The last two seasons of A.J. Green’s 12-year NFL career were spent in Arizona, playing with Rondale Moore, who was in the first two seasons of his NFL career. Green became like family to Moore.
Last month, Green lost a member of his family when Moore took his own life. People who knew Moore say he became increasingly depressed at his inability to play after suffering season-ending injuries during the preseason each of the last two years. Green says it’s time for the NFL to do more to look after players’ mental health while they’re dealing with setbacks to their physical health.
“To me there’s a lot that could still be improved in the NFL, as far as how the league is helping its players with their mental health,” Green wrote at ThePlayersTribune.com. “And one way I would start is by making it mandatory, if you have a major injury, that you see an independent mental health counselor as part of your rehab. And by also making it mandatory, if you have a second major injury, that you see an independent mental health counselor for an extended period of time, even after your rehab.”
Green also says NFL teams need to embrace mental health care as something normal and positive for players to seek, and not look down on players who struggle with their mental health.
“None of that means anything if the people who are making the football decisions, in private, are viewing mental health issues how I feel like a lot of times they still get viewed: as a red flag. That’s the truth. No one in any front office will ever say it out loud. No scout is ever gonna put it in a scouting report. But that’s how it’s viewed in this league by a lot of people,” Green wrote. “And as long as that’s the case? Stories like Rondale’s will probably keep happening. Because it means we’re telling players that having a mental health issue is gonna fuck with their money. And if we’re telling players that, then we’re creating an incentive for them to lie about their mental health. And if players lie about their mental health, then they’re going to feel shame about their mental health. And they’re not going to get the help they need — and whatever issues they’re facing are not going to get better, and are probably going to get worse.”
Green’s reflections on Moore’s life and death are powerful. The NFL and its teams should listen.
On Monday morning, before the Chiefs traded for former Jets quarterback Justin Fields, someone was throwing spaghetti on the question of whether Kansas City was eyeing Russell Wilson as Patrick Mahomes insurance.
With the Chiefs off the board, what’s next for Wilson?
His days as a starting quarterback have ended. The only teams with a current vacancy at the top of the depth chart are the Cardinals and the Steelers. A Pittsburgh reunion is highly unlikely, even if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t return.
The Raiders possibly, maybe would be interested in a short-term bridge, if they aren’t comfortable with putting Fernando Mendoza on the field right away. Wilson may not be inclined to once again be the three-game starter before getting the tap.
Then again, Wilson may not have many choices. Which raises the question of whether he’s willing to take whatever he can get, making him one of the very rare former franchise quarterbacks who’ll accept being No. 2 or No. 3 on a depth chart.
Joe Flacco, who was twice the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, is and has been willing to do that. Most of the guys who were once at or among the top of the market won’t accept anything other than a gift-wrapped starting job.
It can’t be easy for a guy who has spent so much time as “the guy” to accept becoming “just another guy.” But it happens to any pro football player who stays beyond the shelf life of his high-end skills.
In preparation for his current shot at free agency, Wilson parted ways with his longtime agent, Mark Rodgers, and hired David Mulugheta of Athletes First. During Wilson’s best years, it helped him to have an agent who had one and only one NFL client; the negotiations on Wilson’s contracts were never compromised by the agent’s broader business interests as to other players he represented.
Now, Wilson needs the help of someone who may have the league-wide goodwill to get Wilson a roster spot in exchange for keeping the agent happy as to the looming negotiations with a higher-profile client.
The mere fact that Wilson made the change represents an acknowledgement, conscious or not, that things have changed for him. He still has a high degree of confidence in his skills. Which isn’t surprising. For all NFL players, confidence that borders on delusion is a must.
At some point, however, the basis for the confidence evaporates. By the end of last season, Wilson had slipped behind Jameis Winston on the Giants’ depth chart.
Wilson’s third foray into free agency continues. Two years ago, he took the minimum from the Steelers because the Broncos owed him $39 million. This time around, the minimum salary of $1.3 million may be Wilson’s only option.
And the overriding question will be whether, after earning more than $315 million in his career, he’s willing to commit seven or more months for the smallest payday since signing his slotted four-year, $2.996 million deal as a third-round pick, 14 years ago.
As college football becomes increasingly professional, programs aren’t only offering money to players to get them to transfer, they’re also offering jersey numbers. But not in the case of the No. 11 jersey at USC. That was retired in honor of Matt Leinart, and he says it’s staying retired.
“When I was at USC, I got my number retired,” Leinart said on his Throwbacks Podcast. “You win the Heisman Trophy, automatic retired number, which is pretty cool. So, our jerseys are hanging in the Coliseum on one side.”
Leinart said USC has approached him about unretiring the number, when top recruits have wanted to wear No. 11 at USC. Leinart won’t agree to it.
“There’s been multiple times where people at USC have asked me if I would unretire my jersey for some five-star prospect,” Leinart said. “And do you want to know what I told those guys straight up? I said, ‘Absolutely fucking not.’ I am never going to unretire my jersey for some random dude who by the way now could wear No. 11 and transfer after a year.”
Leinart knows that fellow USC Heisman-winning quarterback Carson Palmer allowed his No. 3 jersey to be worn by Jordan Addison, but Leinart said he wouldn’t do that. Leinart did say he’d make an exception if his son Cole Leinart, a freshman quarterback at SMU, or one of his two younger sons wanted to wear No. 11 at USC. But that’s it.
“The only person that will ever wear my USC No. 11 would be Cole, who’s not there right now. He’s at SMU. Or two of my boys if they end up going to USC and playing football. That is it,” Leinart said.
Asked what he’d say if a USC player with a big NIL deal offered money for the No. 11 jersey, Leinart said it’s not about money.
“Absolutely not. Would never do it,” Leinart said. “It’s not for sale.”
The Cardinals announced the signings of linebacker Jack Gibbens, safety Andrew Wingard and defensive lineman Andrew Billings on Monday.
Gibbens signed a two-year deal, and Billings and Wingard signed one-year contracts.
Gibbens, 27, is heading into his fifth season after three years in Tennessee and one in New England. He was with Cardinals General Manager Monti Ossenfort with the Titans.
He started eight games for the Patriots last season, appearing in the other nine games, and he totaled 81 tackles, eight tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and four pass breakups.
The Cardinals have Mack Wilson Sr. and Cody Simon at the position, but the release of Akeem Davis-Gaither created a need for depth.
Billings, 31, is entering his ninth season, having spent the past three seasons in Chicago. In 2025, he started 14 of 17 games played and totaled 31 tackles and a sack.
Cincinnati made him a fourth-round pick in 2016, and he has also played for the Browns and Raiders.
Wingard’s arrival in Arizona was reported last week.
Cornerback Nahshon Wright’s play with the Bears during the 2025 season landed him a contract with the Jets and it earned him the most performance-based pay in the league for last year as well.
The NFL announced that Wright earned more than $1.44 million in performance-based pay. The bonus more than doubles Wright’s base salary for the season.
Wright signed with the Bears after being released by the Vikings last April. He was named to the Pro Bowl after recording 80 tackles, five interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries during the regular season.
The performance-based pay fund is part of the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement to compensate all players based on a formula encompassing their playing time and salary. It paid out more than $542 million for the 2025 season.
Browns safety Ronnie Hickman earned over $1.293 million for second place and tackle Elijah Wilkinson earned over $1.272 million for his work with the Falcons. Wilkinson has since signed with the Cardinals.
Panthers safety Nick Scott, former Commanders guard Chris Paul, Ravens guard Andrew Vorhees, Vikings defensive end Jalen Redmond, Steelers guard Mason McCormick, Chiefs defensive back Chamarri Conner, and Patriots safety Craig Woodson make up the rest of the top 10 recipients of performance-based pay for 2025.
