Tag: Adam Schefter

Adam Schefter says that, barring setback, Saints will hire Kellen Moore

Adam Schefter says that, barring a setback, the New Orleans Saints will hire Kellen Moore: ‘A chance to probably triple his salary, become a head coach, one of 32’

The New Orleans Saints head coach search has entered a state of limbo. They don’t have a new coach under contract, but they clearly have a top target. They can’t talk to him, but Kellen Moore and the Philadelphia Eagles will be practicing at their Metairie facility this week. They aren’t allowed to speak with Moore until after Super Bowl LIX, which will be played at the Caesars Superdome. And they’ve told other coach candidates they won’t be making a decision until after the Super Bowl. Conveniently, that’s when Moore will be cleared to contact the team.

It’s kind of an awkward place to be in. All signs point to Moore becoming the Saints’ next head coach, but we aren’t across the finish line yet. ESPN’s Adam Schefter spoke about the situation during a Monday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

“Of course, barring a setback, he’s going to be the guy. Could there be a setback? Sure. There often are setbacks,” Schefter said, pointing to examples like Josh McDaniels leaving the Indianapolis Colts at the alter and Bill Belichick not coaching the New York Jets. It was a different scenario but Liam Coen flipping back to the Jacksonville Jaguars, leaving an offer on the table with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is a more recent example.

Schefter added that general manager Mickey Loomis has taken steps (and will continue to take steps) to do “everything in his power, when it comes to this coaching hire, to follow the rules and go by the book and not talk to Kellen Moore until after the Super Bowl. Could it break down and they not reach an agreement? Sure. Its that likely? No. Kellen Moore is gonna have a chance to probably triple his salary, become a head coach, one of 32.”

Why can’t the Saints contact Moore? That would be considered tampering, a penalty which would include a loss of draft picks. Schefter added, “What are they waiting for? Why not go hire him right now? But they’re not, and they’re waiting. They’re waiting to talk to Kellen Moore and they’re waiting to make sure they give the Eagles absolutely zero evidence that they’ve tampered with the guy until after the game.”

The Eagles have been here before, and the Saints clearly learned from being on the outside looking in. Philadelphia benefited from tampering charges on the Arizona Cardinals not following NFL protocol to hire Jonathan Gannon (then the Eagles defensive coordinator) as their head coach. That isn’t a situation Loomis is going to put the Saints in, hence the delay.

You just hope a setback doesn’t appear that takes Moore out of the running for the job. He’ll be speaking with the media almost every day leading up to Super Bowl LIX and is certain to face questions about the Saints’ controversial involvement in the New Orleans archdiocese clergy abuse scandal. The next week will be crucial.

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Replay assists could be used for more calls in 2025

Hits on running quarterbacks have been controversial this playoffs. Replay assist may be coming to save the day in 2025

A big controversy during the season, and the playoffs specifically, has been hits to the quarterback when running. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the benefactor of a controversial unnecessary roughness penalty that could lead to a rule change this offseason.

The quarterback is going to be protected by the NFL, and we all know that. The increase of mobile quarterbacks has extended that protection outside of the pocket. While there’s nothing wrong with protecting players, quarterbacks tend to receive a level of protection that is compromising to defenders.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the NFL is considering adding plays involving quarterback slides to the list of plays replay assist can be used with. There are multiple close calls that include late slides and questionable contact points.

Referees are seemingly inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to the quarterback in these situations. Adding replay assist takes any doubt out of it. The Texans versus Chiefs game showed how impactful these calls can be.

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Twitter reacts: Adam Schefter pushes bizarre conspiracy about Chiefs, referees

See what Twitter had to say when Adam Schefter doubled down on a bizarre conspiracy about the NFL’s referees and the Kansas City #Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs have been the target of a prolonged smear campaign on social media sites recently, and the bellyaching among the team’s detractors seems to have reached a fever pitch this weekend.

To hear some fans tell it, the Chiefs are constant beneficiaries of perceived favoritism among the NFL’s referees, who always side with the defending Super Bowl champions—especially when it comes to roughing the passer penalties.

On Saturday, NFL insider Adam Schefter added fuel to the conspiratorial fire by posting a tweet that seemed to take a jab at Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Then, on Sunday morning, Schefter doubled down on the baseless narrative, posting a misleading statistic that—on its face—would lend credence to the perceived difference in officiating.

It is unclear whether Schefter actually believes the bizarre conspiracy, or if he is just trying to drive engagement on his social media channels.

Either way, many notable members of Chiefs Twitter gave their two cents about Schefter’s bogus narrative.

Take a look at what they had to say:

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NFL insider reinforces bogus narrative about Chiefs, referees

NFL insider Adam Schefter seemed to reinforce a bogus narrative about the #Chiefs and the NFL’s referees in a post to Twitter this weekend.

Fans across the country have grown weary of the Kansas City Chiefs’ success in recent seasons, which has led to a bizarre conspiracy theory about NFL referees and reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes.

Some fans say Mahomes consistently receives special treatment from officials who throw flags for roughing the passer every time the Chiefs signal-caller is touched by opposing defenders.

This easily disproven narrative has taken Twitter by storm in recent weeks, and now it seems that NFL insider Adam Schefter is inclined to add fuel to the fire.

In a post to Twitter on Saturday, Schefter—unprompted— reinforced the bogus portrayal of Kansas City’s relationship with referees:

Though Schefter didn’t necessarily promote the idea of collusion between the Chiefs and referees, the wording of his tweet left a foul taste in the mouths of Kansas City’s fans.

Expect the Chiefs to have to deal with more manufactured online outrage, regardless of the outcome of their matchup against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game this evening.

Mike Tomlin has hilarious three-word response to Steelers trade rumors

Mike Tomlin shuts down trade rumors with a simple, hilarious message amid speculation about his future with the Steelers.

For any fans of the Black and Gold who need a little humor after their beloved Pittsburgh Steelers lost five straight to end the 2024 season—and with the team seemingly on the verge of a rebuild—HC Mike Tomlin has you covered.

Ever since insider Adam Schefter discussed the potential of multiple head coach-less NFL teams calling the Pittsburgh Steelers to inquire about Tomlin’s availability and the cost for a trade, these dreaded rumors have been hard to shake—until Coach T addressed the controversy head-on in Tuesday’s press conference.

Reporters asked Tomlin what his potential message would be to any teams looking to acquire his services. At first, the head coach shot it down:

“I have no message.”

However, with one quick shrug of the shoulders, Tomlin practically killed off any trade rumors with this hilarious three-word response to those teams:

“Save your time.”

Tomlin could be alluding to the no-trade clause in his contract, or he could simply understand how unlikely it is that the Pittsburgh Steelers would entertain any of these conversations.

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Adam Schefter with touching tribute after family dog Benny dies

Adam Schefter and his family lost their beloved dog Benny to cancer

Anyone who has had a dog and lost said member of the family knows how difficult it is when the pup goes over the Rainbow Bridge.

Adam Schefter and his family suffered the heartbreaking loss and the ESPN NFL insider posted a stirring, heartbreaking and emotional tribute to their Benny.

People sometimes lose sight of the fact that athletes and the people who cover them that are celebrities in their own right are humans, too.

Losing a family pet is an impossible time. May the Rainbow Bridge poem be of comfort to the Schefters and they should only remember the wonderful memories Benny gave them.

What could Steelers realistically acquire in Mike Tomlin trade?

The Steelers could command significant draft capital in a Mike Tomlin trade, with several past head coach trades setting the framework.

As reported on Sunday, insider Adam Schefter painted an interesting trade scenario involving head coach-needy NFL organizations potentially calling the Pittsburgh Steelers’ front office to inquire about acquiring HC Mike Tomlin.

Fans clamoring for his departure are understandably excited, but to speculate on what a potential trade package might look like, we need to examine the history of previous head coach trades.

In 1970, the Baltimore Colts traded Don Shula to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a first-round draft pick.

In 1997, the New York Jets set a new precedent for head coach trades by sending first-, second-, third-, and fourth-round draft picks to acquire HC Bill Parcells from the New England Patriots.

Several more head coach trades also resulted in first-round draft selections, including those of Bill Belichick, Jon Gruden, and most recently, Sean Payton in 2023.

Tomlin’s perfect record of avoiding losing seasons could demand even more compensation from NFL organizations—but a 2025 first-, second-, and third-round draft pick package is a realistic starting point.

Should the Pittsburgh Steelers trade Tomlin away if the price is right, or if he is unable to get the Steel City their first playoff win since 2017?

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Adam Schefter shares feeling on Jerod Mayo’s future with Patriots

Will Jerod Mayo still be the Patriots’ head coach in 2025?

Jerod Mayo’s future could be up in the air with the New England Patriots organization after the team’s 40-7 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17.

Things got so bad that “fire Mayo” chants could be heard throughout Gillette Stadium during the game.

The Patriots have not won a game since November 10 against the Chicago Bears, and they currently have a 3-13 record on the season. They have one final shot against the Buffalo Bills in Sunday’s season finale to match their win total from last season.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter appeared on the “The Pat McAfee Show” and offered his take on what Mayo’s future could look like in New England.

“I think the Krafts have wanted to give Jerod Mayo every opportunity, and I still think that’s the case. I think they want to stick with Jerod Mayo. This is a guy they believed in, this is a guy they promoted. It’s a guy they stood behind,” said Schefter.

Mayo did speak about his future on Monday morning and indicated he has continued to have “good conversations” with ownership.

“I’m always in constant communication with ownership. I feel like we are still on the same page,” said Mayo, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “…We have good conversations. We have hard conversations. That’s just part of our relationship. Their expectation is that we need to win football games. That’s what we have to do.”

Wins have been hard to come by for the Patriots this season.

They could get back on the winning track against a Bills team expected to rest its starters for some of Sunday’s game.

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ESPN’s Adam Schefter shines some light on the Vikings QB situation

Adam Schefter of ESPN was on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday and discussed Darnold future and his outlook as a free agent. 

The Minnesota Vikings find themselves in a quarterback situation that not many teams do, they have two capable quarterbacks on the roster. The situation they don’t want to be in, though, is Sam Darnold, who is playing, is an MVP candidate. Meanwhile, their rookie, J.J. McCarthy, has had two knee procedures done after they spent a top-ten pick on him.

McCarthy showed in the preseason that he has the ability to be a fun, productive NFL quarterback, but what do they do with Sam Darnold?

Adam Schefter of ESPN was on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday and discussed Darnold future and his outlook as a free agent.

 

The easiest solution to the problem is pointing in the direction of a franchise tag. Sam Darnold gets paid and sticks around for one more year while they don’t rush McCarthy back from his knee rehab. It also gives Darnold a significant raise while also not being tied to him financially in the long term.

Lots of decisions to be made in the coming months within the Vikings front office.

NFL insider: Commanders TE Zach Ertz ‘trending toward playing’ vs. Eagles

Good news for Zach Ertz and the Commanders?

The Washington Commanders could have a big piece of their offense back on Sunday in an NFC East showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported late Saturday that tight end Zach Ertz was “trending toward playing” in the Week 16 contest against the Eagles.

Ertz suffered a concussion in the second quarter of last week’s win over the New Orleans Saints. He immediately checked into the blue medical tent before leaving for the locker room. Washington didn’t take long to rule Ertz out.

The 12-year veteran spent the first eight-and-a-half seasons of his NFL career with Philadelphia. Ertz has started every game this season for the Commanders and is second on the team in receptions (54), receiving yards (526) and receiving touchdowns (4).

The Commanders recently lost two of their top four receivers when running back Austin Ekeler (concussion) and wide receiver Noah Brown (kidney) were placed on injured reserve. If Ertz were to miss Sunday’s game against Philadelphia, quarterback Jayden Daniels would be without three of his top four pass catchers against the NFL’s top defense.