Some destinations for Shutdown Corner's top 25 NFL free agents   While some of the best potential free agents were practically taken off the market when they were given the franchise tag, many good players will be available when free agency starts Wednesday. [NFL free agency starts Wednesday. Here are Shutdown Corner's free-agency rankings for offensive players and for defensive players and … [Read more...]

Deflate-gate Poll: More Americans believe NFL than Tom Brady Deflate-gate isn't just a story about deflated footballs at the 2015 AFC Championship. No, it's become a referendum on honesty and faith in New England sports and the NFL itself, and even now, a year after the fact, the truth is inescapable: many more people believe the NFL's version of events than Tom Brady. The deflate-gate case … [Read more...]

Lot of talented players already spoken for in NFL free agency By the time NFL free agency starts at 4 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, many of the key free agents will be spoken for. The NFL gave up the facade that specific terms couldn't be discussed during the pre-free agency period, telling teams they can negotiate contractual terms during the two-day window before free agency officially … [Read more...]

Matt Hasselbeck retires, will replace Mike Ditka on ESPN When the 2015 season began, there were three players still on NFL rosters who were drafted in 1998: Oakland Raiders' defensive back Charles Woodson, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and Indianapolis Colts QB Matt Hasselbeck. In December, Woodson announced his intention to retire. On Monday, Manning did the same. And on … [Read more...]

Giants to sign cornerback Janoris Jenkins for whopping money The defensively challenged New York Giants felt they needed to make a big splash in free agency. So after missing out on a few big fish up front, they helped themselves out with one to aid the back end. No, Mario Williams and Charles Johnson won't be coming to the Giants, but cornerback Janoris Jenkins will. The former St. Louis … [Read more...]

Mike Tomlin tells DeAngelo Williams to stop Peyton Manning rant When the rest of the football world was congratulating Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning for retiring after a great NFL career, Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams decided it was time to break out the poop emoji on Twitter to describe Manning's final season. Look Peyton is a hall of fame qb who couldn't … [Read more...]

The Lions lose another all-time great, as Calvin Johnson retires The Detroit Lions pressed for a decision from Calvin Johnson, and they got an answer that can't make them too happy. Johnson is walking away, retiring at age 30. The team announced his decision on Tuesday morning. The Lions said Johnson filed his retirement papers and his contractual matters "were settled to the satisfaction … [Read more...]

Dolphins cutting best cornerback because of his disruptive wife? The Miami Dolphins are planning to cut Brent Grimes at the start of the league year on Wednesday. Typically, when you hear such things in the NFL it comes down to age or money. But it's not as if you can say that Grimes is exceptionally old (he turns 33 in July) or that he was compensated at a ridiculous rate, with an average … [Read more...]

By the Numbers: Applying Fantasy Efficiency The official league year is right around the corner. Free agency opens up March 9th at 4pm (ET) and like we witnessed in 2015, anything from unpredictable trades to random releases is on the table.  After the Super Bowl, I took about a month off to compile data from the 2015 fantasy season. In an attempt to summarize that data and take a brief look into … [Read more...]

Housecleaning continues, Eagles send DeMarco Murray to Titans If you are on the Philadelphia Eagles and were acquired by Chip Kelly, watch your back. It seems like the Eagles are intent on getting rid of most reminders of the Kelly era. Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell were shipped to the Miami Dolphins, and later on Monday the Eagles were finishing up a trade that would send running back … [Read more...]