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Former Arizona Cardinals QB Desmond Ridder is set to hit free agency, as the Las Vegas Raiders reportedly will not tender him as a restricted free agent per NFL Media's Tom Pelissero:
"The #Raiders informed QB Desmond Ridder they won’t tender him as a restricted free agent, per source. The former Cincinnati star, Ridder has 18 career starts for Atlanta and Las Vegas. An experienced option now set to hit the market."
The #Raiders informed QB Desmond Ridder they won’t tender him as a restricted free agent, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 28, 2025
The former Cincinnati star, Ridder has 18 career starts for Atlanta and Las Vegas. An experienced option now set to hit the market. pic.twitter.com/wVBwHMxdlE
Ridder first entered the league as a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft with the Atlanta Falcons, where he spent the first two years of his career before being traded to Arizona ahead of last season for receiver Rondale Moore.
The Cardinals wanted an experienced mobile quarterback to sit behind Kyler Murray, and with Ridder having 17 starts under his belt, he fit the mold Arizona general manager Monti Ossenfort was looking for.
Ridder failed to impress in training camp and lost the backup job to Clayton Tune - which saw him cut ahead of the regular season. He was then re-signed to Arizona's practice squad.
“You’d like to get some first downs, but that’s just not on the quarterback," Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said of Ridder after a preseason game.
"That’s on everybody. He’s not blocking for himself and he’s not running routes for himself. I think as a whole we have to do a little bit better.”
Ridder never played for Arizona, as he was signed to the Raiders' practice squad in October.
Ridder played in six games for Las Vegas with one start, completing 61.2% of his passes for 458 yards and two touchdowns/two interceptions. He also rushed nine times for 36 yards.
Now, with Las Vegas hoping for more answers at quarterback, Ridder will not be tendered - which would have allowed the Raiders to match any offer he got in free agency.
The Cardinals themselves just might be in the market to bring Ridder back, though that doesn't seem like their top option.
Previously, Ossenfort spoke with reporters at the Combine and offered the following on potentially upgrading the quarterback position - you can read more about that here.
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Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Has Been In Communication With Exciting All-Pro Wide Receiver That Could Join Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a very exciting team on paper heading into the 2025 NFL season as the organization has made plenty of changes throughout the offseason. It can be argued that both sides of the ball have been upgraded in some way, and the rookie class provides some excitement as well. One spot fans might want to see another move made is at wide receiver, as outside of DK Metcalf, there are some question marks in the room. Calvin Austin III took a strong step forward in 2024, but he has missed a large chunk of time during training camp this month due to injury, and Roman Wilson is still making strides. There are some interesting veterans that are still available in free agency, and some more names should hit the open market at the end of August when teams cut down to their 53-man rosters. However, one of the interesting names on the market currently is former superstar wide receiver, Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham was a standout during his time with the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns, and he won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. He recently joined Bill Maher on the Club Random podcast, and he shared that he has had conversations with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. "Love him, love him," Beckham said of Rodgers. "We've had conversations. I won't say that, that it's not a possibility [joining the Steelers], and I won't say that I haven't had any communication. I f*cking love [Mike] Tomlin. I was actually supposed to be drafted to the Steelers. That was the meeting that I had where I was like, 'I think I'm going to the Steelers.' Giants ended up taking me at 12, Steelers had I think the 16th pick maybe. I think they took Ryan Shazier." Beckham revealed that he has had some conversations with the Pittsburgh quarterback, which could mean the two sides are interested in joining forces with the Steelers. The veteran wide receiver didn't sound too optimistic that anything would happen, but he did not shut down the idea of wearing black and gold during the 2025 season. Beckham has been trying to find his footing in the league ever since he tore his ACL during Super Bowl LVI. The injury caused him to miss the entire 2022 season, and he has since played for the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins. In the past two seasons, the receiver has caught just 44 passes for 620 yards and three touchdowns. There is no doubting that Beckham has lost a step, but he would certainly be an interesting addition for the Steelers. Some argue that Pittsburgh's wide receiver room is full of too many wide receiver threes and fours, rather than having a solid second option at the position. At this point in his career, Beckham would likely just add to that problem, rather than being a solution. Steelers Were Interested In Beckham During 2014 NFL Draft Beckham also stated during his interview with Maher that the Steelers were very interested in him during the 2014 NFL Draft. He was selected by the Giants with the 12th overall pick, and Pittsburgh selected at 15. The Steelers grabbed Ryan Shazier, but Beckham seemed fairly confident that if he had still been on the board, he would have gone to the Steelers with the 15th pick. This is a bit hard to believe, as the Steelers have not drafted a wide receiver in the first round since the 2006 NFL Draft when the organization selected Santonio Holmes. The wide receiver room was looking a little thin heading into the 2014 season, but the Steelers were able to make it work after picking Martavis Bryant in the fourth round of the same draft.
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Ranking the top 5 Toronto Maple Leafs enforcers in franchise history
It was announced on Friday that Toronto Marlies and former Toronto Maple Leafs forward and enforcer, Kyle Clifford, would be retiring from the sport of hockey. It was later confirmed that he would be stepping into a player development role with the Leafs. While Clifford only played a total of 41 games with Toronto’s NHL club, he took part in nine fights during that brief span, making him an iconic enforcer for the team despite his limited games. With Clifford’s retirement and the trade that sent existing Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves to the San Jose Sharks, it seems like the lineage of Toronto enforcers may be at its end. But while we wait to see if GM Brad Treliving brings in someone new to slot into the enforcer role, let’s take a look back at the top five greatest enforcers that the Leafs have had in their franchise history. We will be looking at the total number of fights, the total penalty minutes, as well as the player’s overall notoriety within the Leafs franchise, in order to fairly rank this list. Let’s get to it. 5. Colton Orr (56 fights, 637 PIM) As will be the case with most of the players on this list, Orr by no means lit up the stat sheet during his career, but what he did do was step up to fight whenever his team needed him to. But during the dark ages of Leafs hockey before the team drafted Auston Matthews in 2016, Orr was the most iconic Leafs enforcer. Orr initially went undrafted before getting picked up by the Boston Bruins in 2003–04, but it was not until the 2009–10 season that Orr joined the Maple Leafs after signing with them in July of 2009. Orr immediately made the Leafs one of the more physical teams in the league when he came on board, and he even had a league-high 23 fights in his first season with the team. While there was only one team playoff appearance during Orr’s time with the Leafs–an appearance that resulted in a first-round exit–his physical play at least made the tough times more interesting. 4. Wade Belak (67 fights, 763 PIM) Belak had a long 15-year NHL career, and around six of those were spent as a Maple Leaf. And during that time with Toronto, Belak was an impeccable enforcer whenever he was called upon. During his Leafs tenure, Belak had an astonishing 67 fights, and in each of his seasons with the team, he never fought fewer than nine times per season. Unfortunately, Belak died in August of 2011, a victim of suicide. While he is no longer with us, his legacy definitely lives on through the grit and skill he brought to the Leafs and the rest of the NHL during the early 2000s. 3. Dave “Tiger” Williams (114 fights, 1,670 PIM) Williams was a second-round pick by the Leafs in 1974, and he immediately became a key piece of a Leafs team that made the playoffs every year he was on the team. Unlike the previous two players on this list, Williams was a fairly solid scorer with his best season with the Leafs coming in 1977–78 when he put up 31 assists and 50 points in 78 games. It was during the 1977–78 season that Williams took part in 36 fights, his most as a Leaf, and coincidentally, the Leafs also reached the conference final that season, a postseason that saw Williams fight five times. And adding even more to that season, Williams registered 351 penalty minutes, a career high during his years with the Leafs, and the 25th highest total in NHL history. 2. Wendel Clark (108 fights, 1,535 PIM) It was a toss-up between Clark and Williams for the No. 2 spot, but we are giving the edge to Clark for his overall notoriety among not just Leafs fans, but Toronto sports fans as a whole. Clark was one of the most iconic Leafs players of all time, and he put up solid point totals during his 12 seasons with Toronto, most notably during the 1993–94 season when he put up an impressive 46 goals and 76 points in just 64 games. Pure skill aside, Clarke was never afraid to drop the gloves with opponents. He had 108 career fights, and 30 of those took place during the 1986–87 regular season, a season in which he also scored 60 points. And Clark is the only player on this list who also served as the Leafs’ captain. 1. Tie Domi (188 fights, 2,265 PIM) Domi isn’t just the greatest Leafs enforcer of all time, but he is arguably one of the greatest enforcers in NHL history. Domi played nearly 11 seasons with the Leafs, and it is no coincidence that his time with the team also saw the team reach the conference final three times. Although his scoring was nothing to write home about, Domi’s physical presence made him an instant fan favourite in Toronto, and he was always willing to throw down with the opposition’s top enforcers. Excluding his final season in Toronto, Domi never took part in fewer than 13 fights during each of his seasons with the Leafs. There’s a reason why Domi is seen as one of the most iconic players in the Leafs’ franchise history.
Notre Dame believed to be trending toward surprise choice at quarterback
The quarterback battle for Notre Dame is set to come to an end shortly, and it might be a surprise considering how the national media predicted the race to finish. Per Eric Hansen of On3, head coach Marcus Freeman is set to name the starting quarterback by Sunday when he meets the media. The Irish are still letting the quarterback battle play out until then, but it appears sophomore quarterback Kenny Minchey is the favorite to start at Hard Rock Stadium against the Miami Hurricanes on Aug. 31. Minchey has shown improvement in numerous areas throughout camp, and he has the edge on freshman quarterback CJ Carr in what is believed to be the final week of the competition. "As of Wednesday, the line between 1 and 2 remained blurred," Hansen wrote. "The tiebreaker may eventually go to Minchey, per the source, because of his ability to be a true running threat and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s preference to have that element to put pressure on opposing defenses. "But he also has a preference for QBs who can transcend adversity, and the training camp phase was choreographed to test precisely that. While both contenders responded persistently in a manner that defies their inexperience, Minchey has been exceptional in that regard." Throughout the summer, ESPN writers such as Bill Connelly and Mark Schlabach have written as though it were a forgone conclusion that Carr would win the battle in training camp. However, Minchey appears to be a natural fit for how offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock likes to scheme against a defense. He helped dual-threat Jayden Daniels earn a Heisman Trophy in 2023 and took Notre Dame to a national championship appearance with Riley Leonard. The battle isn't over, but the edge appears to be running Minchey's way.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur sounds alarm on injury situation
The Green Bay Packers added two more pass-catchers to their injury list following Tuesday's practice, as a troubling trend continues in Wisconsin. Per The Athletic's Matt Schneidman, head coach Matt LaFleur shook his head yes but said "no" when asked if he had considered cancelling the Packers' joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday. The answer came moments after tight end Luke Musgrave and wide receiver Romeo Doubs were injured at practice. LaFleur is concerned about the ailments that have affected his first-team offense and defense during training camp this summer. “No, I don’t,” LaFleur responded to a question about whether he feels good about the Packers' health. “Right now, I don’t. We’re missing a lot of key players that are integral to our success as a football team. It is what it is. It’s an opportunity for some other guys, but we definitely had some injuries strike up at some positions where it’s made us pretty thin.” On Tuesday, Green Bay revealed that quarterback Jordan Love was having surgery on his left thumb for an injury he suffered during Saturday's 30-10 loss to the New York Jets. He's expected to return next week and face the Detroit Lions in Week 1. The Packers also hope All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney (calf) can return alongside cornerback Nate Hobbs (meniscus) for Week 1. Per Schniedman, Hobbs was still limping in the locker room on Wednesday. Green Bay was already missing Christian Watson at training camp, as the receiver rehabs from an ACL injury that occurred against the Chicago Bears in January. The Packers believe Watson will begin the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list before returning sometime midseason. LaFleur should be worried about having a substantial part of his roster missing the preseason. Fortunately, the injuries were dealt with early in August, and players like Hobbs and Love should be healthy for September. The issue is that Green Bay doesn't need more injuries to accumulate in the preseason before an 18-week regular season, and potentially the playoffs. LaFleur and Packers fans have a reason to hold their breath at joint practice this week.
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