Caleb Williams has great 2-word reaction to new pope
Caleb Williams had a great reaction to the new pope being named.
Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, OSA, on Thursday became the first American in the history of the Roman Catholic Church to be named pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. Pope Leo XIV is from Chicago, Ill., and is known for being a Chicago White Sox fan. He’s also a fan of the Bears, which has led to some jokes and reactions from football fans.
One person who is excited about the link is Williams, who just completed his rookie season as the Bears’ quarterback.
Williams posted a 2-word response to the news via X: “Daaaaaa Pope.”
Daaaaaa Pope
— Caleb Williams (@CALEBcsw) May 9, 2025
Williams was doing a take on the famous “Saturday Night Live” bit about the Bears from Bill Swerski’s Superfans.
— ♧ (@Padrlac) May 9, 2025
You gotta love that.
It’s pretty awesome for Americans to have the first American pope. What’s even better than that is knowing he’s a fan of the biggest city’s sports teams.
Draymond Green receives 2-word chant from Timberwolves fans in Game 2
Minnesota Timberwolves fans let their displeasure with Draymond Green be known on Thursday night.
The Timberwolves blew out Green and the Warriors in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. They raced out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter and largely cruised from there, winning by a 117-93 final score to tie the series at one game apiece.
At one point in the contest, the Timberwolves faithful decided to serenade the Warriors star Green. While Green was sitting at the end of the Golden State bench, a loud chant of “Draymond sucks!” rang out inside the arena. Take a look at the video of the moment.
There was good reason for the chant too. In the first half of the contest, Green received a technical foul for flailing his arms and hitting Timberwolves big man Naz Reid (a big-time fan favorite) on the side of the head with an elbow. You can see the video of Green’s elbow here.
Green was so mad about getting a technical foul that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had to take him out of the game. It appears it was at that point that the chant from the Target Center crowd broke out.
After starring in Golden State’s Game 1 victory with 18 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, Green came back down to earth in Game 2 with nine points, four rebounds, and five assists on just 3/10 shooting from the floor. A “Draymond sucks!” chant is actually pretty tame too considering what the ex-Defensive Player of the Year Green heard on the road in the Warriors’ last playoff series.
Photo surfaces of Pope Leo XIV attending World Series in 2005
Pope Leo XIV continues to pass the vibe check.
The Chicago Sun-Times published an awesome old photo on Thursday of Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, OSA, who was officially elected as the new leader of the Catholic Church earlier in the day and chose the papal name Leo XIV, attending the World Series. Leo XIV, a native of Chicago, Ill. as well as the first-ever American-born pope, was in the stands for the 2005 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros at the then-U.S. Cellular Field.
You can see the photo documenting the moment below (complete with Leo XIV on an old-school flip phone).
The photo was part of a feature by the Sun-Times on Leo XIV’s close ties to his birthplace of Chicago. You can read the feature in full here.
With Leo XIV’s ascension to the papacy, much has been made of his well-documented Chicago sports fandom. The Chicago Cubs even attempted to claim Leo XIV as a fan upon the news of his election (though that was quickly refuted in embarrassing fashion).
Now we also have photographic proof that Leo XIV is in fact a White Sox fan and was even on hand as they defeated the Astros in a four-game sweep during the 2005 World Series. That marks the most recent World Series title by the White Sox to date and (interestingly enough) their most recent victory in any playoff series at all.
Sports fans had a lot of great reactions to the news of Leo XIV’s election. Now it appears that his connections to the sports world run even deeper than we thought.
MLB Network airs obscene photo featuring Elly De La Cruz
MLB Network had one slip past the censors on Thursday night.
During Thursday’s game between the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves at Truist Park in Atlanta, Ga., an obscene photo featuring Reds All-Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz made it onto the air. As part of a mid-inning segment on De La Cruz, the broadcast noted that he had a twin brother named Pedro and aired a couple of photos of the two.
Unfortunately, it appears no one noticed that Pedro De La Cruz was throwing up an obscene gesture in one of those photos — a middle finger. Here is the video.
The actual broadcast here was the Braves’ home telecast on FanDuel Sports Network. But it was also being simulcast on MLB Network, so the gaffe ended up getting twice the exposure.
Notably, MLB also posted the segment on its official X page … but with the offending photo totally cropped out.
On its own, the mini-segment was supposed to be a nice, humorous piece on how the 6-foot-5 De La Cruz has a twin brother who is somehow nearly a foot shorter than him. But thanks to an apparent lack of oversight, that is not what anybody will remember about the segment.
De La Cruz has been slightly less flashy so far this season with five home runs, 25 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases on a .265 batting average through 38 games. On top of that, De La Cruz has now found himself at the center of the worst baseball broadcast blunder since this one from a few years ago.
Draymond Green inching towards a suspension in NBA playoffs
The longer the NBA playoffs go on, the more likely it is that Draymond Green will end up receiving a suspension for technical fouls.
Green was called for a technical foul during the first half of Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal between his Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on Thursday night. Naz Reid was defending Green and reached in to try for a steal. Reid had fouled Green in the process and was called for a foul. But Green’s reaction to the foul was the issue.
Green used his left arm and swatted Reid in the head.
DRAYMOND BACK IT AGAIN 😭😭😭
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) May 9, 2025
pic.twitter.com/mcW5Sz9l5w
Green was called for a technical foul for that move. That gave him his 5th technical foul of this postseason. If a player is called for 7 technical fouls in the same postseason, they get suspended. Green is also two flagrant foul points away from an automatic suspension.
The Golden State Warriors veteran Green was upset about the technical foul and let the officials hear it.
I struggle with these situations because when you remove the fact that it’s Draymond. you don’t want to take players out of games and there are arguments about refs taking over games.
— Jonah (@Huncho_Jman) May 9, 2025
But freely yelling “that’s fucking bs” into a refs face sure is wild. pic.twitter.com/H8pfmRB8vW
All that complaining did not help his case.
The Warriors entered Game 2 with a 1-0 series lead. With the series set to go at minimum five games, Green was on pace to end up with a suspension.
Fans react to Anthony Edwards leaving Game 2 with concerning ankle injury
The Golden State Warriors-Minnesota Timberwolves second-round playoff series may quickly be turning into a war of attrition.
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was forced to exit Thursday’s Game 2 against the Warriors at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. During the second quarter, Edwards was driving to the basket and crashed to the deck. While on the ground, Edwards got his left ankle stepped on by Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis, who had gone airborne to block Edwards’ shot.
Edwards immediately grabbed at his ankle in pain and had to head straight to the locker room. The three-time All-Star needed to be helped off the floor by training staff and could barely put any weight on his injured ankle.
Here is the video of the sequence.
Fans quickly reacted on X to the potentially series-altering development. Many expressed concern for Edwards while others debated the implications for a series that already featured a brutal injury to Warriors star Steph Curry.
The Timberwolves, who took a 56-39 lead over the Warriors into halftime, soon announced that Edwards would be questionable to return to the game with a “left ankle sprain.” But the greater concern is what this might mean for Edwards’ availability over the rest of the series.
Minnesota and Golden State are essentially playing every other day in this series (except for a four-day break in between Games 5 and 6, if necessary). As such, the Timberwolves, who already lost Game 1 of the series at home, may be in deep peril if Edwards has to miss any meaningful time.
Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement at age 46
Manny Pacquiao is coming out of retirement at the ripe old age of 46.
Pacquiao is set to fight Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight championship on July 19 in Las Vegas, Nev., ESPN reported on Thursday. The report confirms what had been mentioned during the Canelo Alvarez-William Scull fight in Saudi Arabia last week. Pacquiao has not fought since 2021, but there has been noise since last year that he might fight Barrios.
The Filipino fighter officially retired in September 2021. But a year later, he took part in an exhibition match against a kickboxer.
Even during his boxing career, Pacquiao has had a political career in the Philippines. He was a member of the country’s house of representatives from 2012-2016 and a member of the senate from 2016-2022. He also ran for president in 2022.
Pacquiao is in the middle of another run for the senate in the Philippines. He reportedly will not officially announce his boxing comeback until after the May 12 election.
Pac-Man is 62-8-2 in his professional boxing career. He lost to Yordenis Ugas in 2021 via unanimous decision. He had won three fights in a row prior to that. Pacquiao has won world championships in eight different divisions during his career, which is more than any fighter in history.
Dansby, Mallory Swanson announce big news
One of the biggest power couples in sports today is about to add another member to their family.
Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson and U.S. women’s soccer star Mallory Swanson announced in a joint post to social media this week that they are expecting their first child together. The couple shared photoshoot shots in which they were dressed in all white and holding ultrasound images. They captioned the post, “Our greatest blessing” along with a heart emoji.
Take a look below.
Dansby, 31, and Mallory, 27, have been together since 2017 and married in 2022. They met through former MLB utility player Jace Peterson, who was Dansby’s one-time teammate on the Atlanta Braves and is married to Mallory’s sister Brianna.
Both Dansby and Mallory have managed to build impressive resumes in their respective sports. Dansby is a two-time MLB All-Star as well as a two-time Gold Glove winner (also winning a World Series title with the Braves in 2021). Meanwhile, Mallory has been a part of two CONCACAF W Championship teams, a FIFA Women’s World Cup-winning team, and most recently a 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal-winning team (during which she even scored the game-winning goal in the final against Brazil).
2025 is definitely proving to be a big year for famous couples in sports. A couple of months ago, Sophia Smith, Mallory’s star teammate on the U.S. women’s national soccer team, announced that she is also expecting her first child with her NFL wide receiver husband. Meanwhile, Trinity Rodman, the third member of the USWNT’s famous “Triple Espresso” forward trio along with Swanson and Smith, is now dating a famous pro tennis player herself.
Report: Jaguars’ regime not high on Travis Etienne
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ new regime apparently does not think too highly of Travis Etienne.
Etienne was a first-round pick by the Jaguars in 2021 and began his career with consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Last season, however, he had just 558 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 150 carries. His role was reduced as he split carries with Tank Bigsby.
The Jaguars have a new general manager (James Gladstone) and head coach (Liam Coen) for the 2025 season, and they may not see a big future for Etienne in Jacksonville.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the new regime is not high on Etienne. The Jags drafted rookie Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round out of Virginia Tech. They may view him as someone who can carry the load for the upcoming season.
Bigsby was a third-round pick by the Jags in 2023. He had 766 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns last season and outproduced Etienne on the ground. Etienne did have more of a presence as a receiver with 39 catches for 254 yards.
The Jaguars took a big swing in the draft when they traded up to select Travis Hunter. Their plan is to play the former Colorado star on both offense and defense. The Jags are coming off a 4-13 season.
NBA makes surprising decision on Tyrese Haliburton’s celebration
The NBA league office is apparently content with letting Tyrese Haliburton have his moment.
ESPN reported on Thursday that the NBA has made a surprising decision regarding the banned celebration that the Indiana Pacers star guard Haliburton did after hitting a game-winner against the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this week. The league is reportedly giving Haliburton a warning but will not be issuing him a fine.
Haliburton was the hero in Indiana’s victory over Cleveland on Tuesday in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. He rebounded his own missed free throw in the closing seconds and proceeded to hit a stepback three-pointer, giving the Pacers the 120-119 win to go up 2-0 in the series.
After hitting the shot, Haliburton celebrated by doing the infamous “big balls” dance popularized by former NBA guard Sam Cassell. You can see the video of Haliburton’s celebration here.
Fans were universally expecting Haliburton to get fined for the celebration, and the two-time All-Star himself even said after the game that “I’ll take that fine, gladly.” After all, the NBA has a lengthy history of fining players for doing the dance. Veteran center Andre Drummond was the latest in a very long list of players to be fined for the “big balls” move, and even LeBron James was not able to escape a fine for doing so himself.
But it is possible that the league factored in Haliburton’s status as a first-time offender here (per Spotrac, the five-year NBA veteran Haliburton has never been fined or suspended by the league before except for the automatic fines that come with technical fouls). Thus, the vibes could not be higher for Haliburton and the Pacers, who now take a 2-0 series lead into their first home game of the series on Friday.
Draymond Green takes his grudge against Rudy Gobert to a new level
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green does not like Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert. That is not news. Green’s commitment to that antipathy keeps getting more impressive though.
The X account for 95.7 The Game posted video from the Warriors’ shootaround on Thursday, spotlighting Green getting his shots up. Green drains the lone attempt we see in the video, but many users noticed something even more incredible. The Warriors staffer rebounding Green’s shots was wearing a Gobert jersey.
Steph keeping Dray company while he gets shots up at shootaround pic.twitter.com/AWsoIvpA4E
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 8, 2025
Many social media users absolutely loved this, and took it as a signal of how locked in Green is and how much he cannot stand Gobert.
Draymond got a dude draping a Gobert jersey on his back while he rebounds for him this is a level of hatred and locked in we haven’t seen before https://t.co/qX0EZ7icnS
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) May 8, 2025
Draymond shoots the ball like he’s Stephen Curry when he sees the Gobert jersey in front of him. This man is fueled by some all-time hate. https://t.co/N4MxBlWYl9
— Sam Esfandiari (@samesfandiari) May 8, 2025
Na man they got a trainer wearing a Gobert jersey to motivate Draymond. Dude is legit fueled by hate https://t.co/hJYJORr3Mi
— Jo (@MavsStan41) May 8, 2025
Green has never liked Gobert, though it has never been entirely clear why. Their issues came to a head in 2023, when Green infamously choked Gobert during a game. While Green went too far that time, he has also made it very clear that he still cannot stand Gobert.
Green looked plenty motivated in the Warriors’ win in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, when he erupted for 18 points and four three-pointers in a 99-88 win. He might need to continue to pick up some extra slack with Steph Curry sidelined, but with Gobert on the other side, he might be up to the challenge.
Joy Taylor may be out at FS1 before long
Joy Taylor’s future at FS1 apparently is in question.
Taylor’s contract expires this summer, according to Front Office Sports. Michael McCarthy, who reported the news, says it is uncertain whether FS1 will re-sign Taylor. If the network chooses not to re-sign Taylor, that would put her on the free agent market.
Taylor seems to have been preparing for the possibility of being on her own. She recently launched her own show called “Two Personal,” which she uses to discuss topics well outside the sports scope. She has discussed topics like sex and dating on that show.
Taylor has been in the news this year for unwanted reasons. She was named in a lawsuit filed by a hairdresser against Skip Bayless. The lawsuit accused Taylor of using sexual relationships with her FS1 bosses and colleague to advance her career.
FS1 had “sidelined” Taylor in March, but she later returned and resumed her role co-hosting the talk show “Speak.” In April, FS1 fired Charlie Dixon, the executive who was also named in the lawsuit.
It will be interesting to see whether FS1 brings Taylor back or lets her contract expire.
Chicago Cubs made big blunder celebrating Pope Leo XIV
The Chicago Cubs made a pretty big blunder with their public message after a Chicago native was named the new pope.
Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, OSA, on Thursday became the first American in the history of the Roman Catholic Church to be named pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. The fact that the new pope was born and raised in Chicago led to a lot of discussion about his potential background as a Chicago sports fan.
Initial media reports indicated that the newly-named Leo XIV actually grew up rooting for the Cubs. The franchise seized on those claims with a congratulatory message on the iconic marquee outside of Wrigley Field in Chicago.
“Hey, Chicago. He’s a Cubs fan!” the sign read.
Congratulations to Pope Leo XIV! pic.twitter.com/s02yDDegQd
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 8, 2025
There was just one problem: those initial reports turned out to be false. WGN News interviewed the pope’s brother John, who confirmed that Leo XIV is a lifelong White Sox fan. The Prevosts were raised on the South Side of Chicago, which is where the White Sox play.
“He was never, ever a Cubs fan. I don’t know where that came from,” John Prevost said. “He was always a Sox fan. Our mother was a Cubs fan, and our dad was a Cardinals fan, so I don’t know where that all came from.”
Obviously the biggest question surrounding Chicago native Robert Prevost now that he is Pope Leo XIV: Cubs or White Sox? His brother gave the definitive answer to @WGNNews' @DanaRebikWGN pic.twitter.com/DvMiGZ0qHY
— Josh Frydman (@Josh_Frydman) May 8, 2025
Presumably, the Cubs will be changing that marquee pretty quickly after this reveal.
Things have been rough for the White Sox for the last few years. They lost an MLB-record 121 games in 2024, and things are not getting any better this year. Maybe they can derive some hope from this.
On the other hand, the selection of a Chicago-born pope has actually led to some Chicago teams getting trolled on social media. The Cubs are the latest team to get the treatment, but they set themselves up for this one.
Rafael Devers claims Red Sox lied to him
Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers is not happy with the front office and even accused the organization of going back on their word over a recent request to him.
Devers said Thursday that Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow asked him about his willingness to play first base following the season-ending injury to Triston Casas. Devers said he was unwilling to play the position, and said the Red Sox had told him to put his glove away after moving him from third base to designated hitter during the offseason.
When asked if he was upset with the team over the request, Devers responded “yes, of course” in Spanish.
Devers indicated that there are no issues within the clubhouse over the request, but made it clear he is not happy with Breslow and the front office.
“I’m not certain what (issue) he has with me,” Devers said of Breslow, via a translator. “He played ball, and I would like to think he knows that changing positions like that isn’t easy.
“I don’t understand some of the decisions that the GM makes. Next thing you know, someone in the outfield gets hurt and they want me to play in the outfield.”
Manager Alex Cora said Monday that the Red Sox had given no consideration to asking Devers to play first with Casas sidelined for the season. It is not clear if he was not being truthful or if he was unaware that Breslow had explored it.
Fairly or not, Devers feels like he is being taken advantage of by the Red Sox. The longtime third baseman was moved to DH after the team signed Alex Bregman, and while he ultimately went along with the move, he was not happy with it at first. He was clearly under the impression that his days of playing in the field were over, and that the Red Sox explicitly said as much only to go back on that statement little more than a month into the season.
There is not much Devers can do if he is unhappy with the Red Sox. He signed a 10-year contract extension with the Red Sox prior to the 2023 season that ties him to the organization through 2033.
Devers has recovered from a poor start to the season and is hitting .255 with a .455 slugging percentage through Thursday’s action. He hit his sixth home run of the season Thursday in a 5-0 win over the Texas Rangers.
Brian Windhorst says Celtics could break up the team
The Boston Celtics have blown consecutive games in their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series to the New York Knicks, and that has people already sounding the alarm bells.
Boston trails the Knicks 2-0 in their series, which now heads to Madison Square Garden for the next two games. With the Celtics down 2-0, the possibility of the team losing has increased, and that could lead to big changes.
ESPN NBA reporter Brian Windhorst appeared on “First Take” Thursday and talked about the future of the Celtics and what changes may come to the team.
“This is a conversation I did not think I would be having on May 8. I thought this would be a conversation for July. But, next year, their payroll is $460 million when you compute the taxes. If they keep their draft pick … it’s going to top $500 million. They’ve got new owners. They’re buying it for $6 billion. They need to take on all these partners just to put half the money together. I don’t know what’s going to happen there, but there’s a possibility this team’s not going to come back. No matter what, they might not be able to come back. Because they’re the most expensive sports team in the history of the game. That’s what’s on the line,” Windhorst said.
“This team has proven it’s a championship team. This team has proven it’s a 60-win team this year. This team might win the championship again this year. But if they don’t get out of this series, I don’t know how you can justify spending $500 on the roster again.”
"There's a possibility this team's not gonna come back. … That's what's on the line." 😳
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 8, 2025
@WindhorstESPN says the Celtics may look different next year if they don’t win their series against the Knicks. pic.twitter.com/DQKRaWlYfF
The Celtics are estimated to have $264 million allocated for their roster for next season. Their estimated tax bill is $238 million, according to Spotrac. Yes, the Celtics are staring at a $500 million bill if they want to keep their team together next season. They would probably consider it if they returned to the NBA Finals — or won the championship again. It’s harder to justify spending that amount if you lose in the second round of the playoffs.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are set to cost over $107 million next season alone. Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis combine for $63 million, and Derrick White makes $28 million. It’s hard to imagine Al Horford returning for $18 million. Payton Pritchard is a $7 million player, which could prove too costly. But the decisions the team’s front office makes about next season probably will be different if they lose in the conference semifinals compared to if they return to the NBA Finals.
New details emerge regarding Steelers’ stance on Shedeur Sanders
There was a great deal of pre-draft speculation that the Pittsburgh Steelers could be a landing spot for quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Ultimately, the Steelers passed on Sanders three times, and new information has emerged as to why.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote Wednesday that the Steelers viewed Sanders as “a distributing point guard type” in their pre-draft evaluations. The team did consider taking Sanders with their fourth-round pick at No. 123 overall, but did not reach total consensus on doing so, and took Ohio State edge rusher Jack Sawyer instead, viewing Sawyer as the superior value.
The Steelers’ evaluation does not exactly convey high expectations for Sanders. The organization seemingly viewed him as more of a game manager, which explains why he was not seriously considered with the team’s first-round selection.
Sanders ultimately fell to the fifth round, where the Cleveland Browns took him at No. 144 overall. He joins a crowded quarterback room that also includes Dillon Gabriel, who was selected by the team in the third round.
Another team was seemingly closer to taking Sanders than the Steelers were. Pittsburgh did not necessarily have the same concerns about Sanders’ demeanor as some other teams did, but like the rest of the league, they simply were not sold on his talent.
LeBron James explains why Lakers lost to Timberwolves
LeBron James offered his own explanation for why his Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The Lakers fell in five games to Minnesota, and in the latest episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast, James attributed the defeat to the Lakers simply running into a bad matchup.
“When it comes to the postseason, matchups sometimes just (don’t) determine how well of a regular season you had. We ran into a damn good matchup,” James said. “A team that’s been battle-tested, a team that’s hungry, a team (with) a lot of youth but also experience at the same time, and another team that’s trying to make the next step. They were a worthy opponent, that’s for sure.”
.@KingJames reflects on why Minnesota had the upper hand in the playoffs.
— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) May 8, 2025
Episode 5 is out now. Watch on our YouTube, @PrimeVideo or listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://t.co/zpZFpXGFPo pic.twitter.com/UqPSw0SnJi
In many ways, the Timberwolves were a bad matchup for the Lakers. Many were quick to point out how their lack of size left them at a disadvantage against the likes of Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert. James undoubtedly knows that.
There were certain instances in which the Timberwolves seemed eager to show the Lakers just how hungry they were for success. The Lakers were motivated, but even James seems to believe that Minnesota really wanted this one, and it likely played a role.
George Pickens answers the big question about his contract
George Pickens is in the final year of his contract, and his new team is unlikely to sign him to an extension at any point in the near future. The star wide receiver does not sound too concerned about that.
Pickens was traded to the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday in exchange for a third-round draft pick and late-round pick swap. He held a conference call with the media on Thursday, and one of the questions he was asked was about his contract.
Pickens insisted he is focused on “trying to build a winning culture” with the Cowboys and not thinking about his contract situation.
“I’m kinda where my feet are right now, to be honest. I’m not really thinking about contract talks,” Pickens said. “I’m just glad to be with the Cowboys right now, trying to build a winning culture.”
New Cowboys WR George Pickens on being in the final year of his rookie contract: "I'm kinda where my feet are right now, to be honest. I'm not really thinking about contract talks. I'm just glad to be with the Cowboys right now, trying to build a winning culture."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 8, 2025
The Cowboys signed CeeDee Lamb to a 4-year, $136 million extension prior to last season. They also still need to sign Micah Parsons to a long-term deal, so a new contract for Pickens probably is not high on their priority list.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin also openly said last season that Pickens needs to “grow up.” Another unflattering report surfaced about the 24-year-old after he was traded.
Pickens will likely need to prove himself both on and off the field before the Cowboys consider signing him long-term. Given his reputation, his best approach would be to turn in a solid season and prove he is worthy of being paid like a top wide receiver. For now, the former Georgia star seems content to work toward that goal.
Ex-Patriot changes his tune on Bill Belichick’s relationship with Jordon Hudson
A former New England Patriots player appears to have changed his tune on Bill Belichick’s relationship with Jordon Hudson.
In a recent episode of his “Dudes On Dudes” podcast, former Patriots WR Julian Edelman argued that the drama regarding Belichick’s recent CBS interview and Hudson’s role in it was being blown out of proportion. Edelman argued that Hudson was acting as Belichick’s PR person, and that the criticism of the interview presented “an unfair reality.”
The Belichick interview is being blown out of proportion. pic.twitter.com/L7WukB7Ywh
— DudesOnDudes (@DudesOnDudesPod) April 30, 2025
A little more than a week later, Edelman appeared to have changed his stance. In an appearance on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” Wednesday, Edelman conceded that Hudson is the sort of distraction that Belichick typically would not have tolerated as Patriots coach, and that Belichick will want to be focusing on his job at North Carolina.
“Yeah, I thought he got an unfair public opinion on the whole thing, because that happens all the time,” Edelman said of Belichick’s CBS interview. “Now that it’s gained, it’s snowballed to what it’s become right now where we’re talking about it three weeks later, it’s becoming a distraction. We’ve got to practice what we preach here.
“We’re talking about this three weeks later. It’s getting to a point where we’ve got to start worrying about the ACC. We’ve got to start worrying about Dabo Swinney. We shouldn’t be talking about our girlfriend. That’s what coach would say to us.”
Edelman initially argued that Hudson was acting in her role as Belichick’s PR representative when she interrupted an interview with CBS to shut down questions about their relationship. However, that incident led to a number of claims about Hudson’s involvement with Belichick, and sparked speculation about familial strife.
Belichick seems to know the Hudson chatter has become an issue for him, as one report suggests he is looking for some additional PR help.
Perhaps Belichick genuinely did not expect the issue to blow up as much as it has, and did not expect it to become a problem. That seems to be what Edelman anticipated. However, it has gotten out of control, and the constant chatter does not fit at all with how Belichick usually does business.
Chicago Bears get clowned after Pope Leo XIV is elected
The Chicago Bears were catching strays amid the announcement of the new pope.
Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, OSA, on Thursday was named the new Bishop of Rome. He is taking the name Pope Leo XIV and is the first American pope.
Francis is from Chicago, Ill., which led people to make some harsh Bears jokes — particularly about how Chicago had produced a pope before developing a quarterback.
Chicago produced a pope before a 4,000-yard quarterback
— Dan Treacy (@DanTreacyASN) May 8, 2025
Chicago developed a Pope before the Bears developed a quarterback! pic.twitter.com/4F442kOEWp
— Jeff Kelton ⚾️ (@DepressedMLBFan) May 8, 2025
Those jokes were harsh but humorous. Of course, there are plenty of others who hope and feel that the pope may bring good luck and positive vibes to the Bears.
In Pope Leo the XIV, the Bears now have a direct line to God. pic.twitter.com/ej83Z8x4U5
— Bears History (@ChiBearsHistory) May 8, 2025
CHICAGO POPE. NO MORE BEING ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HAIL MARYS! pic.twitter.com/qFXpp6AaqX
— Tony Bearprano (@BearsSopranos) May 8, 2025
The Bears have never had a quarterback pass for 4,000 yards in a season in their franchise history. The most was 3,838 from Erik Kramer in 1995. Even Jay Cutler, for as big of an arm as he had, never threw for 4,000 yards in a season with the Bears, though his single-season yardage total is Nos. 2-4 on the franchise’s list.
The Bears went 5-12 last season and haven’t had a winning year since 2018. If they turn things around in 2025, maybe the new pope and his faith will be one of the reasons why.
