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Bears Add J.T. Barrett, Anthony Blevins, Matt Giordano To Staff

February 20th, 2025 at 9:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Remembered by most for his time at Ohio State and perhaps by some PFR loyalists for his journeys on and off the Saints’ practice squad, J.T. Barrett is making a move into a key coaching position.

Ben Johnson is bringing Barrett with him from Detroit, and the ex-Lions assistant quarterbacks coach will move up the ladder. Johnson has installed Barrett as the Bears’ QBs coach. The former practice squad arm has been in coaching since being hired on Dan Campbell‘s staff in 2022, and he has quickly climbed the ladder.

[RELATED: Bears Add Eric Bieniemy To Staff]

As was the case with fellow recent retiree-turned-coach Shaun Dion Hamilton, Barrett joined the Lions as a low-level assistant. Three years later, he is set to be Caleb Williams‘ position coach. Barrett, 30, never appeared in a regular-season game but stuck around with the Saints for the better part of two seasons before joining the CFL’s Edmonton Elks in 2022. A season-ending injury prompted Barrett to hang up his cleats, and he caught on under a rising assistant. He joins Antwaan Randle El as key offensive staffers following Johnson to Chicago.

The Bears are also bringing Anthony Blevins back to the NFL, hiring him as assistant special teams coach. Blevins made some news in 2023 when he left the Giants shortly before training camp to become head coach of the XFL’s Las Vegas Vipers. Blevins never enjoyed the chance to coach the Vipers, as the XFL 3.0 team did not survive to become part of the UFL last year. But Blevins worked with the Birmingham Stallions during the UFL’s debut season.

Blevins has an extensive history in the NFL, having been Bruce Arians‘ assistant ST coach for five seasons in Arizona and then taking the same position for five years with the Giants. The Alabama native will return to the league after a two-season absence.

Joining Blevins as a new hire, Matt Giordano will come over after two years with the Saints. The Bears have the former NFL DB in place as their safeties coach. The nine-year vet began his NFL coaching run in 2023; this will be his second gig in the league. Chicago is also hiring Oregon State offensive line coach Kyle DeVan to be its assistant O-line coach. DeVan, a five-year NFL vet, began his coaching tenure as the Saints’ assistant OL coach in 2015 but has traveled plenty since. The Bears will be DeVan’s sixth employer in the 2020s.

Johnson is not turning over the entire staff, opting to retain a few members from the Matt Eberflus period. Kevin Koch is moving up from the quality control level to assistant linebackers coach. Kenny Norton III is staying with the team as well, remaining a defensive QC staffer. The second-generation NFL assistant is starting his third year with the Bears. Another coach’s son, Zach Cable (son of veteran staffer Tom Cable) is sticking around for a second season as an offensive QC coach. Zach coached under his father with the Raiders from 2018-21.

NFC North Notes: Mack, Lions, Pack, Addison

February 20th, 2025 at 6:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Ryan Poles‘ rebuild effort began in 2022, the Bears traded Khalil Mack for second- and sixth-round picks. After three Chargers seasons, Mack is hitting free agency for the first time. The decorated pass rusher showed sustained health in Los Angeles, missing only one game in three years, and earned three Pro Bowl nods. The Chargers want Mack back, but the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora notes to not rule out a Bears reunion. Mack is heading into his age-34 season and would profile as a decorated but declining rusher opposite Montez Sweat. Although Poles is expected to receive an extension, he is 0-for-3 in playoff berths for a team trying to maximize Caleb Williams‘ rookie-contract window. The Bears will have a chance to add talent, as they are projected to hold more than $69MM in cap space, and Mack would be an interesting bookend piece — even though both the GM and team president roles have changed from when Chicago acquired him in 2018.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

  • Staying on the Bears, they are not likely to retain Gerald Everett for too much longer. Given a two-year, $12MM deal, Everett followed Shane Waldron to a third team. Waldron was done by midseason as Chicago’s OC, and The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain indicates the veteran tight end will be as well. The Bears gave Everett a two-year, $12MM deal but saw him total just eight catches for 36 yards despite playing all 17 games. By cutting the former Rams, Seahawks and Chargers TE, the Bears would save $5.5MM.
  • The Lions have announced their coaching staff, and some new names have emerged. The most notable among them, Marques Tuiasosopo will make an NFL return more than 15 years after his playing career wrapped. The former Raiders QB is joining the Lions as an offensive assistant. He comes over after four seasons as Rice’s OC, having previously coached QBs and tight ends at Washington, UCLA, USC and Cal. Detroit also hired Justin Mesa as a quality control staffer, and Caleb Collins and August Mangin are joining as defensive assistants. Mesa spent the past four seasons at Washington State, working most recently as the Cougars’ tight ends coach.
  • Detroit is also losing two staffers. Director of scouting advancement Mike Martin is heading to Notre Dame to become the program’s GM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes. Martin has worked under Brad Holmes throughout the GM’s time in Detroit. Another Lions staffer, Jon Dykema, is leaving for the college ranks. Michigan State is hiring the exec to handle contract management for its athletics programs, ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel adds. Dykema had worked as the Lions’ director of football compliance, staying with the team for 15 years; he will now help the Spartans navigate the NIL waters.
  • The Packers are adding to Jeff Hafley’s defensive staff. They are bringing in recent Patriots assistant Jamael Lett as a defensive quality control coach, 247Sports.com’s Matt Zenitz tweets. A former staffer at North Carolina and Akron, Lett also spent time as South Alabama’s special teams coordinator. Lett was part of the Pats’ defensive staff under DeMarcus Covington, who is now the Packers’ D-line coach.
  • Circling back to the player side of the NFC North, Jordan Addison‘s DUI case continues. The Vikings wideout filed a continuance and is set to appear in court, for a pretrial hearing, March 12, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling. Addison pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor DUI charges — stemming from an August 2024 arrest — earlier this year. A suspension would stand to affect his 2025 availability, should this matter be resolved this offseason.

Darius Slay Wants To Retire After 2025 Season, Open To Lions Return

February 20th, 2025 at 11:57am CST by Nikhil Mehta

FENRUARY 20: During an appearance on the St. Brown Podcast (video link), Slay repeated that his preference would be to remain with the Eagles for 2025, the final year of his pact. In the event his time in Philadelphia were to come to an end, though, the former Lion added his next choice would be to return to Detroit. Slay spent his first seven years in the Motor City, and especially if Carlton Davis were to depart in free agency the Lions could be in the market for a cornerback addition. That will of course be a moot point if the Eagles retain Slay for next year.

FEBRUARY 5: Eagles cornerback Darius Slay‘s current focus is winning the first Super Bowl of his career, but he has already thought about his plans for the 2025 season and beyond.

The 12-year veteran would like to play one more season before retiring, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, and he’d prefer to finish his career in Philadelphia.

“Next year will most likely be my last,” said Slay during Super Bowl media availability. “I would love for it to be with the Philadelphia Eagles.”

The eight-time Pro Bowler is still playing at a high level despite his age, though 2024 was his first interception-less season since his 2013 rookie year. He has missed eight games due to injury over the last two seasons, including a four-game absence in 2023 due to knee surgery. By the time the 2025 season ends, Slay will be 35 years old, making retirement a natural next step.

Slay’s comments indicate that a return to Philadelphia next season is not a certainty, though his contract would make it difficult to move on. After renegotiating his deal in 2023, his 2025 cap hit comes in just under $13.8MM, per OverTheCap, an affordable price for a starting boundary corner. A release before the new league year would force the Eagles to account for $22.7MM as a dead cap hit in 2025, a difficult proposition considering their cap situation and need to sign key pending free agents like Zack Baun. A post-June 1 release would allow the Eagles to spread Slay’s dead cap hits between 2025 and 2026, but they would also have to pick up his $16.1MM option bonus and account for it as dead money.

As a result, the best option for both sides seems to be Slay playing out his contract in Philadelphia as he desires. The Eagles could then restructure his deal to allow for a post-June 1 retirement designation, as the Rams did for Aaron Donald to spread out his remaining dead money.

Lions’ Jameson Williams Avoids Suspension In Connection With 2024 Gun Incident

February 19th, 2025 at 1:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

A gun incident involving Jameson Williams produced an internal police review in Detroit, but no charge ended up surfacing in connection with the fall development. That still left the blossoming wide receiver open to an NFL suspension, but he is in the clear there now as well.

Williams will not face NFL discipline here, per ESPN.com. The Lions wideout has already been suspended under the NFL’s gambling and PED policies, but he will not be kept off the field under the personal conduct umbrella.

A strange early-morning sequence October 8 involving Williams handcuffed led to the former first-round pick being released, only to see an investigation into the police department’s conduct take place. Officers placed Williams in cuffs and nearly booked him on a gun charge. Williams was to be taken to jail before being released from custody shortly prior to being booked. This incident occurred after midnight Oct. 8, 2024.

An officer’s suspected effort to have Williams evade an arrest due to his Lions status was part of the investigation, but an internal review cleared the Alabama alum of a concealed weapons charge. Months later, Williams will not see a fourth season interrupted. The former No. 12 overall pick already missed most of his rookie season due to injury and lost time due to the gambling ban in 2023. The above-referenced PED suspension cost Williams two games last season, but he broke through for a 1,000-yard slate anyway.

Williams and his brother were pulled over in Detroit, and the stop led to Williams — the passenger in the vehicle — admitting he was in possession of a gun without a concealed pistol license. Williams, 23, identified himself as a Lions player to police at the time of the early-morning arrest. A sergeant who arrived to back up the arresting officers soon made several calls to superiors asking if Williams needed to be arrested on the concealed weapon charge. (The sergeant’s cellphone wallpaper included a Lions logo.) The aforementioned internal review cleared this officer of wrongdoing, and Williams has now avoided a criminal charge and an NFL ban.

The Lions will have until shortly after the draft to pick up Williams’ fifth-year option. While Williams has not proven especially reliable, the rising team has shown patience with him through the spate of early-career issues. He finished with eight regular-season touchdowns, adding a ninth in the Lions’ shootout divisional-round loss to the Commanders. Williams is now extension-eligible as well, but the option could keep him on his rookie deal through 2026.

With Williams having only one season as a consistent receiving weapon on his resume and the team having Amon-Ra St. Brown on a $30MM-per-year deal, it would make sense if Detroit exercised the option and gave Williams a “prove it” year of sorts in 2025. That will be the next step on the talented wideout’s career timeline, as the Lions will presumably be curious to see if he can steer clear of any further off-field trouble now that this incident is in the rearview mirror.

Jets Finalize 2025 Defensive, ST Staff

February 16th, 2025 at 7:33pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Jets have finalized their defensive and special teams coaching staff for their inaugural season under head coach Aaron Glenn, per a team announcement.

Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and special teams coordinator Chris Banjo  were in place by the end of January, but it took a few more weeks to finalize their staffs. Several of the Jets’ position coach hires have already been reported, but the team has since added several assistants.

Among them is former Rams and Lions cornerback Dré Bly, who is joining the Jets as an assistant defensive backs coach. He spent the last season in Detroit as a cornerbacks coach and will now follow Glenn to New York.

Cameron Davis, the Lions’ assistant defensive line coach for the last three seasons, is also sticking with Glenn. Davis will take the same position with the Jets under defensive line coach Eric Washington.

Glenn is retaining Nathaniel Willingham on his new staff, albeit in a new position. After coaching nickelbacks in 2024, Willingham will now be the Jets’ assistant linebackers coach. He previously served as a defensive assistant in 2022 and 2023 before a stint in Denver as a defensive quality control coach.

Alonso Escalante is returning to the NFL as a defensive assistant with a focus on nickels. He spent the last two years in the high school ranks, but he has eight years of pro experience with five different teams. Most recently, he was the Panthers’ assistant running backs coach in 2021.

Former Bears, Broncos, and Browns cornerback Roosevelt Williams is taking his first job in the NFL as a defensive assistant. He has spent the last 15 years at the college level and was the cornerbacks coach for Houston Christian University in 2024.

On special teams, the Jets aded Kevin O’Dea as an assistant. He has almost three decades of experience in the NFL, including a previous stint with the Jets as special teams coordinator in 2008 and 2009.

2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team

February 15th, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Free agency is roughly one month away, and teams are preparing for the first major roster-building checkpoint on the offseason calendar. In several cases, of course, the lead-in to the start of the new league year will require cost-cutting measures.

Teams expect the 2025 cap ceiling to check in somewhere between $265MM and $275MM, providing a general target to aim for before the final figure is unveiled by the NFL. Using a projected cap of $272.5MM, here is a look at where all 32 teams currently stand (courtesy of Over the Cap):

  1. New England Patriots: $119.8MM
  2. Las Vegas Raiders: $92.53MM
  3. Washington Commanders: $75.21MM
  4. Arizona Cardinals: $71.33MM
  5. Los Angeles Chargers: $63.41MM
  6. Chicago Bears: $62.97MM
  7. Minnesota Vikings: $58.01MM
  8. Pittsburgh Steelers: $53.26MM
  9. Cincinnati Bengals: $46.26MM
  10. Detroit Lions: $45.69MM
  11. San Francisco 49ers: $44.26MM
  12. Tennessee Titans: $44.08MM
  13. New York Giants: $43.38MM
  14. Green Bay Packers: $42.14MM
  15. Los Angeles Rams: $38.33MM
  16. Denver Broncos: $34.78MM
  17. Jacksonville Jaguars: $32.27MM
  18. Indianapolis Colts: $28.25MM
  19. Carolina Panthers: $20.33MM
  20. Philadelphia Eagles: $18.08MM
  21. New York Jets: $16.86MM
  22. Baltimore Ravens: $5.96MM
  23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $2.24MM
  24. Houston Texans: $99K over the cap
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: $916K over
  26. Dallas Cowboys: $2.85MM over
  27. Miami Dolphins: $5.44MM over
  28. Atlanta Falcons: $11.15MM over
  29. Seattle Seahawks: $13.46MM over
  30. Buffalo Bills: $14.18MM over
  31. Cleveland Browns: $30.17MM over
  32. New Orleans Saints: $54.11MM over

These figures will of course change based on where the final cap ceiling winds up for the year, but they take into account each team’s carryover amount for 2025. Even with those savings in play, more than one quarter of the league finds itself in need of cost-shedding moves to simply achieve cap compliance by mid-March.

With the Patriots leading the way in terms of spending power, they will be a team to watch closely once free agency begins. The team’s willingness (or lack thereof) to make major free agent additions last year was a talking point, and it will be interesting to see if the regime featuring de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel takes a different approach in 2025. A serious push for Tee Higgins – by far the most sought-after wideout set to hit the market – can be expected.

Aside from Higgins, the Bengals have a number of financial priorities. Working out a monster extension for fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase and a new deal (and accompanying raise) for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson are key goals for the franchise. Quarterback Joe Burrow is prepared to restructure his own pact to create cap space for this offseason, but the team will no doubt need to break with tradition in terms of contract structure and guarantees to keep its core intact.

The Colts’ offseason has been defined in large part by a focus on retaining in-house players during recent years. That approach has not paid off as hoped, and general manager Chris Ballard said last month he plans to oversee a shift in roster-building philosophy this year. With the finances to make at least a modest addition or two on the open market, Indianapolis could be a suitor for some of the middle-class free agent options.

Over the coming weeks, many teams will proceed with extensions and restructures to free up cap space; the Seahawks recently took the latter route with defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Teams like the Steelers (in the case of edge rusher Preston Smith) and Dolphins (with running back Raheem Mostert as well as corner Kendall Fuller and tight end Durham Smythe) have already begin cutting veterans to free up cap space. That will increasingly continue in the near future with respect to the teams currently slated to be over the cap in particular.

NFC Coaching Notes: Haslett, Saints, Cowboys, Choice, Lions, Giants, Falcons

February 13th, 2025 at 8:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

No Saints–Mike McCarthy reunion is on tap, but the team will go forward with an interesting hire that will bring about a reunion of sorts from that era. The team is hiring Chase Haslett as tight ends coach, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Chase Haslett is the son of ex-Saints HC Jim Haslett, who coached the team from 2000-05. Jim Haslett was steering the ship when the Saints won their first playoff game, a wild-card thriller over the Rams in 2000. The Saints gave Jim Haslett his only NFL HC job; they will give his son his first position-coaching role. Mickey Loomis became Saints GM during Jim’s HC tenure and led the search to name Moore as HC this year.

Chase will come over after three Cowboys seasons, the last of which overlapping with new Saints HC Kellen Moore. Chase assisted with Cowboys TEs, helping Dalton Schultz to a productive 2022 before aiding in Jake Ferguson‘s development.

Here is the latest from the NFC coaching ranks:

  • Elsewhere on the Saints’ staff, they are also bringing back a familiar face to oversee the offensive line. Brendan Nugent is coming back to head up this group, per NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill and Mike Triplett. Nugent coached the Saints’ O-line from 2015-21; he will replace John Benton, who is following Klint Kubiak to Seattle. Nugent comes over from Seattle, having been the Seahawks’ assistant OL coach last season. He was the Saints’ assistant OL coach from 2015-20 and their O-line boss in 2021. This hire will bring about familiarity for Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz, who were in place when Nugent was last with New Orleans. More familiarity will be in place at wide receiver, with Underhill adding Keith Williams is staying on as WRs coach. The Saints had hired Williams in 2024.
  • Tashard Choice recently interviewed for the Cowboys’ RBs coach position, but the ex-Dallas running back is heading to Detroit. The Lions are hiring Choice as their backfield coach, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz tweets. Texas is believed to have offered a significant raise to keep Choice in Austin, but he will join Dan Campbell‘s staff. Choice coached Jahmyr Gibbs at Georgia Tech. The Lions are moving previous RBs coach Scottie Montgomery to wide receivers coach, per the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett. A former NFL wideout, Montgomery has not coached the position in the NFL since overseeing the likes of Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders in Pittsburgh from 2010-12. The former college HC, who will replace Antwaan Randle El (now the Bears’ WRs coach), is also now an assistant head coach in Detroit.
  • The Lions are also hiring Tyler Roehl to coach tight ends, Rogers adds. Previously reported (via Zenitz) to be coming to Detroit as an offensive assistant, Roehl is making the jump after one season as Iowa State’s RBs coach. He is better known for work at Division I-FCS power North Dakota State. Roehl was with the Bison from 2014-23, finishing his tenure with five seasons as OC. This included mentorship during Trey Lance‘s 28-TD, zero-INT 2019 season, one of the program’s many national titles.
  • T.J. Yates is heading into his second season as Falcons QBs coach; the former NFL signal-caller will also serve as Atlanta’s pass-game coordinator in 2025, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes. After the Falcons attempted to make the Kirk Cousins–Michael Penix Jr. setup work, Yates will be tasked with developing Penix (after a Cousins release) in 2025.
  • Brian Daboll‘s son will not be part of his father’s 2025 Giants staff. Christian Daboll is leaving to pursue another career path, the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard tweets. Brian hired his son out of college; Christian was part of the past two New York staffs, working as an offensive assistant.
  • UTEP defensive coordinator JJ Clark is joining the Cowboys in a quality control role, Zenitz tweets. Clark coached the Miners’ defense for one season, coming over from Austin Peay in 2024. UTEP ranked 113th in Division I-FBS defensively last season.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

February 10th, 2025 at 8:58am CST by Adam La Rose

With Super Bowl LIX in the books, the 2024 campaign has come to a close. The final first-round order for April’s draft is now set as a result.

All 32 teams currently own a Day 1 selection, leaving the door open to each one adding a prospect in the first round for the first time since expansion in 2002. Any number of trades will no doubt take place between now and the draft, though, and it will be interesting to see how teams maneuver in the lead-in to the event. Of course, Tennessee in particular will be worth watching closely with a move to sell off the No. 1 pick being seen as a distinct possibility.

A weak quarterback class will leave teams like the Titans, Browns, Giants and Raiders with plenty of key offseason decisions. The free agent and trade markets do not offer many short-term alternatives which are seen as surefire additions, and teams which do not make moves in March will rely on the incoming group of rookies as part of their efforts to find a long-term solution under center. The two prospects seen as the clear-cut top options in 2025, however, are two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2024 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.

Here is a final look at the first-round order:

  1. Tennessee Titans (3-14)
  2. Cleveland Browns (3-14)
  3. New York Giants (3-14)
  4. New England Patriots (4-13)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
  7. New York Jets (5-12)
  8. Carolina Panthers (5-12)
  9. New Orleans Saints (5-12)
  10. Chicago Bears (5-12)
  11. San Francisco 49ers (6-11)
  12. Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
  13. Miami Dolphins (8-9)
  14. Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
  15. Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
  16. Arizona Cardinals (8-9)
  17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
  20. Denver Broncos (10-7)
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
  22. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
  23. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
  24. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
  25. Houston Texans (10-7)
  26. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
  27. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
  28. Detroit Lions (15-2)
  29. Washington Commanders (12-5)
  30. Buffalo Bills (13-4)
  31. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
  32. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)

NFC North Notes: Lions, Bears, Pack, Vikes

February 6th, 2025 at 7:56pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Lions are hiring former NFL quarterback Bruce Gradkowski as an offensive assistant, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Originally a Buccaneers sixth-round pick in 2006, Gradkowski bounced between six different teams in his career, finishing with 37 total appearances and 20 starts. He briefly coached at the high school level before joining the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks as offensive coordinator in 2022.

The Battlehawks’ passing offense have generally been successful under Gradkowski. Ex-Alabama star A.J. McCarron ranked first in passing yards and second in touchdowns in 2023. After the XFL’s merger with the USFL, former Iowa State receiver Hakeem Butler led the newly formed UFL in receiving yards on his way to Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Given his playing and coaching history, Gradkowski’s role in Detroit will likely focus on their passing offense as the Lions attempt to reload their staff after it was pilfered by other NFL teams during this year’s hiring cycle.

  • The Lions will also be working to retain their pending free agents, including defensive linemen Levi Onwuzurike and Marcus Davenport. The team has discussed returns with both players, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, with Davenport saying after the season that he wanted to stay in Detroit. Onwuzarike has already engaged in discussions about a deal, with Birkett adding the sides talked about a second contract previously. Davenport has missed most of the past two seasons, and his loss hurt a Lions defense that played without Aidan Hutchinson for much the season as well.
  • Lions general manager Brad Holmes is not planning to have the same aggressive approach as his former boss, Rams GM Les Snead. Holmes does not believe the Lions have an expiring Super Bowl window and said that he will “stay committed to the process,” according to Birkett.
  • The Bears made a trio of hires to Ben Johnson’s coaching staff this week. Dan Roushar will be the team’s new offensive line coach after holding the same position at Tulane for the past two seasons, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs. Former Colts linebackers coach Richard Smith and ex-Jaguars defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett will join the Bears in the same roles, per Biggs and Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.
  • The Packers will promote Sean Duggan to linebackers coach to replace new Jaguars DC Anthony Campanile, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Duggan has spent the last five seasons under Packers DC Jeff Hafley, four at Boston College as linebackers coach and one in Green Bay as a defensive assistant.
  • Vikings wide reciver Jordan Addison pled not guilty to two misdemeanor DUI charges dating back to a July 2024 arrest in Los Angeles, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. Addison did not receive any punishment from the NFL for the incident, but could face a fine or suspension after legal proceedings conclude.

Rams Willing To Eat Money In Kupp Trade

February 4th, 2025 at 10:50pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

In their search for a Cooper Kupp trade partner, the Rams are willing to eat some of the money remaining on the star wide receiver’s contract, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Kupp is set to earn $20MM in 2025, made up of $12.5MM in base salary and a $7.5MM 90-man roster bonus due on March 17, per OverTheCap. $5MM of that roster bonus became fully guaranteed in 2024.

A pre-June 1 trade would already require the Rams to absorb the remaining prorations of Kupp’s signing bonus as a $17.26MM dead cap hit in 2025. That would allow them to pursue other needs in free agency with additional capital in this year’s draft.

Waiting until after June 1 would allow the Rams to push $7.48MM of dead money to 2026, but they would then also be responsible for Kupp’s 2025 roster bonus, essentially making the deferment a wash. The delay would also cost them 2025 draft capital in addition to the opportunity to sign top free agents in March.

Accordingly, the Rams would rather get a trade done before the new league year starts, explaining their willingness to absorb even more of Kupp’s contract. In the past, the Rams have paid a roster bonus early as a way of eating money to facilitate a trade, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. That would help firm up a market for Kupp, who is expected to have suitors due to his pedigree as a tough, savvy, and versatile playmaker. If the Rams can alleviate the financial burden of acquiring the 31-year-old, his age and recent injuries would be his only remaining concerns. Despite those concerns, Kupp is expected to have suitors, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required).

Kupp’s skillset would make him a fit in almost any NFL offense, but certain teams will make more sense than others. Among them, according to Fowler, are the Steelers, the Commanders, and the Patriots. Pittsburgh were interested at the 2024 trade deadline, while Washington and New England both have plenty of cap space and young passers that would benefit from an experienced, quarterback-friendly receiver like Kupp. The Lions also have enough cap room to absorb his contract as well as Kupp’s former teammate, Jared Goff, under center.

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