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Former NFL coach Jeff Fisher has been named interim commissioner of the Arena Football League.
Fisher is taking the place of Lee Hutton, who didn't have the support of team owners as the league attempted to reboot after four dormant seasons. He exited the job on Tuesday.
The AFL began the season on April 27 with 16 teams. Since then, four franchises have either folded or pulled out of the league for the rest of the season. Two more have been moved to inactive status.
One of the remaining teams is the Nashville Kats, where Fisher is the president of football ope rations. He will remain in that job, The Tennessean reported.
Fisher, 66, previously was the head coach of the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans (1994-2010) and St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams (2012-16).
"Months ago when I decided to help return the Nashville Kats and arena football to the Music City, I did so because of my affection for Nashville and wanting to give back to the community that has been a blessing to me and my family over the years," Fisher said in a news release. "We are now three weeks into the season and the league needs help and I agreed to help the league. I am honored the owners collective have confidence in me to lead them."
The AFL dates to 1987 and was in business until 2008. It returned in 2010, then filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2019 and was discontinued before the 2020 season.
G6 Sports Investment Group now operates the league.
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Browns releasing one-time Pro Bowl wide receiver
Diontae Johnson‘s efforts to find a stable NFL home will likely not include time with the Browns. The veteran wideout is being released today, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero report. The wide receiver’s tumultuous 2024 included a bevy of transactions and multiple aims to be traded and ultimately crushed his free agency value. Johnson was traded twice and cut twice last year, leading to a veteran-minimum Browns deal. Failing to make Cleveland’s 53-man roster represents another blow to a player who entered last season as a career-long starter. No other team made Johnson an offer this offseason. The Browns will not take on any dead money from this release as a result of the vet-minimum deal including no guarantees. The team did not add any other veteran receivers of note, but it will still move on from a former 1,000-yard player who had excelled for the Steelers over an extended stretch. The Steelers and Panthers traded Johnson last year after he grew unhappy with both situations. But Johnson then drew a team-imposed suspension in Baltimore after refusing to reenter a late-season game with the Ravens — who did not give the effective route runner a regular role. Johnson then grew unhappy with his Texans role following a subsequent waiver claim. The Ravens claimed him again for procedural purposes, wrapping a transaction-crazed (but largely inconsequential, productivity-wise) year for the six-year veteran. Cleveland has Cedric Tillman positioned as Jerry Jeudy‘s top complementary option, with 2024 fifth-rounder Jamari Thrash in the mix as well. The Browns also changed their receiver situation this month, signing Texas product Isaiah Bond after the rookie was not indicted on sexual assault charges. Johnson, 29, will pass straight to free agency as a vested veteran.
Chicago Bears waive wide receiver who was 2025 training camp favorite
The Chicago Bears took another big step toward slashing their roster to the final 53-man squad on Tuesday morning. According to team insider Brad Biggs, the Bears have waived training camp favorite J.P. Richardson, and undrafted rookie wide reciever from TCU. Poles also cut ties with offensive lineman Ricky Stromberg, a former third-round pick who some presumed would offer interior line depth at the time he was added. The Chicago Bears were 20 roster moves away from the 53-man limit before these two transactions. Richardson made an early impression at Bears training camp and emerged as the summer's fan-favorite in late-July. His momentum cooled quite a bit once the preseason schedule rolled around, and with so much depth at receiver on Chicago's roster, Richardson's chances never seemed strong. There is, however, a possibility he returns to the Bears on the practice squad. It's highly unlikely another team will put a waiver claim in for him (it guarantees an active roster spot). Once Richardson clears waivers, he's a name to monitor for Chicago's practice team. Richardson finished the 2024 season with 57 catches for 733 yards and two touchdowns for the Horned Frogs.
Micah Parsons trade request: Adam Schefter shares latest update on future with Cowboys
What's next for WR Diontae Johnson after latest release?
Diontae Johnson's NFL career took another frustrating turn on Tuesday when he was reportedly cut by the Cleveland Browns, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. It continues what has been a wild journey for the 29-year-old over the past three seasons, where he has been a part of five different franchises — the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and most recently, the Browns. After being selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2019 draft, Johnson's career began with such promise. He was not only the team's top pass-catcher for a few years, but was at times an electrifying playmaker that combined elite route-running with big-play potential. His best season came in 2021 with the Steelers when he caught 107 passes for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns, and was named to his first and only Pro Bowl. Instead of building on that breakout season, things rapidly declined not only in terms of Johnson's production but also his standing with Pittsburgh and its coaching staff. Drops, sideline and locker room feuds and overall inconsistent play resulted in him being traded to the Carolina Panthers before the 2024 campaign. With the Panthers struggling and Johnson again showing frustration, he was traded to the Ravens just before the trade deadline in October 2024. After refusing to enter a game, Baltimore suspended him late in the season before ultimately releasing him. That resulted in Johnson joining the Texans for two games, where he was again released. With the Browns releasing him on Tuesday, Johnson has now been traded two times and released three times in less than three seasons. Will another team give him an opportunity? Many clubs need wide receiver depth, and at his best, Johnson has been a productive player and is a precise route-runner with a knack for getting open and finding soft spots in an opposing defense. However, his flaws seemingly outnumber those positives. Johnson does not consistently catch the football; he tends to give up ground and run backwards on plays in an effort to make a bigger play, and he has now worn out his welcome with several different coaching staffs and organizations. It only takes one coach and team to think they can get the most out of a player. Even if Johnson lands somewhere else soon, it is hard to imagine him being more than just a depth player at this stage of his career.
Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love Says No to Potential Nickname After Surgery
The Green Bay Packers have a tough assignment right away in the upcoming 2025 NFL season, as they are scheduled to lock horns with the Detroit Lions in Week 1 at Lambeau Field. With Jordan Love running the show from under center for the Packers, Green Bay fans are hoping that the team will have a great start to the campaign, something that did not happen in 2024, when Matt LaFleur’s squad lost its season opener to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. Before that showdown between the Lions and the Packers in Green Bay, Love went on an interview with “Kay Adams on the Up Adams Show with Kay Adams.” In a post on X (formerly Twitter) that promoted the interview, Adams wrote the following as a caption: “I always leave a chat with Jordan Love completely impressed. Please watch comment. He’s the terminator. He’s dialed in. He IS a Packer.” In the interview itself, Adams asked Love about the nickname directly. “Are you the terminator?” Adams asked. “No, why do you say that?” Love responded. Adams thought it was an apt nickname for the former Utah State Aggies star QB after his quick recovery from a seemingly minor thumb surgery. Can the Green Bay Packers end the Lions’ dominance in the matchup? The Packers won 11 games and suffered six losses in 2024. Two of those losses came at the hands of the Lions. Detroit beat the Packers in Week 9 at Lambeau Field, 24-14, and then again in Week 14 at Ford Field via a 34-31 score. Green Bay has struggled to win against the Lions over the last few years. In fact, the Packers have won just once in their last seven meetings with Detroit. Still, the Packers should love their chances to beat the Lions in Week 1. Green Bay is favored in that contest at the moment by 1.5 points as of this writing (per Covers).
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