NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • Bills’ Josh Allen usually doesn’t watch the Super Bowl, but he will be this year

    Bills’ Josh Allen usually doesn’t watch the Super Bowl, but he will be this year

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    The 2025 NFL season concludes this Sunday when the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots battle in Super Bowl 60. The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched sporting events in the world, but not everyone is always excited for this game. Consider the teams and players that came up just short from the Super Bowl.

    Take the Buffalo Bills for example. They were eliminated from the playoffs after a controversial 33-30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round. Star quarterback Josh Allen had an uncharacteristic performance, as he committed four turnovers after turning the ball over zero times in his previous six playoff games. With the loss, Allen fell to 8-7 in the postseason. Those eight playoff wins are the most by an NFL quarterback without a Super Bowl appearance. 

    During a recent interview with CBS Sports HQ, Allen revealed that he doesn’t usually watch the Super Bowl. However, this year he will be. That’s because he wants to root on one of his close friends. 

    “Throughout the years, it’s typically not watching it,” Allen responded when asked what his Super Bowl Sunday usually looks like. “I love Sam Darnold. That’s one of my good buddies. I wish I could be there in person, [but I’m] still in this boot. But I will be watching, I will be rooting him on, me and my wife. I’ve spent a lot of time with Sam, and he’s a fantastic football player but he’s an even greater human being so I’m wishing him the best.” 

    Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is without a doubt one of the main storylines for this Super Bowl. Not many expected him to lead Seattle to this kind of success in his first season with the franchise, and he could become the first quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl after playing for…

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  • Who will win the Super Bowl, and are the Bears legit contenders next year?

    Who will win the Super Bowl, and are the Bears legit contenders next year?

    We have a Super Bowl-centric set of questions on this week’s Reacts survey!

    First, fairly simple, who do you think will win this Sunday’s Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks or the New England Patriots?

    I’m taking the ‘Hawks, although I can’t remember a Super Bowl where I’ve cared so little about the game. There’s no buzz! No drama! Nothing to really wrangle in the casual fan.

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    Drake Maye winning it all in his second year or Sam Darnold winning it all on his fifth team are the only topics I find interesting. Two defensive head coaches battling it out bucks the recent trend of hiring an offensive mind, so I guess that’s kind of neat.

    There isn’t a big former Bear angle that moves the needle, unless you wanted to root against Seattle practice squadder Velus Jones Jr.

    New England’s Khyiris Tonga had a cup of coffee in Chicago, as did Seattle tight end Eric Saubert. Leslie Frazier is the Seahawks assistant head coach, and he has a shot at a third ring. Former Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown got all the ‘Flus stink off him and is New England’s tight ends coach/passing game coordinator.

    Our other question this week is whether or not you believe the Chicago Bears are a legit Super Bowl contender next season. They got the head coach and quarterback figured out, and are coming off a division title and a Wild Card win, so do you think this team is on the upswing enough to be in an honest-to-goodness Super Bowl window?

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    Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Bears fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

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  • Rutgers Football Recruiting Updates: Early February 2026

    Rutgers Football Recruiting Updates: Early February 2026

    The 2027 recruiting class is starting to heat up, as Rutgers has already landed 2027 Tight End Sydney Padilla from West Orange High School. The Scarlet Knights have put their best foot forward in their attempt to land several other athletes as well, hoping to round out the class with high-end talent that fills areas of need.

    Most players in the class of 2027 aren’t close to picking which school they would want to go to. While a lot of them have gone on unofficial visits to schools, Rutgers first official visit weekend for the class likely won’t be until the last weekend of May, as it has been in years past.

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    So far, Rutgers has extended 77 scholarship offers, according to 247sports. A few of the athletes they have offered have already committed elsewhere, but a large majority remain uncommitted.

    247sports ranks athletes’ supposed interest in Rutgers and their chances of committing on a cool-to-warm scale. Since it is very early in the recruitment cycle, many athletes are still cool on Rutgers, but two are currently listed as warm. Esa Wittingburg, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound EDGE from East Orange High School, and Terrance Smith, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound four-star interior offensive lineman, are the two who are currently listed as warm according to 247sports. Wittingburg received his offer when Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano visited his school during an in-school visit.

    The Knights’ coaching staff seems very interested in two four-star quarterback recruits from Illinois, Israel Abrams and Jake Nawrot. Coordinators rarely recruit in person; however, Rutgers OC Kirk Ciarrocca felt the need to fly out and visit both of these players. They have also recently extended an offer to quarterback Kevin Verpeale, a three-star Florida native who is currently committed to Pittsburgh.

    In addition to the quarterbacks,…

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  • Milton Williams: Back-to-back Super Bowls something I didn’t even dream about

    Milton Williams: Back-to-back Super Bowls something I didn’t even dream about

    Defensive tackle Milton Williams was part of a dominant defensive performance by the Eagles in the Super Bowl last year and that was the right final impression to leave on the league ahead of becoming a free agent in March.

    Williams became the subject of a bidding war between the Panthers and Patriots before choosing to sign a four-year deal with New England that pushed him from part of a deep defensive line group to a starring player. Williams proved to be up to the change of role and helped spark the turnaround that pushed the Patriots all the way to this year’s Super Bowl.

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    On Monday night, Williams reflected on having another chance to end the season with a championship.

    “Woo, to pull that off, it’ll be something I didn’t even dream about,” Williams said, via NFL.com. “I just dreamt about being in the NFL, playing in one. Winning? Back to back? That would be something I didn’t even dream about. I always say I’m just blessed to be in this situation, just to have this opportunity. I’m gonna do everything I can to try and take advantage of it.”

    The Williams signing is already a big win for the Patriots. If he has anything like the two-sack performance he had against the Chiefs in a winning effort last February, it’ll go down as one of the better moves in franchise history.

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  • NC State lawsuit update: More former athletes join sex abuse suit vs. ex-trainer

    NC State lawsuit update: More former athletes join sex abuse suit vs. ex-trainer

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    The alleged victim count in a sexual abuse lawsuit against ex-NC State trainer Robert Murphy Jr. more than doubled when 17 former Wolfpack male athletes joined as plaintiffs. An amended complaint filed last week includes a total of 31 plaintiffs, which attorney Kerry Sutton said comprises athletes from eight different sports teams. Three former athletes filed individual lawsuits in 2022 and 2023, and the case grew in September when 11 alleged victims filed a fourth suit.

    The lawsuit alleges that Murphy over multiple years engaged in acts of misconduct involving improper touching of the genitals during massages and intrusive observation while collecting urine samples during drug tests.

    Murphy, who worked at NC State from 2012-22 and was promoted to director of sports medicine in 2018, is one of nine defendants named in the lawsuit. The others are school officials, including former athletic director Debbie Yow, who are accused of negligence. The plaintiffs claim that Yow and other administrators were aware of Murphy’s behavior but did not investigate nor prevent him from working with male athletes.

    “The health and safety of students and student-athletes is paramount to NC State Athletics and the university,” a university spokesperson said Monday to ESPN. “Sexual misconduct of any kind is unacceptable, prohibited by NC State’s policies, and in direct opposition to the mission, culture and standards of the university. NC State is reviewing the lawsuit and determining appropriate next steps.”

    NC State placed Murphy on administrative leave and fired him in 2022, the same…

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  • 2026 NFL Super Bowl picks, AI-generated score prediction for Patriots vs. Seahawks

    2026 NFL Super Bowl picks, AI-generated score prediction for Patriots vs. Seahawks

    Familiar Super Bowl foes meet when the Seattle Seahawks battle the New England Patriots in the 2026 Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 8. Seattle advanced with a 31-27 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game, while New England outlasted the Denver Broncos 10-7 in the AFC Championship Game. The Seahawks (14-3), who have won nine in a row, are making their fourth Super Bowl appearance. The Patriots (14-3), who have won six consecutive games, are making their 12th Super Bowl appearance, extending their own record as no other franchise has more than eight appearances.

    Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. Seattle enters Super Bowl 60 as a 4.5-point favorite, and the over/under at 45.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Seahawks lead the all-time series 11-9, including wins in four of the last five games. The only loss in that stretch was a 28-24 setback in Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1, 2015. Before making any 2026 Super Bowl LX picks or NFL score predictions, you need to see the NFL against the spread, over/under and money line predictions powered by the self-learning SportsLine AI.

    Built using cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques by SportsLine’s Data Science team, AI Predictions and AI Ratings are generated for each game. The AI predictions are determined by statistically learning from each team’s historical data and then quantitatively evaluating the strength of the opponent’s defense by assigning a numeric value out of 100 called a matchup score. It continuously refreshes on the most recent available data and can help you spot the biggest discrepancies in the lines. SportsLine’s AI PickBot has hit more than 2,000 4.5- and 5-star prop picks since the start of the 2023 season. 

    For Super Bowl LX NFL betting, SportsLine AI has evaluated the NFL odds and provided NFL betting picks for the game. You can only see the AI predictions for the…

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  • Elite Ohio State Transfer Named ‘Impact Player’ for 2026

    Elite Ohio State Transfer Named ‘Impact Player’ for 2026

    Ohio State’s defense will look much different in the upcoming season than the unit that helped the program reach the College Football Playoff quarterfinal.

    With a young offense, the Buckeyes relied on the defense to earn 12 wins in the regular season and make the Big Ten championship.

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    Defensive tackles Kayden McDonald and Tywone Malone are headed to the 2026 NFL Draft. Defensive linemen Maxwell Roy, Eric Mensah and Jarquez Carter left via the transfer portal.

    The Buckeyes received a big boost for the defensive line when they added James Smith from Alabama in the transfer portal.

    Pete Nakos of On3 thinks Smith will be an “impact player” for Ohio State in 2026.

    “With All-American Kayden McDonald off to the NFL, the Buckeyes knew they needed to address the defensive tackle position,” Nakos wrote. “They went out and landed Alabama transfer defensive lineman James Smith, a former five-star recruit who emerged as a starter in 2025 for the Crimson Tide.

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    “Smith finished with 28 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks to go along with two quarterback hurries and one pass breakup this past season.”

    Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack offered some praise for the defensive tackle during last season but thought Smith needed to become a more consistent athlete.

    “James flashes,” Wommack said, via On3. “He’s a very athletic player. He does some really good things. Needs to become more consistent.

    “A number of our guys are the same way, I’m not necessarily singling him out, but there were some plays he particularly left out on the field, a number of our guys left out on the field, and so that’s exciting from a number of ways, because he very productive on a number of plays.”

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    Wommack thought Smith and other players left some opportunities on the field during the season and…

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  • Detroit Lions DT Levi Onwuzurike still under contract in 2026 due to little-known rule

    Detroit Lions DT Levi Onwuzurike still under contract in 2026 due to little-known rule

    Detroit Lions defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike signed a one-year deal last offseason, meaning the expectation is that he’ll face free agency in 2026 when the new league year starts in March.

    However, that’s not how it’s working with Onwuzurike. Due to a lesser-known rule in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Onwuzurike’s one-year contract will toll over to 2026, meaning he’s under contract in Detroit and will remain so when the new league year hits.

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    Let me explain.

    As you may remember, Onwuzurike re-signed with the team in March, just before free agency started. But before Onwuzurike could even practice in training camp, Lions coach Dan Campbell announced that Onwuzurike was out for the year with a torn ACL. The Lions opted to put him on the Physically Unable to Perform reserve list, not the injured reserve list. That distinction turns out to be critical.

    Because there is a stipulation in the CBA that a player who is on the final year of his contract and spends the entire season on the PUP/reserve list will see their contract toll over to the next year. In essence, Onwuzurike’s contract was paused in 2025 and will now carry over to the 2026 season.

    Here is the provision, in Article 20, Section 2 of the CBA:

    Section 2. Physically Unable to Perform

    Any player placed on a Physically Unable to Perform list (“PUP”) will be paid his full Paragraph 5 Salary while on such list. His contract will not be tolled for the period he is on PUP, except in the last year of his contract, when the player’s contract will be tolled if (i) he is still physically unable to perform his football services as of the sixth regular season game; and (ii) he is not reinstated to the Club’s Active/Inactive List during that regular season or postseason. For the avoidance of doubt, if the player returns to practice, but is never reinstated to the Club’s Active/Inactive List during that regular season or postseason, his contract will toll.

    So, as it appears over on…

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