2025 NFL Playoff Buzz: Packers Hire Hafley Replacement; McCarthy-Rodgers Reunion?

Only four teams remain in the postseason, but there's still plenty of news going on around the NFL. 

Of course, every bit of injury news involving the final four teams becomes even more crucial as we march toward Super Bowl LX. But the other 28 teams are already active in preparing for the 2026 season, with coaching changes occurring all around the league and teams deciding what to do with key players. 

Who's hurt? Who's practicing? Who might be on the move? 

Here's the latest on what's happening around the league:

Packers hire Hafley replacement

Green Bay has hired its new offensive coordinator, and it's a head coach from this past NFL season.

Jonathan Gannon will take over the Packers' defense for head coach Matt LaFleur, who lost Jeff Hafley after he became the Dolphins' head coach. Gannon spent the past three seasons as the Cardinals' head coach, winning eight games in 2024 but seven total between his first and third seasons.

Gannon spent two seasons as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator from 2021-22 before taking the Cardinals job. He made the move from Indianapolis to Philly along with head coach Nick Sirianni.

Steelers not trying to lure back Aaron Rodgers

The Steelers are reportedly planning to hire former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy as their new head coach, but it's not in an effort to retain four-time MVP Rodgers. However, the move isn't expected to hurt Pittsburgh’s chances of retaining the future Hall of Fame quarterback, who's deciding whether he wants to play next season.

Dolphins get Jeff Hafley

The Dolphins have landed one of the top head coach candidates in this coaching carousel cycle. Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Hafley has reportedly reached an agreement to become the Dolphins' next head coach. This will mark the 46-year-old Hafley's first head coaching job in the NFL. Hafley has been Green Bay's defensive coordinator the past two seasons, a stint preceded by being the head coach at Boston College from 2020-23. Miami recently hired long-time Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan as its new general manager; Hafley and Sullivan worked together the last two years in Green Bay.

After another season of failed expectations in which the Dolphins missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year, they enter another offseason of uncertainty, starting with who'll be their starting quarterback in 2026. Tua Tagovailoa was benched for the final three games of the season because of poor play. Tagovailoa is guaranteed $54 million for 2026, and the Dolphins would incur significant hits to the salary cap by releasing him. Releasing him next year would result in a $99 million dead cap charge. If the move is designated as a post-June 1 release, those charges are split over two years, with $67.4 million allocated to the 2026 cap and $31.8 million in 2027.

Seahawks QB Sam Darnold will play Sunday

The Seahawks' most recent injury report lists Darnold as having no injury designation heading into the 2026 NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams despite him being limited in practice all week. Seattle's starter was previously questionable to play in the team's divisional-round matchup with an oblique issue. 

In the regular season, Darnold totaled 4,048 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, 14 interceptions and a 99.1 passer rating, while completing a career-high 67.7% of his passes. The Seahawks went 14-3, which ended with them beating the San Francisco 49ers on the road in Week 18 to clinch the NFC West and the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Event Odds

NFL - Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks - 01/25/2026

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Veteran WR Adam Thielen retires

Thielen announced his retirement after 12 seasons on Jan. 14. A two-time Pro Bowler, Thielen spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Minnesota Vikings (2014-22), followed by a two-year stint with the Carolina Panthers (2023-24) and splitting the 2025 season with the Vikings and Steelers. He totaled 1,000-plus receiving yards in three seasons (2017, 2018 and 2023) and double-digit receiving touchdowns in two seasons (2020-21).

Update on two-way star Travis Hunter

Despite an injury-shortened rookie campaign, the Jacksonville Jaguars intend on having the wide receiver/cornerback play both ways again in 2026, ESPN reported on Jan. 14. Hunter's 2025 season ended after seven games due to a knee injury. Hunter, whom the Jags traded up to select with the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, totaled 28 receptions for 298 yards and one touchdown as a receiver. Hunter logged three passes defended and 15 combined tackles as a defensive back. Jacksonville went 13-4 and won the AFC South before losing to in the wild-card round.

Packers HC Matt LaFleur gets extension

The Packers and head coach Matt LaFleur have reportedly agreed to a multiyear contract extension. While the details of the deal aren't public, it confirms LaFleur will remain in Green Bay for his eighth season following the Packers' narrow loss to the Chicago Bears in the NFC wild-card round. LaFleur had one year remaining on his contract, and it had been reported that the Packers would either extend the longtime head coach or move on from him this offseason. 

In the first seven years under LaFleur, Green Bay went 76-40-1, missing the playoffs just once. However, 2025 marked the third year that the Packers got the No. 7 seed in the NFC, and LaFleur is 3-6 in the playoffs. 

Raiders DE Maxx Crosby has meniscus surgery

Crosby went through successful surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee in early January. He will have six months to recover before NFL training camp starts. Crosby missed the Raiders' final two games of the 2025 season after posting 10.0 sacks and 73 tackles in 15 games. 

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins moving on?

The Falcons have agreed to modify the final two years of Cousins' contract, per ESPN and The Athletic. According to reports, the move will likely lead to the Falcons releasing Cousins by the third day of the 2026 NFL league year on March 13, as it is unlikely any team would look to trade for him given his contract. As part of the restructure, Atlanta converted Cousins’ 2026 salary from $35 million to $2.1 million and moved the remaining $32.9 million to his 2027 base salary to increase the figure to $67.9 million. His 2027 salary would become guaranteed if he's still with the team by March 13, while releasing him with a post-June 1 designation would cost the Falcons a dead cap hit of $35 million that can be split into payments of $22.5 million in 2026 and $12.5 million in 2027. 

Cousins, who started eight of his 10 games played this season, will play in his 15th season in 2026. The veteran signal-caller led the Falcons to a 5-2 record in place of the injured Michael Penix Jr. (torn ACL) to end the year, completing 61.8% of his passes for 1,471 yards, 10 touchdown passes and five interceptions in that span.

Von Miller back with Commanders in 2026?

The Commanders had the NFL's oldest roster this season, but one of their key veterans has expressed an interest in returning in 2026. Miller announced that he'd like to continue playing at least one more season and would prefer to stay in Washington. Miller, who signed a one-year deal last offseason, will turn 37 in March, the same month he will also be a free agent. The 2025 campaign was Miller’s first full season since 2018. He started three of his 17 games played and accumulated 9.0 sacks, 26 tackles and six tackles for loss.

"I think I proved to myself I can play another year," Miller said, per NBC. "I want to be here, but I’m not in a position to start making demands and saying where I want to play and where I want to be at. Whoever wants me, that’s where I’ll be. … I would love to be a Commander. … [Head coach Dan Quinn] does a great job of keeping me healthy and ready to go as far as vet days and rest, and I would love to be able to run that back."

Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles confident in 2026 return

Bowles isn’t worried about his job security after an epic collapse by the Bucs. Everything unraveled after a 6-2 start, and the Buccaneers (8-9) failed to win their fifth consecutive NFC South title. Bowles had led Tampa Bay to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons after replacing Bruce Arians in 2022. He has three years remaining on his contract, and he’s operating as if he’ll return for a fifth season.

"I’ve earned the chance," Bowles said about coming back. "I’ve won three straight division titles, so that says a lot as far as I’m concerned. I don’t really have a message for fans other than true fans are true fans, and we’re going to try to do our best to go out there and win for them. They’re going to feel how they feel, but that’s not a coach’s problem. The coach’s problem is to make the team better and that’s all I’m looking forward to.

"I feel like we had enough talent to win. The mistakes we made weren’t talent-driven; they were more mistake-driven."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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