NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • Notre Dame football fans are VERY confident in CJ Carr as the starting QB

    Notre Dame football fans are VERY confident in CJ Carr as the starting QB

    Last week we offered a survey about Notre Dame quarterbacks CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. The two signal callers rose to the top of the depth chart during the spring practice period, and we saw veteran Steve Angeli transfer to the Syracuse Orange. Notre Dame has not named a starter — and won’t until sometime in mid-August (I presume), but that doesn’t mean Irish fans are sitting this one out until then.

    Notre Dame is absolutely a top five program nationally, and the college football playoff run last year cemented their status — for now. So, there is a pretty big expectation for how well the Irish do this season — even if a lot of it depends upon the play of the starting quarterback.

    Irish fans have loudly said who they think the starting quarterback should be, and how confident they are with a playoff run with him. Yes, it’s CJ Carr by a fairly large margin.

    The Irish will have fairly good odds this year to make a deep playoff run (unlike the odds of our future college basketball season) and maybe it will be CJ Carr who leads them there.

    However… as I have continually said since the winter — if it’s Kenny Minchey, Notre Dame is in GREAT shape. You kind of feel like he has to earn it even more, and if he is the one that comes out on top, we know he’s the best choice. You might even say that if it is Kenny Minchey, I’ll be even more confident in a deep playoff run.

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  • Texans’ Nick Chubb pens emotional farewell to Browns, says Cleveland will ‘always have a piece of my heart’

    Texans’ Nick Chubb pens emotional farewell to Browns, says Cleveland will ‘always have a piece of my heart’

    Former Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb bid an emotional farewell to the franchise and city where he spent the first seven years of his NFL career. Chubb, who signed a one-year deal with the Houston Texans last week, thanked the franchise that drafted him and the community he came to call home.

    “[Seven] years. That’s more than just time — it’s where I grew roots, found a home, and felt a love like nowhere else,” Chubb wrote in a message posted to social media Thursday night. “Cleveland, you didn’t just embrace me; you became family. To every fan who cheered, shouted, and believed — you gave me purpose.”

    The Browns selected Chubb in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft after a standout college career at Georgia. He earned four Pro Bowl honors and a spot on the second-team All-Pro in 2022 during his time in Cleveland. Chubb appeared in 85 games with the Browns, rushing for 6,843 yards and 51 touchdowns on 1,340 carries. However, his production decreased the past two seasons, playing in just 10 games after undergoing procedures in 2023 to repair the medial capsule, meniscus, MCL and ACL in his left knee.

    “To this city, with its grit, heart, and unforgettable spirit: you showed me what true community feels like,” Chubb continued in his farewell post. “To my teammates, only we know how hard we fought every day and night. Relentless effort; scratching and clawing, doing all we could to win games, not only for us, but for the city. You guys kept me going every day and I will never forget my time with you in the building and on the field.

    At his peak, Chubb was among the NFL’s elite at the running back position. He earned four consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 2019 to 2022 and topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of those seasons. His best came in 2022, when he racked up a career-high 1,525 yards and matched a personal best with 12 rushing touchdowns — a mark he hit twice during that dominant…

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  • Ben Roethlisberger believes 2025 will be Aaron Rodgers’s last year

    Ben Roethlisberger believes 2025 will be Aaron Rodgers’s last year

    This year, Aaron Rodgers will become the latest successor to Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh. And Roethlisberger believes it will be a one-year arrangement.

    “I don’t think he’s got much more after this year,” Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger podcast, via Andrew Vasquez of USA Today. “I think this might be it for him — personally. I have no reason — you could ask, ‘Well, how do you know?’ I don’t know. I’m just guessing in terms of you coming off an Achilles [tear]. Coming off my elbow [injury], my first year back I felt like I was 100. I wasn’t even — you don’t realize you’re not 100 until the next year when you are 100.”

    Rodgers started all 17 games in 2024, a year after suffering a torn Achilles tendon on the fourth play of the first game of the season.

    “He’s going to feel better, but it doesn’t mean that he’s going to have two or three years left,” Roethlisberger said. “I think this might be his last go.”

    Roethlisberger is hardly going out on a limb. Not many quarterbacks have played deep into their 40s. Rodgers turns 42 in December. (Roethlisberger retired at 39.)

    While he hasn’t said it, Rodgers’s main objective seems to be authoring a final chapter that has a better ending than his two-year detour to New York. For him, making the playoffs would do the trick.

    For the Steelers, winning a playoff game seems to be the bare minimum to make the experiment a success. That’s something the team didn’t do in any of Roethlisberger’s five final seasons in football — or in the three since he retired.

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  • From Michael Penix to Jared Verse, these are college football’s 10 most impactful transfers of the portal era

    From Michael Penix to Jared Verse, these are college football’s 10 most impactful transfers of the portal era

    The transfer portal has fundamentally reshaped college football. While player movement existed long before its official launch in October 2018, the portal streamlined the process, and recent rule changes have only accelerated the trend, making it even more appealing for athletes to find new opportunities.

    More than 4,000 players entered the portal during the 2024-25 cycle, but only a select few will make a major impact. But the most successful transfers don’t just fit in, they change the trajectory of their new programs. Just look at the last three Heisman Trophy winners, all of whom began their careers elsewhere. In fact, six of the past seven Heisman winners were transfers.

    Most programs now prioritize adding projected high-impact transfers by targeting experienced players who can contribute immediately and fill glaring needs. Coaches balance recruiting high school prospects with portal additions to accelerate program success, reshaping how teams are built.

    From game-breaking quarterbacks to generational two-way stars, here are the 10 most impactful college football transfers of the portal era.

    10. Olu Oluwatimi, Michigan

    Oluwatimi anchored Michigan’s offensive line after transferring from Virginia (and previously Air Force), bringing experience and leadership to the interior. In 2022, he won both the Rimington and Outland Trophies — becoming the first center in program history to do so — while helping the Wolverines reach the College Football Playoff with another…

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  • New Orleans Saints to sign free agent RB Cam Akers after minicamp invitation, per report

    New Orleans Saints to sign free agent RB Cam Akers after minicamp invitation, per report

    Veteran running back Cam Akers is on to his fifth team in three years. The New Orleans Saints are set to sign the former second-round pick, according to The Athletic’s Diana Russini, after they welcomed him this month to minicamp. He will join the franchise as a backup to Alvin Kamara, along with returning secondary option Kendre Miller and rookie Devin Neal.

    Following his Super Bowl LVI victory, Akers lost his grip on the starting job with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022 and has bounced around multiple rosters. He had two separate stints with the Minnesota Vikings and started two games last season for the Houston Texans. Not since his final full season with the Rams did Akers rush for more than 444 yards, but he displayed immense upside early in his career.

    “I’m still hungry and I’m young,” Akers said at Saints mandatory minicamp. “I’ve got a lot of tread on my tires, and I want to rewrite my story personally.”

    Akers attended Saints minicamp as an unrestricted free agent. His last contract was a one-year, $1.175 million deal which he initially signed with the Texans. The Vikings took on the majority of his contract when he joined the team for the final 12 games of the 2024 season. Between the two teams, Akers handled 104 carries for 444 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught 14 passes for 68 yards and three scores.

    “I’m blessed to be able to have this opportunity,” Akers said. “I’ve been through a lot in my career. I can’t let it affect these type of opportunities. So I’m coming out and having my head on right and attacking these opportunities.”

    Following his selection with the 52nd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Akers, a Florida State product, started five games with the Rams and was an instant contributor both on the ground and as a receiver. He missed the first 17 weeks of the next season after he tore his Achilles tendon but bounced back in 2022 with a career year en route to a Super…

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  • MW Preview: Can Wyoming bounce back? A Q&A with WyoSports’ Alex Taylor | Sports

    MW Preview: Can Wyoming bounce back? A Q&A with WyoSports’ Alex Taylor | Sports

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  • Anthony Richardson reportedly expected to be healthy for Colts training camp after 2nd injury to throwing shoulder

    Anthony Richardson reportedly expected to be healthy for Colts training camp after 2nd injury to throwing shoulder

    It sounds like the Anthony Richardson-Daniel Jones quarterback competition will go forward as planned.

    NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Friday that Richardson is expected to be healthy and ready for the start of Indianapolis Colts training camp after suffering a second second injury to his throwing shoulder during offseason drills.

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    “He is expected to be fine by training camp,” Rapoport said on NFLN.

    No official timeline for Richardson after 2nd opinion

    The Colts announced on June 5 that Richardson would not participate in mandatory minicamp that started Tuesday after he reported soreness in his right shoulder. The injury was to the same shoulder that required AC joint surgery during Richardson’s rookie year. The initial injury sidelined Richardson for the final 12 games of the 2023 season.

    Head coach Shane Steichen told reporters on Tuesday that Richardson flew to Los Angeles to meet with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache for a second opinion. ElAttrache performed Richardson’s 2023 surgery.

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    Per Steichen, ElAttrache agreed with the initial prognosis that Richardson did not require another procedure. He recommended rest and rehabilitation for the injury. Steichen told reporters at the time that Richardson still did not have a timeline to return.

    Richardson did some work at minicamp

    Richardson wasn’t completely sidelined for Colts minicamp, which ended Thursday. He was seen doing footwork drills and shadowing the offense without throwing the football.

    Who will play QB for the Colts?

    If Richardson is ready for the start of training camp, the 2023 No. 4 draft pick is expected to engage in a true quarterback competition with Jones, the former Giants quarterback who signed with the Colts this offseason.

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    Richardson struggled last season in his return from his shoulder injury. He made 11 starts and was eventually benched in favor of veteran backup Joe Flacco before returning to the lineup late in the season.

    The accuracy issue that…

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  • Texans DB Jimmie Ward facing felony assault charge in family violence incident, jail records show

    Texans DB Jimmie Ward facing felony assault charge in family violence incident, jail records show

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    Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward has been arrested and faces a third-degree felony assault related to an alleged family violence incident in Magnolia, Texas, according to authorities. Ward, 33, was booked early Thursday morning at Montgomery County jail and released later that afternoon after posting $30,000 bail.

    A Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office report states police responded to a reported assault at a residence where the victim, identified as Ward’s fiancée, told authorities that Ward assaulted, strangled, and threatened her during the incident. She has since filed for an emergency protective order.

    “We are aware of the report involving Jimmie Ward,” the Texans said in a statement to the Houston Chronicle. “We are gathering more information and have no further comment at this time.”

    Ward signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Texans in March 2023 after nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He became a team captain ahead of the 2023 season and signed a one-year, $10.5 million extension in August 2024.

    Ward has been a key presence in the Texans’ secondary since joining the team ahead of the first season under coach DeMeco Ryans. Ward has 20 starts with 98 total tackles, including five for loss, as well as three interceptions — one of which was returned for a touchdown — in two seasons with Houston. Despite battling injuries, Ward has remained a consistent contributor.

    Ward was a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft coming out of Northern Illinois.

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