It's been a tough week for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as he prepares to make his team debut this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tagovailoa was named the starting QB for Week 1, but head coach Kevin Stefanski wouldn't commit to him beyond the season opener.
While it's clear that Tagovailoa needs to play well to keep the job, those around the NFL have strong doubts about his ability to do so. Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin roasted Tua during his NBC broadcast debut on Wednesday evening.
"It's less about Aaron for me and it's more about the quarterback on the other side," Tomlin said of Tagovailoa. "His last visit to Pittsburgh didn't go well. I was in the stadium that day. They lost. He got benched. So I think it's going to be a good day for Mike McCarthy, Patrick Graham, and the Pittsburgh Steelers and company."
Tagovailoa went 22-for-28 for 253 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in a 28-15 loss in his last game against Pittsburgh. The Dolphins benched him the following week and his time in Miami came to an end shortly after.
Unfortunately, it gets worse for Tagovailoa. NBC insider Mike Florio reported that Tagovailoa is in danger of potentially being released once he is benched in Atlanta.

#pittsburgh #atlanta

Kyle Shanahan believes that the Los Angeles Rams are so pressed about playing the 49ers at SoFi Stadium that they convinced the NFL to move the game to Australia this season, and San Francisco's coach said on Sunday that it still won't matter. In a press conference just days ahead of their Week 1 matchup, Shanahan said that the league "let the Rams off the hook" by moving a Niners "home game" (aka at SoFi Stadium) to Melbourne, but that "it won't be much different here".
Shanahan expects the same pro-49ers crowd to be present at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds this Thursday.
The 49ers have had an undeniable presence at SoFi Stadium, but Shanahan isn't being shy about his belief that the Rams have pushed the NFL to move the game as to avoid the story this year. ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio has described Shanahan's attitude about the game this season as "salty" regarding the trip to Australia:
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has been salty about the Rams' desire to export a home game to Australia, in order to avoid yet another San Francisco-fan takeover of SoFi Stadium. Now that Shanahan and the 49ers have hunkered down in Melbourne, Shanahan feels differently.
Shanahan currently believes "it won't be much different" in Austrialia — and he expects the so-called Faithful to take over the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday night.

#Rams #australia #won 't #kyle

At one point this offseason, it looked like Tua Tagovailoa might be the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons.
After all, Tua was the only legitimate candidate while Michael Penix Jr. was out of practice for the vast majority of training camp as he continued to recover from a torn ACL.
But here we are a few weeks away from the start of the season and the Falcons still have not named Tua the starter. Meanwhile, Penix has returned to practice.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio is now wondering if Tua will even be on the team's roster after the cutdown deadline passes on Aug. 30.
MORE: Tua Tagovailoa sparks viral NFL meme after brutal Falcons debut

#falcons #practice #mike #florio

The Minnesota Vikings have made one of the most important decisions for the organization, as the franchise's head coach, Kevin O'Connell, announced Kyler Murray as the Week 1 starting quarterback, thus leaving J.J. McCarthy in an uncertain position.
Although the quarterback has lost the starting job to Murray, the head coach insisted that McCarthy still has a future in Minnesota, and the organization looks forward to working with him.
In a recent episode of Pro Football Talk, ******* yst Mike Florio shared his thoughts, as he believes that McCarthy might be cut from the Vikings' roster, and said:
"Two weeks ago, Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy lost the starting job to Kyler Murray.
Now, McCarthy could be on the verge of losing the backup job to Carson Wentz.The two split reps at practice for the second team on Tuesday.And the Vikings have to ultimately fill out the depth chart. Coach Kevin O'Connell has left the door open to the possibility of the backup quarterback job being available to either guy.And if McCarthy should somehow fail to be QB2, with the roster cuts coming, it's possible that McCarthy won't be a Viking come next Monday. Whether it's because he's traded or whether because they decided to just eat the remainder of his guaranteed salary through 2027 and release him."
If J.J. McCarthy loses the QB2 spot to Carson Wentz, will McCarthy be on the team after the roster reduces to 53? pic.twitter.com/vdL7Z7EGM5

#coach #minnesota #kevin

A scary scene unfolded on Aug. 14 on PFT Live when co-host Michael Holley became overheated and fainted on camera.
One week later, Holley returned to the show with co-host Mike Florio. Holley explained what happened and offered an update on how he's doing now.
"What a week, Mike," Holley said to Florio. "What a moment. I gotta tell you. You handled yourself great. Thank you for talking with [producer Kristen Coleman], because what you guys don't know… When I went down, one thing I did have, one thing that didn't go down, was my IFB. So, my IFB was in my ear. And I could hear this conversation. 'Hey, does somebody have Holley's wife's number?' And I heard something about emergency services. I said, 'Who are you talking about? Oh, they're talking about me.'"
"And then I was on the floor… And I'm telling you, this is so ridiculous. This is a ridiculous part of our business," Holley continued. "My first thought was, 'That's going on the internet.' And my second thought was, 'Well, now, look.' And I saw, I think at that point it was 8:42, 8:43, something like that. I said, 'Well, 17 minutes left in the show. Let me just put the microphone back up here. I'll sit down. I'll finish the show.'
"And I try to do that, and you guys are like, 'Are you nuts? Get out of here. Get yourself some help.' Thank you for continuing to talk, continuing to talk through it, really. I think it brought me back a little earlier than maybe I would have. But, in all seriousness, people, I mean, it was scary. It was a scary situation."

#scary #talking #down

There's no contract drama lingering in the San Francisco 49ers' offseason despite speculation that running back Christian McCaffrey is missing practice for contractual reasons.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio on Monday pondered whether McCaffrey's "tightness" was a fake ailment designed to let him hold in while working on a new contract after the Detroit Lions paid Jahmyr Gibbs and Atlanta Falcons paid Bijan Robinson contracts worth north of $22 million annually. McCaffrey, who led the NFL in touches last season, is on a contract with no guaranteed money that averages $19 million per year.
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport countered that speculation by reporting that McCaffrey is actually dealing with tightness and not holding in for a new contract. Rapoport indicated any contract talks earlier in the offseason between the 49ers and their star RB didn't get far.
It's not a surprise the 49ers are being extra cautious with McCaffrey on the injury front given how important he is to their team. That importance is also why McCaffrey might want a little extra money.
However, San Francisco has to be careful as McCaffrey enters his age 30 season with a history of missing massive chunks of the year after he leads the NFL in touches. He's done so twice prior to last season and played a combined seven games in the two ensuing years.

#rapoport #tightness

Where do the Houston Texans rank among contenders going into the 2026 NFL season?
According to Pro Football Talk, they're the team to beat.
Mike Florio released his preseason power rankings entering Week 2 of games starting on Thursday. Naturally, in the No. 1 spot, the longtime ***** yst put the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, mainly because of the return of the quarterback, coach and star defensive player.
At the No. 2 spot, Florio the Los Angeles Rams, a team going all-in on 2026 with the return of MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford and the arrival of two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. Many would ***** ume that the Rams should be No. 1 after also signing Jaylen Watson and trading for Trent McDuffie in free agency.
At No. 3, Florio has the Texans, making them the top team in the AFC and a legit Super Bowl contender for the future. Defensively, Florio is buying into Houston as a Super Bowl contender.

#houston #texans #Rams #player

We may have gotten an answer on the "soreness" that has kept San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa out of the team's last four training camp practices.
The 49ers haven't specified the nature of Bosa's soreness, but NBC's Mike Florio on Monday's Pro Football Talk Live said Bosa is dealing with back soreness. However, Florio seemingly walked back his declaration almost immediately.
After saying Bosa is working through back soreness, which is the first time a reporter has pointed toward a specific ailment for the 28-year-old defensive end, Florio teed up a clip of 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan talking about Bosa on Saturday while addressing reporters in a press conference.
"No. He was doing great, and then he got sore just going through some of the individual," Shanahan said. "You wish that didn't happen, but no, there's no concern to where something's happened that is a big setback or anything. We'll wait until the soreness goes away and evaluate why the soreness has happened, but I still feel pretty good about that."
In reacting to the Shanahan quote Florio pumped the brakes on the nature of Bosa's injury, citing "the sheet" instead of a source as he would for a typical report.

#bosa #defensive

Even though there's no deadline for Aaron Donald to decide whether he's going to come out of retirement or not, fans are getting impatient waiting for his decision. One thing's for sure, though: He looks ready to go.
Rams coach Sean McVay said last week that Donald brought his speed trainer out from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles and on Sunday, his trainer posted a video of Donald going through footwork drills with Braden Fiske and Desjuan Johnson.
He cruised through the speed drills, showing off the footwork he displayed throughout his Hall of Fame career. There's more that goes into playing in the NFL than simply being quick, but Donald doesn't appear to have lost a step at all.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk reported last Thursday that Donald was expected to make a decision in the coming days, but that timeline has been updated. Florio wrote on Sunday that Donald has shifted his timeline from "early this week to the end of this week."
There's no rush for him to make a decision, but the Rams would probably like to know his plans before Week 1. Then again, McVay sure looks like a guy who knows Donald is coming back, so maybe it's just the contract holding things up.

#donald #decision #Rams #sure

Ever since ESPN completed its deal to acquire NFL Media in exchange for a 10 percent equity stake in the network earlier this year, questions about how the league's ownership of the network would influence ESPN's editorial output have been a regular topic of conversation. ESPN and the NFL have regularly insisted that the equity stake will have no bearing on the network's reporting of the league.
So far, that seems to be the case. The network recently re-signed investigative reporter Don Van Natta Jr., who has reported on the NFL aggressively for 15 years since joining ESPN in 2011. And just last month, ESPN published a triple-bylined investigative report on the NFL's Rooney Rule that offered a very critical look at the efficacy of the league's hiring protocols. If ESPN was planning to neuter its reporting on the NFL because of its new equity arrangement with the league, it hasn't been very overt about it.
But there's one way in which the network might attempt to take the sting out of its more critical reporting about the league, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio suggested on a recent episode of The Varsity podcast. Florio believes that ESPN may very well continue to report on the NFL just as it always has, but he wonders if the network will put that reporting behind the megaphone like it once did.
"Here's the thing to watch. When they have a deep-dive investigative story that may make the NFL and or one of its teams look bad, what do they do with it?" Florio posed. "When do they release it? How do they showcase it on the various ESPN car wash of shows? There was a time when they would strategically pick, in my view, maximum disruption for dropping one of these stories. And the person that wrote it would be on every ESPN show you can imagine talking about it. So, they may still check the box on journalism, but let's see how much of a spotlight they shine. Let's see how strategic they are about putting it at a good spot instead of maybe burying it on a Friday afternoon. That's the thing to watch as it relates to ESPN's journalism of the NFL."
At some point, ESPN will be tested on this front. Reporters like Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham, or Kalyn Kahler will eventually report a story that shakes the NFL. The level to which ESPN covers those stories across its more popular mediums like television and social media will be telling as to whether the NFL's equity stake in the network has any sway over the network's editorial decisions.

#network #Equity #investigative

It may not be long before we find out whether Aaron Donald is coming out of retirement or not. According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, Donald could make a decision about his future in the coming days.
Sean McVay said there would be no update until the team leaves training camp, so Florio's report tracks with that timeline. The Rams will hold their last practice of camp on Friday before returning to Woodland Hills this weekend.
If Donald does decide to come back, Florio says he could be on the field for 30-40 snaps in the Week 1 opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia.
"If he decides to do it, we could have an announcement within the next few days," Florio said on NBC's pregame show Thursday night. "And if that happens, the Rams would go back to 2017, 2018, he was a training camp holdout, he didn't have much practice. They'll give him a few weeks of on-field activities with his teammates to get him ready for the first game. And the first game is five weeks away in Australia against the 49ers. I'm told, if he comes back, he could get between 30-40 snaps in that debut."
Donald has stayed in shape throughout his two-year retirement, and it's likely that all he'd need to get into football shape is a few weeks. He's been ramping up his training in anticipation of this possible comeback, even putting in an official workout with the Rams this week.

#donald

The Brandon Aiyuk saga has gone on for far too long. A contract dispute that eventually landed in his favor hasn't gone swimmingly for the San Francisco 49ers. Tearing his ACL and MCL just seven games into that deal, he hasn't been around the franchise since.
Last year, they placed him on the PUP list. From there, they voided his guaranteed money for 2026 and added him to the reserve/left squad list. Since then, it's been all downhill for the former first-round pick who remains employed with the team.
While he remained quiet for most of his time away from the 49ers, that trend has changed in recent months. Making multiple videos on social media, Aiyuk has gone on lengthy tirades against the organization.
Calling out everyone, from the coaching staff to the general manager, the former All-Pro selection has left no stone unturned. But while he has made his desire to play for the Washington Commanders abundantly clear, it hasn't led to major changes.
Mike Florio of NBC Sports, though, believes the way forward for Aiyuk is relatively simple. On the latest "Pro Football Talk" alongside co-host Chris Simms, he expressed his frustration over the choices the former Pro Bowler was making.

#aiyuk #brandon #francisco

As Pittsburgh Steelers training camp draws near, an unexpected roster issue looms over the quarterback room: rookie signal-caller Drew Allar remains unsigned.
While top draft picks under the NFL's modern rookie wage scale typically finalize contracts quickly, a unique negotiation stalemate is unfolding around third-round quarterbacks.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Allar is part of an unusual cohort of top rookie passers yet to sign their initial deals.
Speaking on "PFT PM," Florio pointed out that "the top four quarterbacks selected in April have yet to sign," highlighting a group that includes "both Carson Beck and Drew Allar, third round picks of the Cardinals and Steelers respectively."
The holdout isn't about total dollar figures, which are largely slotted by draft position, but rather structural guarantees and cash flow timing. Agents across the league are continually trying to push fully guaranteed contracts further down the draft board.

#allar #draft

Baker Mayfield's performance declined in his third year as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback last season. But he was apparently dealing with injuries that weren't previously reported.
Mayfield reveals that he played with a sprained MCL and PCL in his knee since Week 2 on the new season of Netflix's "Quarterback" docuseries, via the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud. The third season of "Quarterback" premieres July 14.
If that was indeed the case, it's presumably news to the NFL. Mayfield's knee wasn't mentioned much during the season on the league's injury report. "Knee" is only listed four times among the 10 weeks when Mayfield's name was among the Bucs' injuries — in Weeks 5, 8 10 and 18 — as Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio highlights.
Otherwise, biceps, oblique and shoulder injuries, in addition to illness were mentioned for Mayfield on the injury report.
Mayfield's revelation confirms what linebacker Lavonte David said on "The Arena" podcast in April about the quarterback on the show's April 6 episode.

Former Fox Sports and ESPN host Marcellus Wiley has been released from Orange County Jail after posting a $1,000 bond, according to a report by Mike Florio in Pro Football Talk. The former NFL defensive end was arrested on Saturday after police responded to an alleged domestic battery incident.
Florio reports, per details obtained from the Arrest Affidavit, that the incident occurred at the World Marriott in Orlando on Saturday afternoon, and the alleged victim was Wiley’s wife. Wiley’s wife asked officers to “remove her husband from their shared hotel room due to her being afraid of him,” saying that Wiley “told [her] he was going to kill her and [she] was afraid of his behavior.”
Asked to elaborate by the officers, Wiley’s wife said “on the previous morning Marcellus had put his hands on her,” by using “one finger to sternly and intentionally poke her in the cheek.”
The affidavit noted Wiley’s wife displayed no “visible injuries” and that she did not request medical attention. However, she did say that Wiley “had an unreported history of violence toward her and she was planning to divorce him when they returned home to California.”
Per Florio, “Wiley denied any physical altercation with his wife,” and claimed she made the report because she intended to divorce him.

During a recent episode of Pro Football Talk with Mike Florio, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice's release from jail was discussed, along with potential NFL disciplinary actions that could occur before the start of the season.
"There's been no indication the NFL is going to take any action. We laid this out previously. They could, in theory, maybe try to invoke the personal conduct policy. They could, in theory, maybe try to use the substance abuse policy," said Florio, "They haven't tried to do anything, and the Chiefs have said they've got no indication the league is going to do anything, so he's back, but the team is shut down until training camp."
Rice finished last season with 53 catches for 571 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 10.8 yards per reception. He missed the first six games due to suspension last season.
"He's got to keep rehabbing the knee and get himself ready to go for camp, and he needs to have a big season this year," said Florio, "because they're not going to, they're not going to sign him to a new contract until they are sure that these issues have been fully resolved, and that he can be the player that a significant contract would justify paying that money to."
Rice underwent surgery before he was sentenced to clean up debris in his right knee. The Chiefs' medical staff was able to treat his knee after a judge's approval, as he was dealing with inflammation. The former SMU standout missed voluntary offseason workouts and mandatory minicamp, but he is expected to be fully available for the start of training camp next month.

More than two months ago, The Athletic launched an investigation connected to Dianna Russini's alleged relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. Shortly afterward, Russini stepped away from the publication, but the situation has continued to generate questions across league and media circles.
So, while The Athletic continues its investigation, NFL insider Mike Florio recently revealed a major complication.
During a new segment on "Pro Football Talk," Florio explained gathering information on Russini may be more difficult now that she is no longer part of The Athletic.
"She doesn't work there, so it makes it harder for them to get answers from her," Florio said.
And it makes sense, as Russini has largely disappeared from public view since leaving the outlet. She removed her X account and has not addressed the controversy since publishing her resignation letter on April 14.

It’s been a week since Brendan Sorsby announced he was turning pro, and it raised a lot of eyebrows, mainly because it happened so quickly.
Just two weeks ago, Sorsby had won his injunction against the NCAA, which would have allowed him to play this season for Texas Tech; however, the Big 12 decided to take the Red Raiders to court over the whole ordeal.
That might have scared not only Texas Tech but also Sorsby, who decided right after that to turn pro, but, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Sorsby was forced out.
He thinks part of the reason he was forced out of college was the fear that the courts or the Big 12 might eventually pull the rug from under Sorsby during the season.
There are also people around the NFL, according to Florio, who fear the same thing happening.

Brendan Sorsby’s lawsuit saga rattled college sports for over a month. The NCAA investigation into his alleged gambling violations led to him being deemed ineligible to play college football.
Court documents alleged Sorsby placed thousands of bets totaling $90,000 across four years with Indiana, Cincinnati, and Texas Tech.
Sorsby initially got an injunction against the ruling and became eligible for the 2026 season. However, after the Big 12’s intervention, which involved seeking permission from the courts to enforce its bylaws against Texas Tech, Sorsby officially declared for the Supplemental Draft.
While the legal drama was unfolding, Texas Tech took a lot of heat because Brendan Sorsby was with the Red Raiders. The Indiana Hoosiers were also brought up in discussions because he placed at least 40 bets on their games while he was a member of the team.
However, NBC reporter Mike Florio believes that amid all the drama, Cincinnati has stayed under the radar. Florio argued that the Bearcats’ handling of the situation warrants further scrutiny.

United Football League co-owner Mike Repole made a few headlines the other day at a press conference discussing his league.
Repole may have let it slip that the NFL may be ready to expand again and add two more expansion teams.
According to Pro Football Talk ******* yst Mike Florio, although nothing has been said, Repole may have the inside scoop on the situation because of his business partnership with Tom Brady.
"As far as anyone knows on the outside, the NFL isn’t talking about adding teams. Given that Repole may be in a position to pick up some inside information (he and Tom Brady are partners in ******* ull, for example), Repole may have heard something that wasn’t yet intended for public consumption."
Florio continued, "Regardless, the NFL’s quest for more inventory eventually will pivot from adding more weeks to the season to adding more teams to the league. Either Repole, who delivered the information as if it were factual, is woefully misinformed, or he inadvertently let the cat out of the bag."

Just days after acquiring Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns, the Los Angeles Rams are giving their new superstar a raise. According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, Garrett and the Rams have agreed to a reworked contract.
Florio doesn’t have the full details of Garrett’s new contract, but it’s a five-year deal and there are options available through 2038. Previously, Garrett was signed through 2030.
The Rams are giving Garrett a $35.7 million signing bonus and his salary will be at least $1.3 million, which means his total pay for 2026 will be at least $37 million. Previously, he was set to make $31.5 million, so that’s a raise of at least $5.5 million.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: LA Rams, Myles Garrett agree to new 5-year contract

Shedeur Sanders negotiated $9.24 million of $17.7m NFLPA royalty payment while with Colorado Buffs football originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders recently cashed in on a $17.7 million royalty check from the NFL Players **** ociation for his rookie season in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns.
As Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio relayed, a large portion of that payment was negotiated while he was still a member of the Buffs, and before he slipped from being a projected first-round pick to an eventual fifth-round draft slide in 2025. Mainly, on trading card NIL. In addition, Florio foresees another big payment after Sanders recently switched his jersey number to the No. 2 he wore in Boulder as he broke several CU records under center.
“Most player royalty through the NFLPA come from group licensing deals, which compensate players for jersey sales, trading cards, video games, and other collectibles. As one source suggested, the $9.24 million payment to Sanders in May 2025 may have reflected his individual trading-card guarantee — something that likely would have been negotiated before he slipped from round one to round five in the 2025 draft,” Florio wrote.
“Sanders could have a large payment in next year’s LM-2, too. In March, Sanders changed his number from 12 to 2; any jerseys that fueled his royalty payments for his first NFL season will need to be replaced.”

Hour 1 – SGA MVP, Knicks Choke, Mike Florio | Fox Sports AM 1700 | The Dan Patrick Show