Connect with us

Sports

NFL projection model: Raiders, Commanders winning the offseason; 49ers, Cowboys slipping

Published

on

NFL projection model: Raiders, Commanders winning the offseason; 49ers, Cowboys slipping

The NFL offseason is well underway, and while the upcoming NFL Draft will shake things up even more, there has been no shortage of roster-altering moves. The biggest, of course, have come at quarterback. We’re still waiting for one big domino (Aaron Rodgers) to fall, but we’ve already seen huge shifts in the QB landscape. No. 1, of course, was the Seattle Seahawks trading Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders before signing former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold to be their new signal caller.

How did those moves, and all of the others made so far this offseason, affect their teams’ outlooks for the 2025 season? It’s a bit like asking: Who have been the biggest winners and losers of the offseason so far? We’re going to attempt to answer that analytically using our NFL Projection Model.

Before we get there, it bears repeating: A lot can change. Teams have plenty of time to alter their standing in these rankings. But we wanted to examine where things are right now. How much value have some teams added? How much have some teams lost?

To measure that, my model uses a handful of advanced metrics and assigns a value to every player in the NFL. Think of that value as how much a single player affects the point spread of the expected winning percentage of a single game.

After that, I went through every transaction made this offseason and calculated the value added or lost (up through March 25). Since I’m only looking at how these moves affect each team for the 2025 season, my model does not factor in the length of the contract or money spent on contracts. It’s also important to note that this process only assesses players changing teams. Players who re-signed with their teams aren’t included because those players’ values were already included in their teams’ projections.

Advertisement

With that explanation out of the way, here’s a look at how many expected points each NFL team had added or lost this offseason.

Five Biggest Winners

Las Vegas Raiders

I’m not sure how any list doesn’t include the Raiders at the top, or at the very least inside the top three, after landing Smith. The Raiders roster isn’t ready to compete for a playoff spot, especially in the vaunted AFC West, but they’ve solidified the sport’s most important position with a quarterback who has proven he can give you a solid floor as a league-average QB with the ability for more. And with quarterback (presumably) locked down for the next few seasons, new coach Pete Carroll can focus on acquiring talent to fill out the rest of the roster.

New York Giants

The Giants were wise not to stop addressing the QB position after signing Jameis Winston last week. He now becomes their backup with the newly signed Russell Wilson leading the charge into 2025. Now we’ll see if they want to add a rookie to the mix in April. Beyond their solid start at QB, the Giants made some nice moves on defense by adding safety Jevon Holland and cornerback Paulson Adebo while improving the depth of their front seven. The Giants weren’t a QB away from anything significant, but they’ve quietly done a good job fortifying the roster at a position they still need to find a long-term answer for.

New England Patriots

The Patriots continued their free-agent spending spree Tuesday night, adding star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a receiving group that needed a No. 1. After that splash signing, finishing third in these rankings might seem low. And maybe it is. It probably boils down to what you think of Harold Landry III as an edge rusher. My model thinks Landry is just fine — and that’s not a bad thing. Having average players on the roster can be good if you can put stars around them. Factor in Landry’s familiarity with new head coach Mike Vrabel, and you understand why New England made the move. Offensive tackle Morgan Moses and defensive tackle Milton Williams are the other additions my model likes, and if you think Landry will be better in this new system, you can easily make an argument for the Patriots jumping the Giants in these rankings and even threatening the Raiders for the top spot.

Advertisement

Indianapolis Colts

My model loved the Charvarius Ward signing, grading it as one of the most impactful moves made this offseason not involving a quarterback. While there is some risk — Ward is 28 years old — a change of scenery might be what just what the veteran cornerback needs to return to form as one of the best defensive backs in the league. Pair the Ward signing with the addition of safety Cam Bynum, and the Colts have done an excellent job of upgrading a secondary that badly needed one.

Washington Commanders

The Commanders made their splashes on the trade market rather than in free agency, and my model liked what they did. Laremy Tunsil remains one of the better left tackles in the league, and that was a position where Washington needed an upgrade. Meanwhile, wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. should fit into this Washington offense with his versatility, pairing well with the skill set of QB Jayden Daniels. Adding cornerback Jonathan Jones was another interesting move and one that my model liked. He’s up there in age (31) and didn’t have the greatest 2024 season, but if he bounces back in any way, watch out for the Commanders (again) this season.

Five Biggest Losers

New York Jets

The loss of Rodgers might be offset by the addition of Justin Fields, but there were still some major losses here. Davante Adams remains a very good wide receiver, despite getting up there in age; Moses is still a quality tackle; and the biggest loss, according to my projections, is D.J. Reed. Reed has been a quality cornerback for a while, and he’s going to be difficult to replace. I don’t necessarily disagree with letting these players walk, given the state of the roster and the price tags it would have taken to keep them in town, but there’s no debate the Jets lost some top talent this offseason.

San Francisco 49ers

This ranking shouldn’t come as a surprise to those tracking San Francisco’s offseason, which has seen a mass exodus of quality players. I already spoke about how much my model likes Ward, but the 49ers also lost Samuel, Jordan Mason, Aaron Banks, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, Javon Hargrave, Leonard Floyd, Maliek Collins and Isaac Yiadom, among others. Maybe that’s the price of doing business after paying running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk ahead of of a new contract for quarterback Brock Purdy, but the 49ers are in the middle of a transitional period, and the state of their roster shows it.

Philadelphia Eagles

One of the byproducts of winning the Super Bowl, or just being consistently competitive in the NFL, is that players on your team earn significant raises. That’s just the way it goes. Last year, the Eagles and Chiefs were near the bottom of this list after the early part of free agency, and both reached the Super Bowl, so all hope isn’t lost in Philadelphia, especially with so much talent still on the roster. But no matter how you shake it, Philadelphia will be looking to replace a lot of snaps from this year’s championship-winning squad as Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Brandon Graham, Darius Slay Jr., C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Isaiah Rodgers are all gone.

Advertisement

Dallas Cowboys

Staying in the NFC East here, the Cowboys will again be looking to primarily bolster their roster through the draft, which they’re pretty decent at, rather than free agency. The losses of DeMarcus Lawrence, Jourdan Lewis, and Chauncey Golston are daunting (though letting Lewis walk after one of his best seasons isn’t the worst decision), and the loss of Zack Martin to retirement will sting. He was certainly past his peak, but he was still a quality offensive lineman, and those are always hard to find.

Seattle Seahawks

What did you expect after they traded away their starting quarterback and a Pro Bowl-caliber wide receiver? If it’s any consolation to Seahawks fans, it’s impressive they aren’t last on this list. That’s because they replaced Smith and DK Metcalf with Darnold and Cooper Kupp to help offset those losses, while adding Lawrence to their defense. The model is skeptical Darnold can replicate his success from Minnesota, while Kupp and Lawrence are past their primes and have some injury concerns, so it’s no surprise the Seahawks still rank near the bottom.

(Photos of John Lynch, Pete Carroll and Geno Smith: Ezra Shaw and Tom Hauck / Getty Images)

Sports

Patriots handle AFC East rival Jets at home behind TreVeyon Henderson’s 3-touchdown night

Published

on

Patriots handle AFC East rival Jets at home behind TreVeyon Henderson’s 3-touchdown night

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The New England Patriots continue to roll, handling their AFC East rival New York Jets, 27-14, on “Thursday Night Football.”

New England extended its lengthy win streak to eight games, improving to 9-2 on the season. Meanwhile, the Jets’ brief win streak, after starting the season 0-7, has come to a close.

Heading into this game, the Patriots were expected to dominate the Jets. While the scoreboard didn’t say so in the end, their rookie running back certainly provided the fireworks.

Advertisement

Drake Maye of the New England Patriots looks to pass during the first half against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 13, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

TreVeyon Henderson, who had a breakout game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week with 147 rushing yards and two long touchdown runs, added three more touchdowns to his first-year stat line in this victory. 

He was the only Patriots player to find the end zone, starting with the team’s 13-play, 69-yard drive that ended with his entire offensive line pushing him over the goal line to tie the game at seven apiece.

On the Patriots’ next drive, Henderson rushed in from seven yards out to give the Patriots a 14-7 lead to end the first half.

PATRIOTS DRAW PRAISE WITH STORMY UNIFORM DEBUT AGAINST JETS

Advertisement

New England started to pull away after quarterback Drake Maye, an MVP hopeful who had yet another great performance, put together chunk completions to set up an eventual touchdown pass to Henderson, who found himself wide open in the end zone.

Henderson finished the game with 62 rushing yards on 19 carries, while hauling in five catches for 31 yards.

Meanwhile, Justin Fields and the Jets’ offense struggled in yet another outing despite a great 14-play opening drive that ended with the quarterback rushing it in himself.

TreVeyon Henderson of the New England Patriots rushes for a touchdown in front of Isaiah Oliver #26 of the New York Jets during the first half against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 13, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)

Fields was coming off a rough game against the Cleveland Browns, though the Jets were able to win thanks to two special teams scores. He threw for only 54 yards with a 60.4 quarterback rating.

Advertisement

Fields was 15-of-26 for 116 yards in this game with a touchdown pass on a broken play to John Metchie III that made it 21-14 in the third quarter. But there were more negative moments than positive for the Jets, including a fumble lost on a low snap in the fourth quarter while the Jets were down just a touchdown.

The Patriots were able to run the fourth-quarter clock out, and give the home crowd what they were hoping for in Mike Vrabel’s first year as a head coach — a winning season. 

There is still more work to do, but nine wins put the Patriots above .500.

TreVeyon Henderson of the New England Patriots scores a touchdown during the second quarter against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 13, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Advertisement

Looking more into the box score, Maye was an efficient 25-of-34 for 281 yards with his one touchdown pass to Henderson. Stefon Diggs also led the way with nine catches for 105 yards, a game high, while Mack Hollins and Hunter Henry both caught four passes.

For the Jets, Metchie was the leading receiver with 45 yards on three grabs, while Breece Hall had 58 rushing yards on 14 carries. Fields had 67 yards on 11 runs.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Continue Reading

Sports

High school girls’ volleyball: Southern California regional results and pairings

Published

on

High school girls’ volleyball: Southern California regional results and pairings

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

Quarterfinals

DIVISION I

#1 Harvard-Westlake d. #9 Long Beach Poly, 25-13, 21-25, 22-25, 25-11, 15-11

#12 Bishop Montgomery d. #4 West Ranch, 23-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 15-9

Advertisement

#3 Santa Margarita d. #6 Coronado, 25-21, 25-20, 25-17

#2 Temecula Valley d. #10 Bakersfield Centennial, 25-17, 22-25, 25-19, 25-23

DIVISION II

#1 Liberty d. #9 Arroyo Valley, 25-20, 25-19, 25-20

#12 La Canada d. #13 Ventura, 17-25, 25-15, 25-21, 23-25, 15-10

Advertisement

#3 Cypress d. #6 Scripps Ranch, 20-25, 21-25, 25-15, 26-24, 15-13

#7 Carlsbad d. #15 Dana Hills, 25-14, 25-17, 22-25, 18-25, 15-13

DIVISION III

#1 Academy of Our Lady of Peace d. #8 Royal, 25-21, 25-11, 25-22

#4 Santa Fe Christian d. #5 Patrick Henry, 25-13, 25-7, 25-16

Advertisement

#3 Mission Vista d. #6 Ontario Christian, 25-19, 19-25, 25-13, 21-25, 15-7

#2 Frontier d. #7 Chadwick, 25-20, 25-18, 35-23

DIVISION IV

#1 Nipomo d. #8 Grant, 24-26, 25-22, 27-25, 25-21

#12 Capistrano Valley Christian d. #13 West Valley, 25-13, 25-12, 25-22

Advertisement

#3 Granada Hills d. #5 LA University, 25-23, 25-17, 25-22

#2 Mammoth d. #10 Rock Academy, 25-20, 25-12, 25-21

DIVISION V

#8 Panorama d. #1 East Valley, 25-23, 20-25, 21-25, 25-21, 15-12

#4 Elsinore d. #5 Artesia, 21-25, 26-24, 25-17, 25-19

Advertisement

#11 Nogales d. #3 O’Farrell Charter, 3-2

#2 Morro Bay d. #10 South El Monte, 25-10, 25-21, 25-18

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

SEMIFINALS

(Matches at 6 p.m. unless noted)

Advertisement

OPEN DIVISION

#5 Marymount at #1 Sierra Canyon

#3 Torrey Pines at #2 Mater Dei

DIVISION I

#12 Bishop Montgomery at #1 Harvard-Westlake

Advertisement

#3 Santa Margarita at #2 Temecula Valley

DIVISION II

#12 La Canada at #1 Bakersfield Liberty

#7 Carlsbad at #3 Cypress

DIVISION III

Advertisement

#4 Santa Fe Christian at #1 Academy of Our Lady of Peace

#3 Mission Vista at #2 Bakersfield Frontier

DIVISION IV

#12 Capistrano Valley Christian at #1 Nipomo

#3 Granada Hills at #2 Mammoth

Advertisement

DIVISION V

#8 Panorama at #4 Elsinore

#11 Nogales at #2 Morro Bay

Note: Finals (all divisions) Nov. 18 at higher seeds.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Ex-NFL star admonishes college football teams involved in raucous melee

Published

on

Ex-NFL star admonishes college football teams involved in raucous melee

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Former NFL star Cam Newton had a message for the Grambling State and Bethune-Cookman college football programs in the latest episode of his podcast after a brawl occurred among players from each team over the weekend.

The halftime melee resulted in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) handing out suspensions for 27 players, including three who were suspended for two games. Each program received thousands of dollars in fines as well.

Then-Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) walks on the field during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Nov. 28, 2021. (Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports)

Advertisement

Newton said on “4th & 1” that Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were “set back” because of the fighting that occurred on the field.

“I despise the actions … I am extremely displeased with what took place. Why? It’s because make no mistake about it — I’ve spoken at length about equal opportunity,” Newton said. “We are sitting up here trying to get more access, more visibility, to amplify the platform of HBCUs. No matter if you in the MEAC, the SWAC, the SIAC, the OVC — or whatever conference you’re in — if you’re a representation of Blackness and Black culture, you should look at this and say to yourself, ‘This set us back.’”

Newton wondered what if the brawl took place on a major network that aired college football games and what the conversation would be around HBCU programs.

He added that, overall, the image was damaged as schools are trying to grow in terms of name, image and likeness deals and looking for sponsors.

Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton watches a game between the Howard Bison and Florida A&M Rattlers in the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Dec. 16, 2023. (Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports)

Advertisement

NCAA PUTS MICHIGAN STATE FOOTBALL ON 3 YEARS OF PROBATION, VACATES 14 WINS

The former Carolina Panthers quarterback star also took issue with Grambling State head coach Mickey Joseph’s initial comments after the brawl. Joseph initially said the school wasn’t going to tolerate “disrespect” and they’re “going to meet disrespect with disrespect.”

Joseph apologized and backtracked from his comments, but it still didn’t sit well with Newton.

“I can forgive you for what you said, I can never forget what you said,” Newton said. “It’s almost like, what are you apologizing for? Are you apologizing because someone above you said, ‘That’s not a good look and you gotta apologize for that.’ Or, are you apologizing because that’s how you really feel?

“Anybody in the SWAC, MEAC, SIAC, CIAA, OVC, I’m ticked off because it set us back, man. It set us back.”

Advertisement

The SWAC admonished the schools and the players that took part in the fight.

“We’re extremely disappointed by the events that transpired during halftime of the Bethune-Cookman at Grambling State football game,” SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland said in a statement. “Acts of that nature have zero place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and intercollegiate athletics.

Detail view of a penalty flag during a football game on Nov. 7, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“The Conference Office has and will continue to enforce a zero-tolerance policy for all acts deemed to be unsportsmanlike and contrary to the high standard of good sportsmanship we expect from all individuals associated with the athletics programs within our league.”

Advertisement

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending