PATRIOTS FIRE HC JEROD MAYO FOLLOWING 4-13 FIRST SEASON IN NEW ENGLAND
The New England Patriots have fired embattled head coach Jerod Mayo following a disappointing 4-13 debut season, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported on Sunday.
The team quickly confirmed the news, via a statement from owner Robert Kraft.
“After the game today, I informed Jerod Mayo that he will not be returning as the head coach of the New England Patriots in 2025,” Kraft said. “For me, personally, this was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. I have known Jerod for 17 years. He earned my respect and admiration as a rookie in 2008 and throughout his career for his play on the field, his leadership in the locker room and the way he conducted himself in our community. When he joined our coaching staff, his leadership was even more evident, as I saw how the players responded to him. When other teams started requesting to interview him, I feared I would lose him and committed to making him our next head coach. Winning our season-opener on the road at Cincinnati only strengthened my convictions. Unfortunately, the trajectory of our team’s performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped.”
Kraft had been a Mayo supporter, essentially prepping him behind the scenes as Bill Belichick’s eventual replacement prior to parting ways with the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach after the 2023 season.
But the former Patriots linebacker appeared to struggle both with the football operations part of the job, as well as with keeping his locker room together.
Kraft had only hired three coaches in his 30-plus year run as owner: Pete Carroll, Belichick and Mayo. Carroll coached for three seasons before Belichick returned to New England to start his epic run toward six Super Bowl titles. Mayo now becomes the Patriots’ first one-and-done coach since Rod Rust’s 1-15 season in 1990.
Mayo won his regular-season debut with an upset of the Cincinnati Bengals, which was a rousing start to his head-coaching career after following in the giant footsteps of Belichick. But things quickly went awry for the Patriots, as they fell to 1-6 with six straight losses after being run out of Wembley Stadium by the Jaguars on Oct. 20. That loss was an early flashpoint in Mayo’s rocky tenure as he questioned his team’s toughness.
“What I would say is, look, we’re a soft football team across the board,” Mayo said at the time.
Mayo’s Patriots got back on track with wins over the Jets and Bears, but they closed the season with six straight losses before Sunday’s win over the Bills, which also prevented New England from securing the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“Since buying the team, I have always considered myself and my family as custodians of a public asset,” Kraft said in a statement. “We have tremendous fans who expect and deserve a better product than we have delivered in recent years. I apologize for that. I have given much thought and consideration as to what actions I can take to expedite our return to championship contention and determined this move was the best option at this time.
“I am grateful for Jerod’s many contributions to the New England Patriots throughout his career and will always be rooting for his success. I appreciate all his hard work and hope the experiences gained will help him in the future, as I still believe he will be a successful head coach in this league. I wish Jerod and his family nothing but success in the future.”
Even the strong first-year showing from first-round QB Drake Maye couldn’t gloss over some of the Patriots’ issues, especially on defense — where Mayo’s expertise lies. They were considerably flawed in all three areas of the game this season, and several Patriots players openly spoke down the stretch about the need for offseason change in order to return to contention.
Belichick’s first season wasn’t much better, record-wise, at 5-11 in 2000. The next season he and a young Tom Brady famously guided the Patriots to their first Super Bowl title with an upset win over the St. Louis Rams.
The belief heading into the final stages of the season was that Kraft did not want to fire Mayo. The Patriots have a true building block in Maye and some significant, fungible assets with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and more than $100 million in salary-cap space this coming season, via Over The Cap.
But clearly, the plan changed following a few big losses down the stretch. Does this mean the Patriots have a clear successor in mind, such as former Titans head coach — and another former Pats LB — Mike Vrabel? Or will the Patriots break free of the Belichick tree in their second coaching search in the past 12 months?
After more than two decades of unprecedented franchise success, the future of the Patriots appears unpredictable and uncertain.
SEVEN FROM SUNDAY
A look at seven statistical highlights from games played during the 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET windows on Sunday, January 5, the 18th week of the 2024 season.
- With one game remaining this season, there have been 141 games decided by seven-or-fewer games, tied with the 2022 season for the most in a season in NFL history. There have been 121 games this season decided by six-or fewer points and 152 games decided by eight-or-fewer points, both the second-most in a season in NFL history, trailing only 2022 (122 games decided by six-or-fewer, 156 games decided by eight-or-fewer).
There have been 188 games within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter, the second-most such games in a season in NFL history, trailing only 2022 (203 games).
- The Minnesota Vikings (15-2) secured the NFC North division title, the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. The Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC and will face the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers (11-6) on Wild Card Weekend powered by Verizon. The Eagles defeated the Packers, 34-29, in Week 1 in the first-ever regular-season game in Brazil.
The No. 3 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7) defeated New Orleans, 27-19, in Week 18 to secure the NFC South division title for the fourth-consecutive season and will host the No. 6 seed Washington Commanders (12-5), who are making their first playoff appearance since 2020, on Wild Card Weekend
The Los Angeles Rams (10-7), who won the NFC West for the first time since 2021, are the No. 4 seed and will host the No. 5 seed, either Detroit or Minnesota, next week.
- The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (15-2), which secured the AFC West division title for the ninth-consecutive season, are the No. 1 seed in the AFC and will have a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs.The No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills (13-4), who won the AFC East for the fifth-straight season, will host the Denver Broncos (10-7), who qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2015, on Wild Card Weekend. The Bills became the first team in NFL history with at least 30 touchdown passes (30) and 30 rushing touchdowns (32) in a season.
The No. 3 seed Baltimore Ravens (12-5), who clinched their second-consecutive AFC North division title with a win on Saturday of Week 18, will host the No. 6 seed Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) in the first round of the playoffs. The two AFC North rivals split their two meetings during the regular season.
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson had 41 touchdown passes and four interceptions this season and became the first player with at least 40 touchdown passes and fewer than five interceptions in a season in NFL history.
The No. 4 seed Houston Texans (10-7), who won the AFC South for the second-straight season under head coach DeMeco Ryans, will host the No. 5 seed Los Angeles Chargers (11-6), who qualified for the postseason in their first season under head coach Jim Harbaugh.
- Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans had nine receptions for 89 yards in the Buccaneers’ 27-19 win over New Orleans.Evans had 1,004 receiving yards this season, his 11th-consecutive season with at least 1,000 receiving yards, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (11 consecutive seasons from 1986-96) for the most consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons in NFL history.
- New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes, including one to wide receiver Davante Adams, in the team’s 32-20 win over Miami.Rodgers has 503 regular-season touchdown passes and became the fifth player in NFL history with 500 regular-season touchdown passes, joining Tom Brady (649 touchdown passes), Drew Brees (571) and Pro Football Hall of Famers Peyton Manning (539) and Brett Favre (508).
Rodgers reached 500 touchdown passes in 248 career regular-season games and joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (244 games) as the only players to reach 500 regular-season touchdown passes in fewer than 250 career games.
Rodgers had 28 touchdown passes this season, his 14th career season with at least 25 touchdown passes, tied with Drew Brees (14 seasons) for the third-most such seasons in NFL history. Only Tom Brady (17 seasons) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (16) have more.
Rodgers and Adams have connected for 83 touchdowns, surpassing Miami’s quarterback-wide receiver duo of Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino and Mark Clayton (82 touchdowns) for the third-most touchdowns, including the playoffs, by a quarterback-wide receiver pairing in NFL history.
- Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 69 percent of his pass attempts (331 of 480) for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns with a 100.1 passer rating and added 891 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in 17 starts this season, the highest completion by a qualified rookie quarterback ever and the most rushing yards by a rookie quarterback in NFL history.Daniels is one of five qualified rookie quarterbacks in NFL history with a passer rating of 100-or-higher, joining Dak Prescott (104.9 rating in 2016 with Dallas), Robert Griffin III (102.4 in 2012 with Washington), C.J. Stroud (100.8 in 2023 with Houston) and Russell Wilson (100.0 in 2012 with Seattle).
Daniels became the third rookie starting quarterback in NFL history to win 12 games, joining Dak Prescott (13 wins in 2016 with Dallas) and Ben Roethlisberger (13 in 2004 with Pittsburgh).
- Denver rookie quarterback Bo Nix completed 26 of 29 pass attempts (89.7 percent) for 321 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions for a 152.4 passer rating and rushed for 47 yards in the Broncos’ 38-0 win over Kansas City.Nix’s 89.7 completion percentage (26 of 29) in Week 18 is the highest single-game completion percentage by a rookie quarterback with a minimum of 25 pass attempts in NFL history, surpassing Dak Prescott (88.9 percent (32 of 36) on Dec. 18, 2016 with Dallas).
Nix became the first rookie quarterback all-time with multiple games with at least 300 passing yards four touchdown passes and a passer rating of 140-or-higher.
Nix began Week 18 by completing each of his first 18 pass attempts, the most consecutive completions to begin a game by a rookie since at least 1978.
Nix had 29 touchdown passes this season and surpassed Baker Mayfield (28 touchdown passes in 2018 with Cleveland) for the second-most touchdown passes by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. Only Justin Herbert (31 touchdown passes in 2020 with the Los Angeles Chargers) had more.
Nix had 19 touchdown passes at home this season and surpassed Russell Wilson (17 home touchdown passes in 2012 with Seattle) and C.J. Stroud (17 in 2023 with Houston) for the most home touchdown passes by a rookie quarterback in NFL history.
Nix had 10 games with at least two touchdown passes this season and joined Justin Herbert (2020 with the Los Angeles Chargers) as the only rookies with 10 such games all-time.
Nix became the first rookie quarterback ever with seven games with multiple touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Nix had five games with at least three touchdown passes this season and joined Justin Herbert (six games in 2020 with the Los Angeles Chargers) as the only rookies with five such games in NFL history.
Nix had 376 completions this season and surpassed Trevor Lawrence (359 completions in 2021 with Jacksonville) for the third-most completions by a rookie quarterback in NFL history, trailing only Justin Herbert (396 completions in 2020 with the Los Angeles Chargers) and Carson Wentz (379 in 2016 with Philadelphia).
- Additional notes from Sunday include:
- Las Vegas rookie tight end Brock Bowers had 112 receptions this season while New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers had 109 receptions in 2024, the two highest reception totals by rookies in NFL history.Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers, with 112 receptions, and Arizona’s Trey McBride, with 111 receptions, recorded the third and fourth-most receptions by a tight end in a season in NFL history, trailing only Zach Ertz (116 receptions in 2018 with Philadelphia) and Evan Engram (114 in 2023 with Jacksonville).
- Carolina quarterback Bryce Young totaled five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) with a 123.5 passer rating in the Panthers’ 44-38 overtime win over Atlanta.Young, who is 23 years and 164 days old, became the fourth player under the age of 24 with at least three touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns in a game, joining Josh Allen (Dec. 30, 2018 with Buffalo), Steve Grogan (Oct. 3, 1976 with New England) and David Woodley (Nov. 9, 1980 with Miami).
- Atlanta rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (age 24) passed for 312 yards and two touchdowns, running back Bijan Robinson (age 22) rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns and wide receiver Drake London (age 23) had 10 receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns in Week 18.The Falcons became the first team in NFL history with a 300-yard passer, 175-yard receiver and 150-yard rusher each under the age of 25 in the same game.
Atlanta became the first team with a 175-yard receiver and 150-yard rusher each under the age of 24 in the same game in NFL history.
Robinson has 32 career games with at least 50 scrimmage yards, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famers Edgerrin James (32 games) and LaDainian Tomlinson (32) for the most games with at least 50 scrimmage yards by a player in his first two seasons in NFL history.
- Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons tied his career high with 2.5 sacks in Week 18.Parsons had 12 sacks in 2024 and became the fourth player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, with at least 10 sacks in each of his first four NFL seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Dwight Freeney, Derrick Thomas and Reggie White.
Parsons has 15 career games with at least two sacks and became the fourth player since 1982 with at least 15 games with two-or-more sacks in his first four seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Reggie White (22 games) and Richard Dent (16) as well as J.J. Watt (15).
Parsons has 52.5 career sacks since entering the NFL in 2021 and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney (51 sacks) for the fifth-most sacks by a player in his first four seasons since 1982. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers Reggie White (70 sacks), Derrick Thomas (58) and DeMarcus Ware (53.5) as well as J.J. Watt (57) had more.
NFL ROUNDUP: LIONS DOMINATE VIKINGS FOR NO. 1 SEED IN NFC
Jahmyr Gibbs had 170 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns and the host Detroit Lions pulled away for a 31-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
Jared Goff completed 27 of 33 passes for 231 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Detroit (15-2). Gibbs rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns and caught five passes for 31 yards and one score.
Sam Darnold completed 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards for Minnesota (14-3), which was held without a touchdown. The Vikings’ nine-game winning streak ended.
The Lions clinched the NFC North title for the second year in a row. They will have a bye next week and have secured home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.
Broncos 38, Chiefs 0
The best day of Bo Nix’s young career punched Denver’s ticket to the playoffs, as the Broncos put together a rout of visiting Kansas City.
It marks the first time since their Super Bowl-winning 2015 season that the Broncos (10-7) have reached the postseason. Denver clinched the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs. Nix completed his first 18 throws and was 26-for-29 passing for the game, setting a career high with 321 yards, and he also had four touchdown passes. Marvin Mims Jr. had a pair of receiving TDs.
With the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs wrapped up, the Chiefs (15-2) rested several top players, such as Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, Chris Jones, Jawaan Taylor and George Karlaftis. Quarterback Carson Wentz was 10-of-17 passing for 98 yards for Kansas City.
Panthers 44, Falcons 38 (OT)
Miles Sanders rushed for a game-winning 1-yard touchdown in overtime as Carolina eliminated host Atlanta from playoff contention.
Bryce Young completed 25 of 34 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns, adding two more scores on the ground for the Panthers (5-12), who scored their most points in a game this season.
Michael Penix Jr. threw for 312 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Falcons (8-9), who needed a win paired with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss to the New Orleans Saints in order to win the division. Bijan Robinson ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns, while Drake London caught 10 passes for 187 yards and two scores.
Commanders 23, Cowboys 19
Marcus Mariota’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with three seconds left lifted Washington over Dallas in Arlington, Texas.
Relieving Jayden Daniels in the second half, Mariota was 15-of-18 passing for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He kept the game-winning 11-play, 91-yard drive alive with a 33-yard carry on fourth-and-1. The Commanders (12-5) nailed down the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs and won 12 games in a single season for the first time since 1991.
Trey Lance, the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, made his first start since Sept. 18, 2022, and was 20-of-34 passing for 244 yards for the Cowboys (7-10).
Bears 24, Packers 22
Cairo Santos drilled a 51-yard field goal on the final play of Chicago’s season finale as the Bears ended a 10-game losing streak by edging host Green Bay.
The win also snapped the longest active winning streak by a team against one opponent. Chicago had lost its previous 11 games against Green Bay. Caleb Williams moved the Bears (5-12) 47 yards to set up Santos’ heroics after Brandon McManus’ third field goal of the afternoon, a 55-yarder, had given Green Bay (11-6) a 22-21 lead with 54 seconds remaining.
Williams was 21-of-29 passing for 148 yards and a touchdown to DJ Moore, who caught nine passes for 86 yards. Packers quarterback Jordan Love hit on 7 of 12 passes for 69 yards but left the game during Green Bay’s fifth series due to a right elbow injury and did not return.
Colts 26, Jaguars 23 (OT)
Matt Gay kicked four field goals, including a 38-yarder in overtime, to help Indianapolis defeat visiting Jacksonville.
Jonathan Taylor rushed for 177 yards and one touchdown on 34 carries for the Colts (8-9). Joe Flacco completed 23 of 40 throws for 264 yards and found Alec Pierce for his lone passing score. Indianapolis notched a fourth-down stop after Gay’s go-ahead kick in the extra session.
Mac Jones was 20-of-32 passing for 225 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Jaguars (4-13). Parker Washington had a touchdown catch, Tank Bigsby rushed for a score and Brian Thomas Jr. finished with seven receptions for 103 yards.
Patriots 23, Bills 16
Joe Milton III threw for one touchdown and rushed for another in his NFL debut to guide New England past Buffalo in Foxborough, Mass.
Milton rattled off 11 straight completions to begin his professional career and finished 22-of-29 passing for 241 yards. Kayshon Boutte was Milton’s favorite target, hauling in seven receptions for a career-high 117 yards and a TD. The Patriots (4-13) would have secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft had they lost.
Mitchell Trubisky threw for 101 yards and a TD on 15-for-21 passing for the Bills (13-4), the No. 2 seed in the AFC during the upcoming playoffs. Ray Davis led Buffalo’s rushing attack with 64 yards on 15 carries.
Eagles 20, Giants 13
Tanner McKee threw two touchdown passes in his first NFL start as Philadelphia beat visiting New York to match a single-season franchise record for wins.
The Eagles (14-3), who posted the same record two years ago, were already locked in as the No. 2 seed in the NFC and did not play most of their starters. They will host the Packers in a wild-card game next weekend. McKee threw for 269 yards on 27-of-41 passing.
Giants rookie Malik Nabers had 64 yards on five catches and set the franchise’s single-season reception record with 109, breaking Steve Smith’s 2009 mark of 107. New York (3-14) finished the campaign winless in the NFC East and ended its disastrous centennial season with a franchise record for losses.
Buccaneers 27, Saints 19
Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes and host Tampa Bay came from behind to defeat New Orleans and win its fourth consecutive NFC South title.
Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans reached 1,000 yards receiving for the 11th consecutive season to tie Jerry Rice’s NFL record for consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns. Mayfield passed for 221 yards and rushed for 68, but Tampa Bay (10-7) didn’t lead until he threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan with 10:09 left in the game.
Blake Grupe kicked four field goals and rookie Spencer Rattler passed for a season-high 240 yards and a touchdown for the Saints (5-12), who lost their last four games.
Texans 23, Titans 14
C.J. Stroud threw a touchdown pass and Dameon Pierce rushed for 176 yards and another score as Houston tuned up for the playoffs by defeating Tennessee in Nashville.
Stroud hit all six of his passes for 50 yards on the game’s first possession, finding Nico Collins for a 2-yard scoring strike. Houston coach DeMeco Ryans pulled Stroud at that point and used backup Davis Mills, who was 12-of-22 passing for 128 yards for the Texans (10-7).
With their loss and the Patriots’ victory over the Bills, the Titans (3-14) received the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Will Levis hit on 9 of 17 passes for 175 yards, including a 49-yard TD pass to Tay Martin with 2:41 left in the game, while Mason Rudolph also played at quarterback and went 7-of-9 passing for 70 yards.
Cardinals 47, 49ers 24
Kyler Murray tied a career high with four touchdown passes and did not throw an interception to lead Arizona to a victory over San Francisco in Glendale, Ariz.
Murray was 25-of-35 passing for 242 yards for Arizona, which concluded its season 8-9. The Cardinals did not play leading rusher James Conner (knee injury).
San Francisco (6-11) played without starting quarterback Brock Purdy (elbow) and receiver Deebo Samuel (ribs/wrist). Purdy’s replacement, Joshua Dobbs, started eight games for the Cardinals last season while Murray nursed a knee injury. Dobbs completed 29 of 43 pass attempts on Sunday for 326 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Seahawks 30, Rams 25
Geno Smith threw four touchdown passes, including a 16-yarder to Noah Fant with 3:19 remaining, as Seattle edged Los Angeles in Inglewood, Calif.
Smith completed 20 of 27 passes for 223 yards. Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh combined for 108 rushing yards, with Fant and fellow tight end AJ Barner each finishing with five receptions and scoring once for the Seahawks (10-7).
The Rams (10-7), who had already clinched the NFC West, rested several starters, including quarterback Matthew Stafford. Jimmy Garoppolo was 27-of-41 passing for 334 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in his Los Angeles debut.
Chargers 34, Raiders 20
Quentin Johnston hauled in a career-high 13 receptions for 186 yards, leading Los Angeles over host Las Vegas to help the Chargers clinch the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.
With the win, the Chargers (11-6) will head to Houston to face the Texans in the wild-card round. Justin Herbert threw for 346 yards and two touchdowns, completing 28 of 36 passes for Los Angeles. Ladd McConkey had 95 yards on five catches.
Aidan O’Connell threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders (4-13). Jakobi Meyers hauled in nine receptions for 123 yards to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season for the first time in his six-year career. Brock Bowers added four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown to finish his rookie campaign with 112 receptions. The Las Vegas tight end set the single-season reception record for a rookie at any position.
Jets 32, Dolphins 20
In what might have been the final game of his Hall of Fame career, Aaron Rodgers threw a season-high four touchdown passes and reached a career milestone while leading New York to a win over Miami in East Rutherford, N.J.
Rodgers’ first touchdown pass on Sunday was the 500th of his career, joining Tom Brady (649), Drew Brees (571), Peyton Manning (539) and Brett Favre (508) as the only quarterbacks to reach the mark. Rodgers completed 23 of 36 passes for 274 yards and threw an interception as the Jets (5-12) played spoiler against their longtime AFC East rivals.
Even before time expired, Miami (8-9) was eliminated from playoff contention once the Broncos beat the Chiefs to clinch the AFC’s final wild-card berth. The Dolphins missed the postseason after making it there in each of the past two seasons.
TITANS CLINCH NO. 1 OVERALL PICK IN 2025 NFL DRAFT WITH LOSS TO TEXANS, PATRIOTS’ WIN OVER BILLS
The Tennessee Titans clinched the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with Sunday’s home loss to the Houston Texans.
The Patriots entered Week 18 with the best chance to earn the top pick prior to their victory. However, New England’s win over Buffalo and Tennessee’s strength-of-schedule tiebreakers over the Browns and Giants moved the 3-14 Titans into the top slot. Cleveland secured the No. 2 overall pick, while the Giants have the third pick, New England holds the fourth pick, the Jaguars are in the No. 5 slot and the Raiders are locked into the sixth selection with their loss to the Chargers.
The Titans played both quarterbacks, Will Levis and Mason Rudolph, in Sunday’s loss and neither has yet proven capable of effectively leading Brian Callahan’s offense.
It would not be surprising to see the Titans put a major emphasis on improving the talent at the position in the offseason. Callahan was part of a Bengals staff that found itself in a similar position in 2020, when Cincinnati selected LSU’s Joe Burrow first overall.
Tennessee would love to find that caliber of savior this offseason. The franchise also is expected to have ample salary-cap space this offseason, currently projected to be upward of $60 million by Over The Cap.
The last time the Titans held the first pick was back in 2016. They ended up trading it to the Rams — who selected Jared Goff — in a major swap of draft selections, one of which ended up being spent on Derrick Henry.
The Titans have not picked first overall since the franchise moved to Tennessee, although their predecessors, the Houston Oilers, selected DE John Matuszak (1973) and RB Earl Campbell (1978) in the top overall slot. The highest the Titans have picked was second overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, when they selected QB Marcus Mariota.
SAQUON BARKLEY, JA’MARR CHASE HEADLINE REGULAR-SEASON STAT LEADERS
Star running backs Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry wasted no time settling into their new homes.
Barkley, in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles, became the ninth running back in NFL history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark on the ground. He finished with 2,005 to lead the league, edging Henry (1,921 rushing yards), who was dominant in Year 1 with the Baltimore Ravens after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans.
Henry helped Baltimore to a 12-5 finish, which was good enough for an AFC North title. The Ravens were able to come out on top despite having to contend with the Cincinnati Bengals, who had the NFL leader in passing yards in Joe Burrow (4,918 yards).
Detroit Lions signal-caller Jared Goff (4,629 passing yards) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (4,500) rounded out the top three in that category.
Burrow also topped the league in passing touchdowns with 43. Mayfield and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson were tied for second with 41.
Ja’Marr Chase was a big reason why Burrow put up such gaudy numbers. The 24-year-old wideout finished with 127 receptions for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns — all NFL bests.
Rookies Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders) and Malik Nabers (New York Giants) cracked the top five in receptions, with Bowers snatching 112 catches to land in third and Nabers reeling in 109 passes to end up in fifth.
Cincinnati defensive end Trey Hendrickson was a force to be reckoned with on the other side of the ball and piled up 17.5 sacks. Myles Garrett collected 14 for the Cleveland Browns, and the Denver Broncos’ Nik Bonitto totaled 13.5
Zaire Franklin of the Indianapolis Colts led the league in combined tackles (173).