Minor NFL Transactions: 12/25/25
A few NFL teams made transactions on Christmas. Here are the latest updates:
Baltimore Ravens
- Designated for return from IR: DT Taven Bryan
Denver Broncos
- Signed from practice squad: TE Marcedes Lewis, OL Calvin Throckmorton
- Elevated: LB Levelle Bailey, WR Michael Bandy
- Waived: RB Cody Schrader
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: WR Jason Brownlee, OL Matt Waletzko
- Placed on IR: WR Nikko Remigio
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Tre Flowers
Chiefs Place Trent McDuffie, Rashee Rice, Jaylen Watson, Tyquan Thornton On IR
The Chiefs will be notably shorthanded for the final two games of the season. A quartet of players have been moved to injured reserve, per a team announcement. 
Cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, along with wide receivers Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton have each been place on IR. Kansas City’s season includes just two more games, beginning with tomorrow’s Christmas contest against the Broncos. As such, each of the four players will not return in 2025.
McDuffie last played in Week 14. Kansas City’s next contest was the Chargers loss which ensured the team would not be able to reach the playoffs. Instead of pushing to return late in the campaign, McDuffie will now turn his attention to 2026. The Pro Bowler remained a full-time starter this season, one in which he posted seven pass deflections and one interception but also some of the worst coverage statistics of his career.
As things stand, McDuffie is set to earn $13.63MM next season on his fifth-year option. If an extension is to be worked out, it could move him to the top of the pecking order in terms of compensation at the CB position. The Chiefs do not have a history of making such commitments at that spot, though, so McDuffie’s future will be something to monitor closely during the offseason.
Likewise, Watson is on track to have his rookie contract expire shorty. He too may have played his final game as a member of the Chiefs. The 27-year-old was identified last month as a player Kansas City is unlikely to re-sign, pointing to a free agent departure during the spring.
Rice’s 2025 season was of course defined by the suspension he served at its outset. The former first-rounder has avoided any major injuries like the ACL he suffered last year, however, and doing so has allowed him to serve as a key figure in the passing game (53-571-5 statline) when on the field. Losing Rice and Thornton will deal a blow to a Chiefs offense which will already be without quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew for the rest of the year.
In a corresponding roster move, Kansas City has activated corner Nazeeh Johnson from injured reserve. This comes one week after Johnson’s practice window was opened. He was one of the two Chiefs designated for return from IR during roster cutdowns, so his activation has already been accounted for. Meanwhile, defensive end Ethan Downs, cornerback Melvin Smith and tight end Tyreke Smith have each been signed from the practice squad to the active roster.
Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order
Several dominoes have fallen so far in Week 16 with respect to the NFL’s playoff picture. The Cowboys have been eliminated while the Patriots, Seahawks, Bears, Eagles and 49ers have locked in a postseason berth.
The final two weeks of the campaign will determine the remaining playoff spots, but they will also sort out the top of the draft order. Six teams remain within striking distance of the No. 1 pick, although the Titans’ win on Sunday greatly weakened their chances of landing the top selection for the second year in a row. One contest in particular will be worth monitoring next week with respect to draft positioning.
The Giants and Raiders each sport a record of 2-13. They will play each other in Week 17, meaning the loser of that contest will have the inside track for the No. 1 pick. New York already has a head coaching vacancy while Pete Carroll is in danger of going one-and-done in Vegas. Plenty of incentive for winning will exist for Carroll in particular, but the outcome of that game will have major implications on the draft order.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 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 an updated look at the first-round order:
- New York Giants (2-13)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-13)
- Cleveland Browns (3-12)
- New York Jets (3-12)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-12)
- Tennessee Titans (3-12)
- Washington Commanders (4-11)
- New Orleans Saints (5-10)
- Cincinnati Bengals (5-10)
- Miami Dolphins (6-9)
- Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-9)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-8-1)
- Baltimore Ravens (7-8)
- Minnesota Vikings (7-8)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8)
- Detroit Lions (8-7)
- New York Jets (via Colts)
- Carolina Panthers (8-7)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6)
- Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
- Philadelphia Eagles (10-5)
- Houston Texans (10-5)
- Buffalo Bills (11-4)
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-4)
- San Francisco 49ers (11-4)
- Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
- Los Angeles Rams (11-4)
- Chicago Bears (11-4)
- New England Patriots (12-3)
- Denver Broncos (12-3)
- Seattle Seahawks (12-3)
Chiefs, Kansas Reach Stadium Agreement
Over the past few days, indications have emerged that the Chiefs would finalize an agreement to relocate to Kansas. On Monday, that news became official. 
A new stadium will be built for the team in Kansas City, Kan., as first reported by Matthew Kelly and Sofi Zelman of the Kansas City Star. The Chiefs have since confirmed the news, ensuring the franchise will depart its longtime home (Jackson County, Mo.) in the relatively near future. The team will begin playing in Kansas in 2031.
“Today we are excited to take another momentous step for the future of the franchise,” a statement from Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt reads in part. “We have entered into an agreement with the State of Kansas to host Chiefs football beginning with the 2031 NFL season. In the years ahead, we look forward to designing and building a state-of-the-art domed stadium and mixed-use district in Wyandotte County, and a best-in-class training facility, team headquarters, and mixed-use district in Olathe.
“I want to thank the State of Kansas, and its legislative leaders. We have a lot more work to do to make this vision a reality, and I am excited to pursue this project together. I also want to thank the State of Missouri, Jackson County, and the City of Kansas City for their longstanding partnership. I look forward to watching Chiefs football at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium together over the next five seasons.”
A Kansas City Star report from this past Friday noted how discussions between the Chiefs and Kansas legislators were set to take place. At that point, no deal had been finalized but there were strong indications an agreement could be struck. It is now official, thanks to a unanimous vote which took place earlier today. The proposed stadium deal was worked out by Chiefs officials along with Kansas Lieutenant Governor David Toland on behalf of the Kansas Department of Commerce.
In 2024, a measure aimed at generating $800MM in funding for renovations to Arrowhead Stadium and a downtown stadium in Kansas City, Mo., for the Royals failed to pass. Chiefs president Mark Donovan made it clear shortly before that development the team would explore relocating in the event of the measure being voted down. Rather than mere posturing, Donovan’s comments have proven to be quite substantive given today’s news.
Last April, Dallas mayor Eric Johnson publicly called for the Chiefs to return to Dallas, where the franchise originated prior to its rebranding in 1962. Nothing pointing to such a move transpired afterwards, but the Chiefs will nevertheless be on the move once their existing lease expires following the 2030 campaign. By July 2024, the state legislature in Kansas had passed a bill allowing for the funding of a new stadium. Since then, a relocation deal has loomed as a distinct possibility.
The Chiefs have called Arrowhead home since 1972. The franchise first played at Municipal Stadium upon relocating from Dallas in 1963, but the departure of Major League Baseball’s Athletics and the arrival of the Royals prompted the construction of a new, larger stadium. Renovations were completed on Arrowhead Stadium in 2010, but the team had been angling for another round for a while. Instead of Arrowhead being renovated over the coming years, it will be replaced as the team’s home beginning in the 2031 campaign.
Arrowhead had not played host to an AFC championship game until 2018, but many of the defining moments of the modern Chiefs dynasty have come at the western Missouri site. Six AFC title games have been at Arrowhead since that 2018 season. While much of the Patrick Mahomes era — provided the superstar quarterback (who is signed through the 2031 season) stays with the team — will continue to be played there, it is interesting the franchise would opt for such a major transition during its peak period.
The plan which was finalized today calls for the construction of a $3 billion domed stadium. Up to 70% of the project can be publicly funded through a subsidy, although no details on that front were immediately shared. In any case, the Chiefs will spend the coming years preparing for a new chapter in their history.
Chiefs Sign QB Shane Buechele Off Bills’ Practice Squad
In need of healthy options at the quarterback spot, the Chiefs have brought back a familiar face. Shane Buechele is back with the organization. 
Buechele signed to Kansas City’s active roster from the Bills’ practice squad, the Chiefs announced on Monday. In a corresponding move, Gardner Minshew has been placed on injured reserve. Minshew did not suffer an ACL tear as initially feared, but he will still miss the final two weeks of the season.
The Chiefs are out of the playoffs but they find themselves thin at the QB spot due to Minshew’s injury and the ACL tear Patrick Mahomes suffered in Week 15. Chris Oladokun finished the game yesterday, and he could be in line to start on Christmas Day against the Broncos. In any case, Buechele will provide Kansas City with depth under center.
The team sits at 6-9 on the year. As such, the result of this week’s matchup with the Broncos and the regular season finale against the Raiders will only impact where the Chiefs wind up in the draft order. Still, the next two weeks will provide Oladokun and/or Buechele with an opportunity to see playing time with the starting offense and thus audition for a deal this offseason.
A former UDFA, Buechele first joined the Chiefs when he signed to their practice squad in 2021. The 27-year-old did not see any regular season playing time before signing with the Bills in August 2023. Buechele remained in Buffalo from that point onward, but he could now receive a brief look on the field with Kansas City.
Chiefs QB Gardner Minshew To Miss Remainder Of Season
DECEMBER 22: Minshew’s ACL is intact, although he will not be able to play again this season. A non-displaced tibial plateau fracture has been revealed through further testing, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The injury will not require surgery, but Minshew is set to and on injured reserve.
DECEMBER 21: Sunday’s action represented the second straight game in which a Chiefs quarterback exited due to a knee injury. Gardner Minshew was unable to finish Kansas City’s Week 16 contest, and he will not be expected to return this season. 
The Chiefs fear Minshew tore his ACL, as first reported by Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com. He and ESPN’s Adam Schefter report further testing will take place, including an MRI. Based on the initial indications, though, Minshew seems to be on track for a lengthy recovery just like Patrick Mahomes.
[RELATED: Previewing Chiefs’ Upcoming Roster Challenges]
Late last week, Mahomes suffered his own ACL tear during the game which ensured Kansas City’s playoff elimination. That set up Minshew to handle QB1 duties the rest of the way, but instead he is now in store for a lengthy spell out of the picture. Mahomes is of course not in danger of having his Chiefs tenure come to an end any time soon, but Minshew is a pending free agent.
Following a brief Jacksonville stint and two years as a backup in Philadelphia, Minshew spent one year with the Colts and another with the Raiders. He totaled 22 starts over that period, but upon reaching the open market this past spring the 29-year-old was viewed as a high-floor backup option. That was confirmed when he became Kansas City’s latest veteran QB2. Presuming further tests confirm an ACL tear, Minshew’s value for 2026 will obviously take a serious hit.
Chris Oladokun handled quarterback duties after Minshew went down. The former seventh-round pick will presumably continue to do so for the Chiefs’ two remaining games this season. Oladokun is also a pending free agent, so Kansas City’s QB room could look much different by the start of the 2026 campaign. Mahomes’ progress in recovery will of course be a major storyline for the team over the coming months, but Minshew is in danger of finding himself in the same situation for the offseason.
Matt Nagy Considered ‘Serious Candidate’ For Titans’ HC Job
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is considered a “serious candidate” for the Titans head coaching job, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Ironically, Chiefs are playing in Tennessee on Sunday. The Titans cannot discuss their head coaching vacancy with Nagy, but he will get an up-close look at the roster he would inherit if he gets the job.
Nagy, 47, has been the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator for the last three seasons. He has worked under Andy Reid for virtually all of his NFL coaching career, starting in Philadelphia in 2008. Nagy followed Reid to Kansas City in 2013 as the team’s quarterbacks coach and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2016. He took over play-calling at the end of the 2017 season and was hired by the Bears as their head coach in the subsequent offseason.
In his debut season in Chicago, Nagy led the Bears to a 12-4 record and a first-place finish in the NFC North. Those are still the team’s best results since 2006, though the 2025 Bears could reach 13 wins this season.
Nagy’s Bears regressed in his next three years with two seasons at 8-8, and a 6-11 finish in 2021 was enough to get him fired. He returned to Kansas City as a senior offensive assistant and took over as offensive coordinator after Eric Bieniemy‘s departure.
The Chiefs offense statistically got worse under Nagy. After six straight years with top-six finishes in both points score and total offense, they have not been able to reach the same heights in either category since. Instead, Kansas City’s runs to the Super Bowl in 2023 and 2024 were largely powered by their top-10 defense.
Nagy’s top priority in Tennessee would be developing No. 1 pick Cam Ward, but he does not have a strong history with young quarterbacks. Mitch Trubisky put up a career-best season under Nagy in 2018, but could not replicate those results in the next two seasons. Justin Fields looked lost as a rookie in Nagy’s final year in Chicago, and upon returning to Kansas City, he immediately got to work with a veteran Patrick Mahomes.
The Titans are also expected to reach out to several defensive coordinators, per Russini, including Lou Anarumo (Colts), Jeff Hafley (Packers), Anthony Campanile (Jaguars), Chris Shula (Rams), Matt Burke (Texans), and Jesse Minter (Chargers). However, hiring a defensive head coach with the intention to bring in a young offensive coordinator to work with Ward runs the risk of that OC being poached by another team as their head coach.
Andy Reid Not Planning 2026 Retirement; Matt Nagy Declined Chiefs Extension Offer
An offseason tradition on the coaching front has featured Andy Reid swatting away retirement rumors. This season, however, will end with a rare set of meaningless Chiefs games. The three-time reigning AFC champions are eliminated from playoff contention. That separates this year even from the 2014 season, when Kansas City remained in the mix later into a 9-7 campaign — Reid’s only non-playoff showing with the franchise.
Reid and Patrick Mahomes have formed one of the best QB-HC combinations in NFL history, trekking to five Super Bowls and winning three championships together. But Mahomes is now set for extensive ACL and LCL rehab while Reid will turn 68 in March. Despite the Chiefs being set for unusual territory — as they navigate Mahomes rehab during an offseason in which they are unlikely to be labeled Super Bowl frontrunners — NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero note Reid is not planning to retire in 2026.
[RELATED: Unusual Chiefs Season Set To Precede Roster-Building Challenges]
The Chiefs extended Reid in 2024; the deal is believed to have made the six-time conference champion the NFL’s highest-paid HC at around $20MM per year. Reid’s contract runs through the 2029 season, covering the Chiefs in this important area. Reid will bid to become the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl. Bruce Arians currently holds that title, having guided the 2020 Buccaneers to a championship at age 67.
It will be interesting to see how Reid’s offense looks to start the 2025 season. Mahomes’ timetable points to a decent chance he is back by Week 1, but that will not be a lock. How Mahomes looks as far as mobility goes will be a defining factor for the 2026 Chiefs, as they have derived plenty from the quarterback’s dual-threat skillset during a run that up until this season brought seven AFC championship game appearances in seven QB1 seasons.
The Chiefs also figure to make a real investment in the backfield. The Jets rejected a fourth-round offer for Breece Hall at the deadline, and both Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco — a player who has seen injury trouble headline his past two seasons — are set for free agency. Travis Kelce is also not a lock to come back. The future Hall of Famer is unsigned for 2026. While Kelce has long said he would finish his career with the Chiefs, he would need a new deal to return for a 14th season.
Also set for free agency: OC Matt Nagy, who figures to draw some HC interest after three seasons back in a role he held briefly in the late 2010s. Nagy is believed to have turned down a Chiefs extension offer this past offseason, per Rapoport and Pelissero. As a result, the veteran Reid sidekick/ex-Bears coach will need a new deal to stay in Kansas City.
Nagy, 47, interviewed for the Jets’ HC job last year and has been connected to the Titans’ vacancy on a few occasions since Tennessee fired Brian Callahan. The former NFL Coach of the Year (with the 2018 Bears) worked with Titans GM Mike Borgonzi previously and figures to interview for that post.
While this Chiefs season being the one to launch Nagy back onto the HC level would be a bit odd given the disappointing performance, Kansas City’s offense has been a touch better this season. That said, the Chiefs enter Week 16 ranked 15th in points yet again.
The Chiefs made the Super Bowl with No. 15-ranked scoring offenses in 2023 and ’24, using Steve Spagnuolo‘s sound defenses to provide enough support for Mahomes and Co. post-Tyreek Hill and amid a Kelce decline. While it is possible Nagy rejected an extension offer coming off a clunky offensive season, the reasons for his declining the deal are not known.
These defensive-oriented teams did not garner Spagnuolo a second HC chance; the accomplished DC’s age (66 today) and woeful three-year run as the St. Louis Rams’ HC figures to keep him from a second chance. In a year set to feature a host of defense-oriented coaching candidates, Nagy will likely draw interest. Going 2-for-4 in playoff berths with the Bears with Mitch Trubisky as the primary quarterback has aged well, and it will be interesting to see if Nagy advances far into the process as an interviewee come January.
Chiefs Place OT Jawaan Taylor, LB Leo Chenal On IR
The Chiefs made a flurry of roster moves on Saturday ahead of their Week 16 matchup with the Titans, per a team announcement.
Right tackle Jawaan Taylor and linebacker Leo Chenal were placed on injured reserve, ending their seasons. Taylor started the first 12 games in the season but has been absent for the last three weeks due to a triceps injury. He is the second Chiefs starting offensive lineman to land on injured reserve this month, joining left tackle Josh Simmons. Jaylon Moore has taken over the right tackle job in Taylor’s stead and will likely continue in that capacity.
Chenal commanded a 53% snap share in the first 14 games of the season before going down with a shoulder injury. He was the Chiefs’ third inside linebacker behind Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill; the trio have taken virtually all of the team’s snaps at the position. Chenal’s absence will likely put fourth-year linebacker Jack Cochrane into a bigger role, though Kansas City could also give rookies like Cooper McDonald and Jeffrey Bassa some opportunities.
To replace Taylor and Chenal on the active roster, the Chiefs signed offensive tackle Chukwuebuka Godrick and quarterback Chris Oladokun from their practice squad. Godrick will provide tackle depth amid the team’s current O-line injuries and Oladokun will back up Gardner Minshew for the rest of the year. Linebacker Cole Christiansen and offensive tackle Matt Waletzko were also elevated from the practice squad to provide depth at the Chiefs’ injured positions.
The Chiefs also waived running back Elijah Mitchell and replaced him with Dameon Pierce. Mitchell signed in Kansas City this offseason but has only appeared in one game during the regular season. Pierce was waived by the Texans in November and signed with Kansas City’s practice squad shortly after. Sunday will be Pierce’s Chiefs debut, and his promotion to the active roster suggests he’ll be in line for some touches during the game.
Latest On Patrick Mahomes’ Recovery
Three-plus months after opening the season among the NFL’s Super Bowl favorites, the Chiefs fell to 6-8 with a loss to the Chargers last Sunday. After earning seven straight trips to the AFC title game, the longtime juggernauts are officially out of the playoff race this year. Adding injury to insult, future Hall of Fame quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL and LCL in Week 15.
[RELATED: Unusual Chiefs Season Set To Precede Roster-Building Challenges]
With Mahomes out of commission for the rest of 2025, the Chiefs will ride out a bitterly disappointing season with Gardner Minshew as their starter. Beyond that, it’s unclear who will be at the helm when the 2026 campaign kicks off next September.
Mahomes underwent successful surgery on Monday. He’s already rehabbing, but it should take approximately nine months to recover. Mahomes looks iffy for Week 1 of next season as a result, but the Chiefs are hopeful he’ll return early in the year (via the Associated Press).
“Every player is different. Every sport is different. Every position is different,” Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder said. “[Mahomes] is so in tune to what he does, he does it a little quicker. Ballpark on this is nine months, but it could be a month or two more, a month or two less.”
A 2017 first-round pick, Mahomes spent nearly all of his rookie season redshirting behind Alex Smith. Since then, though, Mahomes hasn’t made fewer than 14 starts in a season. The three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time MVP has led the Chiefs to a 95-31 regular-season record. Despite his team’s uncharacteristic struggles this year, Mahomes didn’t look like he was slowing down in his age-30 season.
While Mahomes has been durable during his brilliant eight-year reign as Kansas City’s starter, the team has typically employed backups with significant starting experience. Chad Henne, Matt Moore, Blaine Gabbert, and Carson Wentz preceded Minshew in the No. 2 role. With Minshew on a one-year deal, the Chiefs will have to decide whether to re-sign him in the offseason. If not, it’s likely they’ll will bring in another battle-tested reserve with Mahomes’ early 2026 status up in the air.