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Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed the team’s mandatory minicamp because he had a pre-planned trip to Egypt, sources told SNY.

Rodgers attended every day of the team’s Phase 1 voluntary workouts. He missed one week of Phase 2 but attended every organized team activity workout – also voluntary.

Rodgers originally pieced this trip together during his recovery from his Achilles injury. It gave him something to look forward to during one of the lowest points of his career. He’s long admired Egyptian culture and scheduled the visit for what was believed to be after the offseason programs.

The Jets were made aware of the trip when the official minicamp dates were announced (June 11, 12) and overlapped with Rodgers’ plans. While an unexcused absence, the team is not concerned, sources told SNY, that this will impact Rodgers’ season. They wanted him at minicamp but were understanding of how important this trip was for him.

As one source put it: Rodgers’ absence during the two-day minicamp will not impact the Jets season whatsoever.

Multiple players SNY touched base with had zero issue with Rodgers missing minicamp, all pointing towards his attendance during the voluntary portion. Those same players were surprised that those outside One Jets Drive felt differently.

Hysteria over Rodgers’ whereabouts emerged largely because of the way the absence was announced. From the Jets perspective: They did not want to set a precedent for players missing mandatory workouts for pre-planned trips (pass rusher Haason Reddick was the only other Jets player not in attendance – he wants a new contract). While they were aware of Rodgers’ trip, and understanding of why it was important to him, their public stance on the matter gave the impression they were not and discounted Rodgers’ near perfect attendance throughout the voluntary portion of the offseason program.

Mandatory minicamp, while mandatory, is simply two practices structured identically to the OTAs Rodgers did…

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Super Bowl champion Michael Strahan hung up his cleats following the 2007 season at the age of 36 after 15 seasons with the New York Giants. Now 52, Strahan is considering retirement again, this time from television.

Strahan has become a familiar face on television, as a host of multiple shows and serving as an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday. The Good Morning America host is also a dad of four, and his family is one main reason he is considering leaving the small screen.

While on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Strahan discussed his career and his family and how the two impact each other.

His daughter Isabella was diagnosed with brain cancer in October. Strahan has taken some time off to spend more time with his daughter, supporting her through chemotherapy. During an interview on GMA he reflected on the difficulty of the diagnosis. 

“You’d think I’m the athlete, the tough guy, the father in the family. It is not about any of that. It has really made me change my perspective on so many things,” he said.

The diagnosis has emphasized the importance of time with family and it is something he mentions when discussing reasons he would eventually retire. 

“I love my life and I enjoy my life, but at some point, my kids are in college, I want to be able to go to college and say, ‘Yeah let’s take a trip,’ ” he said, rather than have to work around his schedule and the NFL schedule.

While he sees it happening eventually, he would not say how soon it will be. Strahan said he has a bet going with his friend over how many years he will work before retiring, but kept the number private.

“I want a life where there’s some freedom at some point. Is it in two years, three years, five years, fifteen, twenty?” the Giants Ring of Honor member said.

He loves what he is doing now and says it is not about the money, but for the appreciation of the work and wants to make sure it stays that way.

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ESPN analytics low on big Bears improvements, playoff chances. Inside the numbers originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

On paper, the Bears are one of the most improved teams in the NFL this year. ESPN analytics doesn’t see those improvements leading to significantly more wins in 2024, however.

On NFL Live, ESPN shared that their analytics believes the Bears will win 8.5 games next year– that’s just one or two wins better than last year’s 7-10 record. Further, their analytics gives the Bears just a 42% chance to make the playoffs.

Former NFL safety and front office exec Louis Riddick believes the Bears will outplay the analytics projections, however.

“This is a team that can make drastic, drastic improvements,” Riddick said on NFL Live. “Could this be a team that rises up and surprises people? Yeah, it could, because person for person, when you’re looking at it on a piece of paper or on a computer screen, they have weapons that can match up with anybody, specifically offensively, and they have an offensive line that is very underrated.”

The key for the Bears to outperform ESPN analytics’ projection in Riddick’s estimation is the relation between rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.

“Can Shane allow Caleb to control things on the football field to the degree where Caleb is able to consistently make good decisions, not turn the football over, not put the football in harm’s way and not turn every play into the ad-lib play, which he knows he’s spectacular at and he knows that he can’t get away with in the NFL?”

One of the major reasons that ESPN analytics is low on the Bears’ playoff chances is that the NFC North has seemingly become one of the most competitive in the NFL. The Lions were a few plays away from reaching the playoffs last year; the Packers won a playoff game with Jordan Love taking over as the team’s starting quarterback; the Vikings have one of the best receiving duos in the…

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It’s been over 50 years, but time hasn’t diminished the shine of the Dallas Cowboys’ greatest moment. Like several other teams, the Cowboys’ first Super Bowl win remains the greatest victory in franchise history, even though Dallas has enjoyed many other memorable wins in the decades since. 

The Cowboys’ victory on an unseasonably cold New Orleans afternoon in January 1972 is just one of the games included in our following list detailing each NFL’s team’s greatest win. We’ve also included each team’s runner-up greatest victory. 

Greatest win: 1947 NFL Championship: Cardinals 28, Eagles 21 

Runner-up: 2008 NFC Championship: Cardinals 32, Eagles 25 

Ironically, the Cardinals’ two greatest victories came against the same opponent. In the ’47 title game, the Cardinals’ Elmer Angsman, who was born the year the Cardinals won their first title (in 1925), ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Cardinals to their second title. 

While their offense ran the ball at will, the Cardinals’ defense held Eagles Hall of Fame halfback Steve Van Buren to just 26 yards rushing on 18 carries. Van Buren would then lead Philadelphia to back-to-back championships, while the Cardinals continue to wait for their next NFL title. 

Greatest win: 1998 NFC Championship: Falcons 30, Vikings 27 (OT) 

Runner-up: 2016 NFC Championship: Falcons 44, Packers 21

In one of the most surprising upsets in NFL postseason history, Atlanta’s “Dirty Birds” overcame a 13-point deficit to stun the Vikings, who went 15-1 during the regular season. 

Trailing 27-20, the Falcons caught a break when Vikings kicker Gary Anderson, who did not miss a field goal during the regular season, missed a 38-yard attempt with 2:07 left. Atlanta capitalized on Anderson’s miss, as Chris Chandler hit Terance Mathis for the game-tying touchdown with 57 seconds left in regulation. The teams exchanged punts in overtime before two Chandler…

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