Tag: NFL

Traditionally, Green Bay isn’t an organization that makes knee-jerk decisions regarding it leadership. It was fair, though, to wonder if the Packers had already reached their maximum potential with LaFleur at the helm, especially when considering the fashion in which they collapsed multiple times against the upstart Bears, a team Aaron Rodgers had once notoriously owned during his time with the Packers.

In Week 16, Green Bay squandered a 16-6 lead in the fourth quarter to lose, 22-16, in overtime. A month later, Green Bay lost its fifth in a row to conclude its season, falling, 31-27, to the Bears in the Wild Card Round despite having held a 21-3 lead in the first half. Having previously won 11 straight against the Bears, the Packers have now lost three of four in the rivalry and dropped consecutive games in the NFL’s oldest feud for the first time since 2007.

Those who believed a change might be necessary pointed toward those shortcomings and the generally bad vibes surrounding the team in 2025. LaFleur acknowledged as much when speaking with reporters at the Annual League Meeting on Tuesday, explaining he planned to solve the issue with a reset of sorts entering 2026 that will include stripping the offense down to the studs and reinstalling it as if he’d only just arrived.

Lesser, more ego-driven coaches would scoff at such an approach, point to the success LaFleur has produced — a 76-40-1 record in seven seasons with six playoff trips — as proof they didn’t need to change a thing and likely repeat the same mistakes. Not LaFleur, who is acutely aware of his surroundings and isn’t too proud to make changes when necessary.

“If I’m being honest about it, I think there were some guys that were upset about roles last year, and I think that took a toll on our football team,” LaFleur said, via ESPN.

“I think from a coaching standpoint, role clarity is key. So we’ve got to obviously do a better job communicating with our players, ‘Hey here’s your role and if you’re unhappy about your role, it’s on you to do something about that, to carve out a role on this football team.’ But yeah, the buy-in is absolutely critical. Getting guys in there that are juiced and ready to go to work each and every day is going to be critical for us.”

Green Bay has built a roster strong enough to contend for Super Bowls and acted as such when swinging a blockbuster deal for All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons just before the start of the 2025 season. Now, however, the Packers must deliver on those expectations.

Judging by LaFleur’s responses, he isn’t resting on any laurels. A couple of losses to a former little brother (Chicago) should be bitter enough to motivate him now more than ever.

Houston could certainly use Dell’s contributions. The 2025 Texans finished with the league’s 18th-ranked offense, including a 14th-ranked passing attack, but lacked a true No. 2 receiving option opposite C.J. Stroud‘s favorite receiver, Nico Collins. Tight end Dalton Schultz finished second on the team in receiving yards at 777 with three touchdowns, more than 300 yards behind Collins (1,117 yards and six scores).

Dell’s injury and Stefon Diggs‘ departure meant Stroud needed to rely on rookie Jayden Higgins and usual third option Xavier Hutchinson, lowering their ceiling slightly. That potential dropped further once it became clear Houston’s offensive line, while improved, couldn’t form a firm wall of protection in front of Stroud.

Stroud’s struggles snowballed at the worst time in the postseason, turning it over seven times in two playoff games. Luckily, his team’s defense managed to score two touchdowns in a 30-6 win over Pittsburgh on Wild Card Weekend, but that good fortune didn’t carry over to New England, where Stroud’s meltdown led to a 28-16 loss to the eventual AFC champions.

If the Texans are going to clear the hurdle — the Divisional Round — that has stopped them in their tracks in each of the last three seasons, they’ll need as many weapons available as possible. A healthy Dell would, in theory, provide that boost.

That’s why Ryans isn’t rushing Dell back. He knows the most important days arrive in winter, not spring.

Houston will continue to be patient as the organization keeps its eyes trained on January.

Coen made light of the situation this week while in Phoenix, revealing the topic became a joke for a few of the coaches gathered in the desert.

“Sean [McVay] was killing Kyle [Shanahan] and Saleh about sign stealing, and they were killing me about keeping their name out of my mouth,” Coen said, also via ESPN. “It was fun. I have a ton of respect for Kyle, for Robert, and those guys.”

In the moment, the visual of Coen barking at Saleh was entertaining and drove conversations early in the season. Months later, both parties can laugh at it as a thing of the past.

“We’re all finding those edges in those different ways of trying to motivate your team, motivate yourself, motivate your community,” Coen said. “I mean, we’re all doing that on a constant basis.

“And so when those things may happen, we joke on them after the fact and when we’re here, but we can all appreciate because we all respect what we’re doing and how we are all doing in different ways.”

McCarthy said Tuesday that Rodgers is in “a very positive space” and that he and his former quarterback have been speaking regularly this offseason since McCarthy took the Steelers’ job.

“So he’s really engaged with what’s going on,” McCarthy said on Monday, via ESPN. ” … We’ll just continue to engage in conversations.”

Rodgers, 42, played well at times in his first season with the Steelers in 2025, throwing for 24 touchdowns and only seven interceptions, leading Pittsburgh to the postseason. But they were wiped out by the Texans in the Wild Card Round, leading to Mike Tomlin’s ouster and Rodgers’ future left murky with it.

Yet recent signs appear relatively positive for Rodgers’ return and a 22nd NFL season — either that or the Steelers appeared unconcerned about it. The other quarterbacks on the roster include Mason Rudolph and 2025 sixth-rounder Will Howard, whom McCarthy said was “definitely a real prospect as a starting quarterback.”

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye buzzed his head for a good cause on Tuesday, but his injured throwing shoulder, which gave him trouble during the 2025 NFL playoffs, shouldn’t be a problem for the upcoming season.

“Shoulder’s feeling good, feeling great,” Maye said, via the Boston Globe. “Just having some time off, being able to get back into throwing and lifting.”

Maye suffered the injury to his right throwing shoulder during the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos but was able to finish off the Patriots’ victory. It appeared to still affect him in the Super Bowl LX loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Maye told reporters, after a game in which he had three turnovers and took six sacks, that he required a pain-killing injection beforehand.

No surgery is expected to be needed, with Maye saying Tuesday that he is on the mend.

With players chosen in the 2023 NFL Draft having finished their third regular season, it’s decision time on fifth-year options for the class’ first-rounders.

All drafted rookies are given four-year contracts to begin their careers — and teams have the option to extend that pact for a fifth year with players selected in Round 1.

The fifth-year option window for the Class of 2023 opened Jan. 5, with the final deadline set for May 1.

NFL.com is tracking each team’s decision leading up to the deadline.

Watson has seemingly become a stronger option in recent days, with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam appearing to boost the embattled QB’s chances of winning the job, indicating that Watson has slimmed down, is in great shape and will report on April 7 ready to compete for the job.

“Deshaun has a great chance, fresh start, offensive-minded coach, who has in his past been able to work with all kinds of different quarterbacks and make them successful,” Haslam said this week, per ESPN. “Let’s see what Deshaun can do. We’re all excited.”

Monken admitted he hasn’t watched a lot of film on Watson but said that he’s played on an elite level previously.

“I know he’s going to be on the roster,” Monken said, via NFL Senior National Columnist Judy Battista. “I know we’re going to evaluate him.”

The mystery man is Gabriel. The Browns’ 2025 third-rounder, selected two rounds ahead of Sanders, started six games and went 1-5 before giving way to Sanders after suffering a concussion. Interestingly, Monken said Sanders has been at the Browns’ facility often this offseason but that Gabriel, to his knowledge, has not.

There’s also a chance competition is added to the mix. The Browns could opt to draft a quarterback in April with one of their nine selections, including two first-rounders and three total in the top 39 overall. According to NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo, the Browns are one of three teams to schedule a top-30 visit with Alabama’s Ty Simpson, who could be the second quarterback drafted this year after Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.

Kamara is coming off a career-worst season in 2025, a campaign shortened by injury and hindered by a Saints offense that didn’t find a rhythm until the final six weeks of the year, a stretch Kamara largely missed. Rumors began to circulate that Kamara might be headed toward retirement in 2026, and when Moore was asked about the five-time Pro Bowler’s future in mid-March, he tap-danced around the question.

Monday’s response represents a shift in tone toward a more optimistic outlook.

New Orleans could certainly use a stronger situation in the backfield. The Saints finished 28th in rushing yards per game in 2025 and leaned heavily on the passing game. It would behoove them to find a better balance, bringing more sense to the addition of Etienne, and it helps that the two share a similar style of play.

Add in the return of youngsters Devin Neal and Audric Estimé — with the latter serving as the Saints’ rugged power back — and Moore has plenty of options lining up behind or next to quarterback Tyler Shough.

“They’re probably similar players,” Moore said of Kamara and Etienne. “I think both of them have the explosive, elusive ability to play in all three phases, which is beneficial. I feel like our running back room is a really healthy room right now — with just the depth and the experience and all the guys that are in there.

“With the way last season went, a lot of those guys got experience. A lot of those guys played football. So it’s going to be a benefit for us that we got a few guys — three or four guys — that played meaningful snaps last year that are all coming back. And then, you throw Travis into the mix and it’s a great situation for us.”

For now, the Saints appear set to establish a tandem backfield between the 30-year-old Kamara (who turns 31 in July) and the younger Etienne, with room for reps for Estimé and Neal. We’ll see if that’s still the case by the time training camp arrives.

One of the advantages LaFleur sold to reporters was Brissett’s experience, a positive quality Minshew can also claim thanks to his seven years spent between Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Las Vegas and Kansas City. Minshew also knows LaFleur from their time spent together at the Senior Bowl back in 2019, when Minshew was entering the NFL from Washington State.

As LaFleur sees it, these advantages should help the coach and his quarterbacks hit the ground running in 2026.

“You’re not teaching a guy how to play football,” LaFleur said of Brissett. “Jacoby knows how to play football. Now we are just teaching him our system.”

Many have likely wondered why Arizona would move on from a former franchise quarterback in Murray just as the club was transitioning to a new coaching staff. In short, the Cardinals wanted a fresh start, so much that they willingly accepted a $46.5 million dead cap hit in 2026 just to part with Murray.

“We had discussions (about keeping Murray) and we’ll keep it at that,” LaFleur said. “You name it, we were talking about it. The quarterback position is the most important position in all of sports. We know that. There were lengthy conversations in so many different aspects of it and there will continue to be until we know we have the most perfect room possible.”

Brissett and Minshew exist as ideal bridge quarterbacks, although it seems as if LaFleur is content with entering 2026 with Brissett as his top choice. But that shouldn’t preclude the Cardinals from exploring another addition or two in the next month, even if 2026 quarterback draft class doesn’t include much upper-tier talent.

“Every room, if we can improve it, we’re going to try and improve it,” LaFleur said. “The quarterback room all the way down to the kicking room.”

As a newly installed coach, LaFleur has the benefit of time on his side. Arizona isn’t likely to pull the plug on his regime after one year unless it’s a complete disaster, meaning he and general manager Monti Ossenfort don’t need to rush to find a solution under center.

They’ll hope their plan for 2026 produces well enough to keep fans content until a better option surfaces.