National Football League

National Football League

Now begins the process of building the Super Bowl LXI champions through an offseason that will be characterized, in part, by the usual imbalance of available quarterbacks relative to demand. Nearly a third of the NFL could be seeking a new quarterback this offseason, but the 2026 draft is projected to be particularly light at the position, and no stars are looming in free agency.

Will Muschamp is back as defensive coordinator at Texas, where he accelerated his "Coach Boom" reputation and spent 2009 and 2010 as head coach-in-waiting behind Mack Brown. Gary Patterson has not worked at USC before, but his arrival as defensive coordinator -- a role he hasn't held since 2000 -- under a coach he knows well (Lincoln Riley) qualifies as one of the splashiest moves of the winter.

"We tried to draft your ass last year for God's sake," Monken joked as Sanders laughed. "It all worked out."

Petal Kaddu is serious about eliciting high fives from passing fans-and isn't deterred by the steady rain over Wembley Way, between Wembley Park station and the UK's iconic national stadium. Under her poncho she's wearing a half-and-half scarf of the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Los Angeles Rams, today's teams. A Londoner of Guyanese heritage, she's a brand ambassador for the NFL London Games and has brought the energy to every one for the past four years.

When Rivera entered the draft war room in 2023, which would be his last at the helm, he had one prospect on his mind. There was no deviating from the Commanders, even when one of the blue-chip prospects fell into their lap. The head coach was going to take Emmanuel Forbes Jr., and nothing would get in his way. New England saw this coming a mile away. Bill Belichick traded down, safe in the knowledge that he could still get his hands on Christian Gonzalez.

As long as you believe in yourself, anything is possible, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold said after his side defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 to win Super Bowl LX. Six years ago, as a member of the New York Jets, Darnold, facing those very same Patriots on Monday Night Football, uttered the words, I'm seeing ghosts. On Sunday night, he hoisted the Lombardi Trophy as a Seahawk to beat them.

In 1985, Dan Marino arrived at Stanford Stadium as the undisputed future of football. He was the MVP in just his second season, a golden-armed titan who looked like he'd be making annual pilgrimages to the Super Bowl for the next fifteen years. Then he ran into Bill Walsh's West Coast Offense and a 49ers defense that turned his afternoon into a living nightmare. Marino never made it back. Not once. Remind you of anyone?

One key player who is set to be a free agent this offseason is K'Lavon Chaisson, who joined the Patriots on a bargain deal worth just $3 million and had a crazy year in New England. The 20th overall pick in the 2020 draft spent four years in Jacksonville before signing with the Raiders for a year and then the Patriots. His one year in New England was a good one, as he tallied 7.5 sacks and 18 QB hits during the regular season.