Ron Rivera, who worked for 13 straight seasons as an NFL head coach (and who won the NFL’s coach of the year award twice), will be staying put at his alma mater.
Via Ron Krochick of the San Francisco Chronicle, Rivera has signed a three-year deal to remain the G.M. at Cal.
He was hired in 2025. The contract, which apparently is retroactive to 2025, runs through March 2028.
Rivera will make $800,000 per year, with the ability to double his pay based on the football program’s success. He’ll maximize his compensation with 10 wins.
Rivera’s job includes supervising the head coach, and it includes a buyout of $250,000 if Rivera leaves before the end of the 2026 season. He reports directly to the school’s chancellor.
Rivera coached the Panthers from 2013 through 2019, and the Commanders from 2020 through 2023. He was hired by Cal in 2025.
Earlier this year, Rivera interviewed for the Cardinals’ head coaching job.
A second-round pick in 1984, Rivera was a member of the legendary 1985 Bears defense. After an eight-year playing career, all in Chicago, he entered coaching in 1997.
Panthers Clips
In 2025, the NFL began outfitting the jerseys of the prior year’s award winners with gold shields. This year, a pair of Rams will be wearing them.
The gold shields go to the reigning NFL MVP, the offensive player of the year, the defensive player of the year, the offensive rookie of the year, and the defensive rookie of the year.
This year, the five awards that will be acknowledged with gold shields were won by Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (MVP), Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njgiba (OPOY), then-Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (DPOY), Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan (OROY), and Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger (DROY).
With Garrett being traded to the Rams, L.A. will have both Stafford and Garrett wearing the gold shields. (If Garrett hadn’t been traded, the 5-12 Browns would have two defensive players wearing gold shield).
The gold shields are hard to notice, since the shield on each jersey is small. The issue landed caught our eye on a slow Sunday because the Seahawks have posted an image of Smith-Njigba in his new jersey.
And, no, Smith-Njigba’s gold shield doesn’t have a typo.
Former NFL defensive tackle DeShawn Williams has filed a lawsuit over memorabilia that he believes was stolen from his home.
The theft wasn’t the garden-variety smash-and-grab. Via Tampa Bay 28, Williams claims that contractors hired after Hurricane Helene damaged the home in 2024 entered the premises without permission, took items belonging to Williams, and then posted them for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
DeShawn Williams and his wife, Ashlee, contend that their mortgage company hired Solid Foundation Properties LLC, which then subcontracted with Colvin Inspections to inspect and preserve the property. They claim that Colvin Inspections also removed certain property.
“They call it securing the property or winterizing the property,” their attorney, Matt Weider, told Tampa Bay 28. “But in fact, they’re just entering into a property and violating a homeowner’s security.”
The Williamses contend that DeShawn’s Denver Broncos helmet and his Bengals jersey were listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace, for $800 and $200, respectively.
DeShawn Williams, undrafted in 2015, played for the Bengals, Broncos, and Panthers. Earlier this year, he joined the Oklahoma coaching staff as a defensive analyst.
Before Sam Darnold starred at quarterback for the Vikings and won Super Bowl LX with the Seahawks, he spent a year as the 49ers’ backup to Brock Purdy.
That 2023 season spent with San Francisco was critical for Darnold’s development.
Darnold went into that season having spent his first three seasons with the Jets before two seasons with the Panthers. And while Darnold did not play much — he started an inconsequential Week 18 game against the Carson Wentz-led Rams — he said in a recent interview that he picked up a lot from his time in the Bay Area.
“I think for me, it was … looking at myself in the mirror and just being like, ‘alright, this is what I need to do this year. I’m not going to get an opportunity to get a starter,’” Darnold said during an appearance in Tuesday’s episode of Bussin’ with the Boys. “And I think going to San Francisco, I mean, shoot, you guys saw what Mac Jones did this year. I understood that quarterbacks in that system, quarterbacks with Kyle [Shanahan] — you look at Brock [Purdy] and all the success he’s had there — quarterbacks just thrive in that system. It’s also because they have really good players.
“But, just getting to know that system and getting to know those coaches, like that’s really why I decided to be a backup in San Francisco. I thought that would be the best place to just go. And people say it all the time, and I’ve heard it, but I feel like I got my PhD in football when I went to San Francisco.”
Darnold credited the 49ers’ coaching staff, led by Shanahan, for part of his growth. But he also noted that watching the high-caliber players around him made a significant difference.
“I’ve talked about learning from Brock quite a bit,” Darnold said. “But all the great players that are over there. — friend of the program George Kittle, Fred Warner, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams of course — you just have all these studs who are over there. And to just learn their habits and stuff that they do in the offseason, how they get better, it was just such a great opportunity for me to just go there and be a sponge, and just learn so much football. Learn how to take care of my body off the field.”
But it was Purdy who really made a difference, in large part due to the way he presented alternative preparation methods.
“I can’t mention Brock enough,” Darnold said. “But just the way that he prepared really showed me how to really prepare, because you don’t know what you don’t know. And I think for me, being able to go there and see how efficient he was — because you can put a ton of time in, but you can be doing it the wrong way. And he was so efficient with his time. And he would cut out three or four hours of studying throughout the night because our game plans were crazy. …The system is so intricate.
“But that was so fun. It was so fun to go learn football there. And I’m so thankful for that opportunity that I got in San Francisco.”
Since that time with the 49ers, Darnold has won 14 games in each of the last two seasons for Minnesota and Seattle. In 2025, he completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 4,048 yards with 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. In the postseason, he completed 61.5 percent of his throws for 672 yard with five TDs and no picks to earn his first Super Bowl ring.
The offseason programs around the league have largely wrapped up for 2026, with players and coaches around the league now experiencing some time off.
But training camps are just a few weeks away from opening.
The NFL announced the camp report dates for all 32 teams on Monday, with the first ones opening up in less than a month.
Below are the camp locations and report dates:
Arizona Cardinals: State Farm Stadium | Rookies: 7/22 | Veterans 7/22
Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta Falcons Training Facility | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
Baltimore Ravens: Under Armour Performance Center | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
Buffalo Bills: St. John Fisher University | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Carolina Panthers: Bank of America Stadium | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/22
Chicago Bears: Halas Hall | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Cincinnati Bengals: Paycor Stadium | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Cleveland Browns: CrossCountry Mortgage Campus | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Dallas Cowboys: Marriott Residence Inn Oxnard | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Denver Broncos: Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit | Rookies: 7/22 | Veterans: 7/28
Detroit Lions: Meijer Performance Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Green Bay Packers: Lambeau Field | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Houston Texans: Houston Methodist Training Center | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Indianapolis Colts: Grand Park | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Jacksonville Jaguars: Miller Electric Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Kansas City Chiefs: Missouri Western State University | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Las Vegas Raiders: Intermountain Health Performance Center | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Los Angeles Chargers: The Bolt | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Los Angeles Rams: Loyola Marymount University | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/25
Miami Dolphins: Baptist Health Training Complex | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/28
Minnesota Vikings: TCO Performance Center | Rookies: 7/26 | Veterans: 7/28
New England Patriots: New Balance Athletics Center | Rookies: 7/21 | Veterans: 7/24
New Orleans Saints: Ochsner Sports Performance Center | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
New York Giants: Quest Diagnostics Training Center/The Greenbrier | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
New York Jets: Athletic Health Jets Training Center | Rookies: 7/25 | Veterans: 7/28
Philadelphia Eagles: Jefferson Health Training Complex | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
Pittsburgh Steelers: Saint Vincent College | Rookies: 7/28 | Veterans: 7/28
San Francisco 49ers: SAP Performance Facility | Rookies: 7/18 | Veterans: 7/25
Seattle Seahawks: Virginia Mason Athletic Center | Rookies: 7/17 | Veterans: 7/24
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: AdventHealth Training Center | Rookies: 7/27 | Veterans: 7/28
Tennessee Titans: Vanderbilt Health Football Center | Rookies: 7/23 | Veterans: 7/28
Washington Commanders: Commanders Park | Rookies: 7/24 | Veterans: 7/28
The NFL has announced the full list of joint practices that will take place during training camps this summer.
The first set of them will take place on August 11 in four different locations. The Cowboys and Rams will practice in Los Angeles, the Colts will visit the Patriots, the Bucs will work out at the Jets’ facility and the Titans will go to Santa Clara to practice with the 49ers.
All in all, there will be 28 teams working in joint sessions in August. The Lions, Steelers, Chiefs and Broncos are the teams that will not hold joint practices.
The full list of joint practices is below with the host team listed second. If there are multiple practices scheduled, the date of the first practice is listed.
August 11 — Cowboys-Rams; Colts-Patriots; Buccaneers-Jets; Titans-49ers.
August 12 — Dolphins-Commanders.
August 13 — Jaguars-Saints.
August 18 — 49ers-Chargers; Raiders-Texans; Saints-Cowboys.
August 19 — Falcons-Colts; Ravens-Vikings; Panthers-Jaguars; Eagles-Patriots.
August 20 — Bills-Browns; Bears-Bengals; Saints-Rams; Giants-Dolphins.
August 21 — Seahawks-Titans.
August 25 — Buccaneers-Jaguars.
August 26 — Cardinals-Packers; Texans-Panthers; Commanders-Ravens.
August 27 — Bears-Titans.
Prior to what became the last year of Terry Bradshaw’s career, the Steelers had a chance to select Pitt product Dan Marino with the 21st overall selection in the draft. They passed.
In the months after the last game of Ben Roethlisberger’s career, the Steelers had a chance to select Pitt product Kenny Pickett with the 20th overall selection in the draft. They pounced.
After only two seasons, they punted on Pickett.
Earlier this week, former Steelers G.M. Kevin Colbert defended the decision to draft Pickett during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh.
“We projected Kenny to be a start-and-win NFL quarterback, and quite honestly, he lived up to that in his first two seasons with us,” Colbert said, via Jack Markowski of SI.com. “For us, he was 14-10 and trending in the right direction. So that’s what we thought we had in Kenny.”
Colbert retired before the decision was made to trade Pickett to the Eagles. He spent the 2024 season in Philadelphia (where he won a Super Bowl ring, unlike Marino) and 2025 in Las Vegas (after being traded to the Browns and then to the Raiders).
Now, Pickett sits on the Panthers’ depth chart behind starter Bryce Young. Does that mean Pickett will be a career backup? Colbert still believes Pickett has a promising future.
“Kenny’s a great young man,” Colbert said. “He’s a great competitor. . . . And I still think at a young age, I still think Kenny can continue to build on what he did with us in those first two seasons.”
Pickett, now 28, will need to get a chance to play — and play well — as an understudy in order to earn an opportunity to compete to be a starter again. For now, he has been relegated to journeyman.
Meanwhile, the Steelers don’t have a long-term answer at quarterback. They went 20 years between Bradshaw and Roethlisberger because they rarely pick high enough to get a potential franchise quarterback. And, as owner Art Rooney II has made it clear, they have no desire to chalk up a season to “rebuilding” and hope it positions them to secure a great incoming prospect through a top-10 position in the draft.
In the 53 years since winning their first playoff game on December 23, 1972, the Steelers have picked in the top 10 only five times — and never higher than No. 7. They may need to have one of their uncharacteristic bottom-third seasons before they’ll be in position to get the next quarterback who can join Bradshaw and Roethlisberger as the only true year-to-year franchise quarterbacks the franchise has ever had.
Jalen Coker entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2024 and put together two seasons worthy of a contract extension. The Panthers recently rewarded the wideout with a three-year extension that will keep him under contract through 2029.
Coker, 24, hopes to stay in Charlotte much longer.
“It was a huge opportunity for me,” Coker said Tuesday, via Kassidy Hill of the team website. “Your dream is to always go get to the NFL, of course, but to stay around and to continue to contribute and to make an impact every Sunday, that’s always been my goal.
“This wasn’t the end of my story. This isn’t where I want to be finished at. I just want to continue to build, continue to do good things for this organization down the line. Hopefully, I can stay for eight more years. I didn’t want it to be like I finally made it. I can relax. I can take the foot off the gas a little bit. No, now I’ve got to prove it even more.”
In 22 games, Coker has made 65 receptions for 872 yards and five touchdowns.
Coach Dave Canales identified Tetairoa McMillan and Coker as the top two wide receivers, but the Panthers believe they are deep at the position. Xavier Legette and John Metchie are among others on the depth chart.
“I think we’ve got so many guys that can play on this team, and it’s just going to continue to push us to be better every single day,” Coker said.
The Panthers made a commitment to wide receiver Jalen Coker with a three-year contract extension last week and 2025 offensive rookie of the year Tetairoa McMillan is clearly part of their future plans, but it’s less clear if the wideout they picked in the first round in 2024 is in that picture.
Xavier Legette has 84 catches for 860 yards and seven touchdowns over his first two seasons. His production dropped from 2024 to 2025 despite Coker missing six games, so the 2026 season is shaping up as a big one for his bid to carve out a place in Carolina for an extended period of time. While speaking to reporters last week, Legette acknowledged the position that he’s in as he heads into his third season.
“My main thing is just to have a better year than my first two years. I can’t have another year like I did last year. I can’t do that,” Legette said, via the team’s website.
Legette said he’s approached this offseason with a “do or die” mindset, which he says has “helped me do the things that I needed to do and keep that pressure on myself to never take my foot off the gas.” If that results in a jump in production, the Panthers may be extending another wideout at this time next year.
Jack Plummer’s first season in the UFL ended with the league’s top individual honor.
The Orlando Storm quarterback has been named the UFL MVP.
The 26-year-old, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Panthers in 2024, joined the Storm in 2026. He finished first in the league with 2,188 passing yards for the 8-2 Storm. His 17 touchdown passes were second in the league.
Plummer threw only one interception in 300 attempts.
No relation to former NFL quarterback Jake Plummer, Jack Plummer played college football at Purdue, California, and Louisville.
In 2024 with the Panthers, he spent most of the season on the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster in late December. The Panthers waived him in August 2025.
