Dolphins are one such team, per Vacchiano, though Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald pushes back on that notion, “citing people on both sides.” And, though the other teams remain unnamed, Vacchiano also mentions “a big push” that could come from a team “playing this weekend in the wild-card playoff round.”
Harbaugh has most notably been made the No. 1 target for the Giants. They’ve made it no small secret that they are interested in hiring him, and according to Vacchiano, “they are high on Harbaugh’s list,” too. A source from the team claimed, “They have no reason to believe that Harbaugh is not seeking excessive power in the organization or that he feels he wouldn’t be able to work with (general manager Joe Schoen).” And, though Harbaugh has yet to set a meeting with the team, NFL insider Gary Myers backs Vacchiano’s report up, saying himself that Harbaugh “has genuine interest” in the job in New York. In fact, Harbaugh hasn’t made meetings yet with any teams, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the 63-year-old free agent is not expected to take part in any interviews until next week.
In Baltimore, though, the Ravens have hit the ground running in search of only the fourth head coach in franchise history. Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak are both names that have come to the forefront early, but according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is a name to watch out for as the hiring process picks up. Kubiak is the only one of the three not to have already worked in Baltimore or coached on the defensive side of the ball. Weaver was assistant head coach/defensive line coach for the Ravens not long ago, while Minter worked with the team’s defensive backs from 2017-20.
What’s interesting is that all three candidates have zero head coaching experience. That’s obviously not something that scares off the Ravens, though, considering Harbaugh’s 18 years for the team were his first in a head coaching role. What’s more important, it seems, is the potential that Weaver or Minter could be able to reestablish the defensive identity that made Baltimore such a feared opponent in Harbaugh’s early years, or the idea that an offensive-minded candidate like Kubiak may be just what Lamar Jackson needs to deliver the franchise’s third Super Bowl, one that Jackson promised the day they took him as the last pick in the first round.
Chiefs WR Rashee Rice Facing Domestic Violence Allegations
After starting his season with a six-game suspension and ending it on injured reserve due to lingering concussion symptoms, Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice may not be done with his legal troubles. According to Nick Sloan of KMBC 9 News, Rice is being accused of domestic violence by Dacoda Nichole, his ex-girlfriend of eight years. 
In the post, Nichole displayed a series of photos showing injuries she alleges were caused by Rice. The text of the post claimed that the alleged abuse had been ongoing throughout the span of their eight-year relationship. Rice has not been charged with anything to this point in time, but the situation has evolved to a point wherein the league will intervene and, likely, investigate.
The Chiefs released a statement (per Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star), saying, “The club is aware of the allegations on social media and is in communication with the National Football League. We have no further comment at this time.”
Rice is no stranger to legal troubles. His six-game absence to open the season stemmed from a series of incidents in the 2024 offseason. It started when Rice was the driver of vehicle that caused a chain reaction collision, and Rice chose to hit and run. He ended up taking a plea bargain pleading guilty to two third-degree felonies for collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury. He followed that up with an incident at a club in Dallas, where he allegedly punched a photographer, though no arrests were made or charges filed.
Again, no charges have been filed with today’s allegations, either, but the charges may not be totally necessary for the NFL to take action. As Rice is starting to become a bit of a frequent flier with the league’s disciplinary committees, the results of their investigations may be enough for them to choose to levy another suspension.