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There will likely be more GM openings compared to the 2023 cycle. After the Raiders and Chargers fired their respective GMs in-season, the Commanders are expected to follow suit after the season. Given the turmoil in Carolina, it should also be viewed as likely the Panthers clean house.
Scott Fitterer is probably in his final weeks on the job in Carolina, with The Athletic’s Joe Person indicating many around the league point to the third-year GM being canned soon. While Fitterer is well liked around the league, the Panthers have struggled during his tenure. Considering how quick David Tepper was to pull the plug on Frank Reich, Fitterer’s 2024 ouster has been rumored for a bit.
The longtime Seahawks exec loomed as a GM candidate for a stretch before his 2021 hire, and he signed on to work alongside Matt Rhule. The latter ran the show in Carolina during his three-year HC tenure, but Fitterer’s solo run has produced roster fireworks. The Panthers traded Christian McCaffrey shortly after Rhule’s firing and they turned down a monster Rams offer (two first-round picks and a third-rounder) for Brian Burns. Bears negotiations in the winter included Burns and Derrick Brown, but Fitterer and Ryan Poles came to an agreement on a deal that sent D.J. Moore and a host of draft picks to Chicago for the No. 1 overall slot.
Tepper has widely been viewed as leading the charge for Bryce Young, but that swap has burned the Panthers early. Because of Carolina’s 2-12 record, Chicago is close to obtaining the No. 1 pick for a second straight year. It looks like Fitterer will pay the price. The Panthers sport a .292 win percentage since 2021, which matches the Bears for the NFL’s lowest during that span. The next Panthers power structure will be tasked with rebuilding Young, who is believed to have suffered from a complicated offensive approach built on combining Reich and OC Thomas Brown‘s visions.
As the Panthers remain connected to an offense-oriented coach – one who will be OK working with Tepper given the run the sixth-year owner is on – they look to be considering pairing that to-be-determined leader with DC Ejiro Evero. The Panthers are intrigued by the idea of Evero staying and working alongside the team’s next HC, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes.
A sought-after HC candidate this offseason, Evero ended up as the Panthers’ DC after the Broncos let him out of his DC contract. Evero interviewed for the Vikings and Panthers’ DC jobs, after meeting with Carolina about the HC job that went to Reich. Bolstering his reputation on Nathaniel Hackett‘s sinking Broncos ship last year, Evero became the rare in-demand coordinator from a 5-12 team. The Broncos also expressed interest in keeping Evero to team with Sean Payton, but the sides determined it was not a fit. Denver rehired Vance Joseph, while Evero’s stock has not dropped much despite Carolina’s 2023 futility.
A wide disparity exists between the Panthers’ points and yardage rankings on defense; Carolina ranks 29th in scoring defense but third in yards yielded. The Panthers’ pass defense also ranks third. DVOA leans toward the scoring number as more indicative of the defense’s true performance; Carolina’s defense sits 27th here. The Panthers have, however, played much of this season without top corner Jaycee Horn and linebacker stalwart Shaq Thompson.
It will be interesting to see if Tepper would consider forcing Evero upon his new HC. That seems like a stretch, considering the team’s unraveling after Steve Wilks‘ admirable interim effort and the owner’s own reputation likely to make a hire more difficult this year. But this scenario does look to be in play. If so, Evero would be on the verge of developing an interesting reputation for garnering praise despite being a DC for bad teams.
More must-reads:
- The Big Five: NFL’s biggest surprises of the 2025 season — for better or worse
- Eagles receive good and bad injury news ahead of matchup with Giants
- The 'Most NFL QB two-rushing-TD games' quiz
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The Big Five: NFL’s biggest surprises of the 2025 season — for better or worse
The 2025 NFL season has already produced unexpected plot twists, with projected playoff teams struggling and preseason afterthoughts becoming the talk of the town. For better or worse, here are the NFL's most surprising teams entering Week 6. 1. Baltimore Ravens (1-4) When things can't possibly get worse for the Ravens, they reach new depths. By losing 44-10 in Week 5 to the Houston Texans, a team it has historically dominated, Baltimore tied for its worst home loss in franchise history. The Ravens made moves this week to improve a putrid secondary, acquiring safety Alohi Gilman from the Los Angeles Chargers for edge-rusher Odafe Oweh and signing free-agent safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, but that's unlikely to provide immediate relief. In Week 6, Baltimore hosts the Los Angeles Rams, who have the league's second-ranked pass offense, so QB Matthew Stafford should carve up the defensive backfield with wideouts Puka Nacua (who is on a pace for a record-shattering season) and Davante Adams. Baltimore's offense, which is likely to be without two-time MVP starting quarterback Lamar Jackson (hamstring) for the second consecutive week, won't be able to keep up in a shootout. Oddsmakers agree, with Los Angeles an 8.5-point favorite, per ESPN BET. The Ravens appear headed for a 1-5 record entering their Week 7 bye, but they have a much more favorable schedule when they return. According to ESPN's NFL Football Power Index, Baltimore ranks No. 25 in remaining strength of schedule. With a healthy Jackson and an AFC North up for grabs, don't rule out a second-half surge. Yet it's just as likely Baltimore spends all season in a hole it can't get out of. 2. Indianapolis Colts (4-1) The most surprising success story of the season is in Indianapolis, which has surpassed all expectations. Quarterback Daniel Jones, who entered 2025 3-13 in his past 16 starts, is playing like an MVP candidate. Through five games, the No. 6 overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft is 107-of-150 (71.3 percent) for 1,290 yards, nine total touchdowns and two interceptions. The offense has generated most of the headlines, and for good reason, but the defense has been a revelation as well. The unit has held three of its first five opponents under 300 yards and forced a turnover in each game. Indy's fortune might not change in Week 6 as it hosts the Arizona Cardinals, who are coming off one of the most embarrassing collapses in recent history, blowing an 18-point lead at home to the previously winless Tennessee Titans. Arizona (2-3) has turned the ball over five times in its past two games. With road games remaining against the Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks, the Colts will soon provide a more accurate gauge on where they stand. But rather than being a Week 1 flash in the pan, Indianapolis looks built for the long haul. 3. San Francisco 49ers (4-1) Colts head coach Shane Steichen's main competition for Coach of the Year should be Kyle Shanahan, who has done a masterful job of leading a hobbled 49ers squad to the top of the NFC West. San Francisco is 3-0 without starting quarterback Brock Purdy, with Mac Jones joining Daniel Jones as one of the year's great reclamation projects. The Niners are also thriving without elite production in the run game from Christian McCaffrey, who is averaging 3.1 yards per carry. San Francisco is already 3-0 in division games, but to maintain its edge in the NFC West, the offense must become more balanced. Through Week 5, the Niners are first in pass offense (290.6 yards per game) but rank last in yards per rush attempt (3.1) and are the league's only team without a rushing touchdown. (Every other team has at least two.) 4. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1) The Jaguars made the AFC South the only NFL division with two one-loss teams after coming back to win at home against the three-time defending AFC champion Chiefs in Week 5. Jacksonville ranks in the top 10 in the NFL in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Jaguars have ascending talent on both sides of the ball, with running back Travis Etienne (443 rushing yards) averaging career highs in yards per carry (5.8) and rush yards per game (88.6). First-year head coach Liam Coen has done a good job of running him in advantageous situations, with Etienne only facing a stacked box (eight or more defenders near the line of scrimmage) on 13 percent of his carries, the sixth-lowest rate among qualifying running backs, per NFL Pro. The defense, led by first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, a former Green Bay Packers linebackers coach/run game coordinator, has more than held up on its end, forcing an NFL-high 14 turnovers. Linebacker Devin Lloyd (four interceptions, one fumble recovery) is one of the league's most improved players. ESPN's FPI gives the Jaguars a 75.4 percent chance to reach the playoffs, the third-highest odds in the AFC, trailing the Buffalo Bills (92.2 percent) and Colts (85 percent). 5. Las Vegas Raiders (1-4) "I'm processing it poorly to tell you the truth," first-year Raiders head coach Pete Carroll, 74, told reporters after his team's 40-6 trouncing at the Colts last Sunday. "I did expect to win right out of the chutes," Carroll added. Technically, Las Vegas did, defeating the New England Patriots (3-2) in Week 1. But four consecutive losses have dimmed hopes of a playoff run and instead raised significant questions, particularly at quarterback. Geno Smith, acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason, has regressed significantly after a strong three-year run as Seahawks starter. Through five games, Smith leads the NFL in interceptions (nine), throwing one on 5.5 percent of his pass attempts, more than double his rate from 2022-24 (2.1 percent). Instead of contending for a postseason spot, the Raiders, a longtime doormat, are closer to the No. 1 pick. Las Vegas is projected to end the season with the league's fifth-worst record, per ESPN. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Bengals' Zac Taylor explains shocking Joe Flacco move for Packers game
Roughly 24 hours after outsiders learned that the Cincinnati Bengals were acquiring veteran quarterback Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor confirmed that Flacco will start over Jake Browning when 2-3 Cincinnati plays at the Green Bay Packers (2-1-1) this coming Sunday. While speaking with media members, Taylor explained that somewhat surprising decision. Why Zac Taylor believes he can get Joe Flacco "up to speed quickly" "He's already spent a lot of time meeting with us, getting up to speed, so I feel really good about where he's at," Taylor said about Flacco, per Dave Clark of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "You just know him. ...Very comfortable with his style, concepts he's good at, things that we do. All of the terminology, there's a carryover, more so than I would have anticipated. So I feel like we can get him up to speed quickly." Flacco lost three of four September starts with the Browns before the Super Bowl XLVII Most Valuable Player was benched in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel. According to Pro Football Reference stats, Flacco began Wednesday ranked last in the NFL among qualified players with a 60.3 passer rating for the ongoing season. Additionally, he's 28th out of 32 signal-callers with a 36.7 adjusted QBR. That said, Flacco is a 40-year-old who has seen every defensive concept an opposing coordinator could and will throw his way. Back on Sept. 21, he helped the Browns earn a 13-10 win over the Packers in downtown Cleveland. Zac Taylor likes that Joe Flacco faced this Packers defense in September "It's different than a young quarterback coming in, trying to learn the system and understand what a defense is trying to do to try to challenge you," Taylor added about his decision to start Flacco versus the Packers. "Not only that, but he's played Green Bay this year, so he's already gone through a week of prep. ...Now the communication and the weekly rhythm is maybe different and unique, but he's already prepared for this opponent. So he gets a chance to refresh himself on that, while at the same time just learning our system and our terminology...and how we operate." Shortly after Taylor made his comments, ESPN BET had the Bengals listed as massive 14.5-point underdogs against Green Bay. Perhaps that line and the fact that he was discarded by Cleveland will give Flacco some extra motivation heading into the showdown that will take place at Lambeau Field.
Yankees Nation Turns On Aaron Boone As Anthony Volpe Gamble Sparks Fear After Paul Goldschmidt Call
LeBron James & Steve Nash Send Strong Message to Adam Silver Over Long-Standing Kawhi Leonard Issue
The NBA is facing a growing injury crisis, and many believe it’s tied to the demanding 82-game schedule. While some, like Steve Kerr, have long advocated for change, he even emailed Commissioner Adam Silver before last season, urging a reduction to 65 games! On the other hand, some do feel 82 is a sweet spot. The debate continues to divide the league, as concerns over player health and performance intensify. Now, LeBron James and Steve Nash have stepped in to share their perspectives. While discussing the sheer amount of superstars injured for the upcoming season on their ‘Mind The Game‘ podcast, Nash asked James about how much of it has to do with the number of games today’s players have to play each year. The Los Angeles Lakers forward gave a very balanced reply: “I mean, I don’t know, I can’t sit here and say that I have the direct answer to that. But we are at this point in the era that we’re playing in, it’s a lot more running.” While LeBron played it safe, Nash did not hold back. The former Suns star sent a strong message to the NBA, especially to commissioner Adam Silver. “When the acceling-deceling in space, there’s no getting around the wear and tear that causes. Like, we were talking about elite athletes covering elite athletes in bigger spaces, longer rotations, more closeouts, more possessions. Unfortunately, it just is a factor,” Nash pointed out. If you take an ideal scenario, a team can play around 110 games. 82 and then if you take 7 games (ideal situation) in each of the 4 rounds of the playoffs. “And then, so I hate load management. But it’s a part of the equation. We have to be smart. We don’t want guys to miss when LeBron James goes to Atlanta, we don’t want some kid to be sad ’cause he’s got to sit up. But sometimes that’s the reality. It’s that we have to be smart about it. So I don’t know, I feel like it’s an important part of the puzzle is managing the rigors of the game.” Well, Steve Nash does present a fair argument, because we have seen the Clippers star dealing with this issue. Although many fans criticize players like Kawhi Leonard and Joel Embiid for sitting out a significant number of games each season, it might be the result of the immense amount of stress their bodies have taken over time. After all, there’s a huge difference in playing 82 games back in the day compared to today. Then, players did not have to run 20-30 feet to cover a shooter, which might not seem much during one game, but takes a toll on an athlete’s muscles over the season. Teams will have to lean on load management because they do not have any other way of protecting their players. It’s not like the franchise and players like to disappoint the fans, the former Nets head coach revealed, but they don’t want to risk losing their stars for key games. Nonetheless, while LeBron James and Steve Nash have sent strong messages through their statements, what can be the solution? Is there a way to solve the NBA’s load management crisis? Well, in the past few years, load management has become a massive issue for the league, with fans frustrated with the situation. Although the NBA did come up with a way to combat the issue, as they issued a minimum threshold of 65 games for them to become eligible to be considered for the end-of-the-season honors, that doesn’t solve the root cause. You see, while this might prompt players to not sit out every game, the real problem, as Lakers superstar LeBron James and former NBA guard Steve Nash pointed out, is the wear and tear of muscles. The only, or rather an immediate solution, is to reduce the number of regular-season games unless there’s a solid alternative. That’s because any other solution than that will not help the players’ health, which should be a priority for the association. In fact, as mentioned, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has already raised this concern before. “I’m concerned about the product because I think we are asking way too much of our players,” Kerr said back in November last year. “The game has never been more difficult to play at a high level night after night after night. We should account for that. We all need to be thinking about that, for sure.” The Dubs boss pointed out that, given how difficult the game has become for players daily, teams have no choice but to sit out their players for certain games. As disappointing as it might be for the fans, it’s something the franchises have to do to avoid risking their players suffering a serious injury. Now, with more players and coaches joining Kerr, such as James and Nash, the league might finally be forced to look into this issue. However, reducing the number of games is easier said than done. So, will Adam Silver and Co. finally take some action to solve the NBA’s load management issue, or not? That’s something we can only wait and watch as the new season approaches.
Raiders Made Three Moves Including Signing LB Jamin Davis
The Las Vegas Raiders announced they have signed LB Jon Rhattigan from the Steelers practice squad and also added LB Jamin Davis to the practice squad. The Raiders cut QB Jeff Driskel to make room on the practice squad. Davis, 26, is a former first-round pick of the Commanders back in 2021 out of Kentucky. He was in the final year of his four-year rookie contract after having the team decline his fifth-year option when Washington elected to waive him in October 2024. Davis then caught on with the Packers’ practice squad a few weeks later. The Vikings signed him to their active roster before waiving him in December when he was claimed by the Jets. The Jets cut Davis loose coming out of the preseason this year. In 2024, Davis appeared in nine games for the Commanders and Vikings, recording 18 total tackles and a sack.
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