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.
Texans RB Joe Mixon Not Expected To Play In 2025
Texans running back Joe Mixon is not expected to play in 2025, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Mixon suffered a foot injury while working out in the offseason, which landed him on the non-football injury list at the beginning of training camp. He missed all of training camp and was placed on the physically unable to perform list to start the regular season, stirring significant concerns about him playing at all in 2025.
Updates at the end of September added more doubt that Mixon would suit up anytime soon, and Rapoport’s most recent report indicates that Mixon will likely stay on the PUP list for the rest of the year. That will keep veteran Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks in place as the team’s primary ballcarriers, but they have not led the Texans’ running game to as much success as Mixon did last year.
Houston finished the 2024 season with the 15th-most rushing yards, touchdowns, and yards per attempt. Currently, they rank 22nd or worse in all of those categories. That may not only be a result of Mixon’s absence – the Texans also overhauled their offensive line this offseason – but the eight-year veteran is clearly missed this year.
The Texans acquired Mixon from the Bengals via trade last offseason and signed him to a two-year, $19.75MM extension. He missed three games with an ankle injury, but ranked ninth in the league with 72.6 yards per game. His 11 touchdowns were tied with Jonathan Taylor for 11th-most in the NFL.
Houston added running back depth this offseason in the form of Chubb ($2.5M free agency signing) and Marks (fourth-round pick, No. 116 overall). Chubb is averaging 4.2 yards per carry, while Marks is only at 3.5. Both have two touchdowns and 17 first downs on the ground, but Marks has been a far more effective pass-catcher. The youngster seems to have a role in the Texans’ offense as a third-down back, but Chubb is on a one-year deal and Mixon has no guaranteed money in 2026. Houston could remake their backfield this offseason with more investments in external additions.
Packers LT Rasheed Walker Expected To Hit Free Agency
Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker could be the best player at his position to hit free agency in 2026. Green Bay is not expected to re-sign Walker before his contract expires, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, which would make him one of the biggest prizes of the offseason.
Starting-caliber left tackles rarely make it to free agency, much less a prototypical physical talent like Walker who has already established himself in the NFL. He was originally projected to be a Day 2 pick before falling on draft weekend due to lingering injuries from college.
The Packers took a change with the No. 249 pick, and a little over a year later, it paid off when David Bakhtiari suffered a season- and ultimately, career-ending injury. Walker stepped right in and has started all but one game since. This year, his 94.3% pass block win rate ranks seventh among the league’s offensive tackles, per ESPN’s Matt Bowen, and the 25-year-old still has room to grown.
The Packers have just $10.2MM in 2026 cap space with only 41 players under contract, per OverThe Cap. They can obviously find ways to create more room, but they just paid right tackle Zach Tom this offseason and already have an expensive interior offensive line. A seventh-round pick like Walker may also want to hit his full earning potential by auctioning his services to the highest bidder.
That should set him up to eclipse Dan Moore‘s four-year, $82MM deal with the Titans, an example of how much even unheralded left tackles can make on the open market. He hit free agency last offseason and earned a contract that put him in the company of Garett Bolles, Dion Dawkins, and Ronnie Stanley, who have all received Pro Bowl and/or All-Pro recognition in their careers. Walker is thought to be better than Moore and one NFC executive expects him to get “paid paid,” per Fowler.
Bears Designate Kyler Gordon To Return From IR
The Bears designated cornerback Kyler Gordon to return from injured reserve on Wednesday, per a team announcement.
Gordon has dealt with multiple injuries already this season. His hamstring sidelined him for the first five weeks of the year, though he was not placed on an injured list. He went down again in Week 7 with groin and calf issues that landed him on injured reserve in late October.
The Bears expressed optimism last week that Gordon would return this year (along with fellow injured cornerback Jaylon Johnson). That optimism has materialized in the form of a return to practice, bringing Gordon one step closer to re-joining his team on game days.
Gordon broke out in 2024 as one of the league’s top slot corners and earned a three-year, $40MM extension this offseason. During his first stint on the sidelines this year, Nick McCloud stepped up as the Bears’ nickel. During his second absence, the Bears have relied on C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the slot, who arrived in Chicago shortly after Gordon was placed on injured reserve.
Head coach Ben Johnson praised Gardner-Johnson on Wednesday when asked about the team’s plans for Gordon’s return, saying (via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin) that the veteran safety is “a guy we’re going to want on the field.”
The Bears have a few different options to use both Gordon and Gardner-Johnson once Gordon is ready to play. Obviously, rotating the two early on would be an effective way to ease Gordon back into action, which may be a key consideration after multiple injuries this season. Gardner-Johnson has also played 47 snaps in the box (and 16 off the edge) in his last two games in Chicago, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), so he could take on a prominent role in
Gordon will have 21 days to practice with the team before he must be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending injured reserve.
Rams S Quentin Lake To Miss Time After Elbow Surgery
1:10pm: Lake underwent surgery on his elbow, per Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Rams are hoping their versatile safety is back for the postseason, if not sooner.
10:19am: Rams safety Quentin Lake is expected to miss multiple games due to an elbow injury, per Adam Grosbard of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Head caoch Sean McVay said on Monday that the team is waiting for MRI results to determine a plan for Lake moving forward. McVay left the door open to surgery and/or a stint on injured reserve.
Lake injured his elbow in the Rams’ win over the Seahawks on Sunday. The fourth-year safety has been playing the ‘Star’ role in Los Angeles once held by Jalen Ramsey. Most of Lake’s snaps have come out of the slot with a healthy dose of work as a free safety and a dimebacker in the box, plus a handful of snaps off the edge.
After emerging as a full-time starter in 2024, Lake has grown into an impact player this season. His 61 tackles rank third on the Rams defense and he leads the unit with 10 passes defended, which is a career-high through just 10 games. His two tackles for loss are a career-high, too, and Lake also notched his first-ever interception in Week 6 against the Ravens.
It will be hard for one player to replace Lake given his variety of roles in the defense. Second-year defensive back Josh Wallace stepped up in the slot on Sunday and will likely handle most of those snaps moving forward. Jaylen McCollough – also a second-year DB – can pick up Lake’s work in the box, while Kamren Curl and Kamren Kinchens have been starting at free safety. Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula also likes to move his safeties around and will have a few options to mix-and-match players with different roles during Lake’s absence.
Falcons QB Michael Penix To Undergo Season-Ending ACL Surgery
The Falcons announced on Wednesday that second-year quarterback Michael Penix would undergo season-ending surgery on his left knee to address a partially-torn ACL.
Penix went down in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over the Panthers. He was replaced by Kirk Cousins and did not return. At first thought to be a re-aggravation of the bone bruise Penix suffered in October, further testing revealed that he also sustained a partial ACL tear and a knee sprain. With Atlanta all-but-eliminated from the playoffs, the team opted to shut their 26-year-old quarterback down in the hopes that he can return for the start of the 2026 season.
Cousins will move forward as the Falcons’ starter in yet another twist in the 37-year-old’s 14-year career. He arrived in Atlanta in March 2024 on a four-year, $160MM contract ($90MM fully guaranteed) and the intention to start for at least a few years. Instead, the Falcons drafted Penix in the first round of the 2024 draft and installed him as the starter for the last three games of his rookie season. It seemed like Cousins’ time in Atlanta was over, but his contract made it impossible for the Falcons to trade or release him. Instead, they held onto him as the most expensive and experienced backup in the league with the expectation of parting ways in 2026.
Penix’s injury therefore creates a huge opportunity for Cousins to rebuild his stock after a poor debut season in Atlanta. 2024 was his worst year as a starter, featuring a league- and career-high 16 interceptions and a career-low 88.6 passer rating. He now has a chance to audition for a starting job elsewhere next season. His lone start this year, a 34-10 loss to the Dolphins in Week 8, did not show much improvement. He completed just 21 of his 31 passing attempts for 173 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions, and a 81.8 passer rating. Taking over as the full-time starter could yield better results, though he will be without star wideout Drake London for at least one week.
Head coach Raheem Morris said (via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall) that practice squad QB Easton Stick will be signed to the active roster to serve as Cousin’s backup. Stick’s spot was filled by former Buccaneer Kyle Trask, who will now be the Falcons’ third-string quarterback.
Morris did not outline a timetable for Penix’s return. He will need a full reconstruction, according NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, with an estimated recovery time of at least nine months. Depending on the exact date of his surgery, that would position Penix to return just before the start of the 2026 regular season. Morris said (via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that the Falcons will have to reevaluate their approach to the quarterback position this offseason. Whether or not that includes retaining Cousins remains to be seen.
This is the third torn ACL and reconstructive surgery of Penix’s career. The first two came in 2018 and 2020 and impacted his right knee, while his current partial tear is in his left knee. He will be entering his third NFL season coming off a major injury with legitimate questions about his potential as a long-term starter in the NFL. In 14 appearances, Penix has recorded a 59.6% completion rate, 7.2 yards per attempt, and a 85.8 passer rating. The Falcons have a 4-8 record in his 12 starts and will almost assuredly miss the postseason this year.
Next year will be a major test for Penix’s ability to bounce-back and prove that he is Atlanta’s franchise quarterback. The Falcons have to make a decision on his fifth-year option (for the 2028 season) during the 2027 offseason and may also be evaluating Penix against any other quarterbacks they pick up during his absence.
Ravens Could Tag TE Isaiah Likely; DT Travis Jones Expected To Draw Strong FA Interest
The Ravens’ 2022 draft class is one of the best in the franchise’s history. First-rounders Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum have grown into two of the league’s best players at their respective positions, and several other picks have developed into key contributors, too. Among them are tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar, defensive tackle Travis Jones, punter Jordan Stout, and right guard Daniel Faalele.
Hamilton is Baltimore’s only 2022 draftee that has been locked up past 2025. The rest are set to hit free agency and could draw significant interest on the open market. Linderbaum, Likely, and Jones are thought to be the team’s priorities, though negotiations with Linderbaum have not progressed during the season.
The Ravens were hoping to extend Likely before the season, but a broken foot suffered early in training camp may have put negotiations on pause. The 25-year-old missed the first three games of the season and has yet to heat up since returning to the field. After averaging at least 20 yards per game in each of his first three seasons, he has cleared that mark in just one game this year.
Volume has never been Likely’s game, though, as he has shared tight end duties with All-Pro Mark Andrews for his entire tenure in Baltimore. In that time, he has been one of the most efficient tight ends in the league, averaging 7.9 yards per target in his career. For comparison, Trey McBride, who reset the positional market via a $19MM per year extension with the Cardinals this offseason, has averaged 7.55 yards per target since he was drafted, like Likely, in 2022.
That could create a standoff between the Ravens and their fourth-year tight end as they try to come to an agreement. If Likely is looking for a McBride-level deal, Baltimore may opt to use the franchise tag, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, locking him in at $15.8MM in 2026. The Ravens have not been afraid to place the franchise tag on key players before, and it is worth noting that their last two tagged players – Lamar Jackson and Nnamdi Madubuike – eventually signed long-term extensions with the team.
While Jones is an excellent defensive lineman, the $25.6MM defensive tackle franchise tag is too high a price given his lack of elite production (five sacks, 13 tackles for loss in 58 games). He may, however, be the best player at his position available and should still have a strong valuation. One comparison, per Fowler, is Dalvin Tomlinson, who received a four-year, $57MM deal when he hit free agency in 2023.
However, though the two players are both primarily run-stuffing nose tackles, their situations appear to be quite different. Tomlinson’s 2023 deal was his third contract, while Jones’ next contract will be his second. Tomlinson also had stronger production in the years before signing that deal relative to Jones, but Jones may have more long-term upside.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/18/25
Here are the latest practice squad moves around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Andrew Steuber
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Brandon Codrington
Carolina Panthers
- Released: S Israel Mukuamu
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: C Wesley French
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DE Viliami Fehoko, S George Odum, WR Eli Pancol, DT Chris Wormley
- Released: DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, TE Maximilian Mang, CB Troy Pride
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: OT Leroy Watson
New England Patriots
- Signed: DL Fabien Lovett Sr.
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR John Rhys Plumlee
- Released: S Jack Henderson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Velus Jones, WR Brenden Rice
- Released: TE Marshall Lang, CB Mike Reid
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: QB Adrian Martinez
- Released: RB Sincere McCormick
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Marcus Banks
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Lance McCutcheon, WR Kristian Wilkerson
Reeves-Maybin, the current NFLPA president, spent most of his career with the Lions but was released this offseason. He worked out with the 49ers in October and now returns to the NFC North with the Bears.
Odum began his NFL career in Indianapolis and is now returning to the Colts after a three-year stint with the 49ers. He will likely provide depth on special teams when elevated from the practice squad.
Kpassagnon, meanwhile, will be looking for his third team this season. He signed in Chicago this offseason to reunite with Dennis Allen, the Bears’ defensive coordinator and Kpassagnon’s former coach in New Orleans. He played 89 snaps across five games in Chicago before he was released. He then signed with the Colts’ practice squad, but did not make any appearances in blue and white.
The Seahawks signed Jones to their practice squad, but he was released the following day in a health-related move, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. Rice, the son of NFL legend Jerry Rice, will get to play for one of his father’s former teams. Jerry Rice played for the Seahawks during his last season in 2004.