Bill Belichick fell short of the necessary votes to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026, but he may have another chance in 2027.
The Hall of Fame announced the five coaches who have advanced to the next round of consideration in the current selection process. One of those coaches will be selected for consideration by the full selection committee ahead of the Super Bowl.
Belichick is joined by Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Dan Reeves, and Mike Shanahan. All five coaches also advanced to this point in the selection process last year. This is the fourth time that Holmgren has advanced to this point.
Don Coryell was the last coach selected for the Hall of Fame. He was part of the Class of 2023.
Commanders Clips
A question emerged about Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford’s throwing arm after reporters spotted ice on it following Sunday’s game against the Chargers. On Monday, coach Sean McVay called it “soreness” but otherwise deferred to Stafford for any specific questions.
On Wednesday, Stafford was asked specific questions.
“It feels good,” Stafford said regarding what was described by the team as a right elbow injury on Wednesday. “Full practice as I have been all year and hope to continue to be that way.”
So why did he have an ice pack on his elbow when he left the locker room on Sunday?
“You guys have been blind,” Stafford said with a laugh and a smile. “I feel like I’ve been icing my arm every day out here walking around. That’s on you guys. You all are the ones that are out there reporting that I have ice on my arm. Listen, I’m 38 years old trying to keep up with these young bucks. A little bit of soreness and stuff that is not uncommon this time of year. Again, I haven’t missed a rep at practice. I haven’t missed a rep in a game and I feel good. I’m not too worried about it.”
As Simms pointed out on PFT Live, elbow soreness is uncommon at this stage of the season. Quarterbacks throw less during practice in the regular season. If soreness is going to happen, it’s going to happen during training camp.
It’s hard not to wonder whether the Rams disclosed Stafford as having an elbow specifically because someone finally noticed, and asked about, the ice (if, as Stafford claims, he has constantly been icing the elbow). If it’s no big deal, why list the right elbow on the first injury report prior to the Week 9 game at Washington?
There are plenty of strategic reasons to not list an elbow issue. In 2019, the Steelers concealed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s elbow problem. Then, in Week 2, he suffered a season-ending, non-contact elbow injury. The Steelers and coach Mike Tomlin eventually were fined, $75,000 and $25,000, respectively, for not disclosing the elbow issue.
As to Stafford, it’s something to monitor. Especially since he’s 38 and has thrown thousands of passes. Something in the elbow is bothering him.
And it could be affecting the number of pass plays the Rams are calling during games. After throwing for more than 50 passes in Week 3 (55), Week 4 (51), and Week 5 (54), he has thrown 33 in Week 6, 29 in Week 7, and 25 in Week 8.
While, for now, it’s not impacting his ability to take his regular complement of practice snaps, it could be impacting his ability to generate maximum force and velocity on his throws. And, eventually, it could get worse.
Stafford has played through many injuries during his career. He’ll play through this one, too. Unless and until he physically can’t.
Rams coach Sean McVay wouldn’t allow much about the ice pack on quarterback Matthew Stafford’s arm after Sunday’s win over the Chargers other than to say it was soreness. The injury report said it isn’t serious, and Stafford agreed.
Stafford was a full participant, listed with an elbow injury.
“I’m 38 years old, trying to keep up with these young bucks. Little bit of soreness and stuff that is not uncommon this time of year,” Stafford said, via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. “Haven’t missed a rep. Feel good. So I’m not too worried about it.”
Stafford underwent surgery on his elbow during the 2022 offseason.
He threw only 25 passes on Sunday.
The Rams got more good news when outside linebacker Myles Garrett (knee) returned to practice as a limited participant. It was the first practice Garrett and Aaron Donald have had together.
Garrett underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in mid-September after playing 40 snaps in the season opener. He was given a six-week prognosis and has missed seven games.
The Rams practiced without cornerback Jaylen Watson (shoulder), long snapper Joe Cardona (ankle), cornerback Trent McDuffie (back), tight end Colby Parkinson (ribs) and safety Kam Curl (foot) on Wednesday.
Inside linebacker Grant Stuard (hamstring), offensive lineman Steve Avila (hamstring), wide receiver Jordan Whittington (back) and tight end Terrance Ferguson (ankle) were limited.
When George Costanza pitched the show about nothing to NBC president Russell Dalrymple, Dalrymple asked, “Well, why am I watching it?”
“Because it’s on TV,” Costanza said.
More than 30 years later, that sentiment still applies. As evidenced by the fact that, per Nielsen, 19.015 million (on average) watched Sunday night’s snoozefest between the Eagles and Commanders on the network that Dalrymple once ran.
It’s an amazing number, given that it was the 2-5 Eagles against the 1-4-1 Commanders. The game itself wasn’t particularly compelling, and it followed afternoon windows that culminated in a down-to-the-wire showdown between the Chiefs and the Broncos.
The league could have flexed the game out of the evening window. It chose not to. In the end, the not-ready-for-prime-time game managed to attract far more viewers than anyone would have expected.
It helped that there wasn’t a 9:30 a.m. ET game in Week 8. Fourteen straight hours of football is a lot, even for the most ardent fan.
Then again, Commanders-Eagles was a lot. Even for the most ardent fan. And more than 19 million nevertheless watched the game.
The Rams will not have one of their starting cornerbacks for the rest of the year.
Head coach Sean McVay announced in his Wednesday press conference that Jaylen Watson will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.
“It’s the right thing to do for him, even though it sucks because he’s been a real bright spot for us,” McVay said, via Greg Beacham of the Associated Press.
Watson, who signed with the Rams as a free agent in the offseason, recorded 24 tackles with nine passes defensed and one interception in seven games.
In his 60 career games for Kansas City and Los Angeles, he’s tallied 33 passes defensed and four interceptions.
The Commanders have lost a pair of defensive tackles to season-ending injuries and they added one to help fill out the ranks on Wednesday.
They announced that they have signed defensive tackle Ricky Barber off of the practice squad. Javon Kinlaw and Daron Payne both landed on injured reserve due to season-ending injuries this week.
Barber signed with the Commanders as an undrafted free agent in 2025 and appeared in two games. He had five tackles and a sack in that action, but has not been elevated to the active roster yet this year.
The Commanders also announced that they have signed defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale to their practice squad.
With 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk finally doing what he should have done months ago, the ball will return to the team’s court.
The process for being reinstated from the reserve/left squad list is believed to be administrative. (Then again, the process of applying for the supplemental draft was believed to be administrative, too; Brendan Sorsby learned otherwise.) Once the league reinstates Aiyuk, the 49ers will have to put him on the roster, trade him, or cut him.
The 49ers could emerge from the situation with a roster exemption, which would buy them some time — and which would force Aiyuk to follow through on the obligation to show up, take a physical, and see what happens next.
The 49ers would then have options. Aiyuk would have to take a physical. If he fails, the 49ers could deem it to be a non-football injury. That would allow them to park him on the reserve/NFI list and not pay him.
They could try to trade him before Tuesday’s deadline, but no trade would happen without Aiyuk restructuring his contract to the league minimum, or something close to it. A trade seems highly unlikely, given that his 2026 base salary is $26.150 million.
The simplest outcome would be for the 49ers to cut him, and to let him sign wherever he wants. (If they cut him after the trade deadline, he’d have to pass through waivers. No one would claim his contract as it’s currently written.)
The biggest question is whether the 49ers will simply wash their hands of Aiyuk or play hardball with him. Hard feelings linger, given the way the relationship disintegrated.
It all comes down to whether the 49ers want to spend the time and effort necessary to make it as difficult as they can for him to get what he clearly wants: The ability to sign with any team he chooses.
He has said he wants to play for the Commanders. It’s still unknown whether the Commanders would want him. It’s also unknown whether anyone else would want him.
None of that matters until the 49ers release him. It’s possible, in theory, that they try to find a way to keep him on ice without paying him.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced five nominees who have advanced to the next round of consideration for their 2027 class on Wednesday.
The five nominees who will be under consideration for election are Ralph Hay, Robert Kraft, Virginia McCaskey, Doug Williams and John Wooten. A subcommittee for the Contributor category will discuss the five nominees and select one for the full selection committee to vote on ahead of the Super Bowl.
Kraft was that choice last year, but the Patriots owner fell short of election from the full committee. Hay, who owned the Canton Bulldogs and took part in the founding of the NFL, also advanced to this round during the last cycle.
McCaskey owned the Bears from 1983 until her death in 2025 while Williams won a Super Bowl as Washington’s quarterback before working in the team’s front office. Wooten played in the NFL, worked as a scout and became chair of the Fritz Pollard Alliance in 2003.
Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw’s season is reportedly over.
Kinlaw went on injured reserve this week due to a knee injury. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports on Wednesday that he had surgery to repair an MCL injury and that he will miss the rest of the season as a result.
It’s the second veteran defensive tackle that the Commanders have lost for the season in recent weeks. Daron Payne will be out for the rest of the year with a foot injury.
Kinlaw started six games before his injury and he had 13 tackles and a sack in those appearances. He is signed for 2027 with a non-guaranteed base salary of $12.9 million and a $16.9 million cap hit.
The Commanders have placed defensive lineman Daron Payne, defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw and running back Jeremy McNichols on injured reserve, the team announced Tuesday.
Payne will miss the rest of the season with a season-ending foot injury.
Kinlaw will need extended rehab to heal a lingering knee injury.
McNichols has a mid-foot injury.
Kinlaw and McNichols will miss at least the next four games before returning.
The Commanders have Tim Settle and Shy Tuttle on the interior of their defense, with Jer’Zhan Newton managing a pectoral injury.
The team claimed running back Robert Henry Jr. off waivers from Seattle to help replace McNichols. Henry was previously with the Commanders before the Seahawks signed him off Washington’s practice squad on Oct. 6.
An undrafted rookie out of UTSA, Henry has not yet appeared in a regular-season game.
