Daily Briefing

AROUND THE NFL Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com with a good recap of what went on in Thursday’s first round: Half of the picks in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft changed hands before the selection was made. Of the 32 picks, 16 of them were traded, resulting in eight teams having no first-round pick, six teams…

AROUND THE NFL As we head to the draft tonight, this from Jay Glazer, who may have trained with his source: NFL_DovKleimanFireworks: NFL insider Jay Glazer says a source told him something extremely “juicy” will happen on draft night in the first round. “I know something is happening, I just can’t say it yet. I was told…

AROUND THE NFL A draft note about the Steelers-Ravens rivalry.  Michael David Smith ofProFootballTalk.com: Steelers owner Art Rooney II persuaded the NFL to move Ravens fans behind Steelers fans at the 2026 NFL draft in Pittsburgh. Rooney said on WDVE that when he saw the initial layout for where each of the 32 teams’ fans would be…

AROUND THE NFL The NFL has tightened up the timing of the first round, even though they often wait a few minutes to actually announce the selection.  Some GMs are feeling rushed.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: The NFL changed the rules for this year’s draft, limiting teams to eight minutes between first-round picks. Some NFL general…

AROUND THE NFL Somehow a fatal accident involving draft prospect DL RUEBEN BAIN, Jr. of the U. of Miami flew under the radar until this reporting by The Athletic: University of Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. was the driver during a traffic collision in the early hours of March 17, 2024, that resulted in one of…

AROUND THE NFL A panel seemed to say that NFL owners did not collude on quarterback contracts.  Mike Florio tries to explain. In two different rulings issued less than 15 months apart, the internal grievance system created by the NFL and the NFL Players Association found that, essentially, the NFL invited its teams to collude on…

AROUND THE NFL Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic on how players and teams are both finding advantage to deals of three years and shorter: A quiet trend that has continued for a few years drew additional interest this offseason: three-year deals for players. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper noted a slight uptick in three-year deals among his top-150 free…

AROUND THE NFL NFC EAST  NEW YORK GIANTSThe Giants have signed another former Raven per ESPN.com: The New York Giants made an offensive line addition Wednesday, agreeing to a one-year deal with former Baltimore Ravens guard Daniel Faalele, according to NFL Network. Faalele becomes the latest free agent to follow coach John Harbaugh from Baltimore to New York, joining…

AROUND THE NFL Music to the NFL’s ears – fans in Australia as unhappy they paid such high prices to make the big opening game a sellout.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: Tickets to the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia had high prices and sold fast anyway, which is good for the NFL’s bottom line but…

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH  CHICAGOHaving pushed the Bears to the outer reaches of Chicagoland for their two possible stadium solutions, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson now puts up cover that he wanted to make a downtown stadium a reality.  According to Mike Florio, the Bears aren’t biting. The Bears want to build their new stadium in…

AROUND THE NFL Justin Rogers of DetroitFootball.net catches up with unsigned former Lion TAYLOR DECKER (as reported here by Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com): Longtime Lions left tackle Taylor Decker asked for and received his release this offseason after the team wanted him to take a pay cut. But while Decker is done as a Lion, he wouldn’t want…

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH  MINNESOTAMike Sando of The Athletic on the current state of the Vikings: The Vikings had to feel even better about adding quarterback Kyler Murray on the cheap after seeing one of their former QBs, Kirk Cousins, command guarantees in the second year from Las Vegas. Yes, the Vikings agreed not to use the…