NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • 2025 NFL free agency buzz: Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks shelved for all of 2025?

    2025 NFL free agency buzz: Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks shelved for all of 2025?

    How worried are the Carolina Panthers about the future of 2024 second-round draft pick Jonathon Brooks? It might be worse than we’ve been led to believe.

    Here are three NFL nuggets after the first day of the NFL’s new year:

    It hasn’t been a secret that the second ACL tear in the right knee of Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks is extremely concerning. The way the Panthers are tackling it might shed some light on how concerned the franchise is right now.

    The Panthers are signing running back Rico Dowdle to a one-year deal, strongly pointing to a plan that appears to be leaning into sitting Brooks for the entirety of the 2025 season. To err on the side of caution and put together a plan over the next 18 months offers Brooks a chance to enter training camp in 2026 both completely healthy and as confident as possible about his right knee.

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    Even taking that approach, a league source indicated there’s a lot of concern about Brooks’ development in all of this. While last year’s 46th overall draft pick is extremely young (he won’t turn 22 until July), he will have played very little high-level football by the time he hits the field for the Panthers again. Brooks had only 54 touches rushing and receiving his first two seasons as a backup for the Texas Longhorns, then another 212 his junior year, before eventually tearing the ACL in his right knee and entering the draft. That was followed by only 12 touches as a rookie for the Panthers before tearing the ACL again.

    Jonathon Brooks was a second-round draft pick in 2024. (Photo by David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

    That’s not a lot of football development over a four-year span. And now there’s a very real question over whether Brooks will ever have access to his considerable ceiling again if his right knee is diminished.

    The Panthers are taking the most careful…

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  • Russell Wilson free agency rumors: Here’s who the veteran QB is set to meet with this week

    Russell Wilson free agency rumors: Here’s who the veteran QB is set to meet with this week

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    Russell Wilson taking matters into his own hands. Instead of waiting to see if the Steelers will bring him back, the 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback has scheduled visits with the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, according to ESPN. 

    Wilson will fly to Cleveland on Wednesday night and will meet with the team’s brass on Thursday, per the report. He will then fly to New York and meet with the Giants on Friday. 

    Wilson, 36, officially became a free agent at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, which is when reports began coming out about his upcoming visits. Wilson spent the 2024 season with the Steelers, going 6-6 as the team’s starting quarterback (including the postseason). 

    It was expected that the Steelers would re-sign either Wilson or Justin Fields before the start of free agency. But after Pittsburgh was unable to re-sign Fields, it reportedly set its attention towards trying to sign Aaron Rodgers or Sam…

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  • Armed with more eligibility and NIL, Diego Pavia’s value could go from nonexistent to full-fledged empire

    Armed with more eligibility and NIL, Diego Pavia’s value could go from nonexistent to full-fledged empire

    Diego Pavia is now a commodity. Check that — an empire if you count the fact his lawyer lives in Puerto Rico.

    “It is an incredible place to live with a huge community of expats, entrepreneurial spirit and nice tax advantages,” Ryan Downton told CBS Sports.

    These type of things matter now. As of December, we thought Pavia’s story had ended. Vanderbilt’s quarterback completed a colorful, inspiring career by leading the Commodores to a seven-win season, its first above .500 since James Franklin left 12 years ago.  

    After five years and three programs, Pavia was off to the NFL. Or, so he hoped. 

    “Shoot, I’d like to think I was probably the best quarterback in the country if I was coming out this year,” he said. 

    But there has been more at work in this story than hopes and dreams. In November, Pavia sued the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility. The shock waves from the result of that lawsuit are still being felt. Pavia just might be on the cutting edge of a new eligibility model as CBS Sports detailed last month. 

    Downton had originally approached the quarterback the day before the epic upset of Alabama on Oct. 5. The veteran attorney had a right and the ability to seek out this unique client. Downton was a Vandy cheerleader while pursuing his undergrad degree in the business school. It occurred to him that Pavia deserved an extra year of eligibility despite a winding career that began at New Mexico Military Institute and migrated to New Mexico State before a transfer to Vanderbilt. 

    The suit states that Pavia’s eligibility clock starting in junior college (at NMMI) violated anti-trust laws. It argues, in essence, that the restriction denied the quarterback of an opportunity at more NIL benefits. The judge who ordered the…

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  • After flurry of agreements, Cam Robinson is the highest-ranked free agent available

    After flurry of agreements, Cam Robinson is the highest-ranked free agent available

    Free agency officially begins Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. But after a flurry of agreements on Monday and Tuesday, most of this year’s top free agents have either re-signed with their old teams or agreed to terms with new ones.

    Vikings offensive tackle Cam Robinson heads into Wednesday as the highest-ranked free agent who is still available. Robinson is the No. 17 player on our list of the NFL’s Top 100 free agents for 2025.

    Of the 16 players ranked ahead of Robinson, two got the franchise tag: No. 1 Tee Higgins of the Bengals and No. 3 Trey Smith of the Chiefs.

    Eight of the Top 16 have agreed to terms with new teams:
    No. 2 quarterback Sam Darnold is leaving the Vikings for the Seahawks.
    No. 4 edge rusher Josh Sweat is leaving the Eagles for the Cardinals.
    No. 7 cornerback D.J. Reed is leaving the Jets for the Lions.
    No. 8 safety Jevon Holland is leaving the Dolphins for the Giants.
    No. 11 safety Justin Reid is leaving the Chiefs for the Saints.
    No. 13 cornerback Charvarius Ward is leaving the 49ers for the Colts.
    No. 14 safety Talanoa Hufanga is leaving the 49ers for the Broncos.
    No. 15 linebacker Dre Greenlaw is leaving the 49ers for the Broncos.

    Six of the Top 16 will be staying with the same teams: No. 5 Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin, No. 6 Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley, No. 9 Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton, No. 10 Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, No. 12 Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack and No. 16 Rams offensive tackle Alaric Jackson.

    And that leaves Robinson, who was traded to the Vikings during the 2024 season after playing his entire eight-year career for the Jaguars before that, as the top-ranked player without a home. He could find his next NFL team today.

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  • What Kalani Sitake said about giving a BYU devotional

    What Kalani Sitake said about giving a BYU devotional

    BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake shakes hands with Bolden Crosby after giving a devotional at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

    When he was first approached about giving a BYU devotional, Kalani Sitake was unsure about it.

    But one of his heroes soon helped get him fully on board and behind the mic.

    “At first I was a little hesitant to (speak), and then they said, ‘Well, LaVell (Edwards) did it,’” Sitake told reporters Tuesday afternoon. “And I said, ‘OK, if you want me to do it, then just say LaVell did it and I’m going to do it.’ … That’s why I go to some of the events that are out there, because LaVell started it and it was a big part of it. I want to be and I want to do exactly like he did, and he did it the right way.”

    Sitake addressed nearly 8,000 Marriott Center attendees Tuesday morning as the assigned speaker for BYU’s weekly campus devotional, where he shared a message of God’s love and plan for His children.

    “I actually really enjoyed it,” Sitake said. “It was really cool for me to review things and think about what I wanted to say to the students. I’m just so relieved now that it’s over with, I was so nervous about it. I was so nervous, but I was excited for the opportunity.

    “That was a lot of fun, though, and I appreciate all the students showing up, our entire team being there and our entire staff. That was really cool for me to have my family and the team there.”

    Sitake joins Edwards as the only Cougar football coaches in program history to be tabbed as devotional speakers. Edwards spoke on two occasions — once as an active coach in 1976, and again in 2001 following his retirement.

    He also famously spoke at General Conference in the middle of BYU’s 1984 national championship season.

    Other notable BYU athletic…

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  • 2025 NFL free agency live tracker: Full list of team-by-team signings and trades, plus updates on every move

    2025 NFL free agency live tracker: Full list of team-by-team signings and trades, plus updates on every move

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    The new NFL league year doesn’t kick off until Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, but the chaos of the offseason is in full swing.

    We’ve had stars receive franchise tags (Tee Higgins and Trey Smith), Pro Bowlers get traded (Geno Smith, Deebo Samuel and DK Metcalf), franchise quarterbacks receive pay raises (Matthew Stafford and Josh Allen), All-Pro edge rushers land record-breaking extensions (Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett) and a whole lot more. And that was before the NFL’s legal tampering period began at noon ET on Monday! 

    Since teams have been able to negotiate with other clubs’ impending three agents, several high-profile deals have already been agreed to. The biggest ones on Monday were the Seahawks signing Sam Darnold to a three-year contract worth $100.5 million and the Jets signing Justin Fields to a two-year deal worth $40 million. Elsewhere on Day 1, the Patriots added several key defenders for new head coach Mike Vrabel, the Texans traded their star left tackle to the Commanders and the Browns acquired a former first-round quarterback from the Eagles.

    Day 2 has brought even more movement, headlined by quarterback Daniel Jones signing with the Colts on a one-year deal worth $14 million. Meanwhile, the Vikings spent big for guard Will Fries and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen while the Texans traded away yet another former first-round offensive lineman, this time sending Kenyon Green to the Eagles for safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

    From blockbuster moves to bargain-bin shopping, we’ve got you covered below with a running tracker of every team’s 2024 additions, including external signings and trade acquisitions. For more info on all the free agency deals and rumors, click here. 

    Retained

    Signed

    Retained

    Signed

    LB Divine…..

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  • Giants signing safety Jevon Holland

    Giants signing safety Jevon Holland

    The Giants are making another splash — signing free agent safety Jevon Holland, per multiple reports.

    Holland is getting a three-year deal worth $45 million, with $30.3 million guaranteed.

    The 25-year-old was widely viewed as the top safety on the free agent market.

    The signing of Holland is the second huge move this offseason by Joe Schoen and Co. to address New York’s secondary, following the inking of cornerback Paulson Adebo on Monday.

    Holland spent the first four seasons of his career with the Dolphins, racking up 301 combined tackles, 25 passes defended, five interceptions, and five forced fumbles in 60 games (57 starts).

    In addition to shoring up their secondary in a big way, the Giants have made a flurry of free agent moves elsewhere in the last 24 hours as the front office seeks to seriously bolster a team that was one of the worst in the NFL last season.

    New York re-signed wide receiver Darius Slayton to a three-year deal (in what was a bit of a surprise reunion), inked defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris to a two-year deal, landed defensive end Chauncey Golston on a three-year pact, signed offensive tackle James Hudson III to a two-year deal, inked linebacker Chris Board on a two-year deal, and re-signed tight end Chris Manhertz to a one-year contract.

    The Giants remain in search of a quarterback, and are showing serious interest in Aaron Rodgers, reports SNY NFL Insider Connor Hughes.

    If the Giants miss on Rodgers, whose other suitors include the Steelers, they could turn to Russell Wilson, per Hughes.

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  • Deepest QB rooms in college football: Alabama, Notre Dame among teams comfortable on talent entering season

    Deepest QB rooms in college football: Alabama, Notre Dame among teams comfortable on talent entering season

    Over the course of a college football season, almost every team will need to turn to a backup quarterback. At Texas, Arch Manning stepped in and led the Longhorns to two wins when Quinn Ewers went down. Notre Dame’s Steve Angeli spurred a run against Georgia in the national quarterfinals. The most famous example, of course, involved Ohio State’s third-string QB Cardale Jones leading the Buckeyes to a national championship. 

    But while quarterback depth only gets more important in the expanded College Football Playoff era, it’s never been harder to keep players on campus. The transfer portal and NIL mean that any players without a pathway to the starting job typically leave. The opportunity cost is too great for most, which makes the deep rooms even more valuable.

    It’s worth clarifying: This is a ranking of the deepest quarterback rooms in the sport. It’s not a listing of the best quarterbacks in the sport. Miami’s Carson Beck may be the best QB in college football, but the backups are far more unproven. The same is true of Texas, which ranked among the best last season. With Arch Manning moving from backup to starter, the depth is far less special. The top dog being exceptional helps, but is certainly not a requirement. 

    In fact, quarterback uncertainty can be a quiet blessing. Several of the top teams on this list have open quarterback competitions between qualified players. Opportunity is a great incentive to stick around into the fall. With that said, here are the six deepest quarterback rooms in college football heading into the 2025 season. 

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