MAR-10: MAYFIELD IS BANKABLE The Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem to have identified their starting quarterback for the long run.
Former Rams quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is currently starting for the Buccaneers, decided to stay in Tampa Bay for three years and $100 million on Sunday.
Incentives could bring his total earnings with the arrangement to $115 million. Additionally, $50 million is guaranteed.
In his first season as a starter for Tampa Bay in 2023, Mayfield finished with a 9-8 record. He completed 64.3% of his throws for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, all career highs.
STADIUM CHANGES FEBRUARY 6 Los Angeles Rams’ home stadium, SoFi Stadium, is about to undergo renovations.
Retractable seats will replace the stadium’s permanent seating in the lower bowl, according to Rams COO Kevin Demoff, as reported by the Associated Press.
Demoff explained, “It’s basically just switching out the pre-cast concrete in the stadium’s corners for a more retractable system.” “We’ll have the exact same format, layout, and seating capacity. The sole distinction will be that some of the corner rows will have retractable seats instead of fixed seats.
The purpose of the modification is to allay worries regarding field size during games in advance of the 2026 World Cup.
In addition to hosting seven games overall, including two in the tournament’s knockout stage, SoFi will play host to the opening World Cup match of the United States Men’s National Team.
It is anticipated that the stadium upgrades would be completed well ahead of this summer and the upcoming football season.
SOCCER AT SOFI, FEB. 4 It is not surprising that SoFi Stadium is a sought-after destination for major events, given its status as one of the top sports stadiums in the nation.
This will still be the case when it comes to the World Cup, as Los Angeles will host the first game of the competition in the United States in 2026. That June 12th is when the game is scheduled to take place.
The Tournament’s opening match is scheduled to take place in Mexico City on June 11 at Azteca Stadium.
SoFi will need to replace its current artificial turf pitch with a new grass field in order to handle the competition.
CALEY AND SPRINGER TO GO TO BEAN TOWN ON JAN 28? With Raheem Morris and Zac Robinson having already been signed for new roles, the Los Angeles Rams coaching staff has been among the most sought-after in the NFL this summer.
But across the league, they weren’t the only assistants who were being observed.
For their second interviews with the team under new head coach Jerod Mayo, tight ends coach Nick Caley and special teams assistant Jeremy Springer of the Rams are allegedly returning to New England.
Caley is scheduled to interview for the Patriots’ offensive coordinator position, and Springer is a candidate for the Special Teams coordinator role.
This past season, the Rams tight ends were an integral element of the offense; Tyler Higbee and Davis Allen, in particular, played major roles in the team’s late-game playoff run.
Jan. 14: Staff Not Observed Throughout his career, Matthew Stafford has gained recognition for his ability to make some unusual throws.
And he repeated the feat in the Rams’ Wild Card game against the Lions in Detroit, finding tight end Davis Allen on an absurd no-look ball that gained six yards in order to evade a sack.
Stafford is also accustomed to making comparable throws in crucial situations; during the game’s last drive in Super Bowl LVI, he made one similar to this one.
This early in the second quarter, the Rams are behind the Lions 14-10.
JAN 12: HIRE MAYO PATS After 24 seasons in charge, the New England Patriots have selected former linebacker and assistant coach Jared Mayo to succeed the iconic Bill Belichick as head coach.
And with Mayo’s appointment, Sean McVay of the Rams, who had held the title for the previous seven years, lost it to the newcomer to the NFL, Mayo.
In 2017, McVay made his first NFL hire as a thirty-year-old after serving as the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders for three seasons.
Just one month separates McVay, who was born on January 24, 1986, and Mayo, who was born on February 23, 1986.
RAMS WAIVE DEFENSIVE END IN JAN 8 Earnest Brown IV, a defensive end, was waived by the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, making one minor roster change.
Turning 25 on Monday (he’s undoubtedly had better birthdays), Brown was selected by the Rams in the fifth round of the 2021 draft out of Northwestern University.
Brown appeared in five games in 2022, starting three of them, totaling nine tackles, after making no appearances in his rookie season. He has made seven appearances this season and has tallied five total tackles, three of which came in the team’s victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Prior to their playoff debut against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, the Rams will probably make a few more personnel changes.
January 6, Williams in Veteran left tackle Trent Williams will not be among the players absent from the San Francisco 49ers’ lineup for their season finale against the Rams on Sunday.
Williams will participate, although it is unknown how many snaps he will play, according to 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s announcement on Friday.
Shanahan declared earlier in the week, “I don’t think it’s good for anybody to take two weeks off.” “After taking a month or three weeks off, you should have seen how Trent was when he returned. It’s not good, but everything will depend on how the game plays out. This week, he needs to be thinking like he’s getting ready to play.
KUPP AND DONALD OUT JAN 3. The Los Angeles Rams will rest a number of starters on Sunday in preparation for their Week 18 battle against the San Francisco 49ers, knowing that they have already qualified for the playoffs.
First, the team declared that Sunday’s starting quarterback would be backup Carson Wentz, while starting quarterback Matthew Stafford would rest.
It now seems that additional players will be following suit, as defensive tackle Aaron Donald, receiver Cooper Kupp, and running back Kyren Williams are all allegedly planned to miss the game on Sunday.
This season, injuries have kept Williams and Kupp out of four games; Sunday will mark their fifth.
For Los Angeles, Donald has participated in all 16 games this season and has recorded 53 tackles, 16 stops for loss, 23 quarterback hits, and 8 sacks.
31 December Williams Times 2 In the Rams’ opening quarter against the Giants, Kyren Williams immediately found himself in the end zone, marking his tenth touchdown of the year.
He went back at it early in the second half, scoring the Rams’ second touchdown of the game by running from two yards out, putting them ahead 20–10.
Williams now has two touchdowns and twelve rushes for 44 yards in the game in addition to two 14-yard receptions.
RAMS CUT CROSBY DEC 12 Less than a week after joining, veteran kicker Mason Crosby of the Los Angeles Rams was removed from the practice squad, the team said.
In addition, the Rams signed long snapper Carson Tinker and placed tight end Hunter Long and long snapper Alex Ward on injured reserve on Tuesday.
After suffering a knee injury in the Rams’ Sunday loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Long was declared out for the season.
DEC 10 RAMS LEAD With less than five minutes remaining in the game, Matthew Stafford hit DeMarcus Robinson with a crucial touchdown throw to give the Los Angeles Rams a late lead against the Baltimore Ravens.
After the two-point conversion attempt failed, the Rams led 28–23 thanks to the touchdown.
Stafford had already thrown three touchdown passes in the day.
CROSBY ACTIVATED DEC 9 The kicking position is undergoing another alteration for the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams are promoting former Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby off the practice squad, per NFL Network source Tom Pelissero.
From 2007 to 22, Crosby participated in every game for the Packers. Later this week, he signed with the Rams practice squad, and on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, he will try to make his debut with his new team. The game will begin at 10:00 a.m. PT.
HIGBEE CONCUSSED DEC 3 For the duration of their Sunday encounter with the Browns, the Rams may be without one of their most potent offensive weapons.
Rams tight end Tyler Higbee left the game with what appeared to be a head injury late in the third quarter. He is currently being assessed for a concussion.
Higbee is presently doubtful to make a comeback. At the time of the injury, he had two receptions for 35 yards.
WALKER OUT ON NOV. 19? In their Sunday matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks suffered a significant loss.
Seahawks standout running back Kenneth Walker was injured during a carry up the middle on their opening drive of the game, seeming to be a lower-body injury.
Walker suddenly collapsed to the ground in the middle of the run after coming up limping.
Walker was transported to the injury tent, where it was discovered he had sustained an oblique injury and would probably not be able to return.
Zach Charbonnet, a backup running back, has moved up to the starting lineup in place of Walker.
International Flags, October 19 For Weeks 7 and 8, you’ll notice some modifications to a few NFL helmets around the league. Numerous athletes will adorn their helmets with flag stickers from their home countries.
According to the league, over 330 individuals have pledged to play, representing 72 different countries. Of those, Nigeria is the most represented overseas nation, with 80 players pledging to fly the Nigerian flag.
BAKER BOMBING AUG. 6 It’s training camp in early August, and it might not be fair.
However, the Baker Mayfield interceptions during Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp are being tallied. and the total of them is growing.
Even though he played well enough to earn a shot in Tampa Bay after Tom Brady departed from the NFL last season with the Los Angeles Rams, Mayfield’s NFL career has been a relative disappointment.
Considering that Baker has already thrown seven interceptions in nine practices during training camp, his one-year contract worth up to $8.5 million may have been a good deal.
NOTES ON THE SCHEDULE The Los Angeles Rams, the defending Super Bowl Champions, might not be as popular as they were after a 5-12 2022 campaign. If nothing else, it appears they’ll be in a fantastic spot on one of the more exciting days of the 2023 NFL schedule.
NEWS: Giants vs. Rams on New Year’s Eve
The Rams will play on New Year’s Eve just outside of New York City, according NorthJersey.com:
“The New York Giants won’t have to travel far if they want to go to Times Square on New Year’s Eve,” according to the story. “I’m hearing they’ll be playing at home at MetLife against the Los Angeles Rams.”
Since the Rams’ regular season ends on a Sunday in 2023, this game won’t necessarily be prime-time; rather, it will be one of the last ones.
It will take place against the Giants, who were one of the NFL’s biggest surprises the previous campaign. In the first season under head coach Brian Daboll, the Giants finished 9-7-1 and made it into the playoffs. However, a week later, they were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round after defeating the Minnesota Vikings.
The Giants traded for tight end Darren Waller, franchise-tagged running back Saquon Barkley, re-signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract, and selected Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks with their first-round pick this summer.
The NFL will reveal the complete schedule of games for the 2023 season this evening at 8 p.m. ET, which is when the Rams will find out their full schedule.
