NEWSLETTER
Hours before the Rams begin the defense of their Super Bowl Championship (against the odds-on favorite to unseat them, no less), they’ve announced that Les Snead and Sean McVay will be sticking around to see through what they’ve built in LA.
Rams Extend McVay, Snead
Ahead of their Week 1 matchup with the Buffalo Bills, the Los Angeles Rams announced on their Twitter account this afternoon that the team has extended both GM Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay for five more seasons, putting to bed anymore McVay to the TV booth discussion that was prevalent during this offseason.
Snead and McVay have built the Rams into an NFC powerhouse that has made two trips to the Super Bowl under their tenure and won last year’s big game against the Cincinnati Bengals. No word on the money for Snead and McVay, but The Athletic‘s Jourdan Rodrigue reported this afternoon that new extensions will make Snead and McVay among the highest paid in football in their respective roles.
Fittingly, the Rams’ pursuit of a title defense kicks off tonight against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, a team considered by many the most likely candidate to supplant the Rams as the next Super Bowl champions.
We’ll have a closer look at tonight’s matchup in our Thursday Night Football Pre-Gamin’, which you can expect all season, along with our Monday Night Football Pre-Gamin’ in addition to our comprehensive Bears coverage. Let’s do that football!
Joe Flacco, QB1
Just like he was when he took the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl (XLVII), Joe Flacco will open the season as QB, this time for the New York Jets. With Zach Wilson still recovering from surgery to address a knee injury suffered in the Jets’ preseason opener, Flacco will start for the Jets in Week 1 against none other than the Baltimore Ravens.
I’m not sure how long Flacco will assume the starting duties in New York, but there’s plenty of familiarity in the Jets schedule for him, with their first four opponents all being AFC North teams, the division where Flacco spent the majority of his career.
Zach Wilson is still dealing with a bone bruise and recovery from the meniscus tear that has kept him off his feet for a couple of weeks. According to Ian Rapoport, we could see Flacco as the starting quarterback in New York until at least Week 4.
Bills Extend Dawson Knox
Yesterday we learned that the Buffalo Bills extended tight end Dawson Knox in a deal that was reportedly set to make him one of the highest-paid tight ends in the league. We now have the numbers on that deal thanks to Bills beat reporter Alaina Getzenberg:
The new deal will pay Knox $53.6 million over four seasons, keeping him in Buffalo through 2026, and includes $31 million in guaranteed money. Knox thanked the Pegulas and said that he’s in love with the city of Buffalo and the Bills fan base in a statement:
“Very, very excited. Just very thankful to the Pegulas and to [general manager Brandon] Beane and just my agent for getting everything going,” Knox said Wednesday. “… I mean, I love the city of Buffalo. It couldn’t be a better football city. I fell in love with the fans, with just the culture here. So I knew I wanted to be here for as long as I possibly could be. I couldn’t be more excited to lock this deal in.”
The new extension avoids the possibility of Knox leaving in free agency after this season, one in which he enters as one of Josh Allen’s favorite targets and could be ticketed for a monster season. Knox set career highs last season with 49 catches for 587 yards, nine touchdowns, and 31 first-down receptions. Only Stefon Diggs was targeted more than Knox in the red zone last season, with Knox getting 18 targets from Josh Allen.
Extra Points
- Emmanuel Sanders announced Wednesday that he is retiring from the NFL as a Denver Bronco. Sanders spent six seasons in Denver and caught 28 TD passes while in a Broncos uniform. Sanders spent his first four seasons in Pittsburgh and made stops in San Francisco, New Orleans, and Buffalo after his time in Denver came to a close.
- Sanders hauled in 704 passes for 9,245 yards and 51 touchdowns during his career, made two Pro Bowls, and was a part of the Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50.
- Larry Fitzgerald announced on his Twitter this week that he will join the MNF Countdown cast and make his debut during Week 1’s show:
- The Rams locked up offensive tackle Rob Havenstein ahead of their opener tonight, inking the OT to a new three-year deal worth $34.5 million ($24.1 million guaranteed), according to Ian Rapoport:
- This is a fun story by Ian Rapoport about Matthew Stafford and Clayton Kershaw’s dual rehab this offseason:
- Brady Henderson at ESPN put together one heck of a write up on Russell Wilson’s return to Seattle on Monday Night Football next week, discussing the turbulent final months in Seattle for the former face of the franchise:
- New year, new logo for NBC’s Sunday Night Football:
- Let’s do it!
