NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • Jaguars complete interview with Ian Cunningham for G.M. job

    Jaguars complete interview with Ian Cunningham for G.M. job

    The Jaguars completed a second interview with Bears assistant General Manager Ian Cunningham, the team announced.

    He had his first interview with the team last week and made the list of five finalists for the job to replace Trent Baalke.

    The Jaguars also interviewed 49ers director/scouting and football operations Josh Williams earlier Wednesday and will interview Rams director of scouting strategy James Gladstone, Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jaguars interim General Manager Ethan Waugh a second time.

    Thus, the Jaguars soon should have a new G.M.

    Cunningham just completed his third season as assistant G.M. with the Bears, serving as the top lieutenant to Bears General Manager Ryan Poles. Cunningham arrived in Chicago with 14 years of NFL front office experience. He was director of player personnel for the Eagles, a position he was promoted to at the beginning of the 2021 season.

    Cunningham also has worked for the Ravens.

    He has received multiple interviews for G.M. positions in recent years, meeting with the Titans in this year’s cycle.

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  • Luke Fickell contract: One-year extension pushes Wisconsin coach’s deal through 2031 on heels of 5-7 campaign

    Luke Fickell contract: One-year extension pushes Wisconsin coach’s deal through 2031 on heels of 5-7 campaign

    USATSI

    Wisconsin and coach Luke Fickell have agreed to an extension that pushes his contract out through the 2031 season, the school announced Wednesday. The new deal represents a one-year extension on his existing contract. 

    Wisconsin historically gives out one-year extensions to all its coaches at the conclusion of every season for consistency purposes. In addition to Fickell, the school announced extensions for its volleyball and soccer coaches on Wednesday. Getting an extension isn’t necessarily an expression of faith. Former coach Paul Chryst received a formal extension after the 2021 season, but was fired only five games into the 2022. However, the timing of the move is still intriguing. 

    Fickell’s Badgers are coming off a 5-7 campaign and missed a bowl game for the first time since 2001. The program went 3-6 in Big Ten play and fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo. Fickell is just 12-13 in two seasons with the Badgers, the worst since Barry Alvarez took over the program in 1990. Wisconsin ranked bottom half in the Big Ten in both offense and defense. 

    To his credit, Fickell has moved quickly to remedy things. He hired offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes from Kansas, who will bring a more physical running game reminiscent of historic Badgers squads. The program poached quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. from Maryland and brought in 18 transfers to headline a top 25 recruiting class. The Badgers play Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State and Oregon in 2025. 

    Prior to Wisconsin, Fickell helped supercharge Cincinnati and led them to the College Football Playoff in 2021. He is the…

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  • Jason Kelce story about Travis Kelce’s puppy sparks rumors about new addition for Taylor Swift, Chiefs star

    Jason Kelce story about Travis Kelce’s puppy sparks rumors about new addition for Taylor Swift, Chiefs star

    Getty Images

    After former All-Pro Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce shared a story about his brother having a puppy on a podcast, Internet rumors began to spread that Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and celebrity girlfriend Taylor Swift had added a small companion to their relationship. The older of the Kelce brothers shared a story about Travis having gotten a puppy, leading some outlets to believe that the puppy was Kelce and Swift’s.

    During an appearance on the Fitz & Whit podcast, Jason Kelce discussed the damage that a puppy had done to an apparently very expensive green velvet couch from an Italian designer that his brother purchased as part of a discussion as to the ways he had matured. However, it was not clear exactly when the story took place, or if Kelce had the puppy with Swift or in a past relationship.

    “I came back maybe six months after that, and I come back and one of the couches is like pushed up against the wall. I’m like, ‘Why did you move the couch?’” Kelce recalled. “He just got a puppy. The puppy had chewed a hole in the back of it.”

    Trey Smith contract: Here’s where things reportedly stand between Chiefs and All-Pro OT ahead of free agency

    Jordan Dajani

    For what it’s worth, anecdotal evidence suggests that Taylor Swift is more of a cat person when it comes to pets. Swift is the owner of three cats — Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button.

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  • NFL free agency: Top 10 storylines, including the Bengals spending and QB carousel

    NFL free agency: Top 10 storylines, including the Bengals spending and QB carousel

    At this time last year, the New York Giants were deciding Saquon Barkley wasn’t worth what he wanted to be paid, and the Philadelphia Eagles were quietly waiting to pounce.

    Very few NFL free agency moves directly impact a Super Bowl championship like that one. But when free agency officially begins on March 12, there will be plenty of teams spending and trying to fill holes, hoping that those moves are even close as impactful as Barkley was to the Eagles.

    Here are the top 10 storylines to track for free agency:

    This is a chance for the Bengals to distance themselves from their reputation of being cheap. Retaining Tee Higgins while extending Ja’Marr Chase and Trey Hendrickson should have been done long ago, but the Bengals dragged their feet and now it’ll cost them more than it should have. If Higgins hits free agency, he’s going to get a massive contract. Receivers of his talent level and age don’t hit the market that often. It will not be easy to pay Higgins and Chase, and perhaps Hendrickson too, but it can be done. What will the Bengals do?

    The Jets won’t bring Rodgers back, and now there are plenty of questions for Rodgers at age 41. Does he want to play? If he does, there will be a job for him if he wants it. He played pretty well late last season, perhaps as he got healthy, posting a 97 rating over his final 10 games. There will be Week 1 starting quarterbacks worse than Rodgers. But does he want to settle for a less-than-ideal situation just to keep playing? There aren’t many spots that offer Rodgers a true chance to compete for a title or maybe even a playoff berth. He’s a big domino this offseason.

    If Darnold could pull a “Men in Black” and erase NFL general managers’ memories of his final two games last season, he could name his price. He still will get paid despite his late struggles, because he’s 27 and coming off a very good season for the Vikings. Supply and…

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  • Texas A&M’s football program is reportedly set up for future success

    Texas A&M’s football program is reportedly set up for future success

    Texas A&M’s 2024 football season ended in disappointment. Still, from a 360-degree view, head coach Mike Elko’s inaugural campaign was not a failure despite finishing 1-4, including consecutive losses to Texas and USC in the Las Vegas Bowl.

    Still, the loss of star running back Le’Veon Moss after eight games completely dismantled OC Collin Klein’s game plan due to the lack of RB depth, while quarterback Marcel Reed had yet to develop as a pocket passer amid his first starting season. Through the portal, Elko added standout wide receivers KC Concepcion and sophomore Mario Craver, while former Texas Tech receiver Micah Hudson has taken a leave of absence from the program.

    Overall, strides were made, especially across the offensive line led by OL coach Adam Cushing, who has proven his development skills while serving as an ace recruiter. However, three of Texas A&M’s starting defensive linemen, Nic Scourton, Shemar Stewart, and Shemar Turner, are headed to the 2025 NFL Draft, vaulting senior edge Cashius Howell, DE Rylan Kennedy, and several transfer portal additions to fill out the trenches.

    While Mike Elko has plenty to prove, one member of the CFB media landscape believes that the program is in good hands and has a chance to compete for championships. On Tuesday, On3’s J.D. PicKell released his Top 10 rankings for every Power 5 program set up for success over the next three seasons, based around recruiting, transfer portal success, financial earnings, and culture.

    Top 10 program set up for “success” over the next 3 years:

    Texas Longhorns

    Oregon Ducks

    Georgia Bulldogs

    Ohio State Buckeyes

    Notre Dame Fighting Irish

    Michigan Wolverines

    Alabama Crimson Tide

    LSU Tigers

    Tennessee Volunteers

    Texas A&M Aggies

    Nine of the ten teams listed have made the College Football Playoffs, while Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, and LSU have won…

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  • Vikings push back CB Byron Murphy’s contract void date, can no longer use franchise tag on him, per report

    Vikings push back CB Byron Murphy’s contract void date, can no longer use franchise tag on him, per report

    Getty Images

    The Minnesota Vikings will either have to come to a long-term agreement with cornerback Byron Murphy or allow him to hit unrestricted free agency. 

    According to a report from ESPN, the Vikings and Murphy came to a mutual agreement to push back the void date on his current contract to one day before the start of the new league year. The move gives the two sides more time to negotiate a long-term pact, but as a consequence of the agreement, the Vikings can no longer use the franchise tag on Murphy because the new void date comes after the franchise tag deadline.

    Murphy’s deal was originally set to void this week. If he and the Vikings are unable to reach a new contract agreement by the day before the start of the 2025 league year, the remaining $4.2 million in signing bonus that is spread over the three void years of his contract will accelerate onto Minnesota’s books for the 2025 season. If he does sign a new deal, however, the Vikings can simply replace the void years with the new contract structure.

    Murphy signed a two-year, $17.5 million contract with Minnesota prior to the 2023 season, and he played a significant role in defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ unit over the last two years. 

    He played 99% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2023 and 93% in 2024, which was the first Pro Bowl season of his career. He finished the year with six interceptions and 14 passes defensed, and according to Pro Football Focus he allowed the 24th-lowest passer rating (80.0) on throws in his direction out of the 127 cornerbacks who played at least 150 snaps in coverage.

    The Vikings also have Stephon Gilmore, Camryn Bynum and Shaquill Griffin hitting free agency in the secondary, and don’t necessarily have a ready-made…

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  • Ceiling for portal-heavy teams in expanded CFP era: Why traditional roster building is necessary to win title

    Ceiling for portal-heavy teams in expanded CFP era: Why traditional roster building is necessary to win title

    Once Ohio State and Notre Dame had won their semifinal matchups in the College Football Playoff, there were plenty of pointed observations about the matchup and what it might have said about the sport in the modern era. But to get caught up in conversations of conference strength and what leagues may or may not have been as represented is to miss another unique thread that tied Ohio State and Notre Dame to each other in opposition from many of the other powers in college football. 

    While modern transfer rules and NIL have created more roster fluidity than the sport has ever seen, the two teams that played for the national championship did not — especially in comparison to their peers — build their roster through the transfer portal. That might catch some by surprise since the Buckeyes had a high-profile transfer at quarterback (Will Howard), running back (Quinshon Judkins) and safety (Caleb Downs), while Notre Dame had former Duke star Riley Leonard under center along with multiple other starters from the portal. But in terms of transfer volume, Ohio State and Notre Dame are on the lower end of power-conference teams competing at the highest levels. 

    Ohio State took seven transfers prior to 2024, nine transfers ahead of 2023 and just four transfers going into 2022. Notre Dame’s numbers are nearly identical, taking nine transfers ahead of 2024, seven going into 2023 and just four prior to 2022. 

    That’s 20 incoming transfers over the last three offseasons combined for the two teams that made it farther than any other other in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. Meanwhile, there have been 37 different teams that have added at least 20 transfers in a single offseason in the same span, according to the 247Sports Transfer Portal…

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  • Despite spending all of 2024 on the practice squad, Louis Rees-Zammit never considered a return to rugby

    Despite spending all of 2024 on the practice squad, Louis Rees-Zammit never considered a return to rugby

    Last March, rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit signed with the Chiefs. His first year in the NFL resulted in no regular-season appearances.

    The journey took him from the Chiefs offseason/preseason 90-man roster to the Jacksonville practice squad. Along the way, he switched from running back to receiver.

    Despite the fact that he never played in a game that counts (he spent the full year on the pracice squad), Rees-Zammit remains all in for American football.

    “I’ve never thought about going back to rugby,” Rees-Zammit told Philip Marsh of BBC Sport Wales. “It hasn’t been in my head that I’m not going to do this. I’ve always wanted this. . . . The second [returning to rugby] creeps into your head you start doubting yourself and that’s not going to happen with me.”

    On Monday, Rees-Zammit signed with Jacksonville’s offseason 90-man roster. But it remains a steep climb to the 53-man, Week 1 active roster.

    “The first step of the dream is to make an active roster, I’m doing everything I can to make that happen,” Rees-Zammit told Marsh. “This is my dream, and the way I make it come true is by working as hard as I can to make the roster.”

    The persistence, commitment, and determination is admirable. Still, he’ll be competing with many others who want the same thing he does in the zero-sum game of earning an official regular-season spot on an NFL team.

    “Every day is a challenge, every day is hard, hard work, but it is one that for this dream to come true is worth doing,” Rees-Zammit said. “I’m doing everything I can to become a better player on the field and a better person off the field, so I’m really looking forward to this season.”

    Rees-Zammit has time. He turned 24 on February 1. And with a full year of NFL practice under his belt, he’ll now have a full and fair chance to take the next step.

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