Completely out of nowhere, NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on Wednesday that there was "talk" that the Denver Broncos could bring 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers in for a visit. Florio insisted at the time that his piece was "not an April Fools' Day gag." It appears people within the Broncos weren't amused that they had to respond to the Rodgers-related claim on the first day of the month. Is there any chance the Broncos could sign Aaron Rodgers? "There is 'less than a zero percent chance' Aaron Rodgers will visit with the Broncos, per source," Zac Stevens of DNVR Sports shared. "It’s April Fools' and that story is completely false. Along those lines, Bo Nix will be 100% for the offseason program, 100% for preseason and 100% for Week 1. Absolutely zero concern for Bo’s health." Nix is recovering from the broken bone in his right ankle that he suffered this past January. Broncos general manager George Paton recently said that Nix is "ahead of schedule" regarding his rehab. Broncos reporter Mike Klis of 9News also said there is a "zero percent" chance that the Broncos "have interest in Aaron Rodgers." "Aaron Rodgers is not coming to Denver for a visit," Broncos reporter Nick Kosmider of The Athletic added. "When the Broncos take the field to start [organized team activities in May], they will be quarterbacked by Bo Nix." One reason the Broncos and Aaron Rodgers' marriage may be unlikely This past January, Nix and Broncos head coach Sean Payton seemed to be on different pages when they spoke about the signal-caller's latest setback. However, Payton and Rodgers may not be on speaking terms these days. In 2023, Payton said that then-New York Jets offensive coordinator and longtime Rodgers buddy Nathaniel Hackett was responsible for what "might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL" when Hackett was Denver's head coach. Rodgers later called those comments "inappropriate" and added that Payton "needs to keep my coaches' names out of his mouth." After the Jets beat the Broncos that fall, Rodgers acknowledged that he "loved every minute of" the victory, in part because Payton made some "horses---" comments. That saga aside, it appears that Nix will be Denver's QB1 this coming September.
Can Notre Dame pull a major upset in the 2027 recruiting class? Notre Dame football recruiting is off to a strong start in the 2027 class, gaining commitments from star running backs Lathan Whisenton and Isaiah Rogers over the last week. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish are expecting to hear some more good news over the next several while they continue to push for their top prospects on the board. One top wide receiver target to know in the 2027 class is Argyle (Texas) High School star Julian Caldwell. After leaning toward Oregon early on, the Fighting Irish have been among a couple teams that have closed the gap. That is especially true after a recent visit to South Bend, where the Texas native left with an even higher opinion of Notre Dame. Freeman took another good step with Caldwell this week, earning a spot in his top five schools list. The Fighting Irish were joined by Texas, Oregon, Texas Tech, and SMU. It is a strong group and there is a battle ahead for the Irish staff. The longer this recruitment goes on, the more optimistic I get with Notre Dame’s chances. If defensive backs coach Aaron Henry and the Irish are going to win out, the next several weeks are extremely important. The Ducks are still the slight favorite for the talented wide receiver, but Notre Dame is lurking and pushing hard. Julian Caldwell’s recruiting background Caldwell is considered to be a consensus four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Caldwell currently rates as the No. 89 overall player, the No. 15 wide receiver, and the No. 11 player from the state of Texas for the 2027 class. The Texas native is extremely high on Caldwell right now, sitting as the No. 81 player in the country. Like the rankings, Caldwell also boasts an extremely impressive offer list. Some of his other top offers include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon, Oklahoma, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A M, Penn State, Florida, Miami, Florida State, USC, Auburn, Nebraska, Utah, Washington, Missouri, Kentucky, Kansas State, Arizona State, Colorado, SMU, BYU, Illinois, Baylor, Pitt, Syracuse, Oklahoma State, Arizona, Kansas, and Duke, among many others. The 6-0, 185-pound wideout was tremendous for Argyle as a junior this past season. In 14 games, Caldwell managed to haul in 94 receptions for 1,737 yards and 20 touchdowns, averaging a stellar 18.5 yards per reception. His combination of quickness and explosiveness offers a ton of upside for a college offense.
There was a time when internet sensation Cleetus McFarland wanted to race in the NASCAR Cup Series and compete in the Daytona 500. That was before he made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Daytona in February. "Now that I'm in this, I don't want to race Cup at all," McFarland told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. "That's terrifying to me. Those guys are so... the gap between my still and those guys is massive." That's because McFarland has seen firsthand how difficult it is to race at the highest levels of NASCAR. He'll get to experience that again on Saturday at Rockingham Speedway, where he'll make his NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with Richard Childress Racing. Still, with only five ARCA Menards Series starts and a very short-lived Truck Series debut under his belt in regard to stock car experience, McFarland is taking things slower than he used to. ARCA is Cleetus McFarland's best friend "I have no desire to race [in the O'Reilly Series)," McFarland said. "I love ARCA. I'm like ARCA's number one fan. It's so fun. The competition is relatively easy for me to keep up with right now." Should McFarland's NOAPS debut go smoothly on Saturday, he'll also drive the No. 33 RCR Chevy at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25. His deal with RCR could see him run up to four NOAPS races this season and in 2027 as well.
Jadeveon Clowney had a productive season last year for the Dallas Cowboys, and he’s waiting for another opportunity to sign a free agent contract and keep playing in the NFL in 2026. The Green Bay Packers haven’t shied away from adding older defensive players this offseason. The team signed defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (33) and cornerback Benjamin St-Juste (28), plus traded for linebacker Zaire Franklin, who will be 30 by Week 1. And looking at the best free agent options at the moment, former first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney could be the ideal addition. At 33, Clowney can still be a productive edge defender — last year, he signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys and produced 8.5 sacks and 40 pressures. In a recent interview to Click2Houston, Clowney shared an argument that proves he’s the perfect fit for defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s versatile scheme. “I have played in every scheme,” Clowney said. “Ain’t no scheme I can’t play in, 3-4 to 4-3 to whatever damn scheme that you had. I think I’ve proved that I can play in them all and not just play in them, but also dominate in the schemes and do my job at a high level. I just came off a great season, looking forward to doing it again and continue to prove to people and show the balance.” Packers’ edge situation The Packers have a complicated situation at edge defender because Micah Parsons is the obvious best player, but he may miss the first month of the regular season still recovering from an ACL injury. While he’s out, the group only has Lukas Van Ness, Brenton Cox, Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, and Arron Mosby. Adding a proven player like Clowney would give them more stability to start the year and more depth after Parsons comes back. “I got a lot left in the tank,” Clowney said. “I don’t know if other people know that, but I know that, I can continue to prove that to people and go out there and show people I’m going to do that.” The team traded Rashan Gary to the Cowboys and lost Kingsley Enagbare to the New York Jets in free agency this offseason. For the Packers, though, it makes sense to wait. Clowney is an unrestricted free agent, which means he qualifies for the compensatory pick formula. If Green Bay signs him starting on the Tuesday after the NFL Draft, he won’t affect the formula anymore, and the Packers can keep the four extra picks they’re slated to receive in 2027. What the Packers need After his rookie contract with the Houston Texans, Jadeveon Clowney has been a journeyman in the NFL. He’s played for six more teams (Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, and Dallas Cowboys), and only spent more than one year on one of them, the Browns in 2021 and 2022. While Clowney won’t be a long-term solution for the Packers, that’s not what they are looking for at the moment — Parsons, Van Ness, and the development of the young players should take care of that. For Green Bay, Clowney is a short-term solution for a short-term problem for a reasonable price, and that’s all they need.
