The Steelers could take a step toward filling a crucial spot on Mike McCarthy’s coaching staff on Monday.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that they will interview Saints quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien for the offensive coordinator spot on McCarthy’s staff. Word of their interest in Tolzien first surfaced last week.
Tolzien joined the Saints last year and spent the previous five seasons working with McCarthy in Dallas. He was the quarterbacks coach for the final two seasons as McCarthy’s run as the Cowboys’ head coach.
McCarthy also coached Tolzien when he was a quarterback for the Packers from 2013-2015, so landing the Steelers job would continue a long-running relationship between the two men.
Saints Clips
The Saints will be marching into Paris during the 2026 season.
The NFL officially announced that they will be taking part in the league’s first-ever game in France on Monday. The game will be played at the Stade de France, which is the largest stadium in the country.
“We are excited to be selected to play in the first regular season game to take place in France,” Saints owner Gayle Benson said in a statement. “This moment is special not only because of the strong cultural connection between Louisiana and France, but also because we will compete before a growing Saints fan base in Paris.
The league did not announce the date of the game or the opponent. A report over the weekend said that the Saints will face the Browns on October 25.
Paris joins London, Melbourne, Rio De Janeiro, Madrid, and Munich as sites for international games during the 2026 season.
The Saints’ long-planned “home” game in Paris is coming in 2026.
French news outlet RMC Sport reports that the Browns will play the Saints on October 25 at Stade de France, the country’s largest stadium.
It will be the NFL’s first game in France, and a sellout crowd of about 80,000 fans is expected.
The NFL’s aggressive push at growing internationally shows no sign of slowing down. In addition to France, the NFL plans to play its first regular-season game in Australia in 2026, and the league has also played in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Canada and Mexico. Some American fans don’t like seeing their teams lose a home game, and many fans dislike the early morning Sunday kickoffs to accommodate European time zones. But the league’s decision-makers have made clear that they think there’s money to be made in other countries, and that’s the bottom line.
The Saints have been saying for years that they’re eager to play in the NFL’s first game in France. And now it’s on the schedule.
Joe Brady mentioned multiple times in his introductory press conference as Bills head coach that he’s from the Sean Payton tree.
Now he’s brought in one of Payton’s longtime offensive lieutenants.
Pete Carmichael Jr. is joining Buffalo as the club’s offensive coordinator, according to a report from NFL Media.
Carmichael, 54, was with the Saints from 2006-2023, spending the vast majority of that time as the club’s offensive coordinator under Payton. Carmichael did not call plays full-time until Payton departed the franchise after the 2021 season. But he was fired after two seasons under head coach Dennis Allen.
Carmichael reunited with Payton with the Broncos, becoming the team’s senior offensive assistant in 2024 and serving in that role over the last two seasons.
Brady noted he will still call the Bills’ offensive plays as head coach. But Carmichael joining the team will be a key factor in implementing Buffalo’s offensive game plans throughout the week.
The Steelers are looking to bring in another assistant new head coach Mike McCarthy has plenty of familiarity with.
Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Pittsburgh plans to interview New Orleans quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien for its offensive coordinator vacancy.
Tolzien, 38, played under McCarthy as a backup quarterback for the Packers from 2013-2015. Tolzien then coached under McCarthy with the Cowboys from 2020-2024, first as a coaching assistant and then as the team’s QBs coach for his last two seasons there.
In 2025, Tolzien worked with rookie Tyler Shough, helping him finish the season having completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 2,384 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 games with nine starts.
Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan has been the betting favorite to win offensive rookie of the year for some time and he officially became a finalist for the award on Thursday.
McMillan was a first-round pick last April and he posted 70 catches, 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns for the NFC South champs. If McMillan wins the award, he’ll join Cam Newton as the only Panthers to receive the honor.
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough might have surpassed McMillan as the favorite with more time in the starting lineup. Even if he falls short of hearing his name announced at the NFL Honors event in February, Shough’s provided reason for hope about the future in New Orleans.
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, and Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson are the other finalists this year.
Safety Julian Blackmon’s first season with the Saints was cut short, but he’ll have a chance to make more of an impact in New Orleans in 2026.
The Saints announced on Tuesday that they have signed Blackmon to a one-year extension. No financial terms were disclosed.
Blackmon signed a one-year deal with the Saints last year, but he tore his labrum in the season opener and missed the final 16 games of the season. He had seven tackles before his injury.
Blackmon spent his first six NFL seasons with the Colts. He had 300 tackles, 10 interceptions, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries during his time in Indianapolis.
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett set the single-season sack record during the 2025 season and he also became one of three unanimous choices for the Associated Press All-Pro team.
All 50 voters selected Garrett as one of their choices at edge rusher in this year’s voting. Those voters also unanimously selected Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for this year’s first team.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford got the nod over Drake Maye at quarterback, which opens up the possibility of a split with MVP for the second straight season. Stafford got 31 votes while the Patriots quarterback got 18 with Bills quarterback Josh Allen getting the other one.
Stafford joins kicker Gary Anderson as the only players to be named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in their 17th season or later.
The full All-Pro teams appear below:
First team
Offense
Quarterback — Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Running Back — Bijan Robinson, Atlanta
Fullback — Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco
Wide Receivers — Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams; Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle; Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati
All Purpose — Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco
Tight End — Trey McBride, Arizona
Left Tackle — Garrett Bolles, Denver
Left Guard — Joe Thuney, Chicago
Center — Creed Humphrey, Kansas City
Right Guard — Quinn Meinerz, Denver
Right Tackle — Penei Sewell, Detroit
Defense
Edge Rushers — Myles Garrett, Cleveland; Will Anderson Jr., Houston; Micah Parsons, Green Bay
Interior Linemen — Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee; Zach Allen, Denver
Linebackers — Jack Campbell, Detroit; Jordyn Brooks, Miami
Cornerbacks — Derek Stingley Jr., Houston; Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia
Slot cornerback — Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia
Safeties — Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore; Kevin Byard, Chicago
Special Teams
Placekicker — Will Reichard, Minnesota
Punter — Jordan Stout, Baltimore
Kick Returner — Ray Davis, Buffalo
Punt Returner — Chimera Dike, Tennessee
Special Teamer — Devon Key, Denver
Long Snapper — Ross Matiscik, Jacksonville
Second team
Offense
Quarterback — Drake Maye, New England
Running Back — James Cook, Buffalo
Fullback — Patrick Ricard, Baltimore
Wide Receivers — George Pickens, Dallas; Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit; Chris Olave, New Orleans
All Purpose — Bijan Robinson, Atlanta
Tight End — Kyle Pitts, Atlanta
Left Tackle — Trent Williams, San Francisco
Left Guard — Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis
Center — Aaron Brewer, Miami
Right Guard — Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta
Right Tackle — Darnell Wright, Chicago
Defense
Edge Rushers — Brian Burns, New York Giants; Danielle Hunter, Houston; Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit
Interior Linemen — Leonard Williams, Seattle; Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh
Linebackers — Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville; Ernest Jones IV, Seattle
Cornerbacks — Patrick Surtain II, Denver; Devon Witherspoon, Seattle
Slot cornerback — Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers
Safeties — Jessie Bates III, Atlanta; Talanoa Hufanga, Denver; Xavier McKinney, Green Bay (Hufanga and McKinney were tied for the second-team spot)
Special teams
Placekicker — Brandon Aubrey, Dallas
Punter — Michael Dickson, Seattle
Kick Returner — Kavontae Turpin, Dallas
Punt Returner — Marcus Jones, New England
Special Teamer — Del’Shawn Phillips, Los Angeles Chargers
Long Snapper — Andrew DePaola, Minnesota
Tyler Shough didn’t open the 2025 season as the starting quarterback in New Orleans, but he took control of the job in the second half of the year and his final month caught the eye of the NFL.
Shough was named the final offensive rookie of the month of the regular season on Thursday.
Shough led the Saints to four straight wins in December, but they stumbled against the Falcons in Week 18. He completed 114-of-163 passes for 1,316 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Shough also picked up 135 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the five games.
Head coach Kellen Moore and General Manager Mickey Loomis both said Shough is the team’s quarterback moving into next season and they’ll be looking for even bigger things once he’s back on the field.
Chase Young put together a nice last five games of the year and now he’s been recognized for his performance.
The league named Young NFC defensive player of the month for December and January.
Young posted 19 total tackles with six for loss, 5.0 sacks, and two fumble recoveries — one of which was returned for a touchdown.
In 12 total games this season, Young posted 10.0 sacks with 11 tackles for loss, 15 quarterback hits, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.
