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Darius Slay Wants To Retire After 2025 Season, Open To Lions Return

February 20th, 2025 at 11:57am CST by Nikhil Mehta

FENRUARY 20: During an appearance on the St. Brown Podcast (video link), Slay repeated that his preference would be to remain with the Eagles for 2025, the final year of his pact. In the event his time in Philadelphia were to come to an end, though, the former Lion added his next choice would be to return to Detroit. Slay spent his first seven years in the Motor City, and especially if Carlton Davis were to depart in free agency the Lions could be in the market for a cornerback addition. That will of course be a moot point if the Eagles retain Slay for next year.

FEBRUARY 5: Eagles cornerback Darius Slay‘s current focus is winning the first Super Bowl of his career, but he has already thought about his plans for the 2025 season and beyond.

The 12-year veteran would like to play one more season before retiring, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, and he’d prefer to finish his career in Philadelphia.

“Next year will most likely be my last,” said Slay during Super Bowl media availability. “I would love for it to be with the Philadelphia Eagles.”

The eight-time Pro Bowler is still playing at a high level despite his age, though 2024 was his first interception-less season since his 2013 rookie year. He has missed eight games due to injury over the last two seasons, including a four-game absence in 2023 due to knee surgery. By the time the 2025 season ends, Slay will be 35 years old, making retirement a natural next step.

Slay’s comments indicate that a return to Philadelphia next season is not a certainty, though his contract would make it difficult to move on. After renegotiating his deal in 2023, his 2025 cap hit comes in just under $13.8MM, per OverTheCap, an affordable price for a starting boundary corner. A release before the new league year would force the Eagles to account for $22.7MM as a dead cap hit in 2025, a difficult proposition considering their cap situation and need to sign key pending free agents like Zack Baun. A post-June 1 release would allow the Eagles to spread Slay’s dead cap hits between 2025 and 2026, but they would also have to pick up his $16.1MM option bonus and account for it as dead money.

As a result, the best option for both sides seems to be Slay playing out his contract in Philadelphia as he desires. The Eagles could then restructure his deal to allow for a post-June 1 retirement designation, as the Rams did for Aaron Donald to spread out his remaining dead money.

Eagles Promote Kevin Patullo To OC

February 19th, 2025 at 9:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Saints showed interest in multiple Eagles staffers for Kellen Moore‘s new OC, Philadelphia will protect one via promotion. Kevin Patullo will replace Moore as OC, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo reports. The Super Bowl champions have since announced the move.

A true Eagles OC search does not look to have transpired, pointing to the team’s confidence in Patullo. While the Eagles’ last internal promotion at OC (replacing Shane Steichen with Brian Johnson) failed, Patullo — rumored as a Saints OC option early in that search — will be called upon to step in for Moore.

One of Nick Sirianni‘s hires when he arrived in Philly in 2021, Patullo has been the team’s pass-game coordinator for four seasons. Although he did not leapfrog Johnson to become OC once Steichen took the Colts’ HC job in 2023, he will make the move up after an Eagles job search that never appeared to take shape. Patullo also came up during the Jets and Ravens’ OC searches in 2023 but was not on the carousel in 2024, as a collapse defined the Eagles’ 2023 season.

The Eagles needed to have conducted an interview with at least one external minority to comply with the Rooney Rule, but they are not the only NFC power to move quickly on a candidate without having performed a thorough search. The Lions hired John Morton soon after losing Ben Johnson. Patullo will replace Moore, who rebuilt his stock after a down Chargers season. While Moore will walk into a Saints situation that features plenty of questions, Patullo will take the keys to an offense that just stampeded past the Chiefs to win Super Bowl LIX.

Philly is expected to lose QBs coach Doug Nussmeier to the Saints, as Moore’s new OC, but they will not see both offensive staffers leave. Nussmeier also has much closer ties to Moore than the team, having worked with the ex-Cowboys QB in Dallas and Los Angeles. Patullo, 43, has come up through the coaching ranks under Sirianni and Frank Reich.

Reich hired Patullo as his wide receivers coach to start his Colts tenure in 2018, and he held that role for two years before transitioning to a pass-game specialist in 2020. Sirianni brought Patullo with him to Philly in 2021, immediately installing him as pass-game coordinator. Patullo worked under Steichen for two years, as the Eagles transitioned to a run-oriented attack midway through the 2021 season before seeing Jalen Hurts display tremendous growth as a passer during an MVP-caliber 2022 season. After the Eagles took a step back in 2023, Moore, Patullo and Co. retooled the offense once again this past season.

The Eagles did not ask Hurts to operate as a passer on the level he had in 2022 and ’23, with the Saquon Barkley signing transforming Philly’s ground attack. The team ran roughshod over the Commanders in the NFC championship game, and although the Chiefs did well to minimize Barkley, the Eagles received a sharp game from Hurts in an MVP performance that included TD passes to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and a Super Bowl QB record 72 rushing yards.

Despite the Eagles’ step back under Johnson in 2023, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane indicates the team wanted continuity for Hurts, who has trained in four offensive schemes over his first five seasons. Also transferring in college, Hurts has seen significant change on his coaching staffs in that span. Sirianni had Patullo pegged as his preferred Moore successor once he found out the Saints hire was imminent, McLane adds, lending to the non-search here.

The 2025 season will mark Patullo’s first crack as a play-caller at any level, but McLane adds he was involved with that process under Moore. Still, this will be a notable storyline to follow in Philadelphia, as Moore carried five seasons of play-calling experience into last season. Sirianni gave up play-calling duties midway through the ’21 season and will not be expected to reclaim them, as this formula has now produced two Eagles Super Bowl berths and a runaway title.

Beyond the Patullo move, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds the Eagles are planning to hire Parks Frazier to fill Patullo’s old job. Philly’s new pass-game coordinator is best known for the half-season he spent as Jeff Saturday‘s Colts play-caller, as others turning the job down led to Indianapolis’ assistant QBs coach to take the role. Frazier, 33, worked for the 2-15 Panthers in 2023 (as pass-game coordinator) as for the Dolphins as an offensive assistant last season.

While Frazier will step back into a prominent role, the Eagles have ensured continuity under Sirianni in the form of Patullo moving up and acclaimed O-line coach Jeff Stoutland remaining in place as run-game coordinator. Frazier worked with Sirianni under Reich for three seasons in Indianapolis, though he topped out on the quality control level during that time.

Minor NFL Transactions: 2/18/25

February 18th, 2025 at 7:37pm CST by Ely Allen

We had a number of minor moves today in the NFL:

Cleveland Browns

Las Vegas Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Saints Hire Scott Tolzien, T.J. Paganetti; Team ‘Zeroing In’ On Doug Nussmeier As OC

February 18th, 2025 at 5:29pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Like many coordinators who get head coaching opportunities, Kellen Moore is bringing multiple members of his staff in Philadelphia to his new job in New Orleans.

The Saints “are currently working to finalize a deal” to make Doug Nussmeier their next offensive coordinator, per veteran NFL insider Josina Anderson. Nussmeier spent 2024 as the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach and is considered the frontrunner for the job position in New Orleans. He previously coached quarterbacks for the Chargers and the Cowboys. Nussmeier also served as offensive coordinator for several major college programs from 2008 to 2017, including Alabama, Florida, and Michigan.

Nussmeier isn’t the only top Eagles assistant following Moore to New Orleans. The Saints are also hiring Eagles run game specialist and assistant offensive line coach T.J. Paganetti, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. He has spent the last eight seasons in Philadelphia, working closely with legendary Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland. Paganetti will likely take over as the Saints’ offensive line coach after John Benton followed Klint Kubiak to Seattle.

Moore is hiring another familiar face to serve as quarterbacks coach in Scott Tolzien, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Tolzien was an assistant in Dallas when Moore was the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator from 2020 to 2022. Tolzien was promoted to quarterbacks coach after Moore moved on in 2023, but was not expected to be retained on Brian Schottenheimer‘s new staff.

Tolzien, a former NFL quarterback himself, will help the Saints navigate an uncertain quarterback situation this year. Derek Carr performed well in 2024, but struggled to stay healthy. His durability will remain a concern entering his age-34 season – if he even stays on the roster – but neither Spencer Rattler nor Jake Haener inspired much confidence in 2024. The Saints’ cap situation will hinder them in the free agent quarterback market, and the draft’s top quarterbacks will likely go before their first round pick (No. 9 overall).

Doug Nussmeier Favorite For Saints’ OC Position; Joel Thomas Returning To Staff

February 18th, 2025 at 11:19am CST by Adam La Rose

Three of the staffers connected to the Saints’ offensive coordinator vacancy are currently with the Eagles. To no surprise, one of them is in pole position to join Kellen Moore in New Orleans.

Philadelphia quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier is seen as the favorite at this point, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports. While nothing is imminent, he adds the situation is likely heading toward Nussmeier taking on the position. This would represent his first OC opportunity at the NFL level.

Nussmeier’s coaching career began in the CFL, and he has experience at a number of levels as a QBs coach. The 54-year-old also handled coordinator duties at five different college programs from 2008-17 before beginning his time in the NFL. During his time with the Cowboys, Chargers and Eagles, Nussmeier has overlapped with Moore with the latter operating as offensive coordinator.

Moore now has his first head coaching gig, and once it became clear he would depart the Eagles to join the Saints Nussmeier’s name came up as a logical candidate to join him. As expected, Moore will call plays in 2025, but his coordinator hires will of course be key as he puts together his initial staff. That process will include a return to New Orleans for a familiar staffer.

Running backs coach Joel Thomas is set to join the Saints once again, as first reported by Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Thomas spent the 2024 campaign coaching the Giants’ running backs, but he will now make the lateral move back to New Orleans after working there from 2015-23. Brian Daboll will once again need to find a replacement at the RBs coach spot, something which has become an annual endeavor during the hiring cycle.

With Thomas in the fold and Nussmeier the top name to watch on the OC front, here is how the Saints’ coordinator search is shaping up:

Saints Conduct OC Interview With Eagles’ Jemal Singleton

February 17th, 2025 at 12:47pm CST by Adam La Rose

The list of Saints targets for their offensive coordinator vacancy continues to grow. To no surprise, the latest name to emerge is another Eagles staffer.

New Orleans has conducted an interview with Jemal Singleton, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. That makes him the third member of the Eagles’ staff connected to the possibility of joining Kellen Moore on his new team. Of course, Singleton could be a among the candidates to take over from Moore as the Super Bowl LIX winners’ next offensive coordinator if he were to remain with the Eagles.

The 49-year-old began his coaching tenure in the college ranks, spending time at three programs from 2000 to 2015. Singleton spent a pair of seasons coaching the Colts’ running backs before doing the same for one year with the Raiders. He then moved on to the Bengals, staying there for the 2019 and ’20 campaigns. Since 2021, he has held the role of RBs coach with the Eagles.

In addition to those responsibilities, though, Singleton has served as Philadelphia’s assistant head coach during his time with the team. Losing him would deal a blow to Nick Sirianni‘s staff, but joining Moore in New Orleans would give Singleton the opportunity to operate as a coordinator for the first time in his career. Given the strong play of Saquon Barkley in 2024, expectations would be high in the run game for the Saints if they were to move forward with a hire on this front.

With the Combine and free agency approaching, Moore and the Saints have a number of key decisions to make, including how to proceed with quarterback Derek Carr. Before a final call is made in that department, though, Moore will look to fill out his staff, including the hiring of a non-play-caller at the OC spot.

Via PFR’s Coordinator Search Tracker, here is an updated look at where things stand with the Saints:

Execs Predict Browns Will Trade Garrett

February 16th, 2025 at 6:42pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Every indication out of Cleveland is that the Browns do not want to trade Myles Garrett, but other teams believe they will have to oblige his request.

Four executives think that the Browns will deal Garrett this offseason, according to Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post. Philadelphia was mentioned multiple times as a potential landing spot, citing Browns general manager Andrew Berry‘s history with Eagles GM Howie Roseman. Berry spent the 2019 season as the Eagles’ vice president of football operations under Roseman before returning to Cleveland for his current job.

One AFC general manager predicted that the Browns could receive two first-round picks, though Berry has previously said that compensation wouldn’t soften their anti-trade stance. However, with the Eagles picking 31st overall in 2025 and likely a similar spot in 2026, their picks may be less valuable relative to what other teams can offer.

Ultimately, a trade is unlikely to come together quickly. Unless the Browns – who already hold the No. 2 overall pick in April’s draft – really want to add more 2025 draft capital, they’re incentivized to wait until after June 1 to move Garrett.

As of right now, Cleveland is projected to be more than $30MM over the 2025 salary cap, per OverTheCap. They can create enough space with a few restructures, but moving Garrett would set them back further. So much of his money has been prorated into the future that a pre-June 1 trade would result in a $16.5MM decrease in salary cap space. The Browns would have to eat all $36.2MM of dead money in 2025, while a post-June 1 trade would allow them to divide it between two years.

An early trade offer, therefore, would have to blow the Browns out of the water to make it worth the cap gymnastics required to facilitate the deal. Cleveland could also be hoping that they can improve the roster enough this offseason to convince Garrett to stick around.

Saints Interviewing Two DC Candidates, Doug Nussmeier Today

February 16th, 2025 at 4:18pm CST by Ely Allen

4:18pm: Nussmeier’s interview will also take place today, Rapoport notes. As the Saints continue to move through their coordinator search process, a hire on both fronts could be made sometime in the coming days depending on how wide of a net the team casts.

12:20pm: The Saints and new head coach Kellen Moore continue to search for his first coordinators in New Orleans. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated tells us that the team will interview 49ers assistant head coach Brandon Staley and Eagles passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Christian Parker for the defensive coordinator position today. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds that Eagles quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier will interview for the offensive coordinator role this week.

Staley and Nussmeier have both already been mentioned as potential candidates for the two respective jobs. Staley was Moore’s boss in 2023 when the former served as the Chargers’ head coach. Staley was fired by the Chargers following two-plus seasons with the organization. He finished his head coaching stint with a 24-24 record, including a single one-and-done playoff appearance. Prior to his stint with the Chargers, Staley served as the defensive coordinator with the Rams in 2020. He also previously served as linebackers coach for the Broncos and Bears. Though Staley didn’t interview for any other defensive coordinator jobs this offseason, he was mentioned as a candidate for the role with his current team.

Nussmeier and Moore coached together in Dallas from 2018-22, with the former moving from tight ends coach to quarterbacks coach during that span. Moore brought Nussmeier with him to Los Angeles when he took over as Chargers offensive coordinator under Staley in 2023. That stint did not go especially well, but the Eagles allowed Moore to bring Nussmeier alongside him to Philadelphia, where Jalen Hurts led the team to a Super Bowl title. Before their time together in Dallas, Nussmeier served as an offensive coordinator for five college programs — including Alabama, Michigan, and Florida — from 2008-17.

Aside from his connections to Moore, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler points out that Nussmeier also has a familial connection to Louisiana. Nussmeier’s son, Garrett Nussmeier, is set to enter his second year as the starting quarterback at LSU in relatively nearby Baton Rouge. After finishing fifth in the nation in passing yards per game for the Tigers in 2024, Garrett is considered a top prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft. There is one more connection, as well, as the elder Nussmeier’s only two years as an NFL quarterback saw him play in New Orleans.

Parker, 33, interviewed for the Patriots and Packers’ DC jobs last offseason, but likely due to the Eagles’ deep playoff run, he didn’t attend any interviews in this cycle. Before heading to Philadelphia last year, he was a valued staffer in Denver, working in the same defensive backs coaching role under Vic Fangio, Nathaniel Hackett, and Sean Payton. In Denver, Parker oversaw the likes of Justin Simmons and Patrick Surtain. In Philadelphia, Parker mentored a defense that allowed the fewest passing yards in the NFL last year due in part to rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, who finished second and fourth, respectively, in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.

Here is how the offensive coordinator search is shaping up so far:

And here’s a look at the defensive coordinator search:

  • George Edwards, outside linebackers coach (Buccaneers): Mentioned as candidate
  • Daronte Jones, defensive pass-game coordinator (Vikings): To interview 1/15
  • Christian Parker, passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach (Eagles): Interviewed 2/16
  • Brandon Staley, assistant head coach (49ers): Lead candidate?; Interviewed 2/16

2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team

February 15th, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Free agency is roughly one month away, and teams are preparing for the first major roster-building checkpoint on the offseason calendar. In several cases, of course, the lead-in to the start of the new league year will require cost-cutting measures.

Teams expect the 2025 cap ceiling to check in somewhere between $265MM and $275MM, providing a general target to aim for before the final figure is unveiled by the NFL. Using a projected cap of $272.5MM, here is a look at where all 32 teams currently stand (courtesy of Over the Cap):

  1. New England Patriots: $119.8MM
  2. Las Vegas Raiders: $92.53MM
  3. Washington Commanders: $75.21MM
  4. Arizona Cardinals: $71.33MM
  5. Los Angeles Chargers: $63.41MM
  6. Chicago Bears: $62.97MM
  7. Minnesota Vikings: $58.01MM
  8. Pittsburgh Steelers: $53.26MM
  9. Cincinnati Bengals: $46.26MM
  10. Detroit Lions: $45.69MM
  11. San Francisco 49ers: $44.26MM
  12. Tennessee Titans: $44.08MM
  13. New York Giants: $43.38MM
  14. Green Bay Packers: $42.14MM
  15. Los Angeles Rams: $38.33MM
  16. Denver Broncos: $34.78MM
  17. Jacksonville Jaguars: $32.27MM
  18. Indianapolis Colts: $28.25MM
  19. Carolina Panthers: $20.33MM
  20. Philadelphia Eagles: $18.08MM
  21. New York Jets: $16.86MM
  22. Baltimore Ravens: $5.96MM
  23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $2.24MM
  24. Houston Texans: $99K over the cap
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: $916K over
  26. Dallas Cowboys: $2.85MM over
  27. Miami Dolphins: $5.44MM over
  28. Atlanta Falcons: $11.15MM over
  29. Seattle Seahawks: $13.46MM over
  30. Buffalo Bills: $14.18MM over
  31. Cleveland Browns: $30.17MM over
  32. New Orleans Saints: $54.11MM over

These figures will of course change based on where the final cap ceiling winds up for the year, but they take into account each team’s carryover amount for 2025. Even with those savings in play, more than one quarter of the league finds itself in need of cost-shedding moves to simply achieve cap compliance by mid-March.

With the Patriots leading the way in terms of spending power, they will be a team to watch closely once free agency begins. The team’s willingness (or lack thereof) to make major free agent additions last year was a talking point, and it will be interesting to see if the regime featuring de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel takes a different approach in 2025. A serious push for Tee Higgins – by far the most sought-after wideout set to hit the market – can be expected.

Aside from Higgins, the Bengals have a number of financial priorities. Working out a monster extension for fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase and a new deal (and accompanying raise) for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson are key goals for the franchise. Quarterback Joe Burrow is prepared to restructure his own pact to create cap space for this offseason, but the team will no doubt need to break with tradition in terms of contract structure and guarantees to keep its core intact.

The Colts’ offseason has been defined in large part by a focus on retaining in-house players during recent years. That approach has not paid off as hoped, and general manager Chris Ballard said last month he plans to oversee a shift in roster-building philosophy this year. With the finances to make at least a modest addition or two on the open market, Indianapolis could be a suitor for some of the middle-class free agent options.

Over the coming weeks, many teams will proceed with extensions and restructures to free up cap space; the Seahawks recently took the latter route with defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Teams like the Steelers (in the case of edge rusher Preston Smith) and Dolphins (with running back Raheem Mostert as well as corner Kendall Fuller and tight end Durham Smythe) have already begin cutting veterans to free up cap space. That will increasingly continue in the near future with respect to the teams currently slated to be over the cap in particular.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 2/14/25

February 14th, 2025 at 6:45pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s reserve/futures deals across the NFL:

Chicago Bears

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

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