NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • Auburn coach Hugh Freeze defends his golf outings ahead of 2025 season: ‘I enjoy playing’

    Auburn coach Hugh Freeze defends his golf outings ahead of 2025 season: ‘I enjoy playing’

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    Hugh Freeze likes being on the golf course and he’s not apologizing for it.

    Auburn’s football coach has listened to his share of detractors this summer during the Tigers’ recruiting swoon, many of which have blamed it on Freeze’s time away from the gridiron. AL.com reported last month that Freeze has logged almost a dozen rounds in the USGA’s Golf Handicap Information Network database this summer — more than four other SEC coaches with public handicap records.

    “You know, everybody seems to like to talk about my golf game. … I do love golf. I enjoy playing. But what people don’t realize is, you know, I assure you that I never missed a camp day or a recruiting day,” Freeze said on David Pollack’s “See Ball Get Ball” podcast this week. “But if camp got over at three o’clock one day, and Jill [Freeze] and I go out at 4:30, we absolutely might do that. And I’m not apologizing for that part of it. But my focus is 100% on getting Auburn in that win column this fall.”

    Auburn’s 2026 recruiting class was ranked among the elites one point, but has fallen to the bottom of the SEC over the last year.

    The Tigers currently have nine commits for next year including three four-stars, a group that’s collectively ranked No. 78 in the country and second to last in the Power 4 ranks, according to 247Sports.

    Auburn invested expansive resources in its last two signing classes, including the eighth-best haul for the 2025 cycle. Not only did the Tigers land five-star defensive lineman Malik Autry and coveted four-star quarterback Deuce Knight, but Auburn finished with a top transfer…

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  • With NFL training camps opening, 30 second-rounders still haven’t signed with their teams

    With NFL training camps opening, 30 second-rounders still haven’t signed with their teams

    The Cincinnati Bengals’ standoff with this year’s No. 17 overall pick, former Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart, is well documented. A dispute over contract language regarding the voiding of his salary guarantees took center stage last month while Stewart sat out and then left Bengals mandatory minicamp.

    But he’s not the only recent draftee with a contract hang-up. In fact, he’s far from the only one.

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    Notably, there are 30 second-rounders still unsigned by their respective teams, including Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tre Harris, an Ole Miss product who’s due to report to training camp Saturday with other Chargers rookies in El Segundo, California.

    Harris’ team told Front Office Sports, though, that their negotiations continue with the Chargers, and that the wideout won’t report to camp until he has inked a deal.

    The second-round-wide signing delay resulted after the first two players taken in the second round received unprecedented, fully-guaranteed contracts back in May.

    The Houston Texans turned heads by giving former Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins — the second pick of this year’s second round — a fully guaranteed deal. On the eve of Texans minicamp, Higgins became the first second-round pick in NFL history to sign a fully guaranteed rookie contract.

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    The next day, UCLA-turned-Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger got the same kind of contract. Schwesinger was the first pick of the second round, and the Browns fully guaranteed his rookie contract, too.

    In the two-plus months since, the 30 other second-round picks haven’t budged, reportedly searching for fully guaranteed compensation as well.

    CBS Sports reported last month that the No. 40 overall pick, quarterback Tyler Shough, and his representation have also played a role in second-round signings coming to a screeching halt. At the time, CBS Sports reported that Shough — a 25-year-old prospect who landed with the New Orleans Saints — was pushing for a…

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  • Colorado AD Rick George wants to bring back Nebraska football rivalry

    Colorado AD Rick George wants to bring back Nebraska football rivalry

    Colorado Athletic Director Rick George appeared with the Buffaloes for Big 12 media days, joining the DNVR Buffs Podcast to talk about Colorado football. When asked about the return of the Nebraska/Colorado rivalry, George said the Buffaloes would love to play the Huskers annually.

    “We’d love to play them every year, because I think it’s good for the game,” George said. “I think it’s good for the rivalry that Coach McCartney and Tom Osborne started years ago.”

    Nebraska and Colorado have clashed a total of 73 times since 1898, with the Huskers holding a 50-21-2 lead. The battle between the two teams became an annual event in 1948, before the rivalry erupted in the late 80s and early 90s when Bill McCartney took over in Boulder to match Tom Osborne’s Nebraska.

    From 1989 to 1991, the Buffaloes won or shared the Big Eight Conference title and won the National Championship in 1990. The annual rivalry even replaced Nebraska’s clash with Oklahoma upon the emergence of the Big 12 Conference. Since the turn of the century, Nebraska went 7-4 against Colorado in Big 12 games.

    The rivalry then took a hiatus following the Huskers’ departure from the Big 12. Nebraska and Colorado met again in 2018 and have played three more times since. The Huskers won their recent showdown with the Buffaloes, taking them down 28-10 this past September.

    The Buffaloes’ three yearly nonconference slots have already been filled through the 2033 season, along with a few meetings against Colorado State through 2038. But thus far, there is no scheduling between Colorado and the Huskers in the near future.

    Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

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  • T.J. Watt contract update: Steelers haven’t looked into possibly trading star pass rusher, per report

    T.J. Watt contract update: Steelers haven’t looked into possibly trading star pass rusher, per report

    While they are continuing to work through T.J. Watt’s contract situation, the Pittsburgh Steelers have made no inquires to other teams about possibly trading their star pass rusher, according to Mark Kaboly, the Steelers Correspondent for “The Pat McAfee Show.” 

    Kaboly added that, while the two sides still have a lot of work to do regarding a possible extension, there is no anticipation for Watt to hold out when Pittsburgh opens training camp on July 23. 

    Watt, 30, is entering the final year of his four-year, $112 million contract extension that he signed just before the start of the 2022 regular season. Watt staged a hold-in during training camp that summer before he signed an extension that at the time made him the NFL’s highest-paid defender. 

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    It’s widely assumed that Watt wants to reclaim that status which is now being held by Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett after he signed a four-year, $160 million extension earlier this offseason. 

    Watt is currently the seventh highest-paid pass rusher in the NFL in terms of average annual salary. His current average annual salary of just over $28 million is nearly $12 million less than Garrett, who was briefly the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history before Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase surpassed him by $1 million. 

    The Steelers have the cap space to make Watt the NFL’s highest-paid defender; the question is whether that’s something…

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  • Big 12 commissioner says conference will produce multiple CFP bids in 2025, can the league back up big claim?

    Big 12 commissioner says conference will produce multiple CFP bids in 2025, can the league back up big claim?

    FRISCO, Texas — Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has a history of speaking things into existence during his tenure with the league. And at his annual address at Big 12 Media Days, he did not shy away from setting big expectations. 

    Last season, the Big 12 was the only power league to send only one team into the expanded College Football Playoff field. According to Yormark, that won’t happen again. 

    “I believe we will be the deepest football conference in America,” Yormark said. “No league offers the competitive balance that we do. … I fully expect the Big 12 to earn multiple College Football Playoff bids this year and to show once again that we can compete.” 

    Several Big 12 teams competed for CFP spots at the end of the year, but conference champion Arizona State was the only team to get in at No. 12. No. 17 BYU, No. 18 Iowa State and No. 23 Colorado were other ranked teams from the conference. The Cougars actually beat CFP team SMU on its own field in nonconference play to finish with an identical 11 wins, but the committee snubbed them. 

    In general, the committee has not always treated the Big 12 with respect. The first CFP in 2014 saw Baylor and TCU nudged out at No. 5 and 6 in the rankings, missing the four-team field. TCU and Cincinnati are the only teams from the current crop to earn a trip to the four-team playoff, while Arizona State needed the 12-team field to get in as an auto-bid. 

    Hanging over the conference is the negotiations for the future format of the College Football Playoff. The SEC and Big Ten have proposed a model that would guarantee four auto-bids for each of them, two for the Big 12 and ACC and one from the Group of Five as part of a 16-team field. It would codify the system as a multi-bid league,…

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  • Deion Sanders wants to add Byron Leftwich, Mike Zimmer to Colorado coaching staff

    Deion Sanders wants to add Byron Leftwich, Mike Zimmer to Colorado coaching staff

    Colorado coach Deion Sanders wants to add a couple of assistant coaches with significant NFL experience to his staff.

    Sanders said at Big 12 media days that he’s “praying” Byron Leftwich will agree to coach at Colorado, and that he wants Mike Zimmer on the staff as well.

    “Our coaching staff, this is without Byron Leftwich, which I’m praying that he does the right thing, and Mike Zimmer, we have 160 years of NFL experience,” Sanders said. “With those two added, that’s 204 years of NFL experience. And I want those years.”

    Although there was a report in March that Colorado had already hired Leftwich, Sanders’ comments made clear that Leftwich has not yet agreed to join the Buffaloes’ staff. Leftwich was a first-round pick of the Jaguars in 2003 and spent a decade as an NFL quarterback, and he has also been an NFL assistant coach, most recently as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2022.

    Zimmer was reportedly planning to retire this offseason, but Sanders would like him to change his mind about that. Zimmer is best known to football fans as the head coach of the Vikings from 2014 to 2021, but he also has a great deal of experience as an assistant, including working as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator last year, a previous stint as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator from 2000 to 2006, and defensive coordinator jobs in Atlanta and Cincinnati as well. After the Vikings fired him, Zimmer worked as a consultant for Sanders, first at Jackson State and then at Colorado. Zimmer’s nephew, Andrew Zimmer, is already on the Colorado staff as a quality control analyst.

    Sanders has transformed Colorado into a high-profile program, and major NFL experience on his coaching staff has been a big part of that. Sanders also has Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk coaching running backs, Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp working as defensive pass rush coordinator, and former NFL head coach Pat…

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  • Colorado football adds 2026 commits Carson Crawford and D’Montae Tims

    Colorado football adds 2026 commits Carson Crawford and D’Montae Tims

    𝑵𝑬𝑾𝑺: 2026 three-star LB Carson Crawford has committed to Colorado.

    The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder recently decommitted from Texas State.

    He totaled 22 TFLs and 9 sacks for a Texas 4A state championship team (Carthage) last season. pic.twitter.com/FlveI3SCyV

    — Scott Procter (@ScottProcter_) July 10, 2025

    Colorado football added two defensive commits to its 2026 recruiting class on Thursday.

    The first recruit was three-star Texan linebacker Carson Crawford. He recently decommitted from Texas State on June 22 after his official visit with CU on June 20. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound linebacker totaled 91 tackles, 22 TFLs and nine sacks in his senior year at Carthage High School.

    247Sports Composite had Crawford ranked as the No. 52 overall linebacker nationally and No. 104 player out of Texas. Crawford announced his commitment on social media.

    “First off, I want to thank to God for putting me in the position to be able to play this game at the next level. Next, I want to thank my parents and my support system for always supporting me in every decision I have made,” Crawford wrote in his announcement on X. “Next, I want to thank my coaches for helping me along this journey. With all this being said, I will be committing to the University of Colorado.”

    The Buffaloes added their second commit of the day just hours after Crawford flipped his commitment. Three-star defensive back D’Montae Tims committed to Colorado after decommitting from Missouri back in April. The Tigers tried to make a second push for the DB, but Colorado swooped in and earned his commitment after his visit on June 13.

    According to 247Sports Composite, he is the No. 95 overall safety in the 2026 class and No. 134 prospect in Florida. He chose Colorado over strong programs, including Georgia and Miami, as well as other Big 12 schools such as Iowa State and…

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  • Ravens’ Rashod Bateman says teammate Zay Flowers could ‘easily’ have 1,300 receiving yards

    Ravens’ Rashod Bateman says teammate Zay Flowers could ‘easily’ have 1,300 receiving yards

    The Baltimore Ravens tallied an NFL-best 424.4 yards per game during the 2024 regular season, while also registering the most total yards (7,224). Considering the offensive weapons the Ravens possess, wide receiver Rashod Bateman believes teammate Zay Flowers could be even more productive if he had the opportunity.

    “What he’s doing in the league is beyond special to me because of how we play football, of how the Ravens play football,” Bateman said on a recent episode of the Ravens’ “The Lounge podcast”. “It’s not like we’re just targeting, targeting Zay, put him on this. We do what’s best for the team and how we play.

    “Zay could have 1,300 yards, easily, if that was the goal. Derrick Henry can rush for 2,000 easy if that was the goal. It’s just never the goal. I wish people understood that.”

    The Ravens put together a historic season in which they registered the third-most total yards by a team in NFL history. Baltimore even eclipsed the 1999 St. Louis Rams, who is largely considered one of the greatest offensive units in the sport’s history.

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    When it comes to the Ravens, there are quite a few cooks in the kitchen in terms of offensive talent. Derrick Henry paces a phenomenal running game, while the likes of Flowers, Bateman, Mark Andrews and DeAndre Hopkins are just some of the options quarterback Lamar Jackson will get to throw to in 2025.

    Flowers led the Ravens in receiving yards…

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