play2:06Schefter to McAfee: Tua benching the first step in Miami moving onAdam Schefter joins Pat McAfee to break down the Dolphins’ options after benching Tua Tagovailoa.
play1:36How Liam Coen has galvanized the Jaguars this seasonPeter Schrager tells Pat McAfee how Liam Coen has brought an “us against the world” mentality to Jacksonville.
Jeremy FowlerCloseJeremy Fowlersenior NFL national reporterJeremy Fowler is a senior national NFL writer for ESPN, covering the entire league including breaking news. Jeremy also contributes to SportsCenter both as a studio analyst and a sideline reporter covering for NFL games. He is an Orlando, Florida native who joined ESPN in 2014 after covering college football for CBSSports.com.Follow on XDan GrazianoCloseDan Grazianosenior NFL national reporterDan Graziano is a senior NFL national reporter for ESPN, covering the entire league and breaking news. Dan also contributes to Get Up, NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Sunday NFL Countdown and Fantasy Football Now. He is a New Jersey native who joined ESPN in 2011, and he is also the author of two published novels.Follow on XDec 24, 2025, 09:45 AM ET
Orlovsky: Trevor Lawrence is the NFL’s most improved player (0:45)Dan Orlovsky has some praise for Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. (0:45)
Schefter to McAfee: Tua benching the first step in Miami moving onAdam Schefter joins Pat McAfee to break down the Dolphins’ options after benching Tua Tagovailoa.
How Liam Coen has galvanized the Jaguars this seasonPeter Schrager tells Pat McAfee how Liam Coen has brought an “us against the world” mentality to Jacksonville.
Peter Schrager tells Pat McAfee how Liam Coen has brought an “us against the world” mentality to Jacksonville.
What are you hearing on Joe Burrow? Could he actually want out of Cincinnati?
This week, we asked around on Joe Burrow and his Bengals outlook. Could the star quarterback want out of Cincinnati? Should we read into his recent comments? And which other QBs could theoretically be looking at changes this offseason?
Jeremy and Dan also poked around on the Jaguars, who are in the middle of a six-game win streak and are in the AFC 1-seed mix. They also gathered reaction to Pro Bowl rosters, which were announced Tuesday morning. It’s all here, as our national reporters answer big questions and empty their notebooks heading into Week 17.
Jump to: Burrow’s situation | New QB1s next season Jaguars’ legitimacy | Pro Bowl reaction More notes on Week 17
But it feels like a crucial year for both the direction of the franchise and Burrow’s place within it. Would Burrow like to see improvements to the roster and the overall strength of the team? Most likely. But even then, league executives I’ve spoken to see no chance Cincinnati ever considers trading him. He’s under contract for four more seasons.
The most fascinating situation has to be Miami, which must decide whether to pay Tua Tagovailoa $54 million to walk away (assuming no trade) and start a cost-effective option in his place.
Schefter to McAfee: Tua benching the first step in Miami moving on
Adam Schefter joins Pat McAfee to break down the Dolphins’ options after benching Tua Tagovailoa.
They wouldn’t be replacing him with a better player, because there really aren’t any better players. But given that Jackson and coach John Harbaugh have won a total of three playoff games together since Jackson was drafted in 2018, it might be worth it for the Ravens to examine whether a new extension in excess of $60 million per year is the best way for them to build their team moving forward.
Like with the coaching carousel, one or two surprises will surface at some point. Last offseason featured 10 quarterback changes. Yes, 10! And that’s with only one rookie starter in Week 1 of 2025 (the Titans’ Cam Ward). The veteran market was booming, and there were six new starters via either free agency or the draft. Derek Carr’s retirement and Geno Smith’s move to Las Vegas via trade was not in the forecast a year ago.
Fowler: I’ve heard people say Coen is right there with Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel in first-year coaches at their respective spots who are vying for Coach of the Year. The job Coen has done with the roster and especially with Lawrence has been impressive. From footwork to decisiveness, Lawrence looks like a different quarterback, and Coen deserves credit for that.
Keep in mind, this was an attractive job during the carousel. If GM Trent Baalke wasn’t in the picture early in the process, I think Jacksonville luring Johnson was a possibility. Jacksonville realized that it had a good job on paper and had to pivot off Baalke to get a prime candidate, making Coen an offer he couldn’t refuse. So from a talent standpoint, Coen was not walking into a rebuild. But what he has done with that talent on the roster is commendable.
How Liam Coen has galvanized the Jaguars this season
Fowler: Heavy chatter around the Eagles and the snubbing of defensive tackle Jordan Davis. Teammate Jalen Carter got the Pro Bowl nod among NFC defensive tackles, but if you ask the Eagles who has been their most dominant force up front this season, it’s Davis without debate. And Chargers left tackle Joe Alt making the Pro Bowl off six games raised some questions. It’s a weaker tackle pool in the AFC, but Indianapolis’ Bernhard Raimann was a surer bet.
Graziano: The Packers thought Jordan Love would have a good chance. He’s third in the NFL in QBR. Sam Darnold, who made the NFC roster, is 12th and has more than twice as many interceptions as Love has this season.
Fowler: Cornerback is of interest, because even though the position is loaded with top-shelf stars and the recipients were deserving, a few younger corners made compelling cases — including a pair of 2023 second-round picks out of the AFC North in Pittsburgh’s Joey Porter Jr. and Cincinnati’s DJ Turner II. And it feels as if several teams had too many Pro Bowl players; Dallas and Baltimore have losing records but boast five and six recipients, respectively.
Graziano: Maybe if we’d run the Jaguars’ section of this notebook a week or so ago, it might have helped them get someone into the Pro Bowl besides their long-snapper, Ross Matiscik, who is their only representative. In particular, the Jags would have liked to see Josh Hines-Allen get that recognition. Or Devin Lloyd and his five interceptions.
• It’s a good sign for Packers quarterback Jordan Love that he was a limited participant in Tuesday’s practice. Love remains in the concussion protocol, which means he still has to clear several steps and continually be monitored for a possible recurrence of symptoms. But being on the field in any capacity in what was effectively a Wednesday practice (because the Packers play on Saturday this week) means he’s making progress through the protocol and can’t yet be ruled out for Week 17.
Backup Malik Willis, who suffered a shoulder injury in Saturday’s overtime loss to the Bears, was also on the practice field and limited. So the Packers opened the week with some encouraging updates on their potential to have one — if not both — of their top two QBs for a critical game against the Ravens this Saturday night at Lambeau Field.
• The Cowboys’ defense has been extremely permissive all season, and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ seat could be getting hot even after just one year. As ESPN’s Todd Archer pointed out, every time the Cowboys have allowed 400 or more points in a season since Jerry Jones has owned the team, they had either a new coordinator or a new defensive scheme the following season. They’ve already allowed 454 this season.
Remember, he has no NFL coaching experience, so if he does partake in interviews, he’ll be in a position to discover whether the nuances of the game are something he wants to entertain. I’ve talked to a few coaches with ties to Freeman who believe he will stay in college. So his name isn’t going away, but that’s the latest based on what I’ve heard.
• The Commanders are “trending” toward starting Josh Johnson for the first time this season. Marcus Mariota hasn’t practiced yet because of a hand injury, and recently signed Jeff Driskel (off the Cardinals’ practice squad) could serve as a No. 2 on game day. The tight Thursday turnaround makes it tough for Mariota in what’s becoming a season to forget for Washington.
• Vikings running back Jordan Mason is considered a long shot for Thursday night vs. Detroit, per a source. The Vikings aren’t ruling him out yet, but playing on a Thursday night following an ankle injury is tough sledding. The Vikings activated Ty Chandler off injured reserve, which could be good timing for him.
I know that getting away from that formula has frustrated some people in the building at times. He’s averaging 16.7 carries per game, well below last season’s 19.1. Henry’s four fumbles haven’t helped, to be sure, but the Ravens are still dangerous if they can somehow get in the playoffs. This is largely the same unit that ranked first in total offense in 2024 under coordinator Todd Monken, yet it ranks 18th this year. Henry will be a factor in that push.
Schneider also made one of the best hires of the most recent coaching cycles with Mike Macdonald, who can match wits with Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay in the NFC West. It’s hard to ignore what Seattle has done. In addition, Schneider’s assistant general manager, Nolan Teasley, could garner GM interest during this cycle.
Fowler: Same, Dan. My sense is the Bengals have not received any indication that Burrow wants out of Cincinnati. One team source believed that Burrow was simply having a “bad day” two weeks ago at that initial news conference that sparked the consternation, saying, “I truly think he wants to be here,” and that he has been great in game prep. Assuming the Bengals will run it back with coach Zac Taylor, whose contract runs through the 2027 season, then all signs point to Burrow staying with the franchise next season.
Fowler: Correct. The question is really pretty simple: Can the defense improve its personnel over the next four to five months? If it struggles mightily for another year, I could see Burrow being more forceful. There’s simply not enough talent on that side to make a run at the AFC North. A few draft picks — defensive end Myles Murphy and corners DJ Turner and Dax Hill — look like keepers. But that’s not enough. The Bengals will need to get creative in free agency and the draft to properly support Burrow and the offense.