National Football League

National Football League

Another NFL season, another massive quarterback question looms for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement in 2022, the lack of stability at the position has become a frustrating tradition for the organization that hasn't won a playoff game in a decade. This time around, there's an extra layer of déjà vu as the Steelers once again await a decision from Aaron Rodgers about his future.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan was enduring one of the lowest and loneliest points of his life -- recovering from three broken vertebrae in his neck that he suffered during a preseason game after a promising rookie season -- when Mike Evans, the Bucs' all-time leading scorer, gave him a much-needed boost. "I think he helped me understand my worth as a receiver, and he was able to teach me that it's OK to make mistakes," McMillan said.

Putting aside the Crosby trade rumors for now, here's a list of expected free agent edge rushers: Trey Hendrickson, Odafe Oweh, Jaelan Phillips, Khalil Mack, K'Lavon Chaisson, Boye Mafe, Joey Bosa and Jadeveon Clowney. The main thing that impresses me is the variety. Oweh, Chaisson and Mafe are speed artists who can create pressure fast. Guys like Mack, Clowney and Kingsley Enagbare (Packers) are all hitters in the running game.

"He just did a phenomenal job," Macdonald said Thursday while sitting next to Fleury inside the team's headquarters. "I think his vision and what he believes in offensively ... was aligned with how we want it to. The principles and philosophy on how he goes about his business and how he coaches and what he wants from our offense, he took it straight out of our culture graphic."

The new head coach of Eureka (Ill.) College finished the football team's laundry earlier in the day. He vacuumed the coaches' offices. The financial-aid office is closed for the weekend, so he didn't constantly deal with players' paperwork, like on most days. So, he sat at a school wrestling match, representing his Division III football program, as he talked. "I don't know anything about wrestling," Dion Jordan said. "I'm still adapting to it all - the small town, the Midwest, the cold."

We always have hopes to make it to the Super Bowl, and if not that, at least make the playoffs, and we didn't get either.

FRISCO, Texas -- Acquired at the trade deadline with the hope of shoring up the linebacker spot, veteran Logan Wilson was waived by the Cowboys on Friday. The move saves the Cowboys $6.5 million in salary cap space. In seven games, Williams was credited with 28 tackles and a forced fumble, but he started just once. Despite the struggles at the position and the defense in general, the Cowboys kept Kenneth Murray Jr. as the starter over Wilson.

Last season, the 29-year-old was one of the worst starting cornerbacks in the league with 27 tackles and one interception in nine games, before suffering a torn left ACL. [Marshon] Lattimore still has one year left on his contract, but there's no guaranteed money, so the Commanders could easily cut him. If he wants to continue playing in the NFL, he would be better off putting his time in Washington behind him.

David Blough might have an already established relationship with Jayden Daniels, but the Washington Commanders' new offensive coordinator is not going to give his quarterback an easy ride. This is all about pushing forward toward a common goal. The scheme will change, and Blough will leave no stone unturned in his quest to maximize the elite traits Daniels has at his disposal.

It's officially the offseason, with franchise tags, the NFL Scouting Combine, free agency and the NFL Draft playing out between now and the end of April. The 49ers are already getting lots of advice on how they should go about the process of remaking their 2026 roster coming off a 12-5 season plus a wild-card playoff win. I'll go the opposite route and suggest what the 49ers shouldn't do, rather than what they should:

For one major transaction between Roseman and Adam Peters, it fell firmly in the Washington Commanders' favor. And they're going to be paying for it even when the player in question isn't even under contract in 2026. It didn't take long to realize that Jahan Dotson wouldn't be part of Washington's plans under the new regime. The wide receiver couldn't firmly establish himself, and he didn't look like a great scheme fit under offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Peters recognized this quickly,

Johnson, 35, missed the final seven regular-season games as well as the Eagles' playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round with a Lisfranc injury. There was uncertainty as to whether he would suit up again in an Eagles uniform, though one prevailing thought inside the building was that he wouldn't want to end his Hall of Fame-worthy career on that note.

Change is coming to every NFL team. There will be moves made in free agency and the draft, of course, but there also will be unexpected trades and player cuts. So far this offseason, there have been rumors about top stars Maxx Crosby, Kyler Murray and A.J. Brown potentially moving on from their franchises. But more shocking moves are likely to come.

At the start of the 2026 offseason, there was (of course) some drama surrounding the NFL, particularly regarding the report cards that the NFLPA has been releasing for all 32 teams over the last few years. For the most part, players didn't give their teams the highest grades, but owners who take their feedback seriously would make the necessary changes to make their franchise a more desirable place for current and future players.

The biggest quarterback decision facing the Indianapolis Colts in 2026 has already been made. The team has concluded that re-signing Daniel Jones and leaning on him as their starting quarterback -- despite the torn Achilles tendon he suffered in early December -- is the best course of action. Additionally, there is growing belief that Riley Leonard has shown enough coming off of his rookie year to be a No. 2 quarterback based on his performance in practice and in his lone start against the Houston Texans in the season finale. All of which brings us to the matter of 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson Sr. and his future -- to the extent he has one in Indianapolis.