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The Wolf Sports Newsletter: June 18, 2024


Tom Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony, NFL holdouts, and championship news around sports headline this week’s newsletter.

 

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Tom Brady honored in New England

 

A year removed from retirement, the New England Patriots honored legendary quarterback Tom Brady by officially inducting him into the team’s Hall of Fame last Wednesday.

 

 

  • The June 12 (6/12) induction date represents the six Super Bowls Brady won with the Pats and the 12 represents his jersey number, which has now been retired.
  • Patriots owner Robert Kraft also said the team will be building a 12-foot statue of Brady this year.
  • Brady’s speech was excellent, and it included him telling Bill Belichick, “It wasn’t me. It wasn’t you. It was us.”

 

“Let me make this crystal clear. There is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick.”

 

Tom Brady

 

  • Belichick himself received a massive ovation from the Gillette Stadium crowd, and receiver Randy Moss also got a ton of love from the fans:

 

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1801051519556485131

 

Trevor Lawrence headlines contract news

 

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence signed a five-year, $275 million extension. The deal, which keeps Lawrence in Jacksonville through the 2030 season, ties Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow as the biggest contract in NFL history at $55 million per year.

 

https://twitter.com/jaguars/status/1801691109208502479?s=61

 

Other signings last week include:

 

  • Safety Tony Jefferson came out of retirement to sign with the Chargers.
  • The Dolphins signed veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell.
  • Star UFL kicker Jake Bates signed with the Lions.
  • The Bengals signed center Ted Karras to a one-year extension through 2025.
  • The Jets signed former first-round pick defensive lineman Takk McKinley.
  • Cornerback Tre Herndon signed with the Giants.

 

Holdouts and player news to monitor

 

The Jets have a couple of interesting situations on their hands:

 

  • Pass rusher Haason Reddick, who was acquired from the Eagles for a conditional 2026 third-round pick that can become a second, held out of mandatory minicamp.
  • Reddick was acquired by New York without a new contract in place (a reason he wanted out of Philadelphia) and probably feels he has decent leverage in the predicament.
  • And quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who participated in voluntary workouts this spring, was not at mandatory minicamp because of an unknown event that he had on his schedule for a while.
  • The Jets are not saying what it is, only that they support him—but that the absence is “unexcused,” which one can imagine Rodgers is not thrilled about.

 

Bottom line: The Rodgers situation might be made a bigger deal than it is because of the New York spotlight. But neither his situation nor the Reddick holdout is ideal for a group on the hot seat.

 

Bengals receivers are in the building, with Ja’Marr Chase opting against a holdout while seeking a contract extension (though we’ll see if a “hold in” occurs into training camp) and Tee Higgins signing his franchise tender to play out 2024.

 

More contract news:

 

  • Saints running back Alvin Kamara left minicamp early, and it’s contract-related.
  • Buccaneers star offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs is staging a “hold in” while looking for an extension from his rookie contract, reporting to mandatory minicamp but not participating in practice.
  • Wanting a new contract, Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper is holding out.
  • Rams head coach Sean McVay says that he does not think quarterback Matthew Stafford will hold out of training camp while seeking a new deal.

 

More NFL news and updates

 

Tampering investigation: Following the NFL looking into the signings of Kirk Cousins and Saquon Barkley, the Falcons were docked a 2025 fifth-round pick and fined $250K while the Eagles will not be penalized.

 

Hard Knocks: In Season will follow the entire AFC North this season, premiering Tuesday, December 3 on Max.

 

 

Darnold up first: Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that Sam Darnold will enter training camp as the team’s top quarterback.

 

Injury news to track:

 

 

On TikTok, 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk posted a video of himself FaceTiming with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and apparently claiming the 49ers told him they don’t want him back (which sounds a tad farfetched).

 

The Chiefs got their Super Bowl rings in a ceremony last week.

 

 

New Chiefs defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs was arrested for domestic violence and burglary—his second arrest in a month.

 

Other Sports Updates

 

Basketball legend Jerry West passed away at 86.

 

Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open for the second time (2020).

 

 

The Panthers lead the Stanley Cup Final, 3-1, with Game 5 tonight in Florida.

 

49ers star Christian McCaffrey is on the cover of Madden 25.

 

https://twitter.com/CMC_22/status/1800552680085221487

 

Dodgers injuries: Perennial All-Star Mookie Betts will miss time after fracturing his hand on a hit by pitch yesterday, and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is out indefinitely with a rotator-cuff strain.

 

Rafael Nadal will skip Wimbledon next month, instead focusing on the Olympics.

 

Conor McGregor had to withdraw from UFC 303 due to an injury.

 

The Birmingham Stallions won the UFL championship after winning the previous two USFL titles.

 

The Astros released Jose Abreu. The former AL MVP of the White Sox had over $30 million remaining on his contract.

 

“Utah Hockey Club” will be the name of Salt Lake City’s NHL team for its inaugural season before the long-term team identity is decided for the 2025-2026 season.

 

https://twitter.com/utahhockeyclub/status/1801359797541019829

 

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