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When the Raiders fired head coach Josh McDaniels midway through his second season with the team, general manager Dave Ziegler was also dismissed. The latter has found his next NFL opportunity, at least on a short-term basis.
Ziegler is joining the Saints as an advisor through the upcoming draft, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports. This temporary agreement will give New Orleans an experienced voice in key personnel decisions over the coming weeks as the team navigates its annual slate of cap gymnastics and free agency.
The draft itself will of course be another crucial checkpoint on the offseason calendar.
Ziegler started his executive career with the Broncos in 2010. He worked as a player personnel assistant that year, but some of his subsequent experience came on the scouting side of the operation in Denver and New England.
The 46-year-old worked his way up to player personnel director with the Patriots in 2021 before taking the Raiders’ GM gig.
Things did not go according to plan in Vegas, however. The Raiders went 14-20 during his time in charge, a span which took on a distinctly ‘Patriot Way’ flavor. A number of ex-Patriots players were brought in, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
The veteran encountered new injury concerns in his debut Vegas campaign, and he was benched in favor of rookie Aidan O’Connell by interim coach Antonio Pierce.
Garoppolo’s PED suspension will allow the Raiders’ new regime to cut bait, but finding a replacement will be a top offseason priority in the bid to move on from the McDaniels-Ziegler tandem.
The Saints have a number of important decisions to make in the near future, including a continuation of the restructures and extensions which will be needed to get under the salary cap ceiling.
A number of veterans – including wideout Michael Thomas, whose contract is set up for him to be released — will likely be let go, though. Replacing them via free agency and the draft will be key factors in the Saints’ bid to reach the postseason after going a combined 16-18 under head coach Dennis Allen.
It will be interesting to see if Ziegler earns an extended stay in New Orleans or helps his stock for another executive position elsewhere once the draft has concluded.
More must-reads:
- Saints, Derek Carr restructure contract to clear up cap space
- 2024 offseason primer: Saints face uphill battle with NFL’s worst cap situation
- The 'Highest-paid NFL players' quiz
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Vikings UDFA making serious push to not just make the roster, but earn serious playing time after impressive start to training camp
When it comes to the Minnesota Vikings, their biggest issue is currently at cornerback. Right now, Byron Murphy Jr. is the top guy and that's not going to change. He has earned not only the money that comes with being CB1, but his play has earned him the role. Isaiah Rodgers is slotted in as CB2 and Jeff Okudah right now is the CB3 when the Vikings play in nickel packages. After those three, Mekhi Blackmon is the most likely CB4, but one player's performance over the last two days has made a major impact and could make that decision a little bit harder. Dwight McGlothern is standing out in training camp When the Vikings added Dwight McGlothern as an undrafted free agent after the 2024 NFL Draft, he was one of two players they signed who was a top 200 player on Arif Hasan's consensus board. The former Arkansas Razorback had transferred from LSU and showed flashes at both schools. One of the biggest reasons why he was undrafted was due to his size and issues with concussions. He profiled like an intriguing option at outside cornerback, especially with his height and solid linear movement skills. There were some limitations to his game, including the explosive metrics coming in very subpar, but there is a lot to like. Despite being on the active roster all of last season, he didn't play very much, but thrived against the Chicago Bears the first time he got extensive run. Going into training camp, McGlothern was going have a lot of opportunities to earn an improved spot on the roster, including possibly getting into the rotation. The last two training camp practices, McGlothern has made his presence known by getting interceptions on back-to-back days, including this beauty from Tuesday. The best way for a player like McGlothern to make the roster is to make plays to earn opportunities in better spots. Well, McGlothern has done just that, and if he continues to make waves, could find himself in a great spot come September.
NFL analyst says teams should be 'extremely scared' of this franchise in 2025
While the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders have garnered a lot of attention lately, there is one NFC team that has quietly been flying under the radar. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a one-score game to the Lions in the divisional round in 2023 and followed that up with another one-score loss to QB Jayden Daniels and the Commanders last season, proving how close they have been to the ultimate prize in the two seasons with Baker Mayfield under center. In an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" Tuesday morning, analyst and former player Ryan Clark offered high praise for Mayfield and what the Buccaneers are capable of. "Baker Mayfield is a top-10 quarterback in this league," Clark said. "Baker Mayfield is a football player. And when I say that, I know people at home are gonna be like, 'Duh, he gets paid to play football.' No, not all quarterbacks are seen as football players. Not all quarterbacks are embraced in the locker room as one of us." Clark sees the Buccaneers as a team the rest of the league should be paying attention to because of who they have returning and the close calls in the playoffs the last two seasons. "This is a team that's been on the cusp the last two years," Clark said. "Now you think about some of the pieces they've added, the confidence in their quarterback and the way that he plays, and Todd Bowles with another year to understand winning at a high level at the head coach position. This is a team you better be extremely scared of because they're stacked and they're confident." Mayfield has been sensational during his time with the Buccaneers. Although he did throw 16 interceptions, Mayfield accounted for the third-most passing yards (4,500) in the league last season and has thrown the most TD passes (69) in the last two seasons, per StatMuse. To add even more incentive for Mayfield, the team restructured his contract, which is set to expire after the 2026 season, to include $30M in guaranteed salary for that season. The Buccaneers return a lot of production on both sides of the ball, in addition to bringing in first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka, who topped 1,000 receiving yards twice at Ohio State and accounted for 26 total TDs. While Tampa Bay allowed the 17th-most points per game (22.7) last season, it returns the majority of its defensive production. On top of that, the offseason acquisition of veteran LB and two-time Pro-Bowler Haason Reddick, who agreed to terms on a one-year deal, should be a welcomed addition for a franchise that had some question marks on defense last season. The Buccaneers are projected to have the sixth-easiest schedule in the NFL this season and have the best chance to win the NFC South for the fifth consecutive season, according to ESPN Analytics. If Mayfield can cut back on his turnovers and the defense can create more pressure on opposing QBs, the Buccaneers could be a threat in the NFC once again as they look to put their recent nail-biting losses in the postseason behind them.
It's time for the Bengals to meet their disgruntled star halfway
As Trey Hendrickson prepares to end his holdout, it's time for the Cincinnati Bengals to meet their star edge-rusher halfway. On Tuesday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that Hendrickson plans to end his holdout amid a prolonged contract dispute by reporting to Bengals camp on Wednesday despite still seeking an extension. "Reporting to camp stops the $50,000 per day fines and also serves as a good-faith gesture to try to jumpstart negotiations," Schefter wrote. Hendrickson is owed $18.7M in 2025. Last season, Hendrickson led the NFL in sacks (17.5). He originally signed a four-year, $60M contract with the Bengals during 2021 free agency and later signed a one-year extension in July 2023 to keep him Cincinnati through 2025. With no guarantees beyond this upcoming season and the edge-rusher market exploding recently, Hendrickson certainly has a valid argument to demand an extension. Meanwhile, Cincinnati has few (if any) good reasons not to reward their best defensive player. Hendrickson, 30, has been one of the league's most prolific pass-rushers since joining the Bengals. Former agent Joel Corry, writing for CBS Sports, brushed aside concerns about a potential drop-off in production while pointing to Pittsburgh Steelers edge T.J. Watt's recent contract extension. As Corry noted, Watt, who became the league's highest-paid non-quarterback when he agreed to a three-year, $123M extension earlier this offseason, is roughly two months older than Hendrickson. "Hendrickson also accounted for 48.6% of Cincinnati's sacks last season while Watt was responsible for 28.8% of Pittburgh's," Corry wrote. On Monday, Schefter shared that the main sticking point in Hendrickson's contract dispute is guaranteed money, with the Bengals hesitant to provide any guarantees beyond 2025 on a potential three-year deal. As productive as Hendrickson has been for the Bengals — his 57 sacks since 2021 only trail Watt and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett — the front office should be doing everything in its power to ensure he finishes his career in Cincy. Hendrickson ending his holdout is the first step to the sides reaching a resolution. The next is the Bengals giving him an extension commensurate to his production.
Former Detroit Pistons NBA 1st-Round Pick Signs With Team In Japan
Stanley Johnson most recently played in the NBA during the 2022-23 season when he was a member of the San Antonio Spurs. He finished that year with averages of 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest while shooting 53.3% from the field and 45.0% from the three-point range in 30 games. On Tuesday, the news was announced that Johnson is signing a deal with a team in Japan (h/t HoopsHype). Via BasketNews: "Stanley Johnson, the eighth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and a former Lakers forward, has officially signed with Nagasaki Velca in Japan's B.League " Johnson was the eighth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft (out of Arizona) by the Detroit Pistons. He has also played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans over eight seasons. His career averages are 6.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest while shooting 39.1% from the field and 30.5% from the three-point range in 449 games.
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