Category: Football

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Sources: Belichick not a 1st-ballot Hall of Famer

Don Van Natta Jr.

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Don Van Natta Jr.

ESPN Senior WriterHost and co-executive producer of the new ESPN series, “Backstory” Member of three Pulitzer Prize-winning teams for national, explanatory and public service journalism Author of three books, including New York Times best-selling “First Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters from Taft to Bush” 24-year newspaper career at The New York Times and Miami Herald  and 

Seth Wickersham

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Seth Wickersham

ESPN Senior WriterSenior Writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine Joined ESPN The Magazine after graduating from the University of Missouri. Although he primarily covers the NFL, his assignments also have taken him to

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New OC McDaniel ‘geeked’ to work with Herbert

Kris RhimJan 27, 2026, 04:21 PM ET

CloseKris Rhim is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN. Kris covers the Los Angeles Chargers, including coach Jim Harbaugh’s franchise-altering first season (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/41068072/los-angeles-chargers-2024-preview-jim-harbaugh-culture). In Kris’ free time, he lives his NBA dreams at men’s leagues across Los Angeles.Open Extended Reactions

EL SEGUNDO, Calif — New Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel said quarterback Justin Herbert, who has yet to win a playoff game, “hasn’t neared the ceiling to what he’s capable of.”

McDaniel said he could feel the hunger for winning in Herbert’s voice when he spoke to the quarterback

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Payton: Nix was ‘predisposed’ to inevitable injury

Associated Press

Jan 27, 2026, 03:33 PM ETOpen Extended Reactions

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Sean Payton said at his season-ending news conference Tuesday that Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix had a preexisting ankle condition that made a fracture inevitable.

Nix broke a bone in his right ankle on Denver’s game-winning drive in the Broncos’ 33-30 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Nix flew to Birmingham, Alabama, last week for an operation performed by Dr. Norman E. Waldrop III, a renowned foot and ankle specialist at the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center.

Nix watched from a suite Sunday as

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McCarthy ‘definitely’ would like Rodgers to return

Brooke PryorJan 27, 2026, 04:12 PM ET

CloseBrooke Pryor is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2019. She previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and the University of Oklahoma for The Oklahoman.Open Extended Reactions

PITTSBURGH — Less than 10 minutes into the Mike McCarthy era of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the franchise’s new head coach had to address the elephant in the room.

From a personal perspective, a reporter asked, does he want Aaron Rodgers back as his quarterback?

“That’s nice the way he asked that,” a chuckling

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OC out as Jets’ revamp continues, sources say

Jan 27, 2026, 02:09 PM ETOpen Extended Reactions

The New York Jets are parting ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn and Engstrand had multiple conversations about Engstrand’s role moving forward, and ultimately they made the mutual decision to move on.

New York’s search for a new offensive coordinator will start immediately.

The Jets are also in search of a defensive coordinator after firing Steve Wilks in December.

Glenn returned after a 3-14 season in his first year as coach, but now he will have new offensive and defensive coordinators for his

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Super Bowl Anytime TDs: One obvious, one not-so-obvious bet to make

Mike ClayJan 27, 2026, 01:41 PM ET

CloseMike Clay is a senior writer for fantasy football and the NFL at ESPN. Mike is a member of the FSWA Hall of Fame. His projections power the ESPN Fantasy Football game, and he also appears on “Fantasy Football Now” and the Fantasy Focus Football podcast.Open Extended Reactions

Who will score a touchdown on the game’s biggest stage? Here are my top 30 predicted scorers for Super Bowl LX, ordered by their implied odds*, as well as the anytime touchdown money line offered by DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publication. The implied odds are

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Stefanski deflects Mayfield’s post: ‘Ton of respect’

Marc RaimondiJan 27, 2026, 01:19 PM ET

CloseMarc Raimondi’s first year covering the Falcons was 2024, but it wasn’t his first year at ESPN. He joined the company in 2019 and was a top combat sports reporter. He also covered professional wrestling and wrote the book “Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro Wrestling’s New World Order Changed America,” which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2025. Raimondi also worked for the New York Post and Newsday, beginning in 2009, covering high school and college sports, plus the NFL, NFL, MLB and NHL.Open Extended Reactions

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Sources: Titans poised to hire Daboll as new OC

Jan 27, 2026, 12:20 PM ETOpen Extended Reactions

The Tennessee Titans are set to hire former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll as their offensive coordinator, contingent upon him not getting the Las Vegas Raiders‘ head coaching job, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

He interviewed with the Raiders for a second time on Tuesday.

If he joins the Titans, Daboll would be working under new head coach Robert Saleh, who was hired by Tennessee on Jan. 20. Saleh served as head coach of the New York Jets at the same time that Daboll was

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Sources: Bills promoting OC Brady to head coach

Alaina GetzenbergJan 27, 2026, 11:50 AM ET

CloseAlaina Getzenberg covers the Buffalo Bills for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2021. Alaina was previously a beat reporter for the Charlotte Observer and has also worked for CBS Sports and the Dallas Morning News. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.Open Extended Reactions

The Buffalo Bills have agreed to promote offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Brady is expected to sign a five-year deal, sources told Schefter.

Brady replaces Sean McDermott, who was fired last week after the Bills were eliminated by the <a data-clubhouse-guid="51042145-e3c1-0694-ae0d-f720342ff8fc"

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Wetzel: Let football be football. And let it snow.

Dan WetzelJan 26, 2026, 04:13 PM ET

CloseDan Wetzel is a senior writer focused on investigative reporting, news analysis and feature storytelling.Open Extended Reactions

Snowy weather played a role in the AFC Championship Game, grinding both sides — at least their offenses — to a near stop. The teams combined for just 48 fourth-quarter yards and zero points as New England held on for a 10-7 victory over Denver. The Patriots play Seattle in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8.

For some NFL fans, drunk on a steady diet of offensive pyrotechnics and late-game shootouts, this felt anti-climactic.

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