Jets QB Josh McCown Done For Season
It’s official – Josh McCown‘s season is over. Coach Todd Bowles shared the bad news with reporters on Monday morning. 
McCown exited Sunday’s loss to the Broncos with a broken hand. With just three games to go and zero chance of making the postseason, shutting the quarterback down was the only choice left for the Jets.
The Jets have exceeded all expectations this year and so has the 38-year-old McCown. McCown threw for a career-high 18 touchdowns this season and matched a personal watermark with 13 starts. His No. 22 ranking among Pro Football Focus’ top quarterbacks doesn’t portray him as Pro Bowl material, but few expected the aging veteran to do that well given the team’s major gaps on offense.
The Jets are expected to turn things over to the younger Bryce Petty, who struggled in relief of McCown. There’s also the possibility that we’ll finally see 2016 second-round pick Christian Hackenberg get on the field. Bowles has previously dismissed the idea that Hackenberg could see reps despite his apparent lack of readiness. “This isn’t Triple-A,” Bowles told reporters in November. However, with three games left, now is as good of a time as any to find out what Hackenberg has to offer. If the Jets can definitively conclude that the Penn State product is not NFL material, then they can move on from him this offseason.
Eagles’ Carson Wentz Done For Season
The Eagles announced that Carson Wentz is done for the season with an ACL tear. This was what the Eagles feared when Wentz exited Sunday’s game against the Rams. 
On Sunday, Wentz threw four touchdown passes and set the franchise record for touchdown passes in a season. After throwing 33 TDs this year against seven interceptions and positioning himself as one of the league’s top quarterbacks, Wentz’s year is over. The fear for many Eagles fans is that this may end the team’s Super Bowl hopes as well.
A familiar face will now take over as the starting quarterback. Nick Foles, who entered the game upon Wentz’s exit, will be the new starter, coach Doug Pederson confirmed. Nate Sudfeld, meanwhile, will be the team’s No. 2 QB. Pederson said that he has yet to talk to GM Howie Roseman about signing a No. 3 QB.
Although Wentz looked solid as a rookie, few expected this kind of leap from 2016’s No. 2 overall pick. Wentz threw for nearly 3,330 yards in 13 games and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-best quarterback in the entire NFL, behind only Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, and Russell Wilson. Foles had an impressive run of his own in Philadelphia, but he has yet to replicate his Pro Bowl season of 2013.
The Eagles, who have clinched the NFC East championship, have three regular season games to go against the Giants, Raiders, and Cowboys. They have a 98% chance of a first-round bye (according to the New York Times‘ odds calculator), so there’s not much on the line in these final three contests. However, these games will be crucial in order for the team to gel with Foles under center.
Initial Carson Wentz Tests Don’t Reveal Complete ACL Tear
The Eagles’ postgame celebration was not exactly indicative of a team that clinched the NFC East and its first 11-win season in eight years, with Carson Wentz‘s reported ACL tear understandably affecting the mood. But the team is holding out hope its breakout star quarterback didn’t suffer a full tear.
Initial tests on Wentz’s damaged left knee did not “definitively” reveal a complete tear, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
While Monday’s MRI will provide a clearer picture and play a big part in shaping the Eagles’ late-season outlook, Rapoport notes the team isn’t giving up on the possibility this isn’t a season-ending malady.
A previous NFL.com report indicated the Eagles did believe Wentz’s season was over, and multiple other sources reported the team fears the worst for Wentz. Rapoport reports the Eagles believe Wentz sustained an ACL injury; they just aren’t certain it was a full tear at this juncture.
Of course, even a partial tear would surely induce a discussion from the team about shutting down its 24-year-old dynamo anyway.
Wentz’s knee injury became worrisome when trainers felt it was loose upon examination, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The loose ACL is sign it’s torn, Dr. David Chao of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets, adding concern for Wentz’s left LCL should exist as well. Wentz played four plays after suffering the left knee injury and walked to the locker room, but the MVP candidate was taken out of the Los Angeles Coliseum on a cart, per Fox NFL (Twitter link).
The Eagles’ division-clinching mood was indeed “subdued” as they await word on the MRI, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes.
A similar sequence of reports emerged last December when Ryan Tannehill was believed to have suffered a full ACL tear only to have the ensuing MRI reveal a partial tear. However, that may not be the most encouraging sign considering Tannehill did not play for the Dolphins again that season, saw his offseason largely marred by this injury and is missing all of this season because of a subsequent ACL tear.
Eagles Concerned Carson Wentz Tore ACL
The Eagles are concerned Carson Wentz suffered a torn ACL during the third-quarter sequence that ended his game, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The Associated Press also is reporting this diagnosis, adding (via Twitter) the star passer will have an MRI on Monday to confirm it. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports the Eagles believe Wentz’s season is over.
Wentz injured his left knee on an awkward-looking play, and Fox’s Erin Andrews reported team officials left an examination on the MVP candidate shaking their heads (Twitter link via Albert Breer of SI.com). Nick Foles took over for Wentz, whom the team immediately declared out for the game after he went to the visitors’ locker room.
Schefter adds that as Wentz exited the field shortly after, his left knee buckled to induce the locker room trip. (Twitter link). Wentz remained in the game for four plays after this hit and threw a touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery, helping the visitors to a 43-35 victory in a key NFC game.
This would obviously be a crushing blow for an Eagles team that’s authored its best season since the franchise’s 2004 NFC title campaign.
Wentz threw four touchdown passes against the Rams and set the franchise record for touchdown passes in a season; he now has 33 while having thrown only seven interceptions. The second-year passer has made a tremendous leap from his rookie season and stands as one of the most important players in the NFL presently.
The North Dakota State product has already more than doubled his touchdown-pass output from his rookie season, and if these reports are accurate, will see a brutal end to a breakout slate and a lengthy rehab process. It also continues what’s been a vicious year for quarterback health around the league.
The Eagles clinched the NFC East championship with their win and have won 11 games for the first time since Donovan McNabb‘s last full season as the starter, in 2009. But Monday’s impending MRI could make this a muted celebration for the NFC’s current No. 1 seed.
Dave Gettleman Is Giants’ Top Choice For GM
We have heard over the past several days that former Panthers GM Dave Gettleman is emerging as a frontrunner for the Giants’ newly-available GM job, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says that Gettleman is currently the team’s first choice to permanently replace longtime decision-maker Jerry Reese. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports hears the same thing, and he says it would be an upset if someone other than Gettleman got the job.
As Rapoport observes, Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch almost always hire individuals with ties to the organization, and Gettleman served as the Pro Personnel Director and the Senior Pro Personnel Analyst with Big Blue before he was hired by Carolina in 2013.
Gettleman was able to get the Panthers out of salary-cap hell and lead the team to the playoffs in each of his first three years in Carolina, including an appearance in Super Bowl 50. Carolina finished 6-10 last season but is back in the playoff hunt in 2017 with a roster largely constructed by Gettleman, which is why his ouster in July was so jarring and why it is no surprise to see him back in the GM conversation so quickly. Rapoport notes that Gettleman has stayed in touch with friend and confidant Ernie Accorsi, who is serving as the Giants’ consultant for their search.
New York, though, does plan to give interim GM Kevin Abrams a legitimate chance to win the job. Rapoport and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com report that the Giants also planned to interview former Chiefs GM John Dorsey before the Browns swooped in and hired him (which is perhaps why Cleveland acted as swiftly as it did).
The Giants want to hire a GM before hiring a head coach. If the team hires Gettleman, current Panthers DC Steve Wilks will get serious consideration for New York’s head coaching job, although the desirability of that position will draw a host of top-tier candidates.
Jim Caldwell’s Contract Expires After 2018
We heard in September that the Lions had given head coach Jim Caldwell a multi-year extension that stretched beyond 2018, and that the two sides had agreed to that extension several months prior. However, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports, Caldwell’s extension only runs through the 2018 campaign, with an option following next season. That deal, therefore, really only prevented Caldwell from being a lame duck coach this year, and Rapoport hears that Caldwell’s contract status will not impact whether the team retains him or cuts him loose after 2017.
The Lions have lost two games in a row and, at 6-6, would not make the playoffs if they started today (they will likely need to run the table to have a shot at the postseason). Even when it was believed that Caldwell’s contract went beyond 2018, there were increased rumblings concerning his job security over the past few weeks — thanks in large part to the Lions’ slow starts and a couple of major coaching gaffes — and this new information will only add fuel to the fire. Indeed, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets that Caldwell is “firmly” on the hot seat.
Nonetheless, it must be remembered that, even though Detroit GM Bob Quinn inherited Caldwell when Quinn came aboard in 2016, he has retained him for two years, and Caldwell has guided the Lions to the playoffs in two of the past three seasons. His 33-29 record gives him the highest winning percentage (.532) of any Lions head coach in the Super Bowl era, which speaks more to Detroit’s general mediocrity over the years than Caldwell’s abilities, but it is a noteworthy accomplishment just the same.
As Rapoport observes, Caldwell’s status will come more into focus as the season concludes. If he is fired, Birkett speculates in a full-length piece that Patriots coordinators Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia could be top targets, especially given Quinn’s deep ties to New England.
Browns Release Kenny Britt
The Browns have released Kenny Britt, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. Because the trade deadline has come and gone, Britt will be subject to waivers. 
This marks John Dorsey‘s first move as Browns GM, and it’s a massive one. This past offseason, the Browns signed Britt to a four-year, $32.5MM deal. He was a monumental disappointment, however, with just 18 catches for 233 yards and two scores to date.
The story on Britt hasn’t changed much since his collegiate days. Although he is a tremendously talented athlete, his suspect work ethic has prevented him from fulfilling his true potential. The Titans used a first-round pick on him in 2009, but he floundered after his first two NFL seasons. The light appeared to go on for Britt last year when he eclipsed 1,000 yards for the Rams, but one has to wonder if he was motivated strictly by his impending free agency.
There was internal conflict between head coach Hue Jackson and former Browns czar Sashi Brown about whether to play Britt, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Jackson was not a fan of the temperamental wide receiver, so it sounds like Dorsey is off on the right foot with his coach. Jackson benched Britt on Oct. 29 against the Vikings and sent him home early when he missed curfew on the eve of their Oct. 15 game against the Texans (Britt was injured, but did not make it back to the team hotel until 1 a.m.).
The league’s 31 other teams will have an opportunity to claim Britt, but it’s not terribly likely that anyone will take on his contract. Meanwhile, the Browns are out $10.5MM – the amount fully guaranteed to him at the time of signing.
Former Giants RB Rashad Jennings Retires
Rashad Jennings is calling it a career. The running back took to Twitter on Friday morning to announce his retirement. 
“If good things don’t come to an end, then how can better things begin? I’m truly humbled. I’m truly excited.. More to come on this. But for now, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone!,” Jennings wrote.
That next step could be a move to broadcasting. Earlier this year, Jennings participated in “Dancing With The Stars” and wound up winning the competition. Now that he has tons of TV experience and is known to an audience outside of football, he could have some big paychecks ahead of him that don’t require getting tackled.
Jennings, 32, didn’t draw a lot of NFL interest this offseason and that could be because of his moonlighting as a network TV ballroom dancer. His age and injury history didn’t help much either. In 2016, he played through several nagging injuries and averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. However, he was healthy in 2015 and it showed – he averaged 4.4 yards per carry and started in all 16 regular season games.
Jennings first entered the league as a seventh-round pick of the Jaguars. After spending the first three years of his career with Jacksonville, he joined up with the Raiders in 2013. In Oakland, Jennings showed that he could produce with a big workload as he ran for 733 yards off of 163 carries (4.5 yards per attempt). He used that season as a platform for free agency, where he landed a four-year deal with the Giants.
Whether it’s broadcasting or ballet, we here at Pro Football Rumors wish Jennings the best in his future endeavors.
Browns Hire John Dorsey As GM
That didn’t take long. The Browns have reached an agreement to make John Dorsey their next general manager, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com report (on Twitter).
This move comes hours after the team fired executive VP and de facto GM Sashi Brown. The Browns announced the move.
Jimmy Haslam had already spoken with several executives to get a read on this search, and it’s clear that was done while Brown was in his final weeks as the team’s top decision-maker. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets this process unfolded over the past “several weeks.” He adds Hue Jackson was consulted.
Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com reports (on Twitter) Dorsey will receive a four-year contract. The Akron-based Browns insider reports the team interviewed two candidates formally and spoke with “two or three more.” Interestingly, Ulrich adds Dorsey will report to ownership along with Jackson and Paul DePodesta — the team’s chief strategy officer who was a key part of the Brown-era front office. So, a blending of philosophies will occur in Cleveland in an interesting arrangement.
Dorsey, though, will have final say over the 53-man roster, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports (on Twitter).
Morsensen tweets a handful of candidates were considered for the job; they just weren’t affiliated with teams presently. This made for an interesting search, all while Brown was still working as their top executive. Haslam will speak at a press conference Friday.
“We are thrilled to have John Dorsey lead our football operations,” Dee and Jimmy Haslam said. “John has been immersed in the NFL for 26 years, won two Super Bowls, built sustainable winning football teams and is highly respected for his football acumen. We know we have a critical and very positive opportunity ahead of us to profoundly impact the foundation of this football team.”
The Browns did not have to adhere to the usual waiting period to conduct interviews with GM candidates. Since the Chiefs fired Dorsey in June, he was free to interview with any team. Dorsey served as Kansas City’s GM before being abruptly canned. Prior to that, the former linebacker spent many years working with the Packers. He was once thought to be a possible Ted Thompson successor, but he will instead work on one of the most unique rebuilding projects in NFL history.
“Football is what I know, it is what I love, it is what I have worked my whole career at, and I thrive on every element that goes into building a winning football team,” Dorsey said. “I have spent a majority of my football life with two franchises that also have storied history, and I think I have a feel for the mentality of the fans in Cleveland and what it would mean to recreate the success this franchise once had. I also have quickly realized how passionate Jimmy and Dee are about bringing a winning team to the city and would have not taken the job if I didn’t think the right ownership was in place.
“I am eager to work with Hue, his staff, and our personnel department and help bring us the success these fans so deserve.”
Dorsey will take on a much bigger challenge than he did in coming to the Chiefs in 2013. Although the Chiefs were 2-14 in 2012, they had a not-that-distant history of being a competitive franchise. The Browns are an incredible 1-27 since their new regime took over in 2016 and have not made the playoffs since 2002. They have not had a winning season since 2007.
Jackson said earlier today he did not want full personnel control, believing it was too much for a head coach to handle. He’ll now work with Dorsey, who has experience working alongside — and not necessarily above — a head coach. Dorsey and Andy Reid worked in tandem to rapidly rebuild the Chiefs, who rebounded from that 2-14 2012 campaign to make the 2013 playoffs at 11-5 and qualify for three AFC brackets in four years.
The Browns’ new leadership structure will have a bounty of draft picks to work with thanks to Brown’s unorthodox methods. Cleveland has five first- or second-round picks in the upcoming draft. The Texans’ second-half struggles could have the Browns armed with two top-10 choices.
Cleveland’s scorched-earth rebuilding effort also has the team equipped with a staggering $108MM in cap space, so it will be interesting to see how Dorsey and Co. proceed.
Chiefs Place Dee Ford On IR
Dee Ford‘s back injury has become serious enough the Chiefs placed the outside linebacker on IR.
The team announced the move and the signing of Eagles practice squad cog Justin Hamilton, a defensive tackle, to the 53-man roster.
Ford had missed the past four Chiefs games with the back ailment. He is signed through the 2018 season via fifth-year option. The Chiefs exercised Ford’s guaranteed-against-injury option of $8.72MM back in May. However, Ford did not have the kind of year he did when he broke out in 2016. He will finish his season with just two sacks and six games played. The 2014 first-round pick registered 10 last season, emerging after two years largely spent sitting behind Justin Houston and Tamba Hali.
Kansas City’s plan was to have Hali rotate in behind Houston and Ford this season, but Ford’s injury prevented this. No. 4 pass rusher Frank Zombo has been forced into extensive action.
The Chiefs have missed Ford’s presence during their losing streak, one that has them at 6-6 after a 5-0 start. Kansas City will already be without Marcus Peters in Week 14 due to a team-imposed suspension, and Hali missed last week’s game with a knee injury. However, he’s expected to play against the Raiders.
Hamilton played in three games for the Eagles this season, the UDFA’s rookie campaign. Hamilton has bounced around the league since entering in 2015 as a Bills UDFA. He’s also spent time with the Packers and Seahawks.