The Daily Briefing Tuesday, May 16, 2023
THE DAILY BRIEFINGNFC NORTH
CHICAGO
BEARS SCHEDULE THOUGHTS The four NFC North teams are treated pretty equally in the DB’s SCHEDULE EXPOSURE RANKINGS – all ranking between 10th and 16th. And that seems pretty good for a Bears team that was lousy enough to get the first overall pick and then traded it away…Sure they are a historic, big market team, but they have a QB not everyone believes in, an unproven coach, a roster that is somewhat strengthened but without any obvious imports (like Aaron Rodgers to the Jets) from last year’s 3-14…Yet still the Bears are featured in two of FOX’s first two America’s Game of the Week windows…Then they get four primetime games by the end of November…So they have a big window game in six of the first 17 weeks. We would have thought comparable teams would be the Rams (a Super Bowl champ two years ago with the same quarterback – but only two big windows) or Washington (two windows) or Tampa Bay (two windows)…They have to be regarded as a team the NFL sees something in that is not immediately apparent…Other items of note – they have only one home game in six weekends between October 22 and December 10…Then three home games in December, but they finish on the road…The Bears open and close the season with Green Bay, with 16 weeks in between…But there is only two weeks between division meetings with Detroit…Eight games scheduled so far on FOX, three on CBS.
WK 1 Sun, Sep 10 Green Bay 4:25 PM FOX 2 Sun, Sep 17 @ Tampa Bay 1:00 PM FOX 3 Sun, Sep 24 @ Kansas City 4:25 PM FOX 4 Sun, Oct 1 Denver 1:00 PM CBS 5 Thu, Oct 5 @ Washington 8:15 PM PRIME 6 Sun, Oct 15 Minnesota 1:00 PM FOX 7 Sun, Oct 22 Las Vegas 1:00 PM FOX 8 Sun, Oct 29 @ LA Chargers 8:20 PM NBC 9 Sun, Nov 5 @ New Orleans 1:00 PM CBS 10 Thu, Nov 9 Carolina 8:15 PM PRIME 11 Sun, Nov 19 @ Detroit 1:00 PM FOX 12 Mon, Nov 27 @ Minnesota 8:15 PM ESPN 13 BYE 14 Sun, Dec 10 Detroit 1:00 PM FOX 15 Dec 16 -17 @ Cleveland TBD 16 Sun, Dec 24 Arizona 4:25 PM FOX 17 Sun, Dec 31 Atlanta 1:00 PM CBS 18 Sun, Jan 7 @ Green Bay TBD
DETROIT
LIONS SCHEDULE THOUGHTS Detroit was kind of a surprise winner of the right to open the season in Kansas City – but they were 9-8 last year…They get a total of four primetime games, plus Thanksgiving…But, unlike the Bears, they do not play once at 4:25 on either network…They and the Vikings become the first divisional rivals never to meet in the first 15 weeks of the season, getting an odd lineup in Weeks 16 and 18….Before the home finale with Minny, they are on the road for four of the five weeks after Thanksgiving….10 games scheduled on FOX, just one on CBS…They will be the key team for FOX early window late in the year, with four early division games (counting Thanksgiving) in a six-week span.
WK 1 Thu, Sep 7 @ Kansas City 8:20 PM NBC 2 Sun, Sep 17 Seattle 1:00 PM FOX 3 Sun, Sep 24 Atlanta 1:00 PM FOX 4 Thu, Sep 28 @ Green Bay 8:15 PM PRIME 5 Sun, Oct 8 Carolina 1:00 PM FOX 6 Sun, Oct 15 @ Tampa Bay 1:00 PM FOX 7 Sun, Oct 22 @ Baltimore 1:00 PM FOX 8 Mon, Oct 30 Las Vegas 8:15 PM ESPN 9 BYE 10 Sun, Nov 12 @ LA Chargers 4:05 PM CBS 11 Sun, Nov 19 Chicago 1:00 PM FOX 12 Thu, Nov 23 Green Bay 12:30 PM FOX 13 Sun, Dec 3 @ New Orleans 1:00 PM FOX 14 Sun, Dec 10 @ Chicago 1:00 PM FOX 15 Dec 16-17 Denver TBD 16 Sun, Dec 24 @ Minnesota 1:00 PM FOX 17 Sat, Dec 30 @ Dallas 8:15 PM ESPN/ABC 18 Sun, Jan 7 Minnesota TBD
GREEN BAY
PACKERS SCHEDULE THOUGHTS No Aaron Rodgers, but the Packers do not get hit as hard as the Jets were boosted…The Packers are one of 10 teams with 5+ primetime games, plus the opening FOX 4:25 biggie…With an odd Thursday-Monday-BYE-Sunday run in Weeks 4-7, they play 1 game in a 23-day span after hosting Detroit on September 28…Is Green Bay-Detroit the first divisional series where both games are played on Thursday?…As discussed with the Bears, there is a 16-week gap between meetings with Chicago…They host both LA teams at Lambeau in a three-game run in November…9 games scheduled on FOX, two on CBS.
WK 1 Sun, Sep 10 @ Chicago 4:25 PM FOX 2 Sun, Sep 17 @ Atlanta 1:00 PM FOX 3 Sun, Sep 24 New Orleans 1:00 PM FOX 4 Thu, Sep 28 Detroit 8:15 PM PRIME 5 Mon, Oct 9 @ Las Vegas 8:15 PM ESPN 6 BYE 7 Sun, Oct 22 @ Denver 4:25 PM CBS 8 Sun, Oct 29 Minnesota 1:00 PM FOX 9 Sun, Nov 5 LA Rams 1:00 PM FOX 10 Sun, Nov 12 @ Pittsburgh 1:00 PM CBS 11 Sun, Nov 19 LA Chargers 1:00 PM FOX 12 Thu, Nov 23 @ Detroit 12:30 PM FOX 13 Sun, Dec 3 Kansas City 8:20 PM NBC 14 Mon, Dec 11 @ NY Giants 8:15 PM ESPN 15 Sun, Dec 17 Tampa Bay 1:00 PM FOX 16 Sun, Dec 24 @ Carolina 1:00 PM FOX 17 Sun, Dec 31 @ Minnesota 8:20 PM NBC 18 Sun, Jan 7 Chicago TBD
MINNESOTA
VIKINGS SCHEDULE THOUGHTS Five primetime games, but they only participate once in a 4:25 game (on CBS against KC in Week 4)…Home-away alternation for the first eight weeks…As mentioned with the Lions, they done play Detroit for the first time until Christmas Eve…Eight games scheduled on FOX, two on CBS…The Vikings host Monday Night games in the 17 possible weeks…Back to back primetime games around Thanksgiving…Minnesota at Denver in Week 11 seems a little soft by NBC’s standards (we see Seahawks-Rams or Steelers-Browns as possible Flex targets for underserved teams).
WK 1 Sun, Sep 10 Tampa Bay 1:00 PM CBS 2 Thu, Sep 14 @ Philadelphia 8:15 PM PRIME 3 Sun, Sep 24 LA Chargers 1:00 PM FOX 4 Sun, Oct 1 @ Carolina 1:00 PM FOX 5 Sun, Oct 8 Kansas City 4:25 PM CBS 6 Sun, Oct 15 @ Chicago 1:00 PM FOX 7 Mon, Oct 23 San Francisco 8:15 PM ESPN 8 Sun, Oct 29 @ Green Bay 1:00 PM FOX 9 Sun, Nov 5 @ Atlanta 1:00 PM FOX 10 Sun, Nov 12 New Orleans 1:00 PM FOX 11 Sun, Nov 19 @ Denver 8:20 PM NBC 12 Mon, Nov 27 Chicago 8:15 PM ESPN 13 BYE 14 Sun, Dec 10 @ Las Vegas 4:05 PM FOX 15 Dec 16-17 @ Cincinnati TBD 16 Sun, Dec 24 Detroit 1:00 PM FOX 17 Sun, Dec 31 Green Bay 8:20 PM NBC 18 Sun, Jan 7 @ Detroit TBD
NFC EAST
DALLAS There are 8 billion possibilities for the next Cowboys kicker. Nick Eatman ofDallasCowboys.com:
A lot of positions are starting to become rather clear as the Cowboys begin the offseason.
Kicker, however, is not. The Cowboys still need one, as only unproven Tristan Vizcaino is on the roster, and owner/GM Jerry Jones has said it himself that he expects the team to go with a veteran, at least for competition.
On Saturday, wrapping up the Cowboys rookie minicamp, special teams coordinator John Fassel didn’t sugarcoat the situation, stating the team is looking at all options at this point.
“We have Tristan on the roster. Anybody else on earth who is not on the team right now, is under consideration,” Fassel said. “That’s everyone really. I think we have a lot of different guys that we’re still looking at – XFL, USFL, veterans on the street, younger guys who still haven’t found their way.”
Of course, adding a veteran kicker with NFL experience is probably the easiest route.
“It’s probably the easier way (to go) because you know what you’re going to get,” Fassel said. “If you’re going to bring them in, you have to be excited about what it is. There’s veterans on the street right now – let’s face it, there’s Mason (Crosby), there’s Robbie (Gould), there’s (Ryan) Succup. There’s a lot of guys that have performed in the NFL, and you weigh that against everything else. There’s really no secrets of who’s available. The good thing for us at the kicker spot is just being patient and deciding who that second guy is we’re going to bring in, whether it’s now or training camp.”
And Fassel didn’t even rule out the possibility of bringing back Brett Maher, who had a good regular season before missing four extra points in the playoff win over the Bucs.
“I think everything is on the table,” Fassel said. “Let’s face it, if you look at Brett, he had a great year. He had a bad game. But he played 22 game, but he had a bad game-and-a-half. I think everyone’s on the table. I’m proud of what Brett did here. If he gets a shot here or somewhere else, I’m sure he’ll perform well.” – – – COWBOYS SCHEDULE THOUGHTS If you live in say North Dakota or Maine and don’t have “the package” – just the networks and basic cable, you are likely to be able to watch at least 13 Cowboys games this year (at the same time, you might not be able to watch the other Texas team a single time)…The Cowboys have 6 straight primetime games, a Thanksgiving contest that doesn’t count a primetime and six appearances in the 4:25 doubleheader slot…The non-national games – well Week 18 with the Commanders could be a big one, we don’t know year…We aren’t counting Week 3 at Arizona as one of the 13 because we think Bears at Chiefs at the same time will go further, but maybe we shouldn’t count the Cowboys out…Rams at Cowboys at 1 in Week 8 will battle Vikings-Packers for the biggest slice of the country while Week 11 at Carolina at 1 will cut a big swath across the South and West (although the Packers, Bears, Lions, LA Chargers and NY Giants are also in that window)…As to the mechanics of the schedule, 4 of the first 6 are on the road (the last two weeks in California) and 3 of the last 4…That leaves a stretch in the middle of 5 of 7 at home – and with the bye week only two road trips between October 16 and December 17…With a three-game homestand starting with the Commanders on Thanksgiving, Dallas goes a month between road trips…The big games with the Eagles are both late middle (Weeks 9 and 14)…8 games on FOX, 2 on CBS, 2 on NBC, 2 on ESPN.
WK 1 Sun, Sep 10 @ NY Giants 8:20 PM NBC 2 Sun, Sep 17 NY Jets 4:25 PM CBS 3 Sun, Sep 24 @ Arizona 4:25 PM FOX 4 Sun, Oct 1 New England 4:25 PM FOX 5 Sun, Oct 8 @ San Francisco 8:20 PM NBC 6 Mon, Oct 16 @ LA Chargers 8:15 PM ESPN 7 BYE 8 Sun, Oct 29 LA Rams 1:00 PM FOX 9 Sun, Nov 5 @ Philadelphia 4:25 PM FOX 10 Sun, Nov 12 NY Giants 4:25 PM FOX 11 Sun, Nov 19 @ Carolina 1:00 PM FOX 12 Thu, Nov 23 Washington 4:30 PM CBS 13 Thu, Nov 30 Seattle 8:15 PM PRIME 14 Sun, Dec 10 Philadelphia 8:20 PM NBC 15 Sun, Dec 17 @ Buffalo 4:25 PM FOX 16 Sun, Dec 24 @ Miami 4:25 PM FOX 17 Sat, Dec 30 Detroit 8:15 PM ESPN 18 Sun, Jan 7 @ Washington TBD
If the Giants and Cowboys meeting on the first Sunday night of the season seems familiar, it’s because it is. Richard Paolinelli of Inside The Star:
For the fourth straight year the Cowboys will not open their season with a nice Sunday afternoon game like three-quarters of the league get to do. For the third time in those four seasons, they will be playing on Sunday night.
The Cowboys will travel to Met Life Stadium in New Jersey to take on their NFC East rivals, the New York Giants. It will be the fifth time the two teams have met in the Sunday night contest on opening week since the NFL began playing games on Sunday night. If there is one consolation, the Cowboys have won all four of the previous meetings.
Which is why it’s a good thing they drew the Giants, instead of their Week 2 opponents, the New York Jets. Because the Cowboys are 0-4 in opening weekend Sunday night games when the opponent isn’t the Giants.
There’s only reason why they haven’t opened four straight years with a Sunday night game. That’s because the NFL decided to have them open on a Thursday night last year instead. The Cowboys lost that game to the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-29.
And the last time Dallas won a Sunday night opener was in 2017 against the Giants, a 19-3 victory. Since then they have lost two Sunday night openers in a row.
The NFL began playing games on Sunday night back in 2006 and scheduled the Cowboys to play the Giants to kick off the season on Sunday night in 2007. In what was the only Sunday Night Football regular season game ever played at Texas Stadium, the Cowboys downed the Giants 45-35 in a shootout.
Dallas’ next appearance in the Sunday night opener was in 2010, a 13-7 loss to the Redskins in Donovan McNabb’s debut in Washington. The very next year the Cowboys headed to New Jersey to play the Jets on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and lost 27-24.
Opening the season on Sunday Night hasn’t worked out so well for Dallas in this decade, however. In 2020 the NFL sent the Cowboys out to Inglewood, California to christen the brand new SoFi Stadium. They left the Los Angeles Rams a house warming gift, a 20-17 loss.
Last year’s season-opener on Sunday Night was a debacle in more ways than one. Not only did Dallas drop a 19-3 loss against the visiting Bucs, but they also lost starting quarterback Dak Prescott for the next five games with a thumb injury. That injury almost certainly played a role in Prescott’s high interception numbers.
The Cowboys will come into the September 10th game against the Giants with a 4-4 record in season opening Sunday Night contests to go with their 1-1 record in the season-opening kickoff games.
Overall, since 2006, the Cowboys are 27-25 in regular season games played on Sunday Night. During a stretch that ran from 2010-2012, the Cowboys lost eight straight Sunday night games. Their last loss on a Sunday night came last October, a 26-17 defeat at the hands of the Eagles in Cooper Rush’s last start of the year.
Between 2007-2009 the Cowboys won seven straight Sunday night games. The last Sunday night game Dallas played was last December, a 54-19 thrashing of the visiting Indianapolis Colts.
The Cowboys and Giants have played each other 12 times on Sunday Night football, with the Cowboys holding an 8-4 record in those games. It is the second most frequent matchup between teams on Sunday night. The most frequent is the Cowboys and Eagles, who have evenly split 16 contests.
NEW YORK GIANTS
GIANTS SCHEDULE THOUGHTS The Giants have 4 primetime games in the first 6 weeks, then only 1 in the next 11 (plus a 4:30 game in Philly on Christmas Day) – a pretty good haul after last season’s playoff run…4 of the first 6 are on the road (and 7 of the first 11)…The 9 Giants road games come in four clusters with a 3-game road swing in November and not a single one-game road jaunt…Presumably the Giants will stay in Arizona after Week 2 with the Cardinals before going up to San Francisco for Week 3 Thursday (normally you don’t get coast to coast games on the short week)…9 games on FOX (only 2 in the first 8, then 7 of 8)…The NFL doesn’t seem convinced of their season-long prowess, so if they are strong again that is good for FOX late in the year…We were stunned to see the first Packers-Lions meeting on December 24, but Giants-Eagles tops that by a day…Including a playoff game, there will be at least five Giants-Eagles games in 2022-23 – and the earliest was December 11 (Week 14 in 2022)…The teams were not scheduled before Thanksgiving in 2021 either.
WK 1 Sun, Sep 10 Dallas 8:20 PM NBC 2 Sun, Sep 17 @ Arizona 4:05 PM FOX 3 Thu, Sep 21 @ San Francisco 8:15 PM PRIME 4 Mon, Oct 2 Seattle 8:15 PM ESPN 5 Sun, Oct 8 @ Miami 1:00 PM FOX 6 Sun, Oct 15 @ Buffalo 8:20 PM NBC 7 Sun, Oct 22 Washington 1:00 PM CBS 8 Sun, Oct 29 vs NY Jets 1:00 PM CBS 9 Sun, Nov 5 @ Las Vegas 4:25 PM FOX 10 Sun, Nov 12 @ Dallas 4:25 PM FOX 11 Sun, Nov 19 @ Washington 1:00 PM FOX 12 Sun, Nov 26 New England 1:00 PM FOX 13 BYE 14 Mon, Dec 11 Green Bay 8:15 PM ESPN 15 Sun, Dec 17 @ New Orleans 1:00 PM FOX 16 Mon, Dec 25 @ Philadelphia 4:30 PM FOX 17 Sun, Dec 31 LA Rams 1:00 PM FOX 18 Sun, Jan 7 Philadelphia TBD
PHILADELPHIA A shocking revelation from Taylor Swift. Tory Barron of ESPN.com:
On Friday night, during the first show of her sold-out, three-show concert series at Lincoln Financial Field in South Philadelphia, Swift seized the opportunity to end rampant speculation surrounding a hotly debated topic.
If you’re thinking this is the part where we reveal whether the pop star is romantically linked to Matty Healy, the lead singer of The 1975, you came to the wrong place. No, rather, Swift opted to shed some light on who exactly she was referring to in her 2020 song “gold rush.”
The lyric in question, “with my Eagles T-shirt hanging from the door,” has had fans uncertain whether the West Reading, Pennsylvania, native was talking about the legendary band or the football team.
Unfortunately for the “team band” crowd, the “team football team” contingency proved to be in the right.
“Guys, like, c’mon. I’m from Philly,” Swift said much to the delight of the crowd. “Of course it’s the team.”
True fans will recall the 33-year-old has worn a custom Eagles jersey in the past. Luckily for the Philadelphia faithful, they won’t have to put in a special order as the Eagles traded for running back D’Andre Swift during the 2023 NFL draft.
EAGLES SCHEDULE THOUGHTS Last year’s NFC champs and the favorite to repeat in 2023, the Eagles get 5 primetime games, a Christmas Day game and 6 late doubleheader games (4 on FOX, 2 on CBS)…The opening run of games is a little soft, with the Jets or Dolphins the toughest of the first eight (including both division games with Washington)…But Arizona stands out as the only lesser contest in the final 9 (how about at KC, BUFF, SF in a 3-week run between the 2 Dallas games)…We could see a 7-1 start and a 5-4 finish for 12-5…9 games on FOX, 2 on CBS.
WK 1 Sun, Sep 10 @ New England 4:25 PM CBS 2 Thu, Sep 14 Minnesota 8:15 PM PRIME 3 Mon, Sep 25 @ Tampa Bay 7:15 PM ESPN 4 Sun, Oct 1 Washington 1:00 PM FOX 5 Sun, Oct 8 @ LA Rams 4:05 PM FOX 6 Sun, Oct 15 @ NY Jets 4:25 PM FOX 7 Sun, Oct 22 Miami 8:20 PM NBC 8 Sun, Oct 29 @ Washington 1:00 PM FOX 9 Sun, Nov 5 Dallas 4:25 PM FOX 10 BYE 11 Mon, Nov 20 @ Kansas City 8:15 PM ESPN 12 Sun, Nov 26 Buffalo 4:25 PM CBS 13 Sun, Dec 3 San Francisco 4:25 PM FOX 14 Sun, Dec 10 @ Dallas 8:20 PM NBC 15 Sun, Dec 17 @ Seattle 4:25 PM FOX 16 Mon, Dec 25 NY Giants 4:30 PM FOX 17 Sun, Dec 31 Arizona 1:00 PM FOX 18 Sun, Jan 7 @ NY Giants TBD
WASHINGTON Early indications are that the Commanders struck gold with their first round pick. Albert Breer:
One rookie who has immediately turned heads—Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes.
The 16th pick in April’s draft came out flying in rookie minicamp—with a pick on the first day that reminded one Washington coach of Trevon Diggs—in how instinctively and aggressively Forbes went after the ball. And I sussed that comparison out after the coach’s initial reaction to the rookie’s weekend was simply, “Forbes is really f—ing good.”
Of course, the tape on the former Mississippi State star was spectacular. No one debates his reel was one of the best in the draft. His frame is the problem. And to be fair, in a noncontact minicamp setting, the sturdiness of that 6-foot, 166-pound body wasn’t going to be tested. So we’ll see, come summer and fall, how he answers those questions. But so far, so good. – – – COMMANDERS SCHEDULE THOUGHTS Washington has one primetime game – on Amazon Thrusday while hosting Chicago…This year, they host the Bears in October (Week 5) on Amazon, after going to Chicago in October (Week 6) for an Amazon game last year…They also surface for Thanksgiving at Dallas after also visiting the Cowboys on Turkey Day in 2020 and 2018…Divisionally, the Eagles are done by Week 8, the Giants games are in the middle and the first Cowboys game is that Week 12 Thanksgiving game…With a run of 4 of 5 on the road, Washington only has one home game between October 5 and November 19…The Commanders show up quite a big on CBS – 7 times to be exact (including Thanksgiving) compared to 8 on FOX.
WK 1 Sun, Sep 10 Arizona 1:00 PM FOX 2 Sun, Sep 17 @ Denver 4:25 PM CBS 3 Sun, Sep 24 Buffalo 1:00 PM CBS 4 Sun, Oct 1 @ Philadelphia 1:00 PM FOX 5 Thu, Oct 5 Chicago 8:15 PM PRIME 6 Sun, Oct 15 @ Atlanta 1:00 PM CBS 7 Sun, Oct 22 @ NY Giants 1:00 PM CBS 8 Sun, Oct 29 Philadelphia 1:00 PM FOX 9 Sun, Nov 5 @ New England 1:00 PM FOX 10 Sun, Nov 12 @ Seattle 4:25 PM FOX 11 Sun, Nov 19 NY Giants 1:00 PM FOX 12 Thu, Nov 23 @ Dallas 4:30 PM CBS 13 Sun, Dec 3 Miami 1:00 PM FOX 14 BYE 15 Sun, Dec 17 @ LA Rams 4:05 PM CBS 16 Sun, Dec 24 @ NY Jets 1:00 PM CBS 17 Sun, Dec 31 San Francisco 1:00 PM FOX 18 Sun, Jan 7 Dallas TBD
NFC SOUTH
CAROLINA Albert Breer of SI.com on the timetable for QB BRYCE YOUNG:
Panthers coach Frank Reich revealed his plan for the spring over the week—and that plan is to have Andy Dalton running with the starters, at least to begin with—through OTAs and put No. 1 pick Bryce Young behind Dalton with the second team.
To some, it may seem like an unnecessary exercise. After all, five of 13 quarterbacks taken in the first round over the past four years have started Week 1, and 12 of the 13 were starting before the midway point of their respective rookie years. And the last three quarterbacks to go No. 1 (Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray) were essentially anointed starters from the minute they reported to their NFL teams, and didn’t seem worse off for it.
So why, if you’re Reich, delay the inevitable? In most cases such as this, it’d be to make sure a rookie earns, and is ready for what’s ahead. But I’m told that’s not really it here—there’s a far more functional reason Carolina is holding off on making Young the immediate starter.
I’m told the staff is trying to make sure the operation as a whole, in Reich’s first year, is running at an optimal level. Most of the Panthers veterans have been in-house for five weeks already, as the coaches try to keep pushing that level higher, with two weeks of on-field work under their belts as part of that. The rookies, including Young, are behind that pace. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, the top pick in the 2023 NFL draft, will have to earn the starting job during offseason workouts.
Young will need to progress throughout the summer to earn the starting QB job in Carolina.
Reich, for obvious reasons, doesn’t want to slow the pace to accommodate any rookie he thinks has to progress. Which is to say now it’ll be up to Young to catch up to older teammates. When he does, the coaches will start transitioning and getting him more work with the guys he’ll be playing with in the fall (presuming he does, sooner or later, he will become the starter).
NEW ORLEANS As his 13th season approaches, it looks like DE CAM JORDAN will get to be a Saint for even longer. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:
Saints defensive end Cam Jordan is in the final year of his contract, but he isn’t looking to go anywhere but New Orleans.
Jordan’s agent Doug Hendrickson told Brett Martel of the Associated Press that he has had conversations with the team about a contract extension. Hendrickson said that Jordan is looking for at least a two-year deal and that he hopes to get something done before training camp starts this summer.
Should a deal get done, Jordan suggested it will be the last one he signs as an NFL player.
“If we get a deal done, that’ll be probably the final years of my career here,” Jordan said. “Whatever happens, happens. In terms of how we play, how we want to attack offenses, that’s what I’m here for.”
Jordan was a first-round pick in 2011 and he’s spent his entire 12-year career with the Saints. He is second in franchise history with 115.5 sacks and an extension to his time with the team would help his chances of passing Rickey Jackson for the top spot.
NFC WEST
ARIZONA The Cardinals pulled no punches in their response to the law suit of former exec Terry McDonough. His attorneys noted the windfall E. Jean Carroll received from a New York jury for Donald Trump’s response to her rape charge – and have tacked on more complaints. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:
After former Cardinals executive Terry McDonough filed an arbitration claim against the team, the team responded with a howitzer of personal attacks that, as we opined at the time, was unbecoming to the team and the league. Those comments have now become part of an expanded case against the Cardinals.
Via Tisha Thompson of ESPN.com, McDonough has amended his arbitration claim against the Cardinals, arguing that the organization’s response to McDonough’s original claim amounts to defamation and invasion of privacy.
The arbitration claim is being handed by Jeffrey Mishkin, who was given the assignment by the league.
“We are aware of the amended complaint and remain confident in our position,” the Cardinals said in a statement, per Thompson. “We are precluded from commenting further based on an existing confidentiality order that binds all parties.”
That’s a new development, one that could have avoided this specific aspect of the situation if it had been in place sooner. Both McDonough and the Cardinals had plenty to say about the situation in the early days of the case. Mishkin has since activated the “secret” part of the “secret, rigged kangaroo court,” the term we use to refer to an arbitration process that one of the parties to the process controls.
McDonough’s amended filing calls the team’s attacks on him “untrue and reprehensible.”
McDonough likely could have made these new claims in a civil lawsuit against the Cardinals, since the behavior happened after he was fired and likely falls well beyond the scope of the claims that can be forced into arbitration. Ir’s somewhat surprising that he didn’t.
It’s not surprising that McDonough’s new filing explains that he intends to file a civil lawsuit against Jim McCarthy, the external P.R. advisor who actually issued the allegedly defamatory statements, and his company, CounterPoint Strategies.
AFC WEST
KANSAS CITY Jerry Thornton of Barstool Sports has no use for Jackson Mahomes, brother of Patrick Mahomes, who faces a sexual assault complaint in Kansas (some strong language)
It’s stating the obvious to say that Jackson Mahomes is a creep. The living embodiment of the worst of our vapid, self-possessed, smug, attention-whoring, egomanical narcissist population, utterly lacking in self awareness. He’s Tik Tok made flesh. The patron saint of glomming on to a talented sibling. A wannabe influencer, despite doing nothing that can remotely be called influential.
But still. As much as I loathe him and everything he stands for, I for one was surprised he was a sexual assaulter.
So yesterday news broke that Barstool’s favorite son, Jackson Mahomes, was being accused of assault of a Kansas City restaurant owner, Aspen Vaughn, the mother of a friend of his, and one of her staff…
And this one time I’ll skip all the legal qualifiers like “accused of” and “allegedly,” since the replay is conclusive and confirms the call on the field. I mean, how can you see any ambiguity in that? Another side to the story? Is his lawyer supposed to argue he thought the victim was choking, so he gave her the Heimlich and CPR? That’s a piece of evidence you try to get thrown out with a Motion to Surpress, and once that fails, you strike the best deal you can with the prosecutor.
But now we’ve got more details. And while the assault allegations are everything you thought they were and more, Mahomes’ general level of douchebaggery on the night in question sound even worse than was assumed:
Source – On Monday, Johnson County District Judge Thomas Sunderland ordered the release of a redacted copy of the police affidavit, which states Jackson “grabbed [Aspen Vaughn] by the throat, forcing her head back and kissed her and put his tongue in her mouth” three times without her consent and then told her not to tell anyone, according to a separate report from the Kansas City Star.
Vaughn, 40, who is the owner of the Aspens Restaurant and Lounge … told police that Jackson told her he needed to speak with her in the office, located in the lower level of the restaurant — and that he closed the door once they were inside.
“He then grabbed her by the throat, forcing her head back and kissed her and put his tongue in her mouth,” the affidavit states — alleging that Jackson repeated the act two more times seconds apart. …
When Jackson left the office, Vaughn showed two servers — whom she claimed did not hear her when she called out for help — her neck, which had fresh signs of injury, according to the affidavit.
Both employees confirmed that account to police. …
At one point, Jackson returned to the office trying to explain “what he could do for her business,” according to the affidavit, which noted Jackson has a large social media following.
Jackson was reportedly angry when he and his group of friends were eventually told to leave the restaurant.
Additionally in the redacted affidavit, the waiter, who chose not to be identified, spoke with police on the night of the incident and said he had gone to the office on the lower level of the restaurant to retrieve his water bottle.
The waiter entered the code and was barely through the door when Jackson allegedly pushed his chest and told him not to come in, according to the affidavit — which states the waiter then told Jackson he was an employee and needed his water bottle.
That’s when Jackson allegedly pushed the waiter a second time and told him to get out.
Jackson later attempted to apologize, but told the waiter that he should not have to tell him twice to leave a room and that if he’s in a room in the restaurant, it is off limits.
Let’s not get lost in the weeds here, because without question, the sexual assault and battery is the undisputed lede of this story. But it’s also the tip of the unrepentant f——- iceberg that is Jackson Mahomes. His asshattery runs much deeper, and that is not the least bit surprising.
When they’re not forcibly cramming their tongue in someone’s mouth against their expressed wishes and leaving proof of their violence on the victim’s neck, it is right out of the Garbage Famous Person’s playbook to treat service workers like shit, threaten a small business, and demand special treatment. Seriously, is there a faster shorthand for expressing your worthlessness as a human than saying this to someone, unironically?:
No decent person worthy of respect has ever uttered those words, or anything like them. And if there something worse you can say to a working person, it’s some variation of “I shouldn’t have to tell you twice” or “If I’m in a room in YOUR restaurant, it’s off limits.” My hair hurts just imagining him saying this to some overworked, underpaid servers hustling tips to pay their bills. While this little twat is hopping PJs to the Super Bowl from a private box while his infinitely more talented and likeable brother actually accomplishes things.
The video of the assault on Aspen Vaughn is more than enough to convict. I just hope prosecutors find some way to also convict him of a criminal charge of being fucking awful. And he’s sentenced to hard time of waiting tables in the prison mess hall. Because of that, Jackson Mahomes is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
AFC NORTH
CINCINNATI QB JOE BURROW sounds like a man who is close to a deal. Myles Simmons ofESPN.com:
While Jalen Hurts was the first quarterback from the 2020 draft class to receive a contract extension, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow likely won’t be far behind.
Cincinnati picked up Burrow’s fifth-year option — a move that was more of a formality than anything else given the quarterback’s performance over his first three seasons. But in a statement announcing the move, the team also noted that it was working with Burrow and his representation to secure the quarterback’s “long-term future as a Bengal.”
Burrow was asked about a potential contract extension during his first press conference of the offseason on Tuesday.
“I’m involved. That’s in the works,” Burrow said. “That’s not really something that I like to play out in the media. That’s something — just the way, I think, they want to do business, I want to do business, we prefer to keep that between us.”
Burrow added that there are a lot of different ways the contract can work out. But he also made it seem as if the organization should know by now exactly what he wants.
“I’m pretty clear on what I want in the contract and what I think is best for myself and the team,” Burrow said. “So, we’re on the road to making that happen.”
To that end, there are other players who either are or will soon be in line for an extension. Burrow is fully aware of that and said playing QB can’t be a one-man band.
“It’s definitely — whenever you have guys on the team that need to be paid, that’s always on your mind,” Burrow said. “You want that to be a focal point. So, we’re working to make that happen.
“You’ve got to have good players,” Burrow later added. “It doesn’t matter how good your quarterback is if you don’t have good players around him, you’re not going to be a very good team.”
In the last two years, Burrow has helped the Bengals reach Super Bowl LVI before falling to the Chiefs in January’s AFC Championship Game.
It stands to reason that Burrow and Cincinnati will agree to a new contract sooner than later in the spring or summer.
PITTSBURGH A new deal is pending for Steelers QB MASON RUDOLPH per Brooke Pryor ofESPN.com:
The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to re-sign quarterback Mason Rudolph, league sources told ESPN on Monday.
Rudolph signed a one-year extension that expired after the 2022 season, and the Steelers allowed him to hit free agency in March. Re-signing him allows the Steelers to maintain veteran quarterback depth behind starter Kenny Pickett and keep the quarterback room from the previous season intact, with Mitch Trubisky also under contract for 2023.
Rudolph, 27, has spent the past five seasons in Pittsburgh after being selected in the third round of the 2018 draft. He started eight games in 2019 after Ben Roethlisberger’s season-ending elbow surgery, splitting time with rookie Devlin “Duck” Hodges.
AFC SOUTH
JACKSONVILLE Jaguars CB CHRIS CLAYBROOKS will go uncharged after being arrested in Tennessee in April. Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com:
Jaguars cornerback Chris Claybrooks will not be prosecuted on domestic assault and vandalism charges in Nashville, Tennessee, according to Davidson County court records.
According to the records and Claybrooks’ Nashville attorney, Edward M. Yarbrough, a settlement was reached in the case.
A message was left with a spokesman for the Davidson County District Attorney’s office.
Claybrooks was arrested on April 14 in Nashville and charged with misdemeanor domestic assault with bodily injury and vandalism. According to an affidavit, Claybrooks allegedly grabbed a cellphone from a woman’s hand and damaged the phone by throwing it to the ground.
The woman, who told police she was Claybrooks’ ex-girlfriend, had abrasions and bruises on her hand, per an affidavit. Claybrooks was arrested and released on $2,500 bond.
AFC EAST
BUFFALO Congratulations to CB DEMAR HAMLIN, back from near death to win the 2022 George Halas Award. Reuters:
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been named the winner of the 2023 George Halas Award, the Pro Football Writers of America announced Monday.
The award is given annually to the NFL player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed.
Adversity defined the last days of 2022 and early 2023 for Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest after making a tackle during the Bills’ game at Cincinnati during Week 17. He was resuscitated on the field and transferred to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he initially was treated.
Hamlin has been cleared to play this season, and he told reporters April 18 that he intends to return to football.
“This was a life-changing event, but it’s not the end of my story,” the 25-year-old said. “I plan on making a comeback to the NFL.”
Hamlin becomes the 55th winner of the Halas Award and the second member of the Bills, joining Kevin Everett (2008).
Other 2023 finalists for the award were New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith.
Commanders coach Ron Rivera won the award in 2022 after facing cancer without missing a game.
NEW YORK JETS The Jets admit they didn’t transition QB ZACH WILSON very well, but we’re not talking about the kind of transition most in the news these days. Ciao Miari of The Score (“Ciao Mairi”– pronouns unknown – has six vowels in a nine-letter name):
New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas said he would’ve handled Zach Wilson’s transition to the NFL differently if he had the chance.
“In today’s NFL, when you take a quarterback in the first round … time’s against you,” Douglas recently told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “And you need to see what you have so you can make a decision in that four-year window, three-year window.
“I think going back, it would have been great to have a veteran quarterback like a Joe Flacco that first season. But ultimately, we made the decision to jump in head first with our youth movement. … I think we saw some of the benefits of that last year. But sometimes you don’t take into account the ramifications of playing a young quarterback early in his career. If I had to do everything over again, I would have probably had that veteran presence in the room early for Zach.”
Wilson has failed to live up to expectations since the Jets drafted him second overall in 2021. The BYU product passed for 15 touchdowns against 18 interceptions over his first two seasons in the league while posting an 8-14 record as a starter.
He started 13 games as a rookie, with a knee injury forcing him to miss four games midway through the campaign. Wilson and Mike White were New York’s top two quarterbacks entering that campaign, and the Jets traded for Flacco after Wilson went down six weeks into the season.
Wilson also missed the first three games of the 2022 campaign with a knee ailment. He kept his QB1 status after being cleared to play, but struggles on the field eventually resulted in New York benching him for White. The Jets – owners of a top-five defense last year – started four different quarterbacks in 2022.
New York aggressively addressed its quarterback position this offseason, acquiring four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers via trade with the Green Bay Packers.
“Zach has an unbelievable ceiling, and Zach is wired the right way in terms of his love of the game, his work ethic, his attention to detail,” Douglas said. “And so, this is a great opportunity for him to shadow one of the best passers of all time in Aaron Rodgers and pick up every little thing he can from him and get better every day.”
THIS AND THAT
BROADCAST NEWS There will be 13 NFL postseason games this year.
We usually watch just about every minute of every one. To continue that this season, an expenditure of time, effort and cash will be required.
Joe Reedy of the AP explains:
The NFL is taking another big step into streaming by putting one of its playoff games exclusively on a digital platform for the first time.
The league and NBCUniversal announced Monday that the Saturday night game on wild card weekend will be on Peacock.
The Peacock exclusive game on Jan. 13 would start at 8:15 or 8:30 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on NBC stations in the markets of the two teams. It will also be available on mobile devices through the NFL+ package. It will be preceded by a late afternoon playoff game on NBC and Peacock that will kick off at 4:30 p.m. EST.
Subscription rates for Peacock start at $4.99 per month.
“We had our first season with Amazon (this past year) and I think that with the digital platforms, we’re ready for live sports at scale. And the next step is to step into the postseason,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL executive vice president and chief operating officer of NFL Media. “We like the plan that Peacock and NBC put together. In this case knowing we’re going to have a bigger audience and focused on having the widest reach possible across each platform.”
The league has made forays into streaming games for nearly a decade, but has gone all in over the past couple seasons. Amazon Prime Video became the exclusive home of “Thursday Night Football” last season while ESPN has had one international game per season on ESPN+ since 2021.
Under the NFL’s 11-year contract with NBCUniversal that began this season, Peacock has an exclusive regular-season game. That will be on Dec. 23 when the Buffalo Bills face the Los Angeles Chargers in prime time. The Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers matchup on NBC will precede that.
“We spent a lot of time with the NFL and had productive meetings about the proper positioning of that (Peacock) game,” NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua said last week when the regular-season schedule was released. “We think that’s going to be a great combination of using the power of NBC with that late-afternoon game and driving that audience to Peacock for the regular-season exclusive game.”
The Saturday night wild-card game the past two seasons has drawn over 20 million viewers. Last season’s game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chargers averaged 20.6 million while Buffalo and New England averaged 26.4 million.
Whether Peacock can match or get close to those numbers remains to be seen. Last season’s 15-game Thursday night package on Prime Video averaged 9.58 million according to Nielsen and 11.3 million according to Amazon’s first-party measurement. The most-watched game was the first one between Kansas City and the Chargers. Nielsen had the average at 13 million while Amazon reported 15.3 million.
NBC will have three games during the first weekend of the postseason, marking the first time a network has had that many on a single playoff weekend.
NBC also has the prime-time Sunday game on Jan. 14, while Fox and CBS will have the earlier contests. ESPN has the Monday night game to close the opening weekend on Jan. 15. This will be the third year the NFL has played the wild-card games over three days.
Under the NFL’s contract, each of the four broadcast partners — NBC, CBS, Fox and ESPN/ABC — get at least one wild-card game. Of the two remaining games, one game rotates each year between NBC, CBS and Fox, while the other will likely be up for bid each year. That means Amazon or ESPN+ could eventually be in the running for a future postseason game.
2023 DRAFT Chad Reuter of NFL.com has found 12 3rd day rookies who he thinks could start in 2023:
Most players picked on the third day of the NFL draft (when Rounds 4 through 7 are held) are typically expected to contribute as a reserve and/or on special teams in their rookie season.
Last year, however, 16 of 158 Day 3 selections started eight or more contests in their first year in the league, two more than the 2021 class produced. Braxton Jones (fifth round, Bears) and Jamaree Salyer (sixth, Chargers) were among the offensive linemen answering the bell as rookies, while running backs Isiah Pacheco (seventh, Chiefs) and Dameon Pierce (fourth, Texans) and tight ends Daniel Bellinger (fourth, Giants) and Cade Otton (fourth, Buccaneers) also made names for themselves on offense. Cornerback Tariq Woolen (fifth, Seahawks) and Malcolm Rodriguez (sixth, Lions) were standout first-year defenders despite being picked on Day 3.
A rookie’s talent certainly factors into how quickly they see the field at the next level, but injuries to veterans and the relative strength of their position group also often determine draftees’ playing time. Here are 12 Day 3 picks from the 2023 NFL Draft who could be in line to start immediately, ranked in order of the likelihood they will take advantage of potential opportunities.
1 Clark Phillips III Atlanta Falcons Utah · CB Drafted: Round 4, 113th overall
Phillips was one of the top defenders in college football during his Utah career. His size (5-foot-9, 184 pounds) and average speed (4.51-second 40-yard dash) predictably pushed him into the fourth round, but I expect him to make plays from the slot in training camp and preseason games, reading routes and the eyes of quarterbacks to earn the nod as the starting nickel back.
2 Josh Whyle Tennessee Titans Cincinnati · TE Drafted: Round 5, 147th overall
Whyle should be a regular in the Titans’ two tight end sets in 2023, challenging linebackers and safeties with his bulk and athleticism. If he continues to mature as a route-runner, receiver and blocker, it would be easy to envision Tennessee coaches maximizing his potential early on.
3 Anthony Bradford Seattle Seahawks LSU · G Drafted: Round 4, 108th overall
The Seahawks started two rookie offensive tackles last season and they could start Bradford to replace Gabe Jackson at right guard in 2023. He is a fluid mover in space at 332 pounds and packs a punch, moving defenders off the line of scrimmage. If Bradford does not win the starting job out of camp, I’d expect him to be in the mix for first-string snaps as the season progresses.
4 Nick Hampton Los Angeles Rams Appalachian State · OLB Drafted: Round 5, 161st overall
Three Rams draft picks made this list because the team might need to lean on young talent given its lack of depth at some positions. Hampton fits the bill as a strong-side rush linebacker, holding the line against the run and attacking the quarterback when fellow rookie Byron Young and others force the action his way.
5 Kei’Trel Clark Arizona Cardinals Louisville · CB Drafted: Round 6, 180th overall
The Cardinals have moved 2020 first-round pick Isaiah Simmons around on defense and declined the fifth-year option on his contract. It’s not entirely clear what Simmons’ role will be this season after he spent most of his time at cornerback and linebacker in 2022. Clark could step into the slot immediately, as the young corner is aggressive despite lacking size (5-10, 181).
6 Cameron Young Seattle Seahawks Mississippi State · DT Drafted: Round 4, 123rd overall
Young moved up on my list with Al Woods recently joining the Jets after starting 30 games for Seattle over the past two seasons. Even if the Seahawks sign a different veteran defensive tackle, the rookie could still work his way into the starting lineup during the season. He’ll stand his ground against double teams and shed single blocks to stop inside runs but he can also get down the line a bit to track down plays inside the box.
7 Roschon Johnson Chicago Bears Texas · RB Drafted: Round 4, 115th overall
The Bears signed D’Onta Foreman to a one-year deal in March, but the veteran has started more than three games in a season only once (nine in 2022 with the Panthers). Johnson’s combination of power and strong second-level cuts should earn him carries early in the year, and starts later on.
8 Nick Saldiveri New Orleans Saints Old Dominion · G Drafted: Round 4, 103rd overall
Saints guard Andrus Peat has long struggled to stay healthy and missed 17 games over the past two seasons. The team’s other starting guard, Cesar Ruiz, missed the end of the 2022 season with a foot injury and had the fifth-year option on his contract declined. Saldiveri looked quite capable of playing guard during the week of practices at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, where his size, explosive power and length was on display. I suspect he’ll get the call if either veteran is unable to go.
9 Zach Evans Los Angeles Rams Mississippi · RB Drafted: Round 6, 215th overall
Cam Akers led the Rams in rushing last season, but he missed nearly the entire 2021 season due to injury and decision-makers were fielding trade calls for him last year before Akers and the team appeared to get back on the same page. I viewed Evans as a third-round talent, with the power and speed to be an excellent pro. He’ll earn carries as a rookie and could eventually push Akers for the top job.
10 Scott Matlock Los Angeles Chargers Boise State · DT Drafted: Round 6, 200th overall
I projected the Chargers to select Matlock in advance of the draft because he’s a perfect fit on the defensive line. His power and underrated quickness will earn him a spot on the field, and I expect his snap scout to increase at 5-technique as the season wears on.
11 Puka Nacua Los Angeles Rams BYU · WR Drafted: Round 5, 177th overall
Nacua gets open with physicality and crafty route running. He uses his frame to box out defenders and makes grabbing passes thrown outside his frame look easy. Matthew Stafford will love looking outside to Nacua on third down.
12 Nick Herbig Pittsburgh Steelers Wisconsin · LB Drafted: Round 4, 132nd overall
Three-time All-Pro T.J. Watt missed time with injuries last year, so Herbig’s pass-rush moves and quick get-off might be used to spell Watt even if the veteran stays healthy all season. In addition, Herbig’s football intelligence and toughness should help him win gaps inside if free-agent signees Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts can’t go at some point during the year.
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