Retired defensive lineman Aaron Donald is “flirting” with a comeback after the Rams traded for edge rusher Myles Garrett last week. It has created a buzz in Los Angeles, even among Rams players.
“When you have a guy that’s that serious about even considering coming out, it’s like ‘OK, we might have a chance,’” safety Quentin Lake said Monday, via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.
Donald, 35, has not played since 2023, his 10th season in the NFL.
The thought of pairing Donald, who has won Defensive Player of the Year three times, with Garrett, who has won it twice, including in 2025, has the rest of the NFL worried.
The Rams are waiting and dreaming of the possibility.
Defensive coordinator Chris Shula said he would “love to have him back, with open arms.”
“To just have two historic, if you will, defensive players on that line together,” defensive lineman Kobie Turner said, “and to have the rest of us who are trying to build up our reputations, and to build to that level of greatness that they’ve been able to garner, I think that would be cool for L.A.”
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As expected, the NCAA has appealed the court decision restoring the eligibility of Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby.
Via Justin Williams of The Athletic, the NCAA has filed an official appeal to the Court of Appeals for the Seventh District of Texas.
The appeal is described as “accelerated.” Which is necessary in this case. One way or the other, Sorsby needs a final ruling by June 22, the deadline for applying for th NFL’s supplemental draft.
The four-page ruling from Judge Ken Curry is light on analysis and reasoning. That could provide an opening for the appeals court to scrap it.
The intense outcry against the decision to allow a player who admittedly bet on Indiana games while on the Indiana roster could influence the decision. Because even home cooking has its limits.
Addiction or not, Sorsby blatantly and repeatedly violated the NCAA’s rules regarding gambling. It’s hard to imagine that there will be no consequence whatsoever — beyond the two-game suspension that Judge Curry imposed on Sorsby.
Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson said recently that it would be great to have the same quarterback for “these next couple of years.” But it remains to be seen whether the Vikings will have that.
The Vikings have started eight different quarterbacks the past three seasons after Kirk Cousins started 49 of 50 games during Jefferson’s first three seasons. The Vikings do not even know who their starting quarterback will be this season.
Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy are competing for the job. Murray is on a one-year deal, and McCarthy enters his third season with a lot to prove.
Jefferson lauded Murray during a Monday appearance on KFAN FM 100.3, but said he is “excited” to see how the quarterback competition plays out this summer.
“He understands the game,” Jefferson said. “He understands the defenses. He understands just how to put touch on the ball, just enough to where it gets to where it gotta go, without making it difficult for us. So, he understands the game a lot more just because he’s been in the game for a couple of years now. So, he kinda throws the ball before you even get out of that break. Throws you open for sure. He’s a smart guy, and he’s a competitor just like me.”
“I’m looking forward to see how good he does in training camp. I’m looking forward to J.J., seeing his improvements and seeing the different things that he has picked up over the offseason. I’m excited for the competition. I’m excited for that to go on in training camp and see the different plays that they make.”
Murray, who turns 29 in August, gets a second chance after going 38-48-1 in seven seasons in Arizona, with 20,460 yards, 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions.
Michael Penix might . . . or might not be cleared for a return to team work in time for the Falcons’ minicamp next week. Coach Kevin Stefanski is allowing only “we’ll see.”
Until Penix is cleared for football activities, the Falcons don’t have a quarterback competition.
That was the word from quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt on Wednesday.
“It’s tough to have a competition when both guys aren’t competing at the same level right now,” Van Pelt said, via Marc Raimondi of ESPN. “So, it’s hard, and it’ll come. It’ll happen at some point. Mike’s done a great job of getting himself to where he is right now. Really impressive to take 7-on-7 reps and go out and compete. That’s been great. But really, there’s no competition until we can actually evaluate him equally.”
Tua Tagovailoa is taking all of the first-team snaps with Penix participating only in individual drills and 7-on-7 work as he works his way back from an ACL tear. Penix underwent surgery Nov. 25 after his knee injury against the Panthers.
Van Pelt revealed that Penix is taking more 7-on-7 reps than Tagovailoa.
“We split the reps as evenly as we can without Mike taking team reps,” Van Pelt said. “It gets a little lopsided toward Tua.”
Penix had a scheduled day off from practice Monday, and Stefanski wouldn’t provide any timetable or specifics on Penix’s return.
“He’s hitting every milestone that he’s supposed to hit,” Stefanski said. “We’re in constant communication with our medical team and Mike, and I think he’s doing everything he can do and certainly when he may want to do more, we have to hold him back from certain things potentially. But not going to put any timeframes out there just yet, just going to focus on what’s in front of us.”
The Cowboys drafted cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. in the third round in 2025, knowing he would miss part of his rookie season. Revel likely would have gone higher in the draft if not for his torn ACL in September 2024 while practicing with teammates at East Carolina.
He played seven games last season with the Cowboys, but Revel feels even healthier this offseason. He has shed his knee brace and is getting a full offseason of practice.
“It’s very beneficial,” Revel said, via Tommy Yarrish of the team website. “Just because I can clean up a lot of things, a lot of errors I didn’t see last year, or I did see last year, that I could clean up this year.
“We’ve got a new coaching staff, they’re very detailed and very technical. When it comes to things, each day is intentional to get better. That’s what I feel like I’ve been doing. Of course there’s some things I need to work on. My knee is 100 percent, so now it’s time to focus on situational ball and I’ve got to see what I need to fix or get better at.”
New Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker met Revel in a combine meeting while Parker was still with the Eagles.
“He has a hell of a story,” Parker said. “Football means a lot to him, and he wants to work hard at it, so I think that’s where it starts. He has that built in his mind. Physically, his traits, the height, the speed, the power, he has all of that. So now it’s about just working from the neck up in terms of how the position needs to be played.”
Revel will compete with Cobie Durant for the starting job opposite DaRon Bland.
The Seahawks added some experienced depth to their offensive line on Monday.
The team announced the signing of tackle Bobby Hart to their 90-man roster. Wide receiver Levi Wentz was waived in a corresponding move.
Hart spent the 2025 season with the Chargers and started in eight of his 10 appearances. Hart previously started 45 games for the Bengals and 21 games for the Giants during a career that has also featured stops in Tennessee and Buffalo.
The Seahawks also have Josh Jones and Amari Kight behind starting tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas.
Wentz signed with Seattle after going undrafted out of Kansas in April.
Bijan Robinson is eligible for a contract extension.
The Falcons exercised the fifth-year option on his contract, which is projected to pay him $11.3 million in 2027. But both the Falcons and Robinson want a long-term deal.
Wide receiver Drake London, a first-round pick in 2022, got his extension signed on Monday. No one was happier for London than Robinson.
“Right when I saw it, I called him,” Robinson said. “I was so happy for him. He deserves it. He deserves everything that he gets. Obviously, he’s one of my favorite teammates, probably my top teammate of all time. That’s my best friend. That’s my brother.”
Dan Graziano of ESPN reports that the Falcons and Robinson’s representation are engaged in talks. The Dolphins recently signed De’Von Achane to a deal with a $16 million annual average, with San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey ($19 million per season) and Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley ($20.6 million per season) the only running backs ahead of Achane in annual average.
A reporter asked Robinson on Monday whether he is the next player on the Falcons to receive an extension.
“We’ll see, man,” Robinson said, via Daniel Flick of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’ll see, because I’m not the type of guy to talk about it. I let them handle all that stuff. So, we’ll see.”
Robinson, the eighth overall pick in 2023, has played every game he has been eligible over the past three seasons. He has 3,910 yards rushing with 25 touchdowns and 198 catches for 1,738 yards and nine touchdowns.
In 2025, he led the league with 2,298 yards from scrimmage in 2025.
The Seahawks took a look at a possible veteran addition to their secondary on Monday.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that they had safety Ifeatu Melifonwu in for a workout.
Melifonwu spent the 2025 season with the Dolphins and started in eight of his 16 appearances. He had 53 tackles, a sack, and an interception with Miami.
The veteran safety spent his first four seasons with the Lions. He had 72 tackles, 4.5 sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries during his time in Detroit.
Per Garafolo, no signing is imminent but the Seahawks could revisit adding Melifonwu in the coming weeks.
Broncos tight end Caleb Lohner will miss the rest of the offseason program after a cleanup surgery, Mike Klis of 9News reports.
The body part is specified only as lower body.
Lohner is expected to be ready for training camp.
The Broncos made him a seventh-round pick in 2025. He was primarily a basketball player before transitioning to football in 2024 when he caught four touchdowns for Utah.
Lohner spent last season on Denver’s practice squad but did not play in the regular season. The Broncos elevated him to the game-day roster for the divisional round game against the Bills, but he ended up being inactive.
The Broncos have Evan Engram, Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins on the depth chart ahead of Lohner, and the team drafted Justin Joy, so Lohner has his work cut out for him to make the roster.
Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed is headed back to Kansas City.
According to multiple reports, Sneed will sign with the Chiefs. He visited with the team last week, but there wasn’t much need for either side to spend much time getting to know each other.
Sneed was a 2020 fourth-round pick by the AFC West team and he helped them win a pair of Super Bowls in his four years with the team. He was traded to the Titans before the 2024 season and he signed a four-year deal in Tennessee, but only played 12 games over two years with the team due to injuries and he was released in March.
Sneed had 303 tackles, 10 interceptions, 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in the regular season during his first stint with the Chiefs. He also had 72 tackles, two sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in 13 postseason appearances.
