NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • Report: Patriots wanted to trade Joe Milton III before start of offseason program

    Report: Patriots wanted to trade Joe Milton III before start of offseason program

    On Thursday, the Patriots sent second-year quarterback Joe Milton III to the Cowboys. As Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports, the timing was not a coincidence.

    “Monday marks the start of the team’s voluntary program, and [coach Mike] Vrabel views that as a meaningful checkpoint in the process of establishing team culture and the dynamic that ideally unfolds within each position group,” Reiss writes.

    It’s a glass-half-full characterization. But the message is unmistakable. Vrabel didn’t want Milton to be around when the process begins of crafting a team that will be clearly and unambiguously led by Drake Maye.

    There’s been plenty of chatter about the concern that Milton’s mere presence undermines Maye. Milton has skills. Milton played well, both in the preseason and in a Week 18 win over the Bills that cost New England the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

    The Patriots apparently don’t want on the roster a quarterback around whom some players and plenty of fans might rally if/when Maye experiences obstacles in the effort to achieve his ceiling. They want Maye to be the guy. If there’s another guy for whom a plausible argument can be made that he’s the guy, it becomes harder for Maye to be and stay the guy.

    The move leaves the Patriots with only two quarterbacks on the roster: Maye and Joshua Dobbs. They’ll inevitably be adding someone to replace Milton.

    Someone who won’t dilute the Drake Maye vibe in New England.

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  • USC football recruiting: With assist from Snoop Dogg, top-five RB Deshonne Redeaux commits to Trojans

    USC football recruiting: With assist from Snoop Dogg, top-five RB Deshonne Redeaux commits to Trojans

    Imagn Images

    Top-five running back recruit Deshonne Redeaux is “staying home,” announcing Saturday on CBS Sports HQ that he will commit to the Trojans for the Class of 2026. In a video, Redeaux sought the help of Los Angeles rap icon Snoop Dogg to make the commitment to USC. 

    “Bringing the biggest people in my biggest moment,” Redeaux told CBS Sports HQ. 

    Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, UCLA and Washington were are all in consideration going into Saturday’s ceremony for the No. 5 RB in the Class of 2026, per 247Sports.

    The two-sport athlete from Westlake Village, California, has drawn comparisons to Detroit Lions star Jahmyr Gibbs, who exploded on the scene at Alabama after transferring from Georgia Tech. He runs track in high school, blazing his way through the 100-meter dash in 10.42 seconds.

    “Decisive runner, doesn’t dance around or try to be too cute, hits the hole and isn’t afraid to initiate contact,” writes 247Sports recruiting analyst Greg Biggins. “Catches the ball well out of the backfield, not just screens but wheel routes and deep balls down the slot.”

    The collaboration with Snoop reflects that Redeaux is focused on landing somewhere he can develop into a superstar both on and off the field, facilitating opportunities also to build his brand in this age of NIL. He wore an Oregon Ducks backpack in middle school and grew up with USC basketball star JuJu Watkins. His father, Russell, said that his family has paid for recruiting trips to Georgia three times.

    “In the current environment, another thing we look for is what the surrounding cities and fan base…

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  • 2025 NFL Draft: Titans, Shedeur Sanders agree to cancel private workout following Colorado Pro Day

    2025 NFL Draft: Titans, Shedeur Sanders agree to cancel private workout following Colorado Pro Day

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    The Colorado Buffaloes held their pro day in Boulder on Friday, and it was a highly anticipated event since it featured two players who are expected to go early in the 2025 NFL Draft. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter put his impressive route-running ability on display, while quarterback Shedeur Sanders let it rip with his arm. 

    The Tennessee Titans hold the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and they had several members of their brass in attendance, including general manager Mike Borgonzi, president of football operations Chad Brinker and offensive coordinator Nick Holz. The Titans were also expected to hold a private workout with Sanders but that will no longer happen.

    According to Jim Wyatt of the Titans’ official website, the Titans and Sanders’ camp have agreed to cancel the upcoming private workout. Wyatt says the Titans have seen four years of game film from Sanders, scouted multiple games and were of course in attendance at the pro day. According to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, this furthers the leaguewide belief that the Titans will stick with the No. 1 pick and select Miami quarterback Cam Ward.

    Shedeur Sanders shines at Colorado Showcase, should be a top-5 pick in 2025 NFL Draft

    Ryan Wilson

    “Shedeur threw the ball well, and we got to see him out there with Travis,” Borgonzi said after Colorado’s Pro Day, via the Titans’ official website. “And Travis, everything you see on film — he is one of the twitchiest athletes I’ve ever seen. He’s impressive. It was good to see Shedeur go…

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  • Elite dual-threat QB Legend Bey names top schools

    Elite dual-threat QB Legend Bey names top schools

    The Georgia Bulldogs are among the top schools for elite class of 2026 dual-threat quarterback recruit Legend Bey. Bey, who is ranked as a three-star recruit, is considered an athlete, so it isn’t necessarily known what position he’ll play at the next level, but we suspect he’ll play a skill position based on his size and speed.

    Bey’s top 10 schools are the Georgia Bulldogs, Texas A&M Aggies, West Virginia Mountaineers, Oklahoma Sooners, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Oregon Ducks, Boston College Eagles, Ohio State Buckeyes, Duke Blue Devils and Texas Tech Red Raiders. 247Sports projects that the speedy quarterback will commit to Texas A&M.

    Bey is more of a rusher than a passer based on his excellent 2024 high school statistics. As a junior, Bey ran for 1,912 yards and posted 1,444 passing yards. He finished with 41 total touchdowns.

    The 5-foot-10, 180-pound quarterback has great speed and has a good deep ball. He could be Georgia’s first true dual-threat starting quarterback in the Kirby Smart era.

    Bey plays high school football for North Forney High School in Forney, Texas. He runs track for his high school and has posted a 10.7 second time in the 100-meter event. His explosiveness is evident on tape.

    Bey is ranked as a three-star athlete and the No. 771 recruit in the country. He is the No. 109 recruit in Texas, per 247Sports and the No. 46 athlete nationally.

    Georgia does not have a quarterback commit in the class of 2026. The Bulldogs are notably targeting five-star passer Jared Curtis. UGA has made Curtis’ top two schools.

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  • Ray Seals, who became an NFL starter without going to college, dies at 59

    Ray Seals, who became an NFL starter without going to college, dies at 59

    Ray Seals, who became notable for making it to the NFL without ever going to college, has died at the age of 59.

    Seals was a star football player at Henninger High School in Syracuse, but he decided not to go to college and to start working after graduating high school in 1984 to help support his family. Seals didn’t quit playing football, however, joining a semipro team in Syracuse.

    Seals played so well in semipro football that a football coach from the area began calling around to NFL teams to urge them to sign him as an undrafted free agent. The only NFL head coach who would listen was Ray Perkins of the Buccaneers, who had previously met Seals on a recruiting trip when Seals was in high school and Perkins was head coach at Alabama. Perkins agreed to give Seals a shot.

    The Buccaneers ended up signing Seals in 1988, although he didn’t play at all that year. In 1989 he played as a backup in two games and in 1990 he played as a backup in eight games, but in 1991 he earned a starting job and was a starter in Tampa Bay for three years.

    In 1994 Seals signed a free-agent contract with the Steelers, and he was a starter in Pittsburgh for two years, including the 1995 season when he started all 16 games in the regular season and all three games in the postseason, concluding in Super Bowl XXX, where the Steelers lost but Seals had a good game, including a sack of Troy Aikman.

    In addition to that sack of Aikman, Seals is remembered for his role in the first completion — and first catch — of Brett Favre’s Green Bay Packers career: Favre threw a pass, Seals tipped it into the air, Favre caught it, and Seals tackled him behind the line of scrimmage.

    After missing the entire 1996 season with an injury, Seals signed with the Panthers in 1997 and played one more season, then signed with the Bengals in 1998 but never got on the field.

    Garry Acchione, Seals’ teammate from their time in Syracuse, told Syracuse.com that…

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  • Cal mega-donors want Justin Wilcox answering to GM Ron Rivera, will withhold NIL money until change is made

    Cal mega-donors want Justin Wilcox answering to GM Ron Rivera, will withhold NIL money until change is made

    Two of Cal’s largest athletics benefactors will no longer contribute to the California Legends Collective, the program’s large third-party NIL establishment, until new general manager Ron Rivera is given full control of the football program, according to SFGATE. As things stand, Cal coach Justin Wilcox still answers directly to athletic director Jim Knowlton, while Rivera’s role is focused more on helping Cal adjust to the modern landscape of college football. 

    The belief among Cal’s donors is that Rivera, given his experience as a head coach at the NFL level, would be better suited in a quasi-executive role, similar to Stanford’s Andrew Luck. 

    “You don’t hire Mario Andretti and ask him to sit in the passenger seat, right?” Kevin Kennedy, the president of California Legends Collective, told SFGATE. “There’s a reason that you bring someone like that on staff: In order to give him control.”

    Kennedy is one of the major donors that has withdrawn his financial support, for the time being. On the surface, handing Rivera more power does make some sense. There’s no doubting his football acumen. A former linebacker at Cal, he led the Carolina Panthers from 2011-19, where he was a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, and the Washington Commanders from 2020-23. He had continued interest from NFL teams as a defensive assistant before he assumed his current role at Cal. 

    With more than a decade of NFL head coaching experience under his belt, he understands the financial side of football, a boon for a college program as it navigates NIL reform and pending revenue-sharing legislation that simultaneously increase the bargaining power of a collegiate athlete. 

    But handing Rivera complete dominion over the football program would be a largely radical move,…

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  • These NFL teams now eligible for ‘Hard Knocks’ after rule change, plus Cowboys seven-round mock draft

    These NFL teams now eligible for ‘Hard Knocks’ after rule change, plus Cowboys seven-round mock draft

    Welcome to the Friday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! 

    This is a huge weekend for me and that’s because my four-year-old is having a birthday party on Sunday, so if someone else is writing the newsletter on Monday, it’s because I didn’t survive. 

    Not only is it a big weekend for me, but it’s also a big weekend for two of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. Colorado will be holding its Pro Day at 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday. This will be the last time that Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter get to show off their talents in front of NFL scouts. It’s an especially big day for Sanders, who’s being projected to go anywhere from second overall to 26th overall in our latest round of mock drafts here at CBS Sports. 

    Colorado’s Pro Day will actually be televised, and we’ve got all the details here. 

    As for this newsletter, we’ll be taking a look at the 20 teams who are eligible for “Hard Knocks,” plus we’ll be breaking down Geno Smith’s new contract and unveiling our seven-round mock draft for the Cowboys. 

    As always, here’s your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. 

    1. NFL owners change eligibility rules for ‘Hard Knocks’

    Getty Images

    Going into the 2025 offseason, there were only going to be four teams eligible for “Hard Knocks” this year, but that number got expanded dramatically this week when the NFL’s 32 owners decided to change the eligibility rules for the HBO show. 

    Here’s a look at the new rules: 

    Teams don’t have to do it if they were featured on the training camp edition of “Hard Knocks” in any of the previous eight seasons (2017-2024).Teams don’t have to be on the show if they have a first-year head coach.Is not exempt from selection based on club…..

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  • Bergen Catholic grad Zach Sparber glad to be ‘home’

    Bergen Catholic grad Zach Sparber glad to be ‘home’

    Rutgers University Football schedule for 2025

    Rutgers University Football schedule for 2025

    PISCATAWAY – The idea of someday coaching with Rutgers football had appealed to Zach Sparber for a long time.

    He grew up in Norwood, played at Bergen Catholic and later spent a year there as a coach. But being able to compete at the highest level of college football and to do some in his home state seemed like a perfect fit.

    Sparber put the work in, climbed the ranks of coaching and impressed the right people along the way.

    Now he finds himself right back at home, realizing that opportunity to coach with the Scarlet Knights as co-defensive coordinator.

    “I have tremendous affection for this state and Rutgers being in the Big Ten, this is the highest level of college football,” Sparber said following the Scarlet Knights’ spring practice. “To have the opportunity to coordinate defense here and work for Coach (Greg) Schiano is something I’ve always thought about in the back of my head.”

    Sparber, also Rutgers’ linebackers coach, officially joined the program in February after spending last season as the linebackers coach at James Madison. He’ll lead the defense with Robb Smith, whom he worked for at Duke in 2022 when he was a graduate assistant and Smith was the defensive coordinator.

    The chance to reunite with Smith while also working for Greg Schiano is an opportunity Sparber is relishing just a couple months into the job.

    “It’s been fantastic,” Sparber said. “Coach Schiano is such a beacon of football in this state, so for me to be able to work with him is really, really exciting. Then to get back together with Robb Smith – we were together in 2022 at Duke – we had really good experiences playing quality defense and taking the football away from people. Really excited to be back with Coach Smith and now add…

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