Fox is bringing out the big guns for the Fanatics Flag Football Classic.
On Monday, Fox announced that Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen will call the action. They previously formed the No. 1 NFL team on Fox, until Fox threw $37.5 million per year at Tom Brady and demoted Olsen, who is widely regarded as a better game analyst than Brady.
Brady isn’t available this time around, because he’s one of the players.
The three-team tournament is scheduled to be televised from 4:00 p.m. ET until 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 21. It will be competing directly with the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Two teams of current NFL players, former NFL players, and random celebrities will compete against the U.S. men’s national flag football team. Tom Brady and Jalen Hurts will captain one team (coached by Sean Payton), and Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels will captain the other (coached by Kyle Shanahan).
Teams will be selected from the pool of said current NFL players, former NFL players, and random celebrities.
The game had originally been scheduled for Saudi Arabia. It was moved after war broke out in the Middle East.
Raiders Clips
The Raiders have added a linebacker.
Las Vegas announced on Monday that the club has signed Segun Olubi.
Terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.
Olubi, 26, just completed his rookie contract with the Colts. He was a heavy special teams contributor for Indianapolis, playing about 80 percent of the team’s snaps on the unit in each of the last two seasons.
In 2025, Olubi recorded 11 total tackles with a forced fumble.
Wide receiver Dareke Young is joining Klint Kubiak in Las Vegas.
Young’s agents announced that he has agreed to terms on a contract with the Raiders. Kubiak became the Raiders’ head coach after serving as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator in their run to the Super Bowl LX title.
Young was a member of that Seahawks team and he spent the last four seasons in Seattle. Young had two catches for 48 yards in nine regular season appearances last year and he also played in all three of the team’s postseason contests.
Young saw action on special teams in addition to offense in Seattle and he had 12 tackles across his 12 overall appearances.
The relocated flag football tournament, which has moved from Saudi Arabia to L.A. due to the war in the Middle East, has added more participants.
Via Sports Business Journal, Fanatics announced the full roster of players earlier this week.
In addition to the active NFL players previously named (Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley), more current pro football players will take part: Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty, Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith, Saints running back Alvin Kamara, Rams receiver Davante Adams, 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, Chargers safety Derwin James Jr., and Steelers safety Jalen Ramsey.
Several current free agents also will play: Von Miller, DeAndre Hopkins, Deebo Samuel, and Stefon Diggs.
The recent pivot to the inclusion of the U.S. men’s national flag football team as one of the three teams in the tournament likely will make the tournament more competitive. The flag players will hope to show they are better suited to represent the United States in the Olympics in 2028.
That will do nothing to reduce the risk of injury associated with the event. If the free agents haven’t signed by March 21, any sort of injury could complicate their effort to find a new NFL team.
And, yes, the risk of injury is lower than the risk they assume when suiting up and playing full-contact tackle football. There’s still risk, as promising young NFL running back Robert Edwards once learned the very hard way.
The two teams of current and former NFL players and various non-football players will be picked from the pool of players on March 19.
Tom Brady is the ringleader of the tournament. And, as one team executive recently opined, there’s no way Tom Brady would be playing in a flag football tournament if he was still playing in the NFL.
Regardless, the flag football tournament, which will be televised by Fox, could be interesting extra-screen viewing during the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
The following are PFT’s top 100 free agents for the start of the 2026 league year. The rankings include prospective unrestricted free agents and released players. The list will be updated as events warrant, with signings, tags and re-signings denoted when announced and/or reported. Players released after initial publication may be added and all 100 players initially on the list will still be listed after any additions.
1. Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. (Placed the franchise tag on him on February 27.)
2. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones. (Placed the transition tag on him on March 3.)
3. Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Raiders on March 9.)
4. Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Panthers on March 9.)
5. Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. (Agreed to a four-year deal with the Ravens on March 11.)
6. Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts. (Placed the franchise tag on him on February 24.)
7. Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce. (Agreed to four-year deal with Colts on March 9.)
8. Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Rams on March 9.)
9. Jets running back Breece Hall. (Placed the franchise tag on him on March 3.)
10. Packers quarterback Malik Willis. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Dolphins on March 9.)
11. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. (Signed a one-year deal with the Vikings on March 12.)
12. Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Steelers on March 9.)
13. Seahawks WR/KR/PR Rashid Shaheed. (Agreed to re-sign with Seahawks on a three-year deal on March 9.)
14. Packers offensive tackle Rasheed Walker. (Agreed to one-year deal with Panthers on March 13.)
15. Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker. (Agreed to sign with the Chiefs on March 9.)
16. Colts offensive tackle Braden Smith. (Agreed to two-year deal with Texans on March 10.)
17. Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Raiders on March 9.)
18. Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Bengals on March 9.)
19. Packers linebacker Quay Walker. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Raiders on March 9.)
20. Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Commanders on March 10.)
21. Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the 49ers on March 9.)
22. Seahawks defensive back Coby Bryant. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Bears on March 9.)
23. 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings.
24. Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs. (Agreed to four-year deal with Patriots on March 10.)
25. Jaguars running back Travis Etienne. (Agreed to four-year deal with Saints on March 9.)
26. Broncos edge rusher John Franklin-Myers. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Titans on March 9).
27. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
28. Eagles edge rusher Jaelen Phillips. (Agreed to a four-year deal with the Panthers on March 9.)
29. Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
30. Bills center Connor McGovern. (Re-signed on March 7.)
31. Jets guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. (Agreed to a deal with the Patriots on March 9.)
32. Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Eagles on March 10.)
33. Chiefs safety Bryan Cook. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Bengals on March 9.)
34. Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright. (Agreed to one-year deal with Jets on March 10.)
35. Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa.
36. Dolphins edge rusher Bradley Chubb. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Bills on March 11.)
37. Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely. (Agreed to three-year deal with Giants on March 9.)
38. Chargers edge rusher Odafe Oweh. (Agreed to a four-year deal with the Commanders on March 9.)
39. Steelers offensive guard Isaac Seumalo. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Cardinals on March 9.)
40. Lions defensive tackle D.J. Reader.
41. Browns linebacker Devin Bush. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Bears on March 9.)
42. Bears safety Jaquan Brisker. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Steelers on March 12.)
43. Rams safety Kamren Curl. (Agreed to three-year deal with Rams on March 6.)
44. Bills offensive guard David Edwards. (Agreed to four-year deal with Saints on March 9.)
45. Patriots edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Commanders on March 11.)
46. Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
47. Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor. (Agreed to three-year deal with Titans on March 9.)
48. Chargers offensive guard Zion Johnson. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Browns on March 9).
49. Browns offensive guard Joel Bitonio.
50. Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Eagles on March 15).
51. Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone. (Agreed to a two-year deal with the Buccaneers on March 9.)
52. Panthers center Cade Mays. (Agreed to three-year deal with the Lions on March 9.)
53. Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack. (Agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Chargers on March 7.)
54. Bears safety Kevin Byard. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Patriots on March 11.)
55. Colts edge rusher Kwity Paye. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Raiders on March 9.)
56. Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Eagles on March 10.)
57. Ravens edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones. (Agreed to three-year deal with Patriots on March 9.)
58. Browns offensive guard Wyatt Teller.
59. Lions edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad. (Agreed to a one-year deal with Bucs on March 12.)
60. Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner.
61. Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. (Agreed to a four-year deal with the Titans on March 9.)
62. Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins. (Agreed to a two-year deal with the Ravens on March 11.)
63. Cowboys edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney.
64. Saints linebacker Demario Davis. (Agreed to two-year deal with the Jets on March 9.)
65. Panthers running back Rico Dowdle. (Agreed to a two-year deal with the Steelers on March 9.)
66. Falcons edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Eagles on March 12.)
67. Titans offensive guard Kevin Zeitler.
68. Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Broncos on March 9.)
69. Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Cowboys on March 9.)
70. Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton. (Agreed to three-year deal with Buccaneers on March 9.)
71. Saints edge rusher Cameron Jordan.
72. Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Seahawks on March 9.)
73. Giants offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor. (Agree to three-year deal with the Giants on March 9.)
74. Commanders center Tyler Biadasz. (Agreed to three-year deal with Chargers on March 6.)
75. Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the 49ers on March 16.)
76. Browns tight end David Njoku.
77. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. (Agreed to return to Chiefs on March 9.)
78. Giants offensive guard Greg Van Roten.
79. Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota. (Re-signed with the Commanders on March 9.)
80. Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown. (Agreed to three-year deal with Jaguars on March 9.)
81. Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata. (Agreed to a one-year deal with the Jets on March 9.)
82. Bucs linebacker Lavonte David.
83. Bengals guard Dalton Risner. (Re-signed with Bengals on March 2.)
84. Vikings safety Harrison Smith.
85. Giants quarterback Russell Wilson.
86. Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
87. Jets safety Andre Cisco. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Jets on March 13.)
88. Buccaneers running back Rachaad White. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Commanders on March 12.)
89. Packers edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare. (Agreed to one-year deal with the Jets on March 9.)
90. Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen.
91. Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas.
92. Texans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. (Agreed to re-sign with Texans on March 9.)
93. Titans tight end Chig Okonwko. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Commanders on March 11.)
94. Eagles safety Reed Blankenship. (Agreed to a three-year deal with the Texans on March 9.)
95. Raiders offensive guard Dylan Parham. (Agreed to a two-year deal with the Jets on March 11.)
96. Browns safety Rayshawn Jenkins.
97. Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton. (Re-signed with the Broncos on March 9.)
98. Broncos outside linebacker Justin Strnad. (Re-signed with the Broncos on March 8.)
99. Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco.
100. Colts cornerback Mike Hilton.
101. Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones.
102. Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier. (Agreed to two-year deal with Cardinals on March 9.)
The Cowboys were interested in a trade for Maxx Crosby. They missed out when the Raiders traded the edge rusher to the Ravens on Friday.
But the Ravens failed Crosby on his physical on Tuesday, prompting questions about whether the Raiders might attempt to trade Crosby again once his knee heals. (The Raiders are telling teams they are no longer interested in trading Crosby.)
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wouldn’t rule out re-engaging in trade talks with the Raiders, but admits it isn’t likely.
“We’re pretty far down the road relative to what our plans are,” Jones told Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press during an event promoting an IndyCar series street race in Arlington. “So while I don’t anticipate it, I don’t want to rule anything out.”
The Cowboys cleared cap space on Wednesday by trading defensive tackles Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas. Odighizuwa went to the 49ers, and Thomas to the Titans.
They added a pass rusher earlier this week by trading with the Packers for Rashan Gary.
Free agent fullback Connor Heyward has agreed to terms with the Raiders on a two-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports. The deal has a maximum value of $5.5 million with $2 million fully guaranteed.
The Steelers sought the return of Heyward, but he instead will join Klint Kubiak’s offensive in Las Vegas.
Pittsburgh made Heyward a sixth-round pick in 2022, and he spent his first four seasons there. He played all 68 possible games, seeing action on 874 offensive snaps and 1,124 on special teams.
He has 62 touches for 449 yards and five touchdowns in his career.
Heyward has also made 28 tackles and recovered a fumble.
Maxx Crosby took a weird U-turn back to Las Vegas. Everyone thought he was headed to Baltimore until he wasn’t.
The Ravens wouldn’t pass Crosby on his physical, sending him back to the Raiders, who now say they aren’t interested in trading the five-time Pro Bowler.
Teams other than the Ravens were in on Crosby, and whether another team would have passed Crosby on his physical likely will never be known.
The Bears were one of those teams interested in a trade for the 28-year-old edge rusher, General Manager Ryan Poles confirmed on Thursday.
“We were involved. We checked into it,” Poles said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “We looked to see if it made sense. Had some dialogue. I’ll leave it at that.”
The Raiders negotiated the contract on Monday. It’s now been officially signed.
The team announced the transaction on Thursday morning.
The Raiders will pay Linderbaum $81 million over three years. The structure of the deal makes every penny fully guaranteed as a practical matter. (The only way to avoid a $21 million salary for 2028 is to cut him after one season and $30 million paid, with the next $30 million fully guaranteed.)
The last hurdle was the physical. He could have failed it. He didn’t.
The 50-percent increase in the center market makes the Linderbaum contract the most stunning of the current cycle. The Raiders grossly overpaid; we’ve yet to identify any team that was willing to go above $22 million per year.
Whatever the reason (a “dysfunction tax” is the most obvious) they still undoubtedly and unquestionably overpaid. And they agreed to a three-year deal that puts him back on the open market in 2029, ditching a fourth or a fifth year that would have been non-guaranteed and that would have given the Raiders the ability to keep him around without having to potentially give him another raise.
The Raiders agreed to the Linderbaum contract before knowing Maxx Crosby’s contract would end up back on the books. There could have been a temptation to find something, anything, to help them avoid (or at least to rework) the deal, like they did with Jimmy Garoppolo in 2023 and Rodger Saffold in 2014.
That’s not the case. Linderbaum will cash in — and he has raised the bar with a deal that will help all other high-end centers who will be in line for new contracts.
Sure, the rest of the league may not like it. Owner Mark Davis could get a cold shoulder and/or a side eye or two at the annual meeting later this month. Regardless, the market is the market. And the market for centers has now skyrocketed from $18 million per year to $27 million per year.
While it can be argued (and Simms and I definitely argued about it this morning on PFT Live) that the Raiders and Ravens should have handled various aspects of the failed Maxx Crosby trade differently, the outcome presents an opportunity to make changes aimed at preventing such outcomes in the future.
Simms had a good idea. Before a major trade in the offseason, all potentially interested teams get a chance to perform a physical on the player before proceeding. Then, the trade agreement (if there is one) happens without the condition that the player must pass a physical. Once the deal is done, it’s done. (Obviously, it would be difficult to use that approach for in-season trades.)
Throughout the morning, I’ve been running the idea by folks around the league. And here’s our official proposal, not only as to players who may be traded at the start of the league year but also as to impending free agents.
They all go to Indianapolis during the Scouting Combine. They go through the same medical review process that every incoming player experiences. And because it’s a collective process, no one will have to declare themselves as being interested in any player before getting the medical information.
Then, after the Combine, a trade can be negotiated without the requirement that the player must pass a physical. The new team takes the player as is, with the benefit of the information freshly gathered in Indianapolis.
It would avoid glitches, like the one that happened with Crosby and the Ravens. It also would prevent situations in which a free agent agrees to terms during the negotiating period, shows up to sign the contract, takes a physical, and something unexpected turns up.
That happened in 2023, with the Raiders and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He had a foot injury that prompted the Raiders to re-do the contract in order to secure protections against the foot not healing properly. It also happened in 2014, also with the Raiders. Former Rams offensive lineman Rodger Saffold agreed to terms. The Raiders then determined that he failed the physical. (Saffold re-signed with the Rams, for less than what he had been offered by the Raiders.)
All of this can be avoided, if the teams interested in an impending free agent have access to a physical conducted at the same place and at the same time the league at large is poking and prodding the incoming players.
The doctors are already in Indianapolis. And the player will have to take a physical at some point, anyway. Given that 32 different teams could have 32 different opinions about a given player’s overall condition, it makes sense for all of them to have the relevant medical information before any of them negotiate a contract with him.
It’s the most obvious solution to a problem that was highlighted by the Crosby situation. He could have done a physical in Indianapolis two weeks ago, with a trade deal being reached after the medical information was obtained. Any/every other player who agreed to terms this week could have done the same thing, eliminating the possibility of finding out too late that the team isn’t comfortable with something about his overall health.
The fix is simple. The Crosby fiasco cries out for it. There’s no reason to not adopt it by the start of the next new league year.
