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Minor NFL Transactions: 12/31/24

December 31st, 2024 at 6:59pm CST by Ely Allen

The last minor NFL transactions of the 2024 calendar year:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Mike Vrabel Rumored As Potential Raiders Frontrunner; Saints On Radar

December 30th, 2024 at 3:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the 2025 coaching carousel not viewed as especially deep, the chances of Mike Vrabel slipping through the cracks for a second straight year appear slim. Vrabel joins Lions HC Ben Johnson as the top candidates in this year’s pool, and multiple teams are being tied to the former Titans leader.

The Raiders have not fired Antonio Pierce, but that will be considered. If the team pulls the plug on Pierce after one season as full-time HC, Vrabel should be considered on the radar. Plenty around the NFL believe Vrabel would be the Las Vegas frontrunner if the team did fire Pierce, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Considering Vrabel and Tom Brady‘s past, it would not surprise if this became a landing spot to closely monitor.

For a minority owner, Brady appears set to hold substantial power in Vegas — both with regards to the team’s HC and QB searches — despite his role as a broadcaster. While Brady’s announcing gig could cause issues ahead of Super Bowl LIX, Mark Davis is prepared to lean on the all-time QB great during a pivotal offseason. Brady and Vrabel played together in New England for eight years, and Breer adds the ex-quarterback’s appearance at a Raiders practice late last season — when he was not yet a part-owner — signaled to some Vrabel would be on the team’s radar for the 2024 season.

As it turned out, no one hired Vrabel this year. Though, the Chargers are believed to have viewed him as their Jim Harbaugh backup plan. Vrabel, 49, closed out his consulting run with the Browns on Monday. His Cleveland contract expired, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, freeing him up for HC interviews before season’s end. Vrabel’s contract having this particular expiration date certainly points to the free agent coaching candidate wanting to explore an NFL return, and although a return to Ohio State surfaced recently, the former linebacker’s alma mater may well not have a job opening at season’s end.

Regardless, Breer adds Vrabel is leaving the Browns on good terms, as the sides separating now would allow Vrabel to conduct in-person interviews for HC positions before his competition. All coaches who are tied to other teams must wait until divisional-round week to begin meeting with teams, but unattached coaches can begin interviews for vacant jobs at any point. The Raiders do not have a vacancy presently, but other teams who do figure to be interested in Vrabel.

The Saints are one of three teams who can interview coaches now, having fired Dennis Allen weeks ago, and Breer adds Vrabel is on Mickey Loomis‘ radar. The 23rd-year GM is believed to be safe and free to run another coaching search. The Saints went with an in-house option to succeed Sean Payton, though the latter had not previously worked with Loomis when he was hired in 2006. Considering Allen’s struggles, Loomis casting a wider net this time around makes sense.

While interim HC Darren Rizzi is well-liked, it would be rather surprising if the Saints went with a second straight in-house promotion given the issues they have had since Payton left. Joe Brady having worked as a Payton assistant for two late-2010s seasons could be of note if the Saints prefer familiarity again, but the second-year Bills OC may have options as well. Lions DC Aaron Glenn, who coached the Saints’ DBs before heading to Detroit, is expected to factor into the team’s HC search prominently as well.

Saints S Tyrann Mathieu Wants To Play In 2025

December 30th, 2024 at 2:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

Tyrann Mathieu agreed to a new Saints deal this past offseason, signaling that he will continue playing past the current campaign. The All-Pro safety is uncertain of when his career will end, but he intends to suit up for 2025 at a minimum.

Mathieu said on Monday (via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell) he wants to play next season. Provided that proves to be the case, 2025 will represent his 13th campaign in the NFL and his fourth with his hometown team. The 32-year-old has remained a full-time starter during his New Orleans stint, playing every game to date.

After entering the league as a third-rounder, Mathieu spent his first five years with the Cardinals before a single campaign as a Texan. During that span, the LSU product earned his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods, and he added to both totals during his three-year run in Kansas City. His Chiefs tenure also included a Super Bowl title, but once his contract expired Mathieu did not receive an offer.

That paved the way for his first Saints deal, a three-year, $27MM pact. Mathieu totaled seven interceptions and 17 pass deflections during his first two New Orleans campaigns, and in March he agreed to an extension keeping him in place through 2025. That contract calls for a base salary of $6.25MM in 2025, and Terrell notes $2.5MM of that total is guaranteed (provided Mathieu does not retire). The 2010s All-Decade Team member’s continued presence will be welcomed on a Saints team which once again faces a number of cap-related decisions in the near future.

Mathieu has recorded three interceptions, seven pass deflections and a pair of forced fumbles but his PFF evaluation has taken a notable step back in 2024. After being graded as a top-10 safety each of the past two years, he has fallen to 70th out of 96 qualifying players at the position this season. Still, it would come as a surprise if he were to serve in anything but a first-team capacity next year. Given the Saints’ history of cap gymnastics, Mathieu is among the players who could have their contracts adjusted this offseason. Regardless of what happens on the financial front, he can be expected to suit up for at least one more year.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

December 30th, 2024 at 10:39am CST by Adam La Rose

Plenty of changes took place regarding the projected draft order on Sunday. Most notably, the Giants’ first home win of the year took them out of the top spot and greatly lowered their chances of securing the No. 1 pick.

Instead, the Patriots are now in pole position to select first in April. New England already has Drake Maye in place, so adding another Day 1 passer would be out of the picture. With Travis Hunter being seen as the top overall prospect in the class, the Heisman winner could be a suitable target as a key figure in New England’s rebuilding process.

Meanwhile, a number of teams which could be in the market for a first-round passer are near the top of the order. That includes the Browns and Raiders, teams which each face uncertainty under center for 2025 despite already having a number of quarterbacks under contract beyond this season. Bringing in Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders would provide another short-term option for next year along with a potential long-term answer at the position. Plenty could still change in the order over Week 18, though, and the evaluation process of both of the top signal-callers in the class obviously has a long way to go.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is an updated look at the current draft order:

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

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/28/24

December 28th, 2024 at 8:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves, including gameday elevations for Week 17:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

It was already known Lamb would be out for the remainder of the year, but the same will now be true of Oruwariye. The latter made seven appearances in 2024, his debut Cowboys season. That included four starts and a defensive snap share of 62%, making him a notable contributor on a Dallas defense which has dealt with a number of injuries. Oruwariye, 28, is a pending free agent.

McCoy and Patrick suffered injuries during the Saints’ Week 16 loss, and today’s move confirms they will both miss the remainder of the season. New Orleans’ offensive line has been dealt a number of blows in 2024, and that will continue through the final two games of the season. McCoy appeared in just seven games this year, but plenty of term remains on his pact. Patrick, by contrast, is set to hit the open market this spring.

Whitehead returned to practice earlier this week, so it comes as no surprise he will be available to the Buccaneers tomorrow. He will be expected to reprise his role as a defensive starter as Tampa Bay looks to seal the NFC South over the final two games of the campaign. Bringing back Whitehead and Johnson will leave the team with two IR activations.

Cameron Jordan Plans To Play In 2025

December 27th, 2024 at 4:24pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan is planning to return for his 15th NFL season in 2025, per Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football.

Jordan has one year remaining on his current deal with the Saints, but the team is already almost $64MM over the NFL’s projected 2025 salary cap, per OverTheCap. A release with a post-June 1 designation would save the Saints $11MM of salary cap space next year, though the team would have to absorb almost $24MM in dead cap hits across 2025 and 2026.

This isn’t the first time Jordan has faced a potential end to his time in New Orleans. He’s become accustomed to treating the team’s final home game each year as if it could be his last in the Superdome, according to Triplett.

If the Saints do part ways with Jordan, he will face a complicated free agency market this offseason. To start, he’s 35 years old with just five sacks in the last two years after 11 straight seasons with at least 7.5. Jordan has yet to miss a game in his career, but his snap share has steadily dropped since he turned 30, reaching a career-low 47% this year.

The 14th-year defensive end would likely need to take a pay cut from his current $13.25MM per-year average, though with over $125MM in career earnings, he is more likely to be chasing another Super Bowl ring than a final payday. In terms of official sacks, Jordan is the Saints’ all-time leader (120.5). That total ranks 23rd all time, putting Jordan on the Hall of Fame radar. Dwight Freeney and Julius Peppers kept going into their late 30s, padding their sack totals as situational pass rushers. A similar role could benefit Jordan, but some moving parts still exist here.

He also wants to stay at defensive end instead of moving inside to defensive tackle, Triplett adds. Jordan has spent the vast majority of his career as an edge defender in the Saints’ 4-3 scheme. At 6-foot-4 and 287 pounds, he has the size to play along the interior, but believes he will be most effective on the outside. However, teams with a 3-4 defense – which tend to assign more coverage responsibilities to edge defenders – may only see Jordan as a designated pass rusher. Still, most teams primarily use nickel personnel, so Jordan should be able to find a new defensive end gig if he leaves New Orleans.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

December 24th, 2024 at 7:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Two weeks remain in the regular season, and while a number of teams are jockeying for playoff spots several others are still in contention to land a coveted draft slot. It remains to be seen where the No. 1 selection will wind up.

The Giants and Raiders entered Sunday’s action with two wins apiece, and New York’s loss kept the team strongly in contention to kick off the draft in April. By virtue of winning against the Jaguars, though, the Raiders hurt their chances of finding themselves in that position. A top-two spot (or thereabouts) may be required to draft either of this year’s top passers, but a small move up the order positioning Vegas to add one could still be on the table.

Five teams currently sit a 3-12, and a head-to-head matchup between the Titans and Jaguars on Sunday will be key in deciding where each of them wind up. Another three squads own a 4-11 record, so plenty of potential exists in terms of changes being made to the order at the top of the board. Numerous expected suitors for a Day 1 quarterback (including teams like the Browns and Jets) may very well find themselves out of reach for Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders without a trade-up being necessary. The Panthers’ starting situation with Bryce Young is certainly not settled for 2025, but adding a passer on Day 1 would come as a surprise at this point.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is an updated look at the current draft order:

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

Darren Rizzi Aiming To Become Saints’ Full-Time Head Coach

December 23rd, 2024 at 11:20am CST by Adam La Rose

When Dennis Allen was fired in November, it came as little surprise that special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi took over as head coach on an interim basis. As expected, the latter sees the team’s stretch run as a means of auditioning for the position on a full-time basis.

“It all depends on what the organization’s looking for,” Rizzi said when discussing the Saints’ HC search (via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell). “Sometimes when you go with the hot name or the hot coordinator, I don’t think that a lot of times owners or GMs take into account the things that they haven’t done. They haven’t worked with the players on the other side of the ball and they don’t have any experience with special teams.”

[RELATED: Tracking NFL’s 21st Century Interim HCs]

Indeed, Rizzi’s third phase experience makes him unique compared to many other head coaching candidates. For many staffers, the path to an opportunity to lead a team involves a track record of success on the defensive or (especially recently) offensive side of the ball. Rizzi has worked exclusively as a special teams coordinator at the NFL level, but he has served as a head coach in the past.

The 54-year-old coached New Haven from 1999-2001, and he also took charge of Rhode Island for the 2008 campaign. Those tenures came at the Division II and FCS levels, respectively, however, and other candidates with experience in higher-profile positions (including NFL gigs) will be available during the 2025 hiring cycle. The Saints are joined by the Jets and Bears so far in needing a full-time coach, and others will no doubt join them after the regular season ends.

New Orleans went 2-7 this year before Allen’s dismissal, making a run to the postseason all-but impossible for Rizzi. The team (which was officially eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday) has gone 3-2 since the coaching change despite dealing with numerous injuries on offense. Continued performances along the lines of those seen so far could help Rizzi’s case for taking on the full-time gig.

As he acknowledged, though, it will still be a challenge to get the posting for 2025. Rizzi interviewed with the Dolphins in 2019 before Brian Flores was ultimately hired, and he received another look in 2021 after Sean Payton departed the Saints (preceding Allen’s promotion to HC). A report from last month indicated Rizzi could be a strong contender to have the interim tag removed; it will be interesting to see if that winds up being the case once the season is over.

Saints Will Turn Back To Derek Carr If QB Is Healthy

December 22nd, 2024 at 2:17pm CST by Ben Levine

DECEMBER 24: Rizzi said on Tuesday (via Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football) both Carr and running back Alvin Kamara are attempting to play in Week 17. The latter’s status for the rest of the season is in doubt, but having him in place alongside Carr (and, potentially, wideout Chris Olave) would give New Orleans’ offense a major boost compared to its current state. That, in turn, could help Rizzi’s candidacy to land the Saints’ full-time head coaching gig this offseason.

DECEMBER 19: With the Saints basically out of the playoff picture and rookie Spencer Rattler nearly engineering a comeback attempt on Sunday, it seemed likely that Derek Carr wouldn’t play again this season. However, both head coach Darren Rizzi and GM Mickey Loomis have rejected that notion over the past couple of days.

Earlier today, the Saints announced that Rattler would step back into the starting lineup for Monday’s game against the Packers. Shortly thereafter, Rizzi clarified that the rookie would garner his fourth career start only if Carr wasn’t healthy enough to play (per Ross Jackson of Locked On Saints). The veteran continues to recover from a concussion and fractured hand he suffered back in Week 14.

The Saints sit with a less than one percent chance of making the postseason, and the team will surely be preparing for 2025 over the next few weeks. Still, Carr could work his way back to the field, with Loomis declaring that his squad was going to “try to win every game.”

“He’s gonna be day-to-day, really, and he’s got an issue in his hand and there’s … a reason to be optimistic, but it’s a day-to-day thing,” Loomis explained during an appearance on WWL Radio (via Jeff Nowak of the station’s website). “We’re just gonna have to go along and when he gets to the point where he can function well enough to play in the game, I know … he wants to play and when he can, he will.”

While the Saints’ desire to compete down the stretch is admirable, there are some good reasons to shut down Carr for the year. For starters, only $10MM of the QB’s $40MM earnings in 2025 are guaranteed, but there’s another $30MM guaranteed for injury. By shutting Carr down now, the team can avoid the risk of re-injury and assure that Carr is fully healthy in March (when the injury guarantee would be locked in). As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes, the Raiders benched Carr during his final season with the organization, mostly so they could assure the QB was healthy before the injury guarantee kicked in.

Of course, Carr’s return would signify full health, but the organization may not want to take the risk of the veteran suffering a severe injury that leaves no doubt about the impending guarantees. For what it’s worth, Rizzi shut down the idea that the team would bench Carr to avoid another injury (and the injury guarantee), with the head coach noting that the QB would already be on IR if the Saints wanted to follow that path (via Matthew Paras of The Times-Picayune).

There’s still a chance that Carr is back in New Orleans next season; he’s under contract, after all. Still, if the Saints could avoid the injury guarantee, the front office would have a lot more financial flexibility as they navigate the offseason. Plus, any concern about another injury wouldn’t be completely unfounded, as Carr has dealt with a handful of injuries during the 2024 campaign.

The team could also justify benching Carr thanks to the presence of Rattler. When Carr missed three games back in October, the fifth-round rookie got three starts. The Saints went winless in those games, with Rattler completing 59 percent of his passes for 571 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. When Carr went down a few weeks ago, the team opted to start Jake Haener in Week 15, but the former fourth-round pick didn’t make it to the end of the game. Rattler took over at halftime with the Saints down by 17, and he almost helped guide the team to a comeback victory.

The Saints could be armed with a top-10 pick after the season and would be in prime position to add another young quarterback. Still, with nothing left to play for, it would make sense to see how Rattler (or even Haener) progress over the next few weeks. Based on the recent rumblings out of New Orleans, it sounds like the Saints will end up opting for the veteran if the opportunity presents itself.

Saints’ Chris Olave Returns To Practice; Alvin Kamara’s Season Could Be Over

December 19th, 2024 at 4:48pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Saints are set to swap offensive playmakers in the coming weeks, with Chris Olave returning to practice from injured reserve and Alvin Kamara potentially out for the season with a groin injury.

Olave was cleared by a concussion specialist on Tuesday, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, more than a month after he was hospitalized after a scary hit by Panthers safety Xavier Woods. Olave has been on injured reserve since November 9, but is set to play again this season after initial uncertainty surrounding his injury.

Kamara picked up a groin injury in Week 15 against the Commanders, and head coach Darren Rizzi told media on Thursday that the injury was more severe than originally though (via Underhill). Not only is the five-time Pro Bowler expected to miss Monday’s game against the Packers, he may also be out for the season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

If Kamara’s season is indeed over, he will still finish with a career-high 950 rushing yards as one of the few bright spots in the Saints’ 5-9 season. He signed a two-year, $24.5MM extension in October that will keep him in New Orleans through 2026.

Olave, meanwhile, had an up-and-down season that has not included the same consistent production as his first two years in the NFL. After nine touchdowns and 2,165 yards (69.8 yards per game) in 2022 and 2023, he’s scored just once this year with an average of 50.0 yards per game. His efficiency has actually increased, with a career-high 72.7% catch rate, 65.9% success rate, and 9.1 yards per target.

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