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NFL

Deal or No Deal?

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – The NFL said Sunday that the Seattle Seahawks were not fined for failing to comply with league ownership requirements to sell the team, contrary to a report of a $5 million penalty in the Wall Street Journal.

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“As we told the WSJ yesterday on the record, the team was not fined,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Pro Football Talk on Sunday. The Wall Street Journal article on Saturday included the league’s denial as well as the team — through a spokesman for Vulcan, Inc., the late Paul Allen’s company that manages the Seahawks — declining to comment on the fine.

The league and other owners are putting pressure on the trust that has controlled the franchise since owner Allen died in 2018, to sell the Seahawks, according to the article. League rules require controlling ownership be an individual, not a larger entity such as a trust, according to the Wall Street Journal report.

Allen, a Microsoft co-founder who also owned the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, made the stated intention that the teams eventually be sold, with proceeds going to charity. His sister, Jody Allen, is executor of the trust.

Multiple reports on Friday said the Seahawks are up for sale immediately after Super Bowl LX next Sunday, when Seattle faces the New England Patriots in Santa Clara, Calif.

“We don’t comment on rumors or speculation, and the team is not for sale,” the Paul G. Allen Estate said in a statement on Friday. “We’ve already said that will change at some point per Paul’s wishes, but I have no news to share. Our focus right now is winning the Super Bowl and completing the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers in the coming months.”

The Trail Blazers went on sale in September 2025 and reportedly are being sold for more than $4 billion to a group of investors led by Tom Dundon, owner of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.

Paul Allen’s estate does not include a hard deadline to sell the Seahawks, but one term expired in 2024 that would have required 10% of the proceeds to go to the state of Washington.

Per Sportico last summer, the Seahawks were valued at $6.59 billion, in the middle of the pack for NFL teams. Forbes’ December 2024 list of worldwide sports franchise values put the Seahawks in a tie for 24th place with the Los Angeles Dodgers at $5.45 billion.

The latest purchase of an NFL club was the $6.05 billion sale of the Washington Commanders in 2023. ESPN cited an anonymous team executive saying the Seahawks could be sold for $7 billion to $8 billion.

The highest-valued sports franchise is the Dallas Cowboys, listed by Sportico at $12.8 billion and by Forbes a year earlier at $10.1 billion.

Paul Allen spent $200 million in 1997 to buy the Seahawks from Ken Behring at a time when there was talk of the team relocating.

–Field Level Media

NFL Network, RedZone Channel – SOLD!

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Will the ghost of John Facenda please report to the SportsCenter set in Bristol?

You’ve been sold.

Government regulators approved ESPN’s acquisition of NFL Network, linear rights to the NFL RedZone Channel and other league media assets in exchange for a 10% equity stake in ESPN, the NFL and ESPN announced late Saturday night.

The blockbuster deal was formally announced last August pending reviews by the Justice Department and other non-US antitrust authorities, which are now complete.

“With the closing, we will begin integrating NFL employees into ESPN in the months ahead,” ESPN and the NFL said in a joint statement. “As we look to the future, NFL fans can look forward to expanded NFL programming, greater access to NFL Network, innovative Fantasy experiences and unparalleled coverage of America’s most popular sport.”

The deal will bring major NFL media properties under the Disney-owned network and expand ESPN’s football offerings across both traditional and streaming platforms.

The National Football League gave up 100% ownership of the NFL Network for 10% of ESPN, which is valued in billions of dollars.

Under the agreement, NFL Network and RedZone will be integrated into ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service while remaining available via cable and satellite. The RedZone brand could translate to a similar offering in other sports to which ESPN has broadcast rights.

NFL Fantasy will merge with ESPN Fantasy, creating the official season-long fantasy platform of the league.

As part of a second agreement between the sides, ESPN will also gain rights to license three additional NFL games per season for 28 total. Seven of those games will be broadcast on NFL Network — these three new ones and four that will shift from ESPN to NFL Network. The NFL doubleheaders on Monday nights will cease, while NFL Network again will have four international games for a total of seven games each season.

The merger does not impact coverage of Super Bowl LX next week, with viewers unlikely to see changes until April at the earliest, when NFL Media employees become part of ESPN.

The NFL will retain ownership of key properties including NFL Films, NFL+, NFL.com and the NFL Podcast Network, and will continue producing and distributing the digital version of RedZone independently

–Field Level Media

NFL Salary Cap to $301.2 Million

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – NFL teams were informed on Friday that the 2026 salary cap is projected to increase from 2025’s record ceiling to between $301.2 million and $305.7 million. The new NFL numbers were first reported by the NFL Network, seemingly, a credible source.

This season, clubs each had a limit of $279.2 million, a $23.8 million increase from 2024. The projected number for next season is a boost of more than $20 million and almost $100 million more than the cap of $208.2 million in 2022, when it first crossed the $200 million barrier.

The league’s rise in prosperity and popularity has been reflected in TV rights deals with its broadcast partners and impacted the annual salary cap, which was $120.37 million in 2011.

The cap has risen yearly since 2011, except for 2021 when the league prioritized recovery from the pandemic, including loss of live attendance gate and concessions profits.

–Field Level Media

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Maye Day! Maye Day!

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report)New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye missed practice Friday due to illness, coach Mike Vrabel announced.

“He would have been at practice today if not for the illness,” Vrabel said of Maye, who also has been limited by a sore right shoulder.

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The team is preparing for Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara. Maye was listed as a limited participant because of the shoulder issue during an estimated practice on Wednesday as well as Thursday’s session.

Vrabel was asked how Maye’s shoulder responded to limited participation on Thursday.

“I would say favorably, he’s fine,” Vrabel said on Friday. “However you label limited, that’s how much he practiced. It wasn’t full. So if it’s not full, it has to be down as limited.”

Maye talked to reporters after Thursday’s session and said he “felt good.” The second-year player said he threw during practice in the Patriots’ field house and didn’t think he would be limited for the Super Bowl.

“That’s why you spend time; that’s why you have trainers,” Maye said. “I think it’s just been one of those things where it’s been a long season and sometimes things show up. I’ll do whatever I can to feel 100%, and I’m sure I’ll get if not there, as close as you can — 99, or do whatever I can to make sure I’m throwing and do whatever I can to help the team win.”

Maye, 23, landed on his right shoulder during a 13-yard run in the third quarter of New England’s 10-7 win over the host Denver Broncos last Sunday in the AFC title game.

Maye has started every game this season for New England, including playoff victories over the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and Broncos.

He led the NFL with a 72.0% completion rate and 113.5 passer rating while throwing for 4,394 yards with 31 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. Maye has four TD passes and two interceptions in the postseason.

With a victory over the Seahawks, Maye will be the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl.

The Patriots also continue to practice this week without linebackers Harold Landry III (knee) and Robert Spillane (ankle) and offensive tackle Thayer Munford Jr. (knee/illness). Spillane was injured during the AFC Championship Game, a contest that Landry missed.

-Field Level Media

Seahawks Super Sale?

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SEATTLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A week before the Seattle Seahawks will play in the Super Bowl, the team denied multiple media reports on Friday that it will be up for immediate sale following the title game.

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Paul Allen owned the Seahawks and the Portland Trail Blazers until his death in 2018. The clubs are currently controlled by his trust under the management of his sister, Jody Allen. Paul Allen’s request was that the teams eventually be sold, with the money going to charity.

“We don’t comment on rumors or speculation, and the team is not for sale,” a club spokesman said in a statement on Friday. “We’ve already said that will change at some point per Paul’s wishes, but I have no news to share. Our focus right now is winning the Super Bowl and completing the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers in the coming months.”

Per Sportico last summer, the Seahawks were valued at $6.59 billion, in the middle of the pack for NFL teams. Forbes’ December 2024 list of worldwide sports franchise values put the Seahawks in a tie for 24th place with the Los Angeles Dodgers at $5.45 billion.

The latest purchase of an NFL club was the $6.05 billion sale of the Washington Commanders in 2023. ESPN cited an anonymous team executive saying the Seahawks could be sold for $7 billion to $8 billion.

The highest-valued sports franchise is the Dallas Cowboys, listed by Sportico at $12.8 billion and by Forbes a year earlier at $10.1 billion.

Paul Allen spent $200 million in 1997 to buy the Seahawks from Ken Behring at a time when there was talk of the team relocating.

The Seahawks, who joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1976, will make their fourth Super Bowl appearance when they oppose the New England Patriots on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, Calif. Seattle lost in the title game to the Pittsburgh Steelers after the 2005 season, beat the Denver Broncos for the championship after the 2013 season and fell to the Patriots for the crown after the 2014 season.

–Field Level Media

To HELL with the HALL

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CANTON – If everyone in the NFL-loving world thought it was going to be, “It’s on to Canton,” they’re wrong. No Pro Football Hall of Fame for former New England Patriots and current University of North Carolina coach Bill Belichick. The Halls of Canton await as it was announced Tuesday that Belichick will not make the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot, multiple media outlets reported Tuesday.

The stunning news comes a week before the Class of 2026 inductees are announced during the “NFL Honors” broadcast on Feb. 5.

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Belichick’s six Super Bowl victories as a head coach are the most in NFL history. He went 266-121 (.687) in his 24 seasons leading the New England Patriots, with an undefeated regular season in 2007. He also won two Super Bowls as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants.

Per ESPN, Belichick was informed Friday that he did not reach the threshold of 40 out of 50 votes from the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.

Earlier in the process, the hall’s Coach Blue-Ribbon Committee chose Belichick as its sole coach finalist for consideration by the full selection committee. Other coaches on that list included Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Marty Schottenheimer and Mike Shanahan.

A different committee selected Patriots owner Robert Kraft as the finalist from the contributor category.

According to an ESPN report, selection committee member and former Indianapolis Colts general manager Bill Polian told some voters he believed Belichick should “wait a year” before induction as a form of reparation for the Spygate and Deflategate scandals during the Belichick-Tom Brady dynasty years.

Belichick, Polian and the Hall of Fame did not provide comment.

Belichick was a three-time NFL Coach of the Year and named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019. With 302 wins as head coach of the Cleveland Browns (1991-95) and Patriots, he ranks third in league history behind Don Shula and George Halas.

The Patriots went 29-38 in Belichick’s last four years in New England once Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won one Super Bowl without Belichick. More recently, Belichick became a college coach for the first time at North Carolina, but his first season was a disastrous 4-8 affair.

–Field Level Media

No Super Handbook for Macdonald

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SEATTLE – (Wire Service Report) – The Seattle Seahawks are heading to their fourth Super Bowl since 2006, but neither Mike Holmgren nor Pete Carroll are walking through that door, and, certainly, Rick Pitino “ain’t walking through that door.”

Instead, the job of preparing his team for Super Bowl LX falls to 38-year-old Mike Macdonald in just his second season as a head coach at any level.

Asked Monday what he expects the biggest challenge of the next two weeks to be, Macdonald replied, “It’s easy to say ‘process,’ but the days are gonna look a little bit different. So it’s really the intent behind what we’re trying to do every day. Just staying focused on the things that we can control, because there is so much extra. That comes with the territory. It’s exciting. It’s an opportunity to kind of get it right.”

Macdonald’s Seahawks held off the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 in an instant classic NFC Championship Game on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, Calif.

Much of Macdonald’s day-after press conference focused on what comes next. He said the players will have off Tuesday and Wednesday, but they were in the building Monday to discuss logistical things related to the Super Bowl week schedule.

A longtime assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, Macdonald said he would soon reach out to his old boss, John Harbaugh, for advice about what’s on the horizon. Macdonald joined Baltimore in 2014, which came after the franchise’s only Super Bowl trip under Harbaugh.

Macdonald also joked that he’s watched about five plays’ worth of New England Patriots tape. There will be ample time for game-planning in the days to come, but Macdonald insisted nothing fundamental should change about the Seahawks’ approach.

“I think one of the differences about how we’ve ran our program this year and the last few years is we don’t have a, ‘Hey, this is the Super Bowl handbook. This is how you handle all the things.’ Our mentality is, ‘Hey, look, we’re all in this together going into this experience and this is how we want to take it day by day and kind of get through all these hurdles, so to speak.’ Those guys will be right along there for the ride and leading the charge.”

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The Seahawks do have one player who knows how to negotiate Super Bowl week and come out a champion on the other side.

When the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, wide receiver Cooper Kupp was voted Most Valuable Player after catching eight passes for 92 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Kupp, 32, shared what he would tell his teammates about handling the distractions and extracurriculars of Super Bowl week.

“You take care of it and then you get ready to play football,” he said. “You’re inserting it into part of your day, but you know that around that stuff, you still gotta go out there and be present, be where your feet are. When it’s time to do the media thing, do the media thing, handle your business, protect the team, then you’re gonna move into football stuff and be where your feet are in that regard.”

Kupp acknowledged “it was cool” for him to beat his former team in the penultimate game of the playoffs. Earlier in the day, a column in The Athletic reported that members of Kupp’s camp believed the Rams badmouthed him in league circles after unceremoniously cutting him after the 2024 season — warning against signing the oft-injured former Offensive Player of the Year for more than the veteran minimum.

The rival Seahawks didn’t listen, inking Kupp, a Washington native, to a three-year contract in March worth $45 million.

“For the story to be what it was, that it had to be through the Rams to be able to get to where we wanted to go, in the NFC championship in that moment, the script writers did a great job with that one.”

–Field Level Media

“Get In” to Super Bowl LX

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SANTA CLARA – (Wire Service Report) – The get-in price for Super Bowl LX continued to escalate in the opening 24 hours since the matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots was finalized.

By Monday evening, the cheapest ticket for the Feb. 8 game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., was $6,620, according to ticket tracking service TicketData. That was 5.2% higher than shortly after the Seahawks won the NFC Championship on Sunday night, and nearly 9% higher than just before the kickoff of the Patriots’ AFC Championship Game in Denver.

According to TicketData, the get-in price soared by 11% in just the past three days and is over 40% higher than right after last year’s Super Bowl matchup was set between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans.

SUPER BOWL LX TICKET PRICES*
SeatGeak: $6,776
StubHub: $6,689
Vivid Seats: $6,630
Ticketmaster: $6,896
*Cheapest price per seat for two tickets together

This will be the Seahawks’ first Super Bowl since their loss to the Patriots in XLIX in Glendale, Ariz., 11 years ago. Since then, New England has appeared in three Super Bowls, but this is the first in the post-Tom Brady era and during the Patriots’ first year under coach Mike Vrabel.

Super Bowl LX will also be the first title game held at Levi’s Stadium since Super Bowl 50 in 2016.

Still, the Seahawks-Patriots matchup has a long way to go to match the record prices for Super Bowl LVIII two years ago in Las Vegas, where get-in prices topped $7,000 shortly after the matchup between the 49ers and Chiefs was finalized. The average get-in price ultimately rose to a record of nearly $8,900 before dipping to just over $7,000 on game day.

Last year’s Super Bowl prices eventually dropped to an average of $2,109 on game day, due in large part to New Orleans’ limited hotel capacity along with what was dubbed “Chiefs fatigue.”

Seattle is currently a consensus 4.5-point favorite to beat New England in Super Bowl LX.

–Field Level Media

Seattle Opens as Super Bowl LX Fave

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SANTA CLARA – (Wire Service Report) – Nearly 11 years ago, the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks by four points to win the Super Bowl. Oddsmakers are looking for a similarly close game this time around, too, except with Seattle making the plays to come out on top.

Hours after the Patriots and then the Seahawks booked their reservations for Super Bowl LX on Sunday, sportsbooks listed Seattle as the early favorite, putting the line in the 4-to-5-point range.

Both DraftKings and FanDuel listed the Seahawks as 4.5-point favorites, with BetMGM putting the number at 5.

The Super Bowl will be played in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 8.

Both teams finished the regular season with 14-3 records, tied with the Denver Broncos for the best record in the league. The Broncos got the No. 1 seed and first-round bye by way of a tiebreaker, but the Patriots beat the Broncos in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game 10-7, the game in Denver ending in snow flurries.

In the day’s second game, the Seahawks held off their NFC West-rival Los Angeles Rams, winning 31-27 in the third meeting between the teams this season.

Though the Patriots played in the lower-scoring of the two games, oddsmakers are looking for a score in the Super Bowl more along the lines of the Seahawks-Rams game, with the over/under sitting at 46.5 across most books. The Patriots were the NFL’s second-highest scoring team at 28.8 points per game, with the Seahawks right behind at 28.4.

Seattle had the stingiest defense in the league in 2025, allowing 17.2 points per game. The Patriots were fourth at 18.8.

According to teamrankings.com, the Seahawks and Patriots are the best teams against the spread (record when factoring in the point spread) this season, including playoffs.

Seattle is 14-5-0 against the spread (ATS), while New England is 13-6-1.

While a slew of specialty bets will be posted over the next two weeks, an early look at one of the most popular prop bets, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, is topped with the expected names.

As quarterback of the betting favorite, Seattle’s Sam Darnold is the betting favorite with odds in the plus-130 range (bet $100 to win $130), with New England QB Drake Maye second at around plus-235. The only other players with odds shorter than plus-1000 (or 10-to-1) are a pair of Seahawks — receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba (plus-500) and running back Kenneth Walker III (plus-700). Up next is Patriots running back Rhamondre Stephenson, but he is listed between plus-2500 and plus-3000.

This will be the second Super Bowl meeting between the Seahawks and the Patriots. New England beat defending champion Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX (49) on Feb. 1, 2015 when Patriots defensive back Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson at the goal line with 20 seconds left in the game to seal the 28-24 win in Glendale, Ariz.

–Field Level Media

Seahawks Hold Off Rams for Super Win

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SEATTLE – (Wire Service Report) – Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold threw for a season-high 346 yards and three touchdowns as top-seeded Seattle defeated the visiting Los Angeles Rams 31-27 Sunday in the NFC Championship Game.

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Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba made 10 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown and Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III became Kenneth Walker LX by rushed for 62 yards and a score for the Seahawks, who will meet the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.

Darnold, on his fifth team in eight NFL seasons, finished 25-of-36 passing to reach his first Super Bowl.

The Rams got the ball on their own 8-yard line with no timeouts and 25 seconds remaining but time expired as they reached midfield.

Matthew Stafford was 22 of 35 for 374 yards and three TDs for the fifth-seeded Rams. Puka Nacua made nine catches for 165 yards and a score. Davante Adams added 89 yards and a TD on four receptions.

Trailing by four points, the Rams had a fourth-and-4 from Seattle’s 6-yard with 4:54 remaining. Stafford’s pass intended for Terrance Ferguson in the back of the end zone was knocked down by Devon Witherspoon.

The Seahawks were held on the first possession of the second half, but Rams punt returner Xavier Smith tripped and fell backward as the ball approached. Smith tried to catch the ball just before he landed on his back but muffed the punt and Seattle’s Dareke Young recovered at Los Angeles’ 17-yard line.

On the next play, Darnold hit Jake Bobo in the back of the end zone for a 24-13 lead. It was just the fourth reception of the season for Bobo.

The Rams responded with a four-play, 75-yard drive, capped by Stafford’s 2-yard TD pass to Adams to pull within four points.

Seattle moved right back down the field, restoring their double-digit lead on a 13-yard touchdown reception by former Ram WR Cooper Kupp.

It appeared the Rams would have to punt from Seattle’s 49-yard line when Riq Woolen knocked down a pass to Nacua to force the Rams into fourth-and-12. But Woolen was called for taunting after the play, giving Los Angeles the ball at the 34. Stafford threw a strike to Nacua, beating Woolen at the front left pylon, to pull the Rams within 31-27 with 2:06 left in the third.

The Seahawks took a 17-13 lead at intermission as Darnold hit a wide-open Smith-Njigba with a 14-yard scoring strike with 20 seconds left. The six-play, 74-yard drive took just 34 seconds after the Rams were held to a three-and-out when they had a chance to run out the clock with the lead.

The Seahawks’ defense also forced a three-and-out on the game’s opening possession. Seattle took advantage with a seven-play, 81-yard touchdown drive, capped by Walker’s 2-yard run around the right end and dive for the pylon.

The teams then traded field goals on the next three possessions, with the Rams’ Harrison Mevis connecting from 44 and 50 yards and Seattle’s Jason Myers from 27.

The Rams took a 13-10 lead on a 9-yard screen pass from Stafford to Kyren Williams with 1:55 left in the half.

–Field Level Media