
Rams ‘are not to be taken lightly' in 2025
Mike Florio and Chris Simms shed light on how Jared Verse elevates the Rams and map out why the Rams are in their Super Bowl window, as well as why the 49ers could be a pain point for them.

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Newsweek
17 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Key Details Revealed on Philadelphia Eagles' Recent Signing
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Philadelphia Eagles' front office had to take care of some business on Wednesday afternoon. As the team wrapped up its one session of mandatory minicamp this week, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman made sure the team agreed to terms with its first-round pick, Jihaad Campbell. Once Campbell inked his deal officially, the Eagles took to social media to reveal it's a done deal. The official press release revealed it's a four-year contract, which will include a fifth-year team option. Shortly after the deal was done, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported a key detail regarding the financials of the deal. Campbell will earn a guarantee of $14,903,574 in the deal. The #Eagles agreed to terms with No. 31 overall pick Jihaad Campbell on his four-year, $14,903,574 fully guaranteed deal with a fifth-year option. Only four of 32 first-round picks are unsigned as minicamps wrap up. — Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 11, 2025 Now that Campbell has officially signed with the Eagles, that leaves four players from the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft class unsigned at this stage of the offseason, per Pelissero. Campbell just wrapped up a three-year run at Alabama. In 2022, he appeared in nine games as a freshman. Campbell accounted for just one tackle throughout the year. By year two, Campbell appeared in 13 games as a sophomore. He picked up 66 tackles, three pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and half a sack. General manager Howie Roseman of the Philadelphia Eagles waves before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on December 29, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania General manager Howie Roseman of the Philadelphia Eagles waves before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on December 29, 2024 in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaBy Campbell's junior year, the 'Bama linebacker boosted his stock with a 54-tackle season. 12 of his tackles were for a loss, and he added five sacks to his NCAA resume. Campbell also had an interception, two pass deflections, and a fumble recovery during his junior effort as well. The Eagles made a move to land Campbell on draft night, but they didn't have to go far. Sitting at the end of the first round, Howie Roseman saw Campbell as the best player on the board when the Eagles' Super Bowl foe went on the clock. The Eagles decided to form a swap with the Kansas City Chiefs so they could move up and call on Campbell. It was an unexpected move for Roseman, who doesn't typically aim high for linebackers in the draft. However, the Eagles have prioritized the position more lately. We've signed LB Jihaad Campbell. — Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) June 11, 2025 After a standout season from Zack Baun, who was on the Eagles with a one-year deal, the Eagles invested a hefty sum into Baun with a multi-year contract. Now, they'll look to develop a high-end linebacker in Campbell, who hails from Erial, New Jersey. With Campbell joining the linebacker room, he joins a linebacker unit that includes Baun, Nakobe Dean, Azeez Ojulari, Jeremiah Trotter Jr, Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, and more.


San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp enjoying settling in with new team
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — When it comes to food recommendations in the Seattle area, new Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp is open to suggestions. Just not from fellow newcomer and quarterback Sam Darnold. The veteran quarterback invited Kupp to get dinner with him earlier this offseason, and some of the suggestions caught the 31-year-old wide receiver off guard when recalling the night after the first of two minicamp practices at Virginia Mason Athletic Center, which concluded Wednesday. 'The way he came off was he wanted to go get some fries and chicken strips,' Kupp said on Tuesday. 'Look, I have a 6-year-old. I can bring you his food. I can bring that, and I'll go eat something good. It ended up being fine. He ventured out and was, like, OK. He was at least willing to try some stuff. I may have misread him. We'll see. Time will tell.' Time will also tell how well Kupp fits in with a new franchise after spending each of the past eight seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and signing a three-year, $45 million contract with the Seahawks in March. In some ways it's a homecoming for Kupp, who grew up watching the Seahawks, is from Yakima, Washington and played at Eastern Washington. He still has plenty to acclimate to, though, after all that time with an NFC West rival. Kupp referred to joining a new team as 'exciting.' 'It's been a long time since I learned a new offense, a long time since I sat in a meeting and had to put a face on the board and what's this guy's name?' Kupp said. 'That's a stressful situation. That's a high-stress situation. It's good, though. I'm excited about what we're doing, and it is fun.' He's eager to work with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, whose system has some similarities to what is run by the Rams and their coach, Sean McVay, as well as San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and his scheme. Kubiak was the 49ers passing game coordinator in 2023 when Darnold was also with the team. 'There's going to be the nuances here and there, things like that, but a lot of similar stuff, a lot of similar ideas in how you're attacking a defense,'' Kupp said. 'I believe in this offense and what it takes to make it successful and the detail that's involved with it. … There's definitely some stuff that accentuates the things that I've done in the past.'' All Kupp has done in the past is produce — and more recently, struggle a bit to stay on the field. Each of the past three seasons, Kupp has failed to play in more than 12 games, which in part led the Rams to let the Super Bowl 56 MVP leave in free agency. Kupp said that he felt good physically, and he looked the part each day of minicamp when running routes. He faces quite the task in adding to a receiver room that is paced by third-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is fresh off his first 1,000-yard season. Veteran receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling is also on the team, and he spent half of last season playing under Kubiak when the latter was the New Orleans Saints' offensive coordinator. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has been impressed by both wideouts' approaches to learning Seattle's offense. 'They're attacking every day, man,' Macdonald said. 'Just trying to master the playbook, all the formations, all the route steps, all the timing. If you have that spirit about you every day, I mean, it's contagious, one, with the rest of the room, with the rest of the offense, the whole team. It makes it fun to go to work and enjoy the process. But, of course, that's going to expedite your growth when you have guys like that.' Still, Kupp recognizes he has much learning to do between now and when the Seahawks open their season on Sept. 7 against the 49ers. It's in part why he's already spent a bunch of time in Macdonald's office picking his brain. Kupp has enjoyed settling in with a new team and that the internal belief is what has resonated with him most. 'For any of this stuff to work, for all the goals and all the things we want to set out to achieve, it's the understanding that we're going to ultimately achieve it together,' Kupp said. 'It's going to be playing for each other. … Man, what can I do to be better for the guy next to me? This is a place that guys embody that, and they believe it. I think that makes it a fun place to come into, a fun place to come work.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Cowboys cap strategy must evolve to keep contending
Cowboys cap strategy must evolve to keep contending originally appeared on Athlon Sports. If you're serious about contending, it's time to start keeping up with the Joneses, so to speak. As highlighted by Blogging The Boys, Jerry Jones' Dallas Cowboys are drastically behind the league's elite in both total void-year spending and the number of high-salary players on their roster. The Eagles lead the NFL with a staggering $452 million in void-year allocations — a strategy that has allowed them to maintain one of the deepest rosters in football. Advertisement In contrast, the Cowboys rank 16th with just $44 million in future void years, most of it tied up in Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Philadelphia also has 10 players making at least $10 million annually, while Dallas has just five. The difference isn't necessarily about being "cheap''; it's about refusing to use every tool (or loophole) available to win now. The best teams in the league have figured it out. The salary cap isn't a hard ceiling; it's a strategy game. You can manipulate the cap through void years, restructures, and deferred money ... all with the understanding that the NFL dollar is ever inflating. The cap is fake today and real tomorrow ... but is not a team-building restriction. Advertisement Rather, it is simple accounting. And it's something we've been saying for years. The Cowboys have slowly shown signs of a 'changing of the guard' in how they approach cap management, but complacency or old-fashioned thinking or maybe frugality still looms to a degree. In a family-run front office, there's no pressure from ownership to push harder. ... because of course here, "the front office'' and "ownership'' are one in the same. That's exactly why fans must keep applying it. (For whatever good that does.) Micah Parsons, Tyler Smith, DaRon Bland, and George Pickens are next in line and the Cowboys could quickly shrink the "talent gap" in the NFC with those specific extensions. Advertisement Get ahead of the ever-increasing positional market that also parallels with the ever-ballooning cap. Push some money into future void years and trust the cap growth. Do it now. For years, the Cowboys have leaned on in-house superstar retention, cheap labor and compensatory picks as the foundation of their roster-building philosophy. And to a degree, it's worked — they draft well, they find value, and they stay under budget. But there's a ceiling to that approach. ... as exhibited by the fact that they win regular-season games ... and nothing more. You can't build a Super Bowl roster on rookie deals alone. At some point, you have to pay to keep your homegrown stars and you have to supplement that core with proven, high-priced talent. Advertisement Comp picks are nice — but banners aren't raised for mastering the comp pick formula. They're raised for winning in January and February. And that requires financial aggression, not financial caution. The league is evolving — and if the Cowboys truly want to stop spinning their wheels, they need to spend like contenders and exploit every modern cap tool available. Related: Cowboys Get Major News On New Cap Announcement Related: Cowboys George Pickens Must Move To 'Mojo' From 'Misfit' This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.