NFL Player News

Seemingly always gutting through something or other, the Dolphins decided not to have Waddle play through his latest ailment with “nothing on the line.” There’s always something on the line when you’re a professional athlete, but we digress. Somehow already 27 years old, Waddle is heading into the final guaranteed year of his contract with back-to-back sub-1,000 yard seasons. That’s despite the fact that Tyreek Hill missed most of this year. Hill will probably be gone for 2026, but it’s unclear who will be under center following Tua Tagovailoa’s benching. We also don’t know if offensive maestro Mike McDaniel will be retained. Waddle’s offseason baseline should be mid-range WR2, with room to slide in either direction.

Rapoport didn’t have the specifics of the deal, but Clay’s contract was set to expire and the team allowed him to interview for a lateral move in Tampa Bay. After exploring other options, the two sides reached a deal to keep Clay in Philly for the foreseeable future. Clay has held the role of special teams coordinator in Philadelphia for five years.

As Schefter notes, McCarthy was born in Pittsburgh and worked under Steelers GM Omar Khan during his time in New Orleans in the early 2000s. For a team that just moved on from Mike Tomlin because of his recent lack of playoff success, McCarthy would be a bit of an odd choice. He made the playoffs three times during five seasons in Dallas but managed to win just one postseason game. McCarthy was, however, more successful in Green Bay. He won a Super Bowl over the Steelers and made the NFC Championship three other times. His track record in the postseason is a mixed bag at best, but the Steelers could do worse in this head coaching cycle.

The Titans already conducted a virtual interview with Nagy. They will now meet him in person later this week. They are also pursuing Packers DC Jeff Hafley, who is likely their first choice. If Hafley doesn’t take the job, Nagy could get a second chance at leading a team. He went 34-31 with the Bears after a successful run as the Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach and eventually offensive coordinator. His latest stint as the Chiefs’ OC has not gone as well. With the best quarterback on the planet at his disposal, Nagy’s Chiefs have topped out at 15th in points per game over the past three years. It’s hard to see him doing better with Cam Ward under center.

Monken will have an in-person interview with the Browns on Tuesday. Making it to the second round of interviews is a good sign for his odds of landing the job. Even if he doesn’t, Monken is a highly coveted offensive coordinator who will have no issues finding work for 2026. He is already considered one of the leading candidates for the Giants’ OC job. Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is also getting a second interview for their head coaching vacancy.

Hafley will meet with Miami brass on Monday before talking to the Titans on Tuesday. He has already met with both virtually. These meetings will be in person. Schefter added, “As was the case with Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta, a deal could come together quickly.” It sounds like these two teams will have a bidding war early in the week before Hafley makes his decision. Hafley does have a connection to Miami via Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan. The latter was just hired by the Dolphins after spending over two decades in Green Bay’s front office. We suspect that’s where he winds up, but this is still an open race between the Titans and Dolphins.

Charbonnett left the Seahawks’ Divisional Round win over the 49ers with a knee injury. The team listed him as questionable to return, but he never reappeared in the blowout game. Macdonald said Charbonnet will undergo an MRI on his knee and the team is optimistic. He at least has a shot at playing in the NFC Championship game. If he doesn’t, Kenneth Walker, who just ran for 116 yards and three scores, will be in line for another massive day.

Pineiro missed just one of his 29 attempts on the season — 32 if you count the postseason — after the 49ers finally moved on from Jake Moody following Week 1. He now has hit 139-of-155 regular season attempts in six years in the league. It’s very funny that he was freely available to anyone before Week 2 and had a season this good. A 2026 free agent, the 49ers will probably prioritize re-signing him after this performance.

Juicecheck had his most prolific regular season in terms of catches and touches since 2021, recording a 24-213-2 receiving line in the regular season and a 4/49 performance in the Wild Card round against the Eagles. He’ll enter free agency again this offseason and figures to be a low-priority target for the 49ers entering his age-35 season.

Bourne went for 142 yards in Week 4, 142 yards in Week 5, and 180 yards from Weeks 7-18. It was a fun ride. Bourne enters free agency as a respectable outside depth receiver, but he hasn’t cracked 600 yards since 2021 and will need extreme circumstances to be fantasy-relevant going forward.

Robinson came on as a depth piece late in the year (after a brief DUI suspension) as he played over Kendrick Bourne and shined in the NFC Wild Card game to the tune of a 6/111/1 receiving line against the Eagles. He’s under contract with the 49ers for 2026 but should only be a depth piece unless several rehab assignments go long – which, given that it’s the 49ers, perhaps we shouldn’t pretend that won’t be the case.