Buffalo Bills

The Bills will be moving into a new stadium for the 2026 season and they’ll commemorate the moment with a patch on their jerseys.

The team unveiled the design for a patch that they’ll wear for their first home game at the new Highmark Stadium. The date for that game will be revealed later in the offseason when the 2026 schedule is announced.

A Bills logo is depicted over a rendering of the new stadium with “Inaugural Season” and 2026 on the top and bottom of the circular design.

The Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Chiefs, Chargers, Bears, Lions, and Ravens will be visiting Buffalo during the regular season and the identity of the first opponent will be announced with the rest of the schedule.

Competition Committee co-chairman Rich McKay does not expect there to be a lot of rules changes heading into the 2026 season, but his group is discussing many aspects of the game this week as they prepare for any proposed tweaks to the current rulebook.

One area that has come up in meetings are the rules that govern what is or isn’t a catch. That part of the game came back into focus during the divisional round of the playoffs when a long pass to Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks was ruled an interception after the ball moved from Cooks’ hands to Broncos safety Ja’Quan McMillian as the wideout hit the ground. Officials ruled that Cooks did not fulfill the rules for possessing the ball before McMillian took it away, which was disputed by former Bills head coach Sean McDermott and others after the Broncos went on to win the game.

It also appeared to be a different ruling than officials came up with on similar plays at other points during the season and McKay said on Sunday that the committee “had a long discussion” related to the catch rules. He also said that the way plays look when subjected to replay has to be part of any conversation about how the rules are written moving forward.

“I think the issue on catch/no catch is that our technology today is just extraordinary,” McKay said, via longtime NFL reporter Mark Maske. “And so the ability to go frame by frame and slow things down is . . . a great solution for a lot of things, but it does present challenges for others. And you need to make sure that your rules as written don’t just match up [with] what’s on the field, but how it’s looked at in replay.”

The lack of a full replay review or full explanation of the ultimate ruling on the field during the Bills-Broncos game didn’t help create confidence that the ruling was the correct one. It’s unclear if a change to how the rules are written would have avoided the ensuing controversy, but the lack of other proposals could lead the committee to devote more time to devising language that would avoid the same kind of conjecture about future plays.

Bills offensive lineman Alec Anderson will stay in Buffalo in 2026.

Anderson signed a one-year, $3 million contract with $1.8 million guaranteed, his agent told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

After originally signing as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA in 2022, Anderson has played his entire career in Buffalo, spending two years on the practice squad before making the active roster for the last two seasons. Anderson would have become a restricted free agent, but now the Bills have locked him up.

A versatile lineman who can play center, guard or tackle, Anderson has played every game for the last two years, with six starts. He’ll have a chance to compete for a starting job in 2026.

Bills tackle Dion Dawkins has beef with JetBlue.

Via Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post, the Bills tackle recently claimed that employees of the airline stole items from his fiancé’s bag during a recent flight from Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale.

Dawkins said jewelry and “Rolex watches” were taken.

“We take these reports very seriously and have launched a thorough investigation into the matter,” a JetBlue spokesperson said in a statement to WIVB.com. “In addition to conducting a comprehensive internal review, we will coordinate closely with law enforcement and other airport authorities to support their efforts and help ensure the issue is fully addressed.”

Dawkins should do more than complain on social media. He should file a police report. The authorities should investigate. It can’t be very hard to figure out which employees had access to the bags from the moment they were dropped off to the moment they slide onto the belt.

The Broncos are hiring Ronald Curry as their wide receivers coach, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reports.

Curry was the quarterbacks coach for the Bills the past two years.

He worked with Sean Payton in New Orleans before that, spending six years with the Broncos’ head coach there. Curry was in New Orleans two additional years.

Curry was an offensive assistant (2016-17), the wide receivers coach (2018-20), the quarterbacks coach (2021) and the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator (2022-23).

Curry, 46, began his NFL coaching career as an offensive assistant with the 49ers from 2014-15.

The Raiders have hired Al Holcomb as a senior defensive assistant, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports.

New defensive coordinator Rob Leonard, a first-time coordinator who is 38, has never worked with Holcomb. But the fact that Holcomb is 55 and with coordinator experience gives Leonard somebody to lean on.

Holcomb was the Bills’ linebackers coach the past two seasons after one season as senior defensive assistant.

The Raiders have yet to announce a linebackers coach, but it does not appear Holcomb will serve as a position coach.

Holcomb began his NFL coaching career with the Giants in 2009, and spent four seasons there as a defensive quality control coach (2009-10) and a defensive assistant (2011-12). He was the linebackers coach with the Panthers from 2013-17 before going to the Cardinals as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.

Holcomb departed Arizona after one season and joined the Browns for one season as its linebackers coach and run game coordinator. He returned to Carolina for three seasons as defensive run game coordinator and then assistant head coach, defense in 2022 before the Panthers fired Matt Rhule, which led to Holcomb being named interim defensive coordinator.

Construction at the new Bills stadium was suspended on Monday after the discovery of graffiti.

Via WBEN.com, work stopped after graffiti was discovered at several locations within the facility. It’s believed the incident occurred over the weekend.

“Graffiti was found in both finished and unfinished areas of the stadium project site,” Gilbane|Turner, one of the lead contractors, said in a statement.

“We suspended work and launched a full investigation in partnership with trade contractors and unions to send a clear message about how seriously we take this matter. . . . Gilbane|Turner maintains zero tolerance for graffiti, vandalism or defacement of property on our project.

“This behavior is unacceptable and does not reflect the standards we expect on this project.”

No specifics were provided as to the contents of the graffiti.

The suspension comes after construction fell a “bit behind schedule” during the winter. The stadium is due to open for the 2026 season.

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).

What’s good for the goose apparently isn’t good for the gander.

The NFL’s aggressive effort to end publication of annual NFL Players Association report cards resulted in a 26-page arbitration ruling that gave the league a hollow victory at best, since it failed to achieve the league’s broader goal of killing the entire project. The written decision also includes a footnote acknowledging that owners have engaged in the same behavior about which they were complaining.

"[T]he NFLPA is correct that there have been occasions in the past where owners or others engaged in public criticisms of Players and no known efforts were made by the NFL [Management Council], reasonable or otherwise, to curtail those comments,” arbitrator Scott E. Buchheit wrote at footnote 9 to the decision. “To the contrary, some were placed on NFL.com. While those situations are of course not before me to decide whether they violated Article 51, the fact remains that both parties could reasonably anticipate some flexibility on how Article 51 is applied.”

The opinion contains no specific instances of owner criticism of players. Two recent examples exist.

In October 2025, Jets owner Woody Johnson publicly complained about quarterback Justin Fields.

“It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that he’s got,” Johnson said about Fields. “If we can just complete a pass, it would look good.”

More recently, Bills owner Terry Pegula implicitly acknowledged that receiver Keon Coleman was a wasted second-round pick when attempting to blame the failed selection on the coaching staff.

The message to the NFLPA is obvious: The next time an owner publicly complains about a player, a grievance under Article 51 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement should immediately be filed.

And there quite possibly will be a next time, since the Friday memo from the league office to the teams (which overstated the outcome) contained no recommendation to curtail any future public criticisms of players.

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.