NFL Rumors: Derek Carr's future in question, new Ashton Jeanty home, Bears bizarre plan

As the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs prepare for Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, the rest of the league has set their sights on the 2025 season. For many of those franchises, whose season once again ended without a Super Bowl championship, the climb to relevancy will be steep.

Finding stability in the NFL is no easy task — it requires chemistry, cohesion and capability from the team’s owner, general manager, head coach and quarterback. For teams that missed the playoffs, those are the areas they’ll need to address first. For teams that made the playoffs, the draft will present an opportunity to find the missing pieces that could take them over the hump.

Saints could move on from Derek Carr 

Sweeping changes are inevitable for the struggling New Orleans Saints, who finished the 2024 season with a 5-12 record.

The 2025 NFL Draft isn’t considered to feature a particularly strong quarterback class, but that likely won’t prevent teams in need of a passer from drafting one. ESPN’s Matt Miller projected the Saints to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart with the No. 40 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. That could spell the end of the team’s experiment with veteran quarterback Derek Carr.

Carr told ESPN that he would be open to a restructure, but he wouldn’t take a pay cut. He is due $40 million next season and will carry a salary cap hit of $51.4 million, the largest cap figure on the team. The Saints will be significantly over the salary cap this offseason, so a restructure or release is nearly guaranteed.

The 33-year-old quarterback signed with the team before the 2023 season, but he hasn’t found much success in New Orleans. Although he posted a decent statistical output in 2023, the Saints finished with a 9-8 record and missed the playoffs. This season, Carr missed seven games due a strained oblique and two fractures in his non-throwing hand. The team lost every game they played without Carr at the helm, which would suggest that their future quarterback isn’t on the roster.

Ashton Jeanty could be destined for Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers could select Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with the No. 22 overall pick, per ESPN’s Matt Miller. 

Jeanty is one of the most talented prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he could fall into the bottom half of the first round due to his positional value. That could prove to be beneficial for Jeanty in the long run, however. Rather than getting stuck on a team that can’t provide adequate blocking, the run-oriented Chargers could offer him an opportunity to thrive. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is known for his run-heavy approach, and Jeanty would instantly become to focal point of their offensive attack. 

The running back position saw a resurgence during the 2024 season, with offseason acquisitions such as Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Joe Mixon making significant contributions for their teams. That could ultimately help the draft stock of incoming running back prospects.

Bears plan to extend general manager Ryan Poles

The Chicago Bears are ushering in a new era under head coach Ben Johnson, who joined the team this offseason after years of passing on coaching opportunities.

Johnson is assembling an all-star coaching staff in Chicago. There have been plenty of exciting coaching hires throughout the staff — from well-established and experienced coaches to young, rising stars with unlimited potential. Yet, the Bears may keep general manager Ryan Poles aboard and make it all go to waste.

Poles’ deal runs through the 2026 season, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reported. He is expected to receive an extension that will align the length of his deal with Johnson, who signed a standard five-year contract with the team. 

A team source reportedly told ESPN that Johnson never requested a change at general manager, despite prior reports suggesting otherwise. Poles refused to address whether he had received assurances of an extension in early January.

The Bears hired former Denver Broncos tight ends coach Declan Doyle as their offensive coordinator, making the 28-year-old the youngest coordinator in the league. Chicago also hired former Dallas Cowboys defensive backs coach Al Harris as their defensive passing game coordinator. Harris has become known as a rising star among NFL coaches. Two former Detroit Lions coaches followed Johnson to Chicago: quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett and wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El.