Category: NFL News

The Cincinnati Bengals are poised to dole out a lot of money this offseason with wide receiver Tee Higgins, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and edge rusher Trey Hendrickson all seeking new contracts. 

Higgins, the 2025 offseason’s top pending wide receiver free agent, was franchise-tagged last year, but that’s something Cincinnati is looking to avoid this offseason. 

“I think Tee Higgins is a fantastic football player, and I want him on my team,” Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Whenever I’m in charge of a football team, I want Tee Higgins, so I’m going to do what I can to get Tee Higgins. Our preference with Tee Higgins is do a long-term agreement. Always has been, and it continues to be. We’ll work hard to get that done.

“We want to re-sign these guys, reward them for their ability level and add to the football team. It’s a tall task, we think we’re up to it and [executive vice president] Katie [Blackburn] has us in position to attack it well.”

Agent’s Take: Bengals could pay a much steeper price if they don’t heed Joe Burrow’s plea to lock up stars

Joel Corry

Tobin reiterated the team’s preference is for “a long-term deal” when asked about using the franchise tag again on Higgins. As for Chase, who led the NFL in catches (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17) in 2024, Tobin is comfortable making the fifth player since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger to win the receiving triple crown the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback. That would mean giving Chase a contract with a larger average-per-year salary than Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, his former LSU teammate who is on a four-year, $140…

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If Travis Kelce would have walked away from the NFL after Super Bowl LIX, as he was reportedly considering doing, it would have made sense.

Kelce had nothing else to prove. He has set multiple tight end records, won three Super Bowl rings and is widely considered one of the greatest tight ends ever. He also has a highly successful podcast and at age 35, he’s at a point in his career in which most tight ends have long retired.

But a little more than two weeks after the Super Bowl, the Chiefs are anticipating that Kelce will return for a 13th season. General manager Brett Veach said at the NFL scouting combine that the Chiefs are operating as if Kelce will return and anticipating that will be the case, according to Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star.

“How we left it at the end of the season was he was fired up, has one more year under contract,” Veach said, via KCTV. “[I] still think he has the fire and desire to play.

“As far as I’m concerned, there is no deadline. I think we left it as he’d be back. We’re excited to get him back and get him going.”

The Kansas City Chiefs said they expect tight end Travis Kelce to return next season. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

That leaves the door open for Kelce to still officially retire, but it doesn’t seem like the Chiefs anticipate that will happen.

If Kelce does return, it takes away one offseason question for the Chiefs. Kelce’s numbers dropped in 2024, with him posting 823 yards. That’s his career low, not counting his rookie year when he played one game. But he’s still a valuable target for Patrick Mahomes, especially in key situations, and the Chiefs would happily welcome him back.

The Chiefs had a rough loss in Super Bowl LIX. It seemed like they might lose their future Hall of Fame tight end this offseason as well. The early indications are that Kelce is ready for yet another season as he gets set to turn 36 years old.

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The Philadelphia Eagles do plan on visiting the White House this offseason after all. Per ESPN, the team will go to the White House if President Donald Trump invites them — ending speculation the team would not go if invited. The Eagles have yet to receive a formal invitation. 

A White House official told Axios the Eagles did not decline in response to a report that the team planned to turn down a White House visit. 

The first time President Trump was in office, the Eagles did not accept the invitation when they won Super Bowl LII in 2018. That year, President Trump rescinded the team’s invitation to visit at the last minute as some players planned to boycott the event. After the Eagles declined, no other NFL team has gone to the White House after winning the Super Bowl. 

The Eagles would be the first NFL team to visit the White House in Trump’s second term if they do indeed choose to go. Of course, this all pends on the White House sending out the invitation. 

Per CBS Sports Research, the Eagles had an average age of 26 years and 220 days — the sixth-youngest team to win a Super Bowl in the Super Bowl era (since 1966). 

Philadelphia had a point differential of +68 in the playoffs, the best for any team since the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their +12 turnover margin in the postseason was the best since the 1998 Denver Broncos and the 818 postseason rushing yards was the most by any team. 

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Denver Broncos outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite was arrested on Sunday and faces a felony assault charge for allegedly assaulting a police officer, the Denver Post reported.

Wilhoite, 38, pulled into the arrivals drop-off lane at Denver International Airport on Sunday afternoon and left his vehicle unattended, according to court records. A uniformed police officer working curb assignment approached Wilhoite when he returned to his vehicle and was told he could not leave his vehicle unattended in that area.

In response, Wilhoite twice told the officer to “shut the f*** up,” then confronted him and “bumped his chest,” said the affidavit. The officer shoved Wilhoite back and the coach responded by punching him in the face, according to police reports.

As Wilhoite attempted to get back into his car, the officer fired his taser, hitting the coach at his left hip and side. Wilhoite was shocked for a few seconds by the taser, but then got into his vehicle and drove away.

Michael Wilhoite has coached outside linebackers coach for the Denver Broncos for the past two seasons. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

The officer had “visible injuries” on his knees and jaw pain after the alleged altercation, according to court records.

Wilhoite was later arrested and booked into Denver County Jail with a $5,000 bond. He appeared in court on Monday morning to face the charges and is expected to post bond later in the day.

“We are aware of a situation involving Michael Wilhoite that occurred Sunday and are in the process of gathering more information,” said a Broncos spokesperson, according to Denver’s 9News.

Wilhoite has been on the Broncos’ defensive staff for the past two seasons under coordinator Vance Joseph. He previously worked with Denver coach Sean Payton on the New Orleans Saints’ staff as a special teams assistant. Between his stints in New Orleans and Denver, Wilhoite was a linebackers coach with the Los Angeles Chargers for two…

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Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders and a likely top 10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, won’t be throwing at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

According to an NFL Media report, Sanders will utilize the draft showcase event to meet with teams before throwing with wide receivers he has an established rapport with at Colorado’s Pro Day. The 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year took a similar approach at the East-West Shrine Bowl in late January by only meeting with teams and the media. He was directly asked about when he would throw next as part of the draft process at the Shrine Bowl, and he said then that he didn’t know, citing the desire to be fully at his best.

“I’m not sure,” Sanders told CBS Sports at the Shrine Bowl when asked if he would be throwing at the combine or Colorado’s Pro Day during the draft process. “It’s a lot of work on my quarterback coach making sure I’m sharp, and I’m ready. I never want to go out there and half-step. I want to be my best at all times.”  

Sanders was college football’s completion percentage leader (74%) last season while winning the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award for the nation’s top upperclassman quarterback. One topic teams will certainly dig into with him at the NFL combine is his decision-making, something Sanders refers to as his best trait. The element that teams will want to discuss is his processing and getting the football out of his hands because Sanders had one of the longest average time to throw averages and highest sacks taken totals in all of college football. 

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Tyler…

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Shedeur Sanders won’t be working out at the NFL Combine.

The Colorado star and potential No. 1 overall draft pick has opted not to throw at the combine this week in Indianapolis. Instead, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Sanders “plans to focus on his interviews with teams” at the combine. He will then throw at his Pro Day ahead of the NFL Draft.

#Colorado QB and potential top pick Shedeur Sanders plans to focus on his interviews with teams at the NFL Scouting Combine, helping them continue to learn him as a person.

He’ll allow his four years of film to speak loudly, then throw at his Pro Day with four draftable CU WRs. pic.twitter.com/Ai1Ul6I4lV

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 23, 2025

While it’s not too surprising, considering the growing trend in the league of players to skip working out at the combine in favor of doing it on their own terms, Sanders’ absence will be among the most significant at the combine.

Sanders, the son of NFL Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders, threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns with just 10 interceptions last season with the Buffaloes. He finished in eighth in the Heisman Trophy race, and played an integral part in fellow Colorado star Travis Hunter’s Heisman Trophy run. The Buffaloes went 9-4 last season, which marked the program’s third winning campaign in the last two decades.

Both Sanders and Hunter are expected to be top picks in the NFL Draft in April. Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice and Charles McDonald had Hunter going No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans in their latest mock draft. They then had Sanders going No. 3 overall to the New York Giants, which made him the second quarterback off the board behind Miami Hurricanes star Cam Ward. It’s unclear if Ward is going to throw at the combine or not.

Several of the top quarterbacks selected in last year’s draft didn’t throw at the combine, either. Caleb Williams, who went No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears, skipped the combine. Former Heisman…

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The top headlines of the 2025 NFL Draft may well center around Colorado products, including Shedeur Sanders, the quarterbacking son of former NFL great Deion Sanders, and two-way superstar Travis Hunter. Other hot topics: Miami’s Cam Ward, who could be the first signal-caller off the board; and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, whose defensive prowess might convince the Tennessee Titans to take him No. 1 overall.

Is it possible we’re not giving due time and attention to Ashton Jeanty? The Boise State running back just had one of the most prolific college football seasons of all time, approaching Barry Sanders’ single-season record for ground yardage with more than 2,600 in 14 games. And fresh off a 2024 NFL season in which running backs suddenly stole the spotlight — see: Saquon Barkley with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles — it’s not crazy to think Jeanty could end up being the most impactful rookie of the entire 2025 class.

With that in mind, where could the star ball carrier land in April, months after he drew NFL.com comparisons to Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson? Here are five of the most logical landing spots:

With Tom Brady helping lead the way as a minority owner, the Raiders are sure to address quarterback as soon as possible. But Jeanty is a blue-chip playmaker who could pair with young tight end Brock Bowers to greatly support whichever young signal-caller eventually steps in. New coach Pete Carroll also knows well the value of a workhorse back, advancing to two Super Bowls with Marshawn Lynch driving the Seattle Seahawks.

Their priority should be locking up their current offensive core, but that’s also why they could stand to secure an upgrade at running back without committing big bucks to the position. Jeanty may or may not make it out of the top 15, but as a total-package starter, he’d offer Joe Burrow yet another big-play safety valve, allowing feisty…

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If the evidence is real, Steve Smith’s personal life became quite public on Saturday. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Warning: This article includes several instances of graphic language.

We may never know how Steve Smith was planning to enjoy his Saturday, but it ended up being eventful.

The former Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens wide receiver and current NFL Network analyst was hit with a litany of infidelity accusations from what appears to be the husband of the other woman, with alleged evidence. Smith has been married since 2000 and has four children.

The opening shot was fired late Friday night, when an X account replied to a video of Smith golfing with a straightforward question.

The account proceeded to post a screengrab of alleged sexts between Smith and his wife and quoted it in replies to a number of news outlets and larger accounts, including both of Smith’s former teams and Kanye West, for some reason.

More details came in another tweet in which the account tagged a number of Smith’s sponsors, because he apparently believed it was very important Yeti Coolers knew that Smith was having sex with his wife. Allegedly, his wife met Smith while working for the Ravens’ marching band.

There was also a video in which the owner of the account appears to confront Smith on the phone, with Smith repeatedly saying “I’m sorry,” as well as a picture of a bare-chested Smith in the bathroom with a unicorn graphic covering his midsection.

So take all of that for what you will. There is a person out there who very clearly has a bone to pick with Smith and isn’t afraid about inviting attention to his own personal life.

Smith has been retired from the NFL since the 2016 season, and remains the Panthers’ all-time leader in receiving yards. Despite his small stature, Smith became a five-time Pro Bowler and well known throughout the league for his aggressive personality.

Since retiring, Smith has been a regular on NFL Network and hasn’t been shy with his opinions.

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