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senior NFL national reporter- Dan 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.
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senior NFL national reporter- Jeremy 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.
It's Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season, and league insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano are here to break down the biggest questions, latest news and notable buzz heading into the slate of games. They've been making calls around the league to get the newest information. Plus, they pick out which players should -- or shouldn't -- be in your fantasy football lineups.
What's going on with coaching situations for the Giants, Raiders and Jaguars? Are those jobs bound to come open or will those franchises continue on their current courses? And could Mike Vrabel be in play for one of those spots (or one of the three that have already opened)? Finally, what's the word around the league on the Falcons' quarterback situation? Could they actually shift from Kirk Cousins to Michael Penix Jr., or are they committed to their veteran QB1?
It's all here, as our insiders answer big questions and empty their reporters' notebooks with everything they've heard heading into Week 15.
Jump to a section:
Potential coach openings | Vrabel buzz
Falcons' QB situation | Fantasy tips
Latest intel and notes
What are you hearing on the Giants, Jaguars and Raiders coaching spots? Could those jobs come open?
Graziano: Those teams are a combined 7-32 this season, so it's reasonable to think any or all of them could open up. It's important to say that a lot of what we hear about potential openings this time of year is speculation from the outside. We don't usually know what the plans of team owners are until the season ends. That said, the people to whom I'm talking to believe Jacksonville is likely to come open, and the question there is whether GM Trent Baalke will get to stay to pick the next coach to replace Doug Pederson or if the Jags will change both spots.
Fowler: Yeah, Dan, the common thread is that all three teams are very bad but unique in their own way. For the Jaguars, the sense I get from talking to people is that owner Shad Khan would make the head coaching job more attractive by also starting anew at general manager. People in Jacksonville are bracing for change, but whether that's a full-house cleaning still needs to be determined. But most people are predicting the Jaguars to open barring a major surprise.
Graziano: With the Giants, I know ownership is sick of changing coaches every two or three years and doesn't want to move on from Brian Daboll, but the team is not competitive, and there has been enough negativity there the past couple of years that it's possible they could decide they want a new administration to make the call on the next QB and the future direction of the franchise.
In Las Vegas, it seems harsh to move on from Antonio Pierce after only one season without a real answer at quarterback. But the addition of Tom Brady to the ownership group has potentially altered the dynamic, as team owner Mark Davis would like Brady to have a real role in the decision-making. It's harder to get a read on this spot, but people around the league are watching this situation for potential change.
Fowler: Your points on the Giants represent what I'm hearing, too. It comes down to John Mara's patience level. While I've spoken to people with the team who believe Mara wants to stick to his plan, outsiders are wondering how difficult that will be if it's Week 17 and MetLife Stadium is half-full with the Giants stuck on two wins. That will be the real test if the Giants' on-field product doesn't improve. And then there's the draft dynamic -- the Giants could snag the No. 1 overall pick, and general manager Joe Schoen has spent significant time in Colorado, current home of top QB prospect Shedeur Sanders. Schoen and Daboll have yet to pick their own quarterback. Will they get that chance?
Sources I've talked to are torn on the Raiders. There is a feeling in some league circles that the job could come open, in part because the team cut a shorter-term deal with Pierce, their once-interim coach. And the Raiders need updates to several parts of their football operation. But Pierce inherited one of the league's worst quarterback situations and suffered a rash of injuries, so a one-and-done would be severe.
In short, it wouldn't be a surprise if any of these jobs opened up. But which potential surprises do you have on your radar, Dan? There's always one.
Graziano: Again, this is outside speculation from people I'm talking to around the league, rather than anything that definitely will or should happen. But some have their eye on Miami and wonder whether there's a change if things end badly this season, though Mike McDaniel did sign an extension in August. I think Tampa Bay was another such place a few weeks ago, but now that the Buccaneers are back in first place in the NFC South, moving on from Todd Bowles feels unlikely.
I doubt Carolina would make Dave Canales a one-and-done, but how can you ever predict what owner David Tepper is going to do? A lot of people have been asking me about Cincinnati, too. I don't get the sense that Zac Taylor is in trouble, though there could be some other staff changes as a result of the Bengals' disappointing season.
Fowler: Yeah, Canales should be good. In fact, I've heard Tepper has taken a more hands-off approach of late. He's trying to trust Canales and GM Dan Morgan to get it right, knowing that the roster requires patience in its current state. We shall see if he holds to that. Same goes for Cincinnati, and though that possibility has been circulating in coaching circles, a change would surprise me. Staying in the AFC North, Kevin Stefanski also appears safe in Cleveland.
Jerod Mayo's 3-10 start in New England has been rocky, though people I've talked to believe adding more experience to the Patriots' staff would be a more prudent move than Robert Kraft firing his hand-picked successor that he essentially developed for years.
How legit is the Mike Vrabel buzz? Could he really get a job?
Fowler: The buzz seems legitimate based on what I've heard around the league. Vrabel is considered a prime candidate to get one of the seven to eight jobs that will inevitably open. Some have pegged him for Las Vegas, should the Raiders' job come open. Brady's influence as a minority owner there could loom large for Vrabel or others with ties to the former quarterback. And if the Bears are looking for a candidate with experience, as some believe they ultimately will, Vrabel's ability to build a winning culture could be attractive.
But there are questions attached to Vrabel's candidacy. What level of control does he want? Is he flexible on staffing? And how would he pair with a new general manager?
Graziano: Your questions are legitimate ones, but they could also be applied to Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, Kellen Moore or any other candidate who'd be up for a gig. Teams are looking for culture-builder types like Vrabel. Because he doesn't have an offensive background, Vrabel will have to answer the question of who he'd bring in to run his offense. But he has track record of success there, as two of his former offensive coordinators from Tennessee became head coaches (Matt LaFleur and Arthur Smith).
That said, I think Vrabel is a legit candidate for at least one of the potential open jobs, and why wouldn't he be? It's not as if Tennessee's situation has improved since the Titans fired him. This is a 49-year-old former player who was a Super Bowl champion and widely respected during his playing career, and he transitioned quite smoothly into a successful NFL head coach.
And the head coach aspect of that should not be ignored. As teams sift through the annual pool of coordinators who haven't yet proven themselves as a top guy, Vrabel has done it and done it well. Outside of Bill Belichick, I'm not sure there's a candidate in this cycle with a better track record of actually being a head coach, so I expect Vrabel to be in high demand. I wouldn't be surprised to see him get a look in Chicago or Dallas (if Dallas comes open). Any ideas on where Vrabel might land?
Fowler: Some around the league have noted the Cowboys as a natural fit. They valued experience and pedigree with their last hire in Mike McCarthy and could lean that way again, if they decide to make a change at all. The Raiders make a lot of sense, should that job open. I don't necessarily see the Saints or Jets as the play, though it's early. Jacksonville feels like a possibility, too.
Chicago is the most fascinating layer of the Vrabel conversation, because he has much of what the franchise needs -- leadership and the ability to maximize the skill sets of players, particularly in the trenches. But Vrabel isn't exactly known for his pass-game mastery. The Titans never cracked the top 20 in passing offense during Vrabel's six seasons there. Though the new Bears coach doesn't have to be an offensive playcaller, he must have a quality plan for quarterback Caleb Williams.
Graziano: Yeah, Kliff Kingsbury is a name that keeps coming up in Chicago, especially because of his previous relationship with Williams at USC. I still expect the Bears to take a run at Johnson, and it's possible they could get him. I believe Johnson will be a hot candidate, but Williams should be a draw for any creative offensive mind -- including any who might be inclined to join a potential Vrabel staff there.
Where do things stand with Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr. and the future of the Falcons' QB1 spot?
Graziano: I honestly don't think anything has changed since the day Penix was drafted. The Falcons said then that their plan was to try to win now with Cousins and that Penix was drafted to be the future quarterback. I was with the Falcons last weekend in Minnesota, and my understanding is that the April plan is still in effect.
After a fourth straight loss in which Cousins failed to throw a touchdown pass, Falcons coach Raheem Morris was quick to assert that they were not considering benching Cousins for Penix. I think Cousins will start for the rest of this season -- or at least until the Falcons are eliminated from playoff contention -- and then they'll decide what to do in the offseason. Penix is going to turn 25 in May. He made 45 starts in college, including 28 during his last two seasons at the University of Washington. If he's not ready to start in the NFL right now, he should be very soon.
Fowler: The last time we discussed Cousins' future, I pointed out that his late-season play could be a factor in his future with the team, especially with penchant for teams playing first-round picks sooner than later. (It was of course aggregated to "Falcons will trade Cousins if he struggles," but that wasn't really my point.) Now, his job status has become a weekly topic in Atlanta news conferences amid his struggles.
At some point, the cries for Penix will be too loud to ignore if Cousins continues to throw interceptions -- he has eight over the past four games. But I still believe the Falcons can maximize his talent. Cousins is third in the NFL with 3,396 passing yards, and the Falcons have a bevy of offensive talent around him, so Cousins' production should return to the mean eventually. As long as the Falcons are mathematically alive to win the NFC South, Cousins should have a decent chance to finish the season.
What would an offseason trade market look like for Cousins, whose $27.5 million fully guaranteed salary is reasonable for a quality starting quarterback? Are there enough teams willing to trade for an aging veteran?
Graziano: It only takes one. And as usual, there are going to be enough teams looking for QB help that Cousins would have some kind of market. As you point out, the salary is more than reasonable for a starting-caliber quarterback. And having pocketed $62.5 million from the Falcons this year, Cousins might be amenable to reworking the contract to make something work with a new team.
I have long believed the Falcons would have to look at trading Cousins after this season. Cutting him would cost $65 million in dead money in 2025, and they'd have to pay him his $27.5 million salary for next season regardless. Trading him would cost only $37.5 million in dead money and would get Cousins' guaranteed salary out of their hair. Atlanta's biggest problem might be Cousins' substandard play of late, which could depress his trade market.
It's worth remembering that Cousins also has a $10 million roster bonus in 2026 that becomes fully guaranteed if he's on the roster when the 2025 league year starts in March, so that has to be addressed. But off the top of my head, I could see the Giants, Jets, Raiders, Steelers, Browns, Titans, Saints, Panthers and Seahawks as teams that could be looking for a signal-caller in the offseason. They aren't all going to be in position to draft one, and the free agent market tends to dry up quickly.
Fowler: Cousins would be an upgrade for many of the teams you listed. The Giants would make sense for him to serve as a bridge starter for a draft pick, while Cousins and Stefanski always seemed like a logical pairing if Cleveland could afford it. But far as Cousins' play, I go back to this question: What can Atlanta do to help him?
Cousins does not have a play-action touchdown pass this season. That was a staple for him in Minnesota, where Kevin O'Connell had him throwing in rhythm. After asking a few scouts about what's wrong with Cousins, they point to him feeling pressure or looking uncomfortable in the pocket. His once-high-level footwork hasn't been as crisp of late, which could be a remnant of his recovery from the torn Achilles he sustained last October. His ball location hasn't been quite as good, either. Perhaps Cousins can improve those areas in short order, but if he doesn't, the Penix questions will persist.
What's your top fantasy football tip of the week?
Fowler: It seems like a good time to finally lean into the Cowboys' running game with Rico Dowdle. He had 243 rushing yards on 40 carries over the past two weeks, and the Panthers have given up a league-leading 2,211 rushing yards this season, 300 more than the next-worst team. Six different backs have produced 100-plus rushing yards against Carolina. With the Cowboys' passing game struggling to drive the ball downfield, Dowdle seems likely to get a heavy workload, which makes him a sensible fantasy play.
Graziano: Well, I don't know why you're still asking me after I named Calvin Ridley in this space last week (seven catches for 59 yards). But I'll go with Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin against the Colts, who have the second-worst rush defense in the league, as my sleeper. If you're totally desperate at running back, McLaughlin could be worth a flyer. It's tricky to pick a Broncos RB, because Sean Payton has been changing them up all season, but McLaughlin had a big game in Week 13 before the Broncos' bye. Plus, the Colts have been giving up a ton of fantasy points to running backs over the past month.
What else are you hearing this week?
Graziano's notes:
• I believe the situation with the Bengals' star wide receivers is one of the most fascinating of this coming offseason. Quarterback Joe Burrow raised a lot of eyebrows Monday night with his postgame expression of confidence that the team will find a way to bring back Tee Higgins. Several local reporters described it as a "bombshell." I think that's because there has long been a presumption that the Bengals wouldn't be able to bring back both Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase, and that they'd ultimately choose Chase as the one to keep. Franchising Higgins this offseason while trying to do an extension with Chase obviously supported that idea. But you do start to wonder.
The Bengals didn't get the deal done with Chase, who is having a potential triple-crown season. Now he could expect to be the league's highest-paid receiver (which means more than Justin Jefferson's $35 million per year). There are a number of teams around the NFL who believe that's too much to pay a wide receiver, regardless of his talent. If the Bengals turn out to be such a team, is it possible they'd pivot? Signing Higgins would be both their best leverage against Chase in negotiations (if you don't want to be here, this guy does!) and their best insurance against losing him.
Now, it's important to remember that because Higgins was designated as a franchise player, the Bengals are prohibited by rule from signing him to an extension before the end of this season. But they could still sign him after the season ends and before free agency opens in March, presumably for less than $35 million a year. That likely would mean trading Chase, who is under contract for 2025 for a guaranteed $21.816 million on his fifth-year option. Cincinnati could surely find a taker.
There are rumblings that Higgins is pondering an agent change (he's no longer listed with his previous agent on the official NFLPA site, but he's also not yet listed with a new one), which sometimes indicates a change in the player's negotiating stance. And Burrow's confidence shouldn't be ignored completely, as he's not the type to just say things like that off the cuff. I don't know how this shakes out. I still think it makes more sense for the Bengals to pay Chase, even if that means letting Higgins walk. But the longer it goes without a new deal for Chase, the more expensive the price tag gets.
• The Chiefs are hoping for the best with newly signed tackle D.J. Humphries, who left his Chiefs debut on Sunday night with a hamstring injury. They were sending him for an MRI earlier this week with the hope that he wouldn't have to miss time. If he does, the staff in Kansas City believes Wanya Morris played better in relief of Humphries on Sunday than he had in recent weeks, and they have hope that he can improve. The Chiefs recognize their pass protection problems and are open to all possible solutions, even if that means moving veteran guard Joe Thuney to left tackle, as they did during their Week 13 victory over the Raiders.
Humphries was coming off an injury when the Chiefs signed him, and Kansas City tried to ease him into action. But if the hamstring injury is going to keep him out for a game or two, it probably requires the team to look at other options.
• The Steelers' success has nudged offensive coordinator Arthur Smith back onto some radar screens in terms of getting a second chance at a head coaching opportunity. My sense is it's more likely he gets back into the cycle after next season than this one, but Smith has been able to do what Sean Payton (and Nathaniel Hackett before him) couldn't do in Denver: Get Russell Wilson to buy in and play within the structure of the offense. He also was making it work with Justin Fields while Wilson was injured. Smith was 7-10 in each of his three seasons as the Falcons' coach before being fired last offseason but had little to work with at quarterback outside of latter-stage Matt Ryan in his first season. Don't be surprised if some team makes a call to request an interview.
Fowler's notes:
• The Saints should be close to naming a Week 15 starting quarterback with the practice week beginning in earnest Wednesday. The starter will need reps. They will leave the light on for Derek Carr, but with multiple ailments (hand/wrist injury and a concussion), it feels like an uphill battle for him. That leaves Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler as the most viable starting options, and after asking around this week, I believe Haener is well positioned -- though no firm determination has been made. The Saints want to gauge how both players (along with the recently signed Ben DiNucci) respond to the practice week.
Another layer to this is Rattler's future. The coaching staff is still bullish on the rookie, who started three games for the injured Carr earlier in the season. The Saints' offense was woefully depleted during that stretch and has slightly better footing now. But Haener has more experience and knows how to move the ball downfield.
• The Jets have begun preliminary work on general manager candidates, including the evaluation of those not currently in the league. That makes sense, since clubs are free to talk with candidates not currently employed in the NFL but must wait until after the regular season to submit interview requests for those employed by other teams. Former Tennessee general manager Jon Robinson, for example, is someone I expect the Jets to research. The Titans were 66-43 during his tenure from 2016 to 2022. Phil Savage, who joined the Jets in 2019, is serving as the interim general manager.
The Jets will conduct wide-ranging searches for their open GM and head coaching positions, with former league executives Mike Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman aiding the search. It's unclear whether New York will hire a coach or general manager first, though some around the league suspect it will start at GM.
• Mike Macdonald must have been watching copious film during the Seahawks' Week 10 bye, because the Seahawks have emerged as one of the NFL's hottest teams. The catalysts for this four-game winning streak, per people with the team, are streamlined communication on defense, lineup changes on that side of the ball (rookie linebacker Tyrice Knight and safety Coby Bryant playing more prominent roles) and a dominant stretch from defensive lineman Leonard Williams.
Additionally, sources call out efforts to improve the rushing attack and watching receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba win one-on-one matchups when DK Metcalf pushes the coverage to his side. Smith-Njigba has jumped to fifth in the league in receiving (911 yards) and told me "I'm not going to put a ceiling on" what the offense can do. Quarterback Geno Smith cited two other reasons for the shift during Sunday's postgame news conference: culture and coaching. The vibes are good in Seattle.
• The NFL conducted its labor seminar during this week's owners meetings in Irving, Texas. Team officials would have loved to walk away from the session with a set salary cap for 2025, but they didn't get one. That usually comes closer to free agency. Still, a few team officials predicted that the cap would land around $275 million, roughly an 8% increase from the $255.4 million figure in 2024.