Fans took issue with Jets’ Aaron Rodgers decision
Fans took issue with a decision the New York Jets made about Aaron Rodgers on Thursday, and no, we’re not talking about their decision to part ways with the quarterback.
The Jets issued a statement Thursday to announce that Rodgers would not be brought back for the 2025 season. The outcome is not too surprising considering the Jets have a new coach and general manager who would like to start fresh. That decision makes sense to fans. But what didn’t make sense was what the Jets did on social media.
The Jets shared a “thank you” post to Rodgers.
“For everything you’ve given us the past two years, thank you 8,” the post said.
Rodgers suffered a season-ending injury on the Jets’ first drive of the season in 2023. Then in 2024, the Jets went 5-12 as Rodgers failed to deliver on some of his promises.
Though Rodgers put in a lot of time and effort over the last two years, he didn’t accomplish much with the Jets, which was noted by the fans.
“Everything you’ve given us” pic.twitter.com/2lcu6Ig36a
— . (@yoQ2M) February 13, 2025
“Everything” when he gave ya absolutely nothing pic.twitter.com/oN1XvmfPoS
— Nando 🍀 (@nando17celtics) February 13, 2025
Looking for the "everything" pic.twitter.com/9adasnpmbT
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) February 13, 2025
Everyone in the comments looking for the “everything” pic.twitter.com/hDSdTyiJTh
— Tyler (@MrDiesel31) February 13, 2025
What exactly did he give you? A complete list first season, a 2nd season of losing, getting a coach fired, getting the player you want, followed by more losing, A veteran who lives in the past scared to admit he's the problem.
— Indominus Ryan (@_JasonRyan) February 13, 2025
Sure, Rodgers gave the Jets a lot of effort. But he didn’t produce results. The “everything” mentioned by the Jets in the social media post just rings hollow for most fans.
Now the question becomes: what will Rodgers do next? There might not be a spot for him to start for an NFL team next season. If he doesn’t find a team that would give him the chance to start, would he hang on to be a backup? He might end up retiring, and not going out the way he would have wanted to.
Shaq got reckless on TNT because he’s ‘getting fired anyway’
Shaq got reckless on TNT Thursday night with some curse words.
O’Neal was co-hosting TNT’s NBA coverage Thursday from the Bay Area in Northern California, as the All-Star Game will be held at Chase Center this weekend in San Francisco. TNT had local star Marshawn Lynch join them, which may have rubbed off on Shaq in the wrong way.
As they were headed to a commercial break during halftime of the Minnesota Timberwolves-Oklahoma City Thunder game, Shaq got crazy.
“In the words of Marshawn Lynch, I’m tired as sh-t, America,” O’Neal said, to much laughter.
Shaq doubled down on his profanity.
“We getting fired anyway, Ernie. F–k it,” he added.
You can see the unedited version:
It’s crazy to hear someone get so wild with their profanity on a cable channel.
O’Neal talking about getting fired anyway is an allusion to Turner Sports losing the broadcast rights to its longstanding NBA package.
In case you’re wondering what made Shaq so tired, it was losing a race to the board against Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley.
Mavericks Finals hero set to miss extended period with knee injury
The Dallas Mavericks’ post-Luka Doncic era has quickly gone from bad to worse.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Thursday that Mavericks big man Daniel Gafford has been diagnosed with a Grade 3 sprain of the MCL in his right knee. As a result, Gafford is expected to miss the next six weeks, Charania adds.
The 26-year-old Gafford was injured during Dallas’ overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday. He was setting a screen when he got hit directly on the knee by Kings guard Malik Monk (video here).
Gafford was a hero for the Mavericks after being acquired at last season’s trade deadline from the Washington Wizards. He started at center during Dallas’ Finals run and made a number of massive plays down the stretch of the postseason.
This season for the Mavericks, Gafford had been averaging 12.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game on a superb 69.9 percent shooting from the field (primarily as a lob and clean-up threat). But with the news that Gafford is now out for six weeks, that means we may not see him again until the end of March (at which point there will only be a couple of weeks left in the regular season).
That really hurts for a Dallas team that has been absolutely shredded apart by injuries, particularly to their frontcourt. Anthony Davis, who arrived in the Doncic trade, recently suffered a long-term injury, and fellow bigs Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell are in the midst of extended injury absences of their own. With Gafford now joining all of those guys on the shelf, the Mavericks will have to make due for the next month-plus without a true center (as 6-foot-8 Olivier Maxence-Prosper steps in for them as a small-ball starting 5).
Interesting report emerges on Anthony Rendon amid latest injury
Anthony Rendon has been retired from being a productive professional baseball player for a while now, and he could soon be making it official.
Appearing this week on the “Baseball Tonight” podcast, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN shared an interesting report about the Los Angeles Angels third baseman Rendon. Gonzalez said that the belief is that Rendon may retire in the wake of his latest injury (a hip issue that will require surgery).
“Talking to people who know Anthony Rendon, the thought is he might just retire,” said Gonzalez, per Beyond the Halo. “Hip surgery is a huge undertaking. He’s got only one year left on his contract after this season. I gotta think this is the end. I don’t think he plays another game with the Angels.”
Rendon is 34 years old now and has been cashing checks from the Angels to do next to nothing for the last five years now. The Halos gave Rendon a seven-year, $245 million contract before the 2020 season, only to manage a return-on-investment of 257 total games played from Rendon and an overall batting average of .242. Rendon owns permanent real estate on the injured list at this point, and his contract from the Angels has become arguably the single biggest instance of legalized robbery in the history of North American sports.
If Rendon were to retire, he would forfeit the roughly $75 million still left on his Angels deal over the next two seasons. The Angels could obviously reach a settlement with Rendon in which he would retain some of the remaining money, and that might not be a bad deal for him given that he has already taken $170 million and counting from the team.
The running joke for years now is that the former All-Star Rendon supposedly hates playing baseball (which his own words and actions have done nothing to refute). If it is indeed Rendon’s wish to never play the sport again, that may soon be coming true with a formal retirement.
Ex-Mets fan favorite joins rival team as coach
A former MLB cult hero is making the transition to coaching.
Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette reported this week that that the Pittsburgh Pirates have hired ex-Mets fan favorite Daniel Vogelbach. The 32-year-old Vogelbach is joining as a special assistant to the hitting department.
Vogelbach had spent last season with the Toronto Blue Jays, hitting .186 overall. But the move to the coaching staff of the Pirates now effectively signals the end of Vogelbach’s playing career.
The lefty-hitting Vogelbach, a first baseman and designated hitter, was probably best known for his stint with the Mets from 2022-23. Listed at a playing weight of 270 pounds, he became beloved by the local fans for his many antics, including his funny walk-up songs, his lumbering exploits on the basepaths, and his various celebratory moments.
Granted, the Pirates had earlier rights on Vogelbach as he played for them in 2022 prior to his Mets stint. Vogelbach also played in his MLB career for the Seattle Mariners (whom he made an American League All-Star team with in 2019), the Milwaukee Brewers, and the aforementioned Blue Jays.
After going 76-86 last season but at least having something to cheer for in the form of NL Rookie of the Year pitcher Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh still has a lot to figure out on the offensive side of the ball. They finished 27th last season in overall OPS but will now be getting some tips from “Vogey,” who himself posted a standout .745 OPS during his MLB playing career.
Former draft bust lands new NFL contract
Maurice Jones-Drew may be long retired, but another three-named NFL running back is still going strong.
The New Orleans Saints announced on Thursday that they have agreed to a new contract with veteran running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The 25-year-old Edwards-Helaire is getting a new one-year deal from the Saints.
Edwards-Helaire was a first-round draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2020 NFL Draft (No. 32 overall). But he was unable to live up to his individual expectations while with the Chiefs, never reaching 1,000 yards rushing or five rushing touchdowns in a single season.
The former LSU star Edwards-Helaire also struggled with pass-blocking as well as some ill-timed fumbles in Kansas City. Eventually, he was waived by the Chiefs in the middle of this past season after spending time on the NFL’s reserve/non-football illness list (though Edwards-Helaire did wind up walking away with Super Bowl rings in both 2022 and in 2023 for his troubles).
The Saints then went on to sign Edwards-Helaire to their practice squad in December and elevated him to the active roster for one total game last season. Now he will be getting a fresh chance to compete in their backfield next season behind Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams, and Kendre Miller.
There is some value to Edwards-Helaire as a pass-catcher and a situational runner. Under newly-minted Saints head coach Kellen Moore, just hired after helping lead the Philadelphia Eagles to victory in Super Bowl LIX as their offensive coordinator, Edwards-Helaire may find some fresh life.
Report reveals Billy Donovan’s job status amid Bulls’ struggles
The Chicago Bulls are facing the likelihood of a fourth sub-.500 finish in five seasons of Billy Donovan, but it doesn’t sound like Donovan himself is in any danger of getting the boot.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported on Thursday that it is a “solid bet” that the Bulls head coach Donovan is “safe.” Cowley adds that Donovan is “well-liked” by both the front office and ownership.
Additionally, Cowley says that Chicago executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley are expected to retain their respective positions as well.
At 22-33 this season (10th in the Eastern Conference), the Bulls are caught in a half-rebuild. That has been the case for them in almost every single season ever since Donovan was hired in 2020 as they have failed to achieve either a winning record or a playoff appearance in every year except for 2021-22 (where Chicago won 46 games and then lost in the first round of the playoffs).
Over the last year or so, the Bulls have gotten closer to a full sell-off, trading away the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, and Zach LaVine. But the rest of their roster remains somewhat confused, including the continued presence of Nikola Vucevic and the multi-year extension that Chicago just gave to Lonzo Ball.
That has left Donovan, the former University of Florida national champion, in a difficult position. With the Bulls now having lost five of six games to begin the month of February, it seems that Donovan has been caught in between trying to develop younger players (like Matas Buzelis, Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, and Josh Giddey) and chasing the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference.
While it seems like more of the blame should fall with Karnisovas and Everley, who were both hired in 2020 as well, the Bulls apparently do not plan to make any sort of changes whatsoever to their management hierarchy. That might not be good news for Chicago fans, who continue to witness a pretty underwhelming product on the floor.
Shohei Ohtani gets favorable status for 2025 season
In an offseason where everything has seemed to come up favorably for the Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s no surprise that the team has also received a nice benefit with Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani will officially have two-way status for the 2025 season. That means Ohtani will be listed as a position player who is also eligible to serve as a pitcher without being subject to MLB’s rules on position players pitching. He also will not count against the Dodgers’ roster limit of 13 pitchers.
Ohtani is receiving this favorable treatment despite not pitching in the 2024 season while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Players are eligible for two-way status if they meet the following two conditions during the same season, in either of the previous two seasons:
(1) 20 major league innings pitched.
(2) 20 starts as a position player or designated hitter, with a minimum of three plate appearances in each game.
Ohtani did not meet the conditions in 2024, but he did in 2023 when he pitched 132 innings for the Angels and had 599 plate appearances over 135 games. A change to the rule was made after the 2023 season to extend the two-way player eligibility to either of the previous two seasons.
MLB has rules in place governing position players being allowed to pitch, and how many pitchers can be allowed on a roster.
After a season in 2022 where a record was set for position players appearing in a game as a pitcher, the league updated its rules to restrict the practice. The new rules dictated that leading teams had to be up at least 10 runs in the 9th inning in order to have a position player pitch, while trailing teams could do so at any time they were down by 8 runs. Position players are allowed any time during extra innings.
If Ohtani does not meet the 20-innings pitched/20 starts as a position player with three plate appearances thresholds in 2025, maybe MLB would make yet another tweak to allow the Japanese star to be eligible to do both in 2026.
This ruling is helpful for the Dodgers considering they are planning to use a 6-man rotation for the season, and Ohtani is not expected to return to the mound until May. If Ohtani did not have this status, the Dodgers would have to carry one fewer pitcher on the roster since Ohtani would be considered a pitcher and taking up one of those limited spots.
White Sox sign 2-time All-Star slugger in free agency
The Chicago White Sox are taking a shot on one of the hottest names of 2017.
Chicago announced on Thursday that they have signed veteran slugger Joey Gallo in free agency. Gallo is getting a minor-league contract along with a non-roster invite to Spring Training, the team adds.
The 31-year-old Gallo was a two-time All-Star and a two-time Gold Glove winner for the Texas Rangers and even posted back-to-back 40-homer seasons in 2017 and 2018. Gallo also brings value because of his ability to play first base, third base, and all three outfield positions.
But Gallo’s success of old seems like ancient history at this point given his struggles in more recent years. Gallo was so bad for the New York Yankees from 2021-22 (hitting a miserable .159) that he admitted to not going out while in New York just so that he could avoid angry Yankees fans. It didn’t get much better for Gallo in subsequent stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, and Washington Nationals as he failed to even reach the .180 mark with any of those teams. Last season for Washington, Gallo batted .161 with a .613 OPS to go along with 10 home runs and 27 RBIs in 76 games.
At this point, Gallo is who he is — a peak three-true-outcomes guy who will either homer (208 in total over his MLB career), walk, or whiff (with multiple seasons of 200 or more strikeouts already under his belt). As a lefty hitter though with versatility at several positions, there still appears to be some intrigue there.
The White Sox do not have a lot to play for in 2025 after already losing a comical 121 games in 2024. Thus, they feel comfortable kicking the tires on Gallo as the latest forgotten ballplayer they have added to the mix this winter.
Cardinals may consider trading Nolan Arenado to rival team
The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to trade Nolan Arenado ahead of the 2025 MLB season, but so far, he remains with the team. If the Cardinals want to resolve the situation, they might have to look at trading Arenado to a rival team.
The Boston Red Sox seemed like a logical suitor for Arenado, but they signed Alex Bregman on Wednesday night. Them dropping out of the picture could leave the Chicago Cubs front-and-center as a possibility for Arenado. But there are a few hurdles.
Arenado has a no-trade clause and reportedly would only accept a trade to five teams, so he would have to approve a deal to Chicago. Second — and the bigger issue — is whether the Cardinals would trade Arenado to their NL Central rivals.
ESPN’s Buster Olney has pointed to the Cubs as a logical fit for Arenado since they were interested in Bregman but missed out.
The Cubs would have to really want Arenado in order to make a deal with the Cardinals. The 33-year-old is still owed $74 million over the next three years. He appears to be in his decline as a player as he batted .272 with a .719 OPS last season. The OPS was his lowest since his rookie season.
Arenado remains a strong defender at third base and won the Gold Glove in every season from 2013-2022.
Though Buster Olney mentioned the Cubs as a possibility for Arenado, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi thinks the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees are teams to watch for the third baseman.
The Tigers might make a lot of sense for Arenado, but the hurdle there is he would have to approve a trade.
The Cubs and Cardinals have historically gotten together for a few trades over the last century-plus. Trades involving Lou Brock (1964) and Bruce Sutter (1980) are among the biggest-name players to be swapped between the teams.
2-time All-Star pitcher skips workouts with Yankees
Two-time former All-Star pitcher Marcus Stroman is not too happy with the New York Yankees right now.
Stroman reported to the Yankees’ spring training facility in Tampa, Fla., for his physical on Tuesday. However, he skipped the following two days of workouts. Stroman had informed Yankees manager Aaron Boone of his plans ahead of time, so it wasn’t a surprise to the team. But that doesn’t change the facts, which are that Stroman doesn’t like his current situation.
The Yankees added Max Fried in December on a huge contract. In addition to Fried, they have Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil. Stroman appears to not fit into the team’s 5-man rotation.
Stroman went 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA over 154.2 innings last season, his first with the Yankees. He was moved to the bullpen in September to make room for Nestor Cortes.
Stroman is set to make $18.3 million in the upcoming season. He also has an $18.5 million option for 2026 that vests if he pitches at least 140 innings this season. It will be hard for him to hit that mark if he’s not in the starting rotation.
The Yankees reportedly have been trying to trade Stroman, but nothing has materialized yet.
Stroman, 33, was an All-Star in 2019 and 2023. He is a former Gold Glove winner and has gone 87-85 with a 3.72 career ERA.
So far, Boone has been supportive of his pitcher, saying he is comfortable with where Stroman is “physically and mentally.”
Johnny Manziel and girlfiend Josie Canseco break up
Johnny Manziel is looking for love this Valentine’s Day.
Manziel and his girlfriend Josie Canseco have broken up. The two are no longer following each other on social media and have erased most traces of their relationship from their social media profiles.
TMZ Sports reports that there is no bad blood between the two, but Manziel supposedly had some work to do on himself.
Manziel and Canseco, who is the daughter of former AL MVP Jose Canseco, first showed signs of dating in April 2024. The two appeared to get together after playing in Travis Scott’s charity softball event last year.
As recently as December, Canseco had shared a post on her Instagram Story to wish Manziel a happy birthday. The post appeared to show the two in a bathtub with Manziel washing Canseco’s hair.
Manziel and Canseco had even made a trip together to Aspen, Colo., in late January. Now they have broken up.
Manziel, 32, has previously been married. He and ex-wife Bre Tiesi got married in 2018 and their divorce was finalized in 2021.
Former NFL 1st-round QB lands new college coaching job
Former NFL first-round pick J.P. Losman has landed a new college coaching job.
Losman is joining the University of Washington as their new assistant quarterbacks coach. He will join the coaching staff for Huskies second-year head coach Jedd Fisch. This will be Losman’s first coaching role in college after spending time doing personnel work.
Losman was with the Oklahoma Sooners from 2022-2024 and served as a player personnel assistant. Prior to that, he worked for Clemson for five years. Losman served as a student coaching intern with Clemson for three years. He then moved up to offensive analyst in 2020 and senior offensive analyst in 2021. Then he moved over to the Sooners, where he worked in player personnel.
Losman had a notable playing career prior to going into coach.
The 43-year-old Losman was a top recruit coming out of Venice High School in the Los Angeles, Calif., area. He began his career at UCLA but then transferred to Tulane, where he became a standout. Losman threw for 6,754 yards and 60 touchdowns in his four seasons with the Green Wave. He became a first-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2004.
Losman’s NFL career did not pan out as he had hoped. He went 10-23 as a starter and passed for 6,271 yards with 33 touchdowns and 34 interceptions in 45 career games over 7 seasons.
Losman went into coaching after retiring as a player. He began coaching in high school and then eventually got hired by Clemson. Now he will be with the Huskies.
Audio from Kadarius Toney 911 call released
Audio from the 911 emergency call that was made by Kadarius Toney’s girlfriend has been released.
Toney was arrested on February 6 in Douglas County, Ga., on one charge of aggravated assault – strangulation, and one charge of obstructing/harassing 911 calls. A judge issued $25,000 bond for each charge.
A woman who said she was Toney’s girlfriend called 911 at 12:01 PM on Jan. 14 from a residence in Douglasville, Ga. The woman said she and Toney had gotten into an argument and that he had put his hands on her. She said she was 7 months pregnant, and also said she was holding her daughter when she was attacked by Toney. The woman claimed that Toney had choked her to the point she couldn’t breathe.
Toney is accused of taking away the woman’s phone to prevent her from calling 911. She said in her 911 call that she had to run over to a neighbor’s house, which is where she was able to make the call.
The woman said on the call that she was not drinking alcohol or doing any drugs.
According to the police report, the woman was said to have been left with red marks on her neck and petechial hemorrhaging in her eyes.
The 26-year-old wide receiver played in just three NFL games this past season. He did not have a catch. The 2021 first-round pick has 82 catches for 760 yards in his NFL career. He helped the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl in the 2022 season.
Jaguars respond to Trevor Lawrence trade rumor that went viral
New reports emerged Thursday in response to a viral trade rumor involving Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Claims emerged early Thursday suggesting the Pittsburgh Steelers had been in contact with the Jaguars about a potential Lawrence trade. The buzz was largely driven by a post from Big Ten Network’s Ryan Burr, who claimed the story came “directly from the horse’s mouth in the Jags organization.”
Speculation about a Lawrence trade involving the Steelers quickly went viral. However, the Jaguars seemingly went out of their way to deny the reports very quickly.
Citing a Jaguars source, ESPN’s Michael DiRocco reported that even if the Steelers had inquired, the idea of a Lawrence trade was “ridiculous” and there was “no chance” the Jaguars would trade their quarterback.
Lawrence and the Jaguars did not have the season they had been hoping for, to say the least. However, not much of that was due to the quarterback himself, who was limited to 10 games due to injuries. In those starts, he threw for 2,045 yards with 11 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
It should also be noted that the Jaguars gave Lawrence a massive new contract less than a year ago. Things can certainly change quickly in the NFL, but it is tough to envision the Jaguars souring on their franchise quarterback in such a short amount of time. Plus, that contract includes a full no-trade clause, so unless Lawrence would accept a trade to Pittsburgh, the scenario is not even worth considering.
The Jaguars also just hired a new head coach with a history of improving quarterback play in Liam Coen. Not only that, but they went to great lengths to make that happen. It makes little sense that the Jaguars would throw the position into doubt so soon after making those moves.
There is no question that the Steelers need a long-term solution at quarterback. The team’s ownership has openly said as much. However, a far more likely scenario has emerged as opposed to some blockbuster trade for a player like Lawrence.
Ex-Pro Bowl RB expected to remain on staff at Oklahoma
A former Pro Bowl running back is expected to remain part of the Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff despite interest from elsewhere.
DeMarco Murray expects to remain at Oklahoma despite being linked to the vacant Penn State running backs coach job, according to Pete Nakos of On3. The 37-year-old has been Oklahoma’s running backs coach since 2020.
Murray played his college football at Oklahoma, so there is probably some emotional attachment behind his decision to stay.
The longtime Dallas Cowboys running back was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and had three 1,000-yard rushing seasons in the NFL. After finding himself out of the league at age 29, he went into coaching, first with the Arizona Wildcats and most recently with Oklahoma. Judging by Penn State’s interest in him, he has a bright future in that department.
The Sooners are coming off a disappointing 6-7 campaign, which included a change at offensive coordinator. Whatever issues the program has had, they clearly value Murray, as Penn State represented a pretty good opportunity.
Tristan Thompson blasts Raptors coach over controversial move
Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson escalated a war of words with Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic on Thursday, one day after a controversial finish to their game.
The Raptors were angered after Thompson threw down a dunk with 4.1 seconds left in the Cavaliers’ 131-108 victory on Wednesday night, especially since Toronto players had stopped playing defense on the final possession. The dunk led to a number of Raptors players trying to confront Thompson on the court after the game ended, including star forward Scottie Barnes.
After the game, Rajakovic endorsed his players’ actions, praising them for standing up for themselves. He also said Thompson’s actions were “no class and disrespectful.”
Thompson defended himself on Thursday in a post on X. In response to Rajakovic’s comments, the Cavaliers center accused the Raptors of playing a full court press in the final minute despite their huge deficit, and said the Raptors should be happy with the loss since it benefits their odds in the draft lottery.
“You wanna full court press with under a minute left in the game when you get cracked by 30 this will happen to you,” Thompson wrote. “Lose for draft lottery and be happy buddy boy.”
Thompson’s comments will not exactly soothe the tension. Neither will suggesting the Raptors should just take the loss and lean into their lottery odds, even though the team is 17-38 and should realistically be fine with bolstering their draft odds.
The Raptors and Cavaliers do not meet again this season, so if Toronto wants revenge, it will have to carry over into next year.
Thompson might want to be wary of messing with Rajakovic, who has previously demonstrated that he has quite the temper if something sets him off.
Carmelo Anthony lands big new media job
Carmelo Anthony is set to become a staple of NBA coverage starting next season thanks to his new job.
Anthony is joining NBC as one of the top studio analysts for its basketball coverage, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Anthony is the first hire NBC is making for its studio crew.
This will mark Anthony’s first major gig since he retired from the NBA at the end of the 2022-23 season. The future Hall of Famer will bring plenty of credibility to the role, as he still sits in the top ten for points scored in NBA history. The 10-time All-Star played for six teams during his 19-year NBA career, though he is best remembered for his time with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.
Anthony had reportedly been a major target for multiple networks during the ongoing NBA rights reshuffle, but NBC won the race for him. The rest of their studio crew is still being decided, though Marchand reports that “Football Night in America” host Maria Taylor is being considered for a similar role on its NBA coverage.
NBC regained NBA rights for the first time since 2002 starting next season, doing so at TNT’s expense. As a result, the network has been courting some of Turner’s top personalities, and has already landed some of them.
NBC will have to build their studio show from scratch, however, with TNT’s much-loved studio show “Inside the NBA” set to continue on ESPN instead.
Jets make official statement on Aaron Rodgers’ future
The New York Jets are making things official with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The Jets publicly confirmed Thursday that Rodgers will not be brought back for the 2025 season. The news was accompanied by multiple statements from organizational leaders thanking Rodgers for his two seasons with the organization.
“I personally want to thank Aaron for his time at the New York Jets,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said in his own statement. “His arrival in 2023 was met with unbridled excitement and I will forever be grateful that he chose to join us to continue his Hall of Fame career. From day one, he embodied all that it meant to be a New York Jet, embraced our fans, and immersed himself in our city. That is what I will remember most when I look back at his time here. He will always be welcome, and I wish him only the best in whatever he chooses to do next.”
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the Jets will likely release Rodgers with a post-June 1 designation in order to better manage the salary cap hit.
This series as confirmation that the Jets flew Rodgers in last week to inform him face-to-face that they plan to move in a different direction next season. Further reports suggested the Jets had presented Rodgers with something of an ultimatum if he wanted to return for 2025.
Rodgers’ next move is unclear. He has yet to confirm that he even plans to play in 2025, though most seem to believe he will do so. A handful of teams are in the market for quarterbacks, though at least one of those organizations may not be entirely welcoming.
The 41-year-old quarterback threw for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2024. His numbers picked up toward the end of the season, which could provide some encouragement for interested teams.
Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith not happy about Brian Schottenheimer hire
The Dallas Cowboys’ decision to hire Brian Schottenheimer as their new head coach continues to receive lukewarm reactions, including from team legends.
In an appearance on ESPN Radio’s “Unsportsmanlike,” Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith was asked for his thoughts on the team’s decision to hire Schottenheimer as Mike McCarthy’s replacement. Smith clearly was not enamored with the hire, though he suggested that the franchise’s problems run deeper than simply the selection of head coach.
“Next subject,” Smith said. “I have no reaction. I just don’t know what to say. I know we have to give the man a chance, and I’m willing to give him a chance, an opportunity to turn things around. However, if we don’t align our vision and commitment to that vision, I think we’re going to get a lot of things that we’ve seen in the past, and that doesn’t feel good.
“We need a lot more than Ashton Jeanty. All that talk about having a running back and a running game — there’s nothing wrong with our running game when there’s a commitment to the running game. … I think we’ve gotten so far away from what we all know as the Cowboys’ great teams. You don’t see that balance anymore. You see one way, and that’s disappointing.”
NFL teams are passing more than ever, so that is not just something the Cowboys are doing. That said, he does not sound at all optimistic that Schottenheimer has what it takes to turn things around in Dallas coming off a 7-10 season.
Smith had some scathing comments about the direction of the Cowboys a year ago as well. Obviously, nothing he has seen in the last year is going to make him feel any better about the direction of the franchise, and he certainly is not the only one.
Smith remains the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards. He spent 13 of his 15 NFL seasons with Dallas and remains closely identified with the franchise.
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