Bears To Sign K Jake Moody
Jake Moody has quickly managed to find a new home in the NFL. The ex-49ers kicker is signing with the Bears, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. 
To no surprise, Schultz adds this will be a practice squad agreement. Moody cleared waivers this week, leaving him free to sign with any interested team. In short order, Chicago has moved forward with a deal.
The Bears have Cairo Santos in place as their kicker once again for 2025. The veteran’s second Chicago stint began in 2020, and he has delivered consistent performances over that span. Santos missed one of his two field goal attempts in Week 1, but he is not viewed as being in danger of being replaced. Nevertheless, Moody is now set to join the organization as a depth option.
The former third-rounder entered the league with high expectations given the rarity of kickers being selected that high in the draft. Moody enjoyed a strong rookie campaign, connecting on 21 of 25 field goal tries and all but one of his extra point attempts. The 25-year-old struggled last season, however, and calls about a change intensified following Week 1 of the current campaign. Moody missed a 27-yard field goal on Sunday and a 36-yard attempt was blocked. San Francisco moved on, signing Eddy Pineiro shortly thereafter to serve as his replacement.
Santos is under contract through 2027 thanks to the extension he signed in 2023. The 33-year-old Brazilian should therefore not see his tenure in the Windy City come to an end any time soon. In the event of a downturn in performance, however, Moody will loom as a replacement option for at least the time being.
Unique Details In Recent WR Extensions
In the past few weeks, we’ve seen the Commanders and Packers agree to extensions with top receivers. Terry McLaurin was able to cease a hold-in after finally receiving a deal worth signing, while a recovering Christian Watson signed a deal pushing back his eventual free agency another year into the future. Each deal, though, held a unique aspect worth discussing. 
We already covered several details of the extension that adds $87MM of new money to the 29-year-old McLaurin’s deal. New information comes in the form of incentives and some structure in the timing of payments. In each year through 2028, he’ll have the same three performance incentives. 83 receptions will net him $300K, 1,097 yards will net him another $300K, 10 touchdowns will net him another $300K, and making the playoffs will double any of the qualified bonuses to $600K.
A Pro Bowl bid will earn McLaurin $250K extra in each season, but first- or second-team All-Pro honors would trigger a $500K escalator, increasing his salary in the following season by that amount. He’ll be able to get $500K in each of the three news seasons for participating in voluntary offseason workouts, and for the next four years, he’ll have the potential to make $850K per season in per game active roster bonuses.
What makes this deal interesting, as Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer points out, is that the language of the deal poses it more as a two-year commitment. There is a $5.35MM injury guarantee for the 2027 season, but it doesn’t vest until April 1 of that year, so that day becomes a deadline for deciding whether or not to exercise what essentially become team options in ’27 and ’28. McLaurin had been seeking a big raise, but Washington had balked at the idea of giving him $30MM per year. Essentially, McLaurin gets his big raise for the next two years but little security in the following two.
The Packers agreed to extend Watson as they wait for him to come off the reserve/physically unable to perform list. The deal, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, includes the opportunity to make up to $1.83MM in per game active roster bonuses and $2.25MM in incentives, not to mention workout bonuses in each of the next two seasons.
Where the deal gets interesting here is the team’s decision to add three effective voidable years from 2027-29. Whereas voidable years are often utilized to spread cap hits out over a longer amount of time, these void years increase Watson’s 2025 cap impact. Per Ken Ingalls of Sports Illustrated, the void years allow Green Bay to circumvent the 12-month renegotiation waiting period, allowing them to potentially work out another extension for Watson next season. Ingalls claims it also makes Watson’s contract easily tradable in the case that he asks for a bigger raise next year and the Packers refuse.
Both deals are interesting innovations as each franchise got creative in their attempts to keep their players happy in the moment, while keeping the teams’ financial futures intact. We’re sure to see continued evolution of how front offices confront and structure contracts in ways that have not often been seen.
Patriots DC Terrell Williams Will Miss Week 2 Game
The Patriots will be without a key staffer this weekend as defensive coordinator Terrell Williams will be away from the team for a few days, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Though head coach Mike Vrabel is a former defensive coordinator, albeit only for a single season, he will entrust the defensive play-calling duties to inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. 
Williams, a defensive line coach with the Lions for the past two seasons, was visiting home in Detroit in May of the offseason when he experienced a “health scare.” Doctors advised him to stay there instead of returning to New England for the start of rookie minicamp. He declined to give any details about the specifics of his health, though he said he would in the future.
In June, reports declared an uncertain timeline for the first-time coordinator’s return. At that point, Kuhr had been leading the defense throughout OTAs. Kuhr revealed at that time that his coordinator was making sure to check in on his staff and players daily via video conference. Williams’ determination to stay connected to the team paid off when he made a late-July return to New England in time for training camp.
This week’s newest update is unfortunate to see. Williams will be undergoing medical testing, but with so little information on his issues so far, Rapoport points out that there’s hope the absence will be unrelated to his previous health scare. Vrabel informed the media that he is expecting an update next week, “and then (they)’ll go from there.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/12/25
Here is today’s only minor transaction:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived (with injury settlement): DT BJ Thompson
A 2023 fifth-round pick, the Stephen F. Austin product has only appeared in one game, the final contest of his rookie season. During a team meeting last summer, Thompson suffered a seizure that resulted in cardiac arrest for more than 90 seconds. He regained consciousness a few days later. Ever since, the Chiefs have played it very safe when it comes to his playing future. He spent the summer on the active/non-football injury list and was not activated in time for the final roster cut deadline.
QB Brock Purdy Ruled Out For Week 2
SEPTEMBER 12: Purdy has officially been ruled out for the 49ers’ Week 2 trip to New Orleans. Jones will step in as QB1. With Purdy unable to practice, Jones has been taking all of the first-team reps this week. With rookie seventh-rounder Kurtis Rourke still in a likely redshirt year after starting the year on the reserve/non-football injury list while he recovers from ACL repair surgery, San Francisco is planning to elevate former Nebraska and Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez from the practice squad.
SEPTEMBER 10: Early-season injuries continue to pile up for the 49ers. Quarterback Brock Purdy is unlikely to be available for San Francisco’s Week 2 contest. 
[RELATED: 49ers To Place George Kittle On IR]
Purdy is dealing with a shoulder injury suffered during the team’s season opener along with turf toe. When speaking to the media on Wednesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan said (via Vic Tafur of The Athletic) Purdy will not practice today. More importantly, he added it is currently considered a “long shot” the recently-extended passer will be available on Sunday.
Any missed time in Purdy’s case would of course deal a notable blow to the 49ers’ offense, and it appears this situation may not only entail a one-week absence. Shanahan said (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport) Purdy could miss multiple games while recovering. For the time being, attention will turn to backup QB Mac Jones and his ability to lead a unit which is notably shorthanded.
Tight end George Kittle will be sidelined for at least the next four weeks due to a hamstring injury. Top receiver Brandon Aiyuk, meanwhile, continues to recover from last year’s ACL and MCL tears; he opened the season on the reserve/PUP list. As a result, Aiyuk will not be available until Week 5 at the earliest. Losing Purdy for any period of time will weaken an offense already lacking its top pass-catching options.
Injuries to Trey Lance and then Jimmy Garoppolo opened the door for Purdy to take over starting duties during his rookie season. The former ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ thrived in the QB1 role, and by the time the 2025 offseason arrived it was clear he was viewed as San Francisco’s preferred option for a long-term commitment. Extension talks resulted a five-year, $265MM deal being worked out in May. Purdy later stated resetting the QB market was not his intention during negotiations.
Still, at an average annual value of $53MM, the 25-year-old’s accord carries substantial expectations. Purdy is on the books through 2030. As such, a cautious approach with respect to his injury rehab on the part of the 49ers can of course be expected.
Jones joined the 49ers in free agency this spring. The former first-rounder failed to duplicate the success of his rookie season with the Patriots, and a trade to the Jaguars allowed for a fresh start in 2024. Jones made seven starts while filling in for the injured Trevor Lawrence, giving him a total of 49 in his career. That figure is now set to increase.
Jaguars’ Travis Hunter To Play More CB In Week 2
After playing 87.5% of his Week 1 snaps on offense, Jaguars first-round pick Travis Hunter is expected to take on a bigger defensive role in Week 2.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said (via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco) that there would be a “likely uptick” in Hunter’s defensive snaps as part of the team’s plan to incorporate him on both sides of the ball. In Week 1, he played 42 snaps on offense and only six on defense. As a receiver, he led the team with six catches, though they only went for 33 yards; as a cornerback, he made one tackle with no targets. Now that he’s clearly comfortable in the offense, the Jaguars can ramp him on defense.
“The goal is to increase and continue to increase,” added Coen. “It just so happens that we’re playing Cincinnati with two good wideouts this week.”
Coen’s comments may also hint at the Jaguars’ overarching strategy with Hunter and the reason they traded up to the No. 3 pick to draft him in the first place. It seems likely, based on his stated preferences as well as comments from Coen and general manager James Gladstone, that Hunter will be a receiver first. However, his two-way capabilities can be adjusted to fit the game plan week-by-week. If the Jaguars are facing a top passing offense or injuries in their secondary, Hunter may see a more even offense-defense split. If they’re more worried about scoring points, he could see a distribution similar to Week 1.
This was always the fascinating potential of Hunter’s transition to the NFL after he played both ways full-time at Colorado. He wasn’t expected to maintain that workload in the NFL, with some floating a hybrid role as an every-down WR and a CB in high leverage and/or obvious passing situations. But the Jaguars seem willing to experiment with his usage to maximize his impact depending on their personnel and opponent.
NFL DB Injury Updates: Seahawks, Steelers, Gonzalez, Bland, Johnson
Seahawks are nursing a banged-up secondary heading into Week 2 and will likely be without starting cornerback Devon Witherspoon and first-round safety Nick Emmanwori.
Witherspoon played every snap in Week 1 but didn’t practice this week due to a knee injury. He’s listed as doubtful on Seattle’s injury report and seems very unlikely to take the field. The injury is not thought to be serious, said head coach Mike Macdonald (via Michael Shawn-Dugar of The Athletic).
Emmanwori only played four snaps in his NFL debut before going down with a high ankle sprain. He didn’t participate this week, either, and was ruled out for Sunday’s game. Macdonald added that Emmanwori will avoid injured reserve for right now after mentioning the possibility earlier in the week, per Shawn-Dugar.
Witherspoon’s absence this weekend will force another Seahawks defender to step up in the slot, a decision that will be further complicated with Emmanwori sidelined. He could have been another option at nickel or lined up at safety with Julian Love in the slot; instead, Seattle will have to flip an outside cornerback into the slot or put inexperienced third-year safety Ty Okada on the field.
Here are some other secondary injury updates from around the NFL:
- Seattle will also be facing a depleted secondary on Sunday with Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (hamstring) joining DeShon Elliott (knee) on the sidelines, per Seahawks team reporter John Boyle. First-round defensive tackle Derrick Harmon will also have to wait another week before his NFL debut as he recovers from a knee injury.
- Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones confirmed (via All City DLLS’ Clarence Hill) that cornerback DaRon Bland would miss two to three weeks with a foot sprain. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer added that an IR placement is not expected at this time, per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News.
- Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez was ruled out for a second week in a row, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The 2023 first-round pick still hasn’t returned to practice since July 28 due to a hamstring injury.
- The Bears will get cornerback Jaylon Johnson back in Week 2 as he finished the week without an injury designation for Sunday’s game against the Lions.
Jayden Reed Suffers Broken Collarbone
September 12: Reed is expected to undergo surgery early next week to repair his collarbone, per Rapoport. The Packers are hoping that he can return in November. That recovery timeline may also help Reed fully heal from his foot injury and become a significant late-season addition to Green Bay’s offense.
September 11: Jayden Reed entered Thursday night’s Packers-Commanders game with a significant foot issue. The third-year wide receiver had played through that, but a collarbone injury will sideline him for the foreseeable future.
Matt LaFleur said postgame Reed suffered a broken collarbone and is heading for IR. This may not be a season-ending malady, but Reed will miss a chunk of time. This will further deplete a Packers offense playing without Christian Watson. Reed is expected to return later this season, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds.
The team is hoping for a return around the six-week mark, per Rapoport, though the recovery timetable could stretch to two months. A six- to eight-week timetable would sideline the talented pass catcher into November.
This is a major blow for Reed, who saw the Packers draft two more wide receivers — Matthew Golden, Savion Williams — during the draft’s first two days. Green Bay will need to call on its rookies after this setback, though veterans Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks — and fast-emerging tight end Tucker Kraft — remain healthy exiting the team’s Week 2 win.
Kraft and Doubs’ early-career production notwithstanding, Reed has been the most reliable Jordan Love target during the young passer’s first two-plus seasons at the helm. Reed led the Packers with 793 receiving yards in 2023 and 857 last season. Despite suffering a Jones fracture in his foot this summer, the former second-round pick opted to play through the malady — one that regularly sidelines players for several weeks — and scored a touchdown in Green Bay’s Week 1 rout of Detroit. But the Michigan State product will see a separate injury blunt his momentum.
The Golden and Williams draft choices (in Rounds 1 and 3, respectively) prompted Reed agent Drew Rosenhaus to meet with Packers brass about his client’s standing in the organization. LaFleur, as could be expected, endorsed Reed as a key Packer. But the team will need to get by without the inside playmaker for a while. Kraft, whose 124 yards were the most by a Packer tight end in a game since 2015 (the Richard Rodgers Hail Mary night), figures to be a key part of the Pack replacing Reed’s production.
Reed, 25, will become extension-eligible in January. Golden’s arrival does complicate the Packers’ long-term receiver plan, especially with Love on a $55MM-per-year contract and Micah Parsons smashing the defender AAV record (at $46.5MM) after his trade arrival. Reed, who entered Thursday having missed just one career game, could certainly make a strong case for an extension if he submits a productive second half for a Packers team that has looked dominant through two games. The Pack have Doubs unsigned beyond 2025 but extended Watson this week (on a one-year, $11MM deal), providing some clarity for its WR room.
Green Bay already placed running back MarShawn Lloyd and offensive lineman Jacob Monk on short-term IR upon setting its initial 53-man roster. This leaves the Pack’s injury-activation count at six, with Reed poised to become an in-season IR-return player as well. While Reed’s upcoming absence could be complicated due to having two injuries, he will now have more time to stay off his fractured foot ahead of a possible stretch-run reemergence.
Commanders DE Deatrich Wise Suffers Season-Ending Quad Injury
Austin Ekeler‘s presumed Achilles tear is not the only major injury the Commanders suffered Thursday night. Deatrich Wise is set to miss the remainder of the campaign. 
The veteran defensive end posted on Instagram Friday he is facing a lengthy recovery period after a quad injury saw him carted off the field. Shortly thereafter, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wise’s injury will keep him out for the rest of the season. Surgery will be required, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Wise spent his first eight seasons with the Patriots, registering 63 starts over that span. The 31-year-old was among the players not retained by new head coach Mike Vrabel and Co., however. On the open market, he inked a one-year deal to head to Washington.
That $3.25MM pact included $2.35MM in guarantees, and Wise started each of his first two games with the Commanders. A notable workload would have remained the expectation in this case moving forward, but instead his attention will now turn to recovery. As a pending free agent, today’s news will obviously have significant and unwanted financial implications.
The Commanders’ defensive front underwent a number of changes this offseason, and Wise was joined by Jacob Martin and, later, Von Miller as a newcomer along the edge. Those two will be counted on to handle an increased workload moving forward. Wise has reached at least five sacks three times in a season, including the 2024 campaign. Another productive year would have helped the Commanders offset Dante Fowler‘s free agent departure while boosting the former fourth-rounder’s market value next spring.
The Commanders dropped to 1-1 with last night’s loss. Their offense will be shorthanded the rest of the way with Ekeler out of the picture, but Wise’s absence will deal a blow on the other side of the ball. Washington’s efforts to repeat last year’s success will include a key contributor along the edge sidelined after only a brief spell on the field.
49ers Host QB Mike White; Brock Purdy Facing Multi-Week Absence?
SEPTEMBER 12: While Purdy is in danger of missing multiple games, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones writes he is not being moved to injured reserve. An IR stint would ensure at least a four-week absence, but by keeping him on their active roster the 49ers will be able to play him within that span if possible.
SEPTEMBER 11: Brock Purdy has not been officially ruled out for Week 2, but yesterday head coach Kyle Shanahan deemed it a “long shot” the 49ers would have their starting quarterback in place. That could remain the case beyond Sunday. 
Shanahan noted Purdy could miss more than one contest while dealing with a form of turf toe along with a shoulder injury. Providing further details on that front, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports an absence between two and five weeks is expected in this case (video link). As a result, backup Mac Jones should be in place for San Francisco’s upcoming game against New Orleans as well as the team’s Week 3 matchup with Arizona.
Should the 49ers view Purdy as a candidate to miss further time, a move to injured reserve could receive consideration. A placement on IR would ensure at least a four-game absence, so it would certainly represent a notable step based on the evaluation of his injury. For now, attention will turn to the matter of swelling in Purdy’s toe and how it heals over the near future.
The 49ers will rely on Jones to lead an offense which is missing George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk for however long Purdy is sidelined. Especially if a multi-week absence is in store, adding quarterback depth would come as no surprise. With that in mind, the team hosted Mike White on a workout Tuesday, per the wire. Shanahan said (via Rapoport’s colleague Tom Pelissero) San Francisco would prefer to add a new signal-caller, although situations at other positions on the roster could make that difficult.
White has 15 appearances and seven starts to his name in the regular season. That includes time with the Jets under then-offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur as well as one season with Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. Both of those staffers have worked for Shanahan with the 49ers, so White represents a familiar option in terms of the team’s scheme despite not playing in San Francisco to date.
The 30-year-old spent 2024 in Buffalo and made one appearance. White took part in a competition with Mitch Trubisky this offseason for the backup gig and he wound up on the losing side of that contest. As a result, the Bills moved on ahead of the deadline for roster cuts. White has remained a free agent into the start of the regular season, but that could change in the near future.
San Francisco has seventh-round rookie Kurtis Rourke on the reserve/NFI list, leaving him unavailable until at least Week 5 (although he is not expected to play this year while rehabbing offseason ACL surgery). Adrian Martinez is on the team’s practice squad as a depth option, but depending on Purdy’s recovery timeline White could be pursued as a more experienced QB2 candidate.