| Jason Whitlock points this out – @WhitlockJasonIn 2018, the NFL had 19 QBs averaging 250+ yards per game. This season, we’ve got 5 We think he means pass yards. |
| NFC NORTH |
| CHICAGOKevin Warren’s strong suit is supposed to be putting together stadium deals. As of Wednesday, he has turned his attention for a new home of the Bears out of the state of Illinois. Jack Baer of YahooSports.com: The Chicago Bears are thinking outside of the box — er, state — for their next stadium. Bears president Kevin Warren released a letter to season-ticket holders Wednesday with an update on the franchise’s yearslong search for a new home after a century at Soldier Field. In recent years, the campaign has focused on a site in the suburb of Arlington Heights that the Bears purchased in 2023, with Warren saying in September that the team needs to finalize plans this year. However, Warren said in his letter Wednesday that Illinois state leaders have directly told the Bears the project will not be a priority in 2026 and that the team will now expand its search for a stadium in the greater Chicago area. That includes the region of Northwest Indiana. From the letter: Stable timelines are critical, as are predictable processes and elected leaders, who share a sense of urgency and appreciation for public partnership that projects with this level of impact require. We have not received that sense of urgency or appreciation to date. We have been told directly by State leadership, our project will not be a priority in 2026, despite the benefits it will bring to Illinois. Consequently, in addition to Arlington Park, we need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana. This is not about leverage. We spent years trying to build a new home in Cook County. We invested significant time and resources evaluating multiple sites and rationally decided on Arlington Heights. Our fans deserve a world-class stadium. Our players and coaches deserve a venue that matches the championship standard they strive for every day. With that in mind, our organization must keep every credible pathway open to deliver that future. A move to Indiana would be an astonishing outcome for the Bears, even if the Indiana border is less than 15 miles from their current location of Soldier Field. A stadium in Hammond or Gary, Northwest Indiana’s largest cities, would take some getting used to. As for what the Indianapolis Colts, the state’s current inhabitant, have to think about it, they released a short statement wishing the Bears well, via Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr: “We wish the Bears all the best with their stadium initiative.” The NFL has never seemed to mind the location of its stadium not matching up with the name of the team. The New York Jets and New York Giants both play in the neighboring state of New Jersey. The Washington Commanders play in Landover, Maryland, but are in the process of moving back to D.C. Plenty of teams play in external suburbs. This wouldn’t even be the most shocking move Warren has been a part of, as he was a central figure in adding USC and UCLA to the Big Ten when he was president of the conference. Warren’s letter notes the Bears are not asking for state taxpayer dollars to build the Arlington Park stadium, but concedes they are asking for a commitment to infrastructure upgrades such as roads and utilities. Aside from Arlington Park, state leaders were cold on a project floated last year to build a lakefront stadium near Soldier Field that would have run Illinois taxpayers $2 billion. There have also been past efforts to further renovate Soldier Field, which might be the one option Warren doesn’t sound open to in his letter. And, of course, this is all being thrown out there three days before the Bears’ biggest game of the season against the Green Bay Packers, which could decide the NFC North. Trying to grasp the enormity of the logistics of a home for the Bears in Northwest Indiana – we picked the spot of the Hard Rock Casino, Northern Indiana along I-94 within the confines of Gary, Indiana. That would be 71 miles from the Bears Training Center in Lake Forest. It’s 61 miles from the site the Bears were looking at in Arlington Heights It’s 52 miles from O’Hare Airport It’s 32 miles from Soldier Field and downtown Chicago The Falcons and Cowboys are other teams whose training facilities are a long way from their stadium, so it can work. This from Da Bears Blog: @dabearsblogTone deaf timing. But unsurprising from Kevin Warren. @dabearsblogI won’t go on in detail about Kevin Warren. This is too good a moment for the organization. But I promise you I’ll unload down the line. |
| GREEN BAYJori Epstein of YahooSports.com on how the Packers are coping with the loss of EDGE MICAH PARSONS: In a vacuum, perhaps Ben Johnson’s statement was believable. The Chicago Bears head coach sought this week to downplay the season-ending ACL tear to edge rusher Micah Parsons ahead of the Packers’ Saturday night visit to Chicago. “Just because one player goes down, that doesn’t mean that this is going to change a whole lot for them,” Johnson said Wednesday. “I know everyone wants to make it about the one particular player, but this is a very good defense, regardless of who’s on the field for them.” No one is arguing Parsons was the only talent on a Packers defense ranked eighth in scoring and sixth overall. But for 14 prior games this season, coaches and players across the league have indeed insisted that Parsons was a game-changer and a force on his own. “You’ve just got to be hyper-aware of where he is,” Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said before the Browns’ Week 3 game against Green Bay. “All hands on deck,” Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said in Week 4. Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon warned “you better have a plan for” Parsons, while Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin warned “you better stay out of one-dimensional circumstances.” One need look no further than Parsons’ $46 million-a-year contract to confirm the two-time All-Pro’s ability. “Most certainly,” Tomlin said, “I think his paycheck indicates so.” Even Johnson, two weeks ago, discussed the challenge of keeping tabs on Parsons. “There’s a number of guys that you play in the league that you have to be aware of on every snap,” added his offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle, on Dec. 4. “… The biggest thing is that you don’t overlook anything. You don’t ever overlook where he is on the field.” Thus despite the expected party line that the Bears can’t overlook the Packers in their post-Parsons section of the season, Green Bay’s opponents will indeed encounter a different calculus the rest of the year. As the Packers look to steal the NFC North lead from the Bears this week, their arsenal is depleted. “It’s not going to be one individual that can [fill his shoes],” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said. “They’re going to have to feed off one another and rally around each other and it’s going to be opportunities for other guys to get in there … “It’s going to be tough.” Parsons impacted Packers quickly — and opponents took notice in game planningThe Packers did not acquire Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys until 10 days before their season kicked off. Some players would have struggled to keep pace with a hyper-accelerated onboarding. Parsons did not. In 14 games with his new team, the 2021 first-round draft pick led the league with 83 quarterback pressures, per Next Gen Stats, and ranked second only to the Denver Broncos’ Nik Bonitto with 34 quick pressures (Bonitto has 36). Parsons’ 12.5 sacks rank third in the league, while his 20.5% pressure rate led all edge rushers entering the last clip. He pressured quarterbacks at that rate despite, per Next Gen Stats, fighting through double teams at the third-highest rate (21.6%) among edge players. Add in Parsons’ versatility to rush from the right and left edge, the interior defensive line or as an off-ball linebacker, and opponents each week required Parsons-specific game plans to thwart him. “Our whole game plan was centered around him,” one assistant, whose team faced Parsons this year, told Yahoo Sports. The assistant spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose their team’s game plan. “We made sure we ran it a ton to stay in third and manageable and to wear him down defending the run. Now teams might try to air it out more and take their shots downfield. We were mostly going to do short quick passes and run.” An assistant from another team who faced Parsons agreed: They would have changed their game plan if the Packers couldn’t rely on Parsons to get pressure with just four defensive linemen. “We had a plan for him on most third downs,” the assistant told Yahoo Sports on condition of anonymity. “It’s going to stress their secondary. They’re going to have to hold up instead of counting on the pressure getting there. “It will impact it a ton.” The uphill battle Packers now faceRashan Gary struggled to collect himself in the postgame locker room Sunday when asked about his fellow defensive lineman’s injury. Despair hit as Green Bay recognized its margin for error on any playoff run was slipping away quickly. Starters in tight end Tucker Kraft, center Elgton Jenkins and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt were already lost for the season. The Packers had found some ways to retool — but Parsons felt like an anchor they could not afford to lose. For 13 seconds after Gary fielded a question, he was wordless. He released three full-body sighs, his shoulders lowering and his head shaking. “It hurt to see,” said Gary, who was enjoying a strong season as opponents shifted their attention to double- and triple-teaming Parsons. “Will be missed on this. You all know his impact, but that gives us guys up front more opportunities when they come to rush, cause havoc. “With his absence, we have to step up up front.” The Packers’ defense has ranked 10th in pass-rush win rate (40%), per ESPN’s metrics, this season in large part because of Parsons not only performing but also elevating those around him. Entering Sunday’s game in which they lost him, the Packers’ sack rate with Parsons on the field (7.5%) nearly doubled their rate with him off the field (4.2%), per Next Gen Stats. The unit was generating pressure within 2.69 seconds on average with Parsons on the field; that extended to 3.05 seconds without him. Tight ends and running backs were called into action in order to chip Parsons. Receivers were asked to reach their spots quickly in anticipation that longer-developing routes may not be viable. Parsons commanded significant attention in meetings and in live-game defensive diagnoses. So while the Packers’ chance at making the playoffs remains at 89%, per Next Gen Stats, their chance at advancing through the postseason has taken a hit. That will resonate first on Saturday night, as the Packers travel to face the Bears 13 days after they triumphed over them 28-21 at Lambeau Field. NFL Thursday Night Football preview: Rams at Seahawks is a game of the year candidateAnd it will continue to resonate in the coming weeks when teams need to worry less about obvious passing situations and third downs, feeling more confident in their ability to run a straightforward game plan than Packers opponents did during the first 14 games of their season. The Packers’ defensive unraveling against the Broncos likely won’t become standard: Allowing a season-worst four passing touchdowns and 134.7 passer rating to Bo Nix almost certainly reflected the psychological letdown of Parsons’ noncontact injury as much as it did the talent deficit. Green Bay has time to compose itself now, Gary’s midweek interview already carrying a heightened sense of resolve as the team moves forward. But the Packers will still need to recognize that their gameplan for Chicago on Saturday must change. Parsons accounted for eight of the 16 pressures on Bears quarterback Caleb Williams two weeks ago. Others must fill in if the Packers want to maintain their image as a playoff contender. “It’s a big loss for our defense, for our team, but the next guy [has] got to step up so it is what it is,” Packers safety Xavier McKinney said. “I mean, the season ain’t over. We still got work to do.” |
| NFC WEST |
| LOS ANGELES RAMSSean McVay can become the first coach in many, many years to win his 100th game before the age of 40. A nugget from Michael David Smith at ProFootballTalk.com: It’s been 91 years since an NFL coach has won 100 games before turning 40. But Rams coach Sean McVay can do it tonight. The 39-year-old McVay has 99 wins, regular season and postseason combined, as a head coach. Tonight against the Seahawks, he can get his 100th win and join some historic company. The only two coaches in NFL history who previously got to 100 wins by age 40 are two of the most legendary names in football history, and they both won their 100th game in 1934. Packers coach Curly Lambeau was 36 during the 1934 season, and Bears coach George Halas was 39. Both won their 100th games that year, and they’re still the only coaches to reach the 100-win milestone before turning 40. McVay’s 40th birthday is on January 24, so even if he and the Rams lose tonight, he’ll have two more regular-season games and a playoff game to reach his 100th win before his 40th birthday. He’ll almost certainly join the club that Lambeau and Halas formed in 1934, and that no coach has been able to join since. The Rams have made it to Seattle, which is something of an accomplishment. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: The Rams had some trouble getting to Seattle ahead of Thursday night’s game. The team’s scheduled flight from Los Angeles on Wednesday was delayed by an equipment issue with the plane. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the team pivoted to another plan that had the team’s players and coaches leaving on one flight with the rest of the traveling party following on a later plane. In a post to X.com with a time stamp of 11:48 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Tyler Dragon of USA Today reported that the Rams had arrived in Seattle. We will find out on Thursday night if the change in travel plans had any impact on the Rams’ preparation for the game, but the expected absence of wide receiver Davante Adams may prove to be a more consequential obstacle for the Rams’ bid to take the upper hand in the NFC West.– – -This about the Nacua Brothers from ProFootballTalk.com: As it turns out, Rams receiver Puka Nacua’s comments about NFL referees may be the less problematic portion of his recent appearance on a livestream with two people I’d never before heard of, Adin Ross and N3on (not a typo). We’ve received emails from multiple readers regarding another portion of the video, during which Nacua performs (at the request of one of the hosts) a touchdown dance that included an antisemitic trope. Nacua promised to perform the celebration during a game. James Dator of SBNation.com explains the situation, with this summary: “At best Nacua was uneducated about Ross and did something extremely stupid on a livestream. At worst he’s a willing participant in perpetuating stereotypes about the Jewish community.” We requested comment last night from the NFL. The league has not yet responded. The next question becomes whether Nacua will make good on his vow to perform the dance if he scores a touchdown on Thursday night against the Seahawks. If the Lions’ new booger-flicking celebration (no, I didn’t just have a stroke) is something that will draw scrutiny, Nacua and the Rams probably should get a clear warning from the league and the officials that, if Nacua does it, he’ll be flagged and fined. The entire mess seems odd coming from Nacua, who had created in three seasons the impression that he’s a soft-spoken, highly-talented, fearless player and, already, one of the best receivers in the league. With that fame comes scrutiny, however. Especially if he’s going to be doing things that invite it. On that note, and as explained by Cameron DaSilva of USA Today, Nacua initially tried to take the livestreamers into the Rams’ facility. Coach Sean McVay shut it down. DaSilva also mentions that Nacua had taken a page from the Antonio Brown playbook, livestreaming from the locker room after the Week 14 win over the Cardinals — even as Nacua’s teammates were telling him not to do it. With the Rams playing tonight, the situation takes on heightened significance. And we’ll see whether: (1) the Rams or the NFL have anything to say about the situation before the critical Week 16 showdown with the Seahawks; (2) Nacua will perform the celebration during the game; and (3) McVay and/or Nacua are asked about the livestream and either of the controversies it sparked during post-game media availability. Here is what Puka said about the officials from CBSSports.com: Puka Nacua took aim at NFL officials Tuesday, calling them “the worst” while on a live stream with popular Internet streamers Adin Ross and N3on. “The refs are the worst, [because] just some of the rules aren’t … These guys are lawyers; they want to be on TV too, bruh,” the Los Angeles Rams star wide received said. “You don’t think he’s texting his friends in the group chat like, ‘Yo! You guys just saw me ‘Sunday Night Football.” Like, ‘That wasn’t [pass interference] but I called it.’ These guys are normal human beings too, bruh.” Then there is his brother: It’s been a rough week for the Nacua brothers. Before Puka’s livestream misadventures, Samson Nacua (who plays receiver in the UFL) got into hot water over hot wiring (possibly) Lakers forward Adou Thiero’s SUV. Via NBCLosAngeles.com, Samson Nacua and another man (Trey Rose) were arrested for stealing Thiero’s vehicle. Per the report, the vehicle was tracked to the One Hotel in West Hollywood. Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arrived at the hotel, where they learned that the men had given the SUV to valet parking and entered the hotel. Samson Nacua and Rose were identified via security footage. They were then arrested. As of Wednesday night, both men remained behind bars. Samson Nacua, undrafted in 2022, has spent time on the preseason rosters with the Colts and Saints. He played for the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL in 2023, and the Michigan Panthers of the UFL in 2024 and 2025. During the most recent UFL season, he was suspended for one game after an altercation with a fan. |
| AFC NORTH |
| BALTIMOREMike Vrabel on RB DERRICK HENRY who he coached with the Titans: @bobbybaltim0reMike Vrabel on Derrick Henry: “He’s a huge challenge. Very unique player. … He was very valuable to our success in Tennessee. Me, personally, great relationship with Derrick. He was always there. Seemed like when we needed a play, he made it. Great teammate. Anytime that there was a message, he delivered that message in his own particular way.” |
| CINCINNATIQB JOE BURROW re-assures Bengals fans that he doesn’t want out and doesn’t plan on retiring. Nick Shook of NFL.com: Joe Burrow’s Bengals are out of the playoff race for a third straight season, yet the familiar, disappointing result hasn’t quenched Burrow’s burning desire to continue playing football for the franchise. Speculation has run wild in recent days after Burrow’s recent comments about needing to have fun if he wanted to continue “doing this.” On Wednesday, Burrow was asked if he could see a world in which he wasn’t playing for the Bengals in 2026. “I can’t see that, no,” he said. Burrow was less emphatic when asked if he’d thought about ever playing elsewhere. “You think about a lot of things,” he said. Burrow went on to explain that the NFL is an anything-than-can-happen landscape. “A lot of crazy things happen every year,” he said. “Micah Parsons got traded before the season this year. … Crazy things can happen.” For now, Burrow is focused on playing the Bengals’ final games of 2025, even if some believe he shouldn’t be taking part in those contests considering his injury history and Cincinnati having been eliminated from postseason contention. After all, he was forced to watch most of the 2025 regular season in street clothes before returning on Thanksgiving. Now that his team has little to play for in 2025, some are asking why Burrow — a frequently injured franchise quarterback playing with a modified cleat to protect his surgically repaired toe — is risking his health to play in Cincinnati’s final three games. Burrow is tired of hearing the concerns. “I like playing football. For the same reasons that I wanted to push to come back from injury, the same reasons I wanted to play this week,” he said Wednesday. “It feels like everything, everybody’s trying to do everything in their power to make me not play football, and I feel like I’m fighting it, like fighting everybody else. I just want to play ball. That’s all I want to do.” Burrow’s vague references to faceless adversaries didn’t come with subsequent clarification, leaving his response open to interpretation and opening a spiderweb of theories. |
| CLEVELANDJason Lloyd of The Athletic thinks Coach Kevin Stefanski’s run with the Browns has run its course: We don’t need the autopsy this time. We don’t need a scalpel and forensics to figure out where it all went wrong. Kevin Stefanski might be in his final days as the Cleveland Browns head coach because of the Deshaun Watson trade and all of the catastrophes that followed. The Watson trade was clearly the pivot point for this franchise in every way possible. That Watson will still be here, and Stefanski could be gone, is disgraceful, but that’s the perfect word to summarize the Browns over the last 25 years. With no good quarterbacks on the roster, the number of rookies soaring into the teens and enough dead weight on the cap sheet to sink the organization to the bottom of Lake Erie, this season was always going to be messy. But there comes a point where the infection overtakes the body. We just might be there. I still believe Stefanski is a good coach stuck in a bad situation, but he hasn’t exactly helped himself by pulling the team out of the mud, either. What transpired at the start of Sunday’s game at the Chicago Bears was the type of Keystone Cops routine that I haven’t seen here since the 11 months of bumper cars under Freddie Kitchens. Shedeur Sanders inexplicably lost a playsheet out of his wristband, the Browns had more penalties than offensive snaps midway through the first quarter and the total operation looked like the popular kids’ game by the same name. Every time Sanders tried to take a snap, Stefanski’s nose buzzed. If this is it — and even if it isn’t — there are valuable lessons to take into the offseason or onto his next city. One of the biggest: He has to talk. The head coach has to say something. This ridiculous charade of sitting at the podium every week and doing his best to say nothing while the world burns around him isn’t doing him any favors. This isn’t foreign diplomacy, and he isn’t protecting the nuclear codes. It was irritating in past years, but it became damaging weeks ago as the nonsense surrounding Sanders began to build. Bill Belichick got away with saying nothing because he won Super Bowls. Stefanski has won six games in two years, and he works for one of the league’s most dysfunctional teams. He never wants to acknowledge or discuss anything of substance because he either doesn’t care or has failed to learn one of the first principles of public relations: Either you talk or they’ll talk for you. Nobody wants the media or general public doing most of the talking. Stefanski’s typical rhetoric of “put it on me” and “we have to play better and coach better” may have been grudgingly tolerated a bit more last season when the Browns also won only three games. It’s certainly not working now, particularly in relation to Sanders. The Browns could have done more with their messaging this year on how they were coaching him or the relationship between the quarterback and coach. Instead, this is Week 16 and they have spent the bulk of the season contending with absurd conspiracy theories that the coach is out to sabotage the quarterback. I’ve never experienced anything like what this season has presented, but this is the world we now inhabit. From politics to sports, anyone with a social media account and a magnifying glass is now a detective and conspiracy theorist. The more outrageous, the better and the faster it takes hold. So ignore that the Browns were one of the few teams actually willing to draft Sanders, or that his advanced metrics through four career NFL starts place him somewhere between Johnny Manziel and Craig Krenzel. It must be true that Stefanski doesn’t like the rookie because he didn’t give him a game ball after his first win. Stefanski has spent 20 years coaching in the NFL and has earned respect across the league, but has been reduced this season because he didn’t do anything to stop the distractions as the train was leaving the station. On the field hasn’t been any cleaner. Special teams cost the Browns wins against the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets. He has given up play-calling in consecutive years, and questionable decisions have mounted throughout the season, although some of the issues were simply rookies making rookie mistakes. That’s what happens when nearly one-quarter of the roster consists of rookies, and that’s how it has to be after the Watson trade stripped the Browns of talent and saddled them with crippling cap debt. Harold Fannin Jr. was responsible for two penalties on the opening drive of buffoonery in Sunday’s 31-3 loss. Sanders fumbled a snap on a two-point try in the previous week’s loss to the Titans, and Quinshon Judkins failed to make the pitch on a reverse that would’ve been a walk-in score and a tie game on another late two-point try. All of them were rookies acting like rookies, but that no longer seems to matter. We’ve reached the toxic end stage of the relationship where everything that goes wrong falls squarely on the coach. I didn’t like how Wyatt Teller was benched — on the day of his 100th career start for the Browns, no less. I didn’t understand how this team opened training camp with two veteran quarterbacks on the roster, yet both were gone by Halloween. There’s a lot about this season that doesn’t make sense, but logic and the Browns rarely intersect once the temperature drops and the snow flies. Jimmy Haslam could still choose to bring back Stefanski. Haslam has already taken accountability for the Watson decision, and he once brought back Hue Jackson following The Great Tank of 1-31. However, it’s starting to feel as if all parties need to divide the assets and separate. I didn’t think it would be this bad. I thought they’d at least get to five or six wins. That doesn’t seem possible given what’s left on the schedule. Every season in Cleveland brings a different obstacle to clear. First it was the pandemic, then the Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. feud, the Watson disaster and now Sanders. In those rare instances when the Browns have gotten stable quarterback play, they’ve enjoyed small bursts of success under Stefanski. Coaching the Browns is living daily in the path of a hurricane. You know the storm will eventually wreck what you’ve built. The hope is to survive, dig out of the rubble and enjoy a few weeks of sun before the winds begin to blow again. It’s December in Cleveland, and we haven’t seen the sun in a while. There is a howl whipping through the bare trees. Another house is coming down. Time to get the shovels and hammers and start over again. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| TENNESSEEUh oh. Turron Davenport of ESPN.com: As the Tennessee Titans wrap up their unsuccessful 2025 season, their attention is beginning to turn to the search for their next coach — and quarterback Cam Ward wants to be a part of the process. “I want to meet all of them,” Ward said of the next candidates. “Every coach who gets the opportunity to come here, I want to have conversations throughout the process with them. I’m going to be here for that whole time.” Ward said president of football operations Chad Brinker and general manager Mike Borgonzi had spoken with him about his involvement in the search. The rookie quarterback said he’ll be all-in on the next head coach regardless of whether it’s a defensive- or offensive-minded hire. Tennessee fired coach Brian Callahan in October after a 1-5 start to the season, citing a lack of team growth and individual progress from Ward, despite the coach’s offensive background. Ward was very outspoken about his support for Callahan during training camp saying he wanted to play well enough to make Callahan one of the top coaches in the league. Now the Titans are searching for Callahan’s replacement. Interim coach Mike McCoy hasn’t been able to get better results, posting a 1-8 record since taking over. According to a team source, the Titans are looking for a candidate with strong leadership skills who will help establish an identity, something the team has lacked over the past two seasons. |
| AFC EAST |
| MIAMIJared Dubin of CBSSports.com looks at everything involving Miami’s QB situation: After five-plus years in the starting role, the Miami Dolphins have benched starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones confirmed on Wednesday. Tagovailoa will be replaced under center by seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers. Tagovailoa struggled badly during the 2025 season, throwing a league-leading 15 interceptions while averaging just 6.9 yards per attempt and posting the lowest QBR of his career. It’s been a precipitous fall for Tagovailoa, who in 2023 led the NFL in yards per attempt, touchdown rate and passer rating, and in 2023 led the league in passing yards. He has dealt with concussion issues and other various injuries throughout his career, and this season he often looked lost. His lack of arm strength limited what the Dolphins could do offensively, and his understandable reluctance to take hits inside or outside the pocket did as well. Coach Mike McDaniel was largely able to scheme around those issues for several years by leaning into Tagovailoa’s quick release and processing ability, but that synergy broke down over the last couple years and collapsed this season after the Dolphins lost star wide receiver Tyreek Hill to injury. With Tagovailoa now replaced in his role, it’s worth digging into some big-picture takeaways on what’s next for both him and the Dolphins in 2025, 2026 and beyond. The finances of a Tua releaseThis is the big consideration here, in all honestly. It is going to be incredibly hard for the Dolphins to fully move on from Tagovailoa, even if his time as the starter has come to an end. Tagovailoa has the league’s sixth-largest average annual salary at $53.1 million, putting him behind only Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love. Tagovailoa has three years remaining on that deal, plus two void years tacked onto the end of it in order to spread out the cap hits. According to Over the Cap, Tagovailoa is set to carry cap hits of $56.4 million in 2026, $53.4 million in 2027, $65.8 million in 2028 and $11.0 million in 2029. He has base salaries of $39 million in 2026, $31 million in 2027 and $41.4 million in 2028, though the 2027 and 2028 salaries are not guaranteed. On the third day of the league year in 2026 (i.e. next March), $3 million of the 2027 salary becomes guaranteed, while another $17 million becomes guaranteed in 2027. He also has roster bonuses of $5 million and $7 million in 2027 and 2028, respectively, though those are obviously not paid out of he is not on the roster. As ESPN’s Bill Barnwell notes, Tagovailoa “does have $20 million in injury guarantees in 2027 that would trigger if he were unable to pass a physical then. But to avoid risking those triggering, the Dolphins would have to sit him through the entire 2026 season.” Here’s where it gets complicated for the Dolphins. Because of the way his contract is structured, it might be prohibitively expensive for Miami to cut ties with him after the 2025 season. Again via Over the Cap, here are the salary cap implications of the various options the Dolphins have if they decide they want to move on this coming offseason. 2026 Option Cap hit (millions) Savings (millions)None $56.4 $0.0Cut (pre-June 1) $99.2 -$42.8Cut (post-June 1) $67.4 -$11.0Trade (pre-June 1) $45.2 $11.2Trade (post-June 1) $13.4 $43.0 Carrying a $99.2 million dead cap hit would come close to preventing the Dolphins from building out a roster for the 2026 season. A $67.4 million dead cap hit would perhaps do the same. Cutting him outright would seemingly be a near-impossibility, unless the Dolphins are willing to totally gut their roster and declare the 2026 season a full reset year. Trading him is far more beneficial financially, but it’s hard to see a team being willing to make the move for Tagovailoa and carry his currently scheduled base salaries. The Dolphins may have to agree to cover some of that salary in order to get anybody to bite, and even then there might not be much in the way of a return coming their way, considering they just benched him in favor of Ewers, who was a seventh-round pick and one of the last quarterbacks selected in what was generally considered a weak QB class. Future team options for TagovailoaThe options for Tagovailoa are probably slim. Again, he is being benched for a seventh-round rookie and has played the worst football of his career this year. He doesn’t have elite traits that another team might want to be on, he’s a significant injury risk and his base salaries and bonuses are not cheap. Trading for him at a $39 million cap hit in 2026 would still place him in the top half of the league in terms of cap hit, and that’s before we account for his roster and option bonuses, as well as the likely restructures or extensions that will dramatically decrease the cap hits of players like Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Jared Goff, and the fact that players like Kirk Cousins could be released. Tagovailoa’s cap hit could wind up around the top 10 in the league, even without accounting for his prorated signing bonuses. There are two possibilities if he ends up staying in Miami because the Dolphins feel it would be too damaging to their roster to move on from him. The first is that he resumes his starting role and the Dolphins try to see if the time off at the end of this season benefits him. That feels relatively unlikely. If they had designs on him starting any more games for them, they probably wouldn’t be benching him in favor of Ewers. The second is that he stays on as a highly paid backup to some other quarterback, like Cousins did with the Falcons this year, so that they don’t have to incur that traumatic cap damage but also don’t have to worry as much about triggering his injury guarantees. That would still be damaging, cap-wise, but it would also give the Dolphins a solid-enough backup to whomever they decide to start, just as Cousins did for the Falcons this season. As far as other teams looking for quarterback help this offseason, the options could range from very few to quite a number of teams. The most likely candidates are probably the Jets, Raiders and Cardinals, though there are reasons to believe each of those teams wouldn’t necessarily be interested in Tagovailoa. The Jets and Raiders could be picking near the top of the draft and more interested in guys like Fernando Mendoza, Dante Moore or whomever else enters the draft, and they both went with bridge quarterbacks this season that didn’t work out. And if the Cardinals wanted a somewhat-limited veteran, they’d probably just stick with Kyler Murray. Elsewhere, teams like the Vikings, Panthers, Colts, Browns, Steelers and Rams could be in the quarterback market for various reasons. The Vikings and Panthers probably will want to bring in someone to compete with J.J. McCarthy and Bryce Young, respectively, or else be their backup. But Tagovailoa would be a really expensive option for that role unless the Dolphins covered a significant portion of his salary. The Colts could get interested depending on how Daniel Jones’ recovery from his Achilles tear is going, but again, the salary could be prohibitive and it feels like they might prefer a quarterback who is more consistent and less susceptible to injury. The Browns are probably out because they still have to carry Deshaun Watson’s massive cap hit and it would be ridiculous to pay two quarterbacks that much money. Pittsburgh and L.A. could be in the mix if Aaron Rodgers and/or Matthew Stafford retire. Playing in a Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan style system is probably still the best option for Tagovailoa given his limitations. Future QB options for the DolphinsThere are two in-house options for the Dolphins next season: give Tagovailoa his job back, or leave it to Ewers if he impresses down the stretch of the season. Unless Ewers goes off, though, neither of those options seems all that likely. The Dolphins could pursue veteran options like Murray, Cousins, Geno Smith, Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston or Mac Jones in either free agency or a trade. I’d personally consider a trade for Jones the most likely and perhaps most attractive of those options, especially if McDaniel is still the coach next season. The connection to the 49ers and the fit in the offense make him an option that makes some degree of sense. Someone like Brissett or Winston could be attractive as a bridge option as well, while Cousins and Smith are lesser options toward the end of their respective careers. Younger quarterbacks like Anthony Richardson could be available as potential second-draft reclamation projects, though we don’t know if that’s the case. Or maybe the Dolphins could pursue a backup who has shown flashes in the preseason, like the Eagles’ Tanner McKee or someone else along those lines. Then there’s the draft. Miami is not going to be in position to get one of the top prospects in this class unless it is willing to surrender significant draft capital in order to trade up. That leaves players like Mendoza, Moore (if he enters) and Ty Simpson (same) potentially unavailable to the Dolphins. Perhaps they can get in on someone like Brendan Sorsby or Darian Mensah if they declare for the draft, or maybe one of the older prospects like Carson Beck or John Mateer could be attractive on Day 2. The Dolphins might be best off going with a bridge player and then taking a swing in the 2027 draft, when players like Arch Manning, Julian Sayin, LaNorris Sellers, Moore (if he stays in school), Simpson (same), Sorsby (same), Mensah (same), CJ Carr, DJ Lagway, Dylan Raiola and more could be available. What you need to know about Quinn EwersEwers was seen as a generational quarterback prospect out of high school, ranking as the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2021 per 247Sports — even after reclassifying up from the 2022 in order to enroll early at Ohio State to take advantage of new Name, Image and Likeness laws. “He was the best thrower of the ball at the high school level that I had seen, and to this day, he is the best pure thrower in high school I’ve ever seen,” 247Sports national scouting analyst Gabe Brooks said. “There’s something about the way he threw, when you see it live there on field level, it’s almost like on the back half of throws, velocity was increasing. It’s like he had late life on throws, kind of in the same way that you might say a pitcher has late life on a pitch. It was so effortless.” After backing up C.J. Stroud as a redshirt freshman, Ewers transferred from Ohio State to Texas (who he had originally committed to as a high schooler), where he started for three seasons, throwing for 9,128 yards, 68 touchdowns and 24 interceptions while posting a 27-9 record. Coming out of college, CBS Sports senior writer Dave Richard provided the following scouting report: “Ewers has traits that could help him navigate an NFL offense in due time, but the lack of arm strength and accuracy beyond 10 yards will not only limit what an offense can do around him but better set up a defense to force some turnovers,” Richard wrote. “Tack on a lack of consistency when it comes to dealing with the pass rush, and the one-time top prospect of the nation might only elevate to being a quality backup who could pick up wins if a starter misses a few games.” Ewers ultimately dropped into the seventh round of the draft, where the Dolphins selected him at No. 231 overall. That surprised NFL Draft analysts as well as Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, following three seasons as the starter in Austin that saw him lead Texas back to national prominence and consecutive College Football Playoff appearances. “All of us wish he would have gotten drafted higher,” Sarkisian said. “But at the end of the day if I could have picked a place that I think is a great fit for him, I think Miami is a great fit. Systematically what Coach McDaniel does is if not exactly the same, very similar to what we do. So there’s going to be a level of comfort for him of style of play.” |
| THIS AND THAT |
| TEAM WITH BEST AMMO TO TURN THINGS AROUND IN 2026Zac Koeppel of NFL.com identifies the top teams in terms of draft capital and cap space for the 2026 offseason: With the caveat that the current season has not yet concluded, let’s get ahead of the curve by examining which NFL teams have the assets to make a major offseason leap going into 2026. To illuminate the overall picture of each organization’s ability to make itself better via veteran and rookie acquisitions, I have incorporated both projected 2026 cap space and 2026 draft capital into a combined flexibility ranking below, with analysis provided for the top 10 teams. For the sake of simplicity, the draft capital rankings reflect the first two rounds only (based off the 2026 draft order heading into Week 16), with scores derived from Over the Cap’s pick-value chart. Projected cap space is sourced via Spotrac, and is current as of 1:30 p.m. ET. on Dec. 16, unless otherwise specified. And team needs are sourced from Chad Reuter’s weekly look at the 2026 NFL Draft order. Now, on to the list! 1 New York Jets2025 record: 3-11Cap space ranking: No. 3 | Draft capital ranking: No. 1 | Average: 2Team needs: QB, CB, WR, DL, IOLThe Jets enter 2026 in an interesting position after choosing to sell two franchise cornerstones, Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, at the 2025 trade deadline. Those moves netted an extra pick in the first round (from the Colts, in exchange for Gardner) and one in the second round (from the Cowboys, in exchange for Williams) in April, to go along with their own picks in those rounds, including what is projected to be the fifth overall choice. No other team has as many picks in the first two rounds. Moving Gardner and Williams also freed up $31.25 million in cap space, giving the Jets a roomy projected total figure of $111.6 million, the third-most space in the league. Add it all together, and Gang Green is set up for an offseason of additions in Florham Park. Priority No. 1 for the Jets will be finding a new starting quarterback. Journeyman Tyrod Taylor — who took over after Justin Fields was benched — will be a free agent. Fields signed a two-year, $40 million contract last offseason, with $10 million of his 2026 salary guaranteed, which helps explain why releasing him this offseason would net just $1 million in cap savings. However, the team could get out of paying him an extra $10 million in cash, so it might not make sense to keep him around as a backup. The Jets have drafted a quarterback in the first round twice in the last eight years, but given the rebuild they signaled with their trade-deadline fire sale, targeting a third Round 1 signal-caller seems the likely move, rather than trying again with another mid-tier free agent quarterback. Whichever route they choose, they have the resources to add plenty in 2026. T-2 Las Vegas Raiders2025 record: 2-11Cap space ranking: No. 2 | Draft capital ranking: No. 5 | Average: 3.5Team needs: QB, CB, EDGE, WR, OTOne of 2025’s biggest disappointments, the Raiders will have a chance to right the ship quickly. They have talented players in place already, led by youngsters Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty on offense and game-wrecking veteran Maxx Crosby on defense. However, it all starts and ends with the quarterback, and the Raiders learned the hard way in 2025 that they do not possess that key puzzle piece yet. Geno Smith‘s reunion with Pete Carroll in Vegas resulted in his worst passer rating (84.5) in a multi-start season since 2014 with the Jets, plus the second-most interceptions (14) in the NFL through Week 15. The Raiders can gain $8 million in cap space for 2026 if they choose to release the 35-year old Smith after the season. Vegas is currently set to pick second overall in 2026, which would be the Raiders’ highest pick since they drafted JaMarcus Russell first overall in 2007. They could go for their choice of quarterback there, or this could be an opportune spot for a veteran seeking a career turnaround. Either way, with $116.5 million in projected cap space (second-most in the NFL), the organization will be able to make some moves — which should also include further investments at both offensive tackle spots, as current starters Stone Forsythe and DJ Glaze rank as the worst and third-worst in the NFL in total sacks allowed, per Next Gen Stats. That’s not going to cut it for whomever ends up under center in 2026. T-2 Tennessee Titans2025 record: 2-12Cap space ranking: No. 1 | Draft capital ranking: No. 6 | Average: 3.5Team needs: EDGE, CB, WR, IOL, OTDespite signing costly free agent deals in recent years, bringing in vets like Calvin Ridley (four years, $92 million in 2024) and Dan Moore Jr. (four years, $82 million last offseason), the Titans boast the most projected cap space for 2026 of any team in the NFL ($120.1 million), thanks to the affordable rookie contract of their QB and the absence of anyone on the roster making more than $25 million per year. That sets them up with the chance to go big-game hunting on the market again. And they’ve got plenty of holes to fill, namely when it comes to further supporting 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward on an offense that currently ranks as the second worst in the NFL. Of course, as in 2025, the Titans will again sit near the top of each round in the 2026 NFL Draft, currently in line to choose third overall — which is a very valuable advantage, even beyond the power to bring in rookie talent. Last offseason, difference-making wide receivers like DK Metcalf, George Pickens and Deebo Samuel moved via trade, and the Titans would be wise to check in on that market, as well, given the potential of their slate of picks to function as ammunition for a veteran swap. 4 Los Angeles Rams2025 record: 11-3Cap space ranking: No. 7 | Draft capital ranking: No. 4 | Average: 5.5Team needs: CB, QB, OT, S, LBThe Rams’ appearance this list should bring nightmares to the rest of the NFL. Not only are they 11-3 and in possession of the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but they also rank in the top seven in both projected cap space and draft capital for 2026. Crucial to their good fortune is the extra first-round pick they snagged from the Falcons as part of Atlanta’s trade up to take James Pearce Jr. last April. It’s an unfamiliar situation for the Rams to be in, given they’ve only made one first-round selection in the last nine drafts. That pick is currently sitting 10th overall, with the Falcons carrying a 5-9 record — and regardless of what happens the rest of the way, Sean McVay’s crew will be well-positioned to ensure Atlanta finishes no better than 7-10, given that the two teams play each other in Week 17. Making this opportunity even sweeter for the Rams is that almost all of their key offensive and defensive pieces are already locked up for 2026 and beyond. Many of them are on affordable rookie contracts, which is a reflection of how well the organization has drafted over the past few years — and also explains how a team that’s so good right now has such flexibility in the near future. Right tackle Rob Havenstein and starting DBs Cobie Durant, Kamren Curl and Quentin Lake will be free agents, but otherwise, L.A. can use its cap space (projected to be over $92 million) to upgrade an already loaded roster. The wild card is the possibility that 37-year-old Matthew Stafford might decide to call it quits following this season. Even so, the Rams’ two first-round picks would give them enough ammo to target a quarterback via trade, and their cap space (which would increase if he retired) would allow them to entice a veteran quarterback with a new top-of-the-market contract. Most teams fall off after a star quarterback moves on, but the Rams are set up well to be the exception. Watch out for them in March 5 Cincinnati Bengals2025 record: 4-10Cap space ranking: No. 4 | Draft capital ranking: No. 11 | Average: 7.5Team needs: CB, S, EDGE, IOL, TEThe Bengals will enter the 2026 offseason with some assets to work with: $110 million in projected cap space and a first-round pick sitting just inside the top 10 as of now. They spent big last offseason on the offensive side, locking up Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins — and this offseason, it might be time to do some free-agent shopping on defense. Cincinnati doesn’t have anyone on the roster set to cost more than $9 million on the cap next season beyond the Big Three (QB Joe Burrow, Chase and Higgins) and left tackle Orlando Brown, allowing them the flexibility to go after whomever they might set their sights on. Cincinnati has featured the NFL’s worst scoring and total defense this season, giving the team little chance to stay competitive while Burrow was out. Trey Hendrickson — one of the NFL’s best sack artists, having accrued 61.0 since joining the Bengals in 2021 — will be an unrestricted free agent, and based on the headline-making discord between him and the team in recent years, it seems unlikely that he will return. Even with Hendrickson in the fold, the Bengals have managed just 25 sacks this season, fifth fewest in the NFL, though Hendrickson’s absence for much of this season didn’t help matters. So defense should be the priority. And if they don’t go in on the veteran market, the Bengals should continue using their draft capital on that side of the ball, where seven of their past eight top-two-round picks have been made. 6 New York Giants2025 record: 2-12Cap space ranking: No. 18 | Draft capital ranking: No. 3 | Average: 10.5Team needs: WR, IOL, CB, OT, LBThe Giants are one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye on in the offseason. We know this organization will be bringing in a new head coach — and will look to build around an exciting young offensive core. Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo and, of course, Jaxson Dart give the Giants a good starting point. Year 2 is a perfect time to invest around a QB, with plenty of runway remaining on that affordable rookie contract. Consider the strategy followed by the Patriots (signing Stefon Diggs to be Drake Maye‘s new WR1), Commanders (trading for Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil to boost Jayden Daniels) and Bears (investing their top two draft picks in pass-catchers Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III to help Caleb Williams) just last offseason. Due to the contracts they’ve given out over the past few years, the Giants are currently projected to have just $26.6 million in cap space, with the scheduled hits of Brian Burns ($34.8 million) and Dexter Lawrence ($27 million) looming especially large at the moment — meaning their best opportunity to add is going to be through the draft. And they’re currently in position to receive the first overall pick, although they could drop due to an upcoming Week 17 matchup with the Raiders. The Giants haven’t selected first overall since taking Tucker Frederickson in 1965, so it would be a rare opportunity for the franchise, though they are familiar with the earlier portions of the draft in general. Big Blue is going to make a top-six pick for the fourth time in the past five drafts — with the hope that this time, the selection will help propel the team to competitive status. 7 Arizona Cardinals2025 record: 3-11Cap space ranking: No. 17 | Draft capital ranking: No. 8 | Average: 12.5Team needs: OT, WR, RB, IOL, LBThe Cards are in line to finish well behind their counterparts in the NFC West and extend their drought without a playoff win to 10 seasons — so they’ll enter the offseason with major questions. First, after the 2025 additions of Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell failed to translate to wins, how much will the Cardinals want to spend on a team that’s not ready to compete now? Second, how will they use their first-rounder — currently slated to be sixth overall, which would mark their third time in the past four drafts making a top-six pick — to set this roster up for the future? And then there is the most consequential question surrounding the Cardinals: What will they do at quarterback? Specifically, should they continue with Kyler Murray, who is ending the season on injured reserve after a five-game stint in which he averaged less than 200 passing yards, or seek to trade or release him? A trade seems unlikely, given his new team would owe Murray $42.5 million in cash in 2026 and then another fully guaranteed $19.5 million in 2027 — that’s far from the kind of cheap prove-it deal you want when taking a flier on a change-of-scenery veteran. Releasing Murray would give the Cardinals $54.7 million in dead money to deal with, while gaining them just $1.5 million in cap space. Then again, this could be the offseason for Arizona to do a hard reset, and moving on from Murray might be part of that, regardless of the cap consequences. T-8 Cleveland Browns2025 record: 3-11Cap space ranking: No. 26 | Draft capital ranking: No. 2 | Average: 14Team needs: OT, IOL, WR, CB, LBOnce again, a disappointing campaign will lead to what should be an eventful offseason in Cleveland. The Browns rank second in draft capital, thanks to their two first-round picks — their own, plus the Jaguars pick they received for moving down in the Travis Hunter trade in the 2025 NFL Draft. Cleveland’s selection is currently projected to be fourth overall, while the pick that was acquired from Jacksonville is slated to be near the end of Round 1. Though that’s likely not what the Browns were envisioning when they made the trade, it’ll give them an opportunity to add two talented pieces in the first round for the first time since they took the duo of Baker Mayfield and Denzel Ward in 2018. On the other end, the Browns aren’t likely to be major players in free agency, projected to have just $8 million in cap space in 2026. That can be attributed to Deshaun Watson‘s $80.7 million cap hit next year, which will be the largest cap hit for a single player in a season in NFL history. Cleveland can’t save any money by releasing him, so Watson will likely be on the roster, regardless of how many passes he actually is asked to throw. And, of course, the Browns did just use draft picks on Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. But that should not stop Cleveland from at least doing its due diligence on the QBs in this year’s draft class. The main area that the team needs to address in the offseason is the offensive line, where the five players with the most starts this season are set to be free agents: Cam Robinson, Joel Bitonio, Ethan Pocic, Wyatt Teller and Jack Conklin. Each player is already over 30 years old, so be prepared for some draft investments in this crucial position group. T-8 Los Angeles Chargers2025 record: 10-4Cap space ranking: No. 5 | Draft capital ranking: No. 23 | Average: 14Team needs: EDGE, DL, CB, IOL, OTThe second Los Angeles team to appear in the top 10 might not be as high as its stadium partners, but the Chargers are not far behind the Rams — and they’re here largely because of cap space, where they rank fifth, with a projected total over $110 million. That might seem surprising for a roster anchored by veterans who have already landed hefty extensions, but beyond Justin Herbert ($46.3 million cap hit in 2026), Derwin James ($24.6 million) and Rashawn Slater ($23.8 million), many of their key producers are on rookie contracts, including studs Joe Alt and Ladd McConkey — who won’t be eligible for extensions until after next season at the earliest. This makes 2026 a perfect time to add, with the Chargers being as well-positioned as any other team in the NFL to do so through free agency or trade. The defensive line should be a major area of focus, as Khalil Mack and Odafe Oweh are unrestricted free agents, and leading sacker Tuli Tuipulotu will no doubt looking for an extension, coming off an extremely productive Year 3. Might the Bolts try to explore a trade for a high-priced edge rusher such as Myles Garrett or Maxx Crosby, or pursue someone like Trey Hendrickson in free agency? All options should be on the table for a surging squad poised to make a second straight playoff appearance. T-8 Pittsburgh Steelers2025 record: 8-6Cap space ranking: No. 9 | Draft capital ranking: No. 19 | Average: 14Team needs: QB, WR, CB, IOL, OTWhether or not Mike Tomlin’s 18-season streak of finishing at or above .500 stretches to 19, the Steelers will have questions to answer, even if they reach the playoffs for a third straight time. The biggest one will be at quarterback, where Aaron Rodgers is currently playing out a one-year contract. Should he follow through on his past flirtations with retirement, Pittsburgh would need an immediate replacement, but the organization will have a decision to make if he wants to return: use its resources to run it back for another season with the 42-year-old or look for other options under center. Pittsburgh is projected to have $67 million in cap space, plus a pick that seems likely to land in the middle of Round 1, depending on how their season finishes, to address not only the quarterback question, but also a clear need at wide receiver behind DK Metcalf and a cornerback room that could use a youth infusion. Last offseason, Steelers general manager Omar Khan broke with the team’s tendency not to invest much in veteran acquisitions by signing Rodgers and Darius Slay and trading for Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. Will the Steelers return to their more typical draft-and-develop strategy, or has a new team-building philosophy been truly established? THE REST OF THE RANKING:Team Cap rank Draft rank Average11) Houston 22 7 14.5T-12) Baltimore 16 15 15.5T-12) Carolina 15 16 15.514) Tampa Bay 14 18 16T-15) San Francisco 12 22 17T-15) Seattle 8 26 17T-15) Washington 6 28 1718) New England 10 25 17.519) New Orleans 29 9 1920) Philadelphia 19 20 19.5T-21) Detroit 28 12 20T-21) Denver 13 27 20T-21) Miami 28 12 2024) Indianapolis 11 30 20.525) Dallas 32 10 2126) Minnesota 30 13 21.527) Kansas City 31 14 22.528) Chicago 25 21 2329) Buffalo 27 24 25.5T-30) Green Bay 21 31 26T-30) Jacksonville 20 32 2632) Atlanta 24 29 26.5 |
| SHAKEUP COMING IN TIER 1?Every year, Mike Sando of The Athletic has a panel of experts put QBs in various Tiers. As we will see, 2025 has not been a good year for many of those chosen for Tier 1 back in the preseason: Fifty NFL coaches and executives made Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow unanimous Tier 1 choices in the 2025 Quarterback Tiers entering this season. Update: In the past week, Burrow said, “There is not a team in the NFL that would have won the game today if I was the quarterback,” while Mahomes suffered a season-ending knee injury in a defeat that assured his Kansas City Chiefs, like Burrow’s Bengals, would miss the playoffs. Tier 1 revisitedTier definition: A Tier 1 quarterback can carry his team each week. The team wins because of him. He expertly handles pure-passing situations. He has no real holes in his game. Preseason quote to note: “Mahomes has the Brady seat now, until someone proves otherwise. Last year, I saw a headline saying something to the effect of, ‘Mahomes’ worst year to date, and the Chiefs are undefeated.’ This is when this guy is too good for his own good.” — NFL offensive coordinator The Brady-Mahomes comparison aligned more than Mahomes would have hoped. Like Brady, Mahomes suffered a season-ending knee injury in his ninth season. Brady suffered his injury in Week 1 in 2008, giving him more time to heal for the next season. Mahomes has been a unanimous Tier 1 selection in 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Will that change after a few relatively down statistical seasons, his first losing season and a major injury that could affect his mobility? In past years, some withheld Tier 1 votes for Burrow over durability concerns. That could become a factor for more voters in the future after Burrow missed nine games this season. Matthew Stafford and Lamar Jackson earned Tier 1 status in 2025 for the first time in their careers. Stafford has validated those votes by becoming the MVP front-runner for a Los Angeles Rams offense that ranks first in EPA per play (0.14), touchdowns per game (3.8) and first downs per game (23.5). Jackson’s status in the top tier could be tenuous. A hamstring injury sidelined him for three games. Jackson is taking sacks on a career-high 10.7 percent of pass plays, more than double his rate last season. He has negative EPA per pass play for only the second time in his career. His overall EPA per play, which counts designed rushes, is a career low. JOSH ALLEN is also a Tier 1 who does not get any comment from Sando – we assume he will firmly be there next year, perhaps at the top. To see the thoughts on the other Tiers – go here |
