It was unclear if Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams were going to remain together after the team gave its Super Bowl champion starting quarterback permission to gauge his value with other teams around the league.
However, cooler heads prevailed and the two sides agreed on a restructured contract to keep Stafford satisfied and with Los Angeles in 2025 as the team announced the two-time Pro Bowler is back.
The two sides reportedly met in Los Angeles on Friday, and a resolution ocurred. Stafford had two years remaining on his deal, but he only possessed $4 million in guaranteed salary in that span with zero guaranteed dollars for 2026. The Rams, who were just a play or two away from upsetting the eventual Super Bowl LIX champion Eagles in Philadelphia during the NFC divisional round, keep the band together for another run at the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
This deal will have a ripple effect across the entire league. Both the New York Giants and the Las Vegas Raiders, two quarterback-starved teams, reportedly had interest in the 37-year-old. Now, Aaron Rodgers’ market could heat up as more teams could see him in the same vein: a veteran bridge quarterback with perhaps a little drop of high level play left in his tank. Top free agent quarterback Sam Darnold will also likely benefit on his next deal after his first Pro Bowl season in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings.
The franchise tag deadline is fast approaching in the NFL, and the league has finally released numbers for the teams if they wish to place the franchise or transition tag on players prior to the deadline on March 4.
Here are the franchise and transition tag numbers for all positions in 2025 (per NFL Media):
POSITION FRANCHISE TAG TRANSITION TAG QB
$40,242,000
$35,377,000
RB
$13,640,000
$11,067,000
WR
$23,959,000
$21,441,000
TE
$13,826,000
$11,712,000
OL
$23,402,000
$21,271,000
DE
$22,062,000
$19,872,000
DT
$25,123,000
$20,849,000
LB
$25,452,000
$20,849,000
CB
$20,187,000
$17,595,000
S
$18,601,000
$15,027,000
K/P $6,313,000 $5,730,000 The Kansas City Chiefs have already decided to place the franchise tag on right guard Trey Smith, so he’ll make $23,402,000 in the 2025 season under the tag until he and the team reach a new deal. The franchise tag can be exclusive (the player can not sign with another team) or non-exclusive (the team that signs the player under the tag has to surrender two first-round draft selections).
If the Cincinnati Bengals place a franchise tag on Tee Higgins again, it would cost them $23.96 million. This could give Cincinnati more time to sign Higgins to a long-term deal, which is part of the reason teams place franchise tags on players.
Teams that place a franchise tag on a player have until July 15 to sign a long-term deal with that team.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was perhaps the most coveted veteran quarterback available this offseason, but that availability is now gone. He and the Rams agreed to a restructured deal Friday to remain together in 2025.
Now, quarterback-starved teams will have to pivot toward other veteran quarterbacks this offseason, which means more interest in 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers. CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones reported Friday that the four-time NFL MVP has been calling prospective teams to feel out their interest in employing him in 2025. Multiple calls from Rodgers’ end have been made to the Giants.
With Stafford no longer an option, the Giants are now looking into potentially signing the Green Bay Packers’ all-time passing touchdowns leader, per ESPN.
Rodgers is coming off career-worsts in losses (12), passing yards per attempt (6.7) and passer rating (90.5) with the New York Jets in 2024. His 28 touchdown passes were tied for the seventh most in the league with 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen, and his 3,897 yards passing were the eighth most in the league, just in front of Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (3,870). Rodgers narrowly trailed behind Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (3,928) in yards passing last season.
New York already has a No. 1 wide receiver in Malik Nabers: his 109 catches as a rookie in 2024 were the most in a season in Giants history and stand as the second-most ever by a rookie behind only Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers’ 112 last season. The team is also equipped with a running back who totaled over 1,000 yards from scrimmage last season in rookie fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy Jr. If general manager Joe Schoen is able to reinforce his offensive line, New York’s other football team could make sense for Rodgers.
The move would also make sense for the Giants since they could be freed up to draft the best player available with the 2025 NFL Draft’s third overall pick. That’s a slot that puts them in range to select 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who played both wide receiver and cornerback at a high level for Colorado, or Penn State All-American edge rusher Abdul Carter.
Instead of one All-Star Game, there is expected to be a series of shorter games at the 2025 NBA All-Star weekend. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the new, tournament-style format will feature three All-Star teams, each with eight players on the roster, and a fourth team — the winner of the Rising Stars challenge (which has used a tournament format since 2022). The first two games will constitute the semifinals and will have a target score of 40 points; the two winners will advance to the finals, which will have a target score of 25 points, ESPN reported Thursday.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has repeatedly lamented the quality of play in recent All-Star Games and stated that the league is open to tweaking the format. During his media availability in Mexico on Nov. 2, Silver hinted at something like this by saying the league was looking at not having a “traditional game format” this year.
Silver added: “I think everyone was disappointed in what they saw last year. It wasn’t just the league, it was the players, as well, the players association. I think we all did what we thought we could, thinking we would — particularly in Indiana, sort of the heartland of basketball — somehow we would give it the college try, and we’d see a more competitive game.”
Silver said that the league had confirmed a committee to talk about the issue with the NBPA and team representatives about trying “something new” in order to “excite the fans and also excite the players, so it’s something they’re enthusiastic about participating in.”
The 2025 All-Star weekend will be held in San Francisco. Silver said league officials have “had direct conversations” with Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry about changing the format because Curry is “very prideful and wants to make sure that the players put their best foot forward.”
Along with Curry, several other star players have participated in the discussions about this subject, per ESPN.
One Milwaukee Bucks fan is $10,000 richer after connecting a shot that basketball fans will have to see to believe.
During Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls, a Bucks fan made a half-court shot in one of the most surprising fashions possible. The fan launched the ball and it ended up hitting the top of the backboard before the ball fell into the net.
Halfcourt shot off the top of the backboard for $10K!
🎰: @paysbig pic.twitter.com/M2m0UdXQao
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 21, 2024 In doing so, this lucky Bucks fan ended up winning a $10,000 prize in one of the crazier scenarios that you’ll see on a basketball court. The fan nearly badly missed on the shot, but instead, got the perfect gift from the top of the backboard as the ball nearly hit the shot clock or could have rolled over to the other side of the glass.
In addition to the trick shot, the Bucks came away with a 122-106 win against the Bulls. The Bucks have now won four of their last five games after getting off to a lackluster 2-8 start to the 2024-25 season prior to that. Star big man Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 41 points on 17-of-24 shooting and secured nine rebounds to pace Milwaukee in this Eastern Conference tilt.
Perhaps some of the fan’s luck will rub off on the Bucks, who appear to be hitting their stride lately.
After a successful summer that included signing Paul George, and a number of other veterans, in free agency and drafting Jared McCain, there was plenty of excitement about the Philadelphia 76ers this season. Fast forward a few months and the team is mired in a 2-12 start that’s featured major injury problems and both internal and external drama.
Most recently, star big man Joel Embiid, who was suspended for three games after an altercation with a reporter in the locker room earlier this month, and has played just four games, called out the person who leaked details of the team meeting that took place on Monday following the Sixers’ loss to the Miami Heat.
“Whoever leaked that is a real piece of shit,” Embiid said.
After falling to the Heat, the Sixers reportedly got together to discuss their early-season struggles. There were complaints about the coaching staff, led by Nick Nurse, and Embiid admitted to being “confused” about the team’s goals. Most notably, though, Tyrese Maxey confronted Embiid about his repeated tardiness and how it affected the rest of the group.
On Wednesday, after the Sixers lost again, this time to the Memphis Grizzlies, Embiid addressed the report and said that the entire situation was being overblown.
“We talked about a lot of things,” Embiid said. “I don’t want to get into detail. But that whole thing, that part of it, took probably 40 seconds. But it’s Joel Embiid, so things will always get blown out of proportion. It’s whatever, though. I’ll take it. I’m the reason for everything, so I guess I’ll take the blame for everything.
“There was nothing malicious being said. I like when people are telling me when I’m not doing good and when I need to be better. That part of it (tardiness) probably happened once or twice when I wasn’t playing. So I need to be better. I need to be perfect. I need to be on point, which I’m going to do.”
First of all, it’s hard to believe that a young player like Maxey would feel the need to call out an MVP in front of the entire team for being late once or twice. Likewise, it’s hard to imagine anyone would leak that information if it happened that infrequently.
That being said, it’s totally reasonable that Embiid is frustrated about the details of this meeting becoming public. More drama and scrutiny is the last thing the Sixers need as they try desperately to get their season back on track.
George, for what it’s worth, also commented on the leaked details of the 76ers’ team meeting on Thursday. In a new episode of his podcast, George said it’s normal for teams to have meetings but the “crazy part” about the situation was the level of details that got reported.
“I don’t know how the hell [ESPN reporter Shams Charania] got that story, or how that even leaked. Especially it being like word for word — or not necessarily word for word, but quoted,” George said. “The whole meeting, that’s normal in the NBA. Teams go through that. …It was healthy. It was positive conversation. …We’re a team that cares.
If there’s a silver lining for the Sixers, it’s that despite having the worst record in the league, they’re only three games out of a Play-In Tournament spot and four games out of fifth place in the Eastern Conference. There’s still time for them to get back in the mix, but only if they can get healthy first.
Wednesday’s matchup with the Grizzlies was a step in the right direction, as Embiid, George and Maxey took the court together for the first time. However, George hyperextended his left knee in the third quarter — the same injury that cost him the first six games of the season — and did not return. There has been no official timeline for George, but there’s a good chance he’ll be heading back to the sidelines, and the Sixers will again have to play shorthanded.
