Author: Matt Lombardo

The Cincinnati Bengals’ pass rush could be in a state of transition this season. With uncertainty surrounding All-Pro Trey Hendrickson’s future, the Bengals chose freakishly athletic edge Shemar Stewart in the first round of April’s 2025 NFL Draft, as a likely insurance policy on the veteran being in Cincinnati this season but also as a possible complement to one of the premier players in the sport. If the Bengals and Hendrickson make amends before the 2025 campaign gets underway, Stewart, who only posted 4.5 sacks across three seasons at Texas A&M, could battle Joseph Ossai for a starting job. Bleacher…

The San Francisco 49ers finally committed to quarterback Brock Purdy this week, inking the former Mr. Irrelevant to a $265 million contract extension, but may have also kept their long-term Super Bowl hopes alive, in the process. Contrary to deals such as Dak Prescott’s, Patrick Mahomes’, Josh Allen’s and Lamar Jackson’s in recent seasons, Purdy didn’t reset the market nor will he take up a prohibitive portion of the 49ers’ salary cap in the years ahead. So, with Purdy’s contract signed, even if he regresses, one NFL executive tells me that he doesn’t believe that the 49ers should look to…

Garrett Wilson Wilson didn’t mince words on where he stands amid ongoing contract negotiations with the New York Jets. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, and set to count $6.53 million against the cap, Wilson has high hopes for his next deal. “I’m hopeful I’m a Jet for life,” Wilson told repoters. According to ESPN, nothing is imminent between the two sides, but according to Wilson, he seems intent on committing to the franchise for the long haul. “[Hopefully] we get this thing rolling and that all of our best days are ahead of us,” Wilson said. Through…

The Dallas Cowboys’ blockbuster trade to acquire George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers has been hailed as adding a difference-maker for quarterback Dak Prescott as a second explosive option in the passing game opposite CeeDee Lamb. “This is going to be huge for Dallas,” a veteran NFL scout told me, shortly after the Cowboys trade went down. “If Pickens can keep his head on straight. But, how many diva wide receivers like him have ever kept their head on straight?” It’s the latter half of the scout’s assessment of Pickens’ game that the 24-year-old is pushing back on. “I’m actually…

Running back Ashton Jeanty has been heralded as an instant impact player for the Las Vegas Raiders, but the franchise might have struck gold with another pick in this spring’s NFL Draft. In a division where the Raiders are staring down the barrel at two matchups each, each season, against Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and emerging star Bo Nix, Las Vegas went to head coach Pete Carroll’s blueprint in selecting cornerback Darien Porter in the third round. Las Vegas Raiders’ Pete Carroll Has High Hopes for Darien Porter At six-foot-three and 195 pounds, Porter is already drawing comparisons to former…

Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie left nothing to chance during the NFL Owners Meetings leading up to a vote on whether to ban the tush-push play, including making one of the more vulger and bizarre analogies imaginable. According to a report from ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, inside the room before the vote was taken, the two-time Super Bowl-winning owner channeled his inner teenager during an impassioned defense of the play and a plea for his colleagues not to legislate it out of the sport. “Toward the end of a speech that lasted close to an hour,” Wickersham reports for ESPN. “Lurie…

The NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell’s efforts to ban the “tush-push” came up short, when the league failed to secure enough votes to a rule change that would keep the Philadelphia Eagles and other teams from running it during a meeting in Minnesota Wednesday. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, with an assist from former Eagles center Jason Kelce lobbying owners ahead of Wednesday’s vote, won over 10 voters to keep the tush-push as a legal play, two votes shy of the threshold to ban it. Wednesday’s vote is a stunning rebuke of Goodell, who had hoped that Philadelphia’s Super Bowl victory…

The Washington Commanders continued their voluntary offseason program Wednesday, but one of the offense’s most prolific weapons wasn’t in attendance. Star Commanders’ wide receiver Terry McLaurin was not at practice with his teammates, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. McLaurin, 29, is entering the final year of his three-year deal worth $68.3 million, and reportedly had previously been a full participant in Washington’s offseason program. These workouts are completely voluntary, so McLaurin won’t face any fines or other punishment from the Commanders. However, Washington ramps up to Phase III of its offseason program next week, which could be a litmus…

The Philadelphia Eagles put any lingering speculation about Nick Sirianni’s future to rest by signing the Super Bowl-winning head coach to a multi-year extension this week. “Obviously, very thankful to [Chairman/CEO] Mr. [Jeffrey] Lurie,” Sirianni told reporters during Eagles OTAs. “For believing in me to hire me four years ago, and that I’m able to continue being the head football coach of this team and just can’t thank him and the organization and [Executive Vice President/General Manager] Howie [Roseman] enough for everything. “What a great owner we have. Like I said, I can’t be more thankful. My family’s thankful. I’m…

NFL players are heading to the Olympics. At least, players across the league will have the chance to try out for their home country’s flag football team in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. While only only player from each team is eligible to make the team, which has the chance to grow the sport on the international stage. Would Travis Hunter be The Ideal Flag Football Player? To get a sense for who might ultimately wind up in the starting five for the United States Olympic team, I asked one current NFL Executive, one current NFL Coach, and one…