Happy midweek, everyone! John Breech is away, doing his best to encourage Bengals kicker Evan McPherson after a rough Week 11, so today’s Pick Six newsletter is brought to you by Cody Benjamin, with tidbits on all the latest from around the NFL.
Be sure to subscribe right here, to ensure you never miss a daily dose of NFL updates. And keep on reading for everything from big-time New York Jets updates to Pete Prisco’s Week 12 predictions:
1. Jets fire GM Joe Douglas: What’s next in New York
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Upheaval is the name of the game in East Rutherford, where the New York Jets said goodbye to general manager Joe Douglas on Tuesday, six weeks after abruptly firing coach Robert Saleh. Douglas was set to have his contract expire after the 2024 season, but team owner Woody Johnson pulled the plug early. The big move sets the stage for additional questions about the Jets’ future. Such as, what’s next for Aaron Rodgers? It’s increasingly difficult to envision the quarterback sticking around in 2025.
2. Aaron Rodgers fallout: Top 2025 landing spots
Speaking of the Jets’ embattled quarterback, the 40-year-old signal-caller is likely bound for new pastures in 2025. Unless, of course, Woody Johnson reverses course on his sudden teardown project and seeks to build a new regime around the aging, ailing former MVP, who’s ranked just No. 25 in our latest edition of QB Power Rankings. But where, exactly, could Rodgers end up if it’s not back in New York?
We identified a few potential landing spots:
- Las Vegas Raiders: There is perhaps no team more desperate for something — anything — at quarterback, and while the 2025 NFL Draft figures to be their first priority for addressing the position, who says they couldn’t double dip? With more than a whopping $100 million in projected cap space, they also have the money to make big investments up front and out wide.
- Minnesota Vikings: Besides the storybook parallels to Brett Favre, who also went from Packers legend to Jets and Vikings rental to close his career, this one registers as sneakily plausible. The Vikings would surely prefer to re-sign current starter Sam Darnold, who’s fared reasonably well under Kevin O’Connell, but what if Darnold opts for a better-paying gig in 2025 free agency, confidence restored, ready to depart the lurking shadow of first-round pick J.J. McCarthy?
- Tennessee Titans: With veteran skill weapons, including Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley, a solid defense, a very winnable division, more than $65 million in projected salary cap space and an offensively geared head coach in Brian Callahan, they could be one of the few teams with an apparent quarterback need and enough proven talent to lure Rodgers at this stage of his career.
3. Prisco’s Week 12 picks: Packers down 49ers
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Pete Prisco went 11-3 making straight-up predictions in Week 11. Now he’s back with picks for every single Week 12 matchup. Here are some of his most notable projections:
- Packers 27, 49ers 20: The 49ers are reeling right now. … The Packers still haven’t looked great on offense this season, but the 49ers haven’t been the same team period.
- Rams 28, Eagles 21: The Eagles have righted their issues from earlier in the year to take a hold of the NFC East. But this is a long trip against a good team that can’t really afford anymore losses.
- Chargers 31, Ravens 26: The Ravens are playing consecutive road games after losing a tough, physical battle to the Steelers last week. …The Chargers beat the Bengals behind the play of the offense and I think that will carry over as they win the battle of the Harbaugh brothers.
4. Cowboys buzz: No Lance, but Deion coming soon?
Dallas is 3-7 on the season, dropping two straight without starting quarterback Dak Prescott. Yet team owner Jerry Jones isn’t giving up on Cooper Rush, insisting to reporters this week that Rush gives the Cowboys a better chance to win than fellow backup Trey Lance. Meanwhile, former Cowboys star Michael Irvin believes there’s one scenario where fellow Dallas great Deion Sanders would “100%” leave Colorado to coach the Cowboys in 2025: If the team drafts Sanders’ son, Shedeur, to play quarterback.
5. Playoff projections: Broncos, Packers on the rise
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Every week, John Breech collects the latest simulation data from SportsLine to forecast the entire 14-team playoff bracket, identifying the clubs most likely to make — or miss — the postseason. Here’s a look at some of the current wild-card contenders on track to punch a ticket to the dance:
- Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens’ loss to Pittsburgh in Week 12 did some major damage to their chances of winning the AFC North. Baltimore (7-4) might have to settle for being a wild-card team, and right now, if that happens, the computer is projecting it would have to travel to Pittsburgh for the opening round of the playoffs. Ravens vs. Steelers again?
- Denver Broncos: With their win over the Falcons in Week 11, the Broncos (6-5) took a huge step toward earning a wild card spot in the eyes of the computer. According to our projection, the Broncos have a 53.5% chance of earning the AFC’s final wild card slot, which is well ahead of any team behind them, including the Colts, Bengals and Dolphins.
- Green Bay Packers: The Packers have a 81.7% chance of getting into the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean they’re a lock just yet. The 49ers are the first team out in our projection, but that could change drastically on Sunday due to the fact that San Francisco and Green Bay are playing each other. If the 49ers win, the Packers will go from having a firm grasp on the seventh spot to barely hanging on.
6. Ranking coaching jobs: Bears to be top spot?
Some NFL coaching jobs are already open, guaranteed to feature a full-on offseason search. Others are merely expected to open up in the coming weeks and months. Regardless, Jordan Dajani has sorted the likeliest vacancies in order of appeal, and he’s got a specific NFC North job atop his ranking:
- Chicago Bears: Entering 2024, many were making the argument that no No. 1 overall pick at quarterback had ever entered a more favorable situation than the one Chicago presented. The front office worked hard to build up the defense, and then added plenty of weaponry on offense with Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze and D’Andre Swift. It’s clear that Caleb Williams has potential. Imagine being the offensive-minded leader to bring this franchise back to prominence.
- Dallas Cowboys: Whether they are playing well or performing poorly, being the coach of the Dallas Cowboys is probably the premier job in the NFL. From the facilities to the global attention you receive, there’s not another franchise that really compares. Plus, you have your QB1 and WR1 already in place, and Micah Parsons is likely the next to get paid.
- Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars have their young quarterback under contract, which is a plus. But Trevor Lawrence clearly hasn’t lived up to that massive extension, and his last two seasons have been derailed by injuries. Jacksonville has about double the cap space as the New York Jets heading into next year, and could have the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
