Tag: Irish in NFL

Isaiah Foskey finally signs rookie deal with New Orleans Saints

Go get that money, Isaiah!

It took nearly three months, but former Notre Dame defensive end [autotag]Isaiah Foskey[/autotag] finally has his rookie deal in place. Foskey signed a four-year contract with the New Orleans Saints, who selected him as the 40th overall pick in the second round of this year’s NFL draft. He was last of the Saints’ rookie class to sign, but better late than never. He took to Twitter to celebrate the big bucks he now knows he’ll be making for sure:

The Saints have fallen into mediocrity since Drew Brees retired after the 2020 season, so they’re trying to return to that level of excellence. Foskey will help shore up a defensive line that hasn’t had a lot of young talent develop lately. Irish fans know how good he was at the collegiate level, but how well will his game translate in the NFL? All we know is if anyone with his drive and production came make it, it’s him.

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Former Notre Dame star considering not reporting to NFL camp due to contract

It makes plenty of sense why he would do this

We all believed that former [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] guard [autotag]Zack Martin[/autotag] would have plenty of success in the NFL after his Irish career was over.

That’s exactly what has happened, Martin being named to the Pro Bowl 8-times, being named to the NFL’s 2010’s All-Decade team and being a first-team All-Pro six times as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

With that resume, you’d expect that Martin was one of the highest paid at his position, but that isn’t the case. According to a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Martin is “considering not reporting to training camp due to his unhappiness with his contract and the team’s lack of interest in restructuring it.”

It seems as if the Cowboys have put other players ahead of Martin on their list to either extend or have their contract reworked. Schefter notes that the guard is making about $7 million less than the NFL’s top-paid guards.

It’s an interesting development and one where Martin has every right to ask to be paid more, especially considering the caliber of player he is.

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49ers and pair of Golden Domers advance to NFC divisional round

Congrats to Banks and McGlinchey for advancing!

After a back-and-forth first half that saw the Seahawks take a 17-16 advantage to break, the 49ers dominated both sides of the ball after halftime Saturday to head to the NFC divisional playoffs next week.  As always, San Francisco’s offensive line was a major factor, allowing Christian McCaffrey to run for 119 yards, including a 68-yard scoring gallop.

Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who Notre Dame squared off against in the 2019 Camping World Bowl, threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns in the win.  That included a second half touchdown pass to Debo Samuel that went for 74 yards and effectively ended the game.

With the win, the 49ers now head to the divisional round for the third time in the last four seasons.  It’s a remarkable feat for a team that nobody considers to have anywhere near an elite quarterback.

The win also means that former Notre Dame offensive linemen Mike McGlinchey and Aaron Banks are headed to the divisional round as well.

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Be sure to check out 49ers Wire for more!

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Super Bowl winning head coach praises former Notre Dame RB Williams and Rees

High praise indeed

As a recruit, one of the biggest selling points a program can make is getting their players to the next level. Not only is it great to show prospects that the opportunity is there, having them prepared to contribute early is yet another big time selling point.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay just gave head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag], offensive coordinator [autotag]Tommy Rees[/autotag] and Notre Dame another point to hammer home with recruits. When asked about former Irish star running back [autotag]Kyren Williams[/autotag], McVay was glowing about his preparation to help last years Super Bowl winning team, listen for yourself.

The most telling aspect was when McVay mentioned Rees, saying “you could see a lot of the things that Tommy Rees and those guys at Notre Dame were asking of him is very translatable to the NFL.” High praise indeed for Williams, Rees and the Irish.

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Every Notre Dame player currently on an NFL training camp roster

Lots of former Irish talent in the NFL

Part of being an alumnus of a supremely successful collegiate football is seeing them getting an opportunity at the next level. For Notre Dame, the list of former players getting their shot in the NFL is large, very large. Find out below every former Irish star (in alphabetical order) and which NFL team they are with in training camp.

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Former Notre Dame LB Owusu-Koramoah grew up rooting for which team?

Who did you grow up rooting for?

When choosing your favorite teams, there’s usually a lot of factors that go into the decision, who your family roots for, location and any affiliation to the team at all. We’ll it came out today that former Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah got drafted by his favorite NFL team, the Cleveland Browns.

It’s interesting that JOK likes the Browns for their colors, as a guy who’s originally from Virginia, you wouldn’t expect the second-round pick to root for a seemingly random Midwest team.

Luckily, the past four years, Owusu-Koramoah has gotten accustomed to the weather and Midwest lifestyle. The Browns got an absolute steal in the second round, many of us, myself included, thought that JOK was a lock for the first round of the NFL draft.

It now seems like it was a match that was destined to happen, as Owusu-Koramoah now suits up for this favorite colors, I mean, favorite team, the Cleveland Browns.

Watch: Highlights of former Notre Dame S Hamilton’s first day with Baltimore

Hamilton looks good in purple

It was a big day yesterday for many NFL rookies, their first official workouts with their new teams. For former Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, it was his chance to show the Baltimore Ravens front office exactly why the selected him with their first round pick. Check out below highlights from Hamilton’s first practice and interviews after in his first day as a Raven.

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Former Notre Dame star has massive first season in NFL

No surprises in South Bend to find this out

We all were aware of the impact that linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had in South Bend. The winner of the 2020 Butkus Award was expected by many to get selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.

That didn’t happen and JOK fell to Cleveland in the second round, the 52nd overall pick. It’s safe to say that if teams could have a re-do, JOK was absolutely phenomenal during his rookie year in the NFL. The linebacker had 43 tackles, 1.5 sacks and forced two fumble while make a significant impact for the Browns.

Today, Owusu-Koramoah was recognized by the Pro Football Writers of American as one of their All-Rookie linebackers.

The expectations for JOK will be much higher in his second-year after an honor like this, but we all know he will rise to the occasion.

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Recent former Notre Dame quarterbacks in their first NFL starts

Ian Book will be measuring up to these guys when he makes his first start.

With Ian Book getting the start for the New Orleans Saints this coming week, it brings many other former Notre Dame quarterbacks to mind. Specifically, we like to think of those in recent years who have been made starters for NFL teams and how they did in their debuts. Here are how these quarterbacks who once donned the gold and blue did in when they were first charged with NFL offenses in games:

Several former Notre Dame players gather after Steelers-Lions game

So many players who once wore the gold and blue in one place.

The NFL preseason can be a funny thing. Sidelines are more crowded than usual with players trying to fulfill their professional dreams. That also increases the chances of more players who came from the same school being around each other. Such was the case during Saturday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions:

While the Steelers were the 26-20 victors in this fake football game, one of the real highlights occurred after the clock ran out. The above photos, posted in a tweet by former Notre Dame receiver Javon McKinley’s mother, are with several players who once wore the gold and blue. McKinley is on the same roster as Brock Wright, Tommy Kraemer, Jalen Elliott and Romeo and Julian Okwara. Two of the players on the opposing sideline were Chase Claypool and Jamir Jones.

During the game, McKinley scored his first touchdown in an NFL uniform, albeit one that won’t go down in the record books. That surely had to be his highlight of this game, but being with all of these brothers of his at the same time had to be a close second. That’s a bond that never can be broken.