Latest NFL Week 12 buzz: What we’re hearing on Daniel Jones’ benching, GM candidates and playoff races

We are heading into Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season, and league insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano are here to break down the biggest questions, latest news and notable buzz heading into the slate of games. They’ve been making calls around the league all week long to get the newest information. Plus, they pick out which players should — or shouldn’t — be in your fantasy football lineups.

We start with the Giants, who benched Daniel Jones this week. What’s next for that organization, and what does the move mean for its coaching staff? And what about the Jets, who just fired general manager Joe Douglas? Who are some of the top candidates around the league to become GMs, and where do the Jets go from here?

Elsewhere, which midtier teams could make some playoff noise? What are some of the biggest looming offseason decisions on deck? It’s all here, as our insiders answer big questions and empty their reporting notebooks with everything they’ve heard heading into Week 12.

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Giants’ next moves | Top GM candidates
Playoff sleepers | Offseason decisions
Fantasy tips | Latest intel and notes

What are you hearing on the Giants’ next moves after benching Daniel Jones?

Graziano: For now, it’s Tommy DeVito at quarterback. The Giants’ coaching staff decided he’s more likely than Drew Lock to provide a spark for a lagging offense. He’s a little bit more mobile than Lock, and sources I’ve talked to point to the way the team responded when DeVito took over as the starter last season, when the Giants won three games in a row.

Now, it’s pretty important here to note that the opponents they faced during that three-game winning streak committed a combined 12 turnovers in those games, and DeVito probably didn’t have a lot to do with that. He was sacked a somewhat astounding 36 times in the six starts he made in 2023, and his QBR was 23.7. But the Giants don’t feel stupendous about any of their options at the moment, and coach Brian Daboll said the word “spark” multiple times in his Monday news conference when talking about what he thinks DeVito can bring.

The Giants know they can go to Lock — who got a $5 million contract in the offseason to be Jones’ backup — if DeVito is overwhelmed. But I’d be shocked if Jones starts another game for the Giants, considering they’d be on the hook for a $23 million injury guarantee if he were hurt and couldn’t pass a physical next March. The Giants will have a different quarterback next season. But what does this all mean for Daboll and GM Joe Schoen?

Fowler: Owner John Mara went on record last month saying that Daboll and Schoen would be back in 2025, but it raises the question: Will he actually follow through? I’ve talked to people in and around that situation who believe Mara really does want to keep them both, with the notion that he has been cycling through coaches every 2-3 years and would very much like to stop. Thus far, he has bought into the Daboll/Schoen vision and trusted them to make the decision to bench Jones. The pairing has yet to pick its own quarterback of the future, too.

Others around the league are a tad more skeptical, with some people who follow these types of things closely forecasting it more like 50-50. If it’s Week 17, MetLife Stadium is half full and the Giants are stuck on two wins, Mara’s stance will be tested.

And to your point, Dan, Jones’ play simply wasn’t good enough, and Daboll needs that spark in the worst way. Sure, the injury guarantee was a factor. They can’t have Jones sustaining a football injury and risk failing a physical in March to lock in that money. But I was also told Daboll likes the way DeVito plays the position — loose and free, not stiff. There are plays to be made in this offense, and DeVito, despite his flaws, will at least attempt to make them. All of this brings the Giants’ big-picture quarterback plans into focus. Assuming Daboll and Schoen survive, what should their plan be at QB for 2025?

Graziano: Well, I think they’re going to have to draft one. By most accounts, this quarterback draft class doesn’t have the depth or quality of the 2024 group, so if they don’t end up picking in the top two or three slots, the Giants could be shut out. If they aren’t in position to draft Jones’ successor, there are a few potentially intriguing options on the free agent/trade market.

Would the Falcons trade Kirk Cousins after only one year if they think Michael Penix Jr. is ready? Will Sam Darnold be a free agent if J.J. McCarthy is ready to take over in Minnesota? Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are going to be free agents; could one of them fit? Would Trey Lance make sense? These don’t sound like great options, and maybe DeVito plays himself into the picture if the draft doesn’t line up for the Giants. But they’re back in the market for sure. Best case, the Giants draft a talented player they can develop quickly and have around for a long time.

Fowler: DeVito is the perfect QB2/QB3 for New York for years to come. But the Giants will inevitably need to double down with a draft pick and veteran help to address this massive need. A few scouts floated to me that Fields could be a fit for Daboll, who knows how to use mobile quarterbacks and can scheme up defined throws for him. The knock on Fields — hesitancy in the pocket — has been the same knock on Jones, but Fields could at least serve as a bridge option while a draft pick develops.

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Rex Ryan: Benching Daniel Jones was the right decision

Rex Ryan, Tedy Bruschi and Mike Greenberg discuss the New York Giants’ decision to bench quarterback Daniel Jones for Tommy DeVito.

I’m with you that this draft class is not considered a slam dunk. But the Giants are about to spend the next five-plus months figuring it all out. And herein lies the argument for playing Lock this week: If he had assumed the starting job and played well, he’d be yet another bridge quarterback option for next year.

In the wake of Joe Douglas’ firing, who are the most intriguing GM candidates around the league right now?

Fowler: Well, an intriguing candidate has to actually want this Jets general manager job. This will not be the most desirable opening. But since general managers enjoy longer tenures than head coaches, and only 32 of these jobs exist, the candidate pool will be fairly strong.

Winners are an easy place to start. Several executives play a pivotal role in the roster building and culture of contenders, including Eagles assistant general manager Alec Halaby, Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray, Vikings senior vice president of player personnel Ryan Grigson, Texans executive vice president of player personnel James Liipfert, Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew, Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl and Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander — a former lieutenant of Douglas’ in New York.

Graziano: It would fit Woody Johnson’s history to tap a GM who hasn’t done the job before, so those up-and-comers are certainly worth watching. You talk about wanting to hire from winning organizations, and I’d add guys such as Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi, Packers VP of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan (who has a connection with Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, who was a finalist for the Jets coaching job half a dozen or so years ago, just sayin …) and maybe Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds.

I wonder how much Johnson will think about the pairing with the coaching hire, and which job he’ll want to fill first. It’s pretty important the pair be aligned.

Fowler: A few more names come to mind. Interim general manager Phil Savage, the former Browns general manager, is well-respected, and he has always said he would be more prepared if a second GM opportunity arose. Chicago assistant general manager Ian Cunningham has been considered a serious candidate in recent years, and that shouldn’t change this year despite the Bears’ 4-6 start. Same goes for Cleveland’s assistant GM Glenn Cook.

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What does firing Joe Douglas mean for Aaron Rodgers’ future with Jets?

Dan Graziano breaks down the timing of the Jets’ decision to fire general manager Joe Douglas and what it means for Aaron Rodgers’ future with the team.

Graziano: Do we even mention the possibility of Bill Belichick here, as a head coach/GM combo? Not if the Jets don’t know who the quarterback is going to be in 2025. I’m willing to believe enough time has passed that Belichick would look at the Jets opportunity if, say, Aaron Rodgers were still there and playing well, but I don’t expect that to be the case. And again, the recent history of Jets GM hires says it’ll be a first-timer. So I’d be surprised to see someone such as John Dorsey, Scott Pioli or Rick Smith jump in here.

And I’ll close with a callback to your original point, Jeremy: How desirable is this job really going to be in the offseason?

Which team at or below .500 has the best chance to make noise in the playoffs?

Fowler: The Dolphins have woken up from a 2-6 slumber with back-to-back wins, having scored 111 points since Tua Tagovailoa returned from a concussion four weeks ago. The roster is talented enough to make a run, with playmakers galore on offense and a defense finding its rhythm. The remaining schedule is manageable, too: Houston and Green Bay are tough to beat, but the Jets (who are on the schedule twice), Patriots and Browns have proven to be the opposite. San Francisco in Week 16 seems like a winnable game based on the 49ers’ current trajectory.

The Dolphins won’t catch the Bills in the AFC East, but the seventh seed is gettable, with a clearer path than the Bengals (4-7). That said, I’m not sure Miami can actually make a playoff run once/if it gets in. But coach Mike McDaniel’s offense looks more equipped to win late-season games in December and January, so let’s see.

Graziano: I have to say the Bengals, even though I don’t think they can get there anymore. If things fall apart for some of the teams on the back end of the AFC race and Cincinnati runs the table to sneak in, it is going to be a formidable opponent because it has a championship-caliber offense. (And if the Bengals do run the table, I have to assume that means the defense is playing better). We’ve seen the Dolphins in the playoffs, and they don’t tend to make any noise, and the volatility around Anthony Richardson leads me to think the Colts probably don’t have a January run in them, either. How about the NFC, though? The 49ers and Rams at 5-5 sure seem like teams you might not want to face in the playoffs if they get in.

Fowler: The Rams’ offense is playoff-made, but the pass defense concerns me a bit; they have given up 18 touchdown passes through 10 games. The 49ers usually find a way to surge in the season’s second half but haven’t taken off yet.

But I’m still bullish on the Buccaneers, whose plans were thwarted by a brutal injury stretch while in the middle of a four-game losing streak (against the likes of the Ravens, Falcons, Chiefs and 49ers). But they played them all tough, and two key players at positions of need — wide receiver Mike Evans and cornerback Jamel Dean — return this week. Tampa Bay can hang with any team offensively, and the schedule is very favorable. Five of their final six opponents are well below .500.

Graziano: Man, after winning the division the past two years with records of 8-9 and 9-8, wouldn’t it be something if the Bucs pulled that trick again? Based on the Falcons’ performance I watched in Denver on Sunday, I’m not calling that NFC South race just yet, that’s for sure. Tampa Bay did win a playoff game last season, albeit over a dead-in-the-water Eagles team, so it has some experience. And you’re right, the Bucs should be healthier at that point if they get there.

What is the biggest looming offseason team decision, and what are you hearing on which way it could go?

Fowler: Will the Bengals pay Ja’Marr Chase? They absolutely should. Chase is making a compelling argument as the league’s best receiver, chasing the triple crown with 73 catches for 1,056 yards and 12 touchdowns. Though Justin Jefferson has been the consensus top receiver over the past two years, many scouts and coaches believe Chase strikes more fear in opponents because of his big-play ability. He’s validating that belief, which means the price tag only goes up.

The belief leaguewide is, yes, the Bengals did get close to extending Chase’s contract leading up to Week 1, but while the per-year annual average on that contract offer was sufficient, the structure of the deal (guarantees) was not what he wanted. Now Chase is well-positioned to clear Jefferson’s four-year, $140 million bar and then some. Will the Bengals oblige? It seems like a no-brainer, but that’s still a hefty price tag for a team considered fiscally responsible. The feeling here is Cincinnati lets Tee Higgins walk in free agency and allocates resources for Chase, a 2026 free agent. If not, expect Chase to stay far away from the team for a while.

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Schefter to McAfee: Bengals still capable of a playoff push

Adam Schefter explains to Pat McAfee that while it won’t be easy, the Bengals can still push for a playoff spot after starting 4-7.

Graziano: Yeah, and I have to think the Bengals have to decide early in the offseason whether they’re going to give him a Jefferson-level contract or trade him. Because you’re right, I don’t think they’ll see him until they answer that question. And yes, I don’t see how they can keep him and Higgins. Someday we’ll look back and say, “Can you believe Higgins, Chase and Joe Burrow were all on the same team?” and remember it as a unique opportunity they nearly cashed in with a title.

How about the Aaron Rodgers situation? He was talking last week as if he wanted to come back and play in 2025, but is it even remotely possible the Jets want that? And if he wants to come back and they don’t want him back, do the Jets need to release him? Regardless of how that turns out for 2025, the Jets need to be thinking about their future at the quarterback position. And while the Packers pulled off a smooth transition to their next guy, it’d be hard to do that with Rodgers still in the building.

Fowler: Much will depend on the Jets’ direction at head coach and general manager, now that Robert Saleh and Douglas are both out. Hard to say what the Jets will want or where they even start. As for Rodgers, escaping the contract is doable with a post-June 1 release, which would save $9.5 million in cap space. The Jets would absorb dead money regardless, but in return, they would be off the hook on the $35 million option bonus due before the 2025 season.

Perhaps Rodgers, coming off a down season and regressing at 40 years old, would be willing to help the team via renegotiation. And he hasn’t been terrible, with 17 touchdown passes to seven interceptions through 11 games. At least a handful of teams would take that right now. But clearly the experiment hasn’t worked out. The Jets are only as good as their options, and those options are threefold: stick with Rodgers, go with a stop-gap option (Darnold, Fields, etc.) or select a QB high in the draft.

Graziano: The return of Darnold! That would be hilarious, and probably a little bit of a tough sell for the fan base. I feel like everything I said about the Giants’ quarterback hunt probably applies to the Jets as well. Are we in for some kind of horribly sad race between the New York teams to see who can get the higher pick and snake the better QB option away from the other?

Honestly, the Jets are in a lousy spot, starting over again as they head into the second-contract times for rising stars like Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson. You wonder if this promising young core that flopped along with the Rodgers experiment will still be together by the time the Jets have a chance to be competitive again. At some point, the owner is going to have to stand by some of the people he hires and stick to a plan for more than two or three years.

What’s your top fantasy football tip of the week?

Graziano: I really like Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. this week against Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers are giving up the fifth-most fantasy points per game to running backs. Tracy is coming off a huge game against Carolina in Germany that unfortunately ended with an overtime fumble that cost the Giants the game. I don’t anticipate that the way that game ended will affect his role, as the Giants view him as a more dynamic option than Devin Singletary in an offense that needs as much dynamism as it can get. And with DeVito stepping in at quarterback, the Giants are probably going to want to lean on the run game as much as they can. Start Tracy in a week in which Bijan Robinson, James Cook, Breece Hall, Alvin Kamara and Chase Brown are on a bye.

Fowler: Cleveland’s Elijah Moore is a sleeper for WR2 duty. Moore gets the ball in a Jameis Winston-led offense, with a combined 29 targets the past three weeks. He parlayed that action into 66 yards and a touchdown Sunday in New Orleans. Playing the Steelers’ defense on Thursday night is less than ideal, but the Browns, sitting at 2-8, have no reason to stray from a high-volume passing game with Winston.

I also like Denver quarterback Bo Nix this week against a depleted Raiders defense. Nix is the first rookie quarterback since Justin Herbert with multiple games with at least a 75% completion percentage and at least three touchdown passes.

What else are you hearing this week?

Fowler’s notes:

• The Jaguars’ building was filled with curiosity Monday and Tuesday after the team lost 52-6 to the Lions, as people with the team braced for changes in light of the 2-9 record entering the bye. One source classified any potential firings as “deck chairs on the Titanic.” In other words, no Week 12 tweak would be able to stop what seems like an inevitability: an overhaul in the offseason. But they were definitely bracing for some sort of change, which never came.

One open-ended question there: Even if Doug Pederson were spared, would he be asked to fire coordinators? And if so, would Pederson oblige? He has been loyal to offensive coordinator Press Taylor, his coordinator in Philadelphia when the Pederson regime got let go after the 2020 season. The team had high hopes when hiring defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, whose Jaguars rank last in total defense. Defensive backs coach Kris Richard and quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy would be interim coaching candidates, though right now that feels like a moot point. And where does GM Trent Baalke, on whom owner Shahid Khan has leaned heavily for football guidance in past years, fit into the equation should Pederson go?

The prevailing theme from people I’ve talked to around the league is that Jacksonville will have little choice but to completely reset in the offseason and move on from both. Some within the team believe Pederson hasn’t lost the locker room, and the back end of the schedule is manageable, with five of the six opponents currently holding a losing record. But that’s probably too much optimism for this situation. This season has been a strain, though players were trying to stay upbeat through film sessions Monday. “There is talent here,” a team source said. “But you have to make plays in this league, and we aren’t making them.”

• Now that we’re a few weeks removed from the trade deadline, the Patriots’ outlook intrigues me. They did nothing at the deadline, suggesting this isn’t as big of a roster teardown as most thought. Well, it is and it isn’t. New England knows it’s far too short on building blocks. But at the deadline, opposing teams had interest in only key players, such as corner Christian Gonzalez or defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. The first player was a hard no, and the second is good enough to help keep the defense afloat up front. The maligned receiver room generated minimal to no interest. So New England stood pat.

But the post-deadline buzz brings its roster into focus: The Patriots are disappointed in the offensive line and receiver play but feel they have several players to help the cause in 2025 and beyond, such as Gonzalez, quarterback Drake Maye, defensive tackle Christian Barmore and safety Kyle Dugger. They want to see the Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker experiences through, so expect them to have much bigger roles next season. And Maye’s play has energized the building. The Pats hit on the most important position. Expect New England, once again, to work free agency for pass-catching and offensive line help to maximize Maye’s impact.

• Za’Darius Smith played 37 snaps in his first game as a Lion, contributing half a sack. I expect the Lions will be smart about Smith’s snaps. What was made clear to me is they are not looking for Smith, despite his Pro Bowl pedigree, to replace Aidan Hutchinson. They can’t: Hutchinson was a top-10 pass rusher in the NFL before his leg injury. And Smith is 32 years old. What the Lions do expect is for Smith to be a key complementary player on a defensive line that won’t feature only one player. In fact, the Lions will rely heavily on inside guys Alim McNeill and DJ Reader to generate pass rush, with Smith and Josh Paschal starting on the outside. It’s not that Detroit doesn’t expect production from Smith, but expectations should be tempered based on the player he’s replacing and the draft capital the Lions gave up (fifth- and sixth-round picks). Replacing Hutchinson will be a total team effort.

• Last week, I mentioned Oregon coach Dan Lanning as someone who has generated intrigue in some NFL circles. Some context: Do I think Lanning, who is in his third year with the Ducks and has a massive buyout, is leaving for the pros right now? No. But the point is that a relatively thin pool of candidates leaguewide could create a lane for top college coaches if they choose to pivot. Another name that is on the radar of the league office is Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman. Neither Lanning nor Freeman have any NFL experience, but if there’s a year to think creatively, this might be it.

• Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (leg) is eyeing a Week 12 return, though much will depend on his practice trajectory this week. But he wants to get out there and doesn’t feel he needs much of a ramp-up period. That will be up to the Chiefs, though.

• Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin) could be classified as week-to-week after being injured Sunday night against Cincinnati. He’s getting second opinions on the injury.

• The Bills’ bye week comes at an ideal time because it gives injured playmakers Dalton Kincaid (knee) and Keon Coleman (wrist) an extra week to heal. Getting them back in time for the San Francisco game on Dec. 1 would be huge. Neither injury appears to be a long-term issue.

Graziano’s notes:

• The buffering problems that Netflix had with the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight Friday raised some eyebrows around the league, since the NFL is scheduled to broadcast two Christmas Day games on Netflix this year. Obviously it would cause a major uproar if the stream cut out or froze in the middle of a spectacular Lamar Jackson scramble or Patrick Mahomes deep throw to the end zone. The NFL did check in with Netflix following the Tyson-Paul fight to ask about the problems and assess the likelihood that they could repeat themselves on Christmas. Netflix said the fight reached 60 million homes, and apparently part of the explanation to the league was that the unprecedented scale for them of broadcasting a live sporting event contributed to some of the challenges they faced.

But the NFL came away from the conversations reassured that Netflix had figured out what went wrong and that it won’t be a problem for Chiefs-Steelers or Ravens-Texans on Dec. 25. It will be the first time NFL games have been streamed on Netflix, though the league has experience with live-streamed games on Amazon, Peacock and ESPN+.

• The Broncos played Sunday’s game against the Falcons on an entirely new grass playing field at Empower Field at Mile High. The Walton-Penner ownership group replaced the field immediately following the team’s Week 8 home game against the Panthers, using 14 trucks to haul 285 rolls of Kentucky bluegrass sod from a turf farm in Platteville, Colorado. It took them 36 hours to replace the field, so they were done by that Tuesday. But they wanted to give the new sod as much time as possible to settle before playing on it, so they did it right away knowing they weren’t playing another home game until Week 11.

It’s the third year in a row Broncos ownership has done this. The first year it owned the team, it replaced the field with one game left. Last year, like this year, it found an open pocket of the schedule with space between home games to give the new surface time to settle. The reason the ownership group does it is for player safety. The Broncos have data that shows the playing surface deteriorates in extreme weather in the winter and increases the risk of a player being injured on it, and the Broncos’ owners decided they have too much invested in their players to incur any additional risk.

• The Steelers expect Mike Williams to play a role for them at some point this season, but they’re bringing him along slowly and planning to incorporate him into the offense more and more in the coming weeks. He was only in the game to catch the winning touchdown against Washington two weeks ago because of an injury to Calvin Austin III, so it wasn’t a surprise to see him more limited this past week in what was Russell Wilson’s roughest game so far as the team’s starting quarterback. On a short week in potentially bad weather against Cleveland on Thursday, I wouldn’t expect a ton from Williams, but it’s coming.

• Another fantasy-centric note on a wide receiver traded to an AFC North team at the trade deadline: Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken basically acknowledged last week that they’re having a tough time finding ways to involve Diontae Johnson in the offense. After asking around on this, the sense I got was that they considered him too good a player to pass up at the price Carolina was asking, and that he offered them a chance to use more three-receiver sets than they usually do, should they want to go that route.

But that’s not really the way their offense is set up, and unless the Ravens are planning a major midseason scheme change (which I don’t believe they are), Johnson might just be a veteran insurance policy in case something happens to top wideout Zay Flowers. Remember, the Rams added Odell Beckham Jr. as an extraneous-looking player the season they won the Super Bowl, and he ended up playing a larger role than anticipated once Robert Woods sustained a season-ending injury. It’s not the news Johnson fantasy managers want to hear, but this might be a case of a team just deciding you can never have too many playmakers.