NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • Alabama AD suggests ending conference title games: ‘I think that ship has sailed’

    Alabama AD suggests ending conference title games: ‘I think that ship has sailed’

    Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne became the most recent administrator to come out against conference championship games. Despite appearing in 10 of the last 14 SEC title games — including the 2025 version — Byrne believes that the competition has outlived its usefulness. 

    “I think the ship has sailed,” Byrne told USA Today. “It’s run its course. … It’s a great event. I don’t like the idea of it going away, but I think it’s reality, with an expanded playoff.” 

    Conference championship games are a relatively new invention in the history of college football. The SEC started playing one in 1992, after the league added Arkansas and created divisions. When Texas and Oklahoma joined the league, divisions went away, but a title game remained. 

    2026 SEC win totals, odds, picks: Predictions for every team as Georgia, Texas aim for CFP berths

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    At this point, every FBS conference plays a conference title game on either the final Friday or Saturday before the College Football Playoff’s Selection Sunday. The games are especially consequential at the power conference level, where the winner is vying for an auto-bid to the CFP. 

    However, many have started coming out against the games in recent years. Lane Kiffin made headlines at Ole Miss in 2024 by saying that coaches would rather not play in the game, even with a potential bye on the line. More…

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  • Puka Nacua in rehab; lawyer says stay predates lawsuit allegations

    Puka Nacua in rehab; lawyer says stay predates lawsuit allegations

    Los Angeles Rams star wide receiver Puka Nacua has checked into rehab in Malibu, California, his lawyer, Levi McCathern, confirmed Wednesday. McCathern said Nacua hopes to use the time “to improve his overall behavior in every aspect of his life.”

    The news of the rehabilitation stay comes shortly after a lawsuit alleged that Nacua bit a woman and made antisemitic remarks. McCathern said the decision for Nacua to go to rehab was not a result of the allegations, but added that “the combination of stories y’all have run is certainly a contributing factor.”

    “It is unfortunate that a trivial lawsuit has drawn attention to Puka during a time when he is focused on becoming a better overall person. I am really excited to see what the future holds for this gifted young man,” McCathern said in a statement (via The California Post).

    McCathern described the center as “holistic,” offering services for those battling drug and alcohol addiction, chronic pain and mental health conditions.

    According to McCathern, Nacua had been in the rehab center for a “substantial period of time” before the allegations surfaced and is expected to remain there “for a while longer,” though he is expected to be back with the team for organized team activities this offseason.

    “He is committed to using this time constructively so that he can return in the best possible position — both personally and professionally — to continue contributing to his team and the game he loves,” McCathern said (via NFL Network). “He will complete the program in time to fully participate in all of the Rams’ OTAs. Puka is also deeply grateful for the support he has received from his family, friends, coach [Sean] McVay and teammates.”

    Nacua is in line for a large contract extension this offseason, and the accusations have raised questions about how the team will handle the situation. McVay has shown support for the 24-year-old, saying he…

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  • Virginia Tech football: James Franklin hypes freshman quarterback’s ‘unbelievable’ performance

    Virginia Tech football: James Franklin hypes freshman quarterback’s ‘unbelievable’ performance

    The Virginia Tech Hokies finally have depth and upside at the quarterback position. After seemingly years of uncertainty about the game’s most important position, new head coach James Franklin attacked the position hard this offseason. Presumed starter Ethan Grunkemeyer started seven games for Penn State last season and was one of the most prized players in the transfer portal.

    Next, you have redshirt freshman Bryce Baker. A four-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, Baker committed to North Carolina. After one season in Chapel Hill, Baker transferred to the Hokies, where he had a prior relationship with Franklin and the new quarterbacks coach, Danny O’Brien. Then you have redshirt freshman Kelden Ryan, a prized pickup in 2025 for the Hokies. Finally, there is true freshman Troy Huhn.

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    Huhn had been committed to Penn State and Franklin for a year and a half before decommitting and pledging to the Hokies after Franklin’s hiring. However, not much was expected from the 6-foot-4, 222-pound California native.

    Well, according to Franklin, Huhn put on a show in last weekend’s intrasquad scrimmage, throwing four touchdown passes. Franklin called Huhn’s performance “unbelievable.”

    “He kinda had an unbelievable scrimmage on Saturday, statistically,” Franklin said of the true freshman passer. “I think he threw four touchdowns and was very efficient. He had one interception. But he played really, really well. Played really well. He’s very calm, he’s very poised, he’s very smart. He works at it. He’s wired the right way. I’ve been very impressed with him.”

    When asked to name any other players who stood out, Franklin circled back to Huhn.

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    “Troy was probably the big one that really stood out in the scrimmage. He had a really good scrimmage. He’s probably the one that…

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  • Black seats are being installed in upper deck at Acrisure Stadium

    Black seats are being installed in upper deck at Acrisure Stadium

    Acrisure Stadium, which opened as Heinz Field in 2001, has been characterized by an endless ocean of yellow seats. That finally will be changing.

    Via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Steelers owner Art Rooney II said that black seats are being installed in the upper deck of the venue.

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    “We were making changes to the seating,” Rooney said. “The sea of gold sometimes gets overwhelming, so we did a little black and gold in there this time around.”

    Rooney said it will be a “random pattern.” The practical impact will be to deaden the retina-searing impact of empty seats in the facility, which happens when the place clears out early during a Steelers game or throughout a Pitt home game.

    It’s a smart move, albeit long overdue. The bright yellow was too much. Sprinkling in black seats will make the visual impact far less jarring.

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  • 2026 NFL mock draft: Chiefs trade up to address pass rush

    2026 NFL mock draft: Chiefs trade up to address pass rush

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  • Georgia coach Kirby Smart says Gunner Stockton is ‘great’ after offseason knee injury

    Georgia coach Kirby Smart says Gunner Stockton is ‘great’ after offseason knee injury

    Coming off a conference championship and College Football Playoff appearance in his first season as Georgia’s starting quarterback, Gunner Stockton is working through a minor setback this spring, according to coach Kirby Smart.

    Stockton was seen wearing a sleeve on his knee after what Smart described as a “little offseason injury” during a recent practice.

    “He’s great, he’s practicing,” Smart told 247Sports. “He had a little offseason injury in our workouts, but he’s fine now. He was limited a little bit the first couple of days, but he’s out there competing and doing a good job, focusing on things he needs to improve on and competing with those other guys. I’ve been really pleased with Gunner.”

    In 14 starts as a junior, Stockton completed 69.7% of his passes for 2,894 yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions.

    Georgia, ranked No. 3 in CBS Sports’ way-too-early top 25 for 2026, has notable depth at quarterback behind Stockton. Ryan Puglisi made six appearances last season, and three others — Ryan Montgomery, Hezekiah Millender and Bryson Beaver — are competing for reps this spring. Beaver, a transfer from Oregon, is the only quarterback Georgia signed in the 2026 recruiting cycle.

    “They’re all doing a great job,” Smart said. “They’ve been able to get some reps. We’re doing a lot of work around practice to guarantee extra 7-on-7 time. I don’t think you get better at the quarterback position without reps, so we’ve been pouring into those guys and telling them to value every opportunity they get.

    “So many teams across the country can’t get the reps we can from a volume standpoint because they don’t have the depth and the pieces. All those guys are getting quality reps, quality work, growing in that room. In between practice days,…

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  • Roger Goodell defends diversity policy after Florida AG challenges Rooney Rule: ‘We are well aware of the laws’

    Roger Goodell defends diversity policy after Florida AG challenges Rooney Rule: ‘We are well aware of the laws’

    PHOENIX — The NFL has no plans to change its Rooney Rule policies despite a warning and threat from Florida’s attorney general.

    Florida AG James Uthmeier sent NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a letter last week alleging that the league’s policy on interviewing minority candidates “brazenly violates Florida law.” Uthmeier closed a four-page later with a request for the NFL to confirm by May 1 that it “will no longer enforce the Rooney Rule or any variation or extension thereof” in Florida.

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    “Failure to provide such confirmation may result in a civil rights enforcement action,” Uthmeier said in the letter.

    Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season

    Goodell, speaking Tuesday at the league’s annual meeting, dismissed the notion that the Rooney Rule conflicts with Florida law. He also confirmed the league is not eliminating its policy.

    “No, no, the Rooney Rule’s been around a long time,” Goodell said. “We’ve evolved, we’ve changed it. We’ll continue to do that as the circumstances warrant …

    “[But] one thing that doesn’t change is our values, and we believe that diversity has been a benefit to the National Football League.”

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    The NFL instituted the Rooney Rule in 2003 in an effort to expand and deepen the pool of qualified minority candidates interviewing for head-coaching positions. The league has expanded the Rooney Rule in the decades since, requiring teams to interview at least two diverse candidates in each head coaching, general manager and coordinator hiring process, as well as at least one diverse candidate for each quarterback coach hire.

    Diverse candidates, per the policy, include candidates who are racial minorities and/or women.

    NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a news conference at the NFL football annual meetings, Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

    (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

    Uthmeier’s letter challenged the Rooney Rule as well as league training and…

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  • CBS Sports ranks 10 most hated college football teams

    CBS Sports ranks 10 most hated college football teams

    Every college football team’s fandom thinks their favorite squad must be despised by opponents. Everyone else is out to get them. And while it’s rarely true, sometimes, the reality hits close to home.

    Over at CBS Sports this week, Brad Crawford wrote about the 10 teams in modern college football history he believed are among the most hated. Not the programs, mind you, but teams specific to one year in particular. Oklahoma made the list.

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    It’s probably the team you figure, too, as the 2017 Sooners ranked No. 5 on Crawford’s list. That’s the year Baker Mayfield planted the OU flag at the Ohio State 50.

    “The first of several in-season stunts in 2017 that also included a crotch-grab during a win over Kansas, Mayfield was easy to despise. He was a damn good football player — and winner — too,” Crawford wrote.

    Before the season even began, Mayfield was arrested for public intoxication after a night on the town in Fayetteville, Arkansas. That came after he took off running from the police, earning him plenty of justified disdain. His continued, albeit less serious, antics during the season earned him a slew of haters. Some were giddy when it looked early on like his professional career would not pan out. The struggles of the early 2020s have since subsided and statistically he’s become one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.

    Oklahoma made the College Football Playoff that season, falling to Georgia in double-overtime in the semifinals and cementing Lincoln Riley’s status as one of the top young coaches in the sport.

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    The four teams ranked ahead of Oklahoma on the list? The 1996 Florida Gators, the 2010 Auburn Tigers, the 2014 Florida State Seminoles, the 2005 Southern California Trojans and the 1986 Miami (FL) Hurricanes.

    This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Ten most hated college football…

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