Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order
Aside from tonight’s Rams-Falcons game, Week 17 is in the books. Most of the playoff field has been set in both conferences, but there is still plenty to be determined regarding the first-round draft order.
By virtue of their loss on Sunday, the Raiders are now in pole position to secure the No. 1 pick. Vegas sits at 2-14 on the year, with four teams sporting a record of 3-13. Only one of those, however – the Giants – is still in contention to land the top selection. Vegas will play against Kansas City in Week 18, while New York’s season will end against Dallas.
Fernando Mendoza looms as the projected top quarterback option in the 2026 class, with the futures of Dante Moore and Ty Simpson still uncertain. Demand usually outweighs supply at the top of the draft when it comes to signal-callers, and scarcity at the position could very well come into play in April. Mendoza may find himself on the radar of teams not immediately in need of a quarterback depending on how things play out.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.
Here is an updated look at the first-round order:
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-14)
- New York Giants (3-13)
- New York Jets (3-13)
- Tennessee Titans (3-13)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-13)
- Cleveland Browns (4-12)
- Washington Commanders (4-12)
- New Orleans Saints (6-10)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-10)
- Cincinnati Bengals (6-10)
- Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
- Miami Dolphins (7-9)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)
- Dallas Cowboys (7-8-1)
- Detroit Lions (8-8)
- Baltimore Ravens (8-8)
- Minnesota Vikings (8-8)
- New York Jets (via Colts)
- Carolina Panthers (8-8)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
- Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-5)
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
- Buffalo Bills (11-5)
- Chicago Bears (11-5)
- Houston Texans (11-5)
- Los Angeles Rams (11-4)
- Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
- San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
- New England Patriots (13-3)
- Denver Broncos (13-3)
- Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
Chargers To Sit Justin Herbert In Week 18, Trey Lance To Start
Justin Herbert‘s regular season has come to an end. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters today that his starting QB will not play in Week 18. Trey Lance will earn the start, with practice squad QB DJ Uiagalelei garnering an elevation to serve as the QB2.
The Chargers’ loss to the Texans on Saturday officially knocked them out of contention for the AFC West title and home-field advantage, meaning the team will solely be playing for playoff positioning in Week 18. With Herbert still nursing a hand injury that he’s been playing through for more than a month, Harbaugh decided to pull the trigger and bench his QB1 for the season finale. In fact, the coach indicated that a handful of starters may be kept out of Sunday’s matchup vs. the Broncos.
“Winning and health, being healthy, those are our two objectives,” Harbaugh said (via ESPN’s Kris Rhim). “And guys that we think — the doctors, the trainers, myself, organization — that have the most bruises and need that time the most, we’ve decided that’s the direction we’re going.”
Harbaugh also made it clear that his decision has nothing to do with manipulating the standings to secure a preferred first-round playoff matchup.
“Health and winning. That’s it,” the coach said. “There’s no way to predict. We’re going on the road, first round. All potential teams would be good, and we’ll get ourselves ready for that.”
Herbert’s 2025 season will end with 3,727 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He also compiled a career-high 498 rushing yards. For his efforts, Herbert earned his second career Pro Bowl nod.
Lance will now get an opportunity to show what he’s got. The former third-overall pick last started a game for the Cowboys in 2024, when he completed 20 of 34 pass attempts for 244 yards. Lance inked a one-year deal with the Chargers this past offseason to serve as Herbert’s primary backup. He’s seen time in three games, completing seven of his 13 pass attempts for 90 yards.
If the Texans defeat the free-falling Colts in the early window next Sunday, the Chargers will be playing for either the sixth seed (in which case they’d likely match up with the Jaguars) or the seventh seed (in which case they’d likely match up with the Patriots). Either way, the organization clearly believes that an extra week of rest for Herbert will only increase their chances of pulling off a first-round upset.
Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Bradley Chubb Among Those Chasing Incentives
Late-December/early-January football offers myriad playoff scenarios, but incentives also play a key part during this sector of the NFL season. Here are a handful of incentive storylines to follow as the regular season winds down:
- Sam Darnold, QB (Seahawks). As we touched on in March, Darnold’s three-year, $100.5MM deal includes $5MM per year in incentives. He can earn $500K apiece by eclipsing a 100.0 passer rating, throwing at least 28 TD passes and finishing with a completion rate higher than 67.5%. Darnold sits on 25 TD passes and carries a 67.2% completion rate into Week 18. The nomadic QB also holds a 99.2 rating entering the 49ers matchup, putting $1.5MM in play. Darnold also earned $500K by guiding the Seahawks to the playoffs, ESPN.com’s Marc Raimondi notes. While no incentive exists for a Seattle wild-card win, the free agent signing would collect $1MM for a divisional-round win, $1.5MM for reaching Super Bowl LX and $2.5MM for winning it.
- Baker Mayfield, QB (Buccaneers). Mayfield’s three-year, $100MM deal includes a $2.5MM incentive package that can fully or partially trigger depending on the QB’s finishes in five statistical categories. Mayfield can earn $500K apiece if he finishes in the top 10 NFL QBs or top five among NFC arms in passer rating, TD passes, yards, completion percentage and yards per attempt, Ramondi adds. Mayfield sits 12th in yards (sixth NFC) and 11th in TDs (fifth NFC) but outside the top 17 in the other three categories, likely putting only $1MM in play.
- Bradley Chubb, OLB (Dolphins). Chubb can do quite well by season’s end. After agreeing to an offseason rework, the injury-prone edge rusher is set to cash in based on playing time escalators. Sitting at 72% playing time, Chubb is on track to earn more than $3.1MM, which he will do by finishing the season north of 70%, per Raimondi. The former top-five pick has already cashed in a $1.23MM sack incentive by reaching six; he can earn another $900K with eight. Chubb sits at 6.5 through 16 games.
- Keenan Allen, WR (Chargers). Returning to the Chargers on a one-year, $3MM contract, Allen has earned $1MM in reception incentives already, sitting at 73. He is at $750K on his receiving yardage incentives, per Raimondi. The two-stint Charger also has banked $750K by reaching 60 catches and the Bolts qualifying for the playoffs.
- Morgan Moses, RT (Patriots). Moses’ three-year, $24MM deal included a $1.5MM bump for playing 90% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Moses, who has not missed a game in his 12th season, locked that in during the Pats’ Week 17 win over the Jets. This is good news for the Jets, who let Moses walk in free agency. This is expected to bump the value of the 2026 compensatory pick tied to his exit from the seventh round to the fifth, OverTheCap’s Nick Korte notes.
- Joey Bosa, DE (Bills). Avoiding injuries for the most part this season, Bosa has five sacks on his one-year, $12.61MM Bills deal. If he nets No. 6 in Week 18, the 10th-year veteran will earn an additional $250K, per Raimondi. Bosa (15 games played — his most since 2019) is also on track to collect an additional $750K for playing at least 55% of the Bills’ defensive snaps.
- Deebo Samuel, WR (Commanders). Washington did not extend Samuel upon acquiring him via trade, but his deal does include a number of incentives. Already netting $250K in receiving yardage bonuses, Samuel (707 yards) can bump that to $450K if he reaches 800 yards. Samuel already banked $450K by reaching 70 receptions, Raimondi adds.
- Three NFC defenders earned six-figure bumps recently. Cameron Jordan (Saints) collected a $600K bonus by reaching nine sacks, per ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell. The 15th-year defensive end, who has 9.5 sacks in a bounce-back year, agreed to a reworked contract in March. Fellow veteran D-end DeMarcus Lawrence earned an additional $500K by being selected to the Pro Bowl in his first Seahawks slate, according to Spotrac. Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson earned $500K for intercepting a fourth pass this season, ESPN’s Field Yates adds.
Pete Carroll Addresses Job Security; Raiders Interested In Jesse Minter?
The Raiders took a step toward securing the first overall pick by losing yesterday. Vegas now has a record of 2-14, though, and the team has lost 10 straight games. 
The fate of head coach Pete Carrol therefore remains something to watch closely as ‘Black Monday’ approaches. The Super Bowl winner has been named a strong one-and-done candidate on multiple occasions, although he fully plans to remain with the Raiders beyond the final week of the season. Carroll spoke after Sunday’s loss and reiterated his stance that ownership still backs him.
“I do. From all the guys I’ve talked to, I do feel like I have their support,” the 74-year-old said (video link). “What does that mean? I don’t know, but our conversations have been really good.”
Such remarks are commonplace late in the season for coaches in danger of being dismissed. As Carroll is no doubt well aware, dialogue with ownership in no way guarantees stability from one year to the next. The Raiders in particular have cycled through a long list of HC and GM combinations in recent years, including the organization’s reshaping in 2025. Carroll was hired during Tom Brady‘s first offseason as an official minority owner, one in which John Spytek was brought in as general manager.
Things have certainly not gone according to plan this year. Carroll has already fired a pair of coordinators – including the highly-compensated Chip Kelly – with production on offense proving to be a major challenge. The Raiders also rank 25th in the NFL in scoring defense, an illustration of the extent to which widespread improvement will be required in 2026. Two HC vacancies currently exist around the league, and more will soon open; whether or not Vegas joins the list of suitors for a new coach will be interesting to monitor over the coming days.
In the event a change is made on the sidelines, several staffers with a defensive background are set to dominate the pool of replacement candidates. One of those is Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, whom Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated identifies as a “name to keep an eye on” with respect to Vegas. Minter developed a strong track record in the college ranks before following Jim Harbaugh from Michigan to the Bolts in 2024. Los Angeles has thrived defensively under Minter. The 42-year-old has not served as a head coach yet during his career, but that could soon change and the Raiders could find themselves amongst his suitors.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/26/25
Here are Friday’s minor moves and some standard gameday practice squad elevations for Saturday:
Atlanta Falcons
- Designated for return from IR: DT Sam Roberts
Denver Broncos
- Signed off Chargers’ practice squad: C Sam Mustipher
- Waived: G Calvin Throckmorton
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on IR: LB Kristian Welch
Houston Texans
- Signed from practice squad: S K’Von Wallace
- Elevated: DT Leki Fotu, G Sidy Sow
- Waived: CB Ameer Speed
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: T Foster Sarell, S Marcus Williams
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: TE Moliki Matavao
- Placed on IR: TE Foster Moreau
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: CB Kemon Hall
A day after placing starting center Luke Wattenberg on injured reserve and commending backup Alex Forsyth for starting in his place, Denver adds a bit more depth and experience at the position. Forsyth, a seventh-round pick out of Oregon last year, has only five starts in his first two years of play, but the team seemed to think he filled in well during yesterday’s victory of over the Chiefs. Mustipher, once a full-time starter in Chicago, should add depth and a potential starting option in case Forsyth’s inexperience starts to show.
Williams is being elevated for the third and final time by the Chargers this season. If Los Angeles wants to see him play in another game this season, they’ll need to sign the veteran safety to the 53-man roster.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/26/25
Today’s few taxi squad transactions:
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Tanner McLachlan
New York Giants
- Signed: S Patrick McMorris
After spending the summer with the team that drafted him in Miami and failing to make the Dolphins’ initial 53-man roster, McMorris spent nearly three weeks with New York’s practice squad. Since then, the second-year Cal product has been off and on with the Cardinals’ taxi squad up until his release on Christmas Eve. He’ll now revisit the Giants as a member of their practice squad in the closing weeks of the regular season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/24/25
Here are today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: QB Logan Woodside
- Released: S Patrick McMorris
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: OL Richard Gouraige
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Thomas Gordon
- Placed on practice squad/injured list: TE Qadir Ismail
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LS Luke Elkin, T Joshua Miles
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: C Josh Kaltenberger
- Released: TE Tanner McLachlan
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Brandon Johnson
- Released: DT Kyler Baugh
Chiefs Place Trent McDuffie, Rashee Rice, Jaylen Watson, Tyquan Thornton On IR
The Chiefs will be notably shorthanded for the final two games of the season. A quartet of players have been moved to injured reserve, per a team announcement. 
Cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, along with wide receivers Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton have each been place on IR. Kansas City’s season includes just two more games, beginning with tomorrow’s Christmas contest against the Broncos. As such, each of the four players will not return in 2025.
McDuffie last played in Week 14. Kansas City’s next contest was the Chargers loss which ensured the team would not be able to reach the playoffs. Instead of pushing to return late in the campaign, McDuffie will now turn his attention to 2026. The Pro Bowler remained a full-time starter this season, one in which he posted seven pass deflections and one interception but also some of the worst coverage statistics of his career.
As things stand, McDuffie is set to earn $13.63MM next season on his fifth-year option. If an extension is to be worked out, it could move him to the top of the pecking order in terms of compensation at the CB position. The Chiefs do not have a history of making such commitments at that spot, though, so McDuffie’s future will be something to monitor closely during the offseason.
Likewise, Watson is on track to have his rookie contract expire shorty. He too may have played his final game as a member of the Chiefs. The 27-year-old was identified last month as a player Kansas City is unlikely to re-sign, pointing to a free agent departure during the spring.
Rice’s 2025 season was of course defined by the suspension he served at its outset. The former first-rounder has avoided any major injuries like the ACL he suffered last year, however, and doing so has allowed him to serve as a key figure in the passing game (53-571-5 statline) when on the field. Losing Rice and Thornton will deal a blow to a Chiefs offense which will already be without quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew for the rest of the year.
In a corresponding roster move, Kansas City has activated corner Nazeeh Johnson from injured reserve. This comes one week after Johnson’s practice window was opened. He was one of the two Chiefs designated for return from IR during roster cutdowns, so his activation has already been accounted for. Meanwhile, defensive end Ethan Downs, cornerback Melvin Smith and tight end Tyreke Smith have each been signed from the practice squad to the active roster.
Chargers LB Denzel Perryman Issued Two-Game Suspension
TODAY: Perryman’s suspension has been upheld, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports.
DECEMBER 22: The Chargers’ defense has been among the league’s best in 2025. The unit is set to be shorthanded for the closing stages of the regular season, however. 
Linebacker Denzel Perryman has been issued a two-game suspension, the NFL announced on Monday. Perryman’s discipline comes in the wake of repeated violations of “playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players.” This ban stems from a play during yesterday’s game against the Cowboys.
“During the second quarter, Perryman was penalized for unnecessary roughness for delivering a forcible blow to the helmet of Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy while he was on the ground after making a catch,” a league statement reads in part (h/t Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).
Perryman received an unnecessary roughness penalty on the play in question. He is eligible to appeal the suspension. Otherwise, the 33-year-old will be sidelined for Week 17 against the Texans and Week 18 against the Broncos. Los Angeles sits at 11-4 on the year. The season finale against Denver could prove to be pivotal in deciding the AFC West and potentially the No. 1 seed in the conference.
KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports Perryman will indeed appeal his suspension. The hearing on the matter will take place tomorrow. As a result, it will not take long to find out if the two-game ban will be upheld or if its length will be reduced. Perryman has totaled 47 tackles in 10 games this season, his second with the Chargers.
Los Angeles ranks in the top 10 in the NFL across several defensive categories this season. Maintaining that level of play will be critical down the stretch and into the playoffs. As it stands now, however, Perryman will not be available for the next two weeks.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/23/25
Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Eugene Asante
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB M.J. Devonshire
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Michael Reid
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Thomas Gordon
Denver Broncos
- Placed on practice squad/injured: S Delarrin Turner-Yell
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Royce Freeman
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: S Jack Henderson
New England Patriots
- Signed: RB Elijah Mitchell, WR Brandon Smith
- Released: OT Sebastian Gutierrez
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Tyler Hall
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Nick Jackson