Packers' Justin Hollins: Claimed by Packers

Ben Roethlisberger typically likes to wait three seasons before making any declarations on a quarterback. While Joe Burrow's third season is technically not over yet, Roethlisberger is ready to declare the Bengals' 26-year-old quarterback as the real deal. A year after leading the Bengals to the Super Bowl, Burrow's continued...

Good morning to everyone but especially to... PATRICK MAHOMES AND THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS... When Patrick Mahomes suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Jaguars, it didn't look good. Not for the rest of that game, and not for any potential games going forward. Yet, as he so often does while...

Some team is going to trade with the Chicago Bears at No. 1 overall to select one of the marquee quarterback prospects in this draft class. Last week, my mock featured the Panthers doing it. This week, let's run a simulation with the Raiders doing so. Also in this mock,...

The San Francisco 49ers will aim for their 13th consecutive victory and a trip to the Super Bowl when they visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in the 2023 NFC Championship Game. San Francisco (15-4) hasn't lost since Week 7 against Kansas City, reeling off 12 straight wins to match the franchise single-season record set in 1984. The NFC West champion 49ers are playing for the conference championship for the third time in four years after defeating Dallas 19-12 last weekend in the 2023 NFL playoffs. Philadelphia (15-3), which won its third NFC East title in six years, rolled past the division-rival New York Giants 38-7 in the Divisional Round of the 2023 NFL playoff bracket.

Despite his impressive work as the Panthers' interim head coach, Steve Wilks was not chosen to be Carolina's permanent coach. The job instead went to Frank Reich, who was fired by the Colts nine games into the 2022 season. Wilks expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to be the Panthers head coach for their final 12 games of the season, saying he will always be a fan of the team in a statement he tweeted on Friday morning.

The Jets found their new offensive coordinator this week, hiring former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett. The move reunites Hackett with coach Robert Saleh, more than a half-decade after the two worked together with the Jaguars. But what does the staffing change mean for the Jets moving forward? Easy: a splashy quarterback change.

Duffy signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Friday. The veteran infielder will be given an invitation to major-league spring training. It's a good landing spot for Duffy, as the Royals recently freed up the potential for more playing time in the infield when they traded Adalberto Mondesi. Duffy was solid for the Cubs in 2021 but struggled last season with the Angels, putting up a .619 OPS across 247 plate appearances.

Maddox (toe) was a limited participant during Wednesday's practice. Maddox was back on the practice field for the first time since suffering the toe injury against Dallas on Dec. 24. Because he's been sidelined for just over a month, Maddox will likely have to log at least one full practice by Friday if he wants to avoid carrying an injury designation into Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the 49ers.

Hurst (calf) was limited at practice Thursday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports. Hurst practiced fully Wednesday, so the tight end's addition to the Bengals' injury report makes his status worth tracking as Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs approaches. He dealt with a calf issue back in December, but it's unclear if his listed limitations Thursday are indicative of a setback in practice or a case of workload management.

Vaughn rushed 17 times for 53 yards and secured three of four targets for 19 yards across 15 games in 2022. The third-year back was a forgotten man on offense most of the season, logging just 35 snaps from scrimmage. Vaughn did garner active status for a career-high 15 games, but rookie Rachaad White beat him out for the No. 2 running back job and only increased his snap share as the campaign unfolded. The fact that Vaughn received so few opportunities even with veteran Giovani Bernard missing significant time due to injury doesn't bode well for the Vanderbilt product's prospects heading into the final year of his rookie deal, especially with Leonard Fournette still projected to be on the roster in 2023 alongside White.

Happy Wednesday, everyone. We're just four days away from learning which teams will square off in Super Bowl LVII. Word is that John Breech demanded to take this day off so he could stitch an "LVII" patch onto his Joe Burrow jersey, but we're still waiting for confirmation on that. In the meantime, you've got me, Cody Benjamin, to deliver all the latest from around the NFL.

Dallas signed Callaway to a reserve/future contract Wednesday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. Callaway reached an injury settlement with the Chiefs at the end of August, and after clearing the knee injury, he latched on with the Cowboys' practice squad in mid-November. He was never elevated during the regular season and hasn't seen regular-season NFL action since 2020, but with his new contract, he'll be able to stick around Dallas' organization and compete for a roster spot during the offseason.

Castano (shoulder) cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Jacksonville by the Marlins on Thursday, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Miami designated Castano for assignment last week as the corresponding 40-man roster move for its completion of a free-agent agreement with veteran starter Johnny Cueto. The 28-year-old left-hander holds a 3.89 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 45:28 K:BB ratio in 85.2 career innings at the MLB level.

For the second year in a row, the 49ers are knocking on the door of the Super Bowl. Last season, their dreams of a title slipped through their fingers as they couldn't hang on to their fourth-quarter lead over the eventual-champion Rams. Fast forward to this year's campaign, and you'll...

Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!. The NFL regular season ended on Jan. 8, which means we've now gone 18 days without a coach being hired. There are five open coaching jobs and not one has been filled yet. It's been so long that I'm starting to think that some of these teams are planning to go into 2023 without a coach, which might actually be better than what they had last year.

Hardman (pelvis) will practice Wednesday, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports. Coach Andy Reid noted that Hardman, who last suited up in Week 9, "feels better than he did the last couple weeks" and "seems to be in a good place" as Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Bengals approaches. The Chiefs' upcoming injury report will clarify Hardman's official participation level, but the wideout appears to be trending in the right direction at this stage of the week.

Barton ended with eight points (3-5 FG, 2-3 3Pt), two rebounds and three assists over 15 minutes during Tuesday's 127-126 win over Dallas. Barton remains an afterthought when it comes to fantasy, logging just 15 minutes in the victory. Prior to Tuesday, he had not even been in the rotation for over a week, highlighting what a struggle it has been since arriving in Washington. At this point, it appears as though a trade is Barton's only chance at redeeming himself. For now, however, managers can focus their attention elsewhere.

Sills signed a reserve/future contract with the Giants on Thursday. Sills opened the 2022 season as a member of the Giants' starting wide-receiver corps, playing at least 63 percent of offensive snaps in all but one of the first four games. However, the 26-year-old logged more than two receptions just once, and he saw a significant drop in playing time before being ruled a healthy scratch six times between Weeks 10 to 16. Sills was then waived Dec. 31 and finished the season on the practice squad. He'll now work to earn his way back onto the Giants' 53-man roster ahead of the 2023 campaign.

Art Rooney II discussed a variety of topics with Steelers beat writers on Thursday, ranging from the decision to retain offensive coordinator Matt Canada (largely because of Kenny Pickett and the growth that occurred late in the season) and his thoughts on future conference title games being played on neutral sites (he's against it).

Gordon has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Cleveland due to right knee soreness. Gordon has played at least 30 minutes in each of his last six appearances, averaging 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 31.3 minutes per game over that stretch. However, he's dealing with a knee issue that will sideline him for the first time since Dec. 27. Jae'Sean Tate (ankle) is also out, so Kenyon Martin, Garrison Mathews and Tari Eason will likely see increased run Thursday.