Player Notes

Justin Jefferson selected top wide receiver by panel of AP Pro Football Writers ·

Justin Jefferson has been setting records and terrifying defenses since the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.The All-Pro wide receiver already broke four franchise records, including surpassing Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Randy Moss for receptions and yards in a single season. He not only holds the NFL record for most 100-yard receiving games (24) in a player's ...

Rams’ Cooper Kupp suffers ‘setback’ in hamstring recovery ·

The Rams will have a kicker for Week 1 of the regular season, but will they have their top offensive threat?Coach Sean McVay shared after Thursday’s practice that receiver Cooper Kupp, whose historic 2021 season was capped by Super Bowl MVP honors, sustained a “setback” in his recovery from a hamstring injury.Last season, Kupp’s campaign was ended prematurely by an ankle injury that required surgery. ...

Rams star Cooper Kupp suffers setback with hamstring injury ·

Cooper Kupp’s injury woes continue.Kupp, coming off a season-ending ankle injury, was sidelined most of training camp and the preseason because of a hamstring injury. He practiced three times last week, including two joint workouts with the Denver Broncos.But Thursday, Kupp did not practice after suffering what coach Sean McVay described as a muscle strain. McVay said it was accurate to call it a setback ...

Recognized as NFL’s best at getting open, Steelers’ Diontae Johnson explains how he does it ·

8/31/2023Miles Boykin didn’t even need to hear the end of the question.He didn’t want to hear the numbers or metrics or any “fancy stats,” either.“I don’t need analytics to tell me that ‘Tae’ can get open,” the veteran receiver said of Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Diontae Johnson earlier this week. “I can see it with my own eyes.”For decades, eyes were all anyone had when evaluating a pass catcher’s ...

Aaron Rodgers' joy has returned with Jets: 'Like waking up inside a dream' ·

9/1/2023As Aaron Rodgers prepares to enter then next phase of his first season with the Jets — the one that counts — he reiterated Thursday how much he has loved being a part of his new team.“I told a friend this has felt like waking up inside of a dream, this whole experience — a beautiful dream,” Rodgers said. “So many times you have a great dream and you wake up and you’re like, ‘I just want to ...

Jets GM Joe Douglas on Super Bowl talk with Aaron Rodgers at QB: ‘We’re not running or hiding from any expectations’ ·

8/31/2023In previous seasons, you wouldn’t dare mention the Jets and playoffs in the same breath.But this is not your father’s Gang Green squad. The expectations around the organization changed the moment Aaron Rodgers was traded to the team in April.Jets general manager Joe Douglas constructed this team as he’s fully embracing the team’s lofty expectations.“I’ve said it earlier we are not running ...

Former Patriots kicker Nick Folk, named Titans starter, is grateful for preseason competition ·

Updated August 31, 2023, 3:44 p.m.For two days, the Titans had no kickers on their roster.At some point during those two days, Bill Belichick called Nick Folk, who had kicked the last four seasons for the Patriots, to tell him the Titans were interested.Not long after that, Folk was on a plane to Tennessee, and Titans coach Mike Vrabel named Folk the Week 1 starter on Thursday.“Nick is our kicker,” ...

Childhood homelessness introduced Julian Hill to football; now the former high school QB made the Dolphins as an undrafted TE ·

MIAMI GARDENS — When Miami Dolphins undrafted rookie tight end Julian Hill was between the ages of 5 and 10, he had a bout with homelessness while under the care of his biological mother.“Just being from house to house, trailer to trailer, sleeping on floors, ” Hill, now 23 and learning he made the Dolphins’ initial active roster Tuesday, recalled of his time growing up in Fayetteville, North Carolina. ...

Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill won’t be disciplined by NFL for offseason marina dispute ·

Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill will not face discipline from the NFL for an offseason incident at a marina in which he slapped a worker.League spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Miami Herald in an email on Thursday that “there will be no action taken by the league.”The Herald previously reported that Hill was deep sea fishing with friends and his agent on Father’s Day when he exchanged words with ...

Chargers’ Joey Bosa says he wants to win more than ever ·

COSTA MESA — Joey Bosa delivered a straightforward message Thursday afternoon. He stood behind a silver podium outside the Chargers’ locker room, dwarfing it, in fact. His muscular arms were all the more impressive as he gripped it tightly. His hair was trimmed short, his beard full. An awning shielded him from the blazing sun as he spoke after the final practice of Week 0.“Every year, I want to play ...

Recent Stories

NFL roster madness explained

Something always has to have a nickname. Like “Black Monday” in the NFL, when head coaches are fired the day after the end of the regular season, it was only a matter of time before someone slapped a name on the cutdown in the NFL. Some have called it “Black ...

CeeDee cashes in, sets stage for rookie WR class

Now that the Dallas Cowboys finally quieted the daily discussion about wide receiver CeeDeee Lamb with a massive contract, there is no doubt the trend is to covet these pass catchers second only to the almighty quarterback. The prolific All-Pro wideout agreed ...

Must-see 2024 NFL rookie QB battles

After the first 12 picks in this year’s draft were complete, the 2024 quarterback class was destined to be forever linked to that celebrated 1983 draft, which also saw six quarterbacks, including three Hall of Famers, taken in Round 1. With the countdown to the ...

Rookie IOLs with mettle to medal

Amid the Summer Olympics, the NFL season has officially begun with a full slate of preseason games. This is the time of year when the attention is typically on the skilled position players as fantasy football degenerates are fine-tuning their draft strategies to ...

When Life Choices Become Grave Mistakes

I'm deeply saddened to hear about the tragic "accident" that claimed the lives of three young men: Khyree Jackson (24), Isaiah Hazel (23), and Anthony Lytton Jr. (24). These childhood friends shared dreams and aspirations of becoming professional athletes. They ...

Running back: Devolution of a proud position

In this, the first in a series on the state of running backs, we discuss how a dramatic evolution has negatively impacted a once proud position. The series will look back at RBs selected in the 2024 draft, ahead to a 2025 class that seems loaded with runners and ...

Trump's forgotten charge: Killing the USFL

July 11, 2024, is already etched in history as the day former President Donald Trump will be sentenced for 34 felony convictions. Regardless of the outcome, I am reminded of July 29, 1986, when he actually won his battle in a New York court and lost the war. Trump ...

Larry Allen: A long road to respect

Arguably the most dominant offensive lineman in football history, Larry Allen died Sunday while on vacation with his family in Mexico. He was 52.   His life story redefined perseverance. It could have been the original plot line for Straight Outta Compton, but ...

Controversy: Are punters, kickers NFL-draft worthy?

Kansas City Chiefs’ placekicker Harrison Butker made an impression in 2023 by making 33 of 35 field goals. Last week, he made quite an impression at Benedictine College, where Butker, shall we say, pushed his commencement speech wide right.   Controversy and ...

Jim Otto, the original Mr. Raider, dies at 86

The original Mr. Raider has passed. Jim Otto, the first Raider to touch a football, died Sunday at his Auburn (CA) home, with his family at his side. He spent most of his 86 years sneering at the inevitable, enduring last rites three previous times. Otto is survived ...

2024 Draft: A next-gen affair

As we look forward to watching the 257 draftees selected last week in the 2024 NFL Draft, we also gaze in the rear-view mirror at those relatives who preceded them and established the family name long ago. Fathers, uncles, and brothers with names everyone ...

Calculating the 2024 Draft grades of all 257 picks

 2024 DRAFT: 32 TEAMS AND 257 PLAYERS GRADED Exhale. The 2024 NFL Draft did indeed conclude when Mr. Irrelevant, Jaylen Key (DB, Alabama) was drafted by the New York Jets with the No. 257 selection. We can break out the calculators and over analyze the selection ...