NFL Rumors: Aaron Rodgers future, Bengals cheap with Chase, surprise HC candidate

The rumors are swirling in the NFL as teams start to look toward this upcoming offseason and next year. For the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Jets, they have major needs to address as their attempts to salvage the 2024 season failed. 

New York wasted two years with Aaron Rodgers, hoping he could save the franchise. And the Bengals were cheap in not signing Ja’Marr Chase to a long-term contract before the season. Now they'll have to pay up.

Here are some rumors circulating around the NFL ahead of Week 12.

NFL Rumors: What will the Jets do with Aaron Rodgers in 2025?

The New York Jets are somehow worse off with Aaron Rodgers than they were with Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson. Rodgers has gotten Robert Saleh fired and now the GM, Joe Douglas. 

Douglas firing felt like the only decision left to fully move on from the horrendous era the Jets have endured the last couple years. Rodgers looks every bit like a 40-year-old quarterback this season and he’s skirting all the blame. Well, that will probably end after 2025 as the Jets are cleaning house. 

Rodgers will have one year left on his contract after this year so the Jets will have to trade him, or they can take on a large dead cap hit and release the future Hall of Famer in a timely manner. And with how Rodgers is playing, it’s not likely he’s worth pursuing as a trade target. 

The only other option that makes sense is get a younger quarterback and use Rodgers’ final year as a transition year.

Either way, from articles in both ESPN and CBS Sports, it’s a tricky decision that has to be made. And with Rodgers clamoring that he wants to play at least one more season, as the Jets are shuffling around their front office, the new regime may not be as kind as the general manager who has just shown the door. 

NFL Rumors: Ja’Marr Chase gets last laugh as Cincinnati Bengals decision

The Cincinnati Bengals tried to be cheap when they discussed Chase’s contract this past offseason. They didn’t cough up enough guaranteed money, and it’s looking like that’s going to haunt them. The way he’s played this season, he’s certainly on track to surpass his college teammate Justin Jefferson’s lucrative contract extension. 

The Bengals have handcuffed themselves with very important decisions to make. They are probably not bringing Tee Higgins back. Now, they'll be forced to pay an exorbitant price for Chase. Without Higgins, he'll be worth every penny.

With the season Chase is having, while the Bengals aren’t winning, he’s running up the bill for the front office. Come January, they won’t be able to low-ball Chase. And now he has all the negotiating power. If he doesn’t get a new deal, he can sit out. A franchise tag isn't an option.

If the Bengals end up trading Chase, then it would have truly been a failure by the front office of not only mishandling his contract. That’s not likely, but if the Bengals play the same back-and-forth game they did last offseason, they could come to regret it. 

The Bengals can’t be cheap this time around. They have to give Chase whatever he's asking for or prepare for a long standstill until they do. 

NFL Rumors: Another college coach not named Dan Lanning surfaces as an NFL coach candidate

College coaches don’t typically have the same success in the NFL, yet two coaches are rumored to be garnering some interest. One could be Oregon’s Dan Lanning. 

The other? Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman. 

According to an article on Bleacher Report, Freeman has been linked as a possible candidate to take over the Las Vegas Raiders. Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, he doesn’t necessarily think either is likely to leave their respective schools. 

But if an intriguing situation arose, it’s not far-fetched. Freeman has had a successful start to his head coaching career. Still, it might be a bit premature for Freeman to jump to the NFL ranks.

Since taking over the Fighting Irish for his first full season, Freeman has won nine games or more in each of his first three years. He also has two bowl wins.

Frankly, the Raiders aren't a good first NFL job. They don't have a quarterback, their GM could be on the outs in a year and the Davante Adams trade proved there is some turmoil in the locker room. It seems like in both Lanning and Freeman’s case, they would need a few more years of college ball to see if they are ready for that next step. Even the great Nick Saban struggled in the NFL. 

Teams are all about being innovative though, so if they right situation presents itself, it could be something to watch this offseason – especially if Notre Dame can have some success in the College Football Playoff.