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 franchise…

AROUND THE NFL Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com sees QB pay heading even higher in the next year: Next QB contract boom could again reset the marketStart the countdown: We are about 11 months away from what could be the biggest quarterback contract offseason in recent NFL memory. Dak Prescott set the bar in 2024 with his deal that averages…

AROUND THE NFL Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com on what we know of the NFL’s plans for Christmas, 2026: With Christmas landing on a Friday in 2026, the NFL plans to fill everyone’s stockings with football. There will be three games that day. Via Eric Fisher of Front Office Sports, two of them will be streamed by Netflix. The third…

AROUND THE NFL The Super Bowl will return to Las Vegas, just five years after the first game at Allegiant Stadium.  Chris Cwik of YahooSports.com: In February of 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime to win the first-ever Super Bowl hosted at Allegiant Stadium. The venue must have made an impression…

AROUND THE NFL Here is the latest on the negotiations (or last thereof) between the NFL and its referees.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: On Sunday, multiple reports pushed the NFL’s version of the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement talks with the NFL Referees Association. The NFLRA has pushed back. “Apparently ‘league sources’ are continuing to put out false and…

AROUND THE NFL Will he play for the team he owns?  Can an owner of one team play for another team?  Mike Kadlick of SI.com: Tom Brady isn’t closing any doors as he continues to explore the post-Super Bowl-winning chapter of his life. Just days after his appearance in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic—a round-robin, flag football tournament…

AROUND THE NFL NFC SOUTH  NEW ORLEANSNick Underhill hears that QB ZACH WILSON is heading to New Orleans: @nick_underhillSaints are signing QB Zach Wilson, according to a source. Adds a veteran presence and some competition to the QB room behind Tyler Shough. Wilson, 26, was the No. 2 pick in 2021. He gives New Orleans a…

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH  DETROITQB TEDDY BRIDGEWATER is back in Detroit.  And it looks like he is going to get a bill so that no high school coach in Florida is ever suspended for providing some services to his players.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is back in the Detroit, for his third stint…

AROUND THE NFL NFC SOUTH  TAMPA BAYThis from Adam Schefter: Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr.’s fiancée, Teesa Mpagi, emerged as an unexpected hero on the way to Saturday’s Fanatics Flag Football Classic at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Mpagi rushed to aid a pedestrian struck by a car in front of the friends-and-family bus headed to the game,…