In Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell's Coach of the Year news conference, he said, "Our goal is to win a championship and Sam Darnold is going to be a huge part of it when we do it," When asked to clarify, O'Connell said that Darnold has "earned the right to be a free agent, but we will continue to have ongoing dialogue and discussions with him and his representation." O'Connell went back on his comments a bit and said his previous comments about Darnold were made "in the spirit of answering a question about Darnold's season." Darnold had a career season in 2024, but his struggles in the final two games might make the Vikings more apt to give first-rounder J.J. McCarthy a shot in 2025 and let another team spend on Darnold. The Vikings also have former Giants QB Daniel Jones as an insurance policy in case they let Darnold walk in free agency.

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According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac, there's a strong chance that the Pittsburgh Steelers will re-sign impending free-agent running back Najee Harris this offseason. In addition to Harris being a free agent, RB Jaylen Warren will be a restricted free agent. Harris, a former first-round pick, didn't have his fifth-year option picked up, which many believed was a sign the Steelers would move on when he was eligible for free agency after the 2024 season. Dulac doesn't think Pittsburgh will give Harris a hometown discount, but there's something to be said for the fact that he had four 1,000-yard season with 28 total touchdowns in his four years with the team. He dealt with minor injuries but managed to start all 68 games in his four seasons as well. The 26-year-old is expected to make $9.166 million per year on his next deal.

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Los Angeles Rams pass-rusher Jared Verse was named the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year on Thursday night. The rookie out of Florida State made an immediate impact in his first year in the NFL and totaled 37 first-place votes to beat out Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. The 19th overall pick finished with 4.5 sacks and ranked fourth among all pass-rushers with 76 quarterback pressures. In addition, Verse was also one of eight non-linebackers to finish the year with 40-plus run stops. In L.A.'s Divisional Round loss to the Eagles, Verse had a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. Verse's teammate, Brandon Fiske, came in third place in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. In addition to his 4.5 sacks on the year, Verse had 66 tackles (36 solo), two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 17 regular-season games.

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Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell was named the 2024 NFL Coach of the Year on Thursday evening. Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell finished in second place in the voting. O'Connell led the Vikings to a surprising 14-3 record in 2024, and they narrowly missed out on the NFC's top seed for the postseason after a Week 18 loss to the division-rival Lions. Nobody realistically expected Minnesota to even sniff the playoffs after rookie first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury before the regular season even started. O'Connell and his staff led QB Sam Darnold to a career-best season, as he posted career-highs in passing yards (4,319), passing touchdowns (35) and completion percentage (66.2). In his three years guiding the Vikings, O'Connell has gone 34-17, including leading the team to an NFC North title in 2022.

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Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II was named the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday night. Surtain tallied 26 first-place votes and became just the second defensive back to win the award since 2010, joining Stephon Gilmore, who won the award as a member of the New England Patriots in 2019. The 24-year-old came just one vote shy of being a unanimous selection for first-team All-Pro honors and recording four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), 11 pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 16 regular-season starts. According to Next Gen Stats, Surtain was targeted on only 10.9% of his coverage snaps in 2024, the lowest rate among 83 cornerbacks with 300-plus coverage snaps. He allowed 0.6 yards per coverage snap, giving up only 306 receiving yards as the nearest defender. Surtain is the first Bronco to win the award since linebacker Randy Gradishar in 1978.

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was named Most Valuable Player for the 2024 NFL season on Thursday. Allen barely beat out Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson for the first MVP award of his career. Despite losing receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, the 28-year-old signal-caller got even better on his way to completing 64 percent of his pass attempts for 3,731 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions in 17 regular-season games. The three-time Pro Bowler led the league with a 77.3 QBR and also added 531 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns on 102 rushing attempts for the Bills. Allen becomes the first Bills player to win the award since running back Thurman Thomas did so back in 1991. Allen's 12 rushing scores were second to only the Eagles' Jalen Hurts. He finished as the QB4 in overall fantasy points and will once again be one of the first QBs off the board in fantasy drafts this fall.

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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. This is a well deserved win for Burrow who put together a tremendous 2024 campaign. The 28-year-old threw for 4,918 passing yards with 43 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Burrow was limited to 10 games in 2023, but came back and played like one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Sadly, the Bengals struggled as a team and missed the postseason, but they will look to rebound with Burrow as their leader in 2025.

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Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has been named the Offensive Player of the Year. This appeared to be a three-horse race between Lamar Jackson, Ja'Marr Chase, and Barkley. It's not too shocking to see Barkley winning the award after a historic season. Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards on 345 attempts with 13 touchdowns across 16 regular season games. Now, Barkley has a chance to finish his incredible season at the top with a Super Bowl victory. The expectation is that Barkley will be one of the first players off the boards in fantasy drafts next season.

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Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year on Thursday. This doesn't come as surprise given Daniels had one of the best seasons for a rookie QB. He threw for 3,568 passing yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 17 regular season games. He also got it done on the ground with 891 rushing yards and six additional scores with his legs. Daniels was a huge part of helping the Commanders make the postseason and the NFC title game. The 24-year-old should be in the MVP discussion for years to come.

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Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (ankle) was a full participant during Thursday's practice session. This is now back-to-back full practices for Goedert ahead of this Sunday's Super Bowl. The expectation is that Goedert is going to be removed from the injury report following Friday's practice. He might still be a little banged up, but at this point in the season who is 100 percent healthy. There is no reason to believe that Goedert won't be a full-go for Sunday's big game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Skyy Moore (abdomen), who remains on Injured Reserve, was listed as limited on Thursday in practice for the second straight day this week. Although the Chiefs opened Moore's practice window to come off IR recently, he has yet to put in a full practice and was listed as doubtful to play in Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles at the end of last week. Moore is almost certainly going to have to upgrade to a full practice on Friday to have a realistic chance of coming off IR to be active on Sunday. There's no guarantee that Moore will even see any offensive snaps against the Eagles in the unlikely event that he's even active. The 24-year-old former second-round selection in 2022 out of Western Michigan had no catches on three targets in the six games he played in 2024 before landing on IR.

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Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (illness) was feeling better on Thursday and was listed as a full participant after he was limited on Wednesday. Carter hasn't been at either of the media availabilities for Super Bowl LIX this week because of his illness, although his return to a full practice on Thursday means he shouldn't have any problems playing this Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. It was reported on Thursday that several other Eagles players are dealing with similar illnesses, but Carter is the only one that appears on the injury report because of it. Philly is going to need the 23-year-old's pass-rushing skills on Sunday to try and slow down quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Carter has been extremely productive in three playoff games this year, recording nine tackles (three solo), two sacks, three pass breakups and a forced fumble.

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Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Brandon Graham (elbow) was limited in practice for the second straight day this week on Thursday. Since the Eagles opened Graham's practice window to be activated from Injured Reserve last week, he's only been able to put in limited practice sessions. However, he said earlier this week that he remains on track to return from IR to play in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs in what is expected to be the final game of his career. The 36-year-old had surgery in November to fix a torn triceps that he suffered in Week 12. Although Graham appears to be planning to play this Sunday, it remains to be seen if the Eagles will actually activate him from IR. If the veteran linebacker is active against KC, expect him to be on a limited snap count given all the time he's missed this year.

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Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell (concussion, knee) upgraded to a full practice on Thursday after he was listed as limited in the first practice of the week on Wednesday. Gainwell suffered a concussion in the NFC Championship win over the division-rival Washington Commanders and didn't practice at all last week, putting his status in doubt for the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 9, against the Kansas City Chiefs. The 25-year-old could still end up being questionable for the big game, but his return to a full practice on Thursday gives him a much greater chance of clearing the league's concussion protocol and being active on Sunday. He will still need clearance from an independent neurologist, but another full practice on Friday could get him there. Gainwell has only seven carries for 32 yards and three catches for 26 yards in three playoff games, so his role will remain small if he's able to play.

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Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring) was listed as a limited participant in practice for the second straight day this week on Thursday. After not practicing at all last week, Smith wasn't listed on last Friday's final injury report. It means that he will most likely practice in full on Friday and be cleared to play in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday versus the Kansas City Chiefs. The 26-year-old pass-catcher has been extremely efficient in three postseason games this year, catching all 12 of his targets for 121 yards, although he didn't find the end zone in wins over the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams and Washington Commanders. Smith did have four touchdowns in his final four regular-season games, though, so it wouldn't surprise anyone if he had a big game in the Super Bowl this weekend.

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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Bub Means (ankle) said that he was cleared from his ankle injury in late January and is back to full speed as he prepares for his sophomore season in 2025. Means suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 8 and then had a setback that cost him the final nine games in the second half. The 24-year-old fifth-round pick (170th overall) caught nine of his 15 targets for 118 yards (13.1 yards per reception) and one touchdown in his seven games played (one start) in his first year in the NFL for the Saints. The Pittsburgh product emerged as an intriguing downfield threat for New Orleans in his rookie season and won't be hindered by his ankle this offseason as he prepares for what will hopefully be a bigger role in 2025. Means will most likely be a boom/bust receiver for fantasy purposes for a Saints team that still hasn't settled on a new head coach.

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The Washington Commanders announced on Thursday that they re-signed running back Michael Wiley to a Reserve/Futures deal. Wiley was an undrafted rookie out of the University of Arizona but eventually found his way onto the Commanders' practice squad during the 2024 season. The 24-year-old never got brought up to the active 53-man roster for a regular season game, though, and he will now look to continue his development this offseason in Washington before he makes his case for a roster spot in spring training this summer. Wiley stands at 5-foot-10 and 209 pounds and is a native of Houston, Texas.

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ESPN's David Newton reports that Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen plans to play in 2025. Thielen said at the end of the 2024 regular season that he was contemplating retirement, but after hinting toward a return recently, it appears that he will indeed return to the team next season. The 34-year-old veteran pass-catcher has one year left on the three-year, $25 million contract he signed with Carolina before the 2023 campaign. The two-time Pro Bowler had the third 1,000-yard receiving season of his career in his first year with the Panthers but regressed to 615 receiving yards and 48 receptions in 2024, although he also played in a career-low-tying 10 games due to a hamstring injury. Thielen won't be an upside target in fantasy, but his chemistry with young quarterback Bryce Young should not be discounted as a flex option in 2025.

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Former Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen is expected to join the Buffalo Bills coaching staff as a senior defensive assistant, according to Bruce Feldman of the Athletic. Nielsen spent the 2017 through 2022 seasons with the New Orleans Saints in various roles before running the Atlanta defense in 2023 and the Jacksonville defense in 2024. Both of his head coaches were fired after his lone season with the respective teams, so he's now set to join Sean McDermott in Buffalo. The Jaguars surrendered the sixth-most points per game in 2024 (25.6).

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The Seattle Seahawks and defensive lineman Leonard Williams have agreed to a restructured contract, according to team beat writer Corbin K. Smith. Seattle is converting $18.745 million of his salary into a bonus and adding two void years to the end of his deal. By doing this, Seattle drops his cap hit for 2025 by nearly $15 million. However, his cap hit will now jump to $29.6 million in 2026, and the Seahawks will carry $9.372 million in dead money in 2027 if he is not extended before the void years kick in. Williams, who was traded from the New York Giants during the 2023 campaign, registered 64 total tackles, 11 sacks, and a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown in 16 games in 2024 for Seattle.

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