The Dolphins are in a full blown Two Days After St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
The latest to go is receiver Tyreek Hill. And it’s the least surprising.
Even without the significant knee injury he suffered on September 29, this was coming. Even without the firing of G.M. Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel, this was coming.
Hill was due to make $35 million in 2026, the final year of his contract. He had a $5 million roster bonus that was due on the third day of the new league year.
He was always going to be released. He was always going to be available on the open market.
Now, for the first time, he’ll be free and clear to sign with anyone.
The question is whether Hill will be signed before he’s fully and completely healthy and, if so, whether his contract will include protections based on Hill eventually passing a physical. Sometimes, a player has enough leverage (like receiver Chris Godwin a year ago) to avoid such limitations on his pay.
Hill turns 32 on March 1. The best of his best days are likely behind him. If healthy, however, he’s still pretty damn good.
The most obvious potential destination is Kansas City. Last year at the Super Bowl, Hill expressed some regret for leaving in the first place. With Eric Bieniemy back as the offensive coordinator, the Chiefs could decide to bring Hill back, too. Which may have the added benefit of getting tight end Travis Kelce to return for another season.
The Chargers could become a potential destination, given McDaniel’s arrival there as offensive coordinator. They desperately need effective weapons for quarterback Justin Herbert — and a 32-year-old Hill would instantly be better than anything else they currently have.
Other teams with needs at the position should give Hill a look, including (to name a few) the Bills, Ravens, Steelers, Packers, Jets (who tried to trade for him four years ago), Patriots, and Seahawks (who need a strong, consistent complement to Jaxon Smith-Njigba).
Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez is hoping to sign a long-term contract extension with New England this offseason. One indication that the Patriots are also eager to get that done is that head coach Mike Vrabel is increasingly positioning Gonzalez as a team leader.
Gonzalez was chosen to be one of the Patriots’ game captains for Super Bowl LX, and afterward he said Vrabel has been working with him on taking a bigger leadership role on the team.
“Been trying to find my voice, my leadership,” Gonzalez said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN. “Everyone knows I’m not much of a gather the team up and give them a speech [type of leader]. Vrabes has been helping me with that, talking with me about it. Trying to grow.”
Gonzalez is only 23 years old, so he’s not exactly a seasoned veteran just yet, but he has now played three years of the rookie contract he signed as a 2023 first-round draft pick, which means he’s eligible for his second contract. Given how well Gonzalez has played, it’s safe to say that second contract will be a big one.
In his first season as Patriots head coach, Mike Vrabel took over a team that had gone 4-13 two years in a row and took them to the Super Bowl. He’s undoubtably off to a good start.
But after a disappointing performance in Super Bowl LX, Vrabel said his team still has work to do.
“I like the foundation of it, and we’ll try to improve on it,” Vrabel said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.
Vrabel noted that every team makes changes, and sometimes those changes mean moving on from players who contributed to them making the Super Bowl.
“There’ll be some difficult decisions that we’ll have to make, and we’ll try to do them with the team’s best interest in mind. As always, that’ll never change,” Vrabel said.
Those changes will likely revolve around older, more expensive players.
“As I was taught, we talk about the business of the NFL, we’re looking for the better, younger, cheaper player every day, and the players that we have are trying to not let that happen,” Vrabel said. “And that’s the dynamic. That’s the business of the National Football League.”
The Patriots are in good salary cap shape, but that doesn’t mean they’ll pay a player more than they think he’ll be worth in 2026 just because they appreciate the contributions he made in 2025. If they think they can improve the roster by moving on from some of the players who helped them get to the Super Bowl, they’ll do so.
The NFL filed a grievance over the NFL Players Association’s annual report cards in order to keep the NFLPA from publicizing criticisms of teams and owners. The NFL won a ruling preventing the NFLPA from doing so.
Still, the 26-page ruling from arbitrator Scott E. Buchheit, a copy of which PFT has obtained, makes it clear that the next wave of report cards may be disseminated to all players.
The opinion also includes a full list of the criticisms about which the NFL complained from the 2025 report cards.
Here’s the full content of relevant portions of Buchheit’s written decision.
“As to the individual comments contained within the Report Cards that lead to the letter grades, the NFLMC has richly detailed that they do contain numerous criticisms. These include, but are not limited to, the following examples from the 2025 Report Card that are contained in its brief:
“New York Jets: The Union said Players complained that ‘management responded to feedback [from prior Team Report Cards] by making conditions worse,’ including cutting the food budget and not retaining a long-time dietician after poor food grades the prior year. The Union also graded owner Woody Johnson an F — the lowest owner rating in the league, 5.58 out of 10 — which, according to Players, resulted from his perceived unwillingness to invest in facilities. . . . Players cited ‘perceived top leadership issues, with some describing issues as “top-down problems”'—reflecting ownership concerns.
“Cincinnati Bengals: The Union again criticized treatment of families, stating that Players called it a ‘major concern’ and saying there is ‘little to no effort’ to support families. ‘One player describes the treatment of families as “‘almost disrespectful,”’ resulting in a grade of F-minus.
“Buffalo Bills: The Union dropped the Club in the overall rankings from prior years because ‘issues . . . previously raised [by Players] . . . have not been addressed and thus have become greater concerns[.]’ The Union claimed Players were concerned that ‘current [training] staffing is inadequate to help them recover,’ and ‘travel continues to be the worst part of their experience’ because they ‘do not have a comfortable amount of space when traveling and the travel schedule itself is a source of significant dissatisfaction.’
“Arizona Cardinals: The Union ranked the Club last overall based on Player feedback, criticizing the treatment of families (lack of family events, limits on pregame sideline access, poor in-game family accommodations), and a so-called deficient locker room, training facilities, and weight room. The Union stated that Players also faulted owner Michael Bidwill, saying he ‘slightly contributes to a positive team culture’ and is only ‘somewhat committed to building a competitive team[.]’
“Philadelphia Eagles: The Union highlighted that Players ‘are frustrated that mealtimes overlap with the organization’s business staff, leading to crowding and limited seats,’ and ‘feel they should get first class seats on team flights instead of the coaching staff.’
“Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Union published that Players criticized the locker room, lodging ‘several complaints about cleanliness, including poor ventilation and a persistent bad smell.’
“Jacksonville Jaguars: The Union gave the Club an F for treatment of families; ‘Players believe that many changes need to be made,’ including more access to sideline passes, a family room during the game, and upgrades to the post-game family area.
“Kansas City Chiefs: The Union said Players ‘continue to express the need for renovation and upgrades to the locker room’ and criticized the home game hotel as the ‘lowest in the league,’ remarking that it is ‘outdated,’ the beds are ‘uncomfortable,’ and the floors are ‘dirty and sticky.’
“Carolina Panthers: The Union continued to cite Player criticisms of owner David Tepper for using ‘turf instead of grass, perhaps because it is cheaper to maintain,’ and complained about travel due to the ‘new coaching staff moving players from first class last season and placing them in smaller, coach seats.’
“New England Patriots: The Union gave the Club a failing travel grade and singled out the ‘team plane’ —'Players specifically responded that “our plane is the worst thing – size, space, [and] safety,”’ and ‘it is not conducive to preparedness for athletic performance,’ because, among other things, ‘it lacks Wi-Fi and still has ashtrays in the seats.’ One player also referred to the carpeting in the locker room as ‘dingy with pieces missing.’
“Indianapolis Colts: The Union stated that Players complained of travel arrangements, noting that they ‘don’t feel like they have enough personal space on flights. They want more access to first-class seating.’
Those are the full complaints from the 2025 report cards that were included in Buchheit’s decision. Eleven teams in all were mentioned, with three owners identified by name — Woody Johnson, Michael Bidwill, and David Tepper.
The complaints listed in the 26-page ruling come from not from the to-be-released report cards but from the report cards prepared and published in 2025. It’s inevitable, however, that one of the many NFLPA members who’ll receive the 2026 report card will disclose them, to someone. Once they’re leaked (to PFT or to another outlet), we’ll post them here in full.
UPDATE 11:46 p.m. ET: An earlier version of this article mistakenly characterized the complaints listed above as coming from the survey conducted in 2025, not from the report cards released in 2025. The 2025 surveys were not included in Buccheit’s opinion. They’ll eventually be released to the players but not published by the NFLPA. In past years, the report cards were released during the Scouting Combine.
Ole Miss assistant coach and former Giants head coach Joe Judge made waves on Thursday with his testimony in the Trinidad Chambliss eligibility case. Judge is now trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube.
On Friday morning, Judge explained to PFT (in a message sent through PFT Live co-host Chris Simms) that his comments about educating spouses and significant others about the importance of letting players get their sleep when a newborn baby is in the house related to his time with NFL players, not college players. On Saturday, Judge provided a more lengthy statement about the distinction on Twitter.
“Some of my comments from Thursday have been taken out of context, so I’d like to provide some clarity,” Judge said. “In a discussion about Trinidad’s sleep apnea, I was trying to point out the importance that the NFL places on sleep for recovery and performance in addition to the education of balancing family dynamics during the football season.
“These are discussions I was a part of at the professional level from veteran players based on their own experience managing similar situations. These are not discussions we’ve had at the collegiate level. As a husband and father of four children, I understand those challenges first hand and would never diminish the commitment to family. We share that same dedication to family with our players and always support them through any challenges they face in their personal lives.”
The most obvious response to Judge’s clarification is this: If his comments had no relevance to college athletes, why did he say what he said within the context of testimony in a case about the eligibility of a college football player?
Beyond that, Judge’s explanation that he would never diminish the commitment to family ignores the fact that, at the NFL level, he did.
The bigger point is this. Judge was working with Chambliss’s lawyers in an effort to help him secure an extra year of eligibility. Ole Miss wants him back for another year, so that he can help them win as many games as possible. Judge, as a result, said what he believed he needed to say in order to make the case that the sleep issues arises arising from Chambliss’s respiratory problem should qualify for a medical redshirt as to his 2022 season at Ferris State.
It was a strategy, a calculation aimed at helping Ole Mis get the player they want. In lieu of telling Chambliss’s lawyers that making the point about shielding NFL players from responsibility to care for newborns during football season was a bridge too far, Judge was all in with whatever it took to help win the case.
Judge is now trying to have it both ways. He made the point he made to help Ole Miss get Chambliss for another year. Now, Judge wants to avoid the consequences of what he said by saying he never said anything like that to college players, only NFL players.
It would be better for Judge to just accept the win in the Chambliss case and take the heat for what he said. Judge told the court the story about football players and infants and sleep because he thought it would help Ole Miss get Chambliss for the 2026 season. It worked. It’s now too late for Judge to try to say he didn’t say what he said.
