| NFC NORTH |
| DETROITRB JAHMYR GIBBS is the last of the big three running backs to get his deal, and he gets a few dollars more than BIJAN ROBINSON. Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com: The Detroit Lions and three-time Pro Bowler Jahmyr Gibbs have agreed to a contract extension that makes him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. Gibbs and the Lions reached agreement Thursday on a three-year, $67.5 million deal that could be worth up to $75.75 million and includes $51.5 million guaranteed, agent Todd France of Athletes First announced on Instagram. The record deal surpasses the extension Bijan Robinson signed with the Atlanta Falcons earlier this week. Robinson’s extension is for three years and $66.75 million and could be worth up to $75 million (including $51 million guaranteed at signing). The $22.25 million average annual value of Robinson’s contract made him the NFL’s third running back to get more than $20 million per year in an extension, along with the Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor ($22 million) and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley ($20.6 million). Since being drafted No. 12 in 2023, Gibbs, 24, has emerged as one of the most productive offensive players in NFL history. Despite splitting snaps with David Montgomery throughout his time in Detroit, Gibbs has 49 career touchdowns — the most in NFL history for a player through his first three seasons, surpassing the previous mark held by former Lions great Barry Sanders (47). Gibbs’ 3,580 rushing yards are the 22nd most for any player in Years 1-3 since yardage statistics were first recorded in 1932, per ESPN Research, and he is one of 19 players to post at least 3,500 rushing yards and 600 receiving yards to start a career. Last season, Gibbs finished fifth in the league with 1,839 yards from scrimmage (1,223 rushing, 616 receiving) and second in total touchdowns (18). His 77 receptions, 616 receiving yards and five touchdown catches were career highs. And he could see his workload increase in 2026 after Detroit traded Montgomery, who averaged 187 carries and 835 yards in his three seasons with the Lions, to the Houston Texans in March. After a 9-8 finish in 2025, in which the Lions failed to reach the postseason, Detroit hired new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, who spent the past three seasons as the OC of the Arizona Cardinals. One of his main challenges will be to enhance the run game, which will be spearheaded by Gibbs and former Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco, whom the Lions signed to replace Montgomery. Despite his historic production, Gibbs — a Pro Bowler in each of his three seasons — said he doesn’t believe he has played his best football yet. “Nah. I don’t think so,” Gibbs told ESPN in January. “Me personally, I could’ve done a lot of stuff throughout the year to get us out of some holes.” Player AAVJahmyr Gibbs $22.5MBijan Robinson $22.25MJonathan Taylor $22MSaquon Barkley $20.6MChristian McCaffrey $19M — ESPN Research |
| MINNESOTANFL.com with this update on the QB battle. They are giving KYLER MURRAY more chances to shine: • Kyler Murray continues to lead J.J. McCarthy in the race for the QB job. Per The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Murray had taken 73 snaps in Wednesday’s 11-on-11 drills to McCarthy’s 38. That’s a significant swath. Neither has shined when the pads came on, though Murray might have authored some separation during Wednesday’s session.. |
| NFC EAST |
| NEW YORK GIANTSDan Duggan of The Athletic looks at the Giants receiving corps – with some familiar names on the edges trying to win a spot: The New York Giants overhauled their wide receiver corps this offseason, signing a handful of high-profile veterans (Odell Beckham Jr., Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin III, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Braxton Berrios) and trading up in the third round for Malachi Fields. Still, everything hinges on the health of top returning receiver Malik Nabers. While Nabers continues his recovery from a torn ACL and meniscus, the rest of the depth chart is wide open. Nabers’ absence has allowed a crowd of complementary pieces to vie for roles early in training camp. Here’s a player-by-player look at one of the most intriguing positions on the roster: Malik NabersNabers has had a steady workload since the start of training camp, participating in individual drills, running routes on air and jogging through plays in install periods most days. Nabers is moving well, even if he still hasn’t fully cut it loose. The Giants could ramp up Nabers more, but they have structured everything toward having him ready for the Sept. 13 opener against the Dallas Cowboys. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Nabers starts to work in team periods next week, which would be an important checkpoint in his comeback. Malachi FieldsFields has demonstrated an ability to make plays downfield, which could be his primary role as a rookie. Unlike Jalin Hyatt, whose speed made him a deep threat exclusively, the 6-foot-4, 222-pound Fields has the size to run underneath routes and use his physicality to make contested catches. With the Giants expected to lean heavily on two-tight end packages, Fields has made an early claim for the No. 2 receiver spot opposite Nabers. Calvin Austin IIIAustin was the most impressive wide receiver in the spring. That hasn’t carried over to the start of camp, but he’s still the team’s top slot option. The slot receiver won’t be featured nearly as much in this offense as it was when Wan’Dale Robinson was racking up 140 targets per season. But even the teams that employ big personnel the most use three-receiver sets when trailing and running two-minute drills. That means Austin will have a role, and he should get the short targets Robinson once received in New York. Darius SlaytonSlayton isn’t going anywhere due to his contract, but there are no assurances about his role. Slayton dealt with a sports hernia last season and had surgery in the spring. There’s hope he’ll bounce back now that he’s healthy, but he’s had a quiet start to camp as he works his way back into shape. Darnell MooneyMooney feels a bit like the new Slayton. Mooney’s warts have been overlooked because fans don’t have a history with him, but he’s had a similarly inconsistent career. Mooney hasn’t stood out this offseason, as the 5-foot-11, 177-pounder’s stature limits his impact. Mooney is at his best on the deep crossers that offensive coordinator Matt Nagy’s scheme features. Odell Beckham Jr.The No. 6 wide receiver doesn’t necessarily have to play special teams, but Beckham will need to produce more this summer to justify carrying him as a depth receiver. Beckham looks like he still has juice, and that showed up Wednesday in his best practice of camp. The delay in signing Beckham in the spring involved both sides discussing the possibility his comeback bid falls short. Beckham will need to raise his play and maintain it to avoid that fate. Braxton BerriosCamp production by veteran slot receivers, especially with the second team, can be misleading. A savvy veteran like Berrios has a distinct advantage going up against inexperienced/weak slot corners, and he has exploited that in camp. Still, his production can’t be ignored. Berrios’ return ability gives him true game-day value. He profiles as a replacement for Gunner Olszewski, who tore an Achilles tendon in the spring. Dalen CambreSpecial teams is the path to a roster spot for Cambre, but his impressive receiving in camp is aiding his bid. Harbaugh said Cambre is “making a move,” and “he’s got our attention.” Those are strong statements about a second-year receiver who signed as an undrafted rookie last year. There are minimal offensive snaps available for the sixth wide receiver. Meanwhile, Cambre averaged 12.7 special teams snaps in seven games last season, so he could provide more value than other receivers vying for the final spot. JuJu Smith-SchusterSmith-Schuster had the most production in the spring of the three wide receivers signed June 1. But he’s been quiet in camp, missing practice on Tuesday due to knee swelling. Smith-Schuster doesn’t play special teams, so he’ll need to pick it up soon to make a serious push for a roster spot. Jalin HyattA year ago, optimists held out hope Hyatt would still develop. He is now an afterthought, even though he has made a few plays this offseason. If the Giants felt good about Hyatt, they wouldn’t have added so many veteran wide receivers this offseason. The Giants hung onto Hyatt as a healthy scratch for much of last season to avoid cutting a third-round pick. They can’t be worried about those optics anymore, and Hyatt should be craving a fresh start at this point. Isaiah HodginsIt speaks to the pieces the Giants have added at wide receiver that Hodgins has fallen so far down the depth chart. Hodgins hasn’t made any plays in camp to get into the mix. Hodgins has never played special teams, which is a major impediment to his chances. He is an ideal vet to stash on the practice squad. Xavier GipsonThe Berrios signing was a major blow to Gipson’s chances of making the roster. If the Giants viewed Gipson as a viable receiver/returner, they likely wouldn’t have signed Berrios immediately after Olszewski’s injury. Ryan MillerIt’s impossible to see a path to a roster spot for Miller. He has to be hoping to land on the practice squad, but even that will be tough with so much competition for the final roster spots. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| CAROLINAWhatever else happens in his career, QB HAYNES KING will always have Canton. NFL preseason games don’t matter in the standings, but they matter a lot to undrafted rookies trying to make the team. And few undrafted rookies have had as impressive a preseason debut as Panthers quarterback Haynes King in Thursday night’s Hall of Fame Game. King completed 21 of 34 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns, with no sacks and no turnovers, and he also ran for 39 yards, including the game-winning touchdown run as time expired. King spoke afterward about how much it meant to him to play like that in Canton, Ohio, in front of dozens of Hall of Famers in town for enshrinement weekend. “It was a dream come true,” King said. “Growing up, you hear about all these first-ballot Hall of Famers, and to see some of them walking in front of you before the game is pretty amazing. And to be able to showcase your talent in front of them is a dream come true.” The 25-year-old King spent six years in college football and was the ACC Player of the Year at Georgia Tech last season, but he went undrafted because he was regarded as more of a runner than a passer. He looked very comfortable throwing the ball on Thursday night. “I’m very excited that I got this opportunity, and I feel like I went out there and operated at a high level,” King said. “I allowed everybody around me to play better as well.” When King dove across the goal line on the final play of the game, the Panthers’ sideline went crazy, and head coach Dave Canales loved that. “Haynes is a fantastic athlete and he just finds a way to win, and that’s what he did,” Canales said. “Really proud of the group and also proud of the whole team celebrating. That’s something we pride ourselves on, celebrating how hard we work on these situations and then watching it come alive.” More on King. Playing for his father, King led Longview HS to its first Texas state football title as a junior back in 2018. At Texas A&M for three years, King never got full traction with his best chance in 2021 ending with an early season leg fracture. He moved to Georgia Tech in 2023 and was a three-year starter with a 22-14 record. He passed for 55 TDs for the Yellowjackets and ran for 36 more. Georgia Tech didn’t ask him to pass a lot, only about 25 times per game, but when he did he hit 67.6% of his passes. |
| NFC WEST |
| ARIZONAThe season is underway – and QB CARSON BECK had an auspicious start. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: Carson Beck gave the Cardinals what they wanted to see in the Hall of Fame Game. The rookie quarterback got the start in 2026’s first preseason game and led three scoring drives in the first half. The first of them was a 13-play, 96-yard trip down the field for a Corey Kiner rushing touchdown and it was followed by a four-play, 60-yard drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Simi Fehoko. Beck’s night also included a pair of long hookups with wide receiver Jalen Brooks and he ended his night 15-of-19 for 188 yards. After the game, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said the performance was right in line with how the third-round pick has played since joining the team. “It’s a broken record, but it’s the same thing I keep seeing in practice,” LaFleur said, via the team’s website. “He doesn’t make it too big. He just makes it about the play.” Jacoby Brissett is the No. 1 quarterback for the Cardinals at the moment and Beck probably won’t do enough this summer to change those plans. His first outing did nothing to hurt his bid to be the quarterback of the future, however, and more strong work in the preseason will only solidify that status. |
| LOS ANGELES RAMSIt sounds like rookie QB TYLER SIMPSON will not be the backup when the season starts. Kevin Parrish, Jr. of Athlon Sports: Walking into his fourth training camp, Stetson Bennett knew what awaited: a battle with rookie Ty Simpson for the backup job. One week into practice, the anticipated Los Angeles Rams quarterback competition had already tilted in Bennett’s favor. Taking first- and second-team reps when Matthew Stafford rests, Bennett continues to impress the coaching staff, especially head coach Sean McVay, who calls the growth “a real positive” for the organization. “I think Stetson Bennett has really capitalized on a lot of reps that he didn’t get,” McVay told reporters. “You look at it last year, he got a lot of reps with the twos when Jimmy (Garoppolo) was taking all those reps with the ones. But then once Matthew came back, he didn’t get any reps at all. So for his ability to come in and be able to run one offense the way that he has, I’ve been really pleased with him.” Bennett, a 2023 fourth-round pick, spent his first three seasons buried on the depth chart, including two years behind Garoppolo learning the playbook and waiting for his chance. That opportunity came this summer when the Rams did not re-sign Garoppolo. Bennett has delivered, showing a command of the offense and a confidence that wasn’t there before. |
| AFC WEST |
| DENVERThis from NFL.com on CB RILEY MOSS: • Riley Moss has been the talk of Broncos camp, making some jaw-dropping plays. The athletic corner has continued to keep 2025 first-rounder Jahdae Barron at bay. A booming contract year could lead to a massive payday for Moss. Barron continues to play a nickel role while rotating on the outside and handling some LB duties in dime. It’s still unclear what job he’ll have if Moss continues to thrive. |
| LOS ANGELES CHARGERSA five-way battle at left guard? • The Chargers are still waiting for “someone to take” the starting left guard spot. The club continues to rotate snaps in a five-man competition between Trey Pipkins III, Kayode Awosika, rookie Jake Slaughter, Trevor Penning and Branson Taylor. |
| AFC NORTH |
| CLEVELANDEven with EDGE MYLES GARRETT traded and the uncertain QB situation, there are reasons to think the Browns are on the upswing. Jason Lloyd of The Athletic on the balance between hope and reality: Somewhere in the Browns’ practice facility must be a brown needle and a thin piece of orange thread. For the last eight months, Jimmy Haslam has carefully been rolling the string between his thumb and forefinger, trying to ever so gently thread it through that narrow hole separating hope from sensibility. Deep in his soul, as he stands on the practice field most days with his hands on his hips, I believe Haslam knows this team isn’t ready to challenge. But there are tickets to sell and a belief to cultivate within a weary fan base that is tired of him overpromising and underdelivering. He oscillates between the yin of another losing season and the yang of a fight promoter trying to sell out the arena. So it was again last week when Haslam was asked a question about high expectations for this season. “I don’t know about high expectations,” he said. “Let’s say improved expectations.” I’ve certainly been hard on Haslam at times over the years, but let’s be reasonable. I believe he tries his best to be transparent as much as possible — sometimes to his own detriment, such as calling the Deshaun Watson trade a swing and a miss. It was absolutely accurate and the perfect description, but it makes things awkward when the biggest strikeout in NFL history is back under center trying to swing the bat again this summer. He is also the only owner in town who regularly meets with the media. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert hasn’t held an open press availability since his stroke in 2019, and Guardians owner Paul Dolan would rather pay Tarik Skubal than answer questions from reporters. That leaves the Haslams, who at least twice every calendar year meet with reporters and account for the mess they’ve made. They’re trying earnestly to clean it up and I’ll give them credit for the progress they’ve made the last couple of years. When Watson was carted off the field three years ago, everything changed. It was already apparent even before the Achilles tear that Watson was never going to be the quarterback the Browns envisioned when they traded for him and gave him that contract, but the career-altering injury demanded an immediate pivot within the organization. Whatever flimsy contention window they had created with players like Nick Chubb, Denzel Ward, Myles Garrett and Joel Bitonio had closed. It was time to start over. Whether it’s the Haslams, general manager Andrew Berry or a combination of all of them, there has been a bit of a culture shift at work ever since. Trading away Myles Garrett was a crucial step. Garrett is a phenomenal talent. He is 1 of 1 as a defensive end, and I won’t be shocked if he makes another run at his own sack record this year in Los Angeles. With a head coach like Sean McVay and a quarterback like Matthew Stafford, Garrett’s role in the Rams’ locker room may be different than what the Browns desperately needed him to provide. I wrote when they extended him last year that they should’ve instead traded him. Part of the reasoning for it was the poor locker room culture he helped foster. After the Browns selected Spencer Fano in the first round this year, one player who knows Garrett well joked with me that Fano would have to survive Garrett in training camp, that Garrett would take great delight in trying to crush his confidence every day. Juxtapose that against the clips of Jared Verse working with Fano on his footwork and hand technique earlier this week after practice. “That’s really cool,” coach Todd Monken said of Verse’s impromptu tutoring session. “I walked up to Jared and said, ‘Man, we’re so lucky you’re a Brown.’” Cleveland’s rookie receivers are impressing, and Quinshon Judkins looks healthy.The Browns need more leaders like Verse and Ward and Carson Schwesinger, truly excellent players who meet their obligations on and off the field every day. But this team isn’t there yet. They’re one more draft class, and specifically a quarterback, away from legitimate conversations about competing for a wild card in the AFC. It’s hard to understand how Berry kept his job after burning down the building with the Watson fiasco, but I also give him credit for appearing to find so many useful fixtures in these last two drafts. Mason Graham has looked unblockable at times in this camp. Schwesinger and Harold Fannin are on All-Pro trajectories, and Denzel Boston has shown some strong traits in camp. Fano should be the anchor of the offensive line for the next decade. Nearly all of them receive glowing reviews for their character and behavior on and off the field. Watson mercifully comes off their books after this season (although they’ll still have another $80 million in dead cap hits to sort through) and then maybe this organization can start to breathe again. Of course, nothing matters until they solve quarterback. I have no faith in any of these quarterbacks being the long-term solution, and Mike Sando’s quarterback tiers piece didn’t make things feel any better. Executives, coaches and coordinators from around the league ranked Watson 31st and Shedeur Sanders dead last at 35th. Given Watson’s struggles over the years and the way Sanders performed last season, there’s really no argument either should be much higher. That makes it difficult for any reasonable person to find much optimism for this season. I thought Haslam had it exactly right when he said prior to last season it would take years to dig out of the Watson contract. I was confused by the pivot when they fired Kevin Stefanski and suddenly insisted this team should’ve won more than five games last season. I disagree. They were fortunate to even get to five. Now that he has a new coach in place, Haslam seems to be reverting back to the more realistic plot point of where this team truly resides this summer. He doesn’t have high expectations, he has “improved” expectations. He called out the Vegas over/under line of 5 1/2 wins this year and advised fans to take the over. That would be 6-11 and likely still within reach of a franchise quarterback in the first round of next year’s draft. The worst-case scenario is winning one or two meaningless games near the end of the season, as they did last year, to take themselves out of range of upgrading the most important position on the field. For now, Haslam is trying feverishly to thread a delicate needle. It would be a pleasant change if the Browns can successfully execute it. For most of his ownership tenure, he just keeps poking himself in the thumb. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| HOUSTONSWARM players are what Coach DeMeco Ryans looks for. It’s been around for awhile, but it stands for Special Workethic And Relentless Mindset. It usually applies to defenders, but Ryans has found one on offense. @TexansCommenterDeMeco Ryans on Keylan Rutledge: “Keylan is a SWARM player. I love it. I love to see an olineman pushing guys downfield, still fighting to make sure he finishes. I love his mindset, that’s what it should be. He cares a lot. Try to highlight him in our team meetings because that’s what we’re looking for. You have that type of mindset on OL, it’s a problem for defenders. You’re a pest & you can’t get rid of them guys, he’s a nuisance for the defense & that’s what he’s gunna be for us & I love every bit of it.” Crazy that a rookie is the one to finally set the tone for DeMeco’s o-line & truly change the culture & mindset. |
| INDIANAPOLISPK Adam Vinatieri on his choice of Hall of Fame presenter. Michael David Smith ofProFootballTalk.com: When Adam Vinatieri was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he had a decision to make: Would he be presented for induction by someone from the Patriots or the Colts? Vinatieri chose Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon to present him at the enshrinement ceremony, which will take place on Saturday in Canton, Ohio. Vinatieri told Mike Florio on Football Night in America that to him, it was a clear choice because of what Irsay-Gordon’s father, the late Colts owner Jim Irsay, had meant to him. “I love both organizations, I’ve got so many memories and so many great friends on both sides,” Vinatieri said. “Living in Indy, what the Irsay family meant to me, Jim just meant the world bringing me into that organization, and Carlie I’m so excited watching her taking over her dad’s legacy.” Unlike the Baseball Hall of Fame, which presents players wearing one team’s cap, the Pro Football Hall of Fame does not induct players as representatives of any one team, and if it did, a case could be made for Vinatieri representing either of his two NFL teams. Vinatieri played for the Patriots from 1996 to 2005 and for the Colts from 2006 to 2019. He was a first-team All-Pro for both teams and he was a Super Bowl champion for both teams. And now he’s a Hall of Famer for both teams. But only one person will serve as his presenter, and Vinatieri wanted the owner of the Colts.– – –NFL.com has this from Colts camp: • Daniel Jones has reportedly looked excellent just eight months removed from Achilles surgery, taking all the first-team reps early in camp. That’s the best news Indy could hope for. • The CBs, led by Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward, have garnered praise, but is that partially due to facing a questionable WR crew? The Colts need Alec Pierce full-go. • Tyler Warren could be in for a massive target share, given the questions at receiver. • Riley Leonard has the inside track for the No. 2 QB gig over Anthony Richardson, who continues to ride the boom-or-bust roller coaster. |
| JACKSONVILLEThe Jaguars are not just using TRAVIS HUNTER at CB so far. Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com: Jaguars CB/WR Travis Hunter 11-on-11 snap tracker Day 6 snaps: 17 (10 defense, 7 offense) Total snaps: 86 (51 defense, 35 offense) One catch on two targets. Consistent workload through the first six days of camp. |
| AFC EAST |
| BUFFALOCash money in droves for RG O’CYRUS TORRENCE per Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com: The Buffalo Bills have reached an agreement with right guard O’Cyrus Torrence on a four-year, $78.4 million extension that includes $46 million guaranteed, his agents Jon Perzley, Brian Mackler and Daniel Scardigno of Sport Stars told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The deal makes Torrence the NFL’s seventh-highest-paid guard. He is now under contract through the 2030 season. Bills coach Joe Brady spoke highly of Torrence during his pre-practice news conference Friday morning, describing him as “one of the top guards in football.” Bills general manager and president of football operations Brandon Beane said after practice that the deal is done outside of “a couple language things we’re working through, but it should get hopefully signed this afternoon.” “The No. 1 thing we want to do is we want to be strong up front,” Beane said. “…We want to protect No. 17 (QB Josh Allen). That’s where it all starts.” |
| NEW ENGLANDAn NFL.com note from Patriots camp: • Kayshon Boutte continues to showcase upside, particularly with his deep-ball skill set. Despite losing some reps to blockbuster acquisition A.J. Brown, Boutte has impressed daily. He’s either going to net the Patriots something in a trade or force the team to keep him on the roster. |
| NEW YORK JETSSo far so good for second overall pick EDGE DAVID BAILEY. Zach Braziller of the New York Post: You can add Armand Membou to the expanding David Bailey fan club. The young offensive tackle has only had a few training camp practices opposite the Jets rookie, but the edge rusher has already left an impression on Membou. “It’s been a pain, man,” he joked Monday after the first padded practice of camp. “He’s a great player. He’s just smooth, he’s quick, he’s got a natural ability to rush the passer. It’s been a good matchup going against him. “With his first step, he has the ability to threaten tackles with his speed off the edge, and once he does that, he can threaten you with that power.” Bailey was the second overall pick in April’s draft after registering 14.5 sacks at Texas Tech last season. The hope is he can help improve a pass rush that was 31st in the league a year ago with a paltry 26 sacks. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| FROM THE HALL OF FAMELuke Kuechly says that Cam Newton and Greg Olsen should also be in the Hall of Fame. Joseph Person of The Athletic: — Luke Kuechly will become the first member of the Carolina Panthers’ 2015 Super Bowl team to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon. Kuechly also made a case for two offensive stars from that team — which started the season 14-0 — joining him in Canton someday. Hall voters soon will weigh in on Cam Newton, the MVP-winning quarterback whose first year of eligibility is next year. During Kuechly’s media availability Thursday, he talked about the larger-than-life nature of a quarterback who stood 6 feet 5 and weighed 245 pounds. “When Cam was on the field, he was the best player on the field. He was the biggest, most physically dominant person on the field,” Kuechly said. How Luke Kuechly’s humble stardom paved the way to the Hall of FameJoseph PersonThough NFC opponents — especially the Panthers’ divisional rivals — became accustomed to Newton’s stature, Kuechly said that was not the case when the Panthers played out of conference. “When you would go play AFC teams … and walk out for the coin toss, you could see the faces of the guys walking out and, ‘Oh, my God, he’s gigantic,’” said Kuechly, noting that Newton would wear smaller “shells” during practice rather than traditional shoulder pads. “The only time he really had his pads on would be during games. He wore these big rib protectors. He had these foam shin guards,” Kuechly said, widening his arms. “He was the biggest person on the field, and then he was dominant. He could run past guys, through guys, around guys, jump over guys. He could throw the ball anywhere on the field. And when he was at his best, he was the best player on the field at all times.” Newton is already represented in the Hall of Fame. His cleats from the 2015 NFC Championship Game, along with the draft card the Panthers used to select him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft are on display. Here is the display with Cam Newton’s cleats from the 2015 NFC Championship Game and the the Panthers’ draft card when they took him No. 1 overall in 2010. (Joseph Person / The Athletic)Here is the display with Cam Newton’s cleats from the 2015 NFC Championship Game and the the Panthers’ draft card when they took him No. 1 overall in 2010.Joseph Person / The AthleticIn response to a question about Newton’s candidacy, Kuechly also had high praise for Greg Olsen, who became the first tight end in NFL history with three consecutive, 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 2014 to 2016. “If I’m a team and I’m defending the Carolina Panthers, there’s two guys that you have to worry about. First of all, it’s Greg Olsen because he can do everything,” Kuechly said. “He can line up in the slot. He can put his hand in the ground. He can block anyone. He can run receiver routes — frontside, backside, in the slot.” Olsen, who retired after the 2020 season, did not make the cut of semifinalists this year in his first year on the ballot. (Steve Smith was a finalist in 2025 but did not make the final 15 this year.) “When you specifically have to game plan for guys, I think that tells the story,” added Kuechly, the seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker who coaches a Charlotte, N.C., middle school football team with Olsen. “How do we get an extra guy in the box? How do we get a free runner at Cam? How do we cloud his vision so he can’t throw the ball to Greg? I think that kind of speaks for itself.”– – -It’s cool that Roger Craig will be presented for his Hall of Fame induction by a grade school friend from Davenport, Iowa who was also a 49ers teammate. Daniel Brown of The Athletic: Bill Walsh saw no reason to wait. Never mind that players were still in their tuxedo jackets on the night they received their Super Bowl rings after winning it all in 1984. The San Francisco 49ers coach pulled Roger Craig aside during the gala and looked him in the eyes. “Roger, we’re going to need 1,000 yards from you next season,” the running back remembered him saying. This inspired Craig but also befuddled him. He was coming off a year in which he amassed 600-plus yards as a runner and as a receiver. “I was fired up. I knew I couldn’t let him down,” Craig once said. “But then I started to wonder if he meant he needed 1,000 yards rushing or receiving. “I wanted to cover my ass, so I figured I better shoot for both.” Craig did as instructed, delivering the first 1,000-1,000 season in NFL history in 1985, a milestone matched only by Marshall Faulk (1999) and Christian McCaffrey (2019). That distinction goes a long way toward explaining why Craig will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Walsh, who was known as “The Genius,” was hardly the first person to identify Craig’s dual-threat potential, though. Jamie Williams, the former 49ers tight end who will present Craig at his induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio, this weekend, had Walsh beat by about 20 years. “My earliest memory was at Jefferson Elementary School, when we were playing kickball with this new kid, right?” Williams, 66, recalled. “And this dude is flying around the bases. He’s also kicking it a mile. It was like, ‘Who is this?’” So began an improbably athletic journey for Williams, who was in second grade at the time, and Craig, who was a first-grader when his family moved around the corner from the Williams family in the factory town of Davenport, Iowa. Williams and Craig were teammates on the playgrounds. Then at Davenport Central High. Then at the University of Nebraska. Then in the NFL. Now at the Hall of Fame presentation. “You can’t write that script,” said Williams, a tough admission for the former captain of his high school poetry club. Along the way, the two school chums and their pals attended barn parties in the middle of cornfields, snuck into drive-in movies (with Craig hiding in the trunk), rode their bicycles down to the Mississippi River, reeled in catfish, watched “Soul Train” on Saturday nights and generally lived a cinematically idyllic life in America’s heartland. “Imagine yourself in a field where it’s just billions of monarch butterflies, and you have to run around trying to catch them, and they’re all over,” Williams said. “That’s kind of stuff we did in Iowa.” But it’s not just an enchanting origin story. Having witnessed Craig’s path every step of the way, Williams can speak to how his friend turned adversity into opportunity, challenges into advantages, roadblocks into green lights. “That’s why, to me, he’s going in the Hall of Fame,” he said. “Because nothing was handed to him.” Williams grew up on Ninth Street by Gaines Street, not far from the bridge that crossed into Illinois. When the Craig family arrived from Preston, Miss., they lived near where Eighth Street intersected with Ripley Street. Roger was one of eight children. Williams can recall the geography with such precision because the vast terrain of the Quad Cities served as their unofficial training ground during their halcyon and screen-free days of the late 1960s and early ’70s. “We all had bikes, or we helped friends build bikes, so we could ride around all over the city,” Williams said. “To this day, my parents never knew.” This wasn’t rebellion. It’s what counted as cross-training. “We had that kind of adventure,” Williams said. “When I look at Roger’s success, and some of our colleagues from that time, it’s because we were always moving and working out — even when we didn’t know we were working out. Whether it was playing tag, chasing each other, riding up a steep hill, we were always looking for the challenge.” Williams explained their adolescence in Hollywood terms. He says it was the profound journey of “Stand by Me,” the playful summer vibe of “The Sandlot,” and the nerdy sci-fi chaos of “Stranger Things.” “We’d trade comic books, sitting on the porch, and then we’d go into these wooded areas and look for aliens,” he said. “We really believed that we were going to be the ones who actually catch a freaking alien and either tie it up or make it a pet. Like, we all agreed that if aliens came, they would definitely come to Iowa.” As they grew older, however, it was time to take their athletic pursuits more seriously. That was especially true for Craig, who was preternaturally good at everything. He was a terrific hurdler who finished second in the 110-meter high hurdles and the 400 hurdles at the state track and field championships as a senior. He was an excellent wrestler, qualifying for the state tournament in that sport, too. “The sport we all gravitated to was wrestling because in Iowa, in kindergarten, they teach the boys and even the girls how to put somebody in the cradle,” Williams said. Football, of course, was the ideal sport to maximize Craig’s gifts. His brother Curtis was a local celebrity as a star running back at Davenport Central before graduating in 1975. Central coach Jim Fox once called Curtis “the essence of everything good.” Roger knew where the bar was set. And he embraced the challenge of following in his brother’s high-yardage footsteps. He wanted to be even better. He made his case by once rushing for 353 yards on 41 carries in a Class 4A playoff game. Craig accounted for all the Blue Devils’ scoring that day with touchdown runs of 59, 65, 30 and 31 yards and a pair of 2-point conversions. At tight end, Williams also blossomed as a force. He was well on his way to the 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame he would play with in the NFL, but he retained the speed of his skinnier days and was named a Parade All-American. Together, Craig and Williams helped their 1976 team win the Iowa state championship. Then Craig broke a leg playing football during his junior year, raising questions about his collegiate future. But he bounced back strong as a senior in 1978, setting Davenport Central’s single-season rushing record with 1,566 yards. The previous record holder? His brother Curtis, of course. It took a while, but Roger’s legacy is now part of the Davenport landscape. The local school district voted in June to rename Brady Street Stadium as Roger Craig Stadium. Craig made a name for himself at the collegiate level, too, with help from a lifelong friend who was already paving the way. Craig initially had no plans to follow Williams, who was playing for the powerhouse Nebraska Cornhuskers. Craig wanted to stay close to home and was set to commit to Iowa under new coach Hayden Fry. But when Craig called to tell him that, Williams made an impassioned plea. “The most important thing about it,” he said in closing, “is who is going to block for you like I can?” Pause. “Yeah, you’re right, man,” Craig finally said. Teammates again, it took a while to find their footing in Nebraska, but both broke through in 1981. Craig rushed for 1,060 yards with six touchdowns that season; Williams had 22 catches and a conference-high four touchdowns. Williams spent four years with the Huskers, capturing All-Big Eight and All-American honors in 1981 and 1982. Craig, though, ran into an unexpected detour in his senior year. Coach Tom Osborne turned Craig into a yeoman blocking back for Mike Rozier, the future Heisman Trophy winner. On one hand, the move hardly allowed Craig to show off his skills heading into the 1983 NFL Draft. On the other, it foreshadowed the ego-free approach that would make him one of the best teammates of the 49ers’ dynasty. Turner Gill, the Huskers’ quarterback for that ’82 season, said it sticks with him to this day that a rushing sensation like Craig embraced grunt work without complaint. “Those are hard conversations you have with your players, when you have to ask them to move positions,” Gill, who later became a coach, wrote via text. “I just remember thinking that Roger was such a great example of a team player, as he did so with grace. … People who allow others to shine will get their moment in the light also.” On the West Coast, it caught the attention of a creative NFL coach scouring the draft for a versatile running back. “His college career was remarkable because of his willingness to sacrifice for his team,” Walsh wrote in his introduction to Craig’s book. “That kind of unselfishness set him back to the second round of the draft. We were very fortunate to acquire him.” The 49ers took Craig with the 49th pick of the 1983 draft, and he predictably flourished in a loaded offense guided by a brilliant coach. Meanwhile, Williams was selected in the third round (No. 63) by the New York Giants before spending five solid seasons in Houston, where he loved playing with Warren Moon. (“We were like Kelce and Mahomes,” he said.).Before the 1989 season, it was Craig’s turn to play recruiting matchmaker. “Roger flipped the switch and started doing the same thing I did with him. He’d call me and say, ‘Jamie, you have to come here, man. You have to. I told Bill about you.’” Williams, as Craig had done, initially rebuffed the offer. He was leaning toward a deal with the New England Patriots. “‘Jamie, I’m telling you, you’d be wasting your time there. The 49ers are going to be great for you,’” Williams recalled him saying. “And so that’s how I ended up there.” Williams won a Super Bowl with the 1989 team, the highlight of his four seasons in San Francisco. And as a nod to the sense of community he learned from the streets of Davenport, he was named his team’s Man of the Year twice during his career. Before leaving for Canton this week, Williams recalled how he and Craig once hung out with Dan Marino and other future greats before a 1983 college all-star game. Marino, who grew up as a city slicker in Pittsburgh, tried poking a little fun at a couple of Iowa hayseeds. The future Hall of Fame quarterback wondered what in the world Craig and Williams did for fun back in their corn-covered home state. Williams remembers Marino joking with something like: “Iowa just sounds so freaking boring, man. Like, how did you guys survive?” Williams was ready for that one. “Ever gone to a barn party with a band and a keg in the middle of nowhere?” he replied. “Ever climbed into an inner tube with a boombox and float for two hours down the canal? Ever do any cow tipping?” Williams could have kept listing activities for a few more hours. Instead, maybe they can resume the conversation Saturday when the kids from Quad Cities reunite at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where Roger Craig will be inducted with an assist from a trusted ally who lived around the corner. It’s their most improbable adventure ever.– – -Drew Brees cried when he asked Sean Payton to present him this weekend. FoxLouisiana.com: Drew Brees says he also was crying during the emotional call in which he asked former Saints coach Sean Payton to present him for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The video showed Payton becoming emotional after hearing the news. During a one-on-one interview Thursday in Canton, Brees said the moment affected him just as deeply. “I’m crying on the other side,” Brees said. “You couldn’t see it, you know, through the phone. But, yeah, it was an emotional moment. You know, he’s meant a ton to me.” Brees said he originally planned to fly to Payton and surprise him in person. Those plans changed when Payton happened to be with several members of the Saints organization. Brees called the group through FaceTime. “I was like, this is the moment because they’re all together and it would totally catch him off guard, which is hard to do with Sean, right?” Brees said. “So I sprung it on him,” he added. Brees said fans typically see Payton’s competitive side, making the coach’s reaction stand out. “Everybody sees the fiery competitive Sean,” Brees said. “It was pretty awesome to see just that emotion.” |
