NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • Byron Leftwich joins Colorado staff: Deion Sanders calls on ex-NFL assistant amid QB battle entering season

    Byron Leftwich joins Colorado staff: Deion Sanders calls on ex-NFL assistant amid QB battle entering season

    Former Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator and longtime NFL starting quarterback Byron Leftwich has joined Deion Sanders’ staff at Colorado. Sanders introduced Leftwich during a team meeting Tuesday, as revealed in a video posted by Thee Pregame Show. Leftwich interviewed for several jobs at the NFL level in recent years but is now tasked with developing a pivotal quarterback room in Boulder. 

    “With the quarterbacks, he is going to do what he does. He has a wealth of knowledge. With him and Pat [Shurmur] and what the whole staff brings offensively, we’re going to go to another level,” Sanders said to the team with Leftwich at his side. “You should feel blessed. This guy knows what he is doing and he’s going to be an intricate part of our success. I already know that. So let’s welcome Coach Leftwich.”

    Leftwich, 45, served as offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2019-22, helping lead the franchise to Super Bowl LV while coaching Tom Brady. He had a meteoric rise after starting his career as a coaching intern in 2016, ascending through the Arizona Cardinals organization. Leftwich has been interviewed for several NFL head-coaching jobs but never landed one of those coveted roles. 

    Deion Sanders health update: Colorado coach reveals battle with bladder cancer during offseason absence

    Shehan Jeyarajah

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  • Justin Fields — while wearing a protective shoe — is running full speed at Jets practice after injury scare: ‘The toe is ready to go’

    Justin Fields — while wearing a protective shoe — is running full speed at Jets practice after injury scare: ‘The toe is ready to go’

    Justin Fields appears to be just fine. He says “the toe is ready to go.”

    The New York Jets quarterback was the subject of one of the biggest injury scares across NFL training camps when he was carted off the practice field on Thursday. The news led to knee-jerk speculation that he’d suffered some sort of devastating non-contact injury.

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    It turns out that he instead dislocated a toe on his right foot after being stepped on by a teammate. While painful, it was a relatively minor setback that sidelined Fields for a single practice.

    [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

    He was back out for drills in pads on Tuesday for a second straight day. He didn’t appear to have any limitations as he ran at full speed on a fourth-down scramble.

    He also spoke with media for the first time since the injury and showed off some protective footwear.

    Fields’ right shoe has a plastic covering over his toes that he told reporters is “almost like a steel toe.”

    Fields also addressed how he’s performed since his return to practice from the injury.

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    “I think I’ve been all right,” Fields told reporters at a news conference. “I’m always going to say there’s room to improve.

    “Today, the offense as a whole, we didn’t start off great. I think we finished off great. But we want to start fast and finish fast and, of course, maintain that in between as well.”

    As for his toe? He’s ready to turn the page.

    “The toe is all good,” he told reporter Kay Adams in a separate interview. “The toe is ready to go.”

    That all adds up to good news for Fields and the Jets, who are hoping Fields can show some franchise quarterback stuff this season after joining the team on a two-year, $40 million deal in the offseason. The contract amounts to a second chance for Fields as an NFL starter after the Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the first round, ultimately gave up on him when they had the chance to draft Caleb Williams.

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  • Colts, LT Bernhard Raimann agree to four-year, $100 million contract extension, per report

    Colts, LT Bernhard Raimann agree to four-year, $100 million contract extension, per report

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    The Indianapolis Colts and left tackle Bernhard Raimann agreed to a four-year, $100 million extension that includes $60 million guaranteed, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Raimann was entering the final year of his rookie deal.

    A 2022 third-round pick out of Central Michigan born in Vienna, Austria, Raimann has developed into a stalwart presence on Indianapolis’ offensive line. He graded out as the eighth-best tackle in the NFL last season per Pro Football Focus’ metrics, with top-dozen marks in both pass blocking and run blocking as he allowed just four sacks on 471 pass-blocking snaps. His PFF grade has improved in each of his three NFL seasons.

    At $25 million per year, Raimann’s extension ties him with Laremy Tunsil for the fourth-richest left tackle contract currently, trailing only Rashawn Slater — who received his four-year, $114 million extension one day before Raimann — Trent Williams and Christian Darrisaw.

    2025 NFL training camp takeaways: Anthony Richardson enjoys strong day; Cowboys LT Tyler Guyton injured

    Tyler Sullivan

    Raimann, 27, will be absolutely crucial for the Colts this season. Indianapolis currently has a quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones after losing longtime standout center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries to the Minnesota Vikings in free agency.

    Raimann missed three games last year…

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  • 5 stories we’re monitoring as Texas Tech football opens preseason camp

    5 stories we’re monitoring as Texas Tech football opens preseason camp

    The Texas Tech football team begins preseason camp Wednesday, meaning it’s time to finally see what the Red Raiders will be capable of in 2025.

    Most of that won’t be viewable in the first few days of practice, and probably won’t be noticeable in the first few games of the season. For head coach Joey McGuire, though, this is a make-or-break campaign. Thanks to the swarm of attention Texas Tech has received from its massive transfer portal haul and the financial backing of the program, the Red Raiders need to set their sights higher than a fifth-straight bowl game for just the second time in program history.

    Achieving that with regular stakes would be a talking point, but it pales in comparison to what’s expected of Texas Tech this season. These are the top questions we’ll need to find answers for during preseason camp to determine what the Red Raiders’ ceiling really is.

    More: Will Texas Tech football being bigger, more expensive make the Red Raiders better? | Giese

    How will Texas Tech football’s new coordinators integrate their systems?

    Before we get to the massive overhaul of the roster, we have to look at two of the biggest changes for the Texas Tech football team. Tim DeRuyter was fired after the defense’s putrid showing in 2024 while Zach Kittley got his first head coaching job at Florida Atlantic.

    In their place are two up-and-coming names in coaching circles. Shiel Wood comes over from Big 12 rival Houston to take over as defensive coordinator, while Mack Leftwich replaces Kittley as offensive coordinator after a successful tenure at Texas State.

    Each was brought in after most of the transfers were added to the fold, and they had the spring to start implementing their personal styles and flare. Returning players said there wasn’t a huge change schematically from what they were doing under the previous coaches, but…

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  • Report: Bears rookie Shemar Turner will miss a month with an ankle injury

    Report: Bears rookie Shemar Turner will miss a month with an ankle injury

    The Bears are preparing to be without rookie defensive tackle Shemar Turner for at least a month, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports.

    Turner, a second-round pick, injured his ankle near the end of the first training camp practice last Wednesday.

    He will miss all three preseason games and could miss the start of the season, according to Biggs.

    The former Texas A&M product withdrew from the Senior Bowl when medical tests discovered the stress fracture he had surgery to repair before the start of the 2024 season didn’t fully heal. Turner had a rod inserted into his leg during surgery, but he unknowingly ended up playing through the season with the injury after the bone didn’t fully heal.

    Turner finished his Aggie career with 115 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, one pass deflection and three forced fumbles.

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  • Colorado’s Deion Sanders details dramatic weight loss, ‘tremendous journey’ after battle with bladder cancer

    Colorado’s Deion Sanders details dramatic weight loss, ‘tremendous journey’ after battle with bladder cancer

    Deion Sanders and his medical team revealed a bladder cancer diagnosis in a Monday press conference, ending months-long speculation about the health and status of Colorado’s coach. Sanders has been largely absent from the public eye throughout the summer, though he made a truncated appearance at Big 12 Media Days earlier in July. 

    Sanders’ doctor labeled the coach cancer-free after a bladder removal. Sanders was diagnosed in the spring, when he was originally tested for a routine vascular checkup. 

    “This could’ve been a whole another gathering” said an emotional Sanders. 

    Sanders’ oncologist, Dr. Janet Kukreja, explained that Sanders chose bladder removal instead of other treatment options due to a high rate of metastasis, with the cancer often coming back more aggressively.

    By removing Sanders’ bladder, Kukreja said, the coach has been “cured” of cancer. 

    “The bad side of this cancer is that if it does progress to the muscle, the rate of metastasis is about 50%,” Kukreja said. “Only about 10% people live more than five years, even with our current medical treatment, if it metastasized. We’ve very lucky to have found it at this stage where I can say the word ‘cure,’ because I don’t use that word lightly as a cancer doctor.”

    Sanders kept diagnosis from team … and sons

    Sanders did not tell his football team about his cancer battle until Sunday night, one day before his press conference, and even hid the details from his sons so that it wouldn’t distract from their efforts to make NFL rosters. Shedeur is battling for a roster spot as a quarterback with the Cleveland Browns; Shilo, a defensive back, is making a strong case for a roster spot with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after signing with the franchise as an undrafted free…

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  • Super Bowl 60 picks, futures bets, predictions, sleepers: NFL expert is high on Ravens, Lions, Steelers

    Super Bowl 60 picks, futures bets, predictions, sleepers: NFL expert is high on Ravens, Lions, Steelers

    Training Camp is rolling for all 32 teams around the NFL, and the countdown to the 2025 NFL regular season is officially underway. The latest Super Bowl 60 odds suggest that this year’s postseason will have a very similar look to that of 2024. Only four teams — the Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs — have Super Bowl odds shorter than 10-1 at DraftKings Sportsbook, where you can get $150 in bonus bets with a $5 wager. Notable longshot Super Bowl contenders and sleepers include the Dallas Cowboys (+4700), Pittsburgh Steelers (+4700), and Denver Broncos (+2900). 

    SportsLine expert handicapper Jimmie Kaylor has broken down the latest betting trends and NFL futures odds and locked in his top picks to win Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara next February. Before locking in any Super Bowl 60 futures bets on the best betting apps, you’ll want to see what Kaylor has to say. 

    Kaylor posted a 55-34-4 record on NFL point spread and over/under picks during the 2024 season, profiting 15.78 units ($1,578 for a $100 bettor).

    Here are Kaylor’s top three Super Bowl 60 futures bets (placed July 10, 2025 – odds subject to change)

    Baltimore Ravens (+700 at BetMGM)Detroit Lions (+1000 at FanDuel)Pittsburgh Steelers (+4500 at FanDuel)

    Baltimore Ravens (+700 at BetMGM)

    The Ravens’ championship window with their current core group of players is starting to close, but this is still a team that has all of the makings of a potential Super Bowl winner. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry remain dominant forces, and the Baltimore defense improved this offseason with the additions of Jaire Alexander and Malaki Starks. John Harbaugh already has a Super Bowl win as a head coach, and this is the year I expect the Ravens to get over the hump in the AFC. I don’t see this number getting any higher, so I wanted to jump on it early. New users can use a BetMGM promo code to get even more value with up to $1,500 in…

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  • Stephen Jones on Micah Parsons: “He’s got to want to be paid”

    Stephen Jones on Micah Parsons: “He’s got to want to be paid”

    The Cowboys are way better at coming up with reasons for not timely and properly paying their key players than they are at timely and properly paying their key players.

    Amid training-camp chants from fans to pay linebacker Micah Parsons, Cowboys executive Stephen Jones said this, via Clarence E. Hill, Jr. of All City DLLS, “We want to pay Micah too. He’s got to want to be paid.”

    Obviously, he wants to be paid. Jones is saying that, at some point, he needs to accept our offer.

    The comment underscores my prediction that, before Week 1, they’ll offer him something significantly less than they would have offered if he had held out. He’ll then have to decide whether to take it now, or to try to get more later.

    If he doesn’t, the Cowboys will happily pay him $24 million this year and kick the can to next year, when they’d likely apply the exclusive franchise tag and once again drag their feet until they have painted themselves squarely into a corner, forcing themselves to pay more than they would have paid if they’d done it sooner.

    The hidden, and perhaps unintended, genius in the approach is this. Before they break the pay, they will have gotten two seasons out of him at a total of $27 million. Which is, given Parsons’s skills and abilities, one hell of a bargain for the Cowboys.

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