Layout:

— Individual Team News + Stone’s Cold Takes

— Miscellaneous/Other NFL News

— Restaurant of the Week - Washington D.C.

Arizona Cardinals:

• Released WR DeAndre Hopkins and he listed out info about what he wants in his next team:

  • Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert

  • He wants stable management and a great defense

• Some folks in AZ were upset with Hopkins because he sat out the last couple of games

• S Budda Baker says he will be at camp when its time for him to be there

After some decent news the last couple weeks for this organization there wasn’t really anything great from this week besides maybe the fact that if WR DeAndre Hopkins was a distraction to the team he now no longer is one. It will be interesting to see how things play out this year.

Atlanta Falcons:

• FB Keith Smith was arrested on traffic charges

  • Driving with a suspended license he claims was a misunderstanding

• K Younghoe Koo didn’t ask for money from RB Bijan Robinson to give him his number but asked him to pick a charity at some point down the road to donate to

• Will have joint practices with the Dolphins

• Signed:

  • WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside

It sounds like the situation with Keith Smith should get resolved rather quickly and was more of a misunderstanding than anything else. It will be fun for this young team to have joint practices with Miami and it will be a good way for their defense to get an initial test from an elite offense. I am sure the Dolphins won’t reveal all of their tricks but either way they will have to worry about guarding an elite offense with elite playmakers.

Baltimore Ravens:

• QB Lamar Jackson expects a more pass-heavy offense under new OC Todd Monken

• WR Michael Thomas separate his shoulder and could require labrum surgery

• WR Rashod Bateman who just played just 6 games was on the field for OTAs on Monday

• Waived Daelin Hayes

• S Kyle Hamilton excited for expanded role with the team

• Tony Jefferson is retiring and joining the team as a scout

• Signed:

  • DL Angelo Blackson

  • QB Josh Johnson

It is crazy to think about how just about a month ago the news around the Ravens was all negative and that it seemed like the relationship with Lamar was fractured. Now here we are and Lamar seems about as happy as can be and is excited about the offense that is being installed under new OC Todd Monken. It will be exciting for him as well to have WR Rashod Bateman back who I still think can be a key playmaker on the team. It appears the Ravens could be set for big things even in a tough division.

Buffalo Bills:

• No surprise, QB Josh Allen is hyper-focused and wants to win a Super Bowl

• S Damar Hamlin is back out working out on the field

• WR Stefon Diggs did not attend OTAs

• EDGE Von Miller guarantees he will play by week 6 but is not rushing anything

• Signed:

  • S Dean Marlowe

  • Joel Wilson

Great to see the that S Damar Hamlin was back out practicing. I know it has been some time since his collapse on the field but it still feels like yesterday that I was watching that game in complete shock at what I had witnessed and worry for him and his family. WR Stefon Diggs being absent at OTAs is not a big deal to me. QB Josh Allen has a lot of other guys he needs to get familiar and work in with anyways and a lot of star players don’t attend OTAs to either get rest/recovery or to do their own workouts with their private coaches. I imagine he and Kincaid will be deadly this year and who knows they may even have WR DeAndre Hopkins joining them as the Bills were one of two teams that inquired and had talks about a trade for him.

Carolina Panthers:

• TE Hayden Hurst is recovering from sports hernia surgery

• QB Bryce Young is taking most of the first team reps

Not too much news here other than what we saw and heard from OTAs about Bryce Young getting to take most of the 1st team reps. It appears that he looked good and his teammates were saying great things about him. It is tough to judge any quarterback though in the offseason because no matter what folks always say their young or new quarterback is looking amazing and things are progressing nicely. I will say though I have heard the most good things coming out from camps about him and Anthony Richardson of the Colts.

Chicago Bears:

• QB Justin Fields excited about the growth WR Chase Claypool had over offseason

• Got permission to begin demolition of Arlington Park racetrack

Good news for Chicago fans who are excited for their move. It seems that things are proceeding nicely with the process of moving to a new stadium. Also, great to hear that Chase Claypool may be able to make more of a difference this year. It would be hard to be less effective than what he was last year for this team. I still believe he can be a major impact player like many expected him to be when he entered the league. It will be key for him to become Fields’ go to receiver over some of the other talent they have on the team.

Cincinnati Bengals:

• Want to sign WR Tee Higgins and LB Logan Wilson to long term extensions

• Have made their initial push for QB Joe Burrow

This team has a lot to do in terms of contracts that they need to get figured out. The team view Tee Higgins in very high regard and so does Joe Burrow as they should. They also really want to get Logan Wilson signed. However, what will come out to being the biggest of the contracts they do this offseason is that of Joe Burrow. What will continue to make things tough here is the longer it takes for Justin Hebert to get his deal done because Burrow will likely be the last of the 4 quarterbacks to sign his because it is presumed he will get the most money and has an agent who like to wait til the last minute.

Cleveland Browns:

• WR Elijah Moore feels good now that he feels wanted with his new team

• EDGE Za’Darius Smith is excited to be facing the Ravens this year

All good news for Browns fans so far. The team is looking good and their appears to be a lot of good vibes coming out of practice. WR DeAndre Hopkins is even considering coming to Cleveland for the chance to play with his old QB. Also, WR Elijah Moore is looking crisp and at least for the moment it appears he is much happier. It will all depend on if he actually gets the ball thrown to him during the season though.

Dallas Cowboys:

• HC Mike McCarthy is keeping offense in Dak’s language despite the changeup in play callers

Not too much news here which is good for this franchise because they are almost always the center of attention. The main thing I took away from this week was just that things seems to be going well with McCarthy and Dak working together on the offense but that there have been some growing pains at least initially getting used to new systems as expected.

Denver Broncos:

• Waived Hunter Thedford with injury settlement

• Released K Brandon McManus

• K Brett Maher worked out for the team

• QB Russell Wilson has lost a lot of weight this offseason

• HC Sean Payton excited about what S Kareem Jackson can do to help team

• RB Javonte Williams was limited in OTAs starting on Thursday

• Signed:

  • T Cam Fleming to a 1-year $4m deal

  • DT Tyler Lancaster

It appeared to shock just about everyone when the news broke about K Brandon McManus getting released because he had become a fan favorite over the years in Denver. QB Russell Wilson has lost a lot of weight and it is evident just from seeing him this offseason. I didn’t think his weight was the issue hindering him last year but hopefully he can feel he is playing at a healthier weight. What I think most Denver fans were excited to see was RB Javonte Williams back on the practice field. He is going to end up being the real difference maker this year and whether this team competes with the top of the AFC or not will largely depend on him making the rest of the offense’s life easy or not.

Detroit Lions:

• Former WR Calvin Johnson was at OTAs this week after having been away from the organization following a rough falling out post-retirement

• RB David Montgomery said that losing with the Bears “sucked the fun out of the game”

• WR Jameson Williams says that he didn’t know about the gambling policy; HC Dan Campbell feels he is miles ahead in terms of his talent already

• Traded an undisclosed draft pick for K Riley Patterson

  • Signed a 1-year $2.35m deal

• RB David Montgomery and LB Malcolm Rodriguez left practice due to injury

• Team has done their homework on free agent WR DeAndre Hopkins

• NFL is investigation another Lions player about league gambling rules violations

• Signed:

  • OL Germain Ifedi

  • Max Pircher through international player pathway program

A lot of news here. Let’s start with the bad news. It appears that they may be having more penalties come down on their team/players due to the league’s gambling policy as their is an ongoing investigation into a 5th player from the team. Also, David Montgomery and Malcolm Rodriguez left the field with injuries. It is still early though and they appear to be minor injuries so hopefully it won’t affect them in the long term. Now some good news. It sounds like WR Jameson Williams is progressing nicely and the team got a new kicker in Riley Patterson from the Jaguars who should help the improve there. Lastly and maybe the biggest news is that Calvin “Megatron” Johnson was at OTAs hanging out with coaches and players. Many are hoping those good vibes carry over into the season.

Green Bay Packers:

• Signed:

  • WR Jadakis Bonds

• Cut TE Nick Guggemos

• Will host the 2025 NFL Draft

• HC Matt LaFleur is please with Jordan Love but still need to work on a lot of things

Exciting news that Green Bay will get the draft in 2025! I was thinking they would try and stick to more southern states but they clearly are willing to go North with Detroit and now Green Bay being the hosts of the next two. HC Matt LaFleur appears to be being honest with everything and trying to temper expectations a bit with Jordan Love taking over. This could be to help take pressure off of Love and also just be the flat out truth that with any young quarterback it is going to take some time.

Houston Texans:

• Appears DeMeco Ryans may not be too sure about pursuing Jadeveon Clowney

• HC DeMeco Ryans expects the o-line to be a strength for this team

• Currently it is a QB competition between Davis Mills and CJ Stroud

  • Other teams have been inquiring about QB Davis Mills

I am not surprised about DeMeco Ryans hesitancy about pursuing Jadeveon Clowney. First of all he just may not want to reveal his cards to others in the league about what he is thinking. The other thing is that he is one that likes for his defense to have an identity and a really good work ethic. I am not saying that Clowney can’t fit that mold but it just makes the selection process for what Ryans wants on defense that much more thorough. The other news that surprised some but something I mentioned a couple of weeks ago is that QB Davis Mills will compete with Stroud for the starting job and is viewed as a desirable QB to other teams around the league. I know his stats haven’t been the best but I am not sure any of the young quarterbacks would have done well with what the Texans organization has been the last couple years. At the end of the day CJ Stroud will end up being the team’s starter due to draft status and probably will be the more talented, better option.

Indianapolis Colts:

• No timetable for Shaquille Leonard to resume practicing

• QB Anthony Richardson was running a similar offense to what Jalen Hurts has run in Philly and was very impressive (splitting 1st team reps)

• Signed:

  • TE Kaden Smith

Overall things seems to be good for the organization. The main thing we are all waiting on is when Shaq Leonard will be able to get back out there and start practicing. It makes sense not to have him practicing now since things are optional anyways. The hype has been there for QB Anthony Richardson thus far and it appears he may be closer to starting right away than a lot of people thought.

Jacksonville Jaguars:

• Traded K Riley Patterson to the Lions for an undisclosed draft pick

• RB Travis Etienne looking forward to doing some fine-tuning this year

• Signed Brandon McManus

Not too much news out of Jacksonville other than the change at the kicker position. Things got busy and they were able to trade K Riley Patterson to the Lions rather than release like the reports had said prior. Then they went out and got a proven veteran in K Brandon McManus who had just been released from the Broncos squad. This team is going to be interesting this year and will go as far QB Trevor Lawrence can take them. Does not hurt to have the veteran kicker for the big moments that could be coming for this organization.

Kansas City Chiefs:

• HC Andy Reid is not a fan of the kickoff rule change hinting at the NFL getting closer to being flag football

  • TE Travis Kelce is not happy about it either

• QB Patrick Mahomes addressed contract saying he cares more about Super Bowls

• LB Nick Bolton doesn’t think the defense gets enough credit

• QB Patrick Mahomes says that it has been a smooth transition to new OC Matt Nagy

• HC Andy Reid feels fullbacks have been phased out of the NFL and that the Chiefs will not be using one

HC Andy Reid who normally is pretty quiet and doesn’t get too involved was in front of the media a lot this week it felt like. First, he is not a fan of the new kickoff rule and it appears most coaches are not. Second, he talked about how the team will not be using a FB because they are being phased out of the NFL and he feels that the TEs they have on the team can play the role when needed. Overall it seems things are going well for the Chiefs and things could be a going a lot better here soon as they appear to be a top option for WR DeAndre Hopkins and one the few teams that had trade talks before he was released.

Las Vegas Raiders:

• Former QB Tom Brady reached an agreement to be a minority owner of the team

• QB Jimmy Garoppolo had to have foot surgery after signing with the team and there is not timetable for his return - believe he should return before the season

  • Things could get interesting depending on how situation with Jimmy G works out

• WR Davante Adams is not happy about the current QB situation with the Raiders

  • Adams and team have been sued by the photographer he shoved last year

• Will have joint practices with the 49ers

It appears there is never a dull week with the Raiders. The news this week about Jimmy seem to add context potentially to what Davante Adams’ comments were about recently. With Tom Brady recently joining the ownership group here it makes us all wonder if the injury is not cleared up is there a way for him to un-retire once again…only time will tell.

Los Angeles Chargers:

• Signed:

  • RB Austin Ekeler to a new deal for this final year that added on up to $2m in incentives

Big news here getting the deal done with Austin Ekeler even if it still only keeps him around for 1 year. Thankfully now he should be semi-happy for that one year before he can go out and chase a big contract if he wants to.

Los Angeles Rams:

Not much news here really. Sounds like Matthew Stafford has taken Stetson Bennett under his wing and started to work with him and help him learn more about the transition to the NFL compared to college.

Miami Dolphins:

• WR DK Metcalf challenged WR Tyreek Hill

• Will have joint practices with the Falcons

• QB Tua Tagavailoa is wearing a camera on his helmet to help HC Mike McDaniel see what he sees on the field

I loved seeing Tua wearing the helmet cam. I had not thought about it before but it should be great for him to be able to show McDaniel exactly what he is/was seeing out on the field to add context and allow McDaniel to better coach him and understand what is going on. I think this should be something all quarterbacks do and especially the top ones because it could gives coaches that much more information and a better understanding of how to help young quarterbacks in the future.

Minnesota Vikings:

• Signed:

  • WR from the XFL Lucky Jackson

• DC Brian Flores wants defense to develop an aggressive identity but not reckless

• RB Dalvin Cook could be a June 1st cut

All signs appear to be pointing towards RB Dalvin Cook getting released. In other news it will be good for the defense to develop the aggressive mindset that Brian Flores wants and should bring in the attitude from Miami that wad established during his time there that was so effective and led to them winning games.

New England Patriots:

• Got docked 2 days of OTA workouts for violating offseason rules and HC Bill Belichick was fined $50,000 dollars

• Placed LB Raekwon McMillan on injured reserve due to partially torn ACL

The Patriots seems to always be up to something. It sounds like they were penalized the 2 days of OTAs and fined because of a meeting that Joe Judge held that lasted more than the permitted amount of time. Other tough news came when Raekwon McMillan got injured.

New Orleans Saints:

• TE Foster Moreau is participating in OTAs

• Being in New Orleans has given QB Derek Carr a breath of fresh air

• Former HC Jon Gruden is working with the team and Derek Carr

What a story. TE Foster Moreau finds out he has cancer in a physical with the team a couple months and gets ahead of things and is now practicing with them at OTAs. Interesting story here about former HC Jon Gruden working with the team because during his time with the Raiders many said that he and Carr did not get along. This team has a big opportunity to take over the NFC South and is probably the bet setup to do it with the team they have.

New York Giants:

• Rookie WR Jalin Hyatt wants to get to 190lbs as his playing weight

• TE Darren Waller is happy to somewhere where his opinions are valued

  • QB Daniel Jones is enjoying working with TE Darren Waller

• HC Brian Daboll will not speak on contract situations despite currently Barkley situation

It seems that everything is going great except the Saquon Barkley situation. There isn’t much new insight into it either after HC Daboll refused to speak on anything contract related. In good news it seems like TE Darren Waller is really enjoying being with the team and working with QB Daniel Jones. This is a team to me that is going to play inspired football like they did last year no matter what is going on because their HC.

New York Jets:

• QB Aaron Rodgers had minor calf strain

• WR Allen Lazard went down during OTAs but supposedly was just a shot to the groin

• Worked out P Matt Araiza

• Chuck Clark was happy to be traded because felt disrespected by the Ravens

• HC Robert Saleh is confident a deal will get done with Quinnen Williams

• Will have joint practices with the Buccaneers

I imagine Jets fans held their breath when they saw Aaron Rodgers get injured as well as Allen Lazard. The good news is that those are not going to be issues in the long run. However, it reminded us all that QB Aaron Rodgers is not a young guy anymore and there is always the possibility that he like any other player in the NFL can get hurt. Hopefully the deal with Quinnen Williams can get done sooner rather than later. I am looking forward to the joint practices with the Bucs because they have a solid defense and it will be fun to hear how they fare in the early phases of implementing a lot of things from both Nathaniel Hackett and Aaron Rodgers.

Philadelphia Eagles:

• OL D.J. Fluker worked out for the Eagles

• DL Jordan Davis has made major strides this offseason will take on a larger role

Jordan Davis is going to be a key piece for the team this year in my opinion so it is great to hear he has made major strides. He is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to his sheer size and the more he can be weaponized the better.

Pittsburgh Steelers:

• Signed:

  • EDGE Markus Golden to 1-year deal

  • LB Toby Ndukwe

• Easy decision for QB Mitch Trubisky to sign extension

• Started contract talks with OLB Alex Highsmith

• Released Tae Crowder

• Want to play a regular season game in Ireland

• WR Allen Robinson has been very impressed so far by QB Kenny Pickett

• QB Kenny Pickett had his car stolen with his playbook inside of it

Great move to get Markus Golden. He can be dangerous in this defense and is only one season removed from a double digit sack year. Also, good to see that Robinson and Pickett appear to be getting along. I am curious to see who shakes out to be the #1 receiver on this team but have a feeling it will end up being Pickens because of how good he was last year and the chemistry he and Pickett already have. A QB likes it when his receiver makes life easier and bails him out. Pickens has already done that on multiple occasions for him.

San Francisco 49ers:

• QB Trey Lance just wants a chance to compete and never considered being traded

  • Raved about this time working with QB Patrick Mahomes

• QB Brock Purdy expected to start throwing next week, be able to go from gripping a towel to an actual football

• QB Sam Darnold will push to start come week 1

• Levi’s will officially get the Super Bowl in 2026

• LB Dre Greenlaw has a thumb procedure and will miss most of the OTAs this offseason

• Will have joint practices with the Raiders

It is official the 49ers will host the 2026 Super Bowl! After speculations and rumors it finally became official this past week. Also, there was a lot of good QB news this week with all 3 of the QBs on the roster. Sounds like Brock Purdy is healing properly and as expected, Trey Lance is looking really good in OTAs along with Sam Darnold. Once again this offseason no one is sure who will be starting for the team come week 1.

Seattle Seahawks:

• WR DK Metcalf challenged WR Tyreek Hill

• CB Tariq Woolen had arthroscopic knee surgery and it out til training camp

• Signed:

  • CB Artie Burns

Good news for Seahawks fan that Tariq Woolen will be back around training camp time after his procedure. Other than that there was not much news here. They got a solid rotational/depth player in Artie Burns though.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

• Video of QB Baker Mayfield making an overthrow went viral on social media

• Will have joint practices with the Jets

• WR Chris Godwin feels like he has a lot of his explosion back

• Team wants to see more consistency out of LB Devin White before offering him the contract he wants

Great to see that Tampa has joint practices with the Jets. They have a tough defense and it will be good for Baker and the offense to get some work against that defense early on. The Bucs have some great weapons on the offensive side of the ball to really compete with those top defenses and if they can all stay healthy this team could be a dark horse team to watch. Overall this should be a good all around team.

Tennessee Titans:

• QB Will Levis is putting pressure on Tannehil and Willis in OTAs this far

• S Kevin Byard is skipping OTAs

Interesting to see that S Kevin Byard was not at OTAs after earlier this offseason it was rumored he was asked to take a pay cut. Definitely a situation to watch. The main news that came from OTAs is that QB Will Levis appears to be looking good and some folks think he could be putting pressure on Tannehill early on and moving himself up the depth chart.

Washington Commanders:

• HC Ron Rivera said that DE Chase Young understands them not picking up his 5th year option

• New OC Eric Bieniemy has been getting on young QB Sam Howell holding him accountable

• Trademark application was denied due to someone else already having pending applications for the name but the team is confident this issue will get resolved

• It has been good for QB Sam Howell that QB Jacoby Brissett has been in the building

• TE Amani Rodgers tore his ACL and is out indefinitely

• Released Nathan Gerry

• Jamin Davis limited in OTAs after knee procedure

• Financing needs to be adjusted in order for the Josh Harris bid to be accepted

• Signed:

  • XFL LB Ferrod Gardner

Feels like a lot happened with the Commanders. First off, I think QB Sam Howell is in a great spot to learn and develop this year with mentors like Jacoby Brissett and then his OC Eric Bieniemy. They will hold him accountable like has already been happening and help bring out the best in him. Now it definitely is an organization surrounded by distractions. First off the trademark application for the team’s name was denied and they hope to get something figured out but could lead to another name change. Also, the team is still working through the Josh Harris bid and there need to be some adjustments in order for it to get accepted by the other NFL Owners and the league. These distractions even though they may not always be good for the team they probably do help a young quarterback because he is not the only thing to talk about at this point in the offseason.

Miscellaneous/Other NFL News:

• Many believe that Thursday Night Flexing is to cater to Amazon but really could be the future of how deals get done

  • Teams have to have 28 days notice and this is currently just a 1 year move

• RB Jeremy Hill who has not played for the past 5 seasons officially retired siting injury issues leading to his retirement

• NFL injury data shows that turf fields are significantly worse for players than grass fields

• The Pat McAfee Show will be taking over Max Kellerman’s the time slot on ESPN

• Commissioner Roger Goodell’s lobbying convinced teams to vote in favor of the new kickoff rules

• Dr. Timoth Kremchek, the Cincinnati Reds' physician since 1996, says he sees an "epidemic" of youth injuries on artificial turf

• RB Adrian Peterson will be hanging it up if he’s not back in the NFL this season

• After Goodell’s retirement the NFL could change the structure of management for the NFL combining a traditional CEO with a Commissioner of Football

• Possible a team will play 3 back to back games in Europe in the future

• Devin McCourty will be joining NBC’s Sunday Night Football crew as an analyst

• Officially approved emergency 3rd QB rule

• Investigating further violations potentially of league gambling policy

• DirecTV will still distribute Sunday Ticket to bars and restaurants

• S Tony Jefferson announced his retirement

• Announced growth of global market program

Restaurant of the Week: (Washington D.C. - TACOS 5 DE MAYO)

Don’t really have a great picture of this place but that may be a good thing. Often times I find that the places least advertised and that are holes in the wall is typically where you get the best Mexican food. This place is about a 10 minute drive from the stadium and probably closer to 15-20 minutes on game days depending on the time you go. Personally I recommend the Tacos Al Pastor. Those are basically a marinated pork taco that is slightly spicy with some sweet pineapple flavor in it. You cannot go wrong with Tacos Al Pastor and are by far my favorite. The other thing to keep an eye on is the Pupusas. While Pupusas are from El Salvador this place actually does a pretty dang good job of making them. For those that don’t know what Pupusas are they kind of resemble a stuffed pancake but are made of corn in most cases stuffed with either just cheese, cheese and beans, or cheese and pork. My order here would be 3 tacos al pastor and a cheese and bean pupusa. Enjoy!