Macdonald’s focus on defense a perfect fit for Seahawks heading into Super Bowl
SEATTLE — Long before the Seattle Seahawks reached their fourth Super Bowl, coach Mike Macdonald donned a blue, gas station attendant-style shirt with a team logo on the chest. He made the fashion statement after the Seahawks put the finishing touches on their 2025 draft, just as he and president...
Sam Darnold’s season as a backup with the 49ers helped him reach the Super Bowl
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Darnold’s NFL career had hit rock bottom when he arrived in San Francisco in 2023 after failing at two spots to live up to his high draft billing. Less than three years later, he’s ready to step on football’s biggest stage as the starting quarterback...
Todd Monken gives passionate outline of his vision as he’s introduced as the Browns’ coach
BEREA, Ohio — Todd Monken was a surprise choice to become the Cleveland Browns’ head coach. In his introductory news conference Tuesday, Monken tried to reassure those unfamiliar with his background by delivering an emotionally charged outline of his vision and philosophy. “There’s something that I’ve kind of always lived...
Unheralded players who could make a big impact in the Super Bowl
SAN FRANCISCO — Much of the attention during Super Bowl week is usually on the star players like Drake Maye and Jaxon Smith-Njigba for good reason. But if history is any indication, some lesser-known players could have a big impact on the Super Bowl on Sunday between the New England...
Patriots and Seahawks kick off Super Bowl festivities with a quieter, calmer, tamer Opening Night
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Maybe the game itself will live up to the hype — because Super Bowl Opening Night was calmer than usual. Drake Maye and the New England Patriots (17-3) take on Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks (16-3) on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, home of the San...
NFL commish Roger Goodell: 18-game season is ‘not a given’
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Not so fast on an 18-game NFL season. A week after Patriots owner Robert Kraft made it seem inevitable, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said expanding the regular season to 18 games is “not a given.” “We have not had any formal discussions about it and, frankly,...
Turning Point USA announces alternative Super Bowl halftime show, including Gabby Barrett
One of Pittsburgh’s own, the country singer Gabby Barrett, was announced as a performer in Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show” — a counterpoint to the Super Bowl halftime show Sunday night. The alternative halftime show will compete with Bad Bunny’s performance as part of the game, held at Levi’s...
NFL to play first regular-season game in France with Saints in 2026
SAN FRANCISCO — The NFL will play its first regular-season game in France next season with the New Orleans Saints set to travel to Paris later this year. The league on Monday announced the plans to play a game at the Stade de France next season in addition to a...
10 years of NFL Next Gen Stats has changed how the game is watched and played
SAN FRANCISCO — Anyone watching Caleb Williams’ desperation fourth-down touchdown pass in the divisional round knew how improbable a play it was. Quantifying that was a different story. That’s when the NFL’s Next Gen Stats stepped in. Within minutes after the 14-yard touchdown landed in Cole Kmet’s hands, the answer...
Reports: Raiders working on deal to hire Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak as head coachVideo
The Las Vegas Raiders are working toward finalizing an agreement to make Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak their head coach, according to multiple reports Sunday. No announcement can be made until after next Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Seahawks and New England Patriots in Santa Clara, Calif. Kubiak interviewed...
Column: Super Bowl LX next stop for Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s magic show
SEATTLE — Everybody has a Jaxon Smith-Njigba story. They all just sound the same. Because this man is a traveling magician, wowing audiences from Texas to Ohio to Seattle with the same repeatable routine. His repertoire does not include superhuman size or speed, which makes the reveal even more mystifying....
Cardinals hire Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur as head coach
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals hired Mike LaFleur as head coach on Sunday, turning to a division rival’s offensive coordinator to try to pull the franchise out of the bottom of the NFC West. The Cardinals’ announcement brought an end to the nearly four-week hiring process. The 38-year-old Los...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: It’s time to fix the Pro Football, Baseball halls of fame
Bill Belichick got excluded from the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot. It didn’t happen randomly. Belichick won six Super Bowls as New England’s coach but got caught cheating twice. The Hall’s voting process is flawed when it lumps in Belichick with old-timey candidates like L.C. Greenwood....
Patriots’ Christian Gonzalez savoring 1st Super Bowl appearance after past adversity
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — If it seems like Christian Gonzalez is lingering on the field during pregame warmups on Super Bowl Sunday, that’s because he probably will be. After a series of setbacks over his first three NFL seasons, the 23-year-old is well aware of how fast things can change in...
Seahawks sale rumors swirl ahead of Super Bowl; Paul Allen’s estate denies report
SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks will go up for sale after the team’s appearance in the Super Bowl on Feb. 8, ESPN reported Friday night. Citing unnamed sources, ESPN said talks between Seahawks ownership and the NFL have been going on over the past week. The estate of late Seahawks...
NFL says it will discuss using review for player safety penalties missed by officials
The NFL will discuss using video review to assess penalties for player safety-related violations that are missed by officials, the league said Friday. Non-calls are currently not reviewable, but penalties such as grabbing the facemask, unnecessary roughness, roughing the passer and hip-drop tackles could be subject to review. It will...
Ahead of potential final game with Seahawks, RB Kenneth Walker III is firing on all cylinders
RENTON, Wash. — When Zach Charbonnet went down with a season-ending knee injury against the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, Kenneth Walker III rushed onto the field to check on his Seattle Seahawks backfield mate. Initially, Walker was told Charbonnet — who led the...
Vikings fire GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after 4 seasons, contract extension last year
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday, after mixed results over four seasons and giving him a contract extension last year. The Vikings announced they have appointed executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski as the interim replacement through the NFL Draft, after which...
Joe Brady embraces high expectations as he succeeds Sean McDermott as Bills coach
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Joe Brady did not dismiss the past while looking ahead to leading the Buffalo Bills into the future as their head coach. Before outlining his vision to bring the same attacking element to defense as he introduced to Buffalo’s Josh Allen-led offense as its coordinator for...
Drake Maye says he had a normal practice, even while listed as limited with a shoulder issue
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Drake Maye wasn’t shocked by the attention paid to the shoulder issue that landed him on the Patriots’ injury report less than two weeks before the Super Bowl. “No, I wouldn’t say I was surprised,” Maye said Thursday. “It’s the right shoulder of a starting quarterback on...
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta on new coach Jesse Minter: ‘He just blew us away’
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — As much as Jesse Minter seemed like an obvious fit for the Baltimore Ravens, he still had to show he was ready for their coveted coaching vacancy. Then he showed up for an in-person visit. “He just blew us away,” general manager Eric DeCosta said. “As...
How are the inductees selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Bill Belichick’s reported snub from the Pro Football Hall of Fame after winning a record six Super Bowl titles as a head coach has placed new scrutiny on the process of picking pro football Hall of Famers. While the specific reasons that Belichick didn’t get into the Hall in his...
Patriots’ Robert Kraft: Bill Belichick unequivocally deserves to be 1st-ballot Hall of Famer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Count New England Patriots team owner Robert Kraft among those shocked that Bill Belichick reportedly will not be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. In a statement to the Associated Press on Wednesday, Kraft said he believes Belichick’s accomplishments...
NFL’s turf guru preps Levi’s Stadium field for Super Bowl
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Nick Pappas’ process for preparing the Super Bowl field got underway long before the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots started getting ready for the season. The NFL’s turf guru picked the sod farm that began growing the field for the game about 16 months ago...
Browns hire former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as head coach
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns hired one of their former coordinators to be the team’s head coach. However, it is not the one some people expected. The Browns hired Todd Monken on Wednesday as the franchise’s 19th full-time head coach, wrapping up a three-week search. He replaces Kevin Stefanski, who...
