Minor NFL Transactions: 1/9/25
Today’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Designated for return: CB Ennis Rakestraw
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: OL Jordan McFadden
Minnesota Vikings
- Designated for return: DL Taki Taimani
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: WR Scotty Miller
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/8/25
Today’s minor transactions:
Los Angeles Chargers
- Designated to return from IR: CB Eli Apple
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed off Bills’ practice squad: S Lewis Cine
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Designated to return from IR: CB Troy Hill
Washington Commanders
- Designated to return from IR: TE Colson Yankoff
- Placed on IR: DT Haggai Ndubuisi
A former first-round pick, Cine will get a third chance in Philadelphia. The Georgia-product has failed to gain much traction at his first two stops with the Vikings and Bills, but he’ll open the postseason on the active roster with the Eagles.
Once a ball-hawking cornerback for the Rams, Hill’s role has reduced quite a bit in his age-33 season. With the playoffs coming up, though, Hill has the potential to provide some experienced depth in the Buccaneers secondary.
2025 NFL General Manager Search Tracker
The Titans and Raiders again became part of a GM carousel in the 2020s. Tennessee canned its front office boss after two seasons, while Las Vegas moved on after one. These two joined the Jets, and after two-plus offseason weeks, the Jaguars followed suit by firing Trent Baalke. With the Titans, Raiders and Jets landing on GMs, the Jags are the only team left searching. Here is how the GM market looks:
Updated 2-21-25 (4:00pm CT)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Chad Alexander, assistant general manager (Chargers): Interviewed 2/13
- Brandon Brown, assistant general manager (Giants): Interviewed 2/13; strong contender?
- Trey Brown, senior personnel executive (Bengals): Interviewed 2/12
- Ian Cunningham, assistant general manager (Bears): Conducted second interview 2/19
- James Gladstone, scouting director (Rams): Hired
- Terrance Gray, vice president of player personnel (Bills): Interviewed 2/12
- Mike Greenberg, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): Declined interview
- Champ Kelly, assistant general manager (Raiders): Interviewed 2/14
- Jon Robinson, former general manager (Titans): One of top candidates?; Interviewed 2/13
- Jon-Eric Sullivan, vice president of player personnel (Packers): Conducted second interview 2/20
- Ethan Waugh, interim general manager (Jaguars): Strong candidate?; Interviewed 2/20
- Josh Williams, director of scouting and football operations (49ers): Conducted second interview 2/19
Las Vegas Raiders
- Chad Alexander, assistant general manager (Chargers): Interviewed; to conduct second interview 1/20
- Brandon Brown, assistant general manager (Giants): Interviewed; to conduct second interview 1/20
- Lance Newmark, assistant general manager (Commanders): Potential frontrunner?; interviewed 1/19
- John Spytek, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): To interview; hired
- Jon-Eric Sullivan, director of player personnel (Packers): Interview requested
- Sheldon White, director of pro scouting (Steelers): Interview requested
New York Jets
- Mike Borgonzi, assistant general manager (Chiefs): Interviewed 1/8; hired by Titans
- Trey Brown, senior personnel executive (Bengals): Conducted second interview 1/23
- Thomas Dimitroff, former general manager (Falcons): Interviewed 12/16
- Ray Farmer, senior personnel executive (Rams): Interviewed 1/9
- Brian Gaine, assistant general manager (Bills): Interviewed 1/14
- Mike Greenberg, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): Interviewed 1/10
- Ryan Grigson, senior vice president of player personnel (Vikings): Interviewed 1/11
- Alec Halaby, assistant general manager (Eagles): Interviewed 1/8
- Darren Mougey, assistant general manager (Broncos): Hired
- Jim Nagy, Senior Bowl director: Interviewed 12/19
- Lance Newmark, assistant general manager (Commanders): Conducted second interview 1/21; hire expected; still a candidate
- Louis Riddick, former director of pro personnel (Eagles): Interviewed 1/2
- Jon Robinson, former general manager (Titans): Interviewed 12/17
- Phil Savage, interim general manager (Jets): Interviewed
- Chris Spielman, special assistant to president/CEO (Lions): Interviewed 1/11
- Jon-Eric Sullivan, director of player personnel (Packers): Interviewed 1/14
Tennessee Titans
- Matt Berry, senior director of player personnel (Seahawks): Interviewed 1/11
- Mike Borgonzi, assistant general manager (Chiefs): Hired
- Ian Cunningham, assistant general manager (Bears): Conducted second interview 1/15
- Thomas Dimitroff, former general manager (Falcons): Interviewed 1/10
- Ed Dodds, assistant general manager (Colts): Conducted second interview 1/14
- Terrance Gray, vice president of player personnel (Bills): Conducted second interview 1/14
- Catherine Hickman, assistant general manager (Browns): Interviewed 1/11
- Reggie McKenzie, senior personnel executive (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/10
- John Spytek, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): Conducted second interview 1/16
- Jon-Eric Sullivan, director of player personnel (Packers): Conducted second interview 1/16
Coaching Rumors: Seahawks, Vrabel, Getsy, Saints, Slowik, Harbaugh
The Seahawks are not set to clean house on offense, but they are not considering anyone from Ryan Grubb‘s staff to be their next OC after making Grubb an one-and-done. Mike Macdonald confirmed as much (via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta), while praising the team’s young core in hyping up the job. Although the Seahawks are only preparing to look outside the organization for help, Macdonald added (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson) play-calling experience will not be required. This is not too uncommon, as teams regularly hire quarterbacks coaches or pass-game coordinators to be OCs. Those roles generally do not feature play-calling duties. The team has already put in interview requests, per Macdonald, though no names have surfaced yet. Additionally, Macdonald said (via Condotta) the new hire, as could be expected, will not be forced to retain all of Grubb’s staff. More changes should be expected.
Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:
- Mike Vrabel looks to have a much better chance of landing a job this year compared to 2024, though he did interview with a few teams following his surprising Titans ouster. One of those meetings came with the Panthers, who were coming off a 2-15 season. As Vrabel did not view himself as a strong candidate to land the Falcons’ job, The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt notes that the then-recently fired coach was not interested in the Carolina position (subscription required). David Tepper‘s presence had hurt the perception of the Panthers’ job at that point, as the owner had been accused of meddling in personnel matters — during a second straight season in which he fired a head coach — before throwing a drink on a fan during a late-season game in 2023. Dave Canales took over and is set to begin a second offseason in charge, while Vrabel is viewed as the Patriots’ lead candidate.
- The Saints do not have as many HC candidates compared to the Bears and Jets, but they do not appear interested in expanding right now. Aaron Glenn, Kellen Moore, Joe Brady, Anthony Weaver, Darren Rizzi, Mike Kafka and Vrabel comprise New Orleans’ current list, and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler views this as the full group for the foreseeable future.
- Bobby Slowik appeared on interview lists last year, but the Texans OC’s second season has not gone as well. Only one team, the Jets, has contacted Slowik about an HC interview this year. As the Texans prepare for their playoff matchup with the Chargers, SI.com’s Albert Breer does not tab Slowik as automatic to return for a third season. The former 49ers assistant, after a C.J. Stroud sophomore slump, will likely need to present a plan to DeMeco Ryans to keep the gig — even after the team extended its play-caller last January. That deal came with a significant raise, but Houston’s offense dropped from 12th to 22nd in yardage and 13th to 19th in points.
- Weeks after Robert Saleh resurfaced with longtime friend Matt LaFleur‘s Packers, the NFC North team rehired one of its former assistants for a similar role. After being canned as Raiders OC, Luke Getsy is helping out the Packers as an advisor, per the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley. Getsy had been working remotely for a few weeks. While Saleh has helped Green Bay’s offense with preparation, Getsy — a former Packers QBs coach before his two OC stints elsewhere — had been helping the defense.
- Jim Harbaugh signed a five-year deal worth $16MM per season last January, and his latest quick-turnaround effort brought additional compensation. The first-year Chargers HC collected a $1MM bonus for guiding the team to the playoffs, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/7/25
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Montrell Washington
- Released: LB Blake Lynch
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: WR Laviska Shenault
Los Angeles Rams
- Released: S Quindell Johnson
Washington Commanders
- Signed: DT Haggai Ndubuisi
- Released: OT Max Pircher
To make room for veteran RB Ezekiel Elliott, the Chargers moved on from a veteran wideout. Laviska Shenault spent the majority of this season with the Seahawks, where he hauled in five catches in 11 games. The former second-round pick caught on with the Chargers practice squad in December and ended up getting into one game with the squad.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/7/25
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Designated for return: WR Deonte Harty
Houston Texans
- Designated for return: TE Teagan Quitoriano
Los Angeles Chargers
- Designated for return: WR Simi Fehoko
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from IR: S John Johnson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: QB Ian Book
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Designated for return: OT Calvin Anderson
A handful of playoff teams designated players for return from IR today, opening the 21-day window for activation. While there’s a chance these players are activated at some point during the postseason, they could also merely be providing the team with another body during practices.
Ezekiel Elliott To Sign With Chargers Practice Squad
After requesting his release from the Cowboys in pursuit of a playoff run, Ezekiel Elliott has landed with a postseason squad. The veteran running back is signing with the Chargers practice squad, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz.
[RELATED: Cowboys Release Ezekiel Elliott]
Elliott attracted interest from a handful of playoff-bound teams, according to Schultz. The running back ultimately chose the Chargers because he liked the fit alongside coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback Justin Herbert. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport adds that there’s hope that Elliott can get “up to speed quickly” and contribute to his squad in the playoffs.
Following a one-season stop in New England, Elliott returned to the Cowboys this past offseason. With Tony Pollard no longer in the picture, there was hope that the long-time Dallas star could once again lead the backfield. The veteran saw a somewhat significant role to begin the season, including the season opener when he ran for 40 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
As the season went on, Elliott found himself definitively behind Rico Dowdle on the depth chart. The veteran generally struggled when he was on the field, as his 3.1 yards-per-carry represented a new career-low. Elliott also faced discipline in November for his “habitual tardiness,” leading to his Week 9 absence. With the Cowboys firmly out of the playoff picture entering the final week of the season, Elliott requested and was granted his release as he pursued an opportunity with a playoff team.
He’ll find that opportunity in Los Angeles, where the Chargers have navigated a new RB corps in 2024. J.K. Dobbins recently returned to his RB1 role after missing four weeks with a sprained knee, but fellow RB Gus Edwards is currently nursing his own ankle issue. Hassan Haskins and rookie Kimani Vidal have filled in admirably at times for the Chargers throughout the 2024 campaign, but considering Dobbins’ injury history, some extra depth certainly won’t hurt.
Of course, expectations have to be managed for the team’s newest addition. Even as Elliott found the end zone 12 times during the 2022 campaign, the RB was already showing signs of decline, leading to the Cowboys bailing from his six-year, $90MM extension. He didn’t look a whole lot better during his lone season with the Patriots, and he hit a new low this season with only 295 yards from scrimmage. The Chargers are set to take on the Texans this Saturday, so it may be unrealistic for Elliott to earn the team’s trust in less than a week. If the Chargers win their Wild Card matchup and Edwards is still sidelined, then Elliott could potentially play a goal-line role for the team in later rounds.
Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order
Once again, we saw plenty of change occur in the projected draft order after Sunday’s games. Most notably, the Patriots took themselves out of the top overall draft slot with a win over the resting Bills. While this change likely won’t hurt their ability to select one of the players that interested them most, as they likely weren’t looking to select a quarterback with rookie Drake Maye in place, New England likely could’ve benefitted from collecting some serious draft capital trading out of the top spot to any of the teams seeking quarterback help next season.
One of those quarterback-needy teams, the Titans have officially secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, tying for the worst overall record in the league with the Browns and Giants but holding tiebreakers over both franchises. The Browns and Giants, who both secured the second and third overall picks, respectively, today, are also considered top candidates to draft a passer.
With all three teams at the top of the draft interested in adding help at quarterback, the draft’s top two prospects at the position, Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, saw their chances at getting selected No. 1 overall rise dramatically. Plenty could still occur to change this situation; trades could alter the draft order, and further pre-draft evaluations could change opinions on top prospects.
Still, for the first time since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002, there is a chance that every team drafts in the first round, as no first-round picks have yet been traded. It’s extremely unlikely that this will remain the case, as draft-day trades are a very common occurrence, but it’s still an interesting concept to note this close to the draft.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is how the draft order looks at the regular season’s conclusion:
- Tennessee Titans (3-14)
- Cleveland Browns (3-14)
- New York Giants (3-14)
- New England Patriots (4-13)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
- Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
- New York Jets (5-12)
- Carolina Panthers (5-12)
- New Orleans Saints (5-12)
- Chicago Bears (5-12)
- San Francisco (6-11)
- Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
- Miami Dolphins (8-9)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
- Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
- Arizona Cardinals (8-9)
- Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
- Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
- Houston Texans (10-7)
- Denver Broncos (10-7)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
- Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
- Green Bay Packers (11-6)
- Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
- Washington Commanders (12-5)
- Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
- Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
- Buffalo Bills (13-4)
- Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
- Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
- Detroit Lions (15-2)
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/4/25
The last minor moves and standard gameday elevations of the 2024 NFL regular season:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to active roster: S Andre Chachere
- Elevated: RB Tony Jones Jr., T Luke Tenuta
- Placed on IR: T Jackson Barton
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: CB Lamar Jackson
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: OL Will Clapp, DE Casey Toohill
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from IR: RB Miles Sanders (story)
- Placed on IR: LB Amaré Barno
- Signed to active roster: DE DeShawn Williams
- Elevated: OLB Thomas Incoom, OLB Kenny Dyson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: DT Domenique Davis, WR Kendric Pryor
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed to active roster: QB Will Grier
- Elevated: CB Troy Pride
- Placed on IR: CB Kemon Hall
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: DE Matt Henningsen
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: DB Morice Norris
- Elevated: DL Chris Smith, CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
Houston Texans
- Signed to active roster: CB D’Angelo Ross
- Elevated: DE Solomon Byrd, S Russ Yeast
- Placed on IR: LB Jamal Hill
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: DE Joe Gaziano
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: LB Blake Lynch, QB Chris Oladokun
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: TE John Samuel Shenker
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from IR: S Alohi Gilman (story)
- Elevated: WR Dez Fitzpatrick, S Eddie Jackson
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: T AJ Arcuri, OLB Keir Thomas
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: T Ryan Hayes, QB Skylar Thompson
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: LB Calvin Munson, OLB Gabriel Murphy
New England Patriots
- Signed to active roster: CB Miles Battle, DE Truman Jones, LB Monty Rice, TE Jack Westover
- Elevated: WR Alex Erickson, TE Mitchell Wilcox
- Placed on IR: C Ben Brown, S Jabrill Peppers, WR Ja’Lynn Polk
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: S Millard Bradford, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: RB Dante Miller
- Elevated: OLB Boogie Basham, T Tyre Phillips
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: CB Sauce Gardner
- Signed to active roster: DL Bruce Hector
- Elevated: CB Tre Swilling, OL Zack Bailey
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed to active roster: DE Alex Barrett, LB DaShaun White
- Elevations: G Drake Nugent, WR Trent Taylor
- Placed on IR: G Spencer Burford, LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: CB Artie Burns, NT Brandon Pili
- Elevated: DT Quinton Bohanna, TE Tyler Mabry
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: CB Dallis Flowers, LB Deion Jones
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: DE Khalid Duke, WR Tay Martin
- Elevated: S Gervarrius Owens, K Matthew Wright
- Placed on IR: LB Otis Reese
Ross’ new deal to the Texans’ 53-man roster is good through the 2025 season, as well. Ditto for Jones, signed to the active roster in New England today.
Sanders returned to practice this week, and his activation will allow him to close out his second Panthers season on the field rather than on the mend. His Carolina tenure has fallen well short of expectations and a release in the near future could be in the cards. Given the team’s backfield injuries, though, Sanders could handle a notable workload tomorrow while potentially auditioning for free agent suitors.
Gilman’s return will be welcomed by the Chargers’ defense. The 27-year-old has remained a full-time starter this season, his second straight handling first-team duties. Los Angeles is assured of a wild-card spot, but moving up to the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoff picture could be possible on Sunday. In any case, Gilman’s presence will be key for a Bolts defense which leads the league in points allowed per game (17.6).
Gardner’s campaign will come to an end after 15 games played. He fell short of a Pro Bowl nod for this first time in his young career, but the fourth pick of the 2022 draft remained a critical member of the team’s secondary when healthy. Gardner is eligible for an extension this offseason, and his financial future (which will include a fifth-year option decision in the spring) will be a key point of focus once New York’s head coach/general manager tandem is in place.
Keenan Allen Only Open To Playing In Chicago, Los Angeles In 2025
Keenan Allen changed agents this offseason; his new representation will have an interesting task ahead. One of the biggest names on track for free agency at wide receiver, Allen does not sound interested in a true open market. Ahead of what would be his age-33 season, the decorated wideout is only open to landing in two cities.
Allen only wants to continue his career with the Bears or in Los Angeles, according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley. The perennial Pro Bowler joined the Bears in a contract year, and the team is set for a transition. It is interesting that Allen will keep the door open to a Chicago signing, as the GM who acquired him (Ryan Poles) will be back. Allen said early last month he wanted to re-sign with the Bears, but family reasons have kept the L.A. door open.
Clarifying Allen’s L.A. stance, Finley notes the 12-year veteran would be open to returning to the Chargers or joining the Rams. Allen’s family still lives in Southern California; they would relocate if he re-signed with the Bears. It would be interesting to see if another team could change the veteran’s mind, as sticking to this three-teams-or-bust route would significantly limit his options. As it stands, however, Allen is not preparing to be a true free agent — even though he has never been on the open market previously.
The Chargers and Allen experienced a memorable fallout, with the team attempting to reduce the wideout’s pay early during the Jim Harbaugh-Joe Hortiz run. An extension offer made would have led to a reduction on Allen’s $20MM-per-year deal; he is instead playing out the contract with the Bears. Prior to being traded, Allen had expressed hope of finishing his career with the Bolts.
Allen experienced steady success with Justin Herbert targeting him and trails only Antonio Gates in receiving yards with the now-L.A.-based franchise. The former San Diego draftee is one of the best players in team history, though based on what transpired this past offseason, expecting a big-ticket contract offer from the Bolts may be unrealistic.
The Cal alum made it clear he has not decided on playing a 13th NFL season. This Bears campaign has brought a step back, as the team has made major changes while breaking in a rookie quarterback. Allen has topped 100 yards just once this season, entering Week 18 with 719 during Caleb Williams‘ rookie year. The Bears had acquired Allen to help the No. 1 overall pick develop, but the team fired OC Shane Waldron weeks into his first season — as criticism from Allen and D.J. Moore surfaced — and has used pass-game coordinator-turned-OC-turned-interim HC Thomas Brown as its play-caller since. The Bears have not won a game since giving up a Hail Mary touchdown to the Commanders in Week 7.
Allen’s age already stood to limit his 2025 market, as a short-term deal would be likely — in the event the six-time Pro Bowler did not choose to retire. Tee Higgins is set to headline the 2025 WR class — if the Bengals do not reapply the franchise tag — while the likes of Chris Godwin, Marquise Brown, Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper, Diontae Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins and Brandin Cooks in a mostly veteran-heavy crop that also includes ex-Allen sidekick Mike Williams, who has not made much of an impact in his first post-Chargers season.
The Bears gave Moore a long-term deal this summer and used a top-10 pick on Rome Odunze, likely limiting where they would go for Allen. The Chargers have centered their receiving corps around second-round sensation Ladd McConkey, who became the first Chargers wideout since Allen to post 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie. Harbaugh’s team needs help here, however, especially with Josh Palmer headed to free agency.
It is unclear how interested the Rams would be, having passed on a Cooper Kupp trade and seeing Puka Nacua become one of the NFL’s best pass catchers. Sean McVay‘s team eyeing Allen as a complementary piece would be something to monitor, Allen Robinson‘s Chicago-to-L.A. faceplant notwithstanding, especially if the quality route runner sticks to his California-or-Illinois plan.
Sitting 18th on the all-time receptions list (971) and 41st in yards (11,249), Allen probably needs to submit more to build a viable Hall of Fame case. It will be interesting to see if he passes on potential offers from non-Chicago or Los Angeles-based teams to ensure he continues his career on his terms.