National Football League

[SHAD0W93]

QB Russell Wilson signing with Giants on one-year, $10.5M deal

www.nfl.com

Patriots signing WR Stefon Diggs to three-year, $69 million max deal

www.nfl.com

Diggs falling on his feet again with that contract !

Wow, Wilson and Winston as your quarterbacks looks like another fail of a season for the Giants. Looks like odds are increasing for Rodgers to give Tomlin his first losing season and fired. If Rodgers, Pickens, and DK are all on the same sideline I expect a sideline game brawl by week 4.

Diggs only has himself to blame being in his situation now teamwise, not monetary. He wanted to leave to try and win a Super Bowl and is now going after the money. It’ll be interesting to see how much of a diva he is with Vrabel as the head coach.

Tom Brady: 'Natural tension' with Bill Belichick led to split with Patriots

www.nfl.com

I’d have some tension too if Belichick was my boss for 20 years. I don’t think I could have made it 5.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Pats had a ton of money going into FA, and they spent a huge chunk of it.

With Wilson going to the Giants, does that mean the Titans take Ward, and the Browns take Shedeur? I guess the Jets could take Shedeur at 7. Boy, I have to wonder what Prime thinks, his boy going to either the Browns or Jets. The two most notorious dumpster fire QB killer orgs in the league. And if the Titans take Carter, this means the Browns take Ward, right?

There are no quarterbacks left for the Steelers to grab, at least who might lead them to more wins than Rudolph. Here's who is left, in general order of not just talent, but the ability to get a team wins:

Joe Flacco
Aaron Rodgers
Drew Lock
Tyler Huntley
Case Keenum
Teddy Bridgewater
Easton Stick
Desmond Ridder
Carson Wentz
Sam Ehrilnger
Tre Lance
CJ Bethard

As many as 6 QBs will be taken in the draft, and most may make teams, at least practice squads.

The Vikings are the only team without a backup QB right now. I thought this is where Flacco was going, but so far, not yet. He and Keenum are the obvious choices to backup JJ. Some teams currently have 4 QBs signed (Jets, Saints, Chiefs, Lions, Bills).

 

[Nomad]

Pats had a ton of money going into FA, and they spent a huge chunk of it.

And they need to spend it on acquiring some good players - the team was terrible last year! (4-13). The defense was in the bottom half of the league giving up a lot of points. Offensively they sucked - second to last in total team offense & only the hapless Browns & Giants scored less total points.

And Maye has got to play better. He's supposed to be a lighter version of Josh Allen; elite arm, outstanding athleticism & dual-threat running capability. But the #3 OA showed none of it last year. Threw too many picks, a passer rating of only 88, didn't run effectively & was 3-9 in his 12 starts.

I imagine Kraft must be on the verge of a meltdown wondering if he's going to have another 1st round QB failure (he still must be reeling from the Jones disaster. Lol). His team has completely imploded upon the departure of Brady. The once proud organization that set an example for other teams to follow has become a laughingstock of the league.

 

[Nomad]

Tyler Shough Impresses NFL Scouts at 2025 Louisville Pro Day

The University of Louisville hosted its Pro Day, with all 32 NFL teams in attendance to evaluate 21 former players aiming to improve their draft prospects. Quar

bvmsports.com

Threw very well -- he has the best arm talent out of this class. Impressive athleticism & mobility. This is my sleeper in this draft.

 

[Nomad]

Steelers could lose Aaron Rodgers to retirement, insider says: ‘I’m hearing he might not want to play’

It sounds like there is a real chance Aaron Rodgers does not play in 2025.

www.pennlive.com

There's hope after all! Lol. In all seriousness, this would be best for him, IMO. His better days are way behind him. Yes, he was a great one in his prime -- no doubt a future HOF (one of the strongest arms in the history of the game). But he's only embarrassing himself trying to play at a high level with his aging, broken down body & dwindling physical capabilities. Teammates are not taking him serious anymore & he's lost his leadership qualities.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Hope for the Steelers too! I honestly think they will win more games with Mason Rudolph (and drafting Shough in the 3rd round? Dart? Milroe? Ewers?), than with Rodgers. I agree Shough has the best arm in this class, and that includes Ward who does a really nice job pushing the ball downfield on a rope. But Shough just makes some of the most difficult NFL throws - deep and out really, with ease in a compact but fluid motion. He reminds me of Burrow, Stafford, or (gasp!) Aaron Rodgers, the way they throw.

Drake Maye improved as the season went on, showing at times why he was drafted as high as he was. But they had a poor and injured OL, poor receiver group, poor running attack. I honestly think it was both firing Belicheck, and expecting Jerrod Mayo to step right into his shoes after they groomed to be the HC only to find out he didn't know what he was doing (Raiders found out in a very similar hard way). BB wasn't doing well at the end either, but he also set the team up well in FA money. But for whatever the reason, Kraft didn't want to spend it last year, hence their having so much this season. Kraft obviously saw the result of that, and did a 180. With Vrabel, McDaniels (as OC), a heap of top name FA players, I can see Kraft expecting his team to compete again this season. They won't knock off the Bills, but he's going to expect them to be competitive, make a stab at the playoffs.

Russell Wilson saying he expects to start for the Giants. I'm curious if the Giants draft Shedeur anyway, even with both Winston and Wilson on staff. Look at it this way, it's 99% likely both those guys will be on another team, or out of the league in a year.

UFL starts on Friday.

 

[Nomad]

You're right, Wilson has made it perfectly clear that he expects to start. And his contract has some key incentives based on wins and playing more than 50% of plays.

 https://sports.yahoo.com/article/russell-wilson-6-word-message-212920013.html

And Sanders expects to start right off the bat at whatever team drafts him (I'm sure his dad will see to it. Lol). So, if Sanders goes to the Giants, Daboll can't start both of them. And I don't think Wilson would be too thrilled about a rookie with that kind of media attention breathing down his neck?

And WTH is Pittsburgh going to do if Rodgers doesn't sign with them? Currently, it's only Mason Rudolph & Skyler Thompson on the depth chart. I'm not sold on Rudolph as their starter for an entire season. He has elite size & a strong arm, but he's slow & immobile. He's the true definition of an "immobile pocket passer" - once that pocket breaks down, there's not much he can do but a take the sack or throw the ball away. Last season he was terrible at Tennessee where he started 5 games for the injured Levis. 1-4 over that span, a 1 to 1 TD/INT ratio (9/9) & a bad passer rating of 80.

Maybe Tomlin needs to look over that FA list you posted & find someone?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Uh...which player on that list is a starter??! I suppose Rodgers maybe, possibly is a starter? But he's as old, slow and immobile as Rudolph. To be honest, they might as well finally have a losing season under Tomlin, and tank for a QB in next year's draft at this point!

Four weeks out from the draft. The avalanche of draft predictions has already overloaded every sports site there is.

St Louis Battlehawks play at the Houston Roughnecks on Friday.

 

[Nomad]

From that list, I'd pick Big Joe. He didn't do all that bad in the 6 starts he had last season at Indy. The year before, he was outstanding in the 5 starts he had at Cleveland going 4-1, leading the team to a playoff berth & winning Comeback Player Of The Year award. Of course, I don't think he could make it through an entire 17 game season (he would need to be rested for a few games). But he certainly would be better than Rodgers, and also Rudolph, IMO.

Once again, you keep thinking that I'm for Rodgers starting at Pittsburgh. Lol. I've posted many times that he's way past his prime & should retire (maybe he could survive as a backup for a few years but I don't think his ego would allow it). What I'm trying to figure out is the infatuation Pittsburgh has for Rodgers? They desperately want him as their starter, and now Tomlin is panicking because Rodgers is dragging his feet on making a decision. What does Pittsburgh see in Rodgers??? Anyone have any idea?

You're big on Rudolph starting for the Steelers? And maybe you're right...he's their guy for this season. But his career path the last couple of seasons has been nothing but confusing. When he started the last 3 games for the Steelers in 2023 - he played outstanding winning all 3 games & securing a WC playoff spot. Then in the playoff game against Buffalo, he played poorly & they got hammered. The Steelers then release them. Why? Was Tomlin that pissed off with that playoff lost that it overshadowed Rudolph's performance in those previous 3 games? Then last year at Tennessee he didn't do very well going 1-4 in the 5 starts he had for the injured Levis. Obviously Tennessee wasn't happy releasing him & instead signing Brandon Allen.

So, which version of Rudolph is Pittsburgh getting? The one that played outstanding winning the last 3 games of the 2023 season? Or the one that played poorly last season losing 4 out of the 5 starts he got?

 

[movingtarget]

Ravens reach three-year contract extension with head coach John Harbaugh

 

[movingtarget]

Is Trey Lance signing with the CFL? Why former 49ers No. 3 pick may be moving on from NFL​

Daniel Mader

March 27, 2025 • 6:31 am GMT+11

Since being drafted third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, Trey Lance hasn't gotten many opportunities to lead a quarterback room.
Lance was taken by the 49ers, who originally anticipated him becoming their QB1 after Jimmy Garoppolo and traded draft capital to land him. Instead, Lance got hurt in 2022 and Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy stepped in and shined for San Francisco, winning the starting job he has held onto ever since.

That led to Lance being traded to the Cowboys, and he backed up Dak Prescott in 2024 before hitting free agency. But even at age 24, there's reportedly a chance that Lance could soon be moving on from the NFL for another football league.
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Here's what to know about the rumors that Lance could be heading to the Canadian Football League.

Is Trey Lance signing with the CFL?​

There haven't been any official moves made yet, but Lance was added to the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders' negotiation list on Monday, according to TSN Football Insider Dave Naylor.
Trey's father, Carlton, played one season for the Roughriders as a cornerback after spending time on the football team at Southwest Minnesota State University. Carlton Lance also later spent time with the London Monarchs of the World League.

Naylor added that CFL teams "never put players on the [negotiation] list just to make noise," so there appears to be some fuel to the chance that Lance joins his father's former squad.
Although Lance, currently a free agent, could likely continue his NFL career as a backup, there is some logic behind a potential jump to the CFL for the quarterback even outside of the familial connections between he and the Roughriders. For one, Lance has had virtually no opportunities to prove himself on an NFL field; he's thrown just 143 career passes in four years.
Joining the CFL could give Lance the first real starting quarterback opportunity he's been waiting for since leaving North Dakota State and becoming an NFL Draft prospect. There are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic on his ceiling, as he led the Bison to a 16-0 record in 2019 while throwing for 28 touchdowns, rushing for 14 more and throwing no interceptions.
Lance's official decision on joining the CFL remains to be seen, but joining the league could allow him to get some much-needed reps and potentially prove to NFL teams why he could still someday be a franchise quarterback.
NFL FREE AGENCY 2025: Live tracker | Grading every move

Trey Lance contract​

Lance has gotten just one NFL contract so far, his rookie deal that he signed in San Francisco, which took him through the 2024 season.
According to Spotrac, Lance just completed the final year of that four-year deal worth around $34.1 million. He had a cap hit of $5,310,714 this past season for Dallas. Now a free agent, Lance could either sign as a backup with another NFL team or potentially pursue a starting job in the CFL.
MORE: All the details to know about Russell Wilson's deal with the Giants

What's a negotiation list?​

As the Roughriders did with Lance, CFL teams can add up to 45 players to their negotiation list, which gives them exclusive rights to negotiate a potential contract with those players. Being added to the list doesn't always mean a player is interested in joining the league, but if they are, they can then only talk about a deal with the team that added them to their negotiation list.

Any player on a negotiation list is eligible to discuss a contract as long as they aren't currently under contract with another team or league. Lance is currently a free agent in the NFL, so he could choose to sign with the Roughriders at any time.
CFL teams are required to unveil 10 players from their negotiation lists twice each year. The other 35 players on the list are only known by the team and the league.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I posted about Lance before, and his maybe going to the CFL. I think it would make more sense to go to the UFL, but that ship has sailed. CFL would pay more (most probably), but the rules are different.

As to the Steelers...as a Raiders fan, I'm hoping they do sign Rodgers, and give him a 3-year deal for a heap of cash!

Let's be honest, Rodgers career basically ended when he tore his achilles at the start of the 2023 season. In fact, his last great season was 2021. He won't even get back to that level, no matter what team he signs with. Why any team would be clamoring to get him is beyond comprehension. Yes, I would definitely go with Rudolph over him as a starter. And I do agree that signing Flacco and having them both plan on playing, even starting (long season, injuries) is a better idea. I'd also look at seeing what QB drops to me in the draft, or if I can swing a deal with a team for Shedeur, if he falls past about 5 or so. If Shedeur has a bad, or even average pro day, he could fall to them at 21.

 

[Nomad]

Definitely tearing a Achilles at his age is not good & recovery to a pre-injury level is unlikely (big difference between an athlete in his 20s tearing an Achilles vs someone Rodger's age). But the decline in his mobility & agility was occurring before that. Rodgers was a mobile pocket passer. He ran a decent 40 & had good athleticism coming out of Cal (he ran for a season high of 369 yds & 4 TDs in 2016).

If you look at his throwing stats from last year where he surprisingly played an entire season, they're not all that bad. Not great by Rodger's standards, but many "average" starting QBs in the league would take them. Where he suffered is his age-related decline of mobility (with the Achilles injury making things even worse). He was sacked 40 times - one of the highest in his career, and ran only 22 times - the lowest in his career. Rodgers can't effectively move anymore & has become a big target to bloodthirsty edge rushers & blitzing linebackers. He would need a perfect OL that could routinely give him several seconds of protection to throw & that's not realistic.

We've discussed before how the QB position is evolving into mobile pocket passers & dual-threat specialists. There's no longer room for the immobile/non-running pure pocket passer that was the majority years ago. Granted the QB doesn't have to be a pure dual-threat RPO guy posting crazy rushing numbers like Jackson, Hurts, Daniels, etc, but he had better be athletic & mobile providing that scrambling & running threat when things get ugly, or having an offensive scheme that allows the QB to run the ball as an option on every pass play.

NFL prospects are now evaluated on their athleticism & mobility as much as their throwing capability. When you have a prospect like Tyler Shough show up at the Combine to primarily run the 40 & participate in the agility drills that should tell you something (there was no question about his arm talent demonstrated during his SR season at Louisville). And to see him throw his fists up in jubilation as he ran the 2nd fastest 40 (4.63) among QBs illustrates the importance of this metric. On any scouting report of a prospect, you'll see the 40 time, agility tests results & usually a brief summary on their mobility/agility aspects of their college game.

A good example of the immediate impact a mobile pocket passer can make is Bo Nix rushing for 430 yds (4 TDs) on scrambles when the pocket broke down (that's more yards than Elway's season high). A lot of these were 2nd/3rd & long situations where his runs resulted in 1st downs keeping drives alive (he ran 4.71 & a 4.34 shuttle at his pro day). Nix played in the spread option at Oregon where he posted one 500+ yd rushing season.

Even Purdy is classified as a "mobile pocket passer" & had a season high 369 yds rushing last year (he played in a pro spread offense at Iowa St rushing for over 1100 yds & 19 TDs in 4 seasons).

This is the future of the NFL QB.

 

[movingtarget]

Bills' Brandon Beane indicates no extension is imminent for James Cook: 'Don’t see us doing any deals anytime soon'

 

[Nomad]

2025 Rules Change Proposals | NFL Football Operations

operations.nfl.com

Some major proposals on the table:

- Touchbacks on kickoffs placed at the 35-yd line.
- Align postseason & regular season OT rules by granting both teams to possess the ball regardless of the outcome of the 1st possession -- subject to a 15 min OT period in regular season.
- Eliminate automatic 1st down as a penalty imposed on defensive holding & illegal contact.
- Ammending the current playoff seeding to allow WC teams to be seeded higher than division champions if the WC team has a better season record.
- Banning the "tush push."

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

The only one I would consider is the seeding in playoffs. It's always struck me as odd when a team goes 13-4 as a WC, and plays on the road against a team that won it's division with a 10-7 record - just because that team won it's division. This might make sense if there were two divisions. But with just four teams per division?

Banning the tush push to me is ridiculous. Teams need to learn how to stop it. And a few have a few times. Now, if every single team in the NFL did it, and it had a 97% success ratio every time, maybe then it could be considered.

I still think the NFL needs to adopt NCAA (really, UFL) pass interference rules. Not a spot foul, but 15 yards and an automatic first down. The UFL allows "flagrant" to be a spot foul. I don't know that it's ever been called though.

 

[Nomad]

NFL owners OK kickoff, replay, OT rule changes

NFL owners approved a variety of rule changes Tuesday, including a modification of the dynamic kickoff that will place the ball after touchbacks at the 35-yard line and a tweak to the regular-season overtime period to mirror postseason rules.

www.espn.com

The "Tush Push" ban & revised playoff seeding format has been tabled to the owner's May meeting for a revote.

Sony's Hawk-Eye technology as the primary method for measuring 1st downs will be implemented for full-time use. This means no more "chain gangs."

 

[movingtarget]

Steelers' Art Rooney II on Aaron Rodgers pursuit: 'All signs are positive' QB is headed to Pittsburgh

deepest sympathies if it happens..............

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

As a Raider fan, I eagerly await the celebration of Rodgers signing with Pittsburgh.

Sony's Hawk Eye is very similar to Bolt6's TruLine technology the UFL used last season (and this one). There have been quibbles that it's not as accurate as their graphics make it seem, but counter arguments have been made (I think quite correct) that it's still more accurate than the referees and chain gang.

Speaking of the UFL's rules. They made one mistake this year in that they tried to adapt a CFL punt rule. In the CFL if a punt goes out of bounds in the air, it's a 10 yard penalty from where it goes out of bounds. The UFL adopted this, but including if the ball bounces first, which kills the "coffin corner" Ray Guy type punt (Sean Landetta was just as great at them) as guys are letting the ball bounce more often.

There were two moderate upsets this past weekend in the UFL. First was Arlington smacking San Antonio. Two years ago Arlington won the last XFL championship, but last year they blew many games, while San Antonio got to the championship. Well, this past weekend Arlington looked like the team from 2 years ago and quite impressive.

In the other big game DC, who had also been very good in the XFL two years ago (and last year was so-so), well Jordan Ta'Amu played great for them as they upset Birmingham (defending champion) in a game QB Alex McGough and their OL would like to forget. McGough was the last USFL MVP, but sat on the Packer practice squad the last year+, and looked rusty as could be.

Just like the NFL, teams in the UFL are also moving the QB more. Nearly every UFL quarterback is mobile, or a dual-threat to at least some degree. Even Luis Perez of Arlington who is really a pocket passer, was moving more than in the past, and even took off running more than once to gain yards. This week showed exactly why AJ McCarron is out of the league: drop back "statue" QBs who (supposedly) pick apart defenses are a dying breed.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Rooney must want a new head coach but is to afraid to come out and say it.

 

[movingtarget]

Rooney must want a new head coach but is to afraid to come out and say it.

Signing Darkman should help but it seems the Steelers are backing out.........commonsense prevails.................nope I just read that it's still on the table............as ever with Rodgers it's all a drawn out soap opera...........

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

The Steelers are maybe the most stable organization in the NFL (along with the Packers), so to have them caught up in drama queen Aaron Rodgers antics is mind bending. Especially after seeing how the Packers properly discarded him at the right time, and how much of a disaster it was for the Jets.

This also shows how badly Rooney, GM Kahn, and Tomlin screwed up after Ben retired. Granted, Pickett didn't work out. But this off-season shows they haven't been thinking about the QB position clearly as a group. The teams that got a QB this off-season have been on top of it, and assertive. You can argue the Jets overpaid Justin Fields, but at the same time, they know who their starting QB is this coming season. And they stole him from the sleeping Steelers, and this is after he played the best football of his career for Pittsburgh!

As to Mike Tomlin, he and his supporters are going to argue he always puts out a good product, every year, and they win. And since Big Ben got old and then retired, they haven't had a real QB since. Maybe he's not the coach to get them back to the Super Bowl, maybe they need a fresh start with someone else, someone more forward thinking. But they need to be damn careful they have someone else lined up they think can get that done. Too many owners get emotional after losing, fire a good HC after a tough year, then wander around in the dark wondering what to do trying to find someone. Also, Tomlin is unquestionably one of the best coaches in the NFL. Smart, savvy, experienced, and as noted he has his players ready to play every single week. If he were fired he'd have an offer from another team within hours.

 

[Nomad]

Good commentary on the Steeler QB situation & spot on where Fields played his best football in his career last season showing his true potential. In the 6 starts at the start of the season for the injured Wilson, he went 4-2 throwing for over 1100 yds, 5 TDs to only one INT & a passer rating of 93. Furthermore, he added another 289 yds rushing with 5 TDs.

You really have to wonder about the competency of the Steelers in evaluating their QB position after letting Fields go. I get it that Wilson returned to the starting lineup after his injury since he was named the starter after the preseason battle with Fields. But since Pittsburgh wanted to move in a different direction from Wilson after their early exit from the playoffs, why not go with Fields as your starting QB moving forward? His performance in those 6 starts speaks volumes on his improvement.

Fields has elite size, arm strength & athleticism, and is one of the best dual-threat QBs out there. He brings to the table the type of talent that Hurts, Jackson, Murray & Daniels bring. And Fields is only 26 with plenty of football left in the tank. You really have to scratch your head on this one. Plain ridiculous letting Fields go so they can instead pursue a 41 yr old QB way past his prime, immobile & a high-injury risk who failed miserably at the Jets. Lol.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Honestly it’s a win-win for Fields if Rodgers goes to the Steelers. Play similar or better than him with the Jets without the drama while Rodgers implodes the Steelers organization. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Rodgers thinks Heinz is a new drug he can sample.



On Tomlin he is a great coach, and his players love him. Also managing all of the drama he has AND able to keep most of it under raps is remarkable. He will certainly be picked up within the week with a big offer if he was let go.

But I don’t agree with him always having the team ready every week. He and the team are notorious for playing down and underestimating teams they feel they’re superior too. That’s cost them games and important seeding positions over the years. The biggest gaff of this was when the Steelers thought since they were the second best team in the AFC, they were going to rematch the Patriots in the AFCCG. That was the only thing he and the team talked about since their regular season loss to the Pats and they completely underestimated the Jaguars leading into that game. They were getting beat down majority of the first half and had a comeback way too late. Even worse, this was after the jags beat the snot out of them in the regular season. That was a terrible year to end on for the team, and his poor team readiness was shown in that loss to the Pats that year after James was ruled incomplete. With many mins to come up with a plan for the different scenarios while the play was being reviewed, the offense went out unprepared and out of sync, ending with Ben throwing a terrible pass on a play almost none of the offense knew they were running.



On the topic of coaching, imagine a team with Belichick as the head coach and Reid and Tomlin as the coordinators.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Good posts.

A lot of Steeler fans talk about all the playoff games Big Ben botched. Or hot starts to a season, only to fizzle out late. But you are right, Tomlin gets some blame for that too.

Fields has elite size, arm strength & athleticism, and is one of the best dual-threat QBs out there. He brings to the table the type of talent that Hurts, Jackson, Murray & Daniels bring. And Fields is only 26 with plenty of football left in the tank. You really have to scratch your head on this one.

His throwing ability isn't on the same level as those other dual-threat guys. But otherwise everything you said makes total sense, and he did play his best football last season. That last line especially so:

Plain ridiculous letting Fields go so they can instead pursue a 41 yr old QB way past his prime, immobile & a high-injury risk who failed miserably at the Jets.