Football Wiretap

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels says he is adapting to a new offensive system this offseason but acknowledges he still has considerable ground to cover heading into his third NFL season.

"I've still got a long way to go," he said.

Washington parted ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury following last season and hired David Blough as his replacement. The Commanders will shift away from a no-huddle-heavy scheme to one that emphasizes under-center snaps and a stronger play-action component.

Daniels said the focus remains on building on what the team has established so far.

"Just learning the new offense, terminology," he said, "why we're attacking this play, what we want to do on this play -- things like that."

The second-year starter played just seven games in 2025, missing time due to a sprained knee, hamstring injury and a dislocated left elbow. He finished with 1,262 passing yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions before sitting out the final four games after aggravating his elbow in a Week 14 loss to Minnesota. The 2025 campaign stood in sharp contrast to his 2024 debut, when Daniels earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, throwing for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing for 891 yards as Washington finished 12-5 and reached the NFC Championship Game.

Daniels said he has no interest in revisiting that stretch.

"I'm done talking about last year," Daniels said. "Last year is last year; I'm moving on to this season and whatever happened last year, happened last year. It can't do anything for me; I'll just continue to get better."

Head coach Dan Quinn said he has been struck by how quickly Daniels has processed the new scheme.

"I thought he did a really good job of owning and being in command at a very quick level already," said Quinn.

Left tackle Laremy Tunsil offered a direct endorsement of his quarterback.

"I don't have much to say about five," said Tunsil, referencing Daniels' jersey number. "He's going to get it done."

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner is pushing back against a widespread misconception about his age, insisting he is 24 years old despite numerous online sources listing him as 25.

Gardner addressed the matter directly during a recent session with reporters while discussing his role as a veteran leader on the Colts' defense.

"I'm 24, by the way," he said.

Multiple platforms, including ESPN.com, Pro Football Focus and Yahoo Sports, have long listed Gardner's birth date as Aug. 31, 2000. The correct date is Aug. 31, 2001, as reflected on both the Colts' official website and NFL.com.

"It's crazy that I'm saying this once again," said Gardner last week as Indianapolis concluded its final offseason practice session.

Gardner told The Athletic that his documentation has always shown the 2001 date.

"When it comes to the paperwork and everything I've signed, it all says '01," he told The Athletic. "So, I don't know where or how it got messed up unless people just get it straight from Google."

A Colts spokesman confirmed the team has had Gardner's correct birth year on file since acquiring him in a blockbuster trade with the New York Jets last year. Indianapolis sent two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to New York in exchange for the cornerback.

Despite heading into his fifth NFL season, Gardner is the same age as some players entering the league for the first time. Los Angeles Chargers first-round pick Akheem Mesidor turned 25 in April without yet appearing in an NFL game.

Joe Burrow said Wednesday he sees similarities between this year's Cincinnati Bengals roster and the 2019 LSU squad he led to a national championship, expressing confidence the franchise is positioned for a bounce back season.

"You go back and watch what I said before the 2019 season at LSU," said Burrow. "I feel very similarly about this team. I'm so excited to get started and get moving. I wish we ramped this right into training camp so we can continue to improve.

"I feel like there's so much greatness we'll be able to achieve this year that I'm just excited to get going."

The remarks came as Cincinnati wrapped mandatory minicamp two days early, with coach Zac Taylor dismissing the team for the summer after determining all necessary playbook installation had been completed. Burrow remained on the practice field for an extra hour after Tuesday's session and held an extended throwing workout Wednesday.

The Bengals enter 2026 with clear urgency after missing the playoffs in each of the past three seasons and finishing 6-11 last year. This offseason, Cincinnati traded the 10th overall pick for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and restructured Burrow's contract to generate an additional $10 million in cap space.

Burrow acknowledged adjusting his leadership approach in response to the team's recent struggles.

"I've tried to be a little more vocal in a mean way," said Burrow. "I think that's a little out of my comfort zone, but that's somewhere that I'm improving. Maybe it's good and maybe it's bad, but we'll find out."

"Put pressure on guys," he added. "I love it. I thrive in it. I want everybody talking about the Bengals."

Burrow is under contract in Cincinnati through 2029.

When the Denver Broncos absorbed an $85 million dead cap hit from releasing quarterback Russell Wilson in 2024, few around the league believed the franchise could compete. Two seasons later, Denver's back-to-back playoff runs have reshaped how NFL teams approach bloated contracts.

The Broncos went 24-10 over the two years they carried those charges, reached the AFC Championship Game and ended an eight-year postseason drought, all while managing one of the league's most restrictive financial environments.

"Do I think they changed how people thought about it?" one AFC personnel executive told ESPN. "That number was, like, over twice what any other team had taken on for any other player, and they went to the playoffs."

Denver's willingness to absorb short-term pain has since prompted several franchises to pursue similar strategies. The Miami Dolphins took on a new-record $179 million in dead cap charges this offseason, headlined by $99.2 million tied to Tua Tagovailoa's release. The Arizona Cardinals absorbed $46.57 million cutting quarterback Kyler Murray. The Atlanta Falcons released Kirk Cousins for $35.4 million in dead money before signing Tagovailoa to a veteran minimum deal.

"Teams have had dead money issues, cut guys so they could draft or do free agency," an NFC general manager said. "But I do think [the Broncos] got everybody to kind of think you could rip the tape off if you really had to and you could work through it."

Executives surveyed by ESPN identified quarterback availability as the central factor determining whether such a strategy succeeds. Denver selected Bo Nix 12th overall in the 2024 draft, and the rookie posted 29 touchdown passes on a 10-7 team before improving in Year 2.

"Any team, you're going to need good enough play at quarterback and a good enough team around the guy if you're going to go to the playoffs like they did right away," the AFC executive said. "A rookie deal at quarterback on a playoff-worthy team, that never hurts."

Denver enters 2026 carrying just $3.4 million in dead money, the second-lowest figure in the league, with approximately $30 million in cap space remaining.

The Minnesota Vikings have added former Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace as a football advisor, a source confirmed, as new general manager Nolan Teasley continues rebuilding the team's front office.

Pace, who ran the Bears' front office from 2015 to 2021, spent the past four seasons in the Atlanta Falcons' personnel department before joining Minnesota this week. He will serve as a GM-level sounding board for Teasley, who was hired away from the Seattle Seahawks earlier this month.

The Vikings also added Azzaam Kapadia as assistant director of pro scouting. Kapadia spent three seasons with the Seahawks, including as a pro scout in 2025, making him the second Seahawks front office member Teasley has brought to Minnesota alongside new assistant general manager Trent Kirchner.

Teasley has moved quickly to reshape the personnel department since arriving. Four staff members departed last week: assistant general manager Demitrius Washington, senior personnel executive Jamaal Stephenson, assistant director of college scouting Pat Roberts and pro scout Salli Clavelle. Teasley also brought in former Cleveland Browns analytics executive Andrew Healy as an assistant general manager.

Current assistant general manager Ryan Grigson will remain with the Vikings in a revised role.

The Vikings did not alter their organizational structure upon Teasley's arrival. Both Teasley and head coach Kevin O'Connell report directly to ownership, though owners Zygi and Mark Wilf granted Teasley authority to adjust the personnel staff as he sees fit.

Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. has returned to the team four months after his arrest on domestic violence charges, head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Tuesday. The NFL has not yet issued discipline, with a league spokesperson saying the matter remains under review.

Pearce will participate in weight room work and individual drills during the team's mandatory minicamp but will not join team sessions. NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told ESPN that Pearce's case "remains under review of the personal conduct policy."

"I think throughout every situation you take in all the information available to you," said Stefanski. "Obviously, this being our mandatory portion of our program, he will do work in the weight room. He'll do individual [drills] out there. He's not going to do team settings, team period type stuff yet. I just feel like with him not being here for the offseason program to date, I don't think it's fair to put him in those types of drills. But he'll be out there."

Pearce was arrested in February after allegedly ramming his vehicle into a car driven by his ex-girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson, near a Doral, Florida, police station. He faced felony charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing police and resisting arrest, along with misdemeanor stalking. Last month, a Florida court approved him for a one-year diversion program, avoiding trial. Charges will be dropped if Pearce remains out of trouble, passes drug tests and complies with a mental health treatment program.

Stefanski said Pearce "understands what's expected of him" on and off the field and expressed confidence in the locker room reintegration.

"Football teams and locker rooms, those are organic things," Stefanski said. "I believe in the people that we have in our locker room. I think any player that comes into our building understands what's expected of that player and understands what's important to this football team."

Pearce recorded 10.5 sacks last season, a Falcons rookie record, and finished third in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. A team representative said he is unlikely to address the media this week.

Defensive end Cameron Jordan and the New Orleans Saints are finalizing a one-year, incentive-laden contract, sources told ESPN. The deal came together during a visit Tuesday, keeping the 36-year-old in a Saints uniform for a 16th season.

Jordan entered free agency in March after his previous contract voided automatically. He told former teammate Terron Armstead at the time that three teams were in consideration, acknowledging his age was a complicating factor despite recording 10.5 sacks in 2025.

New Orleans never closed the door on a reunion, even after acquiring Tyree Wilson from Las Vegas in a draft-weekend trade to bolster its defensive line.

Jordan, a first-round selection out of California in 2011, holds the Saints' franchise record with 132 career sacks since the statistic became official in 1982. He also leads the organization in tackles for loss with 175, ranks fourth in pass deflections with 67, fifth in forced fumbles with 17, and 10th in fumble recoveries with 12.

League evaluators are divided on the New England Patriots' trade for wide receiver A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles, with concerns over his health, conduct, and draft capital offsetting the talent acquisition.

One NFL executive reduced the downside to three words: "Knee, character and picks."

General manager Eliot Wolf told Yahoo Sports that Brown carries knee wear the organization is comfortable absorbing. Other clubs had independently identified the same issue before the deal closed. Brown's sideline behavior during the 2025 Eagles season also gave rival teams pause about his fit in a new locker room.

Multiple coaches believe New England represents an ideal landing spot regardless. Brown's existing relationship with head coach Mike Vrabel and his fit within offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' system were cited as factors.

"He changes the math on the field," an NFL coordinator said. "Defenses have to account for him, often with more than one body. He can still get yards after catch, and he wins 50-50 balls. That's something New England's offense didn't have last year."

New England surrendered first- and fifth-round picks in the deal. The Patriots avoided giving up a Day 2 selection alongside the first-rounder, a point Wolf's front office can view favorably.

Philadelphia's return drew a measured response from at least one outside voice.

"I get why they did it, and they got the best return they could, but it's hard to see where this trade makes them better," an AFC executive said.

The family of former NFL defensive lineman Aldon Smith has sent his brain to medical experts in Boston to be examined for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, according to ESPN. Smith died Saturday at the age of 36, hours after delivering pizzas to a homeless charity. No cause of death has been announced.

Smith's family has retained attorneys Harry Daniels, Bakari Sellers and Wayne Kendall to investigate his death.

"We have taken a number of steps including sending his brain to Boston where medical experts will examine it for CTE as well as other damage caused by years of concussions and additional trauma," the attorneys said in a statement Tuesday. "In the meantime, we simply ask you to keep Aldon's family in our prayers and respect their privacy as they struggle to come to grips with this terrible loss."

CTE is a degenerative brain disease linked to repetitive head trauma that can only be diagnosed after death. It has been associated with violent mood swings, impulsive behavior and depression. Smith's family said he sustained numerous concussions during his NFL career.

Smith burst onto the league in his rookie season with 14 sacks before posting 19.5 sacks in 2012, a San Francisco 49ers single-season franchise record that still stands. He earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors that year.

His career was derailed by a series of off-field incidents, including 10 arrests over nine years involving charges related to driving under the influence, illegal weapons possession and hit-and-run. The NFL suspended him multiple times for violations of its personal conduct and substance abuse policies.

Smith last played in 2020, recording five sacks for the Dallas Cowboys. An attempted comeback with the Seattle Seahawks in 2021 ended when he was arrested on a second-degree battery charge in Louisiana shortly after signing with the team.

In 2024, Smith launched a mentorship initiative called "I.M. Loading," aimed at helping young athletes navigate the pressures of high-profile careers and recover from personal setbacks.

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby will apply for the NFL supplemental draft, ending a legal battle over his college eligibility after the NCAA ruled him ineligible for placing more than 9,000 bets totaling at least $90,000 on professional and college sports over four years.

The decision marks a reversal for Sorsby, who had secured a temporary injunction from a Texas judge on June 8 that appeared to clear a path for him to play for the Red Raiders in 2026. Texas Tech board of regents chairman Cody Campbell said Monday that Sorsby would not be part of the program this fall and called the supplemental draft the only viable path forward.

Campbell also confirmed Texas Tech would not seek the return of any NIL payments made to Sorsby during his time with the program.

The Big 12 filed for a federal injunction Monday morning seeking the right to discipline Sorsby under conference rules. The NCAA separately requested an expedited appeals court ruling on his eligibility before the start of the football season. Campbell cited the NFL's supplemental draft deadline of June 22 as leaving no practical way to resolve all pending legal matters in time.

Sorsby was originally ruled ineligible after the NCAA found he had wagered on professional and college sports while enrolled at Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech. At least 40 of those bets involved Indiana football during his freshman season with the Hoosiers in 2022.

Attorney Jeffrey Kessler told ESPN that Sorsby's legal team plans to withdraw its lawsuit against the NCAA, a move expected to render him ineligible under NCAA rules while leaving him free to pursue the supplemental draft.

The supplemental draft, first held in 1977, allows teams to bid future draft picks on eligible players. The league has not conducted one since 2023, and no player has been selected in one since the Arizona Cardinals took safety Jalen Thompson with a fifth-round bid in 2019.

Following the discovery of his betting activity, Sorsby completed a 35-day in-patient rehabilitation program to address a gambling addiction.

"I am grateful for the support from my family, my Tech coaching staff, teammates, the community, and so many others who have encouraged me to address and learn more about this important issue," Sorsby said in a statement Monday. "As my journey continues, I remain fully committed to and focused on being the best I can be, both on and off the field."

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark welcomed the resolution.

"It's been a challenging week for both our conference and the college athletics landscape," Yormark said. "The Big 12 looks forward to moving ahead as 16 strong. We wish Brendan Sorsby success in his future endeavors."