Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season is here, and insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano have been making calls to sources around the league for the latest news and buzz on key situations.
This week, they asked around about two struggling AFC East teams, the 0-7 Jets and the 1-6 Dolphins. Will there be changes in New York, starting at QB? And how many veteran Dolphins could be dealt elsewhere between now and the Nov. 4 trade deadline if the struggles continue?
Jeremy and Dan also checked in on the resurgent Chiefs. Now that the offense is starting to hum, what moves could Kansas City make before the deadline to set up another run to the Super Bowl? They also took a look at some interesting offseason quarterback contract situations and how teams might navigate them.
It’s all here, as our national reporters answer big questions and empty their notebooks heading into Week 8.
Jump to:
What’s next for the Jets?
Could the Chiefs add at deadline?
Dolphins who could be dealt
Offseason QB contract situations
More notes for Week 8
Things have gotten really bad for the 0-7 Jets, who seem ready to bench Justin Fields. What are you hearing about their outlook?
Fowler: Changes should be expected, but I don’t believe that currently applies to coach Aaron Glenn. The Jets did an exhaustive coaching search that landed on Glenn, one of the most sought-after candidates in the 2025 cycle. It hasn’t worked thus far, and he has had his share of miscues. But the Jets have remained competitive despite their struggles at quarterback. Five of their seven losses are by a combined 19 points, and the defense appears to be on the upswing after a slow start. I’m not putting the offensive struggles entirely on Glenn.
On that note, I’m here at the owners meetings and Jets owner Woody Johnson sounds done with the Fields experiment.
Graziano: Glenn is at least considering sitting Fields for Tyrod Taylor, since he addressed that topic directly at his Monday news conference. He said he hadn’t decided yet and wanted to consult other coaches who’d dealt with similar situations. One of the issues is that the 36-year-old Taylor obviously isn’t the long-term answer for this franchise, while Fields theoretically could be if he cleans up some of his issues. If the Jets sit him for Taylor now, they’re effectively giving up on a quarterback to whom they guaranteed $30 million in the offseason and indicating the search for a long-term solution will pick up again next spring. That’s a tough way to go through the rest of the season.
That’s a long way of saying I’m not sure what Glenn will decide or, honestly, what the right answer is for the Jets. If they keep starting Fields and he continues to look lost and overwhelmed, they risk losing the rest of the team. If they sit Fields, they’ve decided before Halloween that their most consequential offseason roster decision was a bust. Personally, I don’t see the point of going with Taylor. They’re 0-7 and not making the playoffs. I’d find a way to keep Fields viable and get to the end of the season so you can get a full-year sample on which to judge him. Of course, that’s easy for me to say. The losses aren’t going on my record.
2:19
Rich Eisen: It’s a total disaster for Justin Fields and the Jets
Rich Eisen goes into detail about the rough start to the season for Justin Fields and the Jets.
Fowler: I’ve talked to multiple NFL coaches who believe the Jets should have leaned heavily into Fields’ running ability earlier. He has rushed 42 times in six starts this season, averaging three designed rushes per game over his past three. In Week 1, Fields had nine designed runs, which helped the Jets to a 32-point outing. From 2022 to 2024, Fields averaged roughly 10 rushes per game as a full-time starter.
“That’s what he’s most comfortable with,” an NFL assistant coach who has worked with Fields said. “And then you can throw him off play-action with more success. I don’t care if you use a high-school-style offense, but he needs to run.”
It’s probably moot now. If Glenn wants to eventually make a move, he should probably do it now. And Johnson scorching Fields publicly makes turning back to him a challenge. Don’t expect fireworks with Taylor at this stage, but he can at least operate a rhythm-and-timing passing game.
Graziano: Yeah, I agree with your idea that they need to use Fields as a runner more. That was tough to do against the Broncos, who limit opposing rushing QBs better than any team, but they should have been able to do it Sunday against the Panthers.
Fowler: With the trade deadline less than two weeks away, expect the Jets to consider dealing veterans to acquire draft capital and build for the future. Edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, corner Michael Carter II and running back Breece Hall are among the options generating interest.
Graziano: I also agree that the Jets probably will be active sellers, so the group around Fields or Taylor from Nov. 5 on could be a bit depleted. This all sounds very bleak, and I must believe the Jets’ front office and coaching staff are working on ways to make the second half of the season tolerable to get some real evaluations of the roster. If they don’t come out of Glenn’s first year having identified the players who are and aren’t a part of their future plan, then this really would be a wasted season.
The Chiefs are back on track. But could they get aggressive and add more help at the deadline?
Graziano: The Chiefs are almost always active at the trade deadline. It seems they add a receiver most years. But assuming everyone stays healthy, they seem to like what they have at that position. I also don’t get the sense they’re desperate to add a running back, as has been speculated by many on the outside since the season began.
If the Chiefs add at the deadline, I expect it to be on defense — maybe a veteran edge rusher — or possibly the offensive line. Rookie tackle Josh Simmons’ situation continues to be murky, and a couple of other linemen left Sunday’s game against the Raiders because of injury. No one really noticed, since the Raiders weren’t putting up a fight, but if guard Trey Smith’s back injury turns into something that causes him to sit out time, that would be a tough hole to fill for an offense that’s really starting to click.
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Fowler: The injuries to Smith and right tackle Jawaan Taylor seem minor, and I sense that Kansas City is comfortable on offense. The Chiefs have long been planning for a receiving corps of Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown, so it’s no coincidence that the trio amassed 18 of the team’s 34 passing targets Sunday, with Rice having 10 by himself. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton are good complementary options. Running back seems less settled. But to your point, Dan, Isiah Pacheco is picking up steam (108 yards on 27 carries the past two weeks) and rookie Brashard Smith’s workload is slowly increasing.
But I do think the Chiefs could add defensive linemen. They are depleted on the interior.
Graziano: They have added defensive linemen in the past (Melvin Ingram in 2021 a prime example). That’s the type of move I could see. Since arriving in Kansas City, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has a strong track record of getting the defense into better shape as the season progresses and having it primed to do big things in the postseason. So, he has earned a lot of trust. But adding personnel up front is never a bad idea. How about the rest of that defense?
Fowler: The Chiefs’ cornerback room is one to watch entering the deadline. Free agent addition Kristian Fulton is a healthy scratch. Could they find a way out of his two-year, $20 million deal? Rookie Nohl Williams is emerging, and fourth-year player Joshua Williams could have trade value.
Call it now: How many Dolphins will be traded before the deadline?
Fowler: I’ll say two: a pass rusher and one other. The Dolphins have Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb to deal, with Phillips having the most trade value of Miami’s edge rushers. Several personnel departments have been enamored with his trajectory, which was derailed by injury. Miami doesn’t appear ready to give the 2026 free agent an extension. It could be similar to Washington trading Chase Young and Montez Sweat at the deadline two years ago.
The Dolphins are getting calls on wide receiver Jaylen Waddle but don’t have plans to trade him at this point. That can always change, but with Tyreek Hill injured, Waddle is a building block who can translate to any offense, which helps for a team that appears headed for major transition. He’s owed $36 million over 2025-26, which is reasonable for high-end players at his position. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is also on my radar. So, while I’m not so sure a complete house-cleaning is in order, it would surprise me if the Dolphins stood pat. This is a team with roster concerns, and those eight 2026 draft picks won’t address them all.
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Graziano: I agree with you about Waddle, particularly since his contract makes him a tougher to trade. Jaylen Wright, who has slipped behind rookie Ollie Gordon II on the depth chart, could also be a player who moves. There will be teams interested in picking up a running back, with the Chargers and Texans being two teams I’ve heard mentioned. And there are sure to be others.
Either way, this Dolphins season has not gone the way anyone hoped it would and there’s a lot of chatter about significant change, which we touched on in this space last week. If they’re looking ahead to next year as a reset/rebuild scenario, they’re going to listen to calls on almost anyone. My biggest question is what they’ll do at quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa has $54 million in guaranteed money coming in 2026 and seems to have regressed significantly. Can Miami rebuild around him with any degree of confidence? Is there a glimmer of a chance that the Dolphins could package him with a draft pick and get a team to trade for him?
Trade-deadline talk is easy when we just look at guys whose contract situations make them expendable for a team going nowhere. But I’d love to know what happens if they decide to blow things all the way up.
Fowler: Observers can see where this is probably headed with coach Mike McDaniel barring a turnaround, but the Tagovailoa conversation is more layered. Trading that contract doesn’t seem feasible. Miami can work around the salary cap, but the guarantee is an albatross. No team wants to absorb a fraction of that because they don’t have to (think Russell Wilson in Denver two years ago). Any form of release triggers a $54 million payout, minus offsets.
What made Tagovailoa productive — and what McDaniel helped bring out of him — was processing and decision-making. He thinks through the game well and throws with anticipation. He’s missing that touch right now, and after placing teammates directly under a teal-and-orange-colored bus in a post-Week-6 news conference, it’s fair to wonder whether he has lost the trust of the locker room, too. His teammates certainly played Sunday’s game as if he had.
And it wasn’t long ago — August 2024 — when Tagovailoa aired out Brian Flores in what felt like a payback attempt. So Tagovailoa is a quarterback who is regressing, has dealt with previous concussion injuries and has publicly divulged what happens behind the scenes in an NFL locker room multiple times. But this is the era of reclamation project quarterbacks, and Tagovailoa has had stretches of high efficiency. Maybe Miami runs it back with him. What is the best option for Tagovailoa and the Dolphins moving forward, Dan?
Graziano: Given the contractual commitment they’ve made to Tagovailoa, the best option is to get him playing the way he did when McDaniel first arrived. If the coach can’t make that happen, it stands to reason they could look for a replacement. If that comes to pass, the Dolphins have major decisions to make about Tagovailoa and the direction of the franchise. A new coach probably would have some say in the decision on whether to keep the quarterback or take the dead-money hit.
But if Tagovailoa is still there next season and McDaniel is not, a new coach would be tasked with finding a way to maximize his abilities the way McDaniel did initially. And if you’re doing this dance for the second time in four years, maybe it’s not the coach who’s the problem.
What is the most interesting looming offseason quarterback contract situation?
Graziano: The first name I thought of was Lamar Jackson. Because of the bonus structure in the extension he signed two years ago, Jackson’s cap number balloons to $74.5 million in 2026. Sure, the Ravens could do a restructure and knock that number down into the mid-$30 million range. But restructures just push a cap issue into future years, and you wonder if the better route is a new deal, especially if Jackson is uncomfortable making less per year than guys such as Trevor Lawrence and Tagovailoa.
At some point, Baltimore is going to have to do something with Jackson’s deal. But there are a number of factors that make this situation even more interesting. First is the fact that the Ravens are 1-5 and Jackson has sat out the past two games because of a hamstring injury. They hope to have him back this week, though that’s not a certainty after he sat out Monday’s practice. The schedule eases in the second half of the season, but if the Ravens don’t recover and at least make a run at the division title, how does that affect their major player personnel decisions moving forward?
The second thing is that Jackson still doesn’t have an agent, which has made negotiations difficult in the past. If the Ravens have to renegotiate to get next year’s cap number down but Jackson doesn’t care to, there’s no intermediary to work out those differences. I imagine this all works out in the end, as it did last time. But you’ll remember it got dicey the last time and obviously could again for a number of reasons.
Fowler: Considering very few people on the planet can do the things Jackson does (if any), the Ravens should get ahead of the rapidly ballooning quarterback market whenever feasible. His value went up after Baltimore managed only 13 points in two games without him.
Baker Mayfield’s situation also intrigues me. He’s due $43 million in cash in 2025, yet there’s an argument he’s underpaid. Mayfield, a 2027 free agent, is producing at a high clip despite significant injuries at offensive line, running back and wide receiver. Not many quarterbacks are throwing the ball with more confidence. The Bucs and Mayfield will play out the season and can work on an extension after that. The Bucs are projected to have around $48 million in 2026 cap space, which they can easily lower by reworking Mayfield’s $52 million hit.
Both sides are happy with this arrangement. Mayfield has proof of concept, which means his per-year average should probably have a “5” in front of it. The wild card is the Glazer family, which hasn’t always spent big money on players. But Mayfield could look to add a tax on this deal, due to leverage and the below-market deal on which he’s currently playing.
1:06
Alex Smith: Eagles need to ‘play with their foot on the gas’
Alex Smith and Damien Woody break down the Eagles forgoing a predictable offense plan and defeating the Vikings.
Graziano: Speaking of below-market deals, I’ll throw it back again to the QB extension class of 2023 and bring up Jalen Hurts. He went first that offseason, before Jackson, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert got their deals. As a result, all of those guys make more than Hurts. Since signing that deal, Hurts has gone 32-12 and won a Super Bowl MVP. Hurts is signed through 2028, with $51.5 million fully guaranteed for 2026, so there might not be a need to discuss an extension this coming offseason. But he’s also the 11th-highest paid quarterback in the league by average annual salary, behind a lot of guys who’ve accomplished a lot less than he has.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Eagles address this situation next spring or summer. I would be surprised if Hurts wanted to go first this time, rather than wait to see what happens with Jackson and others.
Fowler: How Hurts plays over the next 10 games plus the playoffs could determine the path forward there. If he catalyzes another deep playoff run, the Eagles would be smart to approach him. His passing from the pocket has been erratic, to be sure. But all he does is win, and he’s a plus in the toughness and intangibles categories.
We also can’t forget about Matthew Stafford, who is owed $40 million in 2026, the last year of his deal. That number is not guaranteed right now but locks in on the fifth day of the new league year. The Rams and Stafford seem to be doing this yearly dance in which they consider alternatives before returning to each other. Stafford trade buzz dominated the last combine, but he ultimately did not want to leave the Rams. The situation could reach a boiling point again this offseason if Stafford continues to play lights out. His deal probably needs to be addressed in some form but both parties have played this perfectly, creating a sometimes uneasy but ultimately flourishing relationship.
What else are you hearing this week?
Graziano’s notes:
• I don’t believe it’s a sure thing that Lamar Jackson returns from his hamstring injury to play against the Bears on Sunday. Jackson has missed the past two games, and the Ravens have been hoping he could return after their Week 7 bye. But they held a post-bye-week practice Monday, and Jackson did not take part in it. I’ve had a couple of conversations with people familiar with this situation that led me to believe Jackson might miss another game while recovering from the injury and return in Week 9 against the Dolphins. Keep an eye on the injury reports over the next couple of days for signs one way or the other. Monday wasn’t an official practice, so the Ravens weren’t required to issue an injury report.
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• The Bengals are hoping their trade for quarterback Joe Flacco can save their season, but the deal also might make Flacco some extra money. I got my hands on a copy of Flacco’s contract and checked out the incentive clauses. One of them is a per-game incentive bonus that will pay him $75,000 for every game in which he plays at least 50% of his team’s offensive snaps and the team wins the game, but that doesn’t kick in until the fourth such occurrence. Flacco has won one game with the Browns and one so far with the Bengals.
So let’s say, for example, the Bengals win six more games in which Flacco plays at least half of their offensive snaps (bringing his total to eight for the season). He would earn an additional $375,000 ($75,000 each for Games 4-8 that meet the conditions). If the Bengals win their remaining 10 games and Flacco plays in at least half of their offensive snaps in all of them, he’d earn an additional $675,000. Flacco’s contract also says he can make up to $3 million in additional incentives tied to playing time and success. If he plays between 60% and 69.99% of his team’s offensive snaps, he gets a $500,000 bonus. If he plays between 70% and 79.99%, that bonus increases to $1 million. And if he plays 80% or more, it goes up to $1.5 million.
Finally, if he meets any of those conditions and his team makes the playoffs, those bonuses above would double. So, for example, if Flacco plays in 75% of the team’s offensive snaps and the Bengals make the playoffs, he’d get a $2 million bonus.
• While I was down this rabbit hole, I also looked at Mac Jones’ incentives in his deal with the 49ers. He’s already cashing in. His deal says that he gets an extra $100,000 for every game in which he plays at least 25% of the offensive snaps and the team wins — but only if the team wins four such games. Sunday’s victory over the Falcons was the fourth game this season the Niners have won in which Jones played at least 25% of their offensive snaps, which means Jones pocketed $400,000 as a result of that win. He can also get another $550,000 if he plays in at least 50% of the team’s offensive plays this season and the 49ers make the playoffs.
• The Cowboys have had internal discussions about a possible extension for receiver George Pickens, to the point where they’ve been examining the rosters and cap situations of teams like Cincinnati, Miami and Philadelphia, who are all paying multiple high-end receivers. (The Cowboys already pay CeeDee Lamb $34 million per year.) I don’t think anything gets done on this until after the season, but Dallas has been happy with Pickens since acquiring him in an offseason trade with Pittsburgh, and it is at least considering what it would look like to keep Dak Prescott’s wide receiver tandem together.
• With the Cowboys’ defense struggling, coach Brian Schottenheimer (who oversees the offense) spent more time than usual in the defensive meeting rooms last week with coordinator Matt Eberflus and the defensive coaches. Players felt an extra energy with Schottenheimer in the room. “He’s our leader,” linebacker Marist Liufau told me. “So having him in the room, you feel his presence for sure. It elevates everybody in the room. He’s always telling us the answer is in the mirror, so just drilling down on that, really being detailed about our process, from the note-taking, to the interaction in team meetings, every single detail, really.”
2:30
Are the Cowboys one trade away from being Super Bowl contenders?
Domonique Foxworth, Peter Schrager, Jeff Saturday and Kimberley A. Martin discuss if the Cowboys trading for a star defensive player can make them Super Bowl contenders.
The Cowboys’ defense looked different Sunday. Usually a zone-heavy team under Eberflus, they played man coverage on more than 50% of their defensive snaps and used more five-man pressures than usual in a 44-22 victory over Washington. A lot of that might have been made possible by the fact that the Commanders were playing without their top three wide receivers, but it was a positive sign nonetheless of the sort of adaptability Dallas will need if it wants its shaky defense to be able to support its elite offense the rest of the way.
Fowler’s notes:
• Matt Bowen and I went deep on 25 trade candidates today, including intel, team fits and the likelihood each player is actually dealt. One player not in our top 25 was Las Vegas edge rusher Maxx Crosby, but a tweet from Trey Wingo got my attention: He suggested the Cowboys might be interested.
My understanding of the situation is the Cowboys are on the hunt for an impact defensive player and have reached out to teams throughout the league — likely all of them — to gauge interest with a number of players, Crosby presumably being one. So yes, I think there’s interest. My sense is that Dallas would be pretty surprised if the Raiders actually moved on from Crosby, with whom owner Mark Davis has a deep affection. The Cowboys — armed with two first-rounders in 2026 and seven picks in total before compensatory selections — also have looked into Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, whom the Bengals don’t plan to deal. Several other edge rushers will be available leaguewide, so expect the Cowboys to get involved in various talks.
They have shown an eagerness to trade for players on rookie deals, which worked out great with Pickens, who is having a contract year for the ages. Pickens is pulling off quite the upset after the Steelers moved on. Pickens never had stable quarterback play in Pittsburgh, but he does now. The Cowboys have noticed that Pickens and Lamb have good chemistry as bookend receivers. And one person with the team compared him to Dez Bryant — incredibly talented and sometimes a distraction, but ultimately manageable. For Pickens, that’s good company. Bryant made three Pro Bowls in eight seasons with Dallas.
• Speaking of Pickens, the Steelers are patiently surveying the wide receiver trade market. Here are a few things to keep in mind on that front. One, competitors for receiver help might prove scarce. Teams often window-shop but ultimately stand pat. The Giants come to mind here. They could use help for Jaxson Dart, but multiple teams I’ve spoken to believe the Giants would prefer to keep their draft picks as a team still in transition. There’s always a surprise team lurking, and perhaps the Giants end up being that, but Pittsburgh can afford to wait this out and see who gets desperate.
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Two, Pittsburgh doesn’t want to jeopardize what it has going at the cost of making a splashy receiver trade. The combination of DK Metcalf, a great trio at tight end (Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington) and a steady running game is working right now. Las Vegas’ Jakobi Meyers is an ideal fit because he’s adaptable. He can be a reliable No. 2 or a high-volume target if needed. But the Raiders are one of the teams giving mixed signals on whether they would actually execute a deal, which complicates the market. They aren’t the only ones.
• Jets owner Woody Johnson acknowledged the obvious: Aaron Rodgers is thriving in his first year since leaving New York. Rodgers is 4-2 with the Steelers after a 5-12 stint in New York. You know who else was 4-2 as a Steelers starter? Justin Fields, who’s 0-6 as the Jets’ signal-caller. “I never look back,” Johnson said. “You have to look forward in football. Even when you cut players, they could be Hall of Famers. You never know. Aaron is playing great now. He’s in a situation that’s working for him.”
In fairness to Johnson, Rodgers is moving better than he did in New York. Some with the Jets felt Rodgers was compromised for about a six- to eight-week stretch in 2024 because of injury. He’s now healthy and a full two years removed from his left Achilles tear. By the end of 2024, however, Jets coaches saw a quarterback on the rise. In typical Jets fashion, another team reaps the benefits. In fact, Rodgers’ stint in Pittsburgh has gone so well that the team could rethink its 2026 quarterback plans. The Steelers will scour the draft market for the QB of the future, for sure. They are already doing so. But if you ask people with the team whether they’d entertain the notion of Rodgers in the black-and-gold in 2026, the answer would be a resounding yes. He has maintained his elite ability to throw the football.
Now, it’s a long season, Rodgers is 41 and what he does next year is anyone’s guess. I certainly don’t think any sweeping determinations have been made. But the marriage has been a successful one for both parties, and perhaps that continues beyond this season.
• The Titans aren’t panicking about Cam Ward’s struggles through seven games, but they need more from him. Ward has shown the ability to pull off difficult throws. He’ll squeeze the ball into just about any window. Ward looks for those throws because that fearless nature got him this far, so there’s a conviction that comes with that. Where the Titans are working with Ward is taking the layups when they are there. He’s making the game harder than it has to be in some cases. Just because he can make a throw doesn’t mean he should bypass the easy yards available elsewhere.
Also, some with the Titans feel Ward is at his best when he can play faster, sometimes going no-huddle, making him less robotic. That requires the ability to spread things out with skill players. But the skill positions are problematic for Tennessee. That also requires, you know, getting a first down or two. All of this is making for a long season for Ward. The talent and work ethic are undeniable, which should lead to good things. But he’s also on pace to throw 10 touchdown passes over a 17-game span. It’s really tough to have success that way.
• No team has been more knocked by injury than the Buccaneers, who have a Week 9 bye. Many with the Bucs have a simple goal in mind: Take care of business vs. the Saints at home, then get right coming out of the bye for the stretch run. Losing Mike Evans (collarbone) is brutal, but the Bucs don’t have to overreact with a splash trade at the position. Emeka Egbuka is a starter, Tez Johnson is emerging and Chris Godwin Jr. will be back. Also trending positively for the second half of the season: right tackle Luke Goedeke.
