Matthew Stafford's return named most impactful move in 2025 offseason
The decision had a ripple effect on the Rams and the rest of the league, as teams who were interested in Stafford had to look elsewhere while the Rams could focus the rest of the offseason on finding talent to add around him.
Therefore, it shouldn't be a surprise that CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan named Stafford's return as the most impactful move of the 2025 NFL offseason.
With Stafford, L.A. is in the Super Bowl conversation thanks to the continued presence of Sean McVay, along with an emerging defense. Without him, the Rams likely would've been forced to look at other options like Jimmy Garoppolo, Aaron Rodgers, or some draft prospect. Regardless of who would've been under center, Los Angeles would've been categorically worse and nowhere close to the Super Bowl ceiling it currently possesses.
Stafford is the tide that raises all boats in L.A. Why do you think the Rams immediately turned around and won a Super Bowl the year he joined the team? In any event, the Rams have their short-term plan at quarterback locked in for at least 2025, and they'll continue to push all the chips into the middle of the table to try and bring home another Lombardi Trophy before Stafford's time in the NFL is up.
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New York Times
11 minutes ago
- New York Times
Hendon Hooker and other Detroit Lions who could benefit most from a strong training camp
When your roster is as strong as the Detroit Lions' is, there are fewer holes to fill and questions to answer before a new season. GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have done an excellent job drafting and developing this group, in an effort to ensure sustained success. The environment they've created, in turn, creates constant competition. It's what this regime prefers. Advertisement We've seen jobs won and lost. We've seen growth in training camp translate to the regular season. It's helped guys solidify their roles and get paid. With camp set to begin Sunday, it's a good time to look at players who could benefit the most from strong performances. QB Hendon Hooker: It's Year 3 for the former third-round pick, and Hooker finds himself amid a battle for the QB2 job. It would be surprising if Hooker loses to veteran backup Kyle Allen, but Hooker needs to show development now that he's had a full season. If he looks more comfortable throwing with timing and rhythm this training camp, it'll go a long way toward him solidifying the job. RB Sione Vaki: The Lions drafted Vaki in the fourth round a year ago, with Holmes touting his upside as a running back after primarily playing safety in college. He was a major contributor on special teams as a rookie, but he flashed skills as a pass-catcher in the preseason and could earn more looks offensively as he continues to learn the RB position. The Lions trust Craig Reynold's knowledge of the playbook and their protections, but Vaki feels like the upside option. Is he ready to challenge for the RB3 job this season? WR Jameson Williams: We're putting Williams here — not because he's on the bubble or the verge of losing his spot, but because a strong training camp could set him up for a productive season, and perhaps a lucrative contract extension. Williams is under contract for two more seasons, but he could either price himself out of Detroit or prove himself too valuable to lose with another 1,000-yard season — while staying out of the off-field spotlight. Coaches have raved about him this offseason, and Williams now has a year of production. Let's see if he can prove them right. WR Isaac TeSlaa: The Lions traded some meaningful draft capital to trade up to No. 70 for TeSlaa's services. Holmes said he was his favorite WR in the draft, which speaks to how he's viewed in the organization. In many ways, TeSlaa's development could be tied to Williams. If he picks things up fast, it could make a potential Williams trade easier to swallow if the money becomes an issue. TeSlaa is a quick study — transitioning from wing-T high school QB to SEC WR in a matter of years. But the NFL is a different ballgame. If he performs well in camp, the Lions could trust him enough to see the field as a rookie, which could position him for a more meaningful role in 2026. Advertisement G/C Graham Glasgow: The Lions value the experience and versatility of Glasgow, but they've stocked their interior offensive line with young talent in recent years. That puts pressure on him to perform — even more so when you consider he's coming off a season allowing the sixth-most pressures among guards. Perhaps the best way to maximize the young talent at guard and Glasgow's experience would be to move him to center full-time as Frank Ragnow's replacement. The Lions could start Christian Mahogany and rookie Tate Ratledge at guard and allow Glasgow — who doesn't love moving positions frequently — to settle at center and work directly with Jared Goff. He's a cerebral player whose mind could be more serviceable there than at guard. We'll learn in training camp if that's the plan for him. T Giovanni Manu: Manu was already going to be on this list, but given the news that Taylor Decker will start training camp on the PUP, there will be even more eyes on Manu in training camp. The Lions can activate Decker at any point, but his absence should open more practice snaps for Manu. He spent much of his first season developing behind the scenes, and Manu said he believes he's grown tremendously since. The Lions know what they have in Dan Skipper as a reserve tackle, but now that it's Year 2, it will be interesting to see if the Lions trot out Manu with the first-team offense in camp to get a true sense of that growth. He has a chance to be a key piece of the future. This will be a good temperature check for him. G Colby Sorsdal: A 2023 fifth-round pick, Sorsdal has made the roster each of the last two seasons, but he has his work cut out for him in 2025. Sorsdal was sparingly used as a sophomore after spot-starting as a rookie. The Lions have since added Tate Ratledge, Miles Frazier and Trystan Colon as interior depth. Sorsdal was spotted repping at center in OTAs, so maybe that versatility could help. But there aren't a ton of available spots along the offensive line. DT Brodric Martin: The news that Levi Onwuzurike, placed on the reserve/PUP list Thursday, is set to miss the preseason and at least the first four games of the season is a blow to Detroit's defensive tackle depth. But while their games aren't the same, it could help Martin's chances of making the team. Alim McNeill and Mekhi Wingo are returning from knee injuries, too, so the Lions will need all the help they can get. Martin, a former third-round pick, has yet to earn even a rotational spot with the Lions as he enters his third season. Coaches have said his pad level is too high at time, and you have to wonder how prepared he was to play — considering the Lions signed practice-squad DTs to play over him when their depth was hit late last year. But team officials knew he was a developmental project when they drafted him. Holmes says it takes three years to properly evaluate a player. This feels like a make-or-break camp for Martin. Edge Marcus Davenport: If we're being honest, the regular season — not the training camp — is what matters when it comes to Davenport. One could argue it would be better to limit his practice reps in camp, considering his biggest issue has been staying healthy. It's the reason many would like to see the Lions add more to the edge position. Za'Darius Smith is still unsigned, and he hasn't shut down the idea of a reunion. If Smith and the Lions reach a deal in training camp, the conversation surrounding Davenport changes. The Lions wouldn't need him to play a heavy workload, which could help him hold up better — thus benefitting him. Or maybe the Lions believe he can stay healthy after years of injury-related absences, like Tim Patrick proved was possible last year. He's worth monitoring. Detroit brought him back for a reason. Advertisement CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr.: Detroit's 2024 second-round pick didn't see the field much as a rookie, as he battled injuries and a lack of opportunity. He's got inside-out versatility, but the Lions are focusing on developing him as their No. 3 cornerback behind D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold, rather than trotting him out at nickel to compete with Amik Robertson. He's an interesting one because teammates showed him love in OTAs this spring and was excellent in training camp last year. But there's no need to rush or force him into action. Depth is valuable, too. Late-round picks and UDFAs: There is precedent for a drafted rookie not making the roster under this regime. In 2022, James Houston was a sixth-round pick who was cut before sticking around on the practice squad. Not often, but it's a possibility. That's why seventh-rounders like Dan Jackson and Dominic Lovett have work to do. Lovett is an intriguing player with his quickness and short-area ability, but the Lions' WR room has five roster locks already in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Williams, Tim Patrick, Kalif Raymond and TeSlaa. Would they enter a season with six? Certainly possible if Lovett proves his value on special teams. Jackson, meanwhile, has an easier path considering the lack of depth at safety. But he, too, needs to provide value on special teams. Strickland made the roster last year for his special-teams contributions, and 2024 UDFA safety Morice Norris stuck around long enough to earn some defensive snaps late in the year. They'll be vying for a roster spot, in addition to Grand Valley State product Ian Kennelly — a 2025 UDFA safety. Speaking of UDFAs, the Lions have had at least one make the roster each year under Campbell, and every season dating back to 2010. In 2025, three UDFAs — Isaiah Williams, Hogan Hatten and Strickland — made the initial 53-man roster. The Lions give these guys a fair chance. They're worth paying attention to. (Top photo of Hendon Hooker: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Gianni Infantino, Donald Trump and how Fifa went full Maga at the Club World Cup
Just before Reece James went to lift the Club World Cup trophy, the Chelsea captain politely told Donald Trump that they were likely about to leap around in celebration so he might want to move. A remarkable sentence in itself. The US president, according to sources in the middle of this, very much gave the impression he was loving it and wanted to stay. You can see the images for yourself. There's certainly something incongruous about the player of the tournament, Cole Palmer, looking confused beside one of the world's most powerful leaders in this moment of triumph. That kind of scene is no longer new, of course, but it does look like it's becoming normalised in this authoritarian-leaning political era. This was one step up from Qatar 2022. If that saw the Emir give Lionel Messi the otherwise innocent garment of the bisht in the centre of an immortal image in order to signal his state's presence, this was a leader himself in the middle of it. If Chelsea want a giant poster of their trophy-lift outside Stamford Bridge, Trump will be front and centre. We're beyond symbolism here. It's too obvious. As stunning as it all was, the only real surprise was that Gianni Infantino initially appeared to be beckoning the US president away. If so, it was perhaps the only moment over the last few years where the Fifa president didn't prostrate himself to Trump. Even here, Infantino eventually let him at it. It's hard not to wonder what would have been said if this happened, say, at the 1978 World Cup, a tournament hijacked by the Argentinian dictatorship at the time. Reece James, holding the trophy, hesitates as Donald Trump lingers for Chelsea's big moment (Getty Images) The events in New Jersey at least got everyone finally talking about the Club World Cup. Not that you'd even consider that idea if you were listening to Infantino. On Saturday, he could talk of how billions were watching the Club World Cup – Fifa resisted some reporting of the numbers claimed – but he didn't need to actually provide any data. It is why numerous senior football sources talk of 'the full Trumpification of Infantino and Fifa', both in outlook and action. There's this brazenness to everything, as old norms and standards are cast aside. Trump doesn't even get to stand in the centre of the Super Bowl presentation. Even before this unprecedented spectacle, Infantino had seen fit to declare that 'the golden era of global club football has started'. Such proclamations are usually reserved for the more rounded hindsight of history, or at least the peak of such eras. Not a start as uncertain as this. In this era, however, you can just say things. You don't need evidence. No pushback will be worth much. Why listen to critical media when you can speak to IShowSpeed? There was certainly a lot of gold on show, which entirely fit the gaudiness of the occasion. Trump even described the event as 'beautiful' when he came out onto the pitch with Infantino. Infantino insists the Club World Cup was a triumph (AP) While many people in football already felt this final was a landmark moment because Infantino had proven to the clubs he could deliver a new tournament, Sunday was still seen as something more. Many were comparing the Fifa president's tone and behaviour to just a month ago, and how it had seemingly gone to another level. Hence FifPro describing him as 'the man who thinks he is god'. Fifa's supernational position as something like the Vatican has already been discussed in these pages. The serious point to all of this is that, according to well-placed sources, 'Infantino's ambitions have no bounds'. Again, the Independent has reported how discussions for a biannual 48-team tournament are already afoot. Crucially, Infantino has also seen that - with the financial support of Saudi Arabia and political support of Trump - Fifa can essentially do what it wants in football. There is minimal resistance. Many stakeholders don't want to offer any at all. A lot of powerful people, companies and states are now invested in all of this. The big clubs are onside, which is something that Uefa and national associations like the FA should be very worried about. It's a potential super league run by the sport's highest authority. And, while some on the Fifa Executive Committee were aghast at the Trump spectacle, Infantino loyalists there were loving it. America put on a show for the inaugural Club World Cup (AP) If this doesn't necessarily end up as 'a golden era', it may well be the moment that starts profound transformation in football. An eminently logical question now is, what exactly will Infantino do next? Sunday's story about Fifa convening a meeting of player unions without inviting the game's biggest player union, FifPro, was indicative because it just shows how Infantino's Fifa now go about governance. It is much like Trump. Just act, with the considerations of major stakeholders barely considered. The Club World Cup was implemented in the exact same way, which has led to a legal action from FifPro. 'Classic post-truth politics,' as one source said. Infantino's disgraced predecessor, Sepp Blatter, even commented on the Saudi influence here over the weekend. 'We have lost football to Saudi Arabia,' the 89-year-old told German's ntv. 'We offered it, and they took it. Surprisingly, there is no opposition to this within Fifa.' Quite. What does it say about the modern Fifa when Blatter sounds like the voice of morality and reason, and some in football now pine for his interpretation of the Fifa presidency? Blatter's brief visibility does raise another key point, that should be remembered. His era's 2015 downfall was the game's moment for true reform, with Infantino himself voted in because he was perceived as a reform candidate. He has instead accelerated down a new direction, that features classic problems. Sepp Blatter has emerged as football's unlikely voice of reason in recent days (Getty Images) One of the crucial factors allowing Infantino to go his own way was because the structure of Fifa didn't change. It was still based on the same clientelistic model, with most voters – the national associations – dependent on money distribution. That plays into why there is so little opposition to his reign now. Uefa have been strategically outflanked, a development that warrants more discussion. The big football associations could come together, since that's where most of the game's 'organically generated' money comes from, except their major clubs are now invested in the Club World Cup. The associations themselves are meanwhile part of the system. Many won't speak out because they're too dependent on Fifa money or want to host tournaments for the future. That sounds a lot like Manchester United not playing in the FA Cup in 1999-2000, because the FA wanted to host the 2006 World Cup. It's remarkable how the same politics persist, even in the new football world. The Fifa system allows no 'opposition party' so no one wants to be in a minority opposition. And as to why all of this matters, there is a direct link between the upward drag of the $114m Chelsea are projected to make from this tournament, and the struggles of Morecambe and Sheffield Wednesday way below them. This ecosystem is what Fifa is supposed to be the ultimate regulator of. Instead, it currently looks like its great disruptors. It arguably made Trump's presence all the more fitting.
Indianapolis Star
42 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
Most essential Colts No. 4: Braden Smith's return is enormous for the offense
In a salary-cap league like the NFL, finding building blocks is essential. As teams churn and burn the roster through the draft and bargain signings in free agency, it helps to find the players who are either a cut above the rest or can perform a task few others can. They relieve the pressure on everyone. Over the next few weeks, we'll be ranking the 15 most essential players to the Colts' success entering the 2025 season. It's a subjective process, weighing factors such as ability, positional value within a scheme, age, leadership and durability. To make it simpler, we're asking the following two questions about these players: 1. How difficult would he be to replace for more than a month? 2. What does the Colts' ceiling become in 2025 and beyond if this player hits his? Unlike in recent seasons, the pressure appears to be ramping up on what this year's Colts team needs to accomplish. Anthony Richardson enters a critical third season with plenty to prove. The team is under new ownership with Jim Irsay's passing and the transition to his three daughters. And the Colts have now not made the playoffs for four seasons, with no playoff wins in six and no AFC South titles in 10. Thus, these rankings will skew a little more toward 2025 importance than they have in recent seasons. Here's the list so far: 5. DeForest Buckner, defensive tackle 6. Michael Pittman Jr., wide receiver 7. Charvarius Ward, cornerback 8. Camryn Bynum, safety 9. Quenton Nelson, guard 10. Tyler Warren, tight end 11. Laiatu Latu, defensive end 12. Daniel Jones, quarterback 13. Kenny Moore II, cornerback 14. Zaire Franklin, linebacker 15. Alec Pierce, wide receiver Up at No. 4 is Braden Smith. Position: Right tackle Age: 29 Experience: 8th season Last year's rank: No. 5 Why he's here: The Colts entered the offseason in a different place with Braden Smith than they'd been for the entirety of a mostly steady seven-year career. Suddenly, they were waiting to hear if he wanted to play another season. And that's when it became clear how much they knew they needed him. The 29-year-old right tackle was not coming off of a banner season by his consistent standards, mostly due to circumstances that had nothing to do with football. Smith later laid out to IndyStar the battle he entered with his own psyche to where he had to travel to Mexico and take a psychedelic drug to regain a sense of himself, which then restored his desire and ability to play again. IN HIS OWN WORDS: Braden Smith's desperate, life-threatening fight vs OCD In terms of this list, that propelled Smith to his highest ranking ever in a year where the Colts run game, pass game and overall health of the franchise has so much resting on his play. But it took a roundabout way to get here. Given the uncertainty of Smith's condition, as well as injuries that have contributed to his 21 missed games over the past five seasons, Indianapolis had to take action with his contract entering its final year. The Colts ended up essentially slicing that deal in half, leaving him with a $10.4 million cap hit this year. That does not illustrate just how much he means to the franchise, though. It is simply a showcase of the risk involved, which only moves him up this list in a discussion about floor and ceiling. Indianapolis is betting more on Smith outside of financial means, as it moved swing tackle Matt Goncalves to the starting right guard role vacated by Will Fries' departure in free agency. That means that all that is backing up Smith now is fourth-round rookie Jalen Travis, who is developing into his body and the role two years after playing at Princeton. After seven seasons, Smith has become the kind of player whose presence is felt much more when he isn't on the field than when he is. That isn't to say he isn't impactful, as a fresh version of Smith can be one of the better run blocking tackles in the game and a pass protector who can live with what is now a revolving door at right guard. But tackle remains a premium position that almost no team effectively replaces when it loses a high-end player. The Colts have felt that when they've had to try Blake Freeland and others at this spot. It's a world that's possible given his injury history now that he's 29. But it's one they simply can't deal with if they want to get Anthony Richardson developing to the type of consistent passer that can take the franchise to a level it hasn't been recently, such as reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Smith also holds the keys to allowing the Colts to separate as one of the best rushing teams in the game with Richardson or Daniel Jones in the backfield with All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor. Smith is who will allow the Colts to live in 11 personnel with Josh Downs in the slot and first-round rookie tight end Tyler Warren becoming the target in the middle of the field that they have been searching for in a tight end. He's taken an unconventional route to this spot but he's one of the players the Colts simply cannot afford to live without.
