| NFC NORTH |
| DETROITMichael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com on how hot QB JARED GOFF can get: Until Sunday, no player in NFL history had multiple games with at least 400 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. But now Jared Goff has done it. Goff finished Sunday’s win over the Jaguars with 412 passing yards, four touchdowns and a 158.3 passer rating. In 2018, while with the Rams, Goff had a game with 465 yards, five touchdowns, and a 158.3 passer rating. Only seven times in NFL history has a quarterback finished a game with 400 yards, four touchdowns and a perfect passer rating. Goff is the only player on the list twice. The other five quarterbacks who have reached those thresholds in a game are Ken O’Brien in 1986, Nick Foles in 2013, Dak Prescott in 2019, Aaron Rodgers in 2019 and Deshaun Watson in 2019. |
| NFC EAST |
| DALLASMichael Irvin sends a message to Jerry Jones – presumably from buddy Deion Sanders. John Breech of CBSSports.com: With the Dallas Cowboys sitting at 3-7 heading into Week 12, it’s starting to look like Mike McCarthy won’t be returning for a sixth season with the team. That means the Cowboys could be in the market for a new coach come January. If that happens, one name that keeps popping up is Deion Sanders. The Pro Football Hall of Famer spent five seasons in Dallas and won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys in 1995. Although Sanders seems to be happy in his current role as head coach at Colorado, the Cowboys could still lure him to Dallas if they’re willing to do one thing, according to Michael Irvin. During a Tuesday appearance on “The Herd,” Irvin was asked whether Sanders would consider taking the Cowboys coaching job if the team were to draft his son, Shedeur Sanders, and he gave a very interesting answer. “I believe 100% [yes], and I can tell you, good sources have told me that,” Irvin said. “Great sources have told me that. That’s all I can say like that without violating anything else.” Basically, if you believe Irvin, then Sanders would be all about taking the Dallas job if the Cowboys are willing to use their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Shedeur, who is currently a star quarterback at Colorado. Considering the Cowboys already have Dak Prescott, this seems like an unlikely scenario, but crazier things have happened. Also, Irvin has already made it clear that he’s going to spend the next month pleading with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to hire Deion. Jones and Irvin actually did an interview together at the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight on Friday and the Hall of Fame receiver made sure to mention Deion. “Everybody loves Mike [Tyson], but everybody loves and respects Jake [Paul] also for what he’s done here,” Irvin said, via PFT. “To have an ability to not go the normal route and still end up right here. You give him respect. I give him respect like I give my great guy Deion Sanders, who didn’t go the normal route. Who I’m gonna be in Jerry’s ear about later. That’s just something else we’re talking about.” Irvin also sent out a tweet from that match that mentioned the Colorado coach. It’s pretty clear what Irvin is hinting at: He wants his former teammate to be the next coach of the Cowboys. As for Deion, he was asked about the coaching speculation on Tuesday and he made it clear that he’s thrilled to be at Colorado, which is currently 8-2 and in contention for the Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff spot. “I’m happy where I am, I’m good. I got a kickstand down,” Sanders said, via DNVR Buffs. “I’m rested, I’m good, I’m happy, I’m excited, I’m enthusiastic about where I am. I love it here. I truly do.” Even if the Cowboys don’t draft Shedeur, it’s still certainly possible that Deion could end up with his son in the NFL at some point. Deion has already said that he’s going to try and control where Shedeur goes in the draft, so it’s completely possible that he could steer him toward a place that might be interested in adding both of them as a package deal. If you’re wondering where Shedeur Sanders might end up, our four NFL Draft experts can’t agree: They have him landing anywhere from the Raiders to the Giants to the Browns. |
| AFC WEST |
| LAS VEGASDerrik Klassen of The Athletic thinks its obvious that TE BROCK BOWERS, not QBs JAYDEN DANIELS or BO NIX, is the Rookie of the Year: Scramble Drill: Brock Bowers is actually the rookie of the yearWe don’t have to give the Rookie of the Year award to a quarterback — it’s not a “value” award like MVP. It simply should go to the best player relative to their peers at whatever position they play. Through that lens, there is no one more deserving than Bowers. The statistical case for Bowers is easy. Through 10 games, he already has 70 receptions, second most in the league behind Ja’Marr Chase (who would have serious Offensive Player of the Year buzz himself if the Bengals were a .500 team). Bowers is also ninth in receiving yards, one spot behind Falcons star receiver Drake London. Every other player ahead of Bowers is a wide receiver, not a tight end. And Bowers’ receiving volume is in historic territory. The only other player in league history with more receptions through their first 10 career games is Odell Beckham Jr. (71 in 2024), per Pro Football Reference. Beckham, of course, won Offensive Rookie of the Year at the end of that special season. It’s not just volume, either. Bowers is an efficient player, despite playing on an aimless team with Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell and, occasionally, Desmond Ridder throwing him passes. Bowers ranks ninth in the league in target success rate (60.7 percent) among players with at least 40 receptions, according to TruMedia. He is directly behind Chase on that list, and the only tight ends ahead of him are Trey McBride, George Kittle, and Travis Kelce. When you consider the gap in quarterback play and team rushing success, not to mention the higher volume Bowers has seen than those three other tight ends, it’s a huge feat he’s even close in terms of efficiency. Numbers aside, just watch Bowers play. Pick one Sunday afternoon to observe how the Raiders funnel their entire offense through their rookie tight end. They call screens and scheme up shot plays in a way you just don’t ever see for first-year players at that position. That’s been especially true after the Raiders traded Davante Adams to New York. Bowers is already one of the best players at his position, three months into his NFL career. No rookie caveats or anything like that — he is straight up one of the best tight ends in the NFL, right this second. That’s deserving of some hardware, if you ask me. |
| AFC NORTH |
| CLEVELANDOnly four coaches have won multiple NFL Coach of the Year Awards since 2000. One is Bill Belichick who won three, but none after 2010. Another, Kevin Stefanski, says he’s not perturbed by speculation he could be fired one year after winning his second such award. Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com: Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that he’s not concerned about talk that he is on the “hot seat” amid his team’s 2-8 start to the season. The Browns are off to their worst start since 2017, when the team went 0-17, and in recent weeks, there has been speculation on local Cleveland radio regarding Stefanski’s job security. “I think probably because I grew up listening to [Philadelphia radio], I’m smart enough to not worry about outside noise,” Stefanski said. “I get that’s part of this gig. That’s life in the big city. My sole focus is getting this team ready to get a win on Thursday night. That’s it.” Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry, both of whom joined the organization before the 2020 season, signed extensions in June after leading the Browns to their second playoff appearance in four years. The Browns did not disclose the length of those extensions. Stefanski won his second NFL Coach of the Year award last season for his efforts in guiding an injury-riddled team back to the postseason. Cleveland, however, has regressed from its 11-win season last year. The Browns, with a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night, would clinch their 22nd losing season since returning to Cleveland in 1999. Quarterback Deshaun Watson, for whom the Browns traded three first-round picks and gave a fully guaranteed $230 million deal before the 2022 season, suffered his second straight season-ending injury in Week 7. Watson has only started 19 games in Cleveland — he served an 11-game suspension to start the 2022 season after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions — and has posted the second-worst total QBR since making his debut. Days after Watson tore his right Achilles tendon, Stefanski announced he would be relinquishing playcalling duties to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, a decision he said was made on his own. During the team’s Week 10 bye, Berry was asked about how confident he was that he and Stefanski will get another season to turn around the team. “I’ll be honest, neither of us really think of it that way,” he said. “I’d say number one, to myself, I always view myself as a steward of the organization in this role and really my focus is on doing the things that are in my control, short term and long term, to make sure it’s in the best interest of the franchise. … Kevin’s an outstanding coach and he’s absolutely part of the solution with everything.” So who are the other two coaches with multiple NFL Coach of the Year honors since 2000. It’s not Andy Reid (he won in 2002 with the Eagles, none with the Chiefs). It’s not Sean Payton (2006) or Mike Tomlin (none) or Sean McVay (2017) or Kyle Shanahan (none). It’s not either Harbaugh (John in 2019 only, Jim in 2011 only). The answers are Bruce Arians who won it in 2012 as the interim coach of the Colts and in 2014 with the Cardinals (but not when he actually won a Super Bowl), and Ron Rivers (2013 and 2015 with Carolina). Other surprising Coach of the Year winners considering the bulk of their careers are Jason Garrett (2016), Matt Nagy (2018) and Brian Daboll (2022). As we head to the home stretch of the 2024 season, Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton would be good candidates for their second such award or how about giving a first to Tomlin? Here are the current odds for 2024 at Fan Duel: FanDuel Mike Tomlin +300 Dan Campbell +400 Jim Harbaugh +500 Kevin O’Connell +650 Jonathan Gannon +650 Dan Quinn +850 Sean Payton +1,400 Matt LaFleur +2,500 Sean McDermott +2,500 Chiefs Andy Reid +2,500 |
| PITTSBURGHPicking up where we left off in CLEVELAND, here’s Frank Schwab of YahooSports.comwith our pick for Coach of the Year: The Baltimore Ravens lined up for a 2-point conversion and the tie last Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. First place in the AFC North was at stake. Only 1:06 remained in the game. The Ravens presumably dialed up their best 2-point play. And Mike Tomlin stopped it. Literally. Tomlin called timeout right before the 2-point try was snapped. He timed it so the Ravens had to show the beginning of the play, which was Lamar Jackson on the move to his right. The Ravens scrapped that play, had Jackson go left after the timeout, and it had no chance. The Steelers stopped it to win 18-16, improving to a surprising 8-2 this season. Tomlin’s timeout wasn’t particularly groundbreaking. But in a league that sees game-management issues from coaches every week, it was another reminder that Tomlin knows how to win games. “Thankfully we even saw some of the semblance of the schematics of what they intended to run,” Tomlin told the media after the game. “I think that made them change and go the other direction. And obviously, particularly Mr. Jackson is a little less dangerous when he’s going to his left than his right, so we’re thankful for that.” NFL Coach of the Year is a weird award. It rarely goes to the league’s best coach, as strange as that sounds. It usually goes to the coach of whichever team most exceeds preseason expectation. The Steelers typically have high expectations. So Tomlin, who has famously never had a losing season in his (soon-to-be) 18 years as head coach, has never won the award. It’s probably time for that to change this season. Mike Tomlin makes the right move at QBIf the season ended today, here are the top six teams in the AFC and their quarterback. One of the situations is not like the other: Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick MahomesBuffalo Bills: Josh AllenHouston Texans: C.J. StroudLos Angeles Chargers: Justin HerbertBaltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson … and the Pittsburgh Steelers: Justin Fields and Russell Wilson That’s five of the 10 best quarterbacks in the NFL, and the Steelers’ duo of castoffs. Fields was acquired for a sixth-round pick after the Chicago Bears moved on. Wilson was signed for $1.2 million after he was cut following a disastrous two seasons with the Denver Broncos. Most coaches without a top quarterback fail. Some coaches who are gifted a good quarterback can’t get to the playoffs. Tomlin took the spare ingredients he was given and has made a gourmet meal. Tomlin ended up managing his less-than-ideal quarterback situation perfectly too. Fields started the first six games due to Wilson’s calf injury and the Steelers went 4-2. Most coaches would have stuck with the status quo. It would have appeased the crowd that believes quarterbacks and not teams should be assigned win-loss records. But Tomlin went to Wilson, who was bad for the Broncos and ineffective this preseason. Nobody seemed to agree with the move. Tomlin said he was the “lone ranger” among his staff on making the change. The offense took off with Wilson, averaging 27.3 points in his four starts. The Steelers are 4-0 since the change. They weren’t picked by many to be a playoff team this season. Yet they’re 8-2, one of only five teams with two or fewer losses this season, and have to be considered a threat to win the second Super Bowl in Tomlin’s tenure. There is already some revisionist history on the switch to Wilson. Some will say they believed Wilson could revive his career at age 35. Those are mostly lies. Very, very few thought Wilson could still play at a high level. Tomlin made a move that was questioned, mocked or both. The Steelers haven’t lost since. Capping a great careerTomlin never posting a losing season has been repeated so often that it has become a punchline, but there’s a reason that fact got beaten into the ground. To go 18 seasons and never be below .500 (assuming the Steelers win one more game) is amazing, especially in a league that is designed to ensure parity. Tomlin already has a Hall of Fame resume. Bill Cowher, the Steelers’ coach before Tomlin, is in the Hall of Fame, and Tomlin measures up well with him: Tomlin: 181-102-2 (.639 win percentage), 1 Super Bowl, 2 AFC titlesCowher: 149-190-1 (.623 win percentage), 1 Super Bowl, 2 AFC titles Tomlin has a higher win percentage than Hall of Fame coaches like Curly Lambeau, Cowher, Bud Grant, Joe Gibbs, Bill Walsh and Tom Landry. Tomlin has just one Super Bowl and an 8-10 record in the playoffs — the many Steelers fans who have been laughably impatient with Tomlin through the years will point out those facts often — and that is what separates some of the other coaches who are already enshrined in Canton. But Tomlin’s resume is already better than some of the coaches in the Hall, and he’s not close to being done at age 52. An NFL Coach of the Year award would help Tomlin’s case. The fact that Tomlin hasn’t won is a bigger statement on the flawed nature of the award than Tomlin himself. During Tomlin’s near two-decade tenure in Pittsburgh, voters have determined that coaches like Mike Smith, Ron Rivera (twice), Jason Garrett, Matt Nagy and Brian Daboll deserved to win before Tomlin got one. Other coaches have a great case for the award this season. It’s a deep race. But it would be strange for a coach with a Hall of Fame-level resume, a Super Bowl ring and almost two decades of never posting a losing season to not win the award. It’s strange to say about a coach with a championship, another Super Bowl appearance, seven division titles and 11 playoff berths, but this season might be Tomlin’s best job. The group of people who picked the Steelers to win the AFC North and don’t own at least three Terrible Towels might be infinitesimally small. But Tomlin keeps winning. Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised the Steelers are in first place in late November. A few times through the years, as the Steelers fell short in the playoffs, the franchise has had to go against some public sentiment to keep extending Tomlin and its five-plus-decades long streak of never firing a coach. But the Steelers knew what they had with Tomlin. Other franchises can learn a lesson from that. |
| AFC EAST |
| NEW YORK JETSCoach Robert Saleh was fired six weeks ago. GM Joe Douglas was relieved of his duties on Tuesday. And Rich Cimini of ESPN.com thinks QB AARON RODGERS will not be back. The New York Jets’ disappointing season claimed another casualty Tuesday, as owner Woody Johnson fired general manager Joe Douglas after five-plus seasons. The move came six weeks after Johnson fired coach Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start, setting the stage for an offseason reboot that likely will affect quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Phil Savage, a senior football adviser for the Jets, was named the team’s interim general manager. Savage is a former GM of the Cleveland Browns (2005-08). “Today, I informed Joe Douglas he will no longer serve as the General Manager of the New York Jets. I want to thank Joe for his commitment to the Jets over the last six years and wish him and his family the best moving forward,” Johnson said in a statement. Johnson added that the Jets “will begin the process to identify a new General Manager immediately.” He wasn’t made available to reporters. The Jets, who began the season with Super Bowl aspirations, dropped to 3-8 after blowing a late lead Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Johnson, who recently called this Jets roster the best he has had in 25 years of ownership, was fuming after the game, sources said. Douglas’ ouster isn’t a surprise — the team was 30-64 under his stewardship, with no winning seasons and no playoff appearances — but the timing is curious, considering there are still six games remaining. Douglas, who signed a six-year contract in June 2019, didn’t have a contract for the 2025 season. In fact, his deal would have expired in six months, which created seasonlong uncertainty. Johnson figured sooner was better than later because he decided Douglas’ fate after Sunday’s game and wanted to start the process of a GM search as quickly as possible, sources said. He apparently felt it would’ve been awkward to conduct the search with a lame-duck GM still in the building. Douglas’ fate was likely sealed when he wasn’t included in the decision to fire Saleh on Oct. 8. At the time, Johnson made it abundantly clear that it was his call, leaving his GM in a difficult position. Some in the organization were surprised that Johnson didn’t fire Douglas and Saleh at the same time, sources said. It’s possible that Johnson retained Douglas long enough to handle some unfinished business — the Haason Reddick holdout and the trading deadline (Nov. 5). The Jets wound up trading for wide receiver Davante Adams (Oct. 15) and resolving the holdout (Oct. 22), with Johnson taking a key role in both. Douglas had become disenchanted in recent weeks, sources said, hoping a miracle turnaround might change things. The opposite has happened; the Jets have dropped seven of their past eight games in what was supposed to be a win-now season under Rodgers, whose future is cloudy. One source said he’d be “shocked” if Johnson brings Rodgers back in 2025. Rodgers, 40, mired in one of his worst statistical seasons, is under contract for next season ($23.5 million cap charge), but none of his salary is guaranteed. Douglas arrived with a sterling reputation as a talent evaluator. He built a roster with young stars such as wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner, but he had a huge miss by drafting quarterback Zach Wilson with the second pick in 2021 after deciding to move on from Sam Darnold and trading him to the Carolina Panthers. Douglas tried a quick fix at quarterback, trading for Rodgers in April 2023, but the Jets caught a bad break when the future Hall of Famer tore his Achilles on the fourth snap of the 2023 season. He doubled down on Rodgers, surrounding him with aging stars on short-term deals — namely offensive tackle Tyron Smith, wide receiver Mike Williams and edge rusher Reddick, who came via trade. None of them have worked out. Williams was traded recently to the Pittsburgh Steelers. While Douglas helped build a talented defense, which has regressed this season, he failed to solidify the offensive line and quarterback positions. Since the start of 2019, the team’s quarterbacks rank last in the NFL in Total QBR (36), completion rate (59.6%) and yards per attempt (6.3), according to ESPN Research. The Jets will be looking to hire a GM and coach for the first time since 2015, when they wound up with Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles, respectively. Bowles was fired after the 2018 season; Maccagnan was fired a few months later after losing a power struggle with newly hired coach Adam Gase. Maccagnan was replaced by Douglas. Johnson’s role for 2025 remains unclear. There’s speculation that he could be appointed by president-elect Donald Trump to serve again as the ambassador to the United Kingdom, a post he held from 2017 to 2021. If that happens, Johnson’s younger brother, Christopher, would again assume day-to-day control of the team. On the day Douglas was fired, a leak emerges about the meddlesome Woody Johnson. Zach Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini of The Athletic with plenty of inside info: Joe Douglas sat alone in the press box, staring blankly at the field in front of him. Reporters and Jets staffers walked by and he barely spoke. When that Sunday night game in Pittsburgh ended, the Jets’ 15-6 lead evaporating in a 37-15 loss at Acrisure Stadium, Douglas was already gone. During the fourth quarter, Douglas took the elevator down to the lower level, went to the visitor’s locker room, grabbed his bag and retreated to the team bus where he sat, alone, during the game’s final moments. It was a fitting image: A general manager, worn down not only by the losses, but by the pressure of an owner with an increasingly heavy hand. On Tuesday, one month later, the Jets held a walkthrough at the team facility. Some staffers were surprised to see owner Woody Johnson on the last day before the team broke for their bye week — even at a practice mandated by Johnson himself. Some suspected something was about to happen. They were right. Douglas was fired as general manager during his sixth season on the job. Senior personnel consultant Phil Savage will take over in the interim. The Jets have already started their search for a new general manager. When he spoke to the media (for the last time as Jets GM) on Nov. 6, Douglas looked defeated. He was never much of a talker, but his answers were brief even for him, and devoid of emotion. Perhaps what multiple team sources, granted anonymity to discuss the inner workings of the Jets’ front office, said transpired over the last few months was weighing on him. According to those sources, the day after the Jets’ loss to the Denver Broncos on Sept. 29, there was a contentious meeting at the team facility. It included Johnson, Douglas, vice chairman Christopher Johnson, team president Hymie Elhai, and Ira Akselrad, an adviser to Johnson. It also included a group of coaches: then-head coach Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, then-defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and special teams coordinator Brant Boyer among them. The coaches had been called in to explain what happened with their units during the 10-9 home loss to the Broncos. During the meeting, Johnson suggested to the coaches that they bench Aaron Rodgers in favor of Tyrod Taylor because he felt Rodgers’ performance was holding the team back. The coaches and Douglas, stunned at the suggestion, talked him out of it and convinced Johnson to stay the course and that benching Rodgers, with his pedigree, four games into the season would not sit well with the locker room. The coaches also felt it would embarrass Rodgers. The idea of benching the future Hall of Famer sounded so absurd that one coach asked whether the owner was serious — multiple sources from that meeting believed he was. Johnson was calmed that day, but the meeting set the tone for what happened a week later. On Oct. 8, Johnson made a unilateral decision to fire Saleh without consulting his general manager (or anyone else in the organization, for that matter). But really, Douglas’ free will as the GM was stripped away long before that. (Douglas did not respond to a request for comment.) Douglas had already lost some power midway through last season when Johnson took a more active role. Example: Douglas had a contract extension offer he was getting ready to propose to defensive end Bryce Huff’s agent, but Johnson vetoed that — and any other moves involving paying new money to players on the roster. By January, Douglas seemed to have even less control. That’s when he fired assistant general manager Rex Hogan, a move that shocked many in the organization because of how close Douglas and Hogan — and their families — were. Multiple team sources theorized that Johnson forced Douglas’s hand; in the aftermath, Douglas told Jets staffers that “Woody should just fire me now.” In February, director of player personnel Chad Alexander left for an assistant GM job with the Los Angeles Chargers; Johnson didn’t allow Douglas to replace either of them. From then on, many in the Jets organization described Douglas as a shell of himself. “They’re holding him hostage,” a team source told The Athletic. “Joe was checked out,” said another former Jets front office member. Last offseason, both Saleh and Douglas agreed they needed to focus on rectifying some past mistakes they had made in free agency — specifically, they wanted to avoid aging players or ones with injury concerns. Douglas pursued a trade with the Denver Broncos for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, offering Allen Lazard and a Day 2 draft pick, according to a league source, but Johnson nixed it. Jeudy was instead traded to the Cleveland Browns. When offensive tackle Tyron Smith and wide receiver Mike Williams lingered after the initial wave of free-agent signings, the Jets pursued both. Multiple team sources believe this was a matter of Johnson’s preoccupation with social media factoring into the Jets’ decision-making. Douglas went along. He offered an incentive-laden one-year, $6.5 million deal worth up to $20 million with various playing-time incentives. What Douglas didn’t expect: No other teams (including the Dallas Cowboys, where Smith had spent his whole career) had expressed interest in signing Smith — so the former All-Pro accepted the Jets’ offer. The 33-year-old has allowed the most sacks of Jets offensive linemen and is currently out with a neck injury. Williams, coming off a torn ACL, also signed for a one-year, incentive-laden deal that didn’t work out. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a fifth-round pick after nine unproductive games in the Jets offense. Around the time Smith and Williams joined the roster, the Jets began talks to acquire Pro Bowl defensive end Haason Reddick, granted permission to seek a trade by the Eagles. Reddick, who turned 30 in September, was in the last year of his contract and wanted a new deal, which Philadelphia wasn’t going to give him. His asking price (believed to be around $25 million per season) was so high that there was little interest from other teams. According to a league source, Douglas was warned by Reddick’s representation that if the Jets didn’t plan on awarding Reddick a new contract, they should hold off on a trade. But when Douglas found out it would only cost him a 2026 third-round pick for a player of Reddick’s caliber he did it anyway, believing that Reddick would report and the team could figure out the contract later. However, per team sources, Johnson wasn’t willing to give Reddick a new contract. And so Reddick skipped OTAs, minicamp, training camp and the first seven weeks of the regular season before finally reporting to a then-2-5 Jets team. If it wasn’t obvious how involved Johnson was in the operation before this season started, it became clearer in October, when Saleh was fired. Johnson explained that he felt the Jets had the most talented roster the franchise had assembled in his 25 years as owner and he wanted to find a spark before it was too late, promoting Ulbrich to interim head coach. The line about the roster talent was presumably an endorsement of the work Douglas had done over the past few years, but multiple sources within the organization viewed it as more of an endorsement of the roster that Johnson felt that he had built. On Oct. 15, Johnson pushed Douglas to trade for star Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, giving up a conditional third-round pick — far more than other teams traded for top wide receivers at the deadline. The next day, Johnson told reporters at the owners meetings in Atlanta that “you know, thinking is overrated. You have to look forward. We have to look forward to the games we’re going to play each and every week and try to win all of them … you just have to go with your instinct and what’s the best thing to build a team.” When he was asked if the Jets season was “salvageable” he responded: “We’re gonna kick … you can add the words after that. We’re going to do really well.” On Sunday, the Jets benched starting safety Tony Adams at the behest of Johnson, according to a team source. Johnson also wanted the Jets to practice during their bye week, which didn’t go over well with some of the locker room’s leaders. The Jets are 1-4 since the Adams trade, 3-8 for the season and are headed into an offseason in which they will be undertaking a full organizational reset: general manager, head coach and, probably, quarterback. Rodgers is fond of both Douglas and Ulbrich and had been hoping for some continuity in 2025. As such, it’s increasingly unlikely the quarterback returns next season, and it’s believed that Johnson won’t want him back anyway. As for Douglas, he had his struggles as general manager. His biggest mistakes came in the failure to construct a competent offensive line until this year, as well as drafting Zach Wilson second overall in 2021, poor draft classes in ’20 and ’21 and other misses in free agency. But those mistakes were balanced out by some shrewd moves, like the impressive ’22 draft class (Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson, Breece Hall) and some successful free-agent signings and waiver claims that worked out, like D.J. Reed, Quincy Williams, John Franklin-Myers and John Simpson. Ultimately, it’s difficult for any general manager to survive six years without sniffing the postseason. Douglas wasn’t technically hired by Woody Johnson, but rather his brother Christopher Johnson, the team’s vice chairman who ran the organization for three-and-a-half years while Johnson was working in the Trump administration as the ambassador to the United Kingdom. Many in the organization were under the impression that, when Johnson returned in 2021, he wouldn’t be involved as much day-to-day. Fast-forward to Douglas’ last news conference. He was asked about being kept out of the decision to fire Saleh. His response: “I serve at the pleasure of the owner.” Mike Florio says the next move is up to Rodgers, and he thinks he won’t take it quietly: Although Johnson was talked out of it, the disclosure becomes the first shot in the previously cold war regarding Rodgers’s future with the team. Recently, we’ve surmised that, even though Rodgers has said he wants to play next year, there’s no guarantee the Jets will want him back. It seemed that, even before this development, they wouldn’t. It’s now fair to ask, based on how he responds to the leak regarding Johnson’s idea to bench him, whether Rodgers will want to keep playing for the team at all in 2024. Last year, Rodgers railed about the leaks in the Jets organization, after reports emerged that quarterback Zach Wilson was reluctant to play after he’d been benched and the team wanted to un-bench him. “I think it’s chickenshit at its core, and I think it has no place in a winning organization,” Rodgers said of the leaks. That’s what he said about a leak that wasn’t about him. What will he say about a leak that puts Rodgers in the crosshairs? He won’t have a press conference this week, because the Jets are on a bye. He has an instantly-available platform with Pat McAfee, and the next question becomes whether Rodgers will dial in tomorrow and address both the firing of Douglas and the news that Johnson wanted to bench him. Even though Rodgers has struggled, it’s a silly idea. In a Week 3 win over the Patriots, Rodgers was starting to look like his old self, after many months of barely playing. To think Johnson was ready to make such a stunning move after the very next game highlights how impulsive and short-sighted he can be. This time, Johnson messed with the wrong Marine. Rodgers won’t take it. What will Johnson do when Rodgers fires back? Demand that he return the jar of honey from the queen’s garden? Cut him? Rodgers would surely welcome that, now that he knows the boss wanted to put his butt on the bench. So, basically, get your popcorn ready. For as bad as the Jets’ season has been, things could soon be getting good. That said, don’t be surprised if the Jets try to muster a cleanup on aisle 8 by suggesting that Johnson was joking. And, like the supposed joke Dolphins owner Stephen Ross once told coach Brian Flores about paying him $100,000 for each game he lost, we’ll have a very hard time finding the punchline. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| RANKING MVP CANDIDATESBrooke Pryor of ESPN.com with the results of a poll of MVP candidates with seven weeks to go: We’re more than halfway through the 2024 regular season, so it’s a good time to look at the leading candidates for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. We asked our panel — Jeremy Fowler, Mike Tannenbaum, Matt Miller, Jordan Reid, Kalyn Kahler, Seth Walder, Dan Graziano, Field Yates, Matt Bowen, Aaron Schatz, Dan Orlovsky, Ben Solak and myself — to rank the top players in the MVP race through 11 weeks. We used those 13 sets of rankings to compile our consensus top-five contenders. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson still reigns supreme as our MVP front-runner, but the gap between him and the rest of the field has closed. To no one’s surprise, quarterbacks highlight the race. But who’s that rounding out the latest top five? A running back? In this economy? Believe it. Here’s a look at the top MVP candidates, three players who just missed the cut and lingering questions after Week 11. 1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore RavensCurrent odds: +1852024 stats: 2,876 passing yards, 25 TDs, 3 INTs, 75.2 QBR (584 rushing yards, 2 TDs)Even after looking more human than superhero in his last outing against the Steelers, Jackson is our choice to win his third MVP. He held on to the top spot despite Sunday’s loss, where he threw an interception and posted his lowest completion percentage (48.5%) since 2021. With 25 touchdown passes, he already has more scores in 11 games than in his 2023 MVP season (24). Jackson is also second to only Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow in QBR and passing yards. His path to another MVP award — and the Ravens’ to a divisional title — doesn’t get easier from here. Up next are the Chargers, who are holding opponents to a league-low 14.5 points per game. Jackson also has rematches with the Steelers and Browns left, giving him a shot at redemption or a window of opportunity for Bills quarterback Josh Allen to slip past him for his first MVP award. 2. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo BillsCurrent odds: +1502024 stats: 2,543 passing yards, 18 TDS, 5 INTs, 72.5 QBR (316 rushing yards, 5 TDs)Speaking of Allen, he made his most convincing case yet in Sunday’s win against the Chiefs and perennial MVP contender Patrick Mahomes. Allen had a touchdown and pick in the win, but his legs were the difference. He ran 12 times for 55 yards, though none was more crucial — and his MVP candidacy — than his 26-yard fourth-quarter scramble for the game-sealing touchdown. Perhaps the most impressive part of Allen’s MVP campaign is that he’s doing it without an established Robin to his Batman. In the aftermath of the Stefon Diggs trade, the Bills have relied on an ensemble cast rather than an elite top receiver. Still, Allen is finding success spreading the ball around. Eleven different Bills players have caught touchdown throws from him. 3. Jared Goff, QB, Detroit LionsCurrent odds: +6502024 stats: 2,492 passing yards, 20 TDs, 9 INTs, 59.2 QBR (39 rushing yards)A month ago Goff was barely on the MVP radar, but those days appear to be long gone. After perhaps his worst performance with the Lions in a five-interception game against the Texans, Goff authored the pièce de résistance in his MVP campaign against the Jaguars on Sunday. He threw for 412 yards with four touchdowns with just five incompletions. It was his second game of the season with a QBR over 93. Goff isn’t just winning with gaudy passing numbers, he has also been efficient this season. Against the Titans, he completed just 12 of 15 attempts for 85 yards, but three of those completions were touchdown passes. He has an uphill battle to pass Jackson and Allen in the MVP race, but more performances like the one against the Jaguars would help him gain some ground. 4. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City ChiefsCurrent odds: +12002024 stats: 2,404 passing yards, 15 TDs, 11 INTs, 67 QBR (167 rushing yards, 1 TD)Is it even an MVP discussion without Mahomes? Though the Chiefs quarterback has been, dare we say, pedestrian — at least by his standards — he is undeniably a key factor in his team’s one-loss start. With 11 interceptions to 15 touchdowns this season — including two picks and three scores in the loss to the Bills — Mahomes is on pace to post a career-high 18 interceptions and a career-low 25 touchdown passes. Although he has played most of this season without his top two wide receivers (Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice), Mahomes keeps the offense afloat. With DeAndre Hopkins now in the fold, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make a late-season surge, especially with games against the Panthers and Raiders on deck. 5. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia EaglesCurrent odds: +60002024 stats: 1,137 rushing yards, 8 TDs; 210 receiving yards, 2 TDsWho says this is just a quarterback award? Realistically, it’s a long shot this goes to a running back, but Barkley has been a dream for the Eagles offense — and a nightmare for Giants general manager Joe Schoen and the New York regime that let him walk. Anchoring the league’s best rushing offense, Barkley is second only to Derrick Henry in total rushing yards. He leads the league in average yards per game (113.7), rushes of 10 or more yards (26) and he has rushed for 100 yards in four of his past five games. He is on pace to set a new career-high and eclipse his rookie mark of 11 touchdowns; his 5.8 yards per carry is also a career-best mark. Just missed Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals (+2500)Don’t look now, but with a 75.1 QBR that ranks behind only Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson, Murray is having one of his best pro seasons. He has thrown only three picks to 12 touchdowns, and he has continued to be a menace with his legs, averaging 8.1 yards per carry with four touchdowns. Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders (+2500)Daniels’ last two outings were a reminder that he is indeed a rookie, but he’s still in the midst of an impressive season with 14 total touchdowns to just three interceptions. His 67.8 QBR ranks fifth in the league, ahead of heavyweights Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers (+2500)Herbert completed less than half of his attempts against the Bengals, but he still finished with nearly 300 passing yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, a team-leading 65 rushing yards and a game-winning drive. He doesn’t have some of the eye-popping stats as others do on this list, but he deserves a nod with only one interception in 10 games. Also received top-10 votes: Bengals QB Joe Burrow, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, Ravens RB Derrick Henry, Broncos CB Pat Surtain II, Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, 49ers QB Brock Purdy, Steelers LB T.J. Watt, Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase, Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield, Rams QB Matthew Stafford, Texans QB C.J. Stroud, Broncos QB Bo Nix, Eagles WR A.J. Brown, Texans WR Nico Collins For what it’s worth, the DB’s top five is Allen, Goff, Murray, Jackson, Barkley. |
| BROADCAST NEWSBig ratings for Chiefs-Bills. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: Sunday’s Chiefs-Bills game drew the NFL’s biggest audience so far of the 2024 regular season. The CBS broadcast drew 31.2 million viewers, according to Sports Business Journal. Outside Thanksgiving and Christmas games, that was the biggest audience the NFL has had for a regular-season game since a 2007 matchup between the 8-0 Colts and 8-0 Patriots. That was a Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady game, which always drew huge audiences for the NFL, and now Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen is proving to be a similarly major TV draw for the NFL. Chiefs-Bills aired nationally on CBS in the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff window. In the early window, CBS also got a huge audience on Sunday, with 19.8 million viewers, most of whom were watching the Ravens-Steelers game on their local affiliate. That was CBS’s biggest regional window audience since 1992. |
