NFL Player News

Maye struggled through the air all afternoon, completing less than 50 percent of his passes while taking five sacks from the No. 1 sack defense in the league. Despite his offensive struggles, Maye and the Patriots took advantage of a turnover late in the second quarter, when Jarrett Stidham was ruled to have thrown a pass behind the line of scrimmage, which was recovered by the Patriots on Denver’s 12-yard line. Maye would complete a six-yard pass to Kayshon Boutte on the following play, then run up the middle on a QB draw on the following play for the six-yard score, tying the game before the half. On the opening possession of the second-half, Maye again relied on his legs, breaking free for a 28-yard run on third down to move his offense into the Broncos’ red zone. While they weren’t able to find the end zone on the drive, a 23-yard field goal by Andy Borregales to cap the drive proved to be more than enough for Maye and the Patriots, who spent much of the the second half grinding out the clock in snowy conditions. Now headed to the Super Bowl, Maye will become the second-youngest quarterback in NFL history to start Super Bowl (Dan Marino, 23 years and 127 days), and the first from the 2024 NFL Draft Class to make it to the big game. The game was far from pretty, but Maye again came up clutch and is one game away from hoisting his first Lombardi Trophy in just his second season. The Patriots now wait to see who they will play between the Rams and Seahawks.

Leonard previously spent six seasons with the Giants before coaching with the Raiders under Patrick Graham last year. The Raiders conducted their fair share of interviews for the vacant defensive coordinator position before promoting from within. Leonard worked closely with Pro Bowl defensive lineman Maxx Crosby, potentially marking a play at retaining the veteran rusher this offseason.

The Raiders pounced on their top choice at head coach immediately following the Super Bowl with the hiring of former Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak but they have yet to fill any of their coordinator positions. Covington has drawn multiple interviews for defensive coordinator vacancies this hiring cycle but did not land his first play-calling gig, with the Raiders now an additional opportunity to do just that.

The Browns have two first-round picks this year. Wolfe reports that the Browns believe they are “close to set” on defense and are expected to “go heavy on offense” in the 2026 NFL Draft. New head coach Todd Monken’s scheme is said to have more “flexibility” than former head coach Kevin Stefanski’s scheme did, and the Browns apparently believe Monken’s scheme could allow Shedeur Sanders to “use his play-making ability” more effectively. The Browns also “believe” Deshaun Watson will compete with Sanders for the starting role.

Bengals DC Lou Anarumo and DL coach Marion Hobby both coached Hendrickson, in the exact same roles, when all three were employed by the Bengals for four-plus seasons. Hendrickson’s relationship with the Bengals has soured, though the front office has thus far been unwilling to let the talented pass rusher leave town. This will be worth watching. Stay tuned.

Per Wolfe, the Jaguars believe Hunter can be an “elite” cornerback, while still being “an impact player” on offense. For fantasy purposes, this is unfortunate. Hunter may be stuck rotating in as a contributor in three-wide receiver sets, which would make him frustratingly unreliable, though head coach Liam Coen will likely try to scheme up ways to get the ball in his hands. On the plus side, Wolfe said Hunter will be “full-go” by Week 1. The Jaguars are reportedly expected to let one of their free agent cornerbacks, Montaric Brown or Greg Newsome, walk in free agency.

Spence is expected to serve as the Chargers’ new inside linebackers coach, though the role has not yet been finalized. The former NFL linebacker (2012-2017) began his coaching career as a special teams analyst at Western Michigan in 2023. He coached linebackers for them in 2024 and edges in 2025.

Per Over The Cap, the Commanders currently have the fifth-most salary cap space with more than $75.4 million available in 2026. Rapoport notes that general manager Adam Peters has been an active trader in recent seasons. Regarding free agency, Rapoport adds that “with a good, young quarterback, the time to spend is now.”

Howard has coached in the NFL since 2013 and has been in his current role with the Seahawks for the past two seasons, He worked as the Chargers’ linebackers coach for one year before that. He spent 2020-2022 with the Browns as their defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator after a seven-year stint as a defensive assistant with the Vikings.

Etheridge has coached in the college ranks since 2012 and spent last season serving as the University of Miami’s defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator. He served as Houston’s defensive backs coach in 2024. Before that, he spent the 2021-2023 seasons working as Auburn’s secondary coach and was also named associate head coach in 2022.

The former NFL offensive lineman entered the NFL’s coaching ranks as offensive quality control coach with the Raiders last season. He previously worked as a graduate assistant at North Carolina and Appalachian State.