Bears

Bears OLB Jalen Reeves-Maybin is set to be an unrestricted free agent as he finished the ninth year of his NFL Career. Reeves-Maybin said he’s still open to playing and will be “picky” about where he ends up. 

“I’m deep into my career and I know I can still do it and I think I played well this year when I did, but it has to be the right situation for me,” Reeves-Maybin said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I have other priorities that are kind of creeping up there with just me as a football player. My family’s growing, I put a lot into my role [with the NFLPA], so we’ll see what happens. I’m open to it, but I’m going to be picky and I’m going to get to a place where I feel like I’m set up nice and have comfort.”

Reeves-Maybin joined Chicago after playing for the Lions in two separate stints. The veteran said HC Ben Johnson is forging his own path as a coach after being Detroit’s offensive coordinator under HC Dan Campbell. 

“Obviously Dan is an incredible leader and if you’re around him he’s going to make an impact on you and you’re probably going to take things from him,” Reeves-Maybin said. “But Ben is his own person and he’s extremely smart and he definitely has his own approach. I do not go into the meetings thinking that, ‘Oh, this is just like Dan.’ That’s not what’s happening. It’s fun to see him create his own culture and I’ve been with Ben since 2019 when he came to Detroit, and I was fortunate to grow a relationship with him even being on the other side of the ball, so it’s been amazing to see him.”

Reeves spoke about what he may want to do after his playing career, saying he has an interest in scouting. 

“For me, people always talk about you want to work in something where it kind of doesn’t feel like work or you don’t have to find fake motivation to do it and running a search process, it’s something that [I’ve really enjoyed],” Reeves-Maybin said. “I used to always think my next thing is I want to be a scout. It’s something that I do without thinking. When I watch film, I watch film and I’ll be forgetting that I’m supposed to be watching the schemes or trying to see how I want to play. I’ll get stuck on watching a player. So I have a really natural inclination to evaluate people. I do it on the field and off the field, so I’ve discovered that about myself, that is naturally what I lean to. So I can kind of take that approach to off the field and maybe it’s something I can find enjoyment in.”

Packers

Packers WR Matthew Golden didn’t get as much volume in year one as other top receivers in his draft class, but Green Bay GM Brian Gutekunst praised the young wideout for how he handled his first year in the league.

“I thought Matthew did an excellent job from the beginning of training camp throughout the season,” Gutekunst said, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “Whenever he got his opportunities, he capitalized on them. I thought he did an excellent job. Like all players, when you go through tough times when you’re losing games and maybe you’re not getting as many opportunities as you want, that’s going to be frustrating, but I thought he handled it like a pro and, when his number was called on, he performed. Really excited to see what he can do in Year 2.”

Vikings

Alec Lewis of The Athletic takes a look at some pressing questions for the Vikings going into the offseason:

• Lewis writes that QB J.J. McCarthy‘s lack of availability is the Vikings’ “foremost concern” going into 2026 after appearing in just 29 percent of snaps since being drafted in 2024. 
• Lewis thinks it would be “hopeful at best” to expect McCarthy to sustain a full season of hits. 
• With HC Kevin O’Connell and WR Justin Jefferson, Lewis believes Minnesota offers the most intriguing options among teams potentially in need of a quarterback this offseason, including the Jets, Browns, Dolphins, Steelers, Cardinals, and Falcons. 
• As for the Vikings being $40.15 million over the salary cap, Lewis points out that Minnesota structured most of its long-term contracts to make things adjustable. 
• Lewis names LT Christian Darrisaw, DE Jonathan Greenard, CB Byron Murphy Jr., DE Andrew Van Ginkel, and RG Will Fries as candidates for a restructured contract.
• In the end, Lewis thinks bringing on an expensive quarterback would complicate other priorities. 
• Lewis also feels that trading for a quarterback isn’t out of the question. A likely scenario for Minnesota could be trades involving draft picks and conditions tied to playing time instead of one involving multiple first-rounders. 
• Should the Vikings look into the trade market, Lewis writes that no other quarterback checks more boxes than the 49ers’ Mac Jones. However, prying Jones away from San Francisco may be difficult, given that they would be in line for a compensatory pick in 2027 if they keep him next season. 
• The Vikings are about $40 million over the cap and could save nearly $10 million by cutting DT Javon Hargrave. (Alec Lewis)