🐺 Wolf Sports Weekly

NFL news never stops, with the Combine this week ahead of the start of the new league year next month. The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine is this Thursday-Sunday, with the on-field drills as follows:

• Thursday, 3 PM ET: Defensive Linemen / Linebackers

• Friday, 3 PM ET: Defensive Backs / Tight Ends

• Saturday, 1 PM ET: Quarterbacks / Wide Receivers / Running Backs

• Sunday, 1 PM ET: Offensive Linemen

Not participating: Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, and Penn State DE Abdul Carter (shoulder)

💰 NFL salary cap: more money

The 2025 NFL salary cap is projected to fall in the range of $277.5 million to $281.5 million, another huge increase from last season’s $255.4 million. The final cap number is pending an agreement between the league and the NFLPA, but the cap will have increased by over $50 million over this year and last. With the NFL’s growth, a $300 million cap looks likely for 2026.

International games have played a role in the NFL’s cap increases, and it was revealed that the Chargers will be hosting the second Week 1 Friday game in Brazil. Seven teams have now been designated as home teams for 2025 international games across Brazil, Germany, Spain, Ireland, and England.

Money matters: Rams QB Matthew Stafford has been granted permission to speak to other teams about his value. Rumors have been swirling around the 37-year-old early this offseason, but this ultimately might just be a measuring stick for the Rams to determine what they need to pay Stafford. That said, Stafford is reportedly seeking over $50 million per year on a new contract—and LA might feel they can get another option at the game’s most important position at a much lower salary.

More money moves: Both Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin and Vikings CB Byron Murphy II pushed back the void dates on their contacts to have more time to negotiate with their current teams. Now neither player can be franchise tagged this year.

📝 Player news: Zack Martin retires

Cowboys G Zack Martin retired from the NFL after 11 seasons.

• Martin was a first-round pick of Dallas in 2014—which was the Johnny Manziel draft, when Jerry Jones strongly considered taking the Heisman-winning quarterback out of Texas A&M.

• Instead, the Cowboys opted for Martin, who went on to become a seven-time First-team All-Pro selection—the same number of holding penalties he was called for in his tremendous career.

• Martin was a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and will almost certainly make the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

More retirements: S Keanu Neal, who was a key member of the 2016 Falcons’ Super Bowl LI appearance (and had 13 tackles in that loss), retired after eight seasons. Neal said “God has blessed my family and I in so many ways,” in a statement. And G Jon Feliciano retired after 10 NFL seasons but is leaving the door open for a late-season return in 2025.

New contracts: The Chargers signed S Elijah Molden to a three-year extension, and Panthers QB Andy Dalton re-signed with the team.

Players released in the past week:

• Panthers: LB Shaq Thompson (who was the only remaining member from the team’s 2015 Super Bowl run), CB Dane Jackson

• Bears: TE Gerald Everett and DE DeMarcus Walker

• Patriots: LB Sione Takitaki

• Browns: S Juan Thornhill

NFL offseason surgery news: Eagles OLB Nolan Smith (torn triceps from the Super Bowl victory and played through it) and C Cam Jurgens (back) are both expected to be ready for 2025, and Browns OT Dawand Jones (arthroscopic knee surgery) is set to be good for training camp.

📰 More NFL news and notes

Despite an erroneous report to the contrary, the Eagles would be “honored” to visit The White House and are reportedly “excited about and look forward to receiving the invitation.”

The Jaguars hired Rams executive James Gladstone to be their general manager—and he sounds a lot like Rams HC Sean McVay with his tone and cadence while speaking.

Recent coaching moves include the Eagles landing on a new OC:

• The Eagles promoted Kevin Patullo to OC.

• The Saints hired former Chargers HC Brandon Staley as their DC and Eagles QBs coach Doug Nussmeier as their new OC. New Orleans also added Ted Rath as their director of sports science.

• Multi-time DC Sean Desai is joining the Bengals in a senior defensive role.

• Former Bears OC Shane Waldron is becoming the Jagauars pass game coordinator.

• The Rams added former Patriots OC Alex Van Pelt as a senior offensive assistant.

• The Giants are hiring former NFL RB Ladell Betts as their RBs coach.

• John Madden’s grandson Jesse Madden has joined the Commanders coaching staff.

The Packers submitted a proposal to the NFL’s competition committee to ban the “Brotherly Shove” quarterback sneak.

Lions WR Jameson Williams will not face discipline for his unlicensed gun incident.

Texans RB Joe Mixon won his appeal, as the NFL rescinded his $25K fine for comments he rightly said he didn’t make about officials.

49ers TE George Kittle says RB Christian McCaffrey is going to come back angry after injury-riddled campaign: “I think we’re going to get the best version of [CMC].”

Eagles WR A.J. Brown revealed that he listens to Adele while watching Julio Jones highlights in the dark before games. He also bought a mannequin to keep his Super Bowl winning jersey (unwashed) on.

Seven men were arrested in relation to burglaries involving professional athletes including Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

Other Sports Updates

🙏 Cleveland Guardians owner Lawrence Dolan passed away at 94.

🏆 4 Nations Face-Off Championship: Canada defeated the United States in an overtime heartbreaker on Connor McDavid’s sudden goal.

🧔‍♂️ The Yankees will allow players to keep “well-groomed beards,” changing a 49-year policy.

😳 Major League Baseball criticized ESPN’s coverage and said the two sides have “mutually agreed to terminate” their agreement following 2025 after ESPN demanded reduced rights fees. (But ESPN’s Joe Buck will call his first MLB game since 2021 on Opening Day.)

🏒 Jason Robertson and Nick Robertson became the first pair of brothers with multi-score games on the same day since 2000.

⚾️ Yankees manager Aaron Boone signed a contract extension through 2027.

🐺 Found on wolfsports.com

• Texas CB Jahdae Barron scouting report (🔒)

• Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston scouting report (🔒)

• Missouri WR Luther Burden scouting report (🔒)

• LSU G Will Campbell scouting report (🔒)

• Ohio State EDGE JT Tuimoloau scouting report (🔒)

• Texas A&M EDGE Nic Scourton scouting report (🔒)

• Missouri OT Armand Membou scouting report (🔒)

• Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka scouting report (🔒)

• Ohio State CB Denzel Burke scouting report (🔒)

• Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell scouting report (🔒)

• 2025 NFL franchise tag candidates

• 2025 player landing spots for statistical success