Month: July 2025

Back in 2021, Pittsburgh Steelers pass-rusher T.J. Watt participated in individual drills during training camp until he signed a contract extension in time to play in the club’s regular-season opener.  Some reporters have said since June that history essentially could repeat itself as it pertains to Watt’s desire for a pay raise

An ACL tear limited Brandon Aiyuk to seven games last season. Given the timing of the injury, it has long been a question with respect to when the 49ers wideout will be able to return to action in 2025. Time still remains for Aiyuk to continue making progress in his recovery, but

It was learned in late April that the San Francisco 49ers and George Kittle had agreed to a four-year, $76.4M contract extension that made him the league’s highest-paid tight end and included $40M guaranteed.  The fact that the deal got done before May suggested that the two sides went through

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is in the final year of his contract and showed signs during the 2024 season that he could be slowing down. He turns 36 years old in October, so some understandably have assumed that the 2025 campaign will be his last as an active player.  Kelce

Cincinnati Bengals first-round draft pick Shemar Stewart remained unsigned as of the second Friday in July, as the two sides have been battling over language in the rookie contract offered by the Bengals that could allow them to void future guarantees. During a Thursday appearance on Columbus sports radio station 97.1 The Fan,

Happy 44th birthday to seven-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro and 2024 Pro Football Hall-of-Fame inductee Andre Johnson! Johnson eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in seven of his 14 NFL seasons, racking up 14,185 total yards with 70 touchdowns on 1,062 career receptions. He also took part in one of the most

Time is ticking for the Chiefs and Trey Smith to agree to a multiyear extension. While both sides would benefit from some long-term security, it sounds like the offensive guard isn’t overly concerned about his current lame-duck status. “I leave it to the hands of my agents,” Smith said during

A pair of first cousins are primed to wreak havoc on opposing NFL defenses in 2025.  Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams, a dynamic pass catcher with game-breaking speed, and Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams, a bruising rusher whose scored 26 rushing touchdowns in the last two seasons, are

There appears to be no end in sight to the standoff between Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals. While the 2025 version of the organization would benefit from an immediate resolution, it doesn’t sound like that will end up coming to fruition. While Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic says that

Last year, Yardbarker used an online version of the Magic 8 Ball to predict Dak Prescott’s new contract…but forgot to ask about the quarterback’s hamstring. Let’s see what the classic toy thinks about the 2025 Dallas Cowboys. Will the Cowboys win Super Bowl LX? Magic 8 Ball says: Yes. First, the

The ink is barely dry on Garett Bolles‘ new contract with the Broncos, but the offensive tackle is already anticipating his next deal. While speaking with reporters recently, Bolles said he hopes to sign one last contract with Denver before calling it a career. “Well hopefully I can do one

“Najee Harris was present at a Fourth of July event where a fireworks mishap resulted in injuries to several attendees,” Hendrickson said in his statement (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). “Najee sustained a superficial eye injury during the incident, but is fully expected to be ready for the upcoming NFL season.”

Chargers running back Najee Harris was injured during a Fourth of July fireworks accident, according to Rick Hurd, Nate Gartrell, and Darren Sabedra of The Mercury News. The running back’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, released a statement assuring that his client only suffered superficial injuries and will be good to go

Aidan Hutchinson hadn’t missed an NFL game in his career before his gnarly leg injury in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys ended his 2024-25 campaign. But after spending the last eight months rehabbing, Hutchinson said he’ll be coming back as healthy as he’s ever been.  “I’m exactly where I

The Buccaneers’ safeties have taken the majority of the team’s slot snaps over the past three years, but reports out of their spring practices indicate that head coach Todd Bowles could slide one of his outside cornerbacks into the nickel in 2025. Tampa Bay is returning both of their starting

Howell began working at Carlyle in a part-time capacity in March 2023; three months later, he was hired by the NFLPA as the union’s principal administrative officer and chief player representative. In August 2024, Carlyle received league approval to invest in an NFL team via a minority stake worth up

The Seahawks are not engaged in extension talks with fourth-year outside linebacker Boye Mafe, per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. Mafe, a 2022 second-round pick, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He broke out in 2023 with 9.0 sacks and 25 pressures, but could not quite match

The first round of the NFL Draft doesn’t produce all the stars. Teams also mine gems beyond the first 32 picks. Ahead of training camp in late July, Yardbarker NFL writers identify an under-the-radar rookie on each NFC team who could make a major impact this season. Plus, find training

NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell is under fire after a report by ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Kalyn Kalher that he has been working as a consultant for The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm approved by the league to pursue a minority ownership stake in an NFL team.

The official start of Mike Vrabel’s tenure as head coach and the ongoing development of second-year quarterback Drake Maye are the main storylines surrounding the New England Patriots heading into training camp.  Patriots defensive end Keion White raised some eyebrows when he said in June that he finds it “comforting

Eli Manning owns pretty much every individual passing record in New York Giants franchise history. But after mulling over an opportunity to become a part owner of the team he led to two iconic Super Bowl wins over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, Manning is keeping his checkbook

During an appearance on Thursday’s edition of NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” program, retired quarterback and current “Thursday Night Football” analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick echoed others and said he believes veteran Joe Flacco will enter the upcoming season as the Cleveland Browns’ starting signal-caller over Kenny Pickett, rookie Dillon Gabriel and

Demarcus Robinson was arrested on a DUI charge in November, and a formal charge was laid in January. The veteran receiver’s legal process on that front has now reached a conclusion. Robinson entered a plea of no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge earlier this week, as detailed by ESPN.com. As

The first round of the NFL Draft doesn’t produce all the stars. Teams mine gems beyond the first 32 picks. Ahead of training camp in late July, Yardbarker NFL writers identify an under-the-radar rookie on each AFC team who could make a major impact this season. Training camp reporting dates

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote Wednesday that an unnamed NFL coordinator felt Pittsburgh Steelers pass-rusher T.J. Watt “wore down a little bit” during the second half of the 2024 campaign as the club endured a losing streak that ran from Week 15 through its wild-card loss to the Baltimore Ravens.  NFL

Michael Carter II managed to play 13 games last season, but he was nowhere near full strength for much of that time. The fifth-year Jets corner is healthy entering training camp, however. Carter dealt with an ankle injury which lingered through the opening part of the campaign. He eventually recovered but

Discussions about whether or not San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is overrated or underrated existed long before the club signed him to a five-year, $265M contract extension that included $181M in guarantees and a no-trade clause earlier this offseason.  Retired quarterback, one-time regular-season Most Valuable Player and current NFL analyst Matt

As one unnamed AFC executive mentioned during a recent chat with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Detroit Lions pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson was well on his way to becoming at least a finalist for the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Award before he suffered gruesome fractures of his tibia and fibula in

Last year, Justin Simmons was among the veteran safeties who remained on the market deep into free agency. He ultimately took a deal with the Falcons in August, but another change of scenery is expected this time around. In 2024, Simmons made it clear signing with a playoff contender was his top