Now he wants to be just like one of the instructors – Travis Kelce.

McBride joined ESPN’s ‘NFL Live’ from Tight End University on Tuesday, June 24, where he was asked about any particular inspiration from someone at the program. He highlighted the connection that Kelce has with Patrick Mahomes on the Kansas City Chiefs, saying that he would like to replicate that with Kyler Murray.

‘Travis, he would always give us some nuggets on being friendly to the quarterback,’ McBride told ESPN’s Laura Rutledge and Dan Orlovsky. ‘Make sure you and your quarterback are on the same page. He kind of plays it a little bit. Him and Mahomes have a nice connection and I kind of took that and I’m like, ‘Why can’t Kyler and I have that same connection?”

McBride continued, saying he tries to be a security option for Murray.

‘I feel like that’s what I tried to do,’ McBride said. ‘I tried to have that same relationship and that growth with Kyler and just continue to make plays for him and be that security blanket. If he needs somewhere to go with the ball, he always can throw it to me and that’s what I’m trying to do for him.’

The Arizona Cardinals star has broken out over the last two seasons, continuing his ascent with a big year in 2024 that saw him earn his first Pro Bowl appearance.

That led to McBride inking a four-year, $76 million extension to remain in the desert – a deal that made him the position’s highest-paid player at the time. George Kittle eventually surpassed him with his four-year, $76.4 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers.

The arrow continues to point up for the 25-year-old McBride. He finished fourth in the league with 111 receptions and 11th in receiving yards with 1,146 – both ranking second amongst tight ends, trailing the Raiders’ Brock Bowers.

McBride’s next step will come with scoring more touchdowns. He’s totaled just six in his career and only four of the have come on a pass from Murray.

The duo can fly up-and-down the field with ease. If Murray-to-McBride is going to be the next Mahomes-to-Kelce, it’ll need to feature the end zone more often.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who is set to fight Jake Paul in a 10-round cruiserweight bout Saturday, June 28, hit boxing’s DNA lottery.

He is the son of arguably the greatest Mexican boxer ever, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. He also is a former WBC world middleweight champion who has fought the likes of Canelo Alvarez and world champions such as Sergio Martinez and Daniel Jacobs.

So why will Paul be the decisive betting favorite against Chavez when the men square off at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, in a pay-per-view fight carried by DAZN?

Paul is listed as low as a -750 favorite, meaning bettors must wager $750 to win $100. Chavez is listed as low as +450, meaning bettors would win $450 on a wager of $100.

“Chavez Jr. is definitely the best boxer Paul has faced,’’ said Shane Volk, risk manager at Circa Sportsbook in Las Vegas.

Jay Kornegay, executive vice president of race and sportsbook operations at the Westgate SuperBook, said, “Chavez has an opportunity to cash in not only this fight, but a possible rematch.’’

But Chavez’s boxing DNA and old world championship go only so far when it comes to setting the lines, according to the experts. (It also bears noting that while Chavez stepped inside the ring with Alvarez, Martinez and Jacobs, he also lost all three of those fights.)

Jake Paul, Chavez share common opponent

Both Chavez and Paul have stepped inside the boxing ring with Anderson Silva, the legendary MMA fighter.

Chavez faced him in 2021, when Silva had only two pro boxing matches. Chavez came into the bout 2.4 pounds over the maximum weight of 182 pounds, forfeited $100,000 of his purse to Silva as a result and then lost the eight-round fight by split decision.

Silva, then 46, out-landed Chavez in power punches, 60-41, and in overall punches, 99-53.

In 2022, Paul got his shot against Silva, then 2-2 as a pro boxer. Paul knocked him down in the eighth round, the final round of their fight, and won the bout by unanimous decision. Paul out-landed Silva in total punches, 83-79, and Silva out-landed Paul in power punches, 66-51.

‘Jake was better than me today,’ Silva said. ‘I have nothing bad to say about my opponent.’

There was no such praise for Chavez.

Watch the Jake Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight on DAZN

Recent activity favors Jake Paul

Chavez won the WBC world middleweight championship in 2011 with a victory over Sebastian Zbik by majority decision. At the time, Paul was 14 years old.

Now Paul is 28. Chavez is 39, and has not displayed his championship form in more than a decade.

Chavez (54-6-1, 34 KOs) has fought 49 more pro bouts than has Paul (11-1, 7 KOs). But since December 2021, Chavez has fought only once — a lackluster victory in a six-round fight over Uriah Hall, who had boxed professionally only once before, by unanimous decision. He has lost three of his six last fights, which included quitting after the fifth round in his bout against Jacobs.

By contrast, Paul has fought seven times since December 2021, and is coming off a victory over Mike Tyson by unanimous decision on Nov. 15, 2024.  

Troubles outside of the ring

Paul, who embarked on his pro boxing career in January 2020, said the sport saved him. Stunts like setting a fire in the backyard of a West Hollywood home in which he lived cost him a lucrative acting job with the Disney Channel in 2017.

Chavez has had issues outside the ring, too.

In January 2024, he was arrested in Los Angeles on charges of felony gun possession charges after police said they found him in possession of two AR-style ghost rifles, according to ESPN and other published reports. He pleaded not guilty to the gun possession charges and agreed to enter residential treatment program, according to published reports. Court records indicate Chavez was granted pretrial diversion.

He’s faced other issues.

In 2009, after a victory over Troy Rowland, Chavez tested positive for a banned diuretic and was suspended for seven months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). In 2012, after his fight with Martinez, he tested positive for cannabis and was suspended for nine months by the NSAC. In 2019, before his fight with Jacobs, he refused to take a drug test and was suspended again by the NSAC.

‘Obviously his father had a historic, Hall of Fame career, and following those footsteps is very difficult,” said Kornegay, who suggested Chavez’s focus has come under question. Paul, by contrast, sounds laser focused on winning a world title no matter how farfetched his critics might think that is.

What betting line experts say

Alex Rella of BetMGM said, “… Chavez was a champion over a dozen years ago and he lost to Anderson Silva in 2021 who then lost to Jake Paul in 2022. Fight math may not be perfect, but it can help be indicative of the times and why Jake Paul is a -600 favorite (at BetMGM.)’’

Shane Volk of Circa Sports said, ‘There are multiple reasons that Jake Paul is the favorite. When you look at familiar opponents Jake Paul beat Anderson Silva and Chavez Jr. lost to him. When Chavez Jr. was younger and active he would tire going into the later rounds.  I think with Chavez Jr. getting older he’ll struggle in the later rounds.’’

Westgate SuperBook’s Kornegay said he wonders if Chavez sees his fight as a “paycheck’’ and added, “the boxing experts in Las Vegas said that he had some potential but got distracted with the out-of-the-ring thing.’’

With not many NBA teams having the kind of salary cap space to create fireworks in free agency, trades surrounding the draft have made late June the ideal time for blockbuster moves.

Kevin Durant traded to Houston. Desmond Bane traded to Orlando. Jrue Holiday traded to Portland for Anfernee Simons.

The Boston Celtics continued to reshape their roster under Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. Boston reached a deal to send Kristaps Porziņģis to Atlanta in a three-team deal that gives the Brooklyn Nets another first-round pick in the draft on Wednesday, June 25.

The Nets get Terance Mann and the No. 22 pick in the draft from Atlanta; he Hawks get a second-round pick in addition to Porziņģis; and the Celtics received Georges Niang from Atlanta and a second-round pick.

Grading the Celtics-Hawks-Nets trade:

Brooklyn Nets: A

The Nets, who have won just 58 games the past two seasons, now have five first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft: No. 8, No. 19, No. 22, No. 26 and No. 27 — and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they packaged picks to move up in the draft or make a deal for a big-name player.

They are undergoing another rebuild and are trying to regain as much draft capital as possible to expedite the process. Though Mann is entering the first season of a three-year contract extension he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers before getting moved to Atlanta at the 2025 trade deadline, it’s a manageable deal at approximately $15.5 million per season.

Boston Celtics: B-

This was a move the Celtics, frankly, needed to do. In conjunction with the Jrue Holiday trade, the Celtics are now out of the second apron, which triggers massive penalties and sanctions on teams that exceed the threshold. With the Celtics under new ownership, the bill for building their star-studded starting lineup was essentially coming due.

According to an ESPN front office insider, the Holiday and Porziņģis trades are trimming $180 million in luxury tax payments. Georges Niang is, at best, a player that will come off the bench, but one who can go on scoring spurts. Does the trade make the Celtics more competitive? No. Does it give them roster flexibility? Unquestionably. Now, the team can look to make corresponding moves to stay competitive on the cheap.

Atlanta Hawks: B+

In a wide open East — one in which the Pacers, Celtics and Bucks will be dealing with torn Achilles injuries to star players — the Hawks could emerge as a sleeper team. Trae Young is the team’s unquestioned leader and led the NBA with 11.6 assists per game. Adding Porziņģis, a stretch big with deep range, should open up Atlanta’s offense. Porziņģis is also a plus rim protector who should bolster Atlanta’s defense, which was tied for 18th in defensive efficiency (114.8).

With Young, Porziņģis, 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccahrie Risacher, budding star Jalen Johnson, Defensive Player of the Year finalist Dyson Daniels and the improving Onyeka Okongwu, the Hawks have a strong, young core. But, as always with Porziņģis, who has played in 258 of a possible 400 games since 2020, the big question is health.

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Baltimore was too cold for former Ravens receiver Diontae Johnson. Perhaps the weather in, uh, Cleveland will be more agreeable for one of the Browns’ newest pass-catchers.

In a recent interview with the Sports & Suits podcast, Johnson confessed that he refused to enter a game for the Ravens last season because he was cold.

‘End of the third going into the fourth, they were like, ‘Tae, we need you,” Johnson said. ‘I was like, ‘Nah, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me.’ Like, my legs are already ice cold and I didn’t wanna go out there and put bad stuff on film.’

According to the National Weather Service, the Baltimore area experienced a high of 44 degrees and a low of 21 degrees on Dec. 1, 2024, the date of the game in question: a Ravens Week 13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Johnson went on to say that his business decision was the reason the Ravens, who had acquired him at the trade deadline from the Carolina Panthers earlier in the season, suspended him for one game. Baltimore waived him a week after he served his suspension, and the Houston Texans claimed him a few days later.

The former Raven didn’t stick in Houston long. He also told Sports & Suits that the Texans prioritized their younger guys for playing time after he joined the team. Before long, Johnson said he ‘checked out mentally.’

‘After that, they said I was a distraction and they released me,’ the veteran said.

Houston waived Johnson after Week 18, and the Ravens re-claimed the wideout. But he was ineligible to play the remainder of the postseason and became a free agent after Baltimore lost their divisional round playoff game.

Johnson finished the 2024 season with 33 catches for 375 yards and three touchdowns across stints with three different teams.

In April, Johnson signed a one-year, $1.17 million deal with the Browns.

According to data collected by the National Weather Service, average temperatures in Cleveland during the fall months of the football season — between September and November — have hovered around four degrees colder than Baltimore since 2000. In the winter months of December and January, temperatures in Cleveland have been an average of 6.5 degrees colder than in Baltimore during the same period.

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Fresh off its second straight College Football Playoff semifinal appearance, Texas football enters the 2025 college football season as one of the most looked-forward-to and hyped around teams in the country.

The leading contributing factor to that is Arch Manning, the presumed favorite to win the Heisman Trophy and a preseason frontrunner for No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, officially running the Longhorns offense.

But as the hype surrounding Manning and Texas continues to build up, former Florida and South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier isn’t so sure about those expectations. He appeared to have said that much during a recent appearance on the ‘Another Dooley Noted Podcast.’

‘You only have to ask Coach Sark how come you played that one instead of this one. Hopefully, he will say, because he was better than that one.’

Arch, a New Orleans native, is currently listed as the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy according to oddsmakers on BetMGM at +600 odds. Texas has not had a Heisman Trophy winner since Ricky Williams won it in 1998.

The 6-foot-4 quarterback, however, hasn’t had to sit in the passenger seat that whole time, especially this past season. Manning showed flashes of his dual-threat skill set and passing acumen in 2024 for the Longhorns, as he started two games for Texas when Ewers was out with an injury and came on in short-yardage situations late in the season.

In 10 games this past season for Texas, Manning completed 67.8% of his passes for 939 yards and nine touchdowns while rushing for 108 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries — an unusual sight for a member of the Manning family. In his first career start vs. UTSA on Sept. 14, Manning became the only FBS or NFL quarterback in the last 25 years to record a 75+ yard touchdown pass, a 65-yard rushing touchdown and another 50+ yard touchdown pass in the same game according to OptaStats.

Manning is set to start his first game as Texas’ full-time quarterback on the road at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio against defending national champion Ohio State, on Aug. 30 at noon ET.

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The arbitrator, Christopher Droney, dismissed the arbitration of the NFL Players’ Association “in its entirety” earlier this year. But Droney noted that the NFL Management Council – which negotiates with the players’ union and other entities on behalf of the 32 owners – “encouraged 32 member Clubs of the NFL to reduce guarantees in future contracts with players at the March 2022 annual meeting.” The clubs, however, did not engage in collusive conduct, the report found.

Both the NFL and NFLPA declined to comment when reached Tuesday by USA TODAY Sports. The ruling had been kept a secret until Torre published his findings on June 24.

The March 2022 meeting at the center of the arbitration claim took place not long after the Cleveland Browns traded for and signed quarterback Deshaun Watson to a fully guaranteed contract worth $230 million over five years.

According to the report, eight owners, Goodell, high-profile player agents, Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson testified at a hearing held by Droney over 10 days in New York last summer.

The NFLPA initially brought the case under former executive director DeMaurice Smith, who was replaced by Lloyd Howell in 2023. The union alleged a high-ranking league executive asked New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft to tell fellow owners to not negotiate with large, fully guaranteed contracts. Both Goodell and Kraft denied this at the hearings, and Droney agreed Goodell did not make the request.

In March 2022, per the ruling, the management council presented to the league about the salary cap and a 42% increase in salary guarantees.

Kyler Murray (five years, $230.5 million with $160 million guaranteed), Wilson (five years, $245 million with $165 million guaranteed) and Jackson (five years, $260 million with $185 million guaranteed) all signed extensions within the next calendar year.  

Jackson, who does not have an agent and represents himself, had a contentious negotiation with the Ravens and general manager Eric DeCosta. No team reached out directly to Jackson after the team placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on him. Jackson apparently did not supply a list of teams he’d be interested in playing for because of phone issues.

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“Only a couple of teams expressed interest to DeCosta in signing him prior to the Ravens’ decision to franchise him,” the report said.

The document also unveiled text communication between two owners, the Cardinals’ Michael Bidwill and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Dean Spanos.

“Your deal helps us for our QB next year,” Spanos wrote.

“I think many teams will be happy with it once they have a chance to review,” Bidwill wrote back. “Cleveland really screwed things up, but I was resolved to keep the guaranteed relatively ‘low.’”

Droney’s role in the arbitration is set by the collective bargaining agreement between the league and union. The same CBA lays out severe penalties for collusion between teams, including the union’s right to terminate the CBA in the event of widespread collusion. Proving collusion also requires more than a preponderance of evidence.