AFC East

The cost of the New England Patriots' Week 18 win was the loss of a No. 1 pick.

Joe Milton III went 22-of-29 for 241 yards with two total touchdowns on Sunday to lead the Patriots to a 23-16 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Joe Milton III hits the backflip after the TD

📺: #BUFvsNE on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/7MEmrGnQLD

— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025

A loss against the Bills' backups would have guaranteed the Patriots the top pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Tennessee Titans instead secured the rights to select first by conceding a 23-14 loss to the Houston Texans.

The Patriots when the #1 draft pick is on the line pic.twitter.com/ybZPcepfDM

— lex (@nhllex) January 5, 2025

Patriots switch to backup QB to secure No. 1 pick

The backup QB: pic.twitter.com/i0yIKDpwjg

— Steve Perrault (@Steve_Perrault) January 5, 2025

“Joe just go out there and lose and we get the first overall pick”

Joe Milton III: pic.twitter.com/VkJ7Fi2Zmu

— Punchy (@BigOrangePunch) January 5, 2025

Worst win in New England Patriots history

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) January 5, 2025

The 2024 Pats were so poorly run and so consistently incompetent, they somehow got out-tanked by a team that’s 13-3.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) January 5, 2025

Patriots really went from 1st overall to 4th overall??? 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/Egy95zmwDp

— Pierre Kingpin (@Pierre_Kingpin) January 5, 2025

The Patriots just gave up the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft because they wanted to defeat the Bills backups…

— Mike Bundt (@Mike_Bundt) January 5, 2025

What a fitting end to the season if the Patriots finish with the most unwanted victory in the history of sports

— Christian Fauria (@christianfauria) January 5, 2025

The Bills put out a second-tier squad led by backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in order to rest up starters including Josh Allen for the playoffs.

The Patriots responded by racking up more than 300 total yards of offense for just the seventh time this season.

The poorly-timed win left some viewers believing first-year head coach Jerod Mayo is now all but guaranteed to move on after a single season with the franchise.

Maybe Mayo knows he’s gonna be fired and is trying to win to stick it to his soon-to-be former employer? Only logical explanation.

— Andy Hart (@JumboHart) January 5, 2025

I thought Jerod Mayo should have gotten another year.

Until today.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) January 5, 2025

I think Jerod Mayo just pulled a Lovie Smith

— Tyvis Powell (@1Tyvis) January 5, 2025

That is an all-time bad win for the New England Patriots

Jerod Mayo can’t be fired quick enough

— Adam Koffler (@AdamKoffler) January 5, 2025

The Titans will meanwhile prepare to choose the No. 1 pick for the first time since 1978.

After benching starting quarterback Will Levis this season, the Titans could take the opportunity to draft a new signal caller at the top of the draft.

The top three will be rounded out by the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, while the Patriots will have to wait until No. 4 to make their first selection.

#Titans just played Joe Milton highlights on the jumbotron.

Got a louder cheer than anything the team has done on the field today. These fans want No. 1.

— AtoZ Sports Nashville (@AtoZSports) January 5, 2025

Dear patriots,

Thank you.

Sincerely, Titans https://t.co/cJKNIAktiT

— Taylor Lewan (@TaylorLewan77) January 5, 2025

Having the #1 overall pick is so massive for the Titans.

If you have conviction about a QB, take your pick of the litter.

If you think one non-QB stands above the class, you can have him.

If somebody wants to send you the farm to trade up, you have all the leverage to do that.

— Easton Freeze (@eastonfreeze) January 5, 2025

The 2025 NFL Draft is set to take place in Green Bay this April. De facto general manager Eliot Wolf, who led the team through the 2024 draft shortly after he was hired last May, will now get his second shot at a top-five pick.

The Patriots will look to make to most of that selection to build around rookie quarterback Drake Maye, even if the loss of the No. 1 pick likely means missing out on the top available prospects.

ESPN insider Adam Schefter placed New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo into his "leaning to out" category during Sunday NFL Countdown.

A spin on the NFL coaching carousel. pic.twitter.com/VqBSp7CSq2

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 5, 2025

The Patriots are tied for the NFL's second-worst record (3-13) heading into their final game in Mayo's first season at the helm.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported Saturday that "there's a sense from those around the league that moves are coming" for New England. Appearing on WEEI, Boston Sports Journal's Mike Giardi pointed to some possible turnover with the coaching staff:

"My feeling is they are going to blowout the coaching staff"
Mike Giardi doesn't see Jerod Mayo and the rest of the Patriots coaching staff sticking around for the 2025 season pic.twitter.com/jqcfVvWFWB

— WEEI Afternoons (@WEEIAfternoons) January 3, 2025

Firing Mayo would nonetheless be a stunning call.

Nobody expected the retired linebacker to immediately make New England a contender. He was replacing one of the greatest coaches in modern history, and Bill Belichick left behind a major rebuild after the team bottomed out and lost 13 games in 2023.

In a similar situation, the Dallas Cowboys went 1-15 in 1989 after Jimmy Johnson replaced the iconic Tom Landy. By 1992, the Cowboys were celebrating the first of three Super Bowls they won over a four-year period.

That Mayo is on shaky ground already, though, speaks to how the concerns go beyond just the Patriots' record.

In a number of facets, the learning curve for the 38-year-old has been much steeper than expected.

Mayo raised some eyebrows when he described rookie Drake Maye as "our second-best quarterback on our roster right now" at a time when the team was still trying to maintain the veneer of an open QB battle. He called the Patriots a "soft football team across the board" in October after their losing streak increased to six games. A month later, it sounded like he was passing the buck when the team's struggles continued.

"Look, once those guys cross the white lines, there's nothing I can do for them," Mayo told reporters after a Week 12 loss to the Miami Dolphins. "There's nothing any coach can do for them once they cross the white line. It's my job to continue to prepare not only them but our coaches to go out here and play better football.

Beyond not grasping the PR aspects of the job, Mayo can't point to many positives on the field beyond Maye, who probably should've had the starting job much earlier than he did. New England is 30th in total offense (290.8 yards) and scoring (16.6 points), and its defense is in the bottom 10 in both categories as well.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported on Dec. 28 that Mayo was expected to return "barring some type of calamity over the final two games of the campaign." Getting blown out 40-7 by the Los Angeles Chargers would arguably qualify as triggering a potentially calamitous sequence of events.

Sunday may be the final time Aaron Rodgers takes the field as a quarterback in an NFL game.

"I would say very firmly up in the air," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said of Rodgers' future. "Listening to Rodgers' pretty heartfelt words this week sounded like someone who at least is preparing for the possibility that he is playing his last game. I'm not talking about with the [New York] Jets, I'm talking about plain last game...

There's several people close to him who I know are preparing for the fact that this could in fact be it. "

From @NFLGameDay: #Jets QB Aaron Rodgers sounded like a player who may be playing his last game; Plus, #Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa (hip) is up in the air for next week (if they advance). pic.twitter.com/WkuxndSHfX

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 5, 2025

If Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins is Rodgers' final one, he isn't exactly going out on top.

The Jets are 4-12 and clearly one of the most disappointing teams in the league this season given the overall talent on the roster. They have been playing out the string of the 2024 campaign for some time and can now only play spoiler to the Dolphins.

The Cincinnati Bengals certainly hope they do just that, as the AFC North teams needs the Dolphins and Denver Broncos to lose Sunday to reach the playoffs. Bengals offensive lineman Orlando Brown Jr. even had an offer for Rodgers:

Orlando Brown Jr. says there will be texts Sunday AM to his former teammates in KC to get it done against Denver.

As for if the Jets beat the Dolphins?

"I might message Aaron Rodgers to (pay for) his next Peru trip." pic.twitter.com/SIpZUhXcwp

— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) January 5, 2025

Rodgers is 41 years old and suffered a season-ending Achilles injury during the first game of the 2023 campaign. It would be anything but surprising if he retired after this disappointing Jets season, and he was fairly reflective Wednesday when speaking to reporters.

The future Hall of Famer said he would look to "stay in the moment" during Sunday's game and will "need a break mentally" before deciding on his future:

Aaron Rodgers says he's thought about the season finale being his final game:

"I'll just be enjoying this, I'm trying to stay in the moment. It's been a long career. I'm really proud of what I've been able to be a part of and what I've been able to accomplish" pic.twitter.com/f24AK4mHxD

— Jets Videos (@snyjets) January 1, 2025

Aaron Rodgers on his future with the #Jets, or otherwise: "I need a break mentally. I don't want to make a decision until I've been able to rest mentally and physically ... I just need a break to refresh, put my feet in the sand and see where I'm at after that."

"March is free…

— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) January 1, 2025

Better on-field performance may have increased the chances he will return in 2025, but his QBR of 48.2 this season and 41.3 in 2022 during the last two full campaigns he's played are the lowest marks of his career, per Pro Football Reference.

He is not the same dominant force who ascended to the top of the sport during his peak years on the Green Bay Packers. Instead, he has been a less consistent version of that performer who has only flashes moments of his former greatness instead of maintaining his status as one of the league's best.

There will be plenty of turnover this offseason for the Jets with a new general manager and new head coach on the top of the list.

Perhaps they will need a new quarterback as well.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa may not get the green light to suit up for the AFC Wild Card Round should his team get there, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

The Dolphins must win in Week 18 in order to keep their playoff hopes alive, and Rapoport reported that Tagovailoa is "unlikely to play" against the New York Jets as he fights through a hip injury. The problem is serious enough that "it's not a given the QB would be cleared next week," either, per Rapoport.

Tagovailoa suffered the hip injury during a Week 14 loss to the Houston Texans.

He then aggravated the injury after taking a hit by the San Francisco 49ers during a Week 15 win.

Tagovailoa previously suffered a hip fracture during his junior season at Alabama, necessitating surgery that called his NFL future into question.

McDaniel told reporters on Friday that Tagovailoa's latest injury was "unrelated" to that fracture, describing the problem instead as a "unique muscle issue."

"I think Tua wishes it was just a pain issue," McDaniel said on Friday. "It's quite literally being able to have the strength to do what we ask him to do, as well as protecting himself from very serious injury if we don't treat it appropriately."

Tagovailoa had already missed five games due to injury heading into Week 18, including one game sidelined with the hip issue as well as a four-game IR stint following a concussion he suffered in Week 2.

The concussion marked the third documented concussion of his NFL career, including an injury that resulted in his brief hospitalization in 2022.

Tagovailoa has led the Dolphins to a 6-5 record when healthy by completing 72.9 percent of his passes for 2,867 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Even though Aaron Rodgers has already teased that Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins may be his last in the NFL, there's reportedly a good chance it could be his final appearance as a member of the New York Jets.

Per CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones, there is "great doubt" around the NFL that Rodgers will be back with the Jets in 2025.

It would be a huge shock at this point if Rodgers remains with the Jets. They are poised to undergo significant changes in the offseason with a new general manager and head coach set to come in.

A new regime would seem unlikely to start its tenure with a mercurial 41-year-old quarterback who is finishing up arguably the worst season of his career.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Rodgers admitted he has thought about the possibility this week could be his final game and he will take time after the season ends to make a decision.

Aaron Rodgers says he's thought about the season finale being his final game:

"I'll just be enjoying this, I'm trying to stay in the moment. It's been a long career. I'm really proud of what I've been able to be a part of and what I've been able to accomplish" pic.twitter.com/f24AK4mHxD

— Jets Videos (@snyjets) January 1, 2025

Aaron Rodgers on his future with the #Jets, or otherwise: "I need a break mentally. I don't want to make a decision until I've been able to rest mentally and physically ... I just need a break to refresh, put my feet in the sand and see where I'm at after that."

"March is free…

— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) January 1, 2025

Rodgers previously acknowledged the possibility the Jets could release him, but that he is "open to everything" at this point.

Releasing Rodgers will come with a $49 million dead-cap charge for the Jets, but they could spread it out over two years if they designate him as a post-June 1 cut. That would seem to be the most likely scenario since they currently project to have $31.3 million in cap space available next season.

The Jets don't have an easy path to a quarterback in the draft if that ends up being their plan. They currently own the No. 7 pick, behind other quarterback-needy teams like the Tennessee Titans (No. 2), Cleveland Browns (No. 3) and New York Giants (No. 4).

Rodgers has thrown for 3,624 yards, 24 touchdowns and completed 63.0 percent of his attempts in 16 starts this season. His four wins are tied for his fewest in a single season since becoming a full-time starter in 2008. He went 4-3 in seven starts with the Green Bay Packers during the 2017 campaign.

Bill Belichick may not be the only former New England Patriots coach heading to Chapel Hill next fall.

According to CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones, Belichick is "expected" to bring members of the Patriots' coaching, training, strength and personnel staffs with him to North Carolina.

Belichick, who coached the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles between 2000 and 2023, had never coached a college team before he agreed to a five-year deal with UNC in December.

The Patriots are currently led by first-year head coach Jerod Mayo. He is expected to hire "more veteran coaches" if he returns for a second season, per Jones.

The incoming Tar Heels coach has already been busy adding candidates with previous NFL experience to his coaching staff.

Belichick previously stated that he will retain interim head coach Freddie Kitchens on his staff next season. Matt Zenitz recently reported for CBS Sports and 247Sports that Kitchens, who coached the Cleveland Browns in 2019, is expected to serve as Belichick's offensive coordinator.

Steve Belichick, who most recently served as defensive coordinator for Washington and previously worked on the Patriots staff, is expected to join the Tar Heels as DC, per Zenitz.

Former Patriots scout Joe Anile is expected to join the program's personnel department, per Zenitz, while former NFL executive Michael Lombardi will serve as the program's GM.

Belichick said on Monday that there would be "a strong NFL presence on the staff, but not exclusively," per 247Sports' Grant Hughes.

Because of that connection, Belichick indicated he would have to wait to finalize some decisions until after the NFL regular season and playoffs wrap up, per Hughes.

The most obvious candidate to potentially leave Mayo's staff for Chapel Hill is safeties coach Brian Belichick, who remained with the Patriots following his father and brother's departure after the 2023 season.

When asked in December about the possibility of Brian Belichick leaving, Mayo said he didn't want to "get into that" but that he expected his assistants to remain in New England for the rest of the season, per Sports Illustrated's Mike Kadlick.

Ten members of Mayo's staff either coached with or played for Belichick, per Boston.com's Conor Roche. Although ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported that Mayo is expected to return for a second season in 2025, there could be turnover around him if any of those ten follow their former leader to the FBS.

As the New York Jets look to secure their future after a disappointing 2024 season, they could turn back to the past for their next head coach.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, former Jets head coach Rex Ryan is expected to interview with the team on Tuesday about their vacant position.

Ryan will be the third known candidate the Jets will speak with. The team has announced they completed interviews with Ron Rivera and Mike Vrabel.

Jeff Ulbrich has served as New York's interim head coach since Oct. 8. Robert Saleh, who had been their full-time head coach since January 2021, was fired after a 2-3 start this season.

The Jets could undergo a significant rebuild this offseason. In addition to a head coach, they will be hiring a new general manager after firing Joe Douglas on Nov. 19. Louis Riddick, Jon Robinson, Thomas Dimitroff and Jim Nagy have all been interviewed for that vacancy.

Teams often like to hire a general manager before a head coach so that person can bring in someone whose philosophy of roster-building and team management closely aligns with theirs, but it's not unusual to have a head coach in place before a GM.

There is no definitive timeline for the Jets to make a hire for either position. Pete Carroll, Kliff Kingsbury, Arthur Smith and Matt Nagy have been cited as other potential head-coaching candidates for Gang Green.

Since Kingsbury, Smith and Nagy are currently employed as assistants on other teams, they won't be allowed to have formal interviews until after the regular season is over.

Ryan has received interest as a defensive coordinator in recent years. He was considered a top candidate for the job with the Denver Broncos prior to the 2023 season after Sean Payton was hired as head coach.

The Dallas Cowboys interviewed Ryan last offseason as a potential replacement for Dan Quinn after he was hired as the Washington Commanders' head coach.

Ryan last worked for an NFL team during the 2016 season when he was head coach of the Buffalo Bills. He has worked as an NFL analyst for ESPN since 2017.

The 62-year-old Ryan spent six seasons as Jets head coach from 2009 to '14. He made the playoffs in each of his first two seasons, advancing to the AFC Championship Game both times.

New York's last postseason appearance came in 2010 with Ryan at the helm. He went 46-50 overall with the club.

Tua Tagovailoa is "very unlikely" to play in the Miami Dolphins' regular-season finale due to the hip injury that also kept him out last week against the Cleveland Browns.

Head coach Mike McDaniel updated Tagovailoa's status on Friday, noting Snoop Huntley is set to get the start against the New York Jets.

Tagovailoa, in his fifth season in the NFL, has dealt with several injuries in 2024 after playing all 17 games a season ago. He had a promising start to the year, throwing for 338 passing yards and a touchdown in Week 1, but suffered a scary concussion against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.

The concussion landed Tagovailoa on the injured reserve and he didn't return until Oct. 27, missing four games.

Tagovailoa managed to stay healthy for most of the season but suffered a hip injury against the Houston Texans in Week 15. While he was able to battle through the injury the following week against the San Francisco 49ers, he missed the Dolphins' penultimate game against the Cleveland Browns.

Luckily for the Dolphins, Miami survived without its starting quarterback to stay alive in the playoff race. Miami needs to beat New York in Week 18, along with a Denver Broncos loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, who will be resting Patrick Mahomes.

Tagovailoa has thrown for 2,867 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He had a decent season considering he had to miss a bit of time, but it was far from the year he hoped to have after amassing 4,624 yards and 29 touchdowns a year ago.

A win in Week 1 may have set the bar a bit too high for the 2024 New England Patriots and head coach Jerod Mayo.

Mike Reiss of ESPN reported that the Patriots' 16-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the opening game "shifted expectations" despite a lackluster roster and put more "pressure" on the first-year head coach.

"Looking back, one high-ranking team official said the unexpected opening win shifted expectations when the roster was lacking enough talent to compete, putting more pressure on Mayo," Reiss wrote. "Nonetheless, players have noted how Mayo stayed the course throughout in the locker room."

Since that victory, the Patriots have gone 2-13 and a loss in Week 18 to the Buffalo Bills would hand the team the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

"I knew this was going to be a challenging season," Mayo said, per Reiss. "Obviously the expectations here are always high. Unfortunately, we just haven't been able to meet those expectations. In saying that, I think the biggest problem with us as a team -- and it starts with me -- is just being consistent."

New England has had its worst season since 1992, when the team finished 2-14. It would eventually select quarterback Drew Bledsoe with the No. 1 pick. The Patriots have not had a No. 1 pick since then, and have risen from a franchise on the verge of moving to one that has won six Super Bowls.

The 2024 season could be one that leads the team into the next era and Mayo will hope for leniency as he looks to shift the focus from a shaky opening statement to a more prosperous 2025.

The New York Jets continued their early run of head-coaching interviews, with Mike Vrabel becoming the second person who spoke with the team.

New York confirmed the interview after The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt reported Vrabel would interview with Jets officials at their facility on Friday.

We have completed an interview with Mike Vrabel for our Head Coach position.

— New York Jets (@nyjets) January 3, 2025

The Jets announced on Thursday that Ron Rivera completed an interview. He is the first known candidate to have met with the team for the job.

Vrabel had been working with the Cleveland Browns this season as a personnel consultant, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday that his contract with the club expired.

The former Tennessee Titans head coach is expected to draw interest from multiple teams this offseason. The MMQB's Albert Breer noted he Vrabel is considered the "front-runner" for the Las Vegas Raiders if Antonio Pierce is fired.

Given that Raiders controlling owner Mark Davis has said Tom Brady, who owns a five percent stake in the franchise, will have a "huge" impact on the organization going forward, Vrabel being the top choice if they make a change isn't a surprise. They were teammates for eight seasons with the New England Patriots from 2001 to '08.

Tony Pauline of SportsKeeda reported Vrabel "wants" the Patriots job, but all indications right now are that Jerod Mayo will be back for a second season in 2025.

The Jets are hiring a new head coach and general manager this offseason after Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas were fired during the season. They have a 4-12 record entering the final game of the 2024 season and have missed the playoffs in 14 consecutive seasons.

Vrabel had a 54-45 record with three playoff appearances in six seasons with the Titans from 2018 to '23. He led them to two division titles and an appearance in the AFC Championship Game during the 2019 season.