LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin Re-Elected As NFLPA President
While he’s yet to find a home in free agency, veteran linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin received some good news tonight as the NFL Players Association announced his re-election as NFLPA president. 
This will be Reeves-Maybin’s second term in the role after taking over in 2024. NFLPA presidents serve two-year terms and are elected by the board of player representatives from around the league. A nine-year veteran, Reeves-Maybin has spent the majority of his career as a depth linebacker and special teamer, though he did start 11 games for the Lions in 2021. He earned Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors in 2023 for his play on special teams.
Reeves-Maybin’s election two years ago made him the first black NFLPA president since Dominique Foxworth served from 2012-14. His re-election makes him the first black NFLPA president to serve multiple terms since Troy Vincent did so from 2004-08. Foxworth was succeeded in 2014 by Eric Winston, who filled the role for six years before turning it over to J.C. Tretter.
Retiring from play after four years as NFLPA president, Tretter continued to work with the union as chief strategy officer and was considered a leading candidate to step in as interim executive director amid the recent controversy with former executive director Lloyd Howell, but he instead chose to resign from his position. Reeves-Maybin has also been praised for his leadership during a rocky period in the union’s history as the NFLPA has dealt with financial impropriety and a collusion coverup.
Joining Reeves-Maybin in re-election were NFLPA executive committee members Oren Burks, Cameron Heyward, Ted Karras, Case Keenum, Brandon McManus, and Thomas Morstead. The group also saw four new members elected to serve on the executive committee. Tanoh Kpassagnon, Jonathan Greenard, Harrison Phillips, and Zaire Franklin will be filling the seats left vacant by outgoing executive committee members Calais Campbell, Austin Ekeler, Ryan Kelly, and Thomas Hennessy. Kpassagnon was named treasurer.
Bears To Re-Sign QB Case Keenum
Case Keenum will indeed remain in place with the Bears next season, but he will not do so as a coach (a rumored scenario). The veteran quarterback has agreed to a new contract.
Keenum is set to re-sign on a two-year deal with a base value of $5.5MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The pact can max out at $8MM. Keenum could of course still be a coaching candidate in the future, but for now his playing days will continue.
Of this contract, $2.9MM is guaranteed (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson). A $750K roster bonus will be due on Day 5 of the 2027 league year. Third-stringers rarely carry a roster bonus of any sort, so this is notable. The Bears have Tyson Bagent installed as their backup, and although trade interest has come in on the former UDFA, Bagent is still expected to operate as Caleb Williams‘ caddy in 2026.
This contract positions Keenum to extend his career to 15 seasons. Even as he drifted back to the backup tier to start the 2020s, Keenum has been a coveted option — particularly with regards to leadership. The Bears may well move Keenum to a coaching role at some point, but for now, the soon-to-be 38-year-old passer looks to have at least one more year as a player.
Previously in place as a part-time Texans backup (alongside Davis Mills), Keenum has not thrown a regular-season pass since 2023. Keenum is a veteran of eight NFL teams, having begun his career as a 2012 Texans UDFA. The Houston alum has made 66 career starts. If he is to break into coaching, learning from Ben Johnson would be a good developmental program. David Blough took that route to an OC job at age 30.
His most memorable stretch came as Sam Bradford‘s backup in 2017, when he piloted the Vikings to a 13-3 season and led the NFL in QB DVOA. After sporting a 29:7 TD-INT ratio, Keenum made the “Minneapolis Miracle” throw to Stefon Diggs to elevate the Vikings to their only post-Brett Favre NFC championship game. The Broncos’ subsequent two-year, $36MM starter deal for Keenum — as they passed on Josh Allen weeks later in a loaded 2018 QB draft — did not pan out, and after a 2019 Washington stay, Keenum has toured a few cities (Cleveland, Buffalo, Houston, Chicago) as a backup.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Bears Want To Retain QB Case Keenum As Coach
Case Keenum is set to hit free agency in March, but if the Bears have it their way, the journeyman will stay in Chicago.
But it would not be as a quarterback. Instead, Ben Johnson is hoping that Keenum can join his coaching staff and continue to mentor the team’s young passers, Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent, according to Essentially Sports’ Tony Pauline.
Keenum, 38, arrived in Chicago in 2025 and quickly endeared himself to Johnson as a veteran voice in the quarterback room. At this point in his career, he does not profile as much more as a player. He last started a game in 2023 for the Texans with no more than two starts in a season since 2019. And despite the positive reputation Keenum has built up in the league, his stretches of starting-caliber play were far and few between.
But the backup quarterback-to-assistant coach pipeline has been active in recent years, especially this offseason with Sean Mannion and Davis Webb both landing offensive coordinator gigs. It is unclear what role Keenum would take on; the Bears already have quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett and Robbie Picazo as an offensive assistant focused on quarterbacks and receivers. Perhaps Keenum could be an assistant quarterbacks coach.
He would have to retire from playing to do so. If he thinks he still has gas left in the tank, he may want to see his options in free agency before taking off the pads. But the Bears are a rising team, and this could be a good opportunity to kickstart his coaching career.
NFC North Notes: Bears, Packers, Willis
Chicago (9-3) and Green Bay (8-3-1) will renew their storied rivalry on Sunday with first place in the NFC North on the line. The Bears snapped an 11-game losing streak at Lambeau Field last season. Another victory there in Week 14 would clinch the Bears’ first season of double-digit wins since 2018. The Packers lead the all-time series 108-96-6.
Here’s more on the two teams heading into Sunday’s meeting:
- Journeyman quarterback Case Keenum accepted the Bears’ one-year offer worth up to $3MM last March. It turns out that Keenum was ready to retire before he signed with the Bears, Dan Pompei of The Athletic writes in an interesting profile of the 37-year-old. Previously with the Texans, Keenum missed all of last season with a Lisfranc injury before joining the Bears, his eighth NFL team. While he hasn’t taken a regular-season snap since 2023, Keenum’s presence has benefited the Bears’ young quarterbacks. Keenum has formed a bond with starter Caleb Williams and No. 2 signal-caller Tyson Bagent, as Pompei’s piece details. Rookie head coach Ben Johnson also appreciates having Keenum aboard. “He’s another voice of reason for me, a guy that knows he’s not going to hurt my feelings and tell me how he sees it through a player’s lens, which I think is invaluable for me,” said Johnson, whose team is atop the conference. Keenum has considered going into coaching when his playing career ends, according to Pompei.
- Sticking with the Bears, Johnson is hopeful linebacker Tremaine Edmunds will return this year. “I think so, yeah,” Johnson recently said when asked if Edmunds would play again in 2025 (via Scott Bair of Marquee Sports Network). A groin injury forced Edmunds to IR on Nov. 22. The two-time Pro Bowler has missed a pair of games since then, and he’ll sit out at least two more. In a best-case scenario, Edmunds will be back for a Week 16 rematch with Green Bay. While the Bears have gone 2-0 in Edmunds’ absence, he has been one of their most productive defenders this season. Edmunds has posted 89 tackles, four interceptions, and nine passes defensed in 10 games.
- Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis performed well in place of an injured Jordan Love last year, helping the team to wins in each of his two starts. Love has stayed healthy this season, which has limited Willis to three pass attempts (all completions). Considering Willis’ desire to compete for a starting job and a forthcoming pay raise in the offseason, his time with the Packers may be winding down, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel observes. Willis, who’s a few months from reaching free agency, could earn anywhere from $5MM to $8MM per year, three NFC personnel officials told Silverstein. That may prove too pricey for Green Bay, which could lead the 26-year-old Willis to his third NFL team. He entered the league as a 2022 third-round pick of the Titans, who traded him to the Packers for a 2025 seventh-rounder before last season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/20/25
Here are today’s minor NFL moves to close out the weekend:
Chicago Bears
- Activated from active/NFI: QB Case Keenum
Denver Broncos
- Placed on active/PUP: WR A.T. Perry
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from active/PUP: WR Jaylen Johnson, S Elijah Molden
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT David Olajiga
Olajiga, a London native, joins the roster as part of the NFL’s International Pathway Program. The 27-year-old spent the 2024 season on the Rams’ practice squad as an IPP athlete, as well, but didn’t find his way to the field.
Keenum, Johnson, and Molden all passed physicals today, permitting their respective teams to active them off of their injured lists.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/19/25
Saturday’s minor moves around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DT Kyon Barrs
Chicago Bears
- Placed on active/NFI list: CB Jaylon Johnson, QB Case Keenum, WR Jahdae Walker, RB Ian Wheeler
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on active/PUP list: TE Erick All
- Placed on active/NFI list: C Seth McLaughlin
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on active/PUP list: LB Dennis Gardeck
New England Patriots
- Placed on active/PUP list: WR Mack Hollins, TE Austin Hooper, OT Vederian Lowe, LB Jahlani Tavai
- Placed on active/NFI list: CB Carlton Davis, S Josh Minkins, WR Jeremiah Webb
New York Jets
- Placed on active/PUP list: DE Jermaine Johnson, WR Irvin Charles
- Placed on active/NFI list: LB Aaron Smith
Washington Commanders
- Placed on active/NFI list: T Timothy McKay
The Cardinals were one of the two teams Barrs visited yesterday. His free agent workout clearly went well, and he will look to carve out a roster spot during training camp. Barrs, a former UDFA, has yet to make a regular season appearance.
Every player on a PUP or NFI list can be activated at any time, but their designations mean they are not cleared to practice at the start of their respective training camps. Notably, the Patriots’ list of PUP players does not include Stefon Diggs. The free agent addition was a candidate to begin camp on the PUP list, but New England’s decision to keep him on the active roster is an encouraging sign regarding his ACL recovery.
The Jets are taking a cautious approach with Jermaine Johnson, as the former first-rounder confirmed on X. An Achilles tear limited him to two games last year, but the Pro Bowler said on Saturday he is ready for on-field work. Activation well in advance of Week 1 should be expected in his case.
Bears To Sign QB Case Keenum
Add another team to Case Keenum‘s extensive NFL ledger. The journeyman backup will be called upon to help mentor another highly drafted young talent.
The Bears are signing Keenum to a one-year deal worth up to $3MM, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Keenum is coming off a season-long absence in 2024, but he helped mentor C.J. Stroud the year prior. Although Keenum is in his late 30s and coming off an injury-driven absence, he will bring a more proven Chicago backup compared to the team’s 2024 plan.
This will be team No. 8 (and NFL city No. 9) for Keenum, who has stopped through Houston, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Denver, Washington, Cleveland and Buffalo. Not viewed as a starter since a short bridge stay in Washington, Keenum has maintained residence as a capable backup. He worked as the QB2 for Stroud, Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield since his Washington one-and-done. Keenum, 37, joins a Bears team that had stationed Division II product Tyson Bagent as Caleb Williams‘ backup. He was also Justin Fields‘ top reserve in 2023.
Keenum’s career and value peak occurred during his Minnesota season. The former UDFA led the NFL in QB DVOA that season, guiding a Vikings team — one that lost Sam Bradford early — to a 13-3 season and a first-round bye. That campaign extended to the NFC championship game, thanks to Keenum and Stefon Diggs‘ Minneapolis Miracle connection, and catapulted Keenum onto the starter level. He received a two-year, $36MM Broncos deal in 2018, but Denver cut bait — amid a string of QB misses — after one season.
Keenum has since been traded twice (from Denver to Washington and Cleveland to Buffalo), and he drew trade interest before the 2023 deadline. The Texans opted to hang onto the older of their two backups, having given Keenum a two-year deal worth $6.25MM. Houston, however, needed to turn back to Davis Mills as Stroud’s top backup last year. Keenum sustained a foot injury in August, leading the Texans to place him on IR before setting their 53-man roster. That ensured the aging QB would miss the season, but he still attracted attention as a free agent.
For his career, Keenum has made 66 starts. Two of those came in Houston during the 2023 season. The first of which featured a 229-yard outing in a Texans overtime win over the Titans. The 13th-year vet has a 79:51 career TD-INT ratio and holds a 62.3% completion rate and a 6.8-yard average per pass. One season remains on Bagent’s rookie contract, though he can still be retained as an RFA in 2026, while two years are left on 2024 UDFA Austin Reed‘s. The younger two options may end up battling for the Bears’ QB3 gig, should Ben Johnson not make any additional moves at the position.
Texans Place Case Keenum On Season-Ending IR, Reduce Roster To 53
Several vested veterans hit the chopping block in Houston. Here is how the defending NFC South champions reached 53 today:
Released:
- FB Nick Bawden
- FB Andrew Beck
- QB Tim Boyle
- WR Noah Brown (story)
- T Cameron Erving
- CB Mike Ford
- T Charlie Heck
- CB C.J. Henderson (story)
- DB Lonnie Johnson
- CB Desmond King (story)
- LB Jacob Phillips
- G Chris Reed
- CB D’Angelo Ross
- T David Sharpe
Waived:
- DT McTelvin Agim
- LB Tarique Barnes
- DE Solomon Byrd
- WR Quintez Cephus
- G Dieter Eiselen
- DE Malik Fisher
- DE Ali Gaye
- FB Troy Hairston
- DT Marcus Harris
- WR Johnny Johnson
- CB Troy Pride
- WR Ben Skowronek (story)
- RB J.J. Taylor
- LB Max Tooley
- T Kilian Zierer
Waived/injured:
Placed on season-ending IR:
- S Brandon Hill
- QB Case Keenum
Placed on IR/designated for return:
- LB Christian Harris
- DT Kurt Hinish
Placed on reserve/non-football illness list:
- DL Dylan Horton
Placed on reserve/suspended list:
- DL Denico Autry (story)
Keenum was headed into the second season of a two-year deal with his original NFL team, but a major injury will sidetrack the veteran arm. A foot injury will sideline the 36-year-old quarterback, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Keenum is expected to be down for three or four months, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini adds. Houston still has Davis Mills, who is in a contract year, as its top backup behind C.J. Stroud.
A calf injury will shut down Harris for the time being, Wilson adds. The Texans used both their allotted IR-return moves. The team used the 2022 third-round pick as a 12-game starter last season. Harris has played at least 71% of the Texans’ defensive snaps in both of his seasons, explaining his being prioritized via the NFL’s IR rule tweak. Despite being a 2022 UDFA, Hinish has been a key rotational player in Houston in each of his two pro seasons.
Horton is in remission from his bout with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The second-year player completed his final treatment this spring but did not practice with the team during training camp. The Texans’ run of WR cuts leaves 2022 second-rounder John Metchie, who missed his rookie season after a leukemia diagnosis, and Robert Woods on the roster behind starters Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs. Cutting Jordan, a sixth-round pick from Louisville, leaves Dameon Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale and Cam Akers rostered behind Joe Mixon.
Texans’ C.J. Stroud Ruled Out; QB In Play To Return In Week 17
DECEMBER 24: Although the Texans will officially be without their starting quarterback for a second straight week, he has a decent chance to come back on New Year’s Eve. Stroud’s symptoms are subsiding, per Wilson, who adds he has a decent chance of resuming some football activities this week. The Ohio State product has indeed shown progress while in concussion protocol, and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter indicates there is optimism about a return for the team’s Week 17 game against the Titans.
DECEMBER 20: The Texans made an unexpected switch for Week 15, moving to Case Keenum rather than Davis Mills. That depth chart adjustment is likely to be relevant once again for the surprise playoff contender.
C.J. Stroud is not expected to return in Week 16, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. The Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite is still experiencing symptoms from the concussion he suffered against the Jets, with Wilson adding sensitivity to light remains an issue for the No. 2 overall pick.
Stroud will not be cleared for practice Wednesday. The Texans added recent Jets starter Tim Boyle to their practice squad Tuesday. Boyle, who started two games for the Jets before being waived a day after the latter start, now sits behind Keenum and Mills among healthy Houston quarterbacks.
While Stroud’s season is likely to continue, it is obviously a concern he is on track to remain in concussion protocol for a second game. That said, Stroud’s health is obviously paramount here. The Texans toiled in anonymity during the two-year period between Deshaun Watson‘s QB1 run and Stroud’s arrival. They are in this surprising 8-6 spot largely because of the pick they made in April. The Texans have a 51.5% chance to make the playoffs, per ESPN’s FPI. They face the Browns, who carried Keenum as their backup from 2020-21, on Sunday.
Keenum, 35, piloted Houston to an overtime win over Tennessee. The journeyman QB agreed to return to Houston in March, and the Texans rebuffed trade inquiries on he and Mills this year. The team viewed Keenum as a quality Stroud mentor, though Mills was believed to be in place as the backup prior to Week 15. Attached to a two-year, $6.25MM deal, the former Texans UDFA now has 65 career starts under his belt.
Texans Sign QB Tim Boyle To Practice Squad
With C.J. Stroud still sitting in concussion protocol, the Texans are adding some depth to the quarterback room. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the Texans are signing quarterback Tim Boyle to the practice squad.
Stroud suffered his concussion during Houston’s Week 14 loss to the Jets. Per Wilson, the second-overall pick still has concussion symptoms, putting his status for this weekend’s game against Cleveland in doubt. If the rookie can’t play, veteran Case Keenum is expected to get another start against his former team. Keenum started for Houston this past weekend and helped guide the team to an overtime win over the Titans.
Considering Stroud’s uncertainty, the Texans have been in the market for some QB help. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Texans tried to claim Nathan Rourke after he was waived by the Jaguars. The Patriots won the waiver claim battle, forcing the Texans to look elsewhere.
Boyle joins the Texans after having spent the first part of his 2023 campaign with the Jets. Initially brought in as a familiar backup to Aaron Rodgers, Boyle ended up getting inserted into the lineup in the middle of the season. The Jets went winless in his two starts, and in three games, the QB tossed one touchdown vs. four interceptions. After starting his career in Green Bay, Boyle went winless in three starts with the Lions in 2021. He got into one game for Chicago in 2022, tossing a pair of interceptions in eight pass attempts.
It’s unlikely Boyle sees any playing time in Houston, assuming Stroud sees the field again before the season is done. Even with the rookie out of the lineup, the veteran would be the QB3 behind Keenum and former starter Davis Mills.