AFC South Rumors: Caserio, Callahan, McNair
The Texans enjoyed a nice run of success with playoff appearances and wins in each of the past two seasons led by head coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud. Year 3 with the duo has been less than ideal with a 1-3 start making a postseason run a daunting task, but some blame seems to be falling on general manager Nick Caserio, according to ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime.
The biggest weakness of last year’s team was an offensive line that gave up the third-most sacks in the league in 2024. This year’s biggest weakness, per Bien-Aime, is still the offensive line. Aside from right tackle Tytus Howard, the entire starting five across the line is different this year from last. This required Caserio and Co. to sign left tackle Cam Robinson and left guard Laken Tomlinson in free agency, trade for Ed Ingram, and draft Aireontae Ersery in the second round of the draft, while also trading away Laremy Tunsil, whom Caserio extended shortly after his arrival.
The lack of improvement along the line could be the result of several factors, but Bien-Aime suggests that Caserio’s inability to build a better line for his quarterback could have him on the hot seat. Bien-Aime points at another failed offseason move — the trade for (and eventual release) of veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson — as another strike against the third-year exec. The recent evidence does seem to show evidence of some poor personnel decisions, but it will be interesting to see if Caserio continues to receive blame for the team’s lack of growth in Year 3.
Here are a couple other staff rumors from around the AFC South:
- In the same ESPN article, other contributors were putting another AFC South staffer on the hot seat. Turron Davenport and Seth Walder each made comments concerning the job security of Titans head coach Brian Callahan. There’s no debate that Callahan’s team lacked elite talent in Year 1, but a slew of penalties added on to the team’s struggles to give them the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The undisciplined penalties have continued heavily in Year 2, and just this week, Callahan relinquished play-calling duties in an effort to open up the offense more for his rookie quarterback. Davenport suggests that controlling owner Amy Adams-Strunk has made impulsive decisions in the past — pointing to the departure of former head coach Mike Vrabel, as an example — and suggests further that a loss to Vrabel in Week 7 could mean the end for Callahan’s tenure in Tennessee. Walder agrees that “questions of whether he’s the right coach will only get louder with each successive loss.”
- Lastly, going back to Houston, Cary McNair, son of the late Texans founder Robert McNair and brother of team owner Cal McNair, is reportedly accusing the NFL and his brother of engineering his “ouster” from the Texans and other McNair family business interests, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports. Cary’s representative, Tony Buzbee, became well-known for representing clients against Deshaun Watson. Buzbee claims that Cary began “asking pointed questions that potentially implicated the NFL and its personnel.” The questions pertained to both the Texans’ and the league’s handling of the Watson scandal and their handling of the sexual assault scandal of Texans minority owner Javier Loya, as well. Cary levies a number of other allegations, asserting that the NFL and his brother pushed him out for challenging their acceptance and tolerance for alleged abhorrent behavior. He’s seeking more than $60MM in direct financial losses.
NFL Looking To Renegotiate Broadcasting Deals In 2026?
In a recent interview, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suggested that the league “could seek to begin renegotiating its broadcasting deals as soon as next year,” per Mark Maske of The Washington Post. 
The original deals to be renegotiated were reached back in 2021. Though the detailed financial details of the deals were not released, it was estimated that the value of the deals potentially exceeded $110BB. The deals preserved several existing deals with CBS and FOX covering Sunday afternoon games, NBC covering Sunday Night Football, and ESPN/ABC covering Monday Night Football.
The deals also established the first all-digital package with Amazon housing Thursday Night Football. More deals would see NFL Sunday Ticket move from DirecTV to YouTube TV, and some individual games aired exclusively on Netflix and YouTube.
But, as Maske explains, “the NFL’s broadcasting deals contain opt-out clauses,” and many expect the league will exercise those options for an opportunity to rework the deals “before the end of the decade.” In his interview, Goodell said, “I think our partners would want to sit down and talk to us at any time, and we continue to dialogue with them. I like that opportunity. Obviously, it’s not going to happen this year, but it could happen as early as next year. That could happen.”
While it’s natural for an entity as big as the NFL to reexamine these types of deals to tweak as needed, it’s also worth examining recent events to see why these renegotiations may be necessary. Not long ago, the NFL received a 10-percent ownership stake in ESPN in exchange for brand and TV distribution rights for the NFL RedZone Channel and NFL Network, among other properties and assets.
We noted at the time that such a deal may have an impact on the NFL’s decision-making once the current broadcasting rights expire. When the NFL is trying to decide which networks will be receiving which games, how many games will be going to the network the league has a 10-percent stake in? What will other networks have to concede in order to ensure some semblance of competition?
The NFL’s desire to renegotiate its deals could have nothing to do with its recent acquisition. Regardless, it has become one of the new aims of Goodell for the next year or so, along with his crusade for an 18-game season.
Browns Rumors: Rookie QBs, Kicker, Jones
While Joe Flacco may be the best available quarterback to start for the Browns offense at the moment, the 40-year-old is clearly not the team’s quarterback of the future. After a 1-3 start to the season, some may be calling to get a look at one of the two rookies Cleveland drafted back in April, but according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, it doesn’t seem like either quarterback could do anything to prevent the team from drafting a first-round passer next year.
It made some sense to start Flacco even if the Browns didn’t have much confidence in their ability to contend for a title. An opening slate of games against the Bengals, Ravens, Packers, Lions, Vikings, and Steelers — all playoff teams from last year after Week 1 — would be a brutal introduction to the NFL for a rookie passer and may do more harm than good for the player’s development. It made sense to have Flacco start a good number of these games and reevaluate.
If Flacco could amass a good record through a daunting opening stretch, the team could stick with him and hope for a potential playoff run with an easier stretch of games later on in the season. If the team was clearly far from contending for a playoff spot, the back portion of the season could be used to see what they have in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. One of the two rookies could really spark the offense and prove themselves as the team’s quarterback of the future.
Not according to Breer. While Breer agrees that, at some point, Gabriel and Sanders may find the field later this year, he doesn’t believe that there’s anything the two could do over the next four months to prevent the Browns from taking a quarterback with one of their two first-round picks in 2026. Breer points to the travel schedule of the Browns’ top personnel staffers, who went “to see a few of the top college quarterbacks over Labor Day weekend,” something he expects they’ll continue to do.
Here are a couple other rumors coming out of Cleveland:
- After some early season struggles, some wondered if the Browns had made the right decision going with Andre Szmyt as their kicker, but the team stood behind him. According to Tony Grossi of 850 ESPN Cleveland, the team did reach out to another kicker to “be on hold” when Szmyt suffered a midweek calf injury last week, but Szmyt recovered and won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after kicking a 55-yard game-winner against the Packers. We had noted a workout with veteran kicker Matthew Wright on the Saturday before the Green Bay game, but whether or not the two reports are related is unknown.
- Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reported that left tackle Dawand Jones‘ surgery to repair the LCL tear in his knee and his hamstring aversion was successfully performed last Thursday. James Voo, the team physician who performed the surgery, expects Jones to make a full recovery in time for the 2026 NFL season.
Ravens TE Isaiah Likely To Return In Week 4
SEPTEMBER 28: The Ravens are banged up at other positions (most notably the defensive line), but they will be at full strength with respect to the tight end spot. Baltimore’s list of inactives for today’s game (h/t Zrebiec) confirms Likely will indeed play.
SEPTEMBER 26: After two weeks of limited practice participation, Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely had his first full practice of the regular season today. Head coach John Harbaugh was judicious with his comments, relaying that Likely “looks good,” but the team will “have to see if it’s the best thing for (them) on Sunday” for Likely to play, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. 
Though, at the moment, they remain undecided, Harbaugh expressed hope that Likely would be able to play on Sunday, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken echoed those sentiments, per Hensley, emphasizing how Likely adds another tool to a potent Ravens offense.
Likely technically runs as TE2 behind veteran Mark Andrews, but each year, he’s shown an ability that could make him a top weapon on many other teams. His presence has been missed, too. Though the Ravens put up 81 points in their first two games, tight ends only accounted for two catches on five targets for seven yards. Andrews and Charlie Kolar got a boost in Week 3, but Likely will add another dynamic to the position group upon his eventual return.
The news is less positive for defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike. After missing last week’s game, Madubuike did not participate in any practices this week as he deals with a neck injury. Harbaugh confirmed that the two-time Pro Bowler would not be available this weekend, per Hensley, and when pushed on his long-term availability, Harbaugh admitted some concern but declined to give any more information until the doctors are able to provide it to him.
Madubuike is a key piece of the Ravens pass rush with 19.5 sacks over the last two seasons. He was certainly missed on Monday as the Ravens failed to amass a single sack for the first time in 57 contests. Another reason for the defense’s struggles getting to the quarterback this past week was the absence of another key pass rusher, Kyle Van Noy.
According to Zrebiec, Van Noy returned to practice on Friday after also missing last week’s game. Van Noy’s career resurgence has seen him collect 21.5 sacks since arriving in Baltimore two years ago. After Madubuike (13.5) led the team in sacks in 2023, Van Noy (12.5) led the Ravens last year. With their two most-recent sack leaders out last week, it’s no wonder they were unable to get to Jared Goff.
Harbaugh said “it would mean a lot” to have Van Noy back on the field this weekend, per Hensley, but like with Likely, they’ll have to wait and see how Van Noy is doing come Sunday. With a matchup that usually sees offensive fireworks and heroics from Patrick Mahomes, the potential additions of Likely and Van Noy could be huge boosts for Baltimore. In the meantime, they’ll continue to gather information on Madubuike’s situation.
Russell Wilson Expected To Become Trade Target
Despite early reports that the Giants and quarterback Russell Wilson are expected to stay together, other expectations still persist that the veteran passer will become a trade target, per Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Injuries have not been uncommon this year, and New York has the luxury of having signed two veterans in the offseason. If needy team comes calling with a good enough offer, it will be difficult for the Giants decline. 
So far, both sides have been saying all the right things. Wilson has taken his benching in stride with a dedication to “respond in the right way” and serve as his successor’s mentor. He made sure to add, though, that he’s “not done,” and while that comment could be directed at his future following the expiration of his one-year deal in New York, it may also be directed at this season.
In New Orleans, second-round rookie quarterback Tyler Shough failed to beat out incumbent starer Spencer Rattler. Now, the winless Saints sit at 29th in scoring offense and may be searching for answers. They’ll want Rattler or Shough to earn some experience and develop a bit, but if neither quarterback shows potential to take over the offense, the team may want an early look at how Wilson might fit in.
The Bengals have a ton of offensive weapons, and though a one-game sample isn’t much, interim starting quarterback Jake Browning has not looked well-equipped to utilize them so far. If there’s really a belief that Joe Burrow could return to the active roster late in the season, trading for Wilson may give Cincinnati some hope at piling together enough wins to stay in the playoff race for a run with Burrow.
Other teams have seen injuries to their starting passers, but storing experienced backups like Carson Wentz, Tyrod Taylor, Mac Jones, and Marcus Mariota have helped the Vikings, Jets, 49ers, and Commanders to avoid disaster. Not every team may be so lucky in the case that their starting quarterback goes down, and such a scenario could certainly drive a team to pick up the phone and call New York.
The motives would be clear for both sides. For any team looking to trade for Wilson, they wouldn’t be asked to cover Wilson’s entire one-year, $10.5MM deal. Since $8MM of that contract came in the form of a signing bonus, any calling team would only be responsible for covering a portion of his $2MM base salary. As for the Giants, while they have confidence in rookie first-rounder, Jaxson Dart, any doubts of failure or injury are quickly remedied by the presence of Jameis Winston, who has proven to be an effective backup in the past.
Because of these factors, Wilson stands as a superfluous asset with potential value just burning a hole in New York’s pocket. With no significant need to hold on to Wilson and the potential that some needy team could offer up valuable draft capital or more, it’s hard to picture a future in which Wilson finishes the season with Big Blue.
Ravens Place DTs Nnamdi Madubuike, Broderick Washington On IR
It’s doubly bad news for an already struggling defense. In addition to the semi-expected placement of Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike on injured reserve, Madubuike’s draft classmate Broderick Washington is joining him there. Baltimore will now face a four-game stretch that includes the Chiefs, Texans, Rams, and Bears without two key pieces on their defensive line. 
The Madubuike move was semi-expected after head coach John Harbaugh expressed some concern about the two-time Pro Bowler’s long-term availability in a media session yesterday. Now, those concerns have been realized as the veteran lineman will embark on an extended absence with the aim to heal his troubling neck injury. His presence was greatly missed on Monday as the Ravens went sackless for the first time in 57 games without their 2023 team sack-leader.
Things won’t get much better with Washington joining Madubuike on IR because of an ankle injury. The Texas Tech product has not been nearly as productive as his A&M counterpart, Madubuike, but Washington has established himself as a dependable depth piece for Baltimore over six years with the team. Out of a possible 87 career games, Washington has started 22 of 73 game appearances and is usually good for a sack or two per year.
To make matters worse, another starting defensive tackle, Travis Jones, is currently listed as questionable for tomorrow’s trip to Kansas City with an ankle injury, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Playing on the final year of his rookie deal, this could be a big opportunity for Jones to gain some bargaining power for the offseason, but he’ll need to be on the field to make that a reality.
With Madubuike and Washington definitely out and Jones questionable, the Ravens are bringing up three defensive linemen for tomorrow’s game. Veteran lineman Brent Urban will be promoted to the 53-man roster after a short stay on the team’s practice squad. Recent practice squad signee Josh Tupou and C.J. Okoye will join Urban on Sunday, but as standard gameday practice squad elevations, they will revert back to the practice squad after the game.
That still leaves one open slot on the 53-man roster, and the Ravens will utilize it to promote practice squad tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden. This may be additional bad news as there was hope yesterday that Isaiah Likely would be ready to make his 2025 debut tomorrow. This doesn’t necessarily indicate that Likely won’t be available, but it could hint at Baltimore’s confidence in his likelihood to play.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/27/25
Here are Saturday’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations:
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: DT Jordan Phillips
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: OLB Boogie Basham, G Brandon Walton
Chicago Bears
- Signed from practice squad: LB Carl Jones
- Elevated: TE Stephen Carlson, DT Jonathan Ford
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: WR Jalen Cropper
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: WR Jackson Meeks
- Placed on IR: S Daniel Thomas
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: G Lecitus Smith
Houston Texans
- Elevated: CB Myles Bryant, CB D’Angelo Ross
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: CB Mike Hilton, G Josh Sills
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: TE Quintin Morris, WR Austin Trammell
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: CB Kevin Knowles, DT Brodric Martin
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: TE Albert Okwuegbunam, TE Carter Runyon
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: T Foster Sarell, RB Kimani Vidal
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: RB Cam Akers
New England Patriots
- Elevated: LB Darius Harris, C Brenden Jaimes
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: DE Fadil Diggs, LB Nephi Sewell
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: RB Trey Sermon
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: CB Eli Apple
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: LB Curtis Jacobs, RB Jordan Mims
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: CB Antonio Hamilton, WR Tay Martin
With Colts cornerback Kenny Moore presumed to potentially miss a few weeks, the recent signee, Hilton, will get his opportunity to supplement the team’s secondary. He may be able to earn an official spot on the 53-man roster with an impactful game. Similarly, Cropper may be able to get into his first NFL game since going undrafted in 2023 as he gets elevated to a receiving corps that will sorely miss CeeDee Lamb.
Morris is getting called up for the third time for Jacksonville. If the Jaguars intend for him to appear in another game after this week, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster.
Giants Place K Graham Gano On IR
After nearly becoming an early scratch on Sunday night, Giants kicker Graham Gano will miss at least the next four games. The Giants announced today that Graham has been placed on injured reserve after suffering a groin injury in warmups before last week’s game. Practice squad kicker Jude McAtamney will kick for the team this weekend. 
Graham’s injury put the G-Men in a tough position on Sunday night. Despite rostering McAtamney as a backup on the practice squad, the timing of Gano’s injury came far too close to the start of the game for the Giants to have had time to bring up the taxi squad kicker. Instead, the team tried a number of alternative measures in the kicking game.
After driving down the field on the first possession on the game, New York faced a fourth-and-three at the Kansas City 28-yard line. Though they might have gone for it anyway, the lack of a primary kicker perhaps made the decision a bit easier; they did not convert. When the team actually did score a touchdown later on in the game, lefty punter Jamie Gillan came on for the extra point, kicked it too low, and had it blocked. In the fourth quarter, the offense got the ball to the seven-yard line and rushed the field goal team out onto the field, including a clearly ailing Gano. Gano made the 25-yarder but showed significant discomfort.
Now, Gano will be unable to come back to the field for at least four games. McAtamney hears his name called once again, after filling in as a backup kicker once last year for the Giants. In his only NFL game appearance, McAtamney converted both his only extra point attempt and his only field goal attempt — a 31-yarder.
Joining McAtamney from the practice squad as active players for the weekend will be outside linebacker Tomon Fox, defensive tackle Elijah Garcia, and linebacker Neville Hewitt. Fox and Garcia will be officially joining the 53-man roster, while Hewitt and McAtamney will be standard gameday practice squad elevations who will revert back to the practice squad after tomorrow’s game.
Garcia needed to be signed to the active roster in order to appear in another game for New York. He was elevated the maximum three times on a single practice squad contract through the first three weeks of the season. If New York chooses to do so, they could release Garcia after this week’s game and sign him back to the practice squad, and his three-game limit count would revert back to zero.
Latest Details On Fallout Between Cowboys, Micah Parsons
This weekend, star pass rusher Micah Parsons will return to the stadium in which he played the first four years of his NFL career. As many revisit the dramatics that led to his exit from Dallas, a few interesting new details and retellings have emerged. 
As many surely remember, the inciting incident that led to some contention between Parsons and the team that drafted him was a one-on-one meeting with team owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones. Jones thought that the result of the meeting was a handshake agreement on a contract extension that would’ve netted Parsons $150MM of guaranteed money. Parsons had a different view of the meeting, which he claimed was focused on leadership.
“Nah, obviously he wants to know where I’m at, what I think,” Parsons responded when asked last week if he viewed the meeting as a negotiation, per ESPN’s Todd Archer and Dan Graziano. “I’m thinking, ‘He wants to know where I’m at with the process,’ and that’s what I thought. Obviously, none of that matters now. I’m (in Green Bay).”
Following the meeting, Parsons came back to the table asking executive vice president — and son of the owner — Stephen Jones for more money. The younger Jones took the request to his father and, reportedly, convinced the general manager to increase the offer. Then — according to a report from Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News that contradicts previous reports claiming that Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, never laid eyes on the handshake offer — team officials sent the increased proposal to Mulugheta, and the agent rejected it.
Watkins adds how, at the time, officials with the NFL Players Association explored the idea of discussing Jones’ tactics of cornering players without their agents with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Ultimately, no action was taken, considering the Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn’t forbid owners or general managers from negotiating directly with players, as long as a certified agent is present to finalize a deal with the team.
The reason the NFLPA was concerned was based on this not being the first instance of Jones and his son cornering players without their lawyers. The two defend the tactic, claiming that agents are impartial third parties that may not be around the player for very long, so their goals may not align with the long-term vision of the player like the owner’s might. They contend that the conversations go beyond the numbers, something that Parsons’ former teammate, quarterback Dak Prescott, can attest to with fond memories.
In reality, from the outside, it looks like the Joneses are attempting to utilize a familiarity and fondness with the player to earn more favorable teams for themselves with a potential hometown discount for an agreement. Also, by cutting out the agent, Jones removes a person knowledgeable on all aspects of a contract and its negotiation. As Parsons’ agent framed it, Parsons is an All-Pro defender in the NFL, and it’s unreasonable to expect him to also be an expert contract attorney.
The Joneses defend themselves, claiming that they will only proceed with the negotiations as long as the player is comfortable with it, but it requires them to ask. They say that those players are willing to discuss visions of their future with the team and what that looks like, but once numbers start getting thrown around the players will defer to their agent on those details. Still, negotiating any aspect of a contract without someone fully knowledgeable on the topic, is a bad look in the eyes of many players and agents.
The result of the incidental meeting was a trade request. First, Dallas called the Jets, checking in on the availability of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Green Bay and Miami were thought to be potential destinations, but the Cowboys looked also at Denver, whose head coach Sean Payton had worked with the team as a Cowboys assistant coach years ago. When Payton didn’t make an offer and a call from the Eagles’ was quickly nixed because of their divisional relation, the Packers emerged as the winner of the sweepstakes.
Parsons reportedly knew his days in Dallas were coming to an end when the team called on him to attend a treatment session on his ailing back. Parsons informed the team that he would need to reschedule, and the Cowboys threatened to fine him if he failed to attend. Two days later, he was headed to Green Bay.
At the start of it all, Mulugheta was seeking a $200MM deal for his star client. The Packers, after giving up defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks, continued to invest in Parsons with a four-year, $188MM extension. Both teams had early letdowns last week with the Cowboys getting blown out in Chicago and the Pack losing to the lowly Browns. While tons of focus will be centered on Parsons, both teams will be looking towards this week’s game as an opportunity to move on in multiple ways.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/26/25
Here are today’s only minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Placed on IR: FB Jakob Johnson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed from practice squad: T Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson
- Placed on IR: RB Kalel Mullings
Johnson’s time on the active roster was short-lived. After getting called up as a standard gameday practice squad elevation in the first two weeks of the season, Johnson was officially signed to the 53-man roster this past weekend. A hamstring injury will remove him from the active roster as he’ll require at least four weeks to recover.
It’s an ankle injury that will land the Titans’ sixth-round pick on injured reserve. Though they used the open roster spot on the offensive line, Turron Davenport of ESPN claims one of their two gameday practice squad elevations will be used to bring up taxi squad rusher Jordan Mims, who was also called up in Week 2.
As a struggling offensive line in Tennessee continues to deal with injury, Crenshaw-Dickson finds his way back to the 53-man roster. The undrafted rookie out of Florida — after four years at San Diego State — started games at both tackle spots throughout college. The majority of his starts came on the right side of the line, though, so his addition to the active roster provides some depth at the right tackle spot as JC Latham is set to miss another game with his hip injury.