Straight from the Super Bowl LIX Media Center in New Orleans, the most interesting storylines from around the NFL during Super Bowl Week. Refresh hourly for live updates. New editions daily.
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025
Eagles Wednesday recap: Every member of the Philadelphia organization was available to reporters on Wednesday afternoon at the team hotel in New Orleans. Highlights:
- In response to a question of whether he “secretly likes that people doubt him” and whether he’s using that as extra fuel for Sunday, Jalen Hurts responded simply, “There’s no secret.”
- Saquon Barkley on his favorite play of the 2024 season: “I want to say the snow touchdown against the Rams. But then I forget I jumped over someone backwards.”
- Eagles legend Brandon Graham, returning from what was originally diagnosed as a season-ending triceps injury, said the Super Bowl will mark the end of his storied career.
- Guard Landon Dickerson, battling through injury this postseason, said the only way he would not finish Sunday’s Super Bowl is if he’s carted off on a stretcher.
- Cornerback Darius Slay said next season will most likely be his last and he wants to finish his career in Philadelphia.
- Defensive tackle Jalen Carter was not in attendance due to illness.
Hendrickson unhappy with Bengals, loves Cincinnati: For a little more than 24 hours, Myles Garrett is the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Garrett could pass that baton on Thursday night to Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2024. Hendrickson told Pat McAfee on Wednesday that he wasn’t happy when he learned of Duke Tobin’s views on his uncertain future with the Bengals in the form of a tweet Hendrickson’s dad sent his son via text, and would’ve preferred the team had shared that with him directly. Still, Hendrickson offered an interesting stance on whether his future is with the Bengals or another team: ““If it’s something we can agree on in terms, that would be great. Ideally, my wife and I would love to stay in Cincinnati. If it’s something that helps the Bengals win the Super Bowl, if they get picks or anything like that, I want to help win a Super Bowl for Cincinnati, whether I’m there or not.”
G’day, NFL mates: The NFL announced it will include a regular-season game in Melbourne, Australia, on the 2026 schedule, beginning with the L.A. Rams as the designated home team. It’s a multi-year commitment to play in the country, announced hours after NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell said players aren’t happy with playing international games on sub-par fields (the Melbourne game will be at the Melbourne Cricket Ground). The flight time from Los Angeles to Melbourne is approximately 15 hours, 25 minutes. Prior reports said three NFL games would eventually be played in the country, with the Rams and Eagles among the teams rumored to play there. Both teams have international marketing rights in the country and Philadelphia left tackle Jordan Mailata is from Australia.
Cowboys players didn’t compartmentalize distractions: Peyton Hendershot joined the Chiefs in a late-August trade, in time for their 2024 run at three straight Super Bowl titles. His first two-plus seasons were in Dallas, where he described Wednesday a locker room that struggled to focus in light of player contract disputes (per RJ Ochoa). Finally reaching agreement on contract extensions for CeeDee Lamb (Aug. 26) and Dak Prescott (on Sept. 8, the day of the Cowboys’ Week 1 game), Jerry Jones would be wise to get those deals out of the way much earlier, according to his former tight end. That timeline also would save Jones a lot more money.
Ominous language from NFLPA: The current collective bargaining agreement between NFL owners and players doesn’t officially expire until March of 2031. Signs surfaced Wednesday that any negotiations on a CBA extension will be a 99-yard drive to the goal line. The 18-game schedule isn’t a foregone conclusion after all. NFL Players Association vice president Case Keenum said the 17-game format has most of his teammates not feeling normal until July. Another VP, Austin Ekeler, said the thought of an 18th game makes him cringe, that his ankles take a few months to heal after the season. NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell had this to say at a New Orleans press conference:
- Questioning player safety in adding an 18th game, the NFLPA is still concerned with inconsistent playing surfaces. International games generally include soccer fields, less supportive than football.
- Roger Goodell is trying to shape the narrative on the additional game but “No one wants to play an 18th game. No one.”
- Nothing will happen with regard to the 18-game schedule until formal CBA negotiations begin, and neither side has formally raised the issue.
- Vowing to continue to push for player equity in teams, the reception owners initially have given him was “hell no.” Owners voted to approve private equity in their teams recently.
Josh Jacobs isn’t tossing his cookies: Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said last season he wanted to vomit every time a reporter asked him about Green Bay’s No. 1 wide receiver. Running back Josh Jacobs told Chris Simms on Wednesday, “We need a wide receiver, a real wide receiver. Love the guys we have but we need a proven No. 1.”
Chiefs Wednesday recap: Every member of the Kansas City organization was available to reporters on Wednesday morning at the team hotel in New Orleans. Highlights:
- Andy Reid said the team has zero injuries to report, and wide receiver Rashee Rice is on track to make a full recovery in time for next season.
- Travis Kelce said every team in the league would be accepting of Myles Garrett.
- Frank Schwab told the story of Kansas City backup and former Eagles draft pick Carson Wentz, whose ACL injury late in the 2017 season set off a string of dominoes that has him back in the Super Bowl.
- Patrick Mahomes loves the future of Jayden Daniels, per JP Finlay. Mahomes also expects a competitive chess match with Vic Fangio and added that the game he replays in his head most is easily the Super Bowl LV loss to Tampa Bay four years ago.
- “Oh sh–“…A prophetic Chris Jones said he predicted Saquon Barkley would sign with the Eagles.
Manning up: NFL Honors on Thursday night will reveal Eli Manning’s fate as a potential first-ballot Hall of Famer. Manning is a two-time Super Bowl winner and two-time Super Bowl MVP, including an incredible win over the 18-0 Patriots in 2007. However, he never earned All-Pro recognition and finished with a 117-117 record as a starting quarterback.
Who will be the Titans’ “generational player?“: In six of the prior eight drafts, NFL teams have gone quarterback with the No. 1 overall selection. This year, though, Abdul Carter is a projected first-overall choice for Tennessee in many mock drafts. If that happens, not only will Tennessee pass on a quarterback like Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders. The Titans would also signal they’re giving Will Levis a third year as their starter. Levis told Jim Wyatt on Tuesday that all he can is “put my head down and work to show them I can still be this team’s quarterback.”
Cornering the market: Little more than a month after Sunday’s Super Bowl, free agency begins. Expect Jets cornerback D.J. Reed to set the market. If they want him back, Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey may not be able to afford him. Jeremy Fowler reports as many as 10 teams are expected to pursue Reed. Charvarius Ward, Rasul Douglas and Carlton Davis are also expected to sign big cornerback deals early in the new league year on March 12.
Super Bowl bulletin-board material: The mysterious identity of the credentialed reporter who trolled Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce Monday night is no longer a mystery. The New York Post revealed that he’s a former Boston radio host. “For your whole career, you’ve had so many great people help you win. So, who is your favorite ref?” he asked Mahomes. … “What do you love more? Taylor Swift or phantom 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalties in the playoffs?” he asked Kelce, who was not happy. The officials-aiding-the-Chiefs narrative takes away from all Kansas City has accomplished, obviously. But the Chiefs aren’t the only ones with bulletin-board motivation. Days before Super Bowl LIX, Pat Riley reportedly cashed in some handsome licensing returns on his trademarked phrase, “Three Peat.” The Eagles are now working to be sure those pre-printed Chiefs caps and T-shirts get shipped to a third-world country.
Float like a cornerback, Stingley like a bee: In 2022, Nick Caserio’s first draft selection as Texans GM was cornerback Derek Stingley. And now that Stingley has blossomed into a first-team All-Pro, Houston has reportedly made a Stingley contract extension one of the organization’s top priorities. Stingley said Tuesday on The Pivot that he wants to stay in Houston the remainder of his career. Pat Surtain’s recent contract extension is serving as a starting template.
Steelers strife: Gerry Dulac dove into the Steelers’ mysterious late-season offensive cliff. After Russell Wilson passed for 414 yards in a 44-38 win over Joe Burrow on Dec. 1, Pittsburgh didn’t score more than 17 points over its final five games. The last time Pittsburgh failed to eclipse 17 over five straight games was 1969, Chuck Noll’s first season as head coach. Dulac’s sources said an internal conflict surfaced between Wilson and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith late in the year, with regard to the team’s lack of offensive creativity and Wilson’s tendency to change Smith’s calls at the line of scrimmage. Wilson said after the season he wants to return and the feeling appears to be mutual.
What’s fueling Chiefs hate?: Patrick Mahomes is bidding for a third straight Super Bowl MVP, not just a third straight Super Bowl ring. Dominating the league from 2018-21, Mahomes and the Chiefs were America’s sweethearts as they produced 30.3 points per game and averaged 404.2 total yards and 293.8 passing yards (courtesy FS1). In the three years since (2022-24), they’re scoring only 24.5 per contest and averaging just 364.2 yards and 255.5 passing yards. Amazingly, they’re actually winning at a higher rate over the less-than-sexy last three years (63-17, .788) than they did in the early Mahomes era (58-18, .763). In other words, they’ve forced most NFL fans to root for Philadelphia this week. Mahomes said Tuesday he’s fine with using his legs to win games, changing pass plays to run calls at the line if necessary. At the end of the day, Mahomes said, the only commonality between his flashy early career and his boring stats now is winning — and he’s proud of those wins.
Previous editions of the Radio Row Rodeo: Monday | Tuesday
Discover more from Pro Football Post
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.