Rams To Sign LB Nate Landman To Extension
The Rams are signing linebacker Nate Landman to a contract extension, per an announcement from his agency, SportsTrust Advisors.
The deal is worth $22.5MM over three years with $15.6MM guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, a solid payday for the fourth-year linebacker, especially after signing a one-year, veteran-minimum deal in Los Angeles earlier this year.
Landman has started every game this year with a 93% snap share and a team-high 91 tackles playing alongside Omar Speights in the middle of the Rams defense. He also leads the NFL with four forced fumbles.
Landman, 27, is now under contract through 2028, giving him a long-term home after failing to find one this offseason. He signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and appeared in seven games as a rookie, primarily on special teams. In 2023, Landman stepped into a starting role alongside Kaden Elliss and finished third on the team with 110 tackles. Leg injuries at the beginning of the 2024 season briefly landed him on injured reserve, but he came back and recorded 81 tackles in 13 games, plus three forced fumbles for the second year in a row.
As a proven starter with a history of solid tackling and impact plays, Landman was expected to draw No. 2 linebacker interest in free agency this offseason. Instead, he took a $1.1MM offer from the Rams and earned himself 20 times that with his strong start this year. He could have played out the season to maximize his next contract, but the risk of injury, comfort in his new home, and relatively low career earnings as an UDFA were enough to motivate an early extension.
Los Angeles does not normally invest in the linebacker position, but Landman’s has undeniable appeal. His $7.5MM APY ranks 25th among linebacker contracts, per OverTheCap, an excellent value for a full-time starter. Six teams are paying one linebacker as least twice as much, while three teams have two linebackers earning at least $7.5MM per year. (The Bears fall into both categories.)
The Rams will now have Landman alongside Speights, a second-year UDFA, for 2026 and likely 2027, giving them an inexpensive linebacker duo and the financial flexibility to invest heavily in other parts of the roster. That will include extensions for Puka Nacua and the team’s young pass rushers. Los Angeles is still operating on a year-to-year basis with quarterback Matthew Stafford, and they could stand to invest in their secondary to bolster a pass defense that has not ranked better than 20th in the league since 2020.
Colts Hoping DT DeForest Buckner Returns This Season
The Colts are optimistic that defensive tackle DeForest Buckner can recover from his neck injury in time to play again this season, per FOX59’s Mike Chappell.
Buckner went down in Week 9 and landed on injured reserve shortly after. The exact nature of his injury was not disclosed, but neck issues are always cause for concern. He has been rehabbing at the team’s facility in Indianapolis with the goal of returning this season, though the team has not issued a timeline.
Buckner, 31, was having another strong year anchoring the Colts defense with 42 sacks, four sacks, and nine tackles in nine games. He has been exceptionally consistent over his decade in the NFL. In each of the last seven years, he has put up at least 6.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. However, this is his second year in a row with a stint on injured reserve. He returned from an early absence in 2024 with per-game numbers that line up with the rest of his career. The Colts will be hoping for a similar result this year to give a late-season boost to their defense that could maintain their contender status heading into the postseason.
In the meantime, Neville Gallimore and Adetomiwa Adebawore will both fill Buckner’s snaps along the defensive line. It will be hard for either one to replicate his impact, but both have put in solid efforts. Gallimore has 2.5 sacks in 10 games after zero in 2024 and just four in the four years before that, and Adebawore stepped up with a career-high five tackles in Week 10.
However, having an interior disruptor of Buckner’s caliber could be crucial in the postseason. The Colts are well-positioned to qualify, but getting Buckner on the field might keep them from turning into a pumpkin in the first round.
Robert Saleh Expected To Draw HC Interest
49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is expected to draw head coaching interest during this offseason’s hiring cycle, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Saleh, 46, had a difficult tenure as the head coach of the Jets from 2021 to 2024. He quickly turned the league’s 32nd-ranked defense into one of the league’s best, but he could never get a handle on the offensive side of the ball, due in large part to poor quarterback play from Zach Wilson and Aaron Rodgers.
Saleh’s first offensive coordinator, Mike LaFleur, actually improved the offense from 2021 to 2022, but a rough stretch at the end of his second season led to his dismissal. Nathaniel Hackett took over in 2023 as part of Joe Douglas’ ill-fated pursuit of Rodgers and was clearly not up to the task. Saleh’s struggles in New York could also be attributed to questionable roster management from general manager Joe Douglas and interference from owner Woody Johnson.
Saleh was fired just five games into the 2024 season and quickly reunited with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco this offseason. The 49ers defense ranks 25th in total defense but 15th in points allowed. The uninspiring results are understandable given major injuries to Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, their two best defenders. Edge rushers Yetur Gross-Matos and Mykel Williams have also been on injured reserve.
Despite being fired midseason, Saleh interviewed for head coaching jobs with the Cowboys, Jaguars, and Raiders, and was reportedly Jacksonville’s No. 2 choice behind Liam Coen. That shows that NFL teams still believe Saleh is a capable head coach who may not have been given a fair shake in New York. He also has plenty of relationships with young coaches from the Shanahan-Sean McVay tree that teams will covet as potential offensive coordinator hires.
Since leaving New York, LaFleur has been McVay’s offensive coordinator in Los Angeles but could jump at the chance to call plays again. If Mike McDaniel is fired in Miami, he could reunite with Saleh after the two spent time together under Shanahan in San Francisco.
Saleh will still have to nail his interviews and sell a new team on his vision for the future. After his experience in New York, he may be looking for more synergy with ownership and the front office
Texans Waive RB Dameon Pierce
NOVEMBER 21: Pierce may clear waivers today due to the timing of when his Texans tenure ended, but Wilson reports there are multiple teams interested in him. If/when Pierce reaches free agency, a new deal could be lined up in short order.
NOVEMBER 20: The Texans waived fourth-year running back Dameon Pierce on Thursday, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. To fill his spot on the active roster, cornerback Ajani Carter was signed from the practice squad.
Pierce, 25, once seemed like he could be the future of the Texans’ backfield before injuries derailed his time in Houston. The former Florida Gator was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 draft and earned a starting job as a rookie. Pierce racked up 939 yards in 13 games – 72.2 yards per game, the eighth-most in the league – before a high ankle sprain landed him on injured reserve and ended his season.
The Texans signed veteran Devin Singletary during the 2023 offseason and handed him the lead back role. Pierce struggled behind him, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry and missing three games due to another ankle sprain. Houston then got Joe Mixon, reducing Pierce’s workload further. Another injury, this time to his hamstring, sidelined him at the start of the 2024 season and limited his work for the rest of the year. He finished with just 40 carries for 293 yards, though 92 of those came on a single rush. Without that play, he still averaged a solid 5.15 yards per carry, but again, Houston looked elsewhere in the offseason, signing Nick Chubb and draft Woody Marks with a fourth-round pick.
With Mixon sidelined by a foot injury to start the 2025 season, Chubb and Marks have led the backfield with just 10 carries for Pierce. Mixon is now expected to miss the rest of the season, which was reported hours before Pierce’s release hit the NFL’s transaction wire, making it a somewhat surprising move. If anything, it speaks volumes about how much Pierce fell out of favor under DeMeco Ryans‘ regime. Despite a promising rookie season, Pierce’s opportunities undeniably plummeted after Ryans was hired. Other teams will now have a chance to claim him off waivers; if that does not happen, he will be free to sign with any team (or their practice squad) as a free agent.
Carter, an undrafted rookie out of the University of Houston, signed with the Texans’ practice squad in September and saw his first NFL action against the Titans last week. His special teams work must have satisfied the coaches, earning him a 53-man roster spot and a role on game days for the foreseeable future.
The Texans also elevated veteran safety Jalen Mills and undrafted rookie linebacker Jackson Woodard to the active roster for Thursday night’s matchup with the Bills.
Giants Rule Out QB Jaxson Dart For Week 12
Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka announced that Jaxson Dart is still in concussion protocol and will not play in Week 12 against the Lions. 
The team was expecting their rookie quarterback to be cleared for Sunday’s game, per SNY’s Connor Hughes, but they will instead turn to Jameis Winston for a second game in a row. Winston started last week against the Packers and completed 19 of his 29 passes for 201 yards, plus a rushing touchdown to take the lead in the fourth quarter. However, after Green Bay got back on top with a touchdown of their own, Winston threw an interception to dash any hopes of a late comeback. He will be looking for better results in Detroit, though the Lions’ defense projects to be a difficult matchup.
Dart went down at the end of the third quarter of New York’s Week 10 loss in Chicago. Russell Wilson finished the drive with a field goal, but the Bears scored 14 unanswered points to hand the Giants their eighth loss. In the wake of that game, Brian Daboll was fired and replaced with Kafka for the remainder of the campaign. That change on the sidelines saw a swap in the QB depth chart, one which will last at least one more game.
Dart has remained in concussion protocol since suffering his injury, but he did take a step toward a return by participating in practice earlier this week (h/t ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). The first-rounder will look to continue making progress over the coming days. New York’s schedule includes a Week 13 matchup with New England before the team’s bye week.
A cautious approach in Dart’s case would of course come as little surprise given his status as the team’s present and future under center and its 2-9 record. One of Kafka’s priorities once Dart is back in the fold will be a reduction in the number of hits the Ole Miss product takes. As Raanan’s colleague Adam Schefter writes, Dart has been hit a total of 84 times between passing situations and QB runs since he took over the starter’s gig in Week 4. Reducing that figure is something which has been stressed to the 22-year-old from people inside and outside the Giants’ building, per Schefter.
Winston, added in free agency prior to the Dart selection, is under contract through 2026 (as opposed to Wilson, who is a pending free agent). The veteran half of New York’s quarterback tandem for next season will look to lead the team to a win in his second Giants start, while Dart’s status will remain one to watch.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Cardinals RT Jonah Williams To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
Cardinals right tackle Jonah Williams will miss the rest of the 2025 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, head coach Jonathan Gannon announced on Friday (via ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss).
Williams, 28, started the Cardinals’ first nine games of the season before going down in Week 10. Kelvin Beachum closed out the game, but picked up a groin injury. He still started in Week 11, but had to be replaced by Josh Fryar. Beachum has missed practice all week, which will likely position Fryar, an undrafted rookie, for his first career start.
Williams is set to hit free agency this offseason, and he seems like a long shot to re-sign in Arizona. The Cardinals gave him a two-year, $30MM contract in 2024 after four years in Cincinnati, but since then, Williams has only started 15 games. He was excellent in 2024, allowing just seven pressures and zero sacks in six games, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). This year, he took a step back this year with 21 pressures and three sacks allowed through nine games. Williams’ contract will void on February 20, per OverTheCap, which will leave $7MM in dead money on the Cardinals’ salary cap.
The Cardinals seem headed towards a major shake-up this offseason after hopes of a 2025 bounce-back quickly gave way to disappointment over a losing record. Among their needs will be a new right tackle. No obvious long-term candidate is on the roster, though Fryar or Demontrey Jacobs could both have opportunities to audition this year.
Arizona also signed practice squad running back Jermar Jefferson to the active roster and filled his spot with running back Sincere McCormick, per team reporter Darren Urban. Those moves suggest that Trey Benson, who is on injured reserve with his practice window opened, is not ready to be activated and will not play on Sunday against the Jaguars.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta Underwent Back Surgery, Unlikely To Return In 2025
Lions tight end Sam LaPorta underwent surgery on his back and will likely miss the rest of the 2025 season, head coach Dan Campbell announced on Friday
Campbell said (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press) that chances of LaPorta returning this year were “very, very slim.” The 24-year-old was already slated for three more weeks on the sidelines after landing on injured reserve before Week 11. He is now expected to miss the Lions’ seven remaining games as well as the postseason, should they qualify.
LaPorta, 24, was having another excellent season, his third in the NFL since Detroit made him the 34th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He was on pace for career-highs across nearly every receiving category; 2025 will still stand as his most efficient season with 54.3 yards per game, 12.2 yards per reception, 10.0 yards per target, and a 81.6% catch rate.
LaPorta’s absence will be a significant, but perhaps not crippling blow to the Lions offense. The unit currently ranks fourth in points scored and fifth in total offense with top-10 numbers on the ground and through the air. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are still one of the best backfield duos in the league, and Jared Goff is having another fine season targeting wideouts Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
However, LaPorta was the Lions’ third-leading receiver with a key role as a blocker, and backup tight end Brock Wright will not be able to replace his impact through the air. Gibbs, Montgomery, and third-string wideout Kalif Raymond will see more work in the passing game, and losing LaPorta’s physical presence may lead to some red zone opportunities for 6-foot-4, 214-pound rookie receiver Isaac TeSlaa.
This is the first major injury of LaPorta’s NFL career. He played at least 900 snaps in each of his first two seasons with just one game on the sidelines. He will be hoping for a smooth recovery from surgery as he enters the final year of his rookie deal in 2026, when he will be eligible for an extension. The Lions have established a pattern of rewarding their young stars with strong second contracts, often at the top of their positional market. However, with fellow 2023 draftees Gibbs, Jack Campbell, and Brian Branch also reaching extension-eligibility, general manager Brad Holmes will have to get creative to keep all of his core players and stay under the salary cap.
Jets’ Benching Of QB Justin Fields Seen As Permanent
The Jets’ benching of Justin Fields is “not expected to be temporary,” per ESPN’s Dan Graziano. Barring injury, Tyrod Taylor is slated to start for the rest of the 2025 season, and Fields is likely to leave New York this offseason.
The Jets believe it will be easier to evaluate their young pass-catchers – particularly rookie tight end Mason Taylor and wideouts John Metchie and Adonai Mitchell – with Tyrod Taylor under center. The 36-year-old quarterback is more willing to play within the structure of the offense as opposed to Fields, who is more liable to hold onto the ball, throw a check down to a running back, or take off on a scramble. Though Taylor has three interceptions in 69 attempts compared to Fields’ one in 204 attempts, the Jets are willing to weather the risk of interception in exchange for more opportunities for their skill players.
The team is also planning to find a new quarterback this offseason, whether it be a rookie draft pick or another veteran acquisition. The draft from the Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades has given New York enough draft capital to land nearly any available passer in the offseason.
The Jets are also expected to part ways with Fields after the 2025 season concludes. $10MM of his $20MM salary in 2026 is guaranteed; between that and his poor performance, he is unlikely to draw trade interest and will likely be released as a post-June 1 cut. That would save $10MM against the Jets’ 2026 salary cap with a $13MM dead cap charge with another $9MM of dead money in 2027. However, the team has more than $70MM of dead money to account for next year, per OverTheCap, including $35MM from Aaron Rodgers, $11MM from Gardner, and $9.8MM from Williams. The Jets may prefer to push as much dead cap from Fields’ deal into 2027.
They could do so by converting his remaining guaranteed salary into a signing bonus and prorating it across the remainder of his contract. The Jets’ 2026 savings would stay at $10MM, but only $5MM of Fields’ dead money would hit with the remaining $17MM being pushed to 2027. Fields’ deal already has four void years built in, suggesting that the team wanted to have this contract option in case 2025 went poorly, which it did.
The first three void years were used to prorate his signing bonus, while the fourth was left empty in case of a 2026 restructure. Adding a void year to a contract, even for purposes of a restructure, requires player consent, which Fields may not give. Instead, general manager Darren Mougey designed his deal to ensure that the Jets had more flexibility after the 2025 season.
It almost feels like Mougey and new head coach Aaron Glenn saw 2025 as a reset year in New York. They took a chance on Fields without too hefty of a commitment; once it became clear that he was not the Jets’ long-term quarterback, they pivoted to blow up the core of their roster. Now, they have enough draft capital to acquire a quarterback and the opportunity to complete rebuild the Jets from the ground up.
Browns Extend DE Alex Wright
The Browns are signing defensive end Alex Wright to a three-year, $33MM extension, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal also includes $21MM in guaranteed money, and it has since been made official.
Wright, 25, is in the final year of his rookie contract and will now stay in Cleveland through 2028. He has emerged as an impact run defender this season with nine tackles for loss, a career-high and tied for the eighth-most among all NFL defenders. Wright is also on pace to record the most tackles of his career and could put up his best pass-rushing numbers, too, though that part of his game is far less impactful.
Wright was a somewhat surprising third-round pick in 2022 after solid but unspectacular production at UAB, almost all of which came against Conference USA opponents. He started four games in placed of an injured Za’Darius Smith as a rookie, but did not flash until his second season when he put up five sacks and six tackles for loss on a 38% snap share. In 2024, he suffered a season-ending triceps injury in Week 4, but had a smooth recovery and was able to participate in the Browns’ offseason program.
Wright’s $11MM APY is in the same range of what Malcolm Koonce, Dorance Armstrong, and DeMarcus Lawrence have received in the last two years, per OverTheCap. His pass-rushing production has not hit the same peaks, but he is younger and just as good of a run defender as his similarly-paid contemporaries.
All in all, it’s not a bad deal for the Browns to lock down an inexpensive starter opposite Myles Garrett, who has the fourth-biggest contract of any defender in the league. Keeping Wright does not break the bank for Cleveland, who are projected to be over the 2026 salary cap with just 44 players under contract. There are ways to clear up more space, but paying $11MM per year for a high-end run defender with the league’s best pass rusher on the other side of the line seems to be a logical roster management strategy. It also makes sense for the Browns to use some of their 2025 cap space on a signing bonus for an extension rather than having all the new money kick in next year.
Cleveland’s other pending free agents include all five of their starting offensive linemen, tight end David Njoku, linebacker Devin Bush, and safety Ronnie Hickman. It seems unlikely they will move on from their entire O-line, but rookie Harold Fannin appears set to take over for Njoku. Bush and Hickman could also be seeking more substantial paydays in free agency after signing ‘prove it’ deals this offseason and doing so thus far this year.
49ers LB Tatum Bethune To Miss Multiple Games
Even the 49ers’ injury replacements are getting hurt. Linebacker Tatum Bethune, who stepped in for All-Pro Fred Warner after he went down in Week 6, will now miss multiple games with a high ankle sprain suffered in Week 11.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan announced (via NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco) Bethune’s injury on Thursday and named five-year veteran Curtis Robinson as the team’s new starting middle linebacker. Robinson is primarily a special teams contributor, but has played the most defensive snaps of his career this season. That workload will grow further as he steps into a full-time role in the 49ers defense.
Bethune, 25, has not been able to replicate Warner’s all-around impact – few players in the NFL could. But he has been a reliable tackler, racking up 60 tackles in his five games before getting injured. San Francisco will be hoping that he can return before the end of the season to bolster a defense that has been decimated by injuries.
Sunday’s game against the Panthers will be Robinson’s first NFL start. Carolina’s offense has been extremely inconsistent this season, but Bryce Young just set a franchise record with 448 passing yards last week. The 49ers, meanwhile, just gave up 452 yards and an NFL-record 47 completions to Jacoby Brissett and the Cardinals.