Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby appeared on the Jim Rome Show this past week and told a wild story about seeing… a UFO on a team flight on the way home from a game in Miami.
Crosby told Rome how and he and his teammate, Andre James, love talking about UFOs and aliens and then shared the story from the flight:
“It’s real,” Crosby said of aliens. “Like we were literally on a flight back from Miami, and we’ve seen a UFO with our own eyes. And that sounds crazy, but you can ask the pilots, anybody that was there. It was wild. And I seen it, and they had no idea what it was. There was nothing on the radar, nothing. And it was like a big shining light going in and out.”
Here’s the video of that discussion.
“We were literally on a flight back to Miami. We saw a UFO with our own eyes. ”
Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders saw a UFO! 🛸🏈
New York Giants tight end Darren Waller is planning to retire from the NFL, as he reportedly informed the team on Sunday, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
The decision wasn't too much of a shock as Waller has been teasing a retirement announcement during most of the offseason. He wanted to let the Giants know about his future before the start of minicamp.
The 31-year-old played just one season with the Giants, finishing with 52 catches for 552 yards and one touchdown in 12 games while battling a hamstring injury. He had three years left on his contract with the team, but now the Giants will gain around $11.6 million in cap space.
Sources: #Giants TE Darren Waller has informed the team he plans to retire, walking away at the age of 31 after just one season with NYG.
Waller hasn’t attended workouts, and the team had known for some time he may not play. Now, he’s officially let them know before minicamp. pic.twitter.com/1ZTmj1VX2m
Waller's NFL career began in 2015 when he was drafted in the sixth round by the Baltimore Ravens. He played just two seasons there as he was suspended the entirety of the 2017 season after violating the league's substance-abuse policy.
After Baltimore, Waller was picked up mid-season in 2018 by the Las Vegas Raiders. He played there until the end of the '22 season. He earned one Pro Bowl honor in his NFL career.
When Davante Adams departed the Green Bay Packers for the Las Vegas Raiders in a blockbuster trade in March 2022, quarterback Jordan Love was entering his third full offseason of backing up quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The 2020 first-round pick hadn't received his chance to shine just yet.
After the trade, Adams immediately signed a five-year contract with the Raiders, giving a vote of confidence to his future with then-Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr over uncertainty surrounding the Packers' situation under center.
Just over two years later, Carr is in New Orleans, Rodgers is with the New York Jets, and Love looks like one of the NFL's best young quarterbacks in Green Bay.
Adams made it clear that he doesn't regret leaving Green Bay, but he admitted he was a bit surprised with Love's rapid rise in 2023.
"At the time when I was [in Green Bay], I hadn't necessarily seen enough to say this is for sure what I should do," Adams said of his decision to leave Green Bay on The Rush With Maxx Crosby podcast. "But in hindsight—the kid is a f---ing baller, man. I'm so happy for him.
"I haven't really had a chance to truly sit down and talk with him, but I want to tell him at some point like, 'I definitely don't regret changing [teams], but I'm super proud of what you've done. If there's a way I could pull you over [to Las Vegas] and drag you with me, that would've been cool too.'"
Love struggled a bit early in 2023—his first campaign as the Packers' full-time starting quarterback—but he turned it around in Week 8. Over the last 10 regular-season games, Love led the Packers to seven wins while throwing 21 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
The Packers punched a ticket to the postseason and upset the Dallas Cowboys 48–32 in the wild-card round. Love nearly led Green Bay to a shocking win the following week over the San Francisco 49ers but fell short in the final minute.
"Obviously, we saw what he did at the end of the year," Adams said. "I don't regret what I did. But at the same time, you look back and you're like, 'Damn, that boy got a ball!'"
Adams and the Raiders enter the 2024 season with a big question mark at quarterback. Aidan O'Connell didn't exactly run away with the starting job as a rookie, and Gardner Minshew has proven to provide a better spark as a backup than a full-time starter.
Meanwhile, Love enters the 2024 season looking to build off his promising 2023 campaign. The Packers are expected to compete for the NFC North crown.
"He's starting to come into his own," Adams said of Love. "The way he's talking in front of media and everything—he's just like a whole different person than what I saw when I was there. And that comes with experience."
The entire AFC is chasing the Kansas City Chiefs. Last week, some teams closed the gap during the 2024 NFL draft. Others saw it only grow wider.
But which teams did the best? Which added the most potential while also finding immediate starters? And, conversely, who failed to find enough help, making them vulnerable?
We analyzed and ranked all 16 of the AFC draft classes, going from least-inspiring to most.
16. Tennessee Titans
Tennessee did a nice job picking up OT JC Latham in the first round to bolster its offensive line, but the rest of the draft was underwhelming. The Titans gambled big on DT T’Vondre Sweat despite his off-field concerns, and then selected three linebackers as the rounds clicked off. Not enough upside.
15. Buffalo Bills
The Bills traded back twice in the first round before ultimately selecting WR Keon Coleman with the first pick of the second round. Buffalo then decided to pass on a litany of other talented wideouts, instead loading up on the offensive line with four picks. The Day 2 choices of S Cole Bishop and DT DeWayne Carter were their best.
14. Jacksonville Jaguars
With a big need at cornerback, the Jaguars chose to select Thomas with their first pick.
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Jacksonville had the opportunity to draft any corner in the draft, but traded back to hoard picks. Fair enough. However, the Jaguars then took WR Brian Thomas Jr. instead of addressing a major need. Afterwards, Jacksonville took a kicker and a reserve running back, passing on more high-upside talent. Not awful, but not great.
13. Cleveland Browns
The Browns were once again without their first-round pick as a result of the disastrous Deshaun Watson deal, which gets hilariously worse by the year. Cleveland’s first pick came Friday, when it took a high-upside defensive end in Michael Hall Jr. despite his lack of statistics at Ohio State. Down the board, the Browns finished the draft with three defensive players, hoping to find depth.
12. Denver Broncos
If Bo Nix turns out to be a quality quarterback, my team grade is going to look silly. If he’s not, the Broncos are going to be spinning their wheels for the next few years. The Broncos were also without a second-round pick before taking edge rusher Jonah Elliss and receiver Troy Franklin in the middle rounds. Not a bad haul, but everything hinges on the 24-year-old quarterback.
11. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins decided to go for an edge rusher in the first round, selecting Penn State’s Chop Robinson to bolster depth after injuries to Bradley Chubb and Jaelen Phillips. In the second round, general manager Chris Grier took Miami’s future left tackle in Patrick Paul, a three-year starter at Houston. On Day 3, the Dolphins took another running back in Jaylen Wright. An intriguing class.
10. Houston Texans
The Texans didn’t have a first-round pick after trading back with the Minnesota Vikings, but they still had a nice haul. Houston got a pair of defensive backs on Day 2 with CB Kamari Lassiter and S Calen Bullock, before getting great value in Ohio State TE Cade Stover. Ultimately, Houston added a few potential starters plus depth.
9. Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati loaded up in the trenches, while also taking a pair of boom-or-bust SEC prospects. The Bengals used three of their first four picks on offensive and defensive linemen, including Georgia’s Amarius Mims in the first round. Mims is incredibly talented, but only started eight games for the Bulldogs. In the third round, Cincinnati gambled on WR Jermaine Burton, who has great film but character-driven red flags.
8. New York Jets
Protecting Aaron Rodgers was the top priority for the Jets, who picked Fashanu in the first round.
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The Jets started strong by taking OT Olu Fashanu to lock down the left side for years to come. However, after not having a pick in the second round due to the Aaron Rodgers trade, New York took a pair of running backs. The Jets also took WR Malachi Corley, a 215-pounder who can create yards after the catch. It was an offensively driven class with upside.
7. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs hit on their two biggest needs in the first two rounds, trading up for WR Xavier Worthy and OT Kingsley Suamataia. On Day 3, Kansas City found quality value in S Jaden Hicks and CB Kamal Hadden, upgrading an already strong secondary despite the loss of L’Jarius Sneed in a trade with the Titans.
6. Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore made an already strong roster even better, utilizing all three days of the draft. After getting good value at No. 30 with CB Nate Wiggins, the Ravens continued to take ready-made contributors in edge rusher Adisa Isaac, OT Roger Rosengarten and WR Devontez Walker, along with an intriguing talent in CB TJ Tampa.
5. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts understood their assignment going into the draft. They had to make second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson comfortable, and that appears to have been achieved. GM Chris Ballard landed receivers Adonai Mitchell and Anthony Gould along with a pair of mid-round offensive linemen. Indianapolis also added to its pass rush with edge Laiatu Latu, a potential star off the edge.
4. New England Patriots
The Patriots drafted a pair of receivers after selecting Maye with the third pick in the first round.
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New England did exactly what it needed to in the draft. The Patriots resisted the temptation to trade back and took Drake Maye as their next franchise quarterback. Then they spent the rest of the draft surrounding him with an improved offense ranging from receivers Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, to a pair of offensive linemen in Caeden Wallace and Layden Robinson.
3. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders were patient, and that paid off. Instead of trading up into the top 10 for a quarterback, veteran GM Tom Telesco stayed at No. 13 and tabbed TE Brock Bowers. On the second day, Telesco upgraded the offensive front with G Jackson Powers-Johnson and OT Delmar Glaze out of Maryland. The Raiders still need a quarterback, but when they find him, he’ll be in a better spot.
2. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers needed to find talent across the board in this class after losing receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, among others. To that end, Los Angeles nabbed Notre Dame OT Joe Alt at No. 5 before trading up for WR Ladd McConkey in the second round. On Day 3, the choices of CB Cam Hart and WR Brenden Rice represent great value.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
Fautanu will likely start at tackle for the Steelers.
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Nobody in either conference had a better draft than GM Omar Khan and the Steelers. Pittsburgh found a litany of offensive linemen who could start soon between OT Troy Fautanu, C Zach Frazier and G Mason McCormick. Then there’s the third-round choices of WR Roman Wilson and LB Payton Wilson, both excellent values. Home run stuff from Pittsburgh.
