FALCONS CONFIRMED FOR MADRID 2026

Craig Llewellyn NFL

The Atlanta Falcons have been unveiled as one of the participating teams for the second NFL International Series game in Madrid later this year. While the Falcons’ opponent, along with the precise game date and kickoff time, will be announced when the full 2026 NFL schedule is revealed later this spring, the announcement temporarily nixes predictions that Atlanta might be …

COUSINS TO GO, ERTZ TO RETURN?

Craig Llewellyn NFL

The NFL’s offseason carousel is already spinning, with high-profile exits, extensions and comebacks shaping the early narrative ahead of the new league year on March 11. In Atlanta, the Kirk Cousins era is drawing to a close before it ever truly settled. Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham confirmed at the NFL Scouting Combine that the veteran quarterback will be released …

SUICIDE SUSPECTED IN RONDALE MOORE DEATH

Craig Llewellyn NFL

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore has died at the age of just 25, the apparent victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound sustained over the weekend. Moore’s body was discovered in the garage of his home in New Albany, Indiana on Saturday, and there would appear to be no suspicion of foul play, according to statements from New Albany Police …

CO-ORDINATED HIRES

Craig Llewellyn NFL

The 2026 NFL offseason coaching cycle (and in some cases, recycle) is in full swing, with teams across the league announcing a flurry of coordinator hires in the past few days. From seasoned NFL play-callers returning to coordinator roles to rising assistants getting their first big opportunity, a full breakdown of the latest moves as teams build around new and …

FALCONS HIRE ‘LEAD BY EXAMPLE’ STEFANSKI AS HC

Craig Llewellyn NFL

The Atlanta Falcons have named Kevin Stefanski as the 20th head coach in franchise history, hiring the two-time Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year after meetings with team leadership in Atlanta. Stefanski, 43, replaces Raheem Morris, who was not retained following the 2025 season, and will report to the Falcons’ newly-installed team president of football, Matt Ryan. “We’re thrilled …

RYAN NAMED FALCONS PRESIDENT OF FOOTBALL

Craig Llewellyn NFL

The Atlanta Falcons have turned to one of the most accomplished figures in franchise history to lead their football operations into the future. Owner and chairman Arthur Blank has named former NFL MVP and long-time Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan as the team’s new president of football, overseeing all aspects of football operations and reporting directly to Blank. Ryan, who will …

BLACK MONDAY HEATS UP COACHING CAROUSEL

Neil Dutton NFL

Black Monday came and went as the NFL regular season reached its conclusion, with four teams waving farewell to their head coach and joining the two that made changes midseason. Here’s a quick look at the six teams looking for new leadership as they turn their attention towards 2026. ALREADY LOOKING Tennessee Titans The Titans fired Brian Callahan after six …

THIS GIVEN SUNDAY: STEELERS KEEP RAVENS OUT OF LOOP

Thomas Ritchie NFL

The final weekend of the 2025 NFL regular season was awash with possibilities, both on the field and off. Playoff places and draft opportunities were all up for grabs in the now traditional divisional head-to-heads that grace Week 18, while players and coaches fought for new records and their very futures with equal zeal. John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin squared …

THIS GIVEN SUNDAY: TAYLOR’S BIG DAY IN BERLIN

Craig Llewellyn NFL

I spent the first portion of this weekend’s 13-hour NFL grip on my attention in Berlin’s famous Olympiastadion. That ancient monolith has borne witness to some of sport’s most iconic moments, not least Jesse Owens’ defiant victory in the face of an evil regime, Usain Bolt’s record-shattering run and Zinedine Zidane’s ignominious end to a glittering career. The stakes for …

DAZN WEEKEND PREVIEW: WEEK 10

Neil Dutton NFL

Week 9 was an exciting week of NFL action. The Bears and Bengals forgot how to play on defense. The Panthers sprung a surprise by beating the Packers in Green Bay. And the Miami Dolphins waved goodbye to GM Chris Grier following their Thursday Night Football loss to the Ravens that saw them drop to 2-7 in 2025. There were …

THIS GIVEN SUNDAY: BLOCK CHAIN IN EARLY WINDOW

Thomas Ritchie NFL

I love blocked field goals. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the sudden influx of excitement from what should be a routine and process-driven exercise descending into madness. Invariably, the play is brought on by a feat of outstanding athleticism. Sometimes, when you’re really lucky, you might get a classic dose of “BIG MAN WITH FOOTBALL” on a …

KOO CUT, ROMO RETAINED IN ATLANTA

Craig Llewellyn NFL

The Atlanta Falcons have made a permanent switch in the kicking game by releasing veteran Younghoe Koo in favour of Parker Romo. Koo had been a staple of the Falcons special teams since 2019, emerging as one of the most accurate kickers in the entire NFL — topped by a league-leading 37 field goals at 94.9 percent completion rate in …

DAZN WEEKEND PREVIEW: WEEK 2

Neil Dutton NFL

Week 1 of a new season can always be a strange one, with new coaches and players just feeling their way into the campaign, leading to weird and wonderful outcomes. Last week was no exception, with a number of close contests including12 games decided by one score, tying the record for the most such results on an opening week. While …

FALCONS FIGHTS ‘WENT A LITTLE TOO FAR’

Craig Llewellyn NFL

Rookie James Pearce Jr’s presence was certainly being felt during the first week of the Atlanta Falcons’ preseason training camp in Flowery Branch, but ‘making his mark’ wasn’t always appreciated by his new team-mates. Head coach Raheem Morris, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford were forced to intervene in a series of scuffles that broke out …

PENIX PLAN WOULD HAVE CAUSED COUSINS TO RETHINK

Craig Llewellyn NFL

The 2024 National Football League season could have looked very different if the Atlanta Falcons had let slip that they planned on selecting Michael Penix Jr in the first round of the draft. There may have been no Sam Darnold redemption story in Minnesota for a start, after former Vikings incumbent, and Falcons free agent capture, Kirk Cousins revealed that …

NFL REVEALS 2025 SCHEDULE

Craig Llewellyn NFL

The NFL has announced its full 18-week, 272-game, regular season schedule for the coming season via the now-familiar television marathon, despite several ‘highlight’ games and the six-sevenths of the International Series having already been revealed. The new season kicks off on Thursday 4th September in Philadelphia and concludes with a full slate of 16 divisional games in Week 18, with …

INTERNATIONAL SERIES MATCHUPS CONFIRMED FOR 2025

Craig Llewellyn NFL

The schedule for the 2025 NFL International Games is headlined by the Minnesota Vikings playing back-to-back games in different countries after being confirmed as the opponent for both the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin and Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Steelers-Vikings clash kicks off the overseas portion of the NFL schedule on Sunday 28th September at Croke Park as …

NFL EXPANDS MARKETING PROGRAMME FOR 2025

Craig Llewellyn NFL

The National Football League has announced an expansion of its Global Markets Programme (GMP) ahead of the 2025 season, with four new clubs set to participate and two new markets added. Launched in 2022, the GMP awards franchises the right to market themselves internationally, in a bid to build brand awareness and fandom beyond the USA through fan engagement, events, …

Euro star Krieg snapped up by Falcons

Craig Llewellyn NFL, World Football

German kicker Lenny Krieg backed up his performance at the recent NFL Scouting Combine with an equally-impressive International Player Pathway pro day, earning him a three-year contract offer from the Atlanta Falcons. Krieg was one of five specialists invited to the 2025 Combine in Indianapolis as part of the IPP programme — along with countryman Bastian Roppelt, Italy’s Jonata Loria …

NFL FREE AGENCY & TRADE TRACKER

Gridiron NFL

With the NFL’s annual ‘free agent frenzy’ well underway, it is easy to have missed crucial deals involving your favourite team and/or players. The following tables, the first based on PFF‘s Top 50 free agents as featured in Issue #85 of Gridiron magazine, should hopefully fill in the gaps in what happened over the opening days of the ‘legal tampering’ …

NFL Free Agency: What You Need To Know

Gridiron NFL

The 2025 NFL salary cap has been set (at a cool $279.2m) giving teams a little extra headroom to ply with when it comes to re-signing key components of their roster and adding new faces that they hope will be the key to winning a Super Bowl. With the big game now in the rear view, and the NFL Scouting …

GRIDIRON POWER RANKINGS: THE FULL 32

Nicholas McGee NFL

Welcome to Gridiron’s final power ranking of the 2024 NFL regular season, featuring — for the first time — all 32 teams. Who comes out on top after 18 weeks of competition? Is the worst team in the league the one that will be picking first in April’s Draft? And how are the 14 playoff teams stacking up?   GRIDIRON POWER …