In less than one year the top of the cornerback market has climbed by 6m in AAV - from Jaycee Horn’s 25m/year deal signed on March 10, 2025 to Trent McDuffie’s 31m/year extension inked today.
That’s a 24% raise in less than 365 days 📈
Re Cowboys: It’s not that the Cowboys are going to get better production from 2 first round picks than Maxx Crosby.
It’s what the Cowboys can do with both those firsts (trade back & accumulate) to re-tool a terrible defence you have to weigh.
Cheap, young talent on DEF has to be landed
Eric DeCosta lands the biggest whale of the offseason, bringing ferocity back to the Ravens pass rush with Maxx Crosby.
And if Nnamdi Madubuike gets healthy as well? Jesse Minter’s defence will be rapidly rising 📈
First impulse with the Anthony Richardson trade development is to look at the Minnesota-San Francisco QB rejuvenation line, but perhaps more than any other spot?
The Rams
Richardson’s talent sitting behind Stafford, learning, maturing and fine-tuning under Sean McVay in LA?
Sign me up 🐏
Devon Witherspoon with a huge hit on Maye to cause a pick 6.
That might have secured him Super Bowl MVP.
And Sam Darnold is about to be a Super Bowl champion
That was utter filth from Kenneth Walker III
Out here handing out stanky legs
JSN is an absolute problem, but love the toughness and willingness from Darnold to stand and deliver in the pocket too.
Knew they had it, had to put it on his guy with the shot coming and did
Conditions were rough. Defence played well. Drake Maye hit a big deep ball and use his legs savvily.
The #2 seed Patriots are in the Super Bowl, but more than any SB team in recent memory, we’re still asking:
Are the Patriots actually good?
1st half
Broncos: 180 total yards
Patriots: 84 total yards
Both QBs have been sacked 3 times, but Denver clearly moving the ball better despite the 7-7 score line. Either a sign they have more answers, or they wasted a dominant first 27 minutes to be level at halftime
You can’t be that sloppy with possession & go on a sustained run in the playoffs. Texans offense has to settle.
2nd pick was a little high from Stroud, could’ve been caught but in this weather you’re living dangerously over the middle with a ball your man has to stretch for.
Sean McDermott needs to get his team settled, composed and executing, because if their performance continues this poorly, he might have bigger worries than the Bills offseason plans.
The Bills might not be his to worry about anymore
This is always how this Rodgers-Steelers season felt it would end - against a dominant defence that exposed their limitations.
Is it the end for Aaron Rodgers?
It should be, even for a QB who for much of his career played in rarified air, at a level only a few have ever reached
Man good on you Bryce Young, up against a nasty front & the possible (should be) MVP on the other sideline, he plays the best ball of his NFL career.
That’s why this young Panthers team tasting the postseason was a win, Canales & Co a fascinating watch going into the offseason
On the NFC South:
Did the Bucs have more name-brand potential in the WC round? Sure.
Was either team winning next week? No.
But continuity & a little success is way more important for the young Panthers.
Tampa needs a shakeup. Carolina doesn’t.
Let the short 🤴 smile a little
Phil Rivers is dropping well-seasoned floaters like Andre Miller and there ain’t nothing your 39.5” vertical DBs can do about it
NFC West marquee showdown living up to the billing so far, and now the opportunity is there for Sam Darnold - under pressure, coming off a bad pick, trailing at home, national spotlight.
Type of half that can flip the narrative on your place in the league, if you can take it.
Coverage from the Bengals on 4th and goal was good, until their non-existent pass rush meant it wasn’t.
Fortune favours the brave. McDermott laid it down on the table, and Allen did the rest
And in two throws, months of Bengals desperate hopium is crushed.
Huge vibe shufr in the middle of the AFC playoff race off Joe Burrow’s right hand
Ball don’t lie.
Lions get it back off the Ferguson fumble and some of *that* old Cowboys tackling rears its ugly head for the first time in a month
Justin Herbert out there playing QB with the same mitt your dad used when he pulled the beef stroganoff out of the oven
Bryce Young with multiple fourth down TD passes, in the weather, against the #1 seed, a hellacious pass rush and with the MVP front runner on the other sideline.
Outrageously gutsy win for the Panthers, and did the #NFL MVP race just get a bit of a shakeup with that monster fumble from Stafford?
Cowboys (6-5-1) schedule rest of way:
@ Lions
vs Vikings
vs Chargers
@ Commanders
@ Giants
Eagles (8-4) schedule rest of way:
@ Chargers
vs Raiders
@ Commanders
@ Bills
vs Commanders
Dallas must run the table, but the NFC East is truly up for grabs if Chargers beat the Eagles
Are there 5 better pure football players in the #NFL right now than Jahmyr Gibbs?
Jaxon Smith-Njigba just broke the Seattle Seahawks single season receiving yardage record.
It’s week 12.
And they’ve had the bye.
Again, it’s week 12.
A game-sealing, completely imaginary PI call against the Lions is just about right to end one that was pretty rough to watch.
Eagles pass rush looks transformed though, huge matchup factor for the playoff run.
The Lions are 1 for 11 on 3rd/4th down conversions tonight.
That's why you have a headache.
There were 2, possibly 3 Eagles who false started on that latest effort from Hurts in short yardage.
That's just abominable officiating.
Massive injuries didn’t help, but the move to start Jaxson Dart came too soon for Brian Daboll.
Whether they could’ve held it off for another month with some Jameis time instead, he needed that promising 6-week run to close the season on a 📈 for any hope of being there in 2026
I hate cliches in sports analysis but damnit it really feels like the Jaguars can't outrun their history and culture
All the questions in the world about JJ McCarthy and how long he’d been held out, whether the Vikings were concerned, were there other QBs on the roster they had more confidence in?
Some response from the 22-year-old