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Raiders' Josh McDaniels shares positive Jimmy Garoppolo update
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels shared more good news regarding the status of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on Tuesday.
"No, there aren’t [any restrictions]," McDaniels said about Garoppolo, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "We’ll do what we always do with players that are coming off of any type of rehabilitation, so we’ll just do it the right way. So it might not be 100% of the repetitions the first day, etc. But we would never do that with anybody."
It was reported Sunday that Garoppolo passed his physical and would be ready for the start of training camp following a unique offseason for the 31-year-old. He inked a three-year contract that reportedly could be worth up to $72.5M with $33.75M guaranteed at signing to join the Raiders in March, but it was later learned he underwent surgery that same month to address an issue with the foot he injured while playing for the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 4.
The Raiders essentially could've voided Garoppolo's deal if he failed to pass his physical, but that's no longer a concern.
"So, it shouldn’t affect us that much," McDaniels added about Garoppolo on Tuesday. "But excited for him to be out there. I know he’s excited to be out there with his teammates, too."
McDaniels' update should silence chatter about future Hall of Famer Tom Brady potentially replacing Garoppolo atop the Raiders' depth chart. Brady is on track to become a limited partner of the Raiders this fall and reportedly could play for the club as a part-owner as long as three-fourths of the league owners approved such an arrangement.
While Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. said earlier this month he was "sure we’re still reaching out to (Brady) trying to see if he’s trying to come back to the team," the seven-time Super Bowl champion sounds and appears committed to staying retired this time around.
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DK Metcalf makes huge claim about Steelers defense
D.K. Metcalf has faced plenty of steep competition through his first six NFL seasons, both during games and practice, but the star wide receiver has noticed something different in his first training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers. During an interview with Ian Rapoport and Steve Smith of NFL Network on Sunday, Metcalf discussed some of his first impressions of the Steelers. He spoke about how challenging it has been to go up against cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay every day. When asked how the practice competition compares to what he saw with the Seattle Seahawks, Metcalf made a bold claim about his new teammates. "You don't want my opinion, because I think they're the best defense I've ever seen," Metcalf said. "There's some dogs everywhere on the field, and I tip my hat to them because they come to work every day and we don't have any choice but to get better." There is no question that the Steelers should have one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL on paper. While they sent five-time Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in the Ramsey trade, their cornerback trio of Ramsey, Porter and Slay is as talented as any in the league. The Steelers allowed 20.4 points per game last year, which ranked eighth in the NFL. Their pass defense surrendered 228 yards per game, which only ranked 25th. If Metcalf's assessment is accurate, Pittsburgh should show great improvement against the pass in 2025.
‘Wants to end up in Boston’… Celtics still favorites to sign breakout star who will snub ‘last resort’
With training camps approaching in one month, the Boston Celtics could add an interesting player to their roster. This addition would provide depth to their center rotation, which remains a significant hole they need to address. Currently, the Boston Celtics’ center rotation includes Xavier Tillman, Luka Garza, and Neemias Queta. All three players either lack experience or consistent production, and none match the quality of their previous rotation featuring Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet. The potential addition doesn’t reach the caliber of Porzingis or Horford, and isn’t even close to Kornet’s level. However, there’s development potential given that he’s only 24 years old. Charles Bassey, the former San Antonio Spurs player who competed with the Celtics during last summer’s league, has emerged as the candidate in question. Bassey chooses NBA over European opportunity NBA insider Noa Dazzell reported that Bassey prefers playing for the Celtics next season rather than accepting an overseas offer with Partizan Belgrade in the Serbian League. “He’s not currently planning on going overseas, that seems to be pretty unlikely, and almost like a last resort type of thing. And right now, I think, you know, he feels pretty confident that he’s going to play in the NBA next season,” Dazzell explained. “He currently still views the Celtics as a top destination, and really, really wants to end up in Boston. And that’s not me saying that that’s going to happen, but that’s a top priority for him. He loves the culture. He loves the fact that they’ve been in the playoffs routinely. It’s a culture of winning, the coaches,” she added. Boston has roster spot available for potential signing The Celtics maintain one open roster spot that could accommodate Bassey’s addition. His summer league performance with Boston demonstrated his potential value to the organization. “He really wants to come to the Celtics. We’ll see whether it works out right now. Boston has one remaining roster spot that’s open,” Dazzell noted. Bassey’s summer league production included impressive numbers of 15.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. These statistics explain why other teams like Partizan Belgrade have shown interest in acquiring his services, as well as the fact that he is athletic rim‑runner with elite length and shot‑blocking instincts. His strong summer showing could translate to meaningful NBA contributions if he maintains his health and development trajectory. Injury history creates concern about reliability Bassey has struggled with health issues throughout his NBA career, frequently dealing with injuries that have limited his availability. His most significant setback came with an ACL injury in 2023 that restricted him to only 19 games that season. Last season with the Spurs, he appeared in 36 games while averaging modest numbers of 4.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game. The limited production reflects both his role and ongoing health challenges. His injury history raises questions about long-term reliability, but his youth and potential upside could make him worth the risk for a team who needs depth in the center area like Boston.
Troubling update emerges about Joel Embiid’s health
Joel Embiid’s trust in the healing process may not be paying off. A concerning update emerged over the weekend about the health of the Philadelphia 76ers star center. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reports that there is “genuine concern” around the league about the health of Embiid’s knee. Siegel adds that Philadelphia’s camp is attempting to downplay the concerns but notes that “word is bad” about Embiid’s health around the rest of the NBA. Now 31, the former MVP Embiid is still dealing with the ill effects of a torn left meniscus suffered during a 76ers game in February 2024. Embiid, who previously tore the same left meniscus back in 2017, quickly underwent surgery on the knee and missed two months. It appeared that everything was peaches and cream for Embiid after he returned to finish out the 2023-24 NBA season and even played at the 2024 Paris Olympics last summer as the starting center for Team USA. But Embiid missed significant time while managing his left knee throughout the 2024-25 season and even suggested at one point that he would need to have another surgery. In the end, Embiid appeared in just 19 total games for the 76ers last season and was shut down in February with the team nowhere close to contention. There was some talk a few months ago that Embiid might be undergoing the Kobe Bryant treatment to address the troublesome knee, but it looks like Embiid still hasn’t found a course of treatment that his knee is responding to. We know that the 76ers were already growing frustrated with Embiid’s lack of availability going back to last season. Now they may have to prepare for the potential of Embiid missing more time in 2025-26, a disastrous possibility given that they still owe the seven-footer an absurd $187.6M over the next three seasons.
Half-Life 3 Is in Development, or Is It? A Saga of Rumors, Datamines, and Gamer Heartbreak
Ah, Half-Life 3. The mythical unicorn of gaming. The white whale for Valve fans. The punchline to a 20-year-old joke that stopped being funny about 10 years ago. And yet, every so often, a little glimmer of hope emerges, whispers circulate, and dataminers dig into the murky depths of Valve’s Source 2 engine updates. Like clockwork, the gaming world collectively stops, holds its breath, and asks, “Could it actually be happening this time?” Spoiler alert: Maybe? Sort of? Look, don’t grab your crowbar just yet, but things are starting to look suspiciously “final phase”-ish for Half-Life 3. Or at least that’s the rumor mill’s latest take. Is Half-Life 3 Finally Happening? First, let’s set the stage for the 684th grand revival of “OMG Half-Life 3 Confirmed!” The source of all this buzz? Valve insider Tyler McVicker and his merry band of dataminers, who apparently spend more time digging through Source 2 updates than most of us spend playing the actual games. During a routine spelunking session, they stumbled upon hints about “HLX,” a project allegedly tied to Half-Life 3. Key clues? References to the iconic thumper machines from Half-Life 2 (yes, the things that scare off antlions) and new NPC scripting that’s advanced enough to spit out more than just tired one-liners. Think reactive NPCs that might actually feel lifelike. Imagine that. Characters in a Half-Life game reacting to you as something other than a silent enigma in a hazard suit. But the cherry on this rumor sundae? Apparently, the game might be in its final phase of development. “Polishing,” they said. Considering the last time we heard “final phase,” it was for a beta build of Counter-Strike 2, skeptics wouldn’t be blamed for muttering, “I’ll believe it when I see Gordon Freeman’s duct-taped HEV suit.” All Hail the Sacred Leakers To keep the conspiracy theories alive, another reliable name in the Valve rumor echo chamber, Gabe Follower, added more fuel to the fire. He backed the claim that Half-Life 3’s development may practically be done, with Valve moving developers to other projects. If true, this means the game is now in that glorious dead-zone of tweaking textures, resolving game balances, and making the antlions just the right amount of terrifying without inducing night sweats. Oh, and remember that May report suggesting Half-Life 3 was “playable end-to-end” within Valve? That bombshell suddenly feels more believable than the many, many non-starters of the past. Granted, the history of vaporware—that sad archive in the collective consciousness of video game fandom—is littered with over-promised leaks like this. Excuse us if we keep one foot firmly planted in skepticism-ville. Why Now, Though? Why Not 2029? The real question isn’t just “Is Half-Life 3 being made?” but “Why now?” After all, Valve hasn’t exactly needed a continuation to their episodic series. From making ungodly amounts of cash off Steam to dominating the competitive gaming scene with Counter-Strike 2 and flirting with groundbreaking tech like the Steam Deck, they’re about as reliant on the Freeman crew as Nintendo is on a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe update. (Cough, you know you’re overdue, Big N.) Maybe the real reason lies in the clout. Every studio needs a triumph marker that says, “Yes, we still make amazing games.” Look at Half-Life Alyx, which proved VR wasn’t just some over-hyped tech destined for nerds with motion sickness. Valve flexed innovation on an industry level. Maybe a fleshed-out Half-Life 3, built on top of the supremely updated Source 2 engine, is simply the next logical iteration. How Long Do We Wait This Time? If we assume all this rumor-mongering isn’t just an elaborate joke by a bored Gabe Newell, what’s next? Do we start canceling plans in case a surprise announcement drops during The Game Awards? Should we maybe keep an eye on summer showcases for leaks that aren’t fake Photoshop mockups? Or, the horror, will this story die out again until 2027 when someone “accidentally” leaves a beta file titled HL3_test.exe buried in a public server? The wait is exhausting, and honestly, we’ve been burned enough. Valve has trained us to keep our expectations low while simultaneously dangling the faintest hope in front of our gaming-fatigued faces. At this point, the idea of Half-Life 3 actually releasing feels like Santa Claus is real. You want to believe so badly, but deep down, you think you’ll wake up and get socks instead. Final Boss Fight Level Speculation: One thing’s for sure with all this “final phase” talk. If Half-Life 3 is real and does indeed plan to grace our screens, Valve has to deliver big. Monumentally big. We’re talking redefining the FPS genre again, big. Another Half-Life 2 type of revolution—not just some linear hallway shooter we forgot about two weeks later. Till then, we wait, refresh Reddit threads, and dunk on leakers when they inevitably don’t deliver. Be sure to bookmark “Half-Life 3” in your search bar because even Google itself has probably accepted that this topic isn’t going anywhere. And hey, Valve? If you’re reading this, how about throwing us a bone sometime soon? The Glados-like patience we’ve shown for a proper Gordon Freeman sequel is nearing its narrative expiration date.
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