Pro Football Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 12/12/25
Pro Football Rumors' Sam Robinson will be holding a live chat at 2pm Central today, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!
Raiders To Start Kenny Pickett In Week 15
DECEMBER 12: Pickett will start on Sunday, Carroll announced (via Rapoport).
DECEMBER 10: Geno Smith‘s Raiders debut has not gone as expected, something that could be applied to the Las Vegas situation as a whole. The Smith-Pete Carroll floor-raising hopes are dashed, and the Super Bowl-winning HC is in danger of being a one-and-done — for a franchise that has failed to find stability this decade.
The Raiders lost Smith to a shoulder injury in Week 14, a loss to the Broncos, and the well-paid starter is not expected to return to face the Eagles in Week 15. Kenny Pickett is on track to start against one of his former teams, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes. This injury comes weeks after Smith suffered a quad contusion; the latter ailment did not force him to miss any starts.
Philadelphia traded Pickett after one season, marking the second of the former first-rounder’s three trade transactions to occur since March 2024. Philly sent Pickett to Cleveland this past March, leading to rumblings he would be the favorite to start for the Browns to open the season. A significant hamstring injury sidetracked any Pickett-QB1 hopes in Cleveland, and the Browns dealt him to the Raiders — who were looking for an Aidan O’Connell injury replacement — just before the season.
Although O’Connell is back off IR, the Raiders turned to Pickett to replace Smith on Sunday. Pickett threw a touchdown pass in garbage time, completing 8 of 11 passes for 97 yards. The Eagles installed the ex-Steeler draftee as their backup last season, acquiring him in a trade package headlined by a third-round pick, but decided Tanner McKee was ready to move up this offseason. Pickett facing a reeling Philly squad would certainly be interesting given both sides’ familiarity, though the Raiders’ current form makes them heavy underdogs regardless of QB.
Who the Raiders start in Week 15 is obviously less significant than their post-2025 plans, given their 2-11 record. Smith’s extension stood to buy the team some time in its quest for a true answer at QB. The team did not want Sam Darnold and joined the Giants in striking out on Matthew Stafford. One of the QB-needy teams to pass on Shedeur Sanders, the Raiders still profile as a team interested in a first-round addition here.
Smith’s two-year, $75MM extension runs through 2027 and carries $18.5MM in guaranteed salary for 2026. That would be the only dead money the Raiders would need to eat in the event of a release. Smith’s form this season certainly makes his Vegas future unstable, particularly if Carroll is out after one year.
Smith, 35, angled for a Seahawks extension and declined an offer similar in value to Darnold’s three-year, $100.5MM deal. He expected to be a Raider after Carroll was hired but has struggled for most of the season. Smith’s 14 interceptions lead the league, and only Cam Ward sits behind him (among 31 qualified passers) in QBR.
A return to the backup level may well be in the cards — via a Raiders demotion after a first-round investment or elsewhere — for 2026. For now, it will be interesting to see if Smith reclaims his job. Carroll has backed his former Seattle pupil this year, but concern about Smith’s form emerged as early as October. What is clear is the Raiders, who had Derek Carr in place as QB1 for nine seasons, will be looking hard at QBs for a fourth straight offseason.
Philip Rivers Addresses Colts Return; Latest On Riley Leonard
Philip Rivers has not played since a narrow Colts wild-card loss to the Bills in January 2021. That ended a one-and-done stint with Indianapolis, and Rivers’ retirement accelerated the franchise’s post-Andrew Luck quarterback carousel. Somehow, Rivers is coming back to the Colts after nearly five years away, being signed to the team’s practice squad following a workout.
Despite the QB’s absence, the Colts have a high number of players (14) still around from his 2020 season in town. The Colts have hung onto the core of their team despite having missed every playoff bracket since Rivers’ first stint ended, but Daniel Jones‘ Achilles tear deals what could be a crippling blow to that nucleus’ chances of playing in another postseason game. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the Colts a 26% chance to make the playoffs. They have gone to a historically interesting place to increase those odds.
[RELATED: Anthony Richardson Uncertain To Return From IR This Season]
Following Jones’ injury, Rivers — who turned 44 on Monday — said he wondered if Shane Steichen would call on him in this emergency circumstance. Steichen, who is four years younger than the Colts’ most recent QB signing, was with the Chargers from 2014-20. This involved a four-year overlap as QBs coach and part of the 2019 season as the Bolts’ interim OC. Rivers being close with Steichen and GM Chris Ballard, who is still in place from when he played on a one-year, $25MM deal, helped make this improbable return happen.
Steichen called Rivers on Sunday to discuss a comeback. This was not the first time Rivers was contacted about a comeback. As our Ben Levine reminded Monday, the 49ers would have started him in Super Bowl LVII had they made it past the favored Eagles following Brock Purdy‘s UCL tear.
Kyle Shanahan confirmed Wednesday (via the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman) he talked with Rivers after Jimmy Garoppolo‘s December 2022 foot fracture, but the coach mentioned the team felt good about Purdy — then a rookie, the 2022 Mr. Irrelevant draftee — so it stood down on a signing. Had San Francisco made the Super Bowl that year, though, Rivers would have started. A Saints 2021 comeback also floated as a possibility, as Jameis Winston had torn an ACL.
Those overtures made a bit more sense than this one, since Rivers has been out of the game so long. The 2004 draftee said (via ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder) he discussed the comeback with his wife and a few associates before deciding to give it a try.
“[Football] is a game I love to play, a game that I thought I was done playing. Certainly, I wasn’t really hanging on to any hope of playing again,” Rivers said. “I kind of thought that ship had sailed. But something about it excited me. And it’s kind of one of those deals; the door opens and you can either walk through it and find out if you can do it or run from it.”
While not a Hall of Fame lock, Rivers is in his first year of eligibility; he was named a semifinalist for the 2026 class recently. This reemergence will delay his potential induction by at least five years. Drew Brees, the quarterback Rivers replaced in San Diego, will undoubtedly be enshrined this year after retiring in January 2021.
“I’d not given any thought of actually playing again until about 48 hours ago, to be honest with you, but this wasn’t just any place or any coach. It’s not like, ‘Oh, shoot, I’ll see what happens in the league and see if I can get ready,’” Rivers said, via the Indianapolis Star’s Nathan Brown. “The Hall of Fame is a real honor. To be mentioned with those other 25 guys, but I’m not holding my breath on that.
“And I hadn’t been counting down the years, with all respect to the Hall. If one day I can be part of that group, it would be special – no doubt about it. But the extension of that time, if that comes to be, is not a factor in my decision.”
This Rivers comeback even surpasses the duration of ex-starter Steve DeBerg‘s in the 1990s; DeBerg had retired following the 1993 season, only to be asked back for a 1998 return — also at age 44. DeBerg, however, served as Chris Chandler‘s Falcons backup that year. He made one start — against the Bill Parcells– and Bill Belichick-coached Jets — that ended with a 28-3 Jets win. Rivers’ reemergence is obviously a higher-profile transaction, and Steichen confirmed it could mean a Week 15 starting assignment against a 10-3 Seahawks team.
Steichen did not slam the door on Rivers playing even if Riley Leonard is healthy enough to go. Leonard, who suffered a PCL sprain upon relieving Jones, practiced fully today, but Holder points to Rivers being the more likely Indy starter against a high-end Seattle defense.
Rivers has considerable familiarity with Steichen’s offense, right down to using a version of it at St. Michael Catholic High (Fairhope, Ala.). That influenced his decision to return, and the six-year overlap with Steichen in San Diego and Los Angeles is poised to give the third-year Indianapolis HC a memorable decision.
Rivers is an eight-time Pro Bowler who led the Colts to an 11-5 season under Frank Reich, throwing 24 touchdown passes compared to 11 interceptions. After a down 2019, that 2020 season may play a key role in Rivers’ Hall of Fame case. It is highly unlikely this 2025 cameo will, but it certainly promises to be among the most memorable comebacks in NFL history.
“I’m not here to stinking save the year or be a hero by any means,” Rivers said, via Yahoo’s Jori Epstein. “We got to stinking run the crap out of the football and play defense and do all those things. So if that comes to be, and I’m the one that’s out there, I’m not here to try to save the day. I’m going to know where I’m limited. And as we go, it will get better, if that’s the route we end up going.”
NFL To Adjust First-Round Time Limit For 2026 Draft
The NFL draft has gone through numerous changes throughout its 90-year history. Another will adjust how much time teams have to make picks come April.
Rather than the usual 10-minute time limit for teams to make their first-round selections, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports there will be an eight-minute limit in 2026. This is being framed as a TV-geared adjustment, as last year’s first round ended at around 11:45pm on the east coast. Teams were on board with the change, per Schefter. Roger Goodell had mentioned this as a possibility in April.
This represents a second notable trim in pick time for teams’ top selections. In 2009, the league reduced teams’ time on the clock in Round 1 from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. That change came about because the league tried a two-day setup in which the first and second rounds unfolded on the draft’s first day and then Rounds 3-7 commenced on Day 2.
Even the 15-minute period brought memorable hiccups, as the 2003 draft showed when the Vikings missed their first-round pick. The Jaguars and Panthers jumped them in line, though Minnesota regrouped and chose tackle Bryant McKinnie at No. 9 following the snafu. In 2011, the Ravens — who had been negotiating a trade with the Bears — missed their first-round pick, which went to the Chiefs after Baltimore’s 10-minute clock expired. The Ravens ended up OK after that, drafting long-serving cornerback Jimmy Smith one pick later (No. 27).
This change to eight minutes will truncate teams’ time to pull off trades. Although trade parameters are regularly worked out before draft night — with some being agreed to before a team goes on the clock — they only represent framework due to clubs not knowing if coveted players will actually be on the board at the time their pick goes live. As more intel on teams’ processes while on the clock surfaces each year, it will be interesting to know if the new time limit will make an impact.
This change is less significant than the 15-minute to 10-minute switch 16 years ago, and the 2010 draft broke up the format for TV purposes by dividing the draft into a three-day event — rather than the two-day run that had been in place for many years. The draft has also seen its place on the calendar fluctuate, with the event not settling into its April slot until 1976. It had previously been held in January and then during the season in prior years.
Lions Open G Christian Mahogany’s Practice Window
Left guards are beginning to dominate our late-afternoon coverage window. In addition to Broncos LG Ben Powers returning to practice amid a lengthy IR stay, the Lions will see their starting option do the same.
Christian Mahogany is back at practice, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson noting the first-year starter is in the IR-return window. Like Powers in Denver, Detroit will have three weeks to activate Mahogany or lose him to season-ending IR.
Unlike Powers, Mahogany has only missed five games. The second-year blocker started the first eight Lions contests before going down with a knee injury. This will certainly be welcome news for a Detroit team in the thick of the wild-card race — and one that just saw Frank Ragnow‘s comeback attempt fall by the wayside.
Detroit has used Kayode Awosika, who has been with the team as a backup since 2022, as Mahogany’s replacement. Mahogany resided as a backup last season, with the Lions rostering Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler. Prior to Ragnow’s retirement, Zeitler defected to the Titans in free agency. Pro Football Focus has graded Mahogany fairly well in his first real go-round as a starter, ranking him 31st among guards this season. PFF slots Awosika 47th, which is still passable since 80 guards qualify as regulars this season.
This is not exactly good news on the level of Ragnow’s surprise unretirement, but after a hamstring injury surfaced during his physical, no such effort will take place this season. That scenario would have given the Lions an option of sliding center Graham Glasgow to guard, where he has extensive experience. Now, Glasgow will stay put as Mahogany readies to return.
The Lions also claimed defensive back Jalen Mills off waivers from the Texans, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. To make room on the 53-man roster, Detroit waived tight end Hayden Rucci. A 92-game starter during a career that has included extensive time at both safety and cornerback, Mills has played in four games (starting one) this season. Houston waived him Tuesday.
Mills, 31, has not played regularly at corner since 2022. Making a successful transition to safety, Mills has still seen regular time in the slot over the past three seasons — spent with the Patriots, Jets and Texans. Houston signed Mills to a one-year, $1.26MM deal; Detroit will be responsible for just less than $300K.
This comes after Brian Branch suffered an Achilles tear in Week 14; the standout defender already underwent surgery. Kerby Joseph has not played since Week 6, leaving the Lions in a tough spot. They are also down Terrion Arnold for the season. Joseph is aiming to return before season’s end.
Broncos Designate G Ben Powers For Return
Reeling off 10 straight victories, the Broncos have used a strong offensive line to help assemble this win streak. They have missed one member of that front for most of the season, but the unit appears close to being at full strength again.
Denver designated Ben Powers for return Wednesday, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. Powers has been the team’s left guard starter since his 2023 free agent signing. He is the only Denver regular up front to miss notable time this season.
A biceps injury sidelined Powers following the Broncos’ Week 5 win in Philadelphia. The team has used two replacement options. Matt Peart went down after one game in Powers’ place, with that injury giving way to Alex Palczewski. The former UDFA has started seven games at LG, shifting away from his role as the Broncos’ sixth O-lineman. Denver could restore its preferred six-OL package once Powers returns.
The Broncos made Powers a priority as a 2023 free agent, giving him a four-year deal worth $52MM. That contract, agreed to shortly before the Broncos signed right tackle Mike McGlinchey, included $27MM guaranteed at signing. The former Raven has validated the Broncos’ faith, starting 34 games from 2023-24.
ESPN’s run block win rate metric graded Powers as league’s best interior run blocker — after placing him seventh among guards and centers in 2023 — and he helped J.K. Dobbins to a hot start this season. The Broncos, though, have been forced to get by without Powers and Dobbins as of late. However, the team has continued to motor along — albeit with questions about its offense — in running its record to 11-2.
Powers’ status beyond this season is worth following, as the Broncos recently extended center Luke Wattenberg on a four-year deal worth $48MM. This gives Denver’s O-line five starters earning at least $12MM per year. O-lines are almost never constructed this way, inviting speculation about Powers’ future due to the cap savings that would come in a contract-year release. The Broncos would save $8.65MM by cutting Powers in 2026 ($13MM with a post-June 1 designation), and considering teams’ need for quality O-linemen, a trade would not be out of the question. Powers’ $18.4MM cap number trails only McGlinchey’s $23.8MM number on the Broncos’ 2026 payroll.
Then again, Pro Football Focus ranks Palczewski 63rd out of 80 qualified guards this season. The team also has Russell Wilson‘s dead money coming off the books, at long last, after this season. Next year represents a pivotal opportunity as a result, with Bo Nix tied to his rookie deal for at least one more season. Denver keeping Powers in an ultra-rare setup featuring five eight-figure-AAV O-linemen would be interesting. For now, it appears the 29-year-old blocker is on his way back to help a Denver Super Bowl push — one that could become an audition for guard-needy teams.
Broncos’ Vance Joseph Viewed As Strong HC Candidate; Davis Webb’s Stock Rising?
Buzz about Vance Joseph receiving a second chance in a head coaching role continues, as the Broncos ride a 10-game win streak into Week 15. Denver’s defense has powered this run, and Joseph stands to benefit soon.
Although Joseph scored interviews this past offseason, helming a top-tier defense for a second straight year makes him a superior candidate this time around. Teams are also looking at coaches with HC backgrounds during this cycle, and even though Joseph’s two-year Denver HC stay did not go well, his background plus a seven-year run as a DC (with the Cardinals and Broncos) since bodes well for his candidacy, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano.
Joseph went 11-21 with the Broncos from 2017-18, but he did not exactly draw good cards at quarterback. Hired over Kyle Shanahan in 2017, Joseph oversaw a QB situation that toggled between Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch in 2017 before leading a team that signed Case Keenum in 2018. Siemian, Osweiler and Keenum have been better known as backups, while Lynch became one of this century’s biggest quarterback busts. This situation sunk Joseph, who coaxed above-average play from a defense still housing holdovers from Denver’s Super Bowl 50 lineup.
The first-time HC also did not have full autonomy over his staff at the time, according to Graziano. Then-GM John Elway was involved here as well. Joseph’s second Broncos roster was also 6-6, but it lost Chris Harris and Emmanuel Sanders late that year to help key a four-game, season-closing skid ahead of another HC change. Joseph rebounded in Arizona but has done his best coordinator work in Denver, where the team ranks fourth in scoring defense (after finishing third last year).
Joseph remains well-liked in Miami, where he was a one-year DC — before being hired as Broncos HC — according to Fowler. The Raiders interviewed Joseph this past year, and Graziano adds he could be a candidate in Las Vegas again. The Raiders have memorably hired two Denver DCs — Dennis Allen, Jack Del Rio — as HCs over the past 15 years.
As we covered in a Trade Rumors Front Office post last month, DCs could dominate this year’s hiring cycle. Joseph joins Chris Shula (Rams), Jeff Hafley (Packers), Robert Saleh and Jesse Minter (Chargers) as surefire candidates, while Fowler adds Seahawks DC Aden Durde, Jaguars DC Anthony Campanile and Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver are on the radar as well.
With offensive coaches still the quickest way to success and quarterback stability, teams will undoubtedly search for candidates on that front. That will ensure a few of these DCs stay put, but others in this lot will likely land jobs. Joseph, 53, and Saleh having previous HC experience also separates them from this batch of defensive play-callers.
Additionally, Broncos QBs coach Davis Webb looks to be a rising commodity within the coaching community. The third-year Denver QBs coach is viewed as “strong candidate,” per Graziano, presumably alluding to his OC prospects. Just 30, Webb has helped the Broncos since arriving after Russell Wilson‘s disastrous 2022 season. Wilson improved under Webb, Sean Payton and OC Joe Lombardi in 2023, and Bo Nix‘s success has surprised many — even if 2025 has brought inconsistency.
Webb could be a candidate to follow Joseph as OC, Graziano adds. The former reserve QB having experience in the Giants organization could bode well for him here, as they again search for stable leadership. Joseph and Webb leaving would represent a blow for a Broncos team that has completed a turnaround under Payton, and the Denver staff will be one to closely monitor when the hiring period begins next month.
Buccaneers Activate WRs Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan From IR
The Buccaneers have been shorthanded at wide receiver all season, with Jalen McMillan going down during preseason play. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have also missed significant chunks of the year, but Tampa Bay may finally have its deep wideout arsenal back in Week 15.
Evans and McMillan are coming off IR today, the team announced. While it is not a lock either will play in Week 15, this is a good sign one or both will be ready for the Bucs’ Thursday-night matchup with the Falcons. Todd Bowles said (via the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud) the duo could return for this game. Activations from IR certainly point to it.
Although the Bucs have seen injuries on offense play a big role in their season, Tampa Bay entered Week 15 in great shape in terms of injury activations. They had only used one (on right tackle Luke Goedeke) leading up to the Evans and McMillan moves. The team still has five activations to cover the rest of the regular season.
Evans has been down with a broken clavicle since Week 4. A December return emerged as the future Hall of Famer’s target window, and he has been pushing to play this week. Evans has yet to log a full practice since being designated for return, but he he has now gone through six limited sessions ahead of this Atlanta game. The Bucs have also seen their offense slow after a first-half surge.
While Evans would undoubtedly benefit from the mini-bye set to follow this Thursday assignment, the Bucs could certainly use him now. Bowles said (via Fox Sports’ Greg Auman) Evans has shown what he has needed to show, pointing to a Week 15 reemergence.
This season brought the longest absence of Evans’ career, and it will end his record-setting streak of 1,000-yard seasons at 11. The Bucs’ No. 1 wide receiver since before Jameis Winston‘s arrival, Evans has been one of the most consistent players in NFL history. He may never have threatened to be the NFL’s best receiver during his 12-year career, but the former top-10 pick has been ultra-reliable as Winston, Tom Brady and Mayfield have stopped through Tampa.
Evans’ presence helped Brady elevate the team to a championship, and it played a pivotal role in Mayfield’s resurgence. The Bucs are suddenly in a fight for the NFC South crown with the Panthers, so having their 6-foot-5 weapon back represents a key variable in this duel.
McMillan has been down since suffering a neck fracture during a preseason game. Initially referred to as a “severely strained neck,” McMillan’s injury injected obvious concern about his status after a productive rookie year. But the Bucs are close to having the 2024 third-round pick back, creating an interesting setup for Mayfield as the team attempts to end the lull that has defined a chunk of its season. The Bucs have fallen to 7-6, but two games against the Panthers loom to potentially repair the damage.
Last year, McMillan finished with 37 catches for 461 yards and eight touchdowns. Seven of those eight scores came in Tampa Bay’s final five games, as McMillan filled in for Godwin as Evans’ top sidekick. Despite having McMillan healthy (at the time) and re-signing Godwin to a three-year, $66MM deal, the Bucs drafted Emeka Egbuka at No. 19.
As other teams circled, Tampa Bay made one of the more surprising picks of this draft by adding a standout talent to a solid receiving corps. Egbuka has not disappointed, catching 54 balls for 806 yards and six TDs. He has slowed down over the past month, however, not topping 45 yards in a game in that span.
Egbuka will likely not see his role change much (if at all) with Evans and McMillan returning. But the Ohio State product has needed to shoulder plenty in the Bucs’ passing game due to the receiver injuries, which also included ankle and fibula issues for Godwin. The longtime Evans sidekick is finally rounding back into form, though, after missing nine games. The Bucs are close to having their optimal top quartet available, and we should see the offense Jason Licht and Co. envisioned this offseason when Evans and McMillan make long-awaited comebacks.
DeMeco Ryans, Deshaun Watson Trade Fuel Texans’ Defensive Ascent
This year's AFC has presented one of the stranger collections of contenders in the conference's history. After the Chiefs, Bills and Ravens -- with some memorable Bengals involvement -- controlled Super Bowl paths since Tom Brady's last stand in New England, the Patriots and Broncos' two-loss ledgers ruling the day remains odd. The 2025 Bills have glaring weaknesses, and the Chiefs' close-game mojo has faded. The Ravens are far from certain to be part of this season's seven-team field.
As Kansas City and Baltimore struggle to stay afloat and Buffalo faces the prospect of needing its road whites for the wild-card round for the first time since 2019, the other constant from the past two divisional-round weekends is surging. The Texans started 0-3; this Houston edition is attempting to become the first 0-3 team to book a playoff berth since the franchise's 2018 squad did so.
Plenty went down between the Deshaun Watson-directed efforts in the late 2010s and DeMeco Ryans' arrival, as the team reminded of the Astros as a Houston club bottoming out before reemerging with a trove of assets. While the now-controversial MLB team capitalized on a then-lottery-less draft system to nab prime draft picks, the Texans did the same and cashed in Watson for a historic bounty. This two-front effort helped the Texans recover from a rough ending to Bill O'Brien's short but memorable HC/GM overlap.
This Texans iteration sits 7-5, having won four straight -- three of which without C.J. Stroud -- and has moved to within a game of the AFC South lead. Although the Jaguars and Colts sit 8-4, the Texans' snarling defense represents a tool the Jaguars lack. The Texans beating the high-powered Colts offense in Indianapolis brought a strength-on-strength triumph for the resurgent visitors. With the Texans leading the NFL in scoring defense, yards allowed and EPA per play -- ahead of a pivotal game against the Chiefs -- it is a good time to examine how this unit came to be.
Pro Football Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 12/5/25
Pro Football Rumors' Sam Robinson will be holding a live chat at 3pm Central today, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!