Texans Designate J.J. Watt For Return
The Texans will officially designate star defensive end J.J. Watt to return from the injured reserve list, sources tell Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Watt has been sidelined with a torn pectoral muscle since Week 8, but this move will open the door for a playoff return.
Watt’s return to practice will open up a 21-day window for him to be added to the active roster. Considering he underwent pec surgery just eight weeks ago, it’s a remarkably fast turn around. Typically, pectoral surgery patients require three-to-four months of recovery time.
Watt’s no stranger to overcoming injuries – he’s return from two herniated disc surgeries and a tibial plateau operation. At the age of 30, this could be his toughest challenge yet.
If he’s able to retake the field, it’ll be a boon for the Texans’ chances in the playoffs. Watt was double teamed 30% of the time on his edge rusher snaps this year, more than any other qualifying player in the NFL.
The Texans have already locked down the AFC South in advance of their Week 17 matchup against the Titans. They’re currently slated to host the Bills on Wild Card weekend as the AFC’s No. 4 seed.
Panthers Interview Mike McCarthy
The first candidate to replace Ron Rivera as Panthers head coach has surfaced. The Panthers interviewed ex-Packers HC Mike McCarthy after their game against the Colts on Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
This marks a step back toward the sideline for the 13-season Packers leader, who interviewed for the Jets’ and Browns’ coaching positions during the 2019 hiring period. McCarthy was mentioned as a possibility for the Panthers’ vacancy, with new owner David Tepper‘s top priority believed to be a coach who is a strong manager of people. Tepper fired Rivera early to hit the ground running on the search for his replacement; the Panthers are unable to meet with active NFL assistants until after the season.
After firing Rivera, Tepper made comments that made it sound like the Panthers would be focusing on an offensive-minded head coach. That is the expectation. While McCarthy does not fit the analytically geared coach the second-year owner seeks, the Panthers have gone all-defense in their 25-season history, moving from Dom Capers to George Seifert to John Fox to Rivera.
McCarthy has taken the 2019 season off, doing so after enduring a similar fate to Rivera in 2018. The Packers fired McCarthy on Dec. 2, 2018. He went 204-125 as Green Bay’s head coach, piloting the Packers to nine playoff berths in that span. While McCarthy did have Hall of Famer Brett Favre and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers calling the signals for nearly the entirety of his tenure, he is a Super Bowl-winning coach who is on the market. This might not be the 56-year-old Pittsburgh native’s only interview of this cycle.
A detailed report surfaced in April indicating McCarthy and Rodgers butted heads about the Packers’ offense, which was often the subject of criticism during the latter years of McCarthy’s Green Bay stay. But McCarthy was there during Rodgers’ developmental tenure and certainly helped the all-time great grow into the player he became.
The Panthers have a high-profile quarterback of their own in Cam Newton, albeit one who is not certain to be on their 2020 roster. Prior to his Packers years, McCarthy served as OC in New Orleans (during most of Aaron Brooks‘ run) and San Francisco.
Seahawks To Meet With Marshawn Lynch
Beast Mode just might return to Seattle. Marshawn Lynch and the Seahawks will meet in Seattle to discuss a reunion on Monday, sources tell Mike Garafolo, Ian Rapoport, and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
The Seahawks desperately need running back help and are open to pulling Lynch out of retirement. Running backs Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise will likely miss the rest of the season with hip and arm injuries, respectively, leaving them perilously thin in the backfield.
Lynch is undoubtedly rusty, but there are limited options available at this stage of the year. For what it’s worth, Lynch left the door open for a return to the Raiders in May, so he might not be 100% finished with football.
Lynch, 33, saw just six games in an injury-shortened 2018 with the Raiders. In the previous year, however, he appeared in 15 games and averaged a solid 4.3 yards per carry. He finished out that year with 891 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns, plus 20 catches for 151 yards.
Lynch, of course, spent the 2010-2015 seasons with the Seahawks and helped the team capture a Super Bowl ring. Then, in the Seahawks’ following Super Bowl appearance, they opted against giving Lynch the ball near the goal line, which wound up costing them the game.
At 11-4, the Seahawks have already punched their ticket to the postseason. They still have a shot at winning the NFC West as well. Their Week 17 matchup against the Niners will determine the division and could even unlock a first-round bye, if the Packers lose tonight against the Vikings.
Bucs Intend To Bring Back Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston will likely remain in Tampa Bay for the 2020 season. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Buccaneers are expected to bring back the quarterback next season.
However, it’s uncertain how the organization will go about retaining the former first-overall pick. “Barring an unlikely early contract,” Rapoport notes that the Buccaneers will have the option of using either the franchise tag or the transition tag (this is thanks to it being the final offseason of the current CBA). If an opposing team signs a franchised player to an offer sheet, they have to surrender a pair of first-rounders. An opposing team doesn’t need to send compensation if they sign a transition-tagged player to an offer sheet.
This is especially relevant for the Buccaneers, as sack-leader Shaquil Barrett is also set to hit free agency this offseason. As Rapoport notes, the projected franchise tag for quarterbacks is $27MM vs. $25MM for the transition tag. Meanwhile, the franchise tag for linebackers (and, presumably, Barrett) is $16MM vs. the $14MM transition tag.
Earlier this month, coach Bruce Arians refused to commit to Winston beyond this season. And, when asked about the above report, Arians said no determinations have been made.
“There’s been no decision on any player. We don’t make those decisions until the end of the season,” Arians said.
However, a bit has changed over the past few weeks. The quarterback has thrown for more than 400 yards in back-to-back games, and Tampa Bay can extend their winning streak to five against the Texans today. Winston has already set career-highs in passing yards (4,573) and touchdowns (30), but he’s also set a new mark in interceptions (24).
RB Darren Sproles To Retire After 2019 Season
Darren Sproles is set to call it a career. The Eagles announced on Twitter that the veteran running back will retire following the season.
The 36-year-old had previously hinted about retiring following the 2019 campaign. After backtracking out of a potential 2017 retirement, Sproles’ 2018 season was intended to be his final year in the NFL. Unfortunately, that season was derailed by a broken arm and a torn ACL, and the veteran made it clear that he didn’t want to go out like that. He ended up re-signing with the Eagles in July, and the veteran contributed 90 yards of offensive in six games (he also returned 11 punts).
Unfortunately, Sproles suffered a partial tear of his right hip flexor against the Jets on Oct. 6 and, at some juncture, aggravated the injury further. Sproles went through four weeks of rehab after the initial injury against Gang Green and managed to play against the Bears on Nov. 3. However, doctors later found that he had suffered a much more serious tear of the muscle. He landed on the injured reserve back in November, ending his season.
Over the course of 14 seasons with the Eagles, Saints, and Chargers, Sproles has earned three Pro Bowl trips with a strong 4.9 yards per carry average. He’s also been a remarkably effective pass-catcher – in his three seasons with the Saints, Sproles totaled 232 grabs for 1,981 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air.
Fortunately for Sproles, he achieved one of his goals for the 2019 season: he jumped Tim Brown for fifth place on the all-time all-purpose yards list.
Jaguars Fire Executive VP Tom Coughlin
The major changes in Jacksonville are starting. The Jaguars fired executive vice president Tom Coughlin on Wednesday night, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). The team has announced the move.
Coughlin, 73, was in his third season with the franchise. This marked the two-time Super Bowl-winning coach’s second stint in Jacksonville. He was the Jags’ first head coach, serving in that role from 1995-2002.
This move comes, obviously, as the Jaguars are wrapping up a second consecutive disappointing season. It also follows Monday’s news of an arbitrator ruling against the Jaguars and the NFLPA indicating in a statement that 25% of player grievances over the past two years have been against the Jags. In the statement, which centered around the Coughlin-led organization levying offseason fines, the union urged players to avoid signing with the Jaguars as free agents.
Owner Shad Khan said in a statement he determined earlier this season he would fire Coughlin at year’s end but changed his mind after recent days. It would appear the grievance ruling accelerated this timetable. Khan added that GM Dave Caldwell and HC Doug Marrone will report directly to him for the time being.
“I determined earlier this fall that making this move at the conclusion of the 2019 season would be in everyone’s best interests but, in recent days, I reconsidered and decided to make this change immediately,” Khan said. “I thank Tom for all his efforts, not only over the past three years but for all he did from our very first season, 25 years ago, to put the Jacksonville Jaguars on the map.”
Khan hired Coughlin in January 2017, stripping some of Caldwell’s powers to bring the longtime Giants HC into the fold. After Caldwell’s first four years as GM did not produce any winning seasons, the Coughlin-Caldwell tandem installed Marrone as the team’s full-time HC. The Jaguars went 10-6 and came as close to reaching a Super Bowl as they had in their 25-year history, losing a lead late in the 2017 AFC championship game.
On the field, the Jaguars have gone 10-20 since. Off the field, matters have been worse. Players were fined hundreds of thousands of dollars during offseasons, with Dante Fowler and Leonard Fournette confirming they filed grievances against Coughlin. The old-school leader also was the driving force behind Jalen Ramsey‘s decision to request a trade earlier this season, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes players had become frustrated by Coughlin’s mere presence in the building (video link). While the disciplinarian adapted in New York, winning over the Giants and guiding them to two Super Bowls, Coughlin’s methods did not go over well with a younger crop of players in Jacksonville.
Marrone looks like a Black Monday candidate, and although Caldwell has managed to avoid ouster rumors, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes (via Twitter) Jags coaches and scouts have inquired about other jobs for weeks. Quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich landed another CFL head coaching job last week. Caldwell made the Blake Bortles draft pick in 2014 and, along with Coughlin, authorized a 2018 extension for the embattled quarterback. The Jaguars, who selected Fournette over Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes in Coughlin’s first draft, took a $16.5MM dead-money hit to cut Bortles this year. Neither Marrone nor Caldwell, however, are locks to be fired, Rapoport adds.
Lions Place Matthew Stafford On IR
The Lions have placed Matthew Stafford on IR. With that, the quarterback’s season is officially over. 
[RELATED: Lions To Retain Matt Patricia, GM Bob Quinn For 2020]
Stafford started 136 consecutive games before missing Detroit’s Week 10 contest again the Bears in November. In eight starts, the 31-year-old Stafford threw for nearly 2,500 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions while ranking eighth in ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating.
Meanwhile, the Lions have sagged to a 3-10-1 record. There was little sense in jeopardizing Stafford’s health in the final games of the season, so the move to IR was widely expected, even as Stafford pushed for a return.
“Because this is what I do,” Stafford said in November, when asked why he wants to play this year. “I understand your question, but this is what I love to do. I love playing football. I appreciate all the hard work that all the guys in this locker room and in this organization put into going out there and trying to win games on Sunday and I love being a part of that.”
“It’s tough for me to sit there without the pads on and not be able to impact the game on the field the way I’m used to doing,” Stafford said. “That’s driving me to get back out there, and whenever we all deem it’s the right time for me to get back out there, I’ll be out there.”
Stafford will be back out there in 2020, when he continues on his five-year, $135MM deal with the Lions. Stafford is tied to the club through 2022 and will count for a $31.5MM cap figure next season.
Lions To Retain Matt Patricia, GM Bob Quinn For 2020
2019 has obviously been a very disappointing season for the Lions, but they aren’t going to be shaking things up too much this offseason. Both head coach Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn will return next season, owner Martha Ford told reporters on Tuesday. Patricia is in his second year as head coach after previously serving as New England’s defensive coordinator. Quinn has been the GM since 2016, and also came over from the Patriots.
Ford also told reporters that the expectation is the Lions will compete for a playoff spot next year, essentially saying outright that a repeat performance won’t be tolerated. Ford also shot down rumors that the family was considering selling the team. All that being said, that doesn’t mean everybody is going to make it through. “Other staff changes are possible” still, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The defense has been a glaring weakness, and it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if defensive Paul Pasqualoni found himself out of a job at the end of the season.
In recent weeks there had been a lot of speculation about Patricia’s job status and talk that he could get fired, but he never seemed too worried and now we know why. It seems likely that Patricia and Quinn’s futures will now be tied together, and if one of them is given the boot after next season then they both will be. Detroit got off to a hot start this season with a 2-0-1 record, but things fell apart rapidly.
They came within a play of beating the Chiefs and moving to 3-0-1 the following week, but came up short. A one-point loss to the Packers followed, and then things spiraled out of control. All told, they’ve now lost ten of their last 11 games. They’ve suffered a rash of injuries, most notably to quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford has missed the past six games, and they’ve now gone from Jeff Driskel to undrafted rookie David Blough under center.
Clearly ownership believes the injuries were to blame for the disaster of a season, and they’ll get at least one more chance to run it back. Fortunately for Quinn and Patricia, they’ll have a high draft pick at their disposal. There was a local media report that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos had interest in buying the Lions, but the franchise shot that down emphatically, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
“We’ve been approached about interest in buying the team, but there’s been no serious discussions,” team president Rod Wood said. “And the Ford family plans to own the team and there’s [succession] plans in place.” We heard last month that Bezos was interested in buying a team, but it apparently won’t be the Lions.
Chiefs Claim Terrell Suggs
The Chiefs claimed former Cardinals linebacker Terrell Suggs off waivers on Tuesday. The news was first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Initially, it wasn’t clear whether Suggs would be willing to suit up for the Chiefs. After his release, he told people close to him that he would only play for the Ravens, but the opportunity to play for another Super Bowl ring made him reconsider. He will join KC and, in all likelihood, make his Chiefs debut on Sunday against the Bears.
The pickup gives the Chiefs some much needed edge rushing ammo in the wake of Alex Okafor‘s pectoral injury. To date, Suggs has with 5.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 13 games this year.
Suggs was a popular man on the waiver wire. As Rapoport tweets, the Saints, 49ers, and Seahawks all put in a claim, which makes sense given that all of those teams are dealing with injuries to their own pass rushers. Rapoport says the Ravens may have signed Suggs if he had cleared waivers, but Baltimore did not put in a claim.
Suggs didn’t get the homecoming he wanted, but he fell into a choice situation. Rather than playing out the year for the 4-9-1 Cards, he has the opportunity to aid the 10-4 Chiefs in their quest for a championship.
Suggs was drafted No. 10 overall by the Ravens all the way back in 2003. He spent the next 16 seasons with the team and became a franchise icon, winning Super Bowl XLVII with them and making the Pro Bowl seven times. He remained reasonably productive with seven sacks in 2018, but the Ravens let him walk to Arizona in the spring.
The Chiefs will be responsible for the remainder of Suggs’ one-year, $7MM deal.
Saints Claim Janoris Jenkins
Former Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins has been claimed off waivers by the Saints. With that, they’ll take on one of the league’s top cornerback talents, the ~$1.2MM still owed to the veteran for 2019, and, perhaps, some backlash.
[RELATED: Cowboys Deny Reaching Out To Sean Payton]
The Giants cut Jenkins last week after he used a slur for the mentally challenged and issued an apology that fell short with many. Controversy aside, he represents an enormous upgrade in the secondary – the kind of addition that is rarely, if ever, found in the late states of the regular season.
Jenkins will not be eligible to play tonight, when the Saints take on the Colts. Instead, the claim will be deferred, technically speaking, until next week, when the Saints take on the Titans.
The Saints are looking to Jenkins for coverage help as they gear up for a Super Bowl run and an attempt to lock down a first-round bye. His former team, meanwhile, is ticketed for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Jenkins is also under contract for 2020, though the $11.25MM he’s slated to earn next year is completely non-guaranteed. With that in mind, this profiles as a low-risk/high-reward scenario for the Saints.
The Texans and Chiefs were named as potential landing spots for the 31-year-old, but the Saints came away with the one-time Pro Bowler. Jackrabbit will now look to add on to his 84 tackles and four interceptions (already a career high) in 2019.
In addition to the Jenkins claim, the Saints promoted CB T.J. Green and DT Taylor Stallworth from the practice squad, placed CB Johnson Bademosi on IR, and waived DT T.Y. McGill.