Tag: NFL News

Happy week ahead, Multiversers; we are back with a Monday morning edition of the Morning After Huddle. As we anxiously await for SDCC (stick with us: we’ve got you covered), the NFL sprints towards NFL preseason in just a couple of weeks. That, coupled with Madden 23’s nearing release date, and guess what? It’s beginning to look a lot like football. Let’s see what we got for you this morning, starting in New England with a second year QB who is in a terrible situation.

• Mac Jones had a very good first half of 2021 and then an awful second half, culminating in a playoff game where he and the Patriots were systematically routed. Bill Belicheck had to hide his rookie QB in many games down the stretch and, now with no notable addition at WR and the departure of Josh McDaniels, this young QB will be asked to do so much more. In order to do that, it seems Mac Jones switched up his diet. No more big Macs at 3 AM for the former Crimson Tide QB, as Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston shared Jones’s anecdote about how he improved his diet this off-season. Now, if only his GM had chosen to improve his wide receiver room.
• Speaking of wide receivers, Justin Jefferson set social media ablaze when he said that he will be the best wide receiver in the NFL by the end of this upcoming season. Jefferson has been the most productive young WR this side of Randy Moss in NFL history, eclipsing even the impressive marks of one Odell Beckham, Jr. As he nears a big-time contract and has taken over the number one WR role in Minnesota, it will be interesting to see if his claim pans out. Defenses will be looking to make other guys in the Vikings passing attack beat them.
• On the topic of big claims and defenses, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson believes that the New Orleans Saints will have the best defense in the NFL. The word “dominate” was thrown around by CGJ to on Good Morning Football, and with the additions to the back end with Marcus Maybe and the Honey Badger, there’s a good chance he’s right. The Saints defense was top 5 statistically in almost all defensive categories, and if they get Michael Thomas back to where he was then that can only help a Saints defense that really has ridiculous talent at all three levels. They’ll be somewhat tested in that division with Tom Brady and Marcus Mariota in an Arthur Smith offense, but not as tested when you remember they get to play Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield. The Honey Badger, proof that you can always go home, is probably salivating at those two matchups.
• Lastly, on the topic of going home: Bobby Wagner’s career in Seattle ended this off-season, and he wasted no time signing with the Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams. Wagner is a California native and, while we never know what role that plays in decisions, he said that it actually was one of the reasons he chose the Rams. Now, I buy it, but I also can’t help but wonder how much of this was that he also gets to play versus the Seahawks twice in one year, and he gets to compete for a Super Bowl.

“Embiggen”, he whispers, when it’s time to get a capital letter to kick off the Morning After Huddle for the squad. We have a jam-packed article to get through, and there’s no time to waste, word to Zach Wilson’s mom’s best friend. Let’s start this out with another young QB finally getting some help.

• The Chicago Bears traded a 2024 7th round pick to the New England Patriots for former first round pick N’Keal Harry. This marks the first real investment at WR the Bears have made since drafting Justin Fields. Bill Belicheck can’t draft, as evidenced by his drafting of Harry, and now gets another pick to blow. Harry, meanwhile, probably rises to the second spot on the Bears depth chart and will get alot of targets if he’s healthy.
• Speaking of first round QBs, we now have two quarterback competitions where a former first round pick is competing, as Field Yates reported that Sam Darnold will compete with Baker Mayfield and Mitch Trubisky will compete with Kenny The Jet Pickett. This really should be Sam Darnold’s last hurrah, as he’s never been good, really, whereas Baker has some good tape on record. Meanwhile, Trubisky led the Bears to multiple winning seasons and a division title, and now gets to try his hand at being Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement. It is the final countdown for someone in Pittsburgh and Carolina.
• There is no QB competition in Kansas City, but there is real concern that Patrick Mahomes won’t have his blindside protected. With the Friday deadline looming for franchise-tagged players, Orlando Brown still doesn’t have a new deal. Remember, Brown was traded from Baltimore to Kansas City because he wanted to play LT and get paid LT-money and, now, a year later he did the former but not the latter. It is going to be curious what the Chiefs do with such a viral part of this offense that is currently in transition.
• Lastly, we end with Brown’s former team, as the Baltimore Ravens have brought back EDGE Justin Houston. The Ravens now look set at defense and, with every starter returning off injury it seems, are poised to make me look good for my Super Bowl prediction. And right in time for the 20 year anniversary of the Wire! Here’s hoping nobody is taking notes on a criminal conspiracy.

While my partner-in-prose Megatron burns Vegas to the ground, I am manning the MAH Morano for the Multiverse crew. We have some news to share, and there’s some stuff that will excite some of you, irritate some of you, and bore some of you. This is basically the Love and Thunder of the football season, so you at least know I will enjoy the heck out of this. Let’s bring this back like Mjolnir, word to Jane Foster.

• The Pittsburgh Steelers announced that the stadium formerly known as Heinz Field will now be known as Acrisure Stadium. Steelers fans were not happy with the name change, with one Twitter user saying “I hope they know we are still calling it Heinz”, to which another user said “imagine being loyal to ketchup.” As the Rooney Family embarks on the post-Roethlisberger era, stadium name changes are really what the fanbase needs!
• Speaking of post-Hall of Fame QB eras, a report came out last weekend that said the Bucs had discussed pursuing 49ers QB Jimmy Garrapolo to be the heir apparent (once more) to Tom Brady. Well, yesterday, Garrapolo’s agent spoke to Tom Pelissero, who denied the report. In his conversation with Pelissero, Don Yee reiterated that the I-would-imagine-soon-to-be-former 49ers QB is rehabbing nicely from offseason shoulder surgery, and that he expects to be ready for the upcoming season. Pelissero went on to say that he believes Garrapolo is traded before the end of the month.
• Staying with guys who may be on the move, we turn to Bengals S Jessie Bates. The uber-talented safety is looking to be paid like the top safety he is, with most reports saying he’s looking for something in the $18M a year vicinity. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, this doesn’t seem like it’s headed towards an amicable resolution, as both parties don’t believe a deal will be reached. With the July 15th deadline looking, the Bengals could be in a position where they don’t have one of the key cogs for a team that was just in the Super Bowl. Could they look to trade the safety?
• Ending with the franchise tag this morning, Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki has also not made progress towards a new deal. However, unlike Bates, it seems he will play on the franchise tag, according to the aforementioned Garafolo. Gesicki figures to be a vital part of this Dolphins passing attack, and could breakout in a big way in Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s offense. Of course, he has a QB with the arm strength of a toddler, so maybe it’s all a moot point!

Welcome to your Weekend Edition of the The Morning After Huddle. There is tragic news out of the league this morning.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Sadly, Former Seahawks CB and co-special teams captain Jimmy Williams has passed away at 43. News broke late Friday evening that Williams was battling some sort of illness. In recent years, Williams had been coaching in his hometown of Boston as an assistant football coach and teacher at Episcopal High School.
• Unfortunately, Former Oilers player Ira Valentine has also passed away. Texas A&M announced that Valentine died of a heart attack, on Wednesday, at the age of 59. He was a 12th round selection by the Oilers and played 1 season in the NFL.
• Finally, Your Key Signings RoundUp:
  • The Cowboys will sign LB Christian Sam and kicker Lirim Hajrullahu to the team. Sam was drafted in 2018 by the Patriots, but most recently played for the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL. Hajrullahu Is signing to compete with rookie free agent Jonathan Garibay for the kicker job.

Thanks for joining the Huddle today. Connect with us on Monday for more news you need to know.

ICYMI: Friday – July 8, 2022 Edition

Welcome to your Thursday edition of The Morning After Huddle, bringing you all things NFL. Baker Mayfield will have to film his Progressive commercials somewhere else because he’s been traded.

Here’s what you need to know:

• The marriage between Baker Mayfield and the Browns is over. The Browns fawned over (cheated with) Deshaun Watson, knowing they had Baker at home, and it’s been downhill ever since. However, Mayfield now has a new home in Carolina. The Panthers acquired Mayfield for a 2024 conditional 5th-round draft pick and managed to get the Browns to split his 2022 salary. That should make for an interesting reunion when the Browns come to Charlotte Week 1. Another spicy nugget: The Panthers are insisting that Sam Darnold won’t be traded.
• The Raiders will announce a new Team President today. Raiders brass fired former President Dan Ventrelle in May without explanation, leading many around the league to believe something was happening behind the scenes. The new hire will be the third Team President in less than a year.
• Finally, your Key Signings Roundup:
  • The Atlanta Falcons will pick up Bears DL Eddie Goldman. Goldman is the sixth former Bear to sign with the club this off-season.

Thanks for breaking down the huddle with us today! Catch us on Football Friday for all things NFL you want to know.

ICYMI: Wednesday – July 6, 2022 Edition

Welcome to Wednesday, teammates! The Morning After Huddle is bringing you all things NFL. Buying the Seahawks will cost you a mere $3.5 billion and if you have the time to wait, the price is worth it.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Rumors are running wild about the Seahawks being sold. However, Seahawks chair Jody Allen says don’t hold your breath. The team is apparently not for sale, but…could be in the future. Jody explains, “estates of this size and complexity can take 10 to 20 years to wind down. There is no pre-ordained timeline by which the team must be sold.” Save your pennies, folks.
• Former NFL player Demaryius Thomas’ family says the last year of his life was full of twists and turns, including increasingly erratic behavior, paranoia, and memory loss. The story gets a bit more muddied as Thomas was posthumously diagnosed with stage 2 CTE, but exactly how he passed away remains to be seen. Doctors suspect that Demaryius most likely died of suffocation after a seizure. As previously reported, Demaryius had a number of seizures since 2019.

A fairly quick huddle today, but we appreciate you stopping by to break down all things NFL with us. Join us tomorrow for your Thursday news and more topics you want to know.

ICYMI: Monday – Tuesday, July 5, 2022 Edition

Welcome to your Tuesday edition of The Morning After Huddle where the jokes are made up and the points don’t matter anyway! If you caught that joke, you are my kind of person. We knew OBJ was a special talent, but apparently, the guy is a cyborg.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Odell Beckham Jr., revealed via Twitter, that he played the back half of last season with a torn ACL. If you remember, Beckham went down in the Super Bowl and never returned. We assumed that it was his ACL, but perhaps it was a knee. The answer is yet to be revealed, but I’m thoroughly impressed that the man put up 25 catches, over 300 yards, and 2 TD’s in the postseason on a bum knee. That, folks, is a cyborg.
• Longtime ESPN NFL reporter Hank Goldberg has passed away. Goldberg’s family reported that he passed away yesterday on his 82nd birthday. Goldberg was .500 or better in 15 of 17 NFL seasons while predicting games at ESPN. He made appearances on NFL Countdown and ESPN Radio and contributed to the network’s thoroughbred racing coverage.
• With Training Camps on the horizon, Bleacher Report is taking a look at players at every position who will blossom this season. Gary Davenport details his predictions including Trey Lance, J.K. Dobbins and more.

Thanks for breaking down the Huddle with us today! We’ll see you tomorrow for more news you want to know!

ICYMI: Saturday – July 2, 2022 Edition

Happy Tuesday, teammates! Welcome to your favorite news source for all things NFL. This is The Morning After Huddle! So many stories, so little time. Let’s hop into it.

Here’s what you need to know:

• I’m convinced that athletes wake up and say, “what can I do today that’s completely out of my league?”. That answer is apparently (and continues to be) boxing. Adrian Peterson wants to get in the ring with Le’Veon Bell and the two have scheduled an event for July 30 at Crypto.com Arena. 
• Today in As Deshaun Watson Turns, the Texans are being sued. The lawsuit says that the Texans knew about his behavior in massage therapy sessions and should’ve done something about it…like not enable him at all. (Shocking, I know.) A few weeks back, Jenny Vrentas did some fabulous reporting and noted many of the details listed.
• Next, the first Black starting quarterback in the American Football League, Marlin Briscoe, passed away from pneumonia complications at the age of 76. Briscoe was a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Miami Dolphins.
• Last, but not least, your Key Signings Roundup:
  • Luuuuuuke Kuechly is back with the Panthers, joining their radio broadcast team. He’ll be on board for 7 games.

Thanks for breaking down the Huddle with us today! Join us tomorrow for your Wednesday NFL headlines and more news you need to know.

ICYMI: Monday – June 27, 2022 Edition

It’s a brand new week and time for a brand new Morning After Huddle. Welcome to your Monday edition of all things NFL! As Deshaun Watson Turns is back with an update.

Here’s what you need to know:

• As you know, Deshaun Watson is facing potential discipline from the NFL and tomorrow he will begin his hearing with officer Sue Robinson. It’s expected that the NFL will argue for an indefinite suspension of at least a year. Right now, there is no timeline for when a ruling is expected.
• Switching to the NFC North, Bears LB Matthew Adams was arrested over the weekend. Adams is charged with misdemeanor illegal gun possession and possessing a high-capacity magazine and metal-piercing bullets.
• Finally, free agent DE Carl Nassib is announcing a partnership with The Trevor Project, who provided crisis support to LGBTQ+ youth. Nassib is agreeing to match donations up to $100,000.

That is it for today! You know the drill. Join us for your Tuesday edition of the Morning After Huddle.

ICYMI: Saturday -June 25, 2022 Edition