Micah Parsons Doesn’t Expect To Open 2026 On IR; Week 3 Return Possible
Then 9-3-1 and riding a four-game winning streak, Green Bay was rolling heading into Denver for a Week 15 clash with the Broncos. The wheels began falling off for the Packers that afternoon in a 34-26 defeat. Adding injury to insult, the Packers lost their best defensive player, superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons, to a torn ACL.
Parsons’ injury was a fatal blow to the Packers, who failed to win a game without him. They closed the regular season with four straight defeats before limping into a wild-card matchup against the archrival Bears. The Packers stormed out to a 21-3 halftime lead, but the Bears flipped the script in the second half and pulled off a shocking 31-28 win.
While the Packers are stewing over a brutal end to their season, they at least received some good news earlier this week. Parsons said he doesn’t expect to open the 2026 campaign on injured reserve, per Ryan Wood of USA Today. Doing so would keep Parsons out for at least four games, but he’s aiming to make his season debut in either Week 3 or Week 4.
After beginning his career in Dallas, where he earned first-team All-Pro honors three times in four years, Parsons joined the Packers with great fanfare last summer in a stunning late-August trade. Months of drama between Parsons and owner Jerry Jones culminated in the Cowboys sending the 26-year-old to the Packers for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. The Packers immediately handed Parsons a four-year, $188MM extension with $136MM in guarantees.
Parsons lived up to the hype and the mammoth contract in his first 14 games as a Packer. With 12.5 sacks, he became the first player to amass a dozen or more in each of his first five seasons. He also tallied 79 pressures, 26 QB hits, 12 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Parsons ended the year as Pro Football Focus’ third-ranked edge rusher out of 188 qualifiers. In PFF’s estimation, only Myles Garrett and Will Anderson had better seasons than Parsons, who made his fifth straight Pro Bowl.
Parsons underwent successful knee surgery on Dec. 29. Barring setbacks, a healthy return will go a long way in helping the Packers rebound from a 2025 campaign that started with promise but ended with a collapse. Parsons’ absence proved crucial during a four-game stretch in which the Packers mustered just four sacks.
Coaching Departures: Bowman, Chiefs, Jaguars
As the Chargers seek a new offensive coordinator (and likely a new defensive coordinator), they’ll also be on the lookout for a new linebackers coach. GM Joe Hortiz announced today that coach NaVorro Bowman is stepping away from the team to spend more time with his family.
Bowman was a standout linebacker throughout the 2010s, earning four first-team All-Pro nods during his stint with the 49ers. A former third-round pick out of Penn State, Bowman finished his career with 798 tackles, 14 sacks, and nine forced fumbles. His 527 solo tackles in San Francisco ranks fifth on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard.
Following a one-year stop on the Maryland staff, Bowman joined former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles. During his time with the Chargers, Bowman oversaw the development of Daiyan Henley and Junior Colson, and he guided a LBs room that also featured veterans Denzel Perryman and Troy Dye.
The Chargers have started interviewing internal candidates to replace offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who was fired this week. The team will also be seeking a new defensive coordinator if Jesse Minter earns a head coaching job.
More coaching notes from around the NFL…
- Following news from earlier today that the Chiefs moved on from WR coach Connor Embree, Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star reported that RBs coach Todd Pinkston has also been fired. The 48-year-old spent the past three seasons in the role, with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt generally leading the depth chart during his tenure. The Chiefs rushing attack consistently ranked in the bottom-half of the league thanks to the Patrick Mahomes-led offense, but the Chiefs also bottomed out in yards-per-attempt in 2024 and 2025.
- The Jaguars are moving on from secondary coach Ron Milus, according to Josina Anderson. The veteran coach has served as a DBs or secondary coach throughout his 25-year coaching career, with his longest stint coming with the Chargers between 2013 and 2020. Following a three-year stint with the Colts, Milus joined Liam Coen‘s new Jacksonville staff last offseason. Jaguars defensive backs accounted for 15 interceptions this past season, including five from safety Antonio Johnson. On the flip side, the defense ranked 21st in yards allowed, and the coach didn’t necessarily maximize Travis Hunter‘s defensive ability.
Rico Dowdle Seeking Multiyear Deal, Lead Role; Unlikely To Re-Sign With Panthers?
After spending his first five NFL seasons in Dallas, where he eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time in 2024, running back Rico Dowdle left for Carolina last March. Dowdle’s one-year pact with the Panthers included a $2.75MM base salary and a max value of $6.25MM. The deal worked out well for both sides. Dowdle went over 1,000 yards again and helped the Panthers to an NFC South title.
Although the Panthers only managed an 8-9 record in the regular season, they pushed the Rams to the limit in a 34-31 wild-card round loss last Saturday. With Dowdle two months from returning to free agency, that may go down as his last game as a Panther.
General manager Dan Morgan told reporters that Dowdle hasn’t given any indication he’s exiting (via David Newton of ESPN), but the soon-to-be 28-year-old has made it clear he wants to be a lead back. Dowdle’s workload decreased toward the end of the season, which he said will impact whether he re-signs with the team.
“That definitely is a factor,” he said. “There’s options for me. I just want to be a guy who can go out there and just get the bulk [of the carries].”
In Chuba Hubbard, the Panthers already had a well-compensated starting back on hand when Dowdle joined them. Hubbard, then in the midst of his first 1,000-yard season, inked a four-year, $33.2MM extension in November 2024.
Hubbard entered 2025 as the Panthers’ No. 1 back, a role he held for the first four weeks of the season. He sat out the next two games with a calf injury, though, and Dowdle feasted during his absence. In wins over the Cowboys and Dolphins, Dowdle combined for a jaw-dropping 389 yards on 53 carries. He added two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) and chipped in another 84 yards on seven catches.
Hubbard returned the next week, but he logged fewer carries than Dowdle in nine of the Panthers’ last 10 regular-season games. Dowdle totaled 12 or fewer rushes in three straight games from Week 16 through 18, however, and was a non-factor in the playoff loss. He notched five carries for nine yards against the Rams, while Hubbard racked up 46 yards and two scores on 13 attempts.
Dowdle is now preparing to test the market in hopes of securing a multiyear deal, according to Person, who casts doubt on the South Carolina native signing a second Panthers contract. He’ll shop himself around the league after posting the first 17-game season of his career and rushing for a personal-best six scores. The rest of his numbers are virtually identical to his 2024 output.
Over a 16-game span in his last year with the Cowboys, Dowdle amassed 1,079 rushing yards on 235 carries (4.6 YPC). He also caught 39 of 49 targets for 249 yards and three TDs. In his first (and perhaps only) Carolina season, Dowdle racked up 1,076 yards on 236 totes (4.6 YPC). As a pass catcher, he pulled in 39 of 50 targets for 297 yards and a score.
Dowdle, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2020, only had 96 carries under his belt before his breakthrough effort in 2024. He at least showed that wasn’t a fluke in 2025, but it’s up in the air whether a second straight 1,000-yard season will lead to multiyear offers. With Breece Hall, Travis Etienne, Kenneth Walker, Javonte Williams and J.K. Dobbins also among pending free agents, Dowdle may be stuck in a crowded class of running backs when the market opens in March.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/15/26
Today’s reserve/futures contracts:
Los Angeles Rams
- OL Wyatt Bowles, WR Mario Williams
Philadelphia Eagles
- LB Jose Ramirez
Pittsburgh Steelers
- OL Doug Nester, WR Brandon Smith
Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq, S Dillon Thieneman To Enter 2026 NFL Draft
Oregon no doubt breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday when quarterback Dante Moore announced he’d stay in school in 2026. However, a Ducks team that went 13-2 in 2025 and contended for a national championship will lose other key contributors. That includes tight end Kenyon Sadiq and safety Dillon Thieneman. Both players will enter the 2026 NFL Draft, Pete Thamel of ESPN reports.
Sadiq, a three-year veteran at Oregon, broke out as Moore’s favorite target in 2025. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound junior paced Ducks pass catchers in receptions (51) and touchdowns (eight), and he finished second in yards (560). After leading college football tight ends in TDs, Sadiq earned First-Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Tight End of the Year honors.
While the draft is still over three months away, Sadiq looks like a good bet to come off the board in the first round. ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranks Sadiq as the ninth-best prospect and No. 1 tight end in the class, writing that “he’s nearly impossible to match against because of his quickness and size.”
Meanwhile, according to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, “NFL teams believe [Sadiq] has the talent to be a top-10 pick.” That’s rare for the position, as Kyle Pitts (fourth overall pick, 2021), Kellen Winslow II (sixth, 2004), Vernon Davis (sixth, 2006), T.J. Hockenson (eighth, 2019), Eric Ebron (10th, 2014) and Colston Loveland (10th, 2025) are the only tight ends who have gone inside the top 10.
Thieneman may have to wait longer than his teammate to hear his name called in April, but he’s still a projected top 50 selection, Thamel notes. Kiper ranks Thieneman third among draft-eligible safeties, trailing only Ohio State’s Caleb Downs and Pitt’s Kyle Louis, while Brugler lauds the junior’s “man-coverage skills and run-stopping ability.”
Thieneman is firmly on the NFL radar after an impressive three-year run divided between Purdue and Oregon. As a Boilermaker, he earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year and third-team All-America honors in 2023 after piling up 106 tackles and six interceptions. Thieneman didn’t intercept any passes in a 104-tackle sophomore campaign, but he added 96 more tackles and another two INTs in his lone season with Oregon in 2025. The 21-year-old was a first-team All-American and a first-team All-Big Ten selection with the Ducks. That stellar performance boosted his stock heading into the draft.
Chargers Interview Shane Day For OC
The Chargers continue to eye internal candidates to replace Greg Roman. Following news that the team interviewed passing game coordinator Marcus Brady for their OC vacancy, the team announced tonight that they’ve also interviewed quarterbacks coach Shane Day.
[RELATED: Chargers Interview Marcus Brady For OC]
Day has had a long NFL coaching career, but he’s never had an opportunity to lead an offense. As a QBs coach, he’s guided the likes of Jay Cutler, Jimmy Garoppolo, and (of course) Justin Herbert to successful seasons. Throughout his two decades of coaching, Day has also served as an assistant offensive line coach (in Washington) and a tight ends coach (in Miami).
Day is actually in the midst of his second stint with the organization. He served as the team’s passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach between 2021 and 2022, but following a disastrous showing in that latter year’s AFC Wild Card game, he was fired alongside OC Joe Lombardi. Day spent one season on the Texans staff before returning to the Chargers under Jim Harbaugh in 2024.
Herbert had one of the best showings of his career that season, finishing with a career-low 0.6 percent interception rate while guiding the Chargers to a career-high 11 wins. Herbert earned another Pro Bowl nod this past season, although he also finished the campaign with a career-worst 2.5 percent interception rate. Of course, injuries and a depleted offensive line could be partly to blame for that performance.
Either way, Herbert is a big fan of Day (per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo), and that could go a long way in the coach’s coordinator candidacy. The Chargers have been seeking a replacement for Roman, who was fired following the team’s ugly playoff loss to the Patriots. The Chargers ranked 11th in scoring during Roman’s first year in charge and 20th in 2025, and we heard that the “tenor” regarding the coordinator’s future changed in the wake of their postseason loss. Still, it appears as if Harbaugh is looking to maintain some continuity on that side of the ball, as the only two candidates for the job were on the staff in 2025.
Buccaneers Interview Three More Candidates For ST Coordinator Job
The Buccaneers are casting a relatively wide map as they search for a replacement for fired special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey. Over the past two days, we’ve learned that the organization has added three more candidates to their interview list.
[RELATED: Buccaneers Fire ST Coordinator Thomas McGaughey]
The team announced yesterday that they completed an interview with Craig Aukerman. The long-time NFL coach has been a coordinator in multiple stops, including stints with the Chargers, Titans, and Dolphins. He’s coming off his first season as Miami’s special teams coordinator, but considering their search for a new head coach, there’s a good chance Aukerman will be seeking a new gig for 2026.
The Buccaneers then announced today that they interviewed Anthony Levine Sr. for the role. The long-time Ravens special teams ace got his coaching start in Baltimore, serving as a coaching assistant. He moved to the Titans in 2022 to serve as an assistant special teams coach, and he actually spent the 2023 campaign working under Aukerman. Levine moved back to the Ravens in 2025 to serve as an assistant ST coach.
Finally, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported today that the Buccaneers interviewed Eagles ST coordinator Michael Clay. While the coach isn’t under contract for the 2026 season, his contract doesn’t technically expire until next month, so the Eagles had to grant permission for the chat. Clay has been Philly’s special teams coordinator since the 2021 campaign.
The trio will join Lions assistant special teams coordinator Jett Modkins, who interviewed for the job earlier this week. These coaches will be looking to improve a Tampa Bay special teams unit that earned the third-lowest Pro Football Focus grade this past season.
Steelers Request HC Interview With 49ers OC Klay Kubiak
Klint Kubiak is one of the most popular names in this year’s hiring cycle. Now, his brother is starting to generate some interest. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Steelers have requested an interview with 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak for their head coaching vacancy.
Kubiak started his NFL coaching career in 2021, when he joined Kyle Shanahan‘s 49ers staff as a defensive quality control coach. He quickly earned a promotion to assistant quarterbacks coach, and after two years in that role, he was named the team’s offensive passing game specialist.
The 49ers operated without an offensive coordinator after Mike McDaniel left for the Dolphins in 2022. But with Shanahan deciding to shake up his staff last offseason, Kubiak earned a promotion to offensive coordinator.
The 49ers offense improved their points total in 2025 despite dealing with a number of injuries on offense. The team had to turn to backup QB Mac Jones for nearly half their games, with the signal-caller guiding the squad to a 5-3 record. Former first-round receiver Ricky Pearsall found himself in and out of the lineup, and tight end George Kittle missed a handful of games. Plus, the 49ers navigated the entire season without one of their highest-paid offensive weapons in Brandon Aiyuk.
Thanks to the surprising showing from the depleted 49ers offense, Kubiak is now generating interest from the Steelers for their head coaching vacancy. His father, Gary Kubiak, had multiple stints as an NFL head coach, while his brother, Klint Kubiak, has been connected to nearly every vacancy after guiding the Seahawks offense to one of the league’s top performances in 2025.
Now, Klay will garner his first HC interview, and he joins a growing list of candidates to replace Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. While Kubiak doesn’t have the same resume as some of his competitors for the job, the Steelers haven’t been afraid of hiring inexperienced coaches in the past. Tomlin only served one season as a defensive coordinator before earning Pittsburgh’s HC job.
Kubiak is now the eighth coach to garner an interview request from the Steelers:
- Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Interview requested
- Brian Flores, defensive coordinator (Vikings): Interview requested
- Marcus Freeman, head coach (Notre Dame): Rumored candidate; staying at Notre Dame
- Jeff Hafley, defensive coordinator (Packers): Interview requested
- Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator (Chargers): To interview 1/17
- Nate Scheelhaase, pass game coordinator (Rams): To interview 1/16
- Chris Shula, defensive coordinator (Rams): Interview requested
- Anthony Weaver, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Interview requested
Jaelan Phillips, Nakobe Dean Want To Stay With Eagles
The Eagles’ 2025 season is over, but two of their pending free agents have no desire to leave Philadelphia.
Outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips said (via PHLY Sports’ EJ Smith) that he would prefer to re-sign with the Eagles, though he indicated he would test out free agency. The 26-year-old arrived in Philadelphia at the trade deadline but contributed only two sacks and four tackles for loss in his eight regular-season appearances despite a 78% snap share.
Phillips’ desire to play for a competitive team will likely keep the Eagles high on his list of potential destinations, but the team may not be able to offer him a market-level contract. Phillips’ age and first-round pedigree should attract him plenty of interest in free agency, but his injury history may be cause for concern.
General manager Howie Roseman is known for his aggressive spending, but he has been willing to let talented (but perhaps not elite) players walk in free agency. Last offseason, for example, Josh Sweat and Milton Williams both found new teams as Roseman was not willing to pony up for a pricey contract for either pass rusher. The Eagles need depth at edge rusher with only Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt under contract in 2026, but they have other positions to address, too.
For the same reason, linebacker Nakobe Dean may not get his wish to stay in Philly, either. He met with Roseman after the season ended, per 94WIP’s Eliot Shorr-Parks, but did not get an indication about the team’s plans. And unlike the Eagles’ edge rusher room, their linebacking corps has plenty of talent. The team signed Zack Baun to a three-year, $51MM contract last offseason and spent a first-round pick on Jihaad Campbell. They also have Jeremiah Trotter and Chance Campbell, both solid special teams contributors who could get more defensive opportunities in 2026.
Offensive tackle Fred Johnson is taking a slightly different approach. He said (via The Athletic’s Zach Berman) that “opportunity” will be the biggest factor in his decision. Johnson started 14 games across the last two seasons with time at both tackle spots, but if Lane Johnson returns for the 2026 season, he will not get a starting job in Philadelphia.
“Obviously, this my home team,” Johnson said. “This is where I want to end my career, but you never know how things play out. And I feel like I played myself into a role that is more than just a backup, more than just a guy. I feel like I’m a starter in this league, and I feel like I showed that. I don’t know what the future holds, but the first rights to anything is Philly.”
Johnson said last May that he intends to play out the rest of his current contract, which goes through 2027, but his injuries this season could change his mind. In that case, Johnson would be a strong candidate to re-sign in Philadelphia and take on the starting right tackle job moving forward.
Chargers Interview Marcus Brady For OC
Chargers passing game coordinator Marcus Brady interviewed for the team’s offensive coordinator vacancy on Thursday, making him the first candidate to replace Greg Roman.
Brady, 46, is a former CFL quarterback who began coaching for the Montreal Alouettes as soon as he ended his playing career with them. After two years as a wide receivers coach, he was promoted to offensive coordinator for a year before taking the same job with the Toronto Argonauts in 2013.
In 2018, Brady moved to the NFL as a quarterbacks coach. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2021 but lost his job in November of 2022, leading to a short stint as a consultant with the Eagles. He stayed in Philadelphia for another season before joining Jim Harbaugh‘s staff in Los Angeles in his current role.
During his time in the NFL, Brady has worked with a number of young star quarterbacks – including Andrew Luck, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Herbert – as well as established veterans like Matt Ryan and Philip Rivers. His familiarity with Herbert and the Chargers current offense makes him a logical candidate to take over Roman’s job while instituting key changes to strengthen the team’s passing attack.
The Chargers will interview other candidates for their OC gig, but they may want to wrap up their hiring process quickly so they can turn their attention to the other side of the ball. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has received head coaching interest from several teams and could be leaving Los Angeles in the coming weeks.