🐺 Wolf Sports Weekly

Carter No. 1: Confident or Inside Knowledge?

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Wolf Sports
March 25, 2025

Good morning! We are less than a month to the 2025 NFL Draft, and Penn State star Abdul Carter says he’s going to be the No. 1 overall pick.

🤔 The latest on quarterbacks

We appear to be getting clarity on veteran QB situations, with the Vikings currently out on Aaron Rodgers despite reported interest on the four-time MVP’s part in playing for Minnesota.

  • The Vikings “rejected multiple trade calls” on J.J. McCarthy, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The 2024 10th overall pick is currently locked in as their starter for 2025. However, multiple reports have indicated that while the Vikings aren’t interested in Rodgers right now, things could potentially change. Remember, McCarthy is coming off of a serious knee injury last preseason.

  • As for Rodgers, he visited the Steelers for several hours on Friday. The two sides reportedly “have had contract parameters in place for weeks.” So, now it’s just a matter of the 41-year-old making a decision.

  • The Giants also remain interested in Rodgers, but in the meantime they’ve signed former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston to a two-year deal.

  • Russell Wilson is also still available and could be an option for the Steelers, Giants, and Browns.

What to expect: A lot hinged on what the Vikings wanted to do, and now things come down to Rodgers, who seems likely to sign with Pittsburgh at some point but could also wait and see what happens with other teams (including Minnesota and McCarthy’s progress). Back in 2009, Brett Favre didn’t sign with the Vikings until August.

🏈 Graham retirement headlines recent player news

Eagles great Brandon Graham officially retired after 15 NFL seasons. He was a two-time Super Bowl champion and the longest tenured player—with the most games played—in Eagles history. Knowing it was his last season, Graham returned from a torn triceps to play in Super Bowl LIX. The biggest play of his career was the strip sack of Tom Brady late in Super Bowl LII.

The Texans signed DE Danielle Hunter to a one-year, $35.6 million extension making him the second-highest paid player at his position.

Re-signings: The Rams re-signed CB Akhello Witherspoon, the Chiefs re-signed DE Charles Omenihu, S Tony Jefferson re-signed with the Chargers, and the Jets brought back LB Jamin Davis.

The Patriots are retaining LB Christian Elliss on a two-year deal through 2026 after matching the Raiders’ offer to the restricted free agent.

Free agent signings from last week include WR Brandin Cooks returning to the Saints, WR Michael Gallup unretiring to join the Commanders, and the Texans signing OTs Cam Robinson and Trent Brown. More signings:

  • Packers: WR Mecole Hardman. Patriots: C Garrett Bradbury. Vikings: WR Rondale Moore, CB Jeff Okudah. Lions: CB Avonte Maddox, CB Rock Ya-Sin. Dolphins: LB Willie Gay Jr. Browns: G Teven Jenkins. Titans: LB Lorenzo Carter. Chargers: TE Tyler Conklin, C Andre James. Saints: OL Dillon Radunz. Patriots: LB Jack Gibbens. Bears: WR/returner Devin Duvernay. Falcons: WR/returner Jamal Agnew.

📰 NFL news and notes

The Browns revealed renderings of their planned new stadium, which is enclosed instead of outdoor, open-air.

NFL clubs proposed three rules changes for 2025—headlined by the Packers wanting to ban the Brotherly Shove QB sneak.

Rams WR Puka Nacua tells USA Today that he knows he wants to retire at 30 years old.

Buccaneers GM Jason Licht says WR Chris Godwin turned down â€œblank checks” from one of the several teams interested in him during free agency.

The 2020 Chiefs have been invited to the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl LIV win after they couldn’t go due to COVID.

The Broncos hired Jeff Schmedding as their ILBs coach.

Entertaining stuff: Bills WR Keon Coleman won a 50-pushup wager with a soldier after betting Josh Allen would pick up his FaceTime call, Lamar Jackson is making his acting debut in a Starz series, and Ja’Marr Chase thinks Cincinnati needs better food.

We are now less than one month until the start of the 2025 NFL Draft, and sportsbooks have begun to expand the betting options for the event—so this week’s Consigliere Corner features a few potential longshots that caught our eye.

First Defensive Back Drafted (not including Travis Hunter): Malaki Starks (+750)
Our high opinion of Starks has been mentioned in previous newsletters, and with no clear-cut top cornerback (aside from Travis Hunter), it wouldn’t be a surprise if a safety ended up being the first defensive back off the board. Right now, FanDuel has Jahdae Barron (+115) and Will Johnson (+115) as the best odds followed by Starks and Nick Emmanwori each at +750. Keep an eye on the Dolphins as a team that could take Starks at No. 13 overall.

First Defensive Lineman/Edge Drafted (not including Abdul Carter): Kenneth Grant (+3500)
This is a clear longshot with the odds reflecting that, but Jacksonville is the team no one really seems to have a read for at this juncture. While Michigan teammate Mason Graham is considered the favorite for the pick and has -600 odds here, Grant being the preference for the Jags wouldn’t be entirely surprising. Also, if Graham were to get past Jacksonville and slip outside the top 10, Grant could suddenly come into play ahead of him for a team like the 49ers at No. 11.

NY Giants Position of 1st Drafted Player: Defensive Line/Edge (+750)
The Giants are heavy favorites to take a quarterback (-600), but what if Cam Ward goes to the Titans and Shedeur Sanders goes to the Browns? We would think New York might opt for “best player available” by choosing between Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter, and the emphasis on getting after the quarterback might slant the decision towards the Penn State product.

SEA Seahawks Position of 1st Draft Player: Quarterback (+3000)
Seattle signing Sam Darnold would seem to take them out of the quarterback market in Round 1 next month, but the details of the contract—essentially a one-year deal with no guaranteed money beyond 2025—is interesting to say the least. Could the franchise target someone like Jalen Milroe to be the quarterback of the future if they believe in his ceiling?

Other Sports Updates

🙏 Legendary boxer, businessman, minister, and author George Foreman passed away at 76, his family announced.

🏀 March Madness: Sweet 16 bracket after the first week was headlined by Maryland freshman Derik Queen’s buzzer beater on Sunday night.

🫡 Cool moment: Referee Roger Ayers acted like he saw a wet spot on the floor to stop the game and allow Liberty’s JC Shirer Jr. to check into the tournament.

⚾️ MLB Opening Day is this Thursday, but the Dodgers already won two games over the Cubs in Japan.

🏅 NCAA Wrestling Championships were highlighted by Wyatt Hendrickson’s upset win over Gable Stevenson in a heavyweight match.

🏒 Ovi Watch: Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin is now seven goals away from the all-time record.

🏈 Former Bucs OC Byron Leftwich is joining Deion Sanders’ staff with Colorado.

⛳️ The trailer for Happy Gilmore 2 was released by Netflix and will stream on July 25.

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