The Patriots are signing undrafted free agent Riley Wilson, his representation, PM3 Sports Management, announced.
He spent time with the Buccaneers this offseason after going undrafted.
Wilson spent last season at the University of Arizona, where he posted 51 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions and four pass breakups.
He began his college career as a tight end at Hawaii. During his freshman season in 2020, Wilson played in one game and caught a 2-yard pass against Boise State.
In 2021, Wilson transitioned from tight end to linebacker and played as a core special teamer. He saw action in four games in 2022 and transferred to Montana for 2023.
Wilson led Montana in sacks (8.5) and tackles for loss (15) that season. In 2024, he totaled 83 tackles, 4.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits. He transferred to Arizona the following season.
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The UFL is in its offseason, and the UFL offseason a year ago was an occasion to move three teams of the eight teams.
Another team could possibly be in potential jeopardy of relocation, based on a fairly significant hint the UFL has dropped, by implication.
As noted by Mark Perry of UFL News Hub, seven teams are currently looking for a “head of business operations (team).” One team — the Stallions — is not included in the online listing.
So why would seven teams be hiring a “head of business operations (team)” but not the eighth? The omission is glaring, and it could be an indication that Birmingham may not be long for the UFL.
The Stallions averaged 8.248 fans per home game last year. The final three games didn’t go well, with 4,705, 4,824, and 5,253 in attendance.
Unless it was an oversight, it’s hard to understand why the Stallions aren’t included. Last year, the function was centralized. This year, it’s being handled on a team-by-team basis. With only seven teams posting the opening, the absence of Birmingham will invite speculation as to whether the Stallions will be playing in a new city in 2027.
It’s been well established that ESPN informed NFL analyst Ryan Clark that he was being let go while he was on the air. And Clark has chimed in on how it went down.
On Tuesday night, TMZ (which was a little late to the party on this one) reiterated the reporting from Andrew Marchand of The Athletic regarding the decision to tell Clark while he was appearing on NFL Live.
From the TMZ report: “Ryan did not come back on the air after being informed he was being let go ... obviously, the news rattled him, and we’re told both Ryan and ESPN agreed it was better not to return.”
The item went out with a headline and tweet that said Clark “wasn’t forced from air during commercial break.” That caught Clark’s eye, and it drew a response.
Said Clark: “I wasn’t forced? I ask, ‘should I be done now?’ The answer was ‘yes.’”
ESPN could have given Clark the option to finish the show. It wouldn’t have been easy, for anyone. And he may have had something to say that would have gone viral, to say the least.
Still, as Clark tells it, it wasn’t a mutual decision. He didn’t even participate in it. He asked if he’s done right now, and he was told that he was.
Cardinals offensive lineman Isaiah Adams faces four weapons charges after his recent arrest in Canada, the Associated Press reports.
Adams, 25, was charged with possession of a firearm obtained in a crime, possession of a restricted/prohibited firearm, no license while in possession of a loaded firearm and possessing a prohibited device, according to the Durham Regional Police Service in Ontario.
Three others were arrested along with Adams.
“Isaiah is completely innocent in this matter,” Adams’ attorney Adam Weisberg said in a statement. “He had no knowledge of any firearm, and he will be fully exonerated.”
Police concluded an investigation on Friday into a male believed to be in possession of a firearm and involved in drug trafficking. Two other people arrested were charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute.
Adams was expected to report to training camp with the team on Thursday, according to the news service.
“We are aware of the situation involving Isaiah Adams,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “Out of respect for the process, we will refrain from commenting further at this time.”
Adams, who was born in Ajax, Ontario, was a third-round pick of the Cardinals out of Illinois in 2024. He started 11 games last season after starting five as a rookie.
Is Aaron Donald really coming back?
As of now, it’s still an open question — one even Rams head coach Sean McVay does not have the answer to.
“I have crossed paths with Aaron Donald,” McVay said in an interview with Jason LaCanfora of The Daily Flock podcast. “What’s special is, we have a really special relationship. It’s way bigger than football. I’ve heard him say it before and it means the world to me — and I feel the same — it’s family with us. He’s done so much for me. I love the man he is. I love the husband, the father, the son — he represents a lot of the things that are right.
“And what he’s going to do is, he is thinking about this. He’s going to go through his process. And the one thing about Aaron Donald is, what he does, he does it full speed ahead.”
Donald was recently captured working out at the Rams’ practice facility in Los Angeles. He’s also posted plenty of pictures and video of himself working out throughout the offseason.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted this week that Donald is trying to get himself ready for the season, and it doesn’t seem like a definitive answer on his return is coming in the immediate future.
Cardinals fourth-round pick Kaleb Proctor will not see any game action during his rookie season.
The Cardinals placed Proctor on injured reserve Wednesday and the timing of the move means he will not be eligible to be activated at any point during the 2026 campaign. The defensive lineman tore his meniscus during the team’s offseason program and head coach Mike LaFleur said in the spring that the injury could keep him out for the entire year.
Arizona signed defensive lineman Coziah Izzard to fill the open spot on their 90-man roster.
Izzard signed with the Chiefs after going undrafted out of Penn State in 2025. He also spent time with the Saints, but did not appear in any regular season games for either team.
There had been four unsigned rookie quarterbacks. There are now three.
Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Cardinals and quarterback Carson Beck have agreed to terms on a four-year, $7.4 million deal, as the Cardinals gather for training camp.
The amount was never in question. It’s slotted. There’s nothing to negotiate.
The question is whether he got more guarantees than others around him received, given the position he plays. Eventually, the contract will be reported and the full percentage of the guarantees will be known.
For now, Beck is under contract. He can embark on an effort to disrupt the current plan to make veteran Jacoby Brissett the starter. And the chances of that could increase, if Brissett and the Cardinals don’t work out a new deal before camp opens — and if Brissett declines to practice until they do.
Three other rookie quarterbacks are unsigned: Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Rams quarterback Ty Simpson, and Steelers quarterback Drew Allar.
The quarterback competition in Las Vegas won’t be a competition if it never becomes one.
If it’s a truly open competition, the first overall pick in the draft presumably should be able to beat a 37-year-old veteran who had no clear starting opportunities elsewhere in the league. With all due respect to Kirk Cousins (who has been a very good quarterback and an even better businessman), the first overall pick in any draft should be able to win a full and fair competition with Cousins at this point in his career. (Unless the first overall pick isn’t a quarterback.)
One way to keep the veterans on the team from revolting when it comes to the decision to not use Mendoza would be to minimize Mendoza’s chances to show that he’s the better option. Which may explain the recent suggestion from Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated that the Raiders “will sprinkle Mendoza in with the first team” during training camp.
Of course, if Mendoza makes the most out of the sprinkling, the flow could increase. If a limited apples-to-apples comparison makes it clear to the established players on the team (starting with defensive end Maxx Crosby and tight end Brock Bowers) that Mendoza could be the Johnny Appleseed for a forest of playoff appearances, the mood could shift, quickly.
The balance for the Raiders, if they’re committed to keeping Mendoza in the garage for a year, will be to get him practice reps without making it clear that he should get more. And more. And more.
The Chiefs pulled it off nine years ago with Patrick Mahomes because they were a perennial playoff team under Alex Smith. The Raiders have been to the playoffs twice since the 2002 season. The players on the team will want the guy who gives them the best chance not to win later, but to win now.
Cousins has said the better player should play. As camp prepares to open, the question is whether Mendoza will get much of a chance to prove it — and whether he does enough with the “sprinkling” he gets to force the issue to the front burner.
The Panthers’ roster went down to three quarterbacks when Will Grier retired earlier this month.
The plan is now to hold that number at the position through training camp.
In his Wednesday press conference, General Manager Dan Morgan told reporters that Carolina has “no plans” right now to bring in a fourth QB.
“Obviously, wish Will and his family the best,” Morgan said. “In terms of his career, just playing as long as he did — just wish him the best moving forward.”
So, Carolina will go through training camp with Kenny Pickett and Haynes King behind starter Bryce Young at quarterback.
Grier, 31, had rejoined Carolina as a free agent in April. The Panthers had brought him into the league as a third-round pick back in 2019. But after participating in the club’s offseason program, Grier decided to hang up his cleats.
Grier started just two games in his career, both of which came as a rookie for the Panthers.
He also spent time with the Cowboys, Bengals, Patriots, Chargers, and Eagles.
Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL in the divisional round of the playoffs and the team confirmed that he’s not ready to resume practicing on Wednesday.
Charbonnet has been placed on the physically unable to perform list ahead of the start of training camp. Charbonnet can be activated from the list at any point in camp, but the timing of the injury means that it will likely be some time before the team will be moving him to the active roster.
The Seahawks previously placed safety Nick Emmanwori, running back Kenny McIntosh, cornerback Tyrone Broden, and defensive tackle Deven Eastern on the PUP list.
Charbonnet ran 184 times for 730 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. First-round pick Jadarian Price, George Holani, Emanuel Wilson, Velus Jones, and Jacardia Wright are the healthy options at running back in Seattle.
