Wide receiver Rashod Bateman signed a three-year contract extension with the Ravens last month, but his return to the team for the 2025 season wasn’t a sure thing earlier in the offseason.
A report in May said the Cowboys looked into trading for Bateman and Bateman confirmed that he was apprised of that interest. That report said the talks didn’t go far, but Bateman said “it was a possibility” that he would be on the move to Dallas before he and the Ravens pivoted to hammering out a new deal.
Bateman said he’s “thankful” that General Manager Eric DeCosta was able to work things out.
“That’s the first thing I told him: I don’t want to go anywhere else. ‘I know you’ve got a lot of stuff to work through and we’ll figure it out when we figure it out,’” Bateman said, via Jeff Zrebiec of TheAthletic.com. “It took time, but it takes time with a lot of people’s contracts. He had a lot of contracts to get done, and maybe more to get done in the future. To be a priority for him in that way is important. He shows he values me.”
The Cowboys eventually looked elsewhere in the AFC North for receiver help and traded for George Pickens, so the Ravens won’t have to deal with him as they try for another division title later this year.
As Netflix inches toward potentially acquiring a full package of games, some of the streamer’s eventual competitors are reluctant to help the company produce quality content on Christmas.
According to FrontOfficeSports.com, ESPN and Fox are reluctant to loan talent to Netflix for the 2025 Christmas doubleheader.
Per the report, ESPN talent will not appear on the Cowboys-Commanders and Lions-Vikings games on December 25. Fox talent is not expected to participate.
Last year, Fox said no to a request to lend Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady to Netflix for Christmas. Eventually, the network allowed Greg Olsen to work one of the two games. ESPN allowed Laura Rutledge and Mina Kimes to work the Christmas games.
CBS produces the Netflix games, making CBS far more likely to allow its one-air talent to work the games. NBC’s Devin McCourty was involved in last year’s broadcast, too.
It’s unfortunate for the folks who would like to take on the extra work. Since the Christmas games are happening on days when the NFL isn’t otherwise playing, it’s not distracting them from their primary jobs.
And so it seems petty, frankly, for the networks to deny their employees the chance to spread their wings. It also becomes a bargaining point for future employment contracts, with talent seeking express permission as part of their deals to participate in one-off productions with other networks.
The Giants get plenty of criticism for allowing running back Saquon Barkley to become a free agent in 2024. They weren’t alone in their decision not to make him part of the team moving forward.
Two of their top rivals never even called Barkley.
“Never heard a word from the Commanders or Dallas,” Barkley told someone who is apparently known as Janky Rondo (lay off me, I’m old) at a recent celebrity softball game. “That’s why it’s BTA when I see them.”
The Commanders weren’t in position to make a run at an elite running back. The Cowboys were, especially with Tony Pollard leaving in free agency for the Titans.
Dallas rightfully was criticized at the time for not showing interest in former Titans running back Derrick Henry, who was interested in playing for the Cowboys. Dallas didn’t catch much flak for not pursuing Saquon.
There’s no guarantee it would have worked nearly as well for Saquon in Dallas as it has in Philadelphia. And he definitely wouldn’t have had the kind of individual and team success with the Giants that he had with the Eagles.
The Eagles were the perfect team to pursue him. They had everything else. His arrival provided a potent layer of icing on an award-winning cake.
So he should be glad that it wasn’t a difficult decision, with perhaps a lesser team than the Eagles offering him something significantly more financially. He also should be glad that the Giants let him get away, allowing him to “BTA” when playing the other teams in the NFC East.
And pretty much everyone else.
During Thursday’s episode of #PFTPM, someone asked for a list of the coaches on the hot seat.
I started to rattle off names before deciding to take the issue under advisement, Wapner-style, until Friday’s episode. And then I nearly forgot to do it.
During my extensive prep (i.e., none whatsoever) for Friday’s show, I came up with a list of five and counted them down. Or up. If I simply wanted to push you to the attached video, I’d say, “They’re in the attached video.” But that’s not my style. Especially when I need to type enough words to justify a full post.
So here they are, from No. 5 to No. 1. And this is my own assessment of the broader, 32-team situation. I’m not reporting anything. I’m identifying the guys whom I believe are under the biggest cloud of uncertainty as the season approaches.
5. Panthers coach Dave Canales.
There’s a glass-half-full vibe around the Panthers, given that they finished relatively strong in 2024 after a disastrous start. If that comes to fruition for the 2025 Panthers, all will be well.
If the wheels come off, it could spell doom for Canales, who enters his second season on the job.
The key becomes owner David Tepper. Will the hard-charging, results-demanding, drink-throwing (at least once) owner tolerate, say, a 4-13 finish?
It won’t be easy for Canales, if that happens. Mainly because of the guy who signs the checks, and who issues the pink slips.
[Editor’s note: In a prior version of this story, I said Canales is entering his third season. I had my head up my ass. Sorry. It’s year two. Which doesn’t matter for an owner who fired his last coach, Frank Reich, during year one.]
4. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer.
The key to knowing Schottenheimer’s job security is to know whether and to what extent he has guaranteed money beyond 2025.
Usually, head coaches enjoy at least three years of guarantees. But there’s nothing usual about the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer.
He was on exactly zero teams’ short lists during the latest hiring cycle. For the Cowboys, who wanted to have offensive continuity for quarterback Dak Prescott, it was either Schottenheimer or Eagles offensive coordinator (new Saints coach) Kellen Moore. Schottenheimer came cheaper.
How cheap? So cheap that there would be no buyout if he’s fired after one year?
If so, Schottenheimer could need to do enough in 2025 to earn his employment for 2026.
3. Colts coach Shane Steichen.
Through two seasons, Steichen is 17-17 with no playoff appearances. His non-interim predecessor, Frank Reich, went 40-33-1 with a pair of playoff berths and was abruptly fired.
The swing and miss (so far) on quarterback Anthony Richardson is on Steichen’s record. The failure to develop Richardson is on Steichen’s resume.
As the 2024 season ended, there was a haze of confusion as to whether big changes would be made in Indianapolis. Now that an ownership change has happened following the passing of Jim Irsay, it remains to be seen how Carlie Irsay-Gordon will run the team.
And, most importantly, whether she’ll want to hire a coach of her own after her first season in charge.
How the team performs in 2025 becomes a massive factor in resolving what currently is a major unknown. Which puts pressure on Steichen to win enough games to make the answer an obvious “yes.”
2. Giants coach Brian Daboll.
On one day, Giants co-owner John Mara said he’d be sticking with G.M. Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll. Then, Mara said he’s running out of patience.
It’s a mixed message to Daboll as to the potential impact of the upcoming season, and it necessarily puts him on the hot seat.
It shouldn’t. The Giants are in a difficult division. They need plenty of help from a talent standpoint. Mara should give his current regime more time.
And not just a commitment that ultimately feels temporary. That’s precisely how it feels in New York.
1. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel.
Even at a time when everyone is 0-0 and all teams have plausible hope, it feels like the window has closed for a Dolphins team that could end up flying straight into the glass in 2025.
There’s dysfunction. There’s turmoil. There’s an unsettled situation with a star player who received a market-level contract in September 2024, and another star player who has said he wants out and who may feel the same way all over again if the 2025 season starts poorly.
It all comes back to Tua Tagovailoa. Can he play well? Can he stay healthy enough to play well?
Can the Dolphins win enough games to make it to the playoffs?
Along the way, can they shed the narrative (as confirmed by linebacker Jordyn Brooks) that they go soft as the weather turns cold?
Ultimately, it comes down to whether Stephen Ross will demand a major change if 2025 ends up being another disappointing season.
Thirty years ago, the late Jets owner Leon Hess fired Pete Carroll after one season by saying this, “I’m 80 years old. I want results now.”
Stephen Ross is five years older than Hess was when he said that.
The video mentions a few others who didn’t make the top five. I’ll defer to it for those. Mainly because I got to 800 words without having to do that.
Earlier this week, TruEdge Sports postponed a youth football camp that was supposed to feature former Steelers (now Cowboys) receiver George Pickens. The email sent to those who purchased tickets for the camp included strong language regarding Pickens’s cancellation.
Now, TruEdge Sports has sent a fresh email clarifying — and apologizing for — the prior message.
“At TruEdge Sports, we take pride in fostering strong relationships with the athletes, families, and communities we serve,” the company said. “Recently, a statement was issued regarding our scheduled youth camp with George Pickens that did not accurately reflect the full scope of communications or the context surrounding the event.
“At no point did George communicate with us directly, and our communications with George’s representatives led to confusion about the camp’s status and future direction.
“Regrettably, the language used in our original message mischaracterized George’s intent and actions. While our frustrations stemmed from the uncertainty surrounding the event, it was never our intention to publicly question George’s professionalism, integrity, or commitment to the community. We now understand that the tone and implications of our message were not only inappropriate but inconsistent with our values as an organization.
“We recognize that he was navigating a significant career transition during this time and that his team kept open lines of communication with us.”
That’s a far cry from the prior comments made by TruEdge Sports. The earlier message said that Pickens “decided to walk back on his word” to attend the camp, and that his “sudden decision to back out not only reflects a disappointing lack of accountability, but also shows a disregard for the families and children who were excited to meet him.”
“Let us say again,” the prior message concluded, “we are incredibly frustrated by George Pickens’ lack of professionalism and his decision to abandon the commitment he personally confirmed after his trade.”
TruEdge is now singing a very different tune, presumably after hearing from Pickens’s camp — and possibly after being threatened with potential litigation for the public criticism it heaped upon him.
While the new message isn’t as clear as it could have been, it seems as if TruEdge Sports is saying it had gotten the facts wrong regarding Pickens’s handling of the situation.
Still, the new message continues to omit an open-ended offer to fully refund the payment made for the “George Pickens Youth Football Camp” on June 28, which has now become a camp featuring Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth on July 20.
After sending a message that tries to make things right as to Pickens, here’s hoping TruEdge Sports will soon be sending a message that makes things right as to those who paid for the camp that was supposed to happen on Saturday.
