NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • Why is Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game exclusively on Peacock? Explaining why league went exclusive to streaming

    Why is Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game exclusively on Peacock? Explaining why league went exclusive to streaming

    For the first time in NFL history, the league will broadcast a postseason game exclusively on a streaming service. Saturday’s nightcap of the Super Wild Card Weekend doubleheader on the NBC platforms will be exclusively on the streaming service Peacock, not on free over-the-air television. 

    The Saturday night contest between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs will only be on Peacock, unless the viewer lives in the local television markets of the respective teams (the game will air free). For everyone else across the country, a Peacock subscription plans start at $5.99 per month. 

    The NFL tried to air a playoff game that wasn’t on free over-the-air broadcast television once, when the Carolina Panthers beat the Arizona Cardinals in the opening game of the wild card round of the playoffs in January of 2015 (the first year of the new television contract). That game aired on ESPN exclusively, but that lasted only a year.

    ESPN simulcast the game on ABC in subsequent years, thanks to the league having the lowest rated playoff game in six years. The league hasn’t had a playoff game omitted on broadcast television since, until Saturday’s Super Wild Card round game on Peacock. 

    So why is this game exclusively on a streaming service? NBC Universal paid the NFL $110 million last year for rights to carry a wild card game on Peacock — a one-year deal. This will be a trial for the league in its new television contract, which had exclusive games on streaming in the regular season (Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, international game on ESPN+, and Saturday night game on Peacock). 

    Live sports have been a huge part of Peacock’s growth, which is why NBCUniversal is banking on giving this game a one-year trial. There will be no free trials for Peacock. 

    Technically, three NFL playoff games are on Peacock this weekend. The Saturday 4:30 p.m. game between the Cleveland Browns and Houston…

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  • Alabama safety in the transfer portal commits to Georgia

    Alabama safety in the transfer portal commits to Georgia

    Alabama Crimson Tide freshman safety Jake Pope is transferring to the Georgia Bulldogs. Pope committed to Georgia on Friday evening.

    Pope, a former four-star recruit, played high school football at Buford High School in Buford, Georgia. Kirby Smart and Georgia football heavily recruited Jake Pope out of high school.

    Pope did not see any game action as a true freshman in 2022. This past season, Pope played in 11 games as a special teams player. Pope is leaving Alabama shortly after legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement.

    Jake Pope announced his commitment to Georgia football via social media. Georgia fans and media were fired up to steal a player from the Crimson Tide.

    Pope’s commitment

    Kirby Smart is hyped

    Pope made a big hit on Jermaine Burton

    UGA recruited Pope back in the day

    Pope has 3 years of eligibility

    BREAKING: Former Alabama DB Jake Pope has Committed to Georgia, he tells @on3sports

    The 6’1 200 DB from Buford, GA will have 3 years of eligibility remaining

    “They showed a tremendous amount of want for me & I couldn’t be happier to move onto the next chapter.”… pic.twitter.com/aZK3900BUp

    — Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 13, 2024

    Pope after Nick Saban retired

    I leave for dinner & Georgia promptly lands a former Buford* product, Alabama transfer DB Jake Pope.

    Saban domino.

    — J.C. Shelton (@JCShelton_) January 13, 2024

    Welp… it isn’t Caleb Downs, but we got Jake Pope from Bama.

    — Joe sweat (@JoeSweat21) January 13, 2024

    Stop worrying about Caleb downs and enjoy the commitment of Jake Pope! Come on guys have you guys not learned anything in the Kirby Smart development era at Georgia?!!?!?

    — Jack Moreno (@ugajack19) January 13, 2024

    Story originally appeared on UGA Wire

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  • Commanders hire Adam Peters

    Commanders hire Adam Peters

    The Commanders have made their first major hire of the Josh Harris era. There’s currently a dispute among insiders as to the title.

    Ian Rapoport of NFL Media says 49ers assistant G.M. Adam Peters has taken a job with the team that likely will be dubbed “President of Football Operations.” Adam Schefter of ESPN.com characterizes the new job for Peters as “General Manager.”

    Given that the Commanders still have a G.M. in Martin Mayhew, either Schefter is off or Mayhew is out.

    Regardless, Peters is in. He’ll run the show. We’ll see what happens with Mayhew and team president Jason Wright.

    As one source explained it to PFT, the 49ers tried hard to keep Peters. He decided, in the end, to go.

    His first big decision in D.C. will be head coach. It’s unclear who will make the final call. Peters surely will have some say in which way things go.

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  • Evan Stewart transfers to Oregon: Ex-Texas A&M standout, No. 1 WR in portal choses Ducks over host of suitors

    Evan Stewart transfers to Oregon: Ex-Texas A&M standout, No. 1 WR in portal choses Ducks over host of suitors

    Former Texas A&M wide receiver is transferring to Oregon, he announced Thursday evening. Stewart, who spent two seasons with the Aggies, is the No. 1 wide receiver and the No. 2 overall prospect — just behind former teammate and Ole Miss defensive line commit Walter Nolen — in 247Sports’ transfer rankings. 

    Stewart played in eight games for Texas A&M in 2023 and finished third on the team with 514 yards receiving. He tied for second with four touchdowns despite his limited opportunities due to a nagging leg injury that kept him sidelined for multiple games late in the year. The 6-foot, 175-pound rising junior had 100-yard receiving performances against New Mexico and Miami. 

    As a true freshman in 2022, Stewart garnered All-SEC honors after leading the Aggies with 53 catches for 649 yards and two touchdowns in just 10 games. 

    He was one of eight five-star prospects to sign with Texas A&M during its historic 2022 recruiting class and was the highest-ranked prospect to join the Aggies on the offensive side of the ball. He graded out as the top high school receiver in his class and came in at No. 6 nationally, joining Texas A&M out of Liberty (Texas) High School. 

    Impact on Oregon 

    With Stewart in the fold, Oregon is set to enter its first season in the Big Ten touting one of the conference’s best wide receiver rooms. Ducks receiver Troy Franklin declared for the 2024 NFL Draft after hauling in 82 passes for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns, but there’s a ton of talent returning behind him. 

    That includes another 1,000-yard receiver in Tez Johnson — who returns for a second season with the Ducks after transferring in from Troy — and a likely starter on the outside in Traeshon Holden — who had 452 yards and six touchdowns in 2023….

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  • Patriots, Bill Belichick part ways: Memorable, viral moments from legendary coach’s 24 seasons in New England

    Patriots, Bill Belichick part ways: Memorable, viral moments from legendary coach’s 24 seasons in New England

    Jan. 11, 2024 will now forever be a date remembered in New England sports history: the day the Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick parted ways. While the term is oftentimes overused, it is truly the end of an era, one that the NFL probably will never see the likes of again. For the bulk of Belichick’s 24 seasons as the leader in Foxborough, the Patriots enjoyed unprecedented success, including all six of the franchise’s Super Bowl titles. 

    Mixed in between Lombardi Trophies and duck boat parades came some of the greatest coaching moments and decisions that the league has ever seen under Belichick. As the Patriots depart from their franchise icon, let’s take a look back at some of his more memorable coaching moments/decisions in New England. 

    Brady over Bledsoe

    Given that Tom Brady became the greatest player in the history of the sport, it might sound crazy that there was ever a debate to play him over someone else, but that was absolutely the case in 2001. After Drew Bledsoe was ready to return from a sheared blood vessel in his chest from that infamous hit from Mo Lewis, Belichick ultimately decided to stick with the then-second-year quarterback in Brady. That decision was as polarizing as it gets, especially considering that Bledsoe had just signed an NFL-record 10-year, $103 million contract back in March of that year. 

    Belichick split the reps between the two quarterbacks leading up to the Week 10 matchup against the Rams — who they’d eventually beat in Super Bowl XXXVI — and ended up losing the game. It was after that contest Belichick decided to give the full reps to Brady, start him for the remainder of the year and the rest is history, proving to be the most pivotal decision the organization has ever seen. 

    End of Super Bowl XLIX 

    The end of Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks was a coaching masterclass by Belichick. Of course, we all know that Malcolm…

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  • Late additions pay big dividends for BYU

    Late additions pay big dividends for BYU

    BYU coach Kalani Sitake, left, and defensive coordinator Jay Hill talk about new additions to the team on early signing day in Provo, Utah, Dec. 20, 2023. | BYU Photo

    Despite the long-since-passed early signing day in December, BYU continues to recruit, sign and add quarterbacks and a standout Utah four-star two-way recruit.

    BYU signed four-star two-way player Faletau Satuala, who made his announcement at the high school All-America game on national television. This moved the recruiting class ranking into the 50s. The Cougars also signed former Baylor QB Gerry Bohanon and added Western Michigan QB Treyson Bourguet to really load up Aaron Roderick’s quarterbacks room for spring.

    BYU believes it found the answer to its offensive line issues by hiring TJ Woods. Here is an analysis of that hire by ESPN’s Trevor Matich, a member of the 1984 national championship team.

    Cougar Insiders predictions

    Question of the week: With the announcement of Bountiful High two-way four-star player Faletau Satuala signing with BYU, what does that do to the 2024 recruiting class? What does it tell us about BYU’s new defensive staff recruiting?

    Jay Drew: This is a big get for BYU coaches, as Faletau Satuala immediately rises to the top of this 2024 BYU football recruiting class, right up there with tight end Ryner Swanson and defensive end Ephraim Asiata. I live in the Bountiful/North Salt Lake area, and word on the street here has always been that Satuala was going to be a Utah signee and has been a Utes fan since he was tiny.

    So credit head coach Kalani Sitake and defensive coordinator Jay Hill for getting the young man to flip their way. Head-to-head recruiting battles against Utah haven’t gone BYU’s way the past few years, but this year it seems like the tide may be turning.

    Again, Hill is earning that big new paycheck after coming…

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  • Bill Belichick out in New England

    Bill Belichick out in New England

    The Bill Belichick era is over in New England.

    Belichick and the Patriots have mutually agreed to part ways, according to multiple reports.

    It ends a 24-year run as head coach of the Patriots that saw New England win six Super Bowls, an unprecedented level of success.

    It also ends after the worst season in Belichick’s coaching career, an ugly 4-13 record in 2023, a season in which the Patriots looked nothing like the Patriots of old.

    Belichick will have a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day, but when that day comes remains to be seen, as we don’t know whether his coaching career is over. He instantly becomes a strong candidate for some of the NFL’s other seven head-coaching job openings, as multiple owners will surely be interested in the possibility that Belichick could bring their teams instant credibility.

    But for now, Belichick is out of work. And the Patriots are looking for a new head coach.

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  • Alabama’s iconic head coach Saban retires

    Alabama’s iconic head coach Saban retires

    Nick Saban, head coach of Alabama, is retiring after a career which saw him win a record seven national titles. (Harry How)

    Nick Saban, the record-breaking coach of Alabama’s storied college football team, announced on Wednesday that he is retiring.

    Saban, 72, has won an unmatched seven national titles during his career with six of them coming during a dynastic reign with The University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide.

    This season, Saban’s 17th in charge of the team, ended with defeat in the College Football Playoff Semifinal to eventual champions Michigan.

    “The University of Alabama has been a very special place to (my wife) Terry and me,” Saban said in a statement on the team’s website.

    “We have enjoyed every minute of our 17 years being the head coach at Alabama as well as becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it.

    “We always tried to do it the right way. The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home,” he said.

    Saban spent most of his career in the college game although he had two, mostly disappointing seasons as head coach of the Miami Dolphins before joining Alabama.

    Saban had made his name Michigan State before taking charge of Louisiana State University, winning the national title in 2003.

    But it is his time with Alabama that he will be best remembered for, as he led the program to winning seasons in every season since 2008 and helped produce four Heisman Trophy winners.

    Known as a fiery competitor and a strict disciplinarian, Saban’s animated approach on the sideline allied to the results gained made him a hero for…

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