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A couple Mountaineers are once again on the initial list of modern-era players nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On Wednesday, Pat McAfee and Marc Bulger were among the 167 former players nominated to be part of the 2025 class.
This is the third straight year McAfee is a nominee. When he was informed of the news during an episode of the Pat McAfee Show last year, he responded in his own unique way, saying he doesn’t deserve the honor. “Don’t vote me in, but this is cool to even be acknowledged,” he said at the time.
McAfee also added “did not play long enough” as why he does not feel he deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And for as cool as to even be recognized at this level of the nomination process, McAfee is likely right that his career length will be held against him when it comes time to narrow these nominees down to 25 in November and then cut that down to the list of finalists to be considered.
The boisterous punter, who also kicked field goals at WVU and is the university’s leading scorer, shockingly decided to retire after the 2016 season. McAfee later explained that he was probably looking at a surgery for an injury in order to keep playing back then, which played into his decision to embark on building his media empire at just 30-years-old. McAfee did earn NFL All-Pro honors once and was named to the Pro Bowl twice in his 8-year career. He also punted and kicked off for the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
While it might be a long shot for Bulger to advance through the next round of cuts, he’s one of only 10 quarterbacks to be included to this point.
As far as Bulger’s professional resume, he threw for 22,814 yards, 122 touchdowns and completed 62.1% of his passes in eight seasons as a member of then St. Louis Rams. Bulger assumed the starting role after Hall of Famer Kurt Warner moved on. Warner had led the Rams to two Super Bowl appearance, won one title and earned an MVP prior to Bulger taking over. Bulger spent one season with the Baltimore Ravens, but did not see the field.
Marc Bulger was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA and played quarterback for the prestigious Central Catholic High School in the mid 1990s before attending West Virginia from 1996-99. At WVU, Bulger held a 6.16 completion percentage, threw for 8,153 yards and scored 59 touchdowns with 34 interceptions. He then got drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft before eventually playing for the Rams.
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Bears receive new stadium pitch from Chicago mayor
It might be too little, too late, but the Chicago Bears received a new pitch from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson about building the new stadium project in the city. The Bears are moving full steam ahead with the site in Arlington Heights. Mayor Brandon Johnson wants the Chicago Bears in Chicago During an appearance on 670 The Score, Johnson argued that the Bears “belong” to Chicago and wants to keep them in the city for the next 100 years. “Look, the Bears belong in the city of Chicago,” Johnson said on the “Rahimi Harris Show." “And I believe that people know that. There’s a tremendous momentum. As you know, Joe Mansueto with the Fire, we’re talking about hundreds of million dollars to build a new stadium. The 1901 Project on the west side of Chicago, you’re talking about millions of dollars of investments… “We’re on a nice little hot winning streak here. So, my door’s going to remain open. And the hope is that Chicago Bears fans will rally around this moment to challenge all of us to come together to figure out a path to make sure the 100-year history doesn’t end in this moment and we can set ourselves up for the next 100 years.” Johnson points to low crime rates in Chicago Johnson touted declining crime rates as a reason for the Bears to stay in the city. “Homicides are down 32%, shooting victims are down almost 40%,” Johnson said. “We’re seeing unprecedented levels of investment. So, my door still remains open. And perhaps because I am a Cubs fan, I just remain optimistic, no matter what the circumstances are. But they really do belong in the city of Chicago.” Johnson hasn’t had conversations with the Bears in the last two weeks. For now, CEO Kevin Warren and the organization are trying to get enough government support to start building in Arlington Heights as soon as possible. If Warren doesn’t get the help he needs, the Bears could again try to angle for lakefront property in Chicago.
Celtics’ Georges Niang Trade Wasn’t Just About Salary Dump
The Boston Celtics have made yet another curious offseason move, trading 32-year-old 3-point specialist Georges Niang and two second-round picks to the Utah Jazz in exchange for RJ Luis Jr., an undrafted rookie on a two-way contract. On the surface, this trade was more or less a salary dump. While a rebuilding team, the Jazz are expected to absorb Niang’s 2024-25 salary ($8.2 million) in the trade exception they generated from shipping John Collins to the Los Angeles Clippers. This reduced Boston’s luxury tax by $50 million, according Third Apron salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan. For their efforts, the Jazz not only got a pair of second-rounders but a veteran that can teach their young players the nuances of professionalism. Celtics’ Georges Niang Trade Wasn’t Just About Salary Dump Though the Celtics obviously wanted to reduce their bill, the deal wasn’t just about that. Boston genuinely wanted Luis, per ZAGSBLOG draft expert Adam Zagoria. With that in mind, he entered the 2025 NBA Draft out of St. John’s, he played his freshman season at local UMass. That season, he averaged 11.5 points per game on 45.5 percent from the field. He also earned 10 starts, averaging 15.5 points per game in those contests. As a junior in 2024-25, Luis exploded for 18.2 points per game. His season ended on a low note. In a nine-point loss to Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32, he went just 3-17 from the field, scoring nine points. Nonetheless, his body of work shouldn’t be overshadowed by the last sentence. Nor should the pedigree he enters the NBA with. In 2024-25, he was a Consensus All-American. His father, Reggie Charles, was a professional basketball player who spent 15 seasons overseas. For the last two seasons of his college career, he was coached by Rick Pitino. The Celtics undoubtedly have a complex history with their former head coach but there’s no denying his greatness at the collegiate level. What Can RJ Luis Jr. Bring To The Celtics? Flawed though he may be, Luis is a good get for Boston, especially on a two-way contract. With Jayson Tatum likely to miss at least the first half of 2025-26 after tearing his Achilles in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Celtics have a lot of minutes to fill in at forward. As a result, players like 2023 No. 38 pick Jordan Walsh and 2025 No. 28 pick Hugo Gonzalez have a real chance of barging into the rotation. In a vacuum, they’re both rotation-caliber forwards but they’re raw, particularly offensively. That being said, if they’re trying to step into Tatum’s shoes, their limitations at that end are problematic. Tatum’s one of the most dangerous scorers in the league, averaging 27.5 points per game over the past five seasons. Luis probably won’t explode onto the season looking like a perennial All-Star. Still, he’s a more masterful scorer than either Walsh or Gonzalez right now. In the open court, he’s exciting, like many athletic wings with his length (6-foot-7). Yet, he’s not refined to impacting the game on the break. In the halfcourt, he’s able to use his handle and footwork to create space whether in the drive or in the post. Indeed, utilizing his instincts and body control, he’s actually pretty nifty with the ball in his hands. He even follows up his own shot, leading to frequent putbacks. Though he doesn’t have elite efficiency in any area, he’s a multifaceted offensive player who also has a knack for playmaking, particularly with regard to pocket passes. To improve his efficiency, he should cut down on his off-the-dribble attempts due to his tendency to take tough jumpers. All the same, while Boston waits for Tatum to return, the 22-year-old could play an important role.
Celtics' moves suggest new guard will be traded — eventually
The Boston Celtics got under the second luxury-tax apron by trading Georges Niang to the Utah Jazz Tuesday. The move also gives them a huge incentive to deal their most expensive new player. The Celtics have dramatically reduced their payroll in the wake of Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury. With their superstar unlikely to play in 2025-26, the Celtics traded away starters Jrue Holiday ($94.4M for three years, plus a $37.2M player option in 2027-28) and Kristaps Porzingis ($30.7M next season). They also let Luke Kornet ($2.8M) leave as a free agent, and Al Horford ($9.5M) is almost certainly gone as well. They received Georges Niang ($8.2M) in the Porzingis deal, but traded him Tuesday for undrafted R.J. Luis Jr., a rookie on a two-way deal. That effectively takes Niang's full salary of their books and gets them under the second luxury-tax apron, freeing them from the penalties and restrictions that go along with second-apron status. According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan, the Celtics have saved a whopping $286M in salary and taxes with their moves. Still, the team can reap a larger long-term reward by dropping below the luxury tax entirely, which requires reducing their payroll by just over $12M more. The Celtics don't seem inclined to trade Jaylen Brown, Derrick White or Payton Pritchard, wanting to keep some core members of their 2024 title team together for Tatum's return. Sam Hauser is on an affordable four-year, $45M deal, but losing his $10M salary wouldn't get them under the tax line. That's why Anfernee Simons, acquired in the Holiday trade, is likely not long for Boston. The 26-year-old guard makes $27.7M in the last year of his contract, making him the perfect trade piece to get Boston under the luxury tax. Not only would getting under the tax line free the Celtics of their tax obligations and save them as much as $40M, but it would make them eligible to share in the money from tax-paying teams. The Celtics would also be able to avoid the dreaded repeater tax penalties, which make every dollar over the luxury-tax number progressively more expensive every year a team stays over the tax line. This doesn't mean Simons is going to be traded this summer. Boston has until the Feb. 5 trade deadline to move Simons, since luxury tax is calculated on the team's total payroll the last day of the season. But given the massive savings they'd get back from losing Simons' salary, it seems inevitable. The Celtics have lost a lot of talent this summer, but they've saved a tremendous amount of money in the process. They might have to attach draft capital to get off Simons' deal, but if he plays well in Boston, he might even bring back something in a trade next season. Tatum's injury threw a huge wrench in the Celtics' plans. If they can use this season to get under the luxury tax, they'll have the flexibility to reload and contend again when their star is back in a year.
Lions' Former Second-Round Pick Named a Potential Cut Candidate
With their 2025 preseason officially underway, the Detroit Lions have plenty of roster spots up for grabs. Some of the spots being competed for are a bit more high-profile, like their backup QB job, starting role at defensive tackle, and the competition across the interior of their offensive line. However, there are some smaller roles that are also there to be won this offseason. Those include some spots on the depth chart at edge rusher. Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski thinks one of these competitions might not end well for a former second-round pick. In a recent article, Sobleski named Lions edge rusher Josh Paschal as a potential cut candidate. Paschal has never come close to paying off the Lions' investment in him. Detroit selected him 46th overall in 2022. His career has been a struggle since then. As a rookie Paschal had two sacks and 16 total tackles in 10 games. The next year he only managed one sack and brought his tackle total up to 25. This past season, he ended up in the biggest role of his career. With Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport injured, Paschal played in 14 games, started 10, and had a career-high 61% snap share. He turned the opportunity into just two sacks and 21 total tackles. His 31 total pressures ranked 57th at his position according to Pro Football Focus. That may not be enough for him to keep his job. While the Lions are still missing a real second option to play alongside Hutchinson, what they aren't missing is depth on the edge. They have Al-Quadin Muhammad, Ahmed Hassanein, Mitchell Agude, Isaac Ukwu, and Nate Lynn all competing with Paschal for depth roles. Right now Paschal is on the non-football injury list, so he isn't available to compete and might not be ready for the start of the regular season. There is also still hope that the Lions might add another veteran to start at the position this offseason. That could leave Paschal as the odd man out ahead of a season that would have been his last chance to prove himself to the Lions anyway.
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