According to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, New York Jets starting quarterback Justin Fields did not throw a pass that traveled 10 yards in the air over the club's first two preseason games. Some have voiced concerns about the Jets' passing attack with Fields in the lineup, but he insisted while speaking with reporters on Tuesday that he's "fine with taking eight-yard completions every play." On Wednesday, Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand addressed Fields' comment. "He's going to play the play the way the defense allows him to play it," Engstrand said about Fields, per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. "So if they're going to allow him to take a shot down the field, he's going to take it. If they don't allow him, he's going to check the ball down, and we'll move on to the next play. We're all good with that." Fields completed just one of five passes for four yards in the Jets' 31-12 loss to the New York Giants on Saturday. According to Fox Sports, he connected on four of nine pass attempts for 46 yards across his first two preseason appearances of the summer. Despite such lackluster numbers, first-year Jets head coach Aaron Glenn suggested on Tuesday that he is ignoring "the noise that happens on the outside" regarding the team's passing offense. On Wednesday, Jets passing game coordinator Scott Turner praised Fields for knowing when to take a checkdown and when to challenge an opposing defense. "I think you've seen a lot of quarterbacks in this league, Josh Allen pops into mind, who really cut down his turnovers last year and won MVP by not always trying to make the big huge play, but make the right play. Justin has done a nice job with that," Turner said. ESPN stats show that Fields averaged 6.9 yards per pass attempt over six starts and 10 appearances with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. Per Pro Football Reference, 22 qualified quarterbacks had a better yards per pass attempt average for the 2024 campaign. Dan Graziano of ESPN noted Wednesday that the $10M guaranteed that the Jets owe Fields for 2026 "won't prevent them from" looking for an upgrade at the position next year if he doesn't make "a major leap as a passer." It's still early into this experiment, but there's no sign that such a leap is coming anytime soon.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has suggested on multiple occasions that he is "one hundred percent" confident he will "be throwing some passes to" wide receiver Terry McLaurin during the 2025 season. It seems Daniels may have had some inside information. NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated revealed Friday that the situation involving the Commanders and McLaurin "is in a better spot than it’s been" since the 29-year-old requested a trade on July 31. "The sides started out pretty far apart," wrote Breer, "so there was a lot of ground to make up. Maybe the deadlines in the next couple of weeks will help push an agreement through." The "pretty far apart" line may be referencing a previous report that claimed "one person with knowledge of McLaurin’s contract negotiations" said he had "asked for more than" the average annual value attached to DK Metcalf's five-year, $150M deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That same story insinuated that Washington may be more comfortable paying McLaurin around $27M or $28M per season via a multiyear extension. Coming off their trip to this year's NFC Championship Game, the Commanders likely won't be trading McLaurin's rights anytime soon. At this point, Washington acquiring a suitable replacement for McLaurin and getting him familiar with the team's offense in time for the Commanders' Week 1 game against the New York Giants is unrealistic. For an article published on Aug. 18, ESPN's Ben Solak wrote that he believed the McLaurin-Commanders standoff would eventually end "with a compromise extension before Week 1." It's unclear what McLaurin will do if this does not occur before the Giants matchup on Sept. 7, but it sounds like the two sides could work something out.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow finished fourth in Most Valuable Player Award voting for the 2024 season after his club missed the playoffs. During a recent chat with NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Burrow put the league on notice regarding how he's feeling heading into the upcoming campaign. "I’m not sure I would say anyone is playing the position better than I am right now," Burrow remarked. "I'm pretty confident in my ability to go out and do that every Sunday. Now, it’s just showing that consistency, showing it year in and year out. I think what separates the legends is being able to do it year in, year out for five, 10 years at a time. So, trying to be able to find that consistency in my discipline and my process, doing the easy stuff in my sleep and then making the hard stuff look easy, then making a couple of great plays here and there, that’s what I am trying to do every week." Pro Football Reference stats show that Burrow ended the 2024 regular season leading the league with 460 completions, 652 pass attempts, 4,918 passing yards, 43 passing touchdowns and an average of 289.3 passing yards per game. The Bengals subsequently rewarded their QB1 during the offseason by signing wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, wideout Tee Higgins and tight end Mike Gesicki to new deals. "We want to be the best offense in the NFL," Burrow told Breer. That said, Bengals pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson remains in the middle of what's become an ugly contract standoff. Hendrickson is in the final year of his existing deal, and the two sides seemingly aren't close to agreeing on the amount of guaranteed money that would be attached to an extension. Burrow has repeatedly made it known throughout the summer that he thinks the Bengals should "reward" Hendrickson with a pay raise. "...I think the more that I can explain the thoughts of the locker room, explain why doing one thing one way might affect feelings in the locker room, as opposed to doing something a different way, it’s my job as a quarterback to be able to relay information like that," Burrow said about campaigning for Hendrickson to get paid before Cincinnati opens the 2025 season at the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 7. "And whatever their decisions are with that information, that’s for them to decide." On Friday, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Bengals at -140 odds to make the playoffs this season. Having a happy Hendrickson in the lineup would only improve Cincinnati's chances of enjoying what could become a special campaign.
There are high hopes for Green Bay Packer tight end Tucker Kraft to take another leap in the 2025 NFL season. After improving on his 2023 rookie numbers during the 2024 NFL season, Kraft appears to have the potential to be the first tight end ever in the history of the franchise to amass at least 1,000 yards. It remains to be seen whether he could live up those expectations, but off the field, the former South Dakota State Jackrabbis star tight has recently turned heads when he was honored with the 2025 community service award during Green Bay’s annual Green Bay Chamber of Commerce “Welcome Back Packers Luncheon” on Friday, according to Mike Spofford of the team’s official website. Green Bay Packers TE Tucker Kraft’s charity gets appreciated Kraft earned the award for his charitable gestures in Wisconsin and back home in South Dakota. The 24-year-old tight end has been a supporter of the Cheyenne River Youth Project, a local nonprofit, which has helped give over a thousand toys to kids. After accepting the award, Kraft offered a short but meaningful speech. “Where you’re from can never set a limit on where you want to go,” Kraft said. Meanwhile, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur shared a special message about his appreciation for Kraft. “It’s an honor to work with a guy like that each and every day,” LaFleur said. “To watch the maturity and growth, not only as a person but as a player … he does a great job representing what we want to be about with his actions on the field as well as off the field. “Tuck, we can’t have enough guys like you on our football team.”
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