The speculation was fair. The Dallas Cowboys hired head coach Mike McCarthy in 2020 to do what predecessor Jason Garrett had not: Get over the playoff hump. Four years later, McCarthy has not. He has not guided a talented roster to an NFC championship game, much less a Super Bowl, both measures of success that have eluded the franchise for …

If you were thinking about grabbing tickets to the Buccaneers-Lions game on Sunday, you might want to think again — or be prepared to dip into that rainy day fund. Tickets to the NFC divisional-round matchup have skyrocketed on the secondary market, with average admission to Ford Field reaching a record high of $1,186 apiece, according to TickPick.com. The unexpected …

New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia has committed to Vanderbilt football, he announced on social media Wednesday. Pavia, the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, joins the Commodores on the heels of Vanderbilt hiring several New Mexico State staffers, including offensive coordinator Tim Beck to the same role and coach Jerry Kill as a special advisor. In 2023, Pavia …

Packers DT makes easily disproven ‘guarantee’ about Purdy’s turnovers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area The Green Bay Packers’ locker room might need a fact checker. But at the very least, they’re giving the 49ers some bulletin board material. Ahead of Green Bay’s divisional-round playoff game against San Francisco on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium, there was an odd claim …

St. Ignatius’s Cody Haddad makes a third-quarter touchdown reception over McKinley’s Geno Kelly, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. MADISON – Wisconsin’s 2025 football class grew by one Wednesday. Cody Haddad, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound safety/wide receiver from St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, announced on social media he has committed to UW. Haddad also held offers from Kansas, Nebraska, Purdue, Cincinnati, Duke …

49ers left tackle Trent Williams plans to play a 14th NFL season. “Oh, yeah, 100 percent,” Williams said Wednesday, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. Williams, 35, this season became the eighth offensive lineman in history with at least 11 Pro Bowl selections. He may not catch Bruce Matthews, who had 14 career selections, but he needs only one more Pro …

USATSI South Alabama is expected to promote offensive coordinator Major Applewhite to fill its vacant coaching position, 247Sports reports. Applewhite served under former coach Kane Wommack for the past three seasons until Wommack left to become Alabama’s defensive coordinator. Applewhite, 45, helped assemble one of the top offenses in the Sun Belt this season. The Jaguars averaged over 33 points and 440 yards …

Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby found a way to play through a knee injury, throughout most of the 2023 regular season. It was definitely nothing minor. And definitely not something that could heal without surgery. Crosby has posted on social media a photo from a hospital bed with his left leg heavily wrapped and in a brace. The specific nature …

Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been a name circling around as a potential future head coach candidate in the NFL. He’ll get a taste of running a team in Mobile, Alabama as he will be the head coach of the National Team at the 2024 Senior Bowl. The Senior Bowl announced the full coaching staffs for both the National …

The Dallas Cowboys are retaining head coach Mike McCarthy for the 2024 season, the team announced Wednesday night. McCarthy will return for the fifth and final season of his current deal. “I believe this team is very close and capable of achieving our ultimate goals and the best step forward for us will be with Mike McCarthy as our head …

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice for the first time since a serious ankle injury Nov. 16. He was injured when Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson used a hip-drop tackle to bring down Andrews. The NFL wants to eliminate the hip-drop tackle in the offseason. The league cites statistics that show the hip-drop tackle increases …

Basha quarterback Demond Williams poses for pictures after signing his letter of intent to play for University of Arizona during the NLI signing at Basha High School in Chandler on Dec. 20, 2023. Highly-touted Basha quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who enrolled this month into the University of Arizona to get a head start to his college football career, is entering …

Purdy proves draft status is irrelevant as playoff QB outlier originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area SANTA CLARA — Of the eight teams remaining in the NFL playoffs, the 49ers are the only team whose starting quarterback was not drafted in the first round. While those outside of the 49ers organization might think Brock Purdy’s performance since taking over …

The coaching staffs for the Reese’s Senior Bowl were announced on Wednesday and some familiar faces from both the Jets and Giants will be present at the game, most notably Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich serving as a head coach. Gang Green’s defensive coordinator since 2021, Ulbrich will coach the National team and go up against Tennessee Titans assistant head …

Sunday’s divisional-round game against the Buffalo Bills will have a little bit of something old and a little bit of something new for Patrick Mahomes.  The Chiefs’ superstar quarterback is once again going up against Josh Allen in a playoff game, marking the third time the two quarterbacks have gone head-to-head in the postseason in the last four years. As …