Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowlessaid Monday that injured wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan could return to practice this week. It’s official in Evans’ case, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The Buccaneers are also expected to open McMillan’s practice window on Wednesday, Rapoport adds. The team has 21 days to activate the wideouts from IR.
Evans entered the season tied with the legendary Jerry Rice with 11 consecutive 1,000-yard showings, but injuries will prevent him from claiming the all-time record for himself. After missing time with a hamstring issue earlier this season, Evans broke his clavicle in a Week 7 loss to the Lions. The future Hall of Famer has played in just four games this year and logged 140 yards on 14 catches.
McMillan, meanwhile, has been unable to contribute at all in 2025 after suffering a severe strain and three fractures in his neck during the preseason. As a rookie in 2024, the third-round pick from Washington was a force toward the end of the season. McMillan caught an eye-opening seven touchdowns in his last five games, averaging five catches and 63 yards per contest during that span.
Evans and McMillan were key factors in the NFL’s third-ranked passing offense a year ago. With minimal help from those two and Chris Godwin, who has missed eight games with injuries, the Bucs’ Baker Mayfield-led attack has dropped to a pedestrian 19th. That figures to improve with Evans and McMillan joining Godwin and rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka as Tampa Bay’s top options at receiver.
Despite the myriad injuries they’ve dealt with, the 7-5 Buccaneers are on track to win the NFC South for the fifth year in a row. The 7-6 Panthers are nipping at their heels, though, and the rivals still have to face each other in Weeks 16 and 18. If Evans and McMillan are back for those matchups, it should bolster the Buccaneers’ chances of holding off the Panthers.
DECEMBER 3: The Colts aren’t expected to place Gardner on IR, according to Rapoport and Pelissero. The team is hopeful he’ll return sometime in the next four weeks.
DECEMBER 1: With the MRI having taken place, Pelissero and colleague Ian Rapoport confirm Gardner suffered a calf strain. He is week-to-week as a result, with the Colts hoping Gardner will be able to return by the end of the regular season.
NOVEMBER 30: Sauce Gardnerexited the Colts’ Week 13 game and was unable to return. The high-profile trade acquisition could be in store for missed time, although the worst-case scenario appears to have been avoided.
Gardner was unable to put weight on his left leg as he made his way to the sidelines upon suffering the injury. He was initially listed by the team as questionable to return with a calf ailment, but the Colts later confirmed he was out for the remainder of Sunday’s contest. Gardner was in a walking boot on the sidelines as he watched the end of the game.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports a calf strain is believed to have occurred in this case. Critically, he adds Gardner’s Achilles appears to be intact. The All-Pro corner has since confirmed (via ESPN’s Stephen Holder) he feels he is dealing with a strain rather than a tear of any kind. Further testing will take place, including an MRI. At this point, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Colts expect to be without Gardner for “a couple weeks.”
Needless to say, any notable missed time for Gardner would represent a major blow to the Colts. Indianapolis gave the Jets two first-round picks along with receiver Adonai Mitchellto acquire him at the trade deadline. The 25-year-old – under contract at a record-breaking cornerback rate of $30.1MM per year through the 2030 season – is obviously a major part of the team’s plans now and for several years to come.
The Gardner acquisition has been viewed as an indication the Colts see themselves as being inside a Super Bowl window with a core of many returning players along with free agent signing Daniel Jones. Indianapolis’ new starting quarterback is not full healthy himself, although he is in line to continue playing through a fractured fibula. A run of availability in the secondary down the stretch would be welcomed by the Colts given the injuries they have dealt with in that department this season.
Indianapolis’ loss on Sunday dropped the team to 8-4. That record matches that of the Jaguars, who won today. Meanwhile, the Texans now sit at 7-5. Gardner’s health down the stretch will be something to watch closely as the Colts attempt to close out what has become a three-way race for top spot in the AFC South.
The Patriots’ win Monday night gave the AFC two two-loss teams (and zero three-loss squads) exiting Week 13, forming a mid-2010s-like duel for the No. 1 seed with the Broncos. In the NFC’s race for the bye slot, the picture is much cloudier.
As it stands, the NFC has a host of teams in contention for that No. 1 spot. The Bears currently hold it, but a fierce challenge appears ahead for Ben Johnson‘s resurgent team. Chicago sits at 9-3, but so do the Rams and Seahawks. Because of their tie in Dallas, the Packers are 8-3-1. The Eagles’ Week 13 loss to the Bears hurts their cause, but the defending Super Bowl champions are 8-4. The 49ers are 9-4, creating an interesting race with five weeks left.
The Bears have not earned a top seed since 2006, though their second-seeded squad advanced to the 2010 NFC title game. The Bears have not managed a playoff win since. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the current NFC leader a 12% chance of holding the top spot. That figure sits fifth in the conference.
Chicago, however, closes with four games against over-.500 teams; the Bears draw the Packers twice and have games against the 49ers and Lions. In addition to the two Bears tilts, the Packers have a Denver trip to make along with a Week 17 Ravens matchup. ESPN’s FPI gives Green Bay a 17% chance to hold the No. 1 seed. The Packers earned back-to-back No. 1 seeds — in 2020 and ’21 — but have not come especially close to such real estate during Jordan Love‘s starter run.
Love has shown more growth in 2025, ranking third in QBR despite the team battling major issues in its pass-catching corps. Tucker Kraft is out for the season, and the team has not had Jayden Reed — its leading receiver in 2023 and ’24 — available since Week 2. Reed is in the IR-return window, and the Packers have seen Christian Watson — who returned midseason from an ACL tear — step forward along with Romeo Doubs. The Pack have not seen too much from first-round pick Matthew Golden, however, and the Kraft-to-Luke Musgrave gap appears wide despite the latter being drafted earlier in 2023.
The Packers did not exactly ride defense to those bye slots earlier this decade, with that unit being unreliable for most of Aaron Rodgers‘ stay. But Jeff Hafley‘s unit ranks sixth in scoring and fourth in yardage. EPA is a bit more skeptical, slotting the Pack 14th defensively. The team’s Micah Parsonsblockbuster trade/extension sequence has made an impact. Parsons’ 36 pressures trail only Myles Garrett (39) this season; the ex-Cowboy dynamo has 12.5 sacks — already just 1.5 shy of a career high.
Concerns about Matthew Stafford‘s summer back injury were overblown, and the 17th-year quarterback is pushing for an MVP — an accomplishment that would strengthen a Hall of Fame case light on accolades. The one-time original-ballot Pro Bowler’s 32:4 TD-INT ratio has powered the Rams, who have benefited from their Cooper Kupp-to-Davante Adams upgrade. The NFL’s active touchdown reception leader (117) has a league-high 14 this season.
L.A. has also benefited from good injury fortune this season. Until Rob Havenstein‘s setback, the Rams’ O-line has rebounded from injury-plagued campaigns, with Puka Nacua also avoiding IR. Chris Shula‘s defense ranks second in points, putting him on the radar to become the third Shula appointed an NFL HC. FPI gives the Rams, who have not held the No. 1 seed since 2001, a 30% chance to do so — tops in the conference. The Rams have three games against sub-.500 teams, though they do face the Lions and Seahawks as well.
Seattle limited Stafford in a Week 11 loss, but Sam Darnold‘s four-INT day impeded a road win. The Seahawks have otherwise seen Darnold reward them for another offseason QB gamble, as they gave the nomadic QB a three-year, $100.5MM deal days after trading Geno Smith. Darnold is all but certain to collect the additional $17.5MM due in February. While Kupp has stayed healthy, he only has 438 receiving yards. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has rendered that a minor concern, as his NFL-most 1,336 have him gunning for Calvin Johnson‘s single-season record (1,964), setting up the 2023 first-rounder for a monster extension; he is eligible for a new deal in January.
Mike Macdonald‘s defense has surpassed expectations, ranking third in points allowed and EPA per play. Byron Murphy has taken a major step forward, going from a half-sack as a rookie to seven this season, while the DeMarcus Lawrence and Ernest Jones signings have paid off as well. The Hawks will need to upend the Rams to have a realistic shot at the 1 seed, and they also have games against the 49ers, Colts and Panthers. FPI gives Seattle a 16% chance at what would be its first 1 seed since 2014.
San Francisco is somehow 8-4 despite losing Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Mykel Williams for the season — along with Brock Purdy for much of it. The recently extended starter has not played especially well, but he is not expected to be 100% after a turf toe injury until the offseason. Mac Jones‘ two-year, $7MM contract has proven to be a bargain, as the once-maligned QB has gone 5-3 as a starter this season. Jones ranks 10th in QBR. Robert Saleh‘s return has also aided the 49ers, who rank eighth defensively (though, EPA is far more skeptical, slotting Saleh’s crew 24th).
Given a 15% chance at claiming what would be their third No. 1 seed of the Kyle Shanahan era, the 49ers follow their Titans matchup with games against the Colts, Bears and Seahawks. Only one road game (Indianapolis) remains on San Francisco’s docket.
FPI gives the Eagles only an 8% chance at the top seed, despite the team’s head-to-head Rams tiebreaker. Philly’s latest OC change, installing longtime Nick Sirianni coworker Kevin Patullo in the play-calling role, has keyed an uneven Super Bowl title defense. Saquon Barkley has not come close to matching his stratospheric 2024 form, and QBR ranks Jalen Hurts 19th. Top O-lineman Lane Johnson has a Lisfranc injury, though he is not on IR, while more A.J. Brown drama has unfolded ahead of likely 2026 trade rumors.
While Vic Fangio‘s defense looked better following some deadline trades (most notably the Jaelan Phillips move), it surrendered 281 rushing yards to the Bears after a collapse in Dallas. The Eagles’ schedule does cooperate for a potential third No. 1 seed since 2017. After a game against a potentially Justin Herbert-less Chargers team, two Commanders tilts await. Philly does have a Buffalo trip in Week 17, however.
Who will end up claiming the NFC’s top seed? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Adam Thielen found a taker on the waiver wire. The Steelers, who did not end up trading for a wide receiver at the deadline, are claiming the veteran, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. Thielen had asked to be waived, but he did not end up making it to free agency — or too far down the wire.
This opportunity came about after the Vikings cut ties with the Minnesota native Monday. The Vikes had acquired Thielen from the Panthers just before the season. At the time, that move was framed as a way for Thielen to help out a hopeful contender. That did not end up happening, with the Vikings struggling (as the Panthers have reawakened). Now, Thielen will have a shot — in what looks set to be his final stretch of NFL action — to aid the Steelers’ quest to hang on in the AFC North.
A team already housing the likes of T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward did not shy away from adding aging talent this year, having signed Darius Slay and Aaron Rodgers while trading for Jalen Ramsey. The Steelers waived Slay earlier today, but Thielen — at 35 — will be brought in to help a scuffling passing attack. The NFL’s oldest active wideout, Thielen did not make much of an impact during his second Vikings stint. But he should have a better chance to do so with the Steelers.
Thielen caught eight passes for 69 yards in 11 Vikings games, operating as an afterthought in a Vikings receiving corps featuring Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor. The Steelers have not seen a D.K. Metcalf complementary option emerge.
Metcalf has 605 yards on the season; no other Steeler has more than 300. This, of course, comes as George Pickens has erupted in a contract year — following a May trade with the Cowboys. Pickens’ 1,142 yards in 12 games already set a new career-high mark. Pittsburgh developed an earned reputation for developing a host of wide receivers, but Roman Wilson has not caught on late in Year 2. The 2024 third-round pick has just 166 yards this season, after he missed almost all of his rookie year.
Although Thielen was not much help in J.J. McCarthy‘s debut, he does have a recent history of making significant contributions. Even in a 2024 season that saw him land on IR and miss seven games due to a hamstring injury, the former UDFA totaled 615 yards and five touchdowns. In his Carolina debut in 2023, Thielen posted his third 1,000-yard season — a 1,014-yard showing that included 103 catches. Maintaining quality form into his mid-30s, Thielen will attempt to help Rodgers in what is expected to be his final season.
Rodgers and Thielen have been friends for years, with the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling noting earlier today this fit would make sense. The duo had discussed playing together in the past. That will come together for a Steelers team that has struggled, limping to 6-6 and hearing a cascade of boos rain down during a one-sided Week 13 loss to the Bills. Tied with the Ravens atop the AFC North, the Steelers are in jeopardy of squandering a big lead and perhaps finishing with a losing record for the first time in Mike Tomlin‘s 19-year tenure.
One of the NFL’s better possession receivers during this period, Thielen had teamed with Jefferson and Stefon Diggs before him to form quality receiving tandems in Minnesota. On Vikings teams competing with Rodgers for NFC North supremacy, Thielen eclipsed 1,200 yards in 2017 and ’18, earning Pro Bowl nods each year. Thielen collected a second-team All-Pro accolade in 2017, helping the Vikings to the NFC championship game. Thielen’s 64 touchdown catches rank eighth among active players.
He earned two Minnesota extensions and, following a 2023 release, caught on with the Panthers on a three-year, $25MM deal. Thielen reworked that pact this summer, accepting a pay cut to facilitate a trade to his home-state team. He is attached to a $3MM base salary this season. The Steelers will be responsible for $882K via this claim. They entered the day with just less than $4MM in cap space.
Abdul Carterwas benched once more under interim head coach Mike Kafka during the opening quarter of yesterday’s game. Few details about the incident have been confirmed, but the rookie spoke about the situation after the Giants’ loss.
Tardiness for meetings and other team events has been an issue throughout the season in Carter’s case. The No. 3 pick was benched for one series in Kafka’s first game at the helm. Acclimating to the day-to-day workload of an NFL player is an adjustment period for all rookies, but Carter acknowledged the need for improvement moving forward.
“I guess you can say that. But I’m not going to use that as an excuse,” Carter said (via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). “Like I said, I have to be better. I have to take pride in what I do, be where I have to be at. Simple as that.”
Things have largely not gone according to plan for the 22-year-old so far. Carter has posted just 1.5 sacks in 2025 despite logging a snap share of 72%. He has managed to record 17 pressures and 13 QB hits in that span, and it will be interesting to see if that translates to an uptick in sack production down the stretch. In any event, avoiding any further team discipline will be a key goal for Carter.
The Giants are 2-11 on the year, and their defense has struggled in several categories before and after Shane Bowen‘s firing. The team sits 14th in the NFL in sacks with 29, and New York’s pass rush trio of Carter, Brian Burnsand Kayvon Thibodeauxwas expected to be productive entering the season. Burns has enjoyed a career year with 13 sacks and counting, although Thibodeaux has missed three straight games and it is unclear when he will be able to return.
In the event Thibodeaux departs in free agency this year, Carter will be tasked with serving in a full-time starting role alongside Burns for the foreseeable future. Improvement in Year 2 will of course be sought out, but in the meantime the matter of any further team discipline will be something to watch for.
The rare modern cornerback to play an age-34 season, Darius Slay will see his time with the Steelers end earlier than expected. Pittsburgh is moving on from the veteran defender.
This is being described as a mutual parting, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Pittsburgh will sign fellow corner Asante Samuel Jr.from the practice squad to fill Slay’s roster spot. Slay was a healthy scratch for the Steelers’ Week 13 game against the Bills, foreshadowing this decision.
Slay is interested in continuing his career, but he will need to wait a bit before being allowed to pick his next destination. Although Slay is on a one-year, $10MM deal, the two-time Super Bowl starter’s base salary is the veteran minimum (for his service time) at $1.26MM. That would not put a waiver claim off the table for a corner-needy club. If Slay is unclaimed by 3pm CT on Wednesday, he will head back to free agency.
The NFL’s oldest active corner, Slay had viewed this as most likely his final season. The 13th-year cover man reunited with ex-Lions DC Teryl Austin in Pittsburgh and started nine games. Pro Football Focus viewed Slay on the fringes of the middle class at the position, slotting him 71st out of 110 qualified options.
Slay has certainly played much better, as he enjoyed a quality prime. As evidenced from a free agency deal requiring $10MM, Slay generated interest when the Eagles cut him this offseason. It would not shock if he landed elsewhere to close one of the better CB careers in this era.
As we discussed in a Trade Rumors Front Office piece this offseason, the Steelers have not been shy about deploying aging corners. They traded for Jalen Ramsey this offseason, doing so two years after being Patrick Peterson‘s last stop; the future Hall of Famer played an age-33 season in Pittsburgh. The Mike Tomlin tenure has also seen Joe Haden, William Gay and Ike Taylor play into their 30s. With the Steelers residing at a crossroads following a one-sided loss to the Bills — a game that brought steady boos and calls for Tomlin’s ouster — they are shaking up their secondary.
The Steelers have experimented with Ramsey at safety, but Slay has continued to work in the boundary corner position — one that brought him considerable success since being a 2013 Lions draftee. Slay logged 422 outside CB snaps during a 10-game Steelers stint. The six-time Pro Bowler broke up three passes and did not log an interception. Slay did allow a 75% completion rate and a 108.0 passer rating as the closest defender. While he is charged with only one touchdown allowed as a Steeler, his performance fell short of expectations ahead of the healthy scratch.
Tuesday’s transaction also blocks other teams from making sales pitches to Samuel, who could have been poached from Pittsburgh’s practice squad. Added after an extensive visit tour last month, Samuel debuted for the Steelers — as a practice squad elevation — in Week 13. He played 28 defensive snaps in a backup role.
With teams seeing Samuel healthy, interest may well have come after he reverted back to the practice squad. But the 26-year-old CB is now on the 53-man roster, ending such speculation. The team will hope the four-year Chargers starter, whose free agency stalled because of neck surgery, can help out a pass defense ranking 28th.
With J.J. McCarthy close to a return from his concussion, the Vikings parted ways with Ridder. He was signed last week after McCarthy entered concussion protocol, but was not elevated to back up Max Brosmer in Week 13. That responsibility instead went to John Wolford, who remains in Minnesota.
Bishop was released by the Steelers at the beginning of November. After appearing all 17 games last year with a 50% snap share, he did not make the 53-man roster this season and remained on the practice squad. He will now join the Saints in the hopes of making his 2025 debut in New Orleans.
The Colts quickly found their replacement for kicker Michael Badgley by signing Blake Grupe to their practice squad, but he was not the only player up for the job.
Justin Tucker and Maddux Trujillo worked out alongside Grupe on Tuesday, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, with Grupe emerging as the best option. He will be elevated from the practice squad the Colts’ crucial Week 14 matchup against the Jaguars. The winner will take a one-game lead in the AFC South with just four weeks left in the season.
Tucker will continue his search for another team after several allegations of sexual misconduct and the worst statistical season of his career led to his departure from Baltimore this offseason. Coincidentally, he previously auditioned for the Saints to replace Grupe after his shaky start to the season in New Orleans. The Saints instead signed ex-Browns fourth-round pick Cade York and ultimately went with Irish native Charlie Smyth in Week 13. Smyth made his only field goal attempt, a 56-yarder, in the first NFL action of his career.
Trujillo signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of Temple. He made all three of his preseason extra points, but he did not attempt a field goal, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Epps, 29, landed on IR at the beginning of November with an undisclosed injury. He appeared in Philadelphia’s first eight games of the season, primarily playing special teams with a handful of snaps on defense.
The eight-year veteran is in the middle of his second stint with the Eagles. Epps started his career in Minnesota as a sixth-round pick in 2019, but he made his name in Philadelphia. The Eagles claimed him off waivers during his rookie year and he immediately stepped into a core role on special teams and a rotational one on defense. His snap share in both phases ticked up over the next two years, which included eight starts on defense, culminating in a full-time time job in 2022. Epps started every game that year and played all but 10 of the Eagles’ defensive snaps. His 94 tackles were a career-high and ranked third on the team.
Epps parlayed his contract-year success into a two-year deal with the Raiders. He started 17 games in 2023 but tore his ACL early in the following season. He hit free agency this year and spent the summer with the Patriots before returning to Philadelphia shortly before the regular season.
Epps has 21 days to practice with the team before he must be activated or revert to season-ending injured reserve.
