Seahawks Unlikely To Retain Boye Mafe
After a quiet start to the season from Boye Mafe, the Seahawks fourth-year edge rusher seems likely to leave Seattle this offseason.
Mafe was the No. 40 overall pick in the 2022 draft and started three games as a rookie. He took over a full-time role in 2023 and recorded 15.0 sacks across his next two seasons. This year, however, he has just two quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, and zero sacks in seven games and a 62% defensive snap share.
As a result, Mafe is “not trending toward a lucrative second contract,” according to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. Obviously, his performance this year would preclude an in-season extension, but Dugar’s words suggest that he is not likely to be re-signed by the Seahawks this offseason, either.
Seattle has a few reasons to move on from Mafe. He was drafted in 2022 when Pete Carroll was still the team’s head coach. Now, Mike Macdonald is in charge, and teams typically turn over their rosters in the first few years of a new regime.
The Seahawks also have depth at edge rusher into next year. DeMarcus Lawrence signed a multi-year deal this offseason, and both Uchenna Nwosu and Derick Hall are under contract in 2026 as well. Lawrence and Nwosu have outproduced Mafe this season, but Hall has taken a step back after his eight-sack breakout last year. It still seems likely that Seattle will keep Hall for the final year of his rookie deal, and Nwosu’s five sacks in six games this year could save him from being a cap casualty next spring.
Mafe could also be somewhat expensive. His pressure rate is slightly down relative to his last two years, but his pass rush win rate is about the same, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He could be due for some positive regression later this season, which would boost his stock heading into free agency. His 2023 and 2024 production won’t be forgotten by teams in need of pass-rush help, either.
Lions Extend DE Aidan Hutchinson
The Lions are signing edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a four-year contract extension, as reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and confirmed by Hutchinson’s agent, Mike McCartney. The deal is now official, per a team announcement.
The deal is worth $180MM in total ($45MM AAV), according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, making Hutchinson the second-highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL behind Micah Parsons. Hutchinson’s $141MM total guarantee is the most of any non-quarterback in league history.
[RELATED: Details On Lions’ Big-Ticket Extension]
There is little doubt that Hutchinson is worth such a massive extension. The 2022 No. 2 pick burst onto the scene with 9.5 sacks and a second-place finish in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He took a second-year leap with 11.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss and appeared to be the leading Defensive Player of the Year candidate in 2024 with 7.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss in his first five games before a season-ending leg fracture.
Upon returning to the field this year, the 25-year-old picked up right where he left off. Hutchinson has six sacks and six tackles for loss in his first seven games with a league-high four forced fumbles, making it clear that his injury has not affected his game in the slightest. That was probably all the Lions needed to confirm before signing him to the second-largest contract in franchise history.
Hutchinson’s extension is only the latest investment that Detroit has made in their roster. Since April 2024, they have doled out $968.5MM in contract extensions to nine core players, including Jared Goff, Penei Sewell, and Amon-Ra St. Brown, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Almost all of those players were acquired by general manager Brad Holmes after he was hired in 2021.
Holmes traded for Goff and drafted Sewell and St. Brown that offseason, but the Lions still finished last in the NFC North for the fourth season in a row. That put Detroit in position to draft Hutchinson, a Michigan native and former Wolverine, a moment that marked a clear turning point for the franchise. Since then, they have gone 41-17 and won the division in two of the last three seasons.
While Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have patiently, carefully built the Lions into a perennial championship contender, Hutchinson’s ascendance into one of the best defenders in the league has given them a game-wrecking element that no amount of coaching or front office maneuvering can develop. He is virtually unblockable in 1-on-1 matchups and has developed an excellent feel for punching the ball out to force momentum-shifting turnovers.
Hutchinson led the NFL with 62 QB pressures in 2023 — 12 more than anyone else — has 34.5 career sacks. He still managed to lead the Lions with 7.5 sacks despite only finishing four games in 2024. The standout edge rusher is already at six this season, having forced four fumbles in Detroit’s first seven games.
Although the Lions being upset in the divisional round — due largely to an injury-battered defense — prevented a scenario in which Hutchinson returned for a potential Super Bowl berth, he has proven this season he is fully recovered from the broken leg. Though, he received clearance several months ago. Showing pre-injury form in games moved him into position for serious negotiations — which had been rumored here for a while.
As of early August, however, no substantive Hutchinson talks had started. It then became clear, despite the Parsons blockbuster, no deal would be agreed to before Week 1. But word emerged by October both camps were agreeable regarding a potential in-season extension. A year after the Lions paid fellow pass rusher Alim McNeill in-season, they are betting big on Hutchinson.
That gives Detroit some important cost certainty, though the team’s extension count is rising. That doubles as a good problem for Holmes and Co., as the roster was short on extension candidates when this regime arrived four-plus years ago. More work will lie ahead for Holmes, who has 2023 draftees Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch becoming extension-eligible in 2026. Of those players, only Gibbs can be retained via a fifth-year option.
Hutchinson entered today in the fourth year of his rookie contract. Because the Lions picked up his $19.9MM option for 2026 earlier this year, this new deal will tie him to Detroit though 2030.
A.J. Brown Expected To Return After Bye; Eagles Listening To Trade Offers
Wide receiver A.J. Brown is expected to return from his hamstring injury after the Eagles’ Week 9 bye, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Though, drama still engulfs the veteran wide receiver beyond this injury — one that caused the star receiver to miss Philly’s Week 8 tilt against New York.
Trade rumors have followed the three-time Pro Bowler since his slow start to the year and perceived personal problems in the locker room. Multiple teams are “eyeing” Brown ahead of next week’s trade deadline, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and the Eagles are willing to listen to offers. Schefter notes that the veteran wideout is not expected to be dealt but acknowledges that he is not completely untouchable.
Reading between the lines, it seems like the Eagles are testing the waters to see if they can get a sizable return for Brown, perhaps similar to the draft capital they sent to the Titans to acquire him in 2022. That is the theory posited by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who characterized Schefter’s report as a way for the Eagles to quietly solicit offers around the league. The most recent Brown report did indicate the Eagles are informing teams he is unavailable, but the defending Super Bowl champions are not exactly timid when it comes to trade talks.
Florio also mentioned the potential of a reunion between Brown and Mike Vrabel, his head coach in Tennessee who now holds the same job in New England. Vrabel did not want to let Brown leave the Titans in 2022, as captured during an awkward piece of mid-draft footage captured following the Round 1 swap. This helped put him at odds with team ownership and contributed to his eventual firing.
Indeed, the Eagles may not be actively shopping Brown around the league, but they may be open to the idea, if not in favor of it outright. Obviously, adding significant draft capital would be a boon for an Eagles front office that has hit on quite a few picks in recent years. A trade would also get Brown’s contract off the books and create more financial flexibility for future extensions.
Those benefits might outweigh what Brown brings to the Eagles offense right now. DeVonta Smith has been decidedly more productive this year, and Philadelphia’s run-heavy offense makes it difficult to consistently feed two top wideouts. But Brown has been heating up after his slow start in the first four games of the year.
Brown made six catches for 109 yards and a touchdown in Week 3, but in the other three matchups to open the year, he only recorded eight receptions and 42 yards. In October, however, Brown has gathered strength, culminating in a four-catch, 121-yard, two-touchdown outing in Week 7 against the Vikings.
Now, the Eagles might be in an interesting spot. Brown’s immediate value is skyrocketing right before the deadline, which could get them an appealing return in a trade. However, it would seem unwise for a team coming off a Super Bowl win with similar aspirations to return this year to deal such a talented wideout midseason, especially without much proven receiving depth on the roster. If anything, the current Brown trade talk feels like a precursor to a much more active market – both for Brown and other wide receivers – next offseason.
Giants Host WR Diontae Johnson For Workout
The Giants hosted free agent wide receiver Diontae Johnson for a workout on Tuesday, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Johnson is a six-year veteran who began his career with the Steelers in 2019. After five years in Pittsburgh, he was traded to the Panthers last offseason and averaged 51 yards per game in his first seven contests. That strong start gave way to trade interest and an eventual deal with the Ravens, but Johnson’s disastrous stint in Baltimore (and later, Houston) tanked his stock heading into free agency.
Johnson eventually signed a one-year, veteran-minimum deal with the Browns but did not make their 53-man roster. His workout in New York is the first news of any team’s interest in him since.
The Giants have been seeking receiving depth after Malik Nabers‘ season-ending injury, but a trade seems like an unwise investment in a losing season with an eye on the future. Johnson is an experienced player who could theoretically contribute right away. It seemed like that was the case last year, but he only drew nine targets across 61 snaps in his five games with the Ravens and the Texans. The Giants have less wide receiver depth than those teams and should have a better understanding of Johnson’s desire to get involved quickly.
New York may also want to bolster their pass-catching corps after running back Cam Skattebo suffered a season-ending injury. Neither Tyrone Tracy nor Devin Singletary have been as productive this year, so the Giants may rely even more on rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart to move the ball through the air. If that’s the plan, they’re going to need more than just bodies in their receiver room. Though he does bring plenty else, Johnson has experience and a proven track record that could still have a place in the NFL.
Jets’ Justin Fields Could Draw Trade Interest?
Justin Fields‘ Week 7 benching could be an early sign that he doesn’t have a long-term future in New York, according to Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post.
Fields signed a two-year, $40MM deal to join the Jets this offseason as the starting quarterback under new head coach Aaron Glenn. The fifth-year quarterback has made seven starts this year that fall into one of two buckets: good enough to win a game, and bad enough to impede such an effort. Some around the league believe Fields has been let down by iffy coaching, per La Canfora, who floats the trade notion after the QB was seemingly set to be benched ahead of Week 8.
Weeks 1, 4 and 5 fell into the former categories, while Weeks 2, 6, and 7 were in the latter. In Week 2, Fields was knocked out of the game with a concussion, and in Week 7, he was benched for backup Tyrod Taylor. The commonality between all of those games? The Jets lost them.
Taylor appeared to be the starter moving forward after Fields’ benching last week, but a shoulder injury sidelined the veteran for Week 8. That gave Fields another starting nod, and he let the Jets to their first win and highest point total of the season.
However, recent comments from Jets owner Woody Johnson indicate that he has already soured on his young quarterback, which has stirred speculation that Fields could be on his way out of New York sooner than expected. With quarterbacks around the league dropping like flies, a team might be desperate enough to try to acquire Fields even though he was just signed this offseason.
However, $10MM of Fields’ 2026 salary is guaranteed, and his release would add $22MM in dead money to the Jets’ salary cap next year. They already have $35MM of dead money remaining from Rodgers’ contract, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini, and would likely have to punt on Glenn’s second year in charge as they sort out their quarterback situation. Glenn himself may not be content with that decision – especially considering the relatively shorter leashes for minority coaches in the NFL – which may give Fields another chance to prove himself next year.
Taylor might need to show he is healthy before the Jets consider making a seismic move like trading Fields. Johnson’s comments notwithstanding, the team made a commitment to him. Bailing now would send a bad message, even if Glenn was preparing to bench his starter after Week 7. The Jets would also need to add QB help in that event, with only two passers on the active roster. Rookie UDFA Brady Cook (Missouri) is on Gang Green’s practice squad.
Saints To Start Tyler Shough In Week 9
The Saints are making a change under center, installing rookie Tyler Shough as the new starter and benching Spencer Rattler, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Rattler won a training camp battle for the Saints’ starting quarterback gig, but the team is 1-7 in his eight starts. Statistically, Rattler himself has not been horrible relative to some of the league’s other starters, but New Orleans ranks 29th in points scored and 27th in total yardage this year.
Shough, 26, was a second-round pick (No. 40 overall) in April’s draft who was widely seen as the Saints’ successor to Derek Carr. His age and draft profile as an NFL-ready quarterback raised expectations that he would start right away in New Orleans, but new head coach Kellen Moore made it clear in the spring that there would be a true competition in the preseason.
In the interim, however, Shough leveraged his draft status, the Saints’ quarterback situation, and new league contract precedent into a fully-guaranteed rookie deal, making it clear that he would get a shot at the starting job sooner than later. Rattler was expected to have a long leash at the beginning of the season, but it only extended out to eight starts.
Rattler was benched for Shough in Week 8, and though the rookie did not dazzle in his first extended regular-season action, he did enough to earn Moore’s confidence moving forward. Expectations will still be low for the rest of the season, as the rest of the Saints offensive line has struggled this season and won’t make Shough’s first start a walk in the park. Neither will a ferocious Rams defense that ranks second in the league with 26 sacks. But any progress Shough can make this year will give New Orleans a better idea if they’ve found a long-term starter or should focus on the 2026 draft class.
Rams Place WR Tutu Atwell On IR
The Rams placed wide receiver Tutu Atwell on injured reserve on Monday, per a team announcement.
Atwell missed the team’s Week 6 matchup with the Ravens due to a hamstring injury, according to ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. Based on the Rams’ injury report, the fifth-year wideout appears to have suffered the injury in practice that week. He got back to full participation in Week 7, but only played 10 snaps in that game and now lands on IR after Los Angeles’ Week 8 bye.
Atwell will be on the shelf for at least four games. His earliest return would be on November 30 for the Rams’ Week 13 matchup with the Panthers.
The 2021 second-round pick has never quite lived up to his draft billing. He played 10 snaps on offense as a rookie with a bigger role as a returner, but landed on season-ending injured reserve halfway through the year. He took steps forward over his next three seasons, culminating in a strong 2024 showing. He saw a downtick in snap share, but still put up career-highs in terms of volume (42 receptions, 562 yards) and efficiency (67.7% catch rate, 9.1 yards per target).
That earned Atwell a one-year, $10MM deal with the Rams this offseason in the hopes that he could produce even more in a bigger role after the departure of Cooper Kupp. Shortly after, though, Los Angeles added Davante Adams. Not only did that bump Atwell down the depth chart, it also gave Matthew Stafford another All-Pro receiver to target. The veteran quarterback is known for funneling targets to his elite wideouts – like Calvin Johnson, Kupp, and Puka Nacua in past seasons – and has continued to do so with Nacua and Adams this year.
As a result, Atwell only has four catches this season, though he has taken them for 164 yards to average 41 yards per reception. His injury coincided with Nacua’s ongoing absence, however, rendering him unable to take advantage of the available targets.
The Rams will hope that Atwell can return this season and contribute in some capacity. He is set to hit free agency next offseason and seem unlikely to earn as lucrative a deal as he did this year.
Lions Designate LB Malcolm Rodriguez To Return
3:05pm: Lions head coach Dan Campbell confirmed (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press) that Rodriguez will return to practice this week. The team also opened the practice window for safety Daniel Thomas. He suffered a broken forearm in Week 3 against the Ravens and had surgery at the end of September.
1:40pm: The Lions are designating linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez to return to practice, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Rodriguez, 26, started the regular season the physically unable to perform list as he worked his way back from an ACL tear suffered on Thanksgiving last year. Detroit is expecting the fourth-year linebacker to take his full 21-day practice window and make his 2025 debut on Sunday Night Foootball in Week 11, per Schultz. That is a primetime matchup with the Eagles that could be crucial that could be crucial in determining NFC playoff seeding come January.
The 2022 sixth-round pick quickly became a fan favorite on “Hard Knocks,” during his first training camp and started next to Alex Anzalone as a rookie. Rodriguez took a back seat to Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes in 2023 and was relegated to special teams duties for much of the year. He returned to a starting role last year after Barnes’ season-ending knee injury in September,
Barnes is back to full strength now, so Rodriguez’s role upon his return will likely be similar to 2023. The Lions won’t want to push him coming off a major knee injury, and it may not be wise for him to risk his health in a contract year.
Rodriguez is in the last year of his rookie deal, and a Lions cap table that has gotten more and more expensive may not have room for another off-ball linebacker. Detroit didn’t extend Anzalone before the season, as he desired, but they did re-sign Barnes in the offseason and will have to put aside money for Campbell, who has grown into one of the best linebackers in the league.
Rodriguez will have three weeks to practice with the team before he must be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending injured reserve.
Raiders Want Day 2 Pick For Jakobi Meyers
The NFL’s trade market is heating up ahead of next week’s deadline, but the wide receiver position is not drawing as much action as past years.
Teams have expressed interest in young stars like Jaylen Waddle and Chris Olave, but their teams have no interest in moving them. The best wideout available is probably Jakobi Meyers, who is entering the last year of his contract with the Raiders.
Meyers requested a trade before the regular season after failed extension talks with the team, but rescinded the request shortly after. The Raiders are reportedly listening to offers, but the scarcity of proven wideouts on the market could drive up their asking price. Their starting point is a Day 2 pick, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz, and there are teams interested. Getting offers from multiple could raise Las Vegas’ demands further.
That is an expensive deal for a rental, but Meyers might be worth it. He has been uber-consistent in his career with at least four receptions and 50 yards per game since becoming a starter in 2020. He’s versatile to line up in the slot or out wide and has an adaptable skillset that can fit in almost any offense.
However, he is turning 30 years old next year, which will limit an acquiring team’s interest in an extension. He could be worth a short-term pact to an offense with a young, inexpensive receiving corps that could use his all-around abilities.
Trade compensation for wide receivers has been difficult to judge over the last few years. Davante Adams and Amari Cooper were both traded for third-round picks at last year’s deadline, but DeAndre Hopkins was moved for a fifth-rounder. Meyers’ pedigree is not as strong as any of those players, so it seems unlikely that the Raiders will get their desired compensation.
Falcons To Start Kirk Cousins Due To Michael Penix Jr. Injury
OCTOBER 26: Penix has a “real chance” to be back in the starting lineup when the Falcons take on the Patriots in Week 9, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. If today’s game against Miami were a playoff contest, Rapoport says Penix may be playing.
OCTOBER 25, 9:44pm: Cousins will indeed start tomorrow, Schefter reports in a follow-up. It will mark his first opportunity of the season to handle starting duties since Penix overtook him on the depth chart late in 2024.
2:40pm: Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins hasn’t made a start since the Falcons benched him for then-rookie Michael Penix Jr. in mid-December last season. Penix remains Atlanta’s QB1, but he’s now dealing with a bone bruise in his left knee. As a result, it’s “highly likely” that Cousins will start Sunday against the 1-6 Dolphins, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Penix, who suffered his injury in a loss to the 49ers last Sunday night, was limited in practice all week and is now listed as questionable. On Friday, Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Cousins had taken “significant” reps this week in practice and more reps later in the week rather than earlier.
“I’m really confident in our backup,” Morris said of Cousins. “We’re going to give [Penix] every opportunity we can give him. The kid is tough. He’s a guy. He’s a stud.”
As a four-time Pro Bowler who’s in the second season of a four-year, $180MM contract (with $100MM guaranteed), Cousins isn’t your typical backup. Cousins signed with the Falcons with the expectation that he’d serve as their unquestioned starter for multiple seasons. However, the team surprisingly used the eighth overall pick on Penix a little over a month later, immediately giving the Falcons an heir apparent.
Despite his exorbitant contract, Cousins fell out of favor in his first season with the Falcons as he struggled to regain form after tearing his Achilles while with the Vikings in 2023. He also dealt with shoulder and elbow injuries last season.
While Cousins wanted out of Atlanta during the offseason, the team wasn’t willing to grant his wish. Although Cousins has come up in trade rumors since then, the Falcons haven’t actively shopped him. They also won’t move him unless an acquiring team takes on the remainder of his fully guaranteed $27.5MM salary for 2026. That makes a trade before the Nov. 4 deadline highly unrealistic, setting up the 37-year-old to ride out the season in Atlanta.
For his part, Penix hasn’t come out of the gates quickly since he took over for Cousins. The Falcons are 4-5 in his starts, including 3-3 this season. The 25-year-old lefty has completed 61% of passes for 1,409 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions in 2025. His 47.7 QBR ranks 22nd in the NFL, while advanced metrics from Pro Football Focus indicate that he has actually regressed since last year. Penix’s percentage of big-time throws, average depth of target, and turnover-worthy plays have all gone in the wrong direction.
With Morris regarding Penix as a “stud,” Cousins may not have a chance to reclaim the starting job even if fills in and plays well. However, it will be intriguing to see if a successful Cousins start leads to a QB controversy. The Falcons are second in total defense and seventh in total offense, but they rank 28th in points per game under Penix and are tied for the league’s second-worst red zone touchdown percentage. They’re sitting in 11th place in the NFC as a result.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.