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Russell Wilson addresses moving on from disappointing season
Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson made it clear he put a disastrous 2022 in the rearview mirror.
"Last year is last year. It isn't anything I ever wanted," Wilson said in a Friday news conference. "I think the best thing we can do as a team is continue to do everything we can every day and just continue to stack one day at a time, and those days will add up to something special."
Wilson and Denver attempting to forget about last season is wise since it was a trainwreck. The Broncos went 5-12 and missed the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season. After they traded two-first rounders (and more) for the former Seahawks star, Wilson posted career lows in passing TDs (16), passer ra ting (84.4) and completion percentage (60.5 percent) in 15 games.
A large portion of the blame fell on the 34-year-old since he received benefits that alienated coaches, such as a personal office. Also, he had too much offensive input. Wilson reportedly tried to install a Denver-Seattle hybrid, which failed as the Broncos finished last in scoring and second in false start penalties.
Subsequently, the front office stripped Wilson of his privileges and replaced one-and-done HC Nathaniel Hackett with Sean Payton, a Super Bowl champion and QB guru. Wilson signaled he respects Payton and is ceding offensive authority.
"[Payton] has a certain presence that you feel in a room," Wilson said. "He's a legend in this game in terms of coaching. And so we trust everything that he thinks about and that he's doing."
If Payton salvages the nine-time Pro Bowler, that would be ideal for the Broncos. They can't move on from Wilson because five years remain on his contract, and he has a $22M 2023 cap hit, per Spotrac.
More must-reads:
- Sean Payton has harsh criticism of ex-Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett
- What was Sean Payton's motivation for tearing down Nathaniel Hackett?
- The 'Most career game-winning drives' quiz
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Cowboys' Micah Parsons seen taking bizarre action in preseason finale
Micah Parsons showed up for the Dallas Cowboys' preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons in body only. The star pass-rusher showed no spirit and did not dress amid his hold-in for a contract extension. On Thursday, Parsons scrubbed the Cowboys from his social media feed. During Friday's game, he couldn't be bothered to be with his teammates on the sideline watching the whole game. Per a photo posted on X by The Athletic's Jon Machota, Parsons was seen lying down on a trainer's table during the contest. Parsons' actions come amid a turbulent week between his representation and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. In separate interviews, Jones told both Michael Irvin and ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that he did not plan to back down from his agreement with Parsons to work with agent David Mulugheta. During the pregame show on Friday, Jones boasted to 105.3 The Fan that defensive end is where the Cowboys have the most depth on the roster. "Frankly, our defensive ends may be the best depth, where we have the most talent of any position on the field," Jones said via Machota. "I'm excited about our depth and our numbers at pass rusher. ... I'm concerned because of having space on the roster to keep that many of our guys that have pass rushing ability." Following Friday night's game, the Cowboys' preseason is over. The situation between Jones and Parsons is not ideal for first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who is tasked with trimming the roster to 53 players by Tuesday. If Parsons is traded or chooses not to play in Week 1, Schottenheimer is going to have to decide to take away depth from what Jones sees as a weaker part of the team to boost a unit that is without their best player because he won't negotiate with Mulugheta.
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These college QBs are set to earn millions in 2025
Quarterback is the most important position in football, and the money given to top signal-callers — both in the NFL and at the collegiate level — supports that. On3's Pete Nakos detailed on Thursday what some of the top quarterbacks in college football will earn during the upcoming season. Nakos writes that at least five QBs will make roughly $3 million in the 2025 campaign, while more than 20 starting quarterbacks will command at least $1 million. It's important, for context, to note that these financial figures include direct revenue-sharing from schools and/or NIL deals from third-party collectives. Leading the way among 2025 quarterbacks is Duke's Darian Mensah. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound redshirt sophomore, from San Luis Obispo, Calif., will earn $4 million this year, part of a two-year, $8 million contract with the Blue Devils. Mensah transferred to Duke from Tulane, where in 2024 he threw for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns against just six interceptions. True freshman Bryce Underwood of Michigan is set to collect $3 million this season, which is a massive number for someone who has never taken an official snap in college. Still, the 6-foot-4, 228-pound Underwood is a significant contender to win the Wolverines' starting QB job in 2025. The native of Belleville, Mich., was the No. 1 national prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. Redshirt senior Carson Beck transferred from Georgia to Miami in the offseason, and he will make $3 million to $3.2 million this season to start, in a deal that could be worth up to $6 million with incentives, per Nakos. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Beck, who is from Jacksonville, Fla., tallied 3,485 passing yards with 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024. According to the On3 article, Nebraska's Dylan Raiola will earn more than $3 million in total compensation during the 2025 season. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound sophomore, who hails from Buford, Ga., threw for 2,819 yards with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as a true freshman. Last year, Raiola guided the Cornhuskers to a 7-6 record and a bowl-game triumph. Drew Allar will look to lead Penn State on another deep College Football Playoff run in 2025, and the senior quarterback will earn at least $3 million during the upcoming campaign. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Allar, from Medina, Ohio, threw for 3,327 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions a year ago as Penn State made the CFP semifinals. The Nittany Lions are No. 2 in the preseason Associated Press top-25 poll. Other quarterbacks who are expected to make big bucks in the 2025 season include Oklahoma's John Mateer ($2.5 million to $3 million), Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia (at least $2 million), Kansas State's Avery Johnson (at least $2 million), South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers ($1.8 million), TCU's Josh Hoover ($1.75 million) and Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby ($1.5 million to $1.7 million), among others.
Reports: Red Sox Have 2 Options To Replace Walker Buehler
The Boston Red Sox ripped off the band-aid and made a difficult decision on Friday. There has been some chatter for a few weeks about the possibility of moving Walker Buehler out of the starting rotation. He actually has looked better lately than he did at the beginning of the season. But, his command was still shaky, including eight walks over his last 10 innings pitched, and Boston opted to move him out of the rotation. The Red Sox announced the decision on Friday, as shared by MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo. "Walker Buehler is going to the bullpen, Alex Cora announced," Cotillo said. "The starter for Monday is TBD. Cora said Buehler 'handled it like a professional.'" The Red Sox have two options to replace Walker Buehler Boston has two more games left in its series against the New York Yankees. Garrett Crochet is getting the ball on Saturday and will be followed by Dustin May on Sunday. On Monday, the Red Sox will begin a series against the Baltimore Orioles and this is when the club will have to make a decision. So, who could it be on the mound? Cotillo noted that Richard Fitts and Kyle Harrison are both options. "For Monday's outing, Richard Fitts and Kyle Harrison are the leading candidates to pitch," Cotillo said. "It'll likely depend on how the next few days go in NY. If Fitts pitches (in a multi-inning role), bet on Harrison to make that start. If not, Fitts is with the club and ready." Fitts is up with the team and it was initially reported that he was called up to help out in the bullpen. He hasn't been used out of the bullpen yet, so Monday certainly is a possibility. Harrison was the jewel of the Rafael Devers trade but hasn't made a start with Boston yet. Harrison has been down with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox and has a 3.69 ERA in 10 starts. At some point, Harrison is going to be a big piece for this rotation. Could that start on Monday?
Steelers' Kenneth Gainwell Sends A New Eye-Opening Cryptic Message
The Pittsburgh Steelers have reshaped their running back room for the 2025 NFL season. With Najee Harris leaving in free agency and Cordarrelle Patterson released, Jaylen Warren is the lone returning back from 2024. Warren has totaled nearly 1,300 rushing yards over the past two years and is widely expected to assume the RB1 role following Harris’ departure. Competition is emerging however, as several newcomers are making strong cases for the starting job, and one running back recently sparked speculation with a cryptic post to Steelers fans on X. The Steelers signed Kenneth Gainwell to a one-year deal worth $1.79 million in March. Gainwell is entering his fifth year in the NFL out of Memphis, spending his first four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles backing up Miles Sanders, De'Andre Swift, and Saquon Barkley. Gainwell has always been a serviceable backup and third-down weapon, but he wants to be more than that in Pittsburgh. Gainwell took to X on Friday morning when rumors were conveniently swirling about who will be the Steelers' RB1 when they face the New York Jets in two weeks. "They gone find out real soon!!" Gainwell said via X. It's important to remember that Gainwell could be referring to many things here. The Steelers' running game has showed promise this offseason, but many pundits would argue there's still plenty of room for improvement. Gainwell could simply be referring to the room as a whole taking the league by storm in 2025. However, it would be no surprise if he were referring to himself as being the player to look out for in the Steel City. He has shown his capability of being an impact player so far in his NFL career and has a competitive spirit. Gainwell has rushed for 1,185 yards with 12 touchdowns in his career, to go along with 102 receptions for 721 yards. During his four seasons with the Eagles, Gainwell carved out a reputation as a reliable dual-threat option. Though often used in a rotational role, Gainwell proved that he was capable of producing in high-leverage moments. Steelers fans might recall the nasty spin-move that he put on Donte Jackson during Pittsburgh's 27-13 loss at Philadelphia last December. So is Gainwell now a candidate for the Steelers' starting running back spot in 2025, that's the real question. With recent rumors swirling of Warren being in danger getting benched due to ball security issues, the idea of someone else leading the Steelers' running back room doesn't seem so unrealistic. Warren has seven fumbles in his career so far, including four in 2023 alone. In the Steelers' recent preseason win over the Panthers, Warren put the ball on the ground during Pittsburgh's opening drive. Warren might be the most talented running back that the Steelers currently have, but with turnovers being a potential issue, it might not be a terrible idea to turn elsewhere to lead the way. Even if Warren does get benched however, does Gainwell take his place? The Steelers spent a third-round draft pick on Kaleb Johnson in April, and the expectations for him are sky high. Johnson rushed for 2,779 yards in three years at Iowa, and he did show some promise during the preseason, rushing for 94 yards on 23 carries. One area of uncertainty with Johnson's game is his pass protection abilities, simply due to the fact that Iowa did not throw the ball much while Johnson was there. Pass protection is an area where Gainwell could separate himself from Johnson in terms of competition. It will be key for the Steelers to protect four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers in 2025. With some uncertainty on the offensive line, the Steelers' running backs will need to be helpful in the pass protection game. Durability will also play a factor. Gainwell has remained relatively healthy throughout his career, only missing one game due to injury so far. Steelers' Gainwell Brings Experience And Success To Pittsburgh Along with pass protection and durability, Gainwell brings experience and success. The Eagles made it to two Super Bowls during Gainwell's tenure, winning one last season. The Steelers are looking to replicate the playoff success that Gainwell experienced in Philadelphia, and he could potentially help them reach that threshold.
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