NFL News

[LightninBoy]

YouTube rolls out Sunday Ticket, for full-season price as low as $249

Posted by Mike Florio on April 11, 2023, 9:28 AM EDT

YouTube

RedZone can be added for $40 for the full season, making the total price $289 for YouTube TV subscribers, or $389 for non-subscribers, who can purchase Sunday Ticket through YouTube Primetime channels.

Umm ... NO!

[edindetroit]

A 2024 second and a 2023 fifth.

The fifth we got for Okudah?

[Fraquar]

Barring some unknown injury, I'd trade for Devin White in a NY minute.
He just turned 25. He'd be expected to be the heart and soul of the LB core (if not the entire defense) for at least the next 5 years.
This isn't a guy getting ready to turn 30 here.
Crazy thing is he's already been there and done that - and he's just now reaching his prime.

[Tom]

I hope the Lions look into it but from what I read, the Bucs don’t want to move him.

[jaadam4]

Barring some unknown injury, I'd trade for Devin White in a NY minute.
He just turned 25. He'd be expected to be the heart and soul of the LB core (if not the entire defense) for at least the next 5 years.
This isn't a guy getting ready to turn 30 here.
Crazy thing is he's already been there and done that - and he's just now reaching his prime.

Hell yes. That’s the type of player that takes our defense to the next level. That next contract is going to be a big one though

[Futureshock]

Elgton Jenkins: It will be different without Aaron Rodgers, but I feel like we’ll be good

Posted by Michael David Smith on April 12, 2023, 9:42 AM EDT

Getty Images

Packers offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins doesn’t think the impending trade of Aaron Rodgers is going to set the Packers back.

Jenkins said the Packers are confident in Jordan Love and believe that they’ll be a strong team with Love as their quarterback.

“Obviously ’12’ is a Hall of Fame player and [we don’t know] what we’re going to get out of Jordan, but either way it goes, I feel like going forward, we’ll be good,” Jenkins said, via the Wisconsin State Journal. “As long as I can remember, Aaron Rodgers has been the quarterback here. But it’s a new chapter. We’ve got to embrace that and just move forward.”

Jenkins, who has been with the Packers since they drafted him in 2019, acknowledged that losing a first-ballot Hall of Famer changes a team.

“It’s going to be a big change,” Jenkins said. “It’s going to be a big difference. You’ve got a Hall of Fame quarterback that you’ve been playing in front of for the last four years. I’ll say mentally, it’s probably going to be different because he’s been playing the game for so many years. But like I said, I feel like we’ll be good.”

Packers players don’t seem to be quite as eager to move on from Rodgers as the Packers’ front office is, but the players recognize that Rodgers is on the way out, and they seem to be remaining optimistic about their chances of succeeding with Love.

[Futureshock]

Family of Phillip Adams sues South Carolina State over head injuries

Posted by Mike Florio on April 11, 2023, 11:53 PM EDT

Getty Images

Two years ago, former NFL player Phillip Adams shot and killed six people in Rock Hill, South Carolina, before committing suicide as police closed in on him. His family has now sued the college he attended, over the head trauma he allegedly suffered while playing football there.

Via WCNC.com, Alonzo Adams has filed a lawsuit against South Carolina State University for negligence in connection with allegedly failing to properly warn Adams about the dangers of repetitive blows to the head, and for allegedly failing to provide better protection to football players.

The suit contends that Adams developed Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy based on his time playing college football, and that the head trauma resulted in the actions that led to his death.

It was later determined that Phillip Adams had severe CTE in both frontal lobes of his brain. His family had told officials following the incident that Adams had complained of excruciating pain, memory issues, and difficulty sleeping.

He played at South Carolina State from 2006 to 2009. He then spent six years in the NFL.

Adams wouldn’t have been part of the NFL’s CTE class action, since he played after the retirement cutoff for players to be included in the settlement. Although a suit against the NFL would be possible, he played after the NFL’s epiphany regarding brain injuries, followed by steps to make the game safer. Also, it would not be easy for any player who played after the risks of CTE became widely known to prove a failure to properly warn him about the risks.

His career at South Carolina State came just before football had its full awakening, at a time when there was arguably enough information to require pro and college programs to do a much better job of educating and protecting players.

It will nevertheless be a difficult case to prove, with many potential legal hurdles and challenges. Would he have stopped playing college football if he’d known the risks? That’s one of the defenses the NFL surely would have pressed if the class action hadn’t preliminarily settled nearly a decade ago. Also, South Carolina State will surely argue that it’s impossible to know whether the head trauma happened while he played there or in the NFL or in high school.

Ultimately, the Adams estate will have to prove a sufficient connection between the acts and omissions of the school and the incident that resulted in a mass shooting committed by Adams. It’s not impossible, but it will be far more challenging than the more typical wrongful death lawsuit resulting from an automobile accident, for example.

[Futureshock]

Report: Buccaneers have “zero intention” of trading Devin White

Posted by Michael David Smith on April 11, 2023, 5:07 PM EDT

Getty Images

Buccaneers linebacker Devin White asked to be traded. The Bucs do not plan to honor that request.

The Buccaneers have “zero intention” of trading White, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Of course, teams have traded players after claiming they had no intention of doing so. Last year the Seahawks agreed to trade Russell Wilson just days after Pete Carroll said the Seahawks had “no intention” to trade him.

White is heading into the fifth-year option season of his rookie contract, which means he has a guaranteed salary of $11.706 million this season and then becomes an unrestricted free agent in 11 months. Any trade of White would likely involve his new team also agreeing to sign him to a new contract.

[Futureshock]

AARON RODGERSQB, GREEN BAY PACKERS
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports "it doesn't sound like" Aaron Rodgers will be traded to the Jets before the NFL Draft.

"Green Bay seems quite content to wait until after the draft to make a trade," he said. "Both sides seem to be dug in." Jets general manager Joe Douglas said last week that Rodgers is "going to be here" amid rumors that the team will wait until the second day of the NFL Draft to make the move for Rodgers, 39. Rodgers' massive contract has proved difficult to move, and differences in compensation have come to the forefront in recent weeks. Still, the Packers are likely to deal Rodgers to New York sometime before the heat death of the universe.

RELATED:

• Zach Wilson
• , Jordan Love
• , New York Jets

SOURCE: Adam Schefter on Twitter
Apr 12, 2023, 9:25 AM ET

[Futureshock]

NFL, NFLPA approve QB-specific helmet designed to reduce concussions

Posted by Josh Alper on April 13, 2023, 10:58 AM EDT

Getty Images

A helmet designed to reduce the number of concussions suffered by quarterbacks has been approved for use by the NFL and the NFL Players Association.

Vicis designed the helmet to cut down on head injuries suffered when quarterbacks hit their heads on the ground while being tackled during games. The NFL says such hits account for about half of the concussions suffered by quarterbacks.

“We’ve now analyzed with our engineers and with the Players Association more than a 1,000 concussions on field, we have a pretty good database of how these injuries occur,” NFL executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy Jeff Miller said, via Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press. “This helmet performs better in laboratory testing than any helmets we have ever seen for those sorts of impacts.”

The only other position-specific helmet approved for use in the NFL is another Vicis model designed for offensive and defensive linemen.

[Futureshock]

Rumor emerges that Nick Caserio could leave Houston for New England, after the draft

Posted by Mike Florio on April 13, 2023, 9:58 AM EDT

Getty Images

Recently, a theory has emerged regarding the future of G.M. Nick Caserio in Houston. As the theory goes, he might not have one.

John McClain recently wrote an item for Audacy.com regarding the situation. In it, McClain points out that he heard at the league meetings a rumor that Caserio will be leaving the Texans after the draft, and that he’ll be returning to the Patriots.

McClain doesn’t buy it. But he notes that former NFL executive Michael Lombardi has recently said there will be “organizational changes” in Houston after the draft.

That’s not a surprise, given that executive V.P. of football operations Jack Easterby was fired during the 2022 season and has not yet been replaced. It’s the Easterby departure that could be a factor for Caserio, since it was Easterby who persuaded owner Cal McNair to go off the board (as it was fashioned by the search firm) and hire Caserio, after the team had made a failed effort to hire him away from the Patriots.

What if Caserio has had enough of the Texans? What if Patriots coach Bill Belichick, in an effort to hold things together long enough to catch and pass Don Shula on the all-time wins list, is trying to put the band back together? What if McNair, whose father once resisted firing G.M. Charley Casserly when firing coach Dom Capers and instead saw Casserly “resign” after the next draft, has taken a page out of the team founder’s playbook?

The reality is that the Texans have been the league’s worst football operation in recent years. But for the Commanders, it would be regarded as the most dysfunctional, too. Whether it’s Caserio perhaps wanting out or the Texans perhaps wanting a clean slate or perhaps a little bit of both, it wouldn’t be a shock, if the rumor McClain heard at the league meetings has any legs.

[Futureshock]

Report: Daniel Snyder reaches agreement in principle to sell Commanders to Josh Harris

Posted by Mike Florio on April 13, 2023, 1:37 PM EDT

Getty Images

Jeff Bezos is out. Josh Harris is in.

And, soon, Daniel Snyder will be out.

Sportico reports that Snyder has reached an agreement in principle to sell the team to Josh Harris for $6 billion.

That sets a new record for American sports franchise, eclipsing by nearly 30 percent the $4.65 billion paid by the Walton-Penner group for the Broncos last year.

The news comes three days after the team settled a pending lawsuit filed by the District of Columbia, alleging that the team failed to refund security deposits to season-ticket holders. And it comes one day after it became clear Bezos had not made an offer — and would not be making one.

The deal isn’t done until it’s done. It will have to properly close, and at least 24 owners will have to approve Harris. At this point, however, if it means getting rid of Snyder, the owners would vote to approve anyone with the money to make the transaction.

[Cody_Russell]

The one time in my life that I want a punter drafted in Braden Mann, he’s a bust. If Cade York and/or Jake Moody follow a similar path, I’ll have to never comment about kickers or punters in the draft again.

[jaadam4]

Cade York will be a good one

[Futureshock]

USFL, XFL finally go head to head

Posted by Mike Florio on April 14, 2023, 6:22 AM EDT

Getty Images

Last year, the USFL had spring football all to itself. This year, the XFL got a two-month head start. This weekend, the two spring leagues go head to head for the first time.

As noted by Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, the USFL and XFL will have games on TV at the same time in two different windows.

On Saturday night, ESPN2 will televise the Orlando Guardians at the San Antonio Brahmas at 7:00 p.m. ET. Thirty minutes later, the Birmingham Stallions host the New Jersey Generals on Fox.

Given that the USFL game will be played on a broadcast network, it will fare better. The size of the game will be instructive.

On Sunday at high noon, the USFL will televise the Michigan Panthers at the Houston Gamblers (in Memphis) on NBC, while the XFL will present the Arlington Renegades at the D.C. Defenders on ESPN.

The regular seasons will overlap for only two weekends, before the XFL playoffs begin.

Via Fischer, the XFL has averaged 632,000 viewers in eight weeks on ABC, FX, ESPN and ESPN2. Last year, the USFL averaged 715,000 on Fox, NBC, USA and FS1.

It’s possible both league will do well enough to survive, especially since their current schedules result in limited weekends in which both are playing their games. The question becomes whether, year after year, these leagues show growth or shrinkage in their audiences and overall interest.