Jerry Jones Shoots Down Micah Parsons Trade Speculation
The Cowboys’ disappointing season has stirred much speculation about the future of the franchise, but owner Jerry Jones adamantly shot down any chance of trading Micah Parsons.
“That’s never been uttered in this organization that we don’t have a future with Micah Parsons,” Jones said on Dallas’ 105.3 The Fan via ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Recent comments from Cowboys executive vice president and director of player personnel Stephen Jones snowballed into speculation that the team was considering trading their All-Pro pass rusher.
“Obviously we’re totally all-in on Dak [Prescott] and CeeDee [Lamb],” said Jones via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, “but after that, then you still shape things, including Micah [Parsons]. But Micah’s a great player. You don’t do well in this league letting guys like Micah, usually, leave the house.”
That led to a postgame question for Parsons on Sunday regarding a potential offseason trade.
“I understand how that business side goes. There are no hard feelings in this business, whether I’m here or anywhere else,” responded Parsons, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “Obviously I’ve stated that I want to be here. But at the end of the day, I understand the business side.”
While Parsons could earn one of the league’s biggest defensive contracts on the open market, he seems open to less money if that means staying in Dallas.
“So, I would rather just be in the best situation, you know? At that point, I don’t think there’s a big difference between $30 million and $40 million in my eyes, you know?” said Parsons on December 9, per Archer. “At the end of the day,whatever it takes for me just to continue to be a Cowboy until I retire, that’s what I want,” he continued.
The Cowboys picked up Parsons’ fifth-year option in March, keeping him under contract in 2025 for $21.3MM, but a long-term extension would free up more money for Dallas to address other holes on their roster.
Chargers Designate Hayden Hurst To Return From IR
The Chargers designated Hayden Hurst to return from injured reserve on Monday, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, giving the veteran tight end 21 days to practice with the team before he must be activated to the 53-man roster.
Hurst was placed on injured reserve on November 25 with a hip injury, but returned to practice as soon as his minimum four-week IR period ended. The Chargers have a short week ahead of a Thursday night matchup with the Broncos, but Hurst could play if he practices fully this week.
Even if Hurst returns right away, he won’t see a major role in the offense. He only saw 10 targets in the Chargers’ first four games with just two since. Will Dissly has taken over as the team’s top tight end in the meantime, and Stone Smartt has emerged as a more effective secondary option with 104 yards on eight receptions in his last two games.
Hurst’s reunion with offensive coordinator Greg Roman has not gone as planned. The Chargers hoped to revitalize the career of the former first-rounder in Roman’s tight end-heavy scheme, but Hurst is heading towards career-low numbers in several receiving categories.
Barring a major turnaround over the next three games, Hurst will likely be looking for his sixth different NFL team since 2019. Dissly is signed through 2026 and Smartt will be easy to retain this offseason as a restricted free agent, making Hurst surplus to requirements in Los Angele. Even finding a new home might be difficult, as he will turn 32 before the 2025 season begins and lacks a proven track record as a pass-catcher.
Chiefs WR Marquise Brown Designated For Return
DECEMBER 15: Not playing today, Brown may not be too far from making his elusive debut as a Chief. Good form in his return to practice has made the free agency addition a candidate to resurface in Kansas City’s Week 16 game against Houston, Rapoport offers. While Rashee Rice is done for the season, the Chiefs could have all their remaining wideouts ready to go soon.
DECEMBER 13: Brown is indeed set to practice today, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports. Activation in time for Week 15 could be in play as a result, although that would come as a surprise after very limited work in preparation for Kansas City’s upcoming game. Nevertheless, Brown should be back in the fold in time to see game action before the regular season ends.
DECEMBER 12: Marquise Brown has been cleared to practice, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, positioning the star wideout to get back on the field for the Chiefs after shoulder surgery on his SC joint in September put his season in doubt.
Reports of Brown’s potential to return this year initially emerged in November and intensified last week after the 27-year-old scheduled an appointment with his surgeon to receive final clearance to play. The appointment went well, according to Rapoport, setting up Brown to practice with his teammates for the first time in months.
Kansas City will still be cautious with Brown, who has dealt with several injuries in his football career dating back to his college days at Oklahoma. The team is expected to open Brown’s practice window on Friday or the following Monday. He will have 21 days to ramp up as the Chiefs figure out if he can contribute this season.
Brown’s return could be a massive boost for a Chiefs offense that ranks outside of the top six in passing yards for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era. However, Brown is not guaranteed to have a major impact, as he has yet to play a single regular-season snap in Kansas City. He signed a one-year, $7MM contract this offseason, but injured his shoulder in mid-August, minimizing his practice time in a new offense.
Even if Brown is able to play again this year, he won’t be asked to shoulder an especially heavy snap count or playmaking role. Trade deadline acquisition DeAndre Hopkins has settled in well in Kansas City, and first-round pick Xavier Worthy has topped 40 yards in each of his last four weeks after doing so just twice over his first nine games. Putting Brown and Worthy on the field together would give Mahomes one of the fastest receiver tandems in the NFL, which could potentially open up more room for Hopkins and Travis Kelce to operate over the middle.
Azeez Al-Shaair’s Suspension Voids 2025 Guaranteed Salary
Azeez Al-Shaair‘s hit on Trevor Lawrence may cost him a lot more than the three game checks he won’t receive while suspended.
Al-Shaair is already missing out on $338k as a result of his three-game suspension, and the impact in 2025 could be far greater. Language in his three-year, $34MM deal with the Texans voids the guarantee on his $9MM base salary next season if the linebacker is suspended for more than two games due to an “on-the-field football act,” per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
Al-Shaair’s suspension was upheld on appeal, voiding next year’s guarantees and giving Houston the option to release him after this season with cap savings of $9MM and a dead cap hit of $2.2MM in 2025.
However, Houston seems unlikely to take that path, especially after Texans general manager Nick Caserio backed his player and blasted the suspension as “embarrassing” last week. Al-Shaair remains in the team’s plans, per Jones, meaning that he should still be able to earn all $9MM of his 2025 base salary.
The Texans are not able to unilaterally reinstate the guarantees, even if they want to. They could try to leverage the situation into a contract renegotiation with Al-Shaair by offering him more guaranteed money in return for a pay cut, but doing so would risk ruining his relationship with the franchise.
Instead, Houston is most likely to keep Al-Shaair on the roster with his contract untouched, allowing him to collect his full $9MM salary next year to nullify the impact of the voided guarantees.
Panthers Activate Nick Scott From IR
The Panthers have swapped safeties on their roster, activating Nick Scott from injured reserve and waiving Jammie Robinson in a corresponding move, according to a team announcement.
Scott signed a one-year, $1.15MM contract with the Panthers in March and began the season playing primarily special teams. He took over as a starting safety after Jordan Fuller went down in Week 3 and played 100% of the team’s defensive snaps for the next four games. A hamstring injury in Week 7 forced Scott onto injured reserve, with undrafted rookie Demani Richardson filling in for two games before Fuller was activated from IR.
With Fuller back in the secondary alongside season-long starter Xavier Woods, Scott will likely return to a special teams-focused role with occasional appearances on defense as a third safety.
Robinson, meanwhile, will be available on waivers less than two years after being drafted by the Panthers in the fifth-round of the 2023 draft. He started two games at safety as a rookie, but played just 64 defensive snaps all season. His main duties were on special teams, a pattern that continued into 2024 with 97 special teams snaps and 11 on defense. Carolina will absorb dead cap hits of $82k in 2024 and $265k in 2025, per OverTheCap.
If a team claims Robinson off of waivers, they will owe him just over $200k for the rest of the season along with $2.175MM in non-guaranteed salary across 2025 and 2026. A team looking for special teams depth that sees Robinson as a potential multi-year contributor could put in a claim for his inexpensive contract.
Jets Place RB/KR Kene Nwangwu On IR
The Jets have placed Kene Nwangwu (broken hand) on injured reserve, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini, ending the 26-year-old return specialist’s season.
Nwangwu joined New York’s practice squad in September, but had to wait until Week 13 to receive his first game day elevation. He dazzled on special teams in his Jets debut with a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown and a forced fumble, earning him a promotion to the 53-man roster. Unfortunately, Nwangwu wasn’t able to capitalize on the opportunity with zero returns in Week 14 before breaking his hand.
The Jets still have 23-year-old wideout Xavier Gipson as their primary return specialist. Rookie running back Isaiah Davis can also handle return duties, so Nwangwu’s injury won’t dramatically alter New York’s plan on special teams.
Nwangwu has struggled to establish himself as a running back in the NFL, only managing 88 rushing yards on 33 attempts from 2021 to 2023 in Minnesota, where he was originally a fourth-round pick. He didn’t stand out as a pass-catcher, either, but emerged as an electric returner with 32.2 yards per return and two kickoff return touchdowns as a rookie. Nwangwu then led the NFL with 35 kickoff returns in 2022, earning second-team All-Pro honors, but his lack of offensive impact ultimately led to his release after the 2023 season.
The NFL’s new dynamic kickoff offered a new opportunity for Nwangwu in 2024. Though it took him 13 weeks to see the field, he made an impact right away. His kickoff return touchdown is one of six in the NFL this year, and it could lead to another chance at return duties in 2025 once he recovers from his broken hand.
Bengals’ Tee Higgins Changes Agents
DECEMBER 13: Rocky Arceneaux and Caitlin Aoki are now officially listed as Higgins’ agents, as noted by ESPN’s Ben Baby. Arceneaux is also Chase’s agent, so the developments which take place at the negotiating table on both fronts this offseason will have a notable common denominator.
DECEMBER 12: Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins has parted ways with his agent, David Mulugheta, according to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Higgins is currently playing on a $21.8MM franchise tag after failing to reach a long-term agreement with the Bengals during the offseason. The star wideout was not expected to remain in Cincinnati after this season, but his agent change and recent comments from Joe Burrow indicate that the tide could be turning.
Higgins’ situation resembles that of ex-Bengals safety Jessie Bates, another Mulugheta client. Bates ended up leaving Cincinnati after his tag year to sign a four-year, $64MM contract with the Falcons. Separating from Mulugheta could be an indication that Higgins is looking to stay with the Bengals instead of testing the open market this offseason.
Still, negotiations between Higgins and the Bengals still face multiple obstacles. The two sides were clearly far apart on their valuation during the offseason, and Higgins’ play this year has likely done little to bring them together together. Higgins has only appeared in eight games in 2024, but when healthy, he’s put up some of the best per-game averages of his career. The Bengals will point to his injuries over the last two seasons as their basis for a lower offer, while Higgins and his agent will argue that he’s avoided injured reserve and been able to produce whenever he is in the lineup.
Further complicating matters will be Ja’Marr Chase‘s expected mega-extension which is expected to equal or even surpass the $35MM annual value of Justin Jefferson‘s contract. Chase’s contract will impact the availability of both cash and cap space in Cincinnati, while another increase in the wide receiver market will lead to higher demands from Higgins.
Burrow’s recent comments have made one thing clear: the Bengals’ top three offensive players want to stay together. It’s easy to see why: their passing attack is one of the league’s best when all three are healthy. Cincinnati will have to get creative – or, just pony up a boatload of money – to keep the core of their offense intact for years to come.
Bill Belichick’s UNC Contract Details Emerge
Bill Belichick shocked the football world when he accepted a position as the head coach of the University of North Carolina’s football program.
As a state employee at a public university, Belichick’s contract is available in the public record, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. It includes $10MM per year – $1MM in base salary and $9MM in “supplemental income” – for a period of five years, the first three of which are guaranteed. That translates to a five-year, $50MM contract with $30MM guaranteed, a considerable drop from the $25MM per year Belichick was rumored to earn at the end of his tenure with the Patriots.
Belichick can also receive up to $3.5MM per year in bonuses tied to the Tar Heels’ regular season record, appearances and victories in the ACC Championship, bowl games, and the College Football Playoffs, and placement in the final CFP poll of the season. Bonus incentives also include Coach of the Year awards and the team’s academic performance.
The contract also includes a buyout that Belichick can exercise for $10MM, which drops to $1MM after June 1, 2025. That particular language is meant to dissuade the longtime NFL coach from returning to the pros during this offseason’s hiring cycle.
Belichick’s demands to join the Tar Heels also included additional funding for his staff, which is reflected in the deal. He will have $10MM for assistant coaches, $1MM for strength staff, $5.3MM for support staff (including a new general manager), and an additional $13MM as “revenue sharing,” per USA Today’s Steve Birkowitz.
Belichick also received a number of personal considerations in his contract, including $100k in annual expenses, membership at Chapel Hill Country Club, and the right to retain his “outside income opportunities.” That includes his appearances on the Manningcast and The Pat McAfee Show, per The News & Observer’s Andrew Carter. Not only will Belichick continue his presence in football media, he’ll now bring additional visibility to his new football program.
The contract reflects Belichick’s desire for complete, Patriots-like control over the Tar Heels’ football program, as well as North Carolina’s concern that Belichick could jump ship back to the NFL if the opportunity arises. He received little interest from the league this past offseason and was not expected to be a top candidate in 2025. Belichick could still attempt an NFL comeback after the 2025 season, but he will be 73 at that point. A return to the NFL at that age would be unprecedented; the oldest hire in history was Bruce Arians at 66 years old in 2019, and Andy Reid is the oldest current coach at the same age.
For now, Belichick seems focused on his new job at the school where his father once coached. He will look to forge a new legacy at North Carolina and cement his status as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/12/24
Here are the latest practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR Jakeem Grant
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: OT Braeden Daniels
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/24
Here are the latest moves from around the NFL:
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated from practice squad: CB Charles Woods
San Francisco 49ers
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Elevated from practice squad: RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Designated for return from injured reserve: WR Kameron Johnson