Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich says his side has been left with a "scar" after missing the playoffs following Sunday's shock 26-11 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Indianapolis needed only to beat a two-win Jaguars team to secure their place in the postseason but were humbled, allowing the Pittsburgh Steelers to clinch a playoffs spot.
Quarterback Carson Wentz was sacked six times in a game the Jaguars led the entire way, with the Colts having not won in Jacksonville since 2014.
The Colts finished the season with back-to-back defeats to slip to a 9-8 record and second in the AFC South behind the Conference-leading Tennessee Titans.
"It was hard to imagine after the Arizona game, we get to 9-6, we feel like we’re one of the two or three teams to beat, a team everybody’s talking about," Reich told reporters on Monday.
"When you think about how all this was going to end, certainly, no one including myself, really, ever thought it would end like it did the last two weeks.
"That’s something that can’t be undone. It’s part of our record. It’s part of my record. … It’s a scar."
Reich revealed that he met with team owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard for several hours after the Jaguars defeat.
“It was a good conversation, a supporting conversation, but also demanding and wanting answers, [with Irsay] wanting to hold us accountable,” Reich said.
He added: "‘We’re going to get better.' … We walked out of there saying, ‘We’ve got a lot of the right pieces in place.'"
NFL star RB McCaffrey agrees to $38M extension with San Francisco 49ers
Christian McCaffrey has reset the running back market in the NFL.
McCaffrey agreed to a two-year, $38million extension with the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, making him the league's highest-paid running back.
The new deal keeps McCaffrey, who turns 28 on Friday, under contract for the next four years after he signed a four-year, $64million extension in 2020 following his third season with the Carolina Panthers.
The 49ers acquired McCaffrey from the Panthers via a trade during the 2022 season, and he won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award in his first full season in San Francisco in 2023 after leading the NFL in rushing with 1,459 yards with 14 touchdowns.
He added another 564 receiving yards and seven TD receptions to help the 49ers secure the top seed in the NFC.
In 27 games with the 49ers, he has 2,205 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns to go with 1,028 receiving yards and 11 receiving TDs.
Since his 2017 rookie season, he leads all players with 10,505 scrimmage yards, while his 81 scrimmage touchdowns trail only Derrick Henry's 88.
Known for his bruising running style, McCaffrey also leads all players with 72 runs of at least 10 yards over the last two seasons.
McCaffrey attended the first day of San Francisco's mandatory mini-camp on Tuesday after skipping voluntary work-outs over the last two weeks.
Vikings, wide receiver Jefferson reportedly agree to massive $140M contract extension
Justin Jefferson has put up record-setting numbers on the football field.
He now has a record-setting contract to go with it.
Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings agreed Monday to a four-year extension that will reportedly make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
The deal includes $88million at signing, $110million in guaranteed money and is worth as much as $140million.
"Justin is an exceptionally talented player and an incredible person that I am honored to coach and have as a team captain," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said in a statement. "His positive energy and love for the game shows up every single day as he works to be the best at his craft. As coaches, we will do our part in helping him maximize his ability."
Since being drafted 22nd overall in the 2020 draft, Jefferson has been the NFL's most productive receiver.
His 5,899 receiving yards are the most in league history through a player's first four seasons, and his average of 98.3 receiving yards per game are the most in the NFL since 2020.
Over the last four seasons, his 66 receptions of 25 or more yards are nine more than Tyreek Hill for the most in the NFL, and he also has 30 touchdown receptions.
The 2022 AP NFL Offensive Player of the year managed to compile these impressive stats despite missing seven games last season because of a hamstring injury.
Although he sat out nearly half of the 2023 season, he still reached 1,074 receiving yards.
"Over the first four seasons of his career, Justin entrenched himself as the best wide receiver and one of the most electric players in the NFL," Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf said in a statement. "He is a special talent, a committed teammate and an excellent representative of the Vikings. Justin has earned this contract, and we are thrilled he will remain a Minnesota Viking for a very long time."
A three-time Pro Bowler, the 25-year-old Jefferson will now be paired with a new quarterback after Kirk Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons in the off-season.
The Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy 10th overall in this year's draft and also signed former No. 3 pick Sam Darnold in March.
Dolphins WR Waddle gets $84.75M extension
Jaylen Waddle has become the latest star wide receiver to receive a big new contract this offseason, as the Miami Dolphins standout has agreed to a three-year, $84.75 million extension according to multiple reports.
NFL.com reported Thursday that Waddle will receive a minimum of $76 million on his new deal, which begins in 2026 and will run through the 2028 season. That amount is the third-largest sum of guaranteed money to a wide receiver in league history, trailing only Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown's $84 million and Detroit Lions playmaker Amon-Ra St. Brown's $77 million.
The $28.25 average annual value of Waddle's extension is the fourth-highest among wide receivers behind Brown ($32 million), St. Brown and Dolphins teammate Tyreek Hill (both $30 million).
Both Brown and St. Brown signed their extensions this offseason as well. Three other receivers, Philadephia's DeVonta Smith ($75 million), Nico Collins of the Houston Texans ($72.75 million) and Michael Pittman Jr. of the Indianapolis Colts ($70 million), recently agreed to new three-year deals.
Taken by Miami with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Waddle is one of only five players in NFL history to begin his career with three consecutive seasons with at least 70 catches and 1,000 receiving yards. That list includes another current Dolphins player in Odell Beckham Jr., who did so with the New York Giants from 2014-16, as well as Michael Thomas (four straight from 2016-19), Justin Jefferson (2020-22) and Ja'Marr Chase (2021-23).
Waddle set an NFL rookie record with 104 receptions in 2021, a mark that was surpassed this past season by the Los Angeles' Rams Puka Nacua (105). In 47 career regular-season games, the 25-year-old has compiled 251 catches for 3,385 yards and 18 touchdowns.
The former University of Alabama star was a key part of a Miami offence that led the NFL with 4,514 net passing yards in 2023, with Waddle contributing 1,014 yards and four touchdowns on 72 receptions in 14 games.
Waddle has two seasons remaining on his rookie contract after the Dolphins exercised his fifth-year option in April.
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