Rupert Murdoch's power play against pro football culminated this week in a House Judiciary Committee hearing regarding the NFL's broadcast antitrust exemption. The question in the aftermath of the Wednesday session becomes obvious.

What's next?

At some point, the situation will become specific action aimed at enforcing the limits of the antitrust exemption or scrapping it, or it will continue to be a superficial power play aimed ultimately at pressuring the NFL to not use a streaming company as the "or else" when the league names its price for an extension of Fox's current TV deal with the league.

John Ourand of Puck added this ominous note at the end of the latest installment of his Varsity newsletter: "The committee report appears to be a precursor to a bill designed to slow down the migration of NFL games to streaming services. In fact, sources on all sides expect some sort of legislation to be introduced within the next few weeks."

It's unknown whether the legislation will expressly prevent the NFL from selling games collectively to streamers and other paid platforms (the current law arguably does that already), or whether it will attempt to overturn the entire antitrust exemption.

The House Judiciary Committee has made the point that the broadcast antitrust exemption was adopted at a time when the NFL was struggling financially. Now, 65 years later, it's the most dominant sport in America. By far.

As Murdoch's Wall Street Journal argued earlier this year, the time may have come for the NFL to prove why it still deserves a license to shirk the antitrust laws when it comes to selling TV packages. And it's possible that Murdoch's leverage game aimed at giving up less than the NFL wants to continue broadcasting its games will take on a life of its own, lighting the fuse on a bomb that could permanently change the way the NFL does business with its broadcast partners.

Xavier Worthy ran the fastest 40-yard dash in Scouting Combine history before the Chiefs took him in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, so when asked about competing with the Chiefs' other wide receivers on the practice field, Worthy said he knows he'll always stand out.

"No question I'm the fastest," Worthy said.

But last year Worthy's production took a step backward as he played through a Week One shoulder injury, and he said this week that the surgery he had in January is going to be good for him in the long run, because in recovery he focused more on his strength and the mental part of his game, and not just relying on his speed.

"With the shoulder injury, I had that surgery in January, really it was just building on, getting stronger, getting back in the flow," Worthy said. "It might have been the best thing for me, learning how to be a pro, learning how to approach the mental aspect and just getting your body prepared for certain things."

Worthy said his injury-plagued 2025 season didn't show what he can really be as an NFL receiver.

“I’d definitely say that’s not a true indication of what I am,” he said. “I was limited in certain things. I want to come back out here and show my ability and what I can do.”

In 2026, Worthy believes he's going to demonstrate why the Chiefs were smart to draft him.

“I know the kind of player I can be,” Worthy said. “The things I can do on the field, what I can bring to the team.”

Friday night's World Cup match between the United States and Paraguay looked great. Most of the images from the 4-1 U.S. win didn't look anything like the stadium in which it was played.

But it was indeed SoFi Stadium. With rich, lush, naturally green grass.

"Wonder if we could get that all season," 49ers tight end George Kittle said on Twitter.

Although the 49ers' annual visit to their home away from home to play the Rams won't happen this year (they'll square off in Australia), the 49ers will be at SoFi Stadium to play the Chargers in Week 15, for a Thursday night game.

Friday night's soccer match showed what SoFi could be, what it would be, if Rams owner Stan Kroenke were to embrace grass.

But he won't. It costs too much money to maintain a high-quality grass field. It complicates the effort to have all sorts of other events at the venue.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made that point earlier this year, regarding his no-questions-asked willingness to install grass at AT&T Stadium for the World Cup.

"We have more flexibility with the way we handle our surface at the stadium," Jones said at the annual meetings in Phoenix, via Jordan Raanan of ESPN. "We have no belief that it's any safer to play on a grass [field] or a turf. We are ambiguous as to the safety of it. The turf, actually like many things, improves the economics of being able to play this game and our players are the biggest benefactor of all. They get the best benefit of when we do good things financially, the players are benefiting. So I'm working for you, baby, OK, if you're a player.

"And so the combination of that, I'm very comfortable putting some grass down for soccer under regulations and proud to be able to do it but quickly get that turf back out there to go about the other business of the stadium and the team."

The safety narrative is a weak one. The NFL has muddied the issue by focusing on the statistical claim that the injury rate is the same on grass as it is on turf. This ignores player experience beyond the question of actual injuries. The human body takes less wear and tear when the forces it creates are absorbed by a grass field than when the forces ricochet back into the feet and up through the legs.

Besides, how does Jerry Jones hosting a bunch of other events in a football stadium benefit the football players on the Cowboys? At best, it gives him more money to pay players. In a salary-capped environment, however, who cares? The TV money and the ticket revenue from the football games gives owners more than enough money to finance the roster.

The simple reality is that the overwhelming majority of players — 92 percent — prefer grass.

“I’m going into year 10, and I can say wholeheartedly that grass feels way better than turf,” Giants offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor recently said, via Rohan Nadkarni of NBC News. “With MetLife getting grass, obviously it’s cool for FIFA and the World Cup. It’s one of the biggest stages in the world but, at the same time, the NFL as a whole is one of the most profitable businesses in the world, and so you would think that us as players would have a say in the fields that we get to play on."

The players do have a say. In an environment of collective bargaining, however, they need to be willing to give something up to get something else. When the original artificial turf — a thin sheet of green all-weather carpet rolled over concrete — began to proliferate, the NFL Players Association allowed it. The owners secured the discretion to choose the playing surface without any real pushback.

Now that the pushback is happening, the only path for making high-quality grass universal comes from bargaining for it. And, if need be, going on strike to get it.

It all comes back to the fundamental imbalance between management and labor in pro football. The owners will shut the sport down to get what they want. The players won't.

If the choice is football on artificial turf or no football at all, the players will choose football on artificial turf. And the owners will ignore the P.R. complications flowing from the hypocrisy of writing a blank check for FIFA, because at the end of the day it's all just words. Until the words are backed up by actions, nothing will change.

Hell, Jones probably likes the fact that the grass vs. turf debate exists. His view is that there's no such thing as bad publicity. And so, on top of the fact that Jones and other owners make more money from staging their teams' games on turf, the organic debate over an inorganic playing surface becomes another twist in the ultimate reality show.

And it's a twist with no stakes. Unless and until the NFLPA is willing to do something other than create public pressure at which the owners won't even blink, the back-and-forth over turf vs. grass will be nothing but noise.

So that's the real question. Will the players simply talk about their preference for grass or, when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires in 2031, will they do something about it?

Given that most of the men who'll be playing pro football in 2031 are currently in college or high school, it's way too early to know the choice they'll make. History, however, tells us that the decision between playing on artificial turf and not playing at all will be a no-brainer.

In the interim, is it possible that the players could emerge from talks over an expanded season with universal grass fields? Yes. To get there, however, they may have to be willing to go not from 17 regular-season games to 18 but from 17 to 20.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid has been known to eat a cheeseburger or two. But as Chiefs left tackle Josh Simmons talks about bulking up for this season, Reid doesn't want him doing it with cheeseburgers.

Simmons told reporters this week that he weighs 285-290 pounds right now, and although he appears to be in great shape, he looks awfully lean by NFL offensive lineman standards. Simmons said he's going to try to get up to 300 pounds by training camp, and Reid wants him doing it the right way.

"You don't want cheeseburger weight," Reid said. "He's extremely athletic, and he's gifted that way, so he's able to get away with some things because of that."

The things Simmons gets away with include blocking 300-pound men without weighing 300 pounds himself, and Reid said he's not sure that Simmons even needs to get up to 300 pounds to do his job effectively.

"He's kind of a unique character because he's not a real big guy," Reid said. "But he's extremely strong and very athletic, so you always talk about leverage as a coach, and he does a good job with that, and he was able to function that way last year. He probably told you he's going to put on weight, we'll see. I don't think that's an absolute that has to take place. He looked pretty good out here."

The 6-foot-5 Simmons weighed 317 pounds at last year's Scouting Combine before the Chiefs drafted him in the first round. He's lost significant weight since then, and he might be the lightest offensive tackle in the entire NFL right now: At 285 pounds he'd be lighter than every single offensive tackle who played in the league last year, according to pro-football-reference.com.

Simmons showed promise in his rookie year, but he missed nine games last season. The most important thing for the Chiefs is that he's healthy and ready to protect Patrick Mahomes' blind side, and they don't think he needs to add any cheeseburger weight to do that.

The Browns' offseason program has ended. It came and went without a key member of the offense taking part in practice.

Via Zac Jackson of The Athletic, tight end Harold Fannin Jr. didn’t participate in the offseason sessions.

In 16 games with 13 starts, Fannin caught 72 passes for 731 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie. He also scored a rushing touchdown.

There's no obligation in the offseason to disclose injury information. The requirement doesn't apply until the first week of the regular season.

For now, Fannin's absence from offseason workouts will remain a mystery. It can't be a contract thing; he's not eligible for a new contract until after the 2027 season.

Beyond the question of when he'll be healthy, his absence has prevented him from getting reps in the new offense being installed by coach Todd Monken.

As the Bears play a stadium shell game — possibly without a ball hiding under any of them — the football team has more immediate business. And their franchise quarterback is focused on that.

"I’m going to play wherever there’s 120 by 53 and ⅓ and it’s marked up with white lines and two end zones," Caleb Williams said Thursday, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. "I’m OK with whatever. Whatever decision they make is whatever decision they make. I just want some green and my teammates and coaches and another team out there and fans."

Wherever a new stadium is built, it won't happen for multiple years. Presumably, Williams will still be playing for the Bears.

But the NFL changes faster than it ever has. Every year is unique, for every team. Things change. Teams change.

One basic reality for the Bears is that, if/when a new stadium is built, the Bears will lose the advantage that comes from the elements. The "Iceman" will never have to worry about ice, rain, wind, or snow when playing at home.

It's good, then, that the Bears are becoming a team that is driven by its offense. That's rarely been the case, as evidenced by the fact that the franchise has never had a 4,000-yard passer.

Williams, who set the franchise record with 3,942 in 2025, should get there, with or without a roof over the home stadium. If/when the Bears move indoors, those numbers could go even higher.

Still, it's a long way off. While Williams likely will still be a Bear when they open Abe Froman Field, most of his current teammates will be long gone from the roster.

The Vikings are hiring Andrew Healy and Trent Kirchner as assistant General Managers under new General Manager Nolan Teasley, Alec Lewis of TheAthletic.com reports.

Assistant GM Ryan Grigson is expected to stay with the team in a different role.

Healy is leaving the Browns, where he served as the vice president of research and strategy. He joined the Browns in 2016 as a senior player personnel, helping to develop methods for valuing players, game decisions and draft assets.

Healy has a Ph.D. in economics from MIT and has taught economics as a professor at Loyola Marymount.

Kirchner is following Teasley from Seattle, where they spent 13 years together. Kirchner most recently was VP of player personnel, earning that title in 2020.

He previously served as a co-director of player personnel for five years and the team's pro personnel director for two seasons.

The Vikings parted ways with assistant G.M. Demitrius Washington, senior personnel executive Jamaal Stephenson, assistant director of college scouting Pat Roberts and pro scout Salli Clavelle on Thursday.

NCAA president Charlie Baker has admitted that the reaction to the Brendan Sorsby case could provide a "thunderbolt moment" that triggers Congressional action aimed at getting college sports the antitrust exemption it craves.

The NCAA is currently flying a kite with a key on the string.

Via Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, the NCAA sent (and leaked) a memo to Division I conference commissioners on Friday regarding the potential impact of the so-called "Protect College Sports Act." The memo explains that the bill would "override Sorsby’s legal challenge and allow the NCAA to maintain its eligibility restriction."

The bill would do plenty of other things, many of which would strip players of rights, without giving the players any real representation in the process. But there's nothing like an overhyped crisis to shape public opinion, and to manipulate it into political action.

The NCAA's goal is obvious. It hopes to use the Sorsby ruling as the springboard to get the comprehensive Congressional solution it craves. Unwilling to clean up its own mess, the NCAA wants Congress to wave a magic wand that will exempt the various universities from antitrust laws that all other American businesses must honor.

At a time when the word "integrity" has been thrown around as casually as Alexi Lalas saying "wanker" during Fox's World Cup coverage, what does it say about the NCAA's integrity that it's pouncing on the organic reaction to the specific outcome in the Sorsby case as a way to force into existence a law that sweeps far more broadly than the enforcement of the NCAA gambling rules?

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.

The Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield are on a contractual collision course. For now, Tampa Bay G.M. Jason Licht is treading lightly.

"We’ve had some discussions and we’ll continue to have some internal discussions and see, and try to bring this to closure one way or another,” Licht said regarding Mayfield's contract in an interview with JP Peterson of FanStreamSports.com (via JoeBucsFan.com). “But no one wants to see Baker go anywhere, and no one’s worried about how Baker’s mindset is going to be. I’ve had conversations with him about that. He’s all about wanting to win. So he’s in a good place.”

The phrase "closure one way or another" seems fairly loaded. It means they'll either get a deal done before Mayfield's stated deadline of the launch of training camp, or they won't. If they don't, the clock will start ticking on Mayfield's potential free agency.

“I respect Baker,” Licht said. “He’s free to say whatever he wants to say. And that’s the way he’s wired and I have nothing but love for Baker. I’ll keep all that stuff internal; I never use the media for [talking about negotiations].”

Licht didn't rule out using the franchise tag to keep Mayfield in place for 2027. The last time his contract expired, after the 2023 season, the Buccaneers didn't apply it. Mayfield re-signed with the Bucs.

The three-year, $100 million deal doesn't properly reflect his current value, given the market. Whether the Bucs will meet his expectations remains to be seen.

For now, Mayfield has said the two sides are "not anywhere close." If the gap isn't bridged fairly soon, the Bucs may need to start making plans at the quarterback position in 2027 — and other teams should start thinking about whether they'll pursue Mayfield.

On Thursday night, the Seahawks got their Super Bowl rings. Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III wasn't there to get his.

In a post-draft appearance on #PFTPM, Walker said he intended to attend the ring ceremony. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, he's the only member of the 2025 Seahawks who did not attend.

It's unclear why Walker didn't make the trip. The most obvious explanation is that the Chiefs' mandatory minicamp concluded on Thursday. And his current priority is his new employer.

As it should be. Yes, it would be nice if the MVP of the Super Bowl had been present to receive the piece of jewelry commemorating the achievement. But Walker has moved on. As he said during the #PFTPM interview, he knew during the 2025 season that his future didn't include playing for the Seahawks.

It was time to turn the page. To focus on the task at hand. Which consists of pursuing his second ring, while also helping quarterback Patrick Mahomes get his fourth.

The Packers exercised the fifth-year option on Lukas Van Ness' contract despite the edge rusher's first three seasons being disappointing.

The 13th overall pick in 2023 has 8.5 sacks, 23 quarterback hits and 84 tackles in 43 games in three seasons. He made only two starts, played only nine games and totaled only 1.5 sacks in 2025 due to a foot injury.

"It's probably not been my ideal career if you would have talked to me in 2023 when I was a fresh rookie coming in here, but everyone's got their own process and their own path," Van Ness said this week, via Steve Megargee of The Associated Press. "I've trusted the path. I feel really good about where I'm at."

Van Ness has never generated more than 27 quarterback pressures in a season, nor higher than an 11.2 percent pressure rate, per Next Gen Stats. He has never played more than 40 percent of the snaps in a season despite playing all 17 games his first two seasons.

But the Packers haven't given up on him, and Van Ness hasn't given up on himself. He still has a chance to live up to the team's expectations and his expectations.

"I think pressure is a privilege to have," Van Ness said. "We're obviously in a blessed position where there's people watching our spot and people are obviously going to have their own opinions, but at the end of the day I think you've just got to believe in yourself and believe in what you're hearing in the building from your coaches and from your circle and other players in the defensive room."

Patrick Mahomes has another new deal, one that pays him incredibly well — but that can never reflect his full value to the NFL and to the game of professional football.

The contract, which runs through 2033, replaces a prior deal that was set to expire after the 2031 season. It's being generally regarded as a replacement deal, not as an extension that would trigger the usual "new money" analysis, because the traditional "new money" analysis would lead to a stunning new-money APY of nearly $120 million per year.

So it's a new deal, like every "extension" that any other player signs. The old contract goes away, and a new one takes its place.

Here are the full details of the contract that the Chiefs and Mahomes have signed, per a source with knowledge of the terms.

1. Signing bonus: $54.5 million.

2. 2026 workout bonus: $1 million, fully guaranteed (but must be earned).

3. 2026 base salary: $1.3 million, fully guaranteed.

4. 2027 offseason roster bonus: $30 million, fully guaranteed.

5. 2027 workout bonus: $1 million, fully guaranteed (but must be earned).

6. 2027 base salary: $27 million, fully guaranteed.

7. 2028 offseason roster bonus: $30 million.

8. 2028 workout bonus: $1 million.

9. 2028 base salary: $29 million.

(The entire 2028 compensation package is guaranteed for injury; $35.25 million is fully guaranteed at signing; the remaining $24.75 million becomes fully guaranteed in early 2027.)

10. 2029 offseason roster bonus: $30 million.

11. 2029 workout bonus: $1 million.

12. 2029 base salary: $31.5 million.

(The entire 2029 compensation package is guaranteed for injury; $30 million becomes fully guaranteed in early 2028, and the remaining $32.5 million becomes fully guaranteed in early 2029.)

13. 2030 offseason roster bonus: $30 million.

14. 2030 workout bonus: $1 million.

15. 2030 base salary: $32.75 million.

(None of the 2030 compensation package is guaranteed at signing. In 2029, $30 million becomes fully guaranteed. In 2030, the remaining $33.75 million becomes fully guaranteed.)

16. 2031 offseason roster bonus: $30 million.

17. 2031 workout bonus: $1 million.

18. 2031 base salary: $34.75 million.

(None of the 2031 compensation package is guaranteed at signing. In 2030, $30 million becomes fully guaranteed. In 2031, the remaining $35.75 million becomes fully guaranteed.)

19. 2032 offseason roster bonus: $30 million.

20. 2032 workout bonus: $1 million.

21. 2032 base salary: $37 million.

(None of the 2032 compensation package is guaranteed at signing. In 2031, $30 million becomes fully guaranteed. In 2032, the remaining $38 million becomes fully guaranteed.)

22. 2033 offseason roster bonus: $30 million.

23. 2033 workout bonus: $1 million.

24. 2033 base salary: $39 million.

(None of the 2033 compensation package is guaranteed at signing. The full $70 million becomes fully guaranteed in 2033.)

The contract has annual escalators of $2.5 million, from 2027 through 2033.

The eight-year, $504.75 million deal has an annual average at signing of $63.093 million. The deal includes $150 million fully guaranteed at signing, and $237.25 million in injury guarantees.

The deal pays out $56.75 million in 2026, $58 million in 2027, $60 million in 2028, $62.5 million in 2029, $63.75 million in 2030, $65.75 million in 2031, $68 million in 2032, and $70 million in 2033.

The deal isn't heavily backloaded; however, the payout climbs systematically from $56.75 million to $70 million. By 2033, $70 million may be a bargain, relative to the market and the salary cap.

Chances are that, long before 2033, the deal will be redone. The Chiefs have already reconfigured the prior deal on multiple occasions, aimed at ensuring Mahomes's cash flow will be competitive with the market.

The Brendan Sorsby case continues to provide a platform for plenty of political theatrics.

The latest example of performative grandstanding comes from Oklahoma attorney general Gentner Drummond, who has urged the Big 12 to suspend the Texas Tech quarterback, despite a court order restoring his eligibility.

"[Texas Tech's] actions in obtaining eligibility for Brendan Sorsby -- an athlete the NCAA declared permanently ineligible for extensive wagering on college sports, including games involving his own team -- have constituted a shameful chapter in the story of college football," Drummond wrote to the conference. "Texas Tech has acted in a manner adverse to the Big 12 and the integrity of college football as a whole."

Drummond contends that the court order applies only to the NCAA and not to the Big 12.

"[Texas Tech] has shirked responsibility by running with a bogus claim to a friendly court," Drummond wrote. "Its leadership has prioritized winning over sport, over honor and over integrity. If Texas Tech will not do the right thing, the Big 12 should. Texas Tech should be sanctioned."

Folks can disagree about the ruling, but a valid court order has been obtained. Until the order is reversed or rescinded, Sorsby is eligible to play. Period.

The question at this point is whether the rule of law will be respected.

It would be absurd for the Big 12 to do that which the NCAA can't do. If the Big 12 wanted to be heard in court, it could have filed a motion to intervene in Sorsby's case. Drummond could have sought leave to file an amicus curiae brief.

There are legitimate ways to challenge a court order. There are illegitimate ways to ignore the court order. Drummond should know better.

He probably does. At this point, it's less about the law and more about pandering to voters and/or building political momentum to deliver the federal antitrust exemption that would ultimately limit player rights under the guise of restoring order to the sport.

Those who hope to convert chaos into order can start by respecting the court order that has been issued.

No one has to like it. Everyone should respect it.

The World Cup has begun, and attendance has become a point of curiosity.

Via Jacob Whitehead of The Athletic, Thursday night's match between South Korea and the Czech Republic had "large sections of empty seats" at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara.

Even though it's the second smallest of 16 stadiums that will host games across Canada, the United States, and Mexico, Whitehead writes that "there appeared to be thousands of unoccupied seats."

Tickets to the game costs $500 for the lower tier and $400 for the upper bowl.

FIFA announced the official attendance as 44,985. The stadium has a capacity of 45,644.

Said FIFA in a statement to The Athletic: “Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint, rather than visual assessments of seating occupancy at any given moment during the match. FIFA works closely with stadium authorities and ticketing teams to ensure all published figures are based on verified operational data. Please note that, during last night’s match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match."

In other words, don't trust your lying eyes.

After a jury acquitted free-agent receiver Stefon Diggs of felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault, the NFL did not close its Personal Conduct Policy investigation arising from the underlying allegations.

It now has.

Per multiple reports, the NFL has ended the investigation. The league found that the evidence to support a finding of a violation was not sufficient.

It's unclear whether the alleged victim, Mila Adams, was interviewed by the NFL. The league has no subpoena power, and it has no way to force non-employees of the league or its teams to cooperate.

Adams's testimony at the Diggs criminal trial was ultimately not persuasive. The cross-examination demonstrated many flaws in the story. Ultimately, the case arguably should not have been pursued.

The NFL uses a much lower bar than the rigorous requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that applies in criminal court. Even under that reduced standard, there was not enough evidence for the league to find that Diggs had done anything wrong.

Diggs remains a free agent. He generated more than 1,000 receiving yards during the 2025 season with the Patriots, one year after suffering a torn ACL.

The Bills have signed all 10 members of their 2026 draft class.

They wrapped it up by getting fourth-round offensive tackle Jude Bowry under contract on Friday.

The Bills previously signed second-round defensive end T.J. Parker, second-round cornerback Davison Igbinosun, fourth-round wide receiver Skyler Bell, fourth-round linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr, fifth-round safety Jalon Kilgore, fifth-round defensive tackle Zane Durant, seventh-round cornerback Toriano Pride Jr., seventh-round punter Tommy Doman and seventh-round offensive guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams.

The Bills selected Bowry with the 102nd overall pick.

He played four seasons at Boston College, making 23 starts in 31 career games. He has experience at left and right tackle but played mostly on the left side for BC.

Bowry was a team captain in 2025 and did not allow a sack in 320 total dropback snaps at left tackle.

Frank Ragnow said Friday that he didn't want to retire. His body just didn't give him a choice.

He announced his retirement last June and attempted a comeback Nov. 29 but failed a physical with a torn hamstring.

Ragnow, 30, spoke for the first time since calling it quits after seven seasons.

"To shoot it to you straight, I was trying to will myself to play. I was,” Ragnow said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “And my body was telling me otherwise and I was just like in like paralysis, if you will. I did not plan on retiring in the middle of the summer, believe it or not. It was like I was trying to get like, ‘You can do it for the guys, for the fans; it’s who you are.’ But it’s just like I was uncomfortable, and it’s one of those things where you have a couple kids, and I don’t want a sob story. I’m OK. I’m going to be completely fine and everything. But it’s one of those things like, I don’t know, is the juice worth the squeeze thing and to me ultimately it came down to that decision.”

The four-time Pro Bowler felt guilty at leaving his teammates, but said he made a "horrid" decision to try to come back last season.

He has officially closed the door on ever playing again.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Ragnow said.

The Brendan Sorsby case has directed unprecedented attention to the ability of college players to sue, and beat, the NCAA in state court.

Via Pete Nakos of On3.com, a South Carolina judge has granted a temporary injunction to Clemson receiver Tristan Smith, allowing him to play in 2026.

The NCAA had denied Smith's request for an additional year of eligibility. Smith would have applied for the supplemental draft without the order giving him another season at Clemson.

Although the Smith case likely won't spark the same degree of performative nonsense that emerged after Sorsby secured another year at Texas Tech, the NCAA undoubtedly will whine (again) that the rules are frustrated by state-court judges in the hopes of building more momentum for a federal law that grants college sports an antitrust exemption.

That effort will continue to gloss over the fact that collective bargaining would include an arbitration process that would provide fair and prompt resolutions of any and all issues regarding eligibility. The NCAA and its member schools have little interest in the give-and-take of collective bargaining; they want to be able to impose uniform rules without making concessions to a players' union.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel's relationship with wide receiver A.J. Brown was strong when the two were together in Tennessee, and Vrabel was eager to bring Brown to New England when the opportunity arose. But Brown says Vrabel isn't the only one he's glad to be working with for a second time.

Brown noted that Vrabel has hired a number of assistant coaches in New England who worked for him in Tennessee, and that the Patriots have a few other players who were on the Titans when Brown played there. Those people make Brown feel like he's already at home.

"Do I feel at home? Yeah, I'm surrounded by a lot of Tennessee coaches and a couple Tennessee players, so walking in the building feels good," Brown said.

To Brown, the most important familiar face may be Patriots wide receivers coach Todd Downing, who was the Titans' offensive coordinator during Brown's final year in Tennessee. Vrabel also brought with him several members of the support staff and athletic training staff who worked for him with the Titans.

"Being around coach Vrabel and other people I know, it feels great," Brown said.

Brown's relationships in Philadelphia reportedly got rocky at times, but in New England, he thinks he's found the right home.

The Brendan Sorsby situation, like most high-profile controversies, has two components: the legal side, and the P.R. side.

They are connected, but they're very different. Sorsby and Texas Tech have won in a court of law (so far). They have lost in the court of public opinion.

Even though everyone involved is behaving consistently with their personal interests (indeed, the schools that are crowing about "integrity" would be circling the wagons, if they were the ones faced with losing their starting quarterback), Texas Tech has not handled the P.R. side in an ideal way. It started on Wednesday with head coach Joey McGuire declaring "it’s not murder." It continued with billionaire booster Cody Campbell playing a combined game of "whatabout" and "they hate us 'cause they ain't us."

On Thursday night, Texas Tech posted a roundtable, talk-show-style video aimed at addressing the intense criticism the school has experienced for supporting Sorsby. A press conference, as some have pointed out, would be a better approach. The questions would have been pointed, and the answers would have been revealing.

After listening to the 21-minute word salad, two significant points emerged. One, there's no guarantee Sorsby will be deemed ready to play by Texas Tech in 2026. Two, Sorsby's family has expressed concern to Texas Tech regarding the blowback the school has received.

As to the first point, the school reserves the right to choose not to play him, if the school ultimately decides that doing so will be untenable. While those decisions should be driven solely by Sorsby's best interests, leaving the door open to not playing Sorsby gives the school an avenue to stand down, if the school eventually decides that the long-term harm to the program will outweigh the short-term benefit of having Sorsby on the field.

As to the second point, it's at least possible at this point that Sorsby will decide to abandon his effort to restore his eligibility and declare for the NFL supplemental draft. For any of us, there's a point at which a situation becomes sufficiently problematic that the best solution will be to tap out of it.

Yes, Sorsby has a medically-diagnosed condition that resulted from the easy availability (and incessant advertisement and complete normalization) of legal sports betting. But he got to that point when he didn't have an addiction, by making bets before he was legally old enough to do so in violation of NCAA rules.

The addiction never would have happened if Sorsby hadn't broken the rules (and, technically, the law). While his current condition should be taken seriously and he should not be punished because of its existence, the underlying actions that caused it cannot be ignored.

No one becomes addicted to gambling based on the first bet made, in the same way no one becomes an alcoholic based on the first drink consumed. Sorsby crossed the line before his addiction drove him to keep doing so. That fact can't be overlooked.

The core problem continues to be the failure of Judge Ken Curry to explain in his four-page ruling why and how the interests of justice pointed to restoring Sorsby's eligibility as the lawsuit Sorsby filed against the NCAA went forward. The result feels unjust to the outside observe in large part because Judge Curry made no effort to demonstrate that it was the fair and proper outcome.

Texas Tech has made the situation worse with a P.R. effort that most view as a way to justify the desire to have their best quarterback available during the 2026 season. The external voices, which were conspicuously silent before Judge Curry issued his decision, haven't helped matters by stoking public outrage by jumping on low-hanging fruit.

And that will continue. As evidenced by TCU’s social-media response to the Texas Tech video. Funny? Yes. Helpful to best solving the core problem? No.

It's not a black and white issue. No one is focusing on the gray. Starting with the judge who restored Sorsby's eligibility, and continuing with everyone who has an interest in whether Sorsby does, or doesn't, play football in 2026.

No one is raising the simple question of whether the right outcome, given Sorsby's current condition and the admitted violation of the rules that caused it, is for Sorsby to not play college football in 2026, or ever again. Not because of the rules. Not because of the law. But because his short- and long-term recovery potentially would best be served by not playing college football.

We don't know the right answer. No one currently does. And there doesn't seem to be anyone with a truly objective and unbiased viewpoint who is in position to make a decision that is in the best interests of Sorsby, without regard to the best interests of Texas Tech, its Big 12 rivals, and/or those who hope to leverage his win in court into Congressional action that gives the NCAA and its members the antitrust exemption they so badly want.

Sorsby's condition merits sympathy and/or empathy. But it shouldn't operate as full absolution for the behavior that caused it. And the interests of others (whether based on wins and losses or "saving" college sports) should take a back seat to the question of Sorsby's recovery.

Before the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement created a rookie wage scale with slotted contracts based on selection position, the first overall pick would often sign a contract before the draft even began.

Fast forward to 2026. Seven weeks and one day after round one happened, 30 of 32 players have signed contracts. The two unsigned first-round picks are the two quarterbacks: Fernando Mendoza (taken first overall) and Ty Simpson (13th).

There isn't much to negotiate in these contracts. The biggest issues are cash flow (specifically, when will the full amount of the signing bonus be paid?), the mechanism for voiding guarantees, and whether the guarantees will have offset language.

It's unclear why Mendoza and Simpson haven't signed. Both could have forced the issue by refusing to participate in the offseason program until they had their contracts. (All draft picks should take that position, frankly.)

Both will likely sign before training camp opens. Holdouts have become rare. Still, no deal is done until it's done. And it's a bit glaring that all first-round picks have done their deals except for the two first-round quarterbacks.

Jordon Hudson keeps trying to extend her 15 minutes of fame.

Upon seeing Thursday's report from The Assembly that Hudson has requested a broad range of internal North Carolina documents regarding last year's report from Pablo Torre that she had been "banned" from the UNC football facility, my first reaction was to not give the story the oxygen she wants it to have.

Ignoring it simply because she wants it to be noticed isn't the right answer. The development, despite being apparently gratuitous, has significance.

On one hand, Hudson is possibly trying to gather evidence that could be used in her promised (but not yet filed) lawsuit against Torre. (She should be paying very close attention to the applicable statutes of limitations, if she's serious about suing.) On the other hand, she could be fishing for any evidence that could reveal whether and to what extent North Carolina officials were discussing her, internally or externally.

Whatever the explanation, it's a very bad look for North Carolina coach Bill Belichick. He knows what she's doing and supports it or he knows what she's doing and has asked her not to do it or he's clueless about what she's doing. Whatever he knows, or doesn't know, the notion that the girlfriend of the major college head football coach has become a chronic thorn in the side of the institution becomes a potentially major problem for the coach.

That's the practical impact of her public-records side hustle. It will absolutely impact the manner in which UNC views Belichick. Which will make the bar a little higher for him to earn a third season at UNC.

Already, there's a sense that Belichick is on the hot seat entering the 2026 season. If firing him means not having to deal with Hudson, firing him becomes a more attractive option. Which means that, if it's ultimately a close question, Hudson's antics could turn a decision to keep him for a third year into an announcement that he has been terminated.

Does Hudson not realize how this will impact UNC's attitude toward her boyfriend? Or does she know it and not care?

This wrinkle serves only to make a strange situation borderline bizarre. Belichick, the ultimate no-distractions/"do your job" head coach, has created a massive distraction through his personal life, one that continues to create developments that take the focus away from what the Tar Heels are trying to do.

Broaden the lens. When has the spouse or significant other of a college or pro head coach created so many issues? (Or any issues?) Hudson has consistently interjected herself into Belichick's job, and the general reaction has been consistently negative.

Still, she seems to revel in it. Beyond craving fame, she embraces notoriety. At the potential expense of her boyfriend, whose eight-figure job would seem to take precedence over her effort to find ways to get people to write or talk about her in advance of whatever reality-show endgame she may have in mind.

The saddest part of the saga is that she'll find a small minority on social media who will loudly cheer her on. Even as a vast majority of largely silent observers will constantly be asking themselves questions like, "What the hell has Bill Belichick gotten himself into?"

Browns head coach Todd Monken told reporters this week that between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson, Cleveland has two quarterbacks capable of playing winning football.

Particularly for Watson, this represents an organizational reversal after team owner Jimmy Haslam said last spring that the trade for the quarterback was “a big swing and a miss.”

But General Manager Andrew Berry said on Friday that those comments didn’t have much to do with the way the Browns have operated to set up this year’s QB competition.

“I think you deal with what you have,” Berry said in an interview with Anthony Lima and Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan. "You deal with how players progress or don’t progress. But honestly, the public discourse doesn’t really have a factor in terms of how we think about putting together the team, with Todd, in terms of putting together the best lineup. That really doesn’t play a factor into it.”

Berry also said that he’s not ruling anything out when it comes to Watson — including a potential new deal for the QB, who is entering the last year of his contract with Cleveland.

“I think everything is on the table,” Berry said. “I think it would be silly to go into a season saying, ‘Something absolutely can or cannot happen.’ And I think particularly at the quarterback position, we’ve seen it with guys whether it’s Sam Darnold, or Daniel Jones, or Geno Smith, even Baker after he left us and Carolina.

“So I think you have to be open-minded and flexible. But I wouldn’t rule out anything. We’re looking for guys who can perform and who can lead.”

Watson has not played a full season since 2020 when he was still with Houston. He’s started 19 games for Cleveland since 2022, completing 61 percent of his passes for 3,365 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

We’ll see in August if he can beat out Sanders to reclaim his spot as Cleveland’s QB1.

Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper has been arrested and jailed again after he was accused of violating a protection order in connection with his arrest last week.

Cooper is now being held in Douglas County jail on four charges stemming from violating the protection order against him, according to 9 News in Denver.

The latest arrest happened at 10:07 p.m. on Thursday night. Cooper faces two domestic violence charges, one harassment charge based on repeated phone calls and a fourth charge for violation of a protection order.

Cooper's previous arrest happened one week earlier. Although he was initially charged with a misdemeanor, he is now facing a felony charge.

Hours before the second arrest, Broncos coach Sean Payton was asked about Cooper and said the league will take the lead on handling the matter.

The United States makes its 2026 World Cup debut on Friday, at the stadium formerly known as "SoFi" (the name has been redacted, per FIFA demands). Tickets remain available to watch the U.S. and Paraguay play in person at 9:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. PT.

Via Joe Lago of Sports Business Journal, FIFA has roughly 350 tickets left in its primary inventory. Another 2,500 or so are available on the secondary market.

As of Friday morning, the cheapest price for a ticket was $1,129.

The matches at SoFi will be played on lush, high-quality grass that Rams owner Stan Kroenke installed at the behest of FIFA. By February, when SoFi Stadium hosts Super Bowl LXI, the grass will be long gone and the fake stuff will have returned in all of its artificial glory.

Kroenke also had to, as mentioned above, remove the sponsored name of the venue for the duration of the World Cup, reconfigure the lower areas of the stadium, and forgo other events that would have generated significant revenue for the duration of FIFA's SoFi takeover.

As Devin McCourty said earlier this week on PFT Live, and as the NFLPA Twitter account amplified on Thursday, it's "disrespectful" to NFL players for NFL owners to install high-quality grass for soccer and insist on using artificial turf for football.

Said the NFLPA in another post, "If these extensive field changes are worth the cost for a month-long tournament, why aren’t they worth the cost for the NFL players who primarily compete in these stadiums?"

The bottom line is that grass fields, in the view of owners who choose turf, have too much of an impact on the bottom line. Now that it's a collective bargaining issue, it will change only if the NFLPA makes a concession that matches the overall cost of converting all stadiums to grass.

Still, there's value in pushing it. The NFL does a good job of locking arms during CBA talks. What better way to drive a wedge among the oligarchs than to insist on a term that, for the teams already playing on grass, will be viewed as no big deal?

Kyler Murray said this week that splitting quarterback reps with J.J. McCarthy has made it tougher to learn the Vikings offense, but it looks like that will continue to be the situation for a little while longer.

The Vikings are turning their attention toward training camp and head coach Kevin O'Connell said at a Thursday press conference that the team will not be naming a starter before they get there. O'Connell said that Murray and McCarthy "had really good days" at this week's minicamp and that there are "still plenty of opportunities to learn" as the team moves closer to the season.

O'Connell did not say when he anticipates making a decision when he was asked about Murray's comment, but he acknowledged the need to have the starter get more time at the helm of the offense this summer.

"We have a plan in place to make sure that the decision we make is going to be about what’s best for the Minnesota Vikings," O'Connell said. "The timeline of that does involve making sure we get our starter ready to go. . . . To give an actual date would be not necessarily accurate from a portrayal of how we see it, but there is a timeline to make sure that we can allow the competition to continue and advance, and really lay out a training camp that will allow us to do that but also make a timely decision."

O'Connell said that there should not be too many assumptions made about who gets which reps once the team gets to camp, but followed that up by saying that he realizes that won't be the case because plenty of people in Minnesota are waiting to see who gets the nod for Week 1.

With head coach Todd Monken saying the Browns’ quarterback competition will continue into training camp, second-year signal-caller Shedeur Sanders will have the chance to show what he can do with pads on.

As Browns minicamp comes to a close this week, Monken told reporters that he’s seen improvement in a key area for the young QB.

“I just think he’s doing a better job — I think he’s being more decisive,” Monken said, via Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan. “Now, it’s easy to say [right now], we’re not in pads. It just feels like he’s making quicker decisions. The ball’s coming out of his hands, which he’s going to have to do. Not that he doesn’t have playmaking ability, because he does. But his ability to process quicker and get the ball out of his hands and eliminate lost yards, plays is going to be huge.

“He has to be able to stack plays and score, which is ultimately the No. 1 thing to do.”

Sanders did have some issues with holding the ball for too long as a rookie, finishing the season having taken 23 sacks in his eight games with seven starts. That works out to a sack rate of 9.79 percent.

Sanders completed 56.6 percent of his throws for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2025.

We’ll see what the competition between Sanders and Deshaun Watson brings once the Browns get to training camp. But Monken has said multiple times this week that he feels like both quarterbacks are capable of playing winning football in 2026.

The Buccaneers didn't practice on Tuesday, by choice. They didn't practice on Wednesday, not by choice.

"We gave them off Tuesday; Tuesday was their day off," coach Todd Bowles said Thursday, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com. "Wednesday was by the league, because at the first practice we had too many guys on the ground, so they took a practice from us. So Wednesday was by their doing, Tuesday was already set in motion by our doing. And they cleaned it up after that. We understand. We aren't trying to get anybody hurt. That was the basis of it."

Bowles said "about three or four plays" created the issue.

"We're trying to practice safety as well," Bowles said. "We've got a lot of new guys trying to learn how to practice, but we cleaned that up and kind of took care of it."

It's not easy to get the players to dial it back — especially the ones that are trying to move from the 90-man roster to the final 53-man roster. Still, the team is responsible to keep things from going too far.

Even with periodic glitches, it's not as bad as it used to be. Twenty years ago, contact was rampant in offseason workouts. To the point where some offensive linemen wanted to wear pads, since their shoulders were getting banged around by helmets.

Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper, who was arrested last week and charged with a misdemeanor after his girlfriend accused him of domestic violence, is now facing a more serious felony charge.

Court records show that Cooper faces a felony charge of second-degree assault, according to 9 News in Denver.

Cooper and his girlfriend were both arrested when police were called to an incident in which his girlfriend said he grabbed her by the throat, while he said she took his phone.

Broncos coach Sean Payton said yesterday that he has talked to Cooper but hasn't addressed the entire team about the incident. Payton said the league takes the lead on matters like this.

"I think the league has done a good job of coming in and really taken over that responsibility," Payton said. "We had a long visit with Coop and now the process plays out. The league obviously will be very much involved in that. We'll stay abreast. . . . When it's the offseason or the weekends, no news is always good news. Knock on wood, we've had a long stretch where that's been the case, and now we'll stay as informed as possible. We'll follow the league's guidelines, and I'm sure a lot of that will be led by the local authorities' guidelines. So we'll pay attention to all of it."

Cooper could face a suspension under the league's personal conduct policy. If he is suspended, he will lose a game check for each game he misses. That incentivizes Cooper not to do anything to delay the process, as his salary is $67,500 per game this season, but jumps to $721,667 per game next year.