Packers $67 million superstar named to first career Pro Bowl

The Green Bay Packers had three players selected for the Pro Bowl this season. Among them was one of their big free-agent acquisitions from this offseason.

The Packers signed Xavier McKinney this offseason to a four-year, $67 million deal. He has been nothing short of spectacular in his first season with the Packers. He has the second-most interceptions in the league with seven. He trails only Kerby Joseph.

McKinney has never been in the Pro Bowl before. He joins Rashan Gary and Josh Jacobs as the only Packers to be selected this year. Unlike Gary and Jacobs, McKinney is a starter in this year’s Pro Bowl.

McKinney, Jacobs and Gary might not be the only Packers participating this year. Elgton Jenkins, Jordan Love, Kenny Clark, Keisean Nixon, Tucker Kraft, Josh Myers and Jaire Alexander were all named as alternates. Jenkins was named a first alternate according to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.

Surely the Packers would like to be playing in the Super Bowl and have no players participating in the Pro Bowl. They will be going into the playoffs as either the No. 6 seed or No. 7 seed. They could face either the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Los Angeles Rams. The Packers have not played the Buccaneers this season, but McKinney has interceptions against the Rams and Eagles this year.

McKinney will be a big part of any success the Packers’ defense finds in the playoffs. However, before that, they will have to take on the Chicago Bears in week 18.

Jets add two Washington Top 50 draft busts as potential reclamation projects

Mathis, a 2022 second-round pick (No. 47 overall), was slowed by injury from the get-go. The Alabama product tore his meniscus during his rookie debut and landed back on Injured Reserve in 2023 due to a calf issue.

The 26-year-old Mathis made 12 appearances for Washington in 2024, averaging 21.4 defensive snaps per outing before apparently falling out of favor. The Commanders made the defensive tackle a healthy scratch three weeks in a row before waiving him on December 28. Over 23 career appearances, he has logged 25 tackles and one quarterback hit.

Mathis plays at a position of need for the Jets. Outside of Quinnen Williams, no player truly made his presence felt on the interior this season. Javon Kinlaw seems to be a failed one-year experiment. Solomon Thomas will be a free agent in the offseason. Leki Fotu barely saw the field after signing a one-year contract.

The Commanders drafted Davis with the No. 19 overall selection in 2021. The linebacker made 32 out of a possible 34 appearances over his first two seasons as a pro. In 2024, Davis saw only 86 defensive snaps over five games before receiving his release.

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Davis subsequently signed to the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad but was claimed by the Minnesota Vikings one week later. He made four appearances for the Vikings prior to being waived.

The Jets will likely have a void to fill at linebacker this offseason. Jamien Sherwood is set to be a free agent and veteran CJ Mosley’s career could be in jeopardy due to injuries.

New York made room for Mathis and Davis on the 53-man roster by placing safety Chuck Clark and kicker Greg Zuerlein on Injured Reserve.

Letting Saquon Barkley chase NFL’s rushing record is a risk the Eagles cannot afford to take

It was enough for the day. It was enough for the season.

By crossing the 2,000-yard mark, Barkley joined just eight players in the sport’s history, including legends Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis and Eric Dickerson. The first NFL rushing title was earned in 1932, and in 92 years only nine guys have achieved this. There are now more than 7,000 who’ve reached the summit of Mount Everest, and in even less time. That should tell you plenty about the ground Barkley is occupying now.

Of those who’ve passed the 2,000 mark, Dickerson went farthest: 2,105 yards for the Rams in the 1984 season. With one more game remaining, Barkley could grab that record – even with a below-average performance.

It won’t happen, with coach Nick Sirianni initially vacillating but ultimately confirming Barkley would rest during what is, for the Eagles, an entirely meaningless game. They are locked into the NFC’s No. 2 seed, which means there will be a playoff game in Philadelphia the weekend of Jan. 12. It would be malpractice for the coach to send Barkley out to chase a record that, to be honest, would be somewhat hollow.

NFL insider names possible landing spot for Lions OC Ben Johnson and it isn’t the Bears

The Detroit Lions offense has arguably been the most dynamic unit in the NFL this season, as the group leads the league in points per game with 33.3 and is also second in yards per game with 410.5 through 17 weeks. Though players such as quarterback Jared Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, and wide receiver Amon-Ra St.Brown are the engines of the offense, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is the mastermind behind the operation.

Johnson took over as Detroit’s offensive coordinator in 2022, and in just three seasons, the South Carolina native has established himself as one of the best coordinators in the NFL and a premier head coaching candidate.

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Johnson will have a highly competitive head coaching market this offseason, but the Chicago Bears have been the most heavily linked team to the Lions’ offensive coordinator since Chicago fired Matt Eberflus as head coach on Nov.29. The Bears boast an exciting young quarterback in Caleb Williams and have a ton of offensive potential, something Johnson could be interested in.

Though the Bears have been named the presumed favorite to land Johnson’s services as head coach this offseason, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes the Jacksonville Jaguars could also be a landing spot for Ben Johnson if the team fires Doug Pederson at the end of the year.

Also, the Bears haven’t had sustained offensive success since the Truman administration. Even at its most attractive, the Bears job isn’t typically one that offensive masterminds point to and say, “We will score 40 points per game there.” And that division is a beast, as the Bears’ three NFC North opponents have a combined 39-9 record this season. So perhaps Jacksonville — with a weak division, a roster with some talent, no state income tax, small-market scrutiny and great weather — is the best option.

The Jaguars’ divisional opponents are currently 19-29, a far cry from what Johnson would face in the NFC North. So more people around the league than you’d think have Jacksonville No. 1. Now, much of that hinges on how you feel about quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who has underperformed. But perhaps a new system will maximize him. And there might be a new general manager in place whom the head coach can influence.

Though Jacksonville has had a rocky 2024 season, the roster isn’t awful, and the team has been plagued by injuries this year. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has had an up-and-down start to his career, but the former Clemson standout still has a ton of talent. Rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. is electric, as the 2024 No.23 overall pick has posted 1,179 receiving yards and ten touchdowns this year. The defense is also stacked with talents such as edge rushers Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, as well as cornerback Tyson Campbell.

As Fowler stated, the Jaguars also play in a weak AFC South division and are dubbed an attractive job by many around the league.

Johnson will have a ton of options to choose from this offseason, including potentially staying with the Lions for another season, but the 38-year-old should seriously consider taking the Jaguars head coaching job if it is available. Jacksonville has underwhelmed over the last two years, but the roster is filled with some exciting talent, and Johnson could be the head coach that revitalizes the franchise.

49ers’ $170 million star turns heads with Lions comments

The offseason is going to be here soon and it’s going to be a long one. There will be plenty of rumors about the 49ers as they attempt to get the team back on track for 2025 and beyond.

One player who will be worth watching is star EDGE Nick Bosa. He signed a five-year, $170 million deal and has two more years on his deal before a potential out in the contract.

While this is the case, there will be rumors and speculation about pretty much every player on the roster as the team is getting more expensive and they won’t be able to keep everyone.

It would be a shock to see him playing elsewhere in 2025, but anything could happen. His comments about the Detroit Lions got some people wondering if he could be open to a move there at some point.

“I don’t think they are that different,” Bosa said. “They’ve had a ton of injuries on defense which hurts them but the mentality of the head coach you could see it through everybody. It’s really a cool team. I could just see from afar that it’s probably a fun team to play for and they come out and play to win every game and I respect that.”

It would be an absolute shock if the 49ers even considered a deal involving Bosa. They definitely shouldn’t at the very least. We have a long few months ahead of us.

Is there a ‘Thursday Night Football’ game tonight? Full NFL schedule, TV channels for Week 18

And in the AFC, three teams — the Bengals, Broncos and Dolphins — are still alive in the battle for the conference’s final wild card spot.

Here is everything that you need to know about the NFL’s Week 18 schedule, including the plan for “Thursday Night Football.”

Is there a ‘Thursday Night Football’ game tonight?
There is no “Thursday Night Football” game in Week 18 of the NFL regular season. Last week’s contest between the Bears and Seahawks concluded Amazon Prime’s slate of “Thursday Night Football” for the 2024 season.

In place of “Thursday Night Football,” the NFL will have two games on Saturday. The Ravens will host the Browns, and the Steelers will host the Bengals.