Aaron Rodgers Expects To Play Beyond 2024
The Jets have one more day to activate Aaron Rodgers from injured reserve. With the team officially out of playoff contention and Rodgers having torn an Achilles tendon barely three months ago, a comeback always seemed unrealistic.
After multiple reports placed the future Hall of Famer returning this season as unlikely, Rodgers confirmed he does not expect medical clearance this season. Rodgers said during his latest Pat McAfee Show appearance he would still be pushing the Jets to play had he been 100% (h/t NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport), but even after the speed-bridge surgery he underwent, the 40-year-old passer does not view himself as fully healthy.
That said, the Jets can still expect the recent trade acquisition to be back in 2024. Not only does Rodgers — who was close to retirement before the trade — expect to be back next season, the 19th-year veteran said he does not anticipate the ’24 campaign being his last. Rodgers hinted at playing beyond his 20th season this summer, but he had taken a year-to-year approach in his final seasons with the Packers.
Rodgers reaffirmed Tuesday he wanted to play two seasons with the Jets. One of those seasons would officially be in the books once the ex-Packers great reverts to season-ending IR on Wednesday, but he now views 2023 as a lost season (via Cimini) that will not count in this evolving equation. Hence Rodgers now wanting to play through the 2025 slate.
More pertinent for the Jets’ plans regarding their power structure, Rodgers said he believes in the Joe Douglas–Robert Saleh–Nathaniel Hackett trio. Referring to Saleh as a “fantastic” coach (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini), Rodgers has delivered what is expected to be a pivotal endorsement of a leader who will finish with a third straight sub-.500 season in New York. Jets ownership, however, has been viewed as being fine with writing off this season due to Rodgers’ injury and giving Saleh another shot.
Rodgers’ proclamations could represent great news for a coaching staff that has been unable to generate consistency — particularly on offense, where the Jets have submitted a historically woeful effort — following their quarterback’s season-defining injury. Not many modern-era HCs have been given a chance to return after starting a tenure 0-for-3 in winning seasons, but it is looking like the Jets will lean on Rodgers’ views here and stay the course. Saleh and Douglas would certainly enter the 2024 season on hot seats, while Hackett will be coming off two dreadful seasons as a primary play-caller. But the superstar QB’s injury is pointing to a mulligan.
In reworking Rodgers’ contract this offseason, the Jets convinced the four-time MVP to take a pay cut. Rodgers agreed to an unprecedented reduction in guaranteed money — from nearly $110MM to $75MM — through the 2024 season, and his ’23 campaign ended abruptly. No guaranteed money remains on this adjusted contract in 2025, but Rodgers is due a $35MM option bonus at that point. While the Jets will want to see how their high-profile pickup performs in 2024 after this late-career injury, their run of QB issues would not exactly point to nixing a Rodgers 2025 return.
One of the players to have rejoined Rodgers after a Green Bay stay, Allen Lazard said recently (via Cimini) Zach Wilson looks to understand he only has a few weeks left with the team. The Jets have been considered likely to separate from the disappointing No. 2 overall pick in 2024, but despite a number of benchings over the past two years, the team is hoping Rodgers’ backup can start the rest of this season. The Jets would take on an $11MM-plus dead-money hit by moving Wilson off the roster in 2024, but given his role in this disastrous season, it certainly looks like the team is finally ready to cut bait. Wilson presently resides in concussion protocol, but Saleh confirmed he will start in Week 16 if cleared.
Wilson appears to be on his way out of New York, but Rodgers endorsing the team’s GM-HC-OC trio may well lead to it remaining in place. Hackett will be attempting to come off one of the modern NFL’s worst HC stays (in Denver last year), though Rodgers has long endorsed the former Packers non-play-calling OC. Douglas is now the GM overseeing the longest active playoff drought in major North American sports. Douglas was obviously not in town for the Jets’ entire drought, but he has been in place since 2019.
Bears Leaning Toward Drafting QB, Trading Justin Fields?
A host of GMs said last week the Bears’ decision between signing up for another year of Justin Fields or trading their current starter and committing to a quarterback at No. 1 overall would not be especially difficult. No proclamations have emerged for Chicago yet, but signs are pointing toward the rebuilding team starting over at QB.
If the Panthers close out the season in the NFL’s basement to secure the Bears the No. 1 overall pick, ProFootballNetwork.com’s Adam Caplan indicates Chicago will not be expected to pass on Caleb Williams. Viewed by most as the top available quarterback in the 2024 prospect pool (despite not having declared yet), Williams will be the favorite to go first overall in April.
This report checks in as another checkmark in the “trade Fields, draft his replacement” column. Prior to Fields returning from his thumb injury and beginning what amounted to a seven-game audition, the Bears were believed to be leaning in this direction. Then again, an ensuing report pointed to the team still having enough belief in the Ryan Pace-era investment it would take an impressive prospect to convince GM Ryan Poles to bail on his current QB. Williams may end up being that, and Poles passing on a QB at No. 1 overall in two straight years is a bit difficult to envision.
Two NFL execs view Williams as a player who would have been chosen in front of Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud in this year’s draft, with one of those staffers (via SI.com’s Albert Breer) indicating only Trevor Lawrence has been a better QB prospect than the USC talent over the past three drafts. While the latest Lincoln Riley-developed QB prospect did not match his Heisman-winning sophomore year, he is still viewed as a top-tier prospect. For a Bears regime that did not draft Fields, it will be tempting to retool around a rookie with a higher ceiling.
The Bears would need to make a call on Fields’ fifth-year option by May, but if they are to trade the 2021 first-rounder, it will be another team’s responsibility to exercise the option. The Jets proceeded this way in 2021, trading Sam Darnold to the Panthers, who promptly picked up his fifth-year option. Williams coming to the Windy City would give the team three more years of cost certainty at the position. With the Bears still rebuilding under Poles, it would certainly make sense for the team to reboot to allow for additional roster bolstering around a rookie contract.
Fields has shown flashes of high-end talent, though much of the Ohio State alum’s appeal comes from his historic gifts in the run game. Fields made a run at Lamar Jackson‘s single-season QB rushing record last year but showed clear flaws as a passer. The Bears’ attempt to equip Fields with more help led to the D.J. Moore trade, which gave the Panthers this year’s top pick. QBR still ranks Fields in the bottom quartile, slotting him 23rd out of 29 qualified passers this season. The dual-threat QB has raised his completion percentage slightly from 2022 (to 61.4%), but it has come with a lower yards per attempt (6.7, which also ranks 23rd in the NFL).
Moving parts still exist here. Neither Poles nor HC Matt Eberflus are locks to return in 2024, though the former is a better bet to stay in place, with new president Kevin Warren wielding influence now. Williams is expected to declare soon, but that is not official. The Panthers also must close out the season in the top draft slot; the Patriots and Cardinals are now just one game back, at 3-11 apiece. It is also possible Drake Maye impresses during the pre-draft process — to the point he leapfrogs Williams — but the former Oklahoma recruit has resided in pole position for months.
Lions Waive Riley Patterson, Activate Hendon Hooker From Reserve/NFI List
In his second stint with the Lions, Riley Patterson served as the team’s kicker for 13 games this season. The offseason trade acquisition made more than 88% of his field goal attempts, but the Lions are still moving on once again.
The Lions waived Patterson on Tuesday. This clears the path for Michael Badgley to take over. An internal competition will lead to Detroit making a full-on change. Dan Campbell said Patterson and Badgley had vied for the job over the past several weeks in practice. Despite Patterson remaining on Detroit’s active roster throughout this period, the Lions elevated Badgley to kick against the Broncos.
The job is now Badgley’s for good. Badgley operated as the Lions’ kicker to close last season. The team, however, swapped future seventh-round picks with the Jaguars to reacquire Patterson — a Lions kicker for seven games in 2021 — following Jacksonville’s Brandon McManus signing. Patterson now returns to the waiver wire.
Additionally, the Lions made the move to activate Hendon Hooker from their reserve/NFI list. Hooker suffered a torn ACL last November; the injury affected the Tennessee standout’s draft prospects. The Lions selected Hooker early in the third round but parked him on the NFI list. Tuesday’s activation will prevent Hooker’s rookie contract from tolling to 2027.
The Lions made the Patterson trade in May. Following a chain reaction that began with Sean Payton cutting McManus after a nine-season Broncos run, the Jags had discussed a trade with the Cowboys involving Patterson. But the Lions ended up sending a 2026 draft choice to reacquire the third-year specialist. The team used Badgley in 12 games last season and re-signed him on a practice squad deal after the Titans released him in August. Evidently impressive Badgley practice work will lead to the NFC North leaders shaking up their kicker situation.
Patterson has only attempted four field goals from beyond 40 yards this season; he is 3 of 4 on those kicks. Badgley was 9-for-11 from 40-49 yards last year and 2-for-3 from beyond 50. Patterson missed two PATs this season; Badgley did not miss an extra point last year with the Lions and was 6-for-6 in the team’s win over the Broncos on Saturday night.
This does mark an interesting switch for the Lions, who are on the verge of clinching their first division title in 30 years. The team initially cut Patterson to close out training camp in August 2022. Patterson ended up kicking throughout last season in Jacksonville. After the Lions went with Austin Seibert to start last season, they signed Badgley in early October. Badgley, 28, re-signed with Detroit in March but has been with three teams in 2023. Weeks after the Patterson trade, the Lions released Badgley, whom the Commanders and Titans subsequently cut. This complicated journey will lead him back into a role as the Lions’ primary kicker.
Hooker’s role suddenly looks clearer. The Lions are using Teddy Bridgewater as their backup quarterback this season, but the 31-year-old veteran is tied to a one-year contract. Bridgewater also announced over the weekend he plans to retire following the season. With Bridgewater planning to become a high school coach, the Lions have Hooker penciled in as Goff’s long-term backup.
The Lions have been cautious with Hooker, keeping him on the NFI list well into November and using his full activation window before moving him to the 53-man roster. Detroit now has three QBs on its 53-man roster and a fourth (David Blough) on its practice squad.
Dolphins Waive OLB Jason Pierre-Paul, Activate RB Chris Brooks From IR
Jason Pierre-Paul‘s stay with his hometown team may end up being short-lived. Not long after signing Pierre-Paul off the Saints’ practice squad, the Dolphins waived him.
This move will send the veteran edge rusher to the waiver wire. While Pierre-Paul would be eligible to land on Miami’s practice squad if he clears waivers, the Dolphins brought back Melvin Ingram last week. JPP’s two-game stay included just five defensive snaps; he logged 17 during his one game as a Saint.
Pierre-Paul’s exit clears a roster spot for running back Chris Brooks, whom the Dolphins activated from IR on Tuesday. A rookie UDFA, Brooks has worked as a backup this season. He has logged 15 carries while playing on special teams. The Dolphins now only have one IR activation remaining. Brooks’ return may lead to Salvon Ahmed ending the season on IR, as the Dolphins recently placed starting linebacker Jerome Baker on IR with an MCL injury.
Because the Dolphins signed JPP off the Saints’ P-squad, they needed to keep him on their active roster for three weeks. Tuesday marks the three-week point. Considering Miami cut bait when first permitted to do so does not exactly point to the accomplished veteran being in the team’s plans, but we will see how the AFC East leaders proceed if he clears waivers.
Pierre-Paul, 34, angled to sign with a contender. It took the two-time Super Bowl starter until November to score a deal, with the Saints extending an opportunity. Pierre-Paul now joins ex-Ravens teammate Justin Houston on the waiver wire. While Houston fared better last season by leading Baltimore with 9.5 sacks, Pierre-Paul started over him. Despite signing the former first-rounder in-season, the Ravens used him as a 13-game starter. JPP only totaled three sacks in 2022, however, and has not eclipsed that number since the Buccaneers’ 2020 Super Bowl-winning campaign.
The Dolphins have been active in pursuing help at this position in recent weeks. The Jaelan Phillips Achilles tear provided a costly setback for a team that has seen extensive injuries impact its offensive and defensive lines. Miami, however, still has Bradley Chubb, Andrew Van Ginkel, Emmanuel Ogbah and second-year player Cameron Goode on its 53-man roster. It would seem Ingram’s return to Miami’s active roster is imminent. The former Pro Bowler tallied six sacks as a Dolphins rotational rusher last season.
Panthers To Waive OLB Justin Houston
Teams in need of edge-rushing help suddenly will have a new option to consider. The Panthers are cutting bait on their one-year Justin Houston contract.
Houston will hit waivers today, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. The 13th-year veteran, who had been stationed on a 2-12 team, wants to keep playing this season — but only for a contender. The Panthers have confirmed the move, which will end Houston’s Carolina tenure after just seven games on the active roster.
While Houston could conceivably clear waivers like Shaquille Leonard and Zach Ertz did, a higher likelihood exists here he will be claimed. Due to contract structure, Houston is only due $194K over the season’s remainder, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The 34-year-old defender signed a one-year, $6MM deal with Carolina late this summer. But $4.8MM of that sum came in the form of a signing bonus. Due to void years, the Panthers will be hit with approximately $4MM in dead money by releasing the former Chiefs, Colts and Ravens pass rusher.
Like Ertz, Houston is being removed from his team’s IR list. The Panthers placed Houston on IR in early November. He has not played since Carolina’s Oct. 29 game against the Texans. Houston also only has a half-sack this season. A hamstring issue sidelined the four-time Pro Bowler, but it is clear he expects to be ready to play again this season.
Last season, Houston ripped off 9.5 sacks to lead a playoff-bound Ravens team in that department. Although the Ravens entered training camp with more edge rusher questions, they let the veteran sign elsewhere. The Ravens have seen late additions Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy fare well for a rejuvenated pass rush. The Bears also considered Houston this offseason, but they traded for Montez Sweat and gave him a big-ticket extension. With Chicago not in the playoff race, Houston does not profile as a fit there at this juncture.
Houston also displayed better health in recent years. After knee trouble led the former third-round pick out of Kansas City in 2019, Houston played at least 14 games each year from 2019-22. He posted 19 sacks during a two-year Colts tenure and helped the Ravens as a stopgap fix from 2021-22. While Houston’s tenure opposite Brian Burns did not go as well, it would not surprise to see him generate interest as contenders assess their stretch-run OLB/DE contingents. Houston has experience playing in both 3-4 and 4-3 defensive schemes.
Chargers Fire Brandon Staley, Tom Telesco
Following the Raiders’ historic rout of the Chargers on Thursday night, the reeling team will drop the hammer early. The Bolts announced the firings of Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco on Friday morning.
The Chargers have since announced the promotion of Giff Smith and JoJo Wooden to respectively replace Staley and Telesco on an interim basis. The former has experience as a D-line coach dating back to 1999, and he has been in the organization since 2016. Over the past two seasons, though, he has worked as the team’s outside linebackers coach. This will be Smith’s first appointment as a head coach at the college or pro level.
Wooden, meanwhile, has been with the Chargers for the past decade. He has served with the title of player personnel director after working his way through the ranks in the Jets’ scouting department from 1997 to 2012. Like Smith, he will now oversee the conclusion of a highly disappointing campaign for the Bolts before potentially garnering consideration for the full-time role.
This is the first instance of the Chargers firing a head coach in-season since they axed Kevin Gilbride 25 years ago. But Staley has long been expected to be out, with the Bolts regressing in a season following a 27-point collapse in the wild-card round. Telesco spent 11 years as the Chargers’ GM. While much-hyped rosters formed under his watch, the team did not turn well-regarded transactions into sustained success.
Hired in 2021, Staley came over after one season as the Rams’ defensive coordinator. But the ascendant assistant could not establish success in this area with the Chargers. The Raiders dropping 63 on their rivals, 42 of those points coming in the first half, after the Vikings had held them scoreless in Week 15 prompted Bolts ownership to act early.
Telesco backed Staley following the Jaguars’ wild-card rally, which doubled as the third-biggest postseason deficit ever overcome, and the “what if?” involving Sean Payton is worth examining. The then-FOX analyst was linked to being interested in the Chargers job at multiple points last year. The move would have allowed Payton to stay in Los Angeles. But Telesco kept Staley, continuing a Chargers trend of keeping coaches beyond two seasons.
Staley is now the first Bolts HC to lose his job after less than four full seasons since the team fired Mike Riley following the 2001 campaign. Even Riley, who did not produce a winning season, lasted longer than Staley. But the alarming Week 15 performance opened the door to the Bolts needing to cut the cord now. As the team began to struggle this season, Chargers president John Spanos — a previous Staley advocate — began to distance himself from the embattled HC, Outkick.com’s Armando Salguero notes. The Spanoses will now begin to look for Staley’s replacement in an offseason that will remind of 2013, when the Bolts replaced both their HC and GM.
The Telesco news represents a bigger-picture development. The former Colts exec had hired Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn and Staley during his run as GM. Telesco’s drafts brought difference-makers in Joey Bosa, Keenan Allen, Derwin James, Rashawn Slater and Justin Herbert. Telesco did well to leave no gaps between star quarterbacks, selecting Herbert sixth overall a month after Philip Rivers departed in free agency. Telesco, 51, also hammered out a through-2029 Herbert extension this offseason. The quarterback’s presence will make both the new Bolts vacancies attractive, but rampant underachievement has defined this team for much of the 21st century.
Even before the Raiders’ rout, Telesco was rumored to be on the chopping block. Dean Spanos will opt to not let Telesco hire a fourth HC. The three he hired combined for just three playoff appearances in 11 seasons. The Chargers, who had sustained success under Marty Schottenheimer and the early part of Norv Turner‘s ensuing HC run, have not ventured to back-to-back playoff brackets since the 2008-09 seasons. Despite Rivers playing his final seven Chargers seasons during Telesco’s tenure, the potential Hall of Famer only piloted the Bolts to two playoff brackets in that span. The Chargers won postseason games in 2013 and ’18 and were on track to eliminate the Jags last season, but success proved fleeting for squads that seemed to annually generate buzz.
After hiring offense-oriented coaches in 2013 and ’17, Telesco chose Staley’s defensive acumen to pair with Herbert in 2021. The Chargers managed to produce the AFC’s Pro Bowl starting quarterback and miss the playoffs. That had not happened in the AFC since the 1989 Bengals. Herbert put up dazzling numbers in 2021, but a Week 18 loss to the Raiders led to the budding superstar’s season wrapping early. A rib injury last September limited Herbert, and Staley fired OC Joe Lombardi following the playoff season. Two-year DC Renaldo Hill left to rejoin Vic Fangio in Miami this offseason.
Following a 2021 season that featured the Bolts ranking 29th in points allowed, Staley made a push for the team to equip him with better defensive personnel in 2022. The team traded for Khalil Mack and signed J.C. Jackson and Sebastian Joseph-Day. The Mack trade belatedly panned out, with the former Raiders and Bears standout rebounding for 15 sacks this season. The five-year, $82.5MM Jackson contract proved disastrous for the Chargers, who sent the underperforming cornerback back to the Patriots for next to nothing earlier this season.
The Chargers had made Jackson a healthy scratch in Week 3. Even after the round of defensive reinforcements, Staley’s 2022 defense ranked 20th; after last night’s Raider rampage, his third Charger defense ranks 29th. Last season’s Jacksonville catastrophe also featured the Bolts lining up without Mike Williams, who was injured in a meaningless Week 18 game against the Broncos. Staley and Telesco each defended the decision to leave starters in that contest deep into the second half, but the Chargers — who have struggled with receiver health over the past two seasons — suffered the consequences of Williams’ absence a week later. As the Chargers swooned in the wake of the playoff debacle, they lost Herbert to a season-ending finger injury.
Herbert’s status will naturally drive interest in this position, and some around the league are monitoring the Chargers as a Bill Belichick suitor. The Bolts would likely need to trade for the Patriots legend, and it would be interesting to see if this gains traction. A short-term Belichick-Herbert pairing would draw interest for a franchise that has struggled to establish itself in L.A., while such a move would also be a zag after Telesco made inexperienced coordinators — in Staley and Lynn — his HC choices. But we are still a ways away from the Belichick market taking shape.
Regardless of where the Chargers go from here, their next regime will be responsible for undoing some of the damage this era brought. The organization’s reputation for letdowns pushed “Chargering” into the NFL lexicon. In a division with Payton and Patrick Mahomes, the Bolts suddenly have more ground to make up despite striking gold with Herbert.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Panthers To Place Hayden Hurst On IR
Hayden Hurst‘s comments detailing the head injury he suffered last month pointed to a hopeful late-season return. The Panthers are, however, expected to exercise caution with their offseason tight end pickup.
Carolina is planning to place Hurst on IR, The Athletic’s Joe Person notes. With players stashed on IR required to miss four games, this move will end the veteran tight end’s season. Hurst has not played since suffering a concussion Nov. 9. The Panthers gave the former Ravens, Falcons and Bengals pass catcher a three-year, $21.75MM deal in March.
Hurst’s father shared recently that an independent neurologist diagnosed the veteran tight end with post-traumatic amnesia, and the former first-round pick confirmed the diagnosis. While Hurst said the post-traumatic amnesia assessment “sounds way worse,” he did add he could not remember anything up to four hours following that November game against the Bears.
The 30-year-old tight end had not stood out prior to suffering the scary injury, but no non-Adam Thielen presence in Carolina’s offense has fared particularly well during this woeful season. The Panthers made Hurst this offseason’s highest-paid tight end signee; he totaled 18 receptions for 184 yards and a touchdown in nine games. Hurst has never been a prolific receiving tight end. The Ravens found a better aerial option two rounds later in the 2018 draft, in Mark Andrews, leading to a 2020 trade. A year after acquiring Hurst, the Falcons drafted Kyle Pitts fourth overall.
Considering what happened in Chicago, Hurst having locked in $13MM guaranteed at signing proves pivotal. Although a new coaching staff will come in after Hurst signed to play in Frank Reich‘s offense, his $5.75MM 2024 base salary is guaranteed.
NFC South Notes: Fitterer, Mayfield, Saints
With the Panthers bottoming out and David Tepper firing another head coach, it has seemed likely the team will move on from its GM as well. Given Tepper’s comments, it is worth wondering how much power Scott Fitterer has held since Matt Rhule‘s October 2022 firing. But Fitterer is clearly on a hot seat in Carolina. Following Frank Reich‘s ouster, the team should be expected to move on from its third-year GM, per the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora. Fitterer ran point on the decision to reject the Rams’ two-first-rounder offer for Brian Burns before the 2022 trade deadline, and his negotiations with Ryan Poles led to the March blockbuster for the Bryce Young draft slot.
Of course, it is widely believed Tepper drove the Panthers’ effort to select Young first overall. That process will lead to the Bears holding the Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick, which currently checks in at No. 1 overall. Fitterer hot-seat rumors surfaced before Reich’s firing, and although a November report pointed to Tepper keeping his GM around to help attract Lions OC Ben Johnson shed light on a possible lifeline for the ex-Seahawks exec, a 2024 housecleaning seems likelier given the events of 2023.
Here is the latest from the NFC South:
- Baker Mayfield signed a one-year, $4MM Buccaneers deal in March, earning a starting job despite a rough 2022. Incentives exist in the sixth-year quarterback’s contract, and Fox Sports’ Greg Auman notes he has cashed in on some of those already. Mayfield has collected $500K by staying in the Bucs’ lineup, with Auman noting the team included $250K bumps for hitting the 55%, 65%, 75% and 85% snap rates. Mayfield staying healthy the rest of the way would lead to him adding $1MM in incentives. Additionally, Auman indicates a bonus exists for a Bucs playoff win. Although the Bucs are 6-7, they currently hold the NFC West tiebreaker. Mayfield is interested in staying with the Bucs beyond this season, though no known extension talks have occurred yet.
- One of Mayfield’s current division rivals has not enjoyed a healthy season. Derek Carr has sustained two concussions and dealt with shoulder trouble, but the Saints‘ big-ticket QB addition has not missed a start. In addition to the head and shoulder issues, Carr has sustained three rib fractures this year, per NewOrleans.football’s Brooke Kirchhofer. In 10 seasons, Carr has only missed three career games due to injury. But his playing hurt has affected the Saints this season. While Carr’s completion percentage is up significantly from 2022, his QBR has dropped. Given a four-year, $150MM contract that includes $70MM fully guaranteed, Carr ranks 23rd in QBR through 13 games.
- Michael Thomas has once again seen an injury take him out of New Orleans’ equation. The eighth-year wide receiver, who has dealt with persistent injury issues during the 2020s, is on IR with a knee injury. The former All-Pro will be eligible to be activated in Week 16, but NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill doubts he comes back until at least the Saints’ regular-season finale. Should that game not mean anything for the team, Thomas would have little incentive to return. The 30-year-old pass catcher’s 10 games this season are his most since 2019, but he has now missed 43 games since the 2020 season.
- As Carr dealt with the first of his 2023 injuries, New Orleans attempted to sign a player off Denver’s practice squad. The Saints tried to add Ben DiNucci off the Broncos’ P-squad in September, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. DiNucci, who returned to the NFL after an XFL run, opted to stay where he was for continuity purposes. After DiNucci’s decision, the Saints added Jake Luton to their 53-man roster instead. DiNucci said the Broncos are expected to make up the difference he would have made as part of the Saints’ active roster. Denver elevated DiNucci in Week 13, allowing him to pick up a $48K game check. Doing so two more times would match the total DiNucci would have earned while on the Saints’ 53-man roster for the mandated three weeks.
Dolphins OC Frank Smith Expected To Receive HC Interest
Frank Smith did not join Mike McDaniel under Kyle Shanahan, but McDaniel hired him as a right-hand man last year. The results over the past two seasons will point Smith to the HC carousel.
Although Smith is a non-play-calling OC, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes he is likely to generate interest on the market. Seeing how eager teams have been to hire offense-oriented HCs and pretty much any coordinator from the Shanahan and Sean McVay trees, Smith receiving interview requests next month should be expected.
Tua Tagovailoa showing signs of a turnaround in 2022 did not garner Smith any HC interviews this year. With the former top-five pick’s ’22 season marred by concussions, the Dolphins finished just 9-8 and needed to start three quarterbacks. Tagovailoa staying healthy this season has increased the appeal of McDaniel’s offense. The unit ranks second in scoring, first in total offense and second in DVOA. Tyreek Hill is also on pace to break Calvin Johnson‘s single-season receiving yardage record, albeit in one extra game, while Raheem Mostert leads the NFL with 18 touchdowns.
Smith, 42, came to Miami after a season as the Chargers’ offensive line coach and run-game coordinator under Brandon Staley and Joe Lombardi. McDaniel held the job of run-game coordinator for four seasons in San Francisco. As far as position groups go, Smith has coached the offensive line and tight ends — at stops with the Saints, Bears, Raiders and Chargers — prior to the Miami move. While Smith did not study under the trendy offensive HCs of the moment, he spent five years under Sean Payton and has now worked well with a Shanahan disciple. He profiles as the first prospective McDaniel tree branch.
Teams cannot interview coaches employed elsewhere until after the divisional round this year; the NFL made that change recently to help allow coaches to focus on their teams’ playoff assignments. The Dolphins have not lost a coordinator to a head coaching job since the Broncos hired Vance Joseph over Shanahan in 2017. Barring a Dolphins freefall to close out the season, McDaniel’s right-hand man on offense stands to join other assistants in receiving interview summons.
Latest On Justin Fields, Bears’ HC/GM Plans
Upon returning from a dislocated thumb, Justin Fields faced a seven-game audition that would likely determine his post-2023 future in Chicago. Thus far, the 2021 first-round pick has impressed. The Bears have won two straight against division rivals, and Fields put together a solid game in the team’s upset win over the Lions in Week 14.
Before Fields began this final audition of sorts, reports pointed the Bears in different directions regarding their QB future. Multiple mid-November reports indicated the team was more likely to trade Fields and go with a top prospect in the 2024 draft. With the Panthers continuing to struggle and now two games behind the NFL’s second-worst record with four to play, the Bears are closer to having another opportunity to make their choice atop a draft. While Ryan Poles passed on that chance this year, trading the top pick to Carolina, it would represent a bigger risk move another No. 1 choice.
Although a subsequent report pegged the Bears as needing to be “blown away” by a QB prospect to move on from Fields, Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson spoke with a number of GMs who suggest the Bears’ decision should not be that difficult. Reasons ranging from Caleb Williams‘ prospect profile to cost certainty to the risk of trading No. 1 overall picks in back-to-back years to Poles not being in Chicago when Fields was drafted pointed to the anonymous GMs expecting the team to trade its current quarterback and prepare for the future.
This scenario would remind of the Jets’ 2021 call, which now doubles as a warning to other teams. While some in the Jets’ building advocated for keeping Sam Darnold and passing on drafting Zach Wilson at No. 2 overall two years ago, the Jets centered their future around Wilson by trading Darnold to the Panthers for a three-pick package.
The key difference here being that Williams is a former Heisman winner who has resided as a top-tier prospect for multiple seasons; Wilson, conversely, rocketed toward the top of the ’21 draft board because he impressed against lower-level competition. The COVID-19-altered 2020 season, featuring independent BYU needing to schedule lesser competition, created this scenario. No such variables exist with Williams, though he could not match his dominant 2022 Heisman campaign this year.
Should the Bears follow that Jets plan, the anonymous execs told Robinson that the team should not be expected to fetch a first-round pick in a Fields trade. None of the seven trade proposals featured a first-rounder, though a few included a second. This partially hinges on Fields finishing this season strong. That would undoubtedly increase the run-oriented QB’s trade value while also making Poles’ decision more difficult.
It is still not a lock the Bears have Poles and Matt Eberflus in place to make these decisions. President Kevin Warren, whom the Bears hired in January, represents a wild card. Even if the Panthers provide the Bears with the No. 1 pick, the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora notes Warren will be expected to seriously consider changes to the coaching staff and front office. We heard this in September, but the Bears have performed better as of late. They are now only one game out of another mediocre NFC pursuit for the No. 7 seed, and La Canfora offers the caveat of a surprise playoff surge taking 2024 HC-GM changes off the table.
Warren is primarily running the Bears’ efforts to secure a new stadium, but the former Big Ten commissioner is expected to weigh in on football matters — like how the team should proceed with the No. 1 pick. Formerly a Lions, Vikings and Rams staffer, Warren is set to evaluate Poles and Eberflus in the offseason. The subject of wanting his own HC will likely come up, according to ProFootballNetwork.com’s Adam Caplan. How that potential motivation would affect Poles remains to be seen, but Eberflus probably joins Fields in needing to prove himself to close out this season.
This is not especially uncommon. New Commanders owner Josh Harris is expected to fire Ron Rivera, while the Broncos both changed HCs a year after hiring a new GM (going from Vic Fangio to Nathaniel Hackett) and then a year after having new ownership (Hackett to Sean Payton). The Panthers fired Rivera during David Tepper‘s second year in charge. The Bears do not have a new owner, but it is clear Warren will be a key decision-maker when it comes time to make a call on staffers. While the Bears are a long shot to extend this late-season recovery to the playoffs, the 2023 squad’s homestretch will be important through a long-term lens.