🐺 Wolf Sports Weekly

Training camps underway

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Wolf Sports
July 22, 2025

🏈 By the end of tomorrow, every team in the NFL will be fully reported to training camp. Late-breaking news this morning: Contract talks between the Bengals and DE Trey Hendrickson broke down after reportedly progressing ahead of camp, and Hendrickson has left the state.

💰 Record-setting deal for Watt headlines NFL contracts

  • The deal makes Watt the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history at $41 million per year.

  • The guaranteed money matches the number of career sacks (108) for the superstar pass rusher.

Up next: Myles Garrett set the previous record for a defender at $40 million per year on his four-year, $160 million extension signed in the spring, but Watt could have his high mark toppled in a hurry depending on what happens with Cowboys All-Pro Micah Parsons.

The Jets continued working by signing Sauce Gardner to a four-year, $120.4 million extension after signing WR Garrett Wilson to a four-year extension last Monday.

  • The contract is the largest in the NFL for a cornerback.

  • Gardner gets over $85 million guaranteed on a deal that keeps him under contract through 2030.

Big picture: New York’s new regime made it a point to lock up the stars from the 2022 draft a year early with the market going up every year, but they need Wilson to be more efficient (7.2 yards per target in his career) and Gardner to get back to his rookie All-Pro form.

The Chiefs also did plenty of work with contracts, extending two of their best players.

  • Star G Trey Smith signed a four-year, $94 million deal, as Kansas City beat the deadline on the final day before the former sixth-rounder would have been forced to play on the franchise tag in 2025.

  • Smith is a complete guard who helps keep Patrick Mahomes upright and opens holes in the running game, and the Chiefs having rookie LT Josh Simmons, C Creed Humphrey, and now Smith under contract through 2028 gives Mahomes needed continuity and star power up front.

  • On the other side of the ball, DE George Karlaftis agreed to a four-year, $93 million deal. The former first-round pick has totaled 24.5 sacks through three seasons and has been a disruptive overall player for an aggressive defense.

In the NFC, the Packers and OT Zach Tom agreed to a four-year, $88 million extension yesterday, and former All-Pro pass rusher Von Miller joined the Commanders on a one-year deal to add more championship pedigree to their defense.

⚡️ Philip Rivers, Mike Williams officially retire

Over the weekend, news broke that WR Mike Williams—the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft—is retiring from the NFL at the age of 30.

  • Williams signed back in Los Angeles in the offseason after a year split between the Jets and Steelers, but injuries have clearly taken a toll on a supremely talented player, who suffered a torn ACL in 2023.

  • There was no shortage of big-play highlights by Williams over the years, including against the rival Chiefs.

  • He finishes his career with 330 receptions for 5,104 yards (15.5 average) and 32 touchdowns across eight seasons, but the numbers don’t do justice to how dominant Williams could be when healthy and at his best.

We last saw Philip Rivers play in January of 2021 when he took the Colts to the postseason, but he officially announced his retirement yesterday as a member of the Chargers.

  • The potential Hall of Fame quarterback is No. 6 all-time in career touchdown passes (421), ranking behind only Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers.

  • San Diego (and then Los Angeles) not being able to consistently get deep into the playoffs was disappointing for Rivers, but he always left it all on the field, including playing through a torn ACL.

  • During his career, the former No. 4 overall pick led a bunch of prolific offenses for the Bolts—playing with Hall of Famers LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates early in his career, and then a core of Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, and the aforementioned Mike Williams to end his time with the Chargers.

➡️ More player news

Legal news: A Dallas County judge sentenced Chiefs WR Rashee Rice to five years probation and 30 days of jail time stemming from his 2024 street racing car crash, and Vikings WR Jordan Addison pled guilty to a lesser charge in his vehicular offense—meaning both players might now be suspended by the NFL this season.

Cowboys star Micah Parsons reported to training camp without a new contract, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones mentioned how Parsons missed games last season—which Parsons was apparently not happy about and re-posted a J.J. Watt post about it.

Not happy: Commanders WR Terry McLaurin has made it perfectly clear he wants and expects a new contract, and Bengals GM Duke Tobin says first-round pick DE Shemar Stewart needs to be at camp amid contract dispute.

The latest injury news includes two season-ending injuries:

Player signings and releases include:

📰 NFL news and notes

NFLPA chaos: Executive director Lloyd Howell stepped down after it was revealed he held a part-time job, collusion talk, and that he was previously sued for sexual discrimination at Booz Allen in 2011; and JC Tretter resigned from his role with the NFLPA.

The Eagles revealed their sweet Super Bowl LIX rings, which include wings that can open off the ring.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert is wearing red contact lenses to help against the sun.

Uniform news: The Chargers revealed yellow alternates, the Steelers now have a striped throwback, and the Buccaneers are in the running for coolest uniforms in the league (white with creamsicle numbers).

President Trump indicates he may block the Commanders from building their stadium in D.C. if they don’t change the team name back to Redskins.

Bill Belichick came out with a rare public statement to the media, pushing back to ESPN about Robert Kraft’s comments that the Patriots took a “big risk” hiring him in 2000.

The Jets unveiled their new locker room this morning.

Washington is retiring Art Monk’s No. 81 jersey this season.

NFL Top 100 latest: Christian McCaffrey, Dak Prescott among players ranked No. 71-80.

Other Sports Updates

⚾️ The 2025 MLB All-Star Game ended in the first ever swing-off, with the National League beating the American League on three homers by Phillies star Kyle Schwarber.

🏆 Scottie Scheffler dominated The Open to win his fourth major title and win three of the four major championships.

🚀 Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. made one of the best throws you will ever see, with an absolute cannon throw from deep in right field to third base.

😳 Wyndham Clark was banned from Oakmont Country Club for destroying the locker room after missing the cut at the U.S. Open last month.

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