Category: NFL News

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Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams reached tremendous heights and were arguably the top quarterback-receiver duo in the NFL during their shared time with the Green Bay Packers. In more recent years, however, their paths have diverged. Adams was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders back in the spring of 2022 and Rodgers was shipped to the New York Jets last year. But could these two superstars find their way back to one another? It sure sounds like Rodgers is trying to make it happen.

“I love Davante,” Rodgers said Thursday at the American Century Championship. “I can’t wait to play with him … again.”

The comments came not long after Adams admitted the quarterback has been pursuing him, telling the “Up and Adams” show that his close friend remains persistent when it comes to a potential reunion.

“He’s in the ear,” Adams admitted. “But it’s not as easy. Obviously, we can get together and talk about the old times and the potential of doing this and that, but like I said, I’m a Raider and he knows that.” 

In their final four seasons together from 2018 to 2021, Adams averaged 119 receptions, roughly 1,463 yards and 14.5 touchdowns per season. Even as he enters his age-32 season, having Adams opposite of Jets phenom Garrett Wilson would make them arguably the top receiver duo in the league. 

As Adams reminds us, however, he’s still with the Raiders and such a reunion would require a trade. That said, it will be interesting to possibly revisit this idea next offseason. Adams’ contract becomes much more palatable for Las Vegas to get out from under, and if they decide to further its rebuild, the veteran receiver may not fit their timeline, setting the stage for him to land with a new club. And possibly call up an old…

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Hargrave ranked as top-10 DT despite ‘quieter’ 49ers season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Javon Hargrave’s first season with the 49ers fell short of the gaudy numbers he posted with the Philadelphia Eagles, but the 31-year-old still remains among the NFL’s most respected defensive tackles by those in the league.

In an exclusive by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, scouts, coaches and executives voted on who they believe are the best defensive tackles in the NFL, with Hargrave earning a top-10 nod despite a down debut campaign in San Francisco.

An NFC executive explained that while Hargrave’s production declined, his pass-rushing skill set remains dangerous as ever.

“He’s always had a deep rush toolbox with a good feel to affect the QB,” the NFC executive told Fowler. “He was a little quieter when we prepared for him than he was in Philly, but he remains an issue as an interior rusher.”

Among the nine players ranked ahead of Hargrave was former 49ers defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who took the No. 8 spot in the rankings for continuing to display the dominance that made him a household name after breaking into the league with San Francisco.

Hargrave recorded seven sacks during the 2023 NFL season, a noticeable drop off from the career-high 11 he registered a year prior with the Eagles, leading to a lucrative free-agent contract from the 49ers.

Even with the dip in numbers, Hargrave still earned Pro Bowl honors during his first season in San Francisco, logging eight tackles for loss and 14 QB hits in 16 regular-season games.

Hargrave’s continued impact on the 49ers’ defense will be imperative as San Francisco seeks its sixth consecutive season with a top-10 ranking in total defense.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

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The Minnesota Vikings made 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Justin Jefferson the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history this offseason when they signed him to a four-year, $140 million extension. 

Thanks to his partnership with four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins, Jefferson is averaging 98.3 receiving yards per game in his career, the most in NFL history. Jefferson’s 5,899 career receiving yards are also the most in NFL history through a player’s first four seasons. However, he is going to have to adjust to life without Cousins after the soon-to-be 36-year-old departed in free agency for the Atlanta Falcons on a four-year, $180 million contract.

Cousins’ move down south didn’t fully surprise the Vikings’ top target. 

“Yeah and no,” Jefferson said on “The Rich Eisen Show” on Tuesday when asked if he was surprised when his quarterback left. “I always knew Kirk was going to do whatever he…

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Last year the Patriots spent a fourth-round draft pick on a kicker, Chad Ryland. The results were not good: Ryland made only 16 of his 25 field goal attempts and New England finished dead last in the NFL with a 64.0 percent field goal success rate.

This offseason, the Patriots signed veteran kicker Joey Slye, and Patriots.com reports that Ryland and Slye will have a true training camp competition with both of them having a real chance of winning the job and the one who performs better getting the nod.

In minicamp, Slye was the more accurate of the two, but that’s not saying much. Last year Slye kicked for the Commanders, making 19 of his 24 field goal attempts and ranking 29th of 32 NFL teams in field goal accuracy. Slye also has a career extra point rate of just 88.5 percent, which ranks dead last among kickers with at least 100 extra point attempts since Slye entered the NFL in 2019.

The bottom line is the Patriots have two kickers on the roster, neither of whom has proven himself worthy of being counted on. They’ll hope that one of them proves himself in training camp.

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Since 1972, no NFL team has been as consistently good as the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the 1970s, the Steelers were so dominant that NFL Films narrator John Facenda once said, “There are 27 teams in the National Football League, and then, there are the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

From 1974-79, the Steelers won four Super Bowls in a six-year span, a feat that has yet to be matched. Pittsburgh has since won two more Super Bowls along with four more AFC titles. In 2024, the Steelers can match the Cowboys for the most consecutive seasons without a losing record. Pittsburgh hasn’t had a losing season since 2003 and has never posted a losing record under head coach Mike Tomlin. 

Obviously, the Steelers have benefitted from having great players over the years. Pittsburgh currently has a whopping 32 players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while 49 former players have been enshrined into the Steelers Hall of Honor. 

With their 92nd season set to begin soon (the team celebrated 91 years on Monday), I decided to rank the top 20 players in Steelers history, a list that includes a slew of NFL legends. 

** denotes a player who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame 

1. Joe Greene, DT (1969-1981)**

The first player Chuck Noll selected after becoming the Steelers head coach, Greene’s play on the field and unyielding drive to become a champion helped drive Pittsburgh’s success throughout their dynasty run.

The league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1972 and again in 1974, Greene spearheaded Pittsburgh’s legendary “Steel Curtain” defense that held the mighty Oakland Raiders to just 29 yards rushing in the ’74 AFC title game and the Minnesota Vikings to 17 yards on the ground in Super Bowl IX, Pittsburgh’s first of four Super Bowl wins during the decade. In Super Bowl IX, Greene recorded an interception and a fumble recovery while ending the Steelers’ 42-year championship wait. 

The following season,…

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Other NFL team previews: 32. Panthers | 31. Patriots | 30. Broncos | 29. Commanders | 28. Giants | 27. Titans | 26. Raiders | 25. Cardinals | 24. Saints | 23. Chargers | 22. Vikings | 21. Seahawks | 20. Buccaneers | 19. Jaguars 

All first-round picks in the NFL Draft are somewhat memorable. Some make you sit up in your chair a bit, but only a few are guaranteed to be talked about for years.

The moment the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick of the NFL Draft, it became a talking point for the next decade or more. Good or bad.

No team’s offseason was discussed more than the Falcons. They started it by changing coaches, firing the overwhelmed Arthur Smith and giving Raheem Morris a second chance. Then they made one of the rare big quarterback additions in free agency, signing Kirk Cousins to a $180 million deal. That led to weeks of excitement, reimagining the Falcons with a staff that understood it needs to use its best players on offense, with a quarterback that can get them the ball. If the offseason would have ended there, it would have been nothing but good vibes for the Falcons.

To be fair, the Penix pick could end up a win. Think about how everyone questioned the Green Bay Packers’ Jordan Love pick for three years. Do you think the Packers look smart now? Of course. Love is an ascending star at the game’s most important position. If we look up in 2028 and Penix is at the level Love has reached by his fifth season, everyone will be offering a lot of apologies to Atlanta. The Falcons even cited “the Green Bay model” in explaining the pick. The quarterback position is undisputedly the most important in all of sports, and it’s not terrible to be creative and double up to pursue success at it. For all of the easy criticism of the Falcons’ pick, it could turn out very well for them.

But the Penix pick was also different than the Packers picking Love, or most “quarterback in waiting” first-round picks we’ve seen over the…

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CeeDee Lamb clearly doesn’t want anyone — let alone an ex-teammate and former NFL receiver — critiquing him on social media. The Dallas Cowboys’ All-Pro wideout recently made that clear when he responded to recent comments made by Cole Beasley, a former Cowboys receiver who hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2022 season. 

Beasley’s critiquing of Lamb started with his response to a post on X that included a video of some of Lamb’s offseason workouts. Beasley then expanded on his point when someone chided him for giving advice to a receiver as accomplished as Lamb. 

“Give me 180 targets off the couch and I eclipse 1000,” Beasley wrote. “Stop looking at stats and check the tape. As far as getting open goes…I’m confident I did that with the best of them.”

At this point, Lamb decided to step in and address Beasley. 

“I don’t need 180 targets to touch a band,” Lamb responded via X. “Pull up tape, I’d match you route for route on getting open. Just Chill.”

Beasley, trying to diffuse the situation, responded to Lamb. 

“I never said you did,” Beasley said. “Just some perspective for the fans.

It’s clear that Beasley wasn’t trying to discredit Lamb, who is coming off the most prolific receiving season in Cowboys history. Beasley — who caught 556 passes for 5,744 yards and 34 in 11 seasons with the Cowboys, Bills and Buccaneers — was merely defending his own career after he was criticized for giving public pointers to Lamb. 

It’s also clear that Lamb — even if Beasley’s comments were well-intended — doesn’t want Beasley or any other former or current player commenting on his game or his training regimen. 

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Edgerrin Cooper was one of the best defensive players in college football last season, his final season at Texas A&M. The Packers may have gotten a steal with the 45th overall pick.

Cooper will head into training camp close to winning a starting job after making a good impression in the offseason program.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur said during minicamp that he called a play designed to fool Cooper, but the All-American didn’t bite.

“I thought for sure we were going to get him on [it], and he did a heck of a job,” LaFleur said, via Mike Spofford of the team website. “I was kind of teasing the other coaches, ‘Did you preview him for that play?’ And they did not. So, that’s a credit to him and just how engaged he’s been and how locked in he’s been throughout the course of the offseason.”

Cooper was the first off-ball linebacker taken in the draft after 84 tackles, eight sacks and two forced fumbles last season for the Aggies.

New Packers coordinator Jeff Hafley will use three linebackers, but the team will have only two on the field in their nickel package. Cooper could join third-year pro Quay Walker in staying on the field for all three downs. Walker played 91 percent of the defensive snaps in the 14 games he played in 2023.

The Packers also have veterans Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson and third-round pick Ty’Ron Hopper in the linebackers room.

“He’s showing flashes, getting downhill, playing, flying around,” Walker said of Cooper. “I just tell him, ‘Don’t do no thinking, bro. Just fly around. If you mess up, it is what it is. You a rookie. Just take what you can learn . . . and go from there.’”

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