I submitted my letter of resignation to The Athletic. Everything I have to say about it is below.

The NFL informed its teams about when they could expect to see replacement officials visiting facilities if a deal is not reached by next month, when the current CBA with the NFL Referees Association expires:

IT. IS. TIME. Welcome to the 2026 edition of The Beast. ◽️ 402 profiles ◽️ 2,700 rankings ◽️ 45,000 verified measurements ◽ 300,000 words It’s the world’s most detailed NFL Draft guide, from @danebrugler.bsky.social. www.nytimes.com/athletic/int...

An update from John Harbaugh on Dexter Lawrence, via @charlottecrrll.bsky.social:

Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is scheduled to visit with the Raiders today. It’s the fourth touchpoint between Las Vegas and the presumptive No. 1 pick, who met during the combine, once virtually and after his pro day last week.

In texting with multiple league sources since Dexter Lawrence’s trade request was made public, expect the calls to only increase regarding the availability of the 28-year-old. Teams were already interested in dealing for the Giants' DT prior to last season’s trade deadline.

More on three-time Pro Bowl DT Dexter Lawrence requesting a trade from the New York Giants:

Giants DT Dexter Lawrence has requested a trade, sources tell The Athletic. The three-time Pro Bowler will not attend the team’s offseason workouts. Adam Schefter was on it.

In 48 hours… The Beast is unleashed 👹 @danebrugler.bsky.social

🐰🐰🐰

From Travon Walker’s agents:

At the league meetings in Phoenix, several high-ranking sources believed the draft picks rule proposal was a test balloon - and one that more teams than publicly shared are interested in: www.nytimes.com/athletic/716...

Kirk Cousins’ deal pays him $20 million fully guaranteed for playing in 2026, with $10 million coming next March in the form of a roster bonus that contains no offset language, per source. The contract contains a built-in two-year, $80 million option.

The Raiders have added more experience to their QB room, agreeing to terms with former Falcon Kirk Cousins. More:

Cousins had interest from several teams, including the Cardinals, Rams, and Packers.

The Las Vegas Raiders have always wanted a veteran quarterback in their room to help develop a potential rookie quarterback in need of learning the NFL. Kirk Cousins joins Las Vegas, per his agent.

NFL owners have approved the rule change allowing league personnel to consult with on-field officials regarding flagrant football acts and non-football acts that aren’t called on the field and could lead to disqualification, sources tell The Athletic.

The NFL has approved the one-year rule that allows the NFL Officiating Department to correct clear and obvious errors made by on-field officials in the event of a work stoppage involving the league’s regular game officials, sources tell The Athletic.

Bills HC Joe Brady talks about making sure they protect QB Josh Allen and he protects himself. “If it was up to him, he’d run all the time.”

Mike McCarthy talks about Aaron Rodgers and says he believes they are in a good space.

The NFL is officially heading back to Las Vegas for Super Bowl LXIII in 2029, the league announced.

The Browns have withdrawn their rule proposal that would allow for teams to trade draft picks up to five years in the future, a source tells The Athletic's @nickijhabvala.bsky.social.

He adds “We are glad he’s a Ram.”

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said the team hopes the team can get something in return for WR Brandon Aiyuk. He said he's not sure when that might take place, "I know we're in no rush to do that."

Sean McVay said he spoke with WR Davante Adams about potential trade talks involving the 33-year-old. The HC says he believes it’s important to tell players what’s going on and what was being discussed.

Rams HC Sean McVay says he was not surprised the tush push didn’t come up this year as one of the topics on the competition committee

“A.J. Brown is an Eagle” the HC gives the latest on his top WR

Eagles HC Nick Sirianni on the new WR additions: “Always been a fan of them and their style, we are adding depth at every position.”

The NFL sent this out on Friday which should quiet some very strong opinions about this over the next 48 hours.

The Seahawks will open up the 2026 regular season on Wednesday, Sept. 9, with the Rams and 49ers playing the following day in Australia. The game in Melbourne will kick off at 10:35 am local time on Friday. More details:

Philly making additions almost daily the last few days. Howie building and filling…

The NFL's rule change proposals, set to be voted on at the owners' meetings in Arizona:

@bymikejonessports.bsky.social spoke with Tretter on his return ⤵️ www.nytimes.com/athletic/714...

Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David is retiring, the team announced. David won Super Bowl LV with Tampa and spent his entire 14-year career with the Bucs.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the reigning Offensive Player of the Year and a Super Bowl LX winner. Now, he's reset the wide receiver market with a four-year extension:

BREAKING: The Seahawks and WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba are in agreement on a four-year, $168.6 million deal that makes him the highest-paid receiver in NFL history on an annual basis, sources tell The Athletic. Adam Schefter was on it.

The Seahawks exercised the fifth-year options on CB Devon Witherspoon and WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

The Eagles are signing safeties Marcus Epps and J.T. Gray to one-year deals, per sources. Reinforcements for Philly after losing Reed Blankenship and trading Sydney Brown to the Falcons earlier today.

I had an OC tell me this today about evaluating QBs in the draft “When I’m trying to find THE guy… I ask two questions — was he born to be a QB, or was he made to be one?” Nothing has resonated more…Everyone’s chasing the guy who was born to do it. There’s 2 in this class…

The Minnesota Vikings are re-signing veteran QB Carson Wentz, per sources. Wentz started five games for the Vikings last year in place of J.J. McCarthy, going 2-3.

The Eagles are adding to their QB room, trading for Panthers veteran Andy Dalton:

JC Tretter has been elected as the new NFLPA executive director:

I put the Broncos in my win-now bucket even when they hadn’t made a move. Trading for this level of player + comp only reiterates where they believe they are in their team-building timeline: www.nytimes.com/athletic/711...

The full trade, per sources: Broncos receive: WR Jaylen Waddle, fourth-round pick Dolphins receive: 2026 first-round pick (No. 30), third- and fourth-round picks.

Despite speculation, I’m told the Denver Broncos never showed interest in trading for A.J. Brown. They always had their eye on Jaylen Waddle. Sean Payton and Bo Nix have a new receiving threat.

BREAKING: The Denver Broncos are trading for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, sources tell The Athletic.

The Chiefs have a new backup QB, trading for Justin Fields from the Jets. More, with @zackblatt.bsky.social:

Comp update: It’s a 2027 sixth-round pick heading back to the Jets in exchange for Fields.

Trade: The New York Jets are trading QB Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs, sources tell The Athletic.