Cowboys Rumors: Free Agency, Prescott, McCarthy
The Cowboys’ 2024 campaign has not gone quite according to plan as the team sits at 5-8, fighting for their playoff lives. While some of the blame for this can be cast on injuries, the makeup of the roster has to be taken into account, as well. That means it’ll be up to coaching and team management to make the improvements necessary to turn this team into a playoff squad in 2025.
Many members of the Cowboys’ fanbase were up in arms following an offseason that saw little free agent movement. That lack of movement has, no doubt, contributed in some part to some of the team’s struggles this year. Despite this likelihood, chief operating officer/executive vice president/director of player personnel Stephen Jones, son of owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones, has claimed that this year could see another conservative offseason in the free agent market for the Cowboys, per Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The younger Jones told the media that free agent spending will be “really tight.” Starters like guard Zack Martin, wide receiver Brandin Cooks, and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence are all in contract years, as are several other key pieces. There are plenty of areas, namely running back, that could use significant investment, as well.
With no commitment to free agent pursuit from ownership, Cowboys fans are going to need to look to the draft and internal development for answers to the team’s current weaknesses.
Here are a couple other rumors out of Dallas:
- According to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, quarterback Dak Prescott made a big stride in his recovery earlier this month, driving his vehicle while still walking with the assistance of a brace and crutches. Per Epstein, “Prescott expects his recovery window to conclude before 2025 offseason activities start.” Even with “no hard timeline” and an effort not to rush back, Prescott is hoping to have zero restrictions when the offseason arrives.
- There have been mixed opinions from pundits on the future of head coach Mike McCarthy in Dallas. Many believe he will be fired come season end, while others are under the impression that the senior Jones will retain him. Jones has expressed that he’s open to keeping McCarthy around, but per DLLS’ Clarence Hill Jr., Jones has identified a connection with Prescott as a key part of his decision-making. Luckily for McCarthy, Prescott recently endorsed the current head coach, but Jones has made it clear that he wants someone in the job who can get the most out of their franchise quarterback.
Dolphins Rumors: Chubb, Campbell, Minority Ownership
Dolphins veteran pass rusher Bradley Chubb has been quiet since opening the season on the team’s reserve/physically unable to perform list. We all knew it would be difficult for him to make a return in the 2024 season after suffering a torn ACL in a New Year’s Eve blowout loss, but we perhaps didn’t get the full story.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Chubb not only tore his ACL but his meniscus and patellar tendon, as well. He’s been rehabbing in order to make a comeback within the calendar year, and though his practice window was opened last week, it doesn’t appear he’s ready quite yet. Per Jackson, head coach Mike McDaniel expects Chubb to be ready for a Week 16 return.
Here are a couple other rumors coming out of Miami:
- Defensive lineman Calais Campbell may be 38 years old, but Father Time has not kept him from being a premier defender in the NFL. We’ve already heard that the Ravens made a late push at the trade deadline to bring him back to Baltimore, but according to Zak Keefer of The Athletic, five other teams reached out, as well. We already reported that Baltimore attempted to send a 2026 fifth-rounder for Campbell, but one team was willing to up the offer to a fourth-round pick, given a later-round pick in return — a flattering offer for such an aged veteran.
- Back in October, we reported on the potential sale of a minority stake in the works for Miami. According to a team announcement, the minority, non-controlling interest sale was approved by the NFL at this week’s league meeting. The deal sends a 10 percent total stake in the Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, and the Miami Grand Prix to private equity firm Ares Management and a three percent stake to Joe Tsai, owner of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
NFL Coaching Rumors: Jacksonville, Smith, Mayo
The way the season is going in Jacksonville, it’s looking more and more likely that the Jaguars are going to have some new leadership in 2025. The consensus in league circles is that the team is highly likely to move on from head coach Doug Pederson. The question that seems to be trending lately for Jacksonville is whether or not general manager Trent Baalke will be soon to follow.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, there has been increased speculation on whether or not Baalke will be sticking around to choose Pederson’s replacement, should he be fired as expected. Having already been eliminated from playoff contention with a 3-10 record while, at this point, competing for a top draft slot, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Pederson is out, but with Baalke, it’s not as sure a thing.
In an appearance on Herd with Colin Cowherd, FOX Sports’s Jordan Schultz claimed he doesn’t believe Baalke gets fired because he’s entrenched himself with team owner Shahid Khan and chief football strategy officer Tony Khan.
Here are a few other rumors from coaching circles in the NFL:
- Arthur Smith‘s recent success jump-starting the career of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson has put him back in the head coaching spotlight. The Steelers offensive coordinator may have to wait a little longer, though. Per Graziano, Smith is more likely to find his way back into head coaching races after the 2025 season than in the upcoming offseason.
- Like the Jags, the Patriots are another team already eliminated from the post season and in the running for a top draft slot. That doesn’t appear to mean the same thing for New England’s head coach, though, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Jerod Mayo is only in his first year as Patriots head coach and as an NFL head coach in general. Team owner Robert Kraft was part of the decision to set Mayo up for a coach-in-waiting situation, so it’s hard to imagine that he’s lost the vision on that front this early.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/13/24
Friday’s minor NFL moves:
Houston Texans
- Placed on IR: S Jalen Pitre (story)
Miami Dolphins
- Waived (with non-injury settlement): WR Odell Beckham Jr. (story)
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: DT Jaquelin Roy
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/13/24
Today’s practice squad transactions in the NFL:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DT Siaki Ika
New York Jets
- Released: DE Takk McKinley
Washington Commanders
- Released: WR Mike Strachan
Since being waived by the team that drafted him 26th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, McKinley has struggled to find a place in the NFL. Since 2020, McKinley has spent time on six different teams, failing to stick anywhere.
Azeez Al-Shaair’s Suspension Voids 2025 Guaranteed Salary
Azeez Al-Shaair‘s hit on Trevor Lawrence may cost him a lot more than the three game checks he won’t receive while suspended.
Al-Shaair is already missing out on $338k as a result of his three-game suspension, and the impact in 2025 could be far greater. Language in his three-year, $34MM deal with the Texans voids the guarantee on his $9MM base salary next season if the linebacker is suspended for more than two games due to an “on-the-field football act,” per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
Al-Shaair’s suspension was upheld on appeal, voiding next year’s guarantees and giving Houston the option to release him after this season with cap savings of $9MM and a dead cap hit of $2.2MM in 2025.
However, Houston seems unlikely to take that path, especially after Texans general manager Nick Caserio backed his player and blasted the suspension as “embarrassing” last week. Al-Shaair remains in the team’s plans, per Jones, meaning that he should still be able to earn all $9MM of his 2025 base salary.
The Texans are not able to unilaterally reinstate the guarantees, even if they want to. They could try to leverage the situation into a contract renegotiation with Al-Shaair by offering him more guaranteed money in return for a pay cut, but doing so would risk ruining his relationship with the franchise.
Instead, Houston is most likely to keep Al-Shaair on the roster with his contract untouched, allowing him to collect his full $9MM salary next year to nullify the impact of the voided guarantees.
Panthers Activate Nick Scott From IR
The Panthers have swapped safeties on their roster, activating Nick Scott from injured reserve and waiving Jammie Robinson in a corresponding move, according to a team announcement.
Scott signed a one-year, $1.15MM contract with the Panthers in March and began the season playing primarily special teams. He took over as a starting safety after Jordan Fuller went down in Week 3 and played 100% of the team’s defensive snaps for the next four games. A hamstring injury in Week 7 forced Scott onto injured reserve, with undrafted rookie Demani Richardson filling in for two games before Fuller was activated from IR.
With Fuller back in the secondary alongside season-long starter Xavier Woods, Scott will likely return to a special teams-focused role with occasional appearances on defense as a third safety.
Robinson, meanwhile, will be available on waivers less than two years after being drafted by the Panthers in the fifth-round of the 2023 draft. He started two games at safety as a rookie, but played just 64 defensive snaps all season. His main duties were on special teams, a pattern that continued into 2024 with 97 special teams snaps and 11 on defense. Carolina will absorb dead cap hits of $82k in 2024 and $265k in 2025, per OverTheCap.
If a team claims Robinson off of waivers, they will owe him just over $200k for the rest of the season along with $2.175MM in non-guaranteed salary across 2025 and 2026. A team looking for special teams depth that sees Robinson as a potential multi-year contributor could put in a claim for his inexpensive contract.
Jets Place RB/KR Kene Nwangwu On IR
The Jets have placed Kene Nwangwu (broken hand) on injured reserve, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini, ending the 26-year-old return specialist’s season.
Nwangwu joined New York’s practice squad in September, but had to wait until Week 13 to receive his first game day elevation. He dazzled on special teams in his Jets debut with a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown and a forced fumble, earning him a promotion to the 53-man roster. Unfortunately, Nwangwu wasn’t able to capitalize on the opportunity with zero returns in Week 14 before breaking his hand.
The Jets still have 23-year-old wideout Xavier Gipson as their primary return specialist. Rookie running back Isaiah Davis can also handle return duties, so Nwangwu’s injury won’t dramatically alter New York’s plan on special teams.
Nwangwu has struggled to establish himself as a running back in the NFL, only managing 88 rushing yards on 33 attempts from 2021 to 2023 in Minnesota, where he was originally a fourth-round pick. He didn’t stand out as a pass-catcher, either, but emerged as an electric returner with 32.2 yards per return and two kickoff return touchdowns as a rookie. Nwangwu then led the NFL with 35 kickoff returns in 2022, earning second-team All-Pro honors, but his lack of offensive impact ultimately led to his release after the 2023 season.
The NFL’s new dynamic kickoff offered a new opportunity for Nwangwu in 2024. Though it took him 13 weeks to see the field, he made an impact right away. His kickoff return touchdown is one of six in the NFL this year, and it could lead to another chance at return duties in 2025 once he recovers from his broken hand.
Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan Declares For 2025 Draft
To no surprise, Tetairoa McMillan will turn pro this spring. The junior wideout has declared for the 2025 NFL draft as expected. 
McMillan enjoyed a stellar career at Arizona, and his receiving yardage total (3,423) marks the school’s all-time record. He posted 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns on 84 catches in 2024, essentially a duplication of last year’s output. His production made him a strong candidate for the Biletnikoff Award (given to the country’s top receiver), although that honor went to Colorado’s Travis Hunter.
Still, McMillan was named a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association, in addition to first-team All-Conference honors. The 6-5, 212-pounder confirmed his status as one of the top receiving prospects in the country over the course of the 2024 campaign, and it comes as no surprise he has elected to turn pro at the first opportunity to do so. McMillan will not need to wait long to hear his name called.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranks McMillan as the No. 2 receiver prospect in this year’s class (behind only Hunter), placing him 11th overall. It remains to be seen if Hunter will be used as a wideout, a corner or both at the NFL level, but in terms of players who strictly fit the WR description McMillan could easily find himself as the top player selected. Any number of NFL teams could use an infusion of size and productivity at the position.
Missouri standout Luther Burden III has also declared for the draft as expected, and he is another Day 1 candidate at the receiver spot. His size and profile is much different to McMillan’s, and NFL teams may establish a preference of one over the other during the pre-draft process. In any case, both playmakers will face considerable expectations at the NFL level in 2025.
Bengals’ Tee Higgins Changes Agents
DECEMBER 13: Rocky Arceneaux and Caitlin Aoki are now officially listed as Higgins’ agents, as noted by ESPN’s Ben Baby. Arceneaux is also Chase’s agent, so the developments which take place at the negotiating table on both fronts this offseason will have a notable common denominator.
DECEMBER 12: Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins has parted ways with his agent, David Mulugheta, according to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Higgins is currently playing on a $21.8MM franchise tag after failing to reach a long-term agreement with the Bengals during the offseason. The star wideout was not expected to remain in Cincinnati after this season, but his agent change and recent comments from Joe Burrow indicate that the tide could be turning.
Higgins’ situation resembles that of ex-Bengals safety Jessie Bates, another Mulugheta client. Bates ended up leaving Cincinnati after his tag year to sign a four-year, $64MM contract with the Falcons. Separating from Mulugheta could be an indication that Higgins is looking to stay with the Bengals instead of testing the open market this offseason.
Still, negotiations between Higgins and the Bengals still face multiple obstacles. The two sides were clearly far apart on their valuation during the offseason, and Higgins’ play this year has likely done little to bring them together together. Higgins has only appeared in eight games in 2024, but when healthy, he’s put up some of the best per-game averages of his career. The Bengals will point to his injuries over the last two seasons as their basis for a lower offer, while Higgins and his agent will argue that he’s avoided injured reserve and been able to produce whenever he is in the lineup.
Further complicating matters will be Ja’Marr Chase‘s expected mega-extension which is expected to equal or even surpass the $35MM annual value of Justin Jefferson‘s contract. Chase’s contract will impact the availability of both cash and cap space in Cincinnati, while another increase in the wide receiver market will lead to higher demands from Higgins.
Burrow’s recent comments have made one thing clear: the Bengals’ top three offensive players want to stay together. It’s easy to see why: their passing attack is one of the league’s best when all three are healthy. Cincinnati will have to get creative – or, just pony up a boatload of money – to keep the core of their offense intact for years to come.