| 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 tight end Isaiah Likely, fullback Patrick Ricard and safety Ar’Darius Washington. The Giants said last week at the NFL’s annual meeting they still planned to address the offensive line, whether it be in free agency or the draft. Harbaugh stressed the importance of playing physical and running the football. Faalele adds to a mix at right guard that includes recently signed veteran Lucas Patrick and Evan Neal. The Giants re-signed Neal, a first-round pick in 2022, and Joshua Ezeudu this offseason with the promise of a clean slate. Greg Van Roten, last year’s starter at right guard, remains unsigned. Faalele, 26, is a big-bodied lineman (6-foot-8, 370 pounds) who has started the past two seasons at right guard for a Baltimore offense that totaled the second-most yards (394.7) and fourth-most points (28.8) in the NFL over that span. But he struggled the most among the Ravens’ offensive linemen and received heavy criticism for allowing the pocket to collapse for quarterback Lamar Jackson. Over the past two seasons, Faalele’s 93% pass block win rate ranked 25th in the league among guards. He allowed a total of seven sacks during that time. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| ATLANTAAn update on QB MICHAEL PENIX, Jr. from Coach Kevin Stefanski. WHBL.com: There is still no clear timetable for Michael Penix Jr.’s recovery from the torn ACL that ended the Falcons quarterback’s 2025 season, coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday. He added that Penix is “right where he needs to be” in his recovery from the injury sustained Nov. 16 vs. Carolina. Stefanski has previously said that Penix, the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, will battle free-agent signee and former Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the starting job once Penix is healthy. Penix started all nine games he played in 2025, the first season he began as the Atlanta starter. He replaced Kirk Cousins as the starter midway through his 2024 rookie campaign. Across 14 career games (12 starts), Penix has completed 59.6% of his passes for 2,757 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. With both QBs entering a new offensive scheme led by Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, Tagovailoa will have an uncontested chance to lead the offense this offseason until Penix is able to return.– – -T KALEB McGARY, the Falcons starter on the right side, is retiring. Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com: Atlanta Falcons starting right tackle Kaleb McGary is retiring, his agent, Collin Roberts, announced on social media. McGary, 31, missed the entire 2025 season with a knee injury suffered on the final day of training camp. He was scheduled to cover the blind side of left-handed quarterback Michael Penix Jr. last season and was slotted in that role again in 2026, for both Penix and fellow left-hander Tua Tagovailoa. “I truly enjoyed my time playing alongside Kaleb,” Falcons president of football Matt Ryan, who played with McGary from 2019 to 2021, said in a statement. “He was an outstanding teammate and had a tremendous career as a Falcon. We are grateful for the impact he made on this organization, and we wish him nothing but the best in retirement.” The Falcons moved quickly to replace McGary, agreeing to a one-year contract with right tackle Jawaan Taylor with a base value of $5 million and an additional $1 million in incentives Wednesday, his agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. McGary started 92 games over six seasons in Atlanta. An elite run blocker, he was part of an offensive line that had some of the best continuity in the NFL and helped Bijan Robinson to become one of the league’s best running backs. The Falcons signed McGary to a two-year, $30 million contract extension last summer. Atlanta will be able to recoup at least some of that for salary cap relief with McGary’s retirement. McGary’s backup, Storm Norton, also missed all of last season with an ankle injury. |
| AFC NORTH |
| BALTIMORES TODD HAMILTON says the Ravens have not been the Ravens recently. Nick Shook of NFL.com: Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton told reporters on Wednesday that he learned of his former coach’s firing while playing video games. As he and other Ravens see it, the 2026 season is anything but a game. “The standard has not been met and upheld,” Hamilton said on Wednesday as the Ravens begin their offseason workout program, via The Athletic. “We need to fix that.” Baltimore has routinely carried Super Bowl ambitions into every season since the arrival and ascension of quarterback Lamar Jackson, yet the Ravens have only reached the conference title game once, which resulted in a stunning loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 season. Since then, they’ve declined, falling in the Divisional Round to the Bills after winning the AFC North in 2024 and missing the playoffs entirely in 2025. The most recent result led to John Harbaugh’s unceremonious dismissal after 18 seasons at the helm. With a change in leadership came a reality check for the Ravens, as demonstrated by Hamilton’s concise summary of where the franchise currently stands. Lamar Jackson ‘definitely’ wants three-time Pro Bowler Jadeveon Clowney back with RavensRhett Lewis 2026 NFL mock draft 1.0: Eagles make biggest splash in Round 1Fortunately, Baltimore still has Jackson at the center of its plans. The same is true of Hamilton, although the Ravens would be wise to build a stronger defensive unit in 2026 in order to avoid being so dependent on Hamilton to bail them out of bad situations as they did too often in 2025. Jackson has his own demons to exorcise. Despite winning two NFL MVP Awards and narrowly missing out on a third in 2024, the quarterback is still without the most coveted prize of all and has yet to lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl appearance, serving as the face of a club that is also uncomfortably occupied by Buffalo star QB Josh Allen. With new head coach Jesse Minter in charge and the fresh air of a reset filling the building, Jackson’s teammates believe their quarterback, who was present for the start of voluntary workouts on Tuesday, is more prepared than ever to finally deliver on his potential. “He’s ready. He’s always ready, probably more so this year,” receiver Zay Flowers said on Wednesday, per The Athletic. “We want to finish. We want to get a ring.” A former Ravens lieutenant, current Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, proved it’s possible to take over a new team and lead it to the NFL’s mountaintop in 2025. Baltimore is hoping the same is true for Minter, another product of the Harbaugh coaching tree with a bright future ahead of him. The expectation has already been set. Now, it’s time to follow through. |
| CLEVELANDAccording to Todd Monken, he was getting his haircut in Arizona last week when the NFL decided to take the coaches’ picture. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: An unexpected scheduling change caused two NFL coaches to miss the annual meeting group photo last week. Browns coach Todd Monken was one of them, and he had some fun with it in a press conference held in conjunction with the first week of the team’s offseason program. “I really don’t give a shit,” Monken said regarding the missed photo. “I mean, nothing to do with me. I mean, they moved the meeting. I didn’t miss it. I was just trying to get a sweet haircut. That’s what I was trying to do. And then they moved the meeting. Now you can claim that I should have been at the meeting when they moved it up and my ass would have known that’s when it was — yeah, OK, I got you. “And was it disappointing? You bet your ass it was disappointing. Am I allowed to be head coach if I’m not in the head coach’s picture? You think with AI they could have done that quickly and got me in there? But no, it’s the way it is. It’ll be under the bridge. And what will matter most is how we move from here and do we win or not. Ultimately none of that will matter.” He’s right. And it’s weird, frankly, that the powers that be didn’t make sure the photo was taken at a time when all coaches were present. No, the photo doesn’t mean anything. It gives the media something to talk about for a day. Sean McVay of the Rams was the other missing coach.- – -EDGE MYLES GARRETT is risking the loss of One Million Dollars. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: Browns defensive end and single-season sack leader Myles Garrett has skipped the start of the team’s offseason program. That puts him on track to lose $1 million in 2026 compensation. Garrett’s contract, a copy of which PFT has reviewed, includes a $1 million workout bonus for 2026. And while the payment is fully guaranteed, it still must be earned. To earn it, Garrett must participate in 84.375 percent of the offseason workout sessions, participate in all minicamps, participate in all OTA days, and timely report to training camp. Yes, he’s still making $40 million per year, on average, under his new contract. If he doesn’t satisfy the 84.375-percent minimum for the first two phases of the program and show up for all minicamps and OTA days, $1 million of his 2026 base compensation will be gone. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| JACKSONVILLEThe Jaguars will be content to go through the draft without a first round pick. Nick Shook of NFL.com: Fresh off a 13-4 season that is powering an optimism factory in Jacksonville, the Jaguars are entering a new world in April that isn’t all that unfamiliar to those in charge. For the first time in franchise history, Jacksonville doesn’t own a first-round pick in an upcoming draft. Coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone — products of the Rams, an organization that has freely swapped first-round picks for proven assets in recent years — aren’t bothered by this reality. “We’ve waited a lot longer before,” Coen said of his past spent in Los Angeles. “It was fun. We were having a blast. We were hanging out at a beach house [during the 2022 draft].” Gladstone added: “There is no doubt about it, we have waited longer. There is no doubt. 104 was our first pick. So, we at least get to cut that in half a little bit. What do we go, two weeks, one day from now until our pick — for now — you’re always going to stay agile. You’re never bored. You’re always thinking through what might we be able to do? I think that mental gymnastics certainly is an engaging element regardless of where your first pick point is.” The Jaguars sent their first-round selection to the Cleveland Browns during the 2025 draft in order to trade up and select Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, an aggressive swing taken with a transformative future in mind. Hunter fell short of that mark as a rookie before his season ended prematurely due to injury, but with the former No. 2 pick on the recovery road — he’ll be limited in offseason activities, per Gladstone — the Jaguars don’t have any regrets. They’re comfortable with feeling out the draft from the sideline. Their time spent with Rams GM Les Snead and coach Sean McVay has prepared them well. “No, we do scenarios,” Gladstone said when asked if the Jaguars still produce mock drafts without a first-round pick. “We walk through, hey, if this pot of players is there, which one do we feel most comfortable targeting knowing that at our next pick point or our next few pick points, these are the players that we feel like may be in scope. How do we feel about the combination of these different players together, and so on and so forth. “We’re working through that a little bit. Obviously on draft night, there’s no telling. All it takes is one team to take a player that you want and you’re moving onto the next that you were eyeing up. And that may alter what you do at the pick point behind it and the pick point behind that, so we’re trying to chop through that as best we can.” Such an approach can be perceived as passive, especially after the Jaguars largely stood pat during free agency. But there’s value in expressing belief in an existing roster and retaining the core contributors, and it seems to be the foundation of Jacksonville’s approach as the club ventures into its second season under the direction of Gladstone and Coen. As the Jaguars see it, they like what they have. They’re excited to add when their time arrives during the draft. Unlike last season, a big swing isn’t necessary to build on what was a remarkable turnaround in 2025. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| 5 TEAMS THAT IMPROVEDBefore we get to the draft, Conor Orr of SI.com tabs five teams that improved during free agency. Four of them were teams that were already pretty good last year: Examining which teams have improved the most already this offseason is valuable, not only in terms of tempering one’s own excitement about free agency but also in looking at what we really find important. Around the league, coaches are talking about Mike Vrabel’s approach a year ago and, generous schedule be damned, believe that there was some headway to be made before the draft by finding the right veterans. Here, I’ve tried to find the right mix of Vrabel-like teams, outright spenders and pinpoint scheme fits, all of which can combine into a tapestry of different potential free-agency success stories. Let’s jump into it while I cue up some Joe Fagnano tape… 5. Houston TexansThis reminds me of a Bengals-esque offensive line rebuild on the fly, albeit without a centerpiece blockbuster investment. Still, bringing in Braden Smith and Wyatt Teller is a more than adequate stopgap while the team continues its emotional and literal overhaul of the offensive line. The Texans were 30th in pass-block win rate and dead last in run-block win rate last season, which made it nearly impossible to get the Texans’ new offensive system off the ground. Houston was moving away from the Shanahan-lite system run by previous offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik into a more multiple system run by the Patriots- and Rams-inspired Nick Caley. Despite the heft of that transition, it’s fair to point out that Caley didn’t have much in the way of a backup plan for Joe Mixon at running back, and the best remaining player on that offensive line (Tytus Howard) was traded this offseason. Enter running back David Montgomery, plus Smith, Teller and Evan Brown, who will come in as competition and depth at multiple positions. If I had to give the Texans a particular superlative, I would say that out of any team on this list, Houston made the largest impact while spending the least amount of money. I don’t value this necessarily—since the advent of Moneyball we’ve become too obsessed and complimentary of general managers attaining value in the absence of an owner’s willingness to spend, which feels like the whole point of being a billionaire owner of a football team—but after bringing in Reed Blankenship, it’s hard not to get Patriots vibes from this Texans’ offseason. He’s one of those signings that takes DeMeco Ryans’s and Matt Burke’s defense and adds another layer of subterfuge, plus the baseline ability to play just about anywhere in the secondary, limit YAC on checkdown throws and keep the lid on a defense. 4. Los Angeles RamsRams defensive coordinator Chris Shula did an incredible job last year in hiding an undermanned secondary as best he could. But, in games like the thrilling walk-off field goal block loss to the Eagles, it was clear that, in a bind, opponents would lean on the holes in Emmanuel Forbes’s game and body him with a bigger wide receiver (or some other version of the same mismatch principle). While improvement is difficult when the team was probably one poorly managed clock performance away from the Super Bowl (and, let’s be honest, a Super Bowl victory), the Rams were emboldened to extend the Matthew Stafford window for one more season and sacrifice both draft and financial capital to rebuild the cornerback room. Jaylen Watson is an elite run defender and his play style just screams big game cornerback, which feels like a platitude until you watch him rip the ball away from an elite wide receiver. Next to Trent McDuffie, who is also an excellent run defender and a versatile blitzer, the Rams will have a whole golf bag full of options for opponents next year—enough that I would venture to say this iteration of the Rams would have beaten Seattle in the NFC championship game last season. Given what the Seahawks lost and what the Rams added, I think it’s fair to now put the Rams into the conversation as the best team in the NFL. The Rams were a top-10 run defense but “struggled”—again, in air quotes given that this was still a top-11 unit against the pass despite a pretty undermanned secondary—more against teams uncorking the football. Four of the Rams’ five worst defensive performances last year were against elite-schemed passing offenses, and two of those teams (Seattle and San Francisco) are twice-a-year opponents. Again, this is about going from a graduate degree to a doctorate, which was the directive for Les Snead this offseason. It’s safe to say the mission was accomplished. 3. Denver Broncos No one attempted more passes last year than Bo Nix. But, Nix’s completed air yards per attempt (and completion) were among the lowest in the league. Nix sat below Bryce Young, Cam Ward, Joe Flacco and Tua Tagovailoa, just ahead of Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins. It’s no surprise, then, that Denver had one of the lowest explosive-play rates in the NFL at 5.3%—a number distressingly identical to the blown-up Cardinals. Denver is in a tinkering phase offensively and, while we will never discuss the totality of how much the Broncos were bailed out by DC Vance Joseph and an excellent slate of pass rushers last year, because of Sean Payton’s looming reputation and the general laziness of those who simply associate a Payton team with offensive dominance, Jaylen Waddle is the kind of player who can push Denver into another tier offensively. There were 12 quarterbacks last year who had more than 100 true play-action snaps. Seven of those quarterbacks—Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, Trevor Lawrence, Sam Darnold, Dak Prescott, Josh Allen and Drake Maye—finished in some combination of the Pro Bowl, All-Pro or MVP balloting. Nix did not. Along that same line, RJ Harvey and J.K. Dobbins each faced an eight-man box more than 30% of the time—both among the five highest rates in the NFL. Similar to Mike Evans on the 49ers, but in a far different context, Waddle gives Denver a field-altering wide receiver that will benefit the running game nearly as much as Nix and the downfield passing game. There is an argument to be made that, outside of the Raiders signing Tyler Linderbaum, Waddle is the single biggest upgrade specific to a team and its needs this offseason, and, unlike Evans, Waddle is far younger and will have a few more years of efficacy ahead to grow with Nix. Alex Singleton, while not an “addition” is another critical re-signing. I think we are severely underplaying the market value of on-field defensive coordinators. Nearly all of the best defenses are self-called to a degree—just ask Brian Flores’s players in Minnesota or the Seahawks (I wrote a little bit about that after the Super Bowl as well). Joseph is installing the parameters and setting the guardrails, but it is players like Singleton who can recognize how to utilize the advantages in real time. 2. San Francisco 49ersWe have to operate under the assumption that what the team is attempting might work. We can be cynical and dismiss the improvements made across free agency, espousing the importance of draft and development, but with a mediocre draft class on tap that may ultimately lack a game-changing player, the 49ers made what I consider the most important move in free agency by signing Mike Evans. Evans, as I noted in a stand-alone column about the acquisition, was signed to reverse the fortunes of Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey handled a 413-touch regular season while facing the heaviest boxes in the NFL. McCaffrey’s near 30% eight-man box rate was bested only by backs like Saquon Barkley, Quinshon Judkins and Kareem Hunt—ballcarriers whose offensive systems were either compromised by a quarterback injury or some fatal flaw in the scheme. If Evans is remotely effective after turning 33, he stands a chance of removing that eighth defender from the box and freeing up McCaffrey. It’s both an obvious investment in the remaining years of a versatile running back and bolstering the skills of a red zone offense that was already one of the best in the NFL at converting red zone trips to touchdowns. Osa Odighizuwa was in the top 10 in the NFL last year in both pass-rush win rate and run-stop win rate among defensive tackles. This is a marked improvement over what San Francisco was depending on with its interior rotation a year ago. Inside the locker room, I’ve heard Odighizuwa is one of the great clubhouse presences in the NFL and on the field, he is a machine at generating pressures. While Dallas may not have liked his undersized nature, Odighizuwa has a next-level get-off, which he uses to get deep in the backfield and make up for a lack of heft. In an ears-back, all-gas defense like San Francisco’s, he’ll fit right at home. 1. Las Vegas RaidersThere is a difference between falling for a series of major signings and recognizing that some of those major signings will immediately take the Raiders to a place of competence they were not able to display a year ago with the aid of additional factors. One: This Raiders offensive coaching structure is not a mismatched set of ideals, as it was last season between Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly. Klint Kubiak is an experienced coach with a family history at the position, who happened to hire one of his closest friends and longtime associates as offensive coordinator (Andrew Janocko). It’s safe to assume those two will be on the same page more than a marriage arranged by a fly-by-night minority owner learning as he goes. Two: Vegas has the Saints, Browns, Jets, Titans and Dolphins all sprinkled throughout its schedule, with some of its tougher out-of-division opponents like the Rams and Bills at home. So when we’re talking about the most improved rosters, we have to speak about it in the context of how much better the team got in addition to the fertileness of its schedule, coaching staff and division. The Raiders are not a playoff team but, assuming that Kirk Cousins is running the offense while Fernando Mendoza learns to play under center, it’s not hard to imagine this team being competitive enough to win outright or keep pace with the lower rung of its schedule. Tyler Linderbaum is a game-changer at center and has the athleticism to run point in Kubiak’s offense. Mendoza, while not experienced under center, has the athleticism to run a boot-heavy scheme (though we can fairly ask questions about what that will look like with Cousins under center). The defense, after adding two quality edge players and linebackers, plus retaining Maxx Crosby (for now) will improve upon a unit that wasn’t actually as bad as you might have imagined given the talent level on the field. Largely because of Crosby, the Raiders had a better down-by-down success rate against the run than the Vikings, Browns, Patriots and 49ers in 2025. All of this to say that the Raiders, according to MGM, are sitting at a projected 5.5 win total. Last year’s Pythagorean win-loss projection for the Raiders was 3.4 wins. It’s not a stretch to be curious about the over on 5.5 (assuming Cousins starts some games at the beginning of the season) and that says a lot about the work done by GM John Spytek so far this winter and spring. |
| DOJ ON THE CASEWith games on something like 10 different entities, fans are unhappy that they have to pay extra to watch 13% of the 272 games. The Hollywood Reporter’s Alex Weprin writes that the Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the NFL’s expanding focus on streaming. The Trump administration appears to be launching a full-throated investigation into the most valuable programming in all of television: Games from the National Football League. Earlier this year the Federal Communications Commission opened a public notice review into the sports broadcasting marketplace, sparked by concerns that more and more sports are leaving broadcast TV and putting their games exclusively on streaming platforms. And Thursday The Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Justice is investigating the NFL over whether it is engaged in anticompetitive tactics related to its broadcast deals. The FCC and DOJ investigations could have real-world implications for the league and its media partners, which include companies with broadcast networks like Paramount, Fox and NBCUniversal, and partners like Amazon, Disney and Netflix, which have largely used live sports as a subscription driver (Disney does put some games on ABC, while Fox, Paramount and NBC simulcast games on their streaming services). “The NFL’s media distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry,” an NFL spokesperson tells The Hollywood Reporter. “With over 87% of our games on free, broadcast television, including 100% of games in the markets of the competing teams, the NFL has for decades put our fans front and center in how we distribute our content. The 2025 season was our most viewed since 1989 and reflects the strength of the NFL distribution model and its wide availability to all fans.” The NFL is currently renegotiating its TV deal with Paramount (taking advantage of a change-in-control clause connected to the sale to Skydance), seeking a significant rights fee increase. That deal is seen as a bellwether, which could set the bar for negotiations with other media partners in the coming months. But left unsaid in the government investigations is that not every media partner would face an equal impact. Paramount and Fox, which hold the Sunday afternoon windows and broadcast more games on local stations than any other partner, could benefit from the outcome of any investigation or interpretation of the Sports Broadcasting Act, which provides a limited antitrust exemption to the league. Companies like Amazon, Netflix and Disney may face new pressure given their subscription focus, though as the NFL notes, all of its games, even those on streaming, still air on local stations in the markets of its teams. Fox and Paramount, of course, are perceived as having leadership that is friendlier to the administration, in contrast with the tech companies and Disney. And Fox has also made its thoughts known in a little-noticed filing with the FCC. “As leagues place more content on less-regulated, paid streaming platforms, however, and as customer costs increase, both the legal basis and public-policy rationale behind this antitrust exemption are appropriate to examine,” Fox wrote in the filing, connecting the future of live sports on broadcast TV to the future of local news writ large. “Local TV should not share local newspapers’ fate,” Fox added. “As the Commission continues its advocacy in this area, it should consider how critical live sports are to ensuring that TV stations keep the best local journalists on the beat.” And the NFL, many analysts agree, is existential to companies like Fox and Paramount, given the importance of the programming to their TV lineups, their advertising revenue, and their streaming ambitions, which are focused on consumers that don’t have pay-TV subscriptions. But more significantly, pure-play media companies don’t have the economic firepower of the big tech giants. Given the NFL’s notoriously limited supply of games, and its willingness to carve out new windows to maximize its revenues, that may be the sticking point in the talks, and the government investigations. “Streaming services, dominated by less regulated Big Tech, increasingly compete head-to-head with broadcasters for the right to air professional sports games,” Fox wrote in its FCC filing. “In other words, there is increased demand for a fixed supply—with the new market entrants being some of the world’s most profitable companies. Broadcasters are forced to pay more for the rights to games, or they are cut off entirely from essential programming that sustains live local news and helps broadcasters continue to meet their public interest obligations.” But the big loser may be Hollywood. As THR previously reported, if and when the NFL does renegotiate its media deals, the result will be fewer dollars flowing to the entertainment business, in favor of more flowing into the league’s coffers. Bank of America analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich wrote Feb. 25 that the renegotiations are “potentially ominous for traditional media’s long-term trajectory,” as “premium sports become a larger cost, while the legacy monetization base continues to structurally weaken and streaming has yet to prove that it can fill the gap of lost linear economics.” “At least you know your economics with sports, you can make a decision as to whether they’re good economics, but you know what you’re getting,” added a veteran media executive. “Do I have to do Game of Thrones? Do I have to do The Crown? The answer is, ‘Yeah, I may do a Crown, but I may not do something else.’ The aggregate will be less scripted and I think fewer high-end series made.” Would you rather pay, say $500, for all the NFL games in one place than $400 for them scattered to the wind where you have to set up subscriptions for numerous different services? The Athletic senses Utah Senator Mike Lee ® has a hand in this: News of the Justice Department investigation was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which cited “unnamed people familiar with the situation” and said the scope of the investigation was not immediately clear. NBC News also reported the existence of the investigation citing an unnamed source. CBS News cited an unnamed government official who said the probe was about affordability and fair competition among providers. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah — Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights — submitted a letter to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission in early March requesting a review of antitrust exemptions the NFL is afforded. In his letter, Lee asked the agencies to examine the Sports Broadcasting Act from 1961, and Lee argued the NFL’s modern distribution model “differs substantially from the conditions that precipitated this exemption.” In response to the news of Thursday’s investigation, Lee reiterated those sentiments on X and wrote: “I’m glad they’re tackling this.” The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. Amazon executives have openly discussed putting the Super Bowl on its streaming service Prime in a future year. Jay Marine, Amazon’s head of Prime Video U.S., global sports & advertising, told The Athletic he believes that will happen in “the fullness of time.” The NFL is in the midst of renegotiating its current media contracts, which could open the door for one of its current partners or a new partner to pick up more rights. Mike Florio lays out what may be going on: The move comes at a time when both the FCC and Congress have made plenty of noise about the viability of the antitrust exemption as the NFL moves more games from free, over-the-air networks to streaming platforms. And it’s possibly no coincidence that the Wall Street Journal got the scoop. It’s ultimately owned by Rupert Murdoch, who also owns Fox. Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an editorial that openly questions whether the NFL still “deserves” the antitrust exemption. Without it, the NFL would have a major problem. The TV rights would be sold by each team. Some teams would make a lot. Others wouldn’t. The salary-cap system could implode. The league could potentially fracture. The entire effort could be nothing more than a political power play by Fox to get the NFL to back off in its effort to try to get more money from its various broadcast partners in the remaining years of contracts that can be terminated after the 2029 season. (The ESPN deal can be scrapped by the league after 2030.) The process has already begun. Many believe CBS will soon agree to pay dramatically more than the $2.1 billion per year it previously agreed to pay. Then, as the thinking goes, the NFL will move on to Fox. Last month, John Ourand of Puck raised the question of whether the networks will refuse to pay more for the remaining four years of the current contracts. If that’s the play, what happens next? If the networks are willing to draw a line in the sand at the risk of eventually losing their NFL deals, where will the NFL go? The antitrust exemption makes that a thornier question for the league. And it makes it critical for all parties to find a way for the NFL to declare victory and retreat. |
| 2026 DRAFTAlbert Breer of SI.com offers three underrated draft prospects (for what it’s worth, we really like Indiana WR OMAR COOPER, Jr. as well): Any draft prospects that teams seem really high on that fans haven’t quite caught on to yet? Logan, I’ll give you a few … • Teams I’ve talked to really, really like Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr., who’s tough as nails, clean character-wise and has the versatility to play inside and outside. Best known for the otherworldly catch he made to beat Penn State, he might be better than any receiver in the draft after the catch, and I think some teams have him right there with the best wideouts in the entire class. • More teams than I thought actually prefer Akheem Mesidor to fellow Miami edge Rueben Bain Jr., which both reflects what a good prospect Mesidor is and also illustrates how Bain’s lack of length affects his evaluation in the view of some (but not all) scouts. The problem is Mesidor just turned 25 and has an injury history. But he’s a really, really good player. • Arizona State OT Max Iheanachor has helped himself through the process. He’s a heck of a story—an AAU hoops star and Nigerian immigrant who was convinced to give football a shot in junior college, based on his size and athleticism, before becoming a Sun Devil. There’s a ton of room for Iheanachor to grow, and he could become someone’s long-term left tackle, if they have the infrastructure to develop him the right way. Teams are most certainly intrigued. So that’s three. And we’ll have more in the coming weeks. Odds are, here is how the top of the draft will go in two weeks. Ben Fawkes ofYahooSports.com: There have been some wild rides in the betting market in regard to the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, including in 2022 when Aidan Hutchinson was a large favorite, only to be overtaken by Travon Walker on the odds board shortly before the draft. The Jaguars indeed took Walker No. 1 overall. This year, there isn’t much doubt at No. 1. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza has been expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft by the Las Vegas Raiders for months, and it would be an absolute shock if anyone else’s name was called as the top selection on Thursday, April 23, in Pittsburgh. The NFL Draft is less of a betting event for casual bettors, but markets do exist on a lot of picks — and BetMGM has odds on every pick in the top 10. Be sure to check out all of Yahoo Sports’ NFL mock drafts as well. Here is a mock draft of the top 10 selections, based on choosing the current betting favorite at each slot: 1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana (-10000)The Raiders just signed Kirk Cousins, so they have an option for a veteran to start if they want Mendoza to sit. But this pick has been decided for a while. New head coach Klint Kubiak is hopeful he drafts his franchise QB here at No. 1. 2. New York Jets: Arvell Reese, Edge/LB, Ohio State (-175)The Jets added several veteran defensive pieces in free agency (T’Vondre Sweat, Demario Davis, Minkah Fizpatrick, Kingsley Enagbare, etc.) but certainly can use an infusion of talent on the defensive line. New York was 31st in sacks last season. It seems like this pick will be either Reese or David Bailey, and the betting market heavily favors Reese at the moment. 3. Arizona Cardinals: David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech (+225)The Cardinals need pass rushers to slow down the loaded offenses in the NFC West and currently lack enough elite ones to do just that. Bailey (14.5 sacks to lead FBS last year) is a disruptive force off the edge. These odds have shifted over the past few days and Reese (+200) is actually the favorite to go No. 3 as well. Miami (FL) offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa (+500) has the third-best odds. 4. Tennessee Titans: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame (+145)The Titans added WR Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency, but this season is all about seeing QB Cam Ward’s progression with more offensive playmakers. Love — clearly the best RB in the draft — would certainly help make Tennessee’s offense more dynamic. There are plenty of value questions about taking a RB at No. 4, but Love may be too good for the Titans to pass on. Bailey has the second-best odds at +300. 5. New York Giants: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State (+190)There are a bunch of different ways the Giants can go with the first pick in new head coach John Harbaugh’s first draft, but the dynamic Ohio State linebacker is the current betting favorite. Ohio State safety Caleb Downs (+375) and Love (+380) have the next-best odds, well ahead of any other player here. 6. Cleveland Browns: Carnell Tate, WR Ohio State (+170)The Browns had to completely overhaul their offensive line this offseason, but they could still use more help. They also need more receiving help outside of Jerry Jeudy for whomever is starting at QB. Tate is the current favorite to be picked sixth, with Georgia OT Monroe Freeling (+350) behind him. 7. Washington Commanders: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU (+500)This is where it gets interesting. Love (+210) is the betting favorite for the Commanders at No. 7 as well, followed by Styles (+450) and Tate (+475). It’s possible Love falls all the way to No. 7, but for the purposes of a mock draft, we have to select the player with the best odds who hasn’t been taken yet, and that is LSU’s Delane — the top-ranked CB on the board. Washington’s defense has added pieces on every level this offseason in free agency, but could use more help on the back end. 8. New Orleans Saints: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami (FL) (+350)Bain Jr., the terrific pass rusher from Miami (FL), is the betting favorite to be taken at No. 8, with Tate (+375) right behind him. Even though his arms measured shorter than scouts would like at the combine, Bain Jr. is a consensus top-10 player in this draft. 9. Kansas City Chiefs: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee (+650)This is a premium pick for the Chiefs — their first top-10 pick since 2017 — a team used to drafting late in Round 1. And the odds reflect the uncertainty of how the board may play out, and what Kansas may do. Bain Jr. (+400) is the favorite at BetMGM, followed by Delane (+450) and McCoy at +650. Francis Mauigoa (+700), Spencer Fano (+750) and Tate (+800) also have similar odds. Seven players have odds better than 10-1 to go No. 9. 10. Cincinnati Bengals: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State (+310)The do-it-all safety from Ohio State is the favorite here, but Cincinnati likely would take a defensive player that fell, be it Bain Jr. (+550) or Delane (+550). McCoy also has +550 odds. The Bengals need a lot of help on defense. |
