Tag: The Athletic

Should the Vikings move on from Jordan Addison to re-sign Justin Jefferson?

A writer with The Athletic believes the Vikings shouldn’t re-sign their other young wide receiver when the time comes.

What’s the price to pay if the Minnesota Vikings were to sign arguably the best wide receiver in all of football to a long-term deal? If and when Minnesota signs Justin Jefferson to a mega deal, the Vikings will allocate a ton of money to the young phenom. According to The Athletic’s Randy Mueller, he believes the Vikings wouldn’t be able to re-sign another big part of their offense.

“Jefferson is arguably the best receiver in the league, and Minnesota should certainly extend him. But the cost will tighten money to spend elsewhere, like on last year’s 1st-round pick, 22-year-old Jordan Addison, when his rookie deal ends. Of course, if the Vikings’ assessment of J.J. McCarthy proves accurate, a quality QB on a 5-year rookie contract might be just what the doctor ordered. If I were running the Vikings, I would pay Jefferson and keep churning WR2 at the end of Addison’s deal.”

Ideally, the Vikings would love to keep Jefferson and Addison together for much longer than three more years. The benefit of taking a first-round quarterback in the NFL Draft is the hope to build a strong roster around them while they are on their rookie contract. Minnesota will definitely have some tough decisions to make in the coming years.

Is Billy Napier in trouble? The Athletic takes a look at Florida’s head coach

We should all be rooting for Billy Napier to exceed expectations next season.

It has been a tumultuous tenure as Florida football’s head coach for Billy Napier, who has presided over two of the three straight sub-.500 seasons the program has posted. With bad decisions coming both on and off the field, the Gators are still struggling to climb out of mediocrity.

The recent news of former quarterback commit [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag]’s lawsuit against [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and two other defendants has taken the wind out of a strong transfer portal season that saw the Orange and Blue finish among the top five schools. Add that dark cloud to Florida’s five-game losing streak to end the 2023 season — missing a bowl berth in the process — and things are stacking up against the third-year skipper.

The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel answered a question in his latest mailbag column whether Napier will be able to rebound from the latest black eye inflicted on the program.

“It’s often hard for me to gauge how a fan base truly feels about its coach because the disgruntled ones are always the loudest. But it does feel like the heat is on Napier after the Gators started 5-2 then lost five straight games to end last season,” Mandel begins.

“As for the Rashada NIL debacle, Napier certainly doesn’t come off well in the lawsuit filed Tuesday. There are few remaining NCAA rules surrounding NIL, but a head coach allegedly promising a kid $1 million to sign is still a no-no.”

Of course, everyone knows that winning cures all ills, which is what Napier has struggled to do.

“It’s more fuel for Napier’s critics, but let’s be honest. If Napier were coming off a 10-win season, Florida fans would be playing all the same cards as Michigan fans last season — there’s no proof he said that, everybody else is doing the same thing, go investigate Mike Norvell, blah, blah, blah. But he’s coming off 5-7, after a 6-7 debut season, so I don’t see a lot of rallying around the coach.”

Florida faces one of the toughest schedules in the nation this fall, which now includes the newly added Texas Longhorns on the SEC slate. Expectations must be tempered and the administration cannot be hasty in jettisoning its head coach.

“It would also be very expensive to fire Napier after just three seasons — his buyout is $25.7 million,” Mandel continues. “Ironically, Florida may have lost the ability to fire him for cause, with the NCAA backing off its investigation into Rashada’s recruitment following February’s preliminary injunction in Tennessee prohibiting the NCAA from enforcing its rules around NIL and boosters.”

But again, it really all comes down to winning.

“If I’m Florida, I’m rooting like heck for Napier to wildly exceed expectations this season, if for no other reason than to break the school’s endless cycle of hiring and firing coaches,” Mandel concludes.

“Napier is Florida’s fourth head coach since [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag]’s exit after the 2010 season, following Will Muschamp (2011-14), [autotag]Jim McElwain[/autotag] (2015-17) and [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] (2018-21). Were the Gators to hire yet another coach in 2025, it would mark four straight who lasted four years or less. That’s not a winning formula.”

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The Athletic has the Vikings’ Week 12 matchup with the Bears as the most intriguing

Going to be cool seeing this two square off.

The NFC North could be one of the best divisions in football in the future as long as young quarterbacks such as Caleb Williams and J.J. McCarthy live up to the hype. Jared Goff just inked an extension, and Jordan Love showed what he could do last season as the Packers’ starting quarterback.

It’s hard not to get a little excited when you think about two-star rookies like Williams and McCarthy squaring off. That’s why Chris Burke with The Athletic has Week 12 circled. He’s projecting McCarthy to be starting for the Vikings by then, and it will be a Williams vs. McCarthy showdown.

“Assuming Williams doesn’t follow the Justin Fields path and McCarthy taps into most of his extremely high upside, the NFC North’s quarterback situation could be as rock solid over the next several years as it gets for a division. McCarthy isn’t a lock to start in Year 1, as Sam Darnold probably will enter camp as Minnesota’s QB1. But there should be ample Williams-McCarthy matchups in the near future, and this could be the second of them in 2024 — these teams also play Week 12, in Chicago.”

The star collegiate quarterbacks never played one another in college. So when the two of them take the field as Bears and Vikings, it will be a big game for multiple reasons.

The Athletic looks at Florida in its SEC quarterback carousel

Basically, there is plenty of headroom for improvement but expectations will nonetheless be high in 2024.

The quarterback is unquestionably the most important position in football. As such, it should come as no surprise that a team’s success hinges on the talents of their primary passer. For Florida, the position has been less-than-steady the past couple of seasons but the staff have worked hard to bolster a once-weak corps.

As of now, the Gators’ quarterback room is headlined by incumbent starter [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] followed by former five-star recruit [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] — the latter representing the future face of Florida. [autotag]Max Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Jack Miller[/autotag] have departed but the Orange and Blue also added [autotag]Clay Millen[/autotag] through the transfer portal to bolster the bunch.

The Athletic’s Manny Navarro recently broke down where all 16 Southeastern Conference QB rooms stand at the sport’s most important position. Basically, there is plenty of headroom for improvement but expectations will nonetheless be high in 2024.

“[autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s first two seasons in Gainesville have produced an 11-14 record, but don’t blame quarterback play for the Gators’ struggles” Navarro begins.

“[autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] was the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, and Mertz, the 2023 Wisconsin transfer who replaced him, completed a league-best 72.9% of his passes and threw for 2,903 yards, 20 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Mertz will begin the 2024 season as the most experienced starting quarterback in the SEC and will have the highest-ranked freshman quarterback in the league backing him up in Lagway.

As for the transfer portal addition, Navarro sees where he fits into the equation as well.

“Millen redshirted at Nevada in 2021 and then spent two seasons (with 11 starts) at Colorado State. He completed 72.2 percent of his attempts in 2022, which set a record for a freshman in the FBS. He makes up for the loss of Brown, who started the 2023 season finale against rival Florida State and transferred to Charlotte, as well as Miller, a 2020 four-star recruit who retired from football in January.”

Florida opens up its 2024 regular-season schedule in the Swamp against the Miami Hurricanes on Aug. 31. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

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Two former Florida coaches on Mount Rushmore of college football villains

It is no surprise that Urban and the Head Ball Coach made the cut for top villains.

The sports realm is one that exists largely on the emotions of the fans. There are players and coaches that people both love or hate, depending on their favorite team or country, and these passions are what drive the game.

What really drives the narrative in athletic competition are the villains — those participants who truly exist at the end of the spectrum. Every story needs a protagonist and an antagonist, and these are among the latter who keep things fresh and exciting.

The Athletic college football staff recently published its Mount Rushmore of college football villains. Writer Ari Wasserman had former Florida Gators head coach [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag] second on his list, while Mitch Light had [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag] second on his list as well. There was also an honorable mention from one memorable player who passed through during the golden era.

Urban Meyer

“Who has a more complicated legacy than Meyer? On one hand, he is a three-time national championship-winning head coach. On the other, trouble arose during his tenures at Florida and Ohio State,” Wasserman begins.

“While he was at Florida, Ohio State fans loathed him because he represented the big, bad SEC and the team the Buckeyes couldn’t beat, including in the 2006 national title game. After Meyer departed — a time during which he was mocked incessantly for having what many considered to be a made-up medical condition — he went to Ohio State, a program disliked by fans around the nation.”

To be fair, when one is as good as Meyer was at winning games and rings, it becomes easy to hate them. But there was certainly a taint to his legacy.

“Meyer is unquestionably one of the most successful coaches of all time, but he is viewed by many as someone who broke rules along the way,” Wasserman notes. “He did a bunch of winning, and there were a bunch of off-the-field incidents, which followed him to his short stint in the NFL as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ coach. That’s quite the hate cocktail for fans looking to despise a person.”

Steve Spurrier

“Spurrier was a master at needling his opponents during his successful stints at Florida and South Carolina,” Light points out. “One of his best lines: ‘But the real tragedy was that 15 hadn’t been colored yet’ after a fire at a library at Auburn destroyed 20 books.”

Gators fans can remember quite a few of those Spurrierisms, including “Free Shoes University” and “You can’t spell ‘citrus’ without U-T.” The head ball coach was one of the most colorful personalities ever to walk the collegiate sidelines.

Honorable Mention to [autotag]Cam Newton[/autotag], who had some issues in Gainesville including felony charges for stealing a fellow student’s laptop. His success with Auburn will forever draw the ire of Florida fans.

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Pair of ‘most impactful’ uncommitted 2025 prospects favor Florida

The Gators are in the running for two of the remaining top 10 prospects in the 2025 cycle.

The 2025 recruiting cycle is steadily rising in crescendo ahead of the official visit season and the Florida Gators have been right in the mix when it comes to pursuing the top prep prospects in the land.

The Athletic’s senior writer Ari Wasserman recently put together his list of the 10 most impactful uncommitted prospects in the class, which included a pair of blue-chippers who are leaning toward the Orange and Blue.

Those two high school juniors are four-star quarterback [autotag]Antwann Hill[/autotag] out of Warner Robins (Georgia) Houston County and five-star cornerback [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag] out of Tampa (Florida) Zephyrhills.

Four-star QB Antwann Hill

“Quarterbacks come off the board faster than ever in modern-day recruiting. It happened again this year, with each of the top 10 quarterbacks in the country already having issued commitments before the summer,” Wasserman begins.

“Hill, the No. 11 quarterback nationally who was once committed to Colorado, is an interesting prospect with good size and a live arm. Hill has visited Florida a handful of times, and Memphis has emerged as a candidate, which is an interesting development in the recruitment of a top-100 quarterback. Texas A&M, Ole Miss and others are still very much in the mix.”

Five-star CB DJ Pickett

“Official visit season is coming, and no prospect is going to take advantage of it more than Pickett,” Wasserman notes.

“As of now, he has officials scheduled to Georgia, LSU, Oregon and Miami in the summer months. Those trips will go a long way in determining where his high-profile recruitment trends. Miami seems like an interesting team to watch here. The Hurricanes did a lot of work overhauling their roster this offseason through the portal, and now Miami fans are eager for some success on the field. If that happens, Mario Cristobal — a known closer in recruiting — will have an even better sales pitch to high-profile prospects like Pickett.

“With Nick Saban out of the picture and Alabama not as equipped to raid Florida anymore, this is a key window of opportunity for Cristobal to rebuild Miami into a power.”

Florida is currently ranked No. 39 overall in 247Sports’ 2025 team recruiting rankings.

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The Athletic reviews SEC’s most important moves of the offseason

Florida lost almost two dozen players from last year’s roster, but there are several newcomers in Gainesville ready to right the ship.

The transfer portal era has established a constant sense of change in the SEC as players move around and teams take on new identities year after year.

The end of spring practices coincides with the spring portal period, which is the last chance for players to switch schools before summer workouts begin — however, in-conference transfers are not permitted unlike during the winter. That rule was made by the SEC to discourage players from jumping around the conference at will and has slowed the pace of incoming players during spring.

So, the folks at The Athletic are diving into the most important roster moves made (and not made) by each team this offseason.

Best Additions/Worst Departure

Florida saw 23 players leave the team this offseason. The most impactful loss from the group is senior defensive end [autotag]Princely Umanmielen[/autotag], who was among the top edge rushers in the conference a year ago. Umanmielen will play his last year of college ball at Ole Miss, leaving a hole to fill in Florida’s front seven.

The Athletic makes a distinction between the most important overall newcomer and the most important spring addition, but it’s clear where the Gators needed the most help with both being offensive linemen.

San Diego State tackle [autotag]Brandon Crenshaw-Jackson[/autotag] should get the chance to start in Gainesville after taking the field for the Aztecs at kickoff 35 times and is the “best overall addition” to the team, according to The Athletic.

Freshman lineman Jason Zandamela is the best spring addition so far; although, Florida only has two spring transfer commitments. He’s young but the Gators need big bodies in the trenches after an ugly 2023 up front. Adding an interior lineman with four years of eligibility left can only help Florida’s O-line.

Best Returnee

Despite a heavy focus on the change going on across the conference, The Athletic made sure to highlight the most important returning player for each team. For Florida, it’s quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] who ended 2023 injured after an accurate and efficient season that didn’t result in wins.

Mertz did everything they said he couldn’t after leaving Wisconsin. He lowered his turnover ratio, finished the season with a completion percentage over 70 and led an SEC program. Now comfortable in his new digs, Mertz is the unquestioned leader of the Florida offense heading into 2024.

If Billy Napier has to turn the ball over to former five-star recruit [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag], Florida won’t come close to a winning season.

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Deion Burks taken in the first in The Athletic’s first mock draft for 2025

In his first mock draft for the 2025 NFL draft, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler projects Deion Burks to go in the first round.

The Oklahoma Sooners have a ton of talent heading into the 2024 season. Especially at wide receiver. The Sooners are loaded with playmakers, which is part of the reason for optimism despite a first year starting quarterback and massive turnover along the offensive line. Nic Anderson is generating early 2025 NFL draft buzz, coming in at No. 5 in Pro Football Network’s wide receiver rankings. But he may not even be Oklahoma’s best wide receiver this fall.

One of the playmakers that will electrify this fall may only be in Norman one year; [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag]. Burks, who came over from Purdue this offseason, put the college football world on notice with his huge performance in the Oklahoma Sooners spring game, racking up five catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns.

Now, he won’t do that every week, but it looks like he’s got a nice rapport with Jackson Arnold, which will lead to some big days this fall. And before he ever plays a down for the Sooners, NFL draft analysts are already taking notice.

In his early 2025 NFL mock draft for The Athletic (subscription required), Dane Brugler sends Deion Burks to Detroit Lions in the first round.

Another Purdue transfer (the poor Boilermakers), Burks is a playmaking athlete with the ball in his hands. The Belleville, Mich., native returns to his home state in this scenario. – Brugler, The Athletic

Burks will get a lot of attention this fall from SEC defenses and NFL scouts alike because of his speed, athleticism, and agility. As teams look to get more explosive, Burks is a player that can take the ball to the house every time he touches it and can threaten a defense deep.

If he has the season that many expect in 2024, teams will have a hard time passing on him in the 2025 NFL draft.

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Qwan’tez Stiggers named favorite Day 3 pick for Jets by Dane Brugler

Qwan’tez Stiggers named favorite Day 3 pick for Jets by Dane Brugler

The Jets came away with some intriguing talent on the third day of the 2024 NFL Draft but none more intriguing or with perhaps a more inspiring story than Qwan’tez Stiggers, the cornerback from the Toronto Argonauts who decided against college football to help support his family after losing his father following a car accident and subsequent months-long coma.

It should come as no surprise then that Dane Brugler of The Athletic named Stiggers the Jets’ Day 3 pick that could surprise in a recent article.

Stiggers has an astounding backstory, but there’s more to him than just his inspiring journey. He also has the tools to develop into an impactful role player. Stiggers (6-0, 205) has 4.4 speed and was the CFL Rookie of the Year last season with 12 passes defended and five interceptions.

Stiggers is going to add good depth and special-teams value initially and could set himself up for a bigger role in 2025. D.J. Reed, Michael Carter and Bradin Echols are all entering contract years in 2024. Stiggers can also play multiple positions in the secondary. He’ll be one to watch in the preseason.

The Athletic beat writers predict the NFL draft; where did Graham Barton go?

The Athletic’s NFL beat reporters put together a mock NFL draft on Wednesday, and a NFC wild card team ended up with former Duke lineman Graham Barton.

The Athletic put together a mock NFL draft on Wednesday with each beat reporter making the picks for the respective teams they cover.

In the projection, Green Bay Packers reporter Matt Schneidman had the NFL wild-card team take former Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton with the 25th overall pick.

After the emergence of quarterback Jordan Love, Schneidman thinks the top priority should be his protection. Barton, who played both tackle and center in college, could fit wherever Green Bay needs.

“At the very worst, Barton can provide much-needed depth on the interior,” Schneidman wrote.

Barton’s most frequent suitors in mock drafts, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins, both picked offensive tackles instead of the projected guard.