LOS ANGELES — Ask Mike McDaniel where his head is, and you'll get a philosophical answer.

Ask him where his feet are, and you'll get the same.

"That's a huge compass for me, or a guiding measurement — being where my feet are," said McDaniel, Yale-educated offensive coordinator of the Chargers.

To him, that means living in the present. Not...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Before the Eagles won two Super Bowls, before they established themselves as a franchise that expects and is expected to compete for a championship every year, before they built the defense they have now — a defense that might be the best in the NFL this season — there was a moment that scarred everyone who cheered for or ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — When their careers end, quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Davante Adams are probably headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Defensive tackle Aaron Donald and defensive end Myles Garrett are locks.

That is the top end of a Rams roster that also boasts All-Pro receiver Puka Nacua, All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, Pro ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Remember how the Ravens’ 2025 season ended? No, not the kick.

What stands out most is that then-42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed 31 of 47 passes for 294 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown strike to Calvin Austin III with 55 seconds left to give the Steelers the lead in a 26-24 win that sealed the AFC North title...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Blockbuster trades and high-profile free-agent signings have been Rams trademarks during the Sean McVay era, but success also has been built on more subtle transactions.

After the Seattle Seahawks exposed the secondary — and especially cornerbacks — in the Rams' NFC championship game defeat last season, McVay and Rams ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — So much for the deadline. Baker Mayfield has a new deal.

The Buccaneers quarterback, who had refused to negotiate a contract extension after reporting to training camp, reached an agreement on a three-year deal with the team Tuesday.

Bucs general manager Jason Licht and assistant general manager Mike Greenberg reached out to ...Read more

The last player on your fantasy bench should never get comfortable.

He should know that every Tuesday morning you’re checking snap rates, goal-line carries, route participation and target shares for somebody younger, faster or simply more gainfully employed.

Too many fantasy managers treat the roster they drafted like a legally binding ...Read more

GREG COTE’S NFL WEEK 1 WEDNESDAY PICK

The NFL’s 107th season is the 36th year for our picks in the Miami Herald and the 21st season King Sport has kicked off early prime time — this year, for only the second time ever, on a Wednesday. (The other was in 2012 when the schedule moved up a day to avoid conflict with Barack Obama’s ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald will not travel with the team to Melbourne, Australia, to play in their season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, coach Sean McVay said Tuesday.

Donald, who rejoined the Rams last month after a two-year retirement, wouldn’t confirm if he was planning to play in the season opener when ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Rams offensive lineman Kevin Dotson made the trip last spring. So did running back Kyren Williams, receiver Xavier Smith and defensive lineman Tyler Davis.

The four players traveled from Los Angeles to Australia as goodwill ambassadors.

But also as test cases.

First Dotson and Williams, and later Smith and Davis, endured the ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Kirk Cousins has great respect for Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak and offensive line coach Rick Dennison and all who put the time in to scheme things for those behemoths up front.

It all starts, according to the quarterback Cousins, with fundamentals and how they’re taught.

“Just the way the (offensive line) goes about ...Read more

DENVER — T.J. Ward would run through Jeremy Maclin again for Carrie and Greg. Happily. Sore knees and all.

“You guys are really lucky to play for the Penners,” the former Broncos safety, enforcer for the Super Bowl 50 champions, told me recently. “You know your owners are personable when they come up (and say), ‘Here’s my email. If ...Read more

If you were building a power ranking of the NFC right now, the San Francisco 49ers look like a podium team.

You can make an argument they’re the third-best team in the conference — a serious contender.

The problem? They’d be ranked third in their own division.

Yes, they’re currently staring up at the defending champion Seattle ...Read more

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The start of a new era is always exciting, even if expectations are low, which is the case for the 2026 Miami Dolphins as they head into Sunday’s season opener at Las Vegas.

The start of a new era, in this case the Dolphins era of coach Jeff Hafley, is reminiscent of the start of other eras or seasons for a variety of ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The season will begin 7,921 miles from home, and end in their own backyard.

They will be untouched through it all.

The Rams upcoming 22-week journey will take them far and wide, from Melbourne, Australia to Washington, D.C. and back to SoFi, a circuitous and challenging journey with but one consistent stop.

The win column.

...Read more

NEW YORK — The Giants signed backup quarterback Jameis Winston to a contract extension on Monday because he can play.

He’s a starting-level NFL quarterback who is accepting a backup role in New York but who carries himself like a veteran starter who expects to play and to thrive when he does.

Sure, Winston, 32, is a popular teammate in the...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Rams will depart for Australia on Tuesday night for their season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.

Will star defensive lineman Aaron Donald be with them?

"Feeling good, feeling really good," Donald said Monday. "Come up with a game plan and see."

But could he say for certain he will make the trip?

"I'm feeling ...Read more

MELBOURNE, Australia — Christian McCaffrey has come around to all this.

Back in February, just before the NFL officially announced the San Francisco 49ers would open this season here against the Los Angeles Rams, McCaffrey frowned on such a historically long trip.

“Australia is pretty far,” McCaffrey told the Bay Area News Group on Feb. ...Read more

NEW YORK — Once a Giant, no longer a Giant.

Wide receiver Darius Slayton, the club’s longest-tenured player, was abruptly released Monday evening, only hours after the team returned from the holiday weekend to begin its Week 1 prep for the Dallas Cowboys.

“Grateful for my time in NY,” Slayton posted on X. “7 years a Giant nothing but...Read more

MIAMI — Imagine being told you will have to relocate to a new work site, in a new environment, learning how to exist with new coworkers and new management to keep your chosen profession.

That’s what life is like for NFL players who were plucked off the waiver wire last week, or those who have signed with a new team last week after not ...Read more