I didn’t catch WrestleMania last night, but I saw a clip of 49ers tight end George Kittle coming out of the stands to help Pat McAfee take out The Miz floating around the Twittersphere.
- Kittle seems like a perfect fit for the athlete-WWE cameo that we’ve been watching for as long as I can remember, and The Miz was a perfect fit for the goofball at the mercy of Kittle and McAfee. After The Miz shoved Kittle, Kittle jumped the barricade into the ringside area and delivered a clothesline to The Miz.
- But the wildest part of the bit was Pat McAfee landing a Swanton Bomb onto The Miz from the top turnbuckle!
- So, we know that Darius Slay was almost not an Eagle this offseason. But now we know where he almost landed during a wild free-agency period. Slay revealed on his podcast that he was very nearly a Baltimore Raven.
“I was almost — this close — a Baltimore Raven,” Darius Slay said. “I was this close. This close. But I wanted to be an Eagle, I stayed an Eagle, because I know me and Howie were going to figure something out. But the Baltimore Ravens were the first team that called, and they offered just what I wanted, and I just said, if the Eagles do that, I’m going to stay an Eagle. It was nice. I almost was a Raven.”
- Instead, Slay signed a two-year, $42 million contract extension with the Eagles last month. Slay played in his fifth career Pro Bowl in 2022, making 55 tackles, three interceptions, and 14 passes defended.
- Also interesting was Slay insisting that the reports regarding Slay looking for big money from the Eagles were false. Slay provided some insight into the negotiating process. Essentially, the Eagles wanted to lower Slay’s cap hit in 2023, and Slay wanted a second year of guaranteed money in exchange for the cap relief. The veteran cornerback complimented Howie Roseman and said the extension was straightforward despite outside perceptions.
- We live in a world where players can communicate through their platforms, frequently making for candid insight and behind-the-scenes information we wouldn’t usually see. So, a player controlling the narrative about his career and well-being on his platform is the new norm in professional sports. You can check out the entire episode and subscribe to Darius Slay’s podcast here:
- ESPN’s Rich Cimini shared an update on the Odell Beckham Jr. situation with two key takeaways: 1) Beckham’s asking price is now in the $15 million range, which is still probably about $3-5 million higher than what he ultimately lands and 2) the Jets are the frontrunners to land OBJ’s services next season.
“Jets officials weren’t shy about expressing their interest in free agent Odell Beckham Jr., who generated a lot of publicity by milling around the hotel grounds with his agent. Beckham is thought to be seeking a one-year deal for $15 million, which is pricey for a 30-year-old receiver coming off his second ACL surgery. A deal in the $10 million to $12 million range seems more likely, with a chance to earn more with incentives. The Jets are said to be the front-runners.”
- The XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks delivered one of the funniest April Fool’s Day gags in sports on Twitter. Well, funny for me, a non-St. Louis sports fan who didn’t have my heart ripped out by the Rams less than a decade ago.
- YIKES! They even mimicked parts of the Rams’ release to fans when they moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles. That’s cold. However, that’s my kind of humor. And let’s be honest, the rest of the gags were largely obvious and lame.
- Sticking with the player podcast’s theme, this was pretty darn funny! Jason Kelce asked Travis to name the current NFL head coaches. Let’s say, he didn’t do very well …
- So, Dansby Swanson is ridiculously good at baseball.
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