The NFL is making a significant change to the offseason calendar for the 2027 season.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the free agent negotiating window will open on March 9 next year. That is the same date that the two-day window opened this year, but the change comes in how close it will be to the end of the Scouting Combine.
NFL teams will wrap up their examinations and interrogations of incoming prospects on March 8 in 2027, which moves the league away from having a week or so between the two events as they have in past years.
Under that setup, the Combine has always been rife with table-setting for free agency as agents and team executives are all in the same place with their minds on the same things. With that gap eliminated, there will likely be even more of that work being done in Indianapolis so that teams are ready to make moves right from the starting gun.
The Fourth of July is one of the slowest NFL news days of the year. Every year, I remember the shocking news that emerged in the early afternoon of July 4, 2009.
Former Titans and Ravens quarterback Steve McNair had been murdered.
The details were confusing. It was quickly ruled a murder-suicide; McNair was shot by his 20-year-old girlfriend, who then shot herself. The woman, Sahel Kazemi, had reportedly never owned a gun. But McNair was execution-style, with two shots to the chest and two to the head.
Questions lingered regarding whether someone else was involved, but the case was never re-opened. In 2018, SI.com released a podcast series on the McNair murder.
The third overall pick in the 1995 draft, McNair led the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV, nearly throwing a late touchdown pass that would have set the stage for overtime (or the ultimate all-or-nothing two-point conversion) against the Rams. McNair shared the NFL MVP award with Peyton Manning in 2003, and he finished his career with two seasons in Baltimore.
McNair is a member of the Titans’ Ring of Honor. The team has retired number 9 in his honor.
McNair was only 36 when he died, 17 years ago today.
The brother of Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell has been charged with murdering their mother.
Ciarre Campbell, brother of Calais Campbell, was booked early Wednesday morning in Fulton County Jail on charges of murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm or knife, according to WSB TV.
Calais Campbell’s family released a statement confirming his mother’s death but not commenting on the charges against his brother.
“We are devastated to share that the Campbell Family has lost its matriarch, Mrs. Nateal Campbell,” the statement said. “While the details of her passing are still being investigated, we take comfort in knowing she is reunited with our father, her beloved Chuck, and in the arms of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We ask for privacy at this time so that we may honor her and share in our overwhelming grief privately and as a family.”
Atlanta Police confirmed that they received a call on Tuesday afternoon asking for a welfare check at Nateal Campbell’s home, and the officers who responded found her body. Lt. Christapher Butler, the head of the Atlanta Police Department’s Homicide Unit, said police had previously been called regarding issues at the home.
“A brief look into the history does show some calls back in April dealing with this location a possible arson incident,” Butler told WSB TV. “There have been some indications of possible some mental health issues with an individual.”
Calais Campbell is heading into his 19th NFL season and is one of the NFL’s most respected players. He was the NFL’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2019 and is a six-time Pro Bowler. In addition to the Ravens, he has played for the Cardinals, Jaguars, Falcons and Dolphins.
Campbell and his family founded the Charles R. Campbell Foundation to honor his late father and support mentorship and education. The co-founders included both Nateal Campbell and Ciarre Campbell. The foundation’s literature says that Calais attributes much of his success to growing up in a “household bursting at the seams with love.”
Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers has played three years in the NFL, which means he’s eligible for a second contract. Lamar Jackson says that second contract should be a big one.
Jackson, the quarterback who has been throwing to Flowers since the Ravens took Flowers in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, said when asked how valuable Flowers is that his value is off the charts.
“We love Zay. We need Zay,” Jackson said. “He’s one of the best receivers in the league, and he’s shown that since he stepped on the NFL field back in 2023. I wasn’t even here yet — he was just doing his route-running and making crazy catches. He was just doing what he’s been doing. His value is out of this world. That’s what I’d say.”
The Ravens picked up the fifth-year option on Flowers’ rookie contract, which means he’s under contract through 2027 and is set to make $27.3 million guaranteed that year. Flowers surely wants more than that per year on a long-term deal. Jackson thinks he’s worth it.
When Ravens safety Malaki Starks reflected on his rookie season in May, he said it was not up to the standard he set for himself.
Starks’s opinion of his work didn’t change over the last few weeks. The 2025 first-round pick told Jeff Zrebiec of TheAthletic.com that he “probably would go C-plus, B-minus” on a report card and he also shared what he plans to do in order to raise that grade for his second season.
Starks said he is integrating pilates into his offseason workouts and has added weight after playing at 202 pounds last year. Starks said he also plans to consult a Super Bowl-winning coach.
“I’m going to get back with Jon Gruden,” Starks said. “I trained with him before the draft, so I’m going to get back with him and pick his brain a little bit. . . . It’s awesome. I trained with him for the draft. He prepped me for the draft and we’ve been really cool ever since. Just to learn from a guy like him and have him as a resource, I think it will be huge.”
The Ravens have a new head coach in Jesse Minter and Starks said that “everybody gets a new start” in that situation. A little time with Gruden is part of his plan to make the most of that fresh start.
