Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Cleared For Playoffs
The Eagles’ hopes for a No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs seemingly came to a halt, along with their 10-game winning streak, when Jalen Hurts was knocked out of Philadelphia’s Week 16 game against the division-rival Commanders after only one and a half drives. Luckily, Hurts’ injury should not limit them in the postseason as Mark Maske of The Washington Post reports that the quarterback has cleared the league’s concussion protocol. 
When Hurts was injured, the Eagles deployed backup passer Kenny Pickett, who led an admirable attempt to take over the game against Washington but, ultimately, fell. As the playoffs drew nearer, Philadelphia was aware that they were out of reach of the 1-seed in the NFC but also out of reach of the other division-winners behind them. They put no pressure on Hurts to return quickly and announced Pickett as the starter in Week 17, despite some rib injuries Pickett sustained in the loss to the Commanders.
Regardless, Pickett led a strong effort against a depleted Cowboys team before being taken out early in the second half after taking another shot to the ribs. This forced third-string quarterback Tanner McKee to make his NFL debut after getting drafted in the sixth-round last year. McKee finished the job against Dallas and won his first career start against another depleted division-rival, the Giants, as well, in Week 18.
Though this experience was extremely useful, as both backup quarterbacks got real game action against NFL regular season defenses, it was likely never Philadelphia’s plan for either quarterback to see time in the postseason. They have the experience under their belt now, but one imagines the Eagles were just utilizing their depth and their security as the 2-seed in the NFC to give Hurts a rest.
With Hurts clearing concussion protocol, he’s set to start this Sunday against the 7-seed Packers. Luckily, Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love has also been cleared after leaving a Week 18 game against the Bears with an elbow injury on his throwing arm. Both players were full participants over the last two days, leading up to an exciting matchup in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Cowboys, Mike McCarthy Continuing Conversations; Delays Could Prove Costly
JANUARY 9: McCarthy is viewed as more likely to stay in Dallas than move on, according to some close to the situation (via ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler). The former Super Bowl winner could push his way to the market by not agreeing to a deal, but for now, it does not appear the Cowboys are keen on merely letting their five-year HC walk.
JANUARY 8: The situation in Dallas continues to be fairly tenuous. After early reports indicated that Cowboys owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones was undecided about keeping head coach Mike McCarthy in his current role, the newest intel from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport indicates that the two sides want to continue working together, they just need to find an agreement that works. 
McCarthy’s contract expires on January 14, making it an easy decision to cut off communication for two weeks if either side wishes to opt out. Instead, Rapoport points to a number of supporting factors like the fact that the two sides are in constant communication or that Jones denied the Bears permission to interview McCarthy. Rapoport does note his opinion that the Bears denial was a performative gesture, acknowledging McCarthy’s leverage in the negotiations.
Per Rapoport, the sides appear to want to work something out. He believes that it’s just a matter of figuring out the right length and compensation in the contract, though those talks have yet to begin. The remaining discussions to be had will center around everyone’s continuing role and what things will look like moving forward, as the status quo has certainly led to disappointment.
This delay and back-and-forth of performative gestures may serve both Jones and McCarthy as they seek the best terms for themselves, but ultimately, it could prove damaging to the Cowboys organization as a whole. While McCarthy is still under contract for a little less than a week, Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS points out that the team’s assistant coaches are officially free agents. The employees can continue working alongside McCarthy and continue being paid as at-will employees, but they are out of the office until Monday, and their phone lines are open.
Per Hill, those phones are ringing. Hill reported that candidates who are being interviewed for open head coaching positions have already started reaching out to Dallas’ assistants about joining their prospective staffs. As Jones and McCarthy continue to flirt with the idea of a new contract, their assistants may be slipping out from beneath them for other, more solid opportunities.
49ers Retaining WR Deebo Samuel; Plan To Release DT Javon Hargrave
In recent months, the 49ers have made adjustments to the contracts for both wide receiver Deebo Samuel and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. Both contracts have notable potential outs following the 2024 NFL season, and it appears that San Francisco intends to act on one of those outs. According to general manager John Lynch, the 49ers plan to retain Samuel for the final year of his contract but will release Hargrave with a post-June 1 designation once the new league year starts in March. 
Samuel’s recent contract reconstruction resulted in a situation in which he would account for $31.55MM of dead money should he be cut or traded before June 1. A post-June 1 designation would reduce that dead money hit to $10.75MM and result in cap savings in 2025 of $5.21MM. If the team had not utilized the post-June 1 designation on Hargrave, his release would’ve resulted in $24.86MM of dead money, but with the designation, that number dips down to $7.38MM, resulting in $2.85MM of cap savings.
Samuel, who is turning 29 in a week, just concluded a disappointing, injury-plagued season. It continued a trend of what seems to be alternating years of health and production versus years of injuries and a lack of top-end production. Following the conclusion of his 2024 campaign, Samuel claimed he had “no questions at all” about his future in San Francisco.
Hargrave, 31, just finished an injury-plagued season himself, the first such season of his nine-year career. Following two Pro Bowl campaigns in the last three years, Hargrave only made an appearance in three games in 2024. Hargrave’s recent restructuring facilitated a smooth effecting of the potential out, knowing the strain his $47.86MM cap hit was set to put on the organization in 2026.
Lynch and the Niners made it sound as if they hope to potentially compete in Hargrave’s free agency, but Wagoner claims the reunion is an unlikely one unless Hargrave agrees to a significantly reduced contract. Look for the veteran defender to shop his talents around a bit before potentially committing to return with a pay cut.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/8/25
Today’s minor transactions:
Los Angeles Chargers
- Designated to return from IR: CB Eli Apple
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed off Bills’ practice squad: S Lewis Cine
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Designated to return from IR: CB Troy Hill
Washington Commanders
- Designated to return from IR: TE Colson Yankoff
- Placed on IR: DT Haggai Ndubuisi
A former first-round pick, Cine will get a third chance in Philadelphia. The Georgia-product has failed to gain much traction at his first two stops with the Vikings and Bills, but he’ll open the postseason on the active roster with the Eagles.
Once a ball-hawking cornerback for the Rams, Hill’s role has reduced quite a bit in his age-33 season. With the playoffs coming up, though, Hill has the potential to provide some experienced depth in the Buccaneers secondary.
Raiders Request Interview With Ravens OC Todd Monken
Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken can add another team to his list of suitors. After the Bears and Jaguars were reported to have requested interviews with the second-year Baltimore play-caller, Las Vegas is the latest team to have requested permission to interview Monken, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. 
Monken has a wealth of experience coaching offenses at both the NFL and collegiate level. First beginning his coaching journey as a graduate assistant at Grand Valley State in 1989, Monken, 58, has worked for eight different college programs and four different NFL teams. Despite all the experience, he’s only had one head coaching stint, going 13-25 in three seasons at Southern Miss, though he did turn them from a 1-11 team in Year 1 to a 9-5 team in Year 3.
Monken has seen prodigious success in his offensive coaching over years in the NCAA. His NFL success has been a bit more hit or miss. As the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, Monken’s offenses finished 19th in scoring and 18th in total yards in 2016, 18th in scoring and ninth in total yards in 2017, and 12th in scoring and third in total yards in 2018. The following year he took over a Browns offense that had finished 20th in scoring and 13th in total yards in 2018 and saw both of those places fall to 22nd in his lone year at the helm.
Following these first stints as an NFL offensive coordinator, Monken took the same job at the University of Georgia, where he improved the nation’s 49th-best scoring offense and 61st-best total offense to the fourth- and fifth-best offense in those respective categories in just three years. This collegiate success earned him another chance in the NFL, landing him as the successor to Greg Roman in Baltimore.
Monken, now in his second season as the Ravens offensive coordinator, has drawn praise for helping lead Lamar Jackson to his most productive season to date. Baltimore became the first team in NFL history to surpass 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in a season this year, despite significant turnover on the offensive line and the loss of offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris. Under Monken, Baltimore led the league in total offense this season, ranking third in scoring with an average of 30.5 points per game.
Monken’s recent run of success in one of the league’s most prolific offenses will likely continue to garner head coaching attention. Per PFR’s 2025 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker, this is how his competition in Las Vegas is stacking up:
- Bill Belichick, head coach (North Carolina): Contacted about job
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Vikings): Mentioned as candidate
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): Interview requested
- Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator (Lions): To interview 1/10
- Steve Spagnuolo, defensive coordinator (Chiefs): Interview requested
- Mike Vrabel, former head coach (Titans): Rumored candidate
Thomas Dimitroff To Interview For Titans’ GM Job
After interviewing for the Jets’ open general manager position back in December, former Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has continued his efforts to return to an NFL front office. Per Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com, Dimitroff is set to interview for the same job in Tennessee. 
Dimitroff has been out of the NFL for a while now, not holding a position in the league since being fired alongside then-head coach Dan Quinn in 2020. His focus has since shifted to a billionaire-backed football analytics company, SumerSports, which hired Dimitroff on as president of football operations. The company, which is “aimed at creating precision in player acquisition and roster management in the NFL,” must have kept Dimitroff busy during the past few GM interview cycles, as this is his first time even interviewing since 2021.
Dimitroff had earned his first GM job after a run with the Patriots, where he served as the scouting director from 2003-07, collecting two Super Bowl rings. He then filled the role as Atlanta’s GM from 2008-20, overseeing a run of playoff berths during Matt Ryan‘s tenure. Taking over the Falcons in the aftermath of the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal, Dimitroff chose Ryan third overall in his first draft at the helm and built rosters that booked first-round playoff byes in 2010, 2012, and 2016. Ultimately, the team had journeyed to the playoffs six times during Dimitroff’s tenure, reaching the NFC championship game twice. The Falcons’ lone trip to the Super Bowl under Dimitroff ended in the now infamous 28-3 collapse.
The veteran exec worked in the NFL from 1993-2020 but has not held a position since. GMs receive second chances at a much lower rate than head coaches, as only two second-chance GMs — Trent Baalke (Jaguars), Tom Telesco (Raiders) — are currently in place. Dimitroff, 58, last interviewed for a GM post in 2021, having met with the Lions about the gig that went to Brad Holmes.
According to McCormick, the Titans are planning to conduct their first round of interviews starting Thursday and continuing over the next two days. Due to an intense winter storm hitting Nashville at the moment, the first round of interviews will likely all be virtual. Should the cold weather subside, in-person interviews could begin next Monday and Tuesday. Dimitroff is currently one of seven candidates reported for the position.
Dolphins Retaining GM Chris Grier, HC Mike McDaniel
As Black Monday approaches and NFL teams around the league are preparing to part ways with their team leaders, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has released a statement saying that general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel will continue in their roles in 2025. Grier will enter his 10th season as GM, while McDaniel is headed into his fourth year with the team. 
In Grier’s nine years, the Dolphins have cycled through three head coaches. Before the arrival of McDaniel, Grier’s Dolphins only made the playoffs once, finding the postseason in his inaugural season with then-head coach Adam Gase and then missing the playoffs in the next five years under Gase and Brian Flores. It is also worth noting Grier has only held full control since 2019, but he has held the GM title throughout three coaching tenures.
McDaniel arrived in Miami in 2022 and took the Dolphins to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons with the team, an immediate improvement. Still in all three playoff appearances under Grier, including the two under McDaniel, Miami has failed to register a single postseason win, going one-and-done in all three appearances. The Dolphins still gave McDaniel an extension this offseason.
In the statement released by Ross, he claimed that the “positive working relationship” between Grier and McDaniel “is an asset” to the team, adding that he believes “in the value of stability.”
He went on, saying, “However, continuity in leadership is not to be confused with an acceptance that status quo is good enough. We will take a hard look at where we have fallen short and make the necessary changes to deliver our ultimate goal of building and sustaining a winning team that competes for championships.”
It’s hard to know exactly where that blame will fall and from where those changes will come. From the outside, lots of criticism has been directed at the building of an expensive roster that has returned middling team results, indicating an issue at the top of the personnel department, namely Ross. What those areas are where they deem themselves to “have fallen short” is yet to be seen.
Despite the obvious improvement since he’s arrived on staff, there were rumblings that McDaniel may find himself on the chopping block, too. Ross’ statement clears the air in that regard, as McDaniel will return for Year 4.
Going 24 years without a playoff win has Dolphins fans desperate for change and answers. Ross’ statement makes it clear that, if changes are indeed on their way, they won’t affect the job statuses of Grier or McDaniel.
Seahawks’ Ryan Grubb Could Be On Hot Seat
In the first year under rookie head coach Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks improved a game from last year’s 9-8 campaign, going 10-7 and finishing just one spot shy of a playoff berth in 2024. A defensive-minded head coach, Macdonald brought in nearby Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to serve as his offensive coordinator. A disappointing offensive performance this season, though, may force a change in that position.
In their first season, Macdonald, the former Ravens defensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator Aden Durde‘s unit finished ninth in scoring defense and 12th in total yards allowed. Grubb’s unit was a bit more middle-of-the-road, finishing 19th in points scored and 15th in total yards.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Grubb’s scheme disappointed in the run game, where they finished 30th in the league, despite the presence of two second-round picks in Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. The failure to establish themselves on the ground left quarterback Geno Smith in too many obvious passing situations that limited the effectiveness of the passing game.
Grubb, a well-respected offensive mind, was heavily studied by NFL teams during his time in the collegiate coaching ranks. He worked his way up through jobs in high school, the FCS, and multiple Division I FBS jobs before landing with Washington and helping them to their runner-up finish in the 2023 national championship.
Macdonald gave him his first NFL opportunity as a first-time head coach himself, and Grubb’s NFL offensive gameplan may just take a bit of time to grow and evolve. With the offense being the weak spot of the 2024 campaign, though, it makes sense that Macdonald may be interested in looking into a few changes.
Colts To Retain HC Shane Steichen, GM Chris Ballard
Despite recent speculation that Colts general manager Chris Ballard‘s job could be in danger, team owner Jim Irsay has released a statement on X announcing that Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen will be returning to lead the team in 2025. 
Ballard, who just finished his eighth season as GM in Indianapolis, has been under heavy fire by the media lately. During his tenure, the Colts have failed to win a single division title. The team started season 4-3 with wins over the Steelers and Dolphins, but a three-game losing streak followed by alternating wins and losses to close the year left the Colts at 8-9 and two spots out of the playoffs. This is the sixth time in Ballard’s eight years that Indianapolis has missed the playoffs and the fourth season in a row.
While Ballard was considered to be on the hot seat, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Steichen was likely to return as head coach. Only in his second season as head coach, Steichen has gone a consistent 17-17 as the skipper of the Colts.
If there is indeed a problem in the leadership in Indianapolis, it may be communication. There have been rumblings of a lack of direction as well as some “public misconceptions due to the relatively high level of secrecy within the building.” This has been especially the case surrounding the handling of the starting quarterback position and the benching of top 2023 draft pick Anthony Richardson. The perception is that the communication issues have been in the building for years, but with Steichen as head coach, the issues have improved.
If there is a coaching change, though, Jones anticipates that it could come on defense. With the team entering Week 18 at 27th in points allowed and 29th in yards allowed, defensive coordinator Gus Bradley may not end up returning to coach the defense in 2025.
As for Ballard and Steichen, Irsay’s comments seem to indicate that no changes will be made. The team will hope to find it’s direction under year nine of Ballard and year three of Steichen.
NFL Interest In Steve Sarkisian?
In a leadup to today’s final regular season games, and in anticipation of the infamous Black Monday to follow, ESPN’s Adam Schefter did a deep dive on some of the latest rumors on the upcoming coaching carousel. In this deep dive, Schefter claimed that he expects there to be interest from some NFL teams in University of Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian. Let’s take our own look at this possibility. 
Sarkisian, affectionately referred to as “Sark” by many in the media, has been the head coach in Austin for the last four years. A former dual-sport athlete in high school, Sarkisian chose baseball as the sport to follow in college, walking on at USC. After struggling in Division I, he transferred to El Camino College, a junior college at which he was encouraged to go back to football. After being named a JuCo All-American, he transferred once again to BYU. After graduation, Sarkisian’s playing career ended following three average years in the Canadian Football League.
Immediately following the end of his playing career, Sarkisian went back to one of his alma mater’s, El Camino, to coach quarterbacks. The next year, he went to another of his former schools, taking the same job at USC coaching quarterbacks like Carson Palmer, Matt Cassel, and Matt Leinart; Palmer would become a No. 1 overall draft selection in 2003, and Leinart would be drafted in the top 10 in 2006.
After three years in the role, Sarkisian got his first NFL opportunity, taking the same role with the Raiders in Oakland in 2004 under then-head coach Norv Turner. He only coached over quarterbacks Kerry Collins and Rich Gannon for a year before returning to USC as quarterbacks coach in 2005, just missing out on a national championship with the Trojans. He finished out the career of Leinart and remained at USC until 2008, getting promoted to assistant head coach/offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2007. Over that time, he also coached future No. 5 overall pick Mark Sanchez.
Following his success molding quarterbacks in Los Angeles, Sarkisian got his first head coaching gig at the University of Washington. In five years in Seattle, Sarkisian never found much team success, going 34-29 with his best year being an 8-4 campaign in his final season. His time their did result in quarterback Jake Locker getting drafted No. 8 overall in 2011, though.
Despite a contract extension that would’ve kept Sarkisian in Seattle until 2015, the new head coach opted to head back home to California, accepting the newly open head coaching gig at USC, replacing an ousted Lane Kiffin. Sarkisian only lasted two years in the job himself, getting fired due to suspicions of being intoxicated on the job. Sarkisian claimed to have mixed alcohol with medication, but multiple reports indicated that he simply imbibed too much alcohol on multiple occasions.
This started a road of Sarkisian working his way back to a head coaching responsibility. He took a job in 2016 as an offensive assistant at Alabama, eventually replacing Kiffin as the interim offensive coordinator when Kiffin left to become head coach at Florida Atlantic. The next year, then-Falcons head coach Dan Quinn hired Sarkisian on as offensive coordinator in Atlanta. In 2017 under Sarkisian, the Falcons offense finished 15th in points scored and eighth in total yards. The next year, Atlanta’s offense was 10th in points and sixth in total yards, but these were still considered regressions from 2016 when the team was first in points and second in yards, and Sarkisian was dismissed.
This sent Sarkisian back to Tuscaloosa, where he officially got the role of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the Crimson Tide. In his two years back at Alabama, Sarkisian took over the tutelage of first-round picks Tua Tagovailoa (No. 5 overall) and Mac Jones (No. 15), coaching over Jones’ incredible 4,500-yard, 41-touchdown, four-interception season with a 77.4 completion percentage in 2020. 
This led Sarkisian to his third opportunity at a head coaching job, this one with the Longhorns. It took him a moment to find success in Austin, going 5-7 in his first season, but in 2022, transfer quarterback Quinn Ewers came to Texas and the team returned to their winning ways. Last year, the Longhorns made the four-team College Football Playoff for the first time, falling to the eventual runners-up of the season and his former team, the Huskies.
This year, Texas was dominant for much the year, falling only twice (both times to Georgia). They made the 12-team College Football Playoff, and after two wins against Clemson and Arizona State, they have advanced to the semi-finals for the second time in a row. They will play Ohio State this weekend and, if they win, will play the winner of a matchup between Penn State and Notre Dame for a national championship title.
The prospect of Sarkisian getting head coaching interest in the NFL is certainly an intriguing one. His history with alcohol abuse will be an obvious red flag in interviews, but he seems to have distanced himself from such issues with his time at Alabama, Atlanta, and Texas and has perhaps earned back some good will. His time in Austin has been his longest stint in one place since his five years with Washington, and his turnaround of the Longhorns’ program has certainly been impressive.
He’s considered a respected offensive name in the football world and has shown a strong ability as a head coach in recent years. As a molder of many NFL quarterbacks over the years, he could be an ideal fit for a team fielding a young quarterback or looking to draft one. It will be interesting to see where he draws interviews in the coming weeks.