Rams sign back-up QB, creating cloud over Stetson Bennett’s future

The Los Angeles Rams have signed a back-up quarterback to Matthew Stafford, creating further questions about Stetson Bennett’s future with the team

The Los Angeles Rams have signed former Las Vegas Raiders starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, per the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Garoppolo is a veteran NFL quarterback that has started 63 games in his 10-year NFL career. Garoppolo projects to be Matthew Stafford’s back-up this fall. Rams head coach Sean McVay is adamant that Stafford will be his starter as long as he is healthy.

Garoppolo’s addition adds further questions to Los Angeles’ future with former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett. Bennett, who was the 128th pick of the 2023 NFL draft, was expected to be the Rams’ back-up quarterback in 2023, but things did not go as planned.

The Rams placed Bennett on the reserve/non-football injury list in September. Rams coach Sean McVay’s most recent update on Bennett does not provide many answers to what Bennett’s future will be with the NFC West team.

“Yeah, I think the first thing is you connect with him, which we’ll do at the appropriate time. You figure out, where are you at and is this something that we feel like is best for him and for our football team to bring him back into this ecosystem?” McVay said. Bennett has been away from Los Angeles since September after making the Rams’ roster following Bennett’s mixed-bag performance in the preseason.

McVay continued, “Those will be conversations that we will have. I think once we have a better idea of what we’ll do with that, then that’ll give clarity.”

Los Angeles’ addition of Jimmy Garoppolo should not come as a shock. McVay had previously noted, “We don’t have a backup quarterback that’s on this roster. We’ll see what that looks like in terms of how that affects Stetson and the draft or free agency.”

Ultimately, Los Angeles chose to address the position in free agency. You can’t rule out the Rams from drafting a young, developmental quarterback as Matthew Stafford is 36 years old. The Rams finished the 2023 regular season with a 10-7 record before falling to the Detroit Lions in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.

Former Georgia Bulldog Leonard Floyd signs with the 49ers

Leonard Floyd is headed back to the West Coast after signing with San Francisco. Details here…

Former Georgia Bulldog Leonard Floyd is headed to back to the West Coast after signing with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday. His new two-year deal is worth $20 million, per NFL Network.

“San Fran!!!!! Im giving you my best yet,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Floyd, 31, spent last season with the Buffalo Bills after three seasons with the L.A. Rams, including a win in Super Bowl LVI. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the No. 9 overall pick in 2016 and spent four seasons in Chicago before his move to the Rams.

Floyd is coming off one of his best NFL seasons, tying a career-best with 10.5 sacks. He started 16 regular season games and served as one of the leaders of the defensive line group in Buffalo.

Floyd played four years at Georgia from 2012-2015. He is currently the Bulldogs’ eighth all-time sack leader (22.5). The Eastman, Ga., native earned second-team All-SEC honors as a senior in 2015.

Floyd will join former Bulldogs Chris Conley and Robert Beal Jr.  in San Francisco. Former Georgia tight end Charlie Woerner, who spent the last three seasons with the 49ers, signed with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday.

Atlanta Falcons to sign former Georgia Bulldogs TE

The Atlanta Falcons have signed a former Georgia Bulldogs standout to pair with star tight end Kyle Pitts

The Atlanta Falcons have signed former Georgia Bulldogs tight end Charlie Woerner to a three-year, $12 million contract. Woerner is primarily a blocking tight end. He most recently helped the San Francisco 49ers win the NFC championship and make the Super Bowl.

Woerner’s signing was hardly the Falcons’ biggest splash of the day. Atlanta signed former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins to a massive four-year contract. Cousins should help improve the Atlanta offense and will get players such as Charlie Woerner more involved.

Woerner will serve as Atlanta’s top blocking tight end, while Kyle Pitts will remain the Falcons’ No. 1 receiving tight end option. The 49ers drafted Woerner in the sixth-round of the 2020 NFL draft.

It is nice to see another Georgia Bulldog come home to play for the Atlanta Falcons. Woerner has carved out a nice role for himself in the NFL despite putting up just three receptions for 32 yards in 2023. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end is a product of Rabun County High School. Woerner’s signing can’t become official until March 13.

D’Andre Swift to sign massive three-year deal with the Chicago Bears

Former Georgia Bulldogs, Philadelphia Eagles running back D’Andre Swift plans to sign a three-year deal with the Chicago Bears

Former Georgia Bulldogs running back D’Andre Swift plans to sign a three-year, $24 million deal with the Chicago Bears when free agents are officially allowed to sign on March 13. Swift’s deal includes $15.3 million guaranteed. Swift, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles last season, accumulated a career-high 1,049 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

D’Andre Swift is a big addition for the Chicago Bears. Swift is an elusive runner and solid pass catcher that has averaged 353 receiving yards per year in his four season NFL career. The Detroit Lions originally drafted Swift in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. Swift played the first three seasons of his NFL career with Detroit before the Lions traded him to the Eagles.

The 5-foot-9, 215-pound running back will play against the Lions twice per season in the NFC North. Swift, who is only 25 years old, is likely to be paired with the presumed No. 1 pick of the NFL draft in USC quarterback Caleb Williams. The Bears should be a fun offense to watch in 2024.

Ranking UGA players set to become NFL free agents by 2023 earnings

Ranking the 13 Georgia Bulldogs in the NFL that are scheduled to become free agents by their earnings from last season

Georgia Bulldogs made an impact in the NFL from start to finish. The NFL season ended with wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. scoring a game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl 58. Now, Hardman Jr. and 12 other former Georgia Bulldogs are scheduled to become NFL free agents.

NFL free agency begins on March 11. Players can begin officially signing with NFL teams on March 13. Hardman Jr., D’Andre Swift, and Leonard Floyd highlight a lengthy list of Dawgs in the NFL that are scheduled to become free agents.

One of Kirby Smart and Georgia’s top recruiting pitches is the success of former Bulldogs in the NFL.

What Georgia Bulldogs are scheduled to become NFL free agents? We rank all 13 former Bulldogs slated to become free agents based on much they earned in 2023 (earnings data is per Spotrac).

Pair of Georgia Bulldogs ranked among the best NFL free agents

Two Georgia Bulldogs are expected to be among the best players available when NFL free agency begins on March 11

Former Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker Leonard Floyd ranks as the No. 70 NFL free agent available. Floyd, who spent this past season with the Buffalo Bills, is primarily a pass rush specialist. He is productive and is a good player to have when trying to hunt down mobile quarterbacks.

“It was mystifying that it took most of last offseason for Floyd to land a job, and then he finished the 2023 campaign with 10.5 sacks as a rotational player. Same as he ever was,” said NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal.

Former Philadelphia Eagles running back D’Andre Swift, a former Georgia standout, is considered the No. 72 NFL free agent on the market. Swift accumulated 1,049 rushing yards and five touchdowns last season. This is a deep free agent class at the running back position, but Swift can still be a major contributor for any NFL team.

“Swift showed with the Eagles in 2023 to be a tougher power runner with more durability than he ever was in Detroit,” said Rosenthal.

Swift and Floyd are among the 13 Georgia Bulldogs that are scheduled to become free agents. NFL free agency starts on March 11. Players can begin officially signing with NFL teams on March 13.

Rams coach Sean McVay provides further update on Stetson Bennett

Sean McVay provides update on former Georgia football quarterback Stetson Bennett and if the Rams have been in contact with him

Former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett continues to have a murky future with the Los Angeles Rams. Rams head coach Sean McVay recently provided another update on Stetson Bennett, who was the 128th pick of the 2023 NFL draft.

The Rams placed Bennett on the reserve/non-football injury list in September, and McVay has been careful to not say much about Bennett’s status since. In fact, McVay’s most recent update on Feb. 22 makes it clear that the Rams have not had much contact with Bennett.

“Yeah, I think the first thing is you connect with him, which we’ll do at the appropriate time. You figure out, where are you at and is this something that we feel like is best for him and for our football team to bring him back into this ecosystem?” McVay said. Bennett has been away from the Rams since September after making the Rams’ roster following Bennett’s mixed-bag performance in the preseason.

McVay continued, “Those will be conversations that we will have. I think once we have a better idea of what we’ll do with that, then that’ll give clarity. You do make sure that you know, right now, we got Matthew Stafford and really in our minds, we don’t have a backup quarterback that’s on this roster. We’ll see what that looks like in terms of how that affects Stetson and the draft or free agency.”

Earlier this offseason, McVay confirmed that Matthew Stafford would be the Rams’ starting starting quarterback in 2024.

The Rams, who finished the 2023 regular season with a 10-7 record, fell to the Detroit Lions in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs in Matthew Stafford’s return to Detroit.

Bennett won back-to-back national championships to end his fairy tale college football career. However, his NFL career has had a rough start after he missed much of his rookie season.

NFL veteran Carson Wentz served as Los Angeles’ backup quarterback behind Matthew Stafford to finish the season in 2023. Wentz is not under contract for the 2024 season, so the Rams are still looking for a player to be their second-string quarterback next season. It is unclear if Los Angeles is considering Bennett as an option at backup quarterback.

Pair of former Georgia Bulldogs win another Super Bowl

Mecole Hardman, Malik Herring win their third Super Bowl with the Chiefs

The 2024 Super Bowl title went to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, securing their second consecutive Lombardi Trophy with a 25-22 overtime win against the San Francisco 49ers.

Former Georgia wide receiver Mecole Hardman played a crucial role in the game’s final play. Patrick Mahomes, the game’s MVP, connected with Hardman for a 3-yard pass, resulting in a touchdown that sealed their victory in overtime. This marked Hardman’s third Super Bowl win in five seasons, and it was a well-deserved moment for him after some inconsistent performances in the playoffs.

Hardman finished the game with three catches for 57 yards, the second highest on the team, and the game-winning touchdown. Hardman is set to become a free agent in the upcoming offseason.

Another former Bulldog, Malik Herring, who was a defensive lineman at UGA, also celebrated his third Super Bowl win as a member of the Chiefs. Herring finished the game with one tackle.

On the flip side, Chris Conley, Charlie Woerner, and Robert Beal Jr., all former Bulldogs, narrowly missed out on claiming the Lombardi Trophy. Conley finished the game with one catch for 18 yards and made several impact plays on special teams, including two tackles. Woerner also made a tackle on special teams.

Georgia has had a Bulldog in the Super Bowl for 23 consecutive years.

Social media reacts to Mecole Hardman’s game-winning Super Bowl TD

Social media reacts to former Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Mecole Hardman scoring the game-winning Super Bowl touchdown

Former Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Mecole Hardman scored a game-winning touchdown reception to end Super Bowl 58. Hardman’s touchdown clinched the Kansas City Chiefs’ 25-22 Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers. The Chiefs are the first team in 20 years to win back-to-back Super Bowls.

Mecole Hardman scored a three-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes to end overtime. Hardman finished the Super Bowl with three receptions for 57 yards and a clutch touchdown.

Mecole Hardman has now won three Super Bowls in his NFL career, all with the Kansas City Chiefs. Mecole Hardman went in motion on the game’s final play and generated a bunch of separation to make it an easy throw for Patrick Mahomes.

Social media was hyped after Mecole Hardman’s epic touchdown catch helped the Kansas City Chiefs win the second overtime game in Super Bowl history!

Two Georgia Bulldogs named among best players in Super Bowl history

Former Georgia Bulldog Hines Ward snubbed from the list of greatest Super Bowl players of all-time

Former Georgia Bulldogs running back Terrell Davis and defensive back Jake Scott are ranked among the best all-time players in Super Bowl history. Nate Davis of USA TODAY writes that Davis is the No. 9 player in Super Bowl history.

In what was arguably the greatest Super Bowl effort by a tailback, he ran for 157 yards and a record-tying three TDs – while combating a migraine – on his way to Super Bowl 32 MVP honors as the Denver Broncos won their first title.

The former Georgia star played with the Bulldogs from 1992-1994. Terrell Davis won two Super Bowls. He followed up his outstanding performance in Super Bowl 32 with another gem in Super Bowl 33.

Davis added 102 rushing yards and 50 more receiving when Denver repeated the next year.

Terrell Davis is the second-ranked running back on the list behind Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith.

Former Miami Dolphins star defensive back Jake Scott was named as the No. 30 all-time player in Super Bowl history. Scott won a pair of Super Bowls. He was named MVP of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who are the only undefeated team to ever win the Super Bowl.

His pair of interceptions, including the game-clincher, put a bow on the Dolphins’ perfect season and brought him Super Bowl 7’s MVP. Scott got another ring the following year, recovering a pair of Minnesota Vikings fumbles. He also handled kickoff and punt returns for Miami.

Scott finished his NFL career with 49 career interceptions.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward should be on the list of the greatest Super Bowl performers. Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY

The list snubs former Georgia Bulldogs Hines Ward, who was named as the MVP of Super Bowl 40. Ward played in three Super Bowls in his career, winning two. The former Pittsburgh Steelers legend racked up 14 catches for 244 total yards and two touchdowns in his three career Super Bowl games. Ward is part of Georgia’s current 23-year streak of having at least one former Bulldog in the Super Bowl.